Colors

• Choose any colors you like: If you are having trouble, then I’d be happy to talk on the phone and play with a color wheel together.
• Color Wheel: I just found a color wheel (but you can use any you’d like). Go to https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/ and play with it. The number will look like #50ebff which is a light blue – typically six digits of letters and numbers.
• Color Scheme: I typically like to have “3 or 4 colors” on a website. Think of it as a color scheme. A primary color (is what I mainly need from you) and then 2 or 3 other colors that blend with it (which you can choose or I can). I’ll take all those colors and use them as needed on the site.

Fonts

• Primary Fonts: There are about 15 primary web fonts including Arial, New Times, Tahoma, … These are the ones that we normally use for “text” on a page in almost every software. I like Arial the best because it’s rounded – soft and readable. But, if you have a preference, just tell me.
• Google Fonts: For all other fonts, go to https://fonts.google.com/ and choose a font or two. These are “web based” and so the software can use any of them. All of the Google Fonts are also “free” so this means we don’t have to pay extra to buy them. These can be used for “Your Company Name” and/or “Titles/Big Lettering” on the site.

Wrote this for a client today and thought others might be interested…!

The post Choosing Colors and a Font for your Website first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

I like the movie. It was good. Not great. But, very good. It wasn’t one that would stand out as a classic, but it was worth watching. I’ve watched it a few times over the years and each time have enjoyed it. One of those, I can watch again kinda movies when I don’t want to think, but I do want to be entertained.

And, then the vision hit me…

At the end of his life, my Dad was always in the hospital or some sort of medical chair somewhere. He died slowly and it was rough. The positive side of him hanging on through all of that was that I went pretty often and took care of him. My parents lived in Las Vegas and my Mom worked full time while taking care of a very sick husband – I’ll add a political statement here that the only reason she worked was for full healthcare. And, it was impossible for her doing double duty.

So, one of those many, many times I spent one of those weeks hanging with him and seeing to his needs, we watched The Count of Monte Cristo. He was sitting in a hospital bed with me at his side. I have no idea what hospital and for what illness. It’s all a blur of that… But, he was in the hospital bed and I was hanging with him.

Now, I’m a talker, but he never was…

My Dad was a weird man. Don’t get me wrong. I loved him and he loved me. But, he was an oddball. He was a technical genius. Big companies hired him to solve things… He taught Mathematics and Science, worked in a Think Tank… I can honestly say, “A genius that couldn’t tell if he was wearing different colored socks”. He had little social skills. Just a good man who worked hard – for his family, his employers, … everyone. So, as a kid, he was hard to talk too. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he had trouble relating. His thought process was not on the level of a kid. I have to emphatically say, it wasn’t for a want of trying. He tried. Just couldn’t think that way.

So, it wasn’t until he was really sick and I was an adult that he could talk to me. His dying time was our time to chat. He wasn’t talkative, but I am. And, we talked. Week after week. Illness after illness… Driving to one doctor visit or another. It’s actually was what was best about the whole time.

This occasion was different though. We were sitting in another hospital and we had little to say. It was near the end of his life. This is my last good memory of him. It’s odd to think that way. But, it is my last really good memory.

I took out my laptop and asked him if he wanted to watch a movie. And, the movie was The Count of Monte Cristo… I remember a single instant. I had seen the movie, so I looked over to him and he had a huge smile on his face.

He died very soon after that. I’ve had trouble reconciling how I feel about the whole experience. I wasn’t sad when he died. I was a bit relieved and don’t want to feel guilty about that. After years of suffering, it was time. It wasn’t an easy end for him.

But, I just remembered that smile. Somehow that changes everything…!

