Comments for Tropical Blogging

Comment on Your Domain is a Valuable Business Asset — Treat It Like One by bj_private

bj_private — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:49:58 +0000

This is so true, the problem however happens always because the clients do not want to know or to deal with anything about websites. They think to themselves that they hired a professional webmaster to handle these issues and they do not want anything to do with that. They only discover this problem after they have a problem with the webmaster/developer. At that time, they’ll discover that they should’ve invested a little bit of time reading a post like this one.

Anyway, thanks Sonja Ray for the great post.

Comment on Your Domain is a Valuable Business Asset — Treat It Like One by wmys

wmys — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:58:26 +0000

This happens all the time. I have had several clients whose previous web developer has title to their domain name. In most cases the developer was not locatable and the domain name therefore irretrievable. In one case in particular, the previous developer held the domain name hostage when the client didn’t want to deal with her anymore. The client had invested several thousand dollars in advertising and printing costs on that domain, and it had been online for a year already so it was receiving some organic traffic. Not only that but the disgruntled web developer took down the client’s site altogether and replaced it with a “Notice of Non-Payment by…” and named the client by name! In the end, the client elected to choose a different domain name and let the whole thing go. It was a lesson learned the hard way.

NEVER let someone else hold your domain name. It is one of your most valuable business assets and should be closely guarded. If you buy a website that comes with a domain name, open a GoDaddy account (they’re free) and INSIST that the current owner of the domain name transfer it to your account.

Comment on Ethics and Web Design – The Professional Responsibility of the Web Designer by wmys

wmys — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:43:22 +0000

This is SO true. In my practice as an ethical web designer I take the best interests of my clients very seriously. I do not make false claims about what I can do for them.

I am cognisant my clients’ vulnerability – of all that they canno tpossibly know – and I am very careful to act on their behalf in the same fashion as I would want a web professional to act for me.

I am currently involved in a web design project for direct sales consultants for a specific company. I have several competitors, most of whom offer an excellent product that any consultant who buys will be happy with. One competitor, however, consistently behaves unethically. On this person’s client sites are images that I have personally created for use by my own clients. Also on these sites is a significant amount of text copied verbatim from my own client sites. This person has represented on her profile on a major social networking site that she is a graduate of a local University, when in fact she is a high school graduate. This person represents that she is an experienced web designer when in fact she is not. Her client sites are inferior in myriad ways that only a designer can recognize.

But – as you so astutely point out in your article, this person’s clients don’t know the right questions to ask and even if they did, how would they know that the answers they are getting are false?

It is INCREDIBLY frustrating. I am a strong believer in the abundance theory – there is enough for all of us, and I welcome strong competition because it makes me better. But I am sick to my stomach to see people trusting and believing in a scam artist because they cannot possibly know better.

Comment on Client Shoots Self in Foot by homenotion

homenotion — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:39 +0000

Right, you can’t save people from their own mistakes. You did what you could and the rest is up to the client. Is it frustrating though, especially when you can’t figure out why a client would want to switch to another host.

Clients are like kids sometimes, they seem to learn things the hard way.

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by homenotion

homenotion — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:38:13 +0000

Ugly sites do perform better. That’s because ugly site developers often concentrate more on their content, navigation, optimization and the ability to attract visitors, more than making the site ‘pretty’.

It never hurts to have an attractive site but I’d put more effort into making your site one that first grabs attention and offers useful, unique content. The ‘prettiness’ can come later.

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by Jini87

Jini87 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:20:20 +0000

Many people think that the ugly sites are not worthy sites.But they don’t have an idea that only the content present in the site matters.

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by johnrice39

johnrice39 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:52:00 +0000

Yes,very true…An optimized and well-designed site does not perform well when it does not have unique, fresh and useful content..

Comment on Client Shoots Self in Foot by docmartin

docmartin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:57:53 +0000

stubbornness…not a good quality.

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by docmartin

docmartin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:54:29 +0000

I have an “ugly site” and it does do well )

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by MarieCurie

MarieCurie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:25:40 +0000

I am a master of Marie Curie high school, I’d like your blog.
I will tell my student about your post for them to get more exp

Marie Curie high school

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by Therabreath

Therabreath — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:42:58 +0000

I also believe that the old ugly sites have better content because during those times only well-researched, studied contents are being published in websites. With the right designing of the website, it will really be as attractive as the newly designed ones and have more substancial contents.

Comment on Do Ugly Sites Perform Better? by Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:57:33 +0000

And to think that I would spend so much time trying to make my site be “pretty”. Your explanations make perfect sense. The content is what is the “lasting” feature that draws people in and back often. Thanks for a great post!

