Another pro bono site went live today.
This one is somewhat larger than the CIWF Australia web page, a website for a chap by the name of Daniel Boon (!), who wrote a booklet called the Guide to Energy Efficient Home Design and cold-called me (well, cold-emailed) on the basis of my work on the Helen Caldicott website.
Daniel has written and self-published the book – a very good reflection of what the author has learned about designing and building houses that lessen energy requirements, minimise impact on the environment and contribute to ensuring a more sustainable future – and is looking to the web to sell copies.
As pretty much a web novice, Daniel required explanations as to what the website could and couldn’t be, should and shouldn’t be and would and wouldn’t be, more than most of my relatively web-savvy paying clients.
I’m grateful for that, as I find it demands that I become focused in my empathy with my client, able to both understand their needs and suggest ways of meeting them and – critically – that I am able communicate this clearly.
Daniel also wanted to extend to his audience the opportunity to read his thoughts on the business, politics and sociology of the global energy industries.
Options in format, style, content, copyright, technology – once again I had to cover some basic points that forced me to make sure I had done my homework.
We settled on a paid subscription fortnightly HTML/plain text email newsletter.
While this discussion went on – and thus the content of the website was changing in scope and nature – I was also defining and redefining the website structure, visual design and site facilities.
One innovative element for me in this site was setting up a PayPal online payment facility.
PayPal has made a smart move, making its credit card transaction processing facilities available for payment by non-PayPal members. The vendor does still have to have a PayPal Business account, though.
Add to that, a simple set-up and flexible configuration, and I think PayPal will win a lot of friends.
Hopefully, his new website will also help Daniel win some friends in his quest to have Australians adopt more sensible and sustainable house design practices.