"Every little deal is a big deal."
all around celebrity #3 (dim the lights, please.) Interview with Christina, of primarily Webado.net & Webado.com.
about the father's business - Fishes Interviews
Candid interviews with web site builders & designers "A series of interviews with online shop owners, artists, musicians and business owners, all are celebrities in my book. Level of web design, W3C Validation or CSS and HTML expertise is not as important as their hopes, dreams, struggles and accomplishments. "
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Welcome to the Fishes Candid Interviews | design by atfb, web design and custom graphics, photograph restoration, photograph enhancement and logo creation.
Oh Christina, it time to have a bit of fun. Are you ready?
QUESTION: I know you are familiar with the fish image and the history, so Chris, if you would identify yourself with a fish in the image and tell us why you did so.
Answer: Ohhhh, that one! Hehehe! I see a medium sized one on the lower right side with a strange contraption in its mouth. Might be a breathing straw or an ultra-slim cig, seems to fit :-) lol leave it to you to imagine that a cigarette! It's suppose to suggest a "blind" fish, but hey we are free to imagine what we like. lol!
QUESTION: If you don't mind, what do you do in "real life". I mean besides working and manning the internet. We'd like to know what you like to do besides that.
Answer: I'm a "computer systems analyst", working for a rather large employer. My day job isn't anything like my hobby - it's booooooring! I just wish my hobby were my day job.
QUESTION: What site domains or subdomains constitute your site(s)? Are these personal site (s) or business site (s)? Please included links. You may if you wish also provide a few smallish screen shots if you like. (You've so many, so pick your favorites.)
Answer: Hmm, my biz site, such as it is www.webado.net. But I also have a personal website, www.webado.com, which was created way before there was a biz site. Not very imaginative I'm afraid, with the domain names. But I thought I'd keep it all in the family. Another useless-but-fun site I have is www.widget-news.com. This has a rather humorous history - it was a first draft, more like a mock-up, for a design proposal for a would-be client who later decided not to bother, as he could just as easily build his own website himself. Then of course I have quite a number of sites which I've built for family, friends, clients. All in fact listed in my design portfolio.
QUESTION: Where are you located? You don't have to provide me with details, just a overview, like country.
Answer: I'm in Montreal, Canada.
QUESTION: Christina, how did you settle on your domain name (s)?
Answer: Hahaha! WEBADO came about as a bit of a pun: Web, Ah Do! My rendition of what a southern twang will sound like for Web, I Do! I was playing around with domain names and WEBADO kind of seemed to work for me so I registered it on a lark - and also added the .net and .org for good measure. The .org has yet to be developed.
QUESTION: What prompted you to build web sites?
Answer: More like what possessed me to do it, LOL! Some 4-5 years ago, as I had just joined the board of directors (big name LOL) or rather, committee, of a non-profit organization called RapSohD, I foolishly remarked in a meeting, for lack of any other input from me, that the organization had no website. Then I promptly offered the services of my son, aged 11 at the time, who'd amazed me with his ability in building web pages, something I knew nothing about. That impressed me. He even accepted enthusiastically enough, and started something. But, as all kids do, he soon tired of it. So now there was something half-baked and a promise (mine) to produce a website. I had to roll up my sleeves and plunge myself into it. From that effort emerged the original version of www.rapsohd.org, originally hosted on a free account and with no domain of its own, which I eventually took over the hosting of and also redesigned early in 2005. By far the biggest website I have created and maintained. Which reminds me that I have to update it yet again.
QUESTION: I know that you're an intelligent woman, may I ask then what was the "dumbest" question you've ever asked concerning website design or implementation? Feel free to elaborate if you need to.
Answer: Oh, gosh! Any of my early questions would qualify. Maybe combined with my outbursts against the W3 compliance requirements? How stupid the validator tool is? I don't know.
QUESTION: Do you feel your site is finished or do you still have grander goals? Elaboration is expected.
Answer: No site is ever finished. There's always something to add, to improve, to fix, to tweak. In fact www.webado.net still needs several of its pages translated into French. On www.webado.com I have a subdomain which ought to be fixed up if I'm going to keep it around - which I am, simply due to nostalgic reasons. That subdomain was the first site I did after RapSohD in an effort to keep a community of musicians together. I made many good friends around the world through that project, some who are now clients for my hosting and design activity.
