It gives us here at GCWT great pleasure to announce the launch of the new think-yoga.com website. Think Yoga proprietor Ann Fitzmaurice gave us carte blanche to propose a design for her new site and we think we really found a good way to capture the feeling that she was looking for while delivering an easy-to-navigate site that allows her promote upcoming events and classes and a place to share her thoughts and photographs.

Not only did Ann get our Design add-on, but we also put in

• a front page quote rotator
• a calendar of events
• a custom image gallery
• a modal contact us dialog
• custom fonts to match her existing brand
• (future)newsletter integration
• and, as they say, much, much more!

Ann was fantastic to work with, giving us actionable feedback throughout the design and development processes about what fit in with her vision and what didn’t. That kind of client interaction really helps us deliver a Web Thing that we can all be proud of! Thanks, Ann!

So, if your business needs a website, or you need to refresh your old site, give us a shout today and we’ll put YOU in a shiny new Web Thing!

In the past month, we’ve again encountered the hassles that result from such situations with two clients. The first one has been resolved, but not without anxiety, sweat and frustration for all three parties involved. The second one is still ongoing.

In the first case, the client actually got to the point where he almost gave up gaining control of his domain, considering abandoning it and getting a new one. Doing such would have had not only additional costs of getting the new domain, but also would have required new business cards and signage on company vehicles.

What he had fallen prey to was a less-than-scrupulous SEO/web-designer who purchased the domain under his own credentials. In so doing, the designer, not the client, owned the domain. Through sustained effort, we were able to help the client reclaim his domain and he’ll never have to worry about losing control of his domain again. (Provided he renews it when it’s time!)

…but still a bit risky to the business owner and attempting to acquire the domain is still an unpleasant process. The domain was originally purchased for the business by an employee who used his personal account. That employee is no longer with the company, though we’re fortunate there’s still good relations between him and the owner.

Still, transferring ownership of a domain can be a confusing and unwanted affair, particularly for someone who’s never done it. That’s proving to be true in this case, causing reluctance in the former employees to continue with the process, rather offering to just keep it for the business. While his desire to be beneficent in this is admirable, the risk to the business is multi-fold, including: relations turning sour between the parties involved, incapacitation or death of the former employee, and failure of the former employee to renew the domain.

Any of these and more could result in the business losing its domain – one it’s had for many years and that has brand equity. As such and if the owner chooses to, the only recourse for him (should the former employee remain uncooperative) is to go through the process of claiming the domain as though a squatter has control of it. That’s certainly not going to be a pleasant process and will likely further damage what was a good relationship between these guys.

While it’s certainly possible for a firm to purchase a domain on your behalf, the only way you know for sure is to do it yourself. It’s a simple process that we make even simpler by providing our clients step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions on purchasing their domain on Bluehost (who’s also our recommended hosting provider). Owning your domain makes managing your business’s online presence one less thing to worry about. And while at GCWT, we’re all about Things, some things just don’t need to come into the mix!