The Reality Blog: Get Your Website Up and Running (The New 4-Week Reality Blog Challenge)

36 Responses

  1. Hi Mindy,

    This is so exciting! I’m also building from scratch. I’ve been talking about a web site, planning one, making notes here and there, but, BUT I have not done it.

    Now I will work at it. I absolutely love a challenge.

    Thank you so much.

    Barb Johnson

    1. Excellent! Thanks for taking up the Challenge, Barb – I’m so excited to see what you come up with! I’ll be in touch with lots more tips, so be sure to check back here on the blog.

      Thanks!!
      Mindy

  2. Mindy,

    I’ll be building my website from scratch and always love a good challenge. Honestly, once my website is up and running in four weeks, I’m a winner no matter what.

    Looking forward to working with you and all the others.

    Thanks for your support.

    Kelley Keery

    kelley914@gmail.com

    1. Hi Kelley–
      Terrific, thanks for taking me up on this! I can already tell, we’re all going to end up with much better sites than we initially thought we could …(me included, for sure!).
      I’ll keep you posted on more tips!

      Best,
      Mindy

  3. Hi Mindy,

    I’ll be starting from scratch also. I’ve talked and thought about it and have admired or disliked some of those that I’ve seen in my web travels. I’ve even picked out a tentative name so I’m thinking it’s time to bite the bullet and accept this challenge. I already feel challenged because I’m not really too savvy on the compnter jargon but I’m always learning something. If this works for me it will be a win-win. Thanks for providing this chance.

    Mike Veglia

    mpvdc@sbcglobal.net

    1. Great, Mike – thanks for letting me know!

      I’m so glad you’ll be joining us on this Challenge. Like you, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out what I liked and didn’t like about other websites, but actually translating that into my own website is a wholly different story! So here’s hoping we all come out on top.

      Best of luck!
      Mindy

      1. Thanks for your reply Mindy.

        I have already researched and decided on a name. I was very surprised to learn that the name ‘APENTA’ which is the name I originated back in the early 1970s (see my profile) is now being used by an Indonesian website designing company~’it’s a small, small, smaller world after all”.
        Now what’s the next step?

        Mike Veglia (The ‘G’ is silent like the ‘E’ in horse.)

        1. Hey Mike!
          Glad to hear you’ve picked a name. The next step is choosing your hosting company, then following that we’ll be picking out designs/templates. Look for more tips on that come Monday.

          Cheers!
          Mindy

  4. Hi Mindy,

    I’m pretty much starting from scratch. I’ve got a webite registered that’s based on my name, but my site is just a blank wordpress install.

    I hope I win! but to to that I’ll have to do a pretty good job. But it’s something I need to do anyways, this just gives me a deadline and a little extra incentive.

    And what if the winner already has Web Copy 2.0? Could they pick another program?

    Anyways, poulin.lee@gmail.com. THat’s me!

    Lee Poulin

    1. Hi Lee!
      Wonderful, thanks for joining the Challenge! It’s really a win-win for all of us – like you said, it’s something we all need to do anyway, but having a little extra motivation sure can make a difference!

      Absolutely – if you win and you already own Copywriting 2.0, we’ll get you a different program.

      Good luck!
      Mindy

  5. Hi Mindy –

    I e-mailed you my info yesterday but haven’t heard back from you yet, so just wanted to be sure you got that message.

    I’ve been wanting to start a blog site for my business for awhile now, but wasn’t sure where to start. Wanted to use WordPress, and already have a new .com URL registered. Eventually want to transition over to the blog site from my current one, since the one I have now isn’t very interactive or even sales-oriented.

    Was wondering if it would be possible to win a different package of Nick Usborne’s if we already have Copywriting 2.0.

    Looking forward to the challenge!

    Thanks!

    Chris Wilson

    cwilson@worddesign.biz

    1. Hi Chris,

      Yes, thanks! Just got caught up on my emails, so you should be getting one from me soon. So glad you joined the Challenge!

      I think you’re right about transitioning to a site that’s more interactive – readers/users/clients will appreciate that.

      And yes, if the Challenge winner already has Copywriting 2.0, we’ll be sure to hook them up with something else. 🙂 Good luck!

      Mindy

  6. Hi Mindy… Stacie here… I’m competing and starting from SCRATCH!!! I’m so excited. I’ve put a lot of thought into what I want my site to do/be/produce, so this is just the motivation I need to get ‘er up there…

  7. Mindy,

    Am I showing my age when I tell you when i saw MTM I thought Mary Tyler Moore? Forever after it will be Mindy Tyson McHorse.

    Congrats. Looks like you drew a lot of attention with this blog.

    1. Lee,

      I always love to see MTM come on with the roaring kitty. It was such a perfect company brand.

      Mary

      1. Hmm – clearly I need to brush up on my cultural history! I’m not even entirely sure who Mary Tyler Moore is (which is probably something I shouldn’t admit, since it means I’m showing my age on the other end of the spectrum).

        Here’s hoping I can make half of the impression she seems to have done!

        Cheers,
        Mindy

  8. Hi Mindy,

    I’m in! This is terrific incentive. I’m starting from scratch. I have ideas and now it’s time to get them online.

