A few weeks ago–September 5 to be exact–I ordered myself a shiny new car.

The experience went along these lines. First, I did lots of research and decided on my ideal vehicle make and model. Then, I went to the only dealership in my city that sells this type of car.

I met one of the salespeople, we took it for a drive, I looked at all the options and discussed all the features, and pretty much made up my mind. This process took a few visits, and then we got down to negotiating the two big questions: cost and delivery date.

Those of you who’ve worked in the Web for some time will have become accustomed to expecting everything instantly, as I have; however, when we reached this stage, the salesman had some bad news.

He first started by saying that it could take anywhere from two to six months to take delivery of the car, depending on the model and options that I decided on. After a few phone calls, he was pleased to announce that he’d found the exact model and options I wanted on the other side of the country, and that he could offer me a six-to-eight week window for delivery.

I was crestfallen–I wanted the car right then, or next week at the latest. Then I realized this really did boil down to just my own impatience. I decided to go ahead with the purchase anyway, given that I was already in love with the features and the idea of driving the car, and placed my order.

I’ve been thinking about this experience over the last few weeks, in terms of what a close analogy this situation offers to most web site projects. I’m talking about the common scenario where the client (in this case, myself) becomes sold on the concept of you doing the work, loves the options you’ve offered them, and they want the finished product right now–but of course, it’s impossible to have that site or feature built until after their ideal deadline.

I felt for the poor sales guy at the dealership, who could see my disappointment, and resigned myself to the fact I wouldn’t be getting behind the wheel of this vehicle until mid-to-late October.

So you can imagine my delight when I got a call last Friday to say I could pick the car up the following Tuesday, only three-and-a-half weeks after I placed the order!

Not only has it made me super-pleased with the product, but very appreciative towards the sales guy and the dealership. The cynic in me wonders if perhaps they always intended to have the car sooner, but they always add some leeway to their timelines, just in case.

The result of this situation is that they have broken their own promised deadline by weeks, and their business now has a very big fan. With that in mind, look at your own projects–how hard would it be for you to add a few weeks or a month to the deadlines you promise, and then work hard as you can to meet the original date anyway?

We’ve all heard that cliché about under-promising and over-delivering, but when you’re the client, it certainly feels like a great result! Try this theory with your next project, and let me know how it goes–I’m very confident that your next client will become your biggest fan if you manage to deliver quicker than planned.

This post first appeared as part of Issue 416 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

Do you stay seated at your desk for just about every lunchbreak? Is the line between work time and break time increasingly blurred? We’re all guilty of doing that from time to time. It’s a nasty habit though, and not good for you or your productivity. Here are nine ways to have a better lunchbreak.

• Go for a 20-minute walk. It could be around the block, or choose somewhere further from the office (or home, if you work there) to buy your lunch, and walk it. The trick here is to gain that extra bit of walking into your working week.
• Eat smart. Go for fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid processed food. Eating healthier foods for lunch means less sugar highs and lows, better nutrients and fibre intake, and a better metabolism. See this site for more fruit and vegetable information.
• Have lunch with a friend. We’re all guilty of skipping social contact in favour of more work. Regain some social contact by arranging regular lunch dates with friends–the social contact will do you a world of good, and your friendships will benefit.
• Join a health club. Is there a health club nearby? Even half an hour on a treadmill or exercise bike can boost your fitness, and improve your motivation for the afternoon. If there isn’t a club nearby, consider hiring or buying some basic equipment for the office or home.
• Learn. Download podcasts, print out interesting articles, find a short course you can do nearby for less than an hour. The key here is to stimulate the brain and finish the week with more knowledge than you started with.
• Meditate. Just five or more minutes of silence can not only relax your mind and reduce stress, but it’s also likely to allow you time to solve some other nagging issues as well! You’ll probably have to leave the office for this one, or close your door and take the phone off the hook.
• Swap your coffee for a glass of water. As I’ve already mentioned, water is so good for you. Instead of reaching for the coffee machine, grab a bottle of water and keep it on your desk.
• Read something new. Join a library, buy some new books; whatever you do, get away from that monitor for a while and read a newspaper, book, or magazine. It’ll expand your knowledge and take your mind off your projects for a short period of time, which is a very good thing.
• Get away from your computer. If you must work during this lunchbreak, stand at a whiteboard or sit in a different place and write on paper. Whatever you do, give your eyes and posture a break and try a different location or activity for a while.

You needn’t start all this at once–try to start incorporating one of these tips into your lunchbreak every week. Even better, combine a few at once, such as walking while eating an apple, or put headphones on and chill out while reading a book or this week’s Tribune (for example!).

