Net Work
This section is for information regarding work I have done on in the realm of web management.
Web Design
Beginning in 1998, I have done many designs and re-designs of both my own sites and for others. I progressed from the table layouts of the 90’s through to the pure CSS designs of the current era. In some cases I have adapted and modified currently available designs to provide a personal look at a very affordable price for my clients. In other cases I have created new and original designs fitting the needs and desires of the customer. I am fluent in XHTML/CSS and have a working knowledge of Javascript, PHP and Ruby.
Accessibility/Seo
My belief (and I’m not alone) is that accessibility, combined with good and relevant content, is the key to a successful website. By ensuring that your website is easily accessible to all types of browser and crawler without hindrance you both make it available to the largest possible audience and easier to index in search engines. In my work I have modified a site specifically for that without any other work, but all websites and designs that I have built from the outset have been with made with accessibility in mind. This means that the sites are search engine optimised by default.
Web Hosting
I’m currently hosting seven sites (including this one) on a shared hosting space in California, though I work from the UK. We can host fully interactive, database driven sites with no problem.
Some Examples
All the sites listed here are hosted on my webspace.
- boxfire.co.uk – A spin off from my dissertation, this is a work in progress. Boxfire is an evaluation system for Oxford events based on the Ruby programming language. It is ver similar in fashion to Digg, but with a focus on local news and events. The .org address will be used to host the code project, whereas boxfire.co.uk hosts the site itself.
- brogaracing.co.uk – A site in the final stages of construction. This is a completely original design for a car customisation specialist based in Wrexham, North Wales. I am building the site using Wordpress and hosting it on my server space. You can see a preview of the work in progress: broga preview
- oonagi.co.uk – Created for the original music community in a South East region called Thanet. This was the first site that I built and the reason I have become interested in community building on the net. The site is a combination of three systems: e107 provides an initial news management system but doesn’t include general user login, only administrators. The forum is powered by the popular phpbb3 software and shares user login with the sites wiki software. The wiki was originally deployed using PhpWiki but is now powered by Mediawiki, the same software that powers Wikipedia. The designs are mostly default for the software with a simple, common navigation bar of my own design.
- manstongardenclub.co.uk – A small website for a village garden club. The site is built using Wordpress blogging software and includes Flickr integration to allow easy administration by members of the club. The theme is based on Cutline with some variations to better suit the club’s profile.
- skillbanditz.com – Another site based on Wordpress, for this I simply set the system up on my hosting space with a basic framework and provided advice during the content creation period.
- nakedinthanet.com – After being ejected from yahoo space for pictures featuring nudity I offered to help this upcoming photographer by providing server space and a Gallery2 system with which to manage his catalogue.
- skinofstars.com – You are here. This is built using Wordpress and hosted on my own space. The theme is based on Grid Focus but has been modified to my tastes.
- Branch Immersion – This was a recent coursework and is an example of me going mad with clean markup and extensive code comments. Also includes some neat progressive enhancements.
All work I do is powered by Open Source Software. This both reduces any overheads by eliminating licensing costs and provides a flexibility unparalleled in proprietary solutions. If you are interested in having your site hosted, your web applications managed or you fancy getting a fresh original design then please feel free to contact me: kevin@skinofstars.com