On that note, I have a friend who owns a hair salon. She pays over $40 a month for her hosting, the use of a site tool and her domain name. Not only is the web site limited in its design, by nature of this particular site tool, but should she choose to move it, there will be several complications. First of all, the hosting company is technically the owner of her domain name and will not easily let it be transferred. Secondly, because the web site is created with the site tool, she will not be able to move it to another hosting company without losing certain functionality.

In those situations where my clients are most definitely not receiving the better end of the deal, my first bit of advice is always… “We need to find you another host.” We can take the information from the web site created with the site building tool and redesign it, but keep the site on a platform that allows the client or designer complete control. In the case of my friend, I can help bring her monthly bill from $40 a month down to about $10 a month, and that includes the cost of registering or renewing a domain name.

When choosing a hosting company for your client, there are several things you need to keep in mind.

Does the hosting company include a control panel with the hosting package?

Most hosting companies out there will include a control panel with the purchase of a website. However, I have run into several situations where a client had a previously existing hosting account, and there was no control panel access. In this situation, I usually encourage my client to move to another hosting company.

Why do you need a control panel?
A control panel allows you to have easy one-click access to certain web site tools. Some of the more helpful tools would be:

With the use of a control panel, you have complete control over the above factors. If your client needs help setting up email accounts or mailing lists, you have the control to do this without having to jump through the hoops of the hosting company’s technical support department. This brings me to my next question.

Does the hosting company have a good technical support department?

When working with designing a website, there are many reasons we might have to contact the technical support department. Do your research and answer the following questions before you choose your hosting company.

Remember that you may not always be the contact person between your client and the web hosting company. As a favor to your client, make sure that they are hosted with a company that will be easy to work with.

Does the hosting company offer fair and competitive packages?

Just because a hosting company brags about cheap web hosting, this does not mean it is qualityweb hosting. They may be seriously limiting the number of email addresses you can add, or giving you a lot of space and just a little bandwidth, or vice versa.

Research and compare hosting packages. Is the package price competitive? What all does it include? Make sure that the package includes a good amount of bandwidth (transfer) and space. How many email accounts do they allow? Do they include mailing lists? Ability to add FTP users? Is there an easy database creation tool? Are there extensions for PHP, CGI, ASP, etc? If not, some of your scripts will not work when uploaded to the server.

Does the hosting company offer the ability to host multiple domains under your account, i.e. host unlimited domains? One of the perks of being able to host unlimited domains is that if you wish to set yourself up as a reseller, you have that option, and then you can create your own packages, host multiple domains and charge your clients a monthly fee. If you do this, just remember the rules of being a good hosting company, because at that point, that’s exactly how you are representing yourself.

Does the hosting company offer a backup service?

Make sure your hosting company offers some sort of backup service. This is very helpful if an unintended change has been made, and there was no manual backup made prior to the change. Within minutes you can have a copy of the file back on the server, and the web site functioning properly again.

Finally? Research, research, research!

We are blessed to be in a day and age where gobs of information is at our fingertips. All we have to do is navigate to Google and run a quick search to find the answers to virtually any question we can imagine. If ever in doubt, Google it! Social media and real-time search has exponentially expanded the type of information that can be recovered from a Google search. It is easier than ever to find user opinions on virtually any topic. So, before you make a choice on which hosting company to present to your client… do the research! Just be careful about which reviews you choose to believe. If a hosting company receives a poor review, and the reviewer is from another hosting company, the information is most likely very biased.

Good luck with finding your hosting company. If you have had any good/bad experiences with any host in particular, please share in your comments with the community. Thanks! @mhillaert

Enter the simple elements that use nothing but HTML and CSS, and maybe some images.

What I want to demonstrate is a simple way to get a hover effect on an image, without using jquery or javascript. The way this works, basically, is the image will be the background of a div element that will reside inside a link. Actually the div does not have to be inside a link, but it does if you want the image to link to some other url. The background image actually contains two copies of your image, with the second copy having whatever hover effect you want, such as slightly darker or whatever. In the CSS code, you have the background image positioned at the top of the div, and in a hover of the same div, you have the background image positioned at the bottom. When you hover, voila! And unlike the javascript version of hover, you don’t have to wait a split second for the hover to work, since the image is already loaded!

To the rightyou can see a screenshot of the effect I’m going to show you. On the same screenshot you can also see a green button. I used the same effect on that. The button is part of a jquery slider, so it’s not like I never use jquery :)

I’m going to be using the coffee cup that’s available here. Actually I recommend this set of twitter icons, they are probably the coolest you can find.

