Jeff Linn
http://members.aol.com/jlinn24538/index.html 
Jeff Linn developed his Web site in 1996. It was mostly a site to provide information and software for a digital imaging system for assessing posture, structure, and movement. He advocates designing your own Web site because doing so tends to keep it simple, and it’s easier to update and maintain if you change content often. He stated, “As an afterthought I put some information on there about my Structural Integration (Rolfing) practice. I have never registered with any search engines (but several seem to have found me). Amazingly, since I’ve moved to Los Angeles I’ve had several people find me via the Internet. I can’t say that I’m an expert Internet marketer, but it’s certainly an example of the net working without me trying very hard.” 

Annie Henson
http://www.AnniesHands.com (See Figure 4)
Everything about this site made me feel comfortable. It is informal yet professional—the graphics are fun and load quickly, and the photograph of her teaching is charming. The different topics crosslink well with the icons for each subject staying consistent. This site is chock-full of information and defines services that might not be familiar to all (e.g., reiki). It lists classes with descriptions, schedules, comments from past participants, and contact information. 

This site has been up since spring of 2000. Its major function is an online resume. Annie Hensen created it herself using Microsoft Publisher. “My newsletter already had a look that was designed for me by a friend. That was some of the best money I ever spent. She put together several templates and I chose one to be my ‘look.’ After that, the Web site was not difficult to design—only tedious. I wanted the pages to look similar in appearance to my newsletter and other publications, so there was a lot of tweaking back and forth to get things just so. It would have been better to plan each page on paper before diving in to create the page in software, but let’s face it—if I had truly used that approach, the site would never have happened. My style is more to jump right in and figure it out as I go.” 

She is most pleased with the intangible results such as name recognition. “I attended a professional meeting recently and introduced myself as Annie, who does massage. ‘Oh! You’re Annie’s Hands!’ was the response from several people I have never met. Word gets around.”
When asked for additional insight, she says, “There is a lot to a Web site that doesn’t show on the surface. To create a Web site requires a large amount of tolerance for attention to detail. If you don’t have that, then by all means hire someone to create the site for you. Hiring someone would have saved me a fair amount of hair pulling. But then, I have also very much enjoyed working and learning.”

Alfred S. Westlake, Jr.
http://home.att.net/~a.westlake/index.html 
Alfred Westlake’s site debuted in 1999. He designed it using Microsoft Publisher. “I had a lot of fun doing the page. I enjoy playing on the computer so it was fun for me to do.” He originally had ideas of running an online catalog of items, doing weekly tips, and possibly hosting a massage chat room. Those ideas are currently tabled. He realized that the tremendous amount of time it would take to develop and maintain such a site would detract from his primary goal of doing good bodywork. “My wife says that I spend a bazillion hours on the computer. I have to agree with her. One of the reasons I became a therapist was to have more time for fun. Like many other things the computer can suck up lots of time; there is no end to the things you can do. The Internet is great but nothing takes the place of personal contact and client referrals.” His site now serves as a secondary marketing method. 

This site contains many desirable elements: It is colorful; the font size is very large; there’s a picture of Alfred on the upper right-hand corner of every page; and some of the butterflies flap their wings. The major drawback is that it doesn’t load correctly on all computers: The text overlaps in areas and the colorful hand icon links don’t line up with the topics. Hopefully this design flaw will be corrected by the time this issue is in print. 

He has just added a new section to his page that lists all of the fairs where he will be doing chair massage. “I am hoping that my current clients will use it to find me at fairs and then bring friends. When I see people at the fairs I also give them my Web information so that they can follow up or maybe see me again at another fair.”

A Ben Cabal
http://www.bctherapy.com  (See Figure 5)
When you log on to the home page of the BC Massage Therapy Web site, it is apparent that the proprietors take great pride in their business and community: The banner is “BC Therapy-Committed to Better Health” and the first photograph on the page is of their office, which is situated in a historical building. Scrolling down the page you find this group’s mission statement, and photographs of the owners and their van. A fun feature is a section titled “Photos” that is filled with pictures of therapists working at a variety of public events. It would be much more personal if the therapists’ profiles included photographs. Also, the font color is too light in contrast to the background pattern.

The site was unveiled in May, 1997, and has received more than 13,000 hits. Cabal and his wife, Christine, wrote most of the copy, and a good friend did the design. Their major goal is to educate the community. “Many people have computers and you can save a considerable amount of money by having a Web site. We used to print newsletters. We now serve over 12,000 people in the Contra Costa area, and that could cost a lot in printing charges, time, energy and postage.”

They put a lot of thought into their overall marketing and attempt to include their Web site in the different promotional avenues. They recommend the following: Include pictures; offer specials on your site; and update, update, update. “Promote your site on everything—coupons, business cards, and all advertisements. We get a lot of business from our van that prominently displays our site and our catchy toll-free number: 1-800-LOOS-N-UP.”

Timothy P. Zembek
http://www.balancedspirits.com 
This site is an excellent example of a professional, attractive site. The text is easy to read (large font on a light background), Zembeck’s photograph draws you in, and the words that describe his practice are personal and induce connection. “My site is a simple straightforward design. I have kept the bells and whistles to a minimum. I provide simple answers to basic questions and try to give a feel for who I am as a massage therapist. A number of clients have commented that they like the design of my site because it is simple and has a lot of information that is easy to locate.”

The site has been live since July, 1998. He designed the site himself using a program called NetObjects Fusion. His main goal has been to have a Web presence that allows people to get some basic information on him and his massage services.

When asked about the results from his site, he states, “I am very pleased with the results that I am getting from my Web site. I primarily work with the gay and lesbian community and advertise in the local newspapers. I include my Web address on all my advertising, from display ads to classified ads, and, of course, my business card. I am also a member of the local Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. When folks are coming to Chicago for conventions or vacation they often do searches on the words ‘Gay’ and ‘Chicago’ and this pulls up the Chamber’s Web site. When you look for massage on that site, there is a link to my site (the only one of four massage therapists out there).”

He has built a “brand identity” by putting the same headshot picture on his Web site, business cards and display advertising. One time, he was giving his business card to someone who looked at the card and said, “Where do I know you from?” They couldn’t figure out anything or anyplace that they had in common until they realized that he had seen some of Zembeck’s display advertising earlier that day.