Designing a website or blog.....Pitfalls encountered when we aren't focused and lessons learned.
About a month ago I wrote a Blog Titled: Get out of your comfort zone and learn something....Blogs 101. How premature that desire was to have someone design a new Blog for me. Heck I wasn't even focused enough to be able to articulate what the Blog would be used for. Oh sure, I could say anything, but the reality is without being focused, how does the Designer know what to do for you? How do they know how to maximize your site for your benefit? And what do you do when you can't seem to get what you think you want?
What do you do when your Blog doesn't fit into the proverbial "box"?
What do you do when you can't articulate Who you're marketing to? During the past few months I have been trying to get an "Outside Blog" designed and functioning. One of the biggest problems appeared to have been thinking it had to fit into a certain mold of who to market to. Was the Blog to:
- Focus on the consumer
- Offer Hard Core Real Estate
- Focus on Neighborhoods, or
- Provide Market Reports
Here are the Lessons I learned while trying to get my new "Outside" Blog online.
- Communication- This is paramount to success. Many Designers have their own ideas, and just as often they forget that we might not understand how their business actually works. Keeping someone informed, and working things out in a timely basis is important.
- What one person says is "no problem" might just be one.
- The learning curve for different blogging platforms is never ending, or so it seems.
- Keep it simple.........clean and simple far outweigh flashy. With Simple the content stands out.
- If you don't know what you want, no one else will either.
- Availability- what do you do when you have issues and need to get a hold of the person helping you. For me I like having someone that answers emails quickly, and doesn't work 9-5 M-F.....that doesn't fit my needs. I found it is very important that my needs are met, since it is my site :)
- Blogging is a commitment- I learned here on Active Rain to have a schedule for posting. You might not always follow through, but a schedule helps keep you focused. The lesson I learned here on Active Rain, I will take to my new Blog also.......
- Choose a Domain Name that will identify your Market
- Know who you are Marketing to~ It's OK NOT to have a conventional site, (If you're the Broker it's much easier as you don't need permission nor risk censorship)
- Patience........Patience......Patience...........
- Listen to Lenn Harley!!!! You can't go wrong learning about blogging success's, and what to write.
This is the Initial Header I was going to use, on the blog I was having designed.
Guess it isn't too hard to guess who designed the Header. Anyone who knows his work can recognize The Blog Artist marti garaughty who also Founded and Moderates the Art of Marketing You Group .
Here are some of marti's recent or relevant Project Designs:
Margaret Rome book cover: http://www.homerome.com/book/index.html
website design: http://ladamedragonserviceslinguistiques.com/
Real Estate 411 page header: http://realestate411.ning.com/
Midori Miller blog header: http://activerain.com/blogs/midori
Pam Winterbauer blog header: http://www.activerain.com/blogs/winterpam
Brad Andersohn blog header: http://www.activerain.com/blogs/bandersohn
Linda Scanlan blog header: http://www.activerain.com/blogs/lindascanlan
Here are some contact links in case you don't already have these :) I know that I am very happy with marti's work. His communication is top notch, his designs are clean and simple, his prices reasonable, and to top it off I love his personality and his work:) :)
artwork: http://garaughty.com
graphics: http://TheBlogArtist.com
marketing: http://TheArtOfMarketingblog:
blog: http://activerain.com/blogs/garaughty
And finally I would like to Introduce my new Outside Blog that marti came to my rescue and designed for me. This is my new outside Blog: http://californiarealestateandlife.com
I worked very hard to launch this new Blog, and would love it if you would come by and leave a comment on any of the Posts....especially if one doesn't have a comment :)
Yep Active Rain spoiled me for comments....so just for this day, just for this time, I am asking you each to come subscribe to my new blog and leave a comment.
All Feedback welcomed here.
California Real Estate and Life A new Real Estate Blog By: Kathy McGraw ~ CELLing Realty
I would like to thank everyone for helping me learn and for the support we all give each other in our various new ventures. Active Rain has proven once again to be a powerful network of caring, and sharing Professionals. Thank you all......
Congratulations Kathy. It is so cool to have subscribed to your new blog and will await notice through my Google Reader of your next Post.
