using my head

I’m fed up of managing my accounts in Excel spreadsheets and creating invoices in Pages, so I thought I would have a look at some of the online accounting and invoicing tools available. The extra benefit of managing this online is that I will be able to access all my accounting info from anywhere and from any computer - which is great as I am often travelling with my laptop, while all my accounts are locked away on my desktop in my office.

I had a good long look at all the different web applications currently available, and narrowed it down to 3 that I felt were most appropriate for my needs: Blinksale,  LessAccounting and FreshBooks. They all do invoicing, and some do a lot more. One of them even allows your accountant to access your accounts directly through the system - and anything that takes the hassle out of bookkeeping gets a big thumbs up from me. There are dozens of others, but I chose these 3 to trial for different reasons:

Blinksale is an invoicing tool and nothing else. I like the simplicity of the interface, and the ability to send clients reminders when payments have gone overdue. Sometimes simpler is better… only time will tell. Full details of Blinksale features here.

LessAccounting handles invoices AND expenses, plus it allows you to keep track of sales leads and business proposals, too. The real selling point for me on this one was the ability to take photos of business expense receipts on your iPhone and upload them directly to LessAccounting. Nice! Full list of LessAccounting features here.

FreshBooks is similar to LessAccounting insofar as it handles all the usual accounting stuff (invoices, expenses, reports, etc), but it also integrates a handy time-tracking tool that means you can easily track time spent on a project and then invoice for that time. Full list of FreshBooks features here.

I reckon I will give them all a whirl for a few months before I decide on the right tool for me. In the meantime, if you have used any of the above and would like to share your opinion, please do so. I did look at quite a few other tools, and decided against them for various reasons, but I am willing to try another if there’s one you really love.

It has been a super-busy month, and I’ve been whirling like a dervish. But the great news is I’ve just completed another Squarespace website, this time for an amazing event and set design company: Vivid Design Works. Caroline, Vivid’s managing director, wanted an online showcase for their work in designing sets, interiors and events, so I was thrilled to work with such a creative company, which meant I would get to exercise some real creativity in the design. The web design needed to be understated yet bold - if you can have such a thing - to reflect the company spirit of vivacity, but still allow the images of their work to stand out.

The winning concept was to have the website designed as though you were looking down at one of the Vivid designers’ desks, with some of the elements they might have there: scraps of paper, a sketchbook, masking tape, slides and photos from a mood board. I really like the end result, and feel the dark grey sets off the client images nicely, with the red accents adding the right amount of Vivid punch. Have a look for yourself and let me know what you think

This is my 7th Squarespace website to go live in 6 months, and  I must say I am really pleased with the speed at which I can deliver polished, custom websites to my clients. I can’t imagine having been able to deliver this quantity - and quality - of sites with all the features in the same amount of time using any other system. So far, all clients have fallen in love with the ease at which they can edit their websites, and we are both impressed with the sophistication and broad feature set that you get, for around the same price as regular web hosting that comes without a CMS.

Naturally, there are some limitations and things that Squarespace could do better… if I can find time to breathe I will try to summarise them in another post. But overall, I am pleased as punch - and in fact I’ve got to get back to work on yet another Squarespace site due to launch next week. Whew!

When the lovely people at Festinho got in touch, they needed to get a website live within a few days. Their existing site had been mostly designed and built already, but because it was created as a static HTML site, they couldn’t edit the content themselves. And before the site could go live, they needed to make some content changes. As Festinho is a charity festival, they rely on volunteers to do everything, so they needed something that key volunteers could access and edit easily without much training, so they didn’t need to rely on others or pay someone to edit things for them.

It’s a great cause, so I was happy to help out, and because Squarespace makes it so easy to design, build, and edit a website, it seemed the right tool to use. They already had a visual design, so I was able to translate this into a working ‘empty shell’ website in the Squarespace content management system within 24 hours. Within 96 hours, they had a fully-functioning website with all 43 pages of content in place, including blog, photo galleries, and contact form. Within 98 hours they had been trained on how to edit the site through the simple Squarespace CMS.

We’re still finetuning a few things, but the great news is that we were able to launch before their deadline - how often does that happen, especially when the deadline is less than a week?! Have a look at www.festinho.com and while you’re there, why not get yourself a ticket to the festival? It’s a magical weekend in the countryside, with all proceeds going to support Brazil’s needy children.

Last week marked the launch of my latest client sites, philbourne.com and e-motionimages.co.uk - 2 photography websites created on Squarespace. The client wanted to be able to easily update the websites with content, both in terms of text and also in the photo galleries, as well as having the option of a private client login area. As the client is great with photographic skills but otherwise a non-techie, Squarespace seemed the best choice for these projects, due to the easy interface.

