James Dalman

Trying new technology.

James Dalman — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:40:30 +0000

I think those people who are never willing to try are the ones who truly fail.

I’ve heard of many people who are scared to give blogging or social media a try. I understand that. It’s hard to embrace the unknown or the new. It’s easier to stay with the status quo. But those people who don’t step forward will fall behind. When you recognize that you should have moved it’s too late.

If this happens to be you … If you’re hesitant to make a leap – jump!!! You will find that the fear is not worth missing the exhilaration of the risk.

(BTW – this is my first post from an iPhone and the WordPress 2.0 app)

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Discovering My One Word.

James Dalman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:44:17 +0000

I like to think a lot. Stuff like where I want to go and who I want to be if I ever grow up. I have a vision for my life and idea of what I want with this one shot I’ve been given. I’m a dreamer …

I’ve written many times about how we should create a life we love to live and that we should do the things that we feel most important. This is very difficult to do at times because of our professional lives or the responsibilities we may have at home. It’s just not easy at times. But as I was thinking again this week about what my life will mean to the people around me and what I want my legacy to be it was very clear that it wasn’t about branding.

Branding is something I’ve been very involved in and loved to do – it’s very much a part of me and my profession but it’’s not THE word I want people to remember me by. This week I discovered that my one word I want to be known for is PASSION.

Many people have gone through life with no spark; they simply go through the motions. This is sad to me because there is so much that life gives us and the God has blessed us with. We have plenty of opportunity to live with a burning fire and to make a difference. I want to be one of those people. Honestly, I’ve had that desire before but it got snuffed out.

Maybe this all sounds goofy but I continue to learn how fragile life is and how quickly it fades. I see how we get caught up in the ordinary junk that doesn’t really matter and miss the extraordinary things that do. I am hoping that I will start focusing more on my passions and leave the rest behind.

Live the Passion Filled Life.

Impart Your Wisdom. Share Your Experience.

James Dalman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:18:59 +0000

Today was a blast as Cory Miller and I had the privilege of speaking to the web media students at the Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City. We did a session called “Starting a Successful Freelance Design Business” and hit on many key points that will help any student or entrepreneur who is thinking about freelancing for their career. We also had our friend Terrell Sanders tape the whole session and we will be making it available on DVD and audio once we complete the editing next week.

The best thing for me is that my goal and passion has always been giving back and investing in young people starting out on their career journey. It is very rewarding to impart your wisdom (successes and failures) in the effort to help people from making the same mistakes you did. I’d like to give a big thanks to Christy Whitfield who is the Web Design & Development Instructor who gave us the opportunity to share our wisdom.

A Valuable Business Lesson: Back It Up!

James Dalman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:27:59 +0000

This past week we had one of the biggest Charlie Foxtrots we ever had at WebDesign.com and iThemes – a complete server failure on one of our hosting platforms!

I’m not going to go into the specifics of this hellish nightmare partly because I don’t know what the heck I’d be talking about and it’s complicated. What I can say is that most people don’t know that hosting companies may have a backup of the actual website design but they do not provide – or guarantee – a safety net for content. Let me say it this way…if the server eats it you are S.O.L.

The problem is NOT downtime but losing your blog posts, your photos, and your hard work.

We actually salvaged and restored most of our client’s information by hunting it down through Google. This, by the way, is not a standard operating procedure for any hosting company. We did it because we felt horrible.

I am being honest so that you understand the importance of backing up your own content and data. This is solely your responsibility. Our Code Ninja, Chris Jean, will be providing some excellent and thorough posts and videos on backing up your website very soon, but until then let me encourage you to do a few things:

Back Up ALL of your content (text, posts, and graphics) to a hard drive. I recommend a 500GB Seagate Drive or online company like Mozy.com.

Don’t write directly in WordPress. Create a document that you can paste from and save.

Schedule weekly backups for added precaution.

Read the fine details from your hosting company. In the event of a catastrophic event, they cannot be held liable for the actual content of your website.

As soon as we have the educational resources available from WebDesign.com I will post them.

I do want to wrap up by saying that our clients who were on that particular server were filled with grace and patience. We truly appreciate them and their understanding.

So don’t wait … back up your business documents and website today!

A Great New Tool for Business.

James Dalman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:40:10 +0000

I found a really neat tool for your website that allows clients to book you through your website. It’s called Setster and visitors who are interested in setting an appointment with you can do it through this handy widget. Setster also integrates with FreshBooks, which I use for my online billing.

