Archives
July 4, 2007
In the following two videos (part 1 and part 2) I go over the points to look for in a good web hosting company.
Though these videos are part of my Business of Web Design video course, the information should be useful for anyone looking to find a good hosting company.
In a nutshell:
When looking for a good web hosting company, I would strongly suggest that you make price one of the last things you consider.
… Because these days, the vast majority of hosting companies, charge about the same.
Instead, you should be looking at:
- Features: do they support PHP, ASP or ASP.NET etc?
- Support: how good is their tech support?
You need to find a web hosting company that have a good range of server technologies to choose from and have fast tech support.
Tip:
To test their tech support, try giving their tech support phone number (or email address,) a test to see how fast they respond.
The videos:
Removed the videos for updates.
PS: I also quickly discuss how web designers should dress when meeting clients.
Thanks,
Stefan
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June 28, 2007
Hi,
I released a new video related to The Business of Web Design course:
Don’t reinvent the wheel!
I appreciate your comments regarding this video and any comments regarding the new idea22.com UI changes is also appreciated.
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There is still lots of new changes working its’ way through, so all the feedback you can give along the way will be helpful.
Thanks!
Stefan
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June 25, 2007
In my attempts to get the best sound possible for my video tutorials, I’ve tested a bunch of mics. I kept the budget under $800 for the whole setup (mic and audio interface) because .. well, I didn’t want to spend more!
That said I have narrowed my choice down to two mics:
The EV R20 @ $500 USD.
Another Option
Another really good mic that sounds about the same and is much cheaper ($99) is the Audio-Technica AT2010 or the Audio-Technica AE-6100.
The Audio-Technica AT2010
SO WHAT’S AN ‘AUDIO INTERFACE’?
In a nutshell an audio interface (ex: FAST TRACK PRO) is a piece of hardware that allows you to connect XLR microphones to your computer. An XLR is a type of cable that is used in professional audio.
M-AUDIO FAST TRACK PRO @ $200.
Thanks!
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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June 20, 2007
It has been 6 months since I picked up a MacBook Pro and I have been very impressed with this machine.
To be fair, it isn’t perfect but it is the best computer I’ve ever used:
- OSX is stable and pleasant to use. Things just work!
- The Mac book hardware is top notch.
For example:
Every MacBook comes with a tiny webcam (iSight) built into its’ cover – no need to buy an external cam anymore. It is convenient to be sure, but how about the image quality?
… To my surprise, the little webcam produces a better image quality than even top notch webcams from Logitech!
How about 3rd party hardware?
As is consistent with Mac OSX (in that things tend to work), when you plug in any piece of hardware, it seems to just work.
At first it was a little strange to me, as I was expecting dialog boxes to pop up etc … as you have with Windows. But after a while you get used to it.
🙂
Security?
OSX has an intelligent security system where it only prompts you for permission, if you are installing core components of the OS. Contrast this to Vista where even deleting shortcuts will require extra annoying clicks!
Crashing?
I’ve had Mac OSX die on me twice in 6 months. Both times, it was problems related to having a few external devices connected, and me being very impatient, clicking a lot of buttons.
… A simple restart, and OSX came back like nothing ever happened.
With Windows, I find when you boot back up (after a crash), half the time, you have restart again because the OS will be .. shaky. It as though Windows needs another crack at cleaning itself up …?
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If you’ve never used Mac OS and are considering a new machine, I think it is time for you to consider.
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
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June 11, 2007
This article has something to do with my Business of Web Design video course, so please bear with me!
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What I am about to say, will probably get me into some trouble. Yet, it needs to be said because it is true.
In a nutshell: chances are, you will not become a millionaire!
A little background:
There is a popular belief, that if you follow the right steps, read the right books, that you can become a millionaire. The sense you get (from all the books and tv infomercials) is that it’s possible … very possible.
Some facts:
- Only 1% of Americans make $250 000 / year … let alone becoming millionaires.
- Something like 85% of self made millionaire live very modest (middle class) lifestyles.