QUESTION: As a moderator in several forums you get quite a bit of harassment. How do you handle those difficult person(s)? Do you take such affronts personally? Elaborate please.
Answer: Well, yes, that's inevitable, though, mercifully, not too frequent. Ok, let's say I kill them with my words, LOL! I am like an armadillo, so nothing pierces my shell actually. Yes, they are personal attacks, but I don't let that faze me. In the past I was able to get rid of obnoxious people by making literal mincemeat out of them in the forum, where it all started. Lately, since I've been a moderator, I've resorted to just banning the louts, but not without letting them know full well that it was coming unless they got their act together. I'm tough, merciless on spammers and totally ruthless with those trolling the forums.
QUESTION: As a moderator and devoted web host, you also have had the opportunity to make many international friends and contacts. What do you suppose you would be doing with your time, had you not taken the paths that you have? Has your involvement enriched your life?
Answer: Yes, making all these friends and contacts all over the world has been the most uplifting experience of all. I have no clue what I might have done with my time otherwise. Hmmm... maybe spend a bit more of it on domestic chores? I feel blessed to have met so many interesting and wonderful people on the net. Some I have in fact also met personally and we are really good friends now. A pock on those who claim internet friendships are ephemeral, not based on reality, yadda, yadda, yadda. Pfffttt!
QUESTION: Mzzzzzzz. Chris, what was your most glorious moment as it relates to your web site (s)? And if you can, what was the most disastrous moment?
Answer: Hmmm.... the most glorious moment has got to be when my little insignificant website www.webado.net actually ended up as #1 on the Silktide Sitescore. Actually I never cease to be amazed by its continued presence in that elite neighborhood, trailing as it were the likes of this multi-talented young man's website, Andreas Viklund. As for disastrous? I guess that was when the old forum on my personal site got hacked by some hooligans. I was and still am so incensed at that action! But wait, maybe the worst of all was when I was literally taken for a ride by a would-be client who used the two days of hosting he had with me (until I caught on to him) to send out tons of spam, resulting in warnings from my hosting company after notices of the server being blacklisted for spam originating on one of my accounts. Aaaarggghh! Both incidents made it into my blog in fact: Those Idiotic Hooligans Calling Themselves Nightmare TeAmZ and Anatomy of A Spammer / Scammer / Fraudster. I get great satisfaction in seeing hits to those blog entries, especially when they come from a search engine (*wicked smile*)
QUESTION: How do you balance your web building time and your life time? Do you feel you balance it well? Do you take pity on your husband and children and take time to dine with them away from the computer?
Answer: Ahem... I guess I don't balance it well at all. Ok, once in a while ..... Do I have to answer that?
QUESTION: What, Chris, are your dreams and aspirations? They don't have to relate to your website.
Answer: You know? I don't actually have any. Not consciously anyway, or none that could ever materialize. Sure, as a dream, I'd like to be able to say I can make a living off of this webbing activity I so enjoy. The reality is that it's not possible. Failing that, I'm satisfied with whatever pleasure I derive from this. Oh ... (read the question, Christina!) ... not related to my website... I'd love to be able to make music .... won't happen I'm afraid ...
QUESTION: What would you say was the most difficult part of building your site (s)? What would you say were the easiest parts? If you have more than one site, which is your favorite? You may include those that you've built for others.
Answer: The most difficult part for me is the graphic design. The look, as it were. I'm not good at imagining a site graphically. The easiest part, because I'm really a programmer at heart, is the navigation, the building of the site from building blocks. Using css provides its own big challenge, part design, part logic implementation. Websites are like kids. They are all a part of me, I love them all, and am proud of all of them, even the less than perfect ones. They represent stages in my growth as a website builder. My favorite right now is www.webado.net - I've tweaked it to death. My personal site is a fun design, so I like that one too. Still there must be dozens of things I can further improve on in any one of them. Oh, easiest site I've ever built was www.crownsil.com - of course, after having a ton of graphic help from the ever helpful and talented JWJ, LOL!
