# Gauging interest - Building and managing farm websites and blogs



## smidley (Jan 21, 2016)

I'm a new homesteader, and for the past 10+ years I've been an IT professional. I've been thinking about what I could do for a side business while I try to grow my homestead. I have a lot of experience with server hosting, websites, technical support, and customer service. Would there be any interest in a service where you could get a website custom built for your farm / homestead / farmers market products, and get personalized support on it as well?

I could think of a lot of reasons right away why someone would want this. You could use it to advertise your name and your farm, keep a blog of what you're up to with your farm, share pictures and video, promote your products, have directions and contact information to your farm, the list goes on. The sites would be very high quality. They would also be very cheap compared to other hosted solutions like amazon web services or microsoft azure. With other solutions you also don't just get to call tech support and get an answer - with this service, you would just get to call me and I would personally help you out!

Why would I do this for a cheaper cost? I like the idea of supporting farmers and other people that enjoy the same things about life as I do


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Here's just my thoughts about this... I'm a used to be IT professional too, sooooo....

A lot of homesteaders are working on very limited budgets, so paying someone for a website I don't think is very doable. There are a lot of free options out there for the few that do keep a blog, or pictures, or similar.

Any more, EVERYONE who does what you are proposing, uses Facebook.. especially out here where I live.. I am the odd man out since I loath Facebook. I keep hearing from everyone here how I need to get on it because I miss sales, meetings, and everything else they put on FB... If it's happening out here, it's on FB... 

Some of those that have farms and do farmers markets and such do have their own sites they maintain.

And those that do have blogs and such, do them for the small income they generate... 

Honestly, I don't see a big market for what you are proposing... but I could be wrong.. just going by what I've seen from some around here, and by looking around the web at other "homesteader" and farmer sites.

We have one member here that does hosting or at least used to, but I don't think he has much for homesteaders as customers....


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## smidley (Jan 21, 2016)

Thanks for your reply. I didn't want to get too carried away with anything until I could see if there would be any real value. I'm like you and hate facebook ha ha. I actually forget that people use it for such things.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

What if you created an umbrella site and let people have sites under the umbrella for free. The deal is you can sell adds and sub-sites have to agree to that. Could you make enough to make it worthwhile?


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