My
name is Linda Wishman, lindaw@webpenguin.com,
and this is strictly a "mom and pop" operation.
This is NOT to say that, like so many others in this category,
I got a copy of Frontpage Express with my new computer
and now I think I'm a webmaster. I've been doing this
since 1995. My customers benefit from fast, friendly service,
and I have a reputation for reliability.
In
my previous life, I was a mental health professional.
I started out as a social worker, then advanced into administration.
When our daughter died, I put that career on semi-permanent
hold so I could stay at home with my children. I am both
self-taught in web design and have taken courses when
necessary.
Back
in the early days before businesses hired IT directors
and went big time, I had some pretty impressive clients.
You've all heard of Jack Link's Beef Jerky? I used to
do their site! I created a cool western theme and they
utilized a basic shopping cart system from Americart,
which I configured and updated for them. As their company
grew, they sort of outgrew Webpenguin. As you can see
by watching their TV commercials and viewing their web
site, they're a big company and require more than a mere
mom / html jockey can provide. Good for them; I'm happy
to have made even the tiniest contribution to their success!
As
time went by and push (technology) came to shove (endless
bandwidth gobbling crap) on the Internet, I had to make
a decision. Do I want to invest myself and my resources
in the hardware, software, and knowledge I would need
to keep up? Do I want to become part of a web design "team"
where we all specialize in something different and have
a committee approach to building ites? How would I specialize,
in coding, sales, or graphics? Ehhh! None of that really
appealed to me at my late age (in my 40s). I enjoy doing
a little of everything.
Fortunately,
there is still a niche market out there where I fit very
well. Say you own a small business and you don't need
a back-end database or server-side executables. You need
a small site that tells who you are, where to find you,
and highlights some of your accomplishments with pictures
and some Flash. A form would be nice, too, so people can
request information through your site. Of course, you'd
like to update your site on a regular basis to keep it
fresh and provide new informaton. That's where I can help.
I
am an old-fashioned HTML jockey. I use Dreamweaver and
Paint Shop Pro for nearly all my work. I can work with
photos and create navigation graphics. I can even do some
Flash. I make web sites that look good at different resolutions
and that load fast.
I
charge what I need to in order to maintain my equipment
and generate enough extra money to pay for hockey and
vacations. This is not a full-time job for me, and I do
not market myself as a do-it-all web design business.
What I do, I do well. What I don't do, I don't try to
do; I will refer you elsewhere.
Philosophy
(aka rant) (aka the optional text)
I
don't do PHP, XML, ASP (except rarely), database driven
sites, or involved e-commerce sites. If you need a site
that requires back-end server executables or databases
that rival amazon.com, I recommend you find someone who
can do that for you. I can use americart.com's shopping
cart program to create a simple e-commerce site for you
if you need one. In short, if you need the fancy stuff,
there are plenty of team-based web design houses who will
happily take your $10,000+ and create a beautiful site
for you.
Have
you ever noticed all those beautiful sites that take forever
to load even though you're spending big bucks for broadband?
Or all you want to do is read the text on the page, but
before you can do that, you have to wait for a billion
tiny graphics to load into the design template? Even after
they were already loaded on the page you just read? Did
you ever want to scream, JUST SHOW ME THE STORY ALREADY?!?
Those
sites either process everything on their server or are
graphics heavy, or both. It doesn't matter how much bandwidth
you have if their server is clogged up with requests and
they can't push the information out fast enough. For the
life of me, I can't figure out why businesses don't procure
the processing power and bandwidth they need rather than
make me wait.
Oh
wait, I do know. It costs money! Well, they should have
thought of that before they paid someone their entire
budget to build a fancy website they didn't need. Ask
yourself if you need a database driven website for the
25 products you sell. Ask yourself if you need a graphics
designer trained in print advertising and his expensive
software and hardware for your small 3-page site advertising
your resort.
I
am interested in building professional sites that work
for YOU, not sites that pad my resume and crank up my
ego. I won't sell you something you don't need or can't
afford. Neither will I undercharge for the sake of getting
your business like some of the Frontpage Express webmasters.
Having
said all this, I would love to create your site. The best
way to reach me is by e-mail. I can think better when
I write, anyway. lindaw@webpenguin.com
Thanks,
and I hope we can do business!
