Designer Needed, Portfolio Required

In my post, “Warning: 6 Signs You Are About To Hire A Bad Designer Or Developer,” one of my warning signs was that the designer or developer did not have examples of past work. While I understand how it might be difficult for a back-end developer to visually display their work (although it is possible to provide some kind of example of what you can do), a web designer should not have this problem.

I am always surprised to find a web designer who does not have some sort of portfolio. Not having a portfolio is a major disadvantage when an anonymous potential client is trying to compare your work to others in order to determine who to hire.

Why don’t you have a portfolio?

For one thing, the designer may have only designed corporate websites or worked on private projects and may not have access or permission to display the sites or pieces of the sites that they designed.

Second, the web designer may just be starting out on their own. Perhaps they were in school and did not have any real world experience that they could show online.

Lastly, I suppose a designer who is not actively looking for work would think it’s not necessary to have a portfolio. Although in this case, I can certainly make an argument why it will save you time and work later to maintain a portfolio as you go anyway, as you never know when your situation might change.

If you fit into one of these categories, it makes sense that you may not have a portfolio. However, a potential client searching for a designer is not thinking about why you don’t have a portfolio. They just know that you do not. If you are looking for work, it may be worth your time and effort to beef up your portfolio by taking on some charitable work, customizing the design of your blog, or creating some other tool you can use to show what you can do.

Can I see some samples of your work?

Many times, your portfolio (and your website) is your first chance to impress a prospective client. And clients are looking for some very specific things. Here are three necessities your portfolio should include:

1. Samples of Work: It may be obvious, but keep in mind you don’t have to limit yourself to complete and active websites. Samples can take many forms — links, screenshots, interactive tours, even videos.
2. Summary: Along with giving a visual idea of what you did, provide a summary explaining your role in the project.
3. Contact Information: Make sure you include a way for potential clients to contact you with questions or for more information.

Another way to give the client more information about what you can do is by creating a case study, which is simply just a more in-depth look at the project. This is a great idea if you have one or two projects you are particularly proud of and think offer potential clients useful information.

If you are very experienced, keep in mind that your portfolio doesn’t have to include everything you’ve done. It’s meant to be an overview highlighting your best, most creative and unique projects. Check out these articles for some great portfolio development tips:
Creating A Successful Online Portfolio, by Sean Hodge for Smashing Magazine

How to Make Your Portfolio Work for You, by Angela Ferraro-Fanning for Freelance Switch

12 Steps to a Super Graphic Design Portfolio on YouTheDesigner

Article source: Sitepoint

Google Announces AdSense for Mobile Search

A recent post on the Google Mobile Blog announces that Google has added a new AdSense product for all mobile network operators and mobile website owners all over the world. The new AdSense for mobile search offers carriers and mobile publishers a simple and easy way to embed a Google search box on their websites or portals.

Through the new AdSense product, users will be able to instantly access Google search. Moreover, they will also be provided with comprehensive web search, local, image, and news results all in a format that will fit their mobile phones. Mobile operators and website owners that will place the new AdSense on their portals will share “the ad revenue generated by searches originating from their sites.”

The blog post goes on saying that “AdSense for mobile search is a Google-hosted solution, which means users will experience the same speed, reliability, and innovation that they've come to expect from Google. And even though the results pages are served by Google, the pages can be cobranded with publishers' logos and linked back to their sites.”

The new AdSense product comes as a follower of the Adsense for mobile content, which was launched by Google back in September 2007. The previous launch was meant to ensure that “publishers could join our mobile content network and monetize their sites with Google text ads,” states the blog post.

At the same time, the carriers and publishers that are interested in beta-testing AdSense for mobile search are invited to fill out a form. As the post states, “if you are coming to Barcelona next week for the Mobile World Congress, make sure to fill out the form by Friday, February 13. We are inviting a limited number of carriers and publishers for a private information session about AdSense for mobile search and would love to meet you. Note that filling out the form does not guarantee participation in the program.”

Article source : Softpedia

How Do You Design Around Messy Content?

