Blog

History: It’s 1997 and you want a website!

ecommerce, Internet, Web Development / By /

Since WebWise Design & Marketing was born in 1995 and added two employees in late 1996, and launched our first ecommerce website in February of 1997, we know what it was like to create websites in 1997.

Walsh's logo

In rural, southwest Wisconsin, the first challenge was connecting to the Internet. There were no local ISPs, so it was a long distance call from Fennimore to Madison, Wisconsin to connect via modem

The three of us at WebWise Design & Marketing each had a modem, though they all connected to the same telephone line, so only one of us could be online at a time. In 1996, we were using 28,000 "baud" modems even though a 56k modem had been invented. By June of 1997, we were overjoyed to have one computer with a 56.K modem through which we did all our file uploads.

Using that high-speed connection, we launched of first ecommerce website which you may view on the WayBackMachine.

Enough of that! Here is an excellent post about building a website in 1997 by Jay Hoffman on his History of the Web website.

Enjoy!

Dakota Hillside Inn — New Website!

Announcement, Web Design, Web Development / By /

We at WebWise Design & Marketing recently had the privilege of meeting and working with Barb and Ron Redwing. They are owners of the Dakota Hillside Inn nestled in the hillside along Grant County Road N in southwest Wisconsin, between Cassville and Potosi, WI.

Dakota Hillside Inn

The word unique is often overused, but that is not so when it comes to the Dakota Hillside Inn—built and hand-crafted with love and dedication from reclaimed wood from barns, sheds, homes, and other buildings in the area. The craftsmanship, design, and thoughtfulness provide an experience you will not find in guest houses and rental cabins elsewhere.

The Redwings live here and invite guests to stay with them for a night or two to enjoy this scenic area of southwest Wisconsin. They rent two suites. Each has a private entrance, living/dining area, bedroom, bath, and deck. Guests also have access to and use of their Common Areas.

The Dakota Hillside Inn property is as unique and beautiful as the interior. Barb's flowers and plants are amazing.

And…the Mississippi River and McCartney Landing are only 400 yards from the Dakota Hillside Inn (They have kayaks to rent!)

Do yourself a favor and book a stay at the Dakota Hillside Inn!

New website for Town of Castle Rock

Announcement / By /

The Town of Castle Rock, Grant County, WI, took advantage of our Towns and Villages websites program and now has a website providing information to both residents and visitors.

Thanks to the Brian Johnsrud, Town Chair and his extremely talented helper for working with us on this project. We have enjoyed getting a website put together for Castle Rock township.

The Castle Rock site includes contact information for the Town chair and personnel, meeting minutes, election and recycling information. Notices can easily be posted for emergency or special events. The site also includes information for those looking for the historic churches and cemeteries located in the township.

Do yourself a favor and visit this unique Wisconsin township located in the Driftless Area of Grant  County Wisconsin. With the world-class Castle Rock Creek trout stream, rocky outcroppings and peaks overlooking lush valleys and hollows with miles of scenic ATV/UTV trails, and friendly people, you will be glad you did.

Custom Designed Advertising Materials

Announcement, Branding, Local, Marketing / By /

WebWise Design - Graphic Design Services Rack Card
Rack Card - WebWise Design - Graphic Design Services

In this age of electronics and digital everything, there is still much to be said for physical reminders of your business or organization that people can see and touch. At WebWise Design & Marketing, we have been custom designing logos, business cards, brochures, and annual reports for our clients for over 25 years. Now, we are expanding the types of branding, marketing and advertising materials we offer as well as having the printing done for you.

  • Business cards are essential. They should be easy to read with your logo and current contact information. They should convey the overall image of your business and brand identity.
  • Brochures or rack cards that can be distributed via mail, the chamber of commerce, tourism office, or community center are track-proven options for promoting your business or organization.
  • Mugs and coasters with your logo sitting on desks or conference tables provide a constant visual reminder of your importance to your customers or clients.
  • Banners, posters and signs attract attention to or at your business location as you celebrate a grand opening, a new office, a special sale or other event.
  • Tote bags with your logo get noticed when your employees or clients carry them out in public.
  • Other advertising products. Whether you need a single sign for a one-time event or a full-scale branding campaign, let us know your objective and we’ll recommend the marketing materials that will help you achieve it.

Our graphic designers will work with you to create a new logo or upgrade your existing logo, and then design the marketing materials you need. Once the creative work is finished, we’ll have those items printed for you. Consider WebWise your one-stop shop for print advertising products!

“Design and Marketing” have always been part of our company name and now we are pleased to offer print product options for our everyone along with our well-known website development and online marketing strategies. Talk to us about designing and printing the right advertising and marketing materials for your business or organization.

Call 608-822-3750 or email sales@websiedesign.com!

WebWise Towns & Villages Websites

Announcement, Web Design, Web Development / By /

WebWise Design & Marketing has been involved in economic development directly and indirectly since our earliest years. WebWise has worked continuously with the City of Fennimore, Wisconsin since 1995 and the City of Boscobel, WI since 1998, developing and maintaining their websites.

WebWise Towns & Villages Websites - logoWe have also worked continuously with Grant County Economic Development Corp. (GCEDC) since 1998 when we created the first grancounty.org website and recently launched the newest version.  We have regularly gone to nearly all of the GCEDC meetings and have had the opportunity to learn and appreciate how dedicated the people on Town Boards (and their staff) in Grant County are.

WebWise has taken what we learned through our working with GCEDC, attending their meetings, and developing and supporting municipalities of Fennimore and Boscobel, and developed ready-to-use websites for Towns & Villages.

  • Professionally Designed & Developed
  • Secure, permission-based Administrative area
  • Easily add/edit/delete Agendas, Minutes, Ordinances, Permits, Licenses, etc.
  • Mobile-Friendly and Device Responsive
  • User-friendly Navigation
  • Website Security via SSL and HTTPS
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is built in
  • ADA and WCAG Accessibility Compliance included with hosting account
  • Notification Bar – Display Emergency Notices When needed

We know what it takes to provide information, agendas, minutes, ordinances, forms, meeting schedules, and notices online making them readily accessible via download to all who request them.

We know saving money on printing & mailing documents is a good thing.

We understand that Town Clerks are busy, so the website administrative area makes it easy to add/edit/delete documents.

We know local government websites must address the issue of website accessibility compliance, so we use accessiBe to mitigate that issue.

If you are on a Town or Village Board or would like the Town or Village Board where you live to have a website that makes life a little better for them and you, ask them to call WebWise Design & Marketing at 608-822-3750 or check out webwisetowns.com.