I also brushed up my Flash and XML skills for these projects, including Flash animation galleries on the site homepages that can be updated by the client without any additional coding needed. I love the fact that XML has made things like this possible… gone are the days of hard-coding everything into Flash and having to re-bake the whole thing anytime a small change was needed. Using the Flash/XML and Squarespace combo means my clients can keep their sites looking and sounding fresh without having to spend loads of time learning (and probably shouting at the computer!), or paying someone to do it for them. And for creative clients, this means more time and resource for them to be creative, which has got to be a good thing.

In addition to the web design & build, I also worked with Phil on the visual identity for his brand, and we’re both really pleased with the grungy, but still polished look (if there can be such a thing!). I think it really captures the essence of his work, which is edgy and slightly ‘moody’ and youthful.

In honour of Ada Lovelace Day, I want to share my admiration and awe for a woman who clearly shares my deepest passions - design, computers, teaching and humour: Lynda Weinman. I first encountered Lynda way back in 1996, when I was learning how to code HTML to create these new-fangled things called web pages. At that time, it was rare to see a beautifully-designed web site that actually worked, as people were only just getting to grips with the technology and its limitations. Along came a book that changed my life: Designing Web Graphics, by none other than Lynda Weinman.

This was the first book to tackle web technology from the visual perspective, while still keeping usability and functionality at the forefront. Introducing such concepts as the web-safe colour palette to the masses, it really set the standard and became a rapid bestseller. Shortly after I absorbed the contents of this ‘bible’, I came across Creative HTML Design, another brilliant book by Lynda (and her brother) that combined the technical with the aesthetic. I referred to this book for years - so often that the spine broke and the pages were all tattered by the time the technology advanced enough to make it obsolete. But I still think many of the concepts in the book apply today.

Whereas most technology books of the time were filled with authoritative, cold, bland language, Lynda’s writing used a tone that made it feel like she was in the room chatting to you, reassuring you, and making you laugh along with her. I think it was this warm, personable approach that set her apart and led to her lasting popularity. Reading her books, you never felt like an idiot, but instead felt part of an exciting learning journey, with the most amazing coach.

Lynda also created a fantastic reference website to accompany her writings: lynda.com. Back in the late 90s, the site was my most frequently-visited bookmark, where I turned for advice on colurs, layouts, coding and web standards, as well as great tutorials on software such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Over the years, lynda.com has evolved to become *the* place to go to learn about not just web technology and graphic design software, but also video, photography, animation, games development and now even databases and business applications. I bought my husband a subscription to the video tutorials one year as a gift, and he quickly became a Lynda addict, too.

Today, it’s rare to meet a web designer, developer or anyone working with graphics who hasn’t heard of lynda.com - and rightly so. For the last 13 years, whenever anyone has asked me for advice on how to learn most anything to do with design and digital media, I tend to send them to lynda.com (or Peachpit Press, another wonderful resource for DIY education, who published some of Lynda’s books). I think Lynda Weinman has been the single most influential person on my working life, even though I have never even met her. I reckon if I ever did meet her, I might have to ask her what her favourite web-safe colour is… mine’s #00BFFF.

So hooray for Lynda Weinman and hooray for Ada Lovelace, and a huge hooray for all the women in technology who are yet to be born. Embrace your inner geek, ladies.

I see this question being asked a lot, and I’ve realised this is akin to asking a stranger ‘Which vehicle should I buy?’. What’s the answer: Ferarri? Hatchback? Lorry? Bicycle? Motorcycle? Without knowing what you will use it for, it’s impossible to answer. And even if you tell me you want a family car to cart your kids around and run errands, the best answer depends on factors such as whether price is more important than fuel economy, whether you have 6-foot-tall teenagers or triplet toddlers, and ultimately, which one feels most comfortable to you when behind the wheel.

So the answer to ‘which tool’ has almost nothing to do with which tool is the ‘best’, and everything to do with what it is that you are trying to achieve, and with whom. The very words ‘online collaboration’ could have lots of different meanings:

• I want to share documents online, and let others edit them
• I want to have meetings online instead of travelling for face-to-face meetings
• I want to manage a project that has lots of remote stakeholders, and easily keep everyone up-to-date
• I want to be able to easily track all of the things my team and our external partners are working on together
• I want a central place where all the discussions and files about a project can be stored and accessed

and so on.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending Netsquared’s London NetTuesday meetup which was focused on online collaboration. A representative from Huddle (Andy, I think?) was there, and he did a good job of covering what are the potential benefits of online collaboration, as well as covering the main features available. I think Andy and I are in agreement that the best tool depends on many factors, so I’m going to summarise his and my tips on how to choose the best tool for your needs.

What is it that you are trying to achieve?