Have you ever been faced with redesigning a site for a product, service or company that you just didn’t get? Let’s say the content is long, confusing and/or disorganized. How do you get past the mess to conceptualize a design? And, most importantly, how do you make the design work for the client’s content?

I am a copywriter.

Coming from a writing background, I have a very difficult time looking past poorly written copy. In fact, I have rewritten many pages of content for clients to help them achieve a coherent and cohesive message. That’s part of my job, a part I happen to enjoy. But I know that most designers don’t typically do any copywriting, nor do they want to.

This is the challenge.

Obviously, as a designer, you want the site to be a success, but there are certainly varying schools of thought as to what that actually entails. You can be adamant about designing to create a design. Or, you can design to create a complete marketing tool. Sure, sometimes you can achieve both without any conscious thought, but I have seen many beautiful sites that confuse the heck out of me. And if they’re confusing me with a decent amount of experience under my belt, imagine what they to do the average Joe. And it’s usually Joe who our clients are trying to reach.

In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter how pretty a design is. If it isn’t clear what the goal of the site is, then it doesn’t do anything for the client and the product they’re trying to sell, the cause they want to promote, or the information they want to share. The design and the content need to work together seamlessly. Check out Gary Barber’s post “Content Comes Before Good Design” for more on this.

In a perfect world, we would give every client a full team with broad expertise — designing, marketing, copywriting — dedicated to creating their site. But for the freelance and solo designers this is not practical.

What do you do?

How do you handle disorganized content or a confusing message? What do you do to improve it, or don’t you?

Article source: Sitepoint

Suddenly, infrastructure is cool again

About two years ago, Jeff Bezos used the occasion of his appearance at the Web 2.0 Summit to talk up the merits of EC2 and S3, Amazon's entries into the then-nascent area of cloud computing.

The predictably perky CEO was enthusiastically regaling a standing-room-only ballroom about a future in which his company would sell data storage infrastructure and server capacity by subscription: the idea being that customers of the new services could move quickly from idea conception to a successful product by farming out the infrastructure side for Web scale computing to Amazon.

"We make muck so you don't have to," Bezos joked.

It was an interesting idea but a left turn for Amazon. I remember that the guys sitting next to me weren't equally impressed by the pitch. They joked among themselves that Amazon was a company that sold books. Who was Bezos kidding?

Well, we know how that story turned out. Bezos' timing was propitious. Amazon happened to go into Web-based services around the same time that customers had started to lose their fear of "the cloud." Not everyone, mind you. But increasing numbers of start-ups and small companies were receptive to the idea that they could increase their server and storage capacity on a subscription basis. With millions of people going online to store data, run applications, or communicate via Webmail services--and all that functionality stored on the cloud--now they could participate in that computing shift without breaking their budgets.

This all was proceeding apace. But it was a slow transition. Then came last fall's financial meltdown, and suddenly, cloud computing's proponents had a timely marketing message. On the "Charlie Rose" show Thursday night, tech pioneer-turned-prescient-doomsayer Mark Andreessen, took note of the impact this computing shift has had on the tech business.

"So you've got a whole generation of start-ups that are basically just a couple of programmers with a couple of laptops, and they upload everything into the Amazon cloud. It's pay-by-the-drink like utility. So all of a sudden, you have this whole new wave of Internet start-ups getting started for practically no money, right? So there is a level of innovation. Every kid coming out of Harvard, every kid coming out of school now thinks he can be the next Mark Zuckerberg, and with these new technologies like cloud computing, he actually has a shot."

That's the classic sales pitch on behalf of cloud computing but Andreessen basically has it right. What's new is that with the economy going through a rough patch, this is turning out to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy tech landscape. IDC predicts that cloud computing will account for about 30 percent of new growth in the Internet over the next three years. Poor economy or not. "It's not a surprise," said Frank Gens, the firm's research chief, who contends that the financial crisis only magnifies the benefits of the economics behind this computing model.

