* * * *WEB DEVELOPER 4 Hire/Barter * * * * * - $1ID: 26664Date: 2006-10-30 00:09:35 Other Ads. .Text: Who am I?I am a professional web developer, designer, "web guy", etc... whatever you want to call me and I need work. It's that simple. Everyone gets scared of price though, when they hear the word "professional" and they shouldn't be. Professional just means that you get paid for something because you're good at it... that's me. Below you'll find a complete list of services that I can offer as well as some web design / development information that you might find useful even if you don't decide that you need my services. So why should you choose me? Maybe you've been looking for a web designer or maybe you haven't. Maybe you just came across this ad and thought "Hey, I could use some help with something actually, and this guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about!" There are a TON of ads on different sites advertising services and I think the people paying for these services need to know a few facts. These facts apply to all websites, so don't think this is just for "the big boys". This applies to $50 sites as well as to $50,000 sites. What is the difference between Web Designer & Web Developer? First off, there is a difference between a web designer and a web developer. Those of us fortunate enough to posses both sets of skills are the lucky ones who get to say "Yes" when asked if they can do a project... no matter what the project is. Then there's the OTHER group. Those who SAY they can do what you need. Web designer: A designer designs the style, colors and images on a website, and about 90% of the time they can also do simple HTML (the language which make a website actually work, where you can click on links to see other pages, etc...) Web developer: A developer can program a website to DO things, not just show pages of information. For example, perhaps you want to have a feature where the user / customer can search for stores by zip code or browse items in a catalog, have a shopping cart, sign up for a newsletter, login to the site with a password, have a database of items to download, etc... So the basic difference between design and development is that one provides you with simple pages (About Us, Company History, Contact Us, etc...) these are called static sites. The other allows your site to actually do something, not just show information. These are called dynamic sites or a web application. Dynamic sites typically cost more because they require more time, expertise and resources to develop. These days, there is a huge demand for Flash (animated, perhaps with sounds, etc.) sites. These sites typically cost more because they require a level of artistic AND programming skills. Many designers will buy a template (a pre-made design) and just change the logo, name of the company and information and sell you the site. While this is a cheap and quick solution, you run the risk of having your site look like OTHER sites that have purchased that same template, thus reducing your credibility. Often times people want Flash websites without understanding that they don't NEED them and they can often be negative to your image. Flash is great for many websites, but awful for some. Design & Development I would like to talk about the design / development process for a minute. When a designer decides to do a project, they initially draw what is called a "mockup". This is a temporary design that the client can look at and decide what they do or do not like about the style so that the designer can make changes. (Colors, images, layout, etc...) This is an image, like a sketch, it's not functional. Often times a client will say "I can't click any of the buttons!" or "Where are the other pages?" Why is it important to have a Mock-up Design first? Let's say a designer designs a site, then builds each page, formats all of the text and images to work with the design and then the client says "You know, I like blue better, and it needs to be more corporate looking.". Well, the designer has just spent hours (maybe days) working on something that the client doesn't even want. So, the common practice is to develop a "MOCK-up" first, a simple image to get the style correct and then once the design is finalized, go ahead and make the pages and make the website functional. That way no one wastes their time. Often times a client will change their mind after you've done a site. They will say "I like red instead of blue" or "That's not good at all, I don't want any boxes, I want circles instead." The problem here is that you've been told (and spent time) doing work one way, EXACTLY as you've been instructed... then the client changes their mind and you are out all of that time and forced to do the site again. Mockups and contracts help to cut down on the developer / designer being at fault for time lost on a project. What about Hosting and Updates? First of all... hosting isn't really expensive, at least not for most sites. $10 a month will easily get you what you need and there are many different sites which provides hosting at different rates However, there are sites that plan on hosting thousands of videos, etc... that require more space and bandwidth, so the price can definitely rise up. For MOST people, a simple and cheap solution works. This brings us to the concept of programming languages. The problem here is