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Save hundreds of dollars on web update fees! Have an up-to-date website that shows who you really are!

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"Now I know why he calls it 'Easy'!" "I had a site that I could never keep current—and was abandoned by my web designer when I most needed him to update it. I switched to Doug's EWUS with some concern, because I'm not very technical. But I had no problem! Now I know why he call's it 'Easy' web update system!"—Jim Cyr, minister, storyteller, Scotch Plains, NJ

Three Incredibly Easy Steps To A

Professional Web Site

That you can add to forever, by yourself, at no extra fee!

What you get: A website of your own that: Is hosted on my server, Uses your own domain name (like www.douglipman.com) Uses your choice of designs ( or even a customized design that I'll create for you) Has the text and photo on your home page in place All within ten days of getting me your complete information! Plus: I will give you all the training you need to be comfortable adding and editing pages to your site. You will be able to add as many pages and photos as you want (even pdf's and audio or video files) without needing a high-priced web designer! You could have your own site by August 31, 2008! Satisfaction guaranteed, or I'll refund 100% of your money—and your first month's hosting fee! Order form

If you want to earn money from your storytelling, you need a web site.

I'm not saying it's not possible to earn money without one - it's just slower and more work. Even if you already have all the storytelling income you need, you still will benefit from a web site, because it saves you money on mailing out brochures, etc. Why do things the hard way?

But just having a website isn't enough. You need a web site that can change as you change, that you can add to and edit easily and quickly.

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The biggest problem with storyteller's websites

When you don't have a website at all, it seems so daunting to figure out how to get one, that you don't think any further than, "Please get my name on the web, where the world can find me!"

It's understandable that you would think that. After all, the world of the web tends to be complex, technical, and expensive. So when your cousin says, "I can make you a web site," or when your friend says, "I know this great web designer," you tend to say, "Please! Put me on the web!"

This is understandable. It's not your fault.

But it's deadly. Before you create a web site, you need to think ahead: how will my site grow and change?

"No extra costs or time waiting!" "I have looked into many different ways to get a website. Your process seems so "storyteller friendly". I am not very computer savvy...but, I like the idea of being able to change things around with no extra costs or time waiting for it to be done!" - Beverly Comer, BeverlyThe Storyteller.com Hillard, Ohio.

How to Make Your Website Worthless

Here's what happens when you DON'T plan ahead:

1. Your site goes up. You're proud and relieved. You tell everyone to visit it.
2. After a while, you come up with a great new program, or you get a great new testimonial, or you record a new CD, or you start performing for in a new kind of venue: museums, say, or company picnics, or for an older or younger crowd than before.
3. People who would like your new program or recording (or who are interested in bringing you to their museum, etc.) come to your site and DO NOT contact you.
4. People who are interested in your site but see that all your bookings are a year old or more and that your upcoming events all happened in the past, assume that you're not really active or serious as a storyteller.
5. Therefore, they DO NOT contact you.
6. You never know that you just missed those bookings or sales.
7. Because your web site is more and more out of date, it becomes less and less effective at getting the results you want. Therefore, you put less and less effort into it. Therefore, it becomes even less effective.

"Okay," you might say, "I'll be dutiful and have my web designer fix and add to my site frequently."

That's possible! But before you decide on that path, you should know what it involves:

1. You create a new program, say. You think, "I should tell my web designer to add it to my site."
2. You start to call or email your web designer, but you think, "What should I tell my web designer to add?"
3. You start writing a description of your program.
4. When you're done, you email it to your web designer.
5. Sometime later, you get an email from your web designer, saying something like, "Did you want that underneath the other programs on your program page, on the top, or on a new page?"
6. You don't really know what you want, because it's hard to visualize what it will look like. Nonetheless, you make a choice and email back.
7. Sometime later (a week or two weeks isn't unusual), you get another email from your web designer saying, "I did what you asked."
8. You go to your site to look. Maybe you're totally pleased. But more likely, there's some little thing wrong: you've used a phrase in your new description that is too much like one that you've used several times already on the page, or you made the wrong decision, you now see, about where to put it, or you meant for some of the text to be bold or in a different color and it's not, or...
9. You email your designer again, asking for the changes.
10. Sometime later, you get another email saying that the changes have been made.
11. Soon, you get a bill from your web designer. Some may charge as little as $15 for a quick fix, but most want $30, $50, or more to interrupt their higher-paying work and re-orient themselves to the style and demands of your site.

