LifeInBinary

It's sent Skemcin. I should be up as well.Thanks,LifeInBinary.

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know how the job was going.The conference call went well. We agreed that they would have their first mock-up within a week or so from the call. I made the mock-up two hours after the call, but I am making sure that I am actually capable of putting the Fireworks .png graphics into the HTML file using tables - that way I don't agree to do something I can't. I'm not too familiar with div classes, and I don't really know what they are capable of. I am okay with tables, but I have only done one other website with tables and it was less complicated than this one. So I figure I will use the rest of the week to slice my image and put it into tables. I've got a good start, but I have text that I would like to be selectable - and I don't know how to get it into the tables. I know I would delete the text from the actual image, then use the image without the text as the background image for the cell, then align my text how I want it and put it in the code. Here is the problem: The areas for text are chopped up in different cells, and I'm not shure how to do the spanning. Would anybody be willing to help me out with this?I have thought about just doing the whole site in images without text - just because it's my first job. When I get paid, I plan on taking the Macromedia certification course for Dreamweaver - that way I can import graphics directly from Fireworks and know how to use Dreamweaver to easily insert the code into the perfect tables that Fireworks uses by default without manual slicing. The client has mentioned to me that he wants me to be the one for revisions and stuff down the road, so I guess I could do this however I want to if I'm the only one looking at the source files. My first thought was, "I can't do this with all images - that's cheating. If someone else goes to make an edit down the road, they will be pissed. They will probably tell him that they can't make the edit and I have to do it. That's job security, but it's not very reputable. I want my work to scream perfection." - then I thought, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. The client wants me to continue with this project months down the road. I could do it with images for now, then when I get paid and learn more I can always go back and do it right. All the client wants is a functional, aesthetically pleasing website - he didn't tell me what exact means to use..." So what should I do guys?If anyone wants to see the work so far, I'll upload it to geocities and post a link. Or I can post the source code.Thanks for all the help guys,LifeInBinary.

Thanks for that. If I am using Geocities until I can afford real hosting, then would my AuthUserFile be the full URL of the .htpasswd file? Also, I want one password for all the members to have access (just one) - and one for me. Mine will allow access to different areas of the website than theirs will. So two questions: 1) can multiple users with the same username/password be logged on at the same time with this method? 2) can I make that additional password for myself by putting a second set of .htaccess and .htpasswd in the directories that I want to have access in, and using a different username/password for myself?Again, thanks for the assistence RahXephon, you have been very helpful.LifeInBinary.

Thanks guys - I'll keep you posted.By the way, I think I decided to go ahead and just let this first client pay whatever he wants. He is very honest (I do already informally know him) and fairly well off. Just because I already made the mistake of leaving it up to him - I don't wan't to sound like I'm taking anything back. At least now I know in the future some better ideas for pricing. I'll let you know what I make, and post a link to the final site when it's done.Again, thanks a lot guys,LifeInBinary - Off to work

Just to let everyone know - I just officially got the job! :)The client sent me an email saying "you're hired." and told me he wants to schedule a conference call.There's the first billable hours :)Thanks guys,LifeInBinary.

Thanks, I'll check this out.LifeInBinary.

That's not related to this project. Thanks though, I might ask you about a thing or two if needed. I am making a personal website with a portfolio and stuff - that's where the problem is - so it's kind of getting pushed to the back burner for now. I really could use some help, but I think justsomeguy told me what I needed to know. If it doesn't work, I'll PM you about it I guess.Thanks again,LifeInBinary.

Sorry justsomeguy, I haven't actually tried it yet - I'm sure it should work and it's exactly what I need probably - but I have had to turn my attention to a new freelance job offer. I'll get around to it.Thanks for the help though,LifeInBinary.

I have Macromedia Fireworks (which is awesome for static graphics) and Macromedia Flash. I have Dreamweaver too. I am good with Fireworks, but I don't know how to use Flash - I can't seem to figure it out. Does anyone know of some really good tutorials anywhere? Also, I have PowerPoint - is there a way to make a slideshow, import it to a Macromedia program, and convert it to .swf? Any help on this would be great. I am also trying to learn how to use Dreamweaver, looking for tutorials on that too. It would be nice to be able to take sliced interfaces directly from Fireworks and have Dreamweaver take care of positioning and swaps.Thanks as always guys,LifeInBinary.

Thanks Skemcin, you have been more than helpful :)I might take you up on that flash offer as well.By the way, I also Ski and Mtn. Bike - awesome stuff.I'll keep you posted,LifeInBinary.

