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If you’re not using a front end framework and preprocessing your CSS, your just not keeping up!

The results are in and I can tell you definitively that they are great and they really help. I started using Bootstrap about 2 years ago when Bootstrap 2 hit the web. Then updated to using Bootstrap 3 about 8 months ago and I’ve never looked back.

Front End Frameworks

Bootstrap is the most popular front-end framework for developing responsive, mobile first projects on the web.

Bootstrap makes it possible to develop responsive websites. Responsive websites, if you haven’t heard, allow for a single website design to look and work fantastically on all screen sizes: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops and Desktops.

Smartphones and Tablets now outnumber laptops and desktops on the web. You have to build your site for these new formats or you will lose visitors, lots of them!

Preprocessors

Preprocessors are a technical innovation that saves time and makes providing the above more cost effective for clients.

There are many computer languages used on the web, but mainly there are three HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

HTML is the structure of a webpage, the guts, the elements that hold the content so that they can be defined in detail and targeted for customization by styling. Some are structural and invisible to a site viewer, others are the actual content.

CSS is the language used to define the styles, the look and feel, colors, spacing, fonts, font size, etc. of the HTML elements.

Javascript is used to add interactivity and coolio neato effects and animation to the HTML elements and styling. You can use a little or a lot or none. You can even build whole websites and whole web servers in Javascript alone, but that is another discussion.

Preprocessors are available for all of the above, but the ones that help you build better CSS are the ones I’ve adopted. I build all my style sheets using the LESS language which is then compiled or converted to pure CSS. There are other pre processed styling languages like SASS and SCSS. But I use LESS which was the language used to build Bootstrap’s CSS. Which allows me to customize my Bootstrap framework for every site I build.

The very simple act of being able to define your colors in human readable forms like @RED or @BLUE instead of  hexadecimal code which looks like this #ffffff or #0000ff, saves innumerable amounts of time and improves your color accuracy immensely. That’s just the tip of the iceberg! That’s just the use of variables in your styling.

You can add logic to your LESS files too…….which adds conditional statements to your styling. The possibilities are endless.

Design & Development Process (for New Websites)

Research and Information Gathering — A successful website is built through a series of steps that involve both designer and client. The first step is getting to know each other so I can better understand your business, your customers, and your goals for the website. We’ll spend some time researching your industry and probably asking you a bunch of questions.

Information Architecture — Once we’ve gathered the information, we begin developing the organization of your content. We’ll help you determine what needs to be on the site and determine how to best organize and present that information. During this time we’ll sketch out possible solutions for structure and layout.

Style and Aesthetics — Based on our conversations we’ll generate ideas for how your site will look. We’ll consider typeface(s) and color schemes. At the end of this phase we’ll show you several designs for the major sections of your site for review. All the while you’ll be offering feedback and through our collaboration we’ll fine tune the design of your site.

Prototype — An image can only tell you so much about how a web page will work and react to user interaction. As soon as possible we’ll build several representation pages of the site based on the design images I’ve sent. With further feedback we’ll continue to adjust and fine tune the design.

Develop a live site — Once we’re happy with the prototype pages we begin to build the real site. We choose a CMS. We’ve found WordPress to be capable of powering most any site as well as being easy for you to use. We’ll develop the theme that will become your site and then build out the sites structure, components and features. Then we prepare for and launch your site either as one element or as part of a campaign over multiple channels.

Additional Services We Can Provide (beyond New Websites)

Existing Website Changes – Many clients have existing websites that need occasional updates and changes. We are happy to help you with changes to your existing website. Let’s talk and work out the scope of your needs.

Search Marketing – Search Engine Optimization, the dynamic art of mastering keyword use, page structure, link quality, brand authority and mapping that to the keywords customers use to find you through search engines like Google, Bing & Yahoo then we use the analytics components of these search systems to monitor and assess the results and make improvements to maximize results.

Email Marketing – creating & executing campaigns that use mass emailing to inform and communicate with your customers.

Social Media Marketing – The use of social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn to promote your product or service. We can tailor make campaigns designed to deliver results. Then we measure the effectiveness of campaigns through social media analytics tools to ensure success.

Content Audits – A content audit is the cornerstone of content strategy, which governs content marketing. The aim is to perform a qualitative analysis of all the content on a website (or in some cases, a network of sites and/or social media presences).

Site Management and Consulting

• Is my site’s software being updated?
• Are my plugins being updated?
• Is my site being backed up?
• Can I call BTC to make a minor change to my site?
• Is my site secure from hackers?

The Answer: Yes, to all of the above, if you have a Website Care Plan

A website is never truly finished. Successful sites are those that continue to improve. Adding new content and interactions with your audience. We take advantage of new technologies when appropriate. A successful website is one that lives and breathes. It grows with your business.

We have Website Care Plans at varying levels to meet these needs.

Get Started!

This time the VII website was chosen for the WordPress.org showcase of great websites built on WordPress. 3 out of 5 stars, not bad! And the second submission that was accepted…even better!

Design by De.Mo of Millbrook, NY
Development by BTC

Just completed phase 1 of a great project for a legendary arabian horse breeding farm in Texas. Famous in the Arabian horse world for breeding an amazing number of champion horses.

I was assisted by my talented and lovely colleague, Phillippa Ewing, whose amazing writing abilities made the project a great success.

Just launched the new website for Ellenville Regional Hospital. Ellenville Regional Hospital is located in Ellenville, NY. They are a great success story in rural healthcare delivery.

