XDude's Portfolio

The XDude Newsletter – Issue #3 – Special Edition for Business Owners

XDude — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:13:23 +0000

~ April 18, 2012 ~

Frequently-Asked Question:

"Small-Business Websites. How much DO they cost?"

Whenever I tell people I’m a web nerd, one of the first things they ask me is, "What does it cost for a simple, basic website?"

It’s a bit of a loaded question. And, for years, I struggled to give them a clear answer. Today, I’m here to answer that question, and to discuss something that people rarely ask about: "What are the various benefits?"

Ultimately, there are two main options: save money and do it yourself, or save time and have someone help you.

Option #1: Do It Yourself

Benefits:
• Fast: have your website ready to go in minutes
• Inexpensive: the most affordable way to get a website
• You can do your own updates, as often as you like, at no extra charge

Ideal for:
• People who have more time than money
• People who want a simple, basic website
• People who like to be in control

Believe it or not, it can be a really easy process! In fact, I’ve narrowed it all down to the following three steps (this is exactly how I do it):

Sign up for an account with BlueHost. ($60/year)
I’ve gone through MANY hosting companies over the last 13 years, and these guys are my favorite. They’re reliable, I like their policies, and they don’t outsource their tech support.
Install WordPress. ($0)
Once you’re logged in to your control panel, click the "WordPress" icon (it’s a blue circle with a "W" in it) and go through their super-easy setup wizard.
Make a page! ($0)
While writing this article, I spent a fair chunk of time looking for a GOOD, short video tutorial on how to make a page in WordPress and wasn’t able to find one — so I made one! Here it is for your viewing pleasure: How to Make a Page, and Set a Home Page

Hooray and congratulations! You’re well on your way. There are a thousand more things you can do — make it look hot with a premium theme, add a secure membership area, integrate a newsletter — but this will help you get a working website, for a very reasonable price.

Option #2: Have a Professional Help You

Benefits:
• Saves you time and allows you to focus on your business
• Gives you the best chance of getting ranked on Google, Yahoo, etc.
• The biggest step towards having the website of your dreams!

Ideal for:
• Busy business owners
• People with big dreams
• Anybody who prefers to stick to what they’re good at

Hiring a web professional can be highly affordable in today’s economy. And, while I’m answering the old question of, "How much does it cost for a professional website?" I’d like to dispell an old myth.

Myth: "Hiring a web professional is way too expensive for my small business!"

Even in today’s troubled economy, there are highly-affordable website packages available — you just need to know where to look.

The other day, I sent someone a link to my online portfolio and she replied, "I like your work. I’m afraid to ask for a quote, though!"

One of the things many people don’t know about me is that I do in fact help small businesses! I even have a package designed specifically to help entrepreneurs get their foot in the door, for a very reasonable price.

Last summer, I developed my Business Starter Package. I didn’t make it public because I was still ironing out a few details; however, after helping a number of clients through the process, improving it with feedback, and making it fun, I’m happy to say it’s ready for mass consumption.

If you’re a business owner who wants a website that’s simple but has the ability to grow with your business, it’ll suit your needs perfectly. If you’ve got a big dream for a really amazing website but don’t know where to start, it’s an excellent foundation that will help you plan your next steps.

And, at $500, it’s a crazy deal.

What does it look like? Here are a few examples:

The following websites began by using the Starter Package as a foundation, then grew with the client’s needs:

Interested? Think I might be able to help you? Hit "Reply" and let’s talk.

Is $500 too expensive? Follow the steps in option #1 above and let me know if you hit any roadbumps. I enjoy helping people!

Thanks for reading.

-X

I Deleted All My Facebook Friends

XDude — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:00:33 +0000

One morning, a few neurons in my brain misfired and caused me to wonder, “What would happen if I deleted all my friends from Facebook?” The response soon blossomed and a goofy little experiment ended up becoming something way bigger than I ever expected. Now it even has its own documentary!

See the full series here.

New Image Cosmetic: 20-Second Ad Spots

XDude — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:32:47 +0000

While consulting with their clients, New Image Cosmetic found that a lot of people aged 40 to 60 were feeling young, alive, and energetic — until they looked in the mirror or overheard comments from their co-workers. These spots were created to address those concerns and offer a real solution.

How to Use Google Apps on an iPhone

XDude — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:08:06 +0000

How to Sync your iPhone with Google Apps

Open the Settings application on the iPhone’s home screen.
Open Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Tap Add Account….
Select Microsoft Exchange.
In the Email field, enter your full Gmail address.
Leave the Domain field blank.
Enter your full Google Apps email address as the Username.
Enter your Google Apps password as the Password.
Tap Next at the top of your screen. (Choose Cancel if the Unable to Verify Certificate dialog appears.)
When the new Server field appears, enter m.google.com.
Press Next at the top of your screen again.
Select the Google Apps services (Mail, Calendar, and Contacts) you want to sync.
Unless you want to delete all the existing Contacts and Calendars on your phone, select the Keep on my iPhone option when prompted. This will also allow you to keep syncing with your computer via iTunes.

