Website Work for the Fun and Experience

Since I am working part-time right now, I have been spending time working on websites for others. It has been a great way to meet people and learn some new skills in the areas of website design, XML, HTML, PHP and CSS. The latest project I just completed is a personal brand website / blog. This site, TheSmartMarketingGuy.com provides some great background and samples of the work of an expert who brings marketing and finance together to solve business problems.

This site was set up using WordPress.com as a basis. The client wanted to showcase his PowerPoint presentations but not allow anyone to be able to print or download them. This was easily accomplished and the completed site provides a great professional overview of the client’s services. Social media links to LinkedIn and Twitter were also provided. The entire project took less than two weeks from start to finish, including a hands-on training session, with written cheat sheets provided, so that the client could now add posts and additional material on his own.

I also completed a non-profit site several months back. This site, called the-SLAMMER.org, is dedicated to educating and communicating with the prison / corrections world.

Its stated mission is to be the online forum where all individuals, trade organizations and political entities actively involved or impacted in the corrections systems can meet to air their opinions, concerns, ideas, and recommendations aimed at system reform and improved rehabilitation of inmates, all directed to reduce recidivism rates and optimize staff work environments at a minimized cost to taxpayers. Input from related law enforcement and judicial entities, inmates and inmate families, as well as the general public are to be encouraged. By adding a Twitter widget to this site, the number of visitors is growing daily as topical tweets drive traffic to the-SLAMMER.org.

The other project I completed was a prototype site for a trekking guide in Northern India. The site provided information about different trips all over the Himalayan region and displayed a contact form to ask questions and get more information about upcoming trips. One of the benefits of this site design is that it provided an opportunity to showcase pictures from actual treks in this part of the world.

This prototype was set up in just a number of days, once I had the basic requirements from the client. Based on feedback from this prototype, this site can expand to best meet the client’s needs.