Dozing Dog Design

Who Owns Your Code?

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:43:00 +0000

This is our first guest post for /* code she wrote */, a female-curated group for the tech-savvy set. To view the original article click here.

Since its beginning the Internet has tested the limits of the world’s judicial systems. Courts have been forced to redefine how it views on copyright, public domain, and fair use, amongst other things. The Web abounds with information, images, videos, soundbytes and more. But that does not mean that everything out there is free for the taking. The ease with which we can right-click and save images, source code and even whole websites to our personal hard drives has made us forget that all of this belongs to someone. But how so, and what does this ownership mean exactly?

What is a Copyright?
First we must define what a copyright is (and is not). To begin with, we are discussing the legal rights of an individual over his or her own creative work(s). Let’s break that down a bit; the individual (team, or company, depending) is the SOLE creative force behind the work and the work itself is the ORIGINAL creative product of the individual. So that means the artist’s painting, the writer’s novella, the poet’s poem, the filmmaker’s movie, the photographer’s print, etc. all belong solely to that individual. To keep it simple a copyright is your legal right to your original work.

So what rights exactly? A copyright is the legal protection granted to an individual to reproduce, distribute, perform, display and modify his or her original work. Again, to keep it simple, a copyright is the legal right to say “This is mine and I get to decide what is done with it.”

A few important features of copyright:

Copyright begins on the date of creation and/or modification of the creative work.
Copyright continues for the length of the author’s life + 50 years, i.e. it doesn’t expire until 50 years after you die. (Note — the length of time after death may vary, depending on the medium.)
After a copyright expires the work becomes part of the ‘public domain,’ i.e. is free for the use of the public.
That little copyright symbol (©) that you see all over, generally followed by a date, indicates that the owner recognizes his or her copyright. The date indicates (if used correctly) the date the work was created and/or modified. (Note — you cannot assume the time remaining on a copyright, unless you know the date of the author’s death… hopefully after the fact.)
You can grant permission to others to reproduce or use your original work.
If someone does reproduce, modify, distribute, or anything else with your original work without first requesting (and receiving) your permission then they are guilty of copyright infringement, and you do have the right to take legal action (though sometimes simply letting the person know of their misstep will be sufficient).

How does copyright apply to web designers/programmers?
It is often thought that because web designers/programmers/developers don’t make anything real (i.e. produce a tangible piece of work) then their creative work is not protected by copyright. Let’s stop that nasty rumor right here. I’m pretty sure that after the hours spent coding, debugging, and perfecting all of these lovely sites you peruse daily a web designer will disagree. His or her work is quite real in the sense that it occupied a good chunk of his or her time, creativity and energy. Further, any one of us would be happy to print a copy of the code (on paper, with real ink) to show you precisely how tangible our creation is.

Web designers, like any other creative person, have a legal right to the product of their creativity, i.e. the code, original text, original graphics/images, etc. that come together to create a website. Unfortunately the real confusion happens when it comes time to transfer the final site to the client who has commissioned the work. But, just as artists are often commissioned to create paintings for rich benefactors (think Michelangelo, daVinci, etc.), so too are web designers. So where does that leave our copyright? Simple — the designer still owns the copyright of all ORIGINAL works, i.e. the code written to create the page(s), etc. Anything included on the page that was not the original work of the designer (such as some images, scripts, etc.) are used by permission (right?!) and not included in the designer’s copyright.

Always Sign a Contract
So how does one protect his or her copyright? As any web designer worth his or her salt is aware, you must ALWAYS HAVE A CONTRACT FOR EVERY DESIGN PROJECT. Part of your contract should indicate what you are (or are not) willing to allow the client to do with your original contributions to the site. Essentially, you grant your clients the right to reproduce/use your creative work within a set of guidelines. This is as broad or narrow as the language of your contract permits. And obviously, the contract should also grant you, the designer, the permission to use/reproduce the full site (including the parts that are not your original work, such as client-supplied images or text). This is a sharing of copyrights, and it should be mutually beneficial to both parties, meaning that the client gets to take advantage of the amazing site you’ve designed for them and you get to add the site to your burgeoning portfolio of awesome design work.