The post The Count of Monte Cristo first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

Dear Client:

There are lots of PayPal scams out there that you need to be very careful of as time goes on. PayPal is like having a Bank Account, and in fact, it is now Linked to your Bank Account. So, if someone gets access, they can do a bit of damage. Since I don’t want you to fall into any of these, I like to tell my clients to be very careful… Here are my tips…

• Login Only at PayPal.com – When in doubt, always go to www.PayPal.com and login directly. If there is an issue or something you need to be concerned about, they will tell you upon entry into your account. Go to their homepage directly and login.
• Never Click on Links in a PayPal Email – Never, ever, ever, ever, ever,… click on a link in a PayPal email even if it is something you are expecting or seems legitimate. The primary way they scam you is to send an email that looks real. Most of the emails you get will say, “Notification of Payment Received” in the subject line after someone pays you. Even with those, DON’T CLICK ON THE LINK. Go to www.PayPal.com and login. It will show you the payment there in the official account.
• Additional Information – If you are ever asked to “provide additional business information” from PayPal, then be very careful. If you are clearly on their website (at www.PayPal.com) and you have initiated it, then fine. But, if you aren’t sure then STOP and call me. Scammers typically try to convince you that there is something wrong with the account and ask you to fill out more info. I’ve had a few clients fall for this all the way to giving Social Security Numbers, Credit Card Numbers, Bank Account, etc… This is all about Identity Theft, and you want to avoid the problems.
• Access Information – I will keep a record of your access information on file. If you change the Password, then obviously I won’t be able to get in and help. But, if you are ever concerned about the safety of the account, the first thing you should do is login and change that Password.

So, there’s my PayPal speech. Just want to keep you safe… If you are ever questioning anything with PayPal, just give me a call and I’ll do my best to help you!

Smiles,

Joe

The post Safety Tips About PayPal first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

This article that I’m writing is me playing around with it to see what I think about it for my clients. My initial response is that it is “a lot harder” mainly because it has more features. The old or “classic” editor was simple. It had just enough features to make your page look good, but not so much that it was complicated for the basic user. My biggest concern right now is that my clients (who are all general users) will find this very confusing… I am hesitant to add it to their sites, but may not have a choice in the long run.

Pieces of Note: The New BLOCKS

Here’s the first edition that is a great addition, but almost too much. They’ve added a “+” (plus symbol) in the top left corner that has a ton of options you can now add like “blocks”. These blocks can organized (reordered) so you don’t just have a big text box editor anymore.

Look at the image below to see some of the options. It’s a rather long list as you go down the slidebar…

You can type normal text as a new block (called “paragraph” – why the heck didn’t they call it “text” or “text block” – duhhh…) as you used to be able to do, but now you could also do something like add a new “image” block, picture “gallery” block, bulleted “list” block, etc… Some great features, but not as easy as clicking on an icon on the toolbar. And, some of the options are named things that I don’t even know what they are without clicking, adding, and playing… Can we say, “Confusing…!”

Way Too Many Options on the Taskbar

Guttenberg has also expanded the standard options on the right side of the editor too. Unfortunately, they currently do NOT have a way for me to customize what is seen (that I can find). It is WAY TOO MUCH for the basic user.

In the past, there was a simple dropdown in the top right corner called “Settings” that allowed me (the web designer) to clean out the options on the editor page. I slim it down for my clients to “simplify” their experience. Too many options scares regular people. The options are all in there, but I take out things that would confuse them and break it down to what they will naturally use each time they come in to work on their content.

Look at this Taskbar and tell me it isn’t too much.

So, for example, if my client doesn’t have “comments” activated on their site, I removed “discussion” because there will be no discussion. I can’t do that anymore and so this is one more confusing item my clients are going to say, “What the heck does this do…?”

Do any of you know what “Shared Layout” or “Title Control” is…? I do, but I don’t expect my clients to ever touch it. So, I remove it. I won’t be able to do that anymore now.

In Conclusion…

In conclusion… I like the concept of what WordPress is aiming for with Guttenberg. They want their editor to be more powerful. But, they haven’t gotten it USER FRIENDLY yet. They don’t give me the web designer a clear way to simplify things and the options are in confusing places. They’ve broken the wheel of simple editor and didn’t keep to their own standards. For a web designer like myself, more options are great. For people who simply want to post a quick article with a picture – this is WAY TOO MUCH.