QUESTION: How do you feel about following the W3C validation recommendations?
Answer: Had you asked me this about a year ago I'd have sent you packing in a hurry, LOL! I was so vocally anti W3 anything back then! Now I feel very good about the W3C. I hope they improve the reporting to be much more helpful to beginners rather than intimidating the way they are now. I get great satisfaction when I make a valid page which still turns out the way I want it to turn out. It's all doable, even what some think is not.
QUESTION: How much attention do you feel you pay to web standards and accessibility issues?
Answer: I think I pay a lot of attention to web standards and basic accessibility guidelines. I haven't much ventured into the advanced accessibility issues because of lack of proper understanding of what's involved in all of them. Actually having a couple of acquaintances who are blind has been prompting me to address those matters a bit more.
QUESTION: I've noticed you are very particular about the types of web sites you host. You cater to the artists, musicians, and non profit sites. Why? I also know that you are a very devoted hostess and go beyond customer service standards. Why?
Answer: Must be because that's how I started out. The first site I built, www.rapsohd.org, is a non profit organization for youths involved in the performing arts. The other sites I built were for my musician daughter, a group of songwriters and another very talented musician friend. I am not a business oriented person. I rather despise aggressive commercialism. I much prefer the world of the arts and artists. Maybe because I myself have no artistic talent, and I so envy those who do.
I sometimes (ok, often) go beyond typical customer service standards because I take both pleasure and pride in doing so. I like to help whanever I can. I have been helped in turn, so it's only right. The motto that I have: "Webado's clients are not just clients, they are friends" is true and has to remain true. Not sure which came first: they are clients because they are friends, or are friends because they are (hopefully) satisfied clients.
QUESTION: If you had one bit of advice or a tidbit of knowledge to impart, what would it be?
Answer: Learn from other people's mistakes and, failing that, learn from your own mistakes. Is that a tidbit of knowledge? I guess not, more like a slogan, LOL! Ok, how's that? Don't reinvent the wheel, but learn how and why it was invented. Hmm... still talking nonsense... Don't be afraid to admit you don't know how to do something. You'll usually find somebody willing to help you as long as you show willingness to learn and appreciate it.
QUESTION: If you could post two links to websites, that you consider to be outstanding sites what would they be? They don't have to be outstanding due to validation, css or web standards just outstanding in that they are interesting, helpful and or contribute to the overall betterment of the web wide world.
Answer: I can't limit myself to just 2 in all fairness. An old site I've admired from long ago for its unselfish purpose is Kulak's Wood Shed - an online venue showcasing live performances of unsigned musicians. Another would be your site, Sharron, for innovation beyond my wildest imagination, and perseverance and originality - www.designbyatfb.com.
QUESTION: Christina, is there any question that I cannot ask you? Do you have limits to what you are willing to share? Why? (Inside joke) Oh I am quaking in my boots, Mum's the word!
Answer: Same as yours, Sharron, ;-) remember, what goes around , comes around. Plus I hold the key to your domain LOL! Actually no, there are no limits. You can ask away, and I can answer or not or make up some silly answer.
QUESTION: I asked another and would like to ask you, some think everyone is born with natural born talent, what is yours?
Answer: I wonder. Don't think I have any natural talent. Unless you consider my "bitching" talent. Yeah, I'm a natural.
QUESTION: Are there any questions you would have liked me to ask but I didn't? If so please do elaborate.
Answer: Well, I don't know what the question for that would be (never played Jeopardy), but something for which the answer would be: I'm amazed and proud of myself for having forayed into the realm of web design to the extent that I have, self taught as I am, and at my age, venturing into what can only be described as a youth zone. Maybe the question should be: What is your most unlikely achievement that you are proudest of? Wait, that also has another answer: having a poem of mine turned into a song lyric, a melody composed for it and recorded by my delightful friend Nancy.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this interview and the process? Do you have any recommendations or suggestions to make?
Answer: I loved it. Thanks for letting me express myself this way.
Christina you have done a wonderful job with this. The formatting and the links! Excellent... Thank you.........you could have left out mention of my site, (I'm blushing).
