I am excited to announce the roll out of a new website for a candidate for the state senate in Michigan.

Kim Russell has recently announced her candidacy for the Michigan State Senate as a Republican from the 12th District. Her website represents the vibrancy and passion that she will bring to the race and I was pleased to be selected to develop her campaign website.

As usual, I developed this website using WordPress as the back end content management system. I am very pleased with the design of the website and wish Kim the best in her election efforts.

As I noted in a previous article, I have not had good luck at all looking for project prospects using Craigslist. I have found this to be true even when I have seen what appear to me to be legitimate advertisements for web design services. By legitimate I simply mean that the ads are well thought out, present what appears to be a comprehensive review of the needs of the project, etc.

My Personal Favorite Craiglist As

I have a wordpress site and need a form fixed on it using javascript. Should take 5 minutes for someone to fix it.

Fairly regularly I see an ad like this on Craigslist. They vary in terms of the choice of words, but essentially what the ad says to me is as follows: “I don’t have any idea how to fix a problem that I have determined to be simple to fix. Even though I have no idea if the problem will be easy or difficult to fix, I am reporting to you that the problem is so easy to correct that I will pay you essentially nothing to take on this project.”

Usually these ads then ask for a resume to be submitted, a portfolio to be made available and references to be checked.

Don’t even try.

Late last week I was contacted by a client who needed some help with a WordPress blog that he had installed and customized. He was on a tight time schedule and wanted his new website completed as quickly as possible. To complicate matters just a bit, the client was on a business trip that took him from his home in Quebec to Los Angeles for the week. The client wanted his new Corrugated-Pipe website to be up and running within the week.

In order to complete this project within both the time frame and budget I had to fall back on some previous WordPress themes I had been working on in my spare time. One of those themes was to the liking of the client and we agreed to utilize that theme, with modifications, to complete this project.

During the next seven days the client and I worked exclusively via email with the client doing almost all of the project review using his Blackberry. I am very proud to say that the project was completed on time and to the full satisfaction of the client. In fact, I completed the website installation, plugin installation and conent insertion while the client was enroute from Los Angeles to his home in Quebec. When he arrived home he found his new website up and running and looking good. He’s happy, and so am I.

Creating a professional presence on Twitter is important to the success and branding of your social media efforts. While it is impossible to address even a tiny portion of the various techniques and approaches in this article, I do think it is possible to highlight some simple ways to make your Twitter account more professional.

What is the purpose of your Twitter account?

How do you see yourself using your Twitter account? Do you intend to use it to connect with friends and family, or is it a business tool to connect with clients or potential customers?

If your Twitter use will be predominantly for personal use, then you can probably stop reading this article now. But if Twitter is going to be used as a business tool you may want to read on.

1. Get a custom background

A professional appearance starts with a custom Twitter background. Not only does a custom background help brand your business, but it can be used to show a wealth of information that is not possible to display simply using your Twitter profile information. A great example of a custom background can be found at Chris Brogan’s Twitter page.

2. Use a personal photo of yourself

It’s generally agreed that a personal photo, rather than a business logo, is the best image to use for your Twitter business account. The photo you choose does not have to be a professional studio shot, but rather a nice photo showing you in a personal way. Depending on the type of business you have this photo can take many forms. You are the best judge of the image you wish to present. Choose a personal photo that fits how you want others to perceive you.

People love to establish relationships on Twitter and it’s hard to establish a relationship with a business logo, but it’s easy to establish a relationship with a personal photo.

3. Use your phone number

Real businesses – even those who conduct all their business online – have a phone number. Make certain that you include it somewhere in your Twitter profile, or at the very least in your custom Twitter background image.

4. List your email address

Ditto for an email address. Make certain there is an easy way for clients or customers to contact you. List your email address in your Twitter profile or in your custom background image.

I think it’s best to use a separate email account for your Twitter contact. Fortunately, services like Gmail make it easy to have a secondary email address for your Twitter account.

5. Be careful with your Tweets

Those who choose to follow you on Twitter do so for a reason. In order to establish a trusting relationship you need to make certain that your Tweets are professional and appropriate. Assume everything that you Tweet will be saved forever because it undoubtedly will be.

Interact regularly with your followers, but choose your words wisely.

6. Tweet regularly

Your followers want to hear from you. That’s why they signed on to follow your Tweets. But don’t overdue it. Each situation is different, but make certain you don’t Tweet to the point of being obnoxious. Your followers want to hear from you – but only so often! The frequency is up to you.

