When I began at AUM we didn’t have a website, our web address was redirected to one of our clients sites. I decided to change that.

The idea behind the site template was to find something that would act as an online billboard of our clients. The homepage posts can be changed depending on which clients we are currently working on.

By integrating the Gallery into each page, you’re able to get an understanding of the range of work that we do for our clients.

We’ve also started a workshop program and I present the online media section covering how best to use your website, social media and Google to promote your business.

www.aum.net.au

Naomi asked me to design her a website and business card for her psychology and yoga practice. While not quite sure of what she was after, she wanted the design to be inviting and eye catching.

I used one of my photos of lotus flowers and yellow shading to make it bright and cheery.

The site was developed using a simple WordPress template, which I customised colours, features and the header.

A new feature recently added is the ability for Naomi to write and send e-newsletters from the website. She’ll be doing this to notify people of new class times and upcoming Yoga retreats.

www.spaceforhealing.net.au

Retrain Health is a new Osteopath & Naturopath business in Byron Bay. They wanted a clean website that would make them stand out professionally.

The logo design and colours are the basis for the site and the simplicity makes it easy for the potential customer to navigate and make a booking.

www.retrainhealth.com

This is a website I created for Sue Hetzel.

The aim was to integrate the business card design into the site, keeping the colours neutral and easy on the eye. It was the first WordPress site I’d customised outside of working for Adelaide Fringe & Fringe Benefits.

I edited the copy to make it personal and web friendly. WordPress was chosen so Sue could update the site herself, using similar skills to those needed to use word.

The design was simple and everything was to stay ‘above the fold’ especially the booking details.

www.psychologyandthebody.net.au

With that, I bid fare thee well to Adelaide and Adelaide Fringe. It’s been a fabulous ride, and I just thought I needed to throw a parade in your honour. (To make your own head to http://isparade.jp) See you soon in Darwin…

Now that I’m heading to Darwin in three weeks or so (to work as Marketing Coordinator at the Darwin Festival) everyone is coming out of the woodwork for a website. At the moment I’ve swapped over Psychology and the Body to wordpress, started Space for Healing and will work on one for a friends dance company and mountain bike team.

Why not? I know using wordpress isn’t web design nor is it rocket science. But it helps people have an online presence and CMS without the need for forking out the big bucks. Some may argue a facebook fan page does about the same but hey, at least this makes you feel smart.

To set up your own wordpress website, everything you need to know is on wordpress.org. They detail it all in their 5 minute installation guide. However, when you first set up a wordpress site it doesn’t take 5 minutes. It takes longer. You shake your fist at the computer and wail ‘you said this would take 5 minutes but right now the clock is at 1 hour.’

I won’t bore you with tales of my first wordpress install however I will tell you one thing – don’t ever use the file manager from your cpanel. WordPress is magic but comes with an infinite number of folders and subfolders. You miss one – you miss ‘em all!

Anyway, the basics of what you’ll need are:

• An ABN
• Credit Card (for purchasing domain name and hosting. I use inticon.com)
• FileZilla (for folder file transfers)
• Gmail account (for google analytics. A good analytics plugin is by semilogic)

After you’ve got all those things, head to wordpress.org and download wordpress. It may take you 5 minutes or it might not. After a while, it gets a little easier. Soon you’ll get the hang of it, learn the lingo and be hacking the mainframe. With a little help from your friends at the forums.

It’s true. I am a case in point. After having a great day surfing the beach break at Southport last Friday, I convinced my dad to get out of the house as he needed to come down for a surf with me. (He also was needed to help me secure the board to the roof – pathetic I know). After a few stops to check out the prevailing conditions, there I was, paddling out in the extreme one foot swell, thinking yep, I’m gonna show dad what I’m made of, only to catch my first wave (there’s photographic proof), jump off and have the board swing round and hit me in the side of the head.

After the knock, I thought, gee this isn’t good – possibly using some more colourful language – but then my second reaction was that I was ok and turned to paddle out again. I then touched the side of my face where a golfball sized lump had already appeared. It was after that that I decided that the day’s surf was ok. Dad and I headed to the Noarlunga hospital and were treated by some very friendly staff, where I had a CT scan and got the all clear.

I think that’s the main point – is that I’m ok. Despite having a mighty fine shiner for the past week and being the recipient of many a rude stare, my face will mend and I’ll get back out there. I remember reading in an early edition of Dumbo Feather about an ex-SAS army guy, who said that the human body has an amazing ability to heal which is why he was constantly pushing himself to the limit. I have to agree that sometimes you do get hurt, and I was lucky that it wasn’t anything serious, but I think that we, as humans, do need to remember to push ourselves so that we can remember to feel as though we’re alive.

Now that I’m a bit of a twitter fan (note: fan not addict, I haven’t got an iphone… yet) I’m always getting asked Twitter what is it and how do I use it? My explanation that it is awesome because you can follow anyone, particularly those people at the top of your fields of interest, doesn’t always sway the naysayers. Today I came across a great resource from @mashable who have put together The Twitter Guide Book which I encourage every social media wannabe expert to browse through. With well labelled chapters covering Twitter Basics to Twitter for Business it’s enough to make everyone out there start tweeting… well.

With all sorts of other manifestos downloadable from his site, I know what I am going to do today. But tomorrow…