The Web Maven Blog

 

A Few Good Web Design Resources

6/23/08

Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

I am always on the look out for good resources for web designers, here are a few below:

W3Schools.com (Free online web tutorials and references for designers)
Wpdfd.com (Web Page Design for Designers (Web design articles)
Comstock.com (Huge database of images for your designs - many free ones)

Web design and development is always evolving, so if you come across some more useful resources for designers - email me and I will try to get them added.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CollabTRAK...on your Mobile Device

6/04/08

Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

Our guys are currently in the lab preparing a mobile version of CollabTRAK that will be accessible to web designers and their clients. This will allow users to track and manage their web design projects on mobile devices and PDA's. The guys in the lab work without much fanfare (and without lab coats for some reason), yet our development team are the backbone of CollabTRAK. I will post more when more information becomes available.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Year, New Goals for CollabTRAK.com

1/01/2008
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

2007 was a great year, full of challenges, growth, success, and innovation. Last year seen the growth of CollabTRAK.com - with users all over the globe, functionality upgrades (live chat, PayPal integration, etc.), a new blog - um, you are reading it now, and a the new CollabTRAK Web Designer Showcase. Speaking of the Advertise With Us, you guys may want to check it out because I think it's always cool when you can get your 1) Company name 2) Services description 3) Link to your website 4) And your logo shown with your listing.

Last year saw many web designers sign up for CollabTRAK accounts and use CollabTRAK to manage their projects. Due to our commitment to ease of use AND ease of price (some might call it free) - CollabTRAK has positioned itself as a quality, beneficial tool for designers everywhere!

This year will see even more CollabTRAK enhancements. We have a slate of goodies to make collaborating and tracking your web design projects easier, more flexible, and more powerful. Sorry, I'm not allowed to share info about the new enhancements coming but I will talk about them as they are revealed publicly. *smile*

Finally, on the behalf of all of us at CollabTRAK.com....Thank you for your support and have a Happy New Year!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Site Usability and Site Design...it's time for balance!

12/06/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

Okay people, this is getting old, really fast! Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about? Let's just say it starts with WAITING and ends with me LEAVING a website in frustration! Still no clue? Well I am of course talking about websites that use ridiculously long flash intros with slow loading times, (which cannot be sped up by the way). Even though I do a lot of creative web-based work, I am still a "consumer" or a "surfer" for many hours of my day, (BTW - does anyone call it "web surfing" anymore? Welcome to the term... "browsing"). Many times I find myself at unfamiliar websites and then I get the infamous COLORED BAR ticking ever so slowly....6%....10%....11....20%...20.5%, the SOUND ON or SOUND OFF icon....usually defaulted to SOUND ON, so now I get a blaring noise that SHOULD be music, but sadly it's only a poor attempt at atmospheric vibrations that are trying to stimulate my eardrum. (Remind me to keep my speaker volume on low for now on.) After what seems like an eternity, I am finally presented with a button that says "Press to Enter"! Wasn't that my goal all along - to ENTER this website? Thanks for allowing me the option...and for the reminder to keep those speakers on low.

So I finally get into this website after sitting through all of the aforementioned and get to the reason I came to this website in the first place....to buy socks! Hey true story, you can't make this stuff up!

It seems the world of web design has become more enamored with flash (which IS a great multimedia player and tool when used efficiently), bloated web pages (sounds like a certain blog I know, hmmm...), and so many little social network site tags and little icons that I've been known to get dizzy trying to decipher them! Del-icio-us (what?), Web 2.0 (what?), Digg It (what?). Now of course, I know what these terms mean - but what about people browsing the web that don't? (I can hear your answer now......HEY, name-calling will get you nowhere with me buddy!)

My simple point is this: As designers go, so goes the internet. May be a hard pill to swallow but it's true. Designers set the tone. Why do you think you see so many tags, non-descriptive icons, programming lingo, and the like online today within online designer communities, outside of designer communicaties, and with civilians (you know, the type of people that shop for socks online)? Because the internet is web designer driven! But while it's being driven by daring, cutting-edge folks...can you guys try to remember how you felt when you have to jump through hoops just to get to where you want online, and can you try to remember how it felt to be presented with random icons instead of easy to use, clickable NAMED links. Ahhh, those were the good ol' days! (remember the 1920's anyone?)

So do the internet a favor: Build your websites with regard to usability (hey, I finally used the actually term that I titled this blog entry by...sweet!), fast load times (better yet, NOT SLOW load times will do the trick!), and ease of use. Now that I have that off of my chest, I am going to shop online for more socks - but at a different website this time! (BTW: Designers that make it difficult for shoppers to find their items - lose business as well! "wink")

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New CollabTRAK Enhancements

11/22/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

The guys in the lab have come up with a few new enhancements for all CollabTRAK Free Edition and Professional Edition accounts:

1) Now after adding new users, you will automatically be presented with a customizable Welcome Email to send to the new user. This also means that when you add new users, you must include their email address.

2) Now after creating and assigning new projects, you will automatically be presented with a customizable New Project Notification Email to send to the user.

3) Now when sending emails from within CollabTRAK, you can now select the user the email will be sent to (instead of typing the email address). You can also enter a custom subject of the email. The email content is also customizable.

 

These enhancements were made to increase productivity and flexibility when using CollabTRAK. We hope everyone takes advantage of these new features and enjoy the ease of use.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Embracing Project Management 2.0

11/01/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

Are you still tied down and forced to manage projects according to some rigid methodology from years gone by? Well times have changed! Today web professionals have embraced free-flowing collaboration that is only limited by your ideas. Project Management 2.0 is a new way of communicating and managing projects with goals that are identicial to business objectives that are not tied to project management processes.

