About Derek Madge
I retired from the University of Waterloo after 24 years, first as an Audio-Visual technician, finishing my career there as an A-V Events Coordinator. Before starting at U of W, I had my own business, repairing traditional AV equipment, preceded by a career in the public library systems of Midwestern Region and the Hamilton Public Library, in Ontario.
How I got involved with websites
I had been a leader with my local Scouting group, First Lexington, for over 16 years, eventually giving up that role as my university job required long and odd hours. In 2008 I registered the domain firstlexington.org, built and maintained the site with photo albums, event calendars for each age group, encrypted permission forms, leader forums and more, until October of 2024 when the Scouts no longer needed the website. Along the way I also built other websites, including an anti-grafitti site, advice and information for Teens and young adults, a woodworking artist and personal trainer.
I love working with the Joomla website building software, one that powers millions of websites around the planet. Now, having retired from the university, I have returned to my three main interests, photography, writing and website building. Which mesh nicely!
I participate in regular learning, livestreams and occasional conferences centred around the Joomla CMS, Content Management System. I have a group of experts to draw on if needed, from small business owners to the people who write the code.
Are we a match? Maybe, maybe not. If you are looking for a website that does e-commerce, frankly, go to some of the bigger names. Just search "e-commerce website builders". It's what they do and they do e-commerce well. If you happen to need a specialized e-commerce website beyond the drag and drop systems of the big companies, I can put you in touch with a group of specialists. If that term makes you tighten the grip on your wallet, I understand. However, most of them are, like me, sole operators. If you are dealing with them, or with me, usually you are talking directly to the person doing the work.
So, should you consider having me build your website? I will not have more than ten clients; I want to develop what you need and that will take some time. You will not get a website in a day. First, we plan your content, then how your web visitors interact, and finally, the design of the website. We can do that by Zoom, Teams or over the phone.
I can build it for you and do regular maintenance, even content updates, or I can build it and teach you how to do basic maintenance and content updating; it depends on your budget and your time.
Drop me an