You've decided to automate your web site. Now what? Here are
some ideas to help you choose how to automate your site.
A bit of programming is going to be necessary if you want to
automate a site. There are many types of programs that can be
used to automate a web site including JavaScript, PHP, Perl,
ASP, Java and more. So, which do you use? For many, it is a
personal choice.
I prefer PHP for programming. PHP is a particularly useful
programming language because it allows for advanced programming
and is easy to integrate with web pages. Another plus of PHP is
that the language interfaces very well with MySQL, a popular
type of online database.
Yet another plus of PHP is that it is Open Source Code. The
actual code that is PHP is available to the public for free,
while the source code for products such as ASP are not. Because
PHP is open source, there is a large community of PHP
programmers that help each other with code. This means PHP
programmers can rely on each other by using reusable pieces of
code called functions and classes rather than constantly
reinventing the wheel. This can dramatically cut down on
production time.
Overall, PHP is flexible, cheaper than many alternatives, and
built around a community. PHP and MySQL are excellent choice for
webmasters looking to automate their web sites.
What Can PHP and MySQL do for me? Just about anything you can
think of. That is the beauty of custom programming. A few ideas
of what you can do with a PHP and MySQL driven site include:
1. E-commerce
2. User Polls
3. Keyword Tracking
4. Set User Preferences
5. Manage Password Protected Member's Areas
6. Lead Follow Up
7. Customer Relations
8. Content Management
9. Email Newsletters
10. Accounting
11. Invoicing
12. Scheduled Updates
The list is limited only by your imagination. Once you have
decided to go with a PHP and MySQL site, you can either get a
custom program created, use a prepackaged version or a
combination of both. Many PHP and MySQL programs that come
prepackaged are easy to customize and can save you a lot of time
and money over starting from the ground up.
About the author:
Halstatt Pires is with the Internet marketing firm -
MarketingTitan.com -
an Internet marketing company in San Diego, which offers online
database solutions through
BusinessCreatorPro.com for ecommerce.