If I add this, I’m in for tons and tons of Tech Support Questions. If I don’t, then the software is falling behind… WordPress is going too far. They are violating my “Techno Babble” rules that make things too hard for a normal person to use. Sigh… I’m not sure how to handle this yet, but I’m not happy about the new additions.

Simple really is better sometimes!

The post The New WordPress Editor | Is “Guttenberg” Right for You? first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

The goal when providing Tech Support for a website, my small window of the computer universe, is to know just a bit more about it all then the clients.  To figure out all of the pieces that are thrown at me each time I sit down at the computer.  You all do it too in your jobs and each of us in a sense becomes an “expert” in our little corner of the computer universe.  Clearly, you can’t know it all even in your own field.  But, you can know just enough more than the average person who isn’t spending their days in that realm.  It smooths the road…

And, this is where personalized service comes in…  It’s all about knowing the tips and providing it to the clients in an understandable way…

Client Conversation

A client sent me an email that she got from Google pitching to her Google Ads/Sponsored and she had no idea if she was doing them, needing them, or wanted them.  Here’s our conversation:

The Client:  “Thanks for info. No I’ll decline that with them…my budget won’t allow for anymore colts. Glad I asked you…”

My Answer: “Helping you figure this sort of thing out is exactly what I’m here for… If you are confused about something web wise, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll give you my advise and opinion… If I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you that too. Can’t know everything! The whole point of the package you have with me is to try to maintain your site and social media as strong as I can and answer your web questions as best I can too. Have a great day! Joe”

The reason or the question this Client asked is not really the important pieces to this conversation.  It’s that originally there was fear about what to do and she emailed me.  By the time we were done emailing back and forth, she could make her own decision because she understood now what the “techie” part was asking.  I answered without Techno Babble.  I may or may not offer a service to help or tell her that there’s something she can do along with some sort of tip.  In the long run, she was empowered to make the choice that fit her best.

That’s what personalized service – personalized Tech Support is…  It’s getting real help from someone who knows YOU and answers the question in a way you will understand.

Tech Support & Maintenance Plan Options

The post What is Personalized Tech Support? first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

Google Trends is website that allows you to “compare” keywords. The idea is to see which words rank better (or gets you more traffic) than other ones. And, because it’s about “trends” – the results may change over time. So, for example, the word “Deception” may mean relatively nothing until a TV show comes out about it – and then it gets lots of traffic. I like this software because you don’t need to login and it provides a wealth of information – just type something in the “Explore Topics” search bar to start. And then, you can add other keywords to “compare” them to each other. Go to https://trends.google.com to play with it.

Here’s an example that relates to my business.  Notice how much better “web design” does than “website design” or “website designer”.  Guess which one I should be using more frequently in the keywords in my website and social media…?

The post Check Out Google Trends for your SEO first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

Note:  I took out the person’s school and name, but you can fill in your name if this every happens to you!

Hi, NAME!

I got your voice message and email… Thanks for contacting my company. I’ll do my best to give you some info on what can be done…

