Running LLC from Home input needed

ULWiz

So since last year i have been in the process of launching my own IT LLC from home. As of this point i have a legal business called Mobo Networks, LLC and i can process credit and use remote login with a LogMeIn Technician Seat. A fully functional store, live chat, video training and a forum are the full plans for the site.

So here is where i am looking for input from members.

I am in the process of launching a new web site and have just recently gotten it rolling. The forum is the newest edition and was just wondering if members here would check it out and give me any suggestions on the forum itself. Looking for categories to add and how you think the overall layout is.


http://mobonetworks.com/forum/

L0gicB0mb508

I thought the main website and the forum both looked very well done. Good luck on the business. I used to do something similar. It's a lot of fun and very rewarding.

vCole

Wow, looks really good!

ULWiz

Its definately getting better. Would be awsome if someone could do a test post on the forum so i can see how things are posting and see if its working in general.

eMeS

ULWiz wrote: »

So since last year i have been in the process of launching my own IT LLC from home. As of this point i have a legal business called Mobo Networks, LLC and i can process credit and use remote login with a LogMeIn Technician Seat. A fully functional store, live chat, video training and a forum are the full plans for the site.

So here is where i am looking for input from members.

I am in the process of launching a new web site and have just recently gotten it rolling. The forum is the newest edition and was just wondering if members here would check it out and give me any suggestions on the forum itself. Looking for categories to add and how you think the overall layout is.


Mobo Networks Support Forum - Index

I started off providing some thoughts about your site, then I reread the message that you were specifically looking for comments about the forum layout.

If you are interested in some thoughts about the overall site, please let me know and I will post them.

MS

Bl8ckr0uter

ULWiz wrote: »

So since last year i have been in the process of launching my own IT LLC from home. As of this point i have a legal business called Mobo Networks, LLC and i can process credit and use remote login with a LogMeIn Technician Seat. A fully functional store, live chat, video training and a forum are the full plans for the site.

So here is where i am looking for input from members.

I am in the process of launching a new web site and have just recently gotten it rolling. The forum is the newest edition and was just wondering if members here would check it out and give me any suggestions on the forum itself. Looking for categories to add and how you think the overall layout is.


Mobo Networks Support Forum - Index

It is very professional. Did you code the website yourself?

ULWiz

eMeS wrote: »

I started off providing some thoughts about your site, then I reread the message that you were specifically looking for comments about the forum layout.

If you are interested in some thoughts about the overall site, please let me know and I will post them.

MS

You can post what you want always looking for input on this. Site should be completed by next month.

ULWiz

knwminus wrote: »

It is very professional. Did you code the website yourself?

Its pretty much all done with Joomla and then a few add in from my hosting service.

tiersten

ULWiz wrote: »

Its pretty much all done with Joomla and then a few add in from my hosting service.

If you're using Joomla and any other third party modules, make sure that you keep it regularly updated and keep an eye out for any particular vulnerabilities. You should keep an eye on your logs as well.

Joomla and most other free CMS packages are an extremely popular target due to vast number of installs. Joomla is one of the better free CMS packages out there though. I've had the misfortune to have to maintain a few old PHPNuke sites in the past and it was a constant battle because of the crap code.

ULWiz

tiersten wrote: »

If you're using Joomla and any other third party modules, make sure that you keep it regularly updated and keep an eye out for any particular vulnerabilities. You should keep an eye on your logs as well.

Joomla and most other free CMS packages are an extremely popular target due to vast number of installs. Joomla is one of the better free CMS packages out there though. I've had the misfortune to have to maintain a few old PHPNuke sites in the past and it was a constant battle because of the crap code.

Definately appreciate the comments and will take a look at it. Right now everything is pretty updated on the forum and its up to date.


Would still appreciate members registering to see if everthing is working. Post something as well to see if other parts such as mailers etc are working for me.

Appreciate it.

ULWiz

Live chat is about to be launched as well. Definately made some progress today. THanks to everyone who checked it out.

Finally got the bugs fixed and live chat was launched.

wd40

It looks great, I just have a small question, why do you have a section for certifications "IT Career", I can see on the main site that you have a section for Online Training, are you giving any kind of online certification training?

Mrock4

Looks pretty good, like others have said. Once it is fully operational, some SEO would go a long way.

I am in the process of also getting an IT LLC up and running, although our aim will be slightly different. It seems like our businesses may actually compliment one another, maybe we could talk offline about a link exchange or something?

ULWiz

wd40 wrote: »

It looks great, I just have a small question, why do you have a section for certifications "IT Career", I can see on the main site that you have a section for Online Training, are you giving any kind of online certification training?

Plan on doing training vids for customers. Will include video training for setting up email accounts, security vids, Basic maintance on a pc.

Would definately do some training vids for different technologies like some other members have done. Remember a few members with some really nice VM and cisco vids.

