Blackstone LaunchPad: Launching Your Own Website
This event was centered around informing participants of the resources available to aid in creating and launching a fully functioning website on a budget. The discussion was centered around using templated websites to evade the need to hire a professional to code a website for you. The topics discussed included buying a domain, website hosting, DIY website builder options, and marketing. During the event, I learned how to outline a website and choose a website builder that specializes in creating pages that fit specific needs, whether it be a website for an eportfolio or eCommerce. I also learned that WordPress is popular, however it can be difficult to use because it is open source and if you encounter problems in the coding, there isn\’t really help support to guide you. So, if users aren\’t highly technical, websites like Wix and Squarespace are more user-friendly to create professional-looking websites. The session concluded by informing us about the next steps after launching a website, such as diving into SEO to increase website traffic and data analytics to develop an understanding of how/when a website is being used. This event related to my career goals because I am looking to start a business sometime in the future and the information I gained during this experience will aid me in creating a website for it and gaining traction in the digital market. As it is extremely important for any business to be accessible through the internet, I look forward to being able to utilize the tools presented to me during this event as the foundation to creating a digital platform for my business.