7. Only follow people that you are truly interested in

You and I both know that it’s not possible to follow thousands of people on Twitter. There simply is no way to stay current with that many people. Although it might be cool to follow 3,000 people, I think most of us recognize that a number like that is really meaningless in terms of relationship building. Keep it real. Follow only those people who interest you and with whom you have time to establish a social media relationship.

I hope these suggestions will be of some help as you establish your Twitter presence. As always, please leave a comment and let me know what things you do as part of your Twitter strategy.

I understand that Craiglist is a major website that tens of thousands of people have successfully completed transactions on. My experience using Craig’s List has been less than effective.

On a regular basis I visit Craigslist to see what type of web development and web design projects are available. Quite regularly I respond to the advertisements. In many cases my skill set fits exactly what the client is looking for. Exactly. As of today I have yet to get one single return call or email from any job posting I have ever responded to on Craig’s List.

Perhaps my prices are too high. Perhaps my skill set is less than I think it is. Whatever the case, it’s becoming quite apparent to me that Craig’s List is never going to produce a single client for 1955 Design.

What has your experience been?

I waited patiently to get my invitation to Google Wave. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, my Google Wave invitation came. Like a child on Christmas Day I followed the link and got Wave up and running. “Here we go”, I thought. Time to move into the next generation of email and collaboration tools.

Wow, was I disappointed. Quite frankly, I just don’t get it. And I don’t see what the big fuss is. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t used Wave for long, but quite frankly I am underwhelmed. I was expecting something that was going to knock me off my feet. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps the fact that this is Beta software still under development is a factor. Perhaps the fact that I just don’t full understand Wave’s capabilities is also a factor. But I just don’t see what all the hype was about. Heck, I see big names in the tech industry like Chris Brogan are Tweeting the same thing.

Like much of the world, I just love Google. I love Gmail, Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Google Apps, Google Docs. You name it, I love it. And I thought I would have the save reaction to Wave. But not to this point.

For anyone interested, I do have several Google Wave invitations left to pass on to others. If you would like one of those invitations, leave a comment below asking for one and I will send it your way.

What has your experience been with Google Wave? What am I missing? Please enlighten me!

Photo courtesy of Duncan Rawlinson

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I was surfing around my Facebook account yesterday and noticed that my daughter-in-law, who works for the largest cement and construction materials manufacturer in the world, had just joined the Facebook page of her employer.

We all can agree, I think, that being a cement manufacturer is neither the most exciting or tech oriented business. That being said, however, even Lafarge recognizes the need to establish a social media presence. Has your business made the same move to social media? Has your business recognized the need to develop your brand and to add to your customer base?

If you business isn’t using social media, you are doing something wrong. Isn’t it about time your business made the jump and began using social media to develop and protect your brand? Here are ten tips that offer you a road map to help establish your business at Twitter.

1. Create your Twitter strategy. Develop a plan about what Twitter can do for you. Make it a written plan. Everything has more impact when you write it down. Twitter can be used in many ways; as a listening tool to hear what others (including your competition) are saying about your business; as a method to share news and updates about your company or product; as a customer service forum where you can resolve issues related to your customer experience; you get the idea. There are many, many ways to integrate a Twitter strategy into your overall business plan. How you do so takes considerable thought. Don’t short change the planning of this strategy as proper planning is a key element in the success of a Twitter campaign.

2. Become an expert in using Twitter Search. Using Twitter Search will allow you to track what others are saying about your brand. It will also allow you to track your competition and to learn what they are doing right – and what they are doing wrong. Spend some time learning how to use Twitter Search to best serve your business.

3. Show your human side. Remember, Twitter is a social media forum. You absolutely need to show your customers, and potential customers, that you are human. You need to interact with them. If you use Twitter as a one way exchange it simply becomes another form of direct advertisement to your followers. Most people can smell an advertisement a mile away. Pretend, instead, that you are sitting in your local coffee shop with your Twitter followers and exchanging information with them. Remember to be polite, friendly and to respond to their needs. Learn how to use Twitter’s retweet and respond features. Use them liberally. Be prepared to react quickly to both customer complaints and customer praise alike. Be human. We all know what that means. Just do it.

4. Work hard to solve customer’s problems. Everyone understands that your Twitter strategy will involve advertising the benefits of your business. But it’s important to always remember to help solve customer problems as they appear in your Twitter stream. The praise of a happy customer travels fast over Twitter – but so does the complaint of an unhappy customer. Which side of this transaction do you want to be on?

