The Web 2.0 Surgery is a FREE drop-in event in Nottingham where independent businesses, freelancers and community groups can get advice from web experts on developing a new or existing website. The project has already helped a start-up business to sell online, a charity to use social networks for free promotion and a performance group to use live web video streaming to engage with audiences.

Web 2.0 Surgery celebrated its first birthday in June, and also moved to the Broadway Mezz bar which offers a great range of beers and food. As it’s on a Wednesday, you can also take advantage of their Orange Wednesday 2-for-1 film offers and great film and food special offers too.

Future events are as follows – no need to book, just turn up!

Wednesday 14th July, 5.15-6.45pm
Wednesday 11th August, 5.15-6.45pm
Wednesday 8th September 5.15-6.45pm

Mezze Lounge, Broadway Cinema
14-18 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL

Website: http://www.web20surgery.co.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/web20surgery

A new Zen Cart ecommerce site by FCS Websites launched this week for Zaanti complimentary therapies, Nottingham. Zaanti stores offers organic Aloe Vera products, cosmetics, unique hand crafted gifts, jewellery, books, vintage items and collectables so go have a look!

On a tech note, we completely reskinned the admin system for this project and then released that as a free addon for the Zen Cart community

I have just got into Skype for free calls with freelancers and clients, but shouting at my iMac didn’t seem that intuitive. I was looking at portable handsets for Skype, but that would mean having three phones – landline, Skype phone and mobile. Too many phones.

So after a bit of rummaging, I discovered that there are a couple of apps for the Nokia 5800 Symbian OS that will log in to Skype and use my local wireless network instead of the data network on my mobile. Sorted!

The two apps are called Fring and Nimbuzz – they both do pretty much the same thing, so take your pick. I have not tried the video calls yet, but my internet connection is so crap they probably won’t be realtime anyway.

Another new site launch from FCS web design, Nottingham – Yates Engineering. This site replaced a previous design and Joomla installation and now uses the Textpattern CMS with some customised plugins. Graphic design by Gareth Roberts, welding photography and site development by FCS Websites.

See more at Yates Engineering, Nottingham.

Launched today is a new site for Distant Horizons, promoting their Lake District self catering accommodation. Lots of lovely PNG transparency going on with this site, and an overlapped, textured design to break up the straight lines…

See more at FCS Websites, Nottingham web designers.