that some website hosts only support a certain language. (You've heard words like PHP, ColdFusion, .NET, etc...). Imagine going to France and ordering your meal in French and getting exactly what you want... now imagine going to France and ordering in Spanish... but the waiter does not speak Spanish... he's not going to be able to give you your meal. So you're going to have to either learn to speak French or go to a different restaurant. Just because the waiter doesn't speak Spanish does not make him a bad waiter, he's just different than the waiter at the Mexican restaurant. The same goes for programming. Sometimes a programmer will want to develop your website (shopping cart, site search, memberships, etc...) but the host does not support their preferred language. Well, the developer can recommend that you change hosts. It's not a complicated process, just something that is necessary sometimes. However, if you already have an existing site with some functionality (besides just information and photos, I'm talking about dynamic sites) then moving to another host is tricky, because the host has to support the language that the site is already written in. So, many people ask "Will I be able to do the updates myself?". Well, this question has a few answers. 1.) Yes, if you know HTML (for simple changes) and the language that the site is written (for programming changes). You are perfectly welcome to login and edit the code/text and replace images. 2.) Yes, if you have a content management system. This means that the developer builds a login for you, where you can log into the site and make changes without any programming knowledge. This sometimes includes adding products to a shopping cart, editing or adding additional pages on a site, adding photos to a gallery, etc... But does NOT usually include making changes to the overall design of the site, as this requires more expertise. These content management systems are sometimes very difficult to implement and can add cost to a website, depending on how much work the content management system requires. There are tons of pre-built content management systems, and while some are free and some have costs... they are often written in languages that aren't supported by many hosts OR conflict with the programming of a website. For example: If you already had a site working with tons of features, shopping, memberships, etc... and then wanted to implement a content management system, chances are it directly conflicts with the site. So you have a couple of choices, either re-develop the entire site in the new content management system OR build a content management system to work with your existing site. This is a question that the developer can answer for you. If they are a good developer, trust them... they will make the proper recommendation. Another big problem is new designers and developers who are just learning or who have not advanced their skills. These pseudo-designers are a big problem, especially for clients. Often times when a client wants to have a website created, they look for the best price. Well, I hate to say it... but you get what you pay for. Now, that's not EVERY designer / developer, but it is the case with many. This is the equivalent to real world construction workers. Sure, a new construction worker can build you something, even if he's only been at it a few weeks... he has confidence in himself... but he doesn't really have a grasp on the details, the fine aspects of making sure something is correct. It's the equivalent of getting into a car with a drunk driver. They believe they can do it, they are boastful saying "I'm fine, I'm not drunk, I can handle this." When they don't know and aren't aware of what lies ahead, what to avoid, what not to avoid, how to make the trip all the way home. A client will choose the $300 designer over the $1000 (just random figures for a medium-large site). They'll spend a couple of months getting something that looks like it came straight out of 1996, with spinning smiley faces, rainbow backgrounds, an animated dog and an "Under Construction" worker digging a hole. Something completely unprofessional. In addition, the designer who said "Sure, I can make a shopping cart" tries to use a pre-built cart on your site, only to find that he or she can't configure it, can't make it work with your design, etc... You've just wasted $300 on this guy, now you can't afford to hire the guy that can actually DO the work and your project is unfinished. This is the equivalent of "My sister's son can do it for $50, so I'm just going to have him do it." BAD IDEA. The worst is when the designer sends you work that isn't even his. You see this great work, decide to hire him... and then find out that he can't do it NEARLY as well as the designs he sent you that belong to someone else. Often times, you will send the client your portfolio of designs you've done in the past, just some of your best work to get them interested and they will say "Your work is great, but I don't see anything corporate." Or "I don't see anything fun-loving." or "You don't have any sites for lawyers." Well, that's because maybe that designer has never been asked to build one that way. The Beatles never wrote a song about time travel either, but if you asked them to... I'm sure they could have. Just because a designer doesn't have something exactly like what you want