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Website Portfolio
Our own Online Business
FineBushPeople.co.za
We run a Protea seed sales business called FineBushPeople.co.za.
This was the result of our first foray into eCommerce in
1997. We made our credit-card processing facilities and
search engine optimization skills available to other internet customers and started FineBushPeople.net.
FineBushPeople.co.za ranks first on Google and most other search engines for the term "protea seeds", which means that we do not need to advertise the site in any other way. The income from this site has allowed Julie to give up her full-time job as a pharmacist.
Small Business Solutions on a CMS
The solutions in this section run on a Content Management System. This allows the owner of the site to add or change content on their site via the internet. In order to provide each site with a unique design and specific functionality to suit their needs, the content management systems were customised or developed from scratch. Each of these websites is designed, built and run by us.
Athanor-Investments.com
Athanor-Investments.com
Athanor wanted an up-market, high-quality design that would lead the field and distinguish them from their competitors. They wanted to be able to add new investment opportunities to the site from time to time, and to update their investment returns. We proposed a site built on MamboServer, and designed prototypes to show how it might be implemented.
Athanor wanted a drop-down menu, something I have steered clear of in the past due to its dependence on Javascript. Fortunately, web standards have advanced to the point where this was possible and I developed a technique for doing such a menu using W3C standard CSS (and the corresponding hack to make it work on Internet Explorer).
BirdsOfPrey.org.za
BirdsOfPrey.org.za
This site for a non-profit organization uses the older version of Mambo (4.5) which uses tables to lay out the page design (something we avoid because it makes pages less effective on search engines). Nonetheless, the content management system allows the South African National Bird of Prey Centre to update their own website without hiring specialist staff.
Backpacker Tourism South Africa
BTSA.co.za
This community-driven website has two audiences: backpackers looking for information and services while in Southern Africa,
and members of the BTSA that provide such services.
Members are able to post articles about their regions, and create a listing of their establishment, complete with photos they can upload. Listings are categorized by various search criteria to allow backpackers to find them easily. Members also have a discussion forum that they can use to communicate with each other or to provide reference materials to each other.
Backpackers that visit the site have access to a public portion of the forum that allows them to post or browse questions and answers about traveling plans, traveling companions and anything to do with backpacking in South Africa. They also use the customized listing functionality to allow them to find BTSA members along their route.
HealthShopOnline.co.za
HealthshopOnline.co.za
This health supplement shopping portal uses an Open Source eCommerce program called osCommerce. It allows the shop owner to run specials, gather customer feedback about products, and customize their marketing as needed by the business. Customers have all the features they have come to expect from a leading online store like Amazon.com: lists of complementary products (customers who bought this also bought...), recommendations, search facilities by brand, type or name and more.
Since the business already has its own credit card processing capability, they do not use the FineBushPeople.net card switching mechanism. The customer orders are emailed with an encrypted attachment that contains the card details that the business puts through its payment process.
ProteaDuCap.co.za
ProteaDuCap.co.za
Protea Du Cap uses a custom-developed content management system adapted to their unique needs. This is integrated with an email and forum program called MailGust that allows the site owner to communicate with his customers via an email discussion forum.
Sappex.org.za
Sappex.org.za
The custom-developed content management system enables the South African Protea Producers and Exporters association to maintain its catalogue of fresh-cut flowers and member listings online. The site also allows documents related to Protea Cultivation and Export to be made available to SAPPEX members via the password-protected members area.
SynergySchooling.co.za
SynergySchooling.co.za
Synergy Schooling is a new pre- and primary school starting up near Noordhoek/Kommetjie in Cape Town. Their website is a fundamental communication medium for the school, teachers, parents
and pupils. The website explains the school's philosophy and uses email lists and blogs to provide parents with progress reports regarding the school and their children.
Small Business Solutions running FarmStore
FarmStore is a very efficient, search-engine-friendly and easy to use shopping cart and eCommerce backend developed at first for FineBushPeople.co.za and subsequently used on several eCommerce websites. While it does not offer online access for modification of the content, it does simplify webpages to the point that they are easy to edit, and catalogue information is stored in a simple spreadsheet that can be edited and used to populate the site.