There are multitudes of websites out there dedicated to defining the legal rights of designers, developers and programmers, as this area of copyright law is a bit tricky given the nature of the business. More importantly, there are also a multitude of websites dedicated to assisting designers in drafting contracts that protect their rights, and the rights of their clients. When in doubt, contacting an attorney is never a bad idea either. As much of our work as designers exists in this intangible realm it is important to know exactly what your rights are and to protect the fruits of your labor.

Sources:
www.whatiscopyright.org

Now on Twitter!

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Dozing Dog is now on Twitter (@dozingdog)! Follow us (but be prepared for some true web-geekiness to ensue)...

2010 Update

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:37:00 +0000

Despite all the best intentions the Dozing Dog blog has gone without updates for a few months now. Best laid plans of mice and men and all... However, there has been a lot going on behind-the-scenes, which will mean big changes in the coming months.

We will be taking a short hiatus to welcome a new member to the family but rest assured that come summer Dozing Dog will be back in a big way. We have plans for a whole redesign, new services and a new (and active, we promise) blog. In the meantime, I will be doing some writing for /* code she wrote */, which I will be cross-posting here for you to read as well as a handful of updates and useful information that I come across.

I hope 2010 has been treating all of you well and continues to do so.

All the best,

~Stephanie and the Dozing Dog family

Website Must-Haves

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

So you've made the decision that your company needs a web presence. Congratulations, you are 100% correct. But, what needs to be on that website? There is no simple answer to this question and it all relates back to your business itself. Your business website must fit into your business plan (you have one of those, right?).

The long answer is to sit down (with a pad and paper, your laptop, your sales group, etc.) and determine what you are hoping to gain by developing a website for your company. Increased sales? New customers? Larger audience? The answer to this question will dictate much of what is included, or excluded, from your website. The good news is that web design has come a long way and nearly anything is possible -- a virtual storefront to sell your goods, real-time support for your customers, marketing and wide-spread advertising options to reach new customers, and so on. Even better - you can accomplish several, or all, of these goals at the same time. You just need to know what you want.

But beyond the existential needs of your website there are some basic must-haves that you should also account for. Susan Baroncini-Moe has a great article over at Lifehack that sums these up neatly:

Bear in mind, however, that these five aren’t the only components you need ... Now, you can’t just slap these components on a web site and have something great. You’ll still need some solid graphic design, good usability and ease of navigation, plus you definitely want to make sure your design, copy, and code are developed using principles of search engine optimization.

Baroncini-Moe's suggestions are as follows:

Opt-In box
Who you are
What you do
Sticky content
Contact information

Most of these seem obvious -- you wouldn't put an ad in the newspaper without including contact information, and websites should be no different. Who you are and what you do are also pretty self-explanatory - think of your website as your first impression, and you want it to be a good one. So what about those other two must-haves, the opt-in box and sticky content?

1. Opt-In Box
If you’re not capturing your visitor’s details with an opt-in box, you’re missing one of the greatest marketing tools available online today. An opt-in box is a place where people enter their name and e-mail address (or just their e-mail address, but I’ve found it’s useful to have more information), and then they subscribe to your e-mail newsletter or e-zine (pronounced “EE-zeen”). You can start building a relationship with your subscribers with regular, useful contact (defining “regular, useful contact” is a separate article in and of itself).

An opt-in box allows potential (and existing) clients to say "Yes, I want to know more about you!" which is a great way to start a new relationship. Offering a newsletter or regular updates on products/services/sales/opportunities is a fantastic way to contact a captive audience. Rather than spending money on uninterested parties, focus your attention on the people that have are looking for what you have to offer.