First, I open Fireworks and find the coffee cup image I downloaded. Then I resize it to the size I need for the footer of my website. For me that’s 96px wide and 71px high. Then, I copy the image and paste it over itself. Next, move the second copy so that the top of the second copy just touches the bottom of the first copy. Then “Fit Canvas” so that the two images are now visible. Next, I select the bottom image and modify the color by reducing the saturation to nothing. This makes it greyscale. See the screenshot to the right.

Then save the image and optimize it. I save it as a transparent .PNG file, but you can also save it as a .jpg if you don’t need transparency. I personally use PNG Gauntlet to optimize the .PNG.

Then I load it into the image folder on my website, and put the following code in the CSS file:


.twitter {
float: right;
width: 96px;
height: 71px;
background: url('images/social/twitter-cup.png') no-repeat bottom;
margin: 17px 44px 4px 0;
}
.twitter:hover {
background: url('images/social/twitter-cup.png') no-repeat top;
}

My div has a class ‘twitter’. Then simply put the div in your website where you want it to appear. Just call it the same class and it will work like a charm. You can also wrap it with a link if you want it to be hyperlinked.

And that’s it! The simplest (I believe) way to have cool hover effects on your website, that works instantly since the image is already preloaded when the page loads.

See the footer of my web design site for a sample: See The Coffee Cup Here

If you implement this little trick, please let me know by commenting here or tweeting it!

A Centralized, Mashed up Commenting System

First of, before you’re able to download the plugin – you are asked to create a Disqus account. I figured, an account may merely be for marketing purposes, but right after creating one – you are presented with a API key. Now something tells me that this system is something more – I was right. Disqus is able to provide the system to any type of blogging platform you are using: Typepad, Movable Type, Blogger and Wordpress. Note that there is also “Generic” which I assume is for static websites. Now remember I said what I was expecting to see check boxes for Facebook and Twitter? Well that’s what I got. Plus options that span from the ability to display Social Media Reactions (replies or social media services like Twitter, FriendFeed, Digg and YouTube), Trackbacks (we all know what this is), Seesmic video comments, OpenID and of course – Facebook connect and Twitter. Now as if that’s not “mashed-up” enough – there is also an option to add a Disqus Feedflare to your Feedburner. A FeedFlare places a simple footer at the bottom of each content item, helping you to distribute, inform and create a community around your content.

Where Are the Actual Comments Stored?

Now the funny thing is once you’ve installed Disqus in your Wordpress blog – it takes over your commenting system. Try clicking “Comments” from your Wordpress admin panel and it will take you to the Disqus settings screen (which is just an iframe of your Disqus account). From this interface gives you total control of your blog comments such as importing existing ones to Disqus, moderation, as well as adding widgets and changing the look of the form. Did I say “Import existing ones“? Yes I totally did. As it turns out, once you have Disqus installed – it uses it’s own database to store your comments in their system. A system that still ties with your website and post id. Now don’t fret! Your wp_comments table (where your comments are stored in Wordpress) remains untouched. Furthermore, it is updated at the same time new comments are entered, with the Disqus system.

There has to be a Kicker

Okay, with Disqus you can mash up world renowned applications with your comments. You can add widgets, change the appearance, move things around in your comments section with a few simple clicks. You can manage your comments in both places: your website control panel and your online Disqus account (since the comments are literally stored in two databases). All of this are wonderful features but there has to be a kicker. A “kicker” as in a feature so significant, that blog owners will actually deviate from their regular commenting system and use Disqus instead.

Well let’s think about it for a moment:

For starters, now you can moderate comments centrally in one place. Really, I’m sure many of us run more than one blog. For the lucky ones that are bombarded with hundreds of comments daily, this is definitely a kicker. Another one is the ability to add moderators. That’s correct, with Disqus – you now can add comment moderators (similar to a forum) without giving them access to your physical blog. This is a big plus for sites with a large enough community. What about the ability to “Reblog“. Reblogging is exactly like “Retweeting” – but it’s a post instead of a tweet. How about having a “Lifestream” type of your blog posts in the Disqus website. Once you join Disqus – you automatically get a community page (http://yourwebsitename.disqus.com) that displays quick feeds of your latest posts – that link directly to your website.

Win-Win, Lose-Lose or Win-Lose?

I’m sure there are other “kickers” for the Disqus system that I haven’t discovered yet. Consider that I’ve only been using it for a mere five hours! But there could also be downfalls. For instance, I now don’t have any code control of my comments section. Once Disqus is installed – the comments.php in your Wordpress theme is completely overridden. Another point to ponder: since your data is now in two places – isn’t it kind of scary? By this I mean, back ups, redundancy, duplicate data, “what if disqus.com is down – what will happen?” – am I just paranoid?

Overall, I think the Disqus Comments system is a sophisticated platform that is sure to enhance your blogs discussion abilities. It is simple enough to use, safe, and at the same time – provides enough bells, whistles and “kickers” that blog owners will sure go for. I know when I see “Comment with Facebook Connect” – it makes me want to leave a comment more; therefore, it works for your readers as well.