But here's the rub: While many executives responsible for their companies' IT operations grok the vision, they still refuse to make the switch. More than 60 percent of the companies surveyed recently by Kelton Research reported they did not use cloud-computing technologies, and most of them have no plans to use them anytime soon.

Chalk up their lingering resistance to a couple of old bugaboos which have been around since the days when "MIS directors," pressed to decentralize their computer operations, ruled the tech roost: security and fear of loss of control. If past is prologue, those issues will get sorted out over time--the same way that the sundry issues surrounding client-server and Internet-based computing models ultimately got resolved.

Capacity on demand is a big deal, especially for start-ups that are in no position to be buying servers. With API deployment, you say "launch" on these virtual servers and you're off to the races. It's just a lot more convenient to have an Internet-based data center.

Not long ago, Sun Microsystems' Dave Douglas told me that "every one" of his conversations with customers ultimately comes around to a discussion of where the cloud is heading. That pretty much jibes with what I've heard from executives at other hardware and software companies. Pay attention to this trend because it's taking place in real time, away from the media's glare. In an age where Twitter, Facebook, and a laundry list of forgettable social network doo-dads have dominated our attention, all of a sudden, infrastructure has become cool again.

Who woulda thunk it?

Article source: Sitepoint

5 Strategies to Maximize Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is powerful. Regardless of the type of business you are in, it’s guaranteed that you will benefit in some way from this type of marketing. It’s easy, it’s quick, it’s human nature. And, of course, it’s free.

There’s no right or wrong way to execute WOMM; if it works for you (and is ethical…more on that later), then it’s right. But there are ways to maximize this simple, everyday activity to be even more beneficial.

1. Start with Friends

If you’re not an experienced marketer, it can be difficult to sell yourself and your services to anyone, especially people you know. You don’t want to risk irritating them, and of course, there is always the fear that they just won’t get it. But word of mouth is the perfect way to get the ball rolling, partly because you can start with those people who you know and trust. It’s a great way to get yourself out there advocating for yourself with a solid group of supporters behind you.

2. Give a Little First

You should be willing to spread the word about others before you ask for yourself. By supporting your colleagues, clients and friends by pushing their own WOMM campaigns along, you’re telling them you care about them enough to make it known that you support them. They will remember that and be more likely to spread the word about you. And don’t be afraid to call in favors and directly ask others to support you.

3. Go Right to the Influencers

In your professional and social networks, there are people who garner the attention of others without even trying. They are magnetic, respected and heard. These are the people you want supporting you. Having them as your megaphone getting the message to otherwise hard-to-reach people can be invaluable.

4. Generate a Buzz

One of the best ways to generate a buzz is by getting people excited. And the best way to get people excited is by being excited yourself. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. Let people know that you have something going on that’s worth getting excited about. Send e-mails, make calls, talk about it on Twitter (and ask for retweets!), and post it to your Facebook profile. Keeping up your own level of excitement will be contagious.

5. Be Honest

wommaWhile there are many ways to do it, not everything goes in word of mouth marketing. There is an ethics code, created by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), that is meant to foster respect and fundamental ethics between marketers and consumers, and is certainly something to keep in mind. Visit WOMMA’s site for more information on the code of ethics and a great guide on word of mouth marketing.

What do you do to get the most out of word of mouth marketing?

Article source: Sitepoint

5 Easy Ways To Deal With An Unhappy Client

As good as you are at what you do, it is inevitable that you will eventually have a client who is less than thrilled with your work. Whether it’s from clashing tastes or if you’re just having an off day, it happens.

1. Address the Problem

If you know the client is unhappy, don’t ignore it. Ask them why they are unhappy and what you can do to fix the situation. The longer you wait to bring it up, the worse it can get. No one wants to have this uncomfortable conversation, but not only will addressing the issue put you on the path to resolution, but your willingness to face it head-on will tell the client you care about the project and their satisfaction.

