All Posts, Web Design
So you’ve been hearing a lot, a LOT, about cloud storage of lately. Even with the latest news about Apple’s iCloud system, just about every major name brand has their hand and foot into this arena. By now you should already know all the benefits of cloud storage right? No, let me give you a quick run down:
- Free storage space
- Easily accessible from most popular browsers
- Access via mobile devices
- Easy to share files and access
- Synchronization
Now before I give you my reason for why the idea sucks, let me tell you about the one service I use. Dropbox. It’s a great service that offers free accounts that start with 2 gigs of online storage. You can install their free application on mobile devices and your PC or Mac computers. When you add or change a file that’s within your Dropbox folder, it automatically syncs the change across all your devices (so long as they’re powered on and online). Sure there are others out their but between my colleagues and I, we all use this the most if not exclusively.
So why do they suck? Well for one, not many have been around for a really long period of time. Also space is quite limited for the free ones. I remember years ago Yahoo used to have a “Briefcase” feature that offered free space up to a certain amount of megs. It wasn’t much, maybe like 10-50mb in space if I remember right. I stored resumes in there, pictures, and other files. Well a company as big as Yahoo, who would have thought they’ve ever get rid of that. Well they did. That void was quickly solved by thumb drives and portable media. So what if:
- Your files could be lost if you forget to pay for your online storage
- Security breaches could leave your secured files vulnerable
- Must have an internet connection to access your files
- Could take more time to sync large files than its worth
- Your files may be subject to the Patriot Act
- Storage company could fold without warning
- Servers could go down temporarily or for a long period of time
- No recycle bin for deleted files
- Encryption may be limited
- Lack of available technical support
Again, storing some of your data in the “cloud” is a great benefit. I think eventually it will be a much bigger market as more major brands incorporate storage in their devices and software. Cloud computing is getting bigger by the day and there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling for it as of yet. For me, its like having an old school floppy disk. You can work on your 15 page biology report on it for days at the library and as soon as you take it home to your own computer, the disk is unreadable. And just like that you lost all of your time and effort by relying on one medium for file storage. Use cloud computing and accompany it with your own physical storage device. It may be a bit of a task but you’ll thank me later if/when that online website gives you a 404 error or server not found message.
All Posts, Web Design
We’ve all had different types of jobs referred to us by all different types of people. Some referred by other business associates, and some by friends and family. However, one could easily assume that a job for a friend or family member would be easier than one for an unknown client with no strings attached. Doing word for family and friends comes with a host of warnings. I’m going to lay out 5 quick ones:
1. They may expect you to give them the world and in return expect you to do it for free. This is dangerous because it treads on your patience. If you’re just starting out and need to beef up your portfolio this may be a great idea. But if you’re a bit seasoned and have actual paying client then decide on this “charity” work, you may end up in more work than you originally planned.
2. Your work may be subject to difficult scrutiny. Because this is for a “buddy” they are obviously closer to you than your clients. This closeness presents an open arena for them to nit-pick every little thing they possible can about the work you’re doing for them.
3. Actually getting paid. Most designers charge a deposit or retainer for new projects. No work gets started without that. A family member could easily tell you that they’re going to pay you when they “get their check” or give you excuses about all the free things they’ve done for you in the past.
4. Liability. This is a strong warning here because if something goes wrong during the project development, or even after, you’re on the hook not only as a producer but also as a friend. You may be expected to pay for some unseen expenses or even damage control when it may not even be your fault.
5. The separation of friend and client. This may be difficult because you may have daily conversations with this person and part of those conversations need to be cut short in order to talk about business. Its easy when business talk is daydreaming and forecasting on the end result of the project, but when it needs to be about payment, deliverables, due dates, and other key elements of the project it could cause for some phone silence.
I personally have a few experiences dealing with family. I’d say out of four, 1 was truly successful. The other three I’m still wondering what happened or what is going on. And they range from missed payments to projects that were assumed to be free just because.
Your time is valuable, remember that. As a freelancer you really need to focus on what actually makes you money. You don’t really have time to get involved with extra stuff that distracts you from what really matters. Now I say that with a grain of salt, because exposure is exposure. You could have a friend or relative that could render your project some great media attention that gives you a huge boost. That boost may be worth looking over my 5 warning signs above.
