Customizing: Customizers-for-Hire

[Andy]

We love the following firms that design SmugMug sites for a fee.

Jerry Roek.

David Wolf.

New Skin Media.

Zoho Design.

How does it work? Send them an email, and begin the discussion

Are YOU interested in doing the same thing? Send me an email, ATTN: Markham, to our help desk. We'll talk

[stephenbruno]

I have done quite a lot of my own customizing and I have received generous and effective assistance from SmugMug staff and Dgrinners. Everyone has been wonderful and I am grateful for their expertise and kind help. I even learned enough to assist others in some areas. When I needed the special knowledge, skills, and personal attention for my website to enhance it quickly I hired David Wolf. It was soon clear that he was able to do clever CSS codes and quickly make each of the changes that I wanted. I’m certain that David saved me weeks of effort. He was easily available by email and very responsive. I was pleased that he added a number of changes that I had not thought of. Not one to usually recommend someone, I encourage you to talk with David about your site. http://www.wolfsnap.com/

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by stephenbruno

I have done quite a lot of my own customizing and I have received generous and effective assistance from SmugMug staff and Dgrinners. Everyone has been wonderful and I am grateful for their expertise and kind help. I even learned enough to assist others in some areas. When I needed the special knowledge, skills, and personal attention for my website to enhance it quickly I hired David Wolf. It was soon clear that he was able to do clever CSS codes and quickly make each of the changes that I wanted. I’m certain that David saved me weeks of effort. He was easily available by email and very responsive. I was pleased that he added a number of changes that I had not thought of. Not one to usually recommend someone, I encourage you to talk with David about your site. http://www.wolfsnap.com/

Thanks Stephen! Means a lot to me :)

David

[DrDavid]

Thanks Andy!

I've created a form that anyone can fill out to let me know what they want done, and their site info. You can find it here:

http://www.WolfSnap.com/smugization

Did you know... I can do shopping carts? Custom domain email addresses? Combine multiple websites? And lots, lots more.. I offer a lot more than *just* pretty colors on your pages :)

David

[ChatKat]

I've highly customized my smugmug website and I have to say how pleased I am and I want to thank Jerry R (jerryroek@comcast.net) for doing such a great job and being there for me every time I decide I need a bit of a tweek (you know us girls, a different pair of shoes for every outfit!) - always with a smile and it's done right away too.

The best part is how professional it looks - everyone I send there says WOW!

Thanks, Jerry - and btw - it's time forr a tweek!

[jerryr]

Thank you to Andy and Kathy - appreciate it !

David - keep up the good work; I am sure we will continue to share ideas
(shopping carts and new slideshows (stay tuned) )

Most importantly, thank you to my customers and to smugmug for your support.
A small hobby that has turned into something I would have never dreamed of - there is not enough hours in the day - LOL

I totally love working with people and helping them succeed and accomplish their business goals.

If you are interested, please feel free to visit my portfolio at
http://www.jrphotosandwebdesign.com/customization


thanks again - jerryr

[Townsend]

JerryR did my customization. (jerryroek@comcast.net) It would have taken me forever to learn how to do it myself. He did an excellent job for a reasonable price and very quickly. I highly recommend him! You can see what he did for me at www.SchnabelPhoto.com.

Townsend Schnabel

[KZ Images]

I've been lurking for months but going to chime in on this one. Clueless about customization, code and the like (just let me take my pictures, please!) I was referred to Jerry back in January and have been thrilled with the results.

You can view at www.kzimages.com

Jerry was very reasonably priced and great to work with. In about 2 weeks start to finish he had the site done and it is getting a great response! He also works with a wonderful graphic designer (also a photographer) should you need assistance developing a logo, look and feel. She is also very reasonably priced and does great work. They work very well as a team.

Thank you Jerry!!

Kimberly Zieselman
KZ images

Originally Posted by Andy

We have a couple of Dgrinners that are available, and have done SmugMug Sites for a fee.

Jerry Roek aka jerryr

David Wolf aka DrDavid

How does it work? Send them a private message, and begin the discussion

Are YOU interested in doing the same thing? Send me an email, ATTN: Andy, to our help desk. We'll talk

[KED]

Originally Posted by KZ Images

I've been lurking for months but going to chime in on this one. Clueless about customization, code and the like (just let me take my pictures, please!) I was referred to Jerry back in January and have been thrilled with the results.

You can view at www.kzimages.com

Jerry was very reasonably priced and great to work with. In about 2 weeks start to finish he had the site done and it is getting a great response! He also works with a wonderful graphic designer (also a photographer) should you need assistance developing a logo, look and feel. She is also very reasonably priced and does great work. They work very well as a team.

Thank you Jerry!!

