This Week’s in Web Development (Week #7)
With our current project load it is insanely hard to keep up with the Simplified Source Blog. As of right now I will be trying to post either resources/code snippets that are helpful or a weekly summary of articles and resources in regards to Web Development and Design. I hope that these articles are helpful. Each week I can say that I have a different interest than the week before. Therefor this article takes a turn each week from SEO to Wordpress to CodeIgniter to Social Marketing to Android and so on. Enjoy.
Google Releases “Dartium” Browser for Developers
Google is trying to get developers interested in Dart with a technology preview of the Dart VM in Chromium, better known as Dartium. The plan is ultimately to include the Dart VM in Chrome itself, but no timeline has been given yet for that.
Google has been pushing pretty hard to move Dart forward. The company released a Rosetta Stone for JavaScript programmers called Dart Synonym at the beginning of February. However, developers have had to compile Dartium from source or find unofficial builds to test the code.
Now it’s much easier to get ahold of a browser with the Dart VM. If you’re using Linux or Mac OS X, you can download Dartium today. Windows builds are not available yet, but should be available “soon.” [Continued]
(Author: Joe Brockmeier)
21 Examples of Excellent Navigation Menus in Web Design
Navigation is certainly a very important element in web design, especially if we keep in mind that the navigation of a page is there to orient and guide the user. I believe we know that it’s extremely important that users understand navigation options to better explore a website and that is why today we are showcasing examples of navigation menus, to show how websites are presenting menus to their users. From the traditional header menu to side bar menus, footer menus and much more, you will see that there are a variety of ways to present your navigation options. So check it out and let us know which one you like most. [Continued]
(Author: Gisele Muller)
The Impending CSS Vendor Prefix Catastrophe
Developers have a love-hate relationship with CSS vendor prefixes. They allow us to use bleeding-edge technologies at the expense of long-winded declarations:
background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(#fff, #000); background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(#fff, #000); background-image: -ms-linear-gradient(#fff, #000); background-image: -o-linear-gradient(#fff, #000); background-image: linear-gradient(#fff, #000);
It works well in theory but consider what happens in the wild:
- Experimental properties are often implemented in the webkit engine first and there’s no guarantee they’ll be replicated in other browsers.
- It’s often difficult to determine whether a vendor-prefixed property is part of the CSS specification. Some vendors don’t submit properties for standardization.
- Even if the standard property changes, the incorrect vendor-prefixed version continues to be supported. Your old code still works; you won’t revisit it to correct the implementation.
You’ll often find sites using the -webkit prefixes alone — even if other browsers support the property or it has widespread availability without a prefix (such as border-radius). Chrome and Safari therefore look better than competing browsers — and the other vendors aren’t happy. [Continued]
(Author: Craig Buckler)
Flexible Notifications With jQuery – noty
noty is a jQuery plugin for creating user-friendly, “JavaScript-alert alternative”notifications very easily It has built-in support for alert, success, error and confirmation messages and they can either be displayed as HTML elements that fade in/out or as modal boxes. [Continued]
(Author: WebResourcesDepot)
12 Things I Have Learned After 7 Years of Freelancing
At the age of 15 I started with this web design stuff. Here I am, almost 7 years later and I wish I knew a lot more about this field rather than learning just by my own mistakes. But you don’t have to pass through all of this, dear Padawan.
There are a few particularities in our field that unless you have a geek dad you would never think about… So if you are aware about what you need to do you can have a much simpler, more productive, and happier freelance life.
The crazy thing is that success is not (just) about coding skills alone. You have to build a whole environment to compensate the instability that you probably won’t face in a regular job.
Finally, here we’ll see a few tips for novice and experienced freelancers, ranging from controlling your finances to networking. And I really want to hear your advice and tips after reading this, because we always have something to share, right? So, let’s rock! [Continued]
(Author: Rochester Oliveira)
18 Android Apps for Designers & Web Developers
Although Apple devices have been getting a lot of attention there is plenty of great stuff to focus on with Google’s Android project. Their open source mobile operating system features a similar app store where developers can publish their ideas quickly and effortlessly. There are sincerely dozens upon dozens of fantastic apps to guide web developers & designers in completing project work.
