Is CMS the Only Way to Go in Web Design Services?

            I went to a very interesting workshop last Friday.  Of course, it was really a sales pitch for a Web design firm – yes, a competitor.  But it was really interesting and informative.  I know as a small Web design firm, I need to change my business model in order to compete with the changing market, but I have put some thought into one thing they said more than once:  We have to move into content management systems in order to remain competitive.

            Although more and more people are interested in the ability to change and add content to their sites themselves, there is still a big segment of small businesses who want someone else to do it, or they change their content so infrequently that they would rather pay someone else to do it.

            Who wouldn’t really benefit from CMS? 

Companies with static Web sites:  If a business’s Web site changes infrequently, the extra cost of a CMS may not be justified.  For instance, how well do you remember how to do something that you do infrequently?  I would be frustrating for someone who is not too tech savvy to go in and relearn each time how to change a site.  So if the site is really just an online brochure with contact information, a CMS isn’t an advantage.  I have one client who comes to me about once every 5 years and has me make a bunch of changes.  Someone else designed the site long ago, and they contract with me when they want to make changes.

Companies whose owner just isn’t interested in doing it himself:  Many of my clients just don’t want to have to worry about changing their Web sites and learning yet one more new thing.  They want to concentrate on growing their businesses and they don’t have the staff to delegate the job to.  Whatever their reasons, I respect them, and I value their business.

            So while, I am moving towards offering sites using CMS, I will still continue to offer traditional Web design and maintenance for those clients who prefer I do it all for them.  After all, I’m a business owner who wants to stay viable and wants to have customers.  Customer service is what I offer.

Low Tech Has its Place in My Life

            I have to admit, I love gadgets.  And I wish I had the money to invest in a lot more of them, but I spend so much of my time looking at technology because of Web design and teaching online and my membership with the Carroll Technology Council, that I forget to mention low tech tools that are useful that and I simply won’t give up.

Whiteboards

            In our kitchen, I have a whiteboard next to the kitchen door where we write notes to ourselves, list grocery shopping items and the money owed our kids for the chores completed.  I used to clip lists to the refrigerator, but it started looking junky and disorganized, so I went to the whiteboard instead, and we have all been happy with it.  I used a whiteboard in my office too for the same sort of things.

Monthly Planner

            Now, my high tech friends make fun of me for this, but I still have a paper monthly planner that I lug around to meetings and refer to often in my office.  I do make use of Outlook’s calendar and tasks features especially for paying bills and other things I need to remember far into the future.  But I like the old fashioned paper calendar because it give me a visual cue for time – I have a better sense of time when I can see the whole month at once.  I also like how easy it is to erase or cross out a change.  And I love that I can take it anywhere or leave it behind.

Spiral Notebook

            Again, my tech savvy friends mock me, but I find inspiration in spiral notebooks. With a piece of paper, my creativity comes out.  I don’t concern myself so much with how many clicks to get where I want.  Instead, I can scribble, doodle, draw, cross out and just plain creative with a pencil or pen.  I write constantly.  Sometimes a computer will do, but other times, I find myself more peaceful and creative with paper.  That goes for graphic design as well.  My hand is so much more steady with a pencil than it will ever be with a mouse!

Business Card

            Yes, I know all the rage is electronic business cards, but there’s nothing wrong with old fashioned business cards.  One clear advantage that they have over any of their high tech cousins?  You can write on the back of a traditional business card and add any type of information you need on the spot for your new contact.

            None of these low tech tools cost me efficiency or slows me down.  They are all familiar and dear friends, and I haven’t yet found a high tech gadget that works better than any of these.

Google Cloud Print Is a Good Solution for Businesses on the Go

            A friend of mine who runs a landscaping business asked me an interesting question.  Much of their office work is done in their house by her – bookkeeping, billing, accounting… You get the picture.  Much of their business is run out of their shop where they keep most of their equipment.  It is also the place where their crew gathers before the work day begins.  Every morning, she and her husband give out the job assignments for the day, and their workers go out to the job sites and work.

            There are some mornings when she would like to skip going to the shop and give out the written job schedules remotely.  She wanted to know if there was a printer out there that would allow her to print from her computer or iPad at home to their shop.  She had found HP’s ePrint, and the idea was born.

            She was onto something, although as it stands, HP’s ePrint can’t do it alone.  ePrint will let one print from anywhere in the home from any electronic device.

            What she needed is Google Cloud Print.  Google has technology that allows you to print from anywhere with any device to your printer at home or at the office. 

            One of the interesting aspects is that you don’t even have to have the printer hooked up to a PC or laptop.  Google Cloud Print can work with a Cloud Ready printer – a printer that has the ability to connect directly to the Web without requiring a PC.  In fact on Google’s site, they give you a list of Cloud Ready Printers by HP, Kodak, Epson, Canon, Samsung, and FedEx.  The FedEx option is a whole other benefit.

            It looks like these days, there is a solution for just about any option a small business might come up with that won’t break the bank.