tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18338311409993832712024-09-06T14:32:08.115-04:00Learn to manage web technology with a Tech CoachLife &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833831140999383271.post-37216131359936163392029-12-31T23:59:00.022-05:002010-06-11T14:21:18.593-04:00Whether you are a coach, individual, entrepreneur, small business owner or run a non-profit organization, team or club, you can learn how to create and maintain your own low or no cost blog or website in as short a time possible with a little help from me, your professional Tech Coach.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Who Can Do This?</span></strong><br /> <br /> If you can use a word processor and a web browser, you'll be able to have your own blog or website. You will need to have access to a web browser on a computer with a high speed Internet connection.<br /> <br /> <em>Free Tech Coach Tip:</em> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">FEAR</span></strong> is often nothing more than <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>F</strong></span>alse <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">E</span></strong>vidence <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>A</strong></span>ppearing <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>R</strong></span>eal. <br /> <br /> In life, we are often afraid of what we don't know. However that fear goes away when we learn. With the help from me, your professional Tech Coach, you will be amazed at what you can do! I will be right there by your side to teach you what you need to know and to answer your questions.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Why would you want to do this yourself?</span></strong><br /> <br /> I can't begin to tell you how often I speak with people who have paid someone to develop a website for them in the past that not only didn't meet their needs, but that they could not manage on their own once it was ready. Some have even gone through the experience more than once.<br /> <br /> After <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>JUST ONE HOUR</strong></span> of working with me, you will have your very own low or no cost site and feel qualified to be in the driver's seat. You will:<br /> <ul><li>Be able to update your site how you want, whenever you want;</li> <li>Be able to make changes in a matter of minutes;</li> <li>Be free from having to pay hundreds of dollars in ongoing maintenance fees;</li> <li>Have addressed your need to be present on the Internet;</li> <li>Have a sustainable site that almost anyone can manage and maintain.</li> </ul>What it all comes down to is, why would you hire someone to manage and maintain your site when you can do it yourself in a matter of minutes from anywhere that you have access to the Internet through a web browser? Depending on your cell phone, you may even be able to use it to make small changes. Imagine walking out of a meeting and already having your site up to date.<br /> <br /> <span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>How do we get started?</strong></span><br /> <br /> <ol><li>The first step is to contact me to let me know you are interested. Together we will choose a package that will best meet your needs,&nbsp;schedule a date and time for our coaching session, and address any concerns you might have.</li> <li>Once I have received your payment, I will email you a copy of my Clarity Guide, a special questionnaire designed specifically to help us figure out what you want so that we can focus on helping you get it. It covers basic things such as your preference for a user name, a password, the name of your business or organization, etc.,&nbsp;information that we will need to create your site. Feel free to ask questions or let me know if you have any concerns.</li> <li>Email me back the completed Clarity Guide questionnaire at least 2 business days before our session so that I have time to look it over and prepare for our session together.</li> </ol>That's it. At the agreed time, we will make it all happen.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Basic Blog or Website (like this one)</span></strong><br /> <br /> Believe it or not, it only takes about one hour to create a&nbsp;website similar to this one and that includes providing you with enough basic information to maintain it. We can build your site using Blogger or WordPress. For a basic site, I offer a couple of packages:<br /> <br /> <strong>The Value Package</strong><br /> <br /> This package is packed with amazing value. Not only do you get a website or blog, you will also learn and see how it is done. This package includes:<br /> <ul><li>Free YourSiteName.blogspot.com or YouSiteName.WordPress.com domain name</li> <li>The installation of your choice of a predesigned template</li> <li>Up to 5 static web pages in addition to your home page</li> <li>Login information emailed directly to you</li> <li>An electronic copy of my Clarity Guide Questionnaire and Web Designer Workbook to help you develop your site and its contents</li> <li>Basic Training on using on your site</li> </ul>With the Value Package, you are involved from the very beginning. You will see how to create accounts, the basic site and configure some settings. The benefit is that you gain much more knowledge and increasing your chances of being able to create additional similar sites on in the future. You will also get the learn how to add and edit information such as text and graphics on your site and be able to do it all on your own.