Toluu

Web Designer + Front-End Web Developer | Selene M. Bowlby

Web Design + Small Business + Work/Life Balance

Just Three Things - December 2008December 2

This post is part of the “Just Three Things” series…

There is nothing like putting your goals “out there” for others to see. It brings your intentions to a whole new level. After all, you don’t really want to announce to the world that you’re going to do something, and then fall through on it!

Learn more about the concept, and join in! And without further ado, here are my three things for December 2008.

1. Write Three Guest Posts

This is carried over from the November 2008 post… Although if I had a tough time finishing one guest post last month, I’m not quite sure how I’m going to do three - I just need to block out the time to do it!

2. Analyze Existing Client Trends

Something I should be keeping track of as I sign each new client - is to keep a list of exactly what types of clients I do have (small/home businesses, non-profits, larger corporations, etc.)

How To Avoid the Feast vs Famine Cycle - Diversify Your Income Streams with Itty Biz’s Online Business SchoolNovember 17

There’s been a LOT of buzz lately over Itty Biz’s latest product, Online Business School.

If you don’t know Naomi Dunford, she runs Itty Biz, which offers consulting to small and home business owners. It’s through the Itty Biz blog that I started gaining more knowledge as to how to run my own web design business full time - especially in terms of marketing and self-promotion.

My Own Personal Experience With Itty Biz

It wasn’t long before I hired Naomi myself - you can read more on my Taking the Freelance Plunge post, as well as on this home business success story over on Itty Biz.

Long story short, I knew that I wanted to leave my day job to run my own business full time. I had the talent as

60+ Essential Feeds for Freelance Web DesignersNovember 12

Freelance Folder recently posted an open thread asking the question “How Do You Stay Sharp?” The post has some great discussion in the comments section, where many people said that it’s through web sites and blogs that they are able to keep up to date on developments in their particular fields.

Web Design / Development Blogs You Should Be Reading

I myself have a set of design and development related blogs that I read… whether for the latest xhtml/css and WordPress tricks, for design inspiration, etc.

I asked my designer friends on Twitter which sites they thought were the best design blogs to read. You know, the old question “if you were stuck on a desert island and could only have one…” LOL

Without a doubt, the number one answer was Smashing Magazine - for good reason! But there were many others, as well. So for all of the web designers and developers out there, below are 17 essential design blogs you should be reading!

Guest Post on Freelance Folder - 10 SEO Techniques All Top Web Sites Should UseNovember 5

Continuing on the theme of guest blogging, my second article on Freelance Folder has just been published…

10 SEO Techniques All Top Web Sites Should Use

Here’s a brief introduction to the post below:
read the full article here

We recently discussed the 15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have. This post focused on elements relating to design, content and development. This time, we’ll move onto the important issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is such a hot topic these days. How do you get your web site within the first page or two of the search engines? How do you increase your Google page rank?

There are companies who dedicate themselves full time to doing SEO at a pretty penny. Something a lot of people can’t necessarily afford to pay for or spend the time on.

However, there are some simple things you can do when building your site that will help increase your chances of having good results. In no particu

Yes, We Can!November 5

“They” say you are not supposed to voice political views on a business blog. They are probably right, but last night was a moment in history that I experienced first hand.

A Moment I Don’t Want To Forget

Last night, history was made as Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America.

Watching the votes come in - connected to the news channels on tv, connected to the news networks online, connected to Twitter users throughout the world, watching the events unfold before us…

This was a moment in history that I will never forget.

I awake today with an amazing feeling - a feeling of change, hope and unity. I witnessed history in the making last night, and am estatic about the possibilities for our nation. Hopeful for the direction our country can now work towards.

Yes, We Can

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope.

And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes, we can.

President (Elect) Barack Obama
November 4, 2008