This small gallery below contains 18 such examples of my favorite apps. Android users will love to try these out and see what kind of functionality can benefit designers, developers, and freelancers of all types. If you have similar apps of your own be sure to let us know in the post comments area. [Continued]
(Author: Jake Rocheleau)
Showcase of Annual Report Design
Annual reports are important for presenting information to a company’s investors, so having an annual report that looks professional and presents a good image can certainly help the cause. The design of the report is, of course, secondary to the content, but still important.
In this post we’ll showcase some examples of annual report design for your own inspiration. These samples come from the Behance Network, and in most cases you can see more images from each annual report by clicking on the image and following the link to Behance. [Continued]
(Author: Vandelay Design)
Seo Tools And Why They Play A Big Part In The Seo Industry
It’s no secret that there are thousands of tools available for search engine optimisation beginners and experts alike. They were all built with two things in mind; Making life easier and automation. Without them the work of an SEO would be slow and incomplete. It’s too easy to miss out steps in a procedure that has been put together, but tools that have been built to this prevent that happening.
Some tools are very simple and serve only a single purpose, such as extracting meta tags, checking for H1 and H2 tags or simply checking the page for its analytics code. But imagine extracting all of this information manually. The time it would take for each site is significantly longer than just entering a URL into a box and hitting go. However there are some tools which have been built to provide a multitude of information in one shot. These are the real time savers.
One good public example of this is the David Naylor Playground. This is a JavaScript pop-out which works with any website. It provides a range of information from hosting location to the number of links and keywords on the page. Another great site is Open Site Explorerprovided by SEOmoz. This tool provides you lots of off-page information that you can use as part of your off-page campaign, from links on the page to links pointed at the domain. Some information requires a subscription but the free version still provides plenty of useful data. [Continued]
(Author: Andrew via SEO Consult)
Musings on Preprocessing
I’ve been using SASS for pretty much everything I do recently. Here’s some musings on the journey. From hold-ups, to trip-ups, to turn-offs. From apps and teams to workflows and syntax. [Continued]
(Author: Chris Coyier)
Promoting Your Freelance Design Business with Social Media
Self promotion. That can be a daunting task when presented to you. Social Media and Marketing is now an important key to the success of just about every new design that is published. Here is an article courtesy of SpeckyBoy that is worth the quick read.
With the many privatized design agencies it’s common to see freelancers growing in numbers. Illustrators and digital artists are among the most prominent with freelance graphics and design work. It requires a skilled artisan to juggle project works with freelance time management and business ethics.
Marketing is possibly one of the biggest considerations when first launching your own business. Whether working alone or with a few partners you won’t be advancing anywhere without some startup clients and referrals. And although it seems difficult these days to land work I’ve added a few tricks for marketing on the viral web for social media newbies.
As the Internet has expanded to include all cultures of people the audience has been growing. The creation of social media and social news outlets provides a brilliant plan for marketing to gather new clients.
You might also like:
Investigation into a Freelancer’s Workday Schedule →
Thoughts and Considerations for Freelancing on a Part-Time Basis →
Tips for Converting Your Freelance Operation into a Business →
Thoughts on why Spec Work is Bad and Why You Shouldn’t Do It →
Is Working Freelance Really Worth It? Pros and Cons →
Tips for Landing your first Freelance Design Job →Build Your Presence
The first step before any other is to make sure your brand is out there. In the intertubes of the world wide web comes a jumbled mess of Google search queries and top news stories. Your goal is to flood the market with your name in every source.
This means find a branding and stick to it like glue. Whether that’s just your name or a clever pun is up to you. Some of the most infamous design agencies have run with a common theme, even if it’s just a single person running the whole operation! You’ll want to create an account on nearly every popular social network branded under your name (or agency name).
Examples of these are included below in no particular order. Granted this is a short list for the many ofweb 2.0 networks out there today. It’s recommended sticking to websites you’ll want to use as these accounts will help get your name out there while building your reputation within niche communities.
