Website Design
Accessible website's
Why validate? People are accessing the internet with PDA's, cell phones, screen readers (for the visually impaired), not to mention computers with a number of different browsers, some older than others, and using varied screen sizes and resolution. Only a standards based website will have a good chance of reading well. Test the HTML or XHTML on your site by going to http://validator.w3.org/, enter the URL (your website address) and see what happens.
HTML (XHTML) based website's
I can create a site from scratch, or use low cost templates. My older sites are HTML based website's, while the newer ones are XHTML. All my sites utilize cascading style sheets (CSS).
Blog's and Message Forums
WordPress Blog's
For Blog's I prefer WordPress, a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. [More on WordPress][View a WordPress Blog in Action]
phpBB
Millions of people use phpBB on a daily basis, making it the most widely used opensource bulletin board system in the world. Whether you want to stay in touch with a small group of friends or are looking to set up a large multi-category board for a corporate website, phpBB has the features you need built in. [More on phpBB] [View a phpBB forum that I set up for the Alternatives 2008 Conference]
Simple Machines Forums
SMF in short — is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.
[More on SMF][View a SMF Forum (not very active, but it's a good example of what you can do]
Content Management
Systems (CMS)
Content Management Systems are database driven website's that can handle a lot of data, and can manage input from multiple users/contributors. There are hundreds of commercial CMS available which range in cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and often have significant monthly maintenance costs. For that reason, I have focused my energy on free open source CMS.
I typically work with two types of PHP based CMS, Joomla and Wordpress. They are both free to download and are supported by large communities of people who create templates and add on's which make them more useful.
Joomla has more bells and whistles, and can be used as a blog, but is also more complicated to set up and run on your own (see info on Simplweb below). WordPress is mainly a blog, but can do a lot of what Joomla does. For more on Wordpress, click the link for Blog's & Forums.
Now Offering Simplweb Instant Website's!
With over 20 million website's powered by Joomla on the web, there is no doubt that it's by far the best open source Content Management System (CMS) available, but many have struggled to create their website.
- They couldn't set up the server
- They couldn't figure out how to organize the content
- They just needed to ask someone a simple question.
Imagine if:
- You could create a Joomla website instantly, no complex server involved,
- You never had to worry about keeping versions up to date
- You had access to extensive educational resources
- You had someone there to ask for help.
The service is called Simplweb, and it provides instant Joomla sites, already set up with content, templates and extensions. When you get a Simplweb site you also get education and support to help you build a successful site.
No complicated plans here. Everything you need for your website for one simpl price
Visit some website builder services and there are all sorts of added extras and set up fees.
- No start up fees!
- One month FREE TRIAL!
- Take advantage of a special charter membership offer of only $19.95 a month. When this offer expires, new accounts will pay $29.95 a month.
There are two paths to choose from:
- Set up your own Simplweb site, you'll be amazed by how quickly you can get your website up and running
- Or, I can help put it together and manage it for you.
Well, I guess there are three choices; I'm always available if you need help: to organize, add content, manipulate images, etc.
Visit Simplweb now to learn more!
More on Joomla!
eCommerce
Build a thriving online store
There should be an e-commerce solution that is flexible, reliable, expandable and easy to use. A solution with comprehensive features that are easy to use for new online businesses, yet powerful enough for the most demanding e-commerce expert.
Miva Merchant is that solution
Taking your online business to the next level, Miva Merchant provides unlimited potential with unprecedented power, flexibility and ease of use. Miva Merchant is designed for success and provides you with access to all the tools you need to develop, maintain, and grow a thriving online store.
As a premier e-commerce solution, Miva Merchant includes the following:
- Advanced catalog, customer and order management systems.
- No limits on the amount of store data.
- Complete store design control with new Store Morph Technology™.
- Integrated credit card processing and shipping calculation.
- An expansive list of add-on modules and services.
- And much more »
Empower your online business with available marketing services, including pay-per-click advertising and search engine optimization. Leverage your business potential with Miva Merchant, the only e-commerce solution for online business success. [More on Miva Merchant 5][View a Miva Store in Action]
Hosting Services
I highly recommend WestHost. They provide excellent customer service, and their servers are located in a state of the art facility. Hosting packages come with a vast array of easy to install programs and databases. They offer business plans that start at less than $7 per month, and personal plans starting at just $3.95! [More on WestHost]
Newsletters
Do More With Your Online and Email Marketing Campaigns With iContact
iContact is a leading on-demand email marketing service. iContact allows organizations of all sizes to easily create, send, and track email newsletters, RSS feeds, blog's, surveys, and auto responders.
With iContact's extensive features, you can easily create Email Messages, send them to your subscribers, and track their performance. When you apply autoresponder's to your email marketing campaign, you can stay in the forefront of your customer's mind with automatic messages based on timed sequences or customer actions. Surveying provides you, the marketer a platform to collect data from your customers and iContact provides you with the real-time results of your data. RSS Feeds are the latest direct online communication tool. Your customers will immediately receive your most recent messages when they sign up for your RSS feed.
Standard Features |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| * | Mail-merge Personalization | * | Forward-to-a-Friend |
| * | Open & Click Through Tracking | * | Bounce-back Handling |
| * | WYSIWYG Newsletter Editor | * | Message Scheduling |
| * | Assured CAN-SPAM Compliance | * | SpamCheck™ |
| * | Over 300 Templates Included | * | Subscription Management |
Advanced Features |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| * | Event Management | * | List Segmentation |
| * | Integrated Surveying | * | RSS Feeds |
| * | Public Newsletter Archives | * | Advanced Analytics |
| * | Industry Leading Deliverability | * | Multiple Message Autoresponder |
On a shoe string budget?
I've managed newsletters for two grass roots organizations since 2004 using Your Mailing List Provider, with plans starting as low as $3.75 per month.
Regardless of your choice, I can:
- craft the email to suit the needs of the organization.
- make editorial and layout suggestions.
- send test emails to the person(s) in charge.
- and finally send it to your list in html and plain text.
Image Manipulation
Website's are a whole lot more appealing when you have photos for people to rest their eyes on. Putting an image on the web is not the same as with printed material. If you make the image too big it will take too long to load the page. If you make it too small, no one will bother looking at it. Most of the images I get are taken by amateurs, or shot under less than ideal circumstances. As an example, I received an image for the National Empowerment Center recently of Dr. Daniel Fisher shaking hands with Senator Kennedy. Take a look at the original image:
It's a great image and luckily it was high resolution giving me plenty of flexibility (images taken with cell phones are the worst!), but there is a lot to distract you from the moment. I manipulated the image and put a date on it:
This image has been posted to two of my client website's:
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations