Welcome to my web development page. I hope to explain here what I can and cannot do to help you create and manage your web site. This page is rather long, as I want to cover, in detail, how I can help you succeed with your web site.
And, first, let me add a couple caveats. You likely came here from my mccworkshop.com site. Do not necessarily judge my capabilities from that site. It has been assembled ad-hoc, without ANY plan, over a period of time. The style is whimsical and cartoonish - on purpose. I keep changing and adding things on the fly. It has gotten cluttered, and has no grand scheme. I do plan to re-do it at some point, but, it is, alas, a hobby. With that said, I LIKE my website, and I offer no excuses for it. It is what it is, and, it will continue to be that! My only point is that I am capable of many different paradigms! Now, on to the rest....
When I first decided to put this page together, my thoughts turned to flashy and splashy, with a bunch of cool widgets and neat tricks to show off my abilities. And, I can do a lot of that. But, so can plenty of other people. So, I decided to do what I do best. Simple, concise, easy to navigate, well organized, credible, even, well, businesslike. The web has been taken over by flash and splash. I think it is time to go back to the original premise, easy and intuitive to use, and strong on useful content. The choice is yours, and I can do either, but, this is my paradigm.
Right up front, let's address my portfolio. I have been putting web sites together since day one. Most of them have been internal to the company. The few that I have done for the general public are long gone. I am just starting in offering my services, but I am far from starting in doing them. I have one site on the web, my personal hobby site - http://mccworkshop.com -. That site is a reflection of my credo, simple, informative, easy to use, and fun. It does not have many of the widgets, or advanced web technologies, yet, because I have not needed them. It's style is whimsical and colorful because that is what it is, and what it is intended to be.
From maintenance, to complete turnkey development. I can provide you with a web presence via a compelling, professionally done site. Read on below to find out in detail what I can, and cannot, do for you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions! I would prefer to concentrate on small to mid-size projects for now. In many cases, I can have a basic site live on the web in about a week! But, whatever your project, certainly contact me at: web@mccworkshop.com
A description of my capabilities, and some answers. Please read through.
I am competent in HTML, and CSS. I can write HTML as well as I write the words and information it defines. I have been writing HTML so long, I do it by nature. I can weave tables, pictures, lists, and all the other basic elements together as I tell the story, or relate the information. Although I am somewhat new to CSS, I know the concepts well, and I can make effective use of stylesheets as well as conforming to them. Indeed, I think they areI am fluent in SQL - and I have a long history of programming, designing, and using databases. Not only am I familular with SQL, I understand basic database concepts. I have programmed major applications in Clipper (dbase) in the past for both my company, and for use in POS (Unfortunately, Y2K spelled the end of the dbase and derivatives era). As well, I have made extensive use of Microsoft ODBC, ADO, and Access databases for internal company web sites. I can also integrate other SQL platforms, such as Oracle, or MySQL, if that is desired.
I am a capable programmer in ASP and JavaScript. I know ASP very well, and I have a long background in programming, especially in the various flavors and dialects of Basic. Indeed, I enjoy programming immensely, and I am rather good at developing software solutions to challenges. I am very conversant in Javascript. I can seamlessly integrate Javascript and server side ASP to I am quite capable of Javascript development, and I will transparently arrive at competent solutions.
I am extremely computer literate. Both the hardware, and the software. I know the tools, and I know how to exploit them to my advantage. I have acquired knowledge of, and competency in, a large array of software over the years including the MS Office suite, programming, and page layout.
I am not a Graphic Artist, but - I am fluent in the process, if not the art, of photography, and I am well acquainted with the implements, such as PhotoShop, necessary to incorporate pictures and graphics within the telling of a story.
I am extremely well organized, and I am very effective at the process of organization whether it be material things, a project, or information.
