[thelist] My 12 year old son can do websites

[Richard Bennett]

Hi,

<----- Original Message -----
<From: <john at johnallsopp.co.uk>
<I don't know if this is off topic or not (I'll tip anyway), but a client
<said to me yesterday "my 12 year old son made a really good looking
<website yesterday using Microsoft Publisher, do you use that?"

If the customer is worth anything, I wouldn't blog this discussion, and I
wouldn't put down his son with a clever remark.
My reply would be something like:
"Tools like MS publisher allow people with limited knowledge of publishing
or webdesign to put together a reasonable document or webpage, and if they
have a designer's eye, the result might turn out quite nicely.
It does not compensate for hands-on experience in what works well on the
web, what attracts customers, how to cater for search-engines and various
browsers, how to keep your server secure and prevent your site from being
hacked, or how to prevent spam being relayed over your server, to mention
just a few points.
If your web-presence is limited to the online equivalent of a business-card,
you could go with a home-made solution, but for anything more involved a
professional approach will be more effective, lower risk, and will offer a
higher return on investment in the long term.
If you think your son has flair for webdesign, we can offer him some
webspace to put up his own personal webpage, and gain some experience at the
same time."

Richard.