I’d love to hear you’re responses to work you’ve done for friends and/or relatives. Had great experiences, let me know your best. Had some bad ones, I’d sure love to gripe with you.
Web Design
Maybe I should have titled this, falling behind on “my” projects, since that’s where I’ m coming from anyways. Recently I’ve moved my family from Connecticut back to Florida. Orlando Florida is now the new home of Design Theory. Though that’s my main excuse for falling behind on my projects, it still remains just that; an excuse.
When times are good as a freelancer, your phone is ringing every other day with a new potential client. Some calls may be just for price quotes, while others may be for proposed work that needs to be done yesterday. (I’m not even getting into that). We all like to sign new deals, and get that first deposit to get started on a fresh new project. It’s a new chance to be more creative, use new skill sets, photoshop brushes, whatever. It’s exciting talking to this new client and getting to know them and providing feedback on what they want. But how do you feel when it’s 3 months later and things haven’t really progressed as much?
You’ve got 35% of the project done or started and getting more information from your client is like pulling teeth. Or you have four or more projects that have all exceeded your projected time of delivery and they’re all needing to be done. Or you’re chasing after clients for final payments and just making those phone calls to collect is daunting enough not to want to do it at all. All of these excuses have a negative effect on your job performance.
So what do you do about it? Well there are already a bunch of lists out there from many well-known authors like David Allen or Mark Forster, or Timothy Ferriss to name a few. One thing that has worked for me is to start each day off with doing the least project or task that I truly want to do. You know that boring one or the one that really is outside of your comfort zone. Once that’s out of the way, I personally feel better about myself and more accomplished. It also makes my remaining tasks so much easier to complete.
There really aren’t too many good excuses for falling behind. Especially when you’re contractually obligated to a project for your clients. They have deadlines and expectations too. Thinking about the big picture outside of yourself is necessary to being a great freelancer and it also gains respect. If you have any tips on how to keep from falling behind please be sure to share in the comments below.
All Posts, Web Design
There’s an increased popularity and demand for new websites to be created on the WordPress platform. Traditionally websites are created based on HTML coding with some other goodies like CSS, JavaScript, and more added to the soup to create beautiful works of web art. There’s nothing wrong with HTML sites and they’re not fading away into what “used to be.”
For users of WordPress, it’s the ease of use and functionality of the CMS (content management system). For bloggers, its been a great tool for creating an online presence and steady content for their websites. Well now we’re seeing more and more sites used in more ways than just blogging. For the main reason of WP’s CMS structure.
There are two versions really; the free version from WordPress.com or self hosted via the source code of WordPress.org. WordPress.com gives you a free website with limited theme and plugin options as a sub-domain of the parent site. So if you went this route you would have a website that could be mywebsite.wordpress.org. For most web hosts sub-domains are free so there’s no cost to pass on to you for this. However the main drawback I see is that whatever traffic you generate will only benefit the parent site being WordPress.com Now WordPress.org gives you the structure to build WP on your on hosting server that acts just like the .com site but better and with more options. You have more control over your server files, themes, plugins, source codes and more. You can also import your .com site over to your self hosted site. Drawback is that you have to either setup WP on your own, hope that your hosting company has an easy installation feature, or pay to get hosting, domain registration, and then WP installed.
So with that all explained, let me hone in on the WordPress.org options on why it could be more convenient than standard HTML. Content management is a huge plus here because it brings the complexity level down to a progressive internet user level. Another words, if you’re familiar with any word processing application, you can manage your website on your own with WordPress.
Benefits:
- Its almost totally free
- Setting up pages are a breeze.
- Adding pictures and videos in areas and places is rather simple too.
- Page names, descriptions, tags, and keywords are also done pretty well too for SEO purposes.
