Comments for Sell Your Story UK - The Magazine http://sellyourstoryuk.com Media magazine for journalists, authors, TV Producers, writers ... Tue, 15 May 2012 10:29:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Ten website nightmares and how to avoid them… by Featureworld http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/01/27/wordpress-design-nightmares/#comment-3999 Featureworld Tue, 15 May 2012 10:29:37 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=4345#comment-3999 Hello Kevin I thought my budget of £5,000 for a wordpress site was quite doable! Unfortunately the web design industry is one where you don't always get what you pay for. The issue is there is no guarantee that posh company you go to which charges you a fortune will be any good or be able to interpret your designs properly. Meanwhile the 'bedroom coder' as you call him, might actually be very clever and charge much less and a freelancer simply might not charge enough (although I only approached bona fide companies to do my work.) This was the point of writing this - it is an unregulated industry with no way that anyone can judge how able a designer is. My contract with the first company was that they would complete the whole site within a month - I don't know what other work he had on but that was his estimate, not mine. You don't say what 'errors' are in my post, although most of it is my opinion. But one of the other problems is ordinary customers such as myself are not interested by designers (you do sound rather arrogant!) trying to impress them with their 'CMS code.' Many customers won't even know what CMS is...! Customers simply want the designer to produce a functional attractive site - and they choose Wordpress because often they've already used it for free (at Wordpress.com) and are confident they will be able to use it. If the customer asks for that, why should they be pressurised into paying for a designer's own code, which they have never tried? and isn't tested? And if that goes wrong in the future - or they want to add something simply themselves - how do they then sort that? I agree any designer who is blagging it would run a mile from us because we know enough about Wordpress to know when we are being over charged. However, we also know enough to understand how fiddly and time consuming web design really is and not expect to pay tiny prices - which is why we did set aside a very reasonable budget. Finally! Since writing this piece, we have had a number of designers come forward offering to help. All of them admit there are big issues in the design industry because it is not regulated. Extra work has also since been done on this site by someone, a real pro, who was absolutely great - who gave the customer what he or she wants! A good job done promptly for a fair price. Hello Kevin
I thought my budget of £5,000 for a wordpress site was quite doable! Unfortunately the web design industry is one where you don’t always get what you pay for. The issue is there is no guarantee that posh company you go to which charges you a fortune will be any good or be able to interpret your designs properly. Meanwhile the ‘bedroom coder’ as you call him, might actually be very clever and charge much less and a freelancer simply might not charge enough (although I only approached bona fide companies to do my work.) This was the point of writing this – it is an unregulated industry with no way that anyone can judge how able a designer is.
My contract with the first company was that they would complete the whole site within a month – I don’t know what other work he had on but that was his estimate, not mine.
You don’t say what ‘errors’ are in my post, although most of it is my opinion. But one of the other problems is ordinary customers such as myself are not interested by designers (you do sound rather arrogant!) trying to impress them with their ‘CMS code.’ Many customers won’t even know what CMS is…!
Customers simply want the designer to produce a functional attractive site – and they choose WordPress because often they’ve already used it for free (at WordPress.com) and are confident they will be able to use it. If the customer asks for that, why should they be pressurised into paying for a designer’s own code, which they have never tried? and isn’t tested? And if that goes wrong in the future – or they want to add something simply themselves – how do they then sort that?
I agree any designer who is blagging it would run a mile from us because we know enough about WordPress to know when we are being over charged. However, we also know enough to understand how fiddly and time consuming web design really is and not expect to pay tiny prices – which is why we did set aside a very reasonable budget.
Finally! Since writing this piece, we have had a number of designers come forward offering to help. All of them admit there are big issues in the design industry because it is not regulated. Extra work has also since been done on this site by someone, a real pro, who was absolutely great – who gave the customer what he or she wants! A good job done promptly for a fair price.

]]> Comment on Ten website nightmares and how to avoid them… by Kevin http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/01/27/wordpress-design-nightmares/#comment-3982 Kevin Tue, 15 May 2012 01:45:49 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=4345#comment-3982 Being completely honest with you, by the sounds of it you are any developers nightmare. It comes across like you think you know more than they do! Your post is full of errors, and could be incredibly insulting to some real talented word press devs. I no longer bother with open source software like Wordpress/joomla as we have coded our own CMS. What you have to remember is you get what you pay for. By the sounds of it you weren't prepared to pay for a pro, and got caught dealing with bedroom coders. Although 2 weeks might sound like a long time to design a web site, you must be assuming this is the only job the guy had on?? Did you not have a contract stating schedule and deadlines? If you weren't happy with 2 weeks why did you not negotiate this at the start, and if you did why did you pay the money? Wow! I would run in the opposite direction if you approached us or work! Being completely honest with you, by the sounds of it you are any developers nightmare. It comes across like you think you know more than they do!

Your post is full of errors, and could be incredibly insulting to some real talented word press devs. I no longer bother with open source software like WordPress/joomla as we have coded our own CMS.

What you have to remember is you get what you pay for. By the sounds of it you weren’t prepared to pay for a pro, and got caught dealing with bedroom coders.

Although 2 weeks might sound like a long time to design a web site, you must be assuming this is the only job the guy had on?? Did you not have a contract stating schedule and deadlines? If you weren’t happy with 2 weeks why did you not negotiate this at the start, and if you did why did you pay the money?

Wow! I would run in the opposite direction if you approached us or work!

