need to know how to create web based slideshow asap

[michaelnotar]

this is what my competition creates

Nighthawk Estate

i want to make a similar product. i have contacted several ad agencies/web design people and they are just about to get back to me with quotes, i have heard $1500-4000 for start up costs between them. quite a range, but the more expensive one seems to be right on, the other seem like they can get it done, the more expensive can get it done well and effeciently.

[jeffcable]

Thanks for the link. I see precisely what you are after now. My thought is that handing the task off to a web professional is likely to be the shortest and most pain-free route to the result you need.

I think the only caveat is just how much control over the material and the frequency and ease with which you will be permitted to make changes it. .

Many WYSIWYG web creation tools exist. It depends on your computing platform and how much time you are willing to put into maintaining a web presence. If the estate work is your main revenue stream then I think that I would also be considering the routine use of a large format camera because of the unparalleled ability to correct geometry that is distorted by extreme wide-angle lenses.

[michaelnotar]

I think the only caveat is just how much control over the material and the frequency and ease with which you will be permitted to make changes it. .

all of that is being looked into, once completed i just have to upload images and enter a little text that will supplied by the client, sound take just 2-3 minutes.

not really estates just the last guy trying to make it seem better than it is

i wish i could break out the view camera but its way way out of the clients price range. just DSLRs for me with WA lenses, i do use the 4x5 for architects etc though.

[MikeA]

Hi Michael,

Forgive me for saying, but this seems like a lot of money for a pretty simple flash slideshow.

The site you show as an example has only the slideshow and contact details for the agent. It's smooth and simple. It sits in it's own domain name, which is a clever idea, and not that expensive to do, given the budgets involved.

Have you looked at Soundslides ? I reckon you could blitz the Nighthawk estate example you gave in about 30 minutes. An office junior could do it. Put the $4k in your own pocket.

Mike.

[michaelnotar]

yes the design of the site is quite easy, making a DMS is complex. i need to be able to drop in photos/text, which isnt that hard. whats hard is organizing that, i could easily have 30 listings to start and more to come, i need to keep it all straight, and easy to manage, and also not be hit with domain registration, hosting fees per page (atleast not at par as a normal site).

[MikeA]

Michael,

What do you mean 'DMS'? Do you mean CMS?

I can't imagine that this would be hard with 30+ listings. It's a template job. If it was 500 listings, it might get a bit mind-numbing, but it's just a case of organisation.

Thinking of the soundslides suggested, all you need is a folder structure on your system, 1 folder per job. Just 'dropping in' the images sounds a bit slack, you should spend a little time getting them into order and choosing suitable soundtracks etc, but creating the slideshow with music is what soundslides does.

Once you have that, adding the text is easy, especially if you want to follow the example of the other site, they have kept it very simple. Upload it to your host, and create/link the domain in. Wait for dns to kick in, You're done.

The domain registration isn't inescapable, but really, it only costs a few bucks and you wouldn't renew them unless you often had jobs in those areas. It's a chargeable cost, but you could get around it by using subdomains of your main site but it wouldn't look so slick.

Hosting fees are hosting fees. If you outsource the work, someone is going to be paying hosting fees, do you think they are going to give them away? Nope, you are going to be paying them, and a profit margin. Sure, you have to choose where to host, but it doesn't have to be the top end of town. You'd be surprised what's running here: Web Hosting by DreamHost Web Hosting: Web Sites, Domain Registration, WordPress, Ruby on Rails, all on Debian Linux!

On the other hand, if you want to basically wipe your hands of it once the photography is done, and give someone else in town the opportunity to make a buck, outsource it. Personally, I'd be enrolling interested kids in the process. It's the sort of thing an interested teenager would do in a heartbeat compared with slugging it out at the fast food joint.

What does the client pay for this sort of service?

Mike.

[michaelnotar]

DMS= data management system, where you go to change the site images/text etc...

cost of the competitions site is $200 for site+1yr hosting, so i need to make that markm maybe i could go to $225.