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/pages/tech-coaching/website-packages.php">More information...</a><br /> <br /> <strong>The Express Package</strong> <br /> <br /> The Express Package was created for busy individuals who want the website up and running in the shortest amount of time possible. You still get everything described above in the Value Package however most of the set-up work is completed before we meet allowing us to just focus on Basic Training, what you really need to know.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/pages/tech-coaching/website-packages.php">More information...</a><br /> <br /> <strong>The Custom Designer Option</strong><br /> <br /> For a more&nbsp;personalized website, we can:<br /> <ul><li>Customize the&nbsp;Header - the graphic which appears at the top of the pages</li> <li>Custom the Colours - background, colour of the text, colour of the links</li> <li>Apply a customized&nbsp;Domain Name</li> </ul><a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/pages/tech-coaching/website-packages.php">More information...</a><br /> <br /> <strong>The Deluxe Training Option</strong><br /> <br /> At the time of your order, add an extra 120 minutes of additional one-on-one Tech Training&nbsp;at 50% off&nbsp;where you can ask questions like:<br /> <ul><li>Can you guide me on creating my content?</li> <li>How do I create additional static web pages?</li> <li>What are Widgets (also known as plug-ins or add-ons) and how do I use then?</li> <li>How do I add video&nbsp;on my site?</li> <li>How can&nbsp;I take on-line payments?</li> <li>How do I create an Opt-In Mailing list?</li> <li>How do I create a "Contact Us" type form?</li> <li>How do I add a photo gallery to my site?</li> <li>How can I have a widget appear on a specific page(s)?</li> <li>How can I find out how many people are visiting my site?</li> <li>What do I need to do to get my site listed on Google, Yahoo or Bing?</li> <li>How can I place ads on my site?</li> </ul><a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/pages/tech-coaching/website-packages.php">More information...</a><br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Tech Coaching</span></strong><br /> <br /> All of the above options include basic one-on-one Tech Coaching with me where you will learn how to add, edit and maintain your new site. You will learn how to create new pages, change existing pages, add pictures and make backups of your site.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Additional Options</span></strong><br /> <br /> If you aren't sure, I recommend that you start with a basic site. It will be easier to learn and will give you the opportunity to figure out what you really want out of your Website or Blog. You can always bring your information with you when you decide to upgrade in the future.<br /> <br /> <br /> More advanced types of hosted sites based on WordPress or Website Baker have advantages including much greater flexibility while still remaining simple to use and manage. You can optionally skip the basic site and start off with something more powerful that will enable more flexibility down the road.<br /> <br /> Additional Tech Coaching is available to help with any questions that might come up over time or to help you set-up and learn to use any the following: <br /> <ul><li>A <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;A custom name for your website (www.YourOrganization.com) and email address (name@YourOrganization.com)&quot;);">Domain Name</a> for your web site</li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Let your clients know you received their emails immediately... or that you are away.&quot;);">Email Autoresponders</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Send out newsletters, reminders, or just share news with your clients.&quot;);">Mailing lists</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Make it convenient for clients to do business with you&quot;);">Payment or Donation</a> processing</li> <li>Helping you develop content for your site</li> <li>Advanced calendar of events</li> <li>On-line appointment scheduling</li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Find out what your customers really want without pestering them&quot;);">Polls and Surveys</a></li> <li>Making <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many words is a video worth? And it's a great way to allow people to feel connected with you.&quot;);">audio or video content</a> available on your site</li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Wouldn't it be great to be able to see each other while coaching? Not only could you hear how someone feels but see their reactions too. People who are visual love this.&quot;)">Video conferencing</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Connecting you with your followers around the world. Don't have followers yet? You probably aren't using Social medial tools.