When I first started Ribbons of Red, it was my mission (and goal) to give a percentage of all my profits to charity. In fact, I wanted everyone who did business with Ribbons of Red (specifically my clients) to have the ability to choose which charity a percentage of their web design or graphic design dollars went to.

After a long but educational journey, I am beyond excited to announce that Ribbons of Red will officially begin donating to charity later this year!

Charity Donation Percentage

In the beginning, I had my heart set on giving 20% to 25% of my profits to charity. Unfortunately, the self-employment tax is rather high, and with a charity donation percentage of 20-25%, it didn’t take long for me to realize that giving away half of my money would quickly put me out of business. So I’ve decided to start small, at 10%, and grow from there. If my revenue continues to increase, each year I will be able to raise the donation percentage.

Donation Process

Ten percent of every client’s invoice dollars will automatically be given to a charity of their choosing. I have provided a simple graphic below that illustrates the simple donation process:

What Charities Qualify

The charities eligible to receive donations from Ribbons of Red are 501(c)(3) charities (with in the United States) with at least a three or four star rating from CharityNavigator.org. This ensures that all donated dollars go directly to the cause and not to someone’s pocket.

Five Spotlight Charities

I will be choosing and showcasing 5 Spotlight Charities that are near and dear to my heart. These are the charities that I hope will be chosen by my clients for donation. The 5 Spotlight Charities will be causes that help people, animals, and environmental issues and will consist of a four star rating from CharityNavigator.org.

Charity Handbook

Along with the five chosen Spotlight Charities, I will be developing a Charity Handbook that will be passed out during every client project. This digital handbook will list all of the charities one can choose for donation and will be broken up into three main sections: People, Animals, and Environment. This handbook will make it easy for clients to choose a cause and then browse for a reputable charity. Each charity listed in the Charity Handbook will include the charity name, description, its star rating, and website link if applicable.

Suggest A Charity

If you would like to suggest a charity for the Charity Handbook, please comment below or write to info@ribbonsofred.com with your recommendation.

To stay up-to-date with charity or design news, please subscribe to our RSS Feed—it’s free! :)

Ribbons of Red was entered in the monthly American Design Awards contest for the month of December. After nearly 60 days, the winners were chosen earlier this month. Out of the 546 applicants that applied, Ribbons of Red placed in the Top 10! The highest awarded score for the month of December was an 87. Ribbons of Red placed with an 83, and won a gold accolade!

About The American Design Awards

The American Design Awards was founded in the year 2000 by design educator Brandon McKay, as well as graphic design professionals Kevin and Art Javid in San Diego, California. Their mission—to provide a fair and ethical platform for graphic and web designers with varying experience levels and disciplines to compete on, while providing them a global audience to showcase their talents to.

How Does Grading Work?

When grading design entries for any of the design competitions, the judges grade each piece independent of others in the competition. The only information taken into consideration are the experience level of the artist, as well as the date when the design was created. Any other variables, such as popularity of client, name of design firm, or any other accolades previously attained are not even considered, ensuring a fair and balanced competition.  The total grade of each piece is comprised of the following elements:

For the Monthly Design Contest, participants who score between 70 and 79 points are awarded a silver accolade. Those scoring between 80 and 89 points receive a gold (that’s me!).

Thank You!

A big thank you to the American Design Awards for choosing me as a monthly winner, and as always, my readers!

I encourage everyone to support the American Design awards by submitting your work to the monthly or semi-annual award competitions. Also, please check out the other December award winners here.

Most small businesses go under within their first two years and only 1 in 10 make it ten years. Moral of the story: being successful is hard, not to mention scary.

I know first hand what it’s like to fear the self-employment leap of faith. I spent over a year testing the waters instead of diving in. If you are scared to take the leap or have taken the leap only to find you are still not happy, this post may be for you.

My First Days As A Freelancer.

When I left my full-time corporate job to pursue the freelance life, I felt on top of the world. I was really doing it man! I had plans. Hell, I had a laundry list of plans. I expected instant happiness. I expected for my worries to disappear. And I had no doubt that when I left my job, I’d feel as fulfilled as someone who already had their dream job.