5. Make your Twitter experience easier by using third party software. Managing your Twitter accounts is much easier if you use third party software to do so. I prefer TweetDeck, but your preference may be for another tool. Take the time to check out the various third party software tools for Twitter. It will be time well spent.

6. Follow people involved with or interested in your industry. It’s also important to use Twitter to follow your competition and others who are integral in your industry. Pay attention to what your competition is saying. Pay attention to what your competition is doing. Once you see what they are doing successfully with their Twitter stream find a way to integrate a similar approach in your Twitter stream. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

7. Learn about the Twitter @ feature and respond to it. It is absolutely imperative that you respond to @ requests from your Twitter followers. It’s the equivalent of calling you on the phone or sending you an email. You would not ignore those two methods of contact, would you? Don’t ignore the @ contact from a Twitter follower, either.

8. Ask your Twitter followers what they want. You have developed a base of Twitter followers who are interested enough in your business to follow you on Twitter. Don’t forget that you can learn much from your own followers. There’s an easy way to learn what your followers want from your business, what’s working and what’s not, etc. Ask them! It’s that easy. Then, when they have answered, don’t forget to say “Thank You” via an @ reply to them!

Plan your Twitter campaign before you roll out your new Twitter presence. But don’t waste any time getting involved. Your competition is already Tweeting away. Isn’t it time you got on board?

It has been my experience that determining what price to charge for web design work is one of the most difficult tasks that any freelance web developer faces.  There are many factors that go into determining value.  Here are my suggestions about how to determine what price to charge for your web design project.

What is Your Experience Level?

What is the value of your experience developing websites?  Is it fair to only charge “by-the-hour” when it has taken you years and years of experience to be able to offer a solution to the problem at hand?  That being said, I think it’s only fair to factor your experience and training into defining a project price.

Is Your Work High Quality?

The quality of your work is subjective, of course.  Step back and try to be objective when determining how good your work product is.  Compare your workt o others in your niche.  Does it stand up to theirs?  Is it superior for some reason?  Or does it fail in comparison.  These are all factors to take into consideration when settling on a price for your project.

How Long Will the Project Take to Complete?

Needless to say, the longer a project takes to complete the higher the cost.  Don’t forget to take into account the necessary research and planning time that goes into the design process.  It has been my experience that most projects take longer than originally anticipated, so plan accordingly.

When Does Your Client Need the Project Completed?

The sooner the project needs to be completed the more it is likely to cost.  Why?  Because working on a short time line often involves putting in overtime, working weekends and holidays, and taking other steps to meet the deadline.

If you want your project done quickly, you should always expect that it will cost more to complete.

What’s Your Gut Feeling About the Client?

With experience, all freelancers begin to develop a “feel” for their potential and current clients.  Will the client be easy to work with?  Will the client be accessible to answer questions as they occur?  Will the client provide content in a timely fashion?  Does the agreed upon design process involve approval by multiple people or various levels of management?  All of these factors – and others – can help  you develop a gut feel about your client.  Price your project accordingly.

How Busy are You?

Supply and demand applies to your time as well.  If you are swamped with work you may wish to price your potential projects higher.  You only have so much time to commit to your workload, and how you price your projects will play a significant role in how many projects you have stacked up at the moment.

On the other hand, if you are experiencing one of the slow times that we all experience from time to time, you may want to drop your prices some to win the current project.

Can You Offer Anything Your Competitors Cannot?

Do the services you offer differ substantially from those of your competition?  If so, this works to your advantage when pricing your project.

Are There Any Special Features Required by the Project?

Will client training be required as part of the project? Does the client want a Content Management System to update their own content?  Is the client experienced enough with the CMS to not need extensive training?  How many people will need to be trained?  All of these factors, and others, must be considered when determining what to charge for your project.

How Badly Do Your Want This Project?

If your are short on work at the moment, then you probably have an incentive to price the project lower to give yourself a better advantage to win the project.  Another factor to consider is the exposure that this particular project may offer you.  Is it for a high profile client that is likely to offer your future exposure that will more than likely bring more work to you?  If so, you may want to take this into consideration when developing your project price.

I would be interested in hearing what factors you take into consideration when determining the price you charge for your web design projects.  Please leave a comment and let me know your tips and suggestions.

Social media affords all of us options, opportunities and just plain fun that we would not have in it’s absence. At least that’s how I feel about how social media impacts my life. Here are a bunch of reasons I am thankful for social media.

