TEmelie - web design blog

AdSense no more ?

TEmelie — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:53:43 +0000

So how much you make from Adsense now ?
I definitely agree that some aged websites with really good content still make money but for the new players i’m sure that using this monetization method will discourage you and you’ll loose the enthusiasm.
And yes i think sometimes Adsense is for lazy people. Why you “pay” google money just because its intermediary role. Do some serious research and find out the good affiliate programs out there and work directly with them.

I had a client who has for good years onlynude.com and i helped him out to develop it. Great domain name , i bet he has right now 200 uniques and maybe more but not good enough to make a decent revenue from Adsense. What i suggest ?
1. He could find a painter and sell nude oil paintings and make a small profit from each sale.
2. Sell a DVD collection with most beautiful nude girls ( retail )
3. Find an affiliate program which will work out well , maybe selling Amazon nude stuff why not
This was a simple example on how you can monetize a website without Google’s ad engine. Maybe someone made one hundred thousands dollars using Adsense but those were the days my friend, i can also write a book with things I wish I’d known earlier.
Why my posts are so rare ?
Because i’m busy making money right now and NO i’m not using Adsense

FUNTVSHOP.com review

TEmelie — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:27:03 +0000

Lately i’m working with a new client on a very interesting project which keeps me quite busy. They sell DVDs online and needed some hewolp with their website. I purposed my client to write a short review about our business relation to post on my blog. Thank you Andrew.

“My name is Andrew G. About 8 months ago I decided I would employ someone to do my SEO management for me on my site, I knew of a website called www.getafreelancer.com so after choosing someone to help me do my optimisation, which I thought would do wonders for my site I got extremely frustrated and disappointed that I was paying someone to do this work with no success. After 6 months I had tried 3 different people.

I met Adrian who is known as TEmelie on GAF, I thought I would be a bit cautious this time, so I was chatting to several people on yahoo messenger, Adrian stood out amongst everyone one else. I could clearly see he knew exactly what he was talking about. Adrian is from Romania, but his English is like his first language.

After gaining some trust with this guy I was shocked to see how much information he knew and he did not mind sharing everything with me, now I have deeper knowledge into everything that has been done on my site.

Adrian first explained that my site was not professional or user friendly enough, he knew people was not navigating though my site, he took on a big task of designing me a new website which in my opinion looks absolutely fantastic (well done Adrian), now people are navigating and I’ve even had feedback at how great the site looks.

All the pictures and logos have been done by Adrian which is also an advantage, this guy knows it all. Any problems which I’ve had Adrian has solved, he has far exceeded my expectations and I know I’ll be working with Adrian for a long time in the future.

I can’t fault this guy with a single thing. If you are looking for SEO work, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed by his level of experience.

Only after a space of 2 months my sales has shot up x10 and it’s getting better everyday.

He constantly keeps up to date with SEO, he is a true professional and has a great future in front of him and I’m sure he’ll soon have a great team working for him.

You can see this project by going to www.funtvshop.com. I’m also now an official client of Funtvshop store and i’m ready to start my favourite tv series : Two and a Half Men. If you want confirmation of this article you can write to me an email: contact[at]funtvshop.com”

Spot and avoid paypal spoof websites

TEmelie — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:00:46 +0000

Hmm first of all let’s recapitulate and make a list with things to do in order to avoid paypal spoof websites ok ?

* make sure the page you landing when make a payment is ssl secured from the bottm right corner lock ( the padlock, etc )
* check if the URL is real or not , a fake url might show up like this : https://www.paypal.com.slldll2.us/icmd=_login-submit.htm
* turn on your phishing filter ( IE ) and when you are suspicious scan the website
* use a good antivirus so you will be protected , and to prevent thieves from getting your bank account details and private data with spyware activity on your computer ; update the antivirus daily and scan your computer often
* the safest way to login to paypal is to type yourself in your browser without following any links on web to paypal, and of course to make sure the page is secured

I did all this and what ? Nothing … i don’t know how on earth they manage to do it but they do it I end up with the conclusion that nothing is for sure on this world wide web especially when you are an internet novice. So basically what’s happening ?
I open my internet explorer, the page looks fine and beautiful, i type my email and password and i login. In few seconds i’m landing on a page asking me for my details. I was preparing to fill the data there until i saw a field asking me my ATM PIN. I knew that is a spoof page but everything looked normal except the page itself.
Checkout this video you will like it!