in their portfolio does not mean they aren't capable of it. Most importantly for the client is to say EXACTLY what you want. And if you don't know, give the designer some creative freedom and trust their opinion. If you don't know what you want or need, they probably do... they've done it enough times. It's great to show examples of sites that you like, give some good ideas. Just don't say "I want it to look like [insert site here]." and then come back and say "That's too plain, why does it look like that?". Well, it's because you said you wanted it to resemble this other site... which happens to be plain. BE SPECIFIC. A teacher can't tell a student to "Write a 5 page paper by tomorrow." and then tell the student the next day "It needed to be in red ink and about the solar system." You have to say what you want to get what you want. I prefer to send my clients a form with very specific questions that they can answer. This allows the client to communicate properly and gives me a defense when they say "I said blue not red!", when I can point out that they specifically said red. Or, this helps when the client says "You were supposed to build in the ability to upload images and have them re-sized to smaller images." and I show them that they never asked for that and it will cost extra, because it was not in the initial quote. It will take 4 hours more of my time that I originally didn't estimate, of course it's going to cost more. Now, if it's a great client who's not a problem, they'll get it for free, because that's how you treat your customers! (Hint hint) Ok, so now to the most important thing... right? Price! Websites can run a huge price range, anywhere from $50 for a one-page site with a photo, a neat design and some information to millions of dollars, it all depends on what you need. Some people price by the hour (not me, I prefer to give a flat rate), some quote by the number of pages, it really all depends on the designer / developer. I prefer flat rate because then if it takes me longer than expected, that's my mistake... not yours, and so you don't pay the price for it. It helps me be a more reasonable developer. HAVE A BUDGET: We as developers know that you want the best deal you can get, so you want quotes from everyone so that you can choose the best designer. While that's great for you, WE also want the same thing... the best deal we can get. So, where's the compromise? Well, consider this... you say "I want an exact copy of MySpace, how much?". I would tell you (this is just a random number, NOT an actual quote) "Well, that's going to cost you $5,000". And then you're going to move onto the next guy, gathering up quotes until you find the cheapest one. Who is also probably the least capable. However, if you tell me "I have a budget of $2500 and I want MySpace, what can you do for me?" I can say "Well, I can trim some things here and there, throw in some extras, cut out the video uploads and give you a pretty close copy for that price." It's like buying a car. You can't go in and say "How much for a car?". Well, that depends on if you want air condition, a premium stereo, 4-wheel drive, how big of an engine do you want? Automatic windows? All of these things make a difference. There are a lot of combinations here, coming to a compromise is easy though. You see a car you want and they check your credit and say "You can't afford this car, you can only afford up to $15,000". Well, now the salesman knows how much he's working with and can try and fit all of the features he can into that budget. So giving the designer a budget up front is going to be the best for everyone. We know what we're working with, there is no song and dance... it's a straight deal and everyone gets what they want. If you want to say "I want to spend $500" and I tell you what I can do and you decide there's something else you want, you could always say "Hmm, could you also throw in the shopping cart for another $100?". You don't have to reveal everything up front, just give us an IDEA of what you want to spend. The worst thing for a designer is to spend hours upon hours working up a proposal or a mockup design, doing research for you, etc... only to have you say "Great! Let's start as soon as I get the money!" Which may be tomorrow, 2 weeks away... or never. I've spent countless (once I spent 20 hours) hours preparing a proposal for a client who promised it was a sure thing, as soon as we signed the contract. I built a proposal, did tons of research, wrote up contracts, faxed copies of my Driver's License, Tax ID number, contract, etc... spend $50 on preparing everything... only to have the client say "Great, now as soon as I get my funding we'll get this going" or to never even hear from them again. I was out 20 hours that I could have spent working on other PAYING projects PLUS the $50. Do NOT "hire" us unless you are ready to begin the project. Or at least be prepared to compensate us for our time and efforts. You don't go into the doctor for a checkup for free and have him do full body scans and tell you that you need surgery without paying him... don't make us use our time and tools and resources and the put off the project. Don't post an ad for a developer unless you're ready to do the project or unless you say up front that it's going to be a while before you're ready to begin. Many developers, like myself, work on a contract