4xForum.co.za
4xForum.co.za
This business sells 4x4 maps, books, videos and dvds to off-road enthusiasts throughout Southern Africa. HoneyBadger.net maintains their website and processes card transactions on their behalf, freeing them to continue developing leading-edge products and delivering them to customers.
The site hosts a popular discussion forum that is full of information, tips and chatter about matters 4x4. It is a valuable reference source for off-roaders and a place to meet future traveling companions.
Infomap.co.za
Infomap.co.za
Infomap sells Southern African leisure-traveler and 4x4 maps, both in electronic and in paper format. The site accepts credit cards, and allows the purchaser to either download electronic items directly, or to wait until they arrive via email as an attachment.
ShortFinals.co.za
Shortfinals.co.za
Shortfinals.co.za sells a number of aviation documentaries, distributed both from South Africa and the UK.
Farmstore caters for different currencies depending on the buyers' location, and in this instance also needed to calculate different shipping rates for when customers were close to the UK and taking delivery from that distributor.
Q2.co.za
Q2.co.za
This site provides information about using the Q2 Energy Spa, and allows people to look up therapists in their area in South Africa.
While the site was built using Farmstore in order to allow online sales in the future, currently Farmstore provides it with an efficient mechanism for updates and maintenance of product information.
HerbAfrica.com
HerbAfrica.com
This site uses our FarmStore Shopping Cart and eCommerce card processing backend. The owner had approached us to build her this site after she saw her products for sale on the FineBushPeople.co.za website. Since then Astrid has become a close friend of ours, and we refer all requests for bulk rooibos tea and honeybush tea to her.
SAFlowerEssences.com
SAFlowerEssences.co.za
This site uses our FarmStore Shopping Cart with a customized backend that emails a gpg-encrypted file with credit card information to the business where they process it via their own card terminal. GPG is a mechanism for encrypting email and guaranteeing the authenticity of the sender and receiver.
Small Business websites not designed by us
The following sites were not designed by us, but were integrated with our FarmStore Shopping Cart and make use of our card-processing facility.
Windchimes.co.za
Windchimes.co.za
When Lindibell saw how we had put her windchimes up on our website she asked us to make a website for her too. Although we did not do the design or the build of it, we provided the shopping cart, expertise and card processing facility. The windchime sounds are available on the website so people can hear what the different scales sound like.
The windchimes business has changed hands twice and the new owners have retained us to maintain the site and process the card transactions.
EZMusic4U.com
Ezmusic4u.com
This site uses the FarmStore Shopping Cart and Card Processing to allow visitors to buy electronic music scripts that teach people to play popular tunes on the keyboard with full accompaniment. The design, construction and technology as well as the innovative arrangements suited to beginners are the work of our music teacher, Mike Irwin.
Owner-Built Websites Hosted by HoneyBadger.net
The sites in this section are hosted by us, but not designed or built by us. These sites also do not make use of our FarmStore Shopping Cart or Credit Card facilities. Most of these customers have FTP access to their sites and do their own site updates, but some update their sites very rarely and send the changes to our support staff to upload.
GolfChef.co.za
GolfChef.co.za
GolfChef is the nickname of an ex-colleague who loves golf and offers cooking evenings for small groups.
HagarDesigns.co.za
HagarDesigns.co.za
Hagar Designs host with us but designed, built and manage their own website.
RoadToNature.org
RoadToNature.org
This site raises awareness of the enormous damage that
will be done to our environment by the proposed R300 Toll Road through the False Bay Ecology Park. The private consortium proposing the road will make a lot of money while the communities affected are poor and will be economically disadvantaged even more by the road. The only members of the public in support of the proposal live in affluent suburbs that would gain quicker access to the airport by virtue of the road.
SkySun.co.za
Skysun.co.za
SkySun is another site from our music teacher Mike Irwin. He hosts with us but designed, built and manages the site himself.
Recently, Honey Badger IT Services was called in to secure some free scripts Mike had been using that resulted in a hacker using the site to send spam. This is one of the reasons why Honey Badger is providing packaged hosting with defined options that are provided, secured and maintained by Honey Badger.
TheOuthouse.co.za
Theouthouse.co.za
The Outhouse is the business of Alan Munro, who designs graphics for mobile phones and produces electronic art, web designs and flash.