Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. Apart from community projects, the most common job I take on is fixing peoeple's web presence by building a new site that integrates with social media.
Q. Describe three recent jobs you've completed.
A. + For I Need An Angel in Arizona, I reconstructed their website (http://GreatestCopanyEver.Com) using Wordpress, enabling them to change their own content while keeping most of their original design.
+ I set up an entire web community for college fashion using BuddyPress (http://WhatIsFashion.Net), which enabled user profiles, friending, "likes", and an award point system. It also has a fully-functional classifieds capability for users, and integrates with Facebook and Twitter.
+ PeopleLeap.Com needed a lot of fixing, having been built by its owner, whom I trained to manage the site after restructuring it properly, plus adding various features.
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. Demand that a vendor explain everything you need to know in a way you can understand. To not do so means either they lack communications skills or are being dishonest, expecting you to just "trust them". And whatever you do, do NOT buy based primarily on price because technology services can rarely be compared fairly to each other.
Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. Inside Tip: Search Engines are NOT King. There are basic steps you can take to be listed properly, and improve it easily by a few simple tricks, but the more you spend on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the less return you receive proportionally.
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. NO ONE has the patience or takes the time I do to guide clients by the hand from wherever they are to where they need to be. I explain everything in plain English, and show them that their existing business skills and knowledge are still valid, just applying them differently to current marketplace trends. And instead of selling them a solution, I am a teammate that advises them on all possible options for them to make the most informed decision, even if it doesn't put money in my own pocket.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. By far, I enjoy meeting and working with people from all different industries and community projects. I'd much rather be educating and encouraging clients than being in front of the keyboard all day.
Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?
A. The one thing few people realize is that good web sites are rarely made by geeks or artists. Geeks make sites that are technically correct by whatever technical benchmark they follow, but may not be usable by everyday people. Artists can make amazing visuals, but often do not consider loading times, screen resolutions, or properly structuring the site to be viewable by everyone, including the visually impaired or others using text-only or smaller devices.
What people need most is someone who understands how real life business and communication processes translate to the web -- and give back measurable returns.