As discussed by Chris Lynch of eProject:

"At the heart of the new project management (let’s call it PM 2.0) is collaboration, and people now are defining a project as any work undertaken to achieve a business objective. When we start to think of projects as based on collaboration -– instead of on control -– a new approach to managing projects emerges.

The need for shared insight and the ability to look across the board and see things holistically is at the forefront of PM 2.0. With insight and collaboration driving a project, people and businesses are accomplishing much more than when they relied on silos of information that were built around control and an adherence to traditional PM rules that fit work around a PM system, rather than the PM system fitting around the work."

This new found flexibility is enabled by the use of web-based applications such as CollabTRAK, eProject, and others -and these applications are leading the way in allowing open, productive, and creative project management to take place with the end result being more efficient and effective project management across a wide variety of industries.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CollabTRAK vs. the Others

10/22/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

There are many online project management applications on the web. That's a fact. Many are even offered for outrageous monthly prices. Tell the truth, do you really want a bill every month that's more than your cell phone bill? Of course not! What distinguishes CollabTRAK from the rest are a few things:

First, CollabTRAK is made specifically for freelance web designers. So if you are in construction and trying to track your buidling project, we probably aren't right for you. But if you are a freelance web designer, we are exactly what you need!

Secondly, we actually have the nerve to offer unlimited users AND unlimited projects with our Free Edition account. No big deal you say? Do a little research online and count how many other sites do that! You may find a couple if you google really, really hard.

Third, we don't lock you into "To Do Lists", Milestones, and the like. Why? Because we allow the web designer to add those features when necessary by simply entering those as part of the project description OR within the project notes.

We made CollabTRAK to be open and flexible to your particular project needs. If you are doing a logo design for a client, do you really need an area on the screen begging for a Checklist or a To Do List? No. That's overkill. Flexibility is the key.

Some sites charge you hundreds of dollars and montly fees to manage your projects online. We disagree with those kind of prices for online applications. Check out a Professional Edition account (Seriously, the price is just $9.99 per month with a free 30 day trial).

Does CollabTRAK have annoying extra bells and whistles such as Gannt Charts? No.

Are those extra bells and whistles necessary for you to provide a good quality project tracking experience to your clients? No.

Do we offer a project tracking application that web designers and their clients praise for it's ease of use, features, and price? Well yes, we do offer that! :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Organized Clients Are Nicer Clients

10/15/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

You probably know by now that being a freelance web designer is not all peaches and cream. You probably also know that kicking the ball to Devin Hester isn't either. My point? Basically you have to do both, but you at least want to do them in a way to avoid major screw-ups.

We all know that your design clients are notorious for last minute changes, unrealistic expectations for their budgets, and for adding extra unpaid work to your plate. That being said, if you can keep your clients focused on the tasks, time frames, expectations, and deliverables - well you may just keep your sanity!

CollabTRAK helps all of the above when used to track and manage your project. A well laid out project allows your client to login anytime to view the current status, project notes, collaborate, etc. This allows the client to feel involved and valued as a participant in the project. Thus, leaving them little time to do the things they are normally notorious for.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why So Many Designers Like Using CollabTRAK

10/13/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

I was looking at the number of account holders and the amount of positive feedback emails we've received (I questioned the authenticity of many but the powers that be just smiled and powered down their laptops), and I was struck by how many designers liked how their CollabTRAK accounts are easy to use. Specifically I read some that spoke to the fact of their own clients having no issues or no questions using CollabTRAK. Since we know that most clients of web designers are known to adhere to the theory of Murphy's Tech Laws , we at CollabTRAK.com appreciate the cool feedback.
We realize that beyond the functionality of CollabTRAK, what web designers really want is something that works, is easy to use, and makes them look good. Without you guys sending me personal pictures and/or links to your MySpace site, I will assume we DO make you look good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Few Other Ways To Use CollabTRAK

10/12/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

First off, I am assuming you have a CollabTRAK account already. If not, you should because it's free and because I am already assuming you have one.
With that said, your CollabTRAK account has more flexibility than you probably realize. One of the main focuses of CollabTRAK was to allow designers to use it in the way that best fit their needs.

- You can embed files (.gif, .jpg, .png, .bmp, .swf) into the Project Description and Project Notes fields. Heck, you can even insert a .mp3 that your customer can click on to hear words of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding straigt from you!

- You can also place a link to remote files in the Project Description and Project Notes fields. You can easily put a link to a copy of the current project contract (that is hosted on your own site somewhere) in your Project Description field as an easy reference for your client.

- You can insert project phases and tasks in the Project Description field to layout everything your client should expect to be completed for the current design project.

- You can use the Live Chat feature to have a online meeting with your client in a one-on-one environment. This allows for real-time communication and has proven to be a handy tool. We compare it to a can opener since you only use it, when you actually need it!

HTML code to embed files and insert links can be found within your CollabTRAK account: Help --> Admin Help --> FAQ's

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introducing The CollabTRAK Web Maven Blog

10/10/2007
Author: Jacoby Tynes (CollabTRAK.com's underappreciated web maven)

When the CollabTRAK.com powers that be came up with the idea of launching a blog dedicated to web designers, I was tapped to actually do the dirty work. (The powers that be tend to make decisions in a vacuum therefore I was the last to know!) This dirty work is in regard to actually typing, thinking, sharing, and of course creating links to open in new windows for you guys. (Editors Note: The term "guys" is used as a loose reference to human beings and not in regard to gender...you have free range to imagine a colon and a capital P right here )

So I hope you will find this blog useful and relevant. But in all fairness, I hope for many things such as: You taking your clients seriously, You believing in quality professional work, and that you have included Ninja Scroll into your personal pantheon of classic movies (anime or not).

I hope you find this blog interesting, constantly updated, and worth the RSS feed.