Are you trying to save time - if so, whose time? Increase a sense of unity within a team? Cut down on resource-heavy meetings? Stop things slipping through the cracks by centralising information? Move away from email? Any of these are valid goals, and it’s a good idea to make note of your aims before you even start looking for a product. Make sure you revisit this at every stage of the way to ensure you are still on track to achieving it.

What tasks/processes do you need to perform?

Make a list of all the actions you/your team need to do, and prioritise the list into essentials and nice-to-have. It’s important to be as specific as possible, and make sure you are listing human actions rather than technical functions. For example:

Good:
Ability for remote team members to communicate through text, not necessarily in real-time

Bad:
Online forum

Why? Because the former is open and could be achieved in different ways (forum, wiki, chat room, etc). Stating something like ‘online forum’ is limiting, and is a statement of the tool (I want a handsaw) rather than the need (I need to cut wood). Limiting yourself in this way closes doors that could have led to better ways of achieving the same thing.

Who will be using it?

Are they technical or non-techie, based in one location or geographically dispersed, mature Sales Directors or young Office Assistants, native English-speakers or not, enthusiastic communicators or isolated solo-flyers? Many tools available can perform the same function, but the best one for your needs depends on who will use it, and how often. Also be sure to think about how they will be trained on the tool.

Who will be supporting it?

Many people make the mistake in thinking that externally-hosted online tools need no user support within the business. I think this is the number one factor contributing to failure of the tool being used and adopted. While it’s true most of these tools are very easy to use, and most offer some level of support from the supplier, you should always factor in having someone act as user support within the organisation. This person needs to act as the point-person for questions, training, adoption & embedding. They don’t have to be technical - tech questions can usually be referred on to the supplier - but they do have to be patient, good communicators, and pro-active. In large organisations, it pays to have a ‘champion’ like this in each department, with one overall administrator/super-champion.

What is the scale / duration of your project?

If you just need something for a few team members working on a short, fixed-term project, you can afford to choose a tool without much research aside from the above. However, if you are looking to create a permanent extra/intranet or manage a long-term programme with many stakeholders, you should consider going through a full evaluation process, including setting up trial accounts and gathering feedback on a few products before making your decision.

What is your budget?

The costs of online collaboration tools range from free to several thousands of pounds. The more expensive ones are not always ‘better’, but they do tend to come with greater levels of tech support… and often, greater levels of complexity that you may or may not need. But don’t be put off by free/cheap fees: many online tools operate on a volume basis so you might be surprised to find complex, feature-rich products even at the lowest price point.

How quickly do you need it?

Many tools can be set up within a few mouse clicks, while others will require installation and configuration. Weigh up the benefits of quick setup on an entirely external server, versus those of having something installed that your tech support team can have access to. How will the data be backed up? Can we survive if the tool is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance? How easy is it to get our data in and out? Or do we just need to get on with it NOW?

Do you have other systems to consider?

Would it be beneficial for your online collaboration tool to link in with Outlook, Google Calendar, LinkedIn or Facebook? Do you have existing internal data storage systems that will need to feed into (or out from) your new online collaboration environment - how will this happen, and is it even possible? Can you achieve what you want by simply changing the way we use existing tools or bolting on new modules, rather than bringing another different tool into the mix? It’s worth bearing these important questions in mind because the answers can have long-term ramifications.

I hope the above will help you in evaluating which tool is best for you. In my next post, I will mention a few ‘best of breed’ tools that you might want to look at for various different online collaboration needs. Remember, the best way to determine which car is best for you is to take it on a test-drive: no amount of good advice can replace putting yourself behind the wheel.

The alliterative title refers to my most recent client website launches: The Cognitas Group and Peppermint Giraffe.  In a strange coincidence, they both work with individuals and teams who want to achieve more, so it’s been a wonderfully invigorating and inspiring start to my 2009 working with them both.

The Cognitas Group are a newly formed leadership consultancy who wanted an online presence that supports their professional, but vibrant, way of working with clients who want their people to reach their leadership potential. The brief was to come up with something fresher and different from the typical navy-blue corporate-speak sites of so many management consultants, so we’re using bright blocks of colour and photography that makes you think throughout the site. These guys really know their stuff, so we’ve included a blog/article area where they can share their know-how, and interested parties can also sign up to get news and views on leadership. I’m also working with them on email marketing, as well as doing some print design, and it’s great to be working with an organisation in so many aspects of their communication needs. Working in this way leads to much more focused, cohesive and unified outcomes than having too many disparate parties and perspectives… which really chimes with The Cognitas Group’s aims.

