Hi!  Yes, you can do all of those things with your GDI website.  There is a site builder available which you will find on your website.ws login page (they just added a few more nice looking templates too).  You can place a contact form on your page, you just need to get the code from your autoresponder service.  You can add a guestbook, flash intros/videos...it is a real website.

Good luck in creating your sites and post them when you are finished or if you need any suggestions so we can all have a look!

Hi, Sylvia.  I would suggest reading through the GDI forums.  You will find many of your questions answered and much much more.

You can find some HTML code at http://talk.ws/index.php?topic=12726.msg30841#new to place videos and more on your websites.  Don't forget to change the username, however.

Keep reading and exploring GDI and it's forums, you will find some very smart and helpful people throughout.  And remember, the more you put into your business the more you will get in return.

Lots of luck!

Hi Naz.  Most if not all search engines have a way for you to submit your website.  My first suggestion would be Google.  Google has several things that can help you besides just submitting your site to their search engine.  If you do not have a Google account go to Google.com and in the upper right hand corner there should be a link to sign up.  Once you get through that your account page will have a link called Webmaster Tools.  You might also wish to take a look at AdSense.  When you create a profile there as well please feel free to add me to your contact list.  My profile on Google is called Vicsownlife.

Yahoo has some tools similar to Google though not quite as in depth.  Look up Yahoo Site Explorer for information on submitting your websites to Yahoo.

MSN has one as well.  Go to www.bing.com and in the upper right hand corner click Extras and then click on Webmaster Center.

Those are just a few and many search engines allow you to submit your site for free and also have tools to help you track your sites, their performance and other useful information.

I hope this helps.  Have a great day and above all else, have fun!

Advise on getting started?  Here's some really good advice.  Read through this forum.  The people in here are so very smart and very eager to help.  You will find all kinds of topics have been discussed in depth.

Have fun and welcome!

Well, thank you very much for that great tip, BKamanski!  I just placed my free order!

Tomorrow I shall be ordering GDI business cards.  Why tomorrow?  Well, I only 'allow' myself a certain amount each month to spend on advertising and promoting products.
I actually have two questions.

One, what kind of card do people seem to respond to more?  I was thinking the new one, as it appears more serious.
Second, how do you distribute your cards?  How do you present your card to people you do not know?  (Ok, three questions...)

Thanks for your responses and have a grrrreat day!

Vincent R. Parker

So far the flyers have worked best for me.  I put it up anywhere I see a board.  Also, I like to hand them out.  At first it was a little uncomfortable but it didn't take long before it became fun.
I like the idea of the business cards, just haven't had enough money to justify getting them.  It won't be long though as I am seeing too many opportunities to give them to people.

Hello, all.  My website is brand new, just a few days old.  So, it is rapidly changing.
Here's the first phase.  Maybe in a few weeks it will look a little better and have more of a direction.
It can be found at http://yourownlife.ws.

Greetings, all.  Thank you for taking the time to post on this forum.  I have spent the past few days reading all the posts and absorbing quite a bit of information.  There is quite a bit of information.  But, as some have suggested, I'm taking it slow but I'm definitely plowing ahead.
Thanks again all!