Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi,
I am starting on a small business venture and I am just in the stages of doing some research, to see if my idea is feasible.

I have developed a survey and have not had much luck with getting people to take it.  I posted it on Craig`s List.  My next step is to create a website, simply for the purpose of people taking the survey, and to hand out fliers and business cards instructing people to the website, to take the survey.  Hopefully, this will yield more survey results.

I will admit, I am extremely frugal with my funds, and do not see the need to sink a lot of money in a professional web design.  At this time, I don`t know if the idea will have lots of interest.  I am thinking about just having the proposed name of the company on a website, a paragraph  or so about the business, a link where interested people can click, to take the survey, and then an email address and phone number so people can contact me if they have additional questions. 

Any suggestions about how to go about this?  I am wondering if at this stage of my development and marketing, would a blank page, with the name of my business, the survey link, and my contact info, do?  Or should I at least use a template from somewhere?  I have no web design skills, whatsoever.  I have dabbled with Publisher`s Easy Web Site Builder, and tried to use tabs and pictures.  Everything looked like cr-p when I clicked on the Web Page View feature. 

I have no logo.  Just a company name, the domain name, the domain email address, a contact number and a Survey from Survey Monkey.

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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

I concur with Roland, what use is the website, if it`s just going to link visiters to SurveyMonkey, and it`s not going to look professional? Why not just direct them to the survey directly?

Thank you Roland.  That is a good idea...going to forums and all.  I was thinking about handing out fliers to instruct people to the website.  But as you stated, it does not seem like the best solution to see if the idea is feasible...since it will cost me money to make and hand out fliers; not to mention designing a flier that is appealing.  I did a Google search for SUN forum and it came up with mostly pc techie results.  Sun Online Discussions came up with an error.  However, I did Google forums specific to who I am interested in surveying, and came up with some hefty results!  Thanks again.

Hi Steve.  Survey Monkey is who I use now.  I just needed to know how to get more people to go to the site.  Craig`s List only yielded me three responses. I do love Survey Monkey though!

Hi Alan,
Thanks for your info.  I am taking Roland`s advice.  The challenge I will have with posting on forums is that the results I get will be from various geographical areas, when I really need info from my locality.  I guess I can do searches for forums in my locality too and see what comes up.  One good thing is that my survey does ask for a zip code.  I supposed I can see what zip codes are similar to my locality in terms of socio-economic status and the like.

Thanks for informing me about the Dreamweaver trial version and Templatemonster.com!

Hi Roland,
I wanted to thank you for your advice again.  I am going to try to keep accessing the SUN forum.  I am currently trying to post on other forums, but when I read their terms of service, I can see where one can say I am in violation, because there are stipulations on all the forum websites that read something like to the affect of, "Use of ....is is for personal use only.  Commercial uses of ...... are strictly prohibited unless prior consent is given.  You agree that you will not use ....for chain letters, junk mail, spamming.........solicitations" 
And while I feel that posting a survey link does not violate these conditions, I am concerned that someone will consider it SPAM (something similar has happened)." 
I am open to any suggestions as to how to get around this.  Meantime, I will try posting on a couple of forums and see what happens.

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