If you are one of the over 200 million people with a Facebook account, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard all of the hype over Facebook usernames and vanity URL’s.

These initially became available for both personal profiles and fan pages at 12:01am EST on June 13, 2009. I for one was among those who stayed up late on a Saturday night to get a vanity URL for my own personal profile.

Like many others, however, my fan page was fairly new, and did not meet the initial requirement of having 1,000 fans in order to get a fan page username. That would come later…

The Second Wave = Mass Confusion?

This past weekend, on June 29th, Facebook opened up the second wave of fan page username registration. However, it didn’t come without a bit of controversy and confusion…

First, there was no time listed, just a date. I’m sure I’m not the only one who assumed the second wave would start at 12:01am, just like the initial landrush. Well, you know what happens when you assume something, right? It turns out, the second wave wouldn’t start until 11:59pm that night.

Reports also started floating around in regards to the fan page requirements. Initially, fan pages needed a minimum of 25 fans in order to be eligible for a username. No biggie - I had about 120 at this point, so I was not concerned.

Late Sunday afternoon, however, Facebook changed their tune… the minimum requirement was raised to 100 fans. I’m sure this made for a LOT of unhappy campers - although I realize it is all in the name of preventing cyber squatting.

In addition to this, the Facebook help pages made mention of possibly verifying your account with a mobile phone.

Users will be required to have a verified Facebook account, which may require mobile phone authentication. This decision was made to prevent people from creating new accounts just to take advantage of reserving a username.

Not As Easy As It Sounds

I thought I took care of that earlier in the day by activating Facebook mobile through the Account | Mobile link. It was as simple as sending a text message with the letter “f” to FBOOK, receiving a confirmation code, and entering it into the account settings. I tested this and all was well. Ready to get my username!

Think again! 11:59pm rolled around - I went to the username page, entered my cell phone number to be faced with this:

Sorry, that phone was recently used to verify another Facebook user and is not currently eligible for mobile verification.

WHAT?!?!?! You can imagine my distress! What do they mean my cell phone was used to verify another Facebook user? Yes the number was used - but it was used to verify MY account - an account that I’ve had for well over a year, so why is there question of my identity now?

I tried repeatedly to enter my cell phone number… I even tried in vain to use my Skype and Gizmo numbers in order to get a new confirmation code sent. Heck, I even tried my main phone number forwarded to my cell phone, LOL. Apparently Skype and Gizmo can only send SMS messages - not receive them.

Facebook Bugs and Known Problems

This is apparently either a “Bug” or “Known Problem” - see the screenshot below…

Crazy Hair-Brained Scheme #1

At this point I was desperate to secure my username and was willing to try just about anything to get it. So crazy idea #1 hit - if they won’t verify my real cell phone number, I’ll run to the store in the morning, get a cheapie $19 prepaid phone, activate it, then verify my facebook account with the new number.

Cake, right? NOPE!

Apparently Facebook has a limit - you can only request 5 confirmation codes before it cuts you off. It would have been nice if they notified you of this somewhere on the page, so I wouldn’t have wasted codes on numbers that likely weren’t going to work!

So $19 later, I’m faced with this:

Sorry, we have already tried texting 5 codes and they all seem to have failed. Please click here to get help.

Absolutely nothing that I tried at this point worked, and the help files didn’t do much other than tell you to “click here” again to fill out various support forms and bug reports. And trust me, I filled out as many forms as I could!

To make things worse, in searching for help on the issue, I came across many posts on the Facebook forums with complaints of people waiting months without any response from Facebook support.

NOT the reassurance I was hoping for!

Crazy Hair-Brained Scheme #1 = Success! (sort-of)

While this tactic didn’t work for me, because I had already hit the 5 code limit, I am happy to report that it does work for other people!

A good friend of mine experienced the exact same problem that I did - but lucky for her, she hadn’t reached the 5 code limit on the account she was trying to verify.

She unfortunately had to spend $35 on her cheapie pre-paid phone and plan, but it worked! She was successfully able to secure her Facebook fan page username!

Crazy Hair-Brained Scheme #2

My friend was now set, but it seemed that I was completely out of luck. Then it hit me… I remembered that you could add other people as administrators for your fan page.

I had recently setup a Facebook account for my husband - of course, he’s not a techie like me and could care less about the whole vanity URL thing. And as the universe works, since the usernames were not a big deal for him, he was able to verify his account and secure his username without ANY issues whatsoever!

Well, it’s my husband… his account is verified… I trust him completely… so…

What if I named my husband as an admin, and let him pick the fan page username?

Not the perfect situation, but it would certainly secure the name that I so desperately wanted to have.

So, I logged into my account, assigned him as an admin… logged in as him (with his permission, of course)… proceeded to the username page… held my breath and…

Crazy Hair-Brained Scheme #2 = Success!

Yes, this is a crazy work-around - something only a crazy obsessive compulsive personality could come up with, LOL. And of course you would only want to do this with someone that you completely trust your fan page account with.

But it worked! I was able to register my fan page username while logged into his verified account.

I was also a bit worried what would happen if I removed him as an admin, but I’ve since done so, and the username remains in tact.

