Web site building suggestion needed

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momopi_IHB

momopi_IHB

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I bought a MacBook to do iPhone dev for fun this month, and was playing around on iTunes and Garage Band. It occurred to me that the garage band format can be used for many other things, like on-line video cooking lessons.

Suppose if I want to setup a web site and put cooking videos on it, giving users the ability to submit their own videos, and have the ability to charge a small fee for certain videos, what would be the best way to build such a web site? i.e. software, service, hosting provider, e-commerce, etc.?
 
You guys might want to PM Vicstah, he might not be able to help directly, but he might be able to point you in the right direction. Just promise him you really are not looking for a bromance, no... seriously... reassure him you have no bromantic intentions.
 
momopi said:
I bought a MacBook to do iPhone dev for fun this month, and was playing around on iTunes and Garage Band. It occurred to me that the garage band format can be used for many other things, like on-line video cooking lessons.

Suppose if I want to setup a web site and put cooking videos on it, giving users the ability to submit their own videos, and have the ability to charge a small fee for certain videos, what would be the best way to build such a web site? i.e. software, service, hosting provider, e-commerce, etc.?
Click to expand...

For web hosting, go check out godaddy.com (yes, the company that runs the tacky SuperBowl ads), they are the major web hosting service. But I think it would be hard to make a profit running a site showing cooking videos - the bandwidth needs are pretty high, and most people want to see sites for free, and your ad revenue is unlikely to be enough to pay for the download bandwidth of videos.

However, if you really want to make cooking software for profit, you may want to think about an iPhone app - I browsed some cooking apps there awhile ago and they were pretty bad. Also, it'd be nice if there was a how to cook Asian cooking app as well. And it's much easier taking your phone over to the kitchen than running back and forth to your computer in the middle of making something. The infrastructure for billing is all nicely setup by Apple, the software kit is free, and to register and sell apps only costs $99. Something basic, like "The Survival Cookbook #1" www.amazon.com/Campus-Survival-Cookbook/dp/0688050301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238430133&sr=8-1 but electronic with pictures to make it even easier for total newbies to the kitchen might be nice.
 
Thanks CrackerCakes, for the loving endorsement. :P

I responded to Momo already. PM me if you want the detailed recommendation.

From a high level perspective:

1. Think about how this website is going to generate revenue. Is this a subscription model? Pay per view model (first 30 sec free?) ETC. This will help allocate how much you want to dedicate to each of the major functionalities.

2. For video, Flash Video player would be your best choice. You can Youtube the video playback, but you lose your credibility. I don't know any website that charges people to watch their videos through Youtube. Also, custom Flash players allow you to skin the look and feel after your website's design. It allows you to keep some consistency.

3. Figure out if you want to have the payment engine sit on your website, versus using Paypal's online payment processing.

4. Pick a hosting provider that provides a little bit more service. GoDaddy and few others are relatively inexpensive, but good luck getting someone on the phone when your website goes down. We'd recommend Mosso (a Rackspace company) and Hostway for good 3rd party hosting provider.

Hope it helps. :)
 
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