nothing like doing it yourself...

[le pire]

So I've been spending the past three weeks working on a new website for myself (it's not yet ready to make the grand launch) and I've discovered that there is nothing quite like programming it yourself.

I've received a lot of praise (and work) from my current site, but I've also received complaints (mostly from you guys) that the site is slow... and it is.

I've been teaching myself to program in Dreamweaver guided only by a wonderful book "Dreamweaver Demystified" and a lot of starbucks coffee. Yes, yes, I know starbucks is evil, but they have a cafe in the Borders bookstore so I can sit there with my laptop and program away and not shell out the $50 for the book. I guess that makes me evil too. Or maybe I'm just cheap. Is being cheap evil?

For my old site, I did 95% of the design, but I paid someone else to do ALL of the programming and now that I understand everything he was doing I went back into the old source code and discovered WHY that site was so slow.

The site is graphic heavy-- as it should be-- but he didn't resize or reformat ANY of the pics I gave him. In other words, pics that could be 85 kilobyte .GIF files are actually 800 kb .jpegs!!! Some of the pics in the gallery are more than three MEGABYTES! MY GOD! This is outrageous!

In any case, the reason I'm posting all this is to say that in the past I have relied a lot on hiring other professionals. Sometimes to great results (beautiful tshirts, logo, photoshopping of graphics), sometime disasterous (ask me about the ass hole who fucked up the layout on brochures, went to print without making ANY of the corrections I requested and sent the job to a printer from whom he received kickbacks instead of who I normally use so the job cost me $600 more AND it was shit. A $2000 blunder that I'm stuck with.)

I now do my own layouts and web programming and I'm FAR happier with the results. I know I will use other professionals in the future, but it really helps that I'm now able to 'speak their language.' I've even picked up a few extra jobs on the side desiging promo for others.

hmmm... maybe I should have posted this in "hype yourself blatantly."



étienne

[pablo]

KISS

That means Keep It Simple, Stupid.

A good effective website does not need a lot of graphics, bells & whistles. Just enough photos & info to encourage potential clients to contact you. Include: 1) photos of you & your act, 2) flattering quotes from past clients, 3) a calendar of your upcoming gig dates, and 4) contact info on every page. That's enough. Too much info is too confusing.

[Butterfly Man]

I kiss the pony you gave me every night just before I ...

Originally posted by pablo

3) a calendar of your upcoming gig dates, and

I agree with everything but this ... especially if you are a solo act ... when I did the road a lot (4 months at a time) my place in SF was busted into repeatedly... thieves (friends like Gazzo, Birdie, Robert Kirk) know when you're away ... duh. Never will do that again ... besides, when I did it on my old site I had a lot of gigs ...now all the empty spaces would just make me look more pathetic.

[pablo]

Hmmm...

Since I have a wife, 2 kids and a dog at home, I don't worry about thieves when I'm gone. I do worry about my wife going to Target and spending our money on more stuff we don't need. I can afford thieves; I cannot afford more furniture, dishes, towels, tupperware, bird feeders, plants and gardening tools. Why do women buy so many plants? I don't get it.

I still think a gig calendar is a good idea. People always ask me where I'll be next, and I always tell them to check my website.

[Butterfly Man]

yummmmm & tupperware too

Is your wife pretty? Are the children still young and soft? Is the dog ... oh, that doesn't really matter that much.

P.S. that URL again?

[le pire]

Thanks for calling me stupid Pablo! I really hate that expression. I always have. The only reason the word "stupid" is added is to force an anacronym which is just not really very clever. In fact, I find it stupid.

------

Actually, I really don't care for a gig calendar because 90% of mine would say "private event" so the person inquiring can't come anyway. I also don't really have the time to be constantly updating the calendar and sites with outdated info just look bad.
But it sounds like it works really well for you, so that's cool. Different performers have different needs.


You're right that a good website doesn't "need" bells and whistles, but when used properly the bells and whistles can make a good site great. I'm a firm believer in "if you've got it, flaunt it." That being said, bells and whistles should not interfere or distract from the actual content of the site.