Nice input pulpfiction.Thanks,LifeInBinary.

okay, like I said - I'm really sorry about mentioning anything at all, I just know how easy it is for people to take offense to things online - especially when they are from different countries.Just looking out for pateek, sorry aspnetguy.By the way, that Microsoft Networking Certification is CRAZY! My programming teacher told me about it, and if a 12 year old from anywhere passed that exam - kudos to her!Thanks for clearing that up, and I do apologize,LifeInBinary.

Just to lay down some background, my client is my aunt's boss who owns the company she is working for. So I can be casual when I speak to her, but formal when speaking to John - the actual client.This is an email I just sent to my aunt. It mentions how I plan to squirm out of my previous payment suggestion. Does it sound good?Thanks, no problem. I sent the email to John. I understand you need it quick, and I'll do it as quickly as I can. I know we should talk about price later, but I figure since I'm waiting for John to get back with me on some details, I can mention this while I'm waiting. I have talked to about 10 different web designers over the past couple of days, and I have gotten a very good idea of what I should be charging to start off. I was wondering if I should go ahead and mention my thoughts on specific figures or just wait until it's done? I'm sorry to be so unprofessional about this whole thing, but it's my first job - and a lot of people are giving me advice on a forum about how they handle their business. Now I know how it should be done in the future, it just caught me off guard for the first job - I wasn't really expecting it. Anyway, let me know what you think. Should I throw out some specific figures and kind of negotiate with John (while I'm working on the site of course) or just sit back until it gets done? Again, sorry to sound like a nag. Love,Jay.Again, thanks for the loads of valuable help and advice,LifeInBinary.

No offense aspnetguy, but in prateek's defense - they make a lot less money over there than we do in the US. I just wanted to interject and say that you can't determine somebody's talent by their location in the world. You are right, outsourcing is generally a bad idea - but that's because most foreign workers don't perform the same caliber work as a country's domestic workers - not that it can't be done. I guess I'm saying I understand where you are comming from, but at the same time - prateek is only 15 and working in the sumer on websites. He is being very entreprenueristic, and making money that he wouldn't normally be getting otherwise. I say good for him, he is probably making a little bit more money than some of the kids in his neighborhood - and prateek, I am only 20 Hope it doesn't sound like I'm downing you either prateek - things get kinda weird when money exchanges at different rates around the world.Don't mean to cause any ripples with that, just wanted to put things in perspective a bit more for everybody.Sorry about that,LifeInBinary.

I just thought that maybe it would be helpful if I included the original email I sent to my client about the job.I guess I'll try putting it in a code box so I don't take up too much room...Nevermind the code box - it looked weird, I'll just make it blue...John,Sorry it has taken this long to get back to you - as I said, I have been very busy with some classes - but I finally decided earlier today that I should go ahead and look at what you are wanting in your website, so that I can be up front with you as to whether or not I can get it done in a timely fashion. I thought that if it was going to be complicated and take a while with my schedule, that I should go ahead and let you know so that I don't waste your time and you could get someone else to do it - and that if it looks like I can do it, then I would just go ahead and make time for you and get it out of the way. Well, I looked over the brochure, as well as http://www.multop.com, and it looks like I will be able to do it for you fairly quickly if you are still interested. I know time is a very important factor for you and the company, but I want to make it very clear to you that if you decide to let me do the job for you, I will put all personal objectives aside and get your website done as promptly as possible. It would be very helpful if I could get a hold of the original images that the brochure included, but if not I can also make it work. I would also need the "MyriadPro - Semibold" font that was used in the brochure - unless it will be okay to go with something very similar. I would like to discuss some specifics such as the exact (or approximate if you wish me to use my own judgment on the first draft) layout of the home page, and what range of pay you are thinking of. Everything is completely at your discretion concerning all aspects of the website and reasonable workflow, however I would like to propose that - since we are doing this long-distance - you tell me your basic needs for the home page, I make a complete home page and host it privately, give you a link, then you can tell me if anything needs to change or if we're good to go. Then we would work on each of the links in a similar way. I am estimating the project take between one or two weeks, depending on how many links are involved and how many changes need to be made - keep in mind that this is a very rough estimate given the information that I currently have. Also of note, I am not currently able to create Flash documents such as the animated image at the top of the http://www.multop.com website. I can get the same effect, but I have to edit it frame-by-frame with the software I am using - so I would recommend either having someone else do the actual Flash animation, then getting it to me so that I can put it on the website, or just going with a good static image that does not move - which I can even design for you if required. I can create the same effect as their .swf image by using an animated .gif image - but it would take me two or three days to do it that way - whereas someone with more appropriate software could do it in two hours.Sorry to write so much John, I understand that you may have even already decided to have someone else work on this for you - but I wanted to let you know exactly where I stand and what is involved in the case that you are still interested, so that we can get the ball rolling.Bottom line is this: I can do the project with great quality, and I can complete it as quickly - if not quicker - as anyone else is likely to. I would love to get started on it, I have already been brainstorming on a few areas of the layout to run by you - so if you want to give it a go, just send me an email and I'll get started immediately!Thanks for your time,Jay Williams.That's just for future reference I suppose.Thanks again guys,LifeInBinary.

