New CMS Offered to Clients
I have a new CMS to offer my clients. CMS stands for "Content Management System". It allows the owner of the website to edit the content of their own website without any special programs or html knowledge. The client will access the CMS through an Internet browser using any Internet connection. This is great if you are on a trip and need to make a change on your website. No need to contact me, hire someone else to make the change, and you don't even need to be on a certain computer. If you have an Internet connection and an Internet browser, you can change your website content. The CMS has a WYSIWYG editor format. WYSIWYG stands for "what you see is what you get". The way the page looks in the editor is the way it will look in on the web page. I have offered an editor to my clients since I started doing web design. I like empowering my clients to take charge of their own site, making them less dependant on me and giving them control of their own site. It also saves them tons of money in maintenance fees.
New features included in the new CMS are:
multiple admin access
built in login
multiple users
multiple group options, this allows you to give special access to certain groups
built in calendar calendar (can be setup to only be accessed by certain groups)
stores old copies of pages, easy to revert back to old version if a mistake is made
random fortune (can be used for client quotes, etc)
multiple templates
The old CMS can be upgraded to the CMS for those of you who already have the CMS installed. The charge for an upgrade is $75. If you would like to have a CMS installed for your site, please contact me for a quote.
New features included in the new CMS are:
multiple admin access
built in login
multiple users
multiple group options, this allows you to give special access to certain groups
built in calendar calendar (can be setup to only be accessed by certain groups)
stores old copies of pages, easy to revert back to old version if a mistake is made
random fortune (can be used for client quotes, etc)
multiple templates
The old CMS can be upgraded to the CMS for those of you who already have the CMS installed. The charge for an upgrade is $75. If you would like to have a CMS installed for your site, please contact me for a quote.
Labels: cms, web design, web maintenence, web updates
posted by marciemo at
7:23 PM
0 Comments
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Website Updates and Economic Woes
Upgrading your website is very important. If you are using a web script such as Zen Cart, Coppermine Gallery, phpBB, WordPress (hosted on your server, not theirs), you will want to upgrade these often. Hackers write scripts to search the Internet looking for holes in these (and other) web scripts. When a hole is found the script written by the hacker enters into your website and can do a lot of damage.
In the past couple of months I have had to clean up several messes left by hackers. On one particular site the store was hacked. The hacker was able to enter the admin and steal credit card information from a few customers. This is VERY bad. It ruins your reputation as an online store owner. No one wants to buy from a store that is vulnerable like that. This particular website hadn't been updated since it was installed over a year ago. It is important to keep on top of upgrades.
If you are unable to upgrade your site on your own, I can maintain your website for as little as $35/month. I will keep track of which web scripts need to be updated and perform the updates as needed. If you are interested let me know.
During these tough economic times people are having a hard time finding money to put toward website upgrades and updates. If you are struggling to make ends meet, but are in need of upgrades or other website services, let me know. I am willing to barter and trade for my services. I love scrapbooking, as many of my clients do and I am willing to do work for products!
It is important to me for your site to be secure. When my clients succeed, so do I. Contact me if you need work done and we can work something out for payment. Payment plans can be worked out.
I appreciate those that I have worked with this past year and look forward to working with many others year. I am excited to make your website dreams a reality!
In the past couple of months I have had to clean up several messes left by hackers. On one particular site the store was hacked. The hacker was able to enter the admin and steal credit card information from a few customers. This is VERY bad. It ruins your reputation as an online store owner. No one wants to buy from a store that is vulnerable like that. This particular website hadn't been updated since it was installed over a year ago. It is important to keep on top of upgrades.
If you are unable to upgrade your site on your own, I can maintain your website for as little as $35/month. I will keep track of which web scripts need to be updated and perform the updates as needed. If you are interested let me know.
During these tough economic times people are having a hard time finding money to put toward website upgrades and updates. If you are struggling to make ends meet, but are in need of upgrades or other website services, let me know. I am willing to barter and trade for my services. I love scrapbooking, as many of my clients do and I am willing to do work for products!
