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MondoDyne Web Works: Development, Maintenance, Usability, Standards

I am an Ann Arbor-based creator of websites. I build, code, and maintain web sites for my many clients. I specialize in updating old and broken sites and upgrading them to web standards using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). I also specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the art of making your web site as Google-friendly as possible.

Back in 1994, I downloaded the specs for HTML 1.0 from CERN and built and hosted the original UM School of Music site, running it from a Macintosh 6100 in my office. The site featured sound and video from student performances, as well as music ("Hail to the Victors") played on the Baird Carillon. I have been working the web ever since.

I produce pages that hit the web quickly and download as fast as possible. I write pages using a text editor (BBEdit), believing I can do a better job of coding than any of the WYSIWYG products out there. I adhere to web standards and work to ensure my pages look their best in modern browsers, and work in older ones. I process my graphic work in Photoshop CS and have extensive experience in producing good-looking pictures that download quickly. I can work from hard copy via a scanner, or from any digital format - jpeg, tiff, etc. I am also a digital photographer, and am experienced in producing product photography for the web.

Audio

I have extensive experience providing compressed audio files for the web. Examples may be heard at:

Video

I have a small video rig and have produced QuickTime movies for the web, visible at:

QTVR

I have produced QuickTime Virtual Reality files, which give a 360° view of surroundings:

There is an article about this at:
http://mondodyne.com/1newsite/b2b/smbiznet.30.shtml

Animation

I can produce animated gifs that are extremely small in file size, ideal for banners, etc. Here is an example of this:
(You may need to refresh your page to see)

This animation weighs in at 8K

Copy Writing

I am an experienced technical writer, having written a series of monthly columns for Ann Arbor Area Business Monthly since 1998. I write a lot of the copy that appears on my various sites, working with my clients to get their message across in a format that works for the web. I am very experienced in editing client-supplied text to correct spelling, grammar, and over-all legibility.

Policies and Practices

Once a new site has been agreed upon, I work with the client to determine a site plan and general layout of the pages. Draft pages are posted to my web site for client approval. Once these pages have been approved, the site is built and once finished and approved, moved to the client's site.

I don't provide hosting services, but work with several local and national ISPs. I can make a recommendation based on your needs. If you already have a site that needs maintenance, additions, or fixing, I will work with your ISP to make the updates.

I can work with your design person and existing logos, etc., or come up with creations from scratch. If you have your own designer on staff , I prefer to receive graphics as layered Photoshop files, but can work with anything.

Updates to sites are done very quickly, usually within 24 hours, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes, depending on the changes involved and my schedule. I don't charge for changes that take less than 5 minutes to accomplish.

If you wish to update your site yourself, I can train you in the intricacies of FTP and such. But most clients are content to have me do them. You email me a typo fix or changed paragraph, I do the update. Most of my clients are long-term repeat business; I have been running my oldest client's site since 1998.

To communicate with me about your site, I have a recommended procedures page in the form of an article I wrote for B 2 B Magazine at:

Fees

My fee is $80 per hour. This covers coding, writing, photography, sound recording, training, and anything else involved in site creation. I bill on the first of the month. Invoices are net 14 days. I can invoice via email (preferred) or snailmail. Large projects may require a deposit, to be discussed as we set up our working relationship.

Examples

Here are some of the sites I have created and coded from scratch:

I have updated and/or re-written the code for these sites:

I have worked with designer Jane DeLancey and have coded these sites which she designed:

Holly Fischer, Medical Illustrator, designed her own site, which I coded:

(The object I am balancing on my finger at the right is a Mac mouse. I get questions about this all the time from Windows users.)