webdesign vs web programming

Submitted by somedaysoon on Wed, 15/11/2006 - 15:50.

Hi peeps,

I'm back wanted to pick your wonderful brains :)

I have found a lovely lady in california who desgined my logo (her being in californa is down to the fact that I posted on elance.com for quotes on logo design and found her portfolio to be just what I was looking for)
she has told me she can design my website this is what she emailed me
" Ok ... If you don't want to go to the expense of a custom shopping cart system by a programmer, there is Google Checkout and Paypal that can be used for a simple shopping solution. If it's 10 pages or less, I normally charge $300 for the site design and can put in the Google or Paypal code for shopping"
Is that a good deal i think it works out about 160 pounds.
I need a website up asap (as advised by business adviser) so I thought I'd start with a basic one but will need some kind of purchasing ability, will this be ok?
she told me she doesnt do programming only design does this mean that I will have to have it all re-done again at a later date by someone who can programme, will it be live, or do i have to find hosts and things uuuugggghhh it's all so confusing and intimdating.
(I probably should be asking her)
I like working with her and love her style also she knows what I'm trying to achieve.
what do you all think.

Vanessa x :)

Winter always turns to spring

I'm no computer genius, but...

Submitted by cassandra77 on Wed, 15/11/2006 - 18:23.

Hello Vanessa,

As the subject line says, I am no computer genius, however, because she is so cheap, that sort of flags a few alarm bells for me.

Whoever you take on as your website designer, make it perfectly clear what exactly it is that you need. I had a different site in the beginning and well, things went a bit wrong, there was miscommunication and the situation got worse from there. I ended up crying a lot and losing A LOT of money. Make your needs clear as well as the deadlines, however, it does take time to create websites so don't be too unrealistic about your expectations. You might want it done asap, but even more importantly, you want it done right.

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what is the difference between web design and web programming? Are you computer savvy?

The thing you might want with your site is the ability to add things to it, change text, pictures, just basically do all the administration. Don't go for something that you have to shell out cash for someone else to update as that could become quite expensive and quite tedious.

I don't know if any of that was useful to you, but I thought I would give you a bit of my experience to help you make your decision.

Cassandra

webdesign

Submitted by annasmedgard on Wed, 15/11/2006 - 21:36.

Hi Vanessa,

Just want to echo Cassandra here, and that is do lay down in writing EXACTLY what you need before you buy anything, or commission anyone to start the job.
You also should not have to pay up front, but you should be able to confirm all details in writing so that you are both happy, you with what you will be getting, and she with that she will get paid and you will not change your mind all the time and cause her hassle ;) and extra worktime.

So - this list is not comprehensive but it is a start:

1. Check what she means by 10 pages. Is that 10 products (one page per product) or 10 categories/tabs (many products per page)? product page, about us page, contact us page etc.

2. Ask her for samples of her work - this means a couple of proper, working sites, with the same facilities that she is offering you. You will then be able to try the shopping experience for real, see how the shopping cart works and those kind of things.

3. Can you update all the info yourself, and will you get a manual on how to do it?

4. What will happen as regards hosting - will you be in control, what will it cost etc, etc. I assume the price does not include any hosting what so ever.

5. Make sure you do not loose control of your domain name by being tied in to something stupid where you have no password to get it back!

6. the names of the programs she will be using, and the templates.

For as long as you are in charge you will be able to change your website whenever you like.

Webdesign as I understand it is making things pretty and looking right for you. Web programming is building the whole thing from scratch, and then there are lots of things in between.

For that amount of money she could use a template from an open source supplier, modify it for your needs (she can use a template that is pretty much ready and she will have several options to choose from - you could ask to see them in their sample stage). Benefits - she doesn't have to build a whole e commerce site from scratch but will pay a small license fee to someone who has developed these already.

Competition is fiercer in the US than in the UK when it comes to these things, and as she will pay hardly anything for programs (and there is unlikely to be any license fees for you to pay afterwards - again check this), and because she probably won't need to do lots I think you might have a good deal.

Just make sure that it works for what you need it to do. It is clean and easy to understand and use and that there are no hidden costs.

