| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| jema |
Launching new web design siteToday I registered:www.m4webdesign.co.uk Which I will use to try and promote an ethical web design service for small businesses. It will be a little while before I actually launch the site, and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what they would like to see from a web design service. I have dropped one hint in the title of the site M4, as I know I would prefer to work with people within physical reach, as I believe small businesses need a lot of hand holding to get on the web. |
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| monkey1973 |
Whats unethical about current web design? | ||||
| Guest |
it wouldn't load | ||||
| twoscoops |
From a web design provider I would like to be able to have a front page with a logo, an image and a menu of, say, four or five sections of the site to visit. I’d like to be able to change any of the images/options and also update the what’s new page. Too many websites have quite garish colour schemes, so I would rather go down the classier route, like
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/Web/beovision7/ I mean the style more than the movey about stuff. Am I asking too much? |
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| jema |
the new site is not host yet.
Much web design for small businesses is very unethical. Most sites are set up as dead end static pages. Unsuitable for proper eccomerce. Once the site is set up the small business is often not empowered to make any changes for itself, always having to pay the web designer. Often name registration and hosting is in the hands of the designer tying the small business into the designing company 
Pluys of course sometimes the charges are very silly. A company I did do design for: http://www.arkwrightshomebrew.com/ was quoted £15,000 for setting up the sort of site I have done for them. |
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| jema |
There are issues about style when designing sites for the small business. In some ways the classier and more complex the style, the more unlikely it is that the small business will be able to maintain the site themselves. I favour using what is known as a content management system, either oscommerce or mambo, which is perhaps not as classy as B&O but does empower the business to maintain its own site once properely tutored. |
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| monkey1973 |
The best website I've used recently for online shopping is
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php I found it clear and easy to use. Easy to shop around. |
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| mrsnesbitt |
would agree with you there monkey!
I too am in the process of having a website done and want it to be really artisticie a reflection of my work. if anybody comes across any arty sites please let me know. In the past when I have asked for examples of good sites I dont think I made my self clear. I should not have used the word good ie content...but good as in pleasing to look at. |
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| monkey1973 |
Mrs N, what is it you do, artwise? |
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| mrsnesbitt |
Hi Monkey
I do various arty things. Handcrafted wedding stationery and everything associated, birth announcement, christening stuff, I use watercolours, acrylics and can incorporate my own calligraphy. I also have made some pieces for bereavements.I call these Living Memorials. The Co-op Funeral People were very encouraging with the latter and ran a P.R. exercise for me. I know there are people out there doing similar, but the choices we have up here are limited. hence the need for a website. |
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| tahir |
Although the Brazilian Porsche site is done in mambo: www.porsche.com.br |
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| twoscoops |
That's a nice one. Did a Google search for Brazilian, did you? | ||||
| tahir |
I found that right at the start of Downsizer, I'd never heard of Mambo so hunted around for sites that used it. Anyway TS what do you think of Jema's intended charging policies? Would you pay £1000 set up & £ 600 per annum? | ||||
| jema |
Looks quite modded though. |
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| jema |
Possibly less per annum, and this would be for a full oscommerce solution, with the support needed to put the customer in charge of the process. |
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| tahir |
Spose that's the beauty of it, you can do a lot with it if you've got the resources |
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| twoscoops |
Initially I'm looking for a website that has basic contact details, (both for potential customers and potential suppliers) as well as a few images, ethos and even a menu for sarnies etc. I would only consider paying that much if I wanted to get into ecommerce, which I don't at the moment. If it was £1,600 for a year I would have to sell a lot on line to make it worthwhile. | ||||
| tahir |
No it's a fixed fee of £1000 for set up. And then support of £600. I'm sure it would be cheaper if it was non commerce. | ||||
| jema |
As Tahir says the £1000 is initial set up of an ecommerce site. Non commerce would be cheaper, but not massively cheaper. The irony I am finding as I try and find an ethical pricing structure, is that the prices are going to have to be considerably higher than you can find if you look  But when people are suckered into paying a low intial price, they then find over the long term it was not such a good deal.
But how do you convince someone to pay more to start with? When the basic problem is that most of the customers will find a lot of the issues are beyond their current level of understanding. |
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| tahir |
It's one of those catch 22's, you need reference sites, I think a user forum would be good but you need a user base for that.
My initial thought would be to find someone that already has a site and try and win them over for a re-design at a reduced rate. |
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| tahir |
My thinking for this is twofold: 1. Obviously they know a little about what's involved in a web site 2. They've seen the benefits (hopefully) of it to their business and would like to see it go further. |
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| jema |
Probably, and hopefully I will find a punter from among our members here  As you know I got into this by deciding that arkwrights was a business that deserved a boost, and I started on that free of charge, there are a lot of people on this site who are not at all in a position to pay a sensible rate for the service I provide, but people who are in need of a good web presence.
If you are a struggling smallholder, throwing £1000 at a web site, is a daunting prospect. |
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| tahir |
I can't think off hand of one of our members that currently has need of a complex site, definitely not a commerce enabled one anyway.
There are loads of non members that I could point you at though. |
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| jema |
When I'm ready I'll take you up on that. My trouble has always been wanting stuff to sell itself though. I find the prospect of talking people into buying stuff pretty off putting, even when it would be doing them a favour. |
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| tahir |
Until you get to a stage where you've got some satisfied punters I can't see how you'll be able to get customers seeking you out. | ||||
| jema |
I know 
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| jema |
Well i'm now busy creating the new site
writing some basic guides for small businesses wanting a web presence at the moment. Explaining things like domain name registration etc, and with each stage, the way they can be ripped off by the dodgy dealers. |