I still remember my dating years and the challenge of trying to figure out what to do. I would  ask (and now that I am married, get asked) "Where do you think I should take this girl?"

Well, now there is Mikomos, the directory of dating spots that answers that question. Like Wikipedia it is a collaborative effort, with all invited to partake. Here and there you see some great examples of the fact that they don't take themselves seriously.

Overall, it is organized pretty well and should prove to be quite useful. Leveraging the community is so key for a site like this. As they say on the about page

This wiki was created to help people locate mikomos for dating (especially those who are married and are now dating their wives).

Finding and posting information about all the good mikomos would be too daunting a task for a small group of people. A project of this size is most suitable for a wiki. A wiki is defined by wikipedia as: a website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit and change content, typically without the need for registration.
Kudos Mikomos for "getting it!".

 
 

 

I have a confession to make...here it comes.

I am not a good copywriter

There. I said it. I feel better now.

There are a lot of things that I am not all that good at, but at the end of the day, I come to grips with the fact that nobody expects perfection out of me. So in the end, it isn't all that big a deal that I am not a copywriter (although, someday I may try my hand at it).

All too often, I see websites that are missing a very important component. There are a myriad of good companies out there providing clients with really nice websites. I get asked every now and then "Do you make websites?". Umm...er, well yeah I guess I do.

Truth is, it is not their fault that they ask in such an unsophisticated way. I shouldn't expect the caterer to understand my business. I pay him to make a beautiful party. That's his bread and butter.

Most people think that when you want a website, you go to a company that makes nice websites and you contract them to do the same for you. There is an important first step that seems to be missing way too often. What is your web strategy. After the initial glazing of the eyes, the answer essentially is:

    My competition is on the web.
    Everyone asks me why I don't have a site. Shouldn't I have one?
    People say that I can make more sales if I am on the web.

A nicely designed website is extremely important. But it won't help you all that much  if your copy is unreadable and full of typos. If you can't compel people and captivate them with the right words you may not win them over as a customer. So what was the point of spending all that money on a beautiful website?

Do yourself a favor. Hire a copywriter. Just as you won't be trying to design and program the site yourself, you shouldn't be writing the words yourself (unless you are really good at it). It's not anything to be ashamed about. The writer is not embarrassed that she is not good at painting her house. That's why she pays you to do it for her.

Hire a copywriter. You can't afford not to.