2. Have a Do-Over

If it’s your work that the client is unhappy with, start over. Sometimes coming at it again from a different direction will align you closer to what the client is looking for. And make sure you ask the client a lot of questions to get a handle on the idea in their head that you are trying to match. A good designer is sometimes a little bit like a psychic, and asking the right questions will get you the right answers.

3. Get Help

Ask a fellow designer to take a look and give their input. A fresh perspective may help both you and the client see something new. Adding another person to the mix may also help if you’re dealing with a communication issue or personality conflict, and it can facilitate problem resolution.

4. Switch It Up

If the problem stems from miscommunication, try a new format. If you have been handling everything via e-mail, schedule a phone call to see if you can get things cleared up voice-to-voice. After the call, you can summarize the conversation and send the information to the client in an e-mail. This will give you an extra opportunity to make sure you’re both on the same page.

5. Move On

If you’ve done everything you can, but the client is still not satisfied, it may be time to part ways. Be honest, direct and professional. One way to end a client relationship is by recommending them to another designer who may be able to help them better than you can. This supports another designer who you respect, gives the client what they want and gets you out of a frustrating situation. It’s a win-win(-win).

MacScan - Spyware Protection for Your Mac

The number of Mac users is continuously growing and recent studies show that there were 7.48% users in March 2008 and in January 2009 their number reached 9.93%. With such a constant increase, many developers release cross-platform applications that work both on Microsoft’s Windows and Mac OS X.

Even though viruses didn't represent a problem until recently, I am pretty sure that in the near future, the amount of Mac malware will grow along with the number of users. In the last month, six new Mac viruses made their appearance on the Internet, but they are really easy to spot and you have to be a super-rookie to accidentally install one.

There are several antivirus programs developed for Mac, and one of them is MacScan from SecureMac. Whether you're an experienced user or a beginner, you should install this on your system, just to be on the safe side.

The Looks

When opening the application, you are presented with an alert window where you can choose whether you want MacScan to run in authenticated mode or not. In the authenticated mode you are able to scan all files, regardless of their permissions, but this requires the administrator password from you. The main window of the application offers a really simple interface where you can easily see the Scan button and the other functions.

The Works

There are four types of scans that you can perform on your Mac: quick scan, full scan, custom scan and web files. The Quick Scan function will check all the files and folders located in /Users/your-username/. The Full Scan will simply cover everything you have on your Hard Disk and it is recommended to start the application in authenticated mode, to make sure that absolutely all the files will be scanned. Unfortunately, the Demo version of MacScan doesn't allow you to perform a custom scan on specific folders or external devices.

With the Web Files feature you can select the web browsers that are currently installed on your system and choose the files that you want to clean: Cookies, Downloaded Files List, History and Temporary Cache Files. You can easily delete these files yourself from the Settings of each web browser. MacScan doesn't provide a different way of cleaning those files; instead MacScan is useful if you're constantly using more browsers at the same time and you want to clean your tracks on all of them.

Upon clicking on the Info button, MacScan displays a list of the current viruses that can be detected. Select any of them and you can read important information about what it does and how it acts. You can also set the application to perform scans at a certain time of the day. When using the Scheduler function, make sure you set the time (select AM or PM) and the days when MacScan should scan your system.

If you're an experienced Mac user and you're using a KeyLogger application, MacScan will detect it and open an alert window where you can choose to remove it or not. This alert is not necessary, but it's good to know of its existence just to be on safe side. From the Preferences menu you can choose to 'Detect remote administration programs' and 'Automatically check for program updates'. MacScan continuously offers updates of virus definitions to keep you informed and protected at all times.

While testing the application, I was really surprised to find some Firefox tracking cookies on my machine. Actually, this shouldn't be such a big surprise, since I'm visiting hundreds of web pages each day. I never even bothered to think of the possibility that I might get my Mac infected until I saw MacScan's results. So, this test made me a believer and also made me realize that Mac viruses are out there, and you could easily get infected.

The Good

MacScan protects you against the type of threads that pose an important security risk like: spyware, keyloggers, remote access Trojans and backdoors. Also, the developers offer free updates for the newest Mac viruses on the Internet, so you can always be safely protected.