Hi Kathy-love the new header and can't wait to check out your ourside blog. Marti rocks and I do have a heart for him! I love the fact it's distinctive and you know it's his work! Good choice... I tried to get to your site but it's down or bad link. I'll try again in the morning.
Hi Kathy, Sorry I couldn't embed the Video into the comment section so everyone could see it. Regrettably, the comment section will not accept html code. But I sent to you in an email, Hope you enjoy!
Kathy......just love the header and the new blog. marti does a great job and thanks for the honorable mention on my blog header.
It is taking me three time to say all that I wanted to say. Marti did a really outstanding job and is truly a master in design and building the site. Congratulations to Marti as well for a job well done! I know that your consumers, friends, clients and prospects will love it!
William....I love the little newspaper graphic :) And it is great that you are the first person here, and the first Subscriber there :) :)
Midori- I tried at the same time as you I think, and for some unknown reason it was down for a few minutes.....heck I panicked and sent marti a mail....HELP :) ;) I too love his work, and it is certainly distinctive as you say........I will be very pleased to have you go to the site, and I seriously thought of Lenn Harley while writing my first Posts.....Just the Real Estate mame, just the Real Estate :)
****I love the design marti made for you, it is very classy.
Pam-I loved that header too, but it isn't the one I went with. I chose to have a smaller header in order to see the content better :) I am laughing at that.......the header on the actual blog is an old truck on the Indian Reservation....I took that picture about 6 years ago.
You know I love your Header....the first time I saw it I knew who designed it. And it's the only one I've seen with color.......
William- Hi again...you can come by 3, 4, 5 or however many times you want :) I just regret I didn't make the change you suggested....I couldn't make it fit (to the one post) but it'll be OK, it's the way I talk :) As to marti and his design....I love how the background doesn't move....I showed it to a friend and they liked the site although they had no idea what a blog is LOL :) :)
Kathy... wow what can I say except thanks, it was a blast doing this project with you. Closing the gap between techies and non-techies isn't always easy but we got thru it just fine.
I just checked your domain and if anything is was probably a server "burp", sort of like what happens here on AR a lot lately.
Also thx to everyone for the feedback but it was Kathy's input & ideas that brought the blog to life. Again Kathy thanks sooooooooo much for this post, nite...
Kathy - what an awesome site marti died for you! Wow! I'm probably at the top of the list of his fans. Besides all that...what an awesome guy he is. Always giving. I'm heading to your new site now! CONGRATULATIONS on your new "baby"...it will be fun watching it grow up! :-)
Marti's contributions here at Active Rain are invaluable! I have learned so much from his posts and I am amazed and the new and fresh ideas he constantly puts forth!
Kathy, your new site looks great. Now the fun begins....I love reading marti's week in review of marketing, one of my favorites.
is is a WP blog? I assume it must be since you posted it to the WordPressgroup, I can't get into it with the link.
Good luck.
Marti has a great collection to chose from and he is also a pretty good guy too:)
Kathy, informative post, great job once again. Also, nice ThemThem to Marti. Thanks for sharing with the Group. I'm going to play Tarzan and swing by your new blog right now, Ahhahaahahh.
Congratulations Kathy. Your new blog looks great and Marti simply rocks!
Kathy, I very much liked your points about defining who you are marketing to and that blogging is a commitment.
Very nice Kathy. I don't know how I earned a special mention, but thanks anyway. This is a very clean, easy to read blog. I love it.
I am glad you wrote this about Marti's work, he deserves the recognition. And your blog looks great as well.
Just checked it out and looks awesome! Hope that is what you were looking for and you end up not having to make too many tweeks to it over the next year and I also hope it brings you lots of business.
marti- It feels great seeing so many people that love your work, and think highly of you as a person as well as an Artist. That means my blog is even more special :) Thanks to you I have a great new blog.....a gift of marti garaughty's talents in design, that I plan on taking good care of :)
I hope everyone checks out all the work that I have linked to....that one for the Linguistics Lady brought a big WOW....so elegant, so classy :) Thank you my friend, thank you for everything.
Linda- I hope you do go over and comment on the Post marti put up welcoming the new blog.....as I said he is a great guy, and we know by his group that he is well liked, and respected. What more could anyone want from their peers? And look....your comment is right under marti's :) :)
Leesa- Agreed.....and what gets me is the time he spends, and still has a life :)
Missy- Thank you....and thank you for going to my new site and commenting. marti's group reviews are wonderful.....his new series on blogs is one that I can't wait to read on Saturday.....That is the first thing I look for on Saturday Afternoon, his Weekly Review.....