1. No Quick Fix – I want to start by saying that it is extremely difficult to repair a WordPress website unless you know how it was designed. So, your original web designer would be the best person to successfully fix this sort of thing. If they are unavailable, then I can tell you that it may take hours and hours and hours of work to figure out what is broken. Sometimes the solution is obvious, but usually it’s hard to nail down because it’s thousands of files. So, I typically do not work on that sort of thing. It’s just too difficult to nail down and especially quote you a price on what that would cost. It could end up being more than just starting a new website if the solution is not self-evident.
2. Reinstall from Backups – The first approach I can offer is that if you have Backups going back in time, then the very best thing to do is reinstall the site from before it crashed.
   1. Contact Your Server – The site is clearly down completely right now, so something major happened. See if the server can fix the issue and/or push it back. I’d suggest starting by contacting your SERVER and see if they have any backups. I did a quick lookup and it seems to me that it’s hosted on SERVER NAME HERE. I have no idea what level of account you have, but if they have backups and can push the whole thing back from before any of this happened, then you have a better chance of cleaning it all up. This would be something you can do yourself…
   2. Software Backups – If your web designer was smart, then they have setup Backups to run and they are stored somewhere (like on YOUR SERVER NAME). My company actually requires this sort of Maintenance Plan with every account we work on. It’s just smart. If you find that you do have backups, then we could talk about having me look at those backups and attempt a reinstall. It’s not an easy process and it is all determined on having good backups.
   3. No Backups – If you have no backups, then there’s not much you can do but find someone who will dig through it (which could be expensive) or start over with a new website.
3. Site Analysis – If/once the site is live and working again, then I can do a full “Site Analysis” where I look at what you have, where issues are, … WordPress is all about layers of software and it’s all custom made. EVERY site is completely different. It’s all based on what design theme you have, fancy features (like forms, calendars, …), … as to what is actually in there. So, I can’t tell you what you have at all without looking at it in detail. I charge $400 to do this Site Analysis. This has me look at it and write up a report of what I found.
4. New Website – If all else fails, then we could talk about what it would take to create you a new website.

If you get that far, then we can see what you have and work on a long term plan that gets this working for you with less risk and more stability.

Smiles,

Joe

The post My WordPress Website Crashed – Now What Do I Do…? first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

Note:  I’ve taken out her name/business name – just fill in your own name and business there…

Hey, CLIENT NAME!

If you want to talk about this in person, we can setup a phone meeting. I’m here to help you. But, I’ll try to address it in an email and then we can discuss further as you see fit… So, here goes…

This is a philosophical issue which I’m pretty sure we discussed on our last phone meeting before you had me work on the Facebook Page for you. The question is: Do you want to market “YOUR NAME” or “YOUR BUSINESS NAME”…? It’s really a matter of how you want to look at your business. Your focus now and in the future. If you are being “YOU” and that’s how you plan to approach it in the future, then doing everything through your personal account works fine. If, on the other hand, you want to be “YOUR BUSINESS” then you would want to separate it into a business page – which is what we did.

The reality is that your personal Facebook page should be about personal stuff – family photos and interaction, friends socializing, … This doesn’t mean that you can’t have your clients be “friends” with you or that we can’t have your postings go there too. Hopefully, you do become friends with these people and all of your friends and family will want to know about what you are doing. It’s part of the point and the relationships you hope to build. So, think of your personal Facebook page as that – your personal relationships.

On the flip side, the Facebook page is all about marketing your business. It will take time to build up a “following”… You will want to “invite” your personal friends and family to join you on it. And then, you will want to encourage all of the people that get involved with “YOUR BUSINESS NAME” to follow it (by telling people about it on your website, in your newsletters, at your events/place of business, on your business cards,…). Over time, the numbers will grow and grow – and be strictly about the business marketing elements. So, this will take some marketing effort, but it will represent the “entity” that you are creating… And, Facebook has some elements in the business page that you can’t do as a person… These are all things I can help you with over time and will benefit your business focus long into the future.

So, that’s the way to look at it. I’m fine if you prefer one way over the other… I will feel a little dumb for having created and billed you for something that you might not use if you choose to dump the business page. But, you won’t insult me or anything. I recommend separating them, but that’s the way I look at it. I’m trying to help you lay the foundations for your business that will help you grow over time. But, this decision is all about how you feel your focus needs to be. So, just tell me.

Smiles,

Joe

The post Why a Facebook Business Page over Using my Personal Page? first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

So, the first thing to ask is – How the heck does WordPress work?