ULWiz

Mrock4 wrote: »

Looks pretty good, like others have said. Once it is fully operational, some SEO would go a long way.

I am in the process of also getting an IT LLC up and running, although our aim will be slightly different. It seems like our businesses may actually compliment one another, maybe we could talk offline about a link exchange or something?

Appreciate the comments. Things are getting better as we speak. Final touches should be laid out on the site this month.

Forsaken_GA

Mrock4 wrote: »

some SEO would go a long way.

*blood pressure increases*

Sorry, as a former sysadmin for a web hosting company, SEO is one big freaking headache. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it directly anymore.

Of course, now I have to deal with it indirectly, since I get stupid requests like 'I need a full Class C, but I need the IP's to be from as many different Class C's as possible'. PageRank is one of the items that makes me want to blow the everliving hell out of a certain Mountain View, CA campus.

msteinhilber

Looks like a good start so far.

Depending on your target market, I might shoot for keeping things more simplistic. Your forums for example cover a very wide variety of topics. I've found when starting out any type of a forum, it always seems best to gradually expand as the discussion taking place on the forums warrants new categories. If you are primarily targeting local home users or business users, I would focus my efforts into the website into resources that would be useful to those clients. If you are going to provide little tips and videos for common tasks for home users then a discussion forum about common issues one might face with a computer might be useful as would training videos or maybe tutorials that could both be placed in the forums as well. The certification related sub-forums are going to attract an entirely different base of users that I'm assuming isn't going to really be a type that you would generate any profit from, so I would question if I wanted to devote the effort to that portion of the website.

I think it just needs to be focused more really, determine who you want as your primary money maker and research what those clients would benefit from on your website and implement those things very well rather than focus on a wide variety of resources. It's easy to get carried away trying to do too much when energy could be better spent making money or trying to bring in the next customer to make money. I probably wouldn't go too crazy implementing all the SEO strategies. I wouldn't overlook them entirely, but as a local place I think your efforts would be better spent marketing your services through local online directories, craigslist, and through social networking mediums. I think you would see a greater return from expending effort through these means rather than SEO.

arwes

Slightly off topic but I keep misreading your business name as Morbo Networks. Site's looking pretty good BTW.

ULWiz

arwes wrote: »

Slightly off topic but I keep misreading your business name as Morbo Networks. Site's looking pretty good BTW.

Thanks guys our team is making updates as we speak so things will get better. Still working our the actual site text content but should have it completed soon. New Banner is going up asap so things are moving along.

ULWiz

msteinhilber wrote: »

Looks like a good start so far.

Depending on your target market, I might shoot for keeping things more simplistic. Your forums for example cover a very wide variety of topics. I've found when starting out any type of a forum, it always seems best to gradually expand as the discussion taking place on the forums warrants new categories. If you are primarily targeting local home users or business users, I would focus my efforts into the website into resources that would be useful to those clients. If you are going to provide little tips and videos for common tasks for home users then a discussion forum about common issues one might face with a computer might be useful as would training videos or maybe tutorials that could both be placed in the forums as well. The certification related sub-forums are going to attract an entirely different base of users that I'm assuming isn't going to really be a type that you would generate any profit from, so I would question if I wanted to devote the effort to that portion of the website.

I think it just needs to be focused more really, determine who you want as your primary money maker and research what those clients would benefit from on your website and implement those things very well rather than focus on a wide variety of resources. It's easy to get carried away trying to do too much when energy could be better spent making money or trying to bring in the next customer to make money. I probably wouldn't go too crazy implementing all the SEO strategies. I wouldn't overlook them entirely, but as a local place I think your efforts would be better spent marketing your services through local online directories, craigslist, and through social networking mediums. I think you would see a greater return from expending effort through these means rather than SEO.

Have decided to take down the IT Certification part on the forum. I completely hear what you are saying.

Thanks for the input.


Working on the live video feed for the intro if wwe decide to use it. People are going to have to watch me swing the golf club until it gets fixed.

Darthn3ss

Only thing i'd immediately change is the video that autostarts on your websites main page. Audio/video that autostarts on websites has been an annoying no-no since 1997.

ULWiz

Darthn3ss wrote: »

Only thing i'd immediately change is the video that autostarts on your websites main page. Audio/video that autostarts on websites has been an annoying no-no since 1997.

Yeah was just testing out how it ran. Might use it for something else away from the main page.

ULWiz

So i have another question. Lets say you where about to start your own IT Business providing sales and service. What types of services would you incorporate.

So far this is what i am offering. Remote support with a logmein technician seat. Live Chat and a IT forum which is already up and running. A store which is being updated as we speak to incorporate my quickbooks merchant account. The store will sell various specials to customer along with custom built computers and parts. We are testing Online backup solutions and would like to offer that to our customers as well. At this point we are looking for inhouse solutions vs off site ones.

Let me know what you guys would incorporate

Welcome To Mobo Networks, LLC