But, here is the rub, if we are really doing our job we can’t just design and develop a web site for our client, we really need to think about our client’s customers, the stakeholder with no say. Of course, usually the client is aware of what their customers wants, so there is no conflict here. But on occasion, there is a difference between what our client is asking for and what their customers will be drawn to. These are not fun situations to be in the middle of, but navigating them well is important.

The main thing we do is work to educate our client on the best approach and on why we think a certain direction is a good one to take in order to meet their business needs and appeal to their customers. Usually once the client really understands our thinking behind something they are more open to moving in that direction. We try to look at this process as a partnership with out client, recognizing that they know their customers better than anyone, while remembering that our expertise is in custom web design and user experience.

First, let me say this, a personal Facebook profile is just that, personal. It should be your profile, with your information, sporting your smiling face in the profile picture (not a company logo). So, don’t make a profile, put in your company info and then start friending people. This is a bad idea because it breaks Facebook’s policies and it makes Facebook users annoyed.

That said, there are ways to use your personal profile to help your business. Here are a few ideas:

• Talk about your business in status updates. Just casually mention what you do from time to time, show off your work through pictures or links, or talk about good work days. Don’t talk about work too much, but enough so that people readily remember what you do and will think to recommend you when they meet someone that might need your services.
• Check in at work via Facebook. Same as above, this just lets people know where you are and what you do.
• Write status updates related to your industry and make them interesting so that people will actually pay attention.
• When you see Facebook friends talking about things related to your industry, chime in and share your thoughts, if you are an expert on a subject, offer those expertise.
• Offer to help your Facebook friends with no strings attached. Just be helpful, thoughtful and nice, it goes a long way and will help you grow your business in the long run.

One of my favorite sayings is that a company’s website is the front porch of their business. It is the first thing that 90% of people will see first, and they will make a decision on whether or not to do business based on the company’s website. A company website can be warm, inviting, reflect the personality of the company and invite people to walk through the front door, or it can scare them away.

Does the front porch of your business welcome people in, or does it need some repair work?

Here are a few things to consider when looking at a website proposal:

• Are they offering custom design from the ground up, or are they offering “customized design” based on a template?
  These might seem the same, but they are very different. With a custom design you are getting a website custom tailored for your business, created with only your business and best interest in mind. With a design based on a template, you are getting a site that was created with many businesses in mind, meaning that you get a design that is generic and may and may not suit your specific business needs.
• If the site is built on a content management system, which one is going to be used?
  Not all content management systems are equal. For example, we use WordPress as our CMS (content management system) of choice and we have found that the other two most popular CMSs used for websites (Drupal and Joomla) tend to be very hard for users to understand and effectively manage. In our mind, if our client can’t manage the site themselves with a content management system, then there isn’t much point in having a content management system in the first place. So, a proposal for a website using WordPress as a CMS is very different from a proposal for a website using Joomla as a CMS.
• Who is going to code the site? A computer? Someone overseas? Or the company that wrote the proposal?
  Most people would assume that the company that writes the proposal is the one that will code the site, but often this is not the case. Then you might wonder, as long as it is coded and looks good, why does it matter who codes it? Well, it matters because later, when you need something added to the design or functionality of the site, working directly with the people that originally coded the site and created its functionality will make things cheaper and easier for you.
• What level of support does each company offer after the project is done?
  Here is an interesting test for a potential company you are thinking of using to build your next website. Call them and see if they answer. If they do not answer, leave a message. If the company answered they are in the minority as most website companies are not easy to get on the phone. If you leave a message and they call back the same day they are still in the minority, this is rare. This is a great test because it tells you how engaged the company is with their clients and potential clients. If the company takes 3 days to get back to a potential client, imagine how long it takes them to get back to a client whose site has been finished and paid for. The availability of the company that you use will make a huge impact on how smooth your website project goes.

A website shouldn’t be static, just built and left alone unchanging forever. A website should be dynamic, moving, growing and giving to potential clients and consumers. Websites were once online brochures for businesses, but that day is past. Now websites are community hubs, information centers, collaboration areas, community think tanks, education destinations and much more. They take on life with new and changing content. These are the sites we love to build and train people to use, sites that give back to the larger community.

More and more we are seeing that giving things away, without strings attached, for the good of the community at large is not only a legitimate way to grow a business, but an essential tool. It shows potential customers that your business cares and will take the time to educate and improve your profession or community. It shows your peers that you have a vast amount of information and expertise to offer. And, it shows the community and networks that you frequent that you have a great deal of value that you freely offer to everyone, implying that you have much more you can offer to clients.

1. A website should reflect the personality of the organization it represents.
2. A website should appeal to that organizations target market.
3. A website should serve a purpose, meeting a business need.

With that said, we have a lot experience doing what we do. That doesn’t necessarily mean we are perfect at what we do, but that doesn’t matter for this article. This article is about saving time and getting your project done, and done correctly.

We are now setting up all of our clients with Basecamp to manage projects. Very few people actually enjoy learning new tools that get you to the same end results. We didn’t even want to learn a new tool! We have work to do, right? But oddly enough, everyone likes to get the result that they aim for. At Sideways8 we strive to hit that mark.

Basecamp and project management software in general seems to be unnecessary step. Why is this? Email is sufficient for most things, right? We have realized though that it is not efficient when trying to hit a precise target, and sometimes, a moving target.

Often, our moving target is “text” on a site. Sometimes once you see wording on a page it just doesn’t fit. We understand that and are willing to change it. Sending an email about it, or an email about a certain word on a certain page, or certain words on certain pages and then having it changed shortly after can be confusing on our end. We just want to make sure we get it right. That is where to-do lists and tasks come in to play.

Tasks are the best way to make sure we make the mark. If we have a task, and a Word document attached we will know exactly where to place the content. When questions come up, we post a message, you get notified via email (if you choose), you post clarification, we make the change. Next, we mark the task completed.

If we have all of our tasks in Basecamp, we both see the tasks and the deadlines, and one by one we see the task list dwindle. That way you know that we are working on your project.

Files seem to be a very small part of project management, and really, a long list of files might just confuse things. But, when you combine a file with a task it makes it invaluable. Especially if we are making changes to a file. We can keep track of versions of the files.

Message tie into the core of project management. Instead of sending emails you can post a message to people and allow people to comment on it. It doesn’t seem that powerful, I know. But a record of things being posted is great, no more lost emails on either end of the project. And, if you are just trying to keep up with what is going on and do not to be directly involved (like a manager) you can get a daily digest of the messages. A pretty handy tool.

All in all, we are very glad we are using a tool like this. We feel that it saves the client time and effort.