Cartoon blog (Thanks to Google Images)

A Blog (short for weblog) is a Website on which you provide information, share photos and videos, and interact with others via comments they leave and you respond to.

Think of a Blog as a journal, diary, or essay on a topic of your choice.

Blogs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are:

• personal (for example, an engaged couple blogging toward their wedding day)
• political
• a collaborative effort of people who write or publish books
• a showcase for artists or musicians
• sports or news reviews
• photographic journeys
• businesses trying to position themselves as experts in their field

You get the idea.

Blogs are arranged with the newest material on top. Browse through the Archives to get a better feel for what the blog has to say.

Many people Bookmark their favorite Blogs, returning to them on a regular basis and seeing the writer as a familiar guide and friend. Others sign up to receive new posts in their e-mail box.

Typically, blogging is free. Go to Word Press or to Blogger to get started. (Actually, there are other blogging sites, but these are the two I’m most familiar with).

If you’re not fluent in HTML (the language Web pages are created in), that’s okay! Simply choose one of the numerous templates and start writing. Hit the Preview button to see how your blog will look to the world and, when you’re satisfied, hit Publish.

Don’t think “If I write it, they will visit.” You have to grow your readership. Start reading blogs of interest to you and making comments. Automatically, your name will link back to your blog, giving others a chance to visit you and leave their comments, and so on.

Blog owners have access to statistics that show how many people are reading their words. They also can change their blog’s appearance, add widgets (like a calendar of blog posts), and upgrade services if they desire.

Many Web designers are now offering blog setup and writing services.

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The big question now is, Where do we start?

Some “experts” would have you believe that you have to saturate your message everywhere to be successful. They might be right. However, the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia lists dozens of sites from A to Z, ranging from music and gaming, to special interest groups, dating, photography, books, blogs, travel, and lots more.

Does your business really to connect with all that??

I think you have to consider the following:

• The amount of time you can afford to invest in social media
• Your level of comfort learning how to interact online
• Your definition of “success”

If you’re looking to build your customer base or “get the word out” about your products or services, a social presence can be a big help. If you need a fast solution to declining sales, look elsewhere. Here’s why: You have to run a social media campaign for a while to see results.

Let’s take a look at three possible beginning spots:

1. Facebook. Boasting more than 640,000,000 registered users, Facebook lets you set up a profile, then update your information, converse with others, post photos and videos, even wish others a Happy Birthday! Users swear by it for getting feedback and starting discussions, as well as driving traffic to your Website. Prepare to devote 2-4 hours a week to manage your account.
2. Twitter. Started two years after Facebook, Twitter has 175,000,000+ registered users. Twitter offers micro-blogging (or “tweets”), a short stream of messages much like what a radio station does. People are listening — some even “retweet” messages they like — but you don’t necessarily know who. Still, the idea of posting something and having others re-post it and still others re-post that sounds like a good way to increase an audience, doesn’t it? Be sure to set aside at least two hours a week to manage your Twitter account.
3. LinkedIn. This site was begun in 2003 and has approximately 120,000,000 users at present. LinkedIn targets professionals interested in networking; it also contains a section where users can ask questions and other users can respond to them. You can set up a resume-based profile, then link to others, ideally broadening your network of contacts.

Next time: Blogging

Some, by their own admission, aren’t technically savvy. They’re stretching it to even have a Website and respond to e-mail.

Others argue they’re just too busy — setting up/running their business, dealing with family responsibilities, and trying to squeeze in some free time for themselves.

One can hardly fault them.

• Running an effective social media campaign does take time. If you as a business owner don’t have the time, you’ll need to delegate this chore to someone you trust, or find another way to connect with your customers.
• Running an effective social media campaign does take expertise. If you as a business owner don’t have the expertise, you’ll need to farm this task out to someone who does — perhaps a trusted employee, your spouse, your web designer, or a company that specializes in social media.
• Running an effective social media campaign can be all-encompassing and addictive. Besides being able to re-connect with old friends from your past, you can listen in on what people are talking about, weigh in on controversial topics, position yourself as an expert in your field, and even play online games.

I think the real key is moderation. If you don’t have sufficient time to delve into all forms of social media,  pick the venue(s) you know you have a flair for (or interest in).

Maybe it’s blogging. Maybe it’s Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Test the waters and see how it goes. If you find you don’t like what you’ve chosen, don’t have time for it, or don’t see it as being effective, try something else.

Today’s world is a fast-changing one, and we all must remain flexible if we’re to be relevant.