&quot;);">Social Media</a> (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube)</li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;It's amazing how you can develop a following by sharing with people on a regular basis... and you don't have to apply for a job or wait to be discovered.&quot;);">Blog Radio</a> (radio show over the Internet)</li> <li>Monitoring your <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;How many people are visiting your website? Where are they coming from? What are the most popular parts of your site and which are not? Where should you focus your efforts when developing content on your website? Get the answers to all these questions and more. For all you know, you may have a niche and didn't even know it.&quot;);">sites traffic</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:alert(&quot;More and more people are switching to Web based email which means that putting a link to an email address on your site won't work if they just click on it. Besides, putting your email address on your website is a great way to start receiving SPAM email while a web form will hide your email address. Did you know that there are computers out there that actually scan websites just looking for email addresses to build to SPAM mailing lists?&quot;);">Web forms</a> (see <a href="http://www.blogger.com/p/contact_25.html">Contact Us</a> page as an example)</li> <li>Publishing a <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;This is the best way to connect with your existing clients as well as those who are very interested in what you think and what you have to say. Include a mix of valuable information and advertise your upcoming events.&quot;);">newsletter</a></li> <li>Publishing <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Don't have time to write a 300 page book? No problem. How about publishing a 10-50 page booklet on a topic you really believe in? Don't have a publisher? Publish it yourself on your website make it available in exchange for a person's name and email address.&quot;);">eBooks</a></li> <li>Generating income on your site through <a href="javascript:alert(&quot;Do you use any products or services that you think others would be interested in using too? Don't have any products of your own? If you are going to suggest products to people, why not make a little commission for your efforts. A few dollars here, a few dollars there... before you know it, it all starts to add up and you find yourself making money even while you sleep at night.&quot;);">affiliate programs</a></li> </ul>For more information, please <a href="http://www.michaelmilette.com/pages/contact.php">contact me</a> or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/pages/sales/personal-tech-coaching-per-hour-8.php">visit my website</a>.<br /> <br /> I look forward to working with you in the near future.<br /> <br /> With warmest regards,<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Times, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Michael</strong></em></span><br /> Life and Tech Coach Michael Milette<br /> <em>Come discover a great life</em><br /> <a href="http://www.tngconsulting.ca/TechCoach/">www.TNGConsulting.ca/TechCoach/</a>Life &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833831140999383271.post-45929381646068296542010-04-25T23:19:00.013-04:002010-04-26T01:03:07.334-04:00<p>Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular blogging and website tools in the world. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Unless you have a very good reason, I recommend you consider either using Blogger or a hosted WordPress.org installation.</p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">Blogger</span></strong> <p>Blogger is a free blogging / website service provided by Google.</p>Advantages <ul><li>Free to use</li><li>Free hosting</li><li>Easy to use - great for beginners!</li><li>Includes free domain name</li><li>Can customize any theme</li><li>Can install custom third party templates</li><li>Can install custom third party Widgets</li><li>You can alternatively use your own domain name</li><li>Easily integrates with several of Google's other products</li><li>Free technical support</li></ul><p>Disadvantages</p><ul><li>Limited availability of free third party templates</li><li>Can not password protect the whole blog site</li><li>Limited number of available Widgets</li><li>Limited number of static pages</li><li>Not as flexible or as popular as WordPress</li><li>Only third party contact forms can be added</li><li>You can not use a static page as a home page. However you can simulate a static Home page by setting the post date into the future.