This is the last part of the series. So far we have written about why we rebuilt the site, how we built it, and how much we cut.
To finish, what is still unfinished.
Why write this at all
Show only the finished parts and say nothing about the gaps. That is the normal way to do it, we think.
But throughout this series we have said “if we cannot stand behind it, we do not write it” and “we do not make promises we cannot keep”. In that case we should write down what is missing too. If it has been filled in by the time you look again, that at least shows something moved.
1. We do not have enough site photos
This is the big one.
Most of the photos on this site are not from our own jobs. The photos on the posts are borrowed from free stock sites, and we add “photo for illustration only” every time so that this is clear.
The reasons are in a separate post, but the short version is that the site photos we have were taken as a record. They are mostly close-ups of walls and fittings, and there are few wide shots with the whole room in them. Anything with a building visible through the window we cannot publish, because the property could be identified.
And the combination that works hardest — the same room before and after — we do not have yet. We will be taking those from here on.
2. There are no project write-ups yet
Same reason as above. Without the photos, we have not been able to build a projects page.
We could write up projects as figures alone, but a project write-up with no photos is not convincing. We will add them one job at a time, as we get the photos.
3. There are blanks in the About us page
Year of incorporation, capital, number of employees. These can all be read off the registry, so we will fill them in as we go.
We are also considering how to state our construction business licence. As well as restoration we take on larger works such as stripping an office back to shell. Whether a licence is required depends on the value of the work, so we are checking how to state that accurately.
4. The employment terms on the careers page are provisional
We will not publish the careers page until the terms are settled.
If what is written about employment terms differs from reality, that becomes a dispute straight away. It is not something that should go up as “roughly along these lines”.
5. The English and Tagalog text is still being checked
This site is built in three languages: Japanese, English and Tagalog. The English and Tagalog were translated by an AI, and our director has not finished checking them.
Given that we present handling enquiries from non-Japanese residents and owners as a strength, there is nothing convincing about leaving that language sounding wrong. We will keep fixing this after launch.
Why we are publishing anyway
If we waited until everything was in place, we would probably still not be publishing a year from now.
Photos cannot be taken until jobs progress, and write-ups need the customer’s agreement. We decided that a site with an out-of-date address staying up while we waited was the bigger problem.
Say what is missing, then publish. And then fill it in. That is where we landed.
If you look at this site in a few months and there are more photos, take it that we got on with it. If there are not, that is a fact too.
In this series
- The phone was the only way in
- Building it alongside an AI
- Cut, cut, and cut again
- What is still unfinished (this post)