- The cost of editing your website content is down to your own sweat equity
- Incorporating or creating a blog can be setup and done in 5 minutes
- Hundreds of themes are available for free and more for a small price
- Themes are easy to install (when created right and include all necessary files)
- Multiple user access with control permissions
Disadvantages:
- Page layouts are redundant through a site
- Each theme has its own limitations that may not be shared in other themes
- Many free themes that are out have no support
- Bad themes can break your whole site
- Security is a continued issue with self hosted websites
- Most themes aren’t pre-populated when you purchase them, so you have to take time to truly learn the theme to edit it to your liking
- At some point you’ll need to learn PHP if you really want to edit your themes
- Many themes have a tendency to look very similar to others
- Comment spam can get out of control if you don’t act fast to control it
What kind of platform are you currently using for your website or blog? Do you like it? Anything you wish you could do that you feel you can’t? Let me know in the comments below as well as any pros and cons you think should be added to the list above.
All Posts, Web Design, WordPress
The content on your website is your copy. It can be content from your flyers, brochures, mission statements, or other pieces of company materials. Years ago, it wasn’t much of an issue what your content was like or what was really being said. Nowadays, your website content is pretty important if you care about your site search rankings and search findability. (I’m not sure that’s a real word, but lets go with it for now)
One of the things that takes up the most time in web site creations and development is the website copy. Its the content for each page that the website is going to have. So from your welcome message to your about us message(s) all of this needs to be carefully written up. Some website owners don’t put too much thought into their copy, and maybe put more emphasis on the look of the site. Depending on the type of website and traffic you plan gain, the text on each of your pages could prove critical to your search relavance when people are looking for your type of product or service.
Below are some tips on good website copy and content:
- Write content that is relevant to what people are searching for
- Solve problems
- Don’t be scared to be a little controversial
- Link your source information to named brand or mainstream sites for proof (if necessary or beneficial)
- Speak in a tone that exudes experience
- Make it easy to read
- Create eye catching headings
These tip should be a good help to those currently developing their site, and even to those of us that may need a refresh of content on existing sites. We also have staff to help you with your website copy should you decide you need it. Visit the main Design Theory website here and fill out our Contact form.
If you’ve got any tips to add by all means let me know in the comments below!
All Posts, Web Design
A term that many website owners may not be familiar with now, but a vital asset to monitor on your website. The definition according to Google Analytics is “the percentage of single-page visits or visits in which the person left your site from the entrance (landing) page.” Other sites and designers may consider visitors who come to you home page, but don’t visit other pages on your site – not just those who come and then leave. I’d also like to mention that a website with a lot of traffic but a low turn-over rate when it comes to leads is still not a fully functioning website.
We use our hosting company 1and1 and they’re Website Statistics tool via the control panel. It shows stats on all files accessed on your site and not just the pages. An easier tool is Google Analytics which is free from Google. All you need is a Google account which takes a few minutes to setup. If you’re hosting company doesn’t offer site statistics this is a great option for you. This tool show you your links to your site, hits, time on each page, traffic sources, browsers, and of course bounce rates.
Read below for some tips on how to improve your website bounce rate.
- Have an attractive call to action. Some calls to action items include free give-aways, analysis, downloads, contest, etc.
- Short talking points that link to other pages of your site that have more information to read in-depth.
- Relevant content to what your site is about. This one is a bit tricky because when someone lands on your page from searching or a specific topic or key words; they’re hoping to get those questions answered when they “land” on your site. Whether that information is on your home page, or another specific landing page.
- Headlines. Especially in bold or big letter font.
- Forms. Not just any type of form, but a simple and quick to fill out form that gathers visitor email, name, phone, and if possible social media handles.
- Browser compatibility. I’m not just talking about Firefox vs IE. Think about Google Chrome, Opera, and mobile browsers like Safari too.
Though these are just a few simple key items to focus on, they are big when it comes to your website’s ROI. Also consider they ease reading the content of your website. Reading the details or articles on your pages should be easy. I’ve read in some blogs that eighth grade vocabulary is a good level for the text on your site. Personally, I feel that it should be easy to read and directly to the point. If I want to read more, I’ll click the “read more” link or follow on to another page that seems to have more information about a particular topic or details. If you have more questions about this topic, or how your own website’s bounce rate is feel free to give us a call (1-888.603.1090) or send us an email. Here at Design Theory we provide free consultations to understand your needs and provide solid options to choose from.
