GreenLife Designs

Les Paul Honored by Google

Angela — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:43:44 +0000

We love seeing Google put out new doodles and think today's is just fabulous. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out!

In memory and celebration of Les Paul on his 96th birthday, today's Google doodle is an electric guitar designed in typical Google logo fashion. But what makes this doodle so great is that you can actually play a tune, record it and share it with a friend! It creates a link automatically to your recording, which you can then copy and paste into an email, chat, Facebook update, etc. It's a neat little surprise to come across while working.

In case you're not familiar with Les Paul, he was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was considered a pioneer in the development of the solid body guitar, which we know as the electric guitar, and is credited for The Gibson Les Paul, one of the world's most popular electric guitars.

If that's no help, then have a listen. Who doesn't just love Les Paul and Mary Ford?

On a technical note, this is a great example of the use of web technology. As Google writes, "the doodle was made with a combination of JavaScript, HTML5 Canvas (used in modern browsers to draw the guitar strings), CSS, Flash (for sound) and tools like the Google Font API, goo.gl and App Engine."

In case you miss it (the doodle will only be up for 24 hours), here's a demonstration video.

DIY Websites - Pros & Cons

Angela — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 16:52:33 +0000

Recently, we've had a few clients come to us looking for help with websites they've created themselves. From build-it-yourself sites to turnkey templates, the story is nearly always the same. They've taken advantage of online tools that promise to help build a website with "no coding knowledge needed".

There's no doubt that we've all wanted to accomplish something by ourselves, and there's definitely nothing wrong with wanting to save a few bucks. I found myself in this same situation a few months ago when I decided to tackle my own plumbing repair. Needless to say, it didn't go as expected and I ended up at Home Depot begging a plumber to follow me home and fix my mess.

In the case of DIY websites, many come to realize their websites are just not performing as they'd hoped. Rather, they're proving to be time consuming, inflexible and lacking results. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that they may not be adequate for some. So, in this post we're going to take an open-minded look at pros and cons of DIY websites.

Pros

Inexpensive

Many online tools cost a few dollars a month and some are even free, so your expense here is essentially your time. Calculate your "hourly rate" and multiply it by the estimated number of yours you'll spend to determine your cost.

Fun Project

Yes, that's right. Some of us actually enjoy this kind of work. If you're looking for a hobby project to fill your free time, you might just enjoy building your own website.

Sense of Accomplishment

When it's all said and done, if you're happy with what you've created, then you'll surely be glowing and might even deserve a trophy!

Customization

Given that you're not limited by your skills, you have complete control of your site. Your color scheme can be lime green, purple and orange with hot pink headings. It's all YOU!

Cons

Expensive

Given the amount of time required to make your site acceptable, the end cost of your DIY website may be more than that of a professional website. Add to that lost opportunity costs, and a it may be an expensive learning experience.

Time Consuming

A simple task that might take a professional 10 minutes may very well take you an hour. And without adequate skills, you're likely to become frustrated in the process.

Unprofessional

If your site doesn't look professional, your visitors may not have confidence in your business, and they probably won't be back again soon.

Poor Rankings

Many DIY'ers fail to realize that without properly marked up and optimized code, search engines may pass over their site. Businesses and income producing websites simply cannot afford to risk not being found online.

Our Conclusion

So what's our verdict? Overall, we tend to think DIY websites are great if you're looking to create a simple website for a relative's birthday party or a photo gallery of your latest vacation to share with friends. But, if you're a business, a professional individual or looking to make money from your website, we believe it's well worth the investment to hire a professional for the job.

What's your opinion? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.

New Shoes At Last

GreenLife Designs — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:08:53 +0000

As the old saying goes, the cobbler's children go barefoot. The theory is that because he's so busy mending the shoes of others, he doesn't have time to repair those of his own family.

Well, we've felt a little like the cobbler's children ourselves lately. While we haven't actually gone barefoot (it’s a little too chilly this time of year), we have been guilty of not updating our own website. But those days have come to an end! By squeezing in some extra time here and there, we’ve finished our own website redesign and are happy to launch it.

With our new website, we're looking forward to keeping you posted on our latest news, and we hope to be adding more features in the near future. So, check back soon and often, or subscribe by email or with RSS. If there's anything particular you'd like to see, drop us a line and let us know!