Why does Waking Girl give out scholarships? My dream is to change our educational system. This scholarship is one small part in that dream. I want to reward people who are stepping out of the traditional box, and creating their own success. Entrepreneurs strengthen our economy, solve problems in the community, and make for excellent members of a family--we need more of them.

The scholarship was termed the "anti-scholarship" because you did not need to attend a college in order to qualify. In fact, I was looking for people who were not going to a waste-of-time 4-year liberal arts college. Ok, no offense to college-lovers, but I have to come out with these sorts of bold statements, in order to 1) wake people up, 2) give the anti-college people some airtime, and 3) make sure my freedom-of-speech rights are still in tact.

... is it safe?

Oh, good. Still in tact.

When you spend 13 years in an institution that insists that college will make your life a brighter place, it will take more than a whisper to get you to think otherwise.

What I would like to hear for those 13 developmental years? Life is what you make it. No thing, no place, no one--except YOU--can make it brighter.

Wake up!

Recommended reading for scholars and anti-scholars of all ages:

• Disappearance of the Universe
• Retire Young, Retire Rich by Robert Kiyosaki
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Richest Man in Babylon
• Disappearance of the Universe

Business is Swamped! | 02.11.08
Where have I been? Busy! About a year ago someone asked me in passing if I would be able to do some web work. I said I was kind of swamped at the moment (I was on my way to Mexico). He said, "Figures. That's how it goes with web designers. If they're good, they're swamped. If they're not any good, they've got all the time in the world." Eek! Of course, at the time I was just swamped with taking the business on vacation. I had as many clients as I wanted.

Now, I really am swamped!

It's exciting for a business to be at this point of growth. You can hire more employees or independent contractors, implement more systems into your everyday tasks, purchase software that will do it for you, or refuse to take more business.

I don't recommend the latter!

Here at Waking Girl Web Design we're implementing more systems. We'll be sending out a monthly-ish newsletter full of website tips, website promotions, and a witty remark or two. Hopefully this will make everyone feel like they've gotten up to date information on the website industry and a personal note from their web designer. Needy, aren't you!? [Remember how I said that a blog should have personality? That's what that rhetorical question was all about--personality.]

We also have a new page that should be extremely useful to our web designers and clients. It's the Maintenance page. Clients who are on the Website Maintenance Program will receive an email reminder to fill out the Maintenance form every month. The form asks for your web address, any new content (promotions, events, product information, price changes, etc.), and there's a place to upload pictures or other files that you want implemented into your site! If your update needs to be done before a certain date (Valentine's Day promotion, for example), you can make a note of that, too!

If you are not part of the Maintenance program, and are feeling left out, let me know on the new Contact page. Maintenance packages start at $50/month and can include content updates, Search Engine Optimization, and staff training!

One more thing: Happy Valentine's Day [Remember me saying that you should include things in your blog that are relevant to the times? What are people searching for these days?]!

Web Design Checklist | 12.03.07
Typing from the Java Jungle in Reno, Nevada (my office for today). I met with three clients to discuss their websites. A jewelry website, a corporation structuring website, and a coffee house website. Wow! Three VERY different companies, but I still found myself explaining the same things about web design.

Building content on your Website
Content is King: You probably rarely read stuff on the web, right? I mean, you scan it and look at the pictures, but for the most part, you don't read. So why do I have to have so much text on my site? Google reads it. Google tends to like information. The more free information you can give, the more successful your website will become. You may have to start writing (and God forbid, typing!) in order to move your website forward. Think in terms that you can handle. How much time can you devote to your business? And how often? For a few of us, writing comes naturally. One WG client easily comes up with daily blogs that are funny and informative. Other clients can barely etch out a sentence via email.

• Choose a regular time that you will write content for your site
• Mark it in your calendar, on your phone, in your email--make it happen!
• Start small. Come up with a few sentences about a new product or service.
• Listen to yourself. You know your business. What are you saying on the phone to clients over and over again? Translate it into something we can read!
• Email to your web designer!

