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Casual Articles - Is Your Web Designer Ripping You Off?
California small business employers are creating a hurricane of lawsuits for themselves. With the elimination of vocational rehabilitation under California workers' compensation and after the Raine v. City of Burbank decision in January 2006, Employers' are misinterpreting the law and are refusing to accommodate employees, which is causing a massive flood of claims. Raine is an instructive opinion in that it gives the employer a step by step approach in finding whether an employee's request is reasonable in order to accommodate after a work related injury. Raine teaches employers' how to avoid the eye of the Hurricane.Recently, I mediated and litigated claims where the employee, permanently disabled from a work related injury, was terminated following the finality of the workers' comp
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program we
Often, what makes difficult customers difficult is the fact that they are intensely emotional. They are upset, angry, irate, or ballistic. It is impossible to address the real issues the customer has experienced until we first address the emotion of anger.When it comes to dealing with angry customers, there are four things you must be crystal clear on. These four critical ideas make up what I call the Psychology of Anger. 1. Anger precludes rationality Angry customers simply cannot rationalize. This is because they are so wrapped up in the emotion of anger that everything you say is filtered through their emotions. Anger is an emotion and emotions are experienced in the right side of the brain. Rationalizing, problem solving, listening, and negotiating are all left-brain
Yet most businesses are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to their web designer for shoddy, substandard work. Are you?
Luckily, there’s a quick and easy way to find out.
Go to:http://validator.w3.org, type in your website address and click on the “Check” button.
If the page you see says "failed validation" in red writing, you might need to speak to your web designer – especially if there are more than a handful of errors.
Is your web designer one of the cowboys?
Unless you own a cattle ranch, you probably don’t want to employ cowboys. You certainly wouldn’t put up with substandard work from a builder or electrician, would you? What about an accountant that didn’t understand tax laws, would you want them handing your finances?
Well, most web designers produce websites that are shoddy and substandard – and worst of all they don’t even know it.
How can I tell if my site isn’t up to standard?
Many professions and industries have standards. With some professions, like medicine or law, you need a qualification before you even start doing it. Other industries, like food processing or construction, aren’t so strict about academic qualifications, but they do have standards that have to be met – like health and safety or food hygiene standards.
There’s no academic qualification you need in order to become a web designer. All you need is a computer with internet access and the confidence (or in some cases arrogance) to call yourself a web designer.
However, although many people (and most web designers) don’t know it - there are standards for websites.
What’s more – it’s really easy to test your website to see if it’s up to standard. All you need to do is visit a website (http://validator.w3.org/) and you can test your site.
What are Web Standards?
Websites are programmed using a computer language called HTML. There’s a right way to program HTML and there’s a wrong way. The right way to program HTML is called “Web Standards,” anything else is the wrong way.
The difference between the right and wrong way to program a website is technical – so if you’re a business owner you don’t need to understand the details.
However, you do need to understand that if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards it means:
- Your site will do worse in Search Engines – so you’ll get less visitors
- It will take longer to download – so you’ll lose more of the visitors you do get
- It could cost you more to maintain the website
- It’s harder (and more expensive) to make changes to the website
- Up to 40% of people might not be able to see your website properly because they use different type of computer or web browser than your web designer.
- Your site is probably not going to be accessible to people with disabilities – which could mean you could fall foul of your local disability discrimination laws
Of course, you might not have all these problems if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards – but you’ll certainly have some of them.
If my site fails to validate does that mean it doesn’t use Web Standards?
Not necessarily.
The W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) is a useful tool for checking if your site uses high-quality HTML. However, it’s not a 100% guarantee.
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program web
Would you like to earn steady, dependable income as a writer?If you answered yes, consider technical writing. It isn't sexy, and it won't make you famous. But working as a technical writer has provided me with an excellent, steady income, and greatly increased my creative writing skills.The field of technical writing is exploding, due to the need to keep up with advancing technology, so there are plenty of opportunities. After all, SOMEBODY has to write the instructions for all the products and services we use. And age is NOT an issue! I began my technical writing career in my 40s, and know plenty of technical writers who began in their 50s.In 2004, according to the Society for Technical Communication (from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook), the median an
How can I tell if my site isn’t up to standard?
Many professions and industries have standards. With some professions, like medicine or law, you need a qualification before you even start doing it. Other industries, like food processing or construction, aren’t so strict about academic qualifications, but they do have standards that have to be met – like health and safety or food hygiene standards.
There’s no academic qualification you need in order to become a web designer. All you need is a computer with internet access and the confidence (or in some cases arrogance) to call yourself a web designer.
However, although many people (and most web designers) don’t know it - there are standards for websites.
What’s more – it’s really easy to test your website to see if it’s up to standard. All you need to do is visit a website (http://validator.w3.org/) and you can test your site.
What are Web Standards?
Websites are programmed using a computer language called HTML. There’s a right way to program HTML and there’s a wrong way. The right way to program HTML is called “Web Standards,” anything else is the wrong way.
The difference between the right and wrong way to program a website is technical – so if you’re a business owner you don’t need to understand the details.
However, you do need to understand that if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards it means:
- Your site will do worse in Search Engines – so you’ll get less visitors
- It will take longer to download – so you’ll lose more of the visitors you do get
- It could cost you more to maintain the website
- It’s harder (and more expensive) to make changes to the website
- Up to 40% of people might not be able to see your website properly because they use different type of computer or web browser than your web designer.
