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Web Development Services | Development Process | Who am I?
Web Development Services
I offer a variety of Web development services, including:
- Graphic design
- HTML coding
- Content authoring and writing
- Database design in a variety of databases, including Microsoft Access, MS SQL Server, and MySQL
- Development of database-driven Web sites
- ColdFusion and PHP development
- JavaScript
- Web forms and form validation
- Online discussion groups (including secure groups)
- Site search engines
- Search engine optimization and placement (Google, Yahoo, etc)
- Information architecture
- Research and consultation
- Wireframes and site mockups
- Site maintenance and updates
- Documentation
- Training and course development
Please see my portfolio for examples of previous Web development projects. If you're curious, you can also read about my background and Web development philosophy and view my resume.
Definitions and Explanations
Content Authoring
Good Web content is much closer to the inverted pyramid style of a newspaper article than the style of memos, brochures, and other marketing or business communications. My background in journalism and creative writing and my experience developing Web content will help me write content for your Web site that works.
Database design
If your site requires a database, I will work with you to develop the optimal database structure (or "schema") for your site. I work with a variety of databases, including Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.
- Microsoft Access is a very common desktop database. It supports extremely fast development and is very cheap to integrate into a site (you probably already have the licenses you need!). It is also very easy to support since many customers already have in-house expertise. However, it is not a good choice for large sites with many users. It is often useful to use Access for prototyping even if the site will eventually deployed in a different format.
- Microsoft SQL Server is one of the most popular enterprise-level databases available. It is ideal for large sites with many users. Since it is made by Microsoft, it offers very wide compatibility and very strong support. However, it requires additional licensing.
- MySQL is an open-source, enterprise-class database system that competes directly with SQL Server. Because it is open-source, it is often used with PHP sites. It offers many of the same features as SQL Server for a much lower price tag. However, it does not have the same level of guaranteed support.
After discussing the requirements of your project, I will work with you to recommend the best database to use with your site.
ColdFusion and PHP Development
ColdFusion and PHP are both technologies used to build interactive and/or database-driven Web sites. Which is better? The two technologies have roughly the same feature set, so the answer depends on developer preference, budget, and the problem you're trying to solve.
I find that ColdFusion is generally faster for development, so using ColdFusion may save you money during the development process. It also has a faster learning curve, so it's a great option if you plan to train your own staff to maintain a site. However, ColdFusion requires either a special license for your server or special hosting at an ISP, so it is generally more expensive to host a ColdFusion site than a PHP site.
PHP's big advantage is that it's open-source. Hosting PHP on your own server is free, and many ISPs now include it with their standard hosting plan. There is an extremely large and dedicated community of developers building extensions to the PHP language, so you're more likely to be able to find free, pre-built components for PHP applications. PHP is a scripting-style language with syntax similar to JavaScript, PERL, etc, so people who already know a programming language tend to find it easy to learn.
If we determine that your site requires dynamic or database-driven elements, I will work with you to determine the best technology to use for your site.
JavaScript
JavaScript is the most common scripting language in use on the Web today. JavaScript is generally used to make Web sites more interactive, for instance:
- Buttons that change appearance when the user clicks them or "rolls over" them with the mouse
- Menus that expand and collapse or display additional options when the user highlights them
- Form validation scripts that verify whether the user has entered valid information in a Web form (such as an email address in a valid format, or a numeric zip code)
- Web forms that automatically perform numeric calculations
JavaScript is not the same thing as Java, which is a full-featured object-oriented programming language used to build complete programs.
Information Architecture
"Information architecture" generally refers to the process of planning a site's structure. Information architecture determines the way that a user navigates through a site to find information and therefore has a huge impact on a user's experience of the site. No matter how "pretty" a site is, users will become frustrated and leave sites with poor information architecture. My design process places a large emphasis on this crucial and often-overlooked aspect of site design.