Bottom line : nothing is safe you just need to be smart to be safe

I finally accept projects, so back in business

TEmelie — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:00:50 +0000

After a long absence ( 3 moths to be more precise ) i finally accept projects from all my clients. Sorry because i was off for such a while but it wasn’t in vane i promise. I have so many things to tell you and so many ideas to write down here and i’m very excited about that.

I also learned alot and studied alot and i will share my knowledge with you all. I also have some business plans for this year ( i will register my own company ) and will work on severals other things. I have buch of stuff to share but right now all i can say is that i’m back and ready for some action

Are you ?

Web design trends for 2008

TEmelie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:56:38 +0000

Like in fashion, we could talk about web design trends for this year, talk about what is eye-catching, what is beautiful for the eye of the beholder.
- The “Retro Style” is definitely a web trend this year and i had so much clients asking for this kind of style for his website design. This classic style, smart used and created will always will delight your visitors. Visit this website and you’ll get my point ( http://www.ernesthemingwaycollection.com ). It is a perfect example that represent this style. Use old paper graphics & suitable fonts and start playing .
- Drawing/Calligraphy/Cartooning: Cartooning Style – is for sure a way to make easily a strong brand for your website and a shocking appearance. So if you want your visitors to remember your website i can tell you it is a good idea to have your own website mascot/character
- Swirls & Flourishes graphics : all websites have it, that obvious but why ? Why flowers & swirls and drips ? Because people were bored by old fashioned websites having just basic graphics and text. They wanted something new, something to attract and seduce them. The human creativity is unlimited so that is only a small step.
- Paper clips & Hand-Written Notes : I can say Hand-Written Notes and Paper clips are a little bit old because i remember in 2005-2006 i was looking for this type of photos to use in my designs and it was trendy to have such design. But it is trendy now. Designers use this style very much and i like it.
- Splatter Ink & Handwritten Fonts & drips : Emo style rite ? This isn’t my favourite but i saw beautiful websites with this type of designs. A lot of people had embraced this trend and it is awesome.
These are, in my opinion, the trends for this year. Use the ideas and don’t forget always to come up with something new

How to choose a freelancer to work with on your projects

TEmelie — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:52:22 +0000

First of all you should take this information very valuable. Why ? That’s simple. I work as a freelancer for about 4 years now and i met a lot of people from all the countries and i have some experience.
Let’s enumerate most important things you should consider before choosing a programmer / designer.
- Portfolio ( not always most important )
- Skills
- Reviews ( if you are connected in a freelance website )
- Hourly rate , or rates per task.
When you first contact a freelancer ask his name & nickname & website / portfolio and google them. You might find very interesting info about him ( complaints maybe from clients ) and we both now you don’t want to waste your time rite ? Most of people don’t do this and i think it is very important.
Second ask for a portfolio but keep in mind that there are out there a lot of good programmers without a portfolio. I know some of them Though a good designer i think will always need a strong portfolio to impress his potential clients.
Few tips when you work with a designer :
- be very polite
- look for prompt response, tight communications
- give him examples of designs you like and explain your ideas as much as you can from the first time
- encourage him even when the first concept isn’t what you are looking for ; don’t say never “I don’t like it, it sucks!” because he will loose interest.
- leave him to be creative ( very important for your project ) ; there are some people asking for a design like xxxx.com with few changes and this is unacceptable. He will know you are an inexperienced person.
- learn few things about your project, google the terms so you’ll know to guide the provider. This is really important unless you want to pay for a project twice.
The worst things you can do :
- pay upfront all the money agreed for the project; the provider’s motivation will be for sure 0 unless he is a very credibile;
- release payment during the project ( if it is held in a escrow account ) ; most providers ask for this , beware !
- start the project without having the smallest idea about programming & design.
- don’t pay freelancer’s work on time as agreed. He could make a bad reputation to your name with google’s help.
- use copyrighted work from a freelancer even if you didn’t paid for his work ( please use Alt+F4 combination if you did this )
These are just few ideas i could come up with.
If you have more ideas, you’re welcome to comment here !