What about you? What’s your take on a third party comment system such as Disqus?

FIND a PARTNER!

Partnership is the art of coming together with another person who has complementary skills, things you might be able to do but not as well as they can. The effect of working together with them is a feeling of freedom to do what you do well, and enjoy, and letting them take over the things you would rather not have to do.

Most of the successful businesses, and web design is no exception, are built from good strong partnerships.

A couple elements are very important to build in a partnership:

1. Trust

First and foremost, without trust, the rest won’t work. You need to partner with someone you trust. Nobody is guaranteed to work out, but if you trust them, you will be able to keep your mind at rest and focus on what you need to do. Go with your gut to pick someone you will trust.

2. Unselfishness

In a good partnership, each partner lets the other go with what they do well and gives them the freedom to do it. Also be unselfish with the profits of the business. Partnership usually involves ownership of the business, be unselfish when defining the terms of the partnership. Give and you will receive in abundance.

3. Patience

Everybody has their quirks, especially at the beginning of a partnership you might find out the quirks of your parner. They might be rather annoying sometimes, but as long as they don’t break the trust, be patient and allow them to be who they are.

Finding a partner might take some time, but it will be well worth it when you find a good fit.

BUT, as much as we all hate it, and struggle with it when we are new, if you can learn to design websites that work EVEN in IE6, then you will have become a much better designer.

Good web designers don’t care what their clients are going to use to look at their website, it’s just going to work.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in my struggle to tame the IE6 beast … Keep in mind, these are things I’ve learned through trial and error. And no rocket science here, just some simple rules to follow.

First, I always use pixels in sizing, never ‘em’s. Maybe this is something you never did, but I used to use tons of ‘em’s in my themes for spacing elements, with margins and padding. But somehow, ‘em’s aren’t correctly treated in older versions of IE. So I started using nothing but pixels for spacing, and got better results.

Second, I rely more on padding than on margins. Older IE versions tend to treat margins differently than other major browsers. So if there was an element that I could use either padding or margins, with the same effect, I would use the padding rather than the margin.

Third, wherever possible, I turn my .png files into .jpg files. I like to use transparency as much as anyone. But all too often I would be showing a cool new theme or website to a friend, on their computer, and the .png files would get a grey or pink background that totally messed up the look I was going for. So, if at all possible, I use .jpg files. Also, I don’t use transparent .css borders or font. IE6 doesn’t know what transparent means with anything at all!

Fourth, I don’t get crazy with creating graphical submit buttons or fields. IE has standard ones that they overlay onto the ones you create. So better to keep your submit buttons simple, either the default or some simple .css.

And my last tip is to test, test, test. Especially when trying a new technique and spending hours making it look perfect … in your favorite browser. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting it perfect and then finding out that in other major browsers (IE6 is not that major anymore but you get the point) it completely falls apart. Better to stick with simpler techniques that you can get to look good in all browsers.

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When I decided to pursue web design full time a few months ago, I decided that to be the best, I needed to learn from the best. The hard part was – where are “the best”? How do I find them? And how can I learn from them?

Through trial and error I’ve come up with an effective strategy for making a name for myself among other designers in the “community.” These are what have worked for me – you’ll want to experiment and try different things out to determine what works for you.

Not a big writer? Maybe a blog isn’t up your alley. Like to teach others? Try creating some tutorials. The key is to put yourself out there.

So here are my recommendations for getting connected with other designers.

1. Get involved on Twitter.

Okay, so what’s the big deal with Twitter? I had no idea three months ago – I heard it all over the news but hadn’t experienced it. Good thing for us designers is that most other designers, like us, are sitting at their computers all day. So Twitter works really well as a means to get connected. Here’s what I did to launch myself into the Twittersphere.

Follow other noted designers on Twitter.

I read their profiles and visit their sites. Follow those that practice in the area you do. You can find many different lists of designers to follow out there, so start with one and go from there.

Don’t set your account to “auto-follow.”

This is just my personal preference, but I only want quality content to come through my feed. So I screen people who follow me before I follow them. This strategy is also used by some of the most popular people on Twitter. It helps me better follow the conversations and dialogue that I want to engage in on Twitter – instead of just generating an RSS feed of resources (although that is a great bonus!).

Learn other tips from the experts.

Since I won’t pretend to know the best Twitter techniques, I suggest you read this post by Grace Smith on Using Twitter for Inspiration.

2. Do your research.

To effectively engage with other designers, you need to know how to design. Knowledge about the medium, the tools and the jargon of the trade all enhance your ability to really get the most out of interactions with other designers.

• If you are coming from print design like me, I suggest you read up on the principles of web design – they are vastly different!