The site was built by an awesome team:

• Rick Whelan of Ditto Design – Website Design & Print Design Services
• Phillippa Ewing of Phillippa Ewing Marketing – Marketing Strategy & Copywriting Services
• Fred Shequine of Business Technology Consulting – WordPress website Development

Just Launched the new VII Photo Agency website for De.MO Design of Milllbrook, NY

http://viiphoto.com

The CSS Bard Hessel Museum of Art website was chosen for the WordPress.org showcase of great websites built on WordPress. 3.5 out of 5 stars, not bad!

BTC has been chosen to perform technical marketing consultation & web development for the rebranding project of Ellenville Regional Hospital in Ellenville, NY. The project is a very broad rebranding project and BTC will perform all web development efforts as well as provide marketing consultation on all technical aspects of the project.

Many design studios and startup businesses feature a token pet as the office mascot…we wouldn’t want to dissapoint…

From: Fred to Jetpack AI – Write me something about the greatness of Amazon Web Services.

Response: from Jetpack AI:

Certainly! Here’s some information about the greatness of Amazon Web Services (AWS):

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is widely regarded as one of the leading cloud computing platforms in the world. There are several reasons why AWS is considered great:

1. Reliability and Scalability: AWS provides highly reliable and scalable infrastructure that allows businesses of all sizes to meet their computing needs. With its global presence and extensive range of services, AWS enables organizations to scale their operations effortlessly.
2. Wide Range of Services: AWS offers a vast array of services spanning compute, storage, databases, networking, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. These services empower businesses to build, launch, and manage innovative applications, without the need for significant upfront investment in infrastructure.
3. Flexibility: AWS provides flexible and pay-as-you-go pricing options, allowing businesses to optimize their costs based on their usage. This model enables startups and enterprises alike to access enterprise-grade technology without the burden of costly hardware and maintenance.
4. Security and Compliance: AWS maintains high standards of security, compliance, and data privacy. They offer various security features and services, including encryption, identity and access management, firewalls, and compliance certifications. This helps businesses trust AWS as a reliable partner for protecting their sensitive data and ensuring regulatory compliance.
5. Global Infrastructure: AWS operates a vast network of data centers worldwide, strategically located in different regions. This global infrastructure enables businesses to deploy their applications closer to their customers, reducing latency and improving user experience.

Thanks to its robust infrastructure, extensive service catalog, and commitment to security, AWS has become a go-to choice for businesses looking to leverage the power of cloud computing.

Please note that the greatness of a service might depend on individual requirements and perspectives. Nonetheless, AWS has gained a solid reputation in the industry for its capabilities and the many success stories of organizations benefiting from its services.

Business Technology Consulting is proud to now offer Amazon AWS Cloud Hosting to all our web development clients.

All pricing is customized to the needs of each website. Please contact me for details.

Below is an excerpt from the companion website of the new book by Joseph Menn “Fatal System Error”, the story of a hacker who became a cyber warrior in the fight against on-line criminals. (more…)

I recently attended WordCamp SF 2011, 3 days of great presentations by some great people, and some of them were even quite funny!

WordPress is fast becoming a great CMS ( Content Management System) and has been for some time one of the most intuitive backend interfaces I’ve worked with.

It’s not just blogging software any more….

New and Notable:

BuddyPress – Your own private social network built on WordPress.
WebFonts – Websafe only fonts are fast becoming history with new ways to implement any font anywhere on the web without resorting to graphic fonts.
UppSite  – Deploy your website or web application in multiple mobile app systems quickly and easily without coding.
Process – New ways to manage customers, clients, designers & developers that ensure projects run smoothly.
Responsive Web Design – New techniques for designing websites that recognize, respond and adapt to differing devices and screen resolutions.
Premium Themes – New professionally developed WordPress themes that allow for WYSIWYG and Drag n Drop layout and design with the ability to quickly create child themes for fast turnaround projects on a budget that look great.

BTC will be looking for ways to incorporate some of these great new features, concepts and ideas into new sites and services. Stay tuned for more or feel free to contact us, we love to talk about projects!

BTC Will be attending Wordcamp SF 2011 following the designer and developer track. Stay tuned we’ll be bringing great new ideas back from the conference.

WordCamp San Francisco is the official annual conference of the WordPress open source project. This year there will be 3 days of brilliant content bringing together hundreds of amazing WordPress bloggers, developers, designers, and professionals for a weekend of indulging their WordPress geekery.

Google Apps is a wonderful Email, Calendar, Contact & Document Collaboration System for businesses of any size, and Google has just made it easier to make the move. Read on to see the new features that have been added… (more…)

iPhone

If you drop your iPhone in the toilet……Call Apple Immediately they will replace your phone immediately for $200-$230 as an out of warranty repair. Better yet take it immediately to an Apple store and you might get it replaced for free! Yes, Free! (more…)

The New York Times recently published an article titled “To Do More With Less, Governments Go Digital.” (more…)

Business Technology Consulting is pleased to announce that we will be providing Google Apps implementation services for businesses.

Gmail @ your domain name and much more!

Want to learn more about Google Apps Click here

Feel free to call us today and we’ll help you decide which version is right for you and provide an estimate for Implementation Services & Training.

Its easy to use WYSIWYG html editors to quickly develop web pages, so why should you learn to develop properly…what does proper development and coding get you ? The answer is quite simple; Web pages that work correctly across all the odd and crazy browsers that people use to interface with the internet.