The Captain's [B]log
As a less formal home from home, The Captain’s [B]log exists to bring you closer to Bendigo Web Design, both professionally and personally.
We hope you like it.
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As you might expect, there are pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to opt for a generic template instead of a custom designed site, unique to your business and your requirements but as the title suggests, here we will concentrate on the cons.
So, why should you not use templates for your website? Well for starters, they are so bloody generic and any designer who uses them for a client’s site, either doesn’t possess a creative bone in his body or is downright bone idle but at very least demonstrates little understanding and even concern for the client and his unique needs.
One of the obvious problems with using templates is that anybody else may use the same. You should know that the better the design is, the more popular it will be and sooner or later you will bump into your clone in cyberspace. Just imagine if that clone is in fact a particularly degrading adult site. How embarrassing could that potentially be for you?
Your template (along with potentially hundreds of others identical to it) will require a certain amount of customising. There is the generic logo or logo placeholder, for example. Replacing it will no doubt mean resizing your current logo at very least, or at worst, could require a complete redesign in order to fit. These prosaic designs insist that you remain within the constraints of it’s design or else accept the consequences and that is not how the design process goes. Web design follows logo design, not the reverse.
The logo is not the only element you will need to alter. There is the text and images to be replaced with your own and so by the time you have actually tweaked it to suit your needs, you may as well have hired a professional to build it from scratch. A word of warning regarding images supplied with templates. Stock imagery rarely comes with copyright permission and by using them in your template, you will often be contravening copyright laws.
Another important issue, although not just restricted to templates, is accessibility or lack thereof. Templates are seldom cross-browser compatible and invariably do not validate according to W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). Any bone fide designer worth his salt should be constructing sites in accordance with W3C. It may not be common knowledge but this is the law! You can easily check any website, web page or template quite simply yourself with the tools found at http://www.w3.org/QA/Tools/. Use both the Markup Validator and the CSS Validator. If the result is a list of errors, do yourself a favour and walk.
Be aware too, that many unscrupulous so-called designers actually have the audacity to claim that the supplied template is in fact the product of their own creative mind. They are quite willing to claim somebody else’s work as their own. Not only this but they would not think twice about making you pay for the non-existent design work; theft in both cases.
If you ever come across an alleged designer whose very own site is nothing more than a template, I strongly suggest that you keep moving.
Finally, should you decide to take the DIY approach, using a template is a shortcut and like any shortcut, provided you don’t stray too far from the path and you consider the points mentioned above, you should be OK. However, if you are serious about your business and wish to project a professional image, choose a designer.
I am aware that this modest article is not a complete or even a comprehensive contribution to the debate on whether one should or should not use templates and it is by no means a balanced examination of the pros and cons but it may include a few points readers may not have previously encountered and therefore be of some use.
The team from Bendigo Web Design would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and offer a huge “thankyou” for supporting us throughout 2009!
We sincerely hope you have a great New Year and that all your wishes be fulfilled in 2010. Having said that, please be careful what you wish for.
A few dedicated elves will be available for technical support over the holidays in the unlikely event that the Internet breaks or Santa’s mail is accidentally diverted to our servers and so we would like to advise all clients to either email us, post on the discussion forums or fill out a support ticket for a rapid response.
Before we leave you for this year we should mention some news.
- Referrals – We will reward you with 10% commission for any referral that results in a new web site or redesign. For new hosting account referrals, we will credit you with a free month’s hosting. There are no limits to the amount you can earn so get talking to your friends, relatives, work colleagues and business contacts. All you need to do is point them in our direction and ask them to mention your name and email address. You then send us an email confirming who you referred. As soon as their project in completed and final payment received, we then credit you with your commission. We have made the referral program as simple as possible to understand and use but for further details, please contact us.
- Do you know Joomla!? – Bendigo Web Design is looking for a Joomla! guru to join the team. If you have no idea what I am talking about, don’t feel embarrassed as not many do but you needn’t apply However, if it’s as familiar to you as PHP, MySQL, CSS, XHTML, W3C standards and cross-browser compatability, then you are free to get in touch.
Merry Christmas,
Bill & The Team
The response to our first giveaway could be described as underwhelming at best and I’m not going to waste time analysing the whys and wherefores. Instead, we will be offering a fully featured web site and a year’s complimentary hosting to the one and only entry as a thankyou for making the effort.
Congratulations go to Liam of Not Half Bad Productions, who I’m sure will agree that it was neither difficult nor time-consuming.
Send us an email and we’ll get the ball rolling.
To mark the first ever computer-to-computer link, established on ARPANET (which grew up to become the Internet) on 29th October 1969, and in an effort to ease the woes of the recession locally, Bendigo Web Design is offering you the chance to win one of 26 awesome prizes worth over $4000, including websites, blogs, domain names and hosting.
Deadline extended to Midnight Friday November 13th, 2009 to get your entries in.
All you need to do is register on the Bendigo Web Design discussion forum and tell us what eye-popping domain name you would register and tell us all about your proposed website. Finally, answer the tie-break question by telling us why you deserve a website.
Your site idea might be a recession-busting business or perhaps you’ve decided that it’s about time your already established local enterprise joined the Noughties. Maybe you would like an online gathering point for a club, society or organisation, a blog for your own personal musings or perhaps something completely kooky. Whatever your reason for wanting an online presence, here and now is your chance!
Remember, the more interesting, entertaining or eccentric your suggestions are, the better your chances are of turning them into reality.
Have more than one idea? Increase your chances of winning by submitting up to 3 separate entries!
Registration is free and painless and you could walk away with one of the following great prizes:
1st Prize
1 x lucky winner takes home a fully-featured website package incl. 12 months free domain name registration and secure Melbourne-based hosting.