Before I go on, I am not saying that we can’t reach financial independence (I will get into what that means later). Rather, I am saying that if you want to live the life of a movie star, drive around $250 000 sports cars, and live in mansions, then there is a 99% chance that you will NOT make it.
What it takes to become a millionaire:
After doing a lot of research, and having had few millionaire mentors of my own, I’ve found the following to be the keys to making it big:
- You probably have to work much harder than most people.
- You will have to be luckier than most people.
- You will probably have to be talented. Although many times, luck can make up for the lack of talent.
- You will have to take risks.
There is one thing that (just about) every rich/successful person I have ever spoken to, read about, or watched on TV has said:
that they have been very lucky.
… They had some stroke of dumb luck, that made things happen for them.
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So, if you want to base your life on that less than 1% chance you will make the ‘big time’ … then good luck to you! I prefer to work toward the very attainable goal of financial independence.
What is financial independence?
For me, this means that you have more money coming in, than you need (to live comfortably,) … WITHOUT having to bust your butt, or be under massive pressure.
I did this through the web design business (but that’s not the only way,) and it is something that can be reasonably attained, even by reasonably untalented people … people like me!
About Talent:
It’s a sad fact in life, that not all people are created equal when it comes to talent. If boxing (and my broken nose) has taught me anything, it is this.
But it’s not all bad:
It is also true, that each of us can excel in one thing or another (and the trick is to find your talent!) but the fact of the matter is, that if you want to reach the very top of some profession, you need to have that natural talent that makes it easy for you.
What can talentless people do?
Ah, now that’s the trick: realize who you are, and then come up with a strategy!
- Find out what your talent really is. You don’t have to be the best (and you probably wont be,) just so long as you are naturally able.
- Start doing what you are good at.
- Get people around you who can make up for your lack of talent.
In the ‘Business of Web Design’ videos, I teach you the brass-and-tacks of building a home-based web design business, and I also teach the strategy to becoming financially independent.
For example:
You may not be the best coder, or perhaps your design skills suck. Not matter, you can make up for that by leveraging other people and other peoples work (I show you how in the videos,) freeing you to excel in whatever aspect of web design you happen to be good at.
Thanks so much for reading!
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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June 3, 2007
Hi,
I just released my second video for the Business of Web Design course:
Business of Web Design: Hardware and Software
It is about 14 minutes and it covers the basics on what hardware and software you need to start a web design business. Along the way, I discus a few basic business concepts that are crucial to any small business.
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I am also archiving the videos at www.studioweb.com
Thanks,
Stefan
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May 28, 2007
Hi,
I’ve put together a PDF document that outlines the process on how to create an effective video tutorial:
How to create a video tutorial
Although I wrote this to help people who want to contribute video tutorials to idea22.com, you will find it packed with a lot of tips on:
- On how to create effective videos.
- Software options for creating videos.
- How to work with both Windows and Mac when creating videos.
Hope you find this useful.
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
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May 22, 2007
I just finished my first video (of a series) that I am calling:
The Business of Web Design.
Being clever nerds that you surely are, I’m sure you’ve guessed that the video has something to do with the web design business.
… You guessed correctly.
This first video provides an introduction to a course that will guide you in starting and growing a home based web design business. That means the course is targeting web designers who have little to no business experience at all.
Some of the topics the course will cover:
- How to start a business.
- How to create web design contracts.
- How to charge clients.
- How to get your first clients.
- How to streamline the web design process to make it much more profitable.
… This is just a small taste, but I think you got the picture.
Check out my first video and send me some feedback … does it suck, was it interesting … or boring!
You can find it on my video tutorial site, idea22.com:
Business of web design – introduction
Many thanks,
Stefan Mischook
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April 27, 2007
We’ve now added another category of web templates to webshapes.org: CSS menus.
Check out our web template widget:
You can access the collection of CSS menus here: CSS menus
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
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April 4, 2007
We just launched idea22.com, a social networking, video sharing site that targets tutorial videos only.
What makes idea22.com different, is that we have built the system to cater to tutorial/training videos.
We are still tweaking the functionality and the UI, but I invite you to take a look:
www.idea22.com
Thanks,
Stefan
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