ABOUT ME

BON DIA. My name is Marie Ribeiro and I live in New Zealand - Kia ora and Gidday to you!

My background has been purely secretarial, and I was rather surprised to receive references from past employers saying I am “technically proficient” and “innovative in her approach”. At the time the full meaning of that simply did not dawn on me. But boy, were they good references and opened many doors for me at the time.

I remember the time when broadband and high speed internet first came out, and there was a fight at home as to who got to use the "fast computer" first. So I had to find a way to network all the computers in the house in everyone's room. I couldn't afford to pay for someone to do it for me. So I went to the local electronics shop and said to the salesman at the counter: "Can an ordinary secretary like me put in my own network?"

I ended up going home with a small network kit that cost me $500. I enjoyed the challenge and everybody at home was happy again.

My mother always told me you don't know what you can do until you try. And I have also been told "Yes you are very trying". I don't think that was meant as a compliment. But I will take it as a compliment anyway. Water off a duck's back and all that. Incidentally, I am a Portuguese duck :) Does that make a difference?

I started doing my own website in April 2007 for an audio-digital transcription business that I run. I was fortunate to have met two lovely people last year who taught me how to do a website. They continue to teach and guide me, and I continue to learn more and more every day and with every website I do. I guess you could say they are my mentors. And I am very, very grateful to them. I started doing websites for others in January 2008.

The idea of doing websites never occurred to me until I found myself needing to look for a change in work direction. So I did some research to learn what a website is all about. And I continue to learn new things every day and I am happy to share this with you.

I will say this at the outset though: I am not trying to compete with all you advanced and highly technical website designers out there who have been doing websites for years and years. I have no intention of taking your customers away. I am basically first and foremost a very honest person - a spiritual rather than religious person, and I have no wish to “covet my neighbour’s goods”!

I am not going to hard-sell to customers. "You wanna website? OK I do it for you. No problemo!"

Seriously though, what I am genuinely offering is to help people by the simplest means (and continually seek out the cheapest options) for them to be able to have a website of their own.

More than that? I want to help people understand about their website, so they can make their websites work for them.

I received an email from someone with a website, who said:
“In several years I have hardly sold anything through this. Do I need a new website?”

This made me realize what little people actually know about a website. They get a website because it is the trend. They think by just having a website they will automatically get noticed. Their website will automatically sell for them. And they don’t need to do anything anymore – just sit back and the World-Wide World will come knocking at their door! How does that saying go? If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain?

There’s a lot to learn about your website. But wait, there’s more, and more and more. In life, there's always more to learn about everything under the sun. (My son once told me "Mum, the day you stop learning is the day you're dead." And I was just trying to get him to turn off the light and go to sleep and not stay up so late reading!)

In this 21st Century information is everything – the be all and end all, but it doesn’t stop there. And if you are to have a website, understanding your website, how it works and why it works is very important.

What people don’t know that they don’t know - well, for one, the internet is forever evolving, forever changing – and even the rules keep changing (and sometimes broken)...“no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should”. So to keep up with it, so should your website do that. I will give you some tips later.

Designing a website. Until recently design and technology have dominated web content. Web developers help you to create a beautiful design and ask you to provide the content. So you go away and provide your brochures, advertisements and even your CVs, and go and take photos. Web developers take your content and shove it into your design – so why the world wide web is packed with meaningless pages. Putting words on a screen is only a very small part of putting up a website. But it is a pretty powerful part. So don’t take your WORDS for granted, or you may end up eating them.

To write the right words for your web page you need a detailed knowledge of how search engines work, some basic arithmetic, good writing skills, an organized mind, an understanding of web culture and a creative streak and are willing to experiment.

All this sounds like a lot to learn, and what’s more, it sounds like a lot of Hard Work. I know, I know, I have a mind full of quotes and sayings – but as it is my website, I’m going to say it anyway: “Opportunity comes around looking like hard work wearing overalls.”

But wait, I can help. I am going to adopt my usual positive attitude and cut down some of the hard work for you. I will share with you what I have learned about websites, so far. (Remember I am still learning, and I will continue to still be learning about websites.) Then the rest is up to you. I am just another web developer. I can build a website for you. But it’s really up to you to make it work. What I will provide though is Tips and More Tips as I go along learning and sharing with you, so you can make your website work for you. You can find this in the "HOW TO" tab I will put on later on this website, which will be a work-in-progress.

What I don’t want to see is someone come to me after doing her/his website and say:

"In several years I have hardly sold anything through this. And "I've had a website for years. Why is it nobody can find me?"

If you do your homework, all will be revealed, and this should not happen. And it’s really honest-to-goodness not as hard as you think! You just need a little bit of information, a cupful of know-how, add a twist of spice, and keep stirring!

Did I not say “Amethyst Sky is here to help you take away the hassles of building a website”? Of course.
Building a website is much like building a house. But you still need to decorate and put in the furniture and appliances before you can live in it. I feel a saying coming on again now: “Better an empty house than a bad tenant.” But who wants to pay for an empty website? Better to have a good tenant and a happy household that welcomes invited guests.

Até logo (see you later in Portuguese).

CONTACT ME

Amethyst Sky Website Design, Hosting & Support - The Affordable Solution!

Phone: +64 4 526 3931