http://fleursflorist.co.uk/

eCommerce store for a well repected established florist taking a large number of online orders. Includes a seletion of extras (cards, vases, chocolates etc) for each bouquet ordered using Gravity Forms, customer specified personal message to appear on card, range of delivery options including on account purchases from corporate customers, two image sliders, Twitter and Facebook integration.

thespeckledyhen.com

Promo site for a local high quality cafe cum deli in Surrey. Includes MailChimp data capture to automatically develop The Speckledy Hen’s mailing list and social networking integration.

agreenmouse.com

An educational language resources site including full eCommerce shopping facilities for mail order and downloadable products.

My first foster dog, Vlad

Why am I doing this? I’ve been publishing on the web since 1994, either for community and voluntary organisations or as myself – well before Facebook existed! I kind of left it all behind when I felt overwhelmed by a fab bit of software called Dreamweaver. I was out of my depth and thought it best to leave it to the professionals. I continued publishing little bits and bobs just using Microsoft Word.

Then, a brilliant neighbour of mine, Will Perrin, set up our local community website www.kingscrossenvironment.com. He founded the wonderful talkaboutlocal.com to encourage more people to set up community websites. I asked if I could get the free training talkaboutlocal provide so that I could improve the little website for the charity I’d founded, www.kxcommunity.org.uk. Talkaboutlocal’s training was a full day one-to-one session with a brilliant trainer who worked with me on all the things I wanted to concentrate on. As a result I felt like I was flying after that…

I continued working on kxcommunity’s website whilst starting a few other sites for friends and community organisations. Then a friend asked me if I could do a website for his Spanish villa that he’s turning into a beautiful retreat – shunyataretreat.com. And after that things took off.

I’d been out of work due to ill health for a long time and money was really tight. The voluntary work I do takes a great deal of time and I needed a way to make some money to fund it. So, at the beginning of this year I started in earnest offering a new service for small businesses and anyone else wanting a site they didn’t feel overwhelmed by.

Since then I’ve worked with a number of businesses, helping them to brief me on what they want, setting everything up for them and metaphorically holding their hands until they feel confident enough to take complete control. I’m always there in the background should they need any help or perhaps a new bit of artwork designed or even a YouTube short added.

I hope I fill the gap for people wanting a really professional website but feeling all at sea when it comes to getting it done. I’m not an expensive option and coming from a community development background I adore empowering people to do something new, something they really want to achieve but don’t have the time, inclination or confidence yet.

Briefing a full blown web designer is daunting. It’s a whole new world, a technical language that can be difficult. I’m a human being, I won’t talk techie and I’ll enjoy working on your site because it’s something we’ll develop together. If you never want to take complete control of your site but would like to blog a bit, put up some news from time to time we can do that too. I can manage the static elements of the site and set it up so it’s easy for you to add the bits you want.

I’ll be blogging about what I do and why I do it… Hope to see you back on my blog soon

Sophie

PS. The picture is my first foster dog – I foster dogs for The Mayhew Animal Rescue. He left three weeks ago for a life in the countryside and I wish him every happiness with his new forever family! (I might miss him a bit too)

anthonycozens.co.uk

A promotional site for a professional actor including embedded YouTube showreel and clips.

A news site for a community group including Twitter and RSS feeds from key local websites.

http://www.shunyataretreat.com

A promotional site for a health and wellbeing Spanish retreat.

kingscrossneighbourhoodforum.com

A networking and information sharing site for a forum comprising residential, community, business and education sectors in King’s Cross, London.

cookie.org.uk can help you set up your WordPress website complete with domain name, finding appropriate web and email hosting,  your initial structure, content and functions. Then it’s over to you – how much control you take of your site is entirely up to you. You can choose from leaving us to do all the work right through to you taking the reigns on your own and anything in between. And all for a fraction of the cost of a traditional website.

We can even help with long-term management, development and promotion of your website from administering and backing up your server based files, to linking with your social networking presences and even using your film combined with our images and audio to create your YouTube short promo video.

Start your WordPress journey with cookie…

Our WordPress site examples:

agreenmouse.com (e-Commerce site with both downloads and mail-order for a small business)

kxcommunity.org.uk (News site for a community organisation)

anthonycozens.co.uk/ (Promo site for a professional actor)

kingscrossneighbourhoodforum.org.uk (Comms site for a local forum)

shunyataretreat.com (Detailed calling card site for a small business)

Contact sophie@cookie.org.uk to setup your WordPress website

• Building in WordPress/ WordPress, hosting set-up, domain purchasing and server administration £35 per hour plus host and additional app charges (minimum charge £70, day rate £250). Creating a basic website including setting up hosting usually takes about two days. Host charges for your hosting package starts from about £35pa, domain names start at about £8 each depending on the name(s) you choose. Domain names are always subject to availability
• Graphics production and editing, resizing and Photoshop or Illustrator work £50 per hour
• Training session, bespoke easy-to-follow manual and ongoing email support to enable to to take charge of your site £250 plus travel expenses
• Bespoke easy-to-follow manual for your website £50
• Social Network promotion £35 per hour (minimum charge £70)
• Video/audio editing £50 per hour
• YouTube short voiceovers cost varies…
• Data entry additions to your data capture service £25 per hour

Special rates are available for not-for-profit organisations.