Researcher, architect, project manager, designer, programmer, marketer, writer, editor -- it takes a pretty diverse team to build and maintain a successful web site, and few companies have that range of talent lying around. If you're keeping your web work in-house, contract work can fill the gaps. Here are a few of the services i-deal offers. If you don't see the skill you're looking for, ask me.

I. Project development
This all-important first stage of site development sets the stage for the success of the whole venture. We break the process into two manageable parts: discovery/concept exploration, and information architecture development.

• Discovery/concept exploration: We start with client meetings and brainstorming sessions. These will indicate what sort of creative up-front raw materials we need to collect as we do the research that shapes and inspires a project. They may include:
  • Competition profiles -- what they're doing, links, synopses
  • Web trends -- what's going on out there that my clients should know about
  • 3-D inspiration to lend dimensionality -- samples, found objects
  • Historical research -- maps, photos, writings, quotes and literary references
  • Sensually evocative elements -- music, perfume, food
  • Artistic details -- paint chips, fabric, swatches
  • Client-supplied materials -- photos, text, pertinent info and quotes by clients
  • Our recommendations -- several possible approaches
• Information Architecture Design: Once the client and the web team have absorbed and prioritized the discovery materials, we develop a detailed site map defining the architectural structure of the site. The architecture is crucial. It is the site's skeleton; it must be clear and intuitive to the immediate user, and it must be able to accommodate future projects.

II. Guidance/project management
This is value-added project management. We have experience coordinating between client and web team, translating client requests to technical language and keeping the lines of communications open.

III. Content
Writing, editing, maintaining consistency. The words on your web site are all-important. They should be compelling, pithy maybe witty too, or urbane but always timely, accurate, well-written, and just right for the job. We create new text and/or re-work existing text, tailoring it to the web and making it consistent and grammatical.

IV. Maintenance
Once a site goes up, regular updates keep it interesting, useful -- and respectable. We provide a range of site maintenance services, from editing updates and new content for grammar, tone and consistency, to providing regular maintenance of information pages such as calendars and schedules.

V. Marketing/site launch
If you build it, they will come -- maybe. To really boost traffic to your site, we handle the standard Internet publishing; work to promote the site on the web (establishing reciprocal links, etc.); work with you to develop collateral and promotional materials that work with the site concept; etc.

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