Being a Webmaster
An index of articles on what it means to be a Web Developer. Webmaster titles, jobs and duties, and how to get a job as a Web Designer.
Articles by Date | Articles by Topic
5 Contract Must Haves for Web Designers
When you get a client for your Web design business, it can be so exciting that your contract ends up somewhat skewed. While there are lots of things you can include in your contract, these are 5 things you should consider whenever you write a contract for Web deisgn work.
10 Tips to Promoting Your Web Design Business
If you're running or thinking of starting a Web design business, you should know that getting customers is more than just putting up a Web site and waiting for them to roll in. There is a lot of work involved and you have to try hard to get customers and keep them. These 10 tips will help you promote your Web design business and not lose customers through silly mistakes.
Are Web Designs and HTML protected by copyright?
Web designers and developers work hard to create their Web pages, and it can be very infuriating to spend days or weeks on a design only to find it being used on some other site a few months later. HTML, CSS and the designs they create are protected by copyright.
Authorware 7
A first look at the new eLearning package Authorware 7
Content Management
Maintaining a large Web site with multiple content developers can be easy if
you have the right tool.
Creating Your Web Design Business Site
Where to start when building your own Web design business Web site. Many Developers seem to leave this site for last when building sites. I am guilty of this myself. Learn how to build the site that helps attract more customers.
A Day in the Life of a
Webmaster
A fairly typical day in the work life of a professional Webmaster.
Adobe GoLive Resources
Tools and help using Adobe GoLive.
Advice on Freelance Web Development
Learn how to get started being a freelance Web developer. In interviews with
five freelancers, you'll learn what it takes, what's hard, and the rewards.
Behind the Scenes at Web Design/HTML @ About.com
Business Web sites are often built and maintained in a very different fashion from how you build and maintain your personal site. There are a lot more programs, processes, and people involved in building and maintaining the Web Design/HTML Web site than you might realize.
The Business Case for Editor Types
Most well-run businesses require justification and reason before making decisions, especially for large purchases that may cost a lot of money or impact the company materially. The company Web site is a serious business investment, and making sure you have the best tool for the job is important.
Create a Design Brief to Go With Your Contract
When you write a design brief and get it agreed upon by your clients, you ensure that what you are going to build is going to meet the needs and desires of your client. Design briefs take the information you gained from client interviews and turns it into a proposal for your clients to approve. This shows that you know what they want and need and gives them a roadmap detailing how they're going to get it.
Create a Site Map Before You Build Your Site
When you map out the pages you want or need on your website before you start building it, you will know that you have all the pages you need and want on your website. A visual site map is just a flow chart detailing the website with the sub-sections and pages.
Create a Site Plan
If you are creating a website from scratch, you should start by planning what your site needs and your goals for the site before you start building. This will help you ensure that your website meets your goals and serves the purpose you are trying to fulfill.
Do You Want This Job?
Many people learn HTML with the goal of becoming a professional Web developer,
but do you know what the job really entails? It's not all peaches and cream.
Learn some of the "cons" in a job that some feel has only "pros".
Don't Accept This Type of Payment
When it comes to being paid there are many creative ways to offer your work for sale as well as get paid. But there are some payment schemes that, while perhaps popular, are not good ideas for freelance Web designers who want to make money and stay in business.
Freelance Web Designers - What Does Your Web Site Say About You?
Your Web site can and probably will be seen by your customers, clients and future bosses. Is it saying what you want it to say about yourself and your skills?
Freelancers Should Set Up an Emergency Fund
So you want to start freelancing, but you don't know what you should do first. By setting up an emergency fund, you set yourself up to be prepared to weather any storm. An emergency fund gives you peace of mind so that you can spend time finding clients and getting more work so your emergency fund can continue to earn interest and keep you safe.
Getting a Job as a Webmaster
Do you have what it takes? What are the steps I took to getting a job as a
Webmaster?
Gifts for Webmasters
Essential tools of the trade to give and to ask for.