basis and need work immediately. We rely on a steady flow of clients to keep us afloat. We prefer to talk about a project, send some references and get going immediately. I love clients who are gung-ho, because then I'M gung-ho about the project. Tell us when you're looking to get started. If you have a project that's going to start in 3 weeks, email us and say that... we'll start talking in a couple of weeks, but we need the time we have now to focus on our other work. So here comes the part about payment terms. What is reasonable? How do you work out payment? Do we need to meet face-to-face? How can we work if you're on the other side of the country? and such.. These are all great questions with great answers. Ready? All the time you hear about "This guy took my money and disappeared." or "This guy didn't do what I wanted.", etc... Well, we also have this situation. "I did all of the work up front and never got paid!" or "I showed them the design and they just kept it and never wrote back!". So, there is middle ground here. It's standard to take 50% up front with 50% upon completion of the project. This initial 50% covers the design, the proposal, the time spent on the phone/email with you, making the site into HTML, etc... But, how can you be sure you'll even get this? Well, you can't be... but that's when you being a judge of character comes into play. If someone knows what they're talking about, it's probably because they've done it many times before... which means they've spent time learning their craft and have no reason to rip you off. I have personally encountered clients who have paid me 50% up front (Let's say $125) and then I do a design, then revise the design, make changes, etc... and the client still isn't happy or thinks that the design is completely wrong, even though it's exactly what they've asked for. They want me to keep working for free or to get their money back. Even after they approve the design, they may want their money back. Now tell me. If the site is going to cost $250 and I do half of it (the design, etc...) and the client isn't happy and wants to change to another developer, they do still get to KEEP the work I've already done, so I should get to keep the 50% that they gave me, as long as it covers the initial half of the project. I mean, you don't order a burger with certain ingredients on it such as onion and pickles and then demand your money back because you don't like pickles, after you've eaten half of the burger. You wanted pickles, you asked for pickles, you ate the pickles and half of the burger and now you want you money back? The people selling the burger are the ones getting ripped off in that situation. So, the best way to do this is to have an agreement, digital or written (email, fax, whatever) that outlines what that 50% covers, and what the remaining 50% covers. Then make your payment via PayPal. This provides great protection for both parties. This prevents the developer from doing a bunch of work up front and never getting paid and the client from giving away a bunch of money up front and never receiving the work. It allows the client to file a request for refund if they don't receive exactly what is promised, but also gives the developer a chance to show the contract and the work provided with PayPal acting as an arbitrator. It protects both of us. It also sends payment immediately and allows the developer to start the project immediately. Just never send a PayPal eCheck because that takes days to clear and the developer never knows if the money is there, they may do all of the work and then have the transfer fail and be out the money. Always send an instant payment via credit / debit card through your PayPal account. It's secure, fast and reliable and you never give your personal information to the developer. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can set one up instantly and even see the status of the person you're sending money to. As long as you have a debit or credit card, you can do it. 100 million people use the service and almost all freelance developers accept it as payment. Working with people remotely is easy, just make sure you pick someone with some references. Call around a bit, email, check out the sites... do whatever makes you comfortable... but it's perfectly fine to work with a developer from somewhere else. So, basically what I'm saying here is that: 1.) I need work, I always do. Who doesn't, we're all trying to earn a living. 2.) I like to start immediately. Within a couple of days, often the same day we talk. I'm not impatient, just ambitious. If you have a future project, that's great, let me know! But don't get into too many details until you're ready to begin. 3.) I like to know what I'm doing and be sure we agree on it. We need to both be sure of what you want, what you need and what I promise to do for you. 4.) I require 50% up front to protect BOTH of us. Again, this isn't personal... it's just standard. 