And here is why (click for larger version)…
(I’m not talking about the crappy photography here but rather the site itself)
(note: I meant to post this about a month ago, but it never made it to the live blog for some reason…whoops!)
8 Replies to “Do not, ever, ever, DIY”
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but i designed & coded my site!
disclaimer : i’ve been a web developer for 10 years now 😉
rocksteady,
danno~
just awful, there are so many things wrong here I do not even know where to start.
My favorite is, of course, the (ahem) provessional results.
-Leslie
Sure it sux but you gotta think about the type of people that work for or own construction companies. Most of the people are just simple folk that are used to a world being a place that if you do good work you will always be working.
Sadly many photographers thought the same thing but in reality its not enough to have good work and a good site. You have to tell people about what it is you do and who you are…often many times before they see you. Many people look at my but not many actually see what I’m up to and I market pretty hard.
Its sad that these people that often make good products and services are gonna be hurting with their business because they dont get it but hey thats biz and if you dont get it then someone else will.
On the Web development side of my business life, I specialize in university-based STEM programs. (STEM stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.”)
Sorry to say, but a lot of STEM sites make your construction example look pretty.
And that’s where I come in. One of the things I tell my potential clients is that it’s important to make their research efforts look as good as possible. Especially to grant funders.
Leslie —
For me, DIY is a question whether I have more money or time available. Of course, these days I have more time than money. So I recently recoded my portfolio site (sylarena.com) and my blog (pixsylated.com). I used WordPress (blogging software) and a handful of WP plugins. The total upfront cost of the coding software — $0. WP is all shareware. So I send what I can when I can to the developers who’ve helped me along. The funny thing about all of this is that I now have another channel of service that I can offer to my clients. I can’t create ANY web site. But if they want a simple, clean look — WP can get them there.
@Syl
Unfortunately, I think you are not doing yourself any favors. You are a good example of the problem I am discussing. DIY should not be in your mental choice set just because it is, on its surface, less expensive. That is the WORST reason for DIY, but it is the one most use.
Your portfolio site, while certainly not as bad as many out there, is not of the design and functionality quality I would prefer to see for professional commercial photographers. You are hindering your biz with a site that is only “good enough” rather than the stellar show-off center of marketing attention it should be.
-Leslie
I can’t agree enough with this sentiment. Never touch DIY unless you a hobbist and want to say “my photos are online”. I discovered a forum photoCamel.com which I’m loving. I slammed all the amateurs recommending to each other to code themselves. What an awful idea.
Commenting on an amateur site makes me feel that I can affect change earlier and sooner and to the more impressionable. Maybe then they’ll stay out of our business and not troll (undermine) for free jobs.
I intend if I ever work again (Leslie don’t start – feeling fragile!) to do a LiveBooks or something Interesting story of a photog’s experience moving to LB’s (not to take anyone off Leslie’s site)
http://www.ppmag.com/web-exclusives/2009/02/the-livebooks-process-a-total.html