Really digging this bludomain site...should I buy it?

[divinemethod]

Hmm... so my webdeveloper(me) is too lazy and been putting off making my site because I am apparently "too busy"

I came across this one:

http://www.blusites.com/antonio/

It looks awesome IMO, and for me to make something like that would probably take about 50-60 hours, so at $500 with the hosting cost, I am thinking it might be worth it, looks better than livebooks to me..

anyone agree... disagree... opinions?

[Fellipe de Paula]

I bought two bludomains. The first 200USD was ready in two days... The second (a 500USd one) took 2 weeks to them contact me and it could not be set up. So it took more than one month to refund my payment...

I will never buy from them anymore.

[stathunter]

DM - the site looks good. Not sure what the price is but heck I would go for it--if the price is right. I did a lot of homework on Bluedomain--- and after it still went ahead with a site that was on sale :) ---
They are sometimes very slow--- there are stories where you really have to keep up on them. I purchased my site and host it on godaddy. For the $200 I paid for it ---it is very worth it for me--- I was not in a rush so it worked perfectly.

[spxxxx]

I have it ...... don't host with blu

They were excellent getting it up and running

[divinemethod]

I have it ...... don't host with blu

They were excellent getting it up and running

You say dont host with them... any reason as to why not?

[spxxxx]

You say dont host with them... any reason as to why not?

They have issues sometimes with reliability ....... so it was easier to use my existing host - and then I'm OK for hosting my blog etc

[divinemethod]

They have issues sometimes with reliability ....... so it was easier to use my existing host - and then I'm OK for hosting my blog etc


Thanks Simon,

in your eyes, was this purchase worth it? What are your clients saying about it?

(sorry If I am bothering you, but I dont want to throw $500 away just like that!)

[spxxxx]

Thanks Simon,

in your eyes, was this purchase worth it? What are your clients saying about it?

(sorry If I am bothering you, but I dont want to throw $500 away just like that!)

I think that it displays the photographs far better than it did before ..... and the last site I did myself had many admirers - so yes it was worth the money

I got it as part of their sale $100 + $100 for not hosting with them .....

[divinemethod]

$$$100!!!!???

Why do they want $500 from me now!?

[craiglee]

they have promotional periods where they lower prices. i think it's so stupid to charge $100 to NOT host with them. it's way less incentive to go with them.

[divinemethod]

Now I am rethinking it. I emailed their sales asked for a discount... because I notices MANY have gotten the $100 dollar deal. I feel ripped off paying $500.

[craiglee]

yeah wait for a deal

[tunin]

What do you get in the packgage from them when their done? Do you get the FLA file or only SWF? Thank you.

[divinemethod]

good question... can anyone chime in on this one?

[KAS]

seriously check out Hostpapa (www.hostpapa.ca or www.hostpapa.com)

$5.95 for unlimited everything

They're very reliable. I had access nearly instantly, and their customer support is fabulous.

[DavidPhoto]

What do you get in the packgage from them when their done? Do you get the FLA file or only SWF? Thank you.

I have been looking at their stuff also and trying to decide whether to do my own or just buy one. But this would be the key question for me. With the FLA it seems like a no brainer. I'd host it on my own server.

[timbernet]

I do believe they provide the SWF only. It is powered via a MySQL backend, so you can change the text, the music, the colors, the images, etc without needing Flash.

These sites were designed for photographers who don't have the time/skill to work with Flash - so they make it very easy to administer.

I just bought a new BluDomain site and they emailed me within 24-hours requesting information about my hosting company (which is me) -- so it sounds like they install it initially... once they do, I will dig around and see how they installed it...

[Khaled]

Guys can you clarify this for me ?

This company designs your site for you ?
It designs your own logo for you ?
It hosts your websites for you ?

All for $400 ? fixed rate ?

Okay, I live in Australia and Americal servers won't be of that much help for me 'too slow to load', so do I get charged $500 because I don't want to host with them ? Apparently just $400 fixed. No $100 charge.

Do they send me the files in ZIP file and I upload them to my web host ?

Can I modify the images and galleries as well as text ?

That site from the OP is perfect !! :D

[Khaled]

I just shot them an email and we'll see how quick they reply.

[DavidPhoto]

Basically, they have a series of database-driven flash based sites that can be customized with text, your logo, and your image galleries. You pay for the site, customize it using their tools, then they launch it either to their servers or your hosts server. They resell the site designs numerous times and make money that way.
You get a well-designed good looking professional site for relatively cheap.
The stuff is nice but since you are not going to get the source you'd better be happy with it. For the money it's probably a good deal if ti suits your needs.

[Khaled]

Do they have to install the site themselves ? I have the experience to install these packages.

What do you mean that they're not going to provide the source code ? Doesn't the stuff they send can easily be modified ?

[Michaelmjc]

I dont believe they send the .FLA file. Just the .SWF, and the info can be changed dynamically I guess, so you never need to open FLASH. Seems like a bit of a rip off to me for 500.

[timbernet]

I dont believe they send the .FLA file. Just the .SWF, and the info can be changed dynamically I guess, so you never need to open FLASH. Seems like a bit of a rip off to me for 500.

Not really... unless you have a fair bit of experience with Flash and design you would have to hire a web designer to program a site like that and it would cost more than $500... and you would likely have to edit the FLA everytime you wanted to update something instead of having it database driven.

[Khaled]

I received a reply to my email in less than 24 hours, so I think their customer service isn't that bad as what people haven been talking about.

Their reply:

Thank you for your interest in Blu.

Yes, we design websites for individuals / small businesses / etc. Go to the “Clients Launched” section of our site, to see samples of how other clients have used our templates.

We do not design custom logos for businesses. Your Blu template will have a place for a custom logo of your own though, to be uploaded. Or you can use the default site logo if you wish.

No fees for not hosting with Blu, if you buy from the $400 category. The $400 fee is a one-time fee.

You’ll receive site access links to an admin interface, and the site itself will be built out on the server / host of your choice. See information below about companies whose hosting services are not compatible with our products. The admin interface is what you’ll use to load and manage site content.

No additional software needed to make site edits. All gallery updates, music changes, color customizations, etc will be made by way of the admin interface.