It's easier than ever to put up your own website. But who should be interested?

If by chance you are a:

-Owner of an existing business,
-You are planning to start a business,
-Work for someone else,
-Are a hobbyist,
-Or are opinionated about any subject

If any of these are true, you should strongly consider starting your own website.

Owners of a business: more people are coming online all the time, and therefore you are leaving money on the table if you are not online too.

You are setting up a business: do it correctly and include a website as part of your overall strategy right from the beginning.

You work for someone else. As an employee, you should be aware of the two different kinds of websites that might be helpful to you.

First, as an employee you should start a personal site in which you demonstrate your expertise. It doesn't matter what field: accounting, plumbing, remodeling; almost any field would work. A blog is perfect for this kind of site. When you go looking for another job in the future, you can point to your site as proof that you know your stuff.

Second, if you are employed by a medium to large size company, you can start a site dealing with some aspect of the company. One possibility would be to chronicle the history of the corporation. Work on it in your spare time (not "on the clock") and eventually let your superior know about your project. This will position you as a knowledgeable employee and set you apart from everyone else.

Hobbyists: if you are passionate about your hobby, start a site to tell the world about it. Thousands, probably millions, have done the same; why shouldn't you?

Social commentator: if you feel strongly for or against some topic, a website can help spread the word far and wide.