What’s in the pipeline at MikeMatera.com:

Date: September 2008  Type of Project: SEO for Website - Caravan of Entertainment

New Jersey-based entertainment agency Caravan of Entertainment books clowns, magicians, costumed characters, musicians, jugglers, belly dancers, and other entertainers for parties. Kiddie parties, birthday celebrations, corporate or special events--whatever the occasion, you can hire an entertainer through Caravan. Of course, you need to find them first. My challenge: improve Caravan’s ranking in the search engines. The changes I’ve been making seem to be helping--though there is still a lot of work to do.

Date: March 2008  Type of Project: Website Overhaul - Borough of Beach Haven

This Web site, for famous New Jersey shore municipality Beach Haven (located in the heart of equally well-known Long Beach Island), required a major overhaul. First, it needed a cleaner layout that wouldn’t force visitors to scroll horizontally. Meanwhile, I had to craft it so that Beach Haven Borough staffers could update it themselves--and then train them to do so.

To that end, I’ve been rebuilding it, page by page, from its Frontpage foundation, using--for the most part--the same color scheme and images the former Webmaster used. Where possible, I’ve even repurposed some of the original code. As with any such site, it’s a work in progress.

Date: October 2007  Type of Project: Website - Belly Dance by Dezra

New Jersey belly dancer Dezra needed a Web site, and I was glad she chose me to create it. A bellydance teacher as well as a performer, Dezra needed a way for prospective clients to view photos of her and find out more about her Middle Eastern dance specialties. Dezra’s site will ultimately feature more photographs as well as video clips of her performances as those become available.

Date: August 2007   Type of Project: Las Vegas Birdsitter Dot Com Site Launch

Finding a knowledgeable, caring bird sitter in the Las Vegas area just got a bit easier. I cobbled this new Web site together for a friend of mine who looks after budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, parrots, parakeets, and cockatoos--among other bird varieties. She’ll board your bird while you’re away, in an ideal environment, and at a reasonable rate.

Date: March 2007  Type of Project: Debut of kickboxer Fred the Iceman’s Web Site

Twelve-time world champion kickboxer Fred “Iceman” Younossi is one of my newest clients. Well-known in both kickboxing and martial arts circles, Fred holds a record of 50 professional fights includes 48 knockouts, 2 draws, and no losses. The Iceman also excels as a professional trainer, working with bodybuilders, aspiring boxers, and weekend athletes alike.

Date: September 2006      Type of Project: Launch of EssayMedic Web Site

One of the most demanding aspects of applying to college or graduate school is writing a personal statement. Also referred to as an admissions essay, a personal statement answers the question of why you want to attend a particular university, in an essay that ranges from 300 words on up. Most are expected to be two to four pages in length.

Enter EssayMedic.com, a site that presents helpful information about the college admissions process. Its main focus is to assist students with their application essays. An essay revision and editing service, EssayMedic helps its clients turn fragmented, unexciting, or otherwise ineffective personal statements into persuasive manifestos that impress admissions officers--and greatly improve applicants’ chances of getting into their preferred schools.

Date: August 2006       Type of Project: Jewel of the Nile Web Site

I just started a new Web site for the Dance Cooperative, which organizes Middle Eastern Dance contests in the greater New Jersey area. For the uninitiated, Middle Eastern Dance is synonymous with Belly Dance, and I’ve had the privilege of working with several belly dancers on various creative projects in the past several years. In fact, I occasionally deliver a seminar entitled, “Bedazzled by Dezra: an Evening of Middle Eastern Dance and History”. Of course, I’m responsible for the “history” part, interweaving the fascinating story of the belly dance with authentic routines delivered by Dezra, a professional belly dancer from the central New Jersey area.

Date: January 2006      Type of Project: Princeton Review New GRE Project

Educational Testing Services, better known as ETS, has announced changes for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Originally slated for October 2006, the revisions have been postponed until late 2007. Nonetheless, there’s no time soon enough when it comes to making sure you’re ready, especially when it’s your job to prepare students to tackle the new question types--and get themselves into graduate school.

So, I’ve been working as part of the Princeton Review’s test-writing team, generating questions, answers, and tutorials for the company’s online and print materials. This is expected to be an ongoing assignment as we get ready for ETS’ rollout of the new GRE. All told, this has been one of my more enjoyable projects.

Date: December 14, 2005     Type of Project: The CMS Model Site

A content-management system, or CMS, allows you to update your site’s content any time you like. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser.

Interested in having this service on your Web site? To help you decide, I’ve put together a model CMS site that you can “test drive”. You can add or edit any of the content on this simulated Web site, just by typing in the correct username and password. Click here to see how it all works.

Date: November 10, 2005    Type of Project: Web Site Redesign

For this client, Belly Dance by Sasha, I’m crafting a content-management system that will allow her to update her own pages. Sasha’s calendar is always in flux, so she wants to be able to make her own changes to the site’s content. To that end, I’ve set her up with a password-protected system that lets her post her latest gigs and appearances, as well as alter or update her biographical information. Soon, I’ll be adding a News page that will allow her to post timely information regarding bellydancing, Middle Eastern culture, and anything personal that she finds relevant to her site’s visitors.