BeeDragon.com 2010

BeeDragon Web Services2010 has been the most successful year yet for my business, BeeDragon Web Services. I have been getting a lot of work from other web developers and designers. It is very exciting getting to work with talented people who do similar work. When each person combines their unique skills, we make each other’s work shine.

With the growing popularity of open source software, I have been able to focus on building sites with WordPress and Drupal, and to greatly increase my skills in taking these platforms to the next level for my clients.

Once again, my business site has become outdated. The web development business is incredibly fast moving. One of my favorite things about this job is that I am continually learning new technologies. 2010 has been an especially exciting year for web development with the growing browser support for HTML5 and CSS3, as well as new releases (or near releases) of both WordPress and Drupal.

I am still working on the site, but for the most part it is done. I would like to thank Sallie Goetsch (aka The Author-izer) for helping me with much of the copy that fills the site, and as always, Karen, for being supportive, helping with the words, editing, and helpful suggestions.

An Updated History of BeeDragon.com* (Original History):

  • 1995 – version 1.0 – No layout at all, not even a table. All text is centered. Animated GIF of a dragon flying across the screen repeatedly.
  • 1997 – v2 – Table based version of the same site. Graphic page title images. Presentational CSS added. <FONT> tags removed.
  • 1999 – v3 – Template Monster template with Flash header. Need I say more?
  • 2004 – v4 – Mambo/Joomla CMS. Nice for 2004, but too boxy and modular for 2007. Very web 1.0. Hardly anyone has ever heard of a blog, so long detailed explanations were necessary but confusing.
  • 2007 – v5.0 – Customized WordPress site. Reflects what I do. Updated prices. Simple. Pretty. Tables for data only.
  • 2010 – v6.0 – WordPress 3.0. Once again, updated to reflect the work that I do. New design, focus on WordPress development, All-in-one website and hosting packages added, Portfolio updated

* Fine Print: Technically, this is not really a history of BeeDragon.com. BeeDragon.com was registered in 2002. Before that, my “web design business” sites lived on aol, compuserve, and home.attbi.com.

Bookmark and Share

Vote For The Autism Women’s Network Every Day In September!

Thanks to everyone who voted for AWN in last month’s Pepsi Refresh Project. We didn’t win, but we were in the top 100 highest votes for our category and will be able to participate in September’s challenge. Please keep voting every day through September 30th!

Vote for the Autism Women's Network in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project

The voting process is kind of confusing and round-about depending on which method you vote with. I think the easiest way is texting. To vote by texting, text 101500 to Pepsi (73774).

I have been voting by clicking the link in my sidebar and logging in through Facebook. Every day, I need to click the vote button 4 times. Please make sure you have voted after you click the button. You will know if you voted because the vote button will disappear and be replaced by some text thanking you for voting and asking if you want to help promote the idea. It might be quicker or easier if you get a Pepsi Refresh account and log in that way. As confusing as it may be, please take the extra 30 seconds to make sure your vote has been counted.

Bookmark and Share

Vote For The Autism Women’s Network Every Day In August!

Vote for the Autism Women's Network in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project

Please vote for the Autism Women’s Network (AWN) in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project. I have been working with AWN since the beginning as director of web development and technical services and it is a truly awesome organization.

AWN is a unique organization that was founded by women on the autism spectrum. Our mission is to provide effective supports to autistic females of all ages through a sense of community, advocacy, and resources.

This month, AWN is taking part in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project.

Please vote for us every day in August!

Goals

  • To organize 5 Workshops with focus on female specific autism qualities
  • To provide online support & mentoring for autistic females & families
  • To secure Autism Women’s Network as a non-profit organization

You can vote by texting 101500 to Pepsi (73774) once per day.

For more information and to vote online, head over to the AWN Pepsi Refresh page:

http://www.refresheverything.com/awn

You can also vote directly from this site. Click the ‘Vote for this idea’ button in the sidebar.

I got kind of confused when voting, so please make sure you vote goes through. You need to log in with your Facebook account or create an account on the Refresh Everything site BEFORE clicking to vote.

Thanks everyone! Please share this with anyone you know who may want to help!

Bookmark and Share

Autism Society Conference Keynote with Alex Plank

Alex Plank gave the keynote presentation at the Autism Society’s 41st National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Alex speaks honestly and openly about being autistic and connecting with other autistic people online. His website, WrongPlanet.net, has been helping autistic people connect with each other since 2004.

Alex’s keynote is the first of 7 videos from the conference. The panel discussion also features Sandy Yim from the Autism Women’s Network.

All videos can be found on the Autism Society’s YouTube Channel.

Bookmark and Share

Yellow by Nathan Sawaya

Yellow by Nathan Sawaya

- Yellow - by Nathan Sawaya

Check out Nathan’s site: The Art of Brick.

Bookmark and Share