Make huge money from blogs

TEmelie — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:15:04 +0000

I’ve read a post on a well known forum where a guy ask for some money making ideas for “HIS 10 BLOGS”. He make it sound like a thousand of blogs

So … i’m now thinking how to make money from your own 10 blogs ? Neah … i don’t think so
What is the point then ?
Let me tell you … yesterday i saw a guy posting some projects and i wanted to work with him on some and then changed my mind ( this is my lazy week ) but i wanted to check his history on the website. With a single click i was astonished : This guy has over 80 projects like this one posted, paid and rated ” 50 WordPress Blogs Installed w/Content and Headers Project ” i made a simple calculation and i say wow this guy has like 4,000 of blogs. He spended like 100$ medium per a project so … 8,000$ .
But this is not the only thing …. he has also another like 80 projects ” 50 Articles Needed Various Topics Keyword Based ” and pays 100$ each project so we have another 8,000$ spent, so basically a 16,000$ investment only in blogs.
Ok ok … so now really what’s the idea of this post ?
The idea is this : to succeed you need to have some good money to invest & dedicate your time in your business OR to spend hell of the time so you could spend less money. The big players love to spend time & money to make more and more, so i’m pretty sure that laziness is not their strong part like most of the ppl here trying to find the light … the secret to find the magic fairy world
I’m very courious how you’ll continue after having 4,000 blogs with content and with 16,000$ spent.
Comments are welcomed.

Make money from web design

TEmelie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:02:00 +0000

Most people will say it a domain very saturated ( it is ) and you will never succeed in this business. I advice people that there is one more place always. How do you start ?

1.First of all you need a web presence so you think on a strong name for your business and a domain name. I advice you present as an individual because when dealing with a company it is obvious the price will go higher. Also find some cheap hosting package for your domain. I suggest hostgator plan because there you can host unlimited domains. If you don’t have enough money for the domain and hosting do some cheap work on forums and freelance website and invest the money. Meanwhile try to do some nice work so you could add to your portfolio. I suggest you also join contest websites and submit your ideas. If you don’t win, don’t worry it is an experience gained and you could use all the designs in your portfolio.

2.Second you need skills my friend, and experience. Join web design communities and forums and see what’s trendy learn some tips and tricks. Join torrent websites like thepiratebay or mininova and search for webdesign tutorials. My biggest disadvantage – I don’t know too much xhtml/css coding so I’m unable to export my designs so I must hire a coder. I suggest you try learning coding your own designs, it is a big plus, you will finish your projects faster and easier.

3.Make strong connections – join the communities over the internet and start making some friends ( php , mysql, flash etc ). Maybe someone will ask for a complete website and you could need their help. Allways the complete websites will be paied more. How much could you earn from a page designed ? I think max. 100$, 200$ BUT if they give you full website you could reach 500$ to 1,000$. This is a very important aspect and you should consider it every time.

4.Learn how to deal with your clients. Speak fluent English as much as you can, be polite always and don’t ask money in advance. Try using escrow service instead. I will tell you more in future posts.

I make ten of thousand of dollars, why I should share the secret with you ?

TEmelie — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:00:59 +0000

Indeed a long break because it seems my latest blog entry was made on 07/04/2008 but you know what? I’m back … yeey . I will try to post here also some good stuff you might be interested in also. I also start to get back to my projects to make some cash of course. This week I was mostly online on forums, blogs and other interesting websites reading about goals, ways to earn good money, affiliate marketing stuff, clickbank & cj , etc etc. One guy took my breath away with his target for one month ( 400k US dollars ) and other with 150k US dollars checks straight to his bank account and I’m finding myself a tiny little bug next to these guys. BUT I can’t shut up and i will tell you my opinion on this.

