26 July 2008
I have a horrible confession to make I've been looking at ways to create a web site WITHOUT SEMANTIC. I know, but before you turn away in disgust, let me explain...My wife Wendy is a brilliant Wildlife Artist who has recently begun painting again. Thus Wendy Warren Wildlife Art was born, and needs a web site... and of course everyone seems to think that Semantic will just knock her up a great one.
But life is not so simple. Semantic doesn't just work with anyone. We have a number of criteria which potential clients must meet in order to be eligible and, to be blunt, Wendy's startup business fails most of them. This was never going to be a Semantic project. We were on our own.
False modesty aside, I know what I am doing with web sites. I have a natural aptitude for certain parts of the process and almost fifteen years experience leading project teams. However I am not and have never been a web designer or programmer. It's not where my strengths lie.
So here I was, just like everyone else who needs a web site (and can't hire Semantic)... stuck looking for a solution. Only in my case it was worse, because I knew what was possible.
But let's be realistic, all we needed was a simple, content managed solution that would give us enough flexibility to make Wendy and I happy. We looked at:
• www.squarespace.com
• www.goodbarry.com
• Sandvox from Karelia Software
• www.apple.com/iweb
And loads more.
Let me be clear here. These are great great services, and GoodBarry in particular is very impressive... but I am spoilt. Spoilt by working with talented flexible designers and coders, spoiled by web sites that are easy to amend, Google friendly, and compliant. Everyone of these other solutions felt like a straight-jacket in comparison.
So... of course, I cheated. The Wendy Warren Wildlife site is a Semantic site in all but name. It's based on our code and run using our rules. Sure the design would be much better if one of the guys had done it... but this is a great start for Wendy, and a reminder (to me) of why bespoke design and development is worth it's weight in gold.
If you have an interest in Wildlife Art, or know someone who does, check it out. And in return I promise to learn my lesson :-)
Nick
P.S. Thanks to Truly Ace for tipping me the wink.
Posted by Nick Warren at 11:53 AM