I am a master of documentation. Not only do I enjoy doing it, but, my previous career required it. I am very adept at utilizing databases, programs, lists, tables, and, every other conceivable artifact to label, denote, and display information in a readily useable format. The engineer in me requires that information is paramount, and it also tells me that the information should be presented in a concise, complete, and accessible fashion. While I am extremely creative by nature, my journeys and achievements in documentation often exceed even my own expectations.
I will find the answers - I do not sit around and wait for someone else to find a solution or address a problem. If I do not know, I will find out. I will then add that information to my range of talents, and make good use of it.
I have a very strong ability for creative thinking, and formulating solutions to problems, as well, I have an ability to conceive of, and identify, the potential for new applications, procedures and concepts.
I am very aware of, and a large fan of, technology - in all it's forms and guises. I keep abreast of the newest developments, and I am continually envisioning ways they can be utilized and leveraged.
I am internet savvy. I have been using the internet since long before Al Gore and the World Wide Web. I know what information is available, where it exists, and how to find it. I know what resources are available, and I utilize those resources to the fullest extent possible. I keep up with the latest trends, even if I do not make use of them all. I am familiar with the culture, and the vernacular, and I am able to adjust my presence and expectations to suit the environment, style, and paradigm.
I am extremely talented at learning new techniques and software. My job for the last 30 years depended on my ability to learn, adapt, and make quick use of a large variety of software, as well as having to quickly and effectively learn new hardware, systems and techniques. As they say, I spent 30 years wearing many hats. I often had to change those hats many times a day. I truly enjoy the diversity and knowledge those hat changes engender, and the different missions they represent.
I am a competent and versatile writer. I have spent the last 30 years working for the Associated Press. While my official capacity was technical, spending that much time working with, for, and around journalists certainly would cause some transference of skills, and it did. I write, I like to write, and I humbly believe I am very good at it. If requested, I am quite capable of creating compelling content centered around your ideas. My learning and understanding abilities also serve well in allowing me to understand and work within many different disciplines including Science, math, technology, technical subjects, politics, finance, recent history, and even real estate.
.NET - OK, you got me. .NET is an environment. I have not used it, because I have not needed to. But, the core programming competencies that are a part of that environment - ASP, Basic, java, etc - I do extremely well. If you strictly need a .NET developer, and you can't afford to give me the time to adapt to it, then there are other resources that may suit your needs much better.
PHP - Simple, I do not do PHP or Perl. I live in a Windows environment - for good or bad. I would like to learn it, but I have not the time right now.
AJAX - I am aware of the concepts, but I have not ventured there yet... Simple as that.
Web authoring tools. - Although I have used both Front Page and Dreamweaver in the past, I tend to avoid them. I prefer to maintain closer contact with what I create, and to create 'cleaner' documents. If necessary either for technical reasons, or to maintain an existing site, I can quickly learn to make use of, and excercise compentency in, any particular web authoring or content management platform.
SEO - Search Engine Optimization. - SEO is an important buzzword (buzz acronym?) these days. I am not a practicioner of 'black hat' SEO. Neither do I believe in it. I will not claim to get your site to the top of Google in 1 week (it may take 2). What I do know is how the search engines work, and I know, and abide by, the accepted ways to optimize results. I know many if not most of the 'proper' techniques, and I study it constantly. I can do a lot for the relevance and marketing arena. Page rank simply takes time, effort, and good content. I also understand and study web marketing and branding, and I can offer a lot of help and advice there.
Web Hosting. - If you desire a complete turnkey experience, I can set up hosting with my preferred provider - Network Solutions. A full featured mainstream hosting company, you will have access to their complete range of services, including e-commerce, various wikis, blogs, and other assorted add ons that I can customize, and full database services.
Documentation. - As I mentioned earlier, documentation is extremely important to me. Your site will be completely, and exhaustively documented. The site itself will be well organized in a professional manner. All code will be well commented for easy maintainability. If, after the site is developed, you wish to take over maintenance, it will be easy to do, and I will still be avialable for help.
To get started, Contact me at: web@mccworkshop.com