home sweet homepage: 7 good reasons to have a homepage

March, 1999.
By Molly E. Holzschlag. (Link to original article.)

When Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone would experience 15 minutes of fame, he wasn't counting on the advent of homepages! This newly popular technology grants us all much more than 15 minutes.

A homepage is an individual's page on the World Wide Web. Anyone can make one, and it can be about any topic. Creating a homepage can be a profound act of self-discovery, or it can be just plain fun. There are some purely practical reasons to create a homepage. Let's take a look at some great reasons to have a homepage.

1. Simply to say hello!

If you're involved with Web communities, such as ThirdAge, it's great to have a place where your online friends can learn more about you. A personal page with a photo, contact information, and some general information about your likes and dislikes makes for the perfect online calling card.

Likewise, you'll appreciate when others have a homepage that you can look at. A homepage is geared toward your personal comfort. If you want to share a picture, you can. If you want to tell your personal story, you can. You decide what information you share with visitors to your page. It gives you control over the speed that you get to know people online.

Some situations where a homepage calling card comes in handy:

• Chat: You're online in a chat. You meet someone you like, and a friendship is forged. Simply type in your homepage address (called an "URL" and pronounced "Earl") and your friend can click on it and go directly to your page to learn more about you.
• Email & Forums: You can make your homepage URL part of your email or forums "signature." This means that at the bottom of your messages, under your name, your homepage URL will appear for people to click on.

ThirdAger HomePages that say hello!:

• Meet Katie, who loves travelling, sunsets, and sunrises.
• Meet Hans, who's originally from the Netherlands but now lives in New Zealand.

To meet more friends, visit ThirdAge's Friendship Street.

2. Keep family ties strong

If your family members are far-flung, using a homepage keeps everyone up to date with what's happening. A homepage allows families to stay connected in a creative way, and can even add depth to that connection!

Imagine these advantages for your family:

• A family newsletter can be easily and quickly updated with pictures and family news.
• Details of family doings can be shared in-depth to all interested family members-- without running up those long-distance phone bills.
• After a vacation, a birth, a graduation--just send everyone the URL to your homepage where you've posted photos and details.
• Get everyone involved! Kids can collaborate with grandparents; everyone can contribute his or her piece.

ThirdAger examples of online family homepages:

• Meet Eugene, his kids, his grandkids, and eventually his great-grandkids!
• Meet Vikingrose's family, from Sweden and the Czech Republic.
• See the start of a family photo album, with photos over time, and photos of their house fire.

For more family homepages, visit Family Street.

3. Share hobbies and interests

One of the most powerful reasons people get--and stay--online is the opportunity to share common interests. The value of creating a page about your interests is that not only do you get to express your own approach to a given activity, but you can create valuable resources for others who enjoy that activity as well.

There are hundreds of interest areas, but a few of the most popular include antiques, cooking, crafts, journal writing, photography, computers, model-making, poetry, and more.

Some ThirdAgers who share their interests:

• Wander through Ane's garden, beautifully designed.
• Visit the Mariposa homepage where a ThirdAger shares favorite Web sites.

For more hobby homepages, visit some of these streets: Hobbies Street, Crafts Street, Sports Street, Travel Street.

4. Looking for love

Sharing yourself via a homepage might be just the ticket to the right romance. The Web offers a safe and creative space for meeting someone--and there are many wonderful stories of successful online matchmaking.

Special benefits of personal ad-style pages include:

• You don't have to invite interested parties home--just to your homepage!
• If you hit it off in email, then you can progress at a pace that feels safe and comfortable for you.
• You can talk about yourself and your desires in great detail. You're not restricted to the few lines a personal ad provides.
• Make that potential mate amorous with a photo most glamorous! Or, include a sound file of your voice whispering virtual words of love.

For other people looking for love, visit ThirdAge's Singles Street.

5. Clubs & organizations

Are you a member of a club, organization, or community group that doesn't yet have a homepage? Take the initiative and create one!

Some benefits of having a club homepage:

• No need for expensive paper newsletters--keep everyone up-to-date on the Web site.
• Keep in touch with members living far away.
• On a club homepage, you can include photos, a calendar of events, member contact lists, email addresses, and more.

ThirdAger Club homepage examples:

• Meet the alumni of Beavercreek High School, and their seed of a homepage.

For more homepages of organizations, visit ThirdAge's: Alumni Street, Military Street, Community Street.

6. Pound the virtual pavement

Craving a new career? Maybe you're just tired of the same old, same old. Whatever the reason, putting up a professional resume is a great way to let potential employers help you find what you're seeking. You can also share your strategies with other job seekers, who likely have some genuine pearls of job-search wisdom to share with you, too!

Impress employers with:

• Your technical savvy and up-to-date awareness of today's demand for online skills.
• Links from your resume to projects you've worked on, companies you've worked for, and schools you've attended.
• Extended resume information beyond the "one-page only rule." While you should keep an online resume just as short as a paper one, you can add links to extended information about your experience and activities.

For examples of ThirdAger online resumes, visit Job Search Street.

7. Set up shop

You can create a Web-based business or expand your current offline business. The Web is a perfect place to display your crafts, specialty items, and services.

Consider these benefits:

• A Web-based business has very little overhead. No building to rent and maintain, no vehicles, and no extra personnel.
• The Web is truly worldwide! You immediately have access to customers who would otherwise be very difficult to reach.
• If you add or remove a product or service from your offerings, it's a snap to update a Web site.
• Print and other advertising media can be very expensive, but a Web site is inexpensive--and even free--to create and maintain.
• And, best of all, you don't have to have a fancy store or be a full-time businessperson to have a small, online business. Just for fun, you can sell those afghans you make, or the wooden dolls you paint, or just about anything at all.

Examples of ThirdAger Online Shops:

• Visit Grands Place, a store with beautiful birdhouses, wind chimes, candles, and sculptures.
• Read about World Education, an online computer training company.

For more examples, visit ThirdAge's Small Business Street.

So, get going!

Don't delay. It's easier than you think. A homepage is free and takes only a few minutes to build a basic one. Plus, you'll find that you'll have many uses for it once it's done.

I want to make a homepage now!

And, while you're in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by my homepage too!