Personal Website

[rochem]

Hello all,

So I've decided it's time for me to break down and get a website that I can use for portfolio work and professional contact information and whatnot. I'm not necessarily at the point in my career where I absolutely need one, but at the very least I'd like to start securing a domain name and building a website so that I will have one when I need one - better too early than too late. The first step though is choosing a domain name.

Sadly, the normal domain-name-being-my-name is taken - michaelroche.com (<- just in case anyone didn't know my real name, there ya go!) belongs to some sort of gaming programmer. Beyond that, there are a number of ways I can go with this, but I'd like some input on what would be best. "Michaelrocheld.com seems to be available, but at this point I'm not entirely sure I plan on working as an LD professionally, and I don't want any confusion when I apply for technical positions. I could go with michael-roche.com, michaeljroche.com (middle initial - although I never go by that, and it seems to be on hold anyway), or many other things. I could theoretically go with another extension (.org .biz. .me ), but I really feel that a .com is much easier to remember and causes less confusion.

So here's the question - what is the most logical, and least confusing URL for me to put across my name and possibly my position as an electrician/theatrical lighting technician? Michael-Roche.com seems to be a good possibility at this point, but I want to hear other opinions about using dashes versus something else - will you be likely to forget the dash and end up confusing me with a gaming programmer?

Thanks in advance!

 

[chausman]

I think that michaeljroche.com is rather professional looking, if that is what you are going for. a .net domain is just as easy to remember as .com, IMO. michaelrochetech.com is available, although it is getting a bit long but then again, so is sparkysbirdstore.com (a site I am managing). I think that some people may forget the dash and think you'd changed your life goals! Or, there is also .org.

Maybe you could get michaelroche.org(.net) and become friends with the michaelroche.com owner and convince him to add a little thing at the top saying something like "If you are looking for Michael Roche, the Lighting Designer, click here" and you could alternatively do the same.

 

[metti]

I think michael-roche.com or michaeljroche.com are both decent possibilities. AFAIK, using .org is poor form and kind of weird/confusing if you are not a non-profit organization and .net/.biz/everything but .com is a little weird at this point though it will become commonplace in the future as we run out of normal .coms. FWIW, michaeljroche has a nice ring to it but if you really have no plans to start using your middle initial in the rest of your marketing material (business card, etc) then michael-roche.com is probably going to be better. I would shy away from including any sort of job title in the URL since it feels a little bit short sighted but take that with a grain of salt since my interests bounce around a little bit.

 

[erosing]

I've been talking about this with a lot of technicians and designers that are at the point of leaving the educational system, or very close to. A few of them with more common names have been having similar troubles as you, in that their name is already owned. One of their first thoughts is to go with first-last.com, I always advise against it, (unless you want to do a lot of SEO to make sure you are the top result for your name, and every close spelling of your name for each popular search engine). People will forget the "-", almost every time, even when it's on your business card sitting in front of them. It just isn't a punctuation mark that is used frequently enough in domains yet.

I usually recommend one of the following, using the example name of John Paul Smith (any similarities to any real person are accidental and as such are obviously unintended, if this is your name feel free to use my advice and secure the following domain names - no need to credit me ):

*johnsmith.com
johnpsmith.com
*jsmith.com
jpsmith.com
johnpaulsmith.com
jpaulsmith.com

People understand domains are being eaten up, they will forgive you for not having your full name, but they can't look at your website if they can't find it, because you put in a "-" or went with something like johnp.aulsmith.com, you get the idea.

For the designers I talk to, I usually recommend that they get multiple domains, their name, first. But then a few "company names" such as:

jpsmithdesigns.com
smithdesigns.com
indoordesigns.com
designsonfire.com
designsonice.com
playingwithyourlights.com
bringingdownthehouse.com
*mycompanyname.com
etc.com - I think that one might be taken though...

