stuff to read, apparently/may 2010

best before

if you want a job done promptly do it yourself…

The great majority of sites I build for you lot these days are client-managed, ie, you update the copy, add the odd pic and PDF yourselves. So no ‘latest news’ (ahem…) pages from August 2005. Clever wee souls, so you are.

However, as I keep saying, ‘internet years’ are like ‘dog years,’ meaning technology marches on at a mighty pace. So what I might have said then may not be true now…

The way we were…

A year or three back I’d have probably mentioned Contribute as the best way to manage your site content (assuming we're just talking occasional ‘light’ updating as above). However, three years down the line, Contribute is both creaking at the seams* a bit and has doubled in price since it was introduced.

* Perfect proof in fact of the old developer’s adage that if you ‘upgrade’ a piece of software often enough, you’ll eventually f*** it completely.

So what are the options?

I'm glad you asked. There is a new generation of server-based products available which are evolving fast. They're not the answer for everyone**, but they're just fine and dandy for a lot of you.

** For those of you with big, fancy sites which are constantly changing (or simple wee sites you can’t stop fiddling with) there are better options, ie. a full database-driven CMS (content management system) but that’s another story.

Anyway, one ‘lightweight’ option I've been experimenting with recently has currently rather taken my fancy, partly because I and my chums who talk in acronyms look at it and say "ooh, that’s clever..." a lot – and partly because most users find it really easy to use (remember you’ll need a computer though...).

Let's see the bottom line...

Yup, I know what you’re thinking, how much? Well, given Contribute is now the best part of £220 and even an upgrade is over 100 quid (both inc. VAT) and that's per user — Uhh... my groovy new system is a lot less.

Get to the bloody point…

Okay.

a] If you get a new Flying Solo site built from May 2010 onwards, the basic editing facility is free if you get your web hosting from me.

b] If you’ve got an existing site on my hosting and you’re using Contribute (or not updating your content yourself at all - hang your heads in shame), there’s a one-off cost of tum-te-tum (haven’t finalised it yet, but it’ll be way less than Contribute). You can have more than one user at no extra charge. Remember there’s nothing for you to install, everything’s done via your web browser, so you can update your site from anywhere.

c] If you’ve got a Flying Solo site but I don’t host it, you’re probably out of luck. Sorry, I just don’t have the time to faff about with unfamiliar server setups which may not have the appropriate software versions and configuration needed to manage the system. (There is however an alternative I can recommend and set-up for you – again at pretty minimal cost – which doesn’t have any specific server requirements).

However, if you switch hosting to me I’ll give you my preferred editing software free as part of the hosting cost. Can’t say fairer than that, squire.

I was just typing thinking…

corporate + brand identity | graphic design | website design | dog walking

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