I was wrong.

The first day of my freelance career was a disaster. So much so, that I broke down crying to the first person who eagerly asked, “How was your first big day?!”

My I’m-really-doing-it-man had quickly turned into oh-my-god-what-did-I-do-man. The problem wasn’t the work or my clients. The problem was that I got scared. I had never run a business before. I didn’t have a routine. I couldn’t make calls because of my loud dogs. And for a good month, I felt lost, uninspired, mad, and depressed. I didn’t understand why I didn’t get the instant happiness I expected from something I’d wanted for so long.

Be Patient. Happiness Will Follow.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? So why on Earth did I expect my 9-5 life to go from soul sucking to dream job in a weekend? What I failed to realize is that changing careers is an adjustment. I had to be patient and trust that in time I would get used to my new life.

That’s when I found Karen Salmansohn, a self-help and motivational speaker. In her book, Ballsy: 99 Ways to Grow A Bigger Pair and Score Extreme Business Success she explains patience in Tip #12 extremely well:

“Patience is boring and unglamorous but a highly necessary virtue. You might not think anything is changing in your career, but if you are patiently persistent, you will see change.”

Karen follows this tip with a funny (but true) take on the diary of Christopher Columbus (pictured below).

The Quest For Inspiration & Happiness.

After realizing that getting settled in my new lifestyle would take some patience, I was no longer mad, but I will still scared, uninspired, and depressed. My corporate 9-5 career had left me emotionally drained as I wasn’t allowed to be creative at my job or even have a voice. And along with my other misconceptions of the freelance life, I thought my lively ways and creative mojo would magically restore.

Wrong again.

One night I was at a local bookstore when the thought came to me: I Need Help. I needed a motivational speaker, a pep-talk, or a life coach—in book form. I asked my friends on Twitter what books inspired them. Only one person wrote me back, and to my great excitement (and surprise) it was one of my favorite writers, Michelle Goodman (@anti9to5guide). This forever changed my life as a freelancer.

One of Michelle’s recommendations (The War of Art) led me to a section I had no idea existed within a bookstore: the ‘Creativity and Inspiration’ section. Next to this area was the ‘Self-Help’ section (which I knew of, but had been too proud to browse on several previous visits). But on that night, I became very acquainted with this little nook.

Books That Put Me On The Right Path.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I purchased a rather large pile of self-help, motivational, positive thinking, and business success books. I started several at one time, and chapter by chapter I began to feel motivated. Best of all, I came to the realization that my feelings were normal, and that several other creatives suffer from similar funks.

Below is the list of books (by category) that helped me regain my creativity and gave me the confidence to run my business without looking back. I hope some of these books, if not all, will help those of you who are also struggling to find both motivation and happiness.

1. Inspiration For Designers

Book #1 By Jeff Fisher
The Savvy Designer’s Guide To Success: Ideas and Tactics for a Killer Career
The Skinny: A honest, funny, and no-bullshit guide to jump starting your career as a creative.

Book #2: By Pash
Inspirability: 40 Top Designers Speak Out About What Inspires
The Skinny: Inspirability looks into 40 different design lives, and each designer includes a photo of their workspace, design samples, and a survey filled out by hand. The handwritten surveys are amazing and include doodles and other quaky oddities. As a bonus, this book is also beautifully designed sporting a velvet green cover.

Book #3: By Adrian Shaughnessy
How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul
The Skinny: Designers love to talk about sources of inspiration, but are sometimes less willing to discuss the basics on location work, pricing, and how to handle irate or non-paying clients. This book discusses all the touchy topics of being self-employed and gives insight on how to live a happy self-employed life. Every freelance designer should have this book as a reference.

Book #4: By Patrick Mcneil
The Web Designer’s Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design
The Skinny: The Web Designer’s Idea Book is different from most inspirational design books for two reasons. One, it’s broken up into five sections: industry, style, color, and element. Two, it has a bunch of designs I’ve never seen before. (My biggest pet peeve is when CSS galleries all share the same websites). But this book is a fresh breath of inspiration!