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But as a self-employed web designer it’s not the easiest of tasks to take a vacation. You have clients who need updates, clients who are curious about their site statistics, potential clients who are ready for an initial consultation and more information. You have invoices to send out, bills to pay, education to further, and so on.

We all know how important it is to take a break now and again. A day or two off, away from the office, can put things into perspective; it can refresh body and mind for the tasks ahead, as well as help us realize we’re not indispensable.

And it can offer us a chance to expand our client base.

Thanks to technology, web designers now are able to continue working for their clients even while they’re away from their home offices. The Internet makes it possible for us to stay in contact with clients via e-mail; laptops enable us to design, update, and publish websites.

There’s something freeing about being in a new place. We tend to get tunnel-vision when, day after day, we sit in the same office, in the same chair, with the same surroundings, doing pretty much the same things.

But put us into a new place, and suddenly we see things through “new” eyes. Our problems don’t loom so large, our challenges seem more manageable. We find ourselves better able to cope with prickly clients, better able to sketch out new designs for our own websites, with time on our hands for doing that necessary studying to make ourselves better designers.

Maybe we’d like to improve our SEO skills or dig deeper into CSS or research programs for creating slideshows or shopping carts. Maybe we’d like to add a blog or improve our social image; maybe we’d like to start an e-mail marketing campaign.

Enjoy your vacation but know that you don’t have to “do nothing” all the time you’re away!

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Tread carefully, Grasshopper!

The last thing a designer can afford to do is alienate a client right from the get-go.

Let’s say your new client proudly tells you her teen-aged son created a logo for her cleaning business. It pictures a cartoon-like pink pig standing on its hind legs and carrying a hot orange broom in its front paws.

A pig. Seriously?

Who thinks of a pig as the mascot for a cleaning operation?

And on which planet is pink and orange a pleasing color combination?

Still, your first order of business, if you want her business, is to compliment her on her son’s creativity. Surely you can find something to notice and praise!

Then you need to ask if she’s firm on the logo — both the kind of animal and the colors.

Remember, some people actually like pigs and even collect them. To that portion of the buying public, a pink pig with an orange broom will be seen as fairly simple and memorable, two qualities of good logo design.

If your client is happy with her son’s rendition, think “whimsical” when you’re designing her Website. Not all sites have to be stiff and formal to be considered real businesses, you know!

But if she’s the least bit hesitant about the animal or the colors, jump right in and remind her that logos also need to be timeless (still look good years into the future) and appropriate (adequately represent the purposes for which they’re created).

Perhaps you can suggest someone (maybe yourself?) to design a logo that won’t cost a fortune but will incorporate the colors and image she’s trying to present.

You don’t want to hurt her son’s feelings, but you’ve got to give her the best possible advice when it comes to her business’s presence. That’s what she’s paying you for!

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For purposes of this discussion, I’m going to name three — Mockup, Initial Viewing, and Completion.

Everything I’ve read suggests that designers need client sign-offs at periodic stages. In addition to a contract, a sign-off insures that you and the client are on the same page; it also serves as proof, should you need to ask for additional time, money, or personnel to complete the work.

While sign-offs are important, you the designer need to be reasonable in requesting them. Don’t force your client to sign off at every stage of the project!

In general, your sign-off form should include the following:

• a reference to the project
• a title for the sign-off
• a description of what the client is signing off on
• a list of necessary revisions
• permission to invoice again
• sign-off signatures and dates

Present the client with a duplicate, once the sign-off is complete, and save your copy in the project folder.

Every designer will have different stages for client sign-offs. At Jolly Spider, we like these:

1. Mockup — either on paper or computer, this is the first step toward a design and incorporates basic layout with dummy text and place-holder graphics;
2. Initial Viewing — generally on computer, this stage incorporates the client’s logo, colors, fonts, and graphics;
3. Completion — this is the final showing of the site before publication to the Internet.

You can find sample client sign-off documents online if you choose not to create your own.

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How much to charge is a tough one. There are sooo many variables, from how technical the project is to how much experience the designer has to how much the market will support.

The best advice I can offer is to try to guess-timate how much time you think you’ll be investing in the job, up it to cover unexpected contingencies, then get it (or a realistic range, at least) in writing.

Meaning, a contract.

How to collect payment is also tricky. If you’ve got a written contract, you’re probably covered. The client will realize you’ve done the work and, unless he particularly likes legal troubles, he’ll pay up.

At Jolly Spider, we used to get final approval on a Website, then publish the pages, submit the site to the search engines, and send out an invoice.

No longer.

Thanks(?) to one of my clients, I’ve amended this practice. Now, our contract specifies that, only after final approval and full payment, will we publish the pages and submit to search engines.