Phew!

Few And Far Between?

While it seemed that everyone and their mother were posting their shiny new fan page vanity URL’s, it felt as though I was the only one having problems.

I did see a few tweets of people not being able to verify their account, but I don’t think they went to the lengths that my friend and I did to secure our pages. But, if it happened to at least the two of us - and the mobile number error I received was a “known problem” then I’m sure we were not the only ones.

So, yes, it’s a crazy work-around, but if you run into issues verifying your account and are willing to do whatever it takes to get a username for your fan page - one of these solutions might be right for you!

Smooth Sailing or a Nightmare?

So… did you secure your fan page username? Was it smooth sailing for you, or was it a similar nightmare? I’d love to hear your story, especially if it was a not so fun one like mine!

Fan Me, Please!

Of course, I can’t end this post without linking out to my page!

http://www.facebook.com/idesignstudios

I am not 100% sure what I’ll be using it for, but at the very least, I’ll be streaming blog posts, as well as providing helpful links that I find for designers, developers, freelancers and business owners - with tips on productivity, time management, work-life balance - you name it!

Basically a place to share the type of things I can’t really make a full blog post out of, but are more than worthy of sharing!

So, please join the community - I hope to see you there!

Today’s post started out as a short one, to thank the Geek Girls Network for asking me to participate in their interview series. But I soon realized that I’ve been interviewed several times in the last year, and wanted to share those with you, as well.

Most of the interviews focus on my experiences as a web designer, business owner, and as someone who has recently taken the freelance plunge.

I’m honored to have been asked to interview by so many great bloggers - they all ask some very interesting questions, which give you a bit of an insight as to what makes this “geek girl” tick…

Geek Girls Network

By Kristin Riley - June 26, 2009
read the full interview

• When did you first become interested in Web Site Design?
• What has been your favorite/most memorable project that you have worked on?
• When did you decide and what factors were involved in making your decision to start your own business?
• Do you feel there are any pressures in this industry because you are a woman?
• What tools/skills have you acquired that you feel are vital to your success in this field?
• What has been your worst web design experience?
• What message would you give to geek girls just starting out in the web design industry?

Phire Design

By AJ Troxell - March 19, 2009
read the full interview

• How did you first get involved in graphic design, or what was your first experience w/ it?
• When did you know that this is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?
• Did you always plan on doing design as well as development, or did it just factor in over time once you realized there was a need for people or companies to get those two things in one place?
• Why did you make the decision to go freelance? What was in it for you that you wanted to have?
• What thing in what you do, brings you the most satisfaction?
• What would you say makes you and your company different, or sets you apart from the rest?
• Who or what would you give credit to for helping you become the designer that you are, if you had to say?
• What’s your favorite part of design itself? Logos, type, color theory, etc.?
• Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about design or web development or your company, or any advice you’d like to give to anyone looking to go freelance?

BPease Design

By Bob Pease - January 16, 2009
Read the full interview

• What brought you to the wonderful world of web design?
• What was the first site you designed?
• How do you break designer’s block?
• How does the ‘real world’ inspire your web creations?
• You are very active in the design community, which social media site has been the best tool for you?
• Who do you admire most in the design community?
• What apps do you use when designing a site?
• What is your favorite platform/language to develop with?
• A question I see floating around all the time - Music while you work, is it good or bad?
• If you had to give up design, what you choose for a career?

SparkPlugging

By Wendy Piersall - July 3, 2008
Read the full interview

• Selene, you have been hanging around my site now for around 9 months or so, and I’ve watched you grow from anonymous blogger - WAH(Web)Mommy - to ‘freelance moonlighter’ blogger, and now to full time work at home freelancer. I know you sometimes struggled with some decisions along the way, too. How long have you wanted to run your own business from home, and what were the reasons why you wanted to do so?
• When you finally made the decision to work for yourself, what was your plan of action to transition from employee to self-employed? Did you create milestones for yourself, and if you did what were they?
• What were some of the ’surprises’ along the way? Did anything pop up in this process that you weren’t anticipating?
• Did you have your husband’s support during the transition? How did that influence the process?
• What role did blogging and social media play in reaching your goal?
• What resources did you use to research, gather information, and prepare yourself for running your own business?
• Now that you are truly “free”, what advice would you give to other people looking to make the jump into full time freelancing?

Where It All Began

While the interviews above pose some great questions, you might still be wondering more about my background and upbringing. If so, feel free to check out my short biography, or if you’re brave enough, the incredibly long-winded version… your choice, LOL.

Back To Our (IR)Regularly Scheduled Programming

I realize that much of my recent writing activity has been focused on other blogs more than my own, but don’t worry - we’ll be back to our irregularly scheduled design, development, business, marketing and work-life balance posts next week!

Within the last few months, I have written several guest posts on Freelance Folder that focus on topics relating to web site design and development. As I spread my wings in the blogging world, I’ve recently been approached by Mashable about contributing a WordPress related post to their blog.

Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. With more than 6 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the most prolific blog reviewing new Web sites and services, publishing breaking news on what’s new on the web and offering social media resources and guides.

