I often get asked to make websites for customers, for friends, for family members, and for businesses I frequent. I don't make websites. At least not for money, not for love, and not for other people.

10 reasons I won't make you a website:

  1. I've been asked to use the <blink> tag.
  2. Your choice of colors is ugly. Mine is better.
  3. I won't actually finish if you don't pay me. I'll get bored and move on to more interesting things. Ever looked at a web design reference? Yeah.
  4. If you are paying me, I'll get bogged down in making it perfect. I charge hourly.
  5. Adding a forum, a photo gallery, and making the pages editable by you is not a "simple thing"
  6. I will not mix bold, italic and underlined words in a single page unless for ironic effect.
  7. You haven't given me the specs yet. You haven't given me the text or the images either. And it looks like you're probably not going to until after you've asked me if it's done.
  8. Your email address is not a website. If you can't tell the difference, I don't want to help you figure it out.
  9. I don't get paid enough. What you just offered me is not enough.
  10. You don't care if I do it right. You only care if I do it your way.

Really, it's no fun. I spend a lot of time making it work right, and the only thing I get in response is "Can you make ____ bold?" or similar.

So, no, I won't make you a website. There are people out there who do this. They're called web designers. They're often smart, young, talented people, fresh out of college. They're a lot of fun to work with if you pay them enough, expect reasonable things, and give them the material and time they need to do their jobs.

You might try E Sharp Web Design, 2S Studioz, or the pimply kid in the 8th grade at your local junior high school.

1999 called. It wants its unbridled optimism back.