Kimberly Zieselman
KZ images

I can second everything that's been said about Jerry. Not having a clue about HTML, and not really wanting to get one, I found Jerry through Dgrin, and the results exceeded anything that I could have imagined. I would use him again, and recommend him to others, in a heartbeat.

[mteicher]

I have looked through all the site customizations, I have yet to something like http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/ or even close to it.. To me having the ability to work with someone to create a page like this would be wonderful. I am somewhat comfortable with the customization within smugmug, but the one chief complaint I receive from customers is the nav bar, and they would like to see the various albums on the bottom. http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/ is very close to what I would like to do, but I have no idea where to start. I have received a few emails from posters well, you really don't want your site to look like that. My site, my call, but definitely would be interested if one of the custom website illustrated how to do something like http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/

Originally Posted by Andy

We have a couple of Dgrinners that are available, and have done SmugMug Sites for a fee.

Jerry Roek aka jerryr

David Wolf aka DrDavid

How does it work? Send them a private message, and begin the discussion

Are YOU interested in doing the same thing? Send me an email, ATTN: Andy, to our help desk. We'll talk

[jerryr]

Hi - That is a great design - wonderful use of graphics :)
I have designed something similiar to it. It was for a family to post and share their pictures with others and to respect the families privacy, I elected not to communicate the URL.
The web designs that I have done usually start with a 'I would like my site to look like [fill in the blank]....' and usually end up to be unique to the photographer and the market they are aiming towards :) I am working on some new and exciting designs - stay tuned :)

Please feel free to PM myself or Dave with more details;

- jerryr

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by mteicher

I have looked through all the site customizations, I have yet to something like http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/ or even close to it.. To me having the ability to work with someone to create a page like this would be wonderful. I am somewhat comfortable with the customization within smugmug, but the one chief complaint I receive from customers is the nav bar, and they would like to see the various albums on the bottom. http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/ is very close to what I would like to do, but I have no idea where to start. I have received a few emails from posters well, you really don't want your site to look like that. My site, my call, but definitely would be interested if one of the custom website illustrated how to do something like http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/

That indeed is a beautiful site. I actually know how he did his site--but, that site would take a long time to replicate.

David

[mteicher]

I don't think it should be no more than an hour or so of solid programming, I could be wrong but looking at the .css, and javascripting, but some of the mouseover work may take some time to replicate. Peeling apart the standard smugmug code is time consumer.

Originally Posted by DrDavid

That indeed is a beautiful site. I actually know how he did his site--but, that site would take a long time to replicate.

David

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by mteicher

I don't think it should be no more than an hour or so of solid programming, I could be wrong but looking at the .css, and javascripting, but some of the mouseover work may take some time to replicate. Peeling apart the standard smugmug code is time consumer.

It's not always so easy.. You're right, if I was to COPY the site, it's not too bad, but, to recreate it, it's a lot harder. The reality, at least for me, is that time is spent talking with the client and understanding what they want..

I'm pretty sure bigwebguy spent much more than an hour on that site. It's very cleverly done :)

David

p.s. When I said "a long time" I was referring to the WHOLE site; not just the front page.

[mteicher]

I am bit confused, why customize the entire site, when the code to display pictures per gallery is already built in. I understand creating a custom theme, feel, etc. But once you select a theme for the entire site, that is based on a set of photography. my team takes pictures from sports, nightclubs, rockbands, model photography, car shows, bike shows, charity events, etc. So for the sports themes, depending on the type of sport, there is most likely a theme already built, like football or baseball.
Getting the main page correct is where most customers that purchase pictures hit first. First impressions are what count, navigation second, and the ease of picture purchasing if the site is setup to sell pictures.

Look
Navigation
Easy of purchase

Bigwebguy.smugmug.com has the main page feel, which I would like to figure how to do, and then leave the rest of the pages along, since the bottom buttons will navigate the user to the specific categories.

copying the site would be an interesting experiment, but there are slight mods I would do so the navigation and purchasing are a bit easier.

Originally Posted by DrDavid

It's not always so easy.. You're right, if I was to COPY the site, it's not too bad, but, to recreate it, it's a lot harder. The reality, at least for me, is that time is spent talking with the client and understanding what they want..

I'm pretty sure bigwebguy spent much more than an hour on that site. It's very cleverly done :)

David

p.s. When I said "a long time" I was referring to the WHOLE site; not just the front page.

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by mteicher

I am bit confused, why customize the entire site, when the code to display pictures per gallery is already built in.

The question was "make it the same". Bigwebguy's site also has slideshows that show up only on specific Categories, and a few other tricks that take time to do and setup.

And... some of it has custom graphics that would need to be created (not stolen), which would also add to the time required.

David

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by mteicher

Getting the main page correct is where most customers that purchase pictures hit first. First impressions are what count, navigation second, and the ease of picture purchasing if the site is setup to sell pictures.