Given Mashable’s popularity, you can imagine my surprise at the invitation - one that I could not turn down!

Top 10 WordPress Plugins to Promote Your Social Media Profiles

Here’s a brief introduction to the post below:
read the full article here

There’s no escaping social media — whether it’s for the promotion of your product, service or blog, or even just for fun, it is impossible to deny the staying power of this fairly new medium. Because WordPress is such a popular blogging platform and content management system, and has such a healthy developer ecosystem, it should come as no surprise that there are countless plugins available to help integrate your social networking efforts with your WordPress driven site.

While it’s important promote your blog posts with social bookmarking, it is equally important to promote and link to your actual profiles, as well. The following WordPress plugins are just a few of the options available to help you accomplish this. If we haven’t covered your favorite WordPress social media plugins, please leave links to them in the comments.

I hope you’ll head on over to Mashable to read the full article and share your comments.

Welcome Mashable Readers!

If you are here because of the post on Mashable - Welcome!

Thank you for reading the article and coming to check out my own web site and blog. Below are some of the more popular articles that I’ve written that you might find of interest!

• Project Scheduling Advice from 14 Designers
• How To Use WordPress as a CMS
• Essential Web Developer Tools
• 6 Phases of the Web Development Process
• Taking the Freelance Plunge… I Am FREE!

If you’re curious as to just who is behind this blog, you can learn more about me here or through the links on the sidebar. I hope you’ll also check out my web design portfolio.

Thanks again for stopping by - I hope to see you again soon! And if you like what you see, please subscribe to the feed for updates!

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for the congratulations on reaching my first anniversary of being a full time freelancer! It’s been an amazing first year, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for my second year!

Of course, it goes without saying that I’d like to thank everyone who entered the giveaway, and UPrinting for sponsoring the prizes.

And The Winners Are…

• Melissa - 1,000 FREE custom size business cards
• Rose - 1 FREE 18×24 rolled canvas print

Congratulations to you both! I will send your email addresses to Uprinting, who will be contacting you shortly with details on the prize.

Winners were randomly selected using Random.org’s True Random Number Generator.

It’s sometimes difficult to believe how quickly time flies…

One year ago today, I took the plunge towards running my own web design business full time, by giving my two weeks notice at work. In two short weeks, I’ll officially be celebrating the one year anniversary of being a full time freelancer!

To commemorate this milestone, I’m hosting a giveaway!

I was approached last summer by UPrinting with an offer for free business card printing, in exchange for a sponsored review. Just starting out on my own full time, it was perfect timing for a new set of business cards to help promote my business.

UPrinting has contacted me again with a similar offer - but this time I’m able to give back to my readers by offering a giveaway!

What You Can Win

• One reader will win 1,000 FREE custom size business cards
• One reader will win 1 FREE 18×24 rolled canvas print

How to Enter

You can enter in one of two ways…

• Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, describing what you would use the free business cards and/or canvas print for. This gets you 1 entry.

– or –

• Write a post on your blog, linking back to this post and to www.uprinting.com -  then leave a comment here linking to your own post. This gets you 2 entries - twice the chance to win!

Contest Rules

• Comments will be open until June 13, 2009 at 4:00pm (GMT-4)
• You must include your real name and email address with your comment, so that we can contact you if you’re the winner
• Two winners will randomly be selected using Random.org
  
• You can choose from any of UPrinting’s stocks for the prize items
• Die cut not available on business cards
• Winners in the United States and Canada qualify for FREE shipping. Shipping fees will apply to winners outside these areas

About UPrinting.com

For over 25 years, UPrinting has been a trusted leader in Online Printing, featuring its signature easy-to-use website and the famous free file review, a complimentary proofing service which requires no upfront payment. UPrinting offers convenient marketing support services such as design, lists, and direct mailing to help grow small and medium-size businesses nationwide.

UPrinting.com’s high quality printing services include Canvas Printing, Business Card Printing, brochures, postcards and more, all at the most affordable prices.

Design Inspiration

To help inspire… you can view some amazing business card and canvas print design inspiration on Flickr!

Given the complexities of the various phases of the web design and development process - including many variables often revolving around pending client feedback - I have often wondered how other web designers go about scheduling their own projects.

Status Quo

Although I officially started my web design company, iDesign Studios, in 2001 - it was originally nothing more than a bit of side work here or there. It wasn’t until the last couple years that I finally had the drive and determination to take my business to the next level.

Next month marks my one year anniversary of having quit my day job to run my company full time, and things have been steadily getting busier. Up until recently, my general policy on scheduling new projects was to start work on them immediately upon receipt of a signed contract and 50% deposit, delivering each major phase within one week (with two to three business days for minor revisions).

With this method, my workload has been (for the most part) completely manageable… until the moon and stars align, and I get hit with three or four people sending in their contracts and deposits over a two day period - leaving me with a very busy week ahead!

I’ve found this to be happening more and more frequently lately, and realize it’s finally time to re-evaluate my scheduling process.

Time For A Change

One of the primary reasons I made the move towards running my own business full time - in addition to being able to earn a decent living doing something that I love - is so that I could have more control of my life… aka work / life balance.