I also think a good website should really reflect the personality of the performer and his / her show. If someone does a comedy show, then the site should be funny or at least light. Robert Nelson's site is a great example. From the beautiful butterfly theme to the stories and the video. It's simple, it's clear and it all fits together. Nice use of bells and whistles. I'm not as good of a joke writer as Dan Holzman, so I won't even attempt to take the piss out of Robert's site.

My new site will not have any flash, but it will have roll-over menu bars, lots of great pics, smooth layout, easy navigation, etc.
Simplicity, like you say, is key. It's almost finished and when it's up I hope you like it. I'm currently working on the gallery and hope to have the whole thing finished sometime next week. We shall see.


etienne

[naturalturn]

hi etienne,

professional website designer www.billelgin.com believes there are 3 things to keep in mind in producing a good website:
1. make sure each page loads quickly
2. don't have too many special effects
3. easy to navigate

feel free to peruse his site and check out his samples.

It's also important from a marketing point of view to emphasize not necessarily what you do... or what you feature in your act... or how many people you've done shows for... etc. but most importantly... what ARE THE BENEFITS of HIRING YOU! That is, know the difference between what are 'features' and what are the 'benefits'.

I wish I had added more phrases such as:

DO YOU WANT TO...

-take the stress out of running an event so you can relax.
-have your event planning/guests thank you for a job well done.
-make everyone laugh and enjoy themselves.
-make your event unforgettable and successful.
-produce the WOW factor to make you look good.
-hire an entertainer who offers a money-back guarantee so your obligation is risk&worry-free.

Phrases like these SELL the show so your prospective customer understands WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM if they hire you.

There are lots of marketing gurus who sell these marketing manuals and tapes specifically for entertainers.

hope these points were helpful for your site!

Cheers,

naturalturn

https://www.raywongmagic.com

When Magic Went WONG!

[naturalturn]

Oops, this phrase :

DO YOU WANT TO...

-have your event planning/guests thank you for a job well done.


Should have read:

DO YOU WANT TO...

-have your event planner/the CEO/boss/guests thank you for a job well done.



naturalturn

[le pire]

naturalturn,

I feel the need to respond.

85% of my clients have seen my show at showcases or other performances, so a visit to my website is usually not a "cold" visit. Hard sell techniques, like the ones you descibe, simply do not apply in my case.

On your own site, you seem to emphasize children's parties and I have done this market to death. Right now, I'm WAY too expensive for most of these people (I'm not boasting in any way). I get about 4-6 calls every week to do a kids party. They've seen my website, I give them the sales pitch and they're ready to buy. Then I hit them with the price.

Long pause.

"Let me talk it over with my husband / wife and I'll get back to you." BYE!!!

the fact is, for all this great sales talk from these "marketing gurus" you can only charge as much as the market can bear. frankly, the children's party market can't bear very much. For two reasons (I think): a) these people simply can't afford it. b) there's always some housewife who gets herself a balloon pump & a rainbow wig and is willing to pawn herself off for $75.

I still do the occasional kids party, but it's for rich people and I prefer it that way. They rent out the JCC or a school or even the town hall and everything is organized down to the last detail.

I'll never forget my early experiences performing in the backrooms of the International House of Pancakes or in suburban living rooms where I had 25 snot nosed kids dumped on me and all the parents were getting plastered on busch beer in the kitchen. Thanks, but no thanks.

If your still interested in hardsell marketing, let me know and I'll send you a copy of Randy Charach's "millionaire magician." Hell, anyone who wants a copy, ask me and it's yours.

étienne

[naturalturn]

etienne,

Some very good points! Thank you!

I enjoy performing for all types of audiences as well as customized work. Recently I was hired to customize and perform a 10 minute interactive magic routine for the 10 finalists of a major Beauty Pageant which was aired on TV.

Personally, I still find it intrinsically rewarding to perform for a family audience (birthdays, festivals, etc) and fortunately for me, have VERY VERY RARELY come across children or parents who did not appreciate my show. Like yourself, I do try and cater to the upper end of this family market, which is definitely not for everybody.

Looking forward to your new site's completion... (PM me again if I can be of further assistance)

naturalturn

https://www.raywongmagic.com