work

Cost effective websites

Oct 092007
 

I responded to an email this week about advice on how to build a website and I thought it would be worthwhile to reproduce it here as the facts are pretty useful to anyone.

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Cost Effective Websites 

The first thing you need is a domain name . To get a domain should be cheap I really recommend using : http://www.domainmonster.com – £2.95 per year for .uk and £8.89 /year for .com – they are cheap but also their customer service is excellent ad they have a very helpful site and useful tools also.

Once you have a domain registered you need make a decision if you are going to go DIY or use a design company to build the site.

If you go for a design company then you will only get realistic figures from them – I hear a lot of nice things about http://zero-now.com/, I have never used them but they are based in Milton Keynes so great if you live near me.

If you go the DIY route you will next need a hosting company – I recommend http://www.nativespace.co.uk – you can get very good hosting with them for £3.99 a month which is reliable and flexible, there are other alternatives around but you need to make sure that you don’t comprise quality with price.

Next you need to sort out a content management system (sounds more complex than it is) – I recommend wordpress – free and one of the most popular on the web – if you choose nativespace they have a simple wizard that will install wordpress for you – quick and easy!

Finally you will need to get a design – there are a lot of free wordpress templates or you can pay for one – or commission one to meet your exact needs from a designer.

If you suffer from techno fear then this may sound complex – but I think you will find the process fairly painless and there is lots of help on the internet, and when you think you could be up and running with a good hosted site for less than a £10.

There is an even easier way and that is to use the wordpress.com site where they provide the hosting for free – and so you don’t have to install anything – there is a limited set of template designs already available – and if you want your domain to point there you just pay them £7.50 per year and they will allow you to use your domain. This is the the simplest and cheapest option but you have more restrictions – value for money is fantastic – for a .uk domain you have got it all sorted for a year for just over a tenner!

One of the great things about trying it yourself is that it helps to play around with ideas on content and what you want to do with the site – before you approach the professionals – the £10 is worth it for these reasons alone – even if you have low expectations of what you might actually create.

Good Luck

Launched – uHavePassed.com – Driving Theory Test on your mobile phone

Sep 182007
 

We it is finally out of beta and we have launched version 1.0 of uHavePassed – our new service to help students practice the driving theory test on-line and on their mobile phones.

We started today to offer 30 day subscriptions for the service – you can find out more about Mobile Phone Driving Theory Tests.

uHavePassed.com - thumbnailWe think we have created a great new way to engage students in the content of the driving theory test – and help them get through the 1000+ questions that could come up in their real theory test.

It has been interesting working with the Driving Standards Agency to get the approvals needed to launch the test – but we are now there.

We now have a huge list of things that we want to add on to the service – but our first priority is to get out and promote the existing software and service.

Driving Theory test site now in beta

Jul 302007
 

We are now just about to start on the hardest part of a project – getting the General Public involved.

We’ve just launched the website uHavePassed.com to help 16-20 year olds pass their driving theory test.

It has been hard work getting everything ready for this as we are using some new technology we have created to allow us to synchronise data between mobile phones and the website.

If you want to see how you can now practice your driving theory test on your mobile phone then pop over to the site and have a look.

We are actively looking for beta testers – so if you are based in the UK then please register to beta test our driving theory test software.

Nearing the end of a mammoth project

Jul 202007
 

Well it looks like we are in the final weeks of a project that has taken months to put together.

As ever the final weeks feel like the hardest push and there is far too much to do.

We hope to launch on the 1st August with a new way to take your driving theory test (until then the website just a set of articles on the driving theory test).

As you might guess this has an element of mobile phones in it – but with some exciting new technology involved also.