The whole process is so complicated, time-consuming and expensive, that you put it off "until I have another couple corrections" or "until I have more time for this" or "until I have more money coming in."

You end up, nine times out of ten, with a perpetually out-of-date web site.

The net result is nearly the same as if you had made no plan at all for keeping your site up to date:

1. Your site isn't up to date.
2. You lose customers who see how long it's been since your site was updated and decide, "This is not a true professional." Or, "This teller is not serious about storytelling." Or "This is not someone who is still being hired by others; I wonder why?"
3. You lose still more customers who might have been interested, if they had known about your new program, your new product, your new experience, or that great new testimonial that's still sitting in your drawer.
4. The money you spent on your site in the first place is wasted.
5. The money you might have made never comes in.

Think about it: how much is a lost booking worth to you? $100? $200? $500?

What about the repeat business you'll never get from that same booking?

Do you see why such a website is a waste of time and money?

The Even Bigger Problem

As big as the problems are of updating your site, most storytellers still haven't surmounted the first obstacle: getting a website in the first place.

After all, it's hard to pull together all the info you need to send to a designer. You have to make lots of decisions all at once. You have to commit to promoting your work AND to how you'll describe it AND to making the time to write it up and get it to a web designer.

There are lots of reasons to procrastinate about this! You want it done right. You're afraid of sounding too boastful. You're afraid of not sounding confident enough. It's hard to write about yourself for any reason. It's hard to get all the materials together.

In the past, I tried to help storytellers with these difficulties by preparing a questionnaire they could fill out. Once they answered about 12 questions, I'd turn their answers into a web site.

That was a big improvement. Many tellers got good sites that way, including these:

• Abigail Jefferson: www.abigailjefferson.com
• Anne Haehl: www.thejonahstory.com
• Cris Riedel: www.storiesconnect.com
• Debra Ballou: www.debraballou.com
• Kathy Hunter: www.kathytales.com
• Linda Whiteside: www.lindawhiteside.com
• Mary Rachel Platt: www.maryrachelplatt.com
• Michael McCarty: www.HaveMouthWillRunIt.com.
• Pam McGrath: www.PamMcGrath.com
• Rachel Hedman: www.storytellingadventures.com
• Robin Reichart: www.robinheartstories.com
• Stella Long: www.stellalong.com
• Wanna Zinsmaster: www.wannastory.com
• Yes Alliance (special interest group of National Storytelling Network): www.yesalliance.com
• Yvonne Young: www.truthtales.com

But some folks still found it daunting, even with the questionnaire. Some take months (in one case, years) to fill out the questionnaire.

I figured that part of the problem was the pressure to make it perfect. To help tellers keep their sites up to date AND fill out their questionnaires in the first palce, I created a system that would allow non-techy people to edit their own pages, the original Easy Web Update System.

Those results were good for most people, but I wasn't satisfied.

So I spent months testing and creating a new system that would make it even easier. That's how I came up with the Easy Web Update System, Professional Version! (Let's call it "EWUS-Pro" for short.)

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Three Easy Steps to an Expandable Website

I can't imagine an easier way to get your website up and running. Just do these three simple steps:

1. Choose a design of your choice from the 30 professional designs. Or: ask me to choose and customize a design that suits your site or is based on another site that you like, anywhere on the web. Here is a customized design I made for Irene Stemler last week, based on the LGBlue design (click on it to see a larger view):

2. Choose a domain name (e.g., "yourname.com" or "storyexplorations.com", etc.). I'll register it for you for one year.

3. Write one paragraph, using the easy formula I will send to you (or just send me something you have already written about yourself, if you like)

If you want, you can also email me a photo of yourself. Or, if you'd rather, mail me a print and I'll scan it for you.

Once I have your choices for 1, 2, and 3, give me 7-10 days - and your web site will be up and running!

Just the Beginning…

Not only is this a super-simple way to get your web site up and running, it is also the the easiest to add to. As soon as you get a second page written, you can add another page (including photos, if you have them in digital form) in just minutes.

Your site can have as many pages as you want. It can have pages that are grouped "under" another page, if you like. (Imagine your "Programs" page. Once visitors click on it, they see "sub-pages" of programs for adults, children, etc. Or by topic. Or... The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!)

Are you worried about being able to work this system? Don't be! I will give you clear, step-by-step instructions. If you have problems, just zip me an email. If that doesn't work, I'll set up a call to coach you through the problem.

In short, I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable using this system. That's my guarantee!

