ThomasWoodsWebDesign.com specializes in web services for small businesses (who don't necessarily have their own IT dept.), authors, community groups, and individuals who want or need either a web site, a personalized email address, or other web services. This specialization has grown out of several years' experience working with customers who are self-proclaimed "computer illiterates" and others who would rather spend their time focused on their business, writing, or personal life than trouble-shoot web and email setups.
Busy At WorkBecause many people aren't sure what they want or need to put on the web, or have an idea of what they want, but don't necessarily know what else would be available to them, I spend some time talking to each customer to get to know them and how I could best serve them. For some customers, I've set up sites so that they don't have to worry about updating it themselves, but others who want to make frequent updates can do so without a lot of technical training. (And we use plain English, not techno-geek-speak, when we provide tech support and training.)
WordPress LogoWoodsWebDesign.com also specializes in setting up web sites using the WordPress platform. It is an open-source program that runs on the server, so people don't need to install special software on their computers to use it. WordPress allows web site owners to keep adding more info, photos, etc., to their web sites, without having to contact their webmaster to make those changes. While it is most commonly used for blogging, it is a great content management system that can be used by non-bloggers to maintain the freshness of their web sites.
WordPress allows web site owners to log in and make updates themselves, with a user-friendly interface and plenty of formatting options. The program is designed for bloggers, so it also has the option of allowing visitors to web sites leave comments for the site owner, which the site owner can either allow to be published immediately, or set up the site so that comments are moderated by the site owner. Most web site owners control the comments on their web sites to keep junk out, such as inappropriate words, links to completely unrelated web sites, and advertisements.
WoodsWebDesign.com produces new video tutorials for WordPress users, showing visually and with narrated instructions how to add photos, edit previously posted pages, etc. Because web sites are such a visual medium, we've found that it can sometimes be difficult to follow text-only written instructions, and video tutorials are much more effective and user friendly.
