The Blog
I thought this was pretty impressive when I saw it. Many people who use Twitter these days are also using tinyurl.com to create small URLs to links with longer URLs.
BoldURL.com, a new service that does something very similar is out now, only there are a few unique features that really set it apart. If you sign up for a free account, all of the URLs that you create are stored in the URL Manager. Also, from the URL Manager, you can see how many clicks each of your URLs get. It’s a fairly impressive feature, especially for those of us addicted to stats.
Check it out, sign up, and start tracking those small URLs!
A pretty healthy discussion has been cropping up on a few blogs recently regarding my post about “designed by” links. I don’t want to necessarily rehash everything I’ve said, but I’ve noticed a couple of things that I did not say being attributed to me. So, I thought I would maybe clear the air and hopefully more clearly communicate my argument.
There are two reasons why I feel that putting a “designed by” link on a website is not a good idea. First, the purpose of the site is to promote the client’s company/organization. A “designed by” link does not fit within that purpose. In my mind, if a part of a design does not align with the purpose or message of the design, then it shouldn’t be there.
The second reason I don’t believe they are a good idea is, as I stated before, that if a client wants to help promote my services because they appreciated the work I did, the most effective way is through word of mouth, not a link.
I want to make sure that it’s clear that I am not against self-promotion. I also did not say, as James Socol writes, that “word-of-mouth is superior to self-advertising.” What I did say was that word-of-mouth was superior to putting a “designed by” link on a site I’ve designed. I would not say either word-of-mouth or self-advertising was superior over the other.
As I’ve thought about this more, I’ve realized that a big part of my initial thoughts on this was that when we design a website, or any other form of design, the purpose of that design is to communicate a message. When we put an item in a design that takes away from the main message, regardless of what that item is, it should not be part of the design.
There have been a few really good solutions presented in my last post, including but not limited to:
As a developer, if I like the graphic designer, I would much rather put a note about who designed the site on the “about us” page, or on the “additional links” page or in the blog or something like that. - Tim L. Walker
You can always leave your name in the HTML/CSS/JS you write- - Tor Løvskogen Bollingmo
And an important question asked:
As a developer can I ask where is my link?
What about who scripted the back-end or wrote the HTML/CSS, is that no just an important part as “designed by” in this Webby world?
If and you start adding all those, where do you stop? - Mubashar Iqbal
So, I’m sure we haven’t come to a full agreement, but that was never my point. My point was to make us think, and it looks like we’ve succeeded.
Note: Please advise that this is only my opinion. What I say may not be totally accurate, but I will do my best to make sure that what I present is well thought out and communicated. More than anything else, it is meant to stir discussion, and cause those of us in the design industry to think. Also, I realize that this post is somewhat negative. The purpose of the post is simply to cause us to really think about some of the things we do and how they affect us individually, and as a community.
I noticed recently as I was checking my FeedBurner stats that someone had come to my website from CommandShift3.com. I had never visited the site, but had read about it on several blogs (I was surprised my site was there, as I was not the one who submitted it). The basic concept is, as stated on their homepage, “CommandShift3 is like hot or not. Except, instead of clicking on hot babes, you click on hot websites.”
I understand the idea, and appreciate that they have taken the design gallery idea and given users the ability to choose which sites are attractive and which ones aren’t. However, what this leaves us with is the idea that design is about making things look good or making designs that are attractive. While this is definitely a part of what we do, our primary role as designers is “communicator.” Our designs must clearly and effectively communicate the message that we or our clients are trying to share.
I really shouldn’t call it a “re-design,” as much as it’s a re-thinking of my current design. When I first started this website, I expected it to simply be a place where I would show my work and keep a small news section of what I am up to. However, over the last few weeks and months, I have found myself blogging more than I had originally intended, and have also found this to be a great place to connect with people. The current design accomplishes my original aim fairly successfully, however I am finding that it is not ideal for the new direction I am taking the site.
So, with that in mind, I will be working over the next while to hopefully improve the site overall, and really allow the communal aspects of it to shine through. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
There’s an interesting post up at wisdump.com that was written in response to my post from last week. Check it out and join in the discussion!
A good friend/client of mine and I were talking over IM yesterday, discussing the project I was working on and how it was going. He has absolutely loved what I’m doing for him, which is always a good thing!
During our conversation he made an offer that I am sure many web designers have heard over the years: “make sure you put your watermark/logo on there somewhere.” Now, in the past I have put a “designed by” stamp on designs I have created; sometimes this was done by request of the client, and other times I just did it on my own assuming the client would be ok with it. However, recently I have changed my view on this practice, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it here today.