• Digg or Reddit
• Digital Point Forums
• DesignBump
• Google Buzz – Google Profiles
• YouTube
• Hacker News
• Diigo or DeliciousUpdate Frequently
Instead of creating 20 accounts which you never use, try creating 4 or 5 which you can log into every day. The amount of time may vary from 5 minutes to an hour or two. Regardless it’s important to be active in the communities you join.
Social bookmarking provides a unique opportunity to get your links out in the open. Delicious and Diigoare the two most popular with Mister Wong slowly gaining attention. If possible create a blog either on your own domain or through Google’s Blogger where you can update with posts and freebies.
These types of resources will get your name out into the web and garner a lot of attention. If you also have a semi-active Twitter stream you should include links to your page. Google will recognize the connection and you’ll find yourself ranking higher for keywords related to your niche. Twitter followers are the perfect word of mouth and will often retweet posts with free icons or bits of code into going viral.
Run with Pligg Networks
As a newer system on the market Pligg CMS has seen a lot of attention recently. The open source project is a clone of the classic Digg-style web system. It’s updated by two very intelligent web developers who release plugins and templates within the support forum.
Many of these social news communities have risen through the ranks and dominate in Google. If you can join a few and submit your articles you may notice higher rankings for your title keywords. For example, writing a blog post with “freelancer” or “web design services” in the title may net you some traffic if you can hit the front page of Design Float(widely popular Pligg network).
It is very difficult to find the highest quality in websites. Many of the launches under Pligg just run spam links and submissions may even discredit your website rankings. Check with Google as there are plenty of blog posts offering the highest ranking Pligg-based websites. Also the founders created asponsored Pligg gallery which boasts a handful of new and trusted web launches.
Collaborate Frequently
Other designers and web developers are looking for work and need to get their name out there just as much as you. Collaboration on a project or even an article can bring together a close bond with others in the field. Digital illustrators and icon designers specifically are oftentimes very willing to work on open source projects.
Freebies can go a long way and devotion to an entire set will build up both your reputations’. This is also the case with releasing new HTML templates or CSS3 tutorials.
There are more accomplished designers than developers working on today’s web, so snippets of code can be passed around like hot cakes. Custom functions for WordPress are often the most popular as the CMS is gaining massive popularity.
Professional Advertising
If you’ve got any extra money to put into your advertising campaign there are many partnerships available. Google AdWords is by far the most advanced technologically, offering a huge library of clients to choose from. Not to mention the Google branding behind the system proves integrity and powerful security.
However there are other options which target the niche of web design/development. BuySellAds is possibly one of my favorite ad networks. It caters to many design blogs and tech-themed digital magazines. Ads sell in block format which give visitors more of a graphical experience than text links. The opportunity to improve your branding can be increased tenfold!
If you’re approaching the scene with no money there are still other options. If you contact blogs or top-priority websites you may be able to trade advertisement spaces. Many webmasters are more than happy to help out fellow designers, often in exchange for services such as icons or small bits of programming. Exchange marketing offers the best way to gain a small audience without requiring costly bills.
Conclusion
These swift bouts into social media should get you moving down the river towards success. Marketing isn’t an overnight process and will require dedicated time and effort each day. E-mail is a huge system and possibly the best way to meet your first few clients.
If you’re having trouble landing any work I recommend reviewing your portfolio as the structure can dramatically effect the feel of your possible clientel. Similarly web design job boards have been flowing for years and now offer sophisticated means of connection. We offer a complete list from 2010 freelance job boards and direct links to new launches.
If you have similar ideas for beginning freelancers please share them in the comments section below. Along with social media a strict schedule and means of communication will boost your marketing potential tenfold.