I don’t like having to take a site down until I receive payment that should be forthcoming as soon as the work is done. After all, dentists demand payment upon service. So do auto service centers, veterinarians, and restaurants. Many small businesses like landscapers or electricians or plumbers or Web Designers do the work, then send out an invoice, giving you a brief window in which to pay.

However, small businesses cannot afford to “carry” their clients. We’re not banks! So most of us include a statement on our invoices that if payment isn’t received within a certain time frame, a “penalty” percentage will be assessed.

Sounds fair to me. And my clients seem to agree.

Still, there are far too many people who seem to think Web Design should be free — what planet are they living on?? They expect to be No. 1 on Google, have a site that will “wow” their visitors and impress their customers, and magically update itself, all for FREE??

Right, and there really is a man in the moon!

Next time: Client sign-offs

No photos, no text, nothing.

But he wants a Website built to showcase his new business. He signs your contract, pays some “good faith” money to get you started, and…Waits.

Meanwhile, you’re scrambling to put together a Home page so he’ll have something to look at the next time you get together.

Without words, your Web page won’t be found by the search engines; nor will it look or be interesting. Grab some dummy type to help convince your client he needs to formulate a marketing message. If writing marketing text is beyond your expertise, your client will have to write it himself or hire a copywriter.

Without photos, your Web page won’t hold anyone’s attention. It won’t be attractive, either, and everybody knows a good picture is worth a thousand words. Get together with your client; brainstorm for picture ideas. If you or your client can’t take the proper photos, he’ll need to hire a photographer.

Whatever you do, DON’T merely steal photos from Google Images or other Internet sites! Somebody has gone to some trouble to take those pictures, and you’ll need their permission to use them (even cropping and modifying them doesn’t negate their copyright!)

Check out Stock Exchange or Creating Online or Dreamstime for relatively low-cost photos.

And be very careful to read the guidelines for photo usage before you assume ownership of anything. Some images are restricted to only personal or noncommercial use; others include commercial use.

Remember, just because you can right-click, copy, and paste, doesn’t mean you should! You don’t want to get embroiled in a situation where somebody comes to you with a lawyer by his side and demands you remove a “pilfered” image.

Next time: Getting paid

Sometimes, it’s the designer’s fault. You take on a project before you’ve fully completed another project, or personal issues demanding your attention rise up unexpectedly, or all your clients want updates at the same time.

It’s a juggling act, but you must do it. Don’t you be the one holding up projects!

More often, delays are the client’s fault. In their rush to find a designer, convey their ideas for a new (or redesigned) site, and get started, they fail to gather the information the designer needs — text, marketing materials, photos, etc. The designer calls or e-mails several times, but the client is so busy running his business that he doesn’t have time to stop. Weeks go by without any work being done on their site.

In such instances, I’ve found that a gentle but firm reminder is all it takes to get things moving again. After all, which client wants to shell out more money for holding up progress?

Projects tend to have a certain ebb and flow. Some start with a flurry of excitement, then slow up, speed toward another milestone, slow up again, then rush toward the finish line.

Others creep along like old people walking the hallways of a nursing home.

Still others might start slow but gradually pick up speed, to where you’re breathless at the completion point.

I’m hesitant about specifying a time frame in which every project must be completed. After all, things do happen, whether on my end as designer or on my client’s end. Nor is it any fun to pick up a project after a long time has elapsed and basically start over.

How do you handle staying on schedule?

Next time: Copyright

I saw one once, and it wasn’t pretty. In fact, it darn near gave me a headache, what with all the blinking ads, scrolling text, gosh-awful color combinations, and useless doo-dads.

Don’t make that same mistake. Reading on a computer is hard enough, without adding to your visitors’ eyestrain.

As Kahil Gibran wrote, “But let there be spaces in your togetherness…”

You don’t need to fill every inch of your Web page. The Internet is a different medium than print, and it shouldn’t look like the classified ads in your local newspaper.

Besides, chances are, you’re not paying by the square inch!

“Creative use of white space” gives your page an opportunity to breathe. It gives your readers’ eyes a chance to rest. And it gives your design an open, airy feel — unlike being boxed-in in an elevator, for example.

White space allows a designer to kind of lead visitors around a page, gently moving them from one section to another. It also helps convey balance, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical.

The purpose behind most Web pages is communication. No, white space doesn’t communicate, per se; still, its void speaks volumes. It helps focus your readers’ eyes where you want them focused — on your message, on your products, on your service.

And isn’t that your ultimate goal?

Next time: Staying on schedule.