Thank you so much, Skemcin, for the advice. I would like to keep you informed and possibly get some input along the way - should I just continue to use this topic for that purpose? Also, I kinda agreed to get started without setting payment before I checked the latest replies... He simply said, "you will be paid suffienciently. Don't worry about it right now, we need this quick." - which leads me to believe that he is reputable enough to pay me decently for my first job. Another thing that I should mention is that he knows this is my first job - so I don't want to push things too much. When he said that to me I just thought, "well, I better get on it, I'm sure he'll pay me well". He is getting back to me with some specifics of the layout and planning, so should I pipe in at some point and mention that I charge a $200 flat fee for the design, then $50 dollars per static page? I was thinking about mentioning that if I need to get somebody else to do the flash, that I will tell him up front what they will charge, then add that to the total price of my service. So if it had 6 static pages, and I had to get somebody to do the flash for me for $100 - I would charge $600 - does this sound good for my first job? I figure I might charge that way in the future, but since I already agreed to do it just accepting that he will pay me 'sufficiently' - should I just let this first job go and take what he gives me, that way I don't look like I don't know what I'm doing - or should I tell him that I've thought about payment, and propose my figures?I am also thinking about charging $25 to $100 (based on complexity) per graphic image that I design for clients in the future, is this a good idea?Please get back to me about the payment questions. Thanks for all your help.Just asking, if I were to have a small easily fixable problem with tables or something, would you care to help me? Unfortunately I could not afford to pay you for anything, as I am pretty broke myself and trying to make ends meet for my wife and son (I'm only 20) - but you seem to be very informed on this matter, and I would love to have your assistance if needed. Feel free to say no to that by the way.Thanks again Skemcin,LifeInBinary.

Wow, that site looks like a bit less work than the site I am going to create. About how much did you charge for that?And I suppose you're right about local market - I am wondering how much web designers in the area of my client would charge for the project.Thanks for your advise,LifeInBinary.

Sorry about that, I meant to type $25 :)Thanks though.LifeInBinary.

(I THINK THE FORMATTING GOT ALTERED, BUT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT I MEAN)Basically, I'm just trying to interface a website with a couple of boxes and have text in those boxes.┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐│ │ <--[bANNER]├───────────────────────────────────────────┤│ LINK1│LINK2│LINK3│LINK4│LINK5│LINK6│LINK7│LINK8 │ <--[bUTTONS]└───────────────────────────────────────────┘┌────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌────────┐│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[This is where I'm having the problems. The middle box is one cell.]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[When I insert text, it appears aligned left horizontally and centered]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[vertically. I want it to be centered horizontally and aligned to top ]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[vertically. I also am using a background image on the text boxes ]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[to carry over the style of the banner. I haven't tried the other two ]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[boxes yet. I want the text selectable, so I can't make it part of the]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │ <--[ing to geocities, but if you still need me to I can. Let me know. ]│░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ ││░░░░░ │ │ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ │░░░░░ │└────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ └────────┘┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐│ │ <--[COPYRIGHT]└───────────────────────────────────────────┘So should your method work for this?

You know what, maybe I should just host what I'm having problems with and give you a link.If I do that would you mind checking it out when you get a chance?I'll be working on that...Thanks for your time,LifeInBinary.

Thanks justsomeguy, that is probably what I needed to know - I just didn't explain it very well.Also, do I need to do <style type="text/css"> before the <td> for the cell and put </style> after it?I guess it would look like this:<table> <tr> <td>Normal</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Normal</td> </tr> <tr> <style type="text/css"> <td style="background: url(body.jpg); vertical-align: top; text-align: left;">Whatever text goes here</td> </style> </tr> <td>Normal</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Normal</td> </tr></table> Again, thanks for your help justsomeguy - I really appreciate it.LifeInBinary.

