OT- Websites

[Paul McCloud]

Hi, Sarah:
	Thanks for your reply.  I have great respect for people like you who have
the artistic expertise to create great websites.  Unfortunately, right now
I don't have the bucks to pay for your services.  In my case, I needed some
way to interface with my customers so they could make online appointments.
Sometimes I see fantastic websites with all kinds of flashy moving
graphics, but I'm not interested to watch.  I just want to get to the
important part- what I can get out of it.  A nice business card is like
that too- if it's really fancy and nice, does that translate into more
business?  If your card is professional looking, that really is all you
want to convey, that you are a professional.
	That is not to say I wouldn't like a better site.  It is a work in
progress.  I'm always trying something new, adding links, more images, etc.
But, I am able to make changes without fretting about the cost. I fully
understand the analogy you're making, though.  I have no doubt that a good
web designer could make a much better site.  I'm not planning to rebuild my
automatic transmission either.  I just wanted to see what it would take to
actually do it myself.  Heck, I even use a FloBee to cut my own hair!  But,
I will say that this free web design software is pretty awesome, and if you
know html and all that stuff, it will take that too, and is compatible with
Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc.  It doesn't replace them, but even
professional designers are very impressed with its capabilities.  
	Thanks for the information about yourself.  It's always good to know
someone in a particular field.  Some day I may call on you for your
expertise (and no, I won't ask your advice for free.)  Sometimes it takes
trying something yourself to realize how incompetent you really are (and
how much you need a professional!)  I like selling piano tuning tools to
clients (if they ask) because I know they'll be calling me soon!  
	All the best to you.
	Paul McCloud
	San Diego
	


> [Original Message]
> From: sarah at graphic-fusion.com <sarah at graphic-fusion.com>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 01/27/2008 5:29:10 PM
> Subject: RE: OT- Websites
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> Congragulations on your website.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to view it,
> as it is blocked by Trend Micro (see below sig).  I could override the
> block, of course, but I didn't.  I just thought I'd give you the heads up.
>
> You can also edit web pages with Microsoft Word, which most of you
probably
> already have.
>
> For all it's worth, a good professional web designer has a wealth of
> experience to handle matters like this, to program special functionality,
> to create sophisticated graphic designs, to maximize search rankings, and
> to organize a site for future expansion.  We web designers/programmers are
> a bit like piano technicians.  A piano may appear to be a simple
mechanical
> device, and most people with any general mechanical competence might be
> able to "fix" what's broken and even to tune the piano with a little Korg
> tuning meter, but that doesn't mean they'll do a very good job.  A
> professional piano technician knows a trick or two from decades of
> experience and from total immersion in the field.  Sometimes it's worth a
> bit of outlay to benefit from those decades of experience and to have the
> job done right.
>
> As can obviously be deduced from what I've written, I am a professional
web
> designer, graphic artist, and photographer.  If anyone is interested, I've
> been programming since 1976, and I've lost count of the number of
languages
> I've learned, known, forgotten, etc.  I'm proficient in HTML (obviously)
> and JavaScript.  I've been doing photography since the age of 6, darkroom
> work since the age of 11, and digital photoediting since 1996.  My rate is
> $100/hr for photographic, graphic, or programming/design work, if anyone
is
> interested.  I'm just tossing out my information as what I hope is an
> attractive alternative to the free/DIY BlueVoda.  As with work on the
> piano, you usually get what you pay for.  I think I produce some pretty
> good results.  Besides that, I am a web designer who knows something of
> pianos, which I think is an interesting niche qualification.
>
> Peace,
> Sarah
>
> PS I hope this doesn't come across as a "pissy" posting, as it's not
> intended as such.  Imagine yourself in a situation in which you are trying
> to defend why it's good to hire a professional to tune the family piano,
> and I think you'll understand both my tone and my motives.
>