Ah, the Joys of a Website!

[Peg Herring]

I'm totally unable to understand the niceties of building a website. Luckily, I have a great guy I can email and say, "This is what I'd like" and he makes it happen. From time to time I tell myself I should learn to do it, but in my heart I know that (A) I'd never do it as well as he does, and (B) I'd hate every second of it. Let those who can, do.

What I love about having a site is that people have easy access to me without having real access. I've spoken at places where people say things like, "I checked you out on the Web before deciding to come." Hmm. I must appear interesting on my website. That's good.

I also get emails that lift my spirits, like the one I got this morning: "Hi Peg..Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your book. I couldn't put it down and stayed glued to it til the end! Can't wait til your next one hits the stores." Now that's nice to see.

There are possible pitfalls, of course, kind of like publishing your name in the telephone directory. You might get cranks and grouches, crazies and nuisances. Some morning I may find someone who wants to tell me I'm wrong, wrong, wrong about something. Still, a website is the starting point for anyone who wants to become known, and the earlier you get one, the better. Remember that you probably aren't the only person with your name, so I, for example, am www.pegherring.com in order to differentiate me from several other Peggy Herrings with a presence on the Web. The other thing is to make your site look good from Day One, because people won't go back if it is dull or amateurish. Rule three (which I'm not very good about) is to change content often so people will see something different when they check back.

Overall, it's both time and cash-consuming to have a good website. But if people can always find you and find out what's going on in your professional life, it's a plus. And when they write to tell you they liked the book, it's a joy.