It could be a great tool for consultants, real estate agents, teachers, or other professionals who would like to skip the phone call or e-mail process of scheduling appointments. While I haven’t used it personally yet – I plan to – and thought it was worth mentioning here.

Let me know if you are using it and your thoughts as to whether you like it or not.

Interested in Starting a New Business?

James Dalman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:53:42 +0000

If you have been thinking about making the entrepreneurial leap or living the dream of owning your own business, then we are about to launch a really cool deal called WebDesign University over at WebDesign.com.

Over the last year I have had a bunch of people ask me about how to get involved with starting their own business – especially when it involves web design and social media. I even started to write a book on how to start your own web design and blogging business by using WordPress and which will be available next year. However you won’t have to wait as Cory Miller and I will be teaching our secrets along with other talented expert faculty members at the “U” starting in December!

We will be presenting through taped audio seminars, videos, and live events with topics ranging on personal branding, blogging for success, social media insights, how to customize premium WordPress themes, and a whole lot more. I will even be doing a special series about starting and running your own business that is filled with 20 years of experience as a business owner and freelancer.

SIGN UP FOR MY E-MAIL NEWSLETTER to receive the dates, information, and SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE when we launch WebDesign.com University and to keep in the loop with new stuff that I’ll be launching soon.

Blogging Your Way to Career Success: Free Workshop

James Dalman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:01 +0000

On October 26th, Cory Miller will offer a free workshop on Blogging Your Way to Career Success and I think everyone should take the opportunity to learn from him and here’s why…

Cory has done some incredible things through blogging such as breaking the Technorati Top 100, building a church communications site in the Top 100 Christian Sites, and built a great business called iThemes through this platform of media. I met Miller through blogging which led to my opportunity to be co-founder of WebDesign.com and it has opened many doors for myself personally including speaking and writing.

In this economy you must begin thinking about building brand you and blogging for a successful future. If you want to be left behind, then ignore the platforms such as blogging, Twitter, and FaceBook – but if you want to thrive, then getting the knowledge to use these tools is absolutely mandatory! It is what Gary Vaynerchuk calls “CRUSH IT!”

So DON’T WAIT to get signed up for this FREE WORKSHOP ON BLOGGING YOUR WAY TO CAREER SUCCESS – SPACE IS LIMITED.

Title: Blogging for Professional Success
Date: Monday, October 26, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CDT

Register your spot today and learn the secrets and insight to take your career and expertise to another level.

Business and Life: A Busy Season

James Dalman — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:38:48 +0000

Do you ever feel as though your life is a roller coaster? That’s how things have been going here lately. While I don’t really mind the twist and turns of the adventure I am on, business and life has kept me on a quite a ride the last couple of months.

WebDesign.com is gaining momentum as we build a solid foundation and strategy. There have been some minor set backs but we continue to tighten the nuts and bolts that will give us strength for the long haul. We are launching a new segment to our business called WebDesign.com University which I truly believe is going to be an awesome vehicle that helps others. We’re also going to offer coaching for entrepreneurs, bloggers, and business people who want to build their careers or opportunities through blogging and social media. This will be a blast.

Matt Danner and I had the privilege of attending Catalyst in Atlanta, Georgia where we live-blogged the event. We even developed a resource site called Catalyst Couch to provide information, video, and notes about the conference. Giant Experiences, the amazing company and team behind Catalyst, invited us to their VIP room to meet some great people and hang out. We are thankful for their hospitality and learned a lot!

There have also been the personal things going on such as football, launching a new blog (details soon), and the always fun home improvement projects. It just seems there hasn’t been a ton of time to write blog posts or even use Twitter. The good thing through all of this is that I have a bunch of new material to work on and will be posting like crazy real soon.

Thank you all for staying plugged in here and I hope life is going well for you!

4 Keys to Effective Church Websites: Free Webinar

James Dalman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:14:05 +0000

Join WebDesign.com co-founders Cory Miller and James Dalman for a special webinar titled 4 Keys to Effective Church Websites on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 11 a.m. Learn the essentials of highly effective church websites with two experienced church marketing professionals.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/342534819

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Free Twitter Background

James Dalman — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:23:07 +0000

I just posted a new free Twitter background for download on my Free Stuff for Download page. The design is simple and professional and can easily be changed in Photoshop with the layered PSD file that is provided. This is the same design pattern I used for my own Twitter background that you can see by clicking here.