]]> Comment on Nation’s health suffering due to recession… by Mark http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/05/09/nations-health-suffering-due-to-recession/#comment-3834 Mark Thu, 10 May 2012 19:23:11 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=6054#comment-3834 You can eat really healthily on a small budget so it's a shame people are compromising their health because of the recession. Ireland has been hit really hard by the economic downturn, and although I've only been here two and a half years, I've noticed that the supermarkets here have had to lower their prices because they were becoming astronomical after the boom times over here. A lot of small businesses over here couldn't reduce their prices any further and have had to close down, especially in the hospitality industry. Hotels that were charging 150 a night during the boom are giving away rooms for 50 Euros now because tourism has dropped so bad. We need a hint of optimism in the air again! You can eat really healthily on a small budget so it’s a shame people are compromising their health because of the recession. Ireland has been hit really hard by the economic downturn, and although I’ve only been here two and a half years, I’ve noticed that the supermarkets here have had to lower their prices because they were becoming astronomical after the boom times over here.

A lot of small businesses over here couldn’t reduce their prices any further and have had to close down, especially in the hospitality industry. Hotels that were charging 150 a night during the boom are giving away rooms for 50 Euros now because tourism has dropped so bad.

We need a hint of optimism in the air again!

]]> Comment on Ten mummy bloggers … and what they talk about… by Gina Caro http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/02/18/ten-uk-mummy-blogs/#comment-3818 Gina Caro Thu, 10 May 2012 09:54:16 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=4668#comment-3818 Just found this page and really enjoyed reading it. I'm still a relatively new mummy blogger and I'm still in awe of all the amazing mummy blogs out there. If I could even be half as good as them I would be happy xgx Just found this page and really enjoyed reading it.
I’m still a relatively new mummy blogger and I’m still in awe of all the amazing mummy blogs out there.
If I could even be half as good as them I would be happy
xgx

]]> Comment on Losing their hair is women’s greatest fear… by Anna Burke http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/05/09/losing-their-hair-is-womens-greatest-fear/#comment-3817 Anna Burke Thu, 10 May 2012 09:46:31 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=6062#comment-3817 I'm 30 and I've had AGA for the last 7 years. I was in denial the first year or two, then went though a period of extreme anxiety, trying to "fix" it by using spiro, finasteride but they made little difference - I have just started taking Nourkrin though I am not expecting it to work even though the website say it works for 8 out of 10. I am now finally accepting that this is something I am going to have to live with. I’m 30 and I’ve had AGA for the last 7 years. I was in denial the first year or two, then went though a period of extreme anxiety, trying to “fix” it by using spiro, finasteride but they made little difference – I have just started taking Nourkrin though I am not expecting it to work even though the website say it works for 8 out of 10. I am now finally accepting that this is something I am going to have to live with.

]]> Comment on How an undergraduate got a book deal with Bloomsbury … by tonyschumacher http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/05/06/how-an-undergraduate-got-a-book-deal-with-bloomsbury/#comment-3746 tonyschumacher Tue, 08 May 2012 20:15:06 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=6034#comment-3746 What an excellent piece! I'm normally a bit of a cynic when it comes to this sort of story, but the proof is in the pudding (and the cheque!) The lessons I've taken from this are: 1. Hurry up and finish my second book. 2. Try to come up with a plot that sounds as good as Samantha's. Not much to do there then! ;-) Tony What an excellent piece! I’m normally a bit of a cynic when it comes to this sort of story, but the proof is in the pudding (and the cheque!) The lessons I’ve taken from this are:
1. Hurry up and finish my second book.
2. Try to come up with a plot that sounds as good as Samantha’s.

Not much to do there then! ;-)
Tony

]]> Comment on Why people feel they can say what they want on Twitter… by Featureworld http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/04/29/why-people-feel-they-can-say-what-they-want-on-twitter/#comment-3612 Featureworld Sat, 05 May 2012 12:25:01 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=5926#comment-3612 You might also find this piece about Twitter and the law interesting, which was written in January: http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/01/30/twitter-facebook-libel-defamation/ You might also find this piece about Twitter and the law interesting, which was written in January: http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/01/30/twitter-facebook-libel-defamation/

]]> Comment on Why people feel they can say what they want on Twitter… by Featureworld http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/04/29/why-people-feel-they-can-say-what-they-want-on-twitter/#comment-3611 Featureworld Sat, 05 May 2012 12:23:35 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=5926#comment-3611 Glad you liked it. But much of this piece (including all the cases, professor and legal quote) was actually reported from an article printed that day in the Sunday Times newspaper, which is why the Sunday Times is credited as the source several times in the piece. Glad you liked it. But much of this piece (including all the cases, professor and legal quote) was actually reported from an article printed that day in the Sunday Times newspaper, which is why the Sunday Times is credited as the source several times in the piece.

]]> Comment on Why people feel they can say what they want on Twitter… by Liska http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/04/29/why-people-feel-they-can-say-what-they-want-on-twitter/#comment-3609 Liska Sat, 05 May 2012 11:51:45 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=5926#comment-3609 I wrote a very similar post but yours is 100% better written than mine. But I agree with you: http://newmumonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/twitter-and-law.html I wrote a very similar post but yours is 100% better written than mine.
But I agree with you:

http://newmumonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/twitter-and-law.html

]]> Comment on Old Wives’ Tales Need To Be Put To Bed For Snorers… by Sue houghton http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/04/24/old-wives-tales-need-to-be-put-to-bed-for-snorers/#comment-3287 Sue houghton Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:13:03 +0000 http://sellyourstoryuk.com/?p=5772#comment-3287 Try crushed nigella seeds in a twist of a hanky, rubbed under the nose! Try crushed nigella seeds in a twist of a hanky, rubbed under the nose!

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