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Glossary
Part 6
Can they do what they say? |
You wont believe it |
Get it in Writing
Web programmers can be a rather slippery bunch. They don't have the best reputation out there, and have often ended up causing more damage on a project then good. This is not to say that all web programmers are scoundrels and should not be trusted, but more accurately, there are a lot of scoundrels out there who call themselves web programmers. Often times what happens is someone who has some skills with Photoshop or FrontPage has a friend ask them to make a webpage for them. Before you know it, they are in business for themselves and have more projects than they know what to do with. This does not make them a good web programmer. A good web programmer will have MANY years of applied experience with internet software in general.
When you are talking with a potential web programmer consider the following:
- How long have they been doing web programming?
- Can they handle a project the size of yours?
- Will they be handling everything on their own, or hiring out sub-contractors?
- If those sub-contractors were to quit mid stream will they be able to take over?
- Will they provide you with a written contract? (ALWAYS GET A CONTRACT!!!)
- Do they provide XHTML compliant code?
- Do they provide valid CSS markup?
If you publish it anywhere on your website, people will look at it. Internet users are funny that way, maybe it's because their board and have nothing better to do than read every single article on your website. Maybe you just have that fantastic of a website. Whatever the reason, you must always be mindful that people are looking at your site, and whatever content you have on it, good or bad. If you have an old price sheet lingering on your website from 6 years ago, someone will see it, and expect you to uphold it.
There is an expression used on the internet called a drive-by website. This is a website that you accidentally land upon, but enjoy looking at anyway. I'm sure you have done it, mistyped something in the address bar, and ended up on a really interesting website. So be sure that your website offers good information for both intentional and unintentional visitors.
If you are serious about creating a website, you need to make a contract with your web developer. A contract will define the boundaries, roles, responsibilities, timelines, costs and liabilities of your project. A good contract offers protection and clarity for all parties involved. A typical web design contract will define:
- Who are the parties involved
- What is the project
- How many pages will be written
- What the project will cost
- How many man hours are expected to complete the project
- An estimated timeline until completion
- Payment schedule
- Non disclosure clauses
- Binding Arbitration Clauses
- Definition of Late Payment Penalties
- Definition of Late Delivery Penalties
- Who owns the rights to the website after it's finished and paid for
- Who will pay for materials, stock-photos, Royalties, etc…?
If the web developer you have chosen does not want to sign a contract, you need to think long and hard about if they are the right person to use. This is usually an early indicator of a problem. Likewise, don't be hesitant to sign a contract if your web developer offers one.
Don't sign a contact you are not comfortable with or don't understand! If the contract you are looking at has terms and expressions you don't know, have them change it to a more clear definition.
Don't sign a one sided contract either. Make sure that your interests are covered and protected. If you have an attorney who owes you a favor, now would be a good time to call it in.
Part 1 |
Part 2 |
Part 3 |
Part 4 |
Part 5 |
Part 6 |
Part 7 |
Part 8 |
Part 9 |
Part 10 |
Glossary
-Rossitter Consulting is a Shreveport-Bossier City web design firm that offers affordable web design and hosting. Click HERE to read more