All In The Words

Work on my new, advanced journalism website is well under way. I'm aiming to produce a site that can stand aside those of the finest produced by regional papers.

I've already set up a demo front page which, when finalised, will be templated to make life easier, it's flowing nicely at the moment.

I'm learning a lot in the process. For example I used to have awful trouble with tables but now I've befriended rows and columns and, to my relief, they're doing what I tell them!

There's so many things to consider when assembling this site; from character size and font to the size of the site name and where to place search engines and adverts. The good news is I'm well on my way.

My project has gathered extra momentum courtesy of my great friend Fred Brenton (otherwise known as The Canton Ranter!)

Fred has just started a new business, All In The Words, a company that specialises in web writing, training and consultancy services (see links).

Fred and I had a marvellous two hour chat last night about the ins and outs of strong, clear web design. We decided to meet in early August and spend a day sharing our knowledge. It should be good. I'll be able to help Fred with my albeit limited knowledge of design, Fred will help me with layout, web writing and all round usability.

I'm excited about this because as we spoke last night a number of lights switched on in my mind.

For example I suddenly realised how to title a web page so that when it appears on the screen the hideous "Untitled Document" message does not appear. It's a simple task this but, you know, sometimes one doesn't notice the obvious, it takes collaboration to open the eyes.

Fred also gave me excellent tips on how to maximise my existing sites' chances of appearing at the top of a Google search. (A timely tip let me tell you!)

I'm determined to produce a workable journalism site by the end of August. It will be one that can display film, adverts, sound and pix. A site that presents news and features in an ultra accessible way.

Fred's going to advise me, offering a golden second opinion on my work in progress. And you know what? It's gonna be marvellous!

(When I said goodbye to Fred last night, at 1.30am, the first thing I did was title all my Untitled Documents on both my freelance and Startree site. That's inspiration for you! I've got a real spring in my step this morn. Slowly but surely my mediocre efforts are being banished, it's time to produce work to compare with the best of 'em!)