2. Self-Help, Motivation, And Inspiration

Book #5: By Steven Pressfield
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
The Skinny: If you are suffering from writer’s block or feeling uninspired, this book is for you. The War of Art helps you recognize and beat procrastination and takes your passion and lights a fire under it. (Recommended to me by @anti9to5guide)

Book #6: By Karen Salmansohn
Ballsy: 99 Ways to Grow a Bigger Pair and Score Extreme Business Success
The Skinny: Not only is this book loaded with useful advice, but it’s hilarious and a quick read. Karen is a fantastic motivational speaker, and in this book, gives wonderful business advice and helps you feel confident and motivated enough to take on the world.

Book #7: By Cliff Ennico
Small Business Survival Guide: Starting, Protecting, And Securing Your Business for Long-Term Success
The Skinny: The Small Business Survival Guide provides effective and affordable strategies for coping with small business predators—and safeguarding your assets, ideas, and success. This book can be a tad overwhelming as it’s crammed with lots of information, but it does make you feel confident in running a business because knowledge is power.

Book #8: By Keith Yamashita
Unstuck: A Tool for Yourself, Your Team, and Your World
The Skinny: Unstuck is a great resource to help you move forward when everything seems to be headed in reverse. The beautifully designed pages and workbook area makes this book an easy and fun read. For those working in teams, this book will be especially helpful.

Book #9: By Guy Browning
Innervation: Redesign Yourself for a Smarter Future
The Skinny: A hilarious, scatterbrained read about making the most of your life no matter where you are at the moment or want to be in the future. Innervation is a “feel good” book and has a witty and humorous observant reflection on working life.

3. Business Inspiration For Self-Employed Females (Sorry boys!)

Book #10: By Michelle Goodman
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube
The Skinny: This book gave me the confidence I needed to leave my soul sucking 9-5 corporate career and start my life as a freelancer. Michelle’s advice comes straight from the heart and from her own personal struggles. This book is a very informative, inspirational, and a funny read for anyone who has wondered if they should be spending their days doing something more fulfilling.

Book #11: By Michelle Goodman
My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire
The Skinny: Out of all the books listed on this blog, this book is my top pick. My So-Called Freelance Life is perfect for anyone who finally made the jump to freelance. It has guided me out of many low points and is one of those books where you feel like it was personally written for you. It answered so many questions I had, questions I didn’t know I had, and validated all the scary feelings I experienced when I left my job. When you feel as though no one else in the world is going through what you’re going through, pick up this book, and you’ll never feel alone.

Book #12: By Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio
The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career Into Gear: Valuable Lessons, True Stories, And Tips For Using What You’ve Got (A Brain!) To Make Your Worklife Work For You
The Skinny: Caitlin and Kimberly teach you how to take control of your life and help you get to where you want to be. One of my favorite parts in this book was how to sell yourself with out being a sell-out. Their tips are for women at all stages of their careers, from those wanting to rise in their industry to those itching to switch to another or to start their own business.

Book #13: By Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio
The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Candid Advice, Frank Talk, and True Stories for the Successful Entrepreneur
The Skinny: Starting your own business can be overwhelming. The Girl’s Guide does a great job of streamlining the vast amount of information you need to start your own business. It’s fun, informative and gives aspiring young women the confidence they need to start their own business.

Conclusion.

“It is possible! You can enjoy a career that’s both love and money—no matter how weary or frustrated you may presently be! True failure only happens when you abandon your quest. Keep on questing!” - Karen Salmansohn

Remember, being successful doesn’t happen overnight and neither does happiness in a career. Being happy also doesn’t mean you’ll never have a bad day, but if you surround yourself with inspiration and positive people, your funk will only last as long as you want it to.

What do you do to get inspired? Comment below and let everyone know!

According to The United States Department of Labor, photographers hold over 122,000 jobs and nearly half are self-employed—a much higher proportion than most occupations. Photographers work in all areas of the country, but the majority are stationed in metropolitan areas. The employment of photographers is expected to grow rapidly through 2016 as it is a very desirable industry for many people.