Are you thankful for social media? Or do you think it’s much ado about nothing? Please leave a comment and let me know what it is about social media that you are thankful for.  Or, in the alternative, let me know why you are not a big fan of social media.

1. It’s free to use!
2. It’s fun.
3. It allows me yet another way to interact with friends and family.
4. The ability to help others is enhanced with social media connections.
5. I can meet people from around the world.
6. I learned new things every day.
7. Hopefully, I share some new knowledge every day, too.
8. I love to write and social media affords me one more opportunity to do so.
9. Sharing photos and videos is easy.
10. Getting answers to my questions occurs almost instantly.
11. Breaking news reports come instantly from people on the scene.
12. I can market my small business and improve my earning potential.

After using Windows based PCs for twenty years or more, I finally made the switch to a MacBook Pro last month. For someone who has spent 14 hours a day using a Windows PC for the last decade, the learning curve was a bit steep on the changeover. But having given it a chance now for about three weeks I am prepared to say that I officially love the new MacBook.

Here’s six reasons why:

• #1 No fan or other blowing noise. The aluminum case is not only awesome to look at, and substantial to the touch, but it acts as a heat sink to remove heat from the unit. What a marvelous idea, rather than surrounding those hot parts with a plastic case that does nothing but hold in the heat.
• #2 It looks cool. This might not be a very articulate reason, but you can’t deny it’s true, can you?
• #3 The battery life rocks. Over seven hours, depending of course on just what you are demanding of the computer in terms of your software. Relatively speaking, however, it can’t be beat.
• #4 It has a backlit keyboard. Enough said.
• #5 It’s fast. I don’t really know that much about gigahertz or megahertz and all that speed jazz. What I do know is that this MacBook is fast. And it’s smooth. It’s hard for me to describe what I mean by smooth other than when you experience it you know what it means. Windows open fast and crisp. None of the choppy behavior that I had come to know, and accept, on my Windows machines.
• #6 The MagSafe power cord and connection. What a great idea. A power cord that attaches by magnet, and not by plug. As a result, anyone tripping on your power cord at a coffee shop or an airport doesn’t cause your laptop to come crashing down to the floor. Rather, the MagSafe cord just slips off. Marvelous idea indeed!

I never thought I would make the switch. But I have and I am darn glad I did. In my estimation there is just an intangible feel to the MacBook. I can’t quite describe it. It simply feels, and acts, more substantial and is much quicker. It’s got a good feel. I know I can’t convince anyone else but myself. But I’m convinced!

Photo couresty of Mac User’s Guide

Face it. Everyone has a blog. You know you want one too, don’t you?

But the process seems so complicated. Where do you start? Do you host the blog at a third party site, or purchase your own domain name and host your own blog? What’s the first step? How do I decide? Once I decide, how do I being to install or configure my new blog?

Step back and forget about the details. I can help you with your new blog. Regardless of your needs, I can assist you in acquiring your domain name, setting up your new blog, configuring your database, installing blog themes, customizing a blog theme … you get the picture.

Why not contact me today to see how I can help. I promise not to bite and to always be honest with my pricing and my work. I treat people fairly, just as I like to be treated. You’ve got nothing to lose by contacting me and seeing how I can help you.

Like Nike says, “Just do it!”.

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Update: I am sad to report that Noah died several days before Thanksgiving. Many thanks to everyone worldwide who sent more than one million Christmas cards to Noah prior to his death.

The five year old son of a friend of mine is in the very last stage of Nueroblastoma Cancer. Noah has been battling this cancer for 2 1/2 years. The family is celebrating Christmas six weeks early and will be having their celebration next week for the obvious reason that can go unstated here.

Noah’s request is to get “lots of Christmas cards”. Let’s all do a good thing and send Noah a card. Please pass this information on through any means possible, be it Twitter or Facebook or any other choice of social media. We can make a small difference in the life of a child and help provide him with a great early Christmas.

Thanks for sending a card and for spreading the word. Let’s really show Noah that we care!

Send cards to:

Noah Biorkman

1141 Fountain View Circle

South Lyon, MI 48178

USA

Just last week I began the process of converting to a MacBook Pro. I have used Windows based PC’s for twenty years now, and expected quite a learning curve during this transition.

I was not disappointed. Just learning how the files are managed on the Mac operating system was a struggle. Transferring over all of my files, archived email and the like was a large project, just as it always is when moving to a new computer.

