Consulting. Web Design. Training. Solutions.

End of An Era? Or, Apple 2.0?

by patrick

With the recent news that Jobs will not be delivering the Keynote at this January’s MacWorld Expo, and that this will be Apple’s last appearance at MacWorld, we are left with a sense that a transition is near for the Mac world.

It seems that there’s more at work here than a weakened economy.

There has been much speculation about Job’s health, and what a change in leadership may bring to the direction of Apple.

Speculation and rumor aside, there is no doubt that this will an historic MacWorld Expo. I will be attending with a careful eye, and ear, to the trends and emotions of this event. I go with a hopeful and excited disposition. On many levels, I believe that Apple is ready for the next stage of evolution.

Are we about to see Apple 2.o?

Creating Posts on my iPhone

by patrick

Mobile blogging with my iPhone is possible, and easy, with the WordPress iPhone app. It’s a free application that makes blogging from your iPhone as easy as text messaging.

Creating The Sustainable Website

by patrick

Parts of this post were used in an article I wrote for Work.com

In my years of website development, I’ve typically seen two scenarios when it comes to small business websites.

The first scenario is the do-it-yourself business owner who learns just enough HTML to cobble together a website either from scratch or from some template or model site. Typically, the website is just adequate, and maybe not quite as professional looking as expected. “But it’s just temporary until I get the time to really do it right,” says the owner. Often the site remains neglected because additions and modifications are just too cumbersome.

The second scenario is the business owner who is willing to spend some money on a web developer to create a site. In this case, often the website ends up costing more than expected. Additionally, the business owner typically becomes dependent on the web developer for any future additions or modifications, making the costs even higher.

Both of these scenarios are far from ideal.

If you find yourself in or contemplating either of these scenarios, I suggest you consider creating your website with WordPress. Whether you do it yourself, or hire a developer, WordPress turns out to be an excellent website creation and management system.

See this post for more information: Building a Successful Business Website

Co-Location For Your Server

by patrick

If you’re interested in having a website which runs on OS X, having full control of the server with multiple fail-safes and redundencies, and a very large pipe to it, then you might want to consider the offerings from MacMiniColo.net.

These folks are part of a larger operation run by Switch Communications in Las Vegas, Nevada. Switch runs one of the biggest high-speed data centers in the country.

MacMiniColo specializes in running MacMini servers with OS X server. You can send them your MacMini, or buy one from them. The monthly costs start at $35, and go up from there depending on what add-on services you require.

While you can certainly get hosting packages for less then this, remember that your site will be the only one on your server. Also, these guys offer a very fat pipe to your server.

Check them out: http://www.macminicolo.net

Web Design For Small Businesses

by patrick

I’ve done web design and development for over 10 years. In the past, it was done in the typical way: I design and develop the site for a client, and deliver and launch the site. Then, typically, every time an addition or change is needed, the client must come back to me because they don’t want to invest the time into learning DreamWeaver, CSS, XHTML, PHP, etc.

This was expensive for the client, and not very interesting work for me once the original site was complete.

So I’ve been working on a new model of site design for small businesses which uses opensource (free) software and allows website owner (or staff) to easily login and make changes or additions to the site. I’ve developed a design technique and process, using all opensource software, which allows me to design smart looking sites that are easy to navigate, have a high level of functionality, and have a simple backend user interface for maintenance.

This translates to considerable savings for the business over the long run, more internal control of the website for the business, and it allows me to focus on site design and development rather than site maintenance.

I am putting together this process with a training component for small business owners who want to create a website.

Please email me if you are interested in this model for your business.