Thanks for the good press Asher
Since that thread was about good websites - and you were mentionning mine - I'll take the opportunity to redirect the conversation somewhat and hopefully share my experiences. My site as you linked to it a month or so a go was actually a bit of a mess; I've just finished a complete make over. This is probably the first time that I've ever truly been happy with it.
I think it's very hard to create a good web site. The biggest problem that I have had in the past was my desire to share too many types of images; my professional intentions were thus unclear to prospective clients, and this is never a good thing.
On the other hand I wish to show my personal work, such as the Artisans project, and I believe that clients do benefit from this. I discuss this problem and offer suggestions in a recent blog post:
http://www.timothyarmes.com/blog/2009/09/specialise-or-generalise/
Briefly though, my solution is to make a clear statement of my profession intent on the front page, and to present a focussed commercial portfolio that only presents the speciality that I wish to undertake professionally. Personal work is placed in it's own gallery. Other images are placed in the blog; I do this to show my technical competances to prospective clients in an informal way that doesn't get confused with my portfolio or professional objectives.
Another issue I had when redesigning the site was that of actually presenting my images. I like to generate my galleries directly in Lightroom - it's easy and convenient - unfortunately there weren't any Lightroom "Web Engines" that met my needs (mainly because I refuse to use Flash). In the end I had to write my own, which I've since turned into a donationware product. Again, I blogged about my efforts:
http://www.timothyarmes.com/blog/2009/09/elegance-a-new-web-engine-for-lightroom-2/
Good web sites need good images, that goes without saying, but they also need a lot of thought to make them work. They should be easy to navigate, compelling to visit, a pleasure to read, and they should have a clear objective. It's hard to achieve.
Until recently my site was quite confusing, containing an ambiguous mix of professional work and personal work and even Lightroom plug-ins. The previous colour scheme - an attempt to be offer something more unique - was totally inappropriate for my commercial work. All these issues have been addressed. I don't know if I've yet achieved what most people would consider a "good" site, but it's certainly a big improvement and it'll continue to mature and evolve.
Hopefully this post will help any others who are struggling too...
Tim