- Your site is probably not going to be accessible to people with disabilities – which could mean you could fall foul of your local disability discrimination laws
Of course, you might not have all these problems if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards – but you’ll certainly have some of them.
If my site fails to validate does that mean it doesn’t use Web Standards?
Not necessarily.
The W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) is a useful tool for checking if your site uses high-quality HTML. However, it’s not a 100% guarantee.
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program we
Do you know which type of entrepreneur you are? I didn’t until recently until a fellow entrepreneur asked me the question. She asked me, are youA) a planned orientated person who concentrates solely on a single business model and will not rest until this single business model has reached success? OrB) an entrepreneur that is open to change and would seriously consider new business opportunities if they passed his/her way.I am actually (B) and I knew this immediately. The person who asked me is in the (A) category and she was also sure of this. We discussed the topic for a while and we extrapolated that both types are neither better nor worse, just different. At least I had to got to first base, I knew who I was.On reflection, I think both types can develop accordingly from e
What are Web Standards?
Websites are programmed using a computer language called HTML. There’s a right way to program HTML and there’s a wrong way. The right way to program HTML is called “Web Standards,” anything else is the wrong way.
The difference between the right and wrong way to program a website is technical – so if you’re a business owner you don’t need to understand the details.
However, you do need to understand that if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards it means:
- Your site will do worse in Search Engines – so you’ll get less visitors
- It will take longer to download – so you’ll lose more of the visitors you do get
- It could cost you more to maintain the website
- It’s harder (and more expensive) to make changes to the website
- Up to 40% of people might not be able to see your website properly because they use different type of computer or web browser than your web designer.
- Your site is probably not going to be accessible to people with disabilities – which could mean you could fall foul of your local disability discrimination laws
Of course, you might not have all these problems if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards – but you’ll certainly have some of them.
If my site fails to validate does that mean it doesn’t use Web Standards?
Not necessarily.
The W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) is a useful tool for checking if your site uses high-quality HTML. However, it’s not a 100% guarantee.
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program we
Almost everyone, at some point in their life, harbors an intention of starting a business they can truly call their own. While some decide to work and commit to their newfound aspiration, most would feel that maintaining a J.O.B would be the best option, since they lack the necessary know-how, level of commitment and/or spirit of enterprise.Whatever the scenario, knowing how to work on that start-up would come in handy, even if you have no plans for it yet. So, here are the 10 tips to get you started.Labor of Love. There’s no point in starting a business you don’t like, whatever the returns may be. It might work on fine initially, but how long can you last doing something you have no interest in? It’s akin to staying in a job you detest, and soon enough, you will be searc
Of course, you might not have all these problems if your web designer hasn’t used Web Standards – but you’ll certainly have some of them.
If my site fails to validate does that mean it doesn’t use Web Standards?
Not necessarily.
The W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/) is a useful tool for checking if your site uses high-quality HTML. However, it’s not a 100% guarantee.
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program we
Starting a business is a stressful endeavor. There is so much to consider regarding basic operations and so many forms to fill out and papers to file. It is truly a wonder that businesses are able to get off the ground at all. If you are a new business owner, you know that insurance of all types is very much part of the equation in the development and opening of your business. However busy you are with the basic operations of business, you must take time out to implement a strategy to keep your business secure. To be sure, an essential ingredient to this security is taking out “key person” insurance (also known as Business Life Insurance).Key person term life insurance is taken out on the life of the key executive or the business owner. All firms or small businesses depend on the key peopl
It’s possible for a site to fail the validation on one or two minor points. If this is the case it’s not a major problem, although you could ask your web designer to correct them.
However, if your site has dozens of hundreds of errors this is bad news.
It’s also possible to for your website to pass the validator and still use out-of-date techniques, however this is much less likely.
Should web designers use Web Standards?
Yes.
To put it bluntly, if you don’t know web standards, you’re really not entitled to call yourself a “professional” web designer.
There are some occasions when it’s acceptable to use non Web Standards techniques for practical reasons, but it has to be an informed decision.
How many web designers program websites the wrong way?
Unfortunately, most web designers program websites the wrong way. The sad thing is that many of them don’t even know about Web Standards.
There are plenty of web designers that do use Web Standards, but they’re in a minority.
Because there are no entry barriers to web design, anybody can set up as a web designer. That means there’s plenty of choice but it also means there are plenty of cowboys producing badly-programmed websites.
What do I do if my website hasn’t been created using Web Standards?
Well, you’ve got a couple of choices.
Firstly, you could contact the web designer that created your site and ask them why they didn’t produce your site with Web Standards.
If your site is more than 1 or 2 years old it isn’t reasonable to expect your site to have been created with Web Standards, as they weren’t a well-known technique then.
You might find that your web designer now uses Web Standards and would be able to redesign your website so that it uses them.
They may be willing to do this for free, as a courtesy, or they may charge you for this.
Can’t I just sue them?
I’m not a lawyer and couldn’t offer legal advice.
However, I suspect that unless you have a written contract with your web designer specifying that the site should be built using Web Standards techniques you would find a legal route difficult.
What are my other options?
If your current web designer is unable or unwilling to change your site so that it uses Web Standards you could find another web designer who is able to redesign your site using Web Standards.
Use Google or Yellow Pages to find web designers in your local area and then contact them to see if they use web standards.
If they say yes, check some of their sites using http://validator.w3.org/.
What if I don’t have a website yet?
If you don’t have a website yet, or are planning a new one, make sure you choose a web designer that uses Web Standards to create their websites.
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