It is important to me for your site to be secure. When my clients succeed, so do I. Contact me if you need work done and we can work something out for payment. Payment plans can be worked out.
I appreciate those that I have worked with this past year and look forward to working with many others year. I am excited to make your website dreams a reality!
Labels: barter, security, trade, web design, web maintenence, web updates
posted by marciemo at
12:17 PM
0 Comments
Monday, December 15, 2008
Paradise Scrapbooking
I recently completed a website for Gail Weber. She is a member of ScrapBiz. The name she chose for her company is Paradise Scrapbooking. Here is the logo she chose from the samples I came up with:
I installed my new cms for her along with Zen Cart, WordPress, and Coppermine Gallery. Many people are foregoing message boards these days. There is too much maintenance involved when running a message board. Instead they opt for a blog. Blogs are a great way to stay in touch with your customers, without the maintenance and headache of a message board.
I installed my new cms for her along with Zen Cart, WordPress, and Coppermine Gallery. Many people are foregoing message boards these days. There is too much maintenance involved when running a message board. Instead they opt for a blog. Blogs are a great way to stay in touch with your customers, without the maintenance and headache of a message board.
Labels: blog, coppermine gallery, logo, store, web design
posted by marciemo at
9:34 AM
0 Comments
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Trojan Alert
My computer has been infected by a trojan horse. These things can be nasty and annoying. They steal information off your computer and send it back to the person spreading it so that they can use your information. This information can be anything you type; credit card numbers, passwords, etc.
Kind of dumb how I got it. I should have known better. After performing an update on my desktop computer that runs Windows XP, I received a Security Center Alert message stating that there was suspicious software on my computer and I needed to enable protection. So I clicked on the button and downloaded the software that was supposed to be a firewall/virus scanner. Well, it wasn't, it was a trojan. Not sure where the initial suspicious software (the Security Center Alert) came from.
Now I am backing up all my data. It's going to take awhile, I have gigs and gigs of data. Then I will be reformatting my computer to start fresh and clean. Until everything is reformatted, reinstalled, and my information is put back on my computer I will not be able to do much in the way of web design. All my files and programs are on my desktop computer. I am using my laptop right now. There will be some things I will be able to do on here and I will be setting it up tomorrow to be able to complete some work that was promised to be completed soon.
Take this as a warning not to click on links to software that is NOT from Microsoft. They are not going to be sending you to some third party to download stuff, they will want to sell it to you themselves. Or give it to you because you use their software.
Kind of dumb how I got it. I should have known better. After performing an update on my desktop computer that runs Windows XP, I received a Security Center Alert message stating that there was suspicious software on my computer and I needed to enable protection. So I clicked on the button and downloaded the software that was supposed to be a firewall/virus scanner. Well, it wasn't, it was a trojan. Not sure where the initial suspicious software (the Security Center Alert) came from.
Now I am backing up all my data. It's going to take awhile, I have gigs and gigs of data. Then I will be reformatting my computer to start fresh and clean. Until everything is reformatted, reinstalled, and my information is put back on my computer I will not be able to do much in the way of web design. All my files and programs are on my desktop computer. I am using my laptop right now. There will be some things I will be able to do on here and I will be setting it up tomorrow to be able to complete some work that was promised to be completed soon.
Take this as a warning not to click on links to software that is NOT from Microsoft. They are not going to be sending you to some third party to download stuff, they will want to sell it to you themselves. Or give it to you because you use their software.
Labels: trojan horse, virus
posted by marciemo at
3:20 PM
0 Comments
Thursday, October 30, 2008
ScrapBiz has a new look
Kim, the owner of the scrapbook retailers group ScrapBiz, contacted me a few months ago. She was ready for a new look. I have been a member of this group since 2003. I have been maintaining the ScrapBiz website since 2005. Kim found a template she really liked. I made changes to the template and added Kim's content to it. The website looks great, has more information than ever, and is easy to navigate.
One of the additions that was made to the website is the option to open a PhotoBookBiz. Kim has partnered with RocketLife to bring this great opportunity. To read more about starting a PhotoBookBiz visit ScrapBiz.