Skemcin, I really appreciate your comments. That is some very helpful information. I just wanted to let you know more about how I am looking at the project. I have been dabbling with Macromedia Fireworks for about 6 months, so all of the images should be no problem. I am very confident that I will be able to do the site, most of it is pretty plain - except for the flash. I told the client that either he could get someone else to do the flash and I would put it on the site, or that he could go with a good static image. I gave a third option, which was this: I can create a very similar effect as the flash animation by using an animated gif instead, but with the software I am using I would have to edit it frame-by-frame and it would take me 2 or 3 days where someone with more appropriate software could get in done in 2 hours. I have made sure the client is very well informed, I am even telling him that I can make as many revisions as necessary to achieve the best final product. I figured that since it is my first job, and it is on the other side of the united states - that I should be as linient as possible and make a great effort to get the job done perfect and quickly, as to not get a bad reputation from the very first job. To be honest, the man I am doing the project for is fairly wealthy and very respectable - so I am thinking about just telling him to pay me what he thinks the final product is worth. He has had other similar websites made by local webdesigners, and I figure he will pay me either the ball-park range of what he paid others or maybe even more if I do it with superb quality. I thought that maybe I can take that risk to ensure a happy first client and go from there for the future? Do you think this is a bad idea? Also, I am thinking about aspnetguy's comment of "I charge $100 for the design, then $50 for the pages>" - I think that sounds great. Only I would let them have as many mock-ups and revisions as they want just because it is my first job. More input from you would be great - but anyone can feel free to give me further suggestions as well.So in short: this is not entirely a learning experience, as I have already learned most of what is required for this specific job, I am moving on in my questions on the forum to more complicated subjects than this project requires. Also, the client is well informed of my capabilities and has seen a portfolio of my personal designs and work. I told him that my rough estimate was that I could get it done in one or 2 weeks based on the information I have. I told him that the estimate was very rough and that it depended on the number of links and revisions. Is this about right? How long would most web designers alot for this job? Keep in mind I have a very busy schedule with college, a newborn, work... I told him that if he decided to let me have the job, I would put my personal matters aside and work soley on his project within reason so that it gets done as soon as possible. Time is an issue for him.He asked me what I thought about his current website and I was honest with him and told heim that "honestly, I expected to see many areas of improvement as most people don't focus as much on quality as they should - but I am very impressed with the website. Whoever you hired has done an excellent job, and I wouldn't change a thing." Then I went on to say that a few things could be aligned better, like an image in a cell needing to be moved left 3 pixels and down 2 pixels. Another thing I noticed was that they had JavaScript to prevent right-clicking - so I told him I could also prevent text selection and pointed out some other security flaws that I could improve. He was confident that his images were safe, so when I told him in an email that an image needed re-aligned I also attached both a copy of the original image and a copy of the new one I would propose. He was very impressed with my suggestions, and that is why he decided to have me make a whole new website.Again, everyone here has been more helpful than I could expect.Thanks for everything,LifeInBinary.

Hey guys,I am taking my first free-lance job in web design. So, how much should one generally charge for this service? I have seen companies that say they make websites at a minimum of $600 - I have also seen companies say that they work for $60 dollars per hour, so is that like really hardcore productive work hours or just your average working pace which allows zoning out here and there?This is not the site I am making, but it is VERY similar. Roughly the same layout and amount of links. Text should be provided, it will require some moderate graphic design work as well.http://www.multop.comCheck that out please.So how much should I charge? Should I work per hour or one lump sum?Thanks for the help guys, this is the most helpful community I have seen on the web - no kidding.LifeInBinary.

I mean, I can see where the image at the top of your forum is pixelated - and I can make you a new image that takes up the same space without the pixelation if you want. I do graphics.Let me know...

The password tool I found on the Dynamic Drive link you gave my looked like exactly what I need, but there's just one problem: I've never worked with .htaccess and .htpasswd before - I only recently heard about it. Could you by any chance explain to me what I need to do to set up my site with .htaccess and .htpasswd? At the moment all I am using is .html and .jpg - lol. Do I just make text files and rename the extension like for .html or do I need a software package like for forums or what? Any help with this would be completely and totally awesome - this method is exactly what I was looking for.Thanks as always guys,LifeInBinary.