Here are case briefs on a few of our previous and current clients. If you would like to hear from our clients first-hand what it's like to work with us, we are happy to provide references.

ACTIVIST

No More Victims

nomorevictims.org

Part antiwar organization, part charity, NMV already had its own website when it approached WebRoot Solutions looking for help renovating the site and managing its broader online operations. We began with a simple makeover, tightening up the design and cleaning up the cluttered pages. The client did not want a complete overhaul, and we liked the basic look and feel of NMV’s simplistic design, navigation and page layout, which emphasized the group’s projects and the children it seeks to help.

The original codebase was not (and is not) as clean as if we had written it from scratch, but it was functional, so wherever possible we left well enough alone. But more functionality was needed, and NMV’s volunteer staff was unable to keep up with its IT and A/V demands. WebRoot installed blogging software to allow numerous authors to contribute content to the site and keep it lively to attract return visitors. Now we operate as NMV’s IT department, fulfilling requests to add content, convert videos, manage email accounts and carry out other sundry tasks so NMV can focus on the work it does best: opposing the US war on Iraq and getting help for wounded Iraqi kids.

Most recently, we built a custom organizing database so that NMV volunteers can keep track of the dozens of local chapters, Iraqi children, projects, health clinics, medical records and other interconnected logistical details. Using simple web forms, No More Victims members can manage all of this information in a user-friendly, decentralized manner.

CNY Public Power

www.cnypublicpower.net

This community-based activist organization lacked both funds and Internet expertise, focused as it is on a grassroots campaign. They came to us with a sloppy, disorganized volunteer-generated website and asked for a simple makeover – nothing fancy, just enough to convey their purpose and activities. On almost no budget, WebRoot Solutions started from scratch to create a standards-compliant website that is both attractive and useful to visitors. Our main intent was to make it possible for visitors to quickly navigate the site and easily get involved with CNYPP’s organizing efforts.

Worker Coop Credit Union

workercoopfcu.org

The founder of this ambitious project asked that we build a low-cost dynamic website to present his ideas using a crisp, subdued style. Since the client wanted as much control as possible over the content itself, without having to rely on us as webmasters, we opted to power the site using WordPress, a robust, yet user-friendly content management system. We custom-designed this simple theme, which is expandable, but currently reflects the rudimentary nature of the organization itself. The client is now adding and editing pages at will, using the WordPress interface accessed through his web browser.

MEDIA

The NewStandard

newstandardnews.net

In 2003, Brian Dominick and Jessica Azulay (currently WebRoot developers) co-founded this nonprofit, daily online hard-news outlet. By far our most demanding endeavor, TNS required a highly customized content-management system; elaborate, custom e-commerce features; a robust, dynamic subscriber-management facility; and many more features needed by modern online publishers, such as RSS feeds, blogs and podcasting abilities. We used the innovative ColdFusion application development environment to rapidly code from scratch a database-driven site that answered these needs and could be adapted and modified on an ad-hoc basis over a course of years. The resulting site was a wholly integrated content- and user-management application that enabled editors, publishers, authors and visitors to access diverse information and capabilities conveniently using an elegant, user-friendly interface.

Anand Gopal

anandgopal.com

Independent war correspondent Anand Gopal asked for a site that was professional, "straightforward," and user friendly (to himself as the webmaster and to visitors, as well). We kept the site theme simple and crisp but used a highly modified WordPress installation and phpList to give Anand the power to manage his own articles, blog posts, and send email "blast outs" to his subscribers with no additional help from us.

While we love managing clients' sites when that makes sense, it also feels great to give someone like Anand all the tools they need to publish their own content and manage their own online presence.

ZNet

zmag.org

This progressive activist-media website went online in 1994, and over the next decade evolved into a highly interactive and extraordinarily lucrative operation. With a huge array of dynamic needs, ZNet hired Brian Dominick (WebRoot cofounder) to build specific solutions using ColdFusion. Requested facilities included an “e-commerce” system to charge and track donations, several content-management systems for interactive and editor-managed “subsites” and numerous other “behind the scenes” facilities to make site administrators’ jobs easier. Brian also managed all five of ZNet’s servers (Web, email, database, etc) for several years. He has also provided extensive consulting and responded to numerous crises faced by ZNet, including denial-of-service attempts by big corporate ISPs and hackers. Webroot currently only serves in a consulting role for ZNet. Other developers took over design and functionality of the site while we were working on The NewStandard.