Labels: kim guymon, scrapbiz, web design
posted by marciemo at
8:39 AM
0 Comments
Monday, August 11, 2008
Available Galleries
If you are in the market for a gallery to put on your website the first recommendation would be to go with Coppermine Photo Gallery. This gallery script is php based and uses a mysql database. It is also FREE! It is released under the GPL which means that it is free for you to download and change at will. It also means that there are MANY programmers that have written cool scripts and add-ons for it. These scripts and add-ons give you the capability to have several cool and unique features on your gallery. It will also integrate with some message boards, including PhpBB, so that users only have one username and password for both scripts.
If you are willing to pay for your gallery I would recommended PhotoPost -This one has a ton of features and a nice layout. You can integrate it with your messageboard as well.I can install either of these galleries for you. If you choose to go with PhotoPost you must pay for it first and then I will install and customize it.
I have become quite good at customizing these galleries. I can make them look exactly like your website. Here is a list of galleries I have done:
http://colormedaisy.com/gallery
http://www.kypaperkreations.com/gallery/
http://addictedscrappers.com/gallery/
http://www.memoryworkshop.ca/gallery/
For those who are ScrapBiz members will be able to view the ScrapBiz gallery. I setup and customized the ScrapBiz gallery.
Another type of gallery is a portfolio gallery. This gallery does not have users, you are the only contributor. The galleries listed below are based on a javascript technique called LightBox.
Here are some examples of a portfolio gallery that I did:
http://www.distinctivemoments.com/portfolio/
http://kristyscustomcreations.com/?p=7
If you are interested in a gallery for your website, contact me for questions or pricing.
Labels: coppermine gallery, coppermine gallery template, customize coppermine gallery, customize photopost, gallery, lightbox gallery, photopost, photopost template
posted by marciemo at
9:05 AM
1 Comments
Friday, August 8, 2008
Finding a Domain Name
I would recommend to all new businesses to find your domain name first, before you decide on a name for your company. These days it is essential to have a website. The less confusing your domain name is the better. If your business name is "The Best Business Ever", you decide since it's a long name to shorten your domain name by doing thebestbizever.com or tbbe.com, but those are confusing and may not be found by your customers. DO NOT SHORTEN YOUR BUSINESS URL. Even though it may seem long the best sollution is to go with the full business name thebestbusinessever.com.
As you are brainstorming a business name check for the domain name. If it's not available in the .com, move on. The harder you make it for people to find you online the less successful your online business will be.
I found this website that makes it VERY simple to look up a domain name to see if it's available. If the domain name is available it gives you a list of registrars that you can register with.
http://instantdomainsearch.com/
Another tip I have for registering a domain name (if you're planning on getting your site up soon) is to register it with the host you plan on using. Some hosts will offer free domain name registration with sign up. BlueHost is one that offers this and so does . Start Logic.
Ez Web Hosting offers a wizard that can help you choose a domain name, I haven't used it, but it could be helpful. Here's the link to the wizard http://www.ez-web-hosting.com/whois...php?do_wizard=1
Hope this will help anyone who is on a search for a domain name or looking to register one!
As you are brainstorming a business name check for the domain name. If it's not available in the .com, move on. The harder you make it for people to find you online the less successful your online business will be.
I found this website that makes it VERY simple to look up a domain name to see if it's available. If the domain name is available it gives you a list of registrars that you can register with.
http://instantdomainsearch.com/
Another tip I have for registering a domain name (if you're planning on getting your site up soon) is to register it with the host you plan on using. Some hosts will offer free domain name registration with sign up. BlueHost is one that offers this and so does . Start Logic.
Ez Web Hosting offers a wizard that can help you choose a domain name, I haven't used it, but it could be helpful. Here's the link to the wizard http://www.ez-web-hosting.com/whois...php?do_wizard=1
Hope this will help anyone who is on a search for a domain name or looking to register one!
Labels: business name, domain name registration, website
posted by marciemo at
10:40 AM
0 Comments