To sync only the My Contacts group, you must choose to Delete Existing Contacts during the Google Sync install when prompted. If you choose to keep existing contacts, it will sync the contents of the “All Contacts” group instead. If there are no contacts on your phone, the latter will happen — the contents of your All Contacts group will be synced.

That’s it! You can now access Google Apps from your iPhone. If you have Push enabled on the phone, synchronization starts automatically. You can also just open the Mail, Calendar or Contacts app and wait a few seconds to start a sync.

[All content above was copy/pasted/stolen from the Google Apps setup wizard.]

How to Delete or Rename a Folder with an Invalid File Name in Windows 7, Vista, XP, etc.

XDude — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:35:58 +0000

One of my clients recently sent me a ZIP file with a bunch of songs he wanted to put on his website. When I extracted it, it created a folder that couldn’t be read or deleted.

(See, the Windows file system doesn’t allow question marks, slashes, quotes or spaces-at-the-end-of-folder-names whereas other operating systems do.)

In order to correct this issue, I called upon my brain to remember a few things from the Windows 95 days.

If you were a nerd back then, you might recall being super-excited that Windows finally began allowing long file names. What a marvel! What progress!

You might also recall that when you went into DOS, all your lovely file names — such as “omg this is a long file name” or “this is really amazing” — were butchered into “omgthi~1″ and ”thisis~1″

It made browsing and file-copying a serious hassle. 17 years later, I STILL have files on my drive with these pooched names…

Anyway, in order to delete a folder with an invalid name, you’ll need to do a little old-school hacking.

Here’s how:

Open a command-prompt window (click the “Start” button then type “cmd”)
Navigate to the folder that contains the offending folder (cd temp\whatever)
Rename the file or folder using the Win95/DOS long-file name; let’s pretend it’s called “invalidfilename ” (ren invali~1 goodname)
Delete the folder (rd goodname)

HOORAY!

The XDude Newsletter – Issue #2 – ‘Web Developers and Business Owners’ Version

XDude — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:06:11 +0000

~ January 10 , 2012 ~

Happy 2012!

Are you excited about the end of the world or what?

I’ve lost count of how many end-of-world prophecies I’ve lived through. Frankly, I’m starting to think the world might go on forever.

On the other hand…

R.I.P. FLASH

It’s old news by now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tip our collective hats and remember the early days.

Oh, how easily-excited we used to be. Oh, how "visiting a website" was a fun, cinematic experience. Oh, how long our attention spans were back then — a full THIRTY seconds!

Read More

2011: Year in Review

Wow! What a year. A rapidly-changing online world, the death of Flash, and an economy that had a lot of people too scared to start their own business, let alone pay for a website. What’d it all mean for a geek like me?

To make a long story short: financial struggles, an identity crisis, deconstruction, reconstruction, and at last a renewed purpose.

Read More

"Effective Business Websites" – Live

A local business network recently asked me to condense my course into a 90-minute presentation, which they then streamed live to 10 cities. It was a bit of a weird experience.
I don’t know if I’d do it again.

However, the full presentation is available via streaming for a limited time. The original attendees all paid $15 to attend the presentation, so I’ve agreed not to post the link in public. However, I can send you the direct link (for free) if you’d like to see the full video. Just hit Reply!

"Effective Business Websites" – Online

A year ago, I had a course I’d been working on for years that I was going to give away for free.

I still plan to do that. The only problem is… well, it kinda sucked. It overwhelmed people. They went home in a daze and forgot everything by the next morning.

Over the last year, I’ve reduced the content by at least 90% — and in doing so, have made it a lot more fun. Formerly a "monkey reading a script" snoozefest, I’m happy to say my students now find my course to be an entertaining and interactive workshop.

The only problem is… well, it works great in person, but I’m not entirely sure how to translate it online. Once I figure that out, I’ll let you know!

For the moment, if you’d like a copy of my old course, just hit "Reply" and I’ll send you the full 20-page PDF outline right now.

Recent Projects

Here are some of the exciting projects I’ve done since the last edition.

More Sparkle Than You Can Shake A Stick At!
Only got 90 seconds? Check out these babies. 3D glittery explosive fun for the whole family!

Finance Center Credit Union
Once again, the friendly folks at iDiz called upon XDude for some freshly-animated antics. Together, we made not one but four commercial spots. Now I can animate stick men in Flash AND After Effects! Hooray!

Yearly Harley-Davidson Giveaway
Short and sweet, this video was put together to help Million Air show off a Harley-Davidson with a kickass custom paint job.

WMC Digital Media: Launch Video
This presentation was created to promote a local advertising company at its opening gala/launch event. It’s a bit on the long side, but if you like shiny sparkly objects you just might feel enticed to watch the whole thing!

Santas Anonymous 2011 Call to Action
"Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight," sings Nat King Cole. And 25,000 of them might not have had a smile on Christmas morning, had I not singlehandedly rescued them with this 15-second video. I kid, I kid!

Movember Campaign Wrap-Up
How many moustaches can you admire in 15 seconds? This video will test your skills.

Random Cool Stuff

I gotta say, it’s been a pretty-darn-fun last couple months. I’ve found myself in a really creative zone and have produced a pile of gems for your watching (and listening) pleasure!