The next big step is getting your employees to blog or create content instead of sitting, bored or dusting the inventory for the third time that day. For artistic jobs like Wedding Coordinators, Decorators, Musicians, Painters, Designers--the public would love to hear about your day, your project, or that hard-to-please client. For technical or mechanical fields, give us some DIY instructions, or explain how you fixed something that seemed impossible. And most importantly, give us tips to help us help you!

Apprenticeship Progress, WhateverLife | 10.2.07
It doesn't feel like two months just passed. Alas, just wrapped up the first apprenticeship website. It was quite the process! The site turned out to be much bigger than I had anticipated. And it has a lot of bells and whistles that I've never used before. I'm happy with the site. :)

What I'm hoping Mr. Apprentice learned:

• The importance of thorough planning BEFORE you start designing and building
• How to re-negotiate payment if the site requirements change mid-process
• Content is the most difficult part of the site
• Content is even more difficult to implement when you request content from a series of people
• A site must be built with updating in mind
• All in all, web design is a fairly decent profession

I just finished reading an article about WhateverLife in Fast Company, my favorite magazine. I was astonished at how amazing 17 year old Ashbo is, and how she has pushed forward doing what everyone dreams of doing, but is too afraid to do. UGH! I got side-tracked there, reading the comments to the Fast Company article. Linda from Maryland writes, "I think it`s great that you`ve worked so hard at something BUT you are taking life way to fast." YIKES!! Taking life too fast? I think Ashley is moving at a normal speed considering her creativity, intelligence and imagination. Most people her age, and older, are moving TOO SLOW. Many of us mature rather quickly, and then have to sit still listening to mindless mush for 6 hours a day with no opportunity to give back, grow, or learn. I have seen the positive benefits of finishing out high school for a small few. For the girls who grew up fast because their parents disappeared, their siblings needed it, or just because that's the way their hormones worked--now what, Linda? Are they supposed to stand still for the rest of their lives? Hold on there, Ashley, let everyone catch up to you. Just sit there. Read a book. No, not that book--read something less....inspiring. Here, Reader's Digest shouldn't push you forward too much. Read that. Oh look, here come your peers! They're graduating, they're enrolling in college...... they're rounding the bend, oh it won't be long and they're going to catch up to you! Here they come!!! Or..... huh? They've stopped! Oh no!! Marriage, children, a dead-end job as an OFFICE MANAGER! In Maryland!! Oh dear. What was that, Ashley? You're done reading? Read the Humor in Uniform pages again. I just KNOW they're going to catch up here soon.

UGH!! When you have momentum, KEEP GOING. Of course there will be a time in Ashley's life, as in all of our lives, when things taper off. She might be 80 when it happens, but hey--she's still going to be the coolest thang in the Retirement Home.

The world has not been changed or propelled forward by mere office managers, expressing such qualities as "Love, Strength, Support, Caring & Sharing,"--no, the world has been turned on its side by people who were bored with the speed in which we have subjected ourselves to--by the Greats, the Drop Outs--Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Ashley Qualls. *And, as Ashley has pointed out, she IS taking care of academic things just to keep everyone happy, although that doesn't seem to be working now does it, Linda?

And really I'm just having fun now. I'm one of those Drop Outs who at age 23 (birthday in a month!) does not have to express love, caring & sharing in order to keep my job. I don't have a job! I have clients. All of which could run away and never come back, and I would still be ok. Yes, I'm retired. Heh, ten years ago when I was teaching myself HTML I felt guilty telling my parents I needed new glasses, because I knew they didn't have the money for it.

Part of that "Love, Strength, Support, Caring & Sharing" stuff is taking care of yourself. It's so much easier to love the world when you're not leaning on it. Now I get to give back. Offer a chance to move faster to young and old. Linda, my apprenticeship program is open to everyone, even Office Managers from Maryland.

Ashley, you know where to find me!

