the free Web browser that works well for everyone.
| Photography over 30 years of experience as a journalist and teacher in Michigan, Kansas, NYC and Florida |
| Video, audio & multimedia I'll capture your event or teach you how |
| Consulting, teaching and public speaking Learn journalism and technology from and with me, worldwide |
| Professional digital scanning for 35mm slides and negatives • retouching available • |
| Wolfe's Laptop Blanket • The original • Now available through Amazon.com |
| Kayak photo safaris in the greaterTampa Bay Florida area, fresh and salt water locations |
| Podcasting Pointers A two-DVD tutorial set now available at Media Concepts, Inc. |
| Wolfe Tracks A free Web column and podcast about advenures in the great outdoors |
| Free tip sheets & Web modules for journalists NICAR, Poynter, SLA and the international training editors group |
| About Debbie Wolfe including background, contact and booking information |
Designing Web sites
is one of my passions
In our first meeting, we talk about what you want and need. Unless you require extensive Flash-based
content or e-commerce to the
extreme -- like an L.L.Bean type store -- I can technically create your site.
Next, we talk about timing. I teach at the university level, and I am also the primary care-taker for an elderly parent. As long as your deadlines are flexible and you agree to occasional delays so I can accommodate my mother's needs, then we will be a good business match.
To begin with, your site can be as simple as five pages complete with a navigation bar on each, a bit of text that you write and a some photographs or graphics that you supply. Here is a idea of what these five pages could contain:
(1) a welcome message -- think in terms of a headline and slogan or two
(2) information about you -- perhaps a short biography
(3) a description of your product(s), your brand, misson, history or your story
(4) contact information that lists your phone, e-mail address and U.S. postal address
(5) testimonials, fan or customer messages
Of course, you can go beyond this structure to include custom pages containing a variety of content including video, audio clips or shows, sound slide shows, music jukeboxes, photo galleries, etc. You can supply this content to me or I can help you with some or all of your production and post-production needs, including copy writing and editing. I have extensive knowledge of both still and video photography in addition to state-of-the-art lighting and camera gear that is appropriate for most Web-based multimedia needs.
Some of my clients also like to have their multimedia on custom DVDs for marketing purposes. Yes, I also offer DVD authoring and duplication services and no job is too small or large. If you need one DVD or 10,000, I've got you covered.
I use principles of design that are classic so your pages will never go out of style. Along the way, if you decide you want something different, my designs are flexible so each can be quickly updated or changed by anyone who can edit intermediate-level HTML (hyper text markup language) code which is the gold standard for the Web.
There's nothing mysterious regarding the Web code I use, which is created using Adobe Dreamweaver and cascading stylesheets or CSS. I don't use frames, which are old technology and very cumbersome, nor do I create entire pages or sites in Flash which makes quick changes impossible.
Each Web site I create includes "getting started" search engine optimization techniques or SEO, which means each page will be much easier for people to find when using search engines like Google. Good SEO is like a garden as it requires constant maintenance to be the most effective. This is why SEO is part of what's included in my monthly maintenance fee, if you choose to have me be your Webmaster.
For site hosting, I recommend Parcom.net. They're very competitive and give you a great deal for your dime. I'll even help you acquire your own Web address, or URL, as part of your overall design package, if you like.
Along the way of the design workflow, I'll provide marketing tips free of charge.
Like everything in life, there are levels of design that begin with the basic five-page site and go up in complexity from there. Add-ons would be things like e-commerce -- you want to sell one or more things through your site. Or, multimedia, like video or audio. When you have your own Web site, you will be hosting your own content, so there will be no need to have your visitors go to YouTube or other vendors to enjoy what you have to say, or sell. That's what owning a Web site is all about -- your entire message is under your roof!
