Conall Cannon – ByeByePanic.com (Interview)

By Brian Duffy on April 7, 2012 - 12:31 pm in Students / no comments

Please describe your professional background and discuss your level of previous knowledge working with computers and the Internet

I am a retired teacher aged 69 and not too old to learn. I have always been fascinated by computers and the internet but had never before taken a computer course. I was totally self-taught and had much to learn.
This September I decided to enrol in Brian Duffy’s evening class for business websites in Ballsbridge Business College. I already knew how to boot up the computer, manage files and folders, cut, paste, copy and delete files and install and uninstall all the software I needed. I had always enjoyed interacting with the computer and had been using one for many years starting out with the Sinclair ZX80! Nevertheless I was no nerd. I knew very little about website development. I hoped to extend my horizons into that field.

What is the business objective(s) of your website

When I started on the course I had given little thought to the business side. I was put on the spot by Brian when he asked me what business I intended to promote. It really could have been anything! I decided that the easiest thing for me was was a business that was already up and operating. For this reason I choose to promote an affiliate business that I found on Clickbank, the purpose of which was to help people suffering from panic attacks. In this way I hoped to do others a worthwhile service while receiving a reward myself. Without this course that would not have been possible and I really enjoyed the course.

Please give a breakdown of the costs you incurred in building your website

First I had to set up a hosting account with HostMonster and I received my first domain name for free. But I was not happy with it and bought a second one for $10 per year. The hosting costs me US$7.95 per month. I also bought a theme for my website which was set up on WordPress. I picked the Socrates Theme which was readymade for WordPress. It cost me 72 Euro but I can use it on as many websites as I choose at no extra cost

What aspect of the course did you find most rewarding/interesting?

I found all aspects of the course useful and interesting and especially the way Brian brought them all together in the end so we had a good overall understanding.

Most interesting of all was the understanding we got of how an online business differs from an offline one and how one finds and retains customers.

We had access to Brian’s great website ebusineesmatter.com
and could easily revise the lessons and reinforce what had been covered in the class.

Approximatley how much time did you spend working on your website?
Probably not enough time. I spent maybe three or four hours a week sometimes more. It does take more time than I expected as I had to practice everything over and over again.

What aspect of the course did you find most challenging?

Just getting the hang of WordPress was the hardest by far. as it has grown over the years to accommodate all your needs and more. We generally underestimate the time it takes to become confident using new software of any sort.
But there is plenty of help available on the course and I must say thanks to Brian for helping me several times when I hit a stone wall so to say.

What advice would you give someone thinking of doing this course?
Go ahead and do it! Everything seems difficult at first but perseverence pays off big time. As always the more you know before you start, the more you’ll learn on the course. But remember nobody knows everything and you will surprise yourself if you stick with it until the end. During the course I often wondered if I would last until the end. I am glad I did so, as it was only in the final lesson that I realized how my website was going to be a success. Other students told me they felt the same way. If you have good reason to have a website for your business then this is the course for you. It will be money well spent.