Maureen- Yes, it's a WP blog. I was told this was the best and easiest platform. I joined your group to learn more about this platform, and what I did learn is that I have the 2.5.1 .org one, and it is hosted by Zyon. I didn't understand all the technicalities but apparently this host has something that marti stated would be good.....LOL....boy do I have a lot to learn :)
Sorry you couldn't get on, that happened to us last night for a few minutes....the server said they were doing maintenance....:) they have 24/7 tech support :)
Neal- He is indeed a great guy....you should know, as you are also :) And like the Title says "the gifts of marti garaughty that keep on giving, because that is exactly what he does....he keeps on giving" :)
Duane- Hope you like the new blog as much as I do. And thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Monika- Thank you...and thanks for taking the time to go check it out and leave a comment....that means a lot :)
Gary- That was such a difficult thing for me....and it was a comment by Lola that finally gave me the answer. Her focus group turned out to be the same as mine, I just couln't give myself permission to be outside the box. I do think these 2 are so important.....and now that I understand them, I am ready to go :)
Lenn- How did you earn a specail mention.....easy. I wanted my Blog to have substance....I wanted it to be useful to the Groups I was targeting......and every step of the way you were in my head saying what you would read: Real Estate related stuff.
I have a ton of admiration for you.....and so I made sure that my first Posts (all 3 of them) were Real Estate Oriented. And my 2 entries were written specifically for the new Blog. They aren't here on AR. So, that is why you have a special mention.....and gosh I forgot your link, but will go fix that right now :) Thank you.......and glad you like my new blog.
Steve-yes marti does deserve recognition. It was hard to do this post cuz I could have done a whole seperate one on marti.....but this worked, so it's all good.
Todd- Thanks....well, actually I didn't know what I was looking for. I just wanted something that was "professional" but hey, I know when to let the pros do their work. I don't do their work and they don't do mine......it works better that way :) And as far as tweeking, maybe a couple small things, but nothing major I hope (as of now I don't know much) I do love the clean feel to it.....and it's easy to navigate, no extra widgets to detract from the content....yep, I like that.
Thank you for going to my site :)
@ everyone... thx for the feedback, I know Kathy appreciates it as much as I do, it's our new baby. ;-)
@ Maureen... yes it's Wordpress, the design & graphics are mine but the software running Kathy's blog is 100% Wordpress.
It's featured now in the WordPress group. Thanks
Great information! Thank you som much for sharing it with us! I will check out some of the sites you recommended and get serious about it. You are right, you have to set a time to do it, otherwise it will constantly get put on the back burner and never get done.
WoooHoooo to your new outside blog and woooohooooo to marti! You guys did a wonderful job and you're right...marti is the gift that keeps on giving!!!!
Maureen- Thanks....
Meli- Yes, without a commitment a blog could easily be pushed to the back burner :) Just pick a couple days, and try to consistently Post on those days......and everything after that is a Plus.
Sally- And thank you for your contribution to the new blog.....all Military Personell that are relocating to Hawaii will find your Post on the new blog very useful :) don't ya just love gifts that keep giving, or reappearing? :)
And in all honesty I'm still confused by the whole outside blog concept! lol........i'm just starting to get my head around this one..........This may sound silly - but where and how do people access it? People can post on your blog on any topic? Its like a regular scroll- you add something when you want and people respond and all of it just sort of follows one another? Well it looks cool and definitely looks like Marti's work....:-)
ok..........another question? How do I subscribe..:-))
I'm headed to check it out now- be good cheryl
Hi Liz- Ok....here's what I learned. Now this is only for my blog, as everone is a different in how it is set up.
Ok, as you can see it is a little more complicated than here, but with all things comes a time to grow. An Outside Blog is an extension. But for now do what you are doing....enjoy AR, I know I do.
It looks nice in your above post, and I WILL go check it out. Personally, I'm way too much a control freak to have anyone else design for me.
Just curious- why did you feel the need to have an outside blog as well as your AR one?
