Do You Own Your Web Site Design?

Web Design for Escorts

'Allo, mes bébés, I trust you are all well?

I have been busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers, hence my scarceness in posting. I never would've believed how quickly this business would've taken off, and I have so many people to thank, but one in particular; you know who you are.

In other news, as usual melodrama abounds in the Midwest. Same players, somewhat of a different plot twist ... glad to find myself out of it. Blogs, by virtue of being what they are (personal works usually written by females), tend to lean toward the soap opera, but, my oh my, don't these ladies in the Midwest know how to put on a show?!?

I believe though, if this plays out the way it's starting to look like it will, the real antagonist of this little passion play is about to take her final bow. Couldn't happen to a nicer person, IMHO.

Anyway, having nearly caught myself up, here I am ... answering your most burning web design questions.

So you hired that glitzy website design company. You worked together for several months, emailing back and forth, to make the design reflect your personality. It's finally gone live, you've sent the link to all your clients and submitted it to all the guides. But what's this? There's an email in you inbox from a friend directing you to check out another provider's site.

Gasp.

It's YOUR design! Why the rotten little thief!

You contact your designer to see what your recourse is and - WHAT? You find that she's the one who SOLD your design to the wench! Your colors, your ideas ... all yours, and she sold it to that other woman. She can't do that, it's yours!

But CAN she?

Well, the cold hard truth is that she CAN if you don't own the copyright to your website.

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords;


• To prepare derivative works based upon the work;


• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;


• To perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works;


• To display the copyrighted work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and


• In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

Who Can Claim Copyright?

Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright.

In the case of works made for hire, the employer and not the employee is considered to be the author. Section 101 of the copyright law defines a "work made for hire" as:

• (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment;
  or


• (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as:
  
  
  
  • a contribution to a collective work
  
  
  • a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work
  
  
  • a translation
  
  
  • a supplementary work
  
  
  • a compilation
  
  
  • an instructional text
  
  
  • a test
  
  
  • answer material for a test
  
  
  • an atlas
  
  
  
  

if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire ...

The above taken from U.S. Copyright Office website.

To put all of this in easy to understand terms, I own the copyright to anything I write or create as soon as it's complete; it's not necessary for me to file with the U.S. Copyright Office to prove ownership.

If the person who designs your site is employed by you (i.e., you pay them a wage and take out taxes from that wage), then YOU own the site. If you hire a web design company to create your site, the above "work made for hire" list illustrates that you do NOT own the copyright to the design.

Do you want to be sure that YOU own the copyright to your site? Then you must have the person you hire to design or re-design your website sign a contract that makes it very clear that the copyright to the material produced is yours, and not theirs. Keep the contract in a safe place in the event that you might have to prove this in the future.

Where does High Heel Designs stand on this issue? Copyright owners often grant use of their creations through a license agreement; but they can sell it outright, usually for a hefty sum. High Heel Designs takes the stand that YOU had the original idea, you supplied the text, the photos and the very heart and soul of your website, so it's YOURS.

Enjoy.

However, if I discover that anyone has made use of ANY my designs without my, or my clients' express permission, make no mistake: I WILL prosecute the thief to the fullest extent of the law.

HIRING AN ESCORT WEBSITE DESIGNER

Web Design for Escorts

There are many companies that offer web design, but not all of them are familiar with SPs. When it comes to building a website, or hiring someone to build a website, SPs have a whole different set of requirements and criteria that be considered. First and foremost is the discretion factor; the companies you deal with must be discreet and aware that there are precautions that must be considered when setting up an escort website. Additionally, YOU are the product that is being marketed; trying to sell a service that is so highly personal is different than trying to sell a product or even a mainstream service. You should try to find a designer who, if not skilled at designing sites for escorts, at least understands the business. It is also to your benefit to make a list of what you’ll expect your website to do for you before you start emailing design companies or filling out estimate forms.

• Do you need web hosting? A domain name?


• What kind of personality are you trying to project? Fun, flirty, sophisticated - maybe a little nasty?


• What type of client are you trying to attract?


• Do you want to have your clients contact you through a form?


• Are there specific features that you’d like to have on your site? Wishlists are popular right now. Calendars, nice photo galleries and newsletters are other popular features that some providers choose to have on their sites.

Also, make a list of websites that you like, whether for their color, their layout or because they have a specific feature that you would like to have on your own site. If you have a general idea of the kind of site you’re looking for, and you have examples of what you like, it’ll be easier for you find the right design company.

One good way to find a designer is to ask the owners of sites that you like who does their site. Drop them an email, most people who are happy with their sites and their designer are more than willing to share the information. If you belong to any forums or boards or groups, ask the other members who they might recommend. Many sites have links to their designers on them somewhere as well.