Apprenticeship Program | 07.25.07
my guilty conscience won't let me go another day without updating my website. i preach and preach at my clients about keeping a fresh site with NEW information, and then look at me--it's been two months. i suppose i could start a new motto, "if you're swamped, do NOT update. it will bring you business."

i've been busy traveling. while i was in my travels to minnesota i got the Waking Girl Web Design Apprenticeship Program underway. basically, it works like this: i keep running into youngsters who have lots of talent, ideas, and motivation--and they all seem to know someone who wants a website. so i teach the apprentice some of the basics of web design and running a business, all the while soaking up their ideas and enthusiasm. and the client gets a website--that's even more creative than what normally comes out of this office. imagine!

the first apprenticeship client is Lakes Area Vineyard Church. wg's first apprentice is a cool guy named Jason. he has this zany ability to get me to do designs and coding i never thought i'd get around to learning. maybe it's all the whining. please, please! it will be so cool if we can do a cool menu.... meee! i can't believe i'm falling for it!

i will certainly post the link to the finished product, when it's done. it's taking a little longer than planned because mr. apprentice pushed to have about a billion pages of content. and the content is coming from a large group of people--who all have lives and schedules and priority lists. but i'm not complaining about content coming in late, because i'm just trying to keep up with throwing what we've got so far into the site, while making new pages, adjustments, SEO stuff.... AGH! why am i wasting my time blogging?

in all seriousness, the apprenticeship program is off to a great start. i was explaining to a fellow entrepreneur today that apprentices are nothing like employees. it's a privilege, an honor, to work as an apprentice. it's HUGE because WG apprentices are getting paid to learn. [side note: can you imagine how rich we'd all be if we got paid to work those infamous twelve or thirteen years?]

if you are interested in being an apprentice for Waking Girl Web Design, send me a message through the contact form. the requirements are simple: talent, ideas, motivation, and most importantly, a friend, parent or acquaintance who wants a website (and will pay for it).

and no, you don't have to have a college degree! haha!!

Scholarship Winner! | 05.01.07
This year's scholarship winner is Danielle Refsland from Perham, Minnesota. Danielle has shown great creativity in everything from stage acting to fashion design. She follows through on projects, playing the roles of planner and promoter. Danielle is the sort of person that Waking Girl looks forward to working with out in the real world. She brings talent and initiative to the table, along with a willingness to learn and listen to other ideas. There is no doubt that this scholarship will be put to good use to further Danielle's entrepreneurial opportunities, whether it be for education or inventory.

From all of us at Waking Girl Web Design: Congratulations, Danielle!!

Waking Girl Scholarship | 04.11.07
Every year Waking Girl likes to award a promising student with a cash scholarship. We are looking for students with an eye for design and a brain for business. The student must be on their way OUT of high school (junior or senior). If the student is NOT going on to college, he/she must present a business plan explaining how the scholarship will be used. If the student is going on to college, we give preference to design and/or business school students.

WG has a dream of seeing America's public education system radically changed. Rather than teaching students to be perfect clock-punching employees, WG wants to see schools guide students to be honest, productive business owners. One way that WG intends to make an impact is by offering scholarships to non-college attendees, who have plans and goals for a productive future.

The owner of Waking Girl is a 4.0 high school and college dropout. That's right. Straight As, but didn't take the time to graduate. Instead, she moved forward to build businesses--offering jobs and housing to the community.

As graduation season looms ahead, it's time for the successful dropouts to stand strong! Remind local students that there is more to life than grades, tests and pencil sharpeners!

The Waking Girl Scholarship Winner will be announced on May 1, 2007.

Yahoo Answers and Your Site | 03.09.07
I encourage my website clients to utilize Yahoo Answers to increase their search engine visibility. Below is an email that I sent to a client who had a few questions about how Yahoo Answers works.

-yes, you can pick the questions to answer. i recommended to another client that they answer just 2 questions a day. one question can be for fun, the other for business. if you answer a variety of questions you won't come across like a spammer. there are many different categories to choose from. do something in sports or travel for fun, and then something in business (investments) for your company.

-questions are posted CONSTANTLY. usually by the time you're done answering a question, 3 other people have already answered the same question. THAT is why this is so effective for SEO! it's popular!

