Why You Shouldn’t Barter for a Web Site

Although I believe empowering yourself with website building knowledge first. you might think this might go against my blog entry on barter earlier this week, I recommend against bartering for web work.

The only thing I can think of comparing bartering for web work for is like being married and not in love…. really truly not in love.

My family traded website work for our gallery to a designer that owed my uncle money. Since it was barter, the web site work was always the last thing on his “to-do” list. When it was finally finished two years later, it was already time to update it. Guess what? He didn’t have time for that additional work. Can you imagine the frustration of having to explain to a potential gallery or venue that you have a web site, but it isn't up to date?

Bite the bullet. Gone are the days when you had to either learn html, a difficult program or depend on a web-designer to build your website. If you can use the cut-and- paste feature on Micrsoftword you can build, manage, and update your own website on your schedule, not some web designers! Now, almost every hosting company has a free web site building program that is easy to use.

I recommend Yahoo Sitebuilder or Mac Website builder because those are the two that I’m most familiar with. Both are free programs that allow you to build a website for free. Hosting is now as little as $12.95 month. With programs such as this, there is a very minimal learning curve and if you want to add Paypal buttons, audio, or video it’s simply a matter of cutting and pasting these components into your website. The best thing about Sitebuilder is that it comes with a 24/7 toll free help number.

Better Business Through Bartering

Barter

You may have noticed that the artwork in your dentists office is a bit on the shabby, and need I say, outdated, side – the matt board has faded, some have brown mystery stains in the corner. Next time you’re sitting in his waiting room, take a look around and consider trading your artwork for dental work.  Although it’s probably the last thing on your mind, it’s just such an experience that makes it a prime situation for barter.

Bartering is a business transaction where you trade your item or service for another item or service. The more connected you are to someone; the easier the barter is to pitch. I once traded a painting for an expensive personal growth workshop and traded gardening work for a years worth of marriage counseling. Anything and everything is open to barter. 

To successfully barter you obviously have to have all the things that I’ve been recommending on my blog in place before you attempt to barter at this level – a web site, business cards, an Artist Menu, etc. Barter doesn’t necessarily have to take place with only people you know. Believe it or not, you can receive just about any goods or services that you would normally pay for simply by trading art. 

If you’re interested in taking barter to the next level, Google “organized barter and trade exchange.”  There you’ll find a ton of information on businesses that are willing to barter and tax information as well. And yes, barter is a tax write off.