Once you have a list of possibles, take a look at their portfolios. If a designer is serious, they’ll have an online, easily accessible portfolio. Do the sites in the portfolio look professional? Do you like the designer’s style? Are their sites fresh and unique, or do they look like a hundred other sites? Can they design a memorable site for you, one that will stand out from all the others?

Ask for, and contact the designer’s references. This is the best way to find out how well they handle the pressures of deadlines and how well they work independently or in a team environment.

Something else that absolutely MUST be taken into consideration when hiring a website designer is their personal view on copyright issues. You don’t want to get involved with a designer who “borrows” script and code from other people who’ve worked hard to develop them. Also, be wary of designers who contact you – usually via a throwaway, unprofessional email address (Yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc) – offering a GREAT deal on a website because they want to build up their portfolio. Do you really want to be somebody’s guinea pig?

Before making a decision, be sure that the designer understands the finer points of designing for the escort industry. It’s important, for safety’s sake as well as for the basic but very necessary issue of anonymity, that a provider’s site be registered so that their identity isn’t easily found. Many providers also prefer that their photos be altered so that they aren’t easily recognizable. Look for a designer that understands and can accomplish these things.

What a design company charges has been discussed here before. Because websites are as unique as their owners, there is actually no such thing as an average price. Price is something that MUST be determined on a site-by-site basis. As always, buyer beware. You get what you pay for, but sometimes you can get tricked into paying for more than what you really need. Unless you’re looking to set up a paysite, with thousands of pictures, dozens of videos and an extensive private area, a basic 5-7 page site is more than sufficient for the average provider’s advertising needs. Remember that you are paying for a designer’s time and expertise, much the same way your client’s pay for your time and experience.

If you intend to update content regularly, ask whether (and how much) the designer charges for that service and how long it takes.

If you need to have a domain (www.yourname.com) registered, be sure that it’s registered in your name. Get proof that the domain name will remain your sole property (a copy of the email from a registrar is good) and will not belong to the web designer that is registering it for you. Some designers say they will register your domain name or that it’s included in the price of the design. but the domain name is registered to THEM. This can, and often does, result in unpleasantness if you ever want to leave their services.

Optimizing your website to be found during a search is VERY important. Well, it’s important if you want potential clients to find it anyway. There are companies whose sole purpose is to make sure that a website is optimized for the search engines and dozens of website devoted to the science of search engine optimization. A good designer should not only create a flattering, usable site, they should also make certain that your site can be easily found online by using copy and code that will be picked up by the search engines.

While it may not seem that important, try to find someone that you feel comfortable with. You want to work with someone who does their best to answer your questions and who makes a point of listening to you. Your designer should keep in touch with you on a fairly regular basis during the building of your site. You don’t have to best friends with your designer, but you do want someone who will respond to your phone calls or emails in a timely manner. If you find yourself feeling that you’re being talked down to or taken advantage of, it might be time to get out of the situation.

Bottom line is that you’re looking for a designer that can create a site that reflects you in an attractive, alluring manner, that is easily found by the search engines and does exactly what you want and need it to do.

Grab ‘Em By the ...

Web Design for Escorts

If you’re going to have a personal website there are things you need to think about that don’t come into play in a forum post or a newspaper ad. There’s more to it than slapping a few photos (professional or not) up on a free page, copying and pasting your stats and phone number and waiting for the calls to roll in.

Used to be that viewers made a decision within 8 seconds whether or not to stay or leave; newer studies suggest, probably due to the sheer number of other sites, not to mention shorter and shorter attention spans, that time frame has been cut in HALF. Four seconds to make your pitch ... do you have what it takes?

Even if – ESPECIALLY if – you’re not familiar with how web pages work, you need to have some basic advertising smarts. Being pretty and offering all those alphabet based services may not be enough to get that phone call.

Talk to your colleagues, what’s their biggest complaint? Many providers complain that their viewers don’t READ the information on their website and they keep getting emails and phone calls asking questions that are answered on the site. Is the information the viewer is looking for hidden on hard to read pages or deep within the site? Does he have to wait for the site to load?

Men are born surfers with itchy, impatient trigger fingers. Television, radio, websites. Punch the button. Flip the station. Click the mouse. They’re gone if the site they’re on doesn’t immediately grab their attention. Give ‘em something that grabs their attention and keeps it long enough to stick around and see what you’re offering.

Your most eye-catching elements MUST load first and at the top of the page so your viewers can check that out while the rest of your page loads. You can’t control the order in which various browsers download everything on a page but your site CAN be designed with loading principles in mind.