4. Sticky content
Sticky content refers to any content on your web site that attracts people and keeps them there, kind of like flypaper. Consider your blog, articles, audio and videos, and other resources, to be the flypaper that keeps visitors “stuck” to your site. The longer they stay at your site, the more likely they are to convert into buyers. There is, however, a point where your content will hit critical mass and can be too sticky. If you give too much away, your potential buyers won’t need to buy. They’ll settle for the freebies and never convert into sales.

To make your website successful (and beneficial to your business as a whole) you have to make it interesting (and useful) to your audience. Give your audience a reason to stay and look around, a reason to come back, and most importantly, a reason to GIVE YOU A CALL. Otherwise, what's the point? Although designing a website is a joy in itself (in my opinion at least), if it doesn't work for you it isn't working.

All of this goes back to the original question -- what is your goal? Without a clear plan it is impossible to develop a successful website. As important as the aesthethic side of design is -- colors, flow, accessibility, presence, etc. -- the content is what really works for your company.

To read the full text of Susan Baroncini-Moe's article at Lifehack, please click here.

Why a Website? Getting Started...

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Simple - because if they can't find you they won't hire you.

Every small (medium, large or in-between) business must have a web presence of some sort. In this world if you can't be found online, you may not be found at all. I know personally I look online for nearly every service, vendor and company I do business with. I want to find them on the web, and be able to investigate them without having to feel any sales pressure, or experience the 'salesmen' confrontation. I know I am not alone in this.

So the big question is easy - do you need a website? Yes. But what do you do next? The first step is to decide if you feel comfortable designing your own website or to find a web designer that you feel comfortable working with. This is not quite so simple a question. There are dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of websites and books available to teach you the ins-and-outs of web design and all its related areas. And if you're technically savvy and feel like learning something new, it isn't the worst decision you could make. But it's important to ask yourself - what you save by doing it yourself?

A professional web designer brings a lot to the table that you don't pick up while tinkering with code and playing with color choices. Hosting options, design perspective, experience, SEO, and other such tools all come into play when you hire a web designer. All of this adds up to a more professional and likely successful website for your business. The most important aspect is to choose a designer that is straight-forward with all aspects of the project - cost, design options, maintenance and of course the big picture, how does it fit into your business plan?

Before going through the trouble of learning to build your own website, or hiring a web designer, it is important to do a little brainstorming on your own. Try to answer these questions:

What do I hope to gain by creating a website for my company?
Who is my audience, and what makes them unique?
How simple, or complex, do I want this website to be?
What must be included, and what can I do without?

With these answers in hand you will be able to start the process with a clear goal. There are a lot of bells-and-whistles out there that can lead you astray from this goal and it's important to keep these answers on-hand for frequent reflection.

Does My Small Business Really Need a Website?

info@dozingdogdesign.com (Dozing Dog Design) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

SmartBiz.com posted an article a while back by Scott Kolier, president and founder of CGSM, a direct-marketing agency specializing in marketing strategy, that focuses on why the small business owner should consider a website for his/her company. The reasoning is straight-forward: access. Kolier states:

So if you are a small business and have a less than great website or no website at all, you are missing a great opportunity to be there when potential new customers are looking for your product or service. And you are also missing an opportunity to tell your story in a fun and engaging manner. Customers are looking for what you have to offer. Will they find you?

Today's consumers have adjusted to a truly modern concept of access and accessibility. They want information immediately, at off-hours, and without any 'salesmen' confrontations. Websites are simply not the domain (pun intended) of big business any longer and perhaps smaller businesses could benefit most substantially from a presence on the world wide web.

Kolier also goes on to address some of the prevailing myths about setting up a website for your company, including cost, purpose and the fear of technology. A good web designer can go a long way to alleviating these fears and giving your business the benefit of reaching more potential customers. And more potential customers = more money in the long run, doesn't it?

I know that small business owners are among the busiest people, and I have heard some claim they do not have the time or financial wherewithal to develop a good website. This is a BIG mistake! Customers are continually searching the internet looking for products and services. And rightly or wrongly, they often judge whether or not to do business with your company on the basis of your website.

To read the full article at SmartBiz.com, please click here.