A Sad Confession
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
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Please welcome Katherine Rose Gillett
25 July 2008
Just a quick note to say huge congratulations to Mike, Alison and little Matthew on the birth (yesterday) of their daughter/younger sister, Katherine Rose Gillett.Naturally Mike will be absent for a while as he and Alison grapple with the question that plagues all parents of two children... how is it that we are so hopelessly outnumbered?
Much love to you all from Semantic.
Posted by Nick Warren at 7:08 PM
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Semantic visits the Spa
18 July 2008
Some may say that we at Semantic are relaxed and beautiful enough... but we beg to differ, which is why we are really chuffed to announce our latest client, the exclusive Foxhills HealthSpa in Surrey.Situated within the grounds of the fabulous Foxhills estate the new Healthspa is the culmination of a £6 million development programme. The Spa opens its doors at the start of August, and we'll have a dedicated web site live in the next couple of months.
In the meantime do please enjoy the Foxhills HealthSpa.... we are off to get a massage. Bliss.
Nick
P.S. If like us you enjoy indulging yourself... or know someone who does, signing up to the launch newsletter will bag you 25% off your first Foxhills HealthSpa Treatment. Terms and Conditions apply of course, but don't say we never give you anything.
Posted by Nick Warren at 1:21 PM
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Our New Phone Numbers
11 July 2008
There comes a time when every enormously successful business outgrows it's phone system... and friends, that time has come.From today, Friday 11th July, Semantic is moving to a new and very clever IP phone system. Here are the new numbers:
• Nick: 023 80 111 542
• Mike: 023 80 111 543
• Chris: 023 80 111 544
• Neil: 023 80 111 545
• Semantic General Number: 023 80 111 540
• Fax: 023 80 111 541 – Semantic Fax
Of course we hope that the migration will go smoothly, but this is technology, so hold onto your hats. The old numbers will forward to the new ones for at least a month, but please please please update your address books accordingly.
Thank-you,
Nick
Posted by Nick Warren at 11:01 AM
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The Magic of Stories
03 July 2008
My little girl, Abbey, was five last week, so we had a party. Five is a big deal birthday so the boat was duly pushed out... big hall, lots of friends, and a Magician! I don't know who was more excited, Abbey or I.But wait, why am I wasting time telling you about my five year old's birthday party, and her magician?
• It isn't that the magic show was brilliant, although it was.
• It isn't that AndyCadabra was polite and cheerful, although he was.
• It isn't that Abbey had a lovely time, although she did.
These are all things that you might have guessed, or taken for granted. We expect a magician to be good, polite and cheerful. We expect a little girl to have a good time at her birthday party. These are nice details and utterly unremarkable. For AndyCadabra, doing great magic shows for kid's parties is an everyday thing.The problem is that "everyday things" don't spread. I might tell a few interested people that Abbey had a great time, or that the magician was fun. But not many. On it's own it's unremarkable.
But here's the thing. Andy did do something other than put on a great magic show. He spent an hour (an HOUR!) entertaining Abbey and her brother before the party even started. He laughed with them, joked with them and even (God help him) let them help! It was way beyond the call of duty. While Wendy and I ran around with balloons and cakes (and yes, some degree of panic) he took the kids off our hands.
That was something we didn't expect, and because of that it's remarkable.
For most of us, web developers included, being good at what we do is just the price of admission. If we want our name, our reputation or our brand to spread, we need to be remarkable. No one tells stories about "good web developers".
And stories are the magic ingredient when it comes to spreading ideas. Humans rarely share facts, but we are story-telling machines. We'll tell stories all day, and the Internet has magnified this a thousand fold. Now, when a remarkable story gets told online it gets blogged, or dug, or linked to, or commented upon.
AndyCadabra is telling a great story, and because of that I've been telling it too. The question is what stories are your clients telling about you?
Posted by Nick Warren at 3:36 PM
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