</li><li>Can only import from other Blogger blogs</li><li>Can not upload files - however you can store files in other Google services</li><li>Limited SPAM protection</li><li>Can be made SEO friendly with some effort</li><li>Few SEO friendly templates available</li></ul><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">WordPress.com</span></strong></p><p>Advantages</p><ul><li>Free to use</li><li>Free hosting</li><li>Includes free domain name</li><li>Perfect for beginner-intermediate users</li><li>Free technical support</li><li>Easy to add "Contact Us" form</li><li>You can assign a static page as your home page</li><li>You can upgrade from Blogger and import your blog data</li><li>Can upload a limited number of file formats</li><li>Better SPAM protection available</li><li>Built-in SEO</li></ul><p>Disadvantages</p><ul><li>Slightly more involved than Blogger</li><li>Can not customize any theme</li><li>Restricted to published list of templates</li><li>Restricted to published list of Widgets</li><li>Restricted to WordPress.com configuration settings</li><li>Limited to a maximum of 10 static pages</li><li>No SEO specific templates available</li></ul><p>For a more complete feature comparison between Blogger and WordPress.com, see the <a href="http://pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html" target="_BLANK">Blogger vs. Wordpress.com Comparison Chart - 2010</a>.</p><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">WordPress.org</span></strong></p><p>Advantages</p><ul><li>No Restrictions</li><li>Extremely Flexible</li><li>Impressive list of available third party Widgets</li><li>Impressive list of available Templates</li><li>Easy to install new template</li><li>Having your own hosted site and domain can have many other advantages</li><li>You will find more articles on the Web written about WordPress than any other blogging tool</li><li>There are tools to allow you to password protect all of your site or just part of your site and grant multiple levels of permission</li><li>Easy to add Contact Us form</li><li>You can assign a static page as a home page</li><li>Perfect for beginner-intermediate users</li><li>You can upgrade from Blogger and import your blog data</li><li>Can upload and store any file format you want on your site</li><li>Flexible SPAM protection available from third party widgets</li><li>Build-in SEO and more SEO templates available</li></ul><p>Disadvantages</p><ul><li>Slightly more involved than Blogger</li><li>You must also arrange for hosting</li><li>There is a fee for hosting and for the domain</li><li>Technical support may not be free if something goes wrong</li></ul>Life &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833831140999383271.post-34990393859169920322010-04-23T14:06:00.005-04:002010-04-23T14:38:49.586-04:00<span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Question: How much does a blog or website cost?</span></strong> </span> <strong>Answer:</strong> The whole point of these low or no-cost websites is to minimize your ongoing cost. Neither Blogger.com or WordPress.com charge to host your website or blog. The only ongoing cost associated with your basic website will be the cost of purchasing and renewing a domain each year if you go with this highly recommended option. To help you get started, I offer the following packages for Blogger or WordPress: <strong>The Value Package (*$99)</strong> <ul><li>Free YourSiteName.blogspot.com or YouSiteName.WordPress.com domain name</li><li>Your choice of a Blogger or WordPress predesigned template</li><li>Up to 5 static web pages in addition to your home page</li><li>Login information emailed directly to you</li><li>A copy of my Clarity Guide and Designer Guide to help you develop your website and it's contents</li><li>Basic Training on how to add/edit content (text and images) on your site </li></ul><p><strong>The Custom Designer Package (*$249)</strong></p><ul><li>Everything in the Value Package above plus...</li><li>Custom Header - A graphic appearing at the top of the page</li><li>Custom Colours</li><li>Custom Domain Name applied (you can get a domain name for about $10 per year)</li></ul><p><strong>The Deluxe Training Option (*$99)</strong></p><p>An extra 120 minutes of on-line training (regular price is $198) where you can ask pick my brain and ask questions like:</p><ul><li>How do I create additional static web pages?</li><li>What are Widgets (also known as plug-ins or add-ons) and how do I use then?</li><li>How do I add video to my site?</li><li>Can you guide me on creating my content?</li><li>How do I take on-line payments?</li><li>How do I create an Opt-In Mailing list?</li><li>How do I create a "Contact Us" type Form?</li><li>How do I add a photo gallery to my site?</li><li>How can I have a widget appear on a specific page(s)?</li><li>How can I find out how many people are visiting my site?</li><li>What can I have to get my site listed on Google, Yahoo or Bing?</li><li>How can I add ads on my site?</li></ul><p>* Note: All prices are quoted in Canadian dollars. Tax will be added for Candian residents. All prices are subject to change.</p><p>BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER: Be sure to contact me to confirm that the package you are selecting is appropriate for your expectations and to ensure that the above prices are still current.</p>Life &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833831140999383271.post-56389377817104785112010-03-25T23:53:00.003-04:002010-03-28T23:16:30.304-04:00Thank you for considering me to be your Tech Coach. I am sure you are very excited to get started. Getting your new website up and running is a as simple as 1-2-3. Here are those three steps: <strong>Step 1)</strong> Once you are ready to get started,&nbsp;just let me know. I will email you a welcome package which will include an agreement describing what you expect of me (the services) and what I expect of you (payment). The package will also include a questionnaire to gather some basic information that we will need in order get started including things like: <ul><li>Scheduled time together.