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Designing a social networking website…

We receive enquries on a weekly basis from people wanting to set up a community website, or social networking website for a niche area or sector that they are interested in. With many millions of people hooked on Facebook and MySpace, it is perhaps natural to want to be able to run your own such site, with the ambition to establish yourself as a trusted and popular resource for all things related to your topic.

We are happy to develop a social networking website, but we always advise clients that the costs of developing such a website are relatively high and that they will take a few months to develop, and also that they will need to do some legwork to start to promote and attract users and advertisers to their site.

Should you wish to have a quote from us for a social networking website design, please feel free to contact us for a free quote. We will be happy to offer you advice and our thoughts on your project and to quote you for the work involved.

To ensure your website meets all of your expectations and requirements, it is always a good idea to write up a quick Word document outlining the project. A quick non-technical website brief will save a lot of time and also it will ensure that the finished website meets all of the requirements in the brief.

We have recently been working on a large social networking site design for a school and this has just been launched and gives a good an example of the type of website we can develop for you. Visit Hotel School Search now.

Running a blog appears to be quite a time-consuming job…

As well as having to find the time to make posts to it, you also need to have something to say every now and then! I guess if you are Carry Bradshaw (Sex and the City), then the words would flow out freely every day, but I “couldn’t help thinking”…What do I write about?

Well I have come to the conclusion that it’s time for a bit of self promotion, with a view to getting some feedback from ‘you’ about some of the recent projects we  have been working on.

In recent time our design outlook has shifted to more of a web 2.0 look & feel for our client sites and we have had some very good feedback on our recent designs. With the added value we try to give all clients, such as free domain names and web hosting, our newsletter signup discount and great web design prices, we hope we are serving small businesses and individuals to the best of our abilities.

Our latest website designs

The following is a quick list of some recent website launches for clients. Please feel free to leave your comments to this blog entry.

Motorater - This is a cool new car rating website
Liscombe Park - A redesign for an equestrian centre in the UK
Devon Holiday Home - A startup website design for a holiday home
Second Skin Surf - A redesign of a UK Surf shop site
Electrical Recruit - A recruitment website for the electrical industry
BV Recruitment - A new design for a recently established recruitment agency
Nurserywork - Another recruitements website, this one is for childcare jobs
Natural Origin - Skincare products as nature intended
French Villa Holidays - From Yourcotedazour, seo work in progress
Will Registry Direct - Register the location of your will with this website
Forces Supplements - An ecommerce website for body building supplements
Last Minute Tee Times - Book a golf tee off time online
Memory Foam Mattress - Buy a foam memory mattress online
Memory Mattress 2GO - Affordable memory foam mattresses and pillows
Natural Organice Skin Care - from Mollycoddles

Following our ‘top ten essential websites for your business’ posting, we have been set a list of the top 20 websites for blog submissions.

Blogs are essential marketing tools for your business and the list below will provide a useful list of sites that you should submit your blog to.

1. Best of the Web Blog Search Best of the Web’s Blog Directory is very selective and only lists aged and valuable blogs. A link from here is majestic and well deserved.

2. Bloggeries has the best categories and subcategories home page on the internet. The layout is clear and concise, and readers are able to find what they are looking for in a snap!

3. EatonWeb Blog Directory is a real jewel with many aged inbound links and a blog rating system. You may have to pay a fee for your blog to be reviewed, but like Yahoo, the review fee is well worth the few dollars.

4. Blog Hub offers a drop down category and member blog list. With its “new blogger” list and hot topics, Blog Hub is a great directory to list your site.

5. Blogged.com is an interesting mix of a blog directory and a Google News type site which fuels its news feed from the blogs listed on the site. Blogged.com is very impressive and is free to list your blog.

6. One of the most selective Blog Directories on the web (and Wordpress powered), Blog Search Engine is owned by Performancing’s parent company and serves search results powered by IceRocket.

7. Blog Catalog features a vast directory of categories, from academic to writing, while offering the ability to search by country, language, or user. It has a no frills design, but offers convenient member access through simple blog registration.

8. Globe of Blogs has too many features to list. In order to be listed on the site, the blog must not be commercial. The site may appear to be busy, but I like the features of being able to search by title, author, or subject. Narrowing the search becomes easier on this blog.

9. The ultimate directory of British blogs connotes all things British. It is not directed by location, but by the culture! It is asked that bloggers be genuinely “britished.” Being listed in this blog reaches readers all the way across the pond!

10. Blog Universe is the perfect place to promote your video or podcast themed blog. Its layout is easy to navigate. Although the content is limited, it is an all around good directory site worthy of submission.

11. Bigger Blogs is a relatively new blog directory with only a few blogs registered. The blog is intertwined with a business directory. The blog section is difficult to find, and it is located through a link on the right side of the business directory page. However, the benefit is that the earlier you are accepted on a blog directory, the more exposure your blog will obtain. In addition, a back link is indeed a back link, so this can help with your search engine placement.

12. Upon visiting Bloggernity, you find a crisp, clean, and easy to navigate site. Scrolling down, you find the new blogs. As there is little advertising on the home page, it is pleasant to the eye of the reader as well.

13. Bloggapedia has an interesting and eye catching homepage. Readers are easily connected to the top blogs and newest posts. Innovative categories and a colorful design make this blog directory a hit.

14. Spillbean is a well-designed blog directory site with categories such as health, society, internet, and personal. The site is aesthetically pleasing, but there are not many listings yet.

15. Blogging Fusion is a blog with over sixty categories. These categories include photo blogs and family focused blogs. Blogging Fusion has an good amount of blog listings within the directory, and it also has visitor stats available.

16. Blogflux is not only a tool for bloggers, but a directory that has the listings in alphabetic order. The blog listings are organized and clear. It is definitely an effective blog directory in which to be listed.

17. The blogs on the top listings of Bloglisting are fun, colourful, and catch the attention of the reader. Bloglisting displays the page ranking blogs, which is a helpful tool when determining with whom you want to exchange links.

18. Blogio may be a small blog directory with few listings, but it worthy of a submission. Despite its small size, there are quality blogs and a solid ability to search on this site.

19. Blog Explosion claims to be the largest blog promoter on the internet. They have a vast directory but do not seem to have direct links. However, the listing in the directory can still show up in SERP’s, so keep this in mind.

20. Super Blog Directory is a great site that offers tools to posters that others do not. You can see the latest submitted links and blogs on the site, which is a perk that draws traffic into the directory.

The above listings are a glimpse inside the large and vast world of blog directories and the valuable inbound links that your can build for your blog and your business.