The Bad

Unfortunately, MacScan is not able to protect you against Mac malware and cross-platform threats such as macro viruses or Windows-based malware.

The Truth

MacScan offers a 30-day trial period and after that you have to pay $30 to be protected against spyware, keyloggers, remote access Trojans and backdoors. However, as I mensioned above, those $30 won't protect you against Mac malware or cross-platform threats, like macro viruses or Windows-based malware.

If you are an average user who doesn't install all kinds of applications then MacScan is not a must-have program, and you can do well without it. This also applies if you're a professional Mac user who knows what he's doing.

Article source: Softpedia

Google grinds closer to Chrome release for Mac

Google is coming a bit closer to releasing a working version of its Chrome browser for Mac.

Programmers for the company had been building an engine that could render Web pages, but it only ran within a simple framework called the test shell. Now they've begun hooking up the renderer to a full-fledged browser, which among other things can handle multiple tasks at the same time. That's key for a real application, especially one such as Chrome that isolates each browser tab into its own computing process.

The result of the work: a screenshot of Chrome running on Mac OS X posted to the Chromium developer mailing list. "Now we can call it Chrome!" crowed programmer Avi Drissman wrote.

Granted, it's a view of Chrome failing to properly show a Web page, but it's a step in the functional direction. Google has set a deadline of shipping Chrome for the Mac and Linux by end of June.

It may not look good, but this screenshot actually marks progress in getting Chrome to run on the Mac. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Avi Drissman/Google)

Moving Chrome from its initial incarnation as a Windows application to Mac OS X and Linux hasn't been easy. Ben Goodger, a Firefox programmer who now leads Chrome's interface work, griped about the difficult balance between preserving Chrome software across multiple operating systems while coping with the different abilities of each.

Google chose to split some of the Chrome interface into a Mac OS X-specific incarnation, despite the maintenance difficulties that imposes, but the choice isn't as easy when wrestling with Linux's interface, he said in a January message.

Goodger said that after some teeth-gnashing, Google eventually decided to create the Linux version of Chrome using the GTK package of graphical interface components used with the GNOME user interface.

"My initial thought was that a Windows-clone would be acceptable on Linux provided the performance of the app itself was outstanding, given the general reluctance of some of the team working on Linux towards UI (user interface). But they stood up and made their case for a GTK UI," Goodger said in a February 4 message, "and...that's what we've decided to do."

11 Ways to Find Design Inspiration

If you do a lot of design work, facing designer’s block on occasion can be very common. Much like writers hit walls, it’s not always easy for designers to be creative on command.

You probably have a routine you follow to get into the groove when you’re starting a new design. But if you get stuck, here are 11 ways to restart your stalled creativity:

1. Look at Past Work

Go back through your files and explore the progression of other designs from start to finish. It can be helpful to see the big picture, especially one that was a success.

2. Sleep On It

Obviously, not an option if you’ve waited until the 11th hour, but if you have time, go to bed and revisit the design in the morning.

3. Doodle

Even if you’re not an illustrator, doodling rough ideas can spur some possibilities. Sketching a layout idea, playing with shapes or even more abstract doodles can inspire you.

4. Watch TV

The mindlessness lets your creativity work on it’s own. Commercials and product logos are also a great place to find inspiration.

5. Work Out

If you’re an exerciser, going for a run or even doing some stretching can get your adrenaline and your imagination going.

6. Play Some Tunes

Listening to a few favorites can get you fired up and push you over the design plateau.

7. Browse

Sometimes there’s no better way to get inspired than by looking at other great designs. Some of my favorite inspiration sites include Smashing Magazine, Pattern Tap and PageCrush.

8. Shut Down

Get away from the computer and give it a break. Not consciously thinking about the design may be exactly what you need to conceptualize a new idea.

9. Give Up Perfection

It’s natural to want to hit the target with the initial mockup. But how often is the first round the final? Try going for a few rough possibilities instead of one aiming-for-perfect idea.

