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Web Design and Building. |
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It wasn't until recently that I actually started to look at teaching myself to design and build websites with the view of getting a bit of pocket money to supplement my pension.I did do a site for Ding Bob Trikes over 10 years ago which started of with one page and finished up having a few hundred. We eventually got it to show up in the top 3 in all search engines for a number of keywords and because of it Bob started exporting Trikes and Kits but when Bob sold the business he also sold the website so I haven't touched it for a couple of years. You need to understand how my mind was working at the beginning of my current stay here at the Quadriplegic Centre in Shenton Park in 2001-2002. My confidence was way down and I was pretty much scared to take on anything. I put together a draft website for the Paraplegic Quadriplegic Association including the Civilian Maimed and limbless Association off my own bat and offered to build it and update it for nothing. The Paraplegic Quadriplegic Association and the Quadriplegic centre are run by two different board of directors but have the same CEO. When I showed him the draft of the website I had made I was scared shitless as I badly needed some form of positive affirmation for my existence. I was a big boost to my confidence when I got the go ahead to continue to work on the site and the CEO arranged for one of his staff to work with me. We met once and I went out and bought a Lexar 1Gig JumpDrive which cost me $100 at the time so that we could transfer information from my computer and then I heard nothing more and because my confidence and self esteem was so low I didn't follow it up. A bit later when I was Googling for nothing in particular would you believe I came across a new site for the Paraplegic-Quadriplegic Association. I am guessing that they paid good money for that site which could have gone to help me to buy better software than I had. I was using FrontPage 2003 at the time. This site is built with FronPage 2003 but all my newer ones are being built with Dreamweaver CS4. It wasn't until August of 2008 that I got the reason why I wasn't asked to continue with the website in a letter from the CEO dated 27th August 2008 which said "You make comment in relation to the Association's website and I acknowledge your interest in the matter. In regard to expertise, and the time and availability of Association Officers, a decision was made to obtain professional support to enable the project to be achieved within an appropriate timetable and to facilitate the lack of time availability of Association Officers in meeting project outcomes. If the decision or basis for the decision was not communicated to you, or that you feel aggrieved in this regard, then I unreservedly apologise". What a load of old codswabble: The old site had been up for years, was full of outdated material, and was advertising products that that were no longer being made as this was around the time that most of the businesses run by the Paraplegic Quadriplegic Association were being dismantled. In particular the Cabinet Making venture and the Welding department. This was only bought to the CEO's attention by me so why the sudden hurry? Apart from that I already had all the necessary information about the Paraplegic Quadriplegic Association, Para-Quad Industries and the Civilian Maimed and Limbless Association which I gleaned from brochures etc supplied to me by the then DON who was very supportive of my doing a draft website as it was keeping me busy. She was particularly interested in the Nursing side of things at the Quadriplegic Centre which I had included in my Draft Site and which isn't in the one they paid for. The site that is now up is very basic and I could have had something similar up and running within a couple of weeks while I continued to improve on it over time. Remember this wasn't going to cost the Association anything. However, they opted to pay for a website to be done outside. This money could have helped me upgrade my web design and building software. While I was using FrontPage 2003 I now have Adobe Dreamweaver Web Design CS4 which costs around $3,000.
None of this apparently applies to me.....there is also more on this attitude in the HO Model Train layout pages. It's ironic that I was given a 'go' by businesses outside of the Quadriplegic Centre or the Paraplegic-Quadriplegic Association and I would like to thank the following businesses for giving me the chance that the Paraplegic-Quadriplegic Association didn't give me: Originally I was using FrontPage 2003 to build the websites but now use Dreamweaver. Here are sites that I have designed and built in order. Hopefully you will see a little improvement. I designed the Archery Society of WA website using
FrontPage 2003 I designed and built a website for the Floreat Tavern with FrontPage 2003 before they changed hands. I used Dreamweaver for the following sites. This is our Archery Club website which I designed
and look after. Fast-Tech Motorsport / Lenzo Karts Australia Eazy
Drive Mobility Advanced Visual Technicians (O) Advanced Visual Technicians (T) I have invested in a number of online courses to learn how to better design and build websites including LearnWebDevelopment which I found to be one of the better ones for Adobe Adobe Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Flash. I also subscribe to Kelbytraining.com.
I am also studying Search engine Optimization and
Affiliate Marketing which is keeping me pretty busy at the moment
and this this is ongoing.... |
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| A Bloody Paraplegic John Dwyer |
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