This way you don't run into the problem of associating yourself with one domain if you for instance want to keep your design and technician work separate, or like me you shy away from actual design work in favor of something else. I had a link from my technician website to my design website and the opposite for a while, because even if they hired a designer, maybe they need an elec or a truck loader, or whatever. Gives the association without the thought of, "Oh, he's just a designer," attached to it. Up until a few weeks ago I actually had the company name forward to my technician site, because I have both I can send people where I want them, like then I wanted everyone to go to my technician site only.

The biggest piece of advice I give is if you think you'll use it, buy it now. I have a pretty uncommon name, and I *'d the ones I own, and I'll probably add on the ones with my middle initial sooner or later. But I'm not worried about someone else taking them. I've registered around 10 company names, or temp company names, just so that I had them, I've used half, and that's being generous, but I can let those go whenever I lose the fascination there, but you can never get your name back, I think it's worth the ~$10 a year per domain, even if you don't use them for anything but email.

That said, the trend I've been seeing from the (younger - 30's-40's) IA 829 designers I've worked with have been all about company names and associations, they don't use their name.

Other than that, just because you buy a domain doesn't mean you should let yourself be forced into hosting anything on it. I don't even need my hand to count the work that I've gotten because of my websites (that would be none, by the way). But I have a hosting plan for non-theatre things, so I just attached the domains to it. If it weren't for the fact that I already had it though, I would seriously consider waiting a few more years on the hosting package I have.

Bottom Line: Get your name in as many ways as possible, but if you're not sure about creating a full website yet, maybe lull over the hosting package for a little while longer.

 

[Footer]

That said, the trend I've been seeing from the (younger - 30's-40's) IA 829 designers I've worked with have been all about company names and associations, they don't use their name.

Other than that, just because you buy a domain doesn't mean you should let yourself be forced into hosting anything on it. I don't even need my hand to count the work that I've gotten because of my websites (that would be none, by the way). But I have a hosting plan for non-theatre things, so I just attached the domains to it. If it weren't for the fact that I already had it though, I would seriously consider waiting a few more years on the hosting package I have.

Bottom Line: Get your name in as many ways as possible, but if you're not sure about creating a full website yet, maybe lull over the hosting package for a little while longer.

My wife and I share my domain and company. Though we are both working for a road house, we both freelance so we maintain the site. I also have kylevansandt.com which forwards to just my portfolio. I decided to go the "designs" route just because. It does give a bit of branding which is nice for business cards and stuff like that.

That being said, though, put a site up. Unlike Arez, I have gotten nearly every job I have because of my website. I have landed 4 different full time gigs without doing a single portfolio review onsite. At least 3 times I was flown cross country for an interview, all the interview was was a tour and a dinner and drinks to feel me out because they had already seen my stuff. I actually lost my portfolio 2 moves ago and never considered making another one. My website is my portfolio and will be long into the future. So, put up that content. Can't tell you how useful it is to just send someone to your site during a phone interview and talk them through a few shows then to try to describe how you did X and why it was so great. All my site run on wordpress, however, if I were to do it again I would probably do Squarespace. Its a bit more expensive but it is worth it if you don't feel like hacking a site together. To me, a full portfolio on a website is now a requirement of any technician or designer coming out of school. If you don't have it or are not being taught it in college, demand that it be taught.

 

[museav]

I know you are referring to it as a personal web site and said the site was mainly for portfolio and contact information, but you might want to consider how it could relate to doing business. If you are looking for employment then it should probably be a personal web site about you with the domain name reflecting that, however if you're looking for work other than as an employee then you may want the web site, including the domain name, to reflect the entity that would be hired rather than an individual.

 

[techno89]

When me and my common name (Scott Smith) had no my-name.topleveldomain available I went with scottsmithtech.net

 

[derekleffew]

To those who think the extension doesn't matter, please direct your browser to whitehouse(dot)com
(a pr0n site) rather than whitehouse.gov (where POTUS lives). People are going to use/assume .com no matter what the extension.

