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A strong Web site reminds online designer and writer Sara Cormeny of a paper
lantern. Why?
Because paper lanterns are beautiful, elegant and functional. They illuminate
things well and are
affordable to maintain. A well-organized Web site should embody the same
qualities:
"While the Internet is an exciting place full of gizmos and high-tech
wonders, at the end of the
day it's still about communication. Web sites must satisfy basic needs,"
she says.
To drive the point home, Cormeny took the name of paperlantern.com for her
full-service Web
production company. Created in 1997, it offers HTML mark-up, site design and
navigational
consultation, content and database development, copy editing, graphic
design, online marketing
and Internet training. Her clientele includes Washington-based businesses,
nonprofits and political
campaigns. She also teaches the fundamentals of online publishing at
Georgetown University's
Networked Media Center.
Cormeny is a 20-something D.C. native, who went to Banneker High School, the
public magnet
school for academics, and later to Brandeis University in Massachusetts
where, in her words, she
got that "amazingly useful History degree ;^>."
Before starting her own Web company, Cormeny worked as a producer for
washingtonpost.com.
When The Post first ventured onto the Internet in 1995, Cormeny recruited
area schools to
publish their content online. She set up accounts, trained the teachers and
librarians and developed
original content geared toward educators and students.
"It was great to be the 'Post lady' and go into schools, Cormeny remembers.
"In many cases,
we were bringing the Internet into these schools for the first time, which
was a real thrill for them
and for me."
Cormeny has also served as an officer for the Women's Information Network, and
remains involved
with the professional networking organization for area women. She first got
involved with WIN
when she was in her early twenties, when she felt like "she didn't have many
female friends whom
she really grooved with."
WIN is a great place to meet young professional women who are on fire to make
a difference in
the world by using their many skills and interests," Cormeny says. "My best
friends today are
women I've met through WIN."
Cormeny says her biggest challenge is to keep up-to-date on the latest
technologies and figure out
which tools are the best and most promising. (Sound familiar?)
"I'm looking for the tools that will help me get my work done fast and
efficiently. I also want to
serve my customers by implementing technologies on their Web sites that are
useful, save time,
and are available to their potential audiences," she says.
Cormeny has a handful of professional books and online materials that she
recommends to fellow
Web site producers and designers:
For examples of Cormeny's work, check out:
Cormeny recently was a panelist for an event called Women Opening Doors for
Women, where
she offered the tips, worth repeating now, to women who are considering
freelancing or starting
a company:
(1) Start moonlighting while you're drawing a paycheck, and try to make your
current employer
one of your first clients. You need to have a few clients already in the door
before
starting your own business.
(2) Network like crazy. Tell all your friends, colleagues, and people you
meet on the street about
your business and ALWAYS have a business card on hand. (Sara gave a business card
to a guy she met
in the Australian rain forest; it just always pays to get your name out
there.)
(3) Get an accountant and accounting software. QuickBooks was her lifesaver
once tax time rolled around, as she used it from the very start to manage
her business finances.
(4) Sara's main advice to people using the Web as a tool is that you can't think
of Internet marketing as just a Web site. You have to incorporate e-mail,
and consider how to get your message across effectively, both on a Web site
and in e-mail messages.
(5) This tip sounds simple but it eludes a lot of social justice organizers
online: use lots of action
words. Remember, your target audience is sitting on their behinds staring at
a screen when they
read your message. You have to motivate them into action on behalf of your
cause!
(6) Be clear about what you want the audience to do and when. And quadruple
fact-check everything you
send, so you're not confusing people with incorrect
dates or times, or insufficient contact information.
Sara Cormeny is happy to share more advice and information with other DC Web
Women. She can be reached on the Web at paperlantern
and through e-mail at sara@paperlantern.com.
Curious to see who our previous member spotlights were? Check out our archives!