Over committing myself to too many client projects at a given time is not only stressful, but stretches me thin.

In addition to the health factors associated with too much stress, it can also lead to less creativity and lesser quality work - something that I am not willing to compromise on.

Currently Booking Projects Starting ___ [Insert Date Here]

I often see sites where developers post a note stating something like “Now booking projects for ___ [x date in the future]”

What I always wondered, was how do they determine what that future date should be? How many active projects do these designers take on at a given time?

I recently posed these questions on Twitter and got a lot of great feedback in 140 character blurbs. At the same time, I also found that several of you are struggling with the same scheduling issues.

@veeroo18 -  i took mostly 2 full web design per month. .. though its too less but i do some other design jobs too like logo icons

14 Designers Share Their Advice…

Despite the great advice I received on Twitter, it was obviously limited to short one liners. Since the issue of project management and scheduling seemed to be on a lot of people’s minds, I wanted to expand upon these short responses by asking for more detailed explanations from some of the designers and developers who are quite active in the design community.

You might want to pull up a chair and grab a cup of coffee for this one, because it is a bit lengthy. However the wide range of scheduling techniques shared below are worth the read!

I know that I’ll be pulling bits and pieces from the suggestions below as I re-structure my own scheduling process - I hope you are able to do the same!

How do you go about scheduling work when you sign a new client? For example, when people say something like “now booking projects for June 2009″

This process is not always set in stone, I will typically get all the details from the client on the project and finalize exactly what they need done (this usually takes a few emails to narrow down). Once I have all the details and they have been quoted on the project, I will then ask them for a deadline, I then try to work around all the projects I receive and get the ones that have the closest deadlines done in the order that they were received.

Although this does not always work out to be a perfect scenario, so some deadlines may have to be re-adjusted based on the work already scheduled, clients make changes to scope, etc. I typically try not to allow a client to make a deadline that is within a few days so that they won’t expect to get a ‘rush’ project done on a normal busy week sometime in the future without being subjected to a rush fee.

I try to set client ‘expectations’ so that they know what to expect next time they need something done :).

I don’t really take on enough clients to have to worry about this. When I sign a new client I sit down and do a rough timeline for the project but that’s usually the extent of it.

We typically will only take on 3 large projects at a time. We always have smaller projects being completed each week (print designs etc), but to really provide exceptional service to our clients, we only work on 3 larger projects at any given time.

Usually I have a clear plan in my head so I can give a rather precise deadline for the work. I always take into account the number of active projects and the priority of those. I have discovered to work very well under pressure which is why I regularly take on last-minute projects (charging accordingly though).

I’m usually always up for discussing new projects, even when I am super busy. So I usually start by talking things over with the client straight away, finding out what they want and putting a proposal together.

Depending on my work load I’ll start working on the project within 2-4 weeks, depending on when they can provide me with all the assets and a deposit.

I use a spreadsheet where I track the amount of time booked and available each month.  When I’m discussing the project with a new client, I’ll use it to let them know when I can schedule their project.

I also don’t lock in a date until I have a signed contract and deposit back from the client.

I’ve averaged about 100 project a year now since freelancing fulltime three years ago.  Some of them are large multi-month projects, others are simple three day turnarounds.  No matter what the project involves, I have learned that the best thing to take into consideration is your own ability.  I’ve gotten to the point where I know how long it will take to design a mockup, animate a Flash banner, or design a logo.  Because of this I can manage my time better.  I also am a big fan of sticky notes and a calendar.  It really helps to know what projects are coming up and which ones you are awaiting feedback from.

Overall, I typically have 3 or 4 projects going on at the same time.  Each is scattered and in a different phase of development.  So while I may be waiting to hear back from Client A about layouts, I can be working on Client B’s Flash header.  Then I can switch gears to Client C and start developing their site in HTML/CSS.

I also enjoy bouncing between projects as it helps to keep things from becoming stagnant.  Projects that have long timelines can get boring if that is all you are working on.  Though in all honesty, I’ve never had a project that took up 100% of my time.  Typically there is always at least a few days of downtime waiting to get feedback or approval between development phases.  This is especially true for larger clients.  Generally speaking, the larger the brand is, the more time needed for feedback.

Before I sign a new client I usually give them a basic idea of how long it will take me to complete the project based on the brief as well as when I will be able to start the project.  After the project gets the green light, I also provide clients with a list of milestone dates.

Oh, I need to re-think *everything*.

If I say, for example, now booking at the end of May, in my head I know I can start two new client projects that week. At least two major ones. It depends. We get a lot of little jobs, so we fit them in and around everything else.

We probably juggle too much though. I have a hard time turning down projects, especially if my referral list is as booked up as I am.

I’ve got a big blank desk calendar on the wall and tend to slot people in on Mondays. So whoever gets to me first, I slot them in the next available start date. Next client on the list gets started a week later, depending on how big the previous job was. Sometimes if they are BIG, I’ll space them every 2 weeks.

And then add in little one-off jobs around them.

