How Much Does Free Cost?
WordPress is free. Facebook is free. Twitter is free. If I can do or get it for free why should I pay you? 
The most frequently asked question I hear — often not verbalized aloud.
There are a host of responses. Here are a few…
As easy as some aspects of WP are, there’s no way somebody could set up a site like this without a good knowledge of html to start with. The navigation links, tables, bookmarks and IDX would drive anyone else insane. -Linda Slocum
Social media is not free or easy, but if you employ the right people who can utilize these tools effectively, it can be an efficient choice to augment your other efforts. We should focus less on selling people on shiny new tools and more on building strategic plans and how tools can help us achieve the goals we have established. -Cara Keithley
I tell clients that I conservatively think I spent well over 500 man-hours learning Social Media and that was just to get started. I probably spend 2 hours a day learning each and every day… so at their salary, what is all that time worth? Funny how it makes the large number I just slid across the table seem not so large anymore. -brandmarken
If you want to trust your brand with someone who’s spammed their way to 100k Twitter followers in the last 6 months, then you weren’t the right client for me anyway. On the other hand if you’re serious about exploring the possibility of entering the social media space and are willing to dedicate the resources to ensure success, then we’ve got something to talk about. -Scott Schablow
Social Media isn’t free–depending upon the goals and size of the brand, executing Social Media strategies and programs may require monitoring, research, third-party software and services, development, planning, and resources to work effectively. – Augie Ray
Those “inexpensive” efforts take specialized knowledge and a lot more time to manage and execute. Things like public relations, guerrilla marketing, event marketing, and viral have always been more labor intensive and require a special kind of daily hands-on management. Same with social media. -Michelle Tripp
Wondering… How do you, as a buyer, determine the value of a service? Is it monetary? Time saved? Share your thoughts in the comments.
20 Questions to Answer Before You Install Your WordPress Site
WordCamp Atlanta answered questions about WordPress
WordCamp is a conference type of event that focuses squarely on everything WordPress. Everyone from casual end users all the way up to core developers show up to these events.
Presentations at WordCamp Atlanta covered design, development and content for beginner, intermediate and advanced WordPress users.
Several people I met at WordCamp Atlanta are not yet using WordPress. They have creative ideas and stories to share, and are attracted to the open source platform — the support of the WordPress community.
It’s easy to install WordPress and dive into blogging. Install and write. Easy-peasy.
Now, some of us are stepping back to consider more strategic questions.
Who am I? Where am I going? Why?
Seth proposed a list of questions we need to answer before we spend money on a website. WordPress is free, so we get started first, ask questions later. To be successful we must answer these strategic questions:
- What is the goal of the site? In other words, when it’s working great, what specific outcomes will occur?
- Who are we trying to please? If it’s the boss, what does she want? Is impressing a certain kind of person important? Which kind?
- How many people on your team have to be involved? At what level? Who are they?
- Who are we trying to reach? Is it everyone? Our customers? A certain kind of prospect?
- What are the sites this group has demonstrated they enjoy interacting with?
- Are we trying to close sales? Are we earning permission to follow up?
- Are we telling a story?
- Are we hoping people will watch or learn?
- Do we need people to spread the word using various social media tools?
- Are we building a tribe of people who will use the site to connect with each other?
- Do people find the site via word of mouth? Are they looking to answer a specific question?
- Is there ongoing news and updates that need to be presented to people?
- Is the site part of a larger suite of places online where people can find out about us, or is this our one sign post?
- Do we want people to call us?
- How many times a month would we like people to come by? For how long?
- Who needs to update this site? How often?
- Does showing up in the search engines matter? If so, for what terms? At what cost? Will we be willing to compromise any of the things above in order to achieve this goal?
- Will the site need to be universally accessible? Do issues of disability or language or browser come into it?
- How much money do we have to spend? How much time?
- Do we understand ‘everything’ is not an option?
What’s your experience? Did you dive in and start writing? Is your site a strategic decision? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=95f0951e-697f-4031-ae9a-2b6d5b53ea44)
Gather Around
We don’t just join communities because we like a product or service or thing. We gather around people who feel what we feel, and we share passion for things that bring us some sense of pleasure or joy, or even healing. ~Chris Brogan
I’m curious. What are your passions? How do they shape your community? Your business? Your life?