--

I spent yesterday spring-cleaning my bedroom because the wireless router I installed wasn’t working (it is now ... but I’m not gonna hold my breath). Every time I dumped a bucket of water in the kitchen sink I imagined that I could see the little brown buds on my lilac bush getting bigger ... once it got daylight this morning, I realize that I wasn’t imagining it. The bush is covered with tiny, delicate green leaves ...

Won’t be long now.

Spring into Paysite Design

Escort website design

Ah ... spring. Shoot me already. I REALLY MUST see my allergist, the OTC meds are just NOT cutting it. I am sniffling, sneezing and snorting all over the place.

I've decided it's time to buckle down. I futz around here all the time and have picked up clients by the grace of what ever Goddess watches over slackers, but I've been resting on my laurels and silently bemoaning those that are determined to take advantage of me for far too long. I intend to get my head out of my ass and get back on the self-promoting pony.

That said, I am drifting into amateur paysite design. As a result of being contacted by a local girl who was interested in having one done, I've been doing some heavy, heavy research into the mechanics of it all. I'd done one in the past, but was somewhat hampered by budget and the site owner's lack of knowledge (as well as my own), but I think I'm getting a firm handle on the concept and will have samples on my (in design mode) porfolio page in the very near future.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for my much awaited sequel to the Self-Photography post.

Bend Me Over

Escort website design

I so love spring, but this allergy shit is kicking my ass. Every morning and every evening, usual around sevenish, my nose starts running, my eyes and ears and throat starts itching. Time to make an appointment with the allergist.

I'll be running a GREAT special here shortly. If you're interested in the details, shoot me an email and let me know.

I got my ass handed to me again ... some things never change. But y'know, I'll get over it. There's always a good reason for anything that happens.

The thing that bugs me most is how my husband gives me that sympathetic little shake of the head and kneads my shoulder with his patented "Buck up, baby, you'll catch on ... one of these days" speech. Well, that and the way my daughter looks at me. It kills me to know that she thinks I'm a fucking loser-moron.

Feh ...

Well, what's done is done (again). I've got to pull up my big girl panties and get on.

Eat the Teacher

http://blog.highheeldesigns.com/

I'm not foolish enough to dismiss the importance of education of any kind, but it's become obvious (to me) the many small business owners put too much stock in an individual who boasts a degree in computer ... well, computer ANYTHING.

There IS a difference between a "web designer" and a "web developer".

When I graduated beauty school and found myself working in what was possibly the most prestigious hair/nail salon in the area, I was astounded at the indifference paid techs had for the "correct procedures" that had pounded into my head for a year. Once I got into a real salon I heard over and over "As long as the client is happy with how she looks, as long as you keep up-to-date on what's "trendy" and as long as you adhere to legal sanitation standards, it doesn't matter if you don't follow book-taught procedures to a "T". I've found that it's much the same way with web design.

What good does it do for a customer to hire a twenty-four year old guy who boasts an "IT" degree from a prestigious school of technology, who can develop a website that adheres to all the current standards, whose code is clean and validates, if the website they create (you'll notice here that I say create, NOT design) is cold and austere and doesn't catch the eye of the customer's intended audience?

Case in point: A couple of weeks ago I was having issues with the alignment of a column on a client's website. I went to the "experts" - a (mostly) women's discussion list that is a wonderful source of support and information - and asked what the heck I was doing wrong and what I had to do to fix it. This was indicative of most of the feedback I received: "Well, it validates, and your code is clean but ..." and to a woman, they went on to point out how I hadn't done it the "right" way.

I ended up figuring out what I'd done "wrong" by myself and came away from the whole experience with this: My client chose the colors and my client was paying for the site and my client LOVED what I'd done. I was happy that the code validated, but the client didn't SEE the code, didn't care about the code and wouldn't care of the code was written in Swahili as long as the front end was pretty.

Much like when I was a hairdresser/nail tech, my clients (and their clients, in turn) are looking for pretty. My clients are looking for site that sticks out and that THEIR clients will remember. So, in the end, as long as the sites I design can be seen by as many potential clients of my clients as possible, are usable by those clients and are PRETTY, I'm not going to worry.

All that said, my jeez, ain't it a PRETTY day today? It's getting to be that time of year again - the air SMELLS pretty. There are birds out in my trees that I haven't heard in months. If you drive by my house and happen to catch me out in the yard in the next month or so, odds are you'll catch me standing stock still, head cocked and eyes scanning the treetops - looking for the birds that are making those pretty, pretty sounds.

Am I a goober? Oh, you know it. Do I care? Nope, not a bit. My days grow shorter- I need to enjoy what's been given me.

All Aboard

http://blog.highheeldesigns.com/

... the Karma Bus. Bus riders are asked to bring exact change and have a picture ID with them at all times. Scootch over. I want to tell you a story while you're sitting there on that cold, hard bench, waiting on the bus.

