Using Coldfusion dedicated server, web developers can build multi-functional websites, content publishing systems, e-commerce websites, and a host of other things. Coldfusion is an easy to learn, user friendly, tag based scripting language which has connectivity to enterprise level data and strong in built searching capabilities, all of which helps in creating brilliant web pages.

Developed by JJ and Jeremy Allaire and released as an Allaire product in July 1995, Coldfusion along with Allaire was acquired by Macromedia in 2001, while Macromedia in turn was sold to Adobe Systems in 2005. A Coldfusion dedicated server is an application server used to develop both computer software and dynamic websites. Products in the same category as that of Coldfusion are Microsoft ASP.NET, JavaServer Pages or PHP. ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) is the scripting language, similar in nature to JSP, ASP.NET, PHP and HTML is a brilliant and distinguishing feature of Coldfusion. Nonetheless it must be remembered that other CFML application servers apart from ColdFusion exist as does other compatible scripting languages like Actionscript and embedded scripts written in CFScript.

A Coldfusion dedicated server is generally used for data filled websites or intranets but remote services like SOAP web services and Flash remoting can also be generated using Coldfusion. Asynchronous forms like SMS and IMs can also be handled by Coldfusion thanks to the gateway interface, available in ColdFusion MX 7 Enterprise Edition.

Some of the value added services that come with Coldfusion are:

• generation of client-side code for form widgets and validation
• converting to PDF and FlashPaper from HTML
• database querying, regardless of platforms via ODBC or JDBC
• data retrieval from Active Directory, LDAP, POP, HTTP, FTP, Microsoft Exchange Server etc
• XML parsing, validation and querying
• client and server cache management
• clustering of server
• session, client, and application management
• Using Verity K2 for file indexing and searching
• Task scheduling
• GUI administration

Certain implementations of CFML allow enhanced functions like running in a .NET environment and image manipulation.

Depending on where you want to take your business, a multiple niche website can be an excellent platform with which to expand your business and cover a larger market. It could also be a good choice for you if your interests and expertise vary greatly. However, you also have a choice to just focus all your energies on building one site and staking your reputation on it. So will a multiple niche website be a good choice or will one big authority site increase your chances of success? Let's take a look at the benefits and limitations of each option:

Multiple Niche Websites:

A multiple niche website offers you an opportunity to reach several different segments of the market all at once, allowing you to cover as much ground as you can using just one or a few sites.

Advantages

A multiple niche website lets you communicate to multiple groups of potential customers and possibly close a business transaction from there. It also helps maximize your initial website building efforts, particularly because you only need to build each site around a single design concept.

Multiple niche websites can also showcase your flexibility and comprehensiveness of services that you offer. It's like having a multi-specialty site that attracts clients and customers from several different market segments and then doing business with them. Once your site has been around for sometime, it could easily pick up a minimum of 1,000 to 3,000 hits per day - even more when you've gained enough reputation and recognizability in the business.

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of a multiple niche website rests mainly on its design. Since you will be promoting different products and/or services from a single site, imagine how it would look like to a visitor. One site = hundreds of related links. And we're not just talking about internal links either.

A multiple niche website is essentially your store from which you'll be running your business. Once you're actively participating in the industry, it shouldn't be long until you find external links that you might want to refer to your visitors. Now imagine the chaos - dozens of links, banners, buttons, ads, graphics, pages upon pages, all coming from just one direction, each one crying out for attention.

If you can't manage it well, a multiple niche website can grow to be a multi-headed monster, each one heading for a different direction and demanding a different type of approach. In the end, there is a danger that you could be competing with no one else but yourself.

Build multiple niche websites if...

- You have the expertise and the experience in the specific niches you want to focus on.

- You have the skills, time or manpower to devote for the development of each niche.

- You have the resources to spend for the demands that a multiple niche site will require.

- You have established an organized and well-designed business processing system to handle transactions such as sales, discounting, customer service, subscription, etc.

- You have the patience of a saint and the eye for detail of an IRS auditor.

Single Authority Site

The single authority site is just that - one site offering excellent products or services pertaining to a single niche or industry.

Advantages

One big authority site is perfect for people who want to build their expertise in only one field or niche. If there's one thing you can do well and you want to make it your business, take this route. It's easy to set up, doesn't require a lot of resources and is relatively cheaper to run. You could also concentrate all your efforts here and become a respected guru in a specific field instead of being the internet marketer who juggles with multiple industries and never quite achieving expert status.

Disadvantages

If you made a mistake in your choice of niche, a single authority site can fizzle out like a short matchstick. When it goes, it goes and there's nowhere else you can turn to or fall back on, unlike a multiple niche website where there are other things going on for you.

You could also miss the opportunity of providing products and services for a wider market segment, thus limiting your income potential. If the niche you chose has a limited market, your site's traffic counter will reflect that in the number of hits it receives.

Build one big authority site if...

- Your expertise is limited to only one area and you are confident you can comfortably grow in it.

- You want to become a known authority in that niche.

- You have limited knowledge or training.

- You want to focus all your time, effort and money developing one big authority site versus a multiple niche website.

For newbie's starting out with an online venture the notion of building a site can be a challenging one. There is so much information out there it's hard to know where to start. What direction should you go in to yield the best results?

Where you really need to start is with yourself. Write down what you wish to accomplish and put together some form of outline that will help you stay focused. One thing is for sure when doing anything online and that is you will find yourself getting distracted here and there when seeking out information.

This happens to us all but if you have an outline posted in front of you then it will be easier to stay focused. To make life easier on yourself you can use a site builder to build your site.

The advantage of a site builder is that it will help you to construct your site without having to worry about the technical details. The good site builders will also help you to construct your web pages properly so that your reader can understand your message and the search engines can figure out what your pages are about.

This will help your site to get indexed and into the search engines which overtime will provide you with free targeted traffic and if your webpage's are set up right this traffic will make you money.

In some cases site builders come with hosting as well. Once again this provides you with less to worry about and you can get on with the task of building your site around your favorite topic.

To conclude keep it simple, stay focused and you will achieve your goals.