My Service

Like most people, I hate bad service, and love good service. As such, in order to take pride in my product, I strive to do my utmost to ensure that my clients are not just happy with the final product, but also the service they received in getting it. To do this, I spend a significant amount of time talking with clients to discuss their needs, working together to ensure that we are on the same page. I encourage feedback at all steps along the way, and give progress reports throughout the process. In order to keep open smooth channels of communication, I have created a client area of my website, with a private section for each client, where we can have discussions, and upload files, videos and progress reports. This keeps all of our communication in one area, so it is centralized and always available whenever required.

My Product

I am a developer of web platforms. Essentially, this means that I build websites but there is more to it than that. There are two types of websites out there - static and dynamic.

A static website is one that rarely changes. The designer/developer creates the website files, and uploads them to a server. When a user accesses the website in their browser, the browser downloads the website files, turns them into a webpage, and shows it to the user. Anyone accessing the site anywhere at any time will see the same website, because it doesn't change. To alter static websites, the website files need to be downloaded, altered, and then re-uploaded to the server.

A dynamic website is one in which the pages shown change and are changed without ever touching the files on the server. This is done using a database to store information, combined with 'scripts' that generate webpages using that database info and user input. It can also alter the page based on things like the user's permissions, the user's location, the time of day, the status of a different website, or any number of variables.

A platform is the system behind a dynamic website. It manages both the data inside the website, as well as the files and database that make up the website. It tracks changes in the code, and takes database backups, ensuring that data is both secure and safe. The platform also manages the data within the system, allowing for a single website to provide multiple areas of functionality. For example, a client may want a sales area of the site to provide information about their product to potential buyers, an ecommerce area of the site to handle purchase of the product, a support area to provide after-purchase service/support, and a forum so that potential and current users of the product can discuss the product amongst each other. The platforms I build allow for all these different sections of a website to exist on a single system, so that users can use a single account for all site interaction.

My platforms can also be used to manage multiple websites on a single platform, so that data can be shared between a client's sites. For example, a user could sign up on one of the client's sites, and instantly be able to use that login information on the rest of the client's websites. Or pages created on one website could be made available to a different site altogether.

The point I am getting at is that I build complete, custom systems to cover all of my clients' business (and even personal) needs. This is the product I provide, and I take pride in providing it well.

Some examples of functionality I have built:

• Allowing users to create web pages - the user logs into the system, types their data into a text editor, and optionally uploads images or files. When the save button is clicked, the page is created, and is available to users over the net. This page has a URL (a web address) and access to it can be restricted according to my clients' needs.
• Integration of data between websites - this can be as simple as showing a client's recent tweets their site. Or it can be more involved, such as letting users search for and book hotel rooms on a website using a booking engine from a 3rd party website. My platforms can also make data available to 3rd party users, or mobile phones and tablets.
• Ecommerce - selling a product or a service through the website. I've built online stores that sell clothes, and I've built sites that sell access to private areas of the site for a period of time. I've built sites that allow 3rd party users to sell items through the site, with a cut going to the site owner.
• Video integration - some clients want to be able to upload video onto YouTube or Vimeo, and have these videos incorporated into their website. Others want to be able to upload a video directly to their own site, in any format, and have it viewable by users on any device.
• Communication - I have had clients with employees in multiple locations, sometimes very remote. I put together systems to allow for private and group discussions, uploading and sharing of files, and high levels of security to ensure that users are only allowed to see the data they have permission to see.

These are just a few examples of the types of functionality I can provide. Given the right project and budget, there isn't much I can't put together for my clients.

Custom Drupal Module/Theme/Site Development

I also offer my services building custom Drupal modules and themes. If you already have a Drupal site (or sites), I can modify it, fix it, and add new functionality to it. Please contact me directly to discuss your current situation and your needs/goals, and we can take it from there.