Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Pah. One last try here. Let me try to put this a different way, and hope that anyone who knows the answer will share it in the way that so many recipes and food thoughts and information have been shared here by those who know food. If it doesn't happen then I guess the foodies will gain extra karmic points for sharing recipes et al with the techies!

If you had an idea for a interesting and new food-based website of a sort that had not been done before but that also was apparently a very possible thing to do, but did not have any interest in putting it together yourself, who would you contact or what would you do first?

A big thank you in advance to anyone willing to share their knowledge.

@Karen - I'm not a food blogger (yet - one of these days), but I am a professional web designer. So let's see if I can answer your questions.

How does a website with an innovative idea get started, if the person who has the idea is not web-capable themselves?

There are several good blogging sites made for those who aren't web-savvy. Wordpress.com, blogspot.com, and typepad.com are three of the major ones. HTML knowledge helps; w3schools.com is a good place to get started, or you might try picking up a copy of Visual Quickstart Guide to HTML, XHTML, and CSS by Elizabeth Castro. It's an excellent book for beginners and experienced alike.

When websites are started, how do they make money (when that is part of the goal)? (Remember we're talking specifically about food websites, if that makes a difference at all . . .)

The harsh reality is most don't. It takes a large readership and reoccurring draw for blogs to make money, and even of those that do, very few make more than enough to pay for hosting. There are a few options - advertising through services like Google AdWords, sponsorships (like SE and Morningstar Farms), product placements or paid reviews, etc. Some site owners are lucky enough to achieve book deals from their sites, like Julie Powell of The Julie/Julia Project fame or the Waiter of waiterrant.net.

Most blogs - food or otherwise - are set up because the author loves food and wants to share that. Some food bloggers are professional web designers, others may be professional chefs or food writers. Blogs are a good marketing tool, particularly in niche markets.

Where do you like to go in terms of food websites (aside from SE) and what is the major appeal? Recipes? Talk? Organizational tips? Stories? Product information? Dining out information?

There are the majors - Smitten Kitchen, Simply Recipes, Chocolate and Vanilla, Dorie Greenspan, David Lebovitz, Michael Ruhlman... I read a lot of food blogs, including the livejournal community food_porn (which has several first-rate cooks willing to share). I most appreciate beautiful photography and good stories; the recipes are a bonus.

Who in the field of web design is known for their capabilities in putting together food websites from concept to completion? Are there stars in the food website development business? What sort of business arrangements are made with the entrepeneur who has an original idea - and what are the costs involved?

I don't know of any designer/developer that caters exclusively to food bloggers - most sites I've seen have either been designed by their owners or by designers with a broader focus.

As far as costs - it varies widely. Because web design and development is a relatively new field with very little in the way of professional credentials and cost standardization, prices can range anywhere from $50 to hire some schmuck with no skill, all the way to thousands of dollars for a first-rate firm. It really depends on what kind of skills you need, who you hire, and what you need done.

*Why am I asking all this? Well . . . why not?

It sounds like you've got an idea brewing! I'd be happy to offer more advice about The Industry if you have further questions - my email is seriouseats [at] jenilowrance [dot] com.

Wow - just commented then saw jenilowrance's post. Thank you, very much!

P.S. srhcb - proposition? or preposition? I was merely following your lead . . . bwah ha ha ha!

@Karen - silly me assumed you were talking about blogging. Ah, well, you know what they say about assumptions...

Regardless, though, most of the advice I gave works for general web sites and applications as well. It is a little easier to make money off a well-built application in some regards, but a bit more difficult in others (development time, marketing, etc).

If your idea is as unique as they say, I'd try to find a firm or developer to partner with instead of selling it outright. I used to work for a guy who took a small idea and was able to build it into a very successful company in the matter of a few years. It's a risky undertaking in the beginning, but the web makes it possible to do amazing things with little to no startup capital.

(obDisclaimer: I own a small business that specializes in designing and developing web applications. I'm not trying to solicit you for anything; I just like helping people out.)

Without knowing the particulars of what you want to do, it's hard to point you in the proper direction.

In my own experience, I don't think I've ever heard of just a basic idea being sold before. Usually when a web site gets snatched up, it has a proven track record. For instance, Bravo buying televisionwithoutpity.com. It has a large fan base and its content (snarking awesomely about television) fits in beautifully with what Bravo's basic branding is all about. It is entirely possible that I'm wrong on this.

There are also houses that create websites for specific companies that have all sorts of cool stuff. Some of them not necessarily publicly connected to said company, like The Lost Ring, which was created by McDonald's. Maybe who you'd want to sell the idea to is one of the houses, who can then use your idea on one of their clients? Again, without certain particulars, it's hard to direct.

I'd wanted to email you about this, but felt a little weird just doing so without an invite, even though your email address is public.

Hello everyone! :)

This discussion is perfect timing for me. I've just started a new food website myself (it's LIVE and online, but not "officially" launched yet) and there is a lot of work involved if you want to do it properly. What started as a hobby for me, is turning into a regular part-time job. Amazing how many little details there are to think about.

I look to places like AHT and SE for inspiration.

I'm enjoying reading the posts made on this topic so far, and I'm learning something new each day. Thank you to all those who have shared.

Hopefully I can contribute something to the group soon.

@Karen - I wish I designed SE. Nope, that compliment goes to the fine SE staff. I'm just here for the food. =)

"....combine the operational concept of Polyvore with a food basis but then to expand upon that a bit, allowing the visually-oriented putting-together of personal recipes that could be created by the users within different fun categories of style and definition that had been created for focus on the site..."

Good Lord Woman!

I'm mentally exhausted just reading that.

Hahahaha... :)

Fashion is hardy my baliwick, but I found then Polyvore site fascinating, and I can see what you're getting at, I think?

Have you tried tossing the idea out on the Polyvore blogs/boards?

I agree Karen, I think it's a great idea too.

It would take some nifty design and coding work, but if you could put it all together... it would be something fantastic.

What would you call it? Have you thought about a name?

I checked out the Polyvore.com site and that's pretty cool.

I e'd you. This is really cool and has much potential.

so "players" piece together meals from the "pantry" and then create a "tablescape"? (I kid, i kid, it sounds really kind of interesting!)

My own background (if anyone is thinking "Why does she think she can do this?") (and also: "Isn't she always a bit nutty?") is that of being an executive chef (defining and implementing operations, policies and procedures for a new multi-unit operation) at a high-profile company for some years then being made a VP of Operations at that same company (Goldman Sachs). It's probably also worth noting that I may be the only VP they ever had who had who did not have an MBA from a top university but rather who had a formal education which only went to the first month of the first year of high school.

In other words, I may be nutty (and sure hope so!) but also know how to get things done and obviously, I believe in dreams. :)