I try to be the “Do It Yourself” kind of gal, in everything from electrical wiring to landscaping to blog design. But some things are way over my head. And if you run any kind of small (or large) business, not only is content management and Web Design over our heads, oftentimes we do not have the time or resources to put everything together. And take it from me– a classless, sloppily-built design or e-commerce site makes a very, very bad impression indeed.
Thus, with this in mind, I’ll put a bug in your ear if you have need of some help: Great Minds Design. They are a top-notch company based in Los Angeles and London, comprising of a brilliantly talented, motivated group of designers and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) geeks. They will create your website’s unique, creative, and functional web design; will code your design with the latest web technology; and build the site so that it is search-engine friendly and easily read by all the major search engine bots (Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Bing).
If the Great Minds Design website is any precursor to what is to be found in the talent of the company, then Great Minds is superior! The web site is very, very classy! Check out the portfolio to get an idea of their style and service offered. Looks great! You can visit their website, or call their offices: in Los Angeles: +1 310 425 9639; London: +44 (0) 7796 955 335.
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Tags: content management, web design, websites
Avatars are becoming a very hot commodity, and in some arenas, a critical one. I use a very old photograph of an ancestor for my avatar, but I’ve been toying with using a different one. I’m not comfortable plastering my own photo all over the Internet… and those Yahoo avatars are just awful, I think. But with many of us building an online presence- be it through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or whatever– an avatar that represents who you are is important. Making that visual association is extremely important for pro-bloggers, too.
So imagine my delight and surprise when I visited MrsToon.com, where you can make your own avatar! Besides having a terrific name for a domain, the site is pretty neat! This is totally cool! You upload your photo and Mrs. Toon will hand-draw the photo into a catroon avatar. The price is right, too!! But if you don’t want to shell out the bucks, you can enter Mrs. Toon’s contest here to win a free avatar. You can check out Mrs. Toon on Twitter, and her Facebook page is here.
Tags: avatars, social networks
Hmm, well I sure hate to classify myself, but… this looks like a site I will need to frequent! ha! This is a site by fellow Entrecarder and CMF member, Lindsayanng. She’s a “girlie geek” who has tutorials about web design, and often reviews other blogs. She’s turning the tables a little– holding a contest for people who will review her blog! It’s the web design for idiots 500 free business card giveaway contest. Try your hand at reviewing her site, it’s not a difficult task — she’s looking for honest reviews! And the prizes are very nice: First prize is 500 business cards designed by the girlie geek herself. Second prize is a free 8×10 fine art print from bscphoto.com.
I like the blog, I recently came across it. I am a “self-made” geek as well, learning everything by trial and error and through tutorials on the Internet. I think there are a number of us gals around the ‘Net like that. 
Back to the contest: the winner be chosen by Lindsayanng, who will use her incredible geeky powers of discrimination and taste, and she will judge according to your content, suggestions, and writing style. Use good grammar and spelling, too. Be sure to email Lindsayanng (reviews@webdesignforidiots.net) and leace a comment at the blog post to ensure she is aware of your magnus opus. Have fun!
Tags: blogs, contest, geeks, web design