I like michaeljroche.com and also like the idea of a reciprocity agreement.

Luckily I never encountered this problem.

www.derekleffew.com
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rochem]

So after having michaeljroche.com snatched out from under me (my own fault, I just waited too long), I ended up going with michael-roche.com. I've convered the site I built over and finished the basic functionality, and I'd like to hear any thoughts or opinions you guys might have about it. The Portfolio page will have a few more sub-categories added to it and it'll be more cleaned up and organized, but the overall structure is all there.

Michael Roche - Entertainment Electrician

Thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[chausman]

I would try and make a flash-less version for anyone who might be looking on an iOS device. The Flash is good, but if someone wanted to find a phone number while on a device with no flash, it can be very annoying.

In your portfolio section, some of the pictures have your name in the caption, some don't. Why do some of them not have what you've done for that show?

 

[DuckJordan]

I would try and make a flash-less version for anyone who might be looking on an iOS device. The Flash is good, but if someone wanted to find a phone number while on a device with no flash, it can be very annoying.

In your portfolio section, some of the pictures have your name in the caption, some don't. Why do some of them not have what you've done for that show?

While I tend not to agree with the whole "Lets sell a device and take out flash" I also notice that quite a few people who would be looking at your website will probably be working with an iPad as well... It may be worth it... or it might not. The same people who have an iPad though still have a standard computer when they are looking at resumes and websites though.

 

[shiben]

So after having michaeljroche.com snatched out from under me (my own fault, I just waited too long), I ended up going with michael-roche.com. I've convered the site I built over and finished the basic functionality, and I'd like to hear any thoughts or opinions you guys might have about it. The Portfolio page will have a few more sub-categories added to it and it'll be more cleaned up and organized, but the overall structure is all there.

Michael Roche - Entertainment Electrician

Thoughts? Thanks!!

Honestly, I think your splash screen photo needs to be a show you have designed or something. They city is classy, but if your going to be selling your designs, I doubt thats one of them...

 

[DuckJordan]

One thing I just noticed. on some of your photo's you have what you did listed, and on others you don't. If your going to have a "Portfolio" list at least what your job title was on the events. Otherwise don't put the pictures up. It makes me think that you put those photos up just because you attended the college that did those things.

 

[shiben]

One thing I just noticed. on some of your photo's you have what you did listed, and on others you don't. If your going to have a "Portfolio" list at least what your job title was on the events. Otherwise don't put the pictures up. It makes me think that you put those photos up just because you attended the college that did those things.

Actually, I would assume that someone's portfolio website would only have pictures they designed up on it, so if some are from when you were an ME or something, that would confuse me. Probably worth it to say what you designed, then give out other production credits, IE director, other designers, producer, venue/location. This brings up the question, if your just a technician at large, what to put on your website?

 

[Esoteric]

Yeah, without design work, I am not sure what you would put up there.

I just went with my company name.

Esoteric Visions

But, I am thinking about jumping into high end weddings so I fear I am about to have to put together a new page. I wish I could just do a subpage, but brides are a picky bunch. So are wedding planners.

Mike

 

[rochem]

Actually, I would assume that someone's portfolio website would only have pictures they designed up on it, so if some are from when you were an ME or something, that would confuse me. Probably worth it to say what you designed, then give out other production credits, IE director, other designers, producer, venue/location. This brings up the question, if your just a technician at large, what to put on your website?

I used to completely agree with this, but then my professors and others kept beating it into us that we should include photos even from our technical credits, to help show scale. I'm still not 100% sold on the idea, but it does make a certain amount of sense. My resume might say M.E. for a show at the Kitchen Theatre, but unless you've been there before, you don't know if that's a 1800 seat proscenium with 30 moving lights in house stock, or a 49 seat black box with a 10' lighting grid. They're still being built, but my Portfolio page will eventually have three sub-links on the page, one for the portfolio that's up now (production shots), and then pages for Technical photos (photos of practicals being built or similar) and Draftings. I'm hoping that that will make it more clear that I didn't design the shows that have photos.