-first, set up a yahoo profile, if you don't already have one. just get a yahoo email address. put http://YOURDOMAIN.com in ANY fields that allow a web link. then, go to yahoo answers and find a question that catches your eye. follow the buttons from there!

-in the SOURCE field of the answers, type in: http://YOURDOMAIN.com - Your Business Name, Your City, State. that's how google will make the connection. answer 2 questions a day. 1 for fun, 1 for biz.

keep posting on yahoo answers! it takes everyone working together to make an impact. avoid answers that direct the questioner elsewhere (talk to a cpa, ask your doctor, etc.). nowadays, google sees the most valuable people on the web as people who HELP others. giving away information is the way to success in our current information age.

Campy Video Marketing | 03.03.07
I have broken the cardinal rule in blogging. I have neglected you for almost 3 months. Of course, I've been blogging elsewhere here and there, but YIKES. I do apologize. Waking Girl is putting focus on Video Marketing right now. This is a screenshot from a video we're working on for a magazine subscription company. With technology improving in speed and quality NOW video is an affordable, effective way to advertise and bring and keep traffic to your site. Notice I said "bring and keep" traffic to your site. It's not enough to get clients to your site. They need to have a reason to stay. If you can keep people at your site for longer than 30 seconds, you are in the minority! Waking Girl likes to be creative in keeping people at a site. Video works well, because if you see the first 5 seconds of a video, you're probably going to be curious enough to keep watching. I mean, how many of us get stuck in front of the TV for 3 hours, when all we wanted to see was the latest Geico commercial? Video puts us all into a hypnotic trance. We just... can't.... move... help!! So, you can fight it, or just throw video onto your site.

Contact Waking Girl to get a free brainstorm for your site and video needs.

Note: for the next month Waking Girl will not be available by telephone. Please email only!

It's 1:14 AM, and I'm awake | 12.12.06
This isn't one of those, "I can't sleep, so I need someone to talk to" things. I've been working on the computer for the last 5 hours. GAR!!!! So I'm thinking about something someone said this week. It's hard to hire web designers. If the web designer is good, he's swamped and can't commit to the job. If he's bad, well, he's available! So, I'm swamped right now. Suddenly. Out of the blue.

So, I'm hiring and I'm raising my rates.

Kidding!

Nah, don't worry. I am going to let you in on a few secrets, though.

How to get your website done quickly and correctly:

1. Explain the job (give parameters, things you HATE, and ultimately what your goal is with the project and your company)
2. Listen to or read the estimate
3. Give the green light (trust me--if WG can't do the job, we'll tell you. You will not find a better deal than WG.)
4. Give feedback immediately, upon receipt of the first draft (this will probably be the BEST draft, so give shouts of praise and adoration)
5. Listen to or read your assignment
6. Act quickly!! Find and deliver all content THAT day. If you can't do it that day, or that week your project has lost ALL momentum. And, another client has probably filled the forefront of my brain.
7. Applaud the completion of your website.
8. Pay any unpaid balance.
9. Sign up for a maintenance package (this will keep your website on the priority list--which means you get all sorts of fun updates that keep your website moving higher and higher on Google)
10. Turn your attention back to your business. Because now... they're coming!!

Stuck inside the box | 11.10.06
This video I'm blogging about is one to laugh at. The topic I'm comparing it to.... not so funny.

It's sad to see businesses stuck inside the box. It's my job at Waking Girl Web Design in Reno, Nevada to "unstuck" businesses. It's not my job to figure out WHY they're stuck, but I usually run into it along the way.

The number one reason why your business (and website) is stuck: YOU ARE A CONTROL FREAK

A good business owner does not get stuck on the details of her business. She hires strong people, surrounds herself with qualified partners and consultants, delegates as many tasks as possible, and trusts and supports the work of others. If you run your business more like a dictator than a leader, please do NOT get Waking Girl involved in your failing government.

Waking Girl Web Design hopes to make every client's website profitable. This becomes impossible when you micro-manage. Rates suddenly increase, every little piece of work is billed. And then, the web designer has to do the work over and over and over again. Expensive!!