2nd Prize
2 x lucky winners will receive their very own feature-rich blog site with 12 months free domain name registration and hosting.
3rd Prize
3 x winners will receive their own personalized email address package free for the first year.
Consolation Prizes
20 x entrants will receive a voucher code for 20% off any website package from Bendigo Web Design.
What’s included?
Your choice from hundreds of themes and templates, custom graphics including a custom designed logo should you require one, a domain name of your choice*, Australian hosting, free management tools, search engine optimization as standard, complimentary search engine and directory submissions, comprehensive traffic statistics, lifetime* of maintenance and technical support, inclusion in forthcoming press releases, hints and tips on how best to promote your new site and the knowledge that your new site is locally built.
What’s the catch?
There isn’t one! You do not have to order or purchase anything from Bendigo Web Design to take part. It might sound somewhat trite but we really do believe that our local community is an important asset and an essential pool of resources, especially during the current economic blip and so we would be happy to put something back in.
Don’t forget, you have until Midnight Friday November 13th, 2009 to get your entries in.
Good luck!
Choosing Bendigo Web Design to visualize your web presence qualifies you for not only a complimentary domain name of your choice but a whole year of free web hosting too! That’s 12 months of ultra secure, Melbourne-based hosting, absolutely free!
In addition, all our web design packages are custom designed and include free Search Engine Optimisation and search engine registration/directory submission, Google Analytics and interactive Google Map, maintenance, free email support and use of our discussion forums. Unlike many of our competitors, all of our sites are developed to strict W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) accessibility guidelines and are cross-browser compatible to deliver your online presence to the widest possible audience.
Bendigo Web Design offers a range of design packages to suit most needs from the simple one-page Webvert to the database-driven e-commerce solution. We also specialise in the award-winning, highly versatile Content Management System (CMS), Joomla!
Prices start from just $295 for a custom designed Webvert and our most popular package is the 5-page business site at $795. Consider the comparative cost of newspaper advert and the choice becomes obvious…….Bendigo Web Design!
The inaugural Bendigo Motorcycle Expo is the first such event to be held in country Victoria.
Saturday 3rd & 4th of October 2009.
Bendigo Exhibition Centre, Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Bendigo.
It is anticipated that the Expo will feature all the major manufacturers of on and off road motorcycles including but not limited to Yamaha, Kawasaki, Harley, Suzuki and Triumph.
The smaller motorcycle manufacturers, scooter manufacturers, leather goods, customised parts manufacturers, after markets suppliers, airbrush artist, motorcycle trailer manufacturers, insurance representatives, pins and badges and motorcycle memorabilia will also be represented.
In fact, if it’s related to motorcycles in any way, shape or form, we sincerely hope to included it.
The cool Can-Am Spyder
Win Your Own Motorcycle!
Included in the modest $15 entry fee, you will receive one complimentary raffle ticket for the chance to win a brand new motorcycle!
To increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize, additional tickets may be purchased at the Expo for a cost of $5 each.
The proceeds of the raffle will go to purchase a life-saving machine that is desperately needed by the RADIOTHERAPY FOUNDATION at the Bendigo Base Hospital.
We look forward to seeing you at this new and exciting Expo and who knows, you may be riding away on your very own motorcycle!
In the meantime please take this opportunity to browse our web site.
The site was created by Bendigo Web Design to promote the inaugural Expo. You can read the latest Expo news or related articles, share photos and video clips, as well as participate in our lively discussion forum.
With a little over three weeks to go, tickets are flying out the door! So what are you waiting for? Get yourself over to the site and register on the forum.
www.bendigomotorcycleexpo.com.au
Stanford University has compiled 10 guidelines for building the credibility of a web site. These guidelines are based on three years of research that included over 4,500 people.
1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
You can build web site credibility by providing third-party support (citations, references, source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this evidence. Even if people don’t follow these links, you’ve shown confidence in your material.
2. Show that there’s a real organization behind your site.
Showing that your web site is for a legitimate organization will boost the site’s credibility. The easiest way to do this is by listing a physical address. Other features can also help, such as posting a photo of your offices or listing a membership with the chamber of commerce.
3. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
Do you have experts on your team? Are your contributors or service providers authorities? Be sure to give their credentials. Are you affiliated with a respected organization? Make that clear. Conversely, don’t link to outside sites that are not credible. Your site becomes less credible by association.
4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
The first part of this guideline is to show there are real people behind the site and in the organization. Next, find a way to convey their trustworthiness through images or text. For example, some sites post employee bios that tell about family or hobbies
5. Make it easy to contact you.
A simple way to boost your site’s credibility is by making your contact information clear: phone number, physical address, and email address.
6. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
We find that people quickly evaluate a site by visual design alone. When designing your site, pay attention to layout, typography, images, consistency issues, and more. Of course, not all sites gain credibility by looking like IBM.com. The visual design should match the site’s purpose.
7. Make your site easy to use — and useful.
We’re squeezing two guidelines into one here. Our research shows that sites win credibility points by being both easy to use and useful. Some site operators forget about users when they cater to their own company’s ego or try to show the dazzling things they can do with web technology.
8. Update your site’s content often (at least show it’s been reviewed recently).
People assign more credibility to sites that show they have been recently updated or reviewed.
9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
If possible, avoid having ads on your site. If you must have ads, clearly distinguish the sponsored content from your own. Avoid pop-up ads, unless you don’t mind annoying users and losing credibility. As for writing style, try to be clear, direct, and sincere.
10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.
Typographical errors and broken links hurt a site’s credibility more than most people imagine. It’s also important to keep your site up and running.
Citation: Fogg, B.J. (May 2002). “Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility.” A Research Summary from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. Stanford University. http://www.webcredibility.org/guidelines
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