• Keep track of good resources and references. I prefer Delicious so that I can access my links from anywhere, but other bookmarking services would work just the same.

• Share good content with others so they can benefit as well. I do this most often via Twitter (see the circle beginning to form?).

• Take the time to find and complete tutorials that are outside your comfort zone. Many times just reading through a tutorial can give you tips that will make your next design pop. I recommend two different sites on development tutorials and design tutorials, but there are many others out there.

3. Put yourself out there.

So you’ve been slowly getting into the Twitter world and have done a bit of research and feel like you’re getting your feet under you. Now it’s time start building your reputation among other designers.

• If you feel up to it or need a place to release your wisdom with more than 140 characters, start your own site/blog. Not only is this necessary to gain clients, but it also creates link for folks to associate with you – this is the start of your “brand.”

• Once you’ve populated your blog/site with some interesting stuff, list it on some design directories and Twitter directories.

• Engage other designers in relevant dialogue. Ask for advice on client questions, seek collaboration on projects and provide your own feedback to others’ inquiries.

• If possible, attend conferences or other face-to-face meetings with designers in your area. As great as technology is, it can’t replace a good ol’ cup of coffee and creative personal discussion. Danny Outlaw has a great list of conferences on his Outlaw Design blog, and MeetUp is a great resource to connect with other local professionals.

I mean you still have to do that redesign of your website that you’ve been wanting to do for a while. And you have to get a new computer, and maybe a couple nice items of furniture so you can be more productive.

And of course, there’s all the web design work you have to do.

But wait, as fun as all of this might be, what’s going to happen to all of that if you are not bringing in money.

Yes, cashflow. It’s all for nothing.

But don’t get down, just make a decision to make marketing, especially when you are just getting started, your #1 job.

Why?

Because it’s what is going to bring in money, and keep your lights on. With more cashflow, you’ll even have more freedom to do some of the things you want. But without cashflow, you really don’t have a business.

For many of us, this mindset of marketing is the last thing we want to hear. I mean we are designers, not sales and marketing professionals. The really fun stuff is the design work we do.

So how can we get into marketing mode and see that as more important, for the time being, than all that other stuff?

Something that works for me is making sure to have a separate bank account for my design business. That way, with all the bills I have to pay for the business, I’m always aware of the need to fill it with more money. Then it does not sound so crass. It’s just the reality that without more business, I’m not going to be able to pay the bills.

Really hate marketing? Well just think of this, once you really have a business going, you can hire someone to do the marketing for you. If you are not there yet, then you have something to look forward to.

The best book I ever read about marketing isn’t written by some college professor, it’s written by someone who has grown many different business to up to $300 million in revenues. Personally, I like to listen to people who have already done it :)

Get the book on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/marketing

Well I don’t really care what anyone says about it, the fact is, you can easily find clients using Twitter, and a freelance web design business is a perfect fit for this.

Here’s how you can do it: Search for words you consider a good fit for someone who is looking for web design. For example, two searches I like are “get website” and “need website”. If someone is saying on Twitter “I need a website”, you will find it.

Then all you do is follow that person, and send them an @reply saying you can help them with whatever it is they are asking, and if they want to talk more, just DM or @reply back.

I’ve been amazed how easy it is, and how few people are doing this to find freelance clients.

Most people ARE doing something like this: “Hey I’m a web designer if you want a website go here …”. They are doing this as an update on their own profile. So the only people to see it have to follow them first.

NOT going to work.

Find the people who are saying they need help, follow them and offer your help. You’ll be amazed at the results you get from Twitter since it’s still fairly new and trust runs pretty high among followers on Twitter.

There, I just shared with you something I really didn’t want to tell anyone, but I told you because you are a subscriber :)

FileZilla is the program I’ve used for years, and I RELY on it. It’s pretty comprehensive, works on Mac or Windows, and it’s FREE!

Learn more or download it here:

http://filezilla-project.org/

OK maybe you can get started pretty well, but then you kind of fizz out on your design and can’t seem to do anything that looks good.

So what can you do? Rip off someone else? NO!!

But how about using designs that you can get the rights to and modifying them for your clients? It’s like legalized stealing …

I’m referring to theme clubs.

Theme clubs have been around for years and many of them are so-so in the quality of the output. So you really need to check around to find theme clubs that have themes that are of the quality you want to show off.

I don’t really recommend using a theme in it’s complete form directly as you get it. Make some changes to make it unique.

Your clients will appreciate it. IF they know it’s a club theme that is :)

My web design buddy and myself shopped around for years for good theme clubs, and paid for several. We never found a better one than this.

Click the link and then find the ‘demos’ link in the orange menu bar.

They are literally stunning.

See for yourself …

http://tw5.us/xu