Month: January 1970

Flashpack at Forty is exactly the kind of website we love to review here at The Weblog Review. It is a product of the personal passion and lifestyle of its two writers–Craig and John–namely traveling around the world on a budget at an age when most people have settled into a slower pace and just a few weeks of vacation each year.

There are dozens of travel stories on the site, dating back to December of 2009, and I would defy anyone to read a few of them without beginning to wonder just how possible it would be to hit the road themselves. Even if you’re an armchair traveler however, a site like Flashpack at Forty is terrific for getting a feel for self-guided travel nowadays, and how you don’t have to be wealthy to explore the globe.

The tone of the writing is frank and humorous, with Craig and John being unafraid to share both the high points as well as the annoyances that come with seat-of-the-pants travel. These are real life adventures, and I found it refreshing and interesting to read of unexpected little travel tidbits such as the difficulty one should expect when trying to find a Japanese ATM that will dispense cash if you have a non-Japanese bank card!

One of the best things about Flashpack at Forty is the really outstanding photography on the site, accessible from a link to the image gallery in the navigation bar. The best websites today tell stories using more than just the written word, and the subject matter of the site is well-served by the photos one will find on it. In addition, the site is further proof of just how versatile and compelling the WordPress platform can be for people who are more interested in communicating than they are getting too bogged down in technology.

Flashpack at Forty is an interesting look at at the sort of traveling most people will never be lucky enough (or, brave enough?) to do, and if you have ever wondered what it would be like to see all the places you dreamed of as a child, no matter what age you are, I would recommend giving this terrific site a look.NULL

We are seeing more and more businesses websites start to integrate blogging into their overall strategic Web presence. After all, it can only make sense to stay in touch with customers as the market for whatever product or service your company provides also changes over time.

The Simmons and Fletcher Blog is one of the best examples I’ve seen in a long time of a relatively small local business, in this case a law firm located in Houston, Texas, proactively using a blog platform to enhance its marketing.

If you own a small business that might not seem particularly well-suited to supplying regular updates for your customers as to your business, I suggest you take a look at the execution on the Simmons and Fletcher site. It just shows you how a little creativity can not only serve to inform readers but also undoubtedly lead them to bookmarking this informative website in the event they should ever need a trial lawyer or a personal injury lawyer in Houston.

As is usually the case with blogs that are installed on a sub-directory of a larger website, the Simmons and Fletcher blog is built on WordPress, which in 2012 is by far the most popular blogging platform. There is exceptional execution here with social media icons and functionality built throughout the site and every single post.

One element of web design that is exploding in popularity recently is to include a YouTube video on the sidebar to accommodate potential clients who would rather watch than read. This design includes that feature, as well as a contact form and even a link to an iPhone app associated with the law firm!

Whether you are a small business owner who is interested in looking for some ideas as to properly constructing your new business website to optimize it for conversions, or a person who lives in or around Houston, Texas and you would like to keep the name of an apparently well-known local law firm specializing in personal injury and trial law, the Simmons and Fletcher website is definitely a Internet destination to take a look at, and bookmark.

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At first glance, the website for the credit card processing company BluePay almost seems to be a personal weblog, with attractive little icons and an engaging auto slider on the top of the home page that unobtrusively features different aspects of BluePay’s business.

You might not think it would be very easy to make such a visually attractive site for a company that sells integrated payment processing, credit card processing, and all in one merchant accounts but that is exactly what the designers of this website have accomplished, to their credit.

When dealing with abstract financial products it is important to present them simply as well as give people the functionality they need to dig deeper to learn more about these products, and this site certainly does.

I was amazed that even at a glance I’m able to determine whether I have a need for the types of services that BluePay offers because they are listed above the fold on the home page, accompanied by the tiny icons that I mentioned before.

You are also offered the clear opportunity to chat with an online representative live, or to e-mail the company with further questions you might have.

The best websites are ones that used deceptively simple presentation to convey myriad complex ideas, and if you go over toBluePay.com, I think you’ll find like I did that the company hits the sweet spot between great design and being informative.NULL

The officite.com website houses the Internet presence of a physician and medical web design company that clearly knows what it’s doing when it comes to creating engaging, attractive and functional websites for the medical industry.

If the website itself is any indication you’re in good hands with Officite, and understanding exactly how this website is designed so effectively could help web designers who aspire to do more than simply inform but also to create and promote a brand, whether for a company or even a personal weblog.

The site features a series of information blocks that communicate different aspects of Officite’s design capabilities. The site makes a clear connection between delivering new customers for their clients and their ability to send compelling messages to customers through outstanding design, performing local search marketing, constructing mobile websites for clients, incorporating social media and blogging into client site designs, and even serving as a doctor portal for client sites as well.

There is even a testimonial section of satisfied clients, as there really should be on any site that promises customer satisfaction nowadays.

Officite.com sits on the WordPress content management system, which has become the most popular way to create not only blogs but also static sites for people or businesses or even interesting hybrid sites that take on elements of both weblogs and static informational homepages that don’t need to change very often.

If you would like to see just how far you can go with WordPress to create a serious commercial web presence that caters to physicians and other medical professionals, go take a look act Officite.com.NULL

We have all seen blogs and websites that feature wide ranges of products for sale, but one e-commerce website that takes on aspects of a dynamic blog as well but still fulfills the function of displaying an incredibly large product line, is magidglove.com, which is a work gloves, disposable gloves, and leather work gloves supplier.

If you have assumed that showcasing a wide range of products on a website’s home page locks you into a boring collection of thumbnail images, do yourself a favor and take a look at this particular site.

Everything that construction workers and contractors need in the way of garments, gloves, safety eyewear and face protection is offered by this company and again presented in such a way that features products without cluttering the page and sending visitors to the website away.

By taking a modular approach to the design the Magid company was able to fit listings of new products, bestsellers and even a shopping cart and a sign-up sheet for their newsletter. In my opinion even if you don’t currently have a need for industrial garments and safety eyewear you could still get a lot out of this website if you are a web designer tasked with combining a lot of information with really engaging design.

We are seeing more and more websites that have taken the plunge into what I would call modern design after the uninteresting and monotonous design simplicity of the 1990s; to get an idea of where we’re headed go take a look at magidglove.com.
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