A lot of juicy stuff happening today.
hosting ...
The new dedicated server is ready. I went for a package with my current host,
ATCIHosting.
Type : Dedicated Server
BW : 10 Mbps
3.0GHz P4
512MB RAM
2x80GB SATA (SW Raid1)
Price : $349.95 / Month
The owner, Chris, is a great guy. Support is excellent. I think the server should be fine to get us started.
domain transfer ...
This will cause a slight delay, unfortunately. I decided to transfer the domain away from godaddy. After completing the process, their email tells me the transfer will complete on
Monday. This is a shame because I had wanted to get the script installed and begin some hands-on work. Hopefully though, this will be seen as a good move in the long run.
design ...
The actual design cannot begin of course until the domain transfers to my new registrar. However, I'm going to use this time to decide on layout, possible color schemes, slogan, and whatever else comes to mind.
You remember the designer I had under consideration? Unfortunately, we will be unable to work together. No drama, just a natural conflict of interests. I made a promise to everyone reading this thread that I would disclose everything. The designer made a promise to the html design guild that he would not disclose prices to the public. There is our problem. Had I been able to publish his quoted price, I would have hired him this morning.
All is not lost. We have Amareck to the rescue!
Like most / all webmasters I am proficient in designing websites. What I lack are high-end graphic skills (like those clever cartoonists). The decision to use a designer would have been to implement designs beyond my abilities. Amareck, while not a professional graphic designer, is expert in CCS, with a specialty of implementing it in link lists. He was instrumental in transfering two popular link lists from html to css : feversfavourites.com and megapornlinks.com. If all goes well, Amareck will be the guy who gives MoveLinkList a complete css layout. The actual design will then be left to me (oh fuck!).
branding & logo
I may or may not hire someone to create a logo this weekend. It all depends on how my creative juices are flowing.
This is generally how I design a site.
I get the logo and open it up in photoshop. Using the color-picker I choose a color scheme for the site based on the colors in the logo. I always do it this way. Have tried it without a logo beforehand, but it never worked. To get me started I need that logo and the colors in it.
What I'll be doing today / this weekend is brainstorming a slogan and ideas for the logo. I'll then take this to a professional designer (possibly Bruno Dickman, if they are available).
There is no huge rush for this though. Script cannot be installed until Monday at the earliest anyway.
link list script ...
Am 99% sure I will be using
gossamer links. Unless I change my mind, I will buy this and install it the moment domain has transfered.
Have a good weekend, All!