Experience with a Local Business

I have recently had some work done around my house and I have to say that I am quite disappointed in the quality of the work that was performed. This was perhaps my own fault because I only got one bid for the actual work that was performed, but in my own defense only two of the places I called even responded to me and only one, the one that did the work, actually gave me a bid.

Advice for Local Businesses

Dear local businesses,

First and foremost, thanks for being there. However, I do have some advice I’d like to throw your way.

• You need a website. Facebook and other social media pages just don’t cut it.
• The website is not a one time fixed cost, it’s an ongoing marketing expense.
• The website should be up to date, I recommend checking it at least once a month for accuracy.
• Do not put a contact form or contact email on your site unless you plan to respond within 1 business day.
• Do not put a phone number with voicemail on your site unless you plan to respond within 1 business day.
  • Delete old messages so that your voicemail does not fill up.
• List your preferred method of contact on the website.
• List your business hours on the website.
• List pricing or estimates on your website.

Do these simple things and it can only help you grow.

More De-Googling

Way back in 2014 I [wrote a post]({% post_url 2014-05-17-why-im-no-longer-a-google-fanboy %}) about no longer being a Google fanboy. Over the last 9 years I’ve waffled on this a bit. I briefly dipped my toe into the Microsoft ecosystem, but found it lacking (and it’s still lacking to this day). So I gradually drifted back into the Google ecosystem for most of my needs.

Cleaning Up This Mess

Part One

Oh wow, nearly another whole year has passed since my last blog post. If you are an infrequent visitor you may have noticed that I’ve simplified the design of the site quite a bit. For several years this blog has been sporting a Bootstrap based theme. While bootstrap themes make things easier (especially when using something like Bootswatch hosted from a CDN), it also adds a lot of overhead for what amounts to eye candy. While eye candy has its place, that place isn’t on the personal web site of a developer. I’m taking my inspiration from such famous developers as Richard Stallman and Donald Knuth.

Two+ Years of Updates

Wow, time really flies when you’re having fun. It’s been over two years since my last update, so let’s see how some of the things I’ve talked about in the past have evolved.. er.. intelligently designed?