New Sites | MattDotCom.com

New WordPress site LIVE: MidByNorthwest.com (yeah, it’s me)

April 24, 2010 By Matt

So here I am making all these gloriously bloggy websites for all these bands and artists and consultants and nonprofits… and I don’t even have a blog myself! Well, besides this mostly business one. Well, all that changes now, with the launch of my new music/life blog MidByNorthwest: A Musician’s Transition from Chicago to Seattle.

You can read more about my move to Seattle and this blog project on the site. From a development perspective, building this site was very interesting for two main reasons:

1) I was the client – there were both pros and cons to this.

2) This is the first site I’ve made that is a blog above all else. Most of the other sites in my portfolio are more like functional hybrids of static page elements and blog elements, or large websites that feature a blog. This one is really a pure blog. The only static pages are an “About” page and a “Contact” page – the rest is all about ongoing content. Designing with this purpose was much different, and made me think bout different elements. I also started from a very different template, the more streamlined StudioPress Mocha theme, which uses the new and exceptionally powerful Genesis theme framework.

Take a look, pass it along, and keep up with my adventures!

Filed Under: Matt's Full Blog, Recent Projects Tagged With: blogs, Chicago, Genesis theme framework, mocha, music, new sites, seattle, sites for musicians, StudioPress, WordPress website creation

New WordPress Site LIVE: Jackpot Donnie

March 5, 2010 By Matt

Did I mention that I love making sites for bands? It’s even better when they are nice guys I’ve already spent some time with. Enter onto the MattDotCom.com scene – Jackpot Donnie. You may recognize the name from my Chicago Roots Collective website, of which JPD is a member.

These guys have a super-tight live show and a loyal, active fanbase. They had been making due with a MySpace page and a Blogspot blog, but they wanted to upgrade to an interactive hub-type website that could link their Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Blog together in one place. The new site comes at the perfect time, as they are releasing a new 7-song EP called “New Mode” in a few weeks at the Cubby Bear with some other CRC bands.

So please check out the new Jackpot Donnie website, listen to some tunes, and make sure to catch them live at a CRC Presents show!

Special site features:

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube integration
Embedded video on font page
Pop-out mp3 player, placed in header
Constant Contact email list integration
Sonicbids gig calendar integration
Conversion of old Blogspot blog into WordPress

Filed Under: Matt's Full Blog, Recent Projects Tagged With: Blogspot, Chicago, Chicago Roots Collective, Constant Contact, Constant Contact integration, Facebook integration, mp3 player, MySpace, new sites, radio, sites for bands, sites for musicians, Sonicbids integration, StudioPress, Twitter integration, WordPress website creation, YouTube integration

New WordPress Site LIVE: Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange

February 18, 2010 By Matt

I am delighted to announce the launch of the new Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange website – www.healthykidsideas.com . Oriented for parents and kids, this site provides resources and ideas for more healthy living, including great kid-tested recipes, a forum/message board for sharing thoughts and ideas, a gardening blog, and recommended products (whose purchase benefits the sister non-profit Nurture).

In the words of the founder, Kathryn Guylay, this website “… is like what our grandmothers did—passing on remedies and solutions. Only we have the high-tech internet solution in the 21^st century!“ She has been running HKIE as a m0nthly newsletter in association with her non profit organization Nurture, but decided to expand it into a full, interactive website. You can still sign up for the newsletter on the site, and check out archived editions.

It’s a really fun website, and let me tell you that the recipes are LEGIT! So easy and delicious. My girlfriend and I made the Kale Chips a few days ago and were blown away!

So please go checkout the site, and look for another update soon as I redesign the Nurture website!

Filed Under: Matt's Full Blog, Recent Projects Tagged With: Facebook integration, forum, healthy kids ideas exchange, MailChimp integration, new sites, nurture, recipes, sites for non profits, WordPress website creation, YouTube integration

New WordPress Site LIVE: Diana’s Interdisciplinary Resumé

January 30, 2010 By Matt

All done! www.dianaluepke.com

I couldn’t help but get very nerdy and very excited when Diana, an old friend, contacted me shortly after my website launched. She wanted to create a sleek, elegant website that not only highlighted her resumé, but gave prospective employers a clear idea of her interdisciplinary approach and philosophy to her work and other interests.

The chance to use my skills on such a conceptual site – organized to attempt to manifest the way that a particular person thinks and sees the world – was one I had to take. It has also been an opportunity to work in a unique way. She also had a quick deadline on this project, so we have been working side by side – literally – to get it done.

One of the coolest parts of the site is that nearly all of the visual and artistic content is Diana’s own work, though none of the work she is applying for is in the art world. This has given the site a feel that is somewhat between a portfolio, a digital resumé, and a personal manifesto.

Way cool.

Filed Under: Matt's Full Blog, Recent Projects Tagged With: artistic, interdisciplinary, new sites, resumé, visual, WordPress website creation

New WordPress Site LIVE: Chicago Roots Collective

January 21, 2010 By Matt

I am delighted to announce that one of my from-scratch websites is now up and live on the internet!

http://www.chicagorootscollective.com

This was a very interesting, fun, and close-to-home project for me. The Chicago Roots Collective is a seriously awesome new organization of ten bands in Chicago, working together on shows, events, and collaboration to build community around Roots, Americana, and songwriting-driven music in Chicago. My band, Cobalt & the Hired Guns, has been part of the collective since it’s inception. I was very excited to build the CRC website, and really appreciate the financial support of the CRC all chipping in to cover my fees.

I am VERY pleased with how the site turned out. Here are some of the features I am most pumped about:

“CRC Radio” button: This is a pretty little image in the right sidebar which, when clicked, opens up a pop-up mp3 player that features 2 songs from every band in the Collective. I love that it becomes a playlist of 20 great songs that you can listen to while browsing the site, or just turn on while doing other work. When I am building a site for a musician, I tend to listen to heir music on repeat as I build, and this worked out even better than usual on the CRC site!
Individualized pages for every band: This was probably the most time-consuming part of building this site, but also the most rewarding. Under the “Bands” page tab, you can see that each of the 10 bands has their own page that features a bio, mp3s, press quotes, video, and links to their other pages on the web. These pages can serve as EPKs (Electronic Press Kits) and are much more integrated and fun to look at than professional EPK sites such as SonicBids.
Secret pages for the 10 bands to share information: What you can’t see are several hidden, password protected pages that allow all 10 bands to share information in a central location. This kind of information sharing was one of the founding principles of the Collective, but they were not able to do so efficiently until now.
User-Friendliness x10: As you know, I am all about the training and making sure that once I build your site, you are comfortable with updating and maintaining it from there (if you want to). This CRC site takes that idea to a new level, with at least 10 different people logging in and adding content for their bands.