Each of our users is unique — among them are media businesses, IT professionals, creative individuals, entrepreneurs, teachers, bloggers, webmasters, and founders of IT schools. One of the largest categories of Cityhost clients consists of enthusiasts who create websites for fun and personal interests, often monetizing them later (though not always). Some create websites to share their knowledge and experiences, providing value to others.
Alexander, whose story we’ll share today, is one such person. He has also been a loyal client of ours for many years, with a partnership spanning over a decade and a half. “Forum Catalog” and the development of YouTube channels are just part of his projects, but the most important ones for their creator.
Alexander’s story begins in 1996 when his father brought home his first personal computer, an Intel Pentium i386. The young man began exploring DOS, Norton Commander, and Volkov Commander. Later, he installed Windows 3.1 on a hard drive with a 40 MB capacity — quite advanced for the time. There were no bootable flash drives back then, so having another computer was essential to split the entire operating system onto multiple floppy disks. From this stack of disks, the system was installed, and it was crucial to insert them into the drive in the correct order. Do you remember this kind of magic?
Alexander's journey as a webmaster began in 2000 when he created his first website in HTML.
— I couldn’t upload this site via FTP, so I took a floppy disk, rode the tram to the hosting provider, and knocked on their door. The staff helped me transfer the files to the hosting server and explained why I couldn’t upload the site via FTP.
On the one hand, websites have always been a hobby for Alexander. On the other hand, this hobby has grown into a steady job involving website maintenance, advertising, creating promotional articles, and producing videos. He gained his skills in coding, development, and using CMS platforms such as Joomla, WordPress, OpenCart, and Prom.ua independently, without any formal education or courses.
Like many experienced webmasters, Alexander’s early websites were hosted on free hosting — he started by using site builders to create simple websites. There, the budding webmaster created several different sites and gained his first experience in successfully promoting a furniture-themed site that ranked well in search engines.
His first $100 earnings were also related to the furniture niche — Alexander created an HTML site for a client. Since then, he has developed many websites in the furniture niche, such as this one.
In 2008, the webmaster registered his first site on paid hosting — the provider was Cityhost. Alexander has been consistently collaborating with us for 16 years and has brought many clients to us.
Today, he has 5 active personal websites and 2 projects under administration.
Examples of websites Alexander creates for his clients
In 2008, the domain katalog-lviv.org.ua was registered, and hosting was purchased for it from Cityhost. Initially, the site was conceived as a company directory, but over time, its subdomains hosted various websites — from business card sites to online stores on different topics. Unfortunately, the directory did not gain popularity, and the site was abandoned.
In 2022, the domain was given a new life — a forum was created and began to grow actively. The topics covered a wide range, from automobiles to fashion. As of today, the forum has 63 registered users and 1 700 posts.
The forum operates on the phpBB platform, with various modules added for SEO and enhanced functionality. Thanks to these efforts, the site performs well in search engines. Over the past month, the forum received 1 000 clicks and 12 000 impressions on Google — modest figures, but encouraging at this stage.
The forum also features advertisements from Google AdSense, which currently generate a small income — $0.01–$0.02 per day, but this is only the beginning.
The goal of the forum is to create a friendly environment for exchanging experiences and discussing various topics. In short, according to the author's vision, the site aims to grow into a large hub with helpful articles for beginners in different fields — from cars to fashion.
Vladimir, the webmaster’s 15-year-old son, helps fill the forum with content by writing about Linux, Windows, Android, and Apple. The young man is already studying computer engineering in college and plans to build a career in the IT industry.
I ask Alexander:
— There’s an opinion that forums are outdated and that nowadays, everyone uses social media. But you still decided to take the risk and create one. Do you think forums will make a comeback and become popular again?
— I’ve always dreamed of having my own forum, but the time when they were popular has already passed. I often use it as a blog, adding informative articles that visitors from Google are searching for. For example, there are many articles on the forum about operating systems like Linux, Windows, Android, car maintenance and repair (from Zaporozhets to Tesla), fashion and style, home and garden, plants, and recipes.
— Can anyone quickly learn how to create their own website from scratch?
— Yes, you can create your own website using a CMS (it’s easier) or HTML (a bit harder). You just need to believe in yourself and not be afraid to learn from your mistakes. I have some advice for beginners: always check templates, plugins, modules, and everything you add to the site. Harmful code can sneak in, which can cause a lot of trouble to remove later. The Cityhost control panel has a special program that scans the site for viruses, which is very helpful. However, there’s a catch: even if you find and remove the malicious code, it can reappear due to vulnerabilities in a plugin — so be very careful.
Alexander’s family has another digital hobby — almost every family member runs their own YouTube channel.
The father’s channel is called Car Error UA and focuses on cars. It has over 5 000 subscribers. The channel features car stories — from Zaporozhets to Tesla — as well as the author’s accounts of repairs, troubleshooting, and reviews.
The eldest son, Volodya, runs a channel called gogtent, dedicated to using and configuring operating systems and software. He professionally explains the intricacies of working with Linux and Windows.
The youngest son, Yurchik, is a sixth-grader who is very interested in cars. His channel, Mechanic Error, is also dedicated to automotive topics.
The boys’ channels are still small, but it’s impressive that they’re already taking their first steps in creating their own informational content, learning to engage with audiences and technology. This can provide a solid foundation for successful professional development at a young age.
And it all started nearly 30 years ago, when their father first became interested in computers. Alexander’s story, and that of his family, reminds us that hobbies can not only become a lifelong passion but also inspire those around us. The forum, websites, and YouTube channels are all the result of hard work and a desire to share knowledge. Most importantly, they bring the family together, allowing everyone to express themselves and find what truly interests them.
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