The First Annual XDude Christmas Card
Every year, I receive lovely Christmas cards from clients and colleagues. Every year, I think about sending one back. Last year, I finally did!
Experimented with: Form, Particular, gravity settings, and depth of field

XDude’s Animation Experiments
What happens when a guitarist’s song is visually represented with a lens flare? What happens when a horse’s atoms no longer hold together? Has XDude truly entered the third dimension? Find out here!
Experimented with: the cosmic makeup of the universe

XDude’s Tunes
I’ve also found a very satisfying creative outlet in the form of FL Studio. Three amateur songs now await your ears!
Experimented with: FL Studio, After Effects, a non-Flash audio player

R.I.P. FLASH

XDude — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:00:20 +0000

It’s old news by now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tip our collective hats and remember the early days.

Oh, how easily-excited we used to be. Oh, how “visiting a website” was a fun, cinematic experience. Oh, how long our attention spans were back then — a full THIRTY seconds!

It was a pretty magical time. It didn’t matter if a website actually had content, if it had presentation it got people coming back again and again. I never cared what the text of Eye4U’s website actually said. I went there for the sweet music and the flying shapes. Honestly, I’ve been there dozens of times and don’t think I’ve ever read the content once.

Alright, maybe that’s a bit silly. I do actually like the “new” idea of websites with content. I also used to love going to a website and having a sense of wonder. To me, Flash wasn’t just about delivering content. It was about making it cool, and fun, and interesting.

It’s been a long, long time since I felt that sense of wonder.

“Mr. Dude, what does the death of Flash mean to you?”

Well, this is the future I imagine:

The eventual end of fun, wild, random, crazy and pointless websites
Less emphasis on presentation
More emphasis on the content itself
Back to smaller boxes for smaller screens (like on smart phones)
Concise content designed for adolescent attention spans
Websites designed to give maximum information to people in an extreme rush

Yes, it’s progress. But is it in the direction we want? Stay tuned!

2011: Year in Review

XDude — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:00:10 +0000

To make a long story short: financial struggles, an identity crisis, deconstruction, reconstruction, and at last a renewed purpose.

I gotta tell ya, few things will cause a freelancer to question his way of life more than a hurtin’ bank account and an imminent rent payment. Had the dream finally ended? Had I beaten the dead horse of my 1999 fame for the last time? Did I have any tricks left? Who the heck was I?

As far back as I can remember, my favorite way to learn about things has been to take them apart. This year, I had plenty of time… so I did just that.

And I learned so much.

I learned that my business was designed around my personal needs, not around helping people.

I learned that my website tried squeezing people into categories, when everybody wanted to be unique.

And I learned that people wanted a “web designer” as much as they wanted a kick in the pants. What they needed was an easier life.

At that point, I decided to stop being a “web designer” and became someone who made peoples’ lives easier. I stopped being a money-grubber and started being a people-helper. I shifted my focus towards “maintaining relationships” and away from “trying to get every penny I can from clients because they’ll be gone in a month.” (Side note: that’s a really lousy way to do business. If you want to kill your business, run it like that.)

So far, it’s been awesome. My clients are happier, they send me more business, and I enjoy the projects I do a whole lot more. Once it stops being about survival and becomes about creating support, life has a whole new meaning.

WMC Digital Media: Short Logo Spots

XDude — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:59:31 +0000

Can you tell which one was designed for portrait orientation?

The First Annual XDude Christmas Card

XDude — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:28:56 +0000

Every year, I receive lovely Christmas cards from clients and colleagues.

Every year, I think about sending one back.

This year, I finally did it! Hooray!

Music by the lovely and talented Alan Brown (website coming soon).

XDude's Portfolio

The XDude Newsletter – Issue #3 – Special Edition for Business Owners

The XDude Newsletter

For Business Owners

Special Edition

~ April 18, 2012 ~

Frequently-Asked Question:

"Small-Business Websites. How much DO they cost?"

Option #1: Do It Yourself

Option #2: Have a Professional Help You

Myth: "Hiring a web professional is way too expensive for my small business!"

~ Portfolio ~

~ Follow XDude ~

~ Unsubscribe ~

I Deleted All My Facebook Friends

New Image Cosmetic: 20-Second Ad Spots

How to Use Google Apps on an iPhone

How to Sync your iPhone with Google Apps

How to Delete or Rename a Folder with an Invalid File Name in Windows 7, Vista, XP, etc.

The XDude Newsletter – Issue #2 – ‘Web Developers and Business Owners’ Version

The XDude Newsletter

For Web Developers and Business Owners

Issue #2

~ January 10 , 2012 ~

Happy 2012!

R.I.P. FLASH

2011: Year in Review

"Effective Business Websites" – Live

"Effective Business Websites" – Online

Recent Projects

Random Cool Stuff

~ Recent Projects ~

~ Portfolio ~

~ Follow XDude ~

~ Unsubscribe ~

R.I.P. FLASH

2011: Year in Review

WMC Digital Media: Short Logo Spots

The First Annual XDude Christmas Card