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Articles ~ January 2008

Can I Update My Own Web Site?

One of the most common questions we get from our clients is "will I be able to update the site myself?". The short answer is "Yes!". We can add a customized, browser-based Web Editor to your site that you can access from anywhere with an Internet connection. Our Web Editor will make updating your site a snap.

Having said that, there are a number of things to consider when deciding who will keep your site up-to-date.

Web Site Maintenance: 5 Things to Consider

1. How Much Time and Energy Am I Prepared to Invest in Learning a New Skill?
Using the Black Cap Design Web Editor is similar to editing a document in MS Word. But regardless of whether you've purchased new software, a digital watch or cell phone, it takes time to learn how to use it.

Plan on investing 30-90 minutes to read through the online instructions and test it out. It's also a very good idea to have a backup of all your site files on your computer in the unlikely event you make a mistake you're not able to undo. For this you will need to install a free FTP program - which will take another 30 - 60 minutes to learn how to use. We can show you how it's done.

2. How Would I Rate My General Computer Skills On a Scale From 1 - 10?
The amount of time it will take you to learn how to keep your site up-to-date, and to perform the actual updates will depend a lot on how much of a geek you are. If you are competent using a word processor like MS Word and can manage your own electronic files, you'll be just fine. If you have doubts about your level of knowledge and skill, we're happy to help you learn the ropes.

3. How Often Will I Be Updating the Site?
If you anticipate doing regular daily, weekly or even monthly updates, updating the site yourself is a great idea. If you're only doing occasional updates, you won't get much practise using the editor - so you'll likely be facing the same learning curve over and over again. In this case, you might be better off paying us to perform occasional updates for you.

4. What Will the Updates Generally Consist Of?
The editor makes updating text, images and links a snap. Troubleshooting problems will require a modest knowlege of HTML or a service call to get assistance.

If you're updating images, keep in mind you will likely need an image editing program to size, lay out and crop your images before uploading them - otherwise the results could be undesirable. GIMP is an excellent, free, open-source image editing program.

5. What Will This Cost?
Cost is always a factor. The cost of adding the Web Editor to a new site is $100. The cost of adding it to an existing site could cost more depending on the number of editable web pages.

The alternative is having us do the updates for you. There is an hourly maintenance fee of $50 hour, charged in quarter hour increments. Most updates take between 15 and 30 minutes.

In the end...
In the end, it comes down to this: if you have the time, inclination and motivation to perform site updates yourself - go for it! If the idea of updating your site makes you want to set your hair on fire, leave the updates to us. We're more than happy to keep your site looking great!

For more information you can read the Web Editor user manual and get an idea of how it works, or contact us at .