I have a job coming up and it may require a responsive design. Client isn’t sure yet. Personally, I have never done a responsive site, and so, if it is required I may have to farm it out to one of you folks on the board.
Here are two examples the client likes:
Do these look doable for someone who never did a responsive site, if I perhaps, purchased Backdraft to get me started?
One more caveat: The client wants to make his own updates. He will be buying his own version of FreewayPro.
Hi Bob
ABSOLUTELY charge more for a responsive site. In reality a responsive site should take up a greater amount of time in just testing alone let alone build, so yes anyone who is’t charging is not doing themselves any favours.
Both sites are doable although the second isn’t responsive.
Getting a client to edit a responsive site via Freeway is sure to lead to problems. The potential for them to muck it up is enormous if they haven’t built sites before. its a bit like buying a plane and thinking you can fly. They really should be thinking of editing it via a cms which should restrict what they can do, but if they really want to take complete control then Freeways going to be easier to get to grips with than other programs.
I would suggest to always use a CMS if the client wants to edit the site. Or write a very good contract to protect yourself. Because they will redesign it, they will break, they will blame you.
David Owen { Freeway Friendly Web hosting and Domains }
So, using FW was one of the options. I understand his enthusiasm and all, but I figured this might be beyond him and his plate is pretty full with his own business.
I’ve done a search for some DIY type sites (Joomla, WP, etc), but I’d like to hear if you guys know of any that might be “better” than the rest.
He was big on having the site “on his desktop”, hence the push towards FW. Would you suggest maybe (gulp) Rapidweaver for him?
If the standard templates suit, you might want to try SquareSpace. That’s a hosted CMS, and it is very tailored toward the business (non-technical) user. They have responsive templates – I believe all of their templates are – and a simple way to add commerce to your site. Down-side is the cost per month. But for a business, that should never be an issue, since your time is (or should be) worth way more per hour than a monthly bill for a service like this.
Walter
On Nov 22, 2013, at 8:48 AM, Robert B wrote:
So, using FW was one of the options. I understand his enthusiasm and all, but I figured this might be beyond him and his plate is pretty full with his own business.
I’ve done a search for some DIY type sites (Joomla, WP, etc), but I’d like to hear if you guys know of any that might be “better” than the rest.
He was big on having the site “on his desktop”, hence the push towards FW. Would you suggest maybe (gulp) Rapidweaver for him?
“Better” is a very vague term without a clearly defined context, especially if you’re talking about a CMS. If you want to find a suitable CMS then we need to know some things like:
What are the specific site requirements, functionality etc.?
What’s the client’s (and your) technical comfort and skill level?
What level of editing control does the client need?
How many people will need editing access? Do they require different levels of control?
How does the client envision the site growing in a year or two? What possible new functionality should you plan for?
There are a lot of questions that need answering before asking what’s best.
Todd
I’ve done a search for some DIY type sites (Joomla, WP, etc), but I’d like to hear if you guys know of any that might be “better” than the rest.
Well, as far as I know, only one person will be editing.
Things needed:
forms
calendar
social media links (Likes, Follow, etc)
YouTube vidoes (probably mp3s, too)
A store page (that will most likely go to PayPal)
mobile ready (not sure if this is definite, but I think it’s important)
Caleb’s Backdraft will give you a good head start with the responsive aspect though you’ll still need to get out and push.
At a minimum you could look at Pulse Pro for a CMS, it’s certainly easy to setup and use. That said, you could also go with something a little more robust like Perch which has a wonderful integrated calendar add-on (among others) and is very flexible overall. It strikes a nice balance between features and client-friendliness, though it will definitely require more technical effort on your part.
Wordpress is certainly an option if you want something that’s plug-n-play: find a template, install whatever plugins you need and go.
There are of course a great many other options but those are a few of the obvious choices amongst FW users.
Todd
Well, as far as I know, only one person will be editing.
Things needed:
forms
calendar
social media links (Likes, Follow, etc)
YouTube vidoes (probably mp3s, too)
A store page (that will most likely go to PayPal)
mobile ready (not sure if this is definite, but I think it’s important)
Things needed: forms calendar social media links (Likes, Follow, etc) YouTube vidoes (probably mp3s, too) A store page (that will most likely go to PayPal) mobile ready (not sure if this is definite, but I think it’s important)
I too would suggest looking into Squarespace. I’ve never used it myself, but have only heard good about it.
If you client is new to Freeway, and decided that they must have responsive design, and they must be able to edit it with Freeway, I’d about-face and get away from there as fast as my roller-chair could take me. It would be a disaster.
If your client would be happy with the constrains of a CMS, and you are an experienced FW user, Backdraft + Thomas Kimmich’s videos + Pulse/Perch becomes a killer combo.
His big caveat was that he likes the site on his desktop, but I, too, think this could be disastrous.
I was going to suggest Rapidweaver, since they have responsive layouts and he can have the site reside on his desktop, but it looks like you’d need dozens of Add Ons to get anything done.
I’ve looked at Squarespace and it does seem to meet pretty much all of his requests. I’ll get him to take a look at it.
I might look into the BD + Thomas’ vids + CMS for the future.
I know he wants us to do an initial set up no matter what direction we decide to go.
Tricky one to answer if you have had no experience with SquareSpace. Just dont be shy about your fee - it will probably take far longer than you think because I am sure that he really doesn’t have a clear idea of what he wants.
This is likely to end up costing you plenty of your time, unrewarded, if you are not careful.