Sunday, October 26, 2014

Website First Draft: Who owns it? Designer or Client?

Before I get into the details, let me say up front that this is work I have been fairly compensated for up to this point.

I developed the initial draft of a site for a client who really had zero idea what he wanted. Working completely in the dark, I went ahead and developed a draft site, published it as a sub-domain of my site, and sent over the link for feedback. The feedback, after several attempts, never did come.

The purpose of the draft site was only to see if he liked the overall look, how menu items worked, how social media was integrated, etc… Having a basic idea of his business, I pulled images and other content from the web just to populate pages until the “real” stuff came from him. Obviously, any SEO enhancements were left out as neither of us wanted this draft site found — or so I was led to believe.

Yesterday, because my client has failed to reply to any of my e-mails, I googled him and end up at a YouTube video where some marketing “expert” is critiquing my client’s draft site for him as a “freebie”. Evidently, he had sent this company the link I gave him to get their feedback. From the feedback they were obviously under the impression this was the final site — although I fail to see how an experienced developer could believe this was anything but a draft. Regardless, they thought this was the final so, obviously, the talking head was ripping it apart. 

I was a little annoyed that my client did this, especially since the “expert” identifies the subdomain and my domain in the critique. Which I feel shows questionable ethics at best. But, since this company, even though they are social media experts as well, has only garnered three views on YouTube, I’m going to let it slide. In the meantime I have removed the subdomain and completely changed my site.

But I do wonder, even though there is nothing that contractually states it, do I not own this site and content? Or, because the client has paid me up to this point, does he own it?

Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Peace out...

Monday, September 1, 2014

Summer's End



As the sun sets on the final weekend of Summer a family quietly watches the waves come in at Lakeview Park in Oshawa. http://ift.tt/1pjV8i5

Pacific Huron



The sun sets on the Pacific Huron, a bulk carrier currently sailing under the flag of Antigua & Barbuda, as it awaits cargo in Oshawa Harbour. http://ift.tt/1nlsqxM

Monday, August 4, 2014

1940 Packard



Saw this 1940 Packard hearse parked outside the Grace United Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. http://ift.tt/1AP3szN

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Tower Storm



Storm clouds surround the CN Tower as Toronto office worker rush to beat the rain. This is three images, all captured less than one second apart, merged to show motion. http://ift.tt/1ANtW4I

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Still Afloat?



Captain John's Seafood Restaurant has been closed and fallen into disrepair over the past couple of years, although their website is still active and their voice message claims they are "temporarily closed". http://ift.tt/1rGiTEj

Monday, July 28, 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

Bridge into Nature



Walk into the peace of nature on this wooden bridge that extends into the marsh in the Rouge River near Lake Ontario. http://ift.tt/1noMnqV

Innocence



Small child walks peacefully along a path in Harmony Creek Conservation area. http://ift.tt/1mMFwmm

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Bird Feeder



Woman feeds the seagulls off Whitby Pier. http://ift.tt/1nW9950

Bird Feeder II



Woman feeds the seagulls off Whitby Pier. http://ift.tt/1ugOHVU

Cherry Beach



Dusk settles at Cherry Beach in Toronto. http://ift.tt/1odPD8G

Under The Dome



Ryerson Rams woman's soccer team practices in the dome at Monarch Park in Toronto. http://ift.tt/1A7HQ1b

Smokin'



Lone man thoroughly enjoying his cigarette on Simcoe Street South in Oshawa. http://ift.tt/1nVLukX

Speed Demon



Car speeds through an underpass in south Oshawa, Ontario. http://ift.tt/1tB4SZT

On The Rocks



Waves cascade onto a rocky shore near Bluffer's Park in Scarborough, Ontario http://ift.tt/1mE8vsv

Just Add Boats



Docks sit empty at Bluffers Park Marina. http://ift.tt/1rsLaQF

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Winter Retreat



Beautiful home near the slopes of Skyloft Ski Resort in Durham Region, which make this little retreat less secluded than it appears. http://ift.tt/1mzWfcp

Monday, July 21, 2014

The Body Shop



Unsigned auto repair shop or auto body shop in old residential neighbourhood. http://ift.tt/1n5W9OL

Smoke Alarms Save Lives



Close up of an Oshawa Fire truck neat Taunton Road and Ritson in Oshawa. Captured through my windshield. http://ift.tt/1p30zCq