Google Copyright Infringement Letter
A copy of a letter you can send to Google to fight copyright infringements on Blogger or Picassa.
Hand Coding HTML vs. WYSIWYG Editors - Continued
Readers comment on writing HTML from scratch or using editors.
HomeSite Help and Resources
HomeSite Help and resources to learn to use the Macromedia HomeSite HTML text editor and Web development tool.
How Are You Being Served?
If you know what Web server your site is running on, you can take advantage
of it's features. Learn how to choose the right server for you.
How can you tell if a site is a link farm?
It's not a good idea to link to a link farm or to participate in creating one unless you don't care that your site may be banned from search engines.
How much programming does a Web Designer do?
Is it important to learn C++ or Java or some other programming language in order to be a successful Web developer?
How to Create a Portfolio
Creating an online portfolio of your best work is a very important way to show what you are capable of. Portfolios provide details of your skills in design and development and are often critical to finding work. But a Web portfolio is more than just a list of screen shots and these tips will help you create a Web portfolio that will work for you.
How to Fight Copyright Violations
Fighting copyright theft can be frustrating - if the site owner doesn't have contact information or refuses to remove the content, it can seem like there's nothing you can do. But you often have more recourse than just one simple request. This step-by-step tutorial will take you through the process of fighting copyright theft, from simple initial requests through more complicated processes when initial requests are ignored.
I Know HTML, Am I a Webmaster?
What does the title Webmaster really mean?
I want to build a site like ____, would that violate their copyright?
Sometimes the distinction between what can be copyrighted and what can't seems blurry. But it is clear that you cannot copyright an idea. It's only how the idea is actualized that is copyrightable.
I've Learned HTML, What's Next?
Once you've learned HTML, what should you learn next to be a good Web developer?
The Legalities of Linking
Is it legal to link to sites outside your own? What are the legal ramifications to linking to other sites?
Macromedia Dreamweaver Help and Resources
Dreamweaver Help and resources to learn to use the Macromedia Dreamweaver HTML WYSIWYG editor and Web development tool.
Paying Taxes While Freelancing
When you're freelancing, especially when you're starting out, it can be challenging to handle taxes. If you forget to save money for them or worse yet forget to pay them you set yourself up for large finacial problems later. Even if you're just starting out as a freelancer, thinking about your taxes from the beginning is important.
Pricing Web Projects
Learn to use forumlas to estimate both the base cost of a project and how much you need to earn to make a decent salary
Prioritizing Web Projects
What to do when everything you're working on has top priority. How to prioritize Web projects.
Pros and Cons of Freelance Web Design
Freelancing is a tough job but there are some definite perks and drawbacks to being a freelancer. Learn whether you would like being a freelance Web designer or whether you should get a job as a corporate Web designer.
Share Your Content - With Copyright - Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a great way to share your artwork, photos, writing, or other works protected by copyright. You don't lose the copyright when you use Creative Commons, you are simply providing a way for others to use and share your work while providing you credit. It's like open source for things other than software.
SMART Goals
Write goals for your website that actually get done. SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
Time to Switch from IIS
If you're running your Web site on an IIS Web server, it might be time to switch
to one that is more secure.
Types of Web Hosting
When people think of Web hosting, they often think that it's a very simple thing - you just have space on a machine that hosts your Web site. But there's more to it than that. You can get standard Web hosting, free Web hosting, colocation, ecommerce, and dedicated or shared hosting. And these all mean something different.
Use Your Search Statistics to Improve Your Site
Many Web developers use their website statistics to evaluate how their pages are doing and improve their sites. But one statistic that is often overlooked is the search results. The statistics your search engine provides can be a valuable tool for improving your website.
Web Design Businesses - Start with a Business Plan
If you're ready to start a work-from-home business as a Web designer, there are a lot of things you need to do to prepare and be ready. The key is creating a business plan. If you treat your home business like a business from the start you'll be better off in the long run and have a more lucrative business.