Design Do’s and Don’ts

Self-employed photographers typically have tight marketing budgets. Because of this known fact, several “one-stop-shops” have popped up allowing photographers to purchase a flash website for cheap and rig it up themselves. The problem with this is more than one person can own the same flash website, and I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times. When researching engagement photographers last fall, I saw one flash website template used 15 times within an hour. This is a terrible thing to have happen, especially when you want to stand out in a sea of other self-employed photographers. Each photographer has a unique style and in turn, should have a unique website to match.

Buying a cookie-cutter, flash website template is not the only pitfall for photographers—another bad marketing decision is the boring, all text logo. Text logos are extremely popular in the photography industry, and the majority of them are poorly executed. Understanding the difference between a good text logo and a bad one can be difficult to the untrained eye. Because of this, I compiled a handful of the best photography logos below and explained why each is successful.

10 Great Photography Logo Examples

Why it works: Far too often all text photography logos use the same font for every word. This all text logo puts emphasis on the photographers name only, rather than the entire piece. Her name is bright, large, and uses a font that looks like it could be her signature. The Polaroids at the top are a nice added touch to drive home the photography feel even more.

Why it works: The first thing that stood out to me in this logo was “Established in 2004″. When a company has been established in an industry for a number of years, it lends credibility against competitors to show how long you’ve been in business. This logo is also a great example because it uses an old retro feel, but still manages to feel fresh and in style.

Why it works: Photographers who post their latest and greatest images to their blog typically place a watermark on them. The symbol above “Silverbox Photographers” would work perfectly for that circumstance. The symbol would also be memorable to an audience used to seeing all text logos.

Why it works: Logos with hidden meanings are always the most memorable to me. In this example, the ‘P’ in ‘EP’ is shaped as a camera, but also still works as a legible ‘P’ in the initials. The ‘EP’ symbol is capable of functioning on its own just like the Nike swoosh. When a piece of your logo can display independently, the possibilities for unique branding are endless.

Why it works: This logo is a great example of combining a photographer’s initials into a memorable symbol. The blue symbol has two letters built into it: ‘K’ and ‘R’, and it looks great. However, the text below the logo should say more than just ‘Photography’. For this logo to 100% succeed, the name of the photographer should have been placed below the blue insignia.

Why it works: The PicLog logo above possesses the ever popular web 2.0 look. While I would never recommend this look to a self-employed photographer, it would work well for a large portrait studio with several employees. The reason I chose is logo is for the badge on the left. It’s a nice added touch and clearly identifies what the company does at first glance.

Why it works: A good logo design evokes emotion and feeling. If at all possible, a photographer’s logo should match the mood and/or style of their photography. Melanie Mauer is a very talented, traditional family photographer. It comes at no surprise that her logo is designed in a very traditional manner. The monogram encasing her text also works very well as a badge to watermark her photographs.

Why it works: Most photography studios choose elegant logos as many shoot weddings, engagement sessions, and other timeless life moments. Ben Mistak’s logo is funky and fun and works great for any photographer who does more edgy or experimental work. This logo style can also work for photographers who specialize in shooting concerts, bands, or event photography.

Why it works: The moment I saw this logo it stood out to me. Although I do not think the font choice works, I loved the old camera positioned at the top of the logo. Old cameras are beautiful creations, and even though we live in a digital world, it’s nice to see a logo that is not afraid to showcase some history.

Why it works: The above logo belongs to a photographer named ‘Jasmine Star’, and although the photographer does have a rather unique name, it’s an incredibly creative and memorable logo. The letter ‘J’ and a hand-drawn star make up the anatomy of this symbol. It would have been very easy to spell out the photographer’s name using a nice typeface, thrown in a star, and then called it a day. However, this logo was clearly thought out, and it’s a great example of how to push the limit in logo design.

Good Design Doesn’t Have To Break The Bank

Having your own unique branding doesn’t have to break the bank. As Ryan Swigert from Darkroom Branding pointed out in his latest blog post, photographers tend to think they need the latest and greatest equipment to shoot better photos. Where this might be true if you are upgrading from film to digital, the majority of photographers do not need the latest and greatest gear to out-shoot their competition. A talented photographer will shoot beautiful photos on any camera whether it be brand new or a few years old.

