Before the advent of the World-Wide-Web, we used a local bulletin board service that ran several modems. During a later visit to the host’s NOC we got our first glimpse of the Web, and when I set my eyes on the results of a Yahoo! search, it took some time for my brain to fully grasp what I had seen.
Sheer curiosity, admittedly, was my reason for starting a web design company. Online communities were just beginning. Real estate and even lodging was just realizing why they needed a web site. When the power and flexibility of a virtually unlimited global open network finally dawned on me, a strong sense of excitement stirred, and a world of possibilities appeared before me. Exploring the endless world of shared information, and being an early contributor gave me a sense of ownership on the Net. The resulting tremendous growth of e-commerce, nearly free communication and its vital role in our world allows us to help develop dreams.
In late ’95, equipped with a degree in business and computing, I heard the web’s siren call. A friend and associate of mine and I started out in a small office where Web Marketing Group was formed.
During our first year, we built sites for Western North Carolina’s mountain communities offering up content welcoming people to the beautiful NC mountains. We targeted visitors for the commercial sites connected to the visitor’s guide. It worked.
We pondered how long it might take for the majority to use an email address and be so bold as to use their credit cards online.
The Net was booming all around us! Though business slowed a bit after the DOT COM Bubble Crash in 2001, I was pleased to find that the Internet wasn’t affected, and e-commerce continued to grow.
In ’96, the partnership ended, and I found myself accepting new contracts for design and hosting. I found that I had built a strong following by consistently delivering results for our clients.
Due to the advent of popular CMS packages available in the open-source community, online design of web sites has become the norm. After careful consideration, we decided to embrace WordPress, and we found that a web site running WordPress offers visibility on a robust and reliable platform.
Combining the power and flexibility of our VPS hosting and WordPress has proven a winning combination for any size business.