These days everyone wants to get on Facebook. Facebook this; Facebook that. Some people tell me they want to be on Facebook without really knowing why. So here’s why.
If my friend Jen tells me that the Blue Lemon restaurant is great and I have to go to it, that means SO much more to me than a Blue Lemon postcard that I get in the mail. Because how can I trust a postcard? Now, if Jen tells ALL of her friends to go to Blue…
New Sublime Learning Site
I jumped in to help out the developers of the new Sublime Learning site at the last minute, because the CSS required to implement that site was pretty tricky.
First, I created a quick little php template to make the site maintenance more manageable. I also overhauled the HTML and styled the site. I implemented the first draft of the site’s content, then passed it on to the other developer.
The most tricky part was the curved navigation bar overlaying the photo on…
I’ve been working on Petfinder.com for about 3 years now. I’ve done things like improve traffic from search engines by 900%, overhaul the UI of the pet search function, and add the pet adoption happy tails site section. I’ve also implemented over a dozen sponsored sweepstakes and contests in the system (both front and back end). Read more about this project…
I’ve talked with a few photographers lately about new web sites. They each had different ideas of what they needed. It got me to thinking… what would the perfect photographer’s web site look like?
Photography is one of those fields where you put your work - your art and soul - on the line at every appointment.
It is also a word-of-mouth business: happy clients will refer their friends. Prospective customers value their friends’ opinions, so the most trusting new clients will be referrals.
A photographer’s web…
I’ve been pretty silent on this blog for the past several months, but now I’m starting up again. I have been a web developer since 1997, and I’ve been busy. I haven’t done as much blogging as I would like. I’ve almost always worked for a bigger company, and Stitchsoft would take a back burner to both the day job and my family.
Now, I have an opportunity to spend more time on Stitchsoft and other web sites that are my own. I must admit…
“I own a small business. Do I need a web site? a blog?”
It’s a valid question. As a businessperson, you don’t want to dump money into a web site if it’s not going to be a good investment for you. And if you choose to have a web site, how do you go about deciding whether it should be a blog or other type of web site?
Here’s a secret: a blog is just another name for a content-based web site.…
Design House Digital is the brainchild of myself and my sister-in-law, Jen Allyson Nugent. It is not very old, and yet it’s already had more traffic than any other site I’ve ever done through Stitchsoft. Jen Allyson Nugent and Spencer Nugent did most of the graphics; graphics aren’t my strong suit.
Read more about Design House Digital.
I did this site as a favor for a friend. As a teacher, his current and former students ask him questions often. He is able to post his answers on this site for all to see.
I chose to do a custom Wordpress theme on this site. Because it was a “favor” site, I just did the graphics myself, instead of paying a designer like I usually do. He likes it. It looks great, and fits his needs well.
My favorite custom feature is a list of links at the bottom of each post page. It contains all the other posts in the current category.
A web site analysis: Liberty’s Army is a political commentary and education site. It’s a bit of a political hodgepodge; some posts are merely boxes containing information on bills, and other posts are very long commentaries.
I learned this stuff from experts in usability and search optimization. You’ll get the same advice elsewhere; it’s really not just an issue of personal preference.
Read more about Site Analysis: Liberty’s Army.
Part 2 of starting a web site covers the expected / desired visitor cycle, card sorting / organizing menus, and professional graphic design. Follow our example character Joe Blue as he goes through these steps to build a water park web site.
Read more about how to start a web site, part 2.