So instead of buying that new lens or camera body, try investing it in a website or branding. You will make a huge return on your investment, stand out among your competitors, and gain new business.

When I left my corporate job to pursue life as a full-time freelance web designer, it became very apparent that while word-of-mouth and referrals were great for my business, I didn’t want to “hurry up and wait” for new projects to trickle in. I wanted (and needed) to be more in control of my company’s opportunities.

Everyone knows that cold calling is very popular when trying to drum up business. However, it’s very hard to master and you have to keep at it. I absolutely dreaded the thought of picking up the phone to call someone I didn’t know, who didn’t know me, to try to sell my services. The awkward silences, the rude abrupt hang-ups—it wasn’t going to work for my business or for me. I set out to find a better solution, and that’s when I came across cold emailing.

What Is Cold Emailing?

Cold emailing is a form of direct marketing. It involves the use of electronic mail to communicate to companies or individuals that you may or may not know. The purpose of cold emailing is to further your company’s objective(s) whether it’s to drum up new business or to simply gain a valuable contact.

Benefits of Cold Emailing

For those of you who have ever had a cold call that went less than satisfactory, you probably remember the awkward silences, fumbling of words, or even an abrupt hang-up. You may even recall your near panic attack before you even picked up the phone to dial. If you still tremble at the thought of cold calling, cold emailing is probably for you. Below are some benefits I’ve personally found from cold emailing.

1.  It’s Quick and Easy
I created an email stencil specifically for cold emailing. For each email I send out, the structure and tone of the email is the same. There are a few personalized changes here and there, but my stencil allows me to start with an already formed conversation, which helps me send inquiries quickly and easily.

2.  No Pressure
In cold calling, even when you tell someone they can “take time to think it over”, people can still feel obligated to make a decision now. Cold emailing enables one to reply when they are ready rather than immediately on the phone.

3.  Little or No Confrontation
I know a lot of people who think cold callers and telemarketers are one in the same. I don’t know a single person, myself included, who likes getting calls from telemarketers. A lot of people I know enjoy giving telemarketers (or any random caller trying to sell something) a hard time. So unless your email looks like SPAM, you won’t have to worry about a confrontation escalating from your cold email.

4.  No Busy Signals. No Voicemails
Getting a hold of someone can be a challenge. Often times, people let calls they do not recognize go to voicemail. If you are having this problem, try sending an email instead. Although your contact might not recognize your email address either, a carefully crafted subject line will pique their interest thus tempting them to open your letter.

Who Should I Cold Email?

The easiest, shortest answer is: your target market. If you do not have a target market, ask yourself, “Who do I want to work with?” and start there.

For starters, you could email your favorite local restaurant or search for websites that need improvement through Google. If you want to look for run-off work from other design firms in your area, use an online design directory such as www.thefirmlist.com or www.creativehotlist.com to get you the names and emails you need to connect.

Of course it’s always best if you have a target market defined first because you will probably get more responses that way. However, you never know until you email someone, and it never hurts to see what is out there. After you’ve been cold emailing for a couple of weeks you’ll begin to learn what works and what doesn’t anyway.

Best Practices For Cold Emailing

Remember when I told you cold callers could also be seen as telemarketers? Well cold emailing can also have a negative connotation. To some, cold emails are considered SPAM. Below are some tips that will help you veer away from this negative connotation.

1.  Don’t Be Sneaky
If your email is a website design inquiry, your subject line shouldn’t say, “You Won $1,000!” Never trick people into opening your emails. It will only harm your chances of gaining a client. Instead, your subject line should be a teaser as to what your email is offering. I often use something like, ‘Website Design Inquiry – Ribbons of Red’ so the end user knows what the email is about and who it’s coming from right away.

2.  Avoid Attachments
For now, you should be sending a text only email. Attaching your resume or work samples will increase the likelihood that your email will be marked as SPAM. Provide a link to your website or resume instead.

3.  Personalize Each Email
The clients I enjoy working with the most are those who sprinkle in a bit of conversation whether it’s about how terrible the Bengals are or the weather outside. Cold emailing is no different. As always, the main purpose of your cold email is to tell people who you are, what you do, and why you are emailing them. But you’ll also want to add in a couple of personalized sentences too. This will make your email look genuine. You don’t want your email to look like it was sent by a mass mailing system. Try offering a few suggestions on how to improve their website or even provide a link they might find interesting.