Shiben brings up a good point though. If someone were trying to market themselves exclusively as a technician, what kinds of photos do you think should be on the website?

 

[TEarlywine]

If someone wants to work in our Theatre, I can put them to work much faster if I can see what they've worked on. I love having some pictures to look at of the shows they worked on, whether they designed it or not. Scenic Artists especially, and shots from shop technicians, even if they are just in-progress phone shots, help me see whether someone just helped assemble stock platforms or built entire custom circular staircases. Even electricians... at a glance I can tell if they've worked in big houses or only in basement blackboxes with DJ instruments.

Even if the technician didn't do everything in the photo, I can see the type of business they worked for in the quality of what's on stage - and that shows me a lot if I'm not already familiar with the company's work. Of course, I always count references as #1 when hiring technicians, but photos help answer lots of questions (=1000 words, etc.)

I agree an all-flash website can be a problem for many... I'd recommend basic info, including name, contacts, and resume PDF link, all be in html, and the portfolio can still be fancy Flash. Alternatively: have a link on the front page to an html page with the basic info...unless, of course, you are purposely excluding.

 

[rochem]

While I tend not to agree with the whole "Lets sell a device and take out flash" I also notice that quite a few people who would be looking at your website will probably be working with an iPad as well... It may be worth it... or it might not. The same people who have an iPad though still have a standard computer when they are looking at resumes and websites though.

I would try and make a flash-less version for anyone who might be looking on an iOS device. The Flash is good, but if someone wanted to find a phone number while on a device with no flash, it can be very annoying.

I agree an all-flash website can be a problem for many... I'd recommend basic info, including name, contacts, and resume PDF link, all be in html, and the portfolio can still be fancy Flash. Alternatively: have a link on the front page to an html page with the basic info...unless, of course, you are purposely excluding.

I'm still building the site and getting it to a point where I'm happy with it, but once I do that, my first step is to make a mobile version that can work with iPads and smart phones. I figure a lot of people will be viewing my website during tech in a dark theatre on a smartphone or iPad, but I wanted to make a solid site first, then start building a mobile version of it. I assume the mobile version can double as a non-flash version for computers if I put a link on the homepage, but I haven't really looked into that at all.

 

[Esoteric]

I used to completely agree with this, but then my professors and others kept beating it into us that we should include photos even from our technical credits, to help show scale. I'm still not 100% sold on the idea, but it does make a certain amount of sense. My resume might say M.E. for a show at the Kitchen Theatre, but unless you've been there before, you don't know if that's a 1800 seat proscenium with 30 moving lights in house stock, or a 49 seat black box with a 10' lighting grid. They're still being built, but my Portfolio page will eventually have three sub-links on the page, one for the portfolio that's up now (production shots), and then pages for Technical photos (photos of practicals being built or similar) and Draftings. I'm hoping that that will make it more clear that I didn't design the shows that have photos.

Shiben brings up a good point though. If someone were trying to market themselves exclusively as a technician, what kinds of photos do you think should be on the website?

Our installation gallery (which I am installing tonight) will have photos of the rigs we have installed. Not the design (with the lights turned on), but just the rigs. Of course we also do the designs, so those are in another gallery.

Once I have the site looking like I want it for us, I will put in a page that is just an HTML listing that someone can get to from the backend, but I am not overly concerned. In fact I hadn't even thought of it until someone mentioned it just now.

Mike

 

[mstaylor]

I think it is important to show your scope of knowledge but you need to caption pictures to know what you did with the production. I know a guy that has a lighting company site and he shows pictures of events he has done. Several of them are shows I TDed and he was a hand, his company was nowhere near it. If he was selling his tech experience then those pictures are important but he is leading people to believe his company produced the show.