Questions and some mystery exists around the creation of BuildDesignCreate.com, and its related sites. The following is an interview with the site's founder, James Turansky.
How would you summarize the site?
BuildDesignCreate.com is less of a site & more of a way. Our striving goal is to bring the ideas, creative processes, resources, tips/tricks, projects & services, that we've learned & other things we want to offer online. Following our own KISS mantra - "Keep It Securely Simple"; everything was derived from our ideas and experiences from over 20 years working online in professional, volunteer & personal endeavors. We work hard to offer others access to these resources, information & services; so that it may help them as much as it has helped us. It's also something we find relaxing to do in our spare time. We all need a hobby, and this site is one of mine. Many of the designs/ideas stem from idea journals maintained over that time frame, and from those things we stumble across as the site continues to grow the site & evolve into its own unique corner of the web. We hope people will enjoy what we have to offer, check back often for new content, participate via the site's various features & leave feedback/comments.
Why "Build", "Design", "Create"?
It's because those 3 words echo through my head all the time. It just seamed right...
What is the site's slogan?
"Straight Forward Solutions For Straight Forward People"
Why such a unique slogan?
Well, I'm a straight forward person & not too complex. That philosophy has underpinned much of my life & is reflected in almost everything I do. As I created & shaped this site, much of that seamed to make its way into everything, from the coding to the content. So naturally it was the right choice. Once the slogan was written down, I knew it was perfect.
Who started BuildDesignCreate.com?
I wrote & released the initial site back in early 2012. However most of the base code were proof of concepts, written many years earlier, until it came together one day & grew into what it is now.
What are the origins of the site?
The seed of BuildDesignCreate.com was originally planted back in the late 1990's, towards the end of the .com boom & beginning of the .com bust. This was just after graduation & landed a real full time job, professionally speaking. Having a passion for programming and wanting to prove things could be done my way, several sites designs came & went. Most of them I thought were pretty good ideas overall, but the timing just wasn't right. From all those endeavors, code remained. As time passed, several more mock sites & a few stand alone apps were built; each designed to prove a different purpose or test a different concept. Even though I could not invent the mouse trap, I could see ways to make it better. I realized I could take several base ideas I liked, mix them up & replicate the results with my own little twist. It proved to be a winning combo -- both professionally & personally. More & more little projects started to fall together. Some of my various personal code was used as a basis for some truly great things at my job, from documentation management, to wizards, to complete online services. Sometimes even the interaction with clients would spark ideas of new things to try. I would hastily sketch pictures & make crudely written comments in my idea journals, to catch the ideas as they flew through my head. As time passed, I began to expand & standardize upon those ideas; cleaning & refining my code as things went along. I tried to prove in several cases that my solutions were better then commercial ones -- many a time not quite completing my solutions, before everyone went on to the next thing. Yet even if I lost the battle, I never give up the war. Many of those projects, even if they didn't have a purpose to anyone else, were were still important to me. One particular idea was an online website design tool, for multiple users to build & manage an ever expanding website; with all of the bells & whistles needed to handle staff intercommunication, web pages, blog, newsletters, Q&A, etc.. Even though that particular project never worked out as planned, that code was never forgotten. On & off that code was refreshed, refined, rebuilt & tweaked. To test functions & interface work flow, mock content & older content from my prior sites were used. I even built mock pages & templates to drive the site. Eventually that became the code base for this entire website & several other projects I'm very proud to call my own. With a 100% home grown code base that powers BuildDesignCreate.com, I consider it one of my crowing achievements.
What does this site focus on?
From a back-end coding perspective, the site is all about the design & implementation of my ideas. To test new concepts & find my own way to do things.
From a content perspective, the site is all about those things that drive me; such as programming, website design, gardening, creative wood burning, craft brewing, other hobbies, and anything else that catch my interest.
Since I'm a pretty diverse person, I feel this site, its sub-domains & its sister sites should also reflect that diversity. I think over time, it will prove to help drive the direction of things & give the site new ways to better grow/attract a much larger & even more diverse audience; among growing into its own unique part on the internet.
What are your short term goals?
Like all smaller websites, my short term goals are to grow the site's content, maintain a devoted group of site followers, and continue to expand upon the homegrown code base which made it all possible. Lastly, I would also like to find this site's true calling or niche -- as every truly great site has something that makes it special.
What are your long term goals?
Honestly I don't know exactly where this site is headed long term. Upwards hopefully... Like a work of art, it starts with a small idea & the basics. It continues to grow, taking on its own form & definition. In the end, the artist may not have known or planned how it was going to result, but in the end is very happy with the outcome. That is the approach I'm taking with this site for the long term. The only thing I can say for certain, is that it will entail more coding, more content, more SEO, and to follow the direction of where my heart and mind believes it's best destined to be.
If you had to leave any final thoughts, what would they be?
Do what you love & be happy with what you achieve. If you do that, no matter how big or how small it is, it will drive you and help fire that passion within your soul, so you can achieve even more. To me, this site is simply an extension of that love -- to build, design & create.