Drawer Advice

[sploo]

I'm wrestling with this at the moment in that I'm debating whether or not to get a website. I know nothing about web design or web site maintenance, so I'm trying to understand how much time and money it would take to implement something.

And I'm far from clear if a web site is even the sensible way forward.

On the one hand my daughter's a professional photographer and she's offered to catalogue my output, plus the first question many prospective clients ask is "what's your web site?" On the other hand I'm getting pretty much all the business I could want without a web site, and I'd always much prefer to get a prospective client into my workshop and show them boards and discuss designs using sketches, books, maquettes and random photos rather than have them say, "can you do another of item X just a bit wider/taller/deeper?"

Maybe I should start a new thread and get some second opinions, there seems to be a few people on this forum with quite a lot of IT experience.

There are companies geared for you to take a bunch of templates and make your own business website, but you could also get some web space and make a simple set of pages with the usual About/Contact/Gallery type links. Obviously you can go all the way up to a professionally done site with active elements and photo slideshows, but that's probably overkill - unless you're trying to project a really slick high-end craftsman image (in which case, a simple website can sometimes work against you).

Alternatively, you could get yourself a free Flickr account and post a set of photos of your work (you can add comments to a photo) and point people at that.

EDIT: Oh, and the table looks great! Could you explain the process of using hot water to raise the grain? I've learnt to just wipe with cold water for that purpose, and I've not come across the use of hot before. How hot, and are you doing anything more than wiping it on with a cloth?

 

[marcros]

it is a difficult one. When everything now has a web presence, it is quite refreshing to have somebody say "I don't have a website, but lets discuss what you want" whilst they pull boards and samples to demonstrate their points, and quickly sketch out what the client is telling them. If you have customers, you probably need a website, if you have clients then it is slightly different.

Almost, I imagine like a trip to a saville row tailor where you pick your cloth and lining and discuss your expectations, and the tailor subtly modify it to make you look better!

 

[sploo]

If you have customers, you probably need a website, if you have clients then it is slightly different.

Nice distinction.