4.  Start With A Name
Try to avoid “Dear” and “To Whom It May Concern” at all costs. (unless of course you’re target market is country clubs or similar high-end clients). Starting off with a name (ie: Hi Ryan) makes the email feel inviting rather than stiff. If you don’t have a name try a “Hello!” or a “Hi There!” It brings an upbeat tone to the email right off the bat and has always worked positively for me.

5.  Keep It Simple
No one needs to hear your life story or your entire career history. If at all possible, try to keep your email to three or four small paragraphs so you don’t lose the attention span of your contact.

Cold Email Template Example

Below is a cold email template example that should help anyone who needs help get started on the right foot. This example is loosely based off of my personal cold emails and carries the same friendly tone. This example is one you would send to a potential client to try to gain new business.

Hi Ryan!

I am a local full-time, freelance web designer with 5+ years of experience. I specialize in designing websites for the food industry, and recently won the Food Webby Award in 2008 for my creative work.

Your restaurant is by far my favorite place to get BBQ in the city, and I love the old fashion feel of the interior of your restaurant. I recently viewed your menu online and noticed your website is a bit out of date.

I’d love to talk with you about a possible website re-design. It could really help boost your business. If you are interested, you can view some samples my work at: http://www.Your WebsiteHere.com.

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Your Name
(513) 555-5555
http://www.YourWebsiteHere.com

Conclusion

Although cold emailing is not the end-all-be-all to gaining new clients or contacts in your industry, when used properly, it can be a great stepping-stone if you are new to the world of freelancing. It has helped me gain valuable contacts in my area as well as gain new business. There is plenty more to learn on this subject, but I hope this provides a great starting point for any full-time or part-time freelancer.

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is the third-largest, first-time marathon in the country. With 8 different races to chose from, the Flying Pig has something for every athletic level. Whichever race you choose will send you on a beautiful journey through downtown Cincinnati’s streets and even over a bridge or two—and the view is amazing.

I am very excited to announce that this year, on May 2nd, I will be running the 10K (6.2 miles) with another local entrepreneur (my fiance), Ryan Swigert, from Branding Hitman. The Flying Pig is extra special for me this year as I will be running for my company, Ribbons of Red, and in memory of Dorothy Smith—who unknowingly made this all possible. I hope she’s looking down proudly!

I encourage anyone in the Cincinnati area (or beyond) to come down and support the Flying Pig whether it’s to race, walk, cheer, or enjoy the good food and live music. It’s an amazing experience either way and lots of fun!

For more information on the Cincinnati Flying Pig, please visit their official website at: http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com.

Park and Recreation websites are some of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen on the web. Unfortunately, there are countless park websites on a city, county, state, and even national level that are very out-of-date. One of the most important goals for any Park and Recreation department is getting visitors and supporters to the park. It comes at no surprise that having an out-of-date website can work against this overall goal.

Below are three website tips that will turn any Park and Recreation website into a success. Each park tip includes one real-life, successful outdoor website example to drive home each lesson.

Park Tip #1: Evoke Emotion Through Design

It’s been proven that people are more apt to “act” on something if they are moved, awed, excited, inspired, or can relate to a specific situation or thing. This theory, if possible, should be applied to your website. Your park website should be appealing enough that it evokes emotion out of your users—so much so that they support or visit your park.

Having great website design will also make it enjoyable for your users to visit the website. Good design also allows people to find information quickly and easily. To gain exposure, you can even enter your website into web design competitions. Ohio, for example, has a website competition specifically for Ohio Park Websites.

Real-World Example
The award-winning, State of Tennessee website has one website for each season: winter, fall, spring, and summer. What do you feel when you visit each seasonal website? For me, each one evokes a different emotion. The summer website is warm, bright, and inviting. It reminds me of warm weather, fishing, and summer fun. The fall website reminds me of hiking and how amazing the colored trees look on the trails. All of these great feelings make me want to head down to the Great Smokey Mountains for a fun-filled vacation. If your website is designed well, you can evoke this same emotion from your users. Although not everyone has the budget for four websites, simply changing a few photos on your website to reflect each season will keep your park website fresh and exciting.