Kathy,
I'm a great admirer of Marti and his talent....he's an all round wonderful guy. I love the work he's done for everyone and most particularly, I love the look of your new outside blog! Now I'm going to head over for a visit....
((-:
Jo
Kathy, Wishing you much success with your beautiful new blog. You know that I think the world of Marti who is a true professional, exudes creativity and is such a terrific person!! I loved working with Marti on my upcoming book cover.
Kathy, I just came from your new blog and it's wonderful--you're off to a great start! And Marti is wonderful and I thank you for referring him. I'd wish you good luck but you won't need it.
Kathy - wow. Bravo!! You've been so productive these past few weeks I've spent less time at the computer--- and I have absolutely nothing to show for my work. I admire you, pushing yourself to a new level... ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican...
Looking good Kathy! Bravo to Marti for helping you out on this. You seem to continue to evolve with your business, which is crucial in ANY Market!
Congratulations Kathy. Your new blog looks great!
Kathy: Congratulations on your new outside blog... I'm coming over to read and comment! Nice shout out to Marti for his influence and contributions to your success! Great ThemThem post! :)
Bravo! You and Marti made a great team. Congrats on your new blog.
Cheryl-Betcha thought I forgot about you LOL :) Nope, my mom came down from Washington and I have been trying to spend some time with my family for the past few days.....thank you for visiting my new Blog, and thanks for the welcome comment :)
Leslie-I have wanted to be in control on so many things, but every now and then I just "give it up" and let things evolve.....,my new Blog was not working with me trying to control it, so when marti offered to help me (at that point I had canceled everything)....I just went with whatever :)
Why do I want an outside Blog....2 main reasons: control and my idea of a natural progression of AR. As Mara said...it is the next level :)
Jo-Seems like marti has many admirers :) Thank you for the feedback it is appreciated.
Margaret-Thank you very much for the words of encouragement. And as far as working with marti on your project, I loved the design. I put my order in, did you get it?
Carole-Thank you very much.....I think the Blog will do just fine. It has a couple small burps right now of going off line...but once that is settled....well...my goal is to get recognized, and I will.....we will :) Thank you so much for agreeing to contribute your specialty of Feng Shui to the Blog. I put your first post up last night.
Mara-Thank you...you said the words I wanted to say to Leslie....an outside blog is another level :) Yes, I always want to get to the next level.....and that little engine finished by saying "I knew I could, I knew I could" ......Thanks. And seriously we all have different things to measure success by...this is tangible, but what you did with your time might be more valuable in the big picture :)
Jason.....Thank you for the kind words to both of us ...I know marti will see them :)
Annette- Thank you, and thank you for taking the time to leave that kind compliment.
Jan- As you can see by many of the comments it is so easy to say good things about marti....1~ becasue they're all true, and 2~ because he gives so much of his time and talents to helping others.
Bobby- I am also glad marti came and rescued me, and I do thank you for trying to help me also. Did you see my lessons learned.....make sure clients are focused...... LOL....:) I can't believe I was actually trying to have you help me when I didn't know what I was doing. Being focused can't be stressed enough, although when you guys said it, I couldn't articulate it. But all's well that ends well...:) Thank you again Bobby.....
I am going to check out your outside blog and the links you mentioned. Congratulations . Thanks for sharing.
Wow... I didn't have much time yesterday to read posts, thanks again to everyone for your kind words and very cool feedback, it was fun to see the result of Kathy's ideas and mine come to life. We're all here helping and learning from each other in ouw own way, this was just another example of what we all do so well in the Rain. Thx again everyone...
Hi Kathy! I just checked out your new oo-la-la blog and it's beautiful! Kudos to you and Marti for putting together such a wonderful site. I added it to my feed reader, so keep me fed :)
Kathy, Yes and thank you. Can't wait to see it in print!
Gita-Thank you for coming by to see the new blog.....:)
Lisa- I will be feeding 2 or 3 times a week :) Thanks, and it will be interesting to see it grow :) Marti does really good work for sure.
Margaret-me too....I showed your book cover to someone and they loved your Title :)
Kathy, Thanks for showing the book cover and for letting me know they loved the title!
Dionne- Hey, that was clever :) I found marti very easy to work with, and his communication is tops for sure. Let me know if he does a project with you, I'd like to see it ......