Introduction

Remember my suggestion about giving ideas away for free? Well, one of the ideas I featured in my last issue looks like it's going to see the light of day. We'll kick this issue off by taking a look at developments.

I've covered it before, but we can always do with a refresh on dealing with an often heard problem -- how to make your clients pay. I'll present five simple ideas to help protect you from problem payers.

Do you have a handy list of tools for testing every web site you launch? We may just have the solution you're looking for -- literally more than 100 tools within easy reach.

Finally, let's brighten up the week by looking at a few light-hearted videos and sites, perfect for the web creatives among us.

Thanks for taking the time to read this issue of the Tribune.

Miles Burke
tribune@sitepoint.com

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Summary

• Introduction
• Forging Ahead with Ideas
• Making Clients Pay
• Streamline Your Site Testing
• Web Funnies
• Latest Tutorials
• Hot Discussions
• New Blogs

Forging Ahead with Ideas

In recent issues of the Tribune, I've put the call out to readers to submit ideas that they'd like to see carried out. I covered five of these in my last issue.

It seems that Indian freelance web developer, Prabu, may have hit on an idea. Prabu said, "I was toying with ... the idea to have something like sourceforge.com -- you may call it ideaforge."

Well, Prabu, this idea seems to have struck a chord out there. A Ruby on Rails developer and web designer from Serbia, Milan Dobrota, loves the ideaforge concept, and plans to co-create it. Milan has posted a call for design help over on the SitePoint Forums, and is keen to give this project a go.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this leads. Prabu and Milan, please keep us informed!

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Making Clients Pay

Last week, I put the call out on Twitter asking what readers wanted to hear about in this issue. One response I received was from well-known SitePoint Forums Community Advisor and fellow SitePoint Author, Brandon Eley.

Brandon mentioned the age-old dilemma of clients failing to pay for work yet again being a hot topic over on the SitePoint Forums. It's an issue that never goes away; however, there are a few measures you can put in place to protect yourself from a defaulting client.

Tip number one: Always have a retainer. It's handy to gain milestone payments as well, but the retainer is probably the most important step. There are three great reasons for a retainer:

1. You receive some payment up-front, which helps with your own cash flow.
2. You're able to judge the seriousness of the client by asking them to "put their money where their mouth is."
3. A retainer motivates the client to be involved in the project. They have real money tied up here, so they'll want to keep the project on track.

I recommend also having milestone payments. This ensures that you're never too far ahead of the payment cycle, and even if the client defaults on the very last payment, you at least have most of the money. I aim for 40% at the commencement of the project, 30% at the midway mark, and 30% at its completion. Just about all our competitors do the same, so it's considered quite standard where I'm from.

Tip number two: Never hand files over until payment is received. Ideally, host the web site yourself. If you're unable to though, ensure the client knows ahead of time that the final payment is required for the site to go live.

Blame the accounts department, or say whatever you need to say -- but only part with the deliverables once you have the reward. Brandon's tip on the forums was to use a subdomain to publish the staging site; the client can see the final product, but it will only appear on their own domain that last invoice is paid -- great idea!

Tip number three: Offer many methods of payment. It's true that cash flow for many small businesses is tight, but credit cards offer some flexibility when there's no cash at hand. There's also the benefit of rewards points if their credit card has this feature.

Look at payment plans for those who need them, but be aware these will tie up your cash flow. Unless you have strong financial backing (and great contracts), I'd recommend avoiding this method.

Tip number four: Offer a freebie or discount for early or pre-payment. Maybe the first month's hosting, a bottle of wine, or 5% off -- as long as the payment is up-front or within a strict deadline.

Tip number five: Chase that payment the moment it's due. Train your clients into recognizing that a 30-day invoice is exactly that; knowing that they're likely to hear from you on day 31 -- rather than day 60 -- could be the difference in receiving prompt payments.

I trust that these tips persuade those recalcitrant clients to pay you in reasonable time!

Streamline Your Site Testing

We're all good at testing, right? First, we load up a few dozen bookmarks or handy URLs from an electronic file, and then we're away and testing our latest web work.

But sometimes, it can all seem a bit too hard. Well, along comes Test Everything, a simple site with an important mission: helping users streamline their web site testing.

From SEO to validation to network tools, as well as text and image tools, this site is certainly worth a look. I'm a little unconvinced about the usability of the form, but the service really is valuable.

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Web Funnies

I'm a huge believer in the idea that in order to enjoy the work you do, it needs to also be fun. In that vein, here are a few humorous links to brighten up any web developer's day.

This article, If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers, is funny, despite being so true.

Have problems with distractions? You'll certainly appreciate this graphic, showing The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions. I know most of these distractions well myself.

Ben Stiller has a laugh at the Twitter follower counting phenomenon (and also himself) in this short YouTube video.

Still on YouTube, this short clip from the British TV sitcom, The IT Crowd, is always funny. Remember, don't break the Internet!

That's it for another issue -- thanks for reading!

Miles Burke
tribune@sitepoint.com
Editor, SitePoint Tribune

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