I disagree. First impressions are important; you're right. But, a confusing navigation will make people run away. Navigation is not to be underestimated. From re-writing breadcrumbs to having portal pages where you consolidate information and branch to more specific information is very important... That type of design takes time. To make a site "work" and not just be a collection of hacks and tricks takes time.

Let's take your site for example. Your front page has many details that should be elsewhere on the site instead of the front page. You also have information above the slideshow that really should be hidden (it's there for the search engines, but, otherwise it distracts from the slideshow). You have a smugmug logo on the slideshow (which takes away from your "brand") and while there is a huge space above the navbar for (presumably) a logo, it does not show up for me. That's just on a quick check of your site. I'm sure there's more, but, I didn't want to take too long to find out

All these things take time to fix, and even to notice and understand 1) what the problem is and 2) how to fix it.

Anyways, if you'd like to get your site fixed up, feel free to PM me

David

[mteicher]

Adobe Dreamweaver should be able to assist in .css and javascript coding, since it has both code view and page view. the slide show code with a slight modifications use the smugmug attributes. Most of the tricks are not really tricks but the ability to dig into the attributes of both java and .css finding out which one works.

So I guess the question is what tools do smugmug customizers use that take so much time to design pages when all the various tools have so many features that allow the average joe to assemble a simple web page in about 10 minutes. I realize heavy duty smooth looking web pages from large companies have teams of graphic artists and webmasters designing and maintaining webpages, like www.netflix.com.

Originally Posted by DrDavid

The question was "make it the same". Bigwebguy's site also has slideshows that show up only on specific Categories, and a few other tricks that take time to do and setup.

And... some of it has custom graphics that would need to be created (not stolen), which would also add to the time required.

David

[mteicher]

Again, the wording on the site is placed there on purpose. They are on the front page for a purpose, moving them elsewhere on the site is possible. Removing the smugmug logo from the slideshow is just turning off one of the slide show attributes. There is no logo present, nor do I want one to be. I believe in the KISS, method, Keep It Simple S**.. If one makes a site to complicated it drives would be purchasers away, there are some minor cosmetic items I can fix up on the site, but if you compare my site to others, it is a bit better than the normal get up and go site. Thank for the quick critique, those are the easy fixes, not the "grand"iose critique I was looking for. Main page is really the only item I am looking to spruce up, if they can find the gallery from the main page, that helps.. There are lots of galleries within categories and subcategories. But again, knowing how to do use the tools, hacks and tricks allows the owner of the site to fix something real quick instead of having to rely on the person who designed the site to fix it.

Originally Posted by DrDavid

I disagree. First impressions are important; you're right. But, a confusing navigation will make people run away. Navigation is not to be underestimated. From re-writing breadcrumbs to having portal pages where you consolidate information and branch to more specific information is very important... That type of design takes time. To make a site "work" and not just be a collection of hacks and tricks takes time.

Let's take your site for example. Your front page has many details that should be elsewhere on the site instead of the front page. You also have information above the slideshow that really should be hidden (it's there for the search engines, but, otherwise it distracts from the slideshow). You have a smugmug logo on the slideshow (which takes away from your "brand") and while there is a huge space above the navbar for (presumably) a logo, it does not show up for me. That's just on a quick check of your site. I'm sure there's more, but, I didn't want to take too long to find out

All these things take time to fix, and even to notice and understand 1) what the problem is and 2) how to fix it.

Anyways, if you'd like to get your site fixed up, feel free to PM me

David

[DrDavid]

Originally Posted by mteicher

Adobe Dreamweaver should be able to assist in .css and javascript coding, since it has both code view and page view.

Dreamweaver adds an extra layer of complexity to SM customization. Remember, we need to work within the SM framework; it's not just "creating a simple HTML page"...

Originally Posted by mteicher

Again, the wording on the site is placed there on purpose. They are on the front page for a purpose, moving them elsewhere on the site is possible. Removing the smugmug logo from the slideshow is just turning off one of the slide show attributes. There is no logo present, nor do I want one to be. I believe in the KISS, method, Keep It Simple S**.. If one makes a site to complicated it drives would be purchasers away

With all due respect, while your homepage is slightly better than normal, the rest of the site (including watermarks) are stock SM. Personally, what turns ME off is the long, lengthy copyright notice at the top of your gallery pages. It's poor design. Sure, it's a "fast and easy fix", but, everything takes time.

The bottom line is that Jerry and I aren't robots. We actually THINK about what we're doing. At least with me, I want each site to look different. I don't want the same cookie-cutter "customization" for each site. That defeats the purpose of "customization".. No?

KISS doesn't mean "be simple in your execution", it means to keep the interface simple. But, to keep the interface simple requires a lot of work. Good design doesn't just happen. It takes time to create.

David