If there are no other open/active projects on my plate then it’s pretty much whenever the prospective client is ready to begin. If I am entertaining two or more prospective projects at the same time, the scope of each project along with the client’s constraints dictate my response to each. One of the first questions I ask the prospect during initial conversations is “Do you have any upcoming external requirements for this project, such as a scheduled press release or event?” If not, then I present to them my typical two-month project plan of attack. Explaining this to them, along with what they are responsible for and how it affects the proposed launch, usually makes them think about what they’re asking of me.

If the project has no pressing timelines right off the bat, once an estimate is approved (via Freshbooks) I’ll kick off the project by setting it up in Basecamp, assigning milestones, to-dos, permissions, etc. From that point, it’s in my process flow and everything is in one place.

Lately I’ve been working on at least three projects at the same time, in various stages of completion. RFPs continue to come in, almost in sporadic spurts. Some are for consulting and advice, some are for full blown projects. I am up front and honest with all new prospects, letting them know what I currently have going on, and when I think I’d be able to get to their project. They seem to appreciate the openness and candor. I recently added a line to my RFP form stating that I am booking for projects starting in May, only because I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t handle any more active gigs while trying to be a family man and have a social life.

I don’t tend to have any highly detailed scheduling plans, for me it’s more a case of checking over jobs I’m working on and at what pace they are progressing, then book in as appropriate. In cases where I’m a little worked up I’ll postpone new work for the following month or so.

Well, I always have a steady flow of work both from new clients and existing ones that I never really had to put a ‘not available’ or ‘now booking’ notice on my site. If my schedule is full I’ll refer the client to a fellow designer, or ask the client if he or she could wait [insert number of days/weeks here] for my schedule to clear before I start work on their project.

I try to schedule about a month in advance. Most of my clients have no problems knowing that I am booked until XYZ date. Letting them know that I try to only work on one project at a time shows them that their project is important to me and gets the attention it deserves.

I don’t really have a set way I schedule projects. I am always aware of my current work load, so when discussing new projects with new clients, I give them a rough schedule based on what I know my workload will allow.

What is the maximum number of active web design / development projects you have going on a given week? This is in reference to full design and / or development - not so much the “little” jobs like making quick updates to an existing site, etc.

I typically try to only have 2 big ‘full site’ projects in any given week, because most of the time when building a site from scratch its going to take more than 40 hours to get it all squared away.

2 Projects gives you enough time each day to make a good amount of progress on the sites without working a 100 hour week to keep up with everything (including the little stuff that you get anyway, like maintenance). It also depends on the size of the projects as well, so this is a little adjustable given the situations.

I try not to take on more than 3 full projects at a time otherwise my focus becomes too split and I can’t do my best work.

If we receive additional inquiries while we have 3 large projects running, we provide an estimated commencement date for any new projects. Most of the time, the clients are happy to wait to have their project started as they have researched companies quite a bit, and have decided to work with us, even if we can’t start their project immediately.

It is really down to how well new/potential clients respect your company and the potential you have to make their project successful for then.

That is a tough question since I’ve only started doing freelance work and uni has kept me busy until now. I do however have 3 active projects at the moment. In future I plan on having one or two large projects per week while working on lower priority jobs simultaneously.

I usually focus on 2 projects per week, while dealing with small updates, admin and communicating with new & other clients on the side.

I don’t have a maximum number of projects, I work based on my availability.  I might have two large projects going on at once or 6 small projects.

The most active projects I’ve had at one time was seven.  A couple of clients had some large last minute revisions before launching the site and just by chance I had received feedback and approval on other projects all at the same time.  It really doesn’t happen but once a year at most, but when it does you have to be willing to put in the time.

I’m a stickler on deadlines, and if I quote a timeline, then I will do everything possible to meet that deadline.  It ended up being a very hectic week with many long nights, but I didn’t miss a single deadline.  One of the projects I was working on that week was even awarded an Addy award.  Sometimes pressure can bring out the best in you.

I work with a small team of designers and developers so I can handle a lot more projects than just a single freelancer.  As far as my design business goes, Wordpress Designers, I can usually handle about 5 design jobs and 5 code jobs at once.

On any given day, we’re working on as many as 4 to 6 different sites, jumping back and forth. If we need feedback from a client and have to wait, we just start on a task on the next client or one of those small jobs, or the still-in-progress previous client.

I am always overbooked and always running over, so I need to figure out something. Since the kids are around and we have a pretty full life anyway, we have a lot of interruptions. I keep regular hours, but Ron gets up late and goes to bed late because he works really well at night.

I try to limit myself to four active projects–full website development or redesign projects for businesses, using WordPress as the back-end CMS of choice. This doesn’t necessarily mean I am actually working on four projects every week, since more often than not I am waiting on client input/feedback/content. I am still a one-man shop, and a good portion of every day is spent on client communication and project management. I am getting better at this as time goes on (I’ve been doing freelance work since 2003); it is a trait that requires constant training.

I’ll also do occasional maintenance work for past clients, that aren’t necessarily active. And of course I will certainly allow some time for a Twitter response, email, or phone call for consulting, advice and the like.

