Uni life is hard — with the studying and the assessment-doing and the exam-sitting and the transport-taking, nyehoi! — and the idea of managing a website at the same is simply daunting. But, if you’re willing to be enlightened, it’s possible to understand that it isn’t so terrifying, or time-consuming.

The role of web hosting for uni students: What would we want from it?

Wait, what’s web hosting?

Web hosting is the essential background tool, it’s the underlying workforce of your website — the launchpad to your creative rocketship. Essentially, a web hosting service provides a customer with a certain slice of the Internet that they can call their own. In its physical aspect, this means that a web host owns the hardware capable of storing a specific (gigantic) amount of data, and it leases a portion of that storage to each customer. A web host connects you to the hardware, that connects your website to the Internet.

Startup a business

As a uni student, I understand. Most of us are poor. So poor, and very needy. We want to do everything always, but don’t have the time or money for it. So then, you want to earn some extra cash to help with the poverty-stricken uni student lifestyle? I mean, festival tickets and nights-out don’t pay for themselves (and bulking requires buying food). Why not start an online business, and in the meantime, learn and understand how small businesses and ecommerce stores operate?

Now, to “start up a business” sounds like a hefty responsibility, and it sort of is, but don’t get yourself down thinking that it’s too big of a job to do. If you think about it as replacing that extra half hour a day in which you play Battlefield or watch cats on YouTube, with running an ecommerce website, it most probably won’t seem like you’re doing so much work.

Start off with determining what type of business you want to start. That may take some time, but once you understand what you want to do with your website, you can join a suitable web host, and start developing that website — then, your ideas will be all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze.

Think about that side of the closet you don’t wear anymore for the dignity of fashion, or that dusty pile of clothes you’ve wanted to give away/sell for a couple of years (that you swear has crawled a few inches). Maybe you just have a heap of stuff at home — like jewellery, videogames, or used items — that you want to get rid of, or have a desire to craft and sell your own products like accessories, figurines, or furniture.

The most suitable ideas though, would be student-related ones. You could think like a reseller and buy to resell textbooks, or spend some time searching through cheap stuff on ebay to buy and resell. If you’re a fervid, organised note-taker (with neat handwriting of course), you could even sell copies of your notes online, that are catered to certain subjects or universities. Whatever your desire, there’s a way to do it.

Create an online profile/resume

If you’re seeking part-time work to fill in the gaps of your studious uni-life, but always get tired of staring at the computer screen for hours trying to find and apply for different jobs, creating an online profile or resume may be just the thing for you. A good advertiser attracts and earns potential customers, rather than seeks them.

Through the user-friendly WordPress, you can create an online resume or profile the way you want it — the way you dream it. Customise your website for whatever theme you want. Using WordPress is great for those with little technical experience and part-timers with multiple skills and expertises. Be creative, and prove your skills on your own website: whether you’re a babysitter or run a pet care service, or an office assistant or receptionist, or just a hairdresser.

“A good advertiser attracts and earns potential customers, rather than seeks them.”

Hosting would also be perfect for professional freelancers — artists, designers, etc. For example, a web designer/developer can showcase his/her skills on their own website, as well as include a portfolio of websites they’ve created. A graphic designer or photographer can also showcase their works while advertising him/herself.

Maybe your skill is for hire, as a tutor, language or music/instrument teacher, musician, DJ, or personal trainer. Basically, whichever skills you possess, you need to express them online. For more information about getting started online, read this article.

Develop a blog/community site

One which sets itself apart from the previous ideas, is the use of web hosting to create a blog or community site. Design it your own way, and go. You don’t even have to enjoy writing, you just have to enjoy something to blog about it — it could be cooking, gardening, sports, etc. As an example, you could write reviews on things such as videogames, movies, or music. You can blog anything, at any time, any way you like.

Being passionate about something is one thing, but being dedicated to it is the next level. Creating a community site for a certain topic, catered to its fandom, is another useful idea that a student could use web hosting for. You may just enjoy making a fansite for everyone to view and update it with different types of content, or you may wish to develop a forum for fans to discuss various subjects. OR you could combine both of these ideas to create a wiki-like website for that topic, that’ll allow people to contribute and collaborate on (if there isn’t one already).

Conclusion

Whether you want to start up a small online business and make some extra pocket money, or create your own online profile or resume to increase your web presence, web hosting is definitely the place to start to launch your idea.

Do you have an idea but don’t know where to start with it? Get it out there!