And therefore, contrary to our mission statement: to bring companies closer to their goals in a PROFITABLE, cutting-edge, low-frills manner.

Just like the boy in the video, if you ever make it outside of the box, PLEASE don't hop right back inside. It's painful and counter-productive!

http://wakinggirl.com
Wake up your business, or your clients.
Whichever is sleepier.

Watch video at Google Video.

Networking with Directories | 10.30.06
Why do it alone? There are a TON of great directories online that are ranked high on search engines, have valuable information, and can really help you get where you need to go. For example, Marketingtool.com, is like one of those moms that makes all of your birthday, graduation and wedding parties well-attended, and well-gifted. It's not enough to have a directory just send people to your site. They need to be ready, willing and able paying clients! Surf around on a search engine to see what directories you run into when looking for your industry. Then, if they're FREE sign up! If they cost a few bucks, get more information.

Preferred Vendor in the Reno, Nevada Web Design Services Directory at Marketingtool.com.

Using YouTube on your Website | 10.16.06
Waking Girl has discovered an extremely low-tech (that spells C-H-E-A-P), while very cutting edge (that spells I-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E) way of bringing new content to your clients. We're using YouTube, you know, the company that Google purchased for 1.65 BILLION dollars! Most of my clients don't have the wallet of Google, so they use Waking Girl to integrate high-valued technology for next to nothing into their website.

The basics:
YouTube is way up there in search engine heaven. When you're legitimately connected to a high-ranking, well-trafficked site, that helps your ranking. It will also bring new people to your site via YouTube (or Myspace, or whatever you're using).

Beyond the basics:
Everbody has a website and yours needs to do something NEW and DIFFERENT to stand out. Using video lets your customers get to know the owner and key employees before visiting your storefront. It brings business back to building relationships. It plants an employee on your site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact Waking Girl to schedule a consultation!

Wow! Look at your baby grow! | 09.28.06
recently i ran into a long list of semi-struggling businesses and the subsequent links to their websites. YIKES! the problem may have nothing to do with their website, but if the rest of the company is just as archaic, out-dated, slow, boring, and pointless--well, then i get it! i see why they're struggling and looking for help.

the condition of these websites reminded me how much i enjoy doing website makeovers. my motto is a website is never done. (that's why i charge by the hour!)

think back to when you were planning the nursery for your first child. you thought it was a boy, but weren't sure, so you had to come up with a neutral color. you thought you'd be staying in the house for the next 5 years, but weren't sure, so you kept the decorating minimal. you thought a lot of things, but most of all--you knew you didn't have a clue. this was a day-by-day thing.

your website is the same. if you try to shove all of your ideas, business content, and monkey function (see below) into the first draft of your site--it's going to fail. just like you can't teach your infant algebra in the hopes of sending her to a good college; you can't make your website perfect on the first try.

really, you can't. i can't either.

this is an exciting thing. in each phase of your website's development it will meet a powerful goal. how do parents put it? i really liked the 3s, but now that we're in the 4s, i can't imagine going back. or i'm so glad he's finally independent, but sometimes i wish he had the innocence of a kindergartener. you'll be saying the same thing about your website. the first 6 months of its existence, it will have a fun, playful innocence. then we'll evaluate to see what's working, what's failing, what could be better. and we move forward. little by little, a month at a time. the website moves with your company--every time you rework your website you have to revisit your mission statement, your goals, your clientele. when was the last time you did that? when was the last time someone forced you to do that for less than 25 bucks a month?

never? thought so.

would it be worth it? thought so. :)

monkey function: making your website do everything your employees do (and doing it better! shhh!)