I enjoy taking on projects that cover logo design, a character design or two and maybe a t-shirt or skateboard deck every now and again as well as general web design. There’s also quite a difference in time spent on jobs consisting of just the Photoshop mockup and those involving the actual site build. With this in mind it’s difficult to put a specific number on active projects, but six is a nice average. From past experiences I don’t like to take on more than 10 jobs at any one time as a personal rule of thumb.

I usually have a max of 3 projects I’m working on at the same time. It happens I’ll have more though cause we know sometimes some projects take longer than expected, but usually not more than 3 projects in a week.

I try not to take on more than 1 web design / development job in a week. If i took on more than this I would probably go nuts. I have a full time job and maintain my blog on top of freelancing.

Again, I don’t really have a set maximum number. Some projects are on a much larger scale then others. Sometimes, I could get several projects done in a few days. Other projects may take several days individually.

So again, for me it’s about knowing my workload, and scheduling jobs at a pace that keeps the client happy, and keeps me sane.

As much as we can plan for the various phases of a full web design project, there are inevitably client delays in providing feedback, content, etc… How do you handle these delays when they put a wrench in your project scheduling?

I try my best to keep projects moving forward and as fast as possible and within the deadline. Anytime a client starts slacking on the details or direction of a project I get as much of it done as possible so that the ball is in their court in every way, then I send periodic or daily email reminders to them just checking on the status of the items in question.

I also try to be as friendly as possible when doing this, because lets face it, daily emails asking for assets are annoying, but are sometimes necessary to keep a project moving and within the designated deadline, and not stuck in the background while you are taking on new projects and trying to schedule those and get them done in a timely manner. Sometimes the client needs to be reminded of the deadline, and if they want to successfully reach that goal, they need to send you the feedback or assets that you need to accomplish this.

I try to look at it optimistically and treat it like found time. I generally take these opportunities to work on my own side projects.

We basically ensure that the client knows each time a delay occurs that it delays the overall schedule of the project, and as a result, the initial completion date that we provided at the start of the project is no longer accurate. If the delay is for a really significant length of time, then we have to let the client know that it can often lead to a delay in getting the project started again. We make sure that they understand that if an extremely long delay occurs  then we obviously have to continue to take on new projects…and we can only place their project back into the schedule when there is room available.

From the beginning on I always make it very clear that each project is a collaborations between the client and me. Both must be involved and keep up with schedule. The way I handle delays varies from the number of active projects I have. In slow phases I will send e-mails to remind the client of that he still needs to provide me with more information or resources. If I have a lot of work I will put that particular project on hold for a while and catch up with others. There is no clear plan, it depends on many variables which have to be taken into account.

Usually there is another client project I can work on but I also use this as an excuse to work on my own work. Side projects, writing blogs, learning etc.

I try to plan around delays by working on sections that need their feedback first.  I handle smaller delays by shifting projects around for the week.  If it’s a larger delay, I’ll contact the client and see if we need to renegotiate the timeline or responsibly.  The important part is to make sure you have at least one other project to fall back on, either a client or personal project.

Client delays happen.  It’s just the nature of business.  I include a clause in the estimate that warns the client that each phase of the timeline is impacted by response time.  I ask that they provide me with one main point of contact and that I need that person respond in a timely fashion.  If the project is larger, I add invoice dates into the estimate. That way, even if the client is holding up the project I can still submit an invoice and receive payment.

In the list of milestones, I also include dates for client feedback.  This helps to keep them from blaming me for not getting a project done on time.  They can clearly see that I need their feedback by a certain day to continue.  They see this from day one and have no one to blame but themselves if I don’t have their feedback by the date in the milestones.

It depends, I guess. If I’m waiting for their feedback and it’s been long enough I know it’s going to interfere with a proposed deadline, I’ll email a reminder and a notice that for every day they delay an answer, the deadline will be pushed back. I’ll even state flat out I can’t move forward / finish until and unless I get a reply.

Ah yes, the toughest part of any client interaction! I am actually dealing with this situation right now: client wanting to change the look and feel of the home page design two weeks before the scheduled launch date (original design was already approved). Generally speaking, since everything regarding the project is handled within Basecamp, the client can see exactly who needs what and when. And if something falls behind or isn’t completed it becomes readily obvious. In my experience, a message explaining the situation (late content delivery, feedback, and the impact) followed by a phone call to the decision maker usually lights a fire under the person(s) responsible for the delay. In polite terms, I simply say “work on the project will stop until…”

I generally don’t worry about delays too much, the downtime for one project always comes in handy on another, or to spend some time pumping out some blog posts for the upcoming month. As long as when said client comes back after 6 weeks they don’t expects their job to still be at the top of the list :-). However a quick check-in email can usually push a job forward when it reaches a stale point.

I try not to worry too much about this since it happens all the time. In the event a client is taking a bit longer to provide feedback on a design I’ll work on another project in the meantime or I’ll if I can I’ll work on my personal projects. I always have personal projects that need some attention so delays are rarely a problem.

I try to let clients know that signing contracts and estimates and sticking to deadlines helps us both. The more prompt they are the faster their project gets done.