WordPress is what is called “Open Source Software” which essentially means that any Developer or Programmer out there can see all the code.  Why is this important?  All of the software on WordPress is written by people from all over the world as a result.  If you can see the code, you can design your own features.  And then, when someone designs something, it can be made available to everyone.  This makes WordPress extremely powerful.  You want a social media feature, someone out there probably designed one the way you want it to be.  So, you can get almost anything – any feature.  But, it also means that WordPress is layers and layers of software.

Here is how WordPress Functions:

• WordPress.org – This is the base software.  It is the operating system much like Apple iOS or Windows 10 on a computer.  It runs the show.  WordPress has a huge Team of Programmers that are always working on their software.  Adding features, fixing bugs, and making it as secure as they can.  So, it needs to be updated regularly.
• Design Theme – This is the software that makes it “look” the way you want.  There are lots and lots of templates out there and lots of companies designing them.  Each one, has a Team of Programmers.  Some teams make awesome software, some not so much.  Some are around a long time, and some go out of business.  Some update their software to match WordPress.org changes, and some do not.  Theme software is mostly stable, but sometimes has to be completely replaced.  In general, it is not as simple as jumping from one theme to the next either.  Pieces need to be rearranged, preferences need to be setup (like all those checkboxes), etc…  So, the Theme software needs maintenance too.
• Plug-ins, Plug-ins, Plug-inssss – The last layer of software is the big, unstable area.  If you want features, then you have to install a Plug-in.  Picture it as an App on your Cell Phone – you search for it, you read reviews, see how many people are using it, and you choose to install it. On a website, this would be for social media, calendars, PayPal buttons, online forms, …  All of them require plugins and it is truly a roll of the dice when you choose which ones to use.  Every plug-in has a Programmer or a Team of Programmers (a company) behind it.  Some good, some not so good.  When you install something, it can be glitchy, can interact badly with something else, can simply fail in the future, or even go out of business and become unavailable.  Plug-ins need LOTS OF MAINTENANCE,.  The more features you install – the more you have to work at it ALL THE TIME.

As you can see, there’s a lot of software that is being updated, changed, and can cause issues.  This is an endless game…

So, what else needs to be maintained?

If you are going to constantly be working on all that software I just mentioned, then you will need to make sure your website is safe.  Things happen.  Things do Crash.  Websites Crash.  Software Crashes.  Web Servers Crash.  So, you have to be prepared to recover and protect.  And, you have to have someone who can recover it, know how to repair (even when they are just guessing), and answer the big tech questions when all of this is confusing.  This is the core of a Maintenance Package.

Here’s How to Do That:

1. Backups, Backups, Backups – If you rely on your server for your backups, you are at risk.  Yes, it’s great if they back things up for you, but I can tell you that no server is safe – they get bought out, they go under financially, and they have huge tech problems when you least expect it.  Just because you are with a big server company doesn’t mean they won’t go under.  It is the nature of it.  So, you want to have multiple backups protecting you off your server space.  This requires backup software running, data storage, and someone to make sure it is working over time.  BACKUPS ARE SOOOO IMPORTANT.
2. Security – We all know that the Internet is a dangerous place.  There is so much hacking, phishing, attacks, and scams.  It’s super-crazy.  So, you have to choose a level of security that fits not only your needs, but gives you the protection you need.  This requires software and someone who pays attentions to its alerts.  It’s not fool-proof.  What on the Internet is…  But, a base level of security is well-worth the time.
3. Tech Support – Okay, so how many of us know everything.  I don’t…  I’m learning and learning, and will never truly be an expert at anything I work on.  It goes too fast.  So, what small business owner wants to take any of their time to learn all that.  Or, even pay attention to it.  This is where having good, personalize Tech Support becomes essential.  This could mean getting a simple answer on something you can’t figure out, or it could go as far as a full recovery of a website.  You gotta have Tech Support!  Even the Tech Support has to have Tech Support!

So, can you give me an example of how this Maintenance Works?

Here’s a real life example of what I’m working on today for my clients.