And that you stay in control.

Anna
Moderator, flyingstartups.com

Anna
Moderator, flyingstartups.com

Web design

Submitted by gsales on Wed, 15/11/2006 - 23:36.

You can always give Alan at Greyfox an e mail

Gary Sales
gary [dot] sales [at] scarecrowconsulting [dot] co [dot] uk
www.scarecrowconsulting.co.uk

Gary Sales
Continual Solutions
www.continualsolutions.co.uk

shopping carts

Submitted by funkypuffin on Thu, 16/11/2006 - 00:22.

Hi,

Can i ask what you are selling.

There are some very cheap but powerfull ways to setup an online store. I use a company called EKMpowershop and another called Bluepark. They both operate template driven e-commerce sites which cost around £20 a month. the beauty here is all the work like stock control, email messages, discounts, vouchers, integration with worldpay, paypal etc have been written and are in use by hundreds of people. It is also a hosted solution, so no bills for web hosting or worry about security and firewall.

Look at my online shop - www.funkypuffin.com and also one in progress - www.ukecolips.com they are hosted by www.ekmpowershop.co.uk and www.bluepark.co.uk

The real bonus with this way of doing things is it is easy to use, just login in online, make chages and your done. Adding products is simple etc.

My online store handles a lot of transactions a day and i have never had any problems. Having worked on some major global e-commerce sites, with security experts and programmers etc, it's such a relief to now be using a totally painless system you don't have to worry about.

Any questions, drop me a mail

A




www.funkypuffin.com




www.funkypuffin.com

Control

Submitted by Samadan on Thu, 16/11/2006 - 10:22.

Hi Vanessa,

It is great to hear you have found someone who shares your creative vision. Often, that can be the hardest thing to get.

The whole programming/design thing can be a little complicated. Most designers will know enough technical stuff to create the web page and layout the design. Also, they will probably know how to put in the bits like using a shopping cart template.

A programmer on the other hand can do a lot of the more complicated things that you never knew were going on in the background. There is no need to use a programmer in most cases unless you want to something that can't be done with templates or you have a really large and complicated site.

I imagine your California gal will be using a template similar to what funkypuffin suggested. $300 dollars is probably a day or twos worth of work, so I would imagine she would be putting in her graphics and plugging in the relevant bits for paypal etc.

Web hosting is another matter, these are the people you pay to put your website on their computers that are linked to the internet. For simplicity, funkypuffins idea sounds good as they will do everything in one package, even the design if you want for extra cost.

Speak to the lady who did your logo and ask her how she can help/advise with setting up the website. If you buy a domain and hosting package yourself, once it is set up you will have a username and password that allows you to upload your website. Once your site is designed, it should be fairly simple to then upload her pages and bingo, your site is live.

Control is very imortant, and being able to update things yourself afterwards is a huge bonus. Websites are never "finished" they always need updating with new products and news. If your designer can show you how to do this, then you will be able to maintain your site yourself.

Sorry for the big ramble, I hope that helps somehow. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

All the best,

Stu.
www.visit-3d.co.uk

wow..... thanks

Submitted by somedaysoon on Thu, 16/11/2006 - 11:06.

Hi,

Thanks peeps,
you are now all officially my very best friends......grovel,grovel..;)

(in reply to funky puffin)
I am selling safety clothing with a very big difference! and I really like both your sites, very fresh and vibrant, nice.

Cassandra and Anna, thanks your advice has been extremely helpful.
I have worked with this lady before and I wont have to pay any money upfront, we will work together on content and so on and she is a stickler for details, she absolutely loves what she does and as I mentioned before has a great protfolio, but I will go and check a few of them out and see how they look and work live.
I already have the domain names flashjacks.com and flashjacks.co.uk
I spoke to a friend last night and as it happens he has been designing websites (very basic) and has offered to help me on mine. What a result!

So I thought I might try this first, cant hurt and I may learn a trick or two along the way and if at the end the result is not what I had hoped for then I can look at using the california gal(as stu put it)

I will let you all know how I get on and in the meantime keep an eye out for my desperate calls for help :)

thanks (very best friends)

Vanessa x