b) No 'under construction' notices. If it isn't going to be finished before you launch it, don't put it up. Obviously you can add pages later as you do them, but make sure those pages aren't necessary to the current working of the site, otherwise you can't say it's finished!

c) Ease of use. Remember, someone looking for your product or business on the net has less patience then someone looking for it in the yellow pages. If you can't tell them what they want within a few seconds, they can easily click elsewhere. So no large images that take ages to download. No fancy java script or Flash graphics unless it is really appropriate. Everyone viewing your site is paying. Paying with their time. Make sure their time spent is worthwhile.

d) Web rage. Yes, just like road rage, web rage gets many surfers. Especially if they've gone to the trouble of going through all your links looking for the information they want and they can't find it. Make sure that your information is easy to find. And if you can't put all the information on your site then make sure you have your contact details or email address on every page. (Or, more preferably, a form link that leads to an email form. Speak to your web designer)

e) Quick check. Your number is correct. Your email address and location is correct. Links have been checked and work within your site. Everything is working great. Okay, now get a stranger to look and play with the site on your computer. Get feedback. What needs to be changed?

f) You're all set to launch but there are a couple of things you need to do first. The first one is to buy an appropriate domain name for your business. The second one is to buy hosting. If you're already familiar with this side of it, we'd like to recommend the service that Electronic Desktop Solutions are hosting with. They're called AdFree Web Hosting and you can find out more here. I am quite happy with their service.
Next issue Step 2: choosing the right domain name for your business.

2. Online Auctions.
Quick guide to Ebay online auctions. This is by no means exhaustive, is fairly basic and EDS P/L and myself take no responsibility for any problems arising from using it. If in doubt, consult the Ebay website. Rules and directions on Ebay may change at any time.
A lot of people aren't sure about auctions and even less sure about online auctions. Ebay have a neat system to make it all very easy.

Step 1. Search for what you want. Simple search box on the front page. Easy to refine your search if you get a lot listed.

Step 2. Click on the page you want. Read the information. Does the seller ship to where you are? Is it within your price range (remember, usually it is in US dollars)? How many days until this particular auction ends?

Step 3. Do you want it? If so, sign up for an account. Only takes a few minutes then you'll be able to bid for the item. At no stage do you need to give your credit card as the transaction is between you and the seller.

Step 4. Go back to the item. Now it is time to employ a few tricks. If you want to buy the item, now is NOT the time to bid. The time to bid is in the final 5-10 minutes. You want to get it at the cheapest possible price. If you bid now someone will outbid you next then you will need to outbid them.
Work out when the last half hour of the auction will be and plan to come back to that page, either by adding it to your favourites or by using the 'watch list' feature. (The service includes many features like emailing you when the auction is reaching the last 24 hours or emailing you when a keyword suddenly appears in a new auction. Lots of other features. Read the help file when you have a chance)

Step 5. Okay, you're at the final stage of the items auction time. Write down the absolute maximum amount that you will bid to and don't go over it. Don't let emotion take over at this point. (It is very possible someone else will try and sell another one of the item you want at a later stage) Make a single small bid (it is set to a minimum bid amount). Remember, when you bid it ties you to a contract to buy if you are the winning bid. Submit the bid and confirm it. Check the amount after you have bidded. It should show your signin name as the one who has the highest bid.

Step 6. If it doesn't it show you as the highest bidder it means that someone has set their bid amount to be higher than yours. (If you put in a higher amount than the minimum bid, it will only increase to the minimum bid amount if no one else has bidded a higher amount. If they have it will move to the next higher amount in the memory. Proxy bidding means you can set your maximum and hope no one exceeds it by bidding against you) Alternately, keep putting in minimum bids until you reach a point where you are the winner.

Step 7. (If you win) Now you need to pay. The description on the Ebay site will tell you what method of payment you are able to use. An email will be sent to you from the seller within a day or two but you are welcome to email them straight away.

And that's basically it. If you wish to sign up with Ebay and begin finding those items you've lost or things to complete your collection, click here.

3. Site of the month.
This issues site of the month goes to BananaTV. An online TV station featuring programs such as World Cup Bizarrio, Battling Big Brother, Surviving Survivor, Mosh Pit, Doggy Dos and Don'ts and more. The Battling Big Brother program features a cutting commentary from Ben Williams and Peter Timbs who were HouseMates on Channel 10s original series. There's also TeaPot Genies which is a program on genealogy in Australia, as well as an educational series on Shakespeare that makes for fascinating watching. It is completely free and new programs are being added frequently. I don't know if anyone else has done anything like this. And this best thing is that it is watchable on low band. Check it out at http://www.bananatv.com

Best regards

The Team at Electronic Desktop Solutions Pty Ltd