A lot of my clients have “Slideshows” on their website.  It’s great visually and pictures speak a lot on a site.  I’ve used a number of different Slideshow software – remember that these are the Plug-ins.  Some are ornate (full featured) and some are simplistic (the basic Slideshow).  One of this type of software I like to use is called NexGen Gallery.  I have a bunch of sites with it.

NexGen is one of the biggest companies that I have found working on this sort of software.  The free version has some great features, and the pro-version is pretty awesome too.  As slideshow software goes, it’s fairly user-friendly – I can teach the client to use it.  And, I’ve noticed they are constantly updating their software – they actually fix and update their Plug-in.  They must have a real Team of Programmers working hard at it.

This week, I went to look at a non-profit website I work on (pro bono) and it was down.  It was embarrassing because I was showing someone it during a meeting.  It turned out that the NexGen Gallery was literally “blocking” the site and it was showing a big “ERROR” message on it.  So, I immediately went in (after my meeting) and poked at it a little.  I couldn’t easily figure out what was wrong.

1. Step 1 – I quickly removed the slideshows temporarily from the site and deactivated the software.  I got the site running so their viewers would not notice.  This is step one – make sure the world doesn’t see it too much.
2. Step 2 –  After lots of research, I learned that the Server had recently upgraded PHP (this is the programming language WordPress uses).  By upgrading PHP on the Server, the NexGen Software became incompatible.  Okay. I figured out what was wrong.
3. Step 3 – I began solving the issue.  Clearly, the answer is to temporarily downgrade PHP on all of those sites.  Eventually NexGen will fix the bug and then it can go back to normal again (which could be Step 4 later).

I’m implementing this for all of the clients using that software, not just the one that is down!

Okay… I’ve got to Conclude this for you.

How many of you would have been able to figure that out…?
Or, even want to figure it out for yourself…?

How many of you are up to updating all that software, running backups, watching the security…?
Or, even want to deal with it…?

I will never know everything about WordPress (it’s impossible), but I poke at it for a living.

That’s why a Maintenance Plan is essential.

Thanks for Reading…

Joe Bodin, Reliable Web Designs

The post Why the Heck do I need WordPress Maintenance? first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.

My first thought was not about money, but about what I wanted it to be for our town. I decided that everything on it would be free. So, I offered “free listings” to any local business or organization. Then, over the years, I added an online calendar with event listings. I also added a news section that eventually became a compilation of Flagstaff Blogs. Pretty much, anytime someone local had anything they wanted on the site, that I could easily do and was easy to maintain, I put it on the site.  And, it grew and grew and grew…

The site was never meant to be about making money. My company earns our income through website design and will continue to hopefully do so for many years to come. The philosophy of the site was all about providing good information about Flagstaff – the place I’ve called home for the past 30 years. I love this place. I love the people. I love the feel of Flagstaff. The city guide was my way of showing this love by giving back to my community.

After so many years of growth, the site outgrew me. It got so big that I was unable to maintain it by myself (even with a little help from my kids who maintained the events calendar for me). I’ve been struggling for the past few years to keep the information current and the site itself fell behind the times. I have tried many times to restart it, redesign it into something new, but the project is so big that I have now realized that it is time to close it.

In some ways, I’m saddened by its closure. It’s been a part of me and our community for so long. But, in other ways, I feel relieved because it will give me the freedom to pursue other adventures in serving my community. For those that know me and the types of projects I do around the area, you know that you haven’t heard the last of me.

So, I’d like to Thank Flagstaff for allowing me to be such an integral part of the place I call home. My city guide allowed me to get to know the people here and the people traveling here in ways that I never thought possible. I will cherish the years of working on what I called, “Flagstaff Central – Flagstaff’s Community Information Source!”

Thank You!

Joe Bodin
Flagstaff Central.com, Inc.

The post Closing Our City Guide | Thank You for 18 Years of Flagstaff Central first appeared on Reliable Web Designs | Flagstaff.