You may also like…
Thoughts and Considerations for Freelancing on a Part-Time Basis →
Tips for Converting Your Freelance Operation into a Business →
Thoughts on why Spec Work is Bad and Why You Shouldn’t Do It →
Is Working Freelance Really Worth It? Pros and Cons →
3 Simple Ways to Attract Higher-Quality Clients →
Tips for Landing your first Freelance Design Job →
Browse all of our Freelance Articles →
(Published by NAME via WEBSITE)
Seven Excellent Business Tools You Might Not Know About (But Should)
The life of a Freelance Web Developer and Designer can be hectic. I know that I am just preaching to the choir here. You have you good days, which may consist of a few phone calls and some coding, and then you have days where jumping in-front of a moving vehicle doesn’t actually sound like a bad idea. I have been running my Web Development Business since about 2006. At first, okay really for the first 4 years, all I did was one to two clients per quarter. I could handle that alongside of a full-time job. Now that I am not at my full-time job, the gears have shifted. I am either programming and coding, sketching and piecing together a project, on a conference call or a video call or a phone meeting or actually meeting somebody in person. My day-to-day life is hectic. Since we are Web Developers and we spend most of our times with our loved Notebook or maybe Tablet or even our Desktop (mine is a beautiful Linux Server), we have the chance to use these great web applications day to day. I personally have designed a few applications I use on a daily basis, mainly mobile, and just for my self. But now that there is no more time for that, I am always on the hunt for the app that will keep me organized or atleast help my team stay organized. My current system is Google Apps, Freshbooks, Basecamp and CapsuleCRM and Webstorm/Eclipse/GIT for development. Here is another great list from Smashing Apps. (May I suggest Podio. Really cool concept. I am currently looking into what it really has to offer my small team).
There are many web apps out there, but getting by free and good ones is not that easy. That is why I am sharing The Seven Excellent Business Tools You Might Not Know About But Should. Read each entry in the list and see which tool suits your needs best.
You are welcome if you want to share more business tools that our readers/viewers may like. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at SmashingApps.com, just subscribe to our rss feed and you can follow us on twitter and follow us on Digg as well to get updated.
SohoOS
Managing your business was never this easy. All of your contacts, clients, vendors and leads are bundled together in a simple, easy to use interface. It also maximizes the potential of your business by tracking the full life cycle of your marketing activities. Ultimately, you can get the inside scoop on how your business operates. Every report you ever needed, now available at your fingertips, easily created and viewed using an intuitive interface with built in templates.
Groupion
Groupion combines a multitude of Groupware, CRM and ERP in one modular platform, which make it the perfect platform to design and automate various business processes. Businesses have a lot of different requirements, ranging from standard applications, such as e-mail and shared calendar, to complex billing processes and this tool unites this broad set of features in one sophisticated and user-friendly platform.
Really Simple System
It has all the features and functionality you need to keep track of your customers and prospects – their names, when to call them back, what you said to them last, what they bought, what they might buy. And as the name implies, Free Edition is a completely free CRM system. You can also upload documents such as letters, faxes, spreadsheets and keep them on the system. In CRM jargon, it is a complete Sales Force Automation system: Account Management, Contact Management and Opportunity Management with Sales Forecasting.
Brix
BrixHQ makes online agile project management and collaboration easy and cost effective. This is a flexible and adaptable agile project management system to meet all your needs. Agile Project Reporting that you can customize and filter based on what you need.
Podio
Podio is an online work platform with a new take on how everyday work gets done. It gives people more power than they’ve ever had before to do manage their work better, smarter and in their own way. Combining hundreds of specialized and flexible work apps with messaging, tasks, reporting, workflow and contact management, Podio lets you build and shape the online workplace most fitting to your role. It eliminates scattered, unorganized work routines, and replaces multiple products from different companies with a single environment and a single login.
TeamSpinner
Teamspinner is a flexible tool to guide your projects. It does not constrain the structure of your projects and organization. With Teamspinner you can easily work together on a project with an outsourcing party or a freelancer without the need to expose anything else. Teamspinner allows users to participate in an unlimited number of projects and initiate new projects. The flexible structure makes it perfect to collaborate with remote teams, your clients and freelance specialists.
Appointy
Appointy is one of the best and simple scheduling software. You can schedule appointments, accept pre-payments, send reminder alerts, update social networks, update personal calendars, create promotions, create discount coupons, manage, and grow virally.
(Published by AN Jay via Smashing Apps)
