Patrick O'Keefe, Owner - iFroggy Network

[Spencer]

Patrick O'Keefe, Owner - iFroggy Network

Web Site: http://www.ifroggy.com/

Date: 09/11/2005

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Patrick O'Keefe and I own the iFroggy Network.

How in the world did you come up with the name iFroggy?

The first domain name I ever registered was ifroggy.com. I registered it on January 1st, 2000. I had been "professionally" developing websites since the Fall of 1998. I had finally decided that I wanted to create some sort of do everything (or as much as we could) portal. I was and still am a big fan of Yahoo! So, late in 1999 when I was 15, I started coming up with names as, back then, I really didn't envision myself owning many domain names - they were $35 a year and you had to pay for 2 years. $70 was a good bit of money to me back then. For this reason, I wanted to get a good one. So, I poured over many name ideas - checking what was available as a domain name and what wasn't. I still have this list of names. When I look back at it, from time to time, I can't help but be thankful that I didn't choose any of the other names I had listed. With a few exceptions, none of the names on that list would have been something I'd really love today - as I love iFroggy. So, I picked the good one. How did I come up with the ideas themselves? Very randomly. It was usually either things popping into my head or ideas I got from talking to other people.

How did you go about starting the iFroggy Network?

Well, as I just said, I started out wanting to be a portal. I didn't know I'd start buying domain names and creating more sites. But, I did. Slowly at first. Eventually I figured out that trying to do everything just wasn't feasible and that you should pick a niche, focus on it and be the best that you can possibly be. So, that's what lead me to creating the network.

I recently dug through my archives and The Wayback Machine to try to nail down some specific timelines of when my earlier sites launched - as back then, I didn't record dates, unfortunately. Although iFroggy.com launched sometime in early 2000 as a portal - the quote, unquote iFroggy Network started some time shortly thereafter, sometime in the Spring of 2000. It started with me launching a few sites - eStockPickers.com, vGeeks.com, iFroggy Mail (mail.ifroggy.com). None of which exist today. I don't take down too many sites, but my earliest ones were an exception. I still own those domain names, with plans to develop them in the future.

What about Internet business sparked your interest?

I just liked developing and managing websites. I was probably (possibly subconsciously) attracted to the fact that there is a more level playing field running a business online than there is off, especially for a kid. Pay for your domain name and hosting, work hard and you can do something great.

You have many very well known forums that all use phpBB. Why do you favor phpBB over vBulletin and other forum software?

Well, thanks. I don't know about many, but for me - the choice is between phpBB and vBulletin. If I wanted to pay, I'd pay for vBulletin. If I want to use a free solution, I'll use phpBB. In the beginning, when I had a lot less money than I do now, I choose phpBB because I couldn't justify the expense. Forget justify, I couldn't afford the expense. Now, I can, but I don't want to. At this moment, there are 7 communities in my network - 6 of which I own, with a 7th in development and more planned. If all of those forums ran vBulletin, that would certainly add a fair amount to my expenses. Now, I'm not saying that vBulletin is overpriced. It's not. But, I have to ask myself, do I feel it's worth it? At this time, I do not. That may change, but I feel that phpBB can usually give you what you need or be modified to give you what you need and you can be just as successful. In the end, as long as you have a good community software (vBulletin and phpBB both qualify as good, as do others), it is you - the community administrator - that will have the largest hand in determining success.

There are people that feel that if you don't use vBulletin, you are not serious about your community. And those people are wrong. No one is more serious about managing their community than I am.

How do you come up with a new web site for the iFroggy Network?

I come up with ideas randomly. I can be taking a shower and get an idea. I've had it happen more than once where I am about to get to sleep and then I think of something. So, I have to get up, turn the light on and write it down and then turn the light off and go back to bed. I can see a good domain name available and that can give me an idea. I can try to find something online and then not find it or find it, but not in as good a way as I would have hoped and that can give me an idea. A lot of my ideas come from things that personally interest me. For instance, I'm a Yankees fan, so I launched YanksBlog.com.

How did you get into web hosting and domain business?

Having been a web developer for a few years, I felt that I had a good idea of what web developers were looking for and how I could provide them with qualify, affordable services. So, I partnered with an established web host with a focus on the business (I am currently partnered with 100 Megs Web Hosting), so that it could be done right. I'm just one person with many websites. Tell me to run a server and I won't have a clue. So, I needed to work with people who knew what they were doing, who had a dedicated support team, who were focused on providing solid, affordable web hosting solutions - and that is what I did. I never want to offer the cheapest web hosting packages. What I do want to offer is a solid bang for your buck, coupled with quality solutions and excellent support.

What are the iFroggy Network's short-term goals?

Pretty simple. Really just to continue to grow, slowly but surely, in size, traffic and revenue.

What are the iFroggy Network's long-term goals?

Pretty much the same as our short term goals, at this point. I want to continue to add great websites to our network (such as some of the sites we've recently launched, like DrGregHouse.com, YanksBlog.com and MicrosoftBlog.com) while continuing to enhance our existing offerings.

How many people run the iFroggy Network?

For the most part, just me. At an individual website level, I manage a team of approximately 40 volunteers who serve as moderators, authors, bloggers, etc. If not for them, my sites would not be the same. Joseph Leung, the creator of QuickZip, runs most of the QuickZip site. As I said before, 100 Megs Web Hosting handles much of our hosting related activities.

What's the best advice you have for someone who is just beginning in web development?

Work hard. I can handcode a little HTML. That's about all I can code. I work hard and I find solutions and I think I do alright where plenty of people would have given up or created weaker websites. Just because you're not an expert doesn't mean you have to settle for a lame website. I learned by doing and doing takes work and effort. Although you may start out lame (my earliest websites were the weakest possible), the more you do - the more you learn and the better that you become. So, keep working and keep learning.

What would you say to the person that has a good web site, but can't seem to get visitors?

Again, work hard. People ask me this from time to time and I tell them that and they get annoyed. Do not take shortcuts. Do not steal users from your fellow webmasters. It may not always feel like your work is being rewarded, but you need to keep working to create the best website that you can. There are things that you will not immediately tie to promotion that are really more important than any promotional issues, that can really affect how likely you are to receive traffic. Such as the development of the site. Does it have a unique look? Does it have quality content? Does it offer something that some people will want? Creating a good website means creating a website that people will want to talk about and link to. Nobody wants to link to a bad website. And so, if your site is half baked, it can really affect how you receive visitors. If your launch a lame website, don't be surprised when people don't come. If you want people to visit, you have to create something worth visiting. Beyond that, ensure that your content is spiderable and search engine friendly so that people can find you. Although, don't go crazy - I don't waste time trying to say a keyword a certain number of times on a page or optimizing links (i.e. never linking out or using the no follow attribute). If you link to people, link to them directly. Anyway - work hard, that's my message.

Is there a fun part to the business? If so, what is it?

Sure, a lot of what I do is fun or enjoyable. When someone tells you how great they think your site is, how much it has done for them or how much they enjoy it, that's fun. When you see the result of your hard work, regardless of what you are working at, that's fun. I enjoy a lot of what I do day to day, from developing new sites to managing existing ones.

What do you do in your spare time off the Internet?

I'll play some sports, games or video games, watch some TV (I watch 24, House, The Simpsons and Family Guy), listen to music (although I usually do that while I'm online), read and clean.

Thanks for taking time to do this interview. Last question: describe the iFroggy Network in one sentence.

A diverse network of quality content, community and e-commerce sites.

[Spencer]

You can discuss the interview here.