    I look forward to joining up with the rest of you. Win or lose, it will be a success finally getting this darn website up!

    Mary Hannick
    concentrate@mac.com

    1. Hi Mary,
      Fabulous – thanks! I like what you wrote – that’s how I’ve been thinking about my own website for a while (that darn thing…) – So I can’t wait to be done done done!
      Best of luck – I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
      Mindy

  9. Mindy,

    I’ve been needing to do this for about six months and keep getting distracted. Thanks for the push in the right direction. I’m building from scratch.

    The post on choosing a domain name was great. Really helped!

    Claire Talbott
    claire@talbott.ws

    1. Hi Claire,
      Terrific! Welcome to the club. I’m definitely the type who needs a push now and then, so I hear you!
      Looking forward to what we’ll all come up with – good luck!
      Mindy

  10. Hi – I too am starting from scratch, but I have a VERY basic question. What site would you recommend that a true novice could get good templates and information on how to create and design their initial website? I believe that I will go with bluehost.com for my hosting site as I have heard good things about them.

    Any info would be appreciated.

    1. Hi Pat,

      Glad to hear you’ve joined us! I’ve heard some really good things about bluehost.com, though I’ve never personally tried them. Sitebuildit.com also has a lot of templates and capabilities – I think they’re good as long as you take the time to read through their instructions, which are extensive (I was impatient when I first tried them and skipped a few steps, which ended up getting me stuck in a few places). WebsiteTonite, run by GoDaddy, is very easy to use as long as you’re content with the templates they give you – which are good, but they’re hard to personalize very extensively.

      I’m hoping we’ll get more comments on hosting and design options over in the forum, so you might drop in there in a few days.

      Can I have your email address? You can send it to me through the link to my own email, listed above in the blog.

      Thanks!
      Mindy

  11. Hey Mindy,

    Count me in, too! What a great opportunity (and push) to get something done that’s been nagging at me for ions. Mine’s going to be built on a brand new WordPress theme I just downloaded (and no easy task, let me assure you!).
    It’s live (barely) at http://www.NaturalMedicineMarketing.com.

    Let the countdown begin!

    Cheryl

    1. Great! Lovely to hear from you, Cheryl 😉

      I have an inkling your site is going to be a knockout! And I really do love the domain name you chose. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

      Mindy

  12. Hello Mindy,

    Starting a website from scratch and grappling with the name is just now behind me. I look forward to the coming weeks and the encouraging results of this challenge. I enjoy many of the articles published and appreciate the encouraging content. Please add my site to the challenge http://pinpointwebsiteauditors.com

    1. Hey Reuben, good to hear from you!
      I’ve got you down – thanks for joining. Great domain name! That has tons of excellent potential – I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll do with it. I’ll keep you posted on the next step – good luck!
      Mindy

  13. Count me in. I have a domain name abbashome.com and Justhost is where I will be uploading it. I have a client already. I will be building his site, designing and writing everything for him. I’m very excited about this. I am a photographer, graphic designer, artist and writer. I’m fond of computers and software. I have purchased a lot of AWAI courses.

    marysuedodson@mac.com

  14. Hi, Mindy. I have a question (my apologies if this has already been posed and I missed it in the string!)

    Did this contest start on July 12 (the date you posted the details) and it runs for 4 weeks, or do we have until August 24 to sign up, and then it runs 4 weeks from whatever date we sign up?

    If it’s the former, I probably won’t have time to complete my site by August 12. But if it’s the latter, I’ll sign up when I get back from vacation late next week and it’ll give me the impetus to get cranking on it. So far all I have is a registered name (CopyRocker.com … tagline: “copy that rocks!”), but I haven’t done anything with it yet. This could be the perfect kick in the rear that I need. Just clear me up on the date question if you would. I’ll look forward to hearing back from you!

    John

  15. Hey, Mindy. John again. I feel like I did when I put together my kids’ toys at Christmas…first I take a stab at it, screw it up, then I read the instructions. 🙂

    I refer, of course, to my prior post above. After writing that I watched your video and clearly heard that you intended for a July 24 cutoff date for signing up. In the written content above it somehow got transcribed as August 24, which prompted my question.

    At any rate, even though I’ll be losing about a week due to a family vacation at the “House of the Mouse” (I say it like it’s a bad thing!), count me in! It’ll be difficult to do in 3 weeks, but I’ll try.

    You’re doing a great job, by-the-way. Keep up the good work!

    John

    1. Thanks, John!
      Yes, you’re correct about it being July 24th – I misspoke above in the video, and it looks like I’d better go in and correct the date in the copy.
      But awesome to hear you’re still in on it all with us – I know it’ll move quickly, but I (like you) need a kick in the rear to finally get that main content up and rolling. We can do it! And it’ll be totally worth it in the end, as I keep reminding myself.

      Have a super time on vacation (World or Land?) and thanks so much for the comments!
      Mindy

      1. Hi Mindy,

        I think I’m a little confused too. Do we have until August 12 to get the website up, or August 24?

        Mary

      2. Orlando-bound, Mindy. 7:00 A.M. flight out of Newark tomorrow morning.

        I’m looking forward to banging out this site when I get back. Yikes! So much to do, so little time.

        Talk to you along the way!

        John

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