It was a quiet evening about two years ago and I was enthusiastically poring over an HTML book we'd gotten from the library that afternoon. All I knew was that it told how to make a website. The hard thing was that I didn't really know too well what a website was. I called links "clickables" and I had just learned to type not too long ago. I was clueless. My friend was doing this book, though, and it seemed sort of interesting, so I was eager to learn.

Dream Come True
That evening birthed a dream-- a dream which would soon come true. Why not create a writing website for homeschooled students with the skills I would learn from the book? After all, I loved to write, and I was homeschooled.
I never did finish the book, because I found a web-hosting service which did the HTML for me. My website was officially up and running around January 2008, when I was eleven and a half. Now, a year and a half later, HomeschoolWriters.com is growing and becoming more and more popular. With almost 1,700 visits each month now, HomeschoolWriters.com is a resource site dedicated to writing curriculum and contests for kids. Although I originally made it for just homeschoolers, everyone, including public and private schoolers, are using it as well. My mom has written multiple curriculum reviews of writing programs to go on my site, and I've posted an extended list of our family's favorite books and a list of great resource links.
I think people like my website best, though, because of the Contest Chart. It includes over 100 contests listed in a chart-format. I've also included a free e-mail deadline reminder service where I e-mail people about contests shortly before they end so they don't forget.

What Makes the Contest Chart Special?

It's the organization. There are other lists of contests available online, but having data in a chart format is easier to navigate because it gives the user preview-type information, rather than lengthy descriptions.
My chart lists only writing contests, while other lists usually have all types of contests. For writers who are not as interested in other contests, my chart will most likely be much easier to use than other lists.
I’ve also tried to keep my chart up-to-date and to exclude fee-based writing contests and those permitting adults to enter.
As a result, I believe it is the most complete and easiest to use collection of free youth writing contests on the web.

Let's Talk Time
Although launching a website involves lots of time in the beginning (at least an hour a day), it is possible to work a business into a busy homeschool schedule. Counting as schoolwork much of my time writing descriptions, e-mails, advertising bills, and web pages, my mom has been flexible with me while still maintaining order in my schedule.
However, time can get scarce. As I have reached a higher level in my studies, we have found that many subjects simply cannot be put off for several weeks. As a result, I only do one hour each week now. I have already made the main pages and added to them, so now the website can be much more flexible for my schedule.

Lessons from My Website
My website has taught me many things. I have learned the basics of business communication. I have increased my vocabulary. I have broadened my understanding of the world wide web and computers in general. Deeply indebted to my family, friends, advertisers, linkers, and the homeschool community, I am grateful to be able to make and manage this site to benefit others. However, it has also benefited me in more ways than I ever imagined. Especially when the modern world is becoming more and more computer-dependent, my website is a priceless and thrilling learning experience I will never forget.

Math

Are you looking for a way to get some money and benefit others? If you are, websites are a great possibility.

In March 2008, when I was nine, I got the idea for a website when my mother and I were earnestly searching for contests to help me enjoy math more. While we were looking, we found that it was tricky to find many contests for individual students to enter by themselves. We thought that it would be nice to make a website with a list of math contests that individuals can enter, because sometimes it's hard to get a group together for team competitions. Fortunately, my sister also has her own website, Homeschool Writers, which helped me with ideas for mine.

Math Contests and More

My site, HomeschoolMathContests.com, has a comprehensive list of math contests which are open to individuals, homeschooled or otherwise. In a chart format, the site describes thirty math contests which individuals can enter without having to gather up a team. If you do want to do math contests on a team, I have another chart with fourteen team contests. My website also has a state-by-state list of over 180 regional meets sponsored by colleges and universities. Most of these competitions can be entered by individuals as well. I have contests for every single state in the country except for five states. My site also includes a Helpful Articles page, a Curriculum Reviews page, and a free Deadline Reminder Service. I do all I can to make this a helpful resource for others.

Designing the Site

Because I use OfficeLive.com, which is a web hosting service, designing my website is easy. For example, I don't have to type in brain-racking HTML when I want to create links or select backgrounds and headings. The program has a graph that shows how much traffic I have had and where it came from. With OfficeLive.com, I have an excellent resource for making websites for only fifteen dollars a year.

To find fantastic contests, which I can list on my website, my parents didn't think it was good for me to surf the web, because I'm still a kid. Selectively, my mother chose contests and bookmarked them. Then I would look in the bookmarks to see if a contest had an old date and if it did, then I would go on Google and look for a more recent website for that contest. Then once I finally had found a good website, I would link the contest on my website.

In making your own website, there is a lot of writing involved, both webpage content and e-mail letters, which offer ads and request links. This can be a learning opportunity on typing and writing skills. First I do a key word outline, then a rough draft, then I rewrite with stronger verbs and adjectives. I try to start the sentences different ways. When I want to boost my traffic up, I usually do about five link letters a day. Having already written about one hundred people, I have been linked on dozens of sites, which makes my Google ranking increase.

Earning Money

One of my favorite things about having a website is getting ad money. Usually when I'm making an ad for a customer, I e-mail them and ask how they want their ad. If they do not care, I create it myself. Grabbing the website's header image off their site, I carefully fix it up on Paint, which is a graphics program. Then I link the ad image to the customer's website, and send an invoice.

Helping Hands

Occasionally other people have helped with my site. My mother, who wrote the curriculum reviews, also writes the summary information for the individual and team contests charts, since that was difficult for me. From my sister's website, I got the professionally designed invoice form and advertising rates. When other people see my site, sometimes they help by e-mailing contests to me.

                For several months, I spent one hour a day working on my website, but now I am spending an hour a week. Currently I am adding team contests. If people e-mail me desiring a deadline reminder, I put down their addresses in an organized group in my address book. Checking the individual contests that expire soon, I copy down the information, which I blind-copy e-mail to the group of people who have signed up for my deadline reminder. These are the things I am doing now on my website to maintain it.

You do have to spend a lot of time making a website. On the other hand, websites do give you better skills in writing and you can make profit off them. When you start, you might feel as if it is not going to do well, but if you work vigorously, it will probably succeed in the end. Having a website is a great first business and educational opportunity.