</li> <li>Information required to create your basic web site.</li> <li>List of extra options you would like to include&nbsp;(contact me for pricing)</li></ul> <strong>Step 2)</strong> Upon receiving your agreement and questionnaire, I will confirm our appointment and send you payment instructions. <span style="color: red;">IMPORTANT: Payment is due in advance </span>and must be received before we get started. <strong>Step 3)</strong> We make it happen. Before you know it, you will have your very own easy to manage, low or no cost web site. Be sure to contact me if you have any questions about the process before we get started. I look forward to working with you, <em><strong><span style="font-family: Times, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">Michael</span></strong></em> Life and Tech Coach Michael Milette <em>Come discover a great life</em> <a href="http://www.michaelmilette.com/">http://www.michaelmilette.com/</a>Life &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833831140999383271.post-85446789185545964522010-03-25T21:31:00.000-04:002010-03-26T00:11:58.007-04:00Internet Hosting is where your web pages and files will be stored on the Internet. <br /><br />You have several options here and it really depends on your needs.<br /><br /><strong>Basic</strong>&nbsp;- This particular site is hosted by Blogger, a service provided by the fine folks over at Google. Think of it as a beginners web site. There is no cost associated with this service. You can create up to 10 pages on your web site in addition to any number of articles you may want to publish on your web site.<br /><br />Hosting Cost: Free as long as you can live with&nbsp;a website address like yourcompany.blogspot.com.&nbsp;If you want to use your own domain domain name such as <a href="http://www.yourdomain.com/">http://www.yourdomain.com/</a>, you will have to pay a&nbsp;yearly fee. See Domain Names for more information.<br /><br /><strong>Intermediate&nbsp;</strong>- The next step up would be WordPress. WordPress is by far the most popular blog system on the Internet today and for very good reason. First, it is much more flexible than Blogger. You can create as many pages as you want, and there are literally hundreds, possibly thousands of templates to choose from.<br /><br />There are two options available when it comes to WordPress:<br /><br /><ul><li>Free Hosting: This is great. You get a blog that is much more flexible than Blogger however the free hosting version available though WordPress.com has a couple of draw backs. First, the look of your blog / website is limited to those templates available on the Wordpress website. Although there is still plenty to choose from, it is but a small fraction of what is out there. The same goes for the add-on plug-ins. The second and probably more important drawback is that you can't use your own domain name. You'll have to use yourcompany.wp.com.</li><li>Paid Hosting: There are many companies out there today where you can host your own WordPressed based blog or website. These sites usually charge you a monthly fee which can vary dramatically from one company to the next.</li></ul>Everything above this level will require paid hosting. For more information on Paid Web Hosting, see my review of the iWeb.com, the web hosting company that I use and recommend.<br /><br /><strong>Advanced - </strong>This level is recommended for people who want to have more features in their website but without added complexity. For small and medium size businesses, I often recommend Website Baker. I have tried MANY different systems for my own website. My criteria was that I needed a certain level of flexibility for my business and absolutely wanted to be able to focus on my websites content instead of trying to figure out how to make things work. To my delight, Website Baker did all this and more.&nbsp;It was designed from the ground up to be super easy to use. Creating a new web page can be literally be done in a matter of a few seconds. If you have all of your content ready, you can literally have your website done in just a few hours. There are lots of templates available and add-ons for things like setting up a store front where you can sell your goods and/or services.<br /><br /><strong>Complex -</strong> There are Content Management Systems which can be very intimidating. The most popular systems are Joomla and Drupal, both of which are often use for medium and large size business. They offer the most flexibility but have a big learning curve. When starting with a clean slate, it can be a while before you actually have your first web page up. I do not recommend these unless you are either going to spend a good deal of time on the learning curve or you have a professional managing your web site. As such, these are beyond the services available on this website.<br /><br />If you have any questions about which path is right for you, please contact me for an initial&nbsp;free consultation.Life &amp; Tech Coach Michael Milettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07032772589816186486noreply@blogger.com