(Do you already have a site? I will convert your site and enter up to 3 pages of it, for an extra $75. Or I can enter up to 7 pages for $50 more.)

"Well worth it!" "I was amazed at how easy it was to update or change. I was pleasantly surprised that I could understand how to use the EWUS without assistance from any "high-tech" people or from anyone else for that matter. It was well worth it to get the Easy Web Update System!" - Rachel Hedman, StorytellingAdventures.com

Why you won't take me up on this offer

I am offering you a web site (new or converted from your old one) that you can:

1. Start small and add to.
2. Edit and expand yourself without technical knowledge
3. Afford - for the same price that most web designers would charge for creating a static site.

I'm even willing to let you pay in installments: one now, and $100 a month starting in January!

So, why wouldn't you take me up on this offer? I can only think of 9 reasons why you would turn this down:

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Reason #1. It seems like too much money

To be sure, $497 is more than a Starbuck's a day for 5 months.

But look at the bigger picture: How many jobs will your site have to bring you, in order to pay for itself fully: 1? 3? How much money will you make when your site has brought you in 10 extra jobs?

Look at the money you'll miss if you have a site but it's not what it could be! How many lost jobs would it take to pay the $497 ?

"Remarkable…the most economical!" "Dear Doug, I've been wanting to set up a web site for two years. After considering several web creators, I found the plan you offered to be the most economical. It fit right into my tight budget. Thanks so much for remarkable business sense and help!" - Lyn Ford, www.HomeFriedTales.com, Columbus, OH

Reason #2. You're afraid you won't be able to use the system

I certainly understand that would be worried about this. After all, there are lots of web designers making their living by updating web sites.

Did you know that there are hundreds of programs that attempt to solve this problem? They are called "content management systems" (or "CMS's" for short). They all try to let content providers (you) add content to web sites while geeks (me, in this case) do the heavy lifting.

The problem with CMS sytems, up to now, has been how cumbersome they are. In other words, you have to be a semi-geek just to use them.

I have been searching for years for the perfect "Simple CMS," but it didn't exist - until recently. The Easy Web Update System - Pro is based on something called, appropriately enough, "CMS Made Simple."

It's the first system that is truly simple enough - and powerful enough - for what you need.

How simple is it?

Let me put it this way: if you can fill out a web form, you can use this system.

That's right! If you've ever bought anything online or logged in to a shopping cart, you're over-qualified. If you've even searched for a web site (say, on Google or Yahoo or MSN), you'll be able to handle this.

Here's how simple this is! Suppose you want to add a whole new page to your website, say, describing your children's programs. Here's what you do:

1. Log in to the secure administration section of your site.

2. Click "Content" then "Add content". You'll see this screen:

3. Just fill in the blanks:

You just fill in:

1. The name of the page (in this example, "My Programs for Children"),
2. The text your visitors will click on (the menu text - "Children's Programs" in this case), and
3. The text for the page itself.

When you're done, click "Submit".

That's it! If you don't like what you did, you can change it yourself - instantly. No more waiting around. No more paying a designer for every change! No more delays before you see the results of your work!

There are even easy buttons to click (not shown) to make your text bold, italic, different colors, etc. Suddenly, web design is as easy as word processing!

If you're not willing to take my word for it, I say: go for it. I guarantee you'll be satisfied, or I'll give you back every penny you paid. Along the way, I'll give you whatever help you need, to feel comfortable using this system.

"Very clear!" "Doug, your instructions are very clear—I really appreciate a step- by-step format with no "intuitive leaps" required for success." —Allice Bernards, storyteller, www.StorySalt.com, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Reason #3. You don't have anything ready to put up on the web

I understand this! You're busy, it's hard to write about yourself, and you don't really have time to mess with this right now.

Here's the good news:

• I'll get you started with a VERY simple questionnaire. Just fill it out, and I'll turn it into a home page.
• You can add more whenever you want, as often as you want, as much as you want.
• You can take as long as you want to fill out the questionnaire. When you finally do, I will still get your site up and running within 10 days (subject only to my travel schedule).

Reason #4. You don't like any of the templates

One way that I keep the EWUS-Pro prices low is by providing a limited number (30 at last count) of professionally created templates.

I chose clean designs that are easy to navigate and read, so that they will not just look pretty, but will also bring you storytelling work and product sales.

However, if you decide you don't like any of these, I certainly understand and will help you find another template that suits you better. In fact, I will customize a design that suits your site, or is based on a site you like, or that meets your specificiations! I want you to have a site that pleases you!

