mediajunk

I've seen the phrase "Website Redux" bandied about a lot lately and had presumed it meant "my website has just had a makeover"

Looking the term up, just to be certain, I discovered that Redux actually means "brought back".

So, it's definitely appropriate as a title for this entry. See, if you look at the archives up to this point, you'll notice a flurry of posting activity for a couple of years which gradually dwindles too - well, not quite a halt, but a post every few months, instead of every other day.

Why? You'll find part of the explanation in the new about section, but the short answer is that my business took off, and my time became a scarce resource. While I always saw blogging as a promotional activity, I got caught in the classic start-up dilemma: too much time spent doing the work, not enough time spent marketing my services.

Sorry, I should say our services. By the end of 2005, I realised I was going to need to either hire one or more employees, or find some damn good freelancers.

I placed a couple of job advertisements, but the CVs I received weren't up to scratch. Basically, the community of designers in Ireland is small, and the best people are already hired.

Tackling the problem the other way - headhunting designers from other countries - was more time-consuming but, ultimately, more rewarding. I was able to find individuals who had design skills and philosophies compatible with or complimentary to my own, and who were willing to learn the "Mediajunk way". After many months searching and building relationships, I am delighted that I now have several excellent designers supplying their services.

I have finally freed up some of my time again to concentrate on managing projects, managing clients, promoting the business, etc. I still like getting my hands dirty with XHTML, CSS and PHP code, Photoshop, Apache, whatever ... but now my role is to clear the path for my talented associates, and to nudge projects in the right direction, when nudging is needed.

The upshot? I've finally managed to get both Mediajunk.com and the Mediajunk weblog redesigned. I now want to use those redesigns as a springboard to get back to posting some - hopefully interesting - articles.

One more thing: I've decided that, starging with this entry, the Mediajunk blog will no longer be simply about reporting what's happening in the Web Design/SEO world. I'll continue that, but I'll also be telling you what's going on at Mediajunk / Heraghty Internet - techniques that we're using, tips and tricks, etc.

Finally, I've turned comments back on - but you'll need to be registered with Typekey.