10. Read a Magazine

Any magazine will work…check out the typography, ads and the layout for ideas. I.D., Fast Company, and People are a few of my favorites.

11. Have a Brain Dump

Open a blank document or grab a notepad and start typing/writing. Put down anything and everything in your head, whether it relates to the design or not. This can clear your mind of thoughts that are preventing you from focusing and potentially give you ideas you can use as you work.

So, what’s your magic cure for designer’s block?

Article source: Sitepoint

Facebook Holds too Much Personal Information

A new trend is currently making its way through the various groups and communities that make up the world of Facebook, and they are the lists. Not just any type of lists, but the “25 Random Things”-kind, which basically give users the possibility to fill them out with 25 things they assume people in their social network of friends do not know about. This naturally comes along with the demand to send the list forward to yet other users, which then have to fill it out and pass it on. There are many aspects to consider about this issue, because, even though some say that the practice is annoying, others argue that it helps them find out a lot more things about their friends, and therefore creates a feeling of belonging.

The psychological aspect of the matter is perhaps the most important. Experts maintain that the Internet, in itself, is a very lonely place, and that social networks, no matter how much people they incorporate and regardless of how hard they try to get more and more individuals to communicate, will still be a lousy surrogate for real life. That's why lists such as the “25 Things” one are so popular – they offer people a chance to get to know a little more about the person from another country they spend all day chatting with and so on.

“A lot of people I know were doing the survey and every time I read it, I learned something new about them, my younger brother, neighbor or friend from across campus,” an Appalachian State student says. “I learned so much about my friends when I read their lists, that I thought it would be nice to tell them a bit about myself, too. Seeing things on their list that can also describe me made me realize ... why we're friends,” a 56 year-old woman employed at the Bridgestone Tire company adds.

“I think the Internet gives us a superficial way to know other people. Doing things like this 25 Things note allows us to go a little bit deeper, because we do search for a deeper relationship interpersonally,” Queens University assistant professor in communications John McArthur, who specializes in digital media, explains.

Here are just a few of the group invites that have sprung up against this phenomenon:

“Tired of being tagged in 25 random things over and over again, wasting valuable time reading about your friends' unusual habits that would better be left unknown? Make a stand and show your support against this phenomenon sweeping all of Facebook.”

“Hey, you're a great person, and I'm glad we're friends, but the fact that you love to eat Chinese food with your left hand in San Diego during August just isn't that high up on my 'things I really need to know' list.”

“Join us as we protest mindless repetition and conformation to the mass mailing ways of our society!”

These is only a small number of the messages that attempt to stop the mindless spreading of such useless and repetitive lists throughout the site. There's no way of knowing if the people opposing these forms of befriending will be able to avoid the effects of these lists, as the “tag” function makes it easier for persons using the lists to nominate those against it in their “25 Things.”

Article source: Softpedia

Passwords: Most People Do It Wrong

Quick: What’s your password? Is it 123456? Is it password? Is it abc123? Is it your first name? Surprisingly, for a large number of users, those are the types of words being picked to safeguard private accounts. Not surprisingly, that’s a bad thing.

About a week ago open source forum project phpBB had their site hacked. About 20,000 passwords from users of the site were published to the Internet. Though that’s definitely not a good thing, for security researchers it offered a unique opportunity to study how real users create passwords.

Robert Graham, of Dark Reading, published some findings about the patterns used in the hacked passwords last week. The list of the top 20 passwords from the phpBB data set is not very encouraging. The number one password — used by over 3% of accounts — was ‘123456.’ Number two on the list was ‘password.’ Number three was ‘phpbb.’ In fact, almost all of the top 20 most used passwords were variations of those simple themes: numbers in sequential order, keyboard combinations (like ‘qwerty’), or common words or names.

Graham found that between 65% and 94% of passwords were common dictionary words (the latter number being for dictionaries that include commonly used proper nouns, such as “Xbox” or “Pokemon”), and that on average, the words tended to be simple words like “apple” or “orange” rather than more complex words.

Article source: Sitepoint