Dahr Jamail

dahrjamailiraq.com

Journalist Dahr Jamail contacted us with a very specific need: he was paying too much to maintain the popular, dynamic web operation he uses to self-promote and disseminate his journalistic efforts, and he needed a new webmaster. We immediately took over administration of his web server, including his massive e-mail list. In November, Dahr asked us to save him even more money by migrating his site from his own, dedicated server to a WebRoot Solutions server. This was a major project, since Dahr’s configuration was highly customized by his previous developer/administrator. But we got the heavy lifting done and now host all of Dahr’s Internet operations on our machine. Having reduced Dahr’s monthly expenditures by more than 75%, we now keep on top of all his Internet operations and are in the process of giving his Movable Type-based website a cosmetic and navigational makeover.

ART

ArtRage Gallery

artragegallery.org

With its mission to exhibit art that "inspires resistance and promotes social awareness," we are proud to have helped this new art gallery get up and running on the Web. The site features a unique WebRoot Solutions layout, including advanced page-resizing capabilities. Users can easily see and sort through all the exhibits, community events and films planned for the gallery. Meanwhile, gallery staff can add new events and pages through a simple interface, with complete control over which events are featured on the homepage. The site also includes an e-newsletter sign-up feature coupled with a blastout list, provided at no extra charge through our all-inclusive website hosting package. WebRoot Solutions even helped ArtRage acquire and install audio/visual equipment for their small theater.

ImaginAction

imaginaction.org

This theater group, directed by Colombian torture survivor Hector Aristizabal, had a static site that was difficult to update. We did a modest makeover of the design while adding dynamic features to the homepage so visitors could immediately see upcoming shows and workshops, as well as recent news about the company. The site also features a cross-browser compatible drop-down menu that ImaginAction can add pages to through the new user interface. We are currently hard at work adding a photo and video gallery to the site as well.

Emerge United

emergeunited.org

Emerge United uses its website to carry its offline mission of promoting creativity onto the Internet. The client came with a very clear and specific vision for WebRoot Solutions to make real - including a complete design template for us to adapt into a functional multiple-feature website. The site includes a dynamic events calendar and image gallery. Once we put content-management software and page templates in place, we turned the whole site over to Emerge United so they could upload and manage content on their own.

COMMERCIAL

Syracuse Cultural Workers

syracuseculturalworkers.com

This progressive-merchandise retailer had recently hired another development firm to rebuild their e-commerce system from the ground up. But once it went online, SCW grew dissatisfied with the responsiveness of those developers and wanted the site to have a more-professional design. They contacted WebRoot Solutions with a huge list of software bugs and added-feature requests, as well as an interest in a design makeover.

We quickly got to work attacking problems with SCW’s Drupal content-management system and UberCart e-commerce application. We added features to the shopping cart, inventory and checkout processes. We debugged search problems, fixed pricing quirks and enabled more-convenient displays for store administrators and customer service personnel.

Meanwhile, we started overhauling the site’s design and navigation. We renovated the home page, instituted a new set of menus to make navigation more intuitive to new visitors, and we replaced stale, database-generated catalog pages with visually appealing, custom-designed product arrays.

Morgan Management

morganmanagement.net

This “full-service communications consulting firm” wanted a simple, elegant, low-cost website that conveyed a professional yet direct message. The client’s reputation, rather than her website, was going to attract new clients, but she wanted a website that could back that reputation up. We used a few Flash animations, some DHTML/javaScript and strategic content editing to craft just the right mix of innovation and simplicity to portray the client as requested on a budget of just a few hundred dollars. Many years after we created MM’s site, we still carry out a variety of tasks on an as-needed basis, including the addition of new pages, copy editing fresh content, and creating promotional print materials.