Now, if it weren’t for Peppermint Giraffe, this blog - and my business - probably wouldn’t exist. Nigel Wood, the personal coach behind Peppermint Giraffe, was the person who gave me the confidence and self-belief to take the leap into the world of self-employment, and I certainly don’t think I’d be as happy or focused as I am today without his help. Nigel worked with me as a career/life coach, and I still call on him for a ‘Nigel Booster Shot’ whenever life throws me a curve. So I was more than happy to work with him when he needed to freshen up his existing website with a new design and content management system. I opted for Squarespace once again, as it’s so easy to use and comes with really great support and hosting. I can’t recommend Nigel enough, so if you’re feeling lost, confused or stuck, I can’t think of a better person to help you get your life on the right path.

The cool thing about working with clients such as these is that I have learned a lot just from handling the content for their sites/blogs/emails, so I am actually feeling a renewed sense of positivity - what a great side effect!

Last autumn, I worked with a client on an SEO audit & implementation plan for their website. They operate in the hyper-competitive travel industry, where appearing high in search results is absolutely critical to their bottom line. They aren’t one of the big players, so they don’t have the big budgets to compete on things like pay-per-click, so developing an organic search optimisation plan that they could implement and manage in-house was the best approach.

After auditing the site’s current status, benchmarking it, comparing to their main competitors, and developing a plan for improvement, it has been fairly quiet over the last few months as they simply got on with making the changes.

I was thrilled to get an email this week indicating the first fruits of our labour: a nearly 15% increase in traffic from Google, and a whopping 31% increase in visits to the pages that we targeted as priorities for first-stage optimisation. This is only 5 months in, and there are still other improvements in the pipeline. But it sure does feel nice to have happy clients… and more importantly, happy customers who are finally able to find their site much easier than before.

Purrrrrrrrrr.

I have just signed up to the Ada Lovelace Day pledge: on March 24, I pledge to write a blog post about a woman in technology. The concept is simple: get as many people as possible to blog about a woman they admire who works in technology; the more, the merrier. The idea was hatched by social media persona extraordinaire Suw Charman, a rather groovy lady in technology herself (I hope someone writes about Suw!). Suw’s original goal was to get 1,000 people to pledge, but the figure exceeded that goal within a mere 7 days, and currently sits at 1,275. Why don’t you pop over and sign up to make it 1,276?

You see, Ada Lovelace was an extraordinary woman who wrote the world’s first computer programme way back in the 1830s, and she also predicted uses for computers thateven Charles Babbage himself couldn’t foresee. Sadly, she died at age 36 and never had the chance to fully explore the possibilities of these new machines. Ada Lovelace Day is our chance to celebrate the legacy she left for all of us.

I already know who I want to blog about, and she is a woman who changed my life, despite my never having met her. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who she is just yet… you’ll have to wait til 24 March to find out who my ultimate inspiration and mentor is! In the meantime, think about the female sysadmin, programmer, developer, engineer, help desk assistant or any other women you know who work in technology, and I hope you will join the pledge, too. You can also chip in with other stuff, or just follow findingada on Twitter to stay abreast of what’s happening.

This December I have had the pleasure of taking on a few new small business clients, whom I’m really enjoying working with. In larger organisations, my work can sometimes be several steps removed from decision-makers, things tend to move slower, and there are more interested parties to keep happy. Not that it’s a problem or anything, but it has been refreshing to work with people who are juggling the same issues and wearing multiple hats like me.

Speaking of hats, I have also had the opportunity to dust off my web design hat, as I’ve been designing websites and HTML email campaigns for these shiny new clients… and in fact I have also spent a couple of days this Christmas break redesigning my own photography website, to boot. It’s been a real design-fest this month!

This is a website I designed for Bubblegus, who specialise in management consulting, personal coaching and event management. As the client wanted to be able to update the site themselves, and to have the flexibility of adding new pages and sections without having to get a designer involved again, I opted to create the site using Squarespace. Squarespace is a neat little online CMS/blogging platform that has really nice Ajax drag n drop design tools built in. The administration on the back end is also very user-friendly, with lots of drag n drop functionality and helpful tips right on the page. There is a monthly fee involved, but the cost is on-par with decent web hosting, so there’s no real disadvantage to using Squarespace over free CMS/blogging tools. Although creating the design took longer, the site build only took a matter of a few hours, and I was able to tweak the design via Squarespace live in a client meeting to get things ‘just so’. I’ve been really impressed with the speed of deployment as well as the ease of use, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Squarespace to small businesses as an alternative to Wordpress. In fact, I have 2 other Squarespace projects on the go as I write.

As mentioned, I have also redesigned my photography website, which was in need of some TLC. For this project, I opted to use good old-fashioned HTML and CSS, with a little bit of Flash & XML thrown in. It’s been a great exercise to brush up my hand-coding skills, as well as giving me the opportunity to fiddle around with the photo galleries built into Adobe Lightroom. If you need any photography, please have a look at my site and get in touch :-).

I reckon this is my last posting of 2008, so here’s to having a great New Year’s Eve and an even better 2009!