One of the reasons I acquired this new Mac was because of the superior video capabilities and video editing features that Mac’s have as part of their standard software package. So just today I clicked on the “iMovie” icon for the first time. You’re looking at the result. Not very pretty, is it?

My apologies in advance for placing this video here for all to see. Remember, though, I have to start somewhere and I guess this is the place.

I am a big fan of the Seinfeld television show. To me, the show epitomizes middle class America comedy in a way no other sitcom has ever managed to do.

In one particular episode, for some reason that I can’t recall, Kramer decides he’s at the time in his life to go without underwear. In a particularly funny scene with Jerry and Elaine, Kramer announces to the world that “I’m out there Jerry and I’m loving every minute of it!”. Free at last, free at last.

What does all this have to do with website design you might ask? Well, read on and let me tell you the rest of the story.

Free at Last from Internet Explorer 6.0

While developing a new website I was faced with the standard task of breaking down the CSS and XHTML code to insert the necessary hacks to make Internet Explorer 6.0 behave. As we all know, IE 6.0 does not comply with web standards and presents nightmare scenarios for web designers who feel they should continue to support this outdated piece of software. The original version of I# 6.0 was released in 2001, making it almost nine years old. Heck, IE 7.0 has been released for a couple years now and IE 8.0 is the current production browser from Microsoft.

I don’t know what came over me, but as I delved into the code and begin to write my IE 6.0 hacks I had a revelation: Enough is Enough. I am through with IE 6.0. I will no longer support it, code for it, or otherwise let it enter into my life as a web developer.

What a breath of fresh air. I immediately felt free from the bounds of some unseen master who has been imposing his will on me for years now. But no more. Finished. Done. Ended. Complete.

I’m Out There World and I’m loving Every Minute of It!

My best wishes to those who continue to use Internet Explorer 6.0. Your trusted friend will continue to serve you in some fashion, but not well I am afraid. Good luck and good riddance!

As for me, it’s time to move past the “boxers” or “briefs” stage of my life. It feels great being “out there”!

ProBlogger.net is a very successful and lucrative website that Aussie Darren Rowse has developed over the years.  That got me thinking: why not AmateurBlogger.net?

While following a series of Tweets sent by  Chris Brogan while attending  BlogWorld Expo I came upon one that mentioned the domain name AmateurBlogger.net. You can see the Twitter message for yourself.

I am looking for great ideas on how to successfully market and develop this domain. If you have some ideas about how to develop AmateurBlogger.net please contact me to discuss it?

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It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness month. That’s why I have added the pink ribbon to my header graphic. But then, you probably already knew what the ribbon was for, didn’t you?

You can find out more about this disease, and how you can help, by visiting the National Breast Cancer Awareness website.

Spread the word and show pink for the month of October. If those big burly guys in the National Football league can do it, you and I can, too.

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What is an RSS Feed? The popularity of blogs and other “content fresh” websites has made it difficult to follow all of the new updates from each of your favorite websites. Or has it? Using a technique called Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, fresh content can be automatically pushed to you for your review.

Rather than visit each of these websites daily to see what’s new, you can arrange to have all of the updates consolidated in one location for easy review. Great idea, eh? That’s what an RSS feed can do for you.
An RSS feed is an automated list of the new material added to a blog or other website. By subscribing to the feed that the website offers you can have all the latest content delivered directly to you.

We’ve all seen the familiar (usually orange) RSS feed image like the one shown to the right. That image indicates that the content of the website you are visiting is available as an RSS feed. And that means you have the ability to get automated content from that website. Cool.

What? How do I subscribe to a Feed Reader?

There are many feed readers or aggregators available. A few of the most popular are:

• Google Reader
• My Yahoo
• Bloglines

Once you have signed up for one of these services, simply go to the website you want to follow and click on the RSS subscribe button. These buttons are usually located prominently on the website page, but can also be found in the address bar of your browser.

After you have your feed reader ready to go, visit your favorite website to see if it has a feed. You’ll see a feed icon in your browser’s address bar like this:

As an alternative, you will often see the familar RSS image link placed prominently on the web page. You can either click the icon in the address bar or the image icon on the page. Either link should allow you to access the feed reader for the website.

It’s really that easy. Subscribe to one of the feed reader services, visit your favorite site, click the mouse on the RSS feed button and let the good times roll. Your life just got simpler. And that’s a good thing.

