Welcome to DarkStar Digital!
My name is Alan, and as far as the internet is concerned, I’ve been here since the very beginning of time, more or less.
I distinctly remember buying my first internet enabled PC (with an internal 56k modem!) back in about 1998, and vividly realising that I need never be bored again.
The potential to tap into an endless supply of information, about virtually anything I was interested in, was incredibly exciting. People who have grown up with the internet probably can’t imagine how life was without it.
I was in my mid 20’s back then, and it blew my mind.
Even in those early days, I wasn’t just a passive consumer of information. Within a very short time I had my own website up and running and naturally enjoyed figuring out how to bring various elements together to make websites that helped fulfil a purpose.
It didn’t take long before I was creating sites for other people,a as a hobby really. You know how it is when you’ve got certain skills, people ask for favours and I’ve always been a people pleaser. Those old sites were made using the old fashioned method – Dreamweaver and Fireworks (anyone remember those?).
Some of the sites I created became very popular, attracting thousands of views per month and generating some genuine online communities. Some sites even made a little money. So I learned an enormous amount during those early years. Not just the nuts and bolts about how to get a site online, but the more human elements too – what actually works online, and what people are likely to prefer.
And all of this was before WordPress had even been invented, and way before the likes of Facebook and Twitter!
Everything has changed.
With the availability of free tools to create websites, and simple means of reaching thousands of people, everything changed.
Suddenly, almost anyone could do it. This had an interesting effect. As the web grew more crowded, it became increasingly competitive. Whatever niche you’re in, you can bet that you’re not going to be the only site talking about that topic, so the emphasis shifts away from “how do we get this online?” to “what exactly is the best content to put out there?”
This thinking drives us to consider our target audiences. What do they need? What are they looking for? What problems do they have, and how can I present a solution in a way that makes sense to them, and that they’ll be able to find?
It’s not enough to just put up a website these days. A successful online presence requires a solid content marketing strategy behind it, which needs to include social channels, including video. Video is huge, but that’s another blog post in itself.
If you’re looking for someone to take care of your website or create digital products as part of an ongoing promotional campaign, get in touch!