Comment on Copyright and Copywrong by Biplab

Biplab — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:17:46 +0000

Thanks for this type of nice post. I think copyright and copywrong are two very important issue that is very necessary to know for all type of computer user. Many people misunderstand about copyright but actually it save the user any type of copyright related trouble. This article is briefly described very nice the copyright issue step by step.

Comment on Linkbait: What is it? by How To Sue Somebody on Trumped Up Charges | View from the Swamp

How To Sue Somebody on Trumped Up Charges | View from the Swamp — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:03:39 +0000

[...] at tropicalwebworks.org turned up #4 in that search. The person actually clicked through to the page, even though it’s clearly not about suing somebody on trumped-up [...]

Comment on WordPress vs. Blogger by Wisp

Wisp — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:20:24 +0000

I always prefer doing the job from the very beginning, and my Web-resources aren`t an exception. If we are talknig about blogs – my advice to use blog engines at your own domains and dedicated hostings. Not only for those reasons posted above, but for your own pride ))
Respectfully, Wisp.

Comment on WordPress vs. Blogger by lipyakhter09

lipyakhter09 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:08:04 +0000

i used blogger and also wordpress.i had a domain which i use to wordpress for blogging.wordpress is realy realy a nice software…there is many many option to use.u can easly download any plugins from wordpress site and easy to use also many free theme to get from interenet.but blogger has fixed some plugins and and some difficulties to use it ..in my openion i think wordpress is best

Comment on Minor SEO Changes, Major SEO Effect on a Minor Site by Internetguerillas

Internetguerillas — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:50:30 +0000

yes, I agree. If you use about 95% of basic SEO stuff you can get a good position on the term you want to optimize for… only for the very competitive keywords you have to go the full 100%

Comment on WordPress vs. Blogger by cotizaciones bolsa

cotizaciones bolsa — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:56:41 +0000

Hello.
Very, very interesting. I am deacuerdo in what your you say.
I prefer wordpress, but still I do not use it.

At the moment I have a blog in blogger and am happy. Especially for the related thing to cathedral.
But for a little professional mas, undoubtedly blogger.
Sorry for my bad English

Regards from Spain

Comment on NetBiz sez: “Get onto the first page of Google….” by Sam

Sam — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:29:53 +0000

Their telemarketers are not google trained, nor do they interface with them, ever. They are paid $10.00/hour with the chance for commissions.

Netbiz telemarketers are trained in house and monitored to dial, dial, dial, dial, dial via a several scripted pitches. You will receive little, if any, service and you will likely not talk to a person who is trained and certified. It’s hit or miss at best. Whomever sold you today will most likely not be there when you call back for help or traffic reports.

They profit only by selling you keywords which get little search traffic. There is little or no maintenance to these (read: set it and forget it).

If you are serious about internet advertising and have a budget that is larger than 75.00 a month, please consider carefully and choose a service provider which is clean, competent, and ethical.

Comment on Copyright and Copywrong by Sonja

Sonja — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:13:35 +0000

Copyright is such a tough area, especially with photographs. I don’t know of any foolproof method to research copyright of photos.

When I purchase images for clients, I usually (almost always) get them from Dreamstime or iStockPhoto, and their license does indeed allow me to use the images on my clients’ sites.

Dreamstime’s FAQ says,
“Can I use the photos I buy from Dreamstime in more than a single project?
If each project is different as a concept (not a template based presentation) then you can use the photos for more than one client, you don’t have to buy them twice.”

iStockPhoto’s license agreement says,
“Only you are permitted to use the Content, although you may transfer files containing Content or Permitted Derivative Works to your clients, printers, or ISP for the purpose of reproduction for Permitted Uses, provided that such parties shall have no further or additional rights to use the Content and cannot access or extract it from any file you provide.”

So…. Using those images on client sites is permitted by both of those stock photo sources. I like to stick with with the large, reputable sources (such as Dreamstime and iStockPhoto), because I have a certain amount of trust that they police their own sources well enough to ensure that the photos I buy are legitimately provided by the actual copyright holder. It doesn’t mean there’s no risk, but the risk is a lot less.

I’m sure there are other places that sell stock photos that may have more restrictive terms of use, and unfortunately it sounds like you bumped into one of those unintentionally. The design firm should have made sure they were permitted to use the photos on your site, but they didn’t, and now you’re stuck with the results.

In hindsight, you could have asked the design firm about the source of their photos, and checked the licensing terms yourself. I’ve never had a client ask me about that, but I would be happy to tell them where I got the photos if they should ask.