stillbreathing.co.uk

The web is great, I love it. And hopefully, if you're here, you like it as well. And if you like it then maybe you want to be part of it. And if all that is true then please read on for details of how I may be able to help you.

What sort of things do you do?

I do pretty much anything that will be viewed inside a web browser - the browser is the program in which you're looking at this site. That includes website design and redesign, website development and consultancy. I specialise in "dynamic" sites - those are sites that have some form of dynamic content to them. Dynamic sites are sites that "do things", Amazon.com is a good example of a dynamic site. They have a huge database that stores all the details of all their products, when you click a link on their site or search for something the website puts on the website page the products that you are looking for.

That all sounds pretty complicated...

Well, it is and it isn't. The good news is that I'll take care of all the geeky stuff and just make you a site that will look good, work well, and people will like to use. All this talk about dynamic sites and databases can get technical pretty quickly, so I try to keep stillbreathing.co.uk a buzzword-free zone. After all, what you want is a website that does what you want it to do, and I can make you a website that does what you want it to do - whether that is a simple brochure on the web or a huge website that you can update yourself.

So is that all you do?

No, I can also ofer you a range of internet related services such as search engine optimisation, e-commerce business consultancy, public speaking and training, and user interface design. If you want someone passionate, knowledgable and entertaining please contact me, as I'm sure I can help you get the best from the web.

I've been designing websites for nearly a decade, and have excellent skills in the following technologies: (X)HTML, CSS, modern Javascript (including AJAX), PHP, ASP, Visual Basic, .Net Framework (C#), MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server. And if that isn't enough acronyms for you, there are plenty more.

I'm not wanting anything fancy at the moment.

No problem, just drop me a line and we'll have a chat about what you want. There will be no pressure to buy, and I promise to be honest with you about whether your budget is suitable for the requirements you have. If you're lost with this whole internet thing, don't worry, I can wade through the technological waffle and explain it all in plain language.

So how much will it cost me?

That depends on exactly what you want, the bigger the site or the more complex it is the more it will cost. As a rough guide I charge a minimum of £40 per hour, and - if I have all the information needed to put on a single basic page - it won't take me more than 2 hours. So that's about £80 per page, plus a bit extra for any domain names (the www bit) you want and space to store your website on the internet itself. More advanced functions will, obviously, cost quite a bit more.

I'll be honest, you can find web designers who will work for much less (and much more). I'm not worried about that, as I know that my standards are very high, and I place a great importance on a continuing relationship with my clients.The bottom line: my prices are fair for the quality of work, experience, expertise and service you will get.

What makes you different from other webby people?

(Get ready for the party political broadcast). I am passionate about the web, an in particular I really want to see websites being taken seriously. That means several things: firstly making sites that people can actually use! How many times have you been to a website where the text was too small to read easily or the colours didn't give enough contrast, so you couldn't see where you were meant to click? Secondly it means taking web standards seriously; making sure that websites are accessible to people with disabilities, and making sure that the way sites are built is based on internationally recognised standards. Thirdly it means that designers shouldn't take advantage of their position to create sites that are there just to impress other web designers. And finally it means that websites should be kept up to date and relevent. In the same way you wouldn't let mistakes be printed in a brochure of which you're going to have 10,000 copies made, neither should your website be left to go stale.

After all, a website is there to give information and services to people - real people, not machines. So a site has to look nice, work well, be something that people enjoy using, and give correct, fresh information. I suppose that's why I say stillbreathing.co.uk is a place "with vision"; a vision of the web as a place to get what you want, without having to jump through hoops to get it.

OK, so what's the next step?

I suppose the first thing to do is have a think about what you want. Write your ideas down, maybe have a look at websites that may do a similar thing to what you want to do. Then get in touch and we'll talk. Or, if you think you may want a website, but don't have a clue where to start, contact me anyway. I'm sure I'll be able to help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

All my clients have access to my online project management system, called projectGenie, which you can read more about here. In that you can see the progress I am making with your project, and also add your own notes. The projectGenie system is something I put together to enable my clients to have a say in the ongoing development of their projects, and is just one of the many different projects I am involved with.