Me? No, I won't be getting on today. I may have to punch my own ticket in the future, but THIS bus? This is YOUR bus, sweet thing.

So. In case you're wondering, I DO sleep well. It's easy to fall asleep knowing I don't take advantage of people who only ever had my best interests at heart. I also get to sleep pretty good because I don't lay in bed trying to figure out who to screw next and wondering how much I'll be able to get out of them before they catch on.

The rest of my life is pretty good,too. It's not a bowl of cherries, but you know what? It's mine and I like it. I don't have to lie to make people like me and I don't have to stab them in the back when my lies catch up to me. I have a job doing something I love to do and I can hold my head up because I know that I do my best and that I'm reliable and trustworthy. You can tell lies about me all you want to, but it won't erase the truth. Cream rises and class will tell.

My mother always told me pretty is as pretty does. Know what that means? You can be gorgeous, but if you're little and mean in your heart, it eats away at you and sucks out all the pretty.

The days get shorter, y'know? And at the end of them, when it's really too late to do any making up and you can't remember who you should apologize to anyway because you hurt and used so many people, you start realizing that rumbling sound is your very own Karma bus on it's way to pick up it's only passenger.

That's when you want to start back-pedaling. You start making deals with yourself and with your higher power and with anybody you think might be able to help. But what's done is done and even if all the people you used and abused have it in their hearts to forgive you, YOUR heart is too black and scorched and festered to mend and in the end, your own forgiveness is the best you can hope for.

You've ruined yourself and you never even knew it.

I forgive you for your sins against me. I don't know what makes a person like you the way they are, but it must've been something awful and I'm sorry about that. But I'm only one person and at the end of the day, what I think doesn't matter.

I wish you all the best.

Hey, I gotta run and oh, look - isn't that your bus there, turning the corner? You take care now, hear?

Outties, my friend.

"PROFESSIONAL" Site Design

High Heel Designs

From a local board I belong to:

Quote from: xxx on Today at 11:56:05 AM
Sure you can go do some web builder thing online for $85 but it will NOT look professional to the standards that a $1800 will give you. Plus you are usually limited to graphics, and layouts that they already have pre-made and you site can usually end up looking like 100,000 other people's site who use the same place. Sure.. it may look professional to some because some people wouldn't know what real professional quality was if it bit them on the ass but trust me... a REAL professional web designer CAN be worth the money. You are paying for personal attention and a one of a kind site as well as someone who actually knows a little something about design and what colors work well and how a good navigation should work.

and:

Quote from: xxx on Today at 11:27:52 AM
In this business your website kinda of defines you.

There are some very good points made up there, but I'd like to respectfully disagree on some points.

I believe that unless you have a high dollar business (i.e., local tv station, large car dealership, etc.), there is no reason to have to spend that kind of money on a website. For a small business owner - a photographer, local bar, and yes, even escorts - something in the $2K range is overkill and an unnecessary expense. It's like driving a Nextel Cup car to deliver the daily newspaper.

If you advertise online and you can find a designer with a good graphic eye (especially important for SPs), who understands the importance of SEO, website accessibilty and usability they're worth their weight in gold. As far as SPs are concerned, there is added knowlege that is an absolute must in the way of web design (such as privacy issues and legal content issues).

That said, I've been in this business for over seven years and I have never charged over $600 for a website and my work is just as professional as some of the companies who charge those high prices.

I will say this, though: it never pays to skimp on professional photography if you're in the beauty business. Large clear photos can be a deal maker or breaker and that is true whether you run a hair salon or offer adult services. I also prefer to work with professional photos when I design personal websites - and this is where the personal attention that grgentleman mentioned comes in - because I take pride in the fact that every one of my sites are designed around my client's personality. I draw from their favorite colors, flowers, books, music, etc ... and none of my clients sites are EVER forgotten or mistaken for someone else's.

I know this may sound like a great big advertisement on my part, and on one level, it is. But I think it also emphasizes the fact that yes, you do get what you pay for (just take a look at those "rare-escort" sites), but don't be fooled into thinking that you MUST pay a very large price to get a very nice site.

I'm by no means saying that some designers don't do $2K caliber work. There are plenty of them that do, and most of them should have jobs with IBM, Disney and the like. I'm saying that if someone doesn't understand the specifics of web design and development, it's just as easy to be taken in by someone who charges a LOT of money as it is to think you're getting a good deal for FREE or very little cost.

A good designer is passionate about their profession. Not just because it's their job, but because their name and reputation is on EVERY site that they design. A good designer doesn't overcharge or upsell. A good designer values more than money - they value their client and the reputation of their client.

We're out here, you just have to look for us.

Outties, lovies.