But I encourage you to start by looking closely at the 30 professionally designed, clean and understandable templates. Some tellers get attached to "pretty" at the expense of "functional."

Reason #5. I already have a web site and don't want to start over

This is not a problem! I will happily convert your existing design to the Easy Web Update System - Professional Version and host it on my server. This may take slightly longer, and may necessitate some small changes in appearance. As always, I guarantee your satisfaction. (Just be aware that some menu images may need to be changed to text-based menus in EWUS-Pro. If you want to know more about what this means, please contact me.)

To convert an existing site of up to 3 pages, I charge an additional $75. Or, if you prefer, you can have me enter up to 7 pages for an additional $125. (Of course, once I have converted your site and entered 3 pages, you will be able to enter the other pages yourself!)

Reason #6. I don't want to learn to put up my own pages right away. I want you to put up my whole site for me.

I will put up an additional 2 pages for you (with up to one photo per page - that's a total of 3 pages and 3 photos) for an extra $50 - or 6 additional pages with photos for an extra $100 (total of 7 pages and 7 photos).

You will still be able to change your pages or add more pages at any time!

Reason #7. Isn't the Monthly Hosting Fee a little high?

Every web server charges a monthly hosting fee. Many entice you into paying a year or more in advance by offering you a discount for committing yourself; then you're stuck with their service, no matter how inferior it may be.

I charge slightly more for Easy Web Update System sites than for my static sites, because the Easy Web Update System puts more demands on my server.

Your monthly fee for your "Easy Web Update System - Pro Version" is a flat $18.95, and you can cancel anytime with only one month's notice. (If you cancel, you still own the content of your site and can transfer your text, photos, etc., to another server.)

You can find servers that charge less (or more!) per month than I do. But your monthly fees are a bargain, considering that the Easy Web Update System saves you hundreds of dollars on web designers, lost work due to an out of date site, etc.

Furthermore, I guarantee that you'll be satisfied!

Reason #8. If I want to add bells and whistles later, will I be able to? Will my site be limited?

1. A contact page that your web visitors will be able to use to send you an email directly from your site!
2. A true blog (or "news" page) that you can add paragraphs to at will. You can even have an RSS feed on it. (Tech talk - ask me if you want to know more. The good news is that if you want it, you can have it easily!)
3. A newsletter subscription page
4. Other users, each with their own passwords and privileges. This is perfect for groups of any kind, including storytelling guilds, tandem telling teams, etc.
5. An online calendar.
6. A true photo gallery.
7. A guestbook.

And much more!

Further, if you want a feature that isn't already included in what you can do yourself easily with this system, you can hire someone to add it for you - and still have it integrated into your other pages.

Reason #9. You are promising a lot. How do I know you'll deliver?

I have been a free-lance artist since 1971. I have made my living coaching and supporting storytellers of all kinds for decades.

I have developed dozens of products for storytellers, ranging from 4 published books to unique storytelling projects like the Storytelling Workshop in a Box™, the Image Riding Toolkit™, and the online True Connection Marketing Course™. I have created a large catalog of resources to help you learn storytelling and to succeed in getting your work out into the world.

I think I have a unique mix of the artist and the techy: I was math major in college and and have become a world-travelling performing storyteller, trainer, and coach. Most of all, I am known for my ability to teach: to make things clear and simple while preserving their power.

I have had my own web server since 1999, and have already helped over 40 storytellers to create their websites and make their presence known on the web. I have been designing and perfecting this system for 4 years. Now, it's tried, true, and ready for you.

Most of all, I keep in business by making storytellers happy. My living depends on your satisfaction! And my years of experience have helped me develop the capacity to deliver on my promises (including a small stable of free-lance techies to help with any problems we may encounter).

