About
This Site
This site is my general all around home on the web, for both my web services and for my personal use. It’s not a site for developers and geeky types; instead it’s a place I hope non-techies feel comfortable talking to and learning from a geek. It’s also where I keep track of myself, my documents, my friends and my day to day life….and let you peek in, too.
Me, Professionally
I’m not really a web designer, or a developer, or a tech support specialist, or a server administrator, or a researcher, a marketer, a secretary or the IT girl- I’m kinda all of those things. I’m a webmaster and online assistant…someone who takes all the parts and pieces that make a working website, and puts it all together. I’m a creator, a maker, a cobbler, a wrangler, and a manager. I hesitate to call myself a web designer or developer, because that’s not all I do, and the term isn’t always well defined; nor is it always the focus of what I do. Sometimes my work doesn’t even involve a website at all.
What I Do
I make, manage, and assist with useful websites, from start to finish or just bits and pieces. I wrangle all the parts and pieces together - the domain names, and hosting, and name servers, and email servers, and google adwords, and CMS programs, and affiliate programs, and logos, and online maps…and turn them into a working website that real world, non technical people can use from both ends. I make it myself, find someone to make it, or find an open-source alternative; I make the parts work together, I document, I edit, I organize, I plan. I manage.
My approach to visual design is artistic; but my approach to creating a site is first practical, then methodical. I believe strongly in web standards, but also know that sometimes strict adherence isn’t what’s best for my client. I’m not here to reinvent the wheel, but to bolt it on securely. I really enjoy leaving my clients with the feeling that they can use their own website; and that I as a designer am not here to lord control of the information they need from them, but to help them gain control over it. My approach is to bridge the gap between tech-speak and the rest of the world; and try to provide services that give useful technical help and information to the non-geek- the rest of the world. This embodies my approach to my work. It’s not about my cool code. It’s about what your website can do for you, and how well.
My virtual assistant services grew out of a need to clearly define work that wasn’t design work, but was still necessary to my client’s success on the web. As someone who works on, and uses the web daily; I’ve discovered many shortcuts, tricks, and little known tools. And I’ve become friends and family’s default go-to-girl for solutions ranging from help with a specific search, installing software and troubleshooting networking trouble, to locating appropriate contacts for a company. I want my clients to benefit from the web, and am always looking for ways to increase productivity on the internet. To that end, I also provide my expertise as an online assistant, with everything from sending pictures through email, to formatting a document, to setting up a Remote Desktop Connection.
Me, Personally
Aside from my life as a geek, I’m a single mother, cat owner, older sister, and Austinite. I keep myself busy mostly with my parental duties. I also sew corsets, paint and draw and make things, garden, dance, camp, travel, attend live music and various ‘weird’ Austin events, and have an active social life. I love people and history, and I’m always trying to learn. The older I get the more I realize how little I know. I’m the kind of person who thinks actions speak louder than words, and I think that comes through in all that I do.
I look forward to helping you get the most out of your website and online experience soon. I really welcome commenters, emails, and user involvement in general….that’s more than half the fun. When doing so, please retain civility if you expect the same from me. I reply to business messages with first priority, generally within 24 business hours or less. I do not guarantee any email responses on Saturdays or Sundays…even geeks need to get away from the computer, and I try to do so on at least one of those days each week, completely.
