The software developer Adobe Systems (www.adobe.com) announced on April 18 that it will buy the Internet multimedia and interactive Web design specialist Macromedia (www.macromedia.com) in an all-share deal worth $3.4 billion. Adobe said that it aims to produce an industry-defining technology platform with the combination of its PDF software and Macromedia’s flagship Flash platform.
The Web hosting provider Hostway Corp. (www.hostway.com) announced on April 14 that it has named Eric Fancher and Danika Young "America's Youngest Web Wizards," following a four-month nationwide search to find the most talented K-8 Web designers. The 10-year old fourth-grader Eric Fancher created the website www.pack266dragonpatrol.org dedicated to his Cub Scout den. The 14-year old eighth grader Danika Young created the website http://atkinson.esu8.org/maniac/Index.htm as a study guide and homework resource for "Maniac Magee," an award-winning children's literature book taught at her school.
The domain name registration provider Register.com, Inc. (www.register.com) announced on April 13 the introduction of new Flash-based animated templates and interactive Web form capabilities into its flagship do-it-yourself website building solution, WebSiteNOW! (www.websitenow.com). Register.com has launched 40 new design templates, each of which is highly customizable with pictures, logos, content, and a choice of a variety of Flash-animated graphics. Register.com has also introduced a new tool for easily integrating Web forms into WebSiteNOW! templates, making it simple for customers to collect data that is imperative for marketing purposes and to build a client database. Web forms can also be used to compile a newsletter subscriber list, conduct opinion polls or customer satisfaction surveys, or enable visitors set up appointments directly from the site.
Bear Creek Web (www.bearcreekweb.com), a Seattle, Washington-based Web design and marketing firm, announced on April 10 that it has named Tim Riley its new president. Riley will be working to help Bear Creek clients leverage their websites and Internet marketing programs to build greater awareness and increase sales. Prior to joining Bear Creek Web, Riley was founder and CEO of Door to Door Storage (www.doortodoor.com), a Seattle-based self-storage service.
CS Computer Solutions, LLC (http://cscomputersolutions.net), a New Albany, Indiana-based provider of Web design solutions, announced on April 10 the launch of additional product options for Web design. The new offerings allow pricing structures that accommodate customers who want to build and maintain their own website as well as customers who prefer to let CS Computer Solutions develop their site and take control of the maintenance once the site is built. Custom Web design and monthly maintenance contracts are also available.
Site5 (www.site5.com), a provider of Web hosting and reseller services, announced on April 8 the launch of their second website re-design in 10 days. Site5 first released a radical re-design on March 24. On April 5 the visitors of www.site5.com were once again surprised with an unannounced website makeover. The second re-design was the end result of more than a month of in-depth marketing research and brand planning.
Homestead Technologies, Inc. (www.homestead.com), a Menlo Park, California-based provider of Web design services for small businesses, non-profits and individuals, announced on April 4 the launch of Homestead QuickSites, which offers hundreds of professionally designed sites that have been customized for dozens of small business and consumer purposes, including restaurants, professional services, weddings, and more. Using the QuickSite Editor, customers can quickly and easily customize the content of a site design to incorporate their own text, logo, images, map, weblog, pages and navigation. Homestead QuickSites ranges in price from only $49 to $499 and can be customized and viewed by others before being purchased.
Webdesign SLC (http://webdesignslc.com), a Las Vegas, Nevada-based Web design, hosting, and promotion marketing provider, announced on April 3 the launch of HomeImprovementWest.com (www.homeimprovementwest.com). The main goal of the website is to provide a US states contractor referral service with quotes for new home building, remodeling, and home improvements. Other features of the website include furnishing a directory guide of qualified home improvement merchants with products to satisfy the home builders’ and the homeowners’ needs.
Realmac Software (www.realmacsoftware.com) announced on March 31 the release of RapidWeaver 3.1 for Mac OS X. This update builds on the success of the previous version by adding such features as direct FTP publishing, unlimited sub-menus, CSS-based website templates and better iLife integration. As well as adding over 30 new features, RapidWeaver 3.1's site creation process has been re-designed and streamlined to make sure it complies with today’s Web standards. In addition, RapidWeaver comes with a host of Page Styles including Blogging, Contact Form, File Sharing, Movie Album, Photo Album, Styled Page and many more. RapidWeaver has everything a user needs to get their website online in a matter of minutes. Users can even publish their site to .Mac or an FTP server directly from within RapidWeaver.
The Web hosting provider Hostmoon.net (www.hostmoon.net) announced on March 28 that it has partnered with Maurice Design (www.mauricedesign.com), an advertising agency that handles all forms of media advertising, including print, Web, and multimedia, to provide end-to-end Web design and programming services to Association Datazone (www.associationdatazone.com).