Oshawa Light House Iced-in



The lighthouse at the end of the pier at Oshawa Harbour is inaccessible due to ice. Come back in Spring. Lakeview Park, Oshawa, Ontario. http://ift.tt/1sGcYD3

A Winter's Walk



Walking along the ice covered Whitby Pier. Whitby, Ontario, Canada http://ift.tt/1p30xL1

Grandma's Cottage in the Woods



Kind of a spooky run down cottage set well back in the woods. Keep an eye out for wolves. http://ift.tt/1n5W9Ox

Oshawa Pier on Ice



http://ift.tt/1p30y1o

Striker



U18 Girls soccer match. Striker in action. http://ift.tt/1sFoy16

Friday, July 18, 2014

Alone



Lone woman walks along the Whitby Waterfront Trail as storm clouds loom. http://ift.tt/1oT8xxS

The Gathering



Watching distant sailboats head home as storm clouds gather over Whitby Harbour. http://ift.tt/1nGdxoA

Eating Nature



Protected marsh lands are protected as long as the road doesn't need to be widened. http://ift.tt/1moU5wg

The Watering Hole



A family of ducks cool off in the late afternoon at their own little watering hole. http://ift.tt/1pldlxG

Calm After The Storm



A seagull soars over Lake Ontario near Whitby harbour in the calm after a storm. http://ift.tt/1nETruO

Thursday, July 17, 2014

A New Beginning



The Summer sun begins to set over Whitby Harbour as the storm clouds clear. The air was so fresh, so clean. The chirping birds coupled with the silence of the lake and the freshness of the air made for a perfect Summer evening. http://ift.tt/1mXJhcK

Home Sweet Home



Close to town, yet tucked out of the way on an old tree farm nestled between the highway and the harbour in Whitby, Ontario. It's likely abandoned but I like to think someone lives there, quietly, simply, peacefully. http://ift.tt/1nAen65

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Beating The Storm



Sailboat beats the storm into Whitby Harbour. http://ift.tt/1mWbHDV

Graffiti Sunset



Graffiti covers the lower few feet of the lighthouse in Whitby Harbour. http://ift.tt/WcyXDW

Storm's Over



Storm's over in Whitby Harbour. Wind is gone and sun's coming out as it begins to set. http://ift.tt/1mW6JqG

Monday, July 14, 2014

Police Boat



Durham Region Police boat patrols Lake Ontario near Whitby, Ontario http://ift.tt/1rcJdct

Peer Fishing



Two guys fishing off Oshawa Pier. They never stopped talking to each other so I don't think they caught much. But it seemed like they were having a good time anyway. http://ift.tt/1oZnOOY

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Ice rink Somerset House, London by roughtravels



I used to drive one of these, back in the mid 1970s. Long time ago but I still remember how much fun it was.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Nice spot for walking Abby

Beautiful day.

Started exercising today...sort of

Sort of? That means stationary exercise, inside, in my small space. Small enough that I had to rework some things just to get enough floor space to stretch out. The area between my two rooms is the spot.

So today’s exercise? Real simple for most. For me, at my motivation level — which is several ladder rungs below zero — it was about 10 minutes and consisted of the following.

• Jog on the spot for 5 minutes. This may need to be revisited as I was really feeling it in my ankles. Maybe some kind of platform? Right now it’s just a layer of carpet on a cement floor.
• 20 leg pull ups — these in lieu of traditional sit-ups
• 20 side leg lifts on each side
• 10 push ups… and I can’t believe how hard this was. My record was 55 in 60 seconds… 40 years ago.  

Started and finished with some stretching. Nothing too extensive, just stretching out a few areas that felt tight. Should probably work on this area a bit more.

I’m not even going to talk about my diet. It’s bad. Real bad. All processed foods…the longer the expiration date the better. I honestly, and quiet literally, put more thought into buying coffee than food. Coffee is important.

Of to walk the dog now. That’s not really exercise though, not going as slow as old Abby goes it isn’t.

Today’s weight is 208.4 lbs …I find it amusing that I bothered with the “.4"

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Dramatic Monochromatic Effects

One of many excellent Photoshop tutorials available by Andrea Oprinca. You can see all of Andrei's videos at his YouTube Channel or visit his website.

Featured Post

Toronto Voyageurs Hockey Club • MTHL 1971

Not sure of the exact year. Could be 1970 or 1972. But that's me in the 2nd row, 2nd in from the right. My Dad (John Rodkin) coached, he...

Popular Posts