Website DIY

So you need a website?

So you have realized that in today’s day and age, a website saves you money and promotes your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week … and you need one now! Or maybe you already have a website, but need it to do more for you than just have a few pages with information. In just a few short steps we will take you through the options we offer you.

Before we start, it is important that you understand what Joomla is, and what it will allow you to do. Please read this article - What is Joomla and Open Source?
This will open your mind to the type of websites we build, and then also get you thinking about what you want your own website TO BE ABLE TO DO FOR YOU.

Our clients have 2 options when setting up or upgrading their website:

webdesign-howto

Self Managed / DIY: With this option

we might be contracted to build the initial website, but we then hand over to the client who will be doing their own management and admin work on their websites.
Or you might want to do it all yourself, and only use us for support. (THINK IT CANNOT BE DONE? )

Managed option: Here we will be building the website and also doing updates and promotion for the client on their domain, along with the creating and sending of newsletters etc.

WHICH OPTION IS THE BEST FOR YOU

If you feel that you have the time available to work on your own website once it build, add content and do what is required for marketing and promotion, then the Self Managed option will suite your needs and provide you with a fast and effective solution to get your website online.
You will have the option to get involved with the building and datacapturing of your website as well, reducing the costs, but increasing the time it will take to complete your website.

If you do not have the time and energy required to learn, manage and promote your own website, then we can do that for you.

strategy_planning_7195500XSmall STEP 1 - Everything starts with a plan

Read the above article to get an overview of what needs to go into the planning of a new website. Your plan can be as short as one or two pages, or it can be detailed and take up 10 pages, but this is where it all starts ... with a plan

Auto Industry Solution

We are about to reveal an ONLINE INDUSTRY SOLUTION to you that will enable you to:

Easily upload new vehicles/boats etc onto your website
Manage and update all aspects of your website yourself
Send newsletters directly from your website, and manage mailing lists etc.
View DETAILED statistics of where your visitors are coming from and what pages they view
... and so much more, that you simply have to test drive it to appreciate it.

We are making the system available for you to TEST DRIVE. We will give you full access to the system and allow you to see for yourself just how easy it is to manage your own website, and reach thousands upon thousands of possible clients.

Not to mention how much you will be saving your business on advertising costs each month, if you can have ALL your cars, bikes or boats advertised on your own website, linked to other websites and search engines.

Register/Transfer of a co.za domain
Hosting package for the domain
Customise images and templates
Load basic information onto the website
Provide training and material for the management of their websites.

We will ensure that your website goes live within the first 7 DAYS of signing up, and from there assist you with getting your website working for you and your business.

So have you paid careful attention? Have you thought about how this website solution could put your business ahead of the others? Have you thought about the huge savings on advertising costs?

HAVE YOU TEST DRIVEN THE SYSTEM?

Then, the fact of the matter is that if you don't act now, the next time you will see a website like this
it will be your competition’s website you will be looking at.

Joomla solution for South African schools

This week saw the first two Eastern Cape schools to go fully online with their new website solution power by Joomla. We have been hard at work compiling what we think to be the perfect combination of components for any South African school.

At each of the two schools, George Randell Primary and Kuswag Primary, a teacher will be working with the content and management of the website, alongside ActionOnline that will be providing support and training for the websites. At present very little information appears on the websites (www.cathcarthigh.co.za and www.portrex.co.za) as teachers will now have to learn how to publish content directly on the website.

The possibilities that the new website holds to students, teachers and parents are endless. Students will be able to build a detailed profile of themselves on the website, linked to all posts and/or activities on the website. In addition to their detailed profiles, students will be able to publish their own 5 page website on the school’s domain.

We hope that the forum, private messenger and other tools provide will aid in the ease of contact between teachers and parents. Below is an extract from the feature discussions for the website.

WEBSITE FEATURE DISCUSSIONS

1. Basic Essential Features

1.1 The website will allow new visitors to register on the website and specify their status (student/teacher/parent/visitor). Each user then will be able to login on the website and gain access to information only visible to their particalur status.

1.2. The website will have different ‘User Access Levels’ that will determine the access a particular user has on the website. Normal registered users will be able to post comments on articles, forums etc as well as use tools such as the messenger system on the website. Teachers and students will be able to access information related to the school, and also applications such as the Site-Builder, Support ticket system etc.

The client will select it’s designated ‘Admins’ and the developer will upgrade their user statuses, allowing them access to all areas and applications on the website’s front-end and back-end.

1.3 Comprehensive search utility will allow for detailed and advanced search of all the content on the website. Automatic meta tag insertion into the content users will submit will ensure easy searching for both the websites search engine, as well as other web search engines.

1.4 All information on the website can be added and arranged in such a manner that it is easily readable and navigational to browser of the website. The content management solution (CMS) will allow for the adding of unlimited content while keeping it categorized and indexed for browsers.

1.5 All members of the public browsing the website will be able to download, print and distribute content easily with the click of a button.

2. UNIQUE FEATURES AND/OR APPLICATIONS

Features and applications unique to the website solution and their functionality will be discussed below. The current website has all these functions already implimented on the website, ready for testing and content to be loaded/customized.

2.1 PRIVATE MESSENGER

Each user after registreation will have access to a basic website messenger system. This system works similar to what your normal e-mail inbox folders would work, but it’s already loaded with the contact details for other registered users on the website.

2.2 COMPREHENSIVE USER PROFILES

Registered users on the website will be able to update their profile on the website by adding additional information on their profile and also upload a picture attached to all post they will make on the website.

2.3 SITE BUILDER

The Site Builder will allow students/teachers to build their own 5 page website on the domain, and indexing and module advertising of the link can be integrated on the website. The 5 page website features will include

Basic content page
Picture Gallery
RSS Feeds
Contact page

This application is not OpenSource, and the price for the application is reflected in the costing section below. It is currently complete without restrictions untill 50 regsistered users on the website. There-after a lisence for the domain needs to be obtained.

2.4 SUPPORT TICKET SYSTEM

The Support Ticket system has been implimented to assist both teachers and students obtaining support for either website, internet or e-mail assistance. Each ticket created/opened can be viewed from the administrator’s area, ensuring that no request/questions will go by un-answered.

This system will also only be made available to teachers, students and parents, and exclude normal visitors from being able to see the content or links.

2.5 PICTURE GALLERY

The picture gallery will support unlimited albums and pictures. Bulk uploading features will ensure easy uploading of multiple images. Comments can be made on pictures online, bulk downloading and e-card features included.

2.6 CALENDAR

An online calendar is the ideal way for advertising events and keeping track of events and meetings. Categories can be created for events, and teachers can create events from the front-end of the website.

2.7 FORUM

As being one of the Internet’s oldest communication and discussion tools, it’s important that the school’s website has a forum where students can start experimenting with topics, replies and notifications from a forum.

Various forum categories can still be created, and user access control can restrict a particular forum to be viewable only to teachers.

2.8 WEB BASED ADMINISTRATION ACCESS

Access to the clients server control panels are all integrated into the website under teacher access only. This includes the

Mail Server control panel all e-mail accounts will be managed, created/deleted,
Dansguardian control panel and reports,
Website administrator area for the management of the website.

2.9 MAILING LIST / NEWSLETTER

The website’s newsletter manager allows for sending of sequduled html newsletters, automatic subscribe and un-subscribe, archiving of previously mailed newsletters. Multiple newsletters can also be created and managed through the website administrator area. For a complete list of features, see http://www.acajoom.com/content/view/17/1/