Our planet’s population hit 6.5 to 7 billion and let’s say there are out there few hundred successful internet marketers in the whole world making ten of thousand of dollars per month … maybe per week. Few of them are well-known and share their experience with us and earn extra money from it ( they’re not the top players in the industry ), most of them are unknown who wish to remain anonymous. Not anyone can earn money like them that’s for sure;

So what’s the secret, how to become a milionare from internet ? You better play the lottery and I’m sure you will have greater chance then try the internet. First of all you must be a part of it, to live through internet to understand all the changes and predict what could happened in months, years; you must have also good knowledge of programming languages mostly used be very intelligent and you must have that brainstorm idea which is the most important ( sex(dot)com owner isn’t in this list ). We all have great ideas but this isn’t enough, you need also some money to invest don’t forget that. Most of the well-known internet marketers started to make some money 10k+ per month after years of hard work having the qualities I mentioned before and they still work from 9 to 9.

Ok … maybe I’m not supposed to be the next internet milionare but I want to make a decent living from it. That, my friend isn’t impossible and I might give some tips to start. I came across this website today www.homeworking.com, they don’t sell anything but they might be very usefull to you. Like them I also recommend you to join www.scriptlance.com , www.elance.com , www.getafreelancer.com ( from this one I make my decent living ) or to sign up with www.Hotjobs.com , www.jobserve.com , www.monster.com . Take one at the time and concentrate on it and try to understand the system. This is very important. You can take first time small jobs ( writing and rewriting articles, forum&blog posting, etc ) but I strongly recommend you to check all areas and look what suits you the best. This will be a GREAT start and after this you could make an online resume with your experience and earn more and more clients. If you succeeded … congratulation and be ready for the next step, taking some big projects. Anyone without any internet experience could do SEO work in 1 week if he is well documented and this work is paied very good. If you are an excellent writer and have some SEO knowledge then you can make more than 1k per month guarantee. You still want to know more about what you can do, then you can join this website www.lynda.com and see all the subjects you might be interested in. If you can’t afford to subscribe there find some free valuable information on torrent sites like www.mininova.com or www.thepiratebay.org. If you reach this step I think you kinda learn how to fly … you can decide what is best for you. If you fully exploit the market you can make an easy 2-3k per month working from your computer let’s say 6-7 hrs per day. I work like 2 hrs a day and I make my 1k very easy. I don’t have too much time because I’m student.

So, in conclusion stop searching the paradise and the secret of being rich because you will be very disappointed. After years of experience you will see your potential and most importand, if working on your computer suits you. There are plenty of other jobs out there.

Web colors-useful things to know

TEmelie — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:11:02 +0000

If you’re using CSS layouts undoubtately you’ve noticed a funny thing happening when you define colors. Instead of the six chatacter codes that you use normally (#3cc99ff) you see just three characters (#c9f). This is called color shorthand and takes advantage of the fact that the browser-safe Web palette uses triplets that are always displayed as doublets. What this means is that the three pairs of characters from base-16 are doubled, so in order for you to write color in a shorthand fashion you remove the characters that are duplicated. For example white transforms from #ffffff into #fff, black from #000000 ends up as #000 and so on.
This characteristic is extremely useful when trying to create a color triad. All you have to do is to simply rotate the characters that make up the color codes. Let’s take for instance orange, purple and sea-green. They are written as #fc0, #c0f and #0fc. See what I mean? In order for you to discover new color triads just pick a primary color and then rotate the characters in such a way that they are in completely different positions in every one of the three bits of color code. It’s as simple as that.

The question that has risen lately regarding the importance of using a browser safe palette is completely justified. Keep in mind one thing though: the web safe color palette was created years back when most monitors only supported 256 colors. What this translates into is that if you use a color that’s not browser safe it could end up looking very ugly on the monitor it’s displayed on.
If you don’t know who is viewing your site, you won’t know they will look for the people reading them so eliminate the risks and use browser safe colors.

The only thing you need to remember is that browser safe or not, ultimately it’s your choice.