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As a self employed individual, I am faced with many of the same challenges that other freelancers are. One of those challenges is health/medical/dental insurance. Several months ago I set out to try and locate a low cost dental insurance alternative as my wife was facing a costly dental procedure and I was looking for some ways to manage that cost.

After doing considerable research and comparison shopping, I finally settled on www.DentalPlans.com as my choice. They offer many different plans, with varying costs and benefit structure, and I was able to find one that seemed to be appropriate for our needs.

As a self employed individual, I am faced with many of the same challenges that other freelancers are. One of those challenges is health/medical/dental insurance. Several months ago I set out to try and locate a low cost dental insurance alternative as my wife was facing a costly dental procedure and I was looking for some ways to manage that cost.

After doing considerable research and comparison shopping, I finally settled on www.DentalPlans.com as my choice. They offer many different plans, with varying costs and benefit structure, and I was able to find one that seemed to be appropriate for our needs.

After signing up and paying a modest yearly fee, I was provided with documentation and a dentist list in my area. Finding a dentist was no problem whatsoever, as I was in the process of finding a new dentist as my lifeong dentist had recently retired. I settled on Dr. Nicole Leigh of Rochester Hills, Michigan and made a preliminary vist to their office. Just as www.DentalPlans.com had told me, Dr. Leigh’s office accepted my plan and provided me with their fee schedule. I about fell out of my shoes to find out that the procedure that had been schedule to cost $1,500.00 at my wife’s dentist could be done at Dr. Leigh’s office for roughly half price.

In fact, since that time I have had routine dental exams and work done by Dr. Leigh. I am pleased to report that my payment for her service is now less than what I used to pay when I had a 50/50 dental plan with Delta Dental. Imagine that – I now have a dental insurance alternative that is even better than my old (and very popular) insurance.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a dental insurance alternative I highly recommend DentalPlans.com and suggest you give them a look. Also – I am delighted with Dr. Leigh and her staff. If you are local to the Rochester, Michigan area please consider her for your dental needs.

After signing up and paying a modest yearly fee, I was provided with documentation and a dentist list in my area. Finding a dentist was no problem whatsoever, as I was in the process of finding a new dentist as my lifeong dentist had recently retired. I settled on Dr. Nicole Leigh of Rochester Hills, Michigan and made a preliminary vist to their office. Just as www.DentalPlans.com had told me, Dr. Leigh’s office accepted my plan and provided me with their fee schedule. I about fell out of my shoes to find out that the procedure that had been schedule to cost $1,500.00 at my wife’s dentist could be done at Dr. Leigh’s office for roughly half price.

In fact, since that time I have had routine dental exams and work done by Dr. Leigh. I am pleased to report that my payment for her service is now less than what I used to pay when I had a 50/50 dental plan with Delta Dental. Imagine that – I now have a dental insurance alternative that is even better than my old (and very popular) insurance.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a dental insurance alternative I highly recommend www.DentalPlans.com and suggest you give them a look. Also – I am delighted with Dr. Leigh and her staff. If you are local to the Rochester, Michigan area please consider her for your dental needs.

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Project Complete: In late July of this year I was contacted by St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church and asked to submit a proposal for a website redesign and development. The church was not happy with their outdated site, which needed a new look. Nor were they happy with the content management system that drove the site. It was cumbersome to work with and as a result the site was rarely updated.

As is often the case, I utilized the WordPress content management system to control the backend of the new site. WordPress afforded me the flexibility of developing a hundred page website, with multiple users and contributors, and all within both the time frame and the budget of the client. The new site is clean, good looking and easy for the staff at St. Anastasia to use. That was the goal, and I am happy to report the goal was met. And of course, the XHTML is coded to the Strict standard and validates according to the standards of W3C. As you might guess, the CSS is also valid level 2.1.

Working with this client was really a dream come true. My primary contact at St. Anastasia took her responsibilities regarding this project just as seriously as I took mine. Together, we worked hard to deliver a finished product that everyone is proud of. And to be honest, we did it in a time frame that is rarely ever met for sites that are one-tenth the size and complexity of this project. If only all my clients were this easy to work with!

Thanks to everyone at St. Anastasia for working together to get the new site up and running!

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Here’s the most Twitter-like feature from Facebook, the @Mentions. This feature allows you to tag on your status update anything you want including friends, groups, and events just by adding the “@” symbol..

By typing a “@” symbol on your status, a drop-down menu shows up to let you choose which stuff you want to include on your status update, and that makes the user you tag clickable on your status.

Breaking news … more to follow.

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