Web Design Jobs
When you're looking for a Web Design Job it can be hard to find one, possibly because there are actually so many options for the Web designer looking for a job. Web design jobs come in many shapes and sizes and these resources and tips will help you find the perfect Web design job for you.
Web Design Project Request Form
When you start a new Web design project, there are a number of things that you should get into the habit of asking for from your customers every time you start a project. By asking these questions before you accept a client, you show your professionalism and you get a better sense of the job ahead of time.
What Do You Wish You Had Known When You First Started Freelancing?
If there were one thing you wished you had known about freelancing before you started out, what would it be? Here are some thoughts on freelancing and how to freelance. And if you're already freelancing, you can provide your own advice. The one thing I wish I had known more about was networking.
What Education and Experience is Required to be a Web Developer?
Becoming a professional Web designer or developer is different for nearly everyone who does it. Some people start out building sites for friends and family and teach themselves all they need to know while others spend years in school learning the ropes and others learn the ropes from someone with more experience to guide them.
What Kind of Web Developer Are You?
If you figure out what type of Web development you prefer you can focus on that and become more of a master of the skills required. There are three types of developer: content builder, designer, and programmer. What type are you?
What is HTTPS - Why Secure a Web Site
HTTPS or HTTP over SSL is a way to encrypt data sent and received over the Web so that monetary and other sensitive transactions are secure. If you are going to run a store on your Web site and collect credit card or other monetary data, you should use an HTTPS secured server so that the data is secure.
What is a Webmaster?
Do you know what a professional Webmaster does all day?
What is a Webmaster - Part 2
There are so many different definitions of the word Webmaster, but there are actually two other titles that are just as popular to people who spin the Web.
What is a Webmaster - Take Three
Back in 1998, I attempted to answer the question, what is a webmaster. I wrote up the duties commonly given to Webmasters and described what I thought a Webmaster did. This generated a lot of feedback, as people agreed or disagreed with my assesment of the job title. Now, 10 years after I wrote that first article, I've got a number of quotes from readers stating what they feel a Webmaster is.
What is a Webmaster 4
What do you think a Webmaster is? What does the term Webmaster mean to you? Is there some other term that better describes your job?
What is Web Administration?
There is more to building Web pages than just learning HTML, but many Web designers and developers forget about the layer underneath the Web pages, the Web server, the security, and the programs that make your Web page work.
What to Buy Your Favorite Webmaster
The second annual HTML Holiday buying guide. Recommendations from under $50 to
give that special Web Developer in your life.
Why People Plagiarize Web Page Content
Web writers are always fighting plagiarism of their content. This article is a compilation of some of the best excuses and responses to requests to remove plagiarized content - written by Elizabeth Weintraub of About.com Home Buying and Selling with commentary by Jennifer Kyrnin.
Why Not Attend a Web Conference?
Web conferences are a great way to meet people learn new skills and find jobs. And
there are many to choose from, all around the world, some coming up very shortly.
Working for Free
As a freelancer, you will often be presented by a project that the client wants for free. Only they don't say it that way, they tell you that you will be paid in exposure - people will see your work and you'll get more clients because of it. Once someone figures out a way to buy food, pay the mortgage or rent, and pay for gas in exposure, I'll be happy to accept it as payment. Until then, you should avoid it.
Writing a Great Web Design Contract
The minimum Web design contract will have just the project description and the price agreed upon. But while that can work as a contract, it can leave you open to many different problems. By creating a contract with these things, you will have a contract that spells out, in detail, exactly what the client wants, what you will give them, by when and for how much.
WYSIWYG vs. Hand Coding, the Great Debate
Can you get a job if you can only write Web pages with an editor?
You Know You're a Slave to Web Design When...
Some people see Web design as a job, but for many of us, it's an obsession. There are many signs that you are addicted to Web design. How many of these signs do you experience? And what other signs of design slavery do you exhibit?