5.) I have tons of references. Which will be provided upon your request. I have personally worked on over 800 websites, ranging from simple graphics / HTML sites, to heavy Flash animation sites, Ecommerce, database and both corporate and personal sites. (high and low budget, anywhere from $100 to $50,000) I have a very large portfolio with many examples and can literally build or design anything you see on the web. If the project is very large, I have a team of friends who are all also very skilled. (Myself and my friends have worked on sites such as Disney.com, Sony, etc..) Just email me for a list of some sites that I've designed and programmed. I'm a PROFESSIONAL web designer and programmer (No, not one of those guys who gives you a bad template with a spinning "Email" icon and a happy-go-lucky sound file playing in the background), I am a REAL web developer. Due to those people who are here to make a quick buck and give people horrible websites for 1/10th of the cost, the market for us freelance developers has become saturated. My services: Contact Me! Logo Design / Corporate Branding Our team of artists and consultants work with you on creating an image, theme and logo that provide maximum recognition for your identity throughout print, web and visual media. Careful consideration and planning goes into choosing a design and image that both accurately represent your business and is memorable to those who view it. Website Design / Re-design With a combined portfolio that includes over 500 websites, I am in a unique position to have worked with virtually every type of business and industry there is. Our projects have ranged everywhere from a 1-page personal website for an up and coming actor, to a 12-page website representing a small business, to a 900-page complete solution with e-commerce and catalog capabilities for a large corporation, and even design and programming for industry leading sites such as Disney.com and Sony Pictures. I can provide a cosmetic makeover of an existing site or provide you with multiple choices for theme and design for your upcoming project. Domain Name / Hosting / Email We offer very affordable domain registrations if you do not have an existing domain for your business. We offer a basic start up plan that would fit perfectly for any Small/Mid-Size Business, which would give you a domain name, hosting, unlimited personal email address ( you@yourdomain.com), and also with this package we include minimal updates and site maintenance each month ... so all you would need to do is send us the changes you need, and we usually take care of them within 24 hours. This plan runs $20.00 per month - or if you pay for the year, we take 2 months off, so you only pay $200.00 for the year, and that cover everything you need except the actual site development. Flash The most popular technology on the web as of today is Macromedia's Flash. Similar to Java, Macromedia Flash is another technology that allows animations, interactive forms, games and other jazzed-up features to be embedded in web pages. Macromedia Flash Player is a well-known and trustworthy plug-in that users should feel comfortable installing. In fact, Flash is the most commonly installed plug-in on the web, more common than QuickTime, RealPlayer or Java. We can provide full Flash solutions for both complete Flash sites or adding in Flash components to an existing HTML-based site. We will also provide you with flash movie files once the design is complete and you'll be sole owner of those so in future when/if you decide to modify/upgrade them, you can do that. Application Development / Database Depending on the type of website you have, your needs differ. I provide full application programming for shopping, membership registration, employee databases, directories, subscription services, content management and any custom functionality or ideas that you have. I can program your site using a combination of any of the following languages and applications: DreamWeaver/ColdFusion /Homesite PHP ASP Flash / Actionscript .NET platform JSP / Java , JavaScript HTML, CSS, XML, Javascript, AJAX MySQL MS SQL Server 2003, 2005 Microsoft Access ECommerce / Shopping Cart / Catalogs / Content Management System [CMS] A shopping cart is a piece of software that acts as an online store's catalog and ordering process. Typically, a shopping cart is the interface between a company's Web site and its deeper infrastructure, allowing consumers to select merchandise; review what they have selected; make necessary modifications or additions; and purchase the merchandise. We can provide the most flexible options with incredible ease of use and administration.We can provide a robust catalog system that allows products to belong to belong to categories and be search able. Each shopping cart system I implement allows the user to add, update and delete and modify product description from their catalog with virtually no previous experience. Content Management I have a very powerful, yet simple system in place to allow our clients to easily update the text and photos on their website without having to possess any in-depth knowledge about web design or programming. Site administrators can log in and make text and photo changes whenever they need to. Our system provides for formatting of the text using full functions such as bold, italics, underline, font color and size, lists, etc... Payment Systems / PayPal / Credit Cards / Billing Solutions Like I mentioned earlier, We can setup OSCommerce with items in different categories for you or yahoo store or paypal links, Possibilities are endless here however I'll always suggest best option for you and your business. Own your Idea and know what you want..that's key to any business.  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