Burning Man and your Website | 09.12.06
yepp. i went to burning man. year number two. it's always strange going to burning man, as a business owner. it's a non-commercial, non-spending, non-consumeristic society. if you want something there, it will be given to you. if you have something, you will give it away. no one is there to make a buck. and yet, you're meeting people, talking about yourself, and finding lots of great clients. so, do you put the word out there about yourself--in the hopes of eventually making a buck? or do you push those thoughts aside, enjoy your dust-covered vacation, and hope for the best when you get home, having missed a week of work? there are two little people sitting on my shoulders. and they're getting heavy!!

i did a little bit of both. if your business model doesn't include helping people, you're going to have a hard time pushing your product/service. you don't have to feel guilty about spreading the gospel of your business when you know it's going to help people. i enjoyed my vacation knowing that i could freely talk about what i do, get a few phone numbers, and eventually make some lives and businesses better. :)

and, as far as website tips go: if you want to expand the creative part of your brain/business/website head to the playa! you'll get a week of intensive training on creativity--plus enough dust to last a lifetime. hehe.

Feeling Computer DUMB? | 08.01.06
ok so you know how to bake a cake, and remodel a bathroom. but when you sit in front of the computer, you feel like your kids are staring and laughing. right? here are a few tricks for getting around on the internet--use these and your kids will just stare. ;)

ALT + TAB--go ahead. try it. press the ALT key (beside the spacebar) and the TAB key (next to the Q) at the same time. ok, i'm glad you figured out how to get back here. the ALT + TAB function is a great way to navigate quickly between programs without using the mouse. it's especially helpful if you need to move to a more productive page when your boss walks by. let's review, hold the ALT key down while you tap on the TAB key. it will move you through all the programs and windows you have open right now, with each TAB click.

i can't read!--your eyes aren't what they used to be, and the text on websites seems to be getting smaller and harder to read. if the text is too small, go to View in your browser (your browser is Internet Explorer or Firefox or (god forbid!) Netscape). then look for Text Size, and make it bigger. usually websites are harder to read because of the background, or poor color choice. in that case, take your mouse and highlight the text you're trying to read (click the mouse at the beginning of the paragraph, hold the button down while you drag the mouse down, then let go). highlighting the text usually makes it very readable. this motion takes some practice, and YES, it's normal to feel arthritic when you first try it.

TAB--let's make sure we've got the basics. the plain old TAB key is extremely important. it should be worn out on your keyboard. every time you have to fill out a form on the net with multiple fields (name, address, zip, phone, etc.) use the TAB key to jump from field to field. this is much faster than using the mouse. feeling dangerous? try the SHIFT + TAB to move BACK a field.

that's enough for now. i've given you three tricks: a flashy one, a necessary one, and a c'mon now--this one you just HAVE TO use! use it, don't abuse it. well, go ahead, try to abuse it. i dare you to!

Vocabulary Lesson of the Week | 07.22.06
blog: think weblog--take off the "we" and you get a blog. and it makes sense that "we" of all letters were removed. because a blog is more about ME than WE. it's a personal journal or diary. in today's world where we all want to be celebrities and no one feels heard, of course we want our diary to be read by the masses! typically you can post a blog on a FREE blogging site; and if it's interesting enough, people will read it, respond, and spread the link.

My favorite blogging sites: myspace.com, and livejournal.com.

How can blogging help your business:
Remember back to the day you decided to start a business. Did you immediately know everything about your chosen industry? The customers? The cost? I hope not! That would've been way too easy! You probably spent hours, days, weeks, months researching, studying and experimenting. Imagine then how confused your clients are when they walk into your store for the first time. Or when they look up at the sky and say, "Ugh! Is there someone out there that will fix this for me!?" Blogging is a great way to 1) Establish a relationship with current and potential clients, and 2) Give technical information about your product or service.

Do you know how many times I've explained blogging in the past month? Too many to count! If the information was posted here, I could have just directed clients to my website. That would have saved me time, and given the client a more thorough explanation.

When I design a website the first thing I ask the client is, "What question are you sick of answering?" Don't want to give directions to your office anymore? Or repeat the sizes you have available? Or insist the importance of [BLANK]? We can fix that!

By combining a well-maintained blog with a well-trafficked website your company can move to new and exciting levels.

Call 775.544.6612 or email info(at)wakinggirl.com for more information!