Client delays seem to always happen. Thankfully, I normally have several other projects I could be working on as well. So, if I do not have what I need to finish a project at it’s ’scheduled’ time, I’ll move onto the next.

What Is YOUR Scheduling Process Like?

Now it’s time to hear from you!

• What techniques do you use when scheduling
  work for new clients?
• On average, how many projects do you take
  on at a given time?
• How do you deal with client delays?

Please share in the comments below!

Of course, it goes without saying that I’d like to give a big thanks to all the designers who shared their scheduling process with us!

As I focus more and more on designing and developing custom WordPress themes for clients, I’ve realized that there is a core set of plugins that I regularly setup with every new site.

My latest guest post on Freelance Folder details some of the basic and essential first steps…

10 Essential Plugins Every Modern WordPress Site Should Have

Here’s a brief introduction to the post below:
read the full article here

One of the many benefits to WordPress, one of the most popular blogging platform and Content Management System (CMS), is that it is open source software with a very large and dedicated community. There are so many great developers working to make WordPress the best that it can be, that there are thousands of free plugins available to enhance the platform’s default functionality.

There are, of course, too many plugins to list here, so in this article we’re just going to point out the essentials… what I consider to be the bare minimum “can’t live without” list of plugins that should be installed with just about any new Wordpress installation.

If you are new to WordPress, this basic list (which is technically not limited to plugins alone) should help get you started on the right foot. Whether you are running a basic brochure site, or a full featured blog, you should be sure your WordPress site includes these essentials.

I hope you’ll head over to Freelance Folder to read the full post - this post is great for anyone just starting out with WordPress (as well as anyone who wants a refresher on some of the basics!)

More Guest Posts

This is my fourth guest post for Freelance Folder, hopefully with more in the near future! If you are interested in reading them all, you can view my author page below…

• Selene M. Bowlby’s Author Archive on Freelance Folder

While January’s focus was on time management and productivity, February’s focus is on getting out of the feast vs famine cycle with various forms of marketing.

1. Follow-up with Prospects

The first step this month is to tap my existing sources for finding new work. I’ve sent out countless proposals to potential clients in the last 8 months of being out on my own full time.

I’ve found that while most people get back to you in a timely manner as to “Yes! When can we get started?” to “Will you check back with me in a couple months, when I’m ready to begin the project?” to “Sorry, I’ve decided to go with another designer.” - I’ve found that persistence certainly does pay off… Not to be confused with being a nuisance, though - you don’t want to go overboard!

Long story short, I’ve got a large number of pending proposals out where the prospect has essentially gone MIA. I need to round these all up and follow-up (one last time?) to see where things stand.

I basically want to better organize my prospects into groups of how likely they are to actually become a client, so I know who I should continue “courting” so to speak, and which ones I should just cut my losses on and give up on, already. This process will give me a better idea of who I should focus my energies on.

2. Setup Portfolio Sites

Perhaps the best way for any designer to get noticed is through their portfolio. There are many web sites setup for designers to post and share their portfolios. I have accounts on several of them, but have yet to post a single portfolio piece!

It’s something I’ve been putting off and realize that near the start of the new year is a great time to get my work out there in as many places as possible.

Below are my profiles on the portfolio sites, so watch these spaces soon for an update! These will contain the same projects as my portfolio on this site, but the portfolio sites serve as an additional avenue towards getting my work viewed by more people.

• Behance
• Carbonmade
• Coroflot
• DeviantART
• Flickr

3. Re-Evaluate Site / Blog

Any successful web site is constantly building upon itself. One necessary component for this is to re-evaluate your site on a regular basis by taking a hard look at what does and doesn’t work and improving on it.

I’ve been making small adjustments to this site since it’s soft launch back in March 2008 (though technically this design has been online on my old URL “selenedesign.com” since November 2007). It’s time to give the site another once-over to see how I can make it better.

In the last year I’ve received feedback from peers in the design/development community as well as from potential (and existing) clients while going through the prospecting phase. I can take all of this information and come up with a new plan as far as additional updates that I need to make to the site.

Of course the updates themselves will be a topic for future months as far as implementation, but the planning stage must come first.

What Are Your Goals?

What three things can you accomplish this February to propel your small business? Please share in the comments below!

Did you share your goals on any of the previous “Just Three Things” posts? If so, I hope you’ll go back to the comments and update everyone with how you did!

With it being the beginning of a new year, there is no surprise that my primary focus for the month is to get organized

Time management and productivity are at the top of my list - and for all the right reasons… after all, we’re already half-way through the first month of the year, and I am only now posting this month’s goals!

1. Fininalize My 2009 Game Plan

This item carries over from December’s goals - I got a good start, but still need to pinpoint a more specific timeline for all of the major tasks I want to accomplish in 2009.

Since it’s so early in the year, I’m sure this initial schedule will be subject to change, with more fine tuning as the months go by. But to have a general set of deadlines will help steer me in the right direction for the year.

2. Create a Daily / Weekly Schedule

In an attempt to better manage my time and get organized, I recently purchased a new FranklinCovey planner book, complete with shiny new 2009 daily calendar pages. This is something that will work MUCH better than notes on random sheets of paper, post-it notes, Google calendar, etc.

