I’m not an expert web designer, nor a security guru. Not even a great storyteller. If anything, I’m a generalist and a tinkerer. I use a system designed to lower costs and increase security to design and maintain sites (which I’m happy to share).  I specialize in small jobs and projects; portfolios, startups, small businesses.

Additionally, I’ve designed a web hosting area for website design learning & prototyping. Called Story Builders. My goal is a community controlled and operated hosting site to promote sharing of knowledge and collaborative tutoring.

Currently, I’m using WordPress (the most commonly used site “language”) coupled with Divi themes (a design software and great learning resources to sort). I also use a limited and select group of plugins to help with functionality and security.

For the Web Design

It’s very cool putting your story, idea, or product in front of the world (or just a few friends). Whether a business, a family history, or a blog, creating a website is a blast. I can help. As long as it doesn’t deal in hate or intolerance. Let me be on your team.

Stories presented; the way you want. Control who sees and interacts with your site.

Currently, I picture the web as more like the wild west. We’re sold “easy”, “free” and “no-cost”, instead what we get is target ads telling us what to buy, what to think and who we need in our “circle”. The real cost is hard to quantify but undoubtedly too high; besides, it was really never free, to begin with.

Owning your own website is the first small step toward independence.

There are many decisions to make in setting up a site — going through it can feel debilitating. What if you make a wrong decision? Well — you will — but most will be good and you’ll recover.

(Unless) the wrong decision allows the outlaw hackers in?

My first lesson of web design; Have a plan to recover if hacked. Having your site hacked feels very personal. It’s not. Both good and bad bots (small programs) scan the web daily; kind of just looking around. Bad Bots will take advantage, i.e Bad Bot. It’s part of the excitement of living in the Wild West. That is where a systematic plan for webdesign comes in. It keeps you in control. For Story Builders, I advocate maintaining your site off-line on a computer hard drive or thumb drive — off-line (not on the internet) and uploading the complete site to your online host. Neither unique nor original but a smart way to do business. Recovering from a hacked site is easy; delete and re-upload from your computers hard-drive. Problem solved. It also allows for more robust security measures.

 My samples

The story of “you” is told through businesses such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube/Google, Amazon, Apple. Their mission is predicting spending and browsing habits; likes and dislikes; through a series of algorithms. While useful-ish, Algorithms don’t tell stories well. They compile data in a canned lumped together format predicting and anticipating current and future actions. The end result is an erosion, and a marginalization of our stories.

Algorithms don’t innovate, don’t dream, or feel — so how can they tell compelling stories. Which leads to our mission; 

Story snatching from the Web. One website at a time.

CoActive Guided Approach

A design method to create the most flexibility while limiting “personal data leakage” by examining plugins and security settings.

Story Builders

is a community designed to help with best practices by examining:

• Learning, Design, Security & Privacy

The first step

Using your computer’s hard drive to set up and design a website offline. Moving the site online when you’re ready.

• No cost but your time and learning. It’s a little complicated.
• Join “Story builders” for guided instruction, or message me for tutoring and/or a walkthrough to get you started.