Jan 10
Website Design Inspiration
As a freelance website developer in Bakersfield, I work closely with my clients to come up with a design idea. However, from time to time a customer will just want me to come up with something on my own. That’s right! It is not that they don’t care, it is just that they don’t have enough time to get too involved in the design process. The fact is, they need a website and they need it quick. They rely on me to make them look good.
Outside of a brief design meeting, I might be left to my own devices to create a design concept. In some cases, branding of the product or service falls directly into my lap. That is not an ideal situation, but it indeed happens. Lucky for me, the internet is so vast that there is really no reason to reinvent the wheel. By looking at websites for similar companies and organizations, I can educate myself on effective ways to market the product or service, even if I’m not a subject matter expert. What’s more, I can analyze the good and not so good features of the competition before I set out to design my client’s website.
All that said, I like to encourage my customers to take a look at what is out there on a local, regional, national, and global level. Look at the designs and layouts. Look at navigation menus. Look at how pictures are used to convey the message of your product or service, and look how words are carefully chosen (on good websites, that is). Notice the colors. Notice the use of technologies such as Flash.
Mostly, find two or three websites that “feel” good to you. Identify the features you want to see in your website. Doing so will help you convey what you really want and will help close the communication gap if you don’t have a strong understanding of website development terminology. You know, words like XML, CSS, blog, and PHP–I’d rather you show me a picture of what you are looking for than to spend hours trying to understand what you’re getting at. Does that make sense?
One more word of advice, and I say this on behalf of all reputable website designers and developers: Build for your customers. That’s right, the website should be designed with your customers in mind. A plain and simple, functional website is better than a pretty website with a bunch of useless bells and whistles. No matter how inspired you get when you look at what is out there, your customers are going to be the ones using your website. Be inspired, but do it for them.
No commentsJan 5
Website Development Services
Website development comes in many shapes and sizes. Bakersfield website design companies offer a variety of web development services depending on your organization’s needs. While some organizations need small, single page websites, other organizations require dedicated servers and tons of bandwidth to accommodate thousands of pages of data for millions of users.
Of course, every organization is different; likewise, every website development company in Bakersfield is different. Choosing a website development company that specializes in providing websites scaled to your company’s needs will save time, money, and resources for everyone involved.
To restate my thesis in simpler terms, a large corporation is likely to require the design resources of a large design agency; that is, only if they don’t have an in-house website development staff. Likewise, a small startup company, whether it is an LLC or sole proprietorship, is not likely going to have the budget to afford a large web design agency. Even if a startup company can afford the fees of a large firm, the website might overshoot its intended (or necessary) purpose–it might turn out to be a complicated mess. Bear in mind, this is one website developer’s opinion.
The best bet is to develop a scalable website that will grow with the company. Instead of dropping five or ten thousand dollars all at once, invest one or two thousand and see how things go. As your business grows you will have a better idea of your website needs. You might start with a brochure website just to establish an internet presence. Later on, you can grow into commerce, blogging, videos, or whatever. The important thing is to choose a website development company that specializes in your level of business.
Kern Tech Support specializes in freelance website development in Bakersfield for small businesses with 0 to 10 employees and Christian non-profit organizations. Types of websites include brochure, specialty commerce, static and dynamic content, and blogs. Technologies include X-HTML, CSS-2, Flash, PHP, and MySQL. Services include digital image editing, photography, videography, musical compositions, and copy editing. All websites are completely scalable and built in accordance with current trends and accepted standards. If we’re your level, we’re here to help. If not, we’ll point you in the right direction.
No commentsJan 4
KUZZ Radio and Wireless Internet Security
I was recently contacted by Suzanne Grant of the KUZZ news department. She asked me to provide information for a story on wireless internet security. The interview took place over the phone and was spliced into several segments which aired over two days. I was happy to help, and I was impressed with how easy Suzanne made the interview process.
This is not a transcript, but here are some of the tips we discussed for protecting yourself on the internet:
Router Encryption and Pass phrase
- Protect your wireless network with Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Select a long pass phrase, not a single word, but a phrase. Unless someone knows this phrase he or she
willshould not be able to access your network. More on that later.
SSID and Password Protection
- Change your router’s SSID. This is the identifying name you will give to your router. When you look at your computer’s list of available wireless networks, you will be able to differentiate your wireless signal from that of your neighbor’s. Change the default password–most companies use “admin” or “password” as the default router password. If you don’t change it, anyone (neighbors and war-drivers) can access your router and change the settings.
Anti-Virus
- Whether you choose one of the big brands or one of the several excellent FREE anti-virus applications available for download on the internet, have one. Keep it updated and use it regularly.
Browser Cache
- Even if you set your browser cache to clear automatically, make sure to delete your cookies and temporary internet files often. I clear my browser cache after every session.
Public Wireless Access
- Just because you pay for access to the internet at your favorite coffee house, don’t assume you data is protected. Although your files should be safe, that does not mean someone can’t literally drive up beside you and hi-jack your cookies while you’re on the internet. Just be aware that someone owns the network on which you are surfing and they can view the traffic.
When it comes to internet and wireless security, these tips are merely scratching the surface. Several more things can be done to avoid compromising your privacy on the internet… a pop-up warning your computer “might” be infected… a happy looking smiley face asking you to download more happy looking smiley faces… an e-mail client that filters everything but spam email… avoid these and you will be fine.
The bottom line is this: If you are experiencing a slow computer, blue screen errors, relentless pop-up ads, and the like… If someone has installed a peer to peer file down- loader on your computer for the purposes of downloading music… If you can’t connect to the internet until you spend $100 to download a spy-ware removal tool you didn’t know you needed… If you experience any of those things, you most likely have a computer virus.
We can help you with that. Kern Tech Support is known for computer virus removal along with internet security training and data recovery. Call Kern Tech Support at (661) 304-5934. We’ll help you keep from losing your important data and we’ll get your computer operating the way it was intended.
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