My plan at the moment is to use a combination of Google Calendar to mark down all major deadlines, and use the planner to (also record deadlines) and plan a daily line-up of what specific projects I need to work on in a given day, outlined by time-slots in as many as 15 minute increments if necessary.

I just got the planner last week, so I’m working on figuring out the best schedule for myself and how best to utilize it. My goal is to have a set schedule by the end of the month (for example, use the early morning hours for marketing tasks, mid-morning for client work, afternoons for phone calls, etc.)

3. Create a Blogging Schedule

One of my major goals for the year is to improve upon this blog, which means that I need a more regular posting schedule. Right now, I often go 2-3 weeks without a new post, and with my RSS subscriber base increasing, I need to be sure to provide quality content on a consistent basis.

I’d like to devise a plan of setting aside 1-2 days a week where I will just sit and write for a couple hours. I have a ton of half finished posts in the Drafts folder - some are complete and only needing a final read-through for proofing.

By the end of this month, I want have a posting schedule planned out at least two months in advance.

P.S. You can subscribe to all the great new posts coming up this year either through your RSS Reader or via Email. It’s quick and easy, just give it a try!

What Are Your Goals This January?

Now that we’re half-way through January, what are your goals to help grow your business this month? Have you already started on fulfilling these, or do you need to rush to complete them in the next two weeks? Please share in the comments below!

Did you share your goals on any of the previous “Just Three Things” posts? If so, I hope you’ll go back to the comments and update everyone with how you did!

As with any New Year, comes a new set of resolutions! Creating goals and milestones are essential to to the success of any business. However as New Year’s resolutions go, while you want to set your sights high, it’s often easy to fall into the trap of creating too many unrealistic goals for oneself.

As part of the “Just Three Things” series, I’ve decided to limit my own New Year’s resolutions to just 3 major areas. Yes, they each have their own set of baby steps to take in order to achieve each task, but my theme for this year is to keep it in “threes”

2008 was a fantastic year for me, and I hope that 2009 will be that much better! So without further ado, below are the “three things” that I hope to achieve this year…

1. Achieve a Healthy Work / Life Balance

My primary goal for 2008 was to achieve “full time freelance status with a healthy work / life balance.” I surprised myself by reaching the full time freelance portion of this goal within 6 months - half the time I had planned for it to take!

My goals were a bit lofty, though, because although I was able to quit my day job, I still have a long way to go to strike a balance between my business and personal lives.

In 2009, my primary focus will be to finally achieve the ever elusive healthy work / life balance.

Yes, things are much less hectic now that I’m not juggling a full time job with running my own web design business. However the balance between the two is far from ideal.

To say that I’m a workaholic is a bit of an understatement! If I’m not in the office working, I’m with my family thinking about it. Not exactly what you would call healthy…

A major part in achieving this goal will be to focus on organization, productivity and time management in ALL areas of my life.

2. Increase Income by 25% Percent

Another one of my 2008 goals was to match the annual income of my day job. Making half that amount to have in savings was a major requirement before I allowed myself to officially take the plunge.

I was again very pleasantly surprised as I tallied up my 2008 freelance income to find that I had made 25% more with freelancing alone than what my annual income would have been if I kept the day job for all of 2008. Not a bad start to a solo career!

In 2009, I’d like to increase that income by an additional 25%.

In order to achieve this goal, I will need to place a heavy emphasis on marketing. I’ll need to come up with a better marketing plan - one that is consistent in order to avoid the inevitable feast vs famine cycle that is all too common with running your own business. I’ll also need to focus more on SEO - Search Engine Optimization. After all - what good is a web site if no one knows it exists?

Another aspect of this goal - and something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while - is to begin creating and distributing my own free and premium WordPress themes. While distributing free themes will act as a form of self promotion, premium themes will serve as additional (passive) income to aid in reaching this goal.

3. Increase Blog Subscribers to 3,000

My third major goal of 2008 was to start building this blog, and reach a subscriber base of 500. Due to networking on the social media sites (especially Twitter), as well as getting my feet wet in guest posting on other blogs (specifically Freelance Folder), I surprised myself by doubling my goal to over 1,000 subscribers!

In 2009, I’d like to triple this number to 3,000.

In order to achieve this goal, I will need to focus on writing more frequent, quality articles - at least on a consistent basis of once a week (it has been fairly sporadic to this point, with posts coming out anywhere from 2 to 5 times a month). I’ll be working more on guest posting on other blogs, as well.

First steps here will be to create a regular blogging schedule, and outlining future posts. I’ve got a few new ideas in store that you’ll be seeing in the coming months, so I hope you’ll stick around for those. And if you aren’t already subscribed, I hope you’ll subscribe to blog updates via RSS or via Email.

What Do You Want To Accomplish in 2009?

What are your business goals and resolutions for the New Year? Please share in the comments below. It’ll serve as a good reference point to come back and check on your progress throughout the year!

Here’s to 2009!

It goes without saying that I wish you ALL a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May 2009 be all that you hope for, and more!