Here Are Some Existing EWUS-Pro Sites

See for yourself. Here are some EWUS-Pro sites already working. (Yes, some of them have already upgraded from the original EWUS):

• Patsy Allan: www.patsytales.com
• Ambra Allgood: www.onceinastory.com
• Debra Ballou: www.debraballou.com
• Noa Baum: www.noabaum.com
• Allice Bernards: www.storysalt.com
• Pat Coffie: www.patstories.com
• Beverly Comer: www.beverlythestoryteller.com
• Loralee Cooley: www.storyspinning.net
• Mary Alice Deveny: www.mollybrave.com
• Lyn Ford: www.lynfordstoryteller.com or www.homefriedtales.com
• Denis Gessing: www.olstoryteller.com
• Loren Hecht: www.lorenhecht.com
• Lisa Hirsh: www.lisahirsh.com
• Natalie Jones: www.nataliestories.com
• Virginia Keeping: www.rovingstoryteller.com
• Vanora Franklin Legaux: www.vanorathestoryteller.com
• Bernie Libster: www.talesfromthreeworlds.com
• Jo Radner: www.joradner.com
• Jennifer Rudick-Zunikoff: www.jenniferstories.com
• Marjorie Shaefer: www.spinnerofstories.com
• Ellouise Shoettler: www.ellouisestory.com
• Sherrie Stohl: www.singatale.com
• The Storytelling in Organizations Special Interest Group (of the National Storytelling Network): www.storytellinginorganizations.com
• Tom Taylor: www.tomtaylorstoriesplus.com

You can't tell that these sites are so easy to update! They look like other professional websites. And that's the point.

Here is what some people say about my work:

"Whole courses!" "You are like a university all onto yourself! The articles in the newsletter are whole courses and textbooks." - Rabbi Steve Vale, Rabbi and storyteller, Vacaville, CA

"I am amazed at your business skills along with your knowledge of the world and the powers of storytelling. Keep doing what you do best!" - Mary Jo Huff, Newburgh, Indiana

"A master teacher!"—The Bloomsbury Review

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The Catch!

But wait! There is one catch!

So far, I have created EWUS-Pro systems for a handful of storytellers. Everyone has been very satisfied. But I don't have as many testimonials yet about this system, as I would like.

Therefore, to get this low price, I ask you to promise that, if you like your web site, you will offer me a testimonial that I can use (to let other people know that this system really works).

Of course, if you're not satisfied with your site, I don't expect you to give a testimonial. In fact, I don't expect to keep your money! I'll make a full refund.

Does a "testimonial" sound like work to you? Don't worry - I'll make it easy for you. I'll send you a questionnaire with simple questions for you to answer. But if even that sounds too hard, I'll set up a 10-minute phone call with you, where I'll interview you about your experience - and I'll make your "testimonial" out of that!

What You Get with EWUS-Pro

All sites with EWUS-Pro™ include your own domain (www.yourname.com) on my web server, with these 12 professional features (You can read details about all these features in the description of my server - including a list of some of the over 30 happy storytellers and organizations whose sites I host already.):

1. A True Virtual Domain Account (www.yourname.com)
2. Unlimited mailboxes
3. Free web-based mail access
4. Unlimited email aliases
5. Powerful, inexpensive Linux software
6. CGI script capability. PHP and MySQL
7. Unlimited traffic to your site
8. Unlimited storage (for all practical purposes)
9. Unlimited free "parking."
10. Unlimited FTP access
11. Free registration and free set-up
12. Free permanent email address - never have to change your email address on your brochures again!

There are even more features on my new server, which I just upgraded over the summer to one that is even faster, larger, more reliable, and has more backup capacity for your site. Please ask if you want to know about them!

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An Investment That More Than Pays for Itself...

• The jobs you won't miss, due to embarrassing, outdated information.
• The jobs you won't miss, because no one can read about your latest program, prestigious job, or convincing testimonial.
• The money you won't spend on web designers for routine updates—that you'll now be able to do yourself, easily!

You've invested your time and energy in your storytelling programs. You may have even invested in a web site to get the word out. If so, invest a little more in fixing your website's weak link: a way to keep it fully updated, without spending a fortune on web designers. If not, the time is here: get a website now—that never need be out of date.

And get all this from someone who understands storytelling—and has made his living from it for over 25 years!

Please use my secure server to register now for making your site into a web site that can be updated easily without any additional cost.

This is a unique chance to get the best available website system, up and available within ten days of getting me your complete information. It solves the two key problems that storytellers have with their websites, and ensures that you can keep your site up to date and complete, without ever needing a costly web designer. If you don't like it, I'll refund every cent. How can you lose?

I look forward to the chance to help you get the word out about your storytelling!

Yours in storytelling,

Doug

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Doug Lipman
Phone: (405) 348-6060
Toll free: (888) 446-4738
Fax: (405) 340-3264; toll-free fax: 800-476-0891
P.O. Box 174, Edmond, OK 73034 U.S.A.

http://www.storydynamics.com

This page was last updated on February 20, 2008
Copyright©2006 Doug Lipman