Hand Holding Needed!

[in2d]

Hi there, hope you guys can help with a quite 'general' question. Earlier this year I set up my website (ecommerce). The guy that built it charged ma an absolute fortune (okay - I made my fist mistake there); he then went on to try and charge mt £50 pm hosting! Although I did have the sense to look elsewhere for hosting - I ended up using i-websolutions ... which, quite frankly, have been worse than useless for me. They may have all the whisles and bells, but their CS is awful.
I came into this project with no technical knowledge (websites/ecommerce etc etc) I've worked really hard to get to where I'm at but it's going to be the death of me. I spend so much time trying to do the silliest things because it's all 'new' to me and there is no-one to ask.

The latest problem is I am trying to build some microsites ... I (foolishly) took the hosting out with i-websolutions again and they didn't send me any set up info, wont reply to my tickets ... same old story with them.

Well - I'd love to be able to move my main site (and my microsite) to another hosting company. But I would not know where to start. Is it easy to do?

I really need to find someone who I can sit down with for half a day to go through some issues ... but that 'someone' does not seem to exist. There is one guy I know who has helped me a bit - but he is so busy with his own businesses - I cant ask for any more of his time.

I expect you guys are already experts ... but for those that arent ... do you use a web designer to help you with technical issues?

I'm running this site 100% on my own at the moment and I'm at the mercy of the CMS and the hosting company (if either of them 'went wrong' I would be so far up the creek without a paddle... don't know what I'd do).

Thanks in advance

[Page]

I may be wrong but it sounds to me as if you need some real business help and with your approach to things - not just a change of hosting company.

The hosting guys will be along in a minute.

[in2d]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Nope - it's just the technical stuff. I've run my own business for the last 5 years ... I'm quite happy with that side of things.

When I went down the route of setting up the website is where I came unstuck. Any technical advice much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[phoog]

don't know if this will help as I'm no expert but if you use a CMS with a decent backup ( 1click- site and database) then you'll not be that far up the creek, there a couple of good ones for joomla, don't know about the rest, worst case is you lose 24hrs...bad but not terminal

[awebapart.com]

It does sound like you are embarking on making the same mistakes with your microsites, before sorting out your main site issues. Sort the one main site out first before creating several more sites to worry about.

Also ask yourself, do you really need microsites, or is it just that you think you need them because you cannot find anywhere on your current site to add this new content? Which might suggest a shortcoming in your current site.

Going the semi-bespoke custom development (http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=278560) route for your ecommerce site, as you have done, is not for the feint of heart. It can be risky. On the one hand you have the designers/developers who are just interested in the large upfront one-off payment for the site, leaving the rest to you after they have taken the money and run. On the other hand you have the hosting, and if something goes wrong then who do you call, the host or the developer, who is responsible, ultimately it is you since you are the project manager sourcing from multiple suppliers. And who is supporting your system if the original developers just did an initial one-off job?

You also have the financial responsibility you have taken on for maintaining and improving a complex piece of software. A responsiblity and headache you don't really need since you are in the baby goods business not the software development business.

To get a real handholding service for your ecommerce system you really need the one supplier who is responsible for the system, its support and its hosting. I've mentioned in earlier posts about hosted managed services (http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41006&page=2)which provide this. Have you looked into moving your system over to one of these services, in particular the shoptistic service whose system is based on cs-cart, the same one your custom system is based on. Alternatively you might find a different cs-cart custom developer who is willing to take on your site and provide hosting support too.

[in2d]

Thank you for your valued comments. My designer got my site set up with the hosting company so that's why I'm having this problem with the microsite - because I didn't do it last time and I dont really know what I'm doing TBH.

The main site is runnign and functioning fine - the real issue with that is that, ongoing, if there was a serious error with the HTML or the database, as you rightly said, where would I go from there?

So, (again as you rightly said) I'm looking for a more 'all in one solution'. I made some calls today and spoke with someone who I have spoken with before (was quite happy to give his time to explain things) It is a web design company - on a pretty big scale. Lovely guy, very helpful - no pressure to go with them. He did say he could do hosting and they would take full responsibility for all the set up and testing etc. Downside is, it's £35 pm. They would take care of all back up issues etc for me too. They can do ad hoc 'repair' work (at an extra cost of between £55 and £75 ph)for me also and they are always at the end of the telephone line.

So, I guess, like so many things, you get what you pay for. If I want someone to pay that little bit extra attention and guide me through issues I'm a bit shakey with, I'm going to have to pay a little extra!

I know £35 a month is alot for hosting ... but do any of you think that in my situation it might actually be worth it. I'm tempted to go with it...

Paul, I'm sending you a PM