Megan — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 17:14:47 +0000

Those big corproate sites are way behind when it comes to standards. They seem to need convincing that it's worth the effort, which is unfortunate. Web standards are sort of like a building code - you don't want to work with someone who isn't following it. The problem with those big corproate sites is that they started before standards were really widely used and their sites haven't fallen down (yet) so they don't bother doing things properly.

Busy — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:49:43 +0000

w3 (or w3c).org is validation guidelines for web standards.

When you validate a site you may get many errors but the errors can be downline errors caused by the first couple of errors, example if you miss an end tag it will use the next end tag and thus cause several errors because it has used another end tag.

cigam — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 02:43:20 +0000

I am knew to this, what does the http://validator.w3.org/ site actually tell you? I ran a few URLs of some major corporations and many of them came up with errors in the double digits.

Megan — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 21:50:30 +0000

I personally have a problem with sites like elance because a good professional is sure to get outbid by a cheap amateur. I do good quality work, I know what I'm worth, and I don't do work for "cheap". Most professionals will have overhead costs that amateurs don't.

A ways to tell professionals from amateurs:

Conduct ain interview (in person, if possible). You can tell a lot by the way people speak and handle themselves in a meeting. You'll want to get an overview of their understanding of the work you need to have done. An amateur will generally think in very narrow terms (i.e. programming is about writing the code, design is about making it look good). You want someone who can make a product that works for your business and can demonstrate that with examples from their portfolio.
Look at their websites (especially personal websites). You don't want to work with someone who does not have a professional image on the web. Google them and/or any screen names they go by (if you can find that out).
Go here: http://validator.w3.org/ and enter the URL of their website(s), There should be few (preferably no) errors.
Ask for a CV/Resume and references.
Be wary of community certificate programs or "ITT Tech" type certificates. These are generally of low quality.

I'm sure I'll think of more later...

mrp8ntball — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 21:29:53 +0000

I think this is appropriate to post here.

I think the reason a lot of "amateurs" get by web designing today is because they are able to produce websites that look nice and the client doesn't know any better. If it looks nice and works reasonbly they really don't know if it was produced using templates or front page. I know this is the case because I myself know very little beyond basic html and I need to hire someone soon.

So tell me. Even after looking at porfolios, how do I distinguish a professional (beyond what he tells me he can do) from an amateur that says the same and produces nice looking web pages? Where do I go to look for a professional by your standards? I have no idea where to look for this- suggestions are welcome.

Also, how do professionals feel about websites such as elance.com where projects can be bid on by deisgners/programmers. Is this a service a professional would avoid? this probably drastically contributes to the price gauging you speak of, especially when people are so eager to undercut eachother with this auction form of project acquisition.

Please chime in your opinion on the following as well as any advice on where and how to find professionals. I do not want some template using amateur for my website.

demonhale — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:01:51 +0000

Upon reading above, Its a good idea to recompile the whole thread, and point at those we all agree in...

For Mine:
Professionalism - should be there as a professional, either the way you deal with people, or the way you give your best in the way you do and accept criticisms as challenges and hurdle them by learning as much as you could, and never stop learning about the newer things.
Aptitude - you do what you advertise, you are best at what your skill-set is based on, you do research, you do nitty gritty stuff to stay in shape for your customers, never rely on your assistants to do job and communication for you.
EQ (Emotional Quotient) - The way you handle things, pressure, deadlines, and your reactions to problems posed to you, how you analyze and react to the situation, how fast and precise you get things done without getting either too annoyed to do nothing...

timjpriebe — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:01:03 +0000

Megan's right. I think there are very few websites that hope you only visit them once.

Megan — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 14:46:31 +0000

Even then, you'd hope that people like your information enough to come back again when they need to know something else.

bja888 — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 13:22:03 +0000

fiesty_01 wrote: I would think that an online shopping site would want their visitors to come back.

I was thinking along the lines of a infirmation based website.

fiesty_01 — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 09:02:16 +0000

timjpriebe wrote: Splling - They should us prioper spleling when tpying emals and suchk.

Definitely.