Park Tip #2: Talk To Your Audience

Every park website should contain general information about the park (History, Hours, Locations, Job Postings, Contact Information, etc). However, if all you are listing is general information, you are missing a huge opportunity to connect with your audience. Your park website should also be your voice, and should include at least a few of the following: event calendar, news feed, e-newsletter sign-up, or blog. Having a few of these communication tools will keep your audience up-to-date with what’s happening at your park. Updating your website regularly with upcoming events, news, and important topics will get more people involved with the park and give people a reason to keep visiting the website.

Real-Word Example
The Conservation International (CI) website serves as a great example on how to communicate with an audience. This nonprofit organization is extremely passionate about protecting biodiversity around the world. CI not only allows other passionate people to subscribe to their conservation newsletter, but also encourage users to get involved by donating to the cause. They even went above and beyond by allowing users to subscribe to press releases, news, and featured articles via RSS Feed. Make sure you effectively communicate with your audience—it will encourage return visits to your website.

Park Tip #3: Educate Your Users

Each city, county, state, and national park has a different goal or passion. Some parks devote themselves to conservation, while others focus on boosting tourism or bettering a community. Take the time to devote a section of your website to educating users on your park’s goals, passions, and/or involvement with a specific cause. If your audience is educated on your park’s passion(s), there is a greater chance people will get involved, support the park, and/or spread the word.

Real-World Example
The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois has one of the largest zoo-based conservation programs in the country. They are extremely passionate about using science as a method for wildlife conservation and animal management. Their website has a robust conservation and science section that educates users on their program. With in this section, you can volunteer, donate, and read countless educational pieces about conservation and science. Each and every park has it’s own unique story to be told, so make sure you take the time to tell yours! A little education can go a long way.

Other Beautiful, Outdoor Websites

If you would like to explore more successful, outdoor websites, please browse the additional list below.

Boston Urban Forest Project
Miami Metro Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Adelaide Zoo
Here’s Life Africa
The Traveling Guys
Think Galapagos
Alpine Meadows Ski Resort
Team Green Outdoor Adventure Club
Taronga Conservation Society
World Wildlife Fund

Gone are the days where Dreamweaver (or FrontPage) was required to keep a company website up-to-date. WordPress is all the rage these days and allows my clients, small- to medium-sized business owners, the ability to maintain their company website with ease.

With over 3,000 WordPress plugins available, it can be overwhelming to choose which plugins will work best for your company website. Below is a list of what I have found to be the most essential WordPress plugins for small- to medium-sized business websites.

1. Akismet

Stop spending time deleting spam and more time creating content! Akismet automatically identifies and blocks comment and trackback spam so you don’t have to.

2. All In One SEO Pack

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is extremely important if you want your website to appear or rank high in search engine results. The All In One SEO Pack allows you to add titles, descriptions, and keywords which increases the chance of someone finding your website online.

3. Sociable

Word of Mouth Marketing has proven to be one of the most powerful ways to boost your business. By adding social media buttons to your website, Sociable makes it easy for people to spread the word about you.

4. Evermore

Website usability studies show that users read in small chunks. Sadly, most blog homepages are often too full and thus can deter visitors. Evermore automatically displays short previews of all your blog posts. This allows readers to easily scan your posts and read a quick preview. Evermore also gives you the capability to tailor the length and appearance of your previews.

5. WP Cache

WP Cache allows your WordPress website to run faster. ‘Nuff said.

6. StatPress

Similar to Google Anayltics, StatPress is a light-weight, real-time plugin that manages your website’s statistics. StatPress collects information about visitors, spiders, keyword searches, feeds, browsers, referring sites, and more.

7. WPtouch iPhone Theme

More and more people are using mobile phones to surf the internet. The Wptouch plugin converts your normal WordPress blog into a mobile website. The theme is only visible when your site is viewed on an iPhone or iPod Touch.

