I want to start an ED support site

United States
February 9, 2008 8:20pm CST
I want to start an eating disorder support site. I have some ideas and I really want to set up something for girls/women who are struggling and are looking for understanding. Please note, I do not want to set up a "pro-ana" site that encourages girls to become eating disordered. I want a place for those who already have an ED to be able to share their secrets and struggles with others so they don't feel so alone. My question, how do I start a site? What host should I use? How do I publicize for free so people who are looking for this kind of community can find it?
1 person likes this
3 responses
Samanthavv
@Samanthavv (1380)
• United States
10 Jan 09
The problem with a lot of free hosts, like freewebs and angelfire, is that they reserve the right to take down any sites they feel are offensive. Just because it's not illegal, dosen't mean it's not offensive. If you're going to pay for hosting, be prepared to fork out a minimum of $100 a year for your hosting and domain. Try to find a host that has Cpanel. If you want to avoid some major headaches, do NOT use godaddy.com! They can be a HUGE pain in the rear. They may be quicker to set up, but they are NOT worth the inconvienance. And lastly, what kind of site design experience do you have? Just any site won't do. A lot of what attracts users, is content, legibility, ease of use, and a clean layout. This includes a compact non-gaudy menu bar, with plenty of options, and lots of information. You also need to balance images with text. No one wants to visit a site that is solely text. Which brings you to another issue... You can't use copyrighted images, so where do you plan on aquiring images I know... this is a LOT to digest... But running ANY website (let alone and ED site) is a LOT of work and takes a lot of time and dedication, and a LOT of know how when it comes to HTML, CSS, and other coding and programming issues. Take it from me. :P I own a big ED site. http://www.glitterveins.com
highflyingxangel
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
10 Feb 08
There are a lot of free message board sites online that would be a nice place to set up a support community. You could just set up the board and offer different places for women to post so they can get support. I think a free message board would be more worthwhile.
chunter
@chunter (1758)
• Singapore
10 Feb 08
I think it depends on what host you want and whether you are willing to pay annually for the space and domain name... It would be easier to just start a blog site as it is free...You can register on blogger.com, livejournal.com, wordpress.com etc.. However, you would need to post regularly in order to get people's attention and that you are serious in talking about ED... Then once you gathered momentum in posting....just promote your blog...post in health forums etc...