Rocktown Realty New Website

April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Wordpress Realty Website

Rocktown Realty had an existing website that primarily focused on their rental and property management services. They were looking to expand the realty side of their business and wanted a new website to focus on that. Wordpress was chosen along with IDX services provided by DSI Solutions to give a easy to update but fully functional realty website. In a addition, a custom landing page which leads to their different services was developed utilizing a full screen image background for dramatic effect. Plugins were installed and customized to allow simple edits to featured properties, agent profiles and testimonials as well as a mortgage calculator. The results have been very well received, and now Rocktown is planning to redesign the … [Continue reading...]

Bradley Pollack Law

February 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
pollack-law-wordpress

Mr. Pollack is a local lawyer who was looking to update his web presence. He has several urls which were all pointing to some fairly basic individual sites. He wanted something more pleasing to the eye and that presented his law practice professionally to the community as well as to potential out-of-state clients. Wordpress was used as well as a responsive theme from Studiopress. The result is a clean interface that works well on all devices. The platform is now in place for easy future updates as Mr. Pollack is planning on adding additional content. … [Continue reading...]

What is the Intelligence Quotient of Your Business?

January 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Measure Business Intelligence

There is a common theme among many of the buzzwords in the business technology arena lately. Big data. Business intelligence. Analytics. I would some it up with the phrase 'you are what you track.' The basic idea is to accurately measure particular aspects of your business to watch for trends and see what impact specific initiatives and decisions are having on your business. Of course, big business has been doing this for years and continues to get better at it. What has changed in recent years is the availability of technologies that make tracking key indicators easier and attainable for small and medium sized businesses. The question is what should be tracked? Here are a few of the more common areas that most business could benefit … [Continue reading...]

What is this ‘scope creep’ thing anyway?

January 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Scope creep in software development

All projects start out innocuously enough. 'It's just a brochure website' or 'it's just a simple CRM.' As the client, you rightly need some idea of what it is going to cost and how long it will take. As the developer, however, I don't know what I don't know at this point and therefore have to allow for the dreaded 'scope creep.' What is scope creep? It is additions or changes to previously agreed upon project parameters. Let's say you want to make a simple bird house. No big deal right? Make a box, drill a hole and your done. Now, what kind of wood? Do I use glue, nails or screws? How big is it? Once that is decided and put together, the realization is made that it does not look all that great. Lets have a sloped roof, a landing peg … [Continue reading...]

.net SaaS Project – Prepper Helper

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
.net Prepper Helper

While working for Brontech, LLC, I was tasked with developing a SaaS solution for a client. Prepper Helper is a website the delivers content regarding personal preparation for climactic events. They wanted to create an online application where users can log in and keep track of their inventory. They had meticulously compiled a preset list of of items and categorized them. The challenge was then to display that to users in a manner that was easy to use and understand. By liberally utilizing Agile iterative methods the UI progressed into something that users found easy to navigate and keep up to date which was critical. There is also a system of contextual help so the content on the right dynamically changes depending on what category the … [Continue reading...]

How to protect a major business asset – your website

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
web design frustration

It happened again today. I heard yet another horror story of a 'webmaster' who suddenly disappeared leaving a number of clients suddenly without a web presence. These stories are way too common. What can small businesses do to ensure their website will continue to be around even if their provider suddenly is not? There are 3 major aspects of any website: the domain, the host, and the files (code, data, images, design etc). As a business owner, you must make sure any agreement includes full rights to all three. You can take reasonable steps to protect your digital assets just as you do your physical ones. 1. The Domain Make sure the domain (ie. 'companyname.com') is procured in the name of yourself or your business. Do not allow your … [Continue reading...]

Windows 8 – Opportunity or fools gold?

November 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Windows 8 Software Development

The gold rush led many adventures to seek their fortune in California in the 1840's. The opportunity was too good to pass up. The has been another rush, interestingly also centered in California, in the last few years. The app rush we'll call it. Many developers jumping on the opportunity created by the Apple and Android mobile application platforms. Now Microsoft has entered the market with their own store. Is it too little too late? Or has Microsoft innovated enough to create a new rush? The desktop is dead, or so we seem to be told constantly lately. While there is no doubt of the influence of smart phones and tablets, the fact is millions of new laptops and desktop PC's will go into use over the coming months. While an app store for … [Continue reading...]

Windows 8 – Where will it go from here?

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Windows 8 Software Consultant

I have been to the depths and have emerged relatively unscathed. I was able to install Windows 8 and have been using it predominantly now for the last few days. How does my experience compare with the other reviews out there? There seems to be two camps of thought out there right now. On the one hand, there are usability experts denouncing it as horrible and feel it is a flop from the get go. On the other side, there are those that feel integrating touch the way Microsoft has is revolutionary. After a brief stint with Windows 8 on a non touch screen laptop, I see merit it both sides. The interface is confusing and frustrating at times, but I can see how it would be significantly better with a touch screen. The real question is not … [Continue reading...]

Windows 8 – Taking the Plunge

November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
windows-8-experiment

I find myself on a precipice, peering over the edge. As I look into the void I cannot help but wonder what I will find at the bottom. Yes, I am about to install Windows 8. Do not fear for me. I am merely going to install a virtual machine on my faithful MacBook pro via Parallels, so every safety precaution is being taken. However, I still cannot help but feel trepidation regarding the unknown. Will I escape unharmed, full of wonder and delight from sheer computing bliss? Or will I be sucked into yet another morass of OS over-engineering? Alright. Enough of that. If nothing else, I hope to learn something new and immerse myself in yet another way of doing things. While I have read a lot of reviews, critiques and marketing jargon, I … [Continue reading...]

Why you don’t trust your software developer

November 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
developer-like-mechanic

Do you trust your mechanic? If so, why? We have a hard time relying on a mechanic unless we have some first hand knowledge or a recommendation to use a particular shop. The reason usually is because we don't fully understand what the mechanic does. Do I really need that part? Does it really take that long to replace it? We have never done it so we do not have a point of reference for comparison. So we rely on recommendations from friends or relatives to make what we hope is a good choice. The circumstances are similar when working with technical workers. You recognize the need for help, but are unsure how to qualify prospective partners. Do they really know what they are doing? Am I getting my money's worth? Are they billing me for time … [Continue reading...]

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