This week, Ribbons of Red was featured on Smashing Magazine for releasing an iPhone Vector Pack Freebie. The vector pack comes with several buttons, six different iPhone interfaces, and three keyboards. You can download the iPhone Vector Set for free at Smashing Magazine. This is a great way to present mobile websites or applications to clients, and I hope other mobile designers will get great use out of it!

The iPhone Vector Pack Includes

1. iPhone
2. Dictionary Scrubber
3. Three keypads (Letters, Numbers, Symbols)
4. Large Key Press
5. Application Icon
6. Title Spinner
7. Date Spinner
8. List Chooser
9. On/Off Sliders
10. General Slider
11. Loading Icon & 3G Icon
12. Call Options (Mute, Keypad, Speaker, Add Call, Hold, Contacts)
13. Six Interface Modes (Welcome, Application Home, Pop-Up Notification, Call Mode, Full Keyboard, Internet)

Earlier this week, I posted a review on the new project management system, FreelanceSuite. I purchased it for $69.00, after loving the demo, but since the purchase have been very dissatisfied with the lack of support and the product’s bad functionality/usability. I requested a refund from FreelanceSuite, and it’s very important you read this (if you are in any way, shape, or form interested in this product or just curious as to how this whole thing played out). This post is what the nightly news usually dubs as a CONSUMER ALERT or BUYER BEWARE.

As mentioned in my previous post about FreelanceSuite, their customer support is very quick to respond (although not very good at providing helpful information). The minute I requested a refund, there was no one to be found. After being avoided for several days, customer support finally got in touch with me.

I will let you read the conversation I had with FreelanceSuite below; you can draw your own conclusion as to whether you want to give your hard earned, freelance dollars to this company or not.

Me: “After having trouble during the installation, and then finding out my clients can not track their project’s overall progress through the “task” feature in FreelanceSuite, I would like to request that my $69.00 be refunded. Unfortunately, I have no use for this product if my clients can’t track the progress of their project. Thanks so much.”

FreelanceSuite: “I’m sorry you feel this way. I was just informed that this feature is actually added (along with many other additions) in the upcoming upgrade, scheduled to be released tomorrow.”

Me: “That is good to know for future buyers, but after all this trouble, I am no longer interested in the product. Please refund my money.”

I’m going to interrupt this lovely conversation to tell you TWO VERY IMPORTANT things. FIRST, after my second request for a refund, I was then avoided (again) for a few more days. During this time the so-called “feature update” was NEVER released. This makes me feel as though I was lied to in order for FreelanceSuite to keep my money. SECONDLY, the above conversation was DELETED in my ticket queue by FreelanceSuite. This is what I like to call… suspicious behavior. 

Just today, I opened another ticket, marked it as “high-priority”, and sent it with an all-caps title of “REFUND” and wrote the following statement below. FreelanceSuite, surprisingly, responded just this morning.

Me: “When I’ve asked a question about the product, I’ve been quick to get a response. I asked for a refund SEVERAL days ago only to be avoided. Please refund my money as this program is not worth the $69. If you will not refund my $69, then I will open a dispute with PayPal to get it returned. Thank You.”

FreelanceSuite: “Hi. I was going to issue the refund today, in spite of the fact that you’re not entitled for it, since you were able to see all features on our demo so there were no surprises. I will issue the refund later today (btw disputing on PayPal will be rejected since you already have the product). Thank you for your interest, good luck with your search.”

Maybe my anger is fuzzing up my judgment, but I not only found that reply rude, but unprofessional. No surprises you say? Au contraire! There were three bombs dropped on me this week: clients can’t track project progress, your customer support is terrible and offensive, and I was lied to. That’s not enough for a refund? Wow.

I’m a very honest person as I’m sure many of you out there are, and when things like this happen it angers and saddens me. I guarantee my money was not going to be refunded today; they deleted the original refund request as though it was never there! I don’t even expect them to make good on their latest refund promise.

Moral(s) of the Story

1. Be very careful where you spend your money.

2. A product demo is not a 100% accurate judgment of how you’re going to “mesh” with a piece of software, I don’t care what anyone says.

3. Always research your refund options, even if you think you’ll never need one.