This post first appeared as part of Issue 415 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

It’s no coincidence that many of the popular goals on 43 things are related to health and fitness. Stereotypical as it may seem, office-bound workers are normally not as physically active as those in other occupations, and probably not the healthiest eaters during the business day, either.

This situation is even further compounded if you are a business owner or a freelancer; your lifestyle is likely to be even more hectic than others, and skipping lunch or exercise is a common occurrence.

Let’s consider this sobering fact–if you end up very sick, or worse still, hospitalized, the business is going to suffer more than had you spent some time every week looking after yourself. You’ll also take longer to recover than if you’d gone for that 30-minute walk each morning.

Of course, we don’t normally think of these situations until they happen to us. Maybe we would listen more seriously if the marketing pitch for fitness and wellbeing were more along the lines of “health and wellness is the best business insurance.”

However, there’s always a list of excuses available to you. Too busy, too many meetings, too hot or cold outside, too many emails to answer, and the like. You can embrace these excuses and do nothing about your wellbeing, or you can set them aside and do something about your health.

So, where to start? Let’s look at the basics of the improvements we can make to our lifestyles fairly easily:

• Eat well. There are plenty of diets and other programs out there, but the facts are quite simple–eat a variety of foods from all the main food groups, and eat everything in moderation. Sure, we all grab fast food once in a while, but it’s back to that moderation clause. See the tried and true Food Pyramid for more information.
• Drink water. It’s said that you should try and drink 50–75% of your body weight (pounds) in ounces. For example, if you weigh 130lb (59kg), you should drink 50fl/oz (1.9L) of water per day. See this useful article for further tips.
• Reduce your consumption of alcohol. Most of us wouldn’t deny enjoying that wine or beer, but if you find yourself drinking every day, it’s time to consider your lifestyle choices carefully.
• Quit smoking. This is an obvious one. Did you know that smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the US?
• Exercise regularly. I’m sure you are like me, and don’t have two spare hours a day to exercise. However, with a little planning, there’s no reason why you couldn’t find 30 minutes per day or every second day to look after your most important asset.
• Manage stress. I know, I know; easy to suggest, not so easy to do. However, recent studies have shown that stress is responsible for 60–90% of illnesses, so it’s crucial that you look at ways to reduce your stress level. See helpguide.org’s Understanding Stress page for some figures and ideas.
• Control your work/life balance. It’s great that you work hard, but it’s equally important that you live life too. Take time for social activities, and learn to recognize and acknowledge when you need time out. Control the hours you work, and balance them with other rewarding pursuits.

This all sounds so easy, doesn’t it? The point is that we can all make little changes over time to improve our lifestyles. Read on for nine tips for looking after your health–you can even do them during your lunchbreak.

This post first appeared as part of Issue 415 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

Yes, it’s back on again! After the success of previous BarCampPerth events, in 2007 and 2008, BarCampPerth3 will be held on July 18, 2009 at eCentral TAFE.

If you’ve read my last post, Why you should attend two conferences a year, you’ll appreciate why these events are a fantastic opportunity to grow both professionally and personally.

Unlike a traditional conference, you don’t fork out any money, and you don’t get a slick conference bag or even know who is going to present before the event. You are also encouraged not to just sit on a chair all day, but get involved yourself.

A BarCamp is grass roots education and networking at its best. You come along, and offer to help in any way you can. That could be helping hand out name tags, it could be serving coffee, running AV equipment, taking photographs or doing a presentation yourself.

Everyone pitches in to do their bit, and the day turns out to be great. You meet new people, you learn about new topics, and you leave with a new respect for your craft, the work of others, and the ideology of a grass roots quasi-conference.

My experience of the last two Perth ones have been great. I’ve met plenty of passionate people, I’ve heard some great presentations, and I’ve even given one myself. I encourage you to attend BarCamp3 and see what all the fuss is about. It’ll be free entry, free (and fantastic!) coffee and possibly even free lunch as well - who could ask for more than that?

So why attend a conference? Let’s start with education. You’ll learn more from attending one conference than all the books and blog posts you can read in one month. This may sound like a tall order, but seriously, if you are actively listening to the presenter, it’s hard not to learn more than by simply being there.

Secondly, the fact that you are there in person (as opposed to, say, listening to a podcast) means that you participate in the full experience; non-verbal cues (such as body language or facial expressions), as well as presentation slides and Q&A sessions that are normally cut from the podcast, are all factors that can make a session more rewarding, and provide valuable insights too.

Then there’s the networking. Some may derisively call it schmoozing, however, this is a very important benefit of conferences that should not be underestimated. The contacts that you can make by grabbing a meal or a coffee during a break can be worth the cost of the conference alone. I’ve won at least $50,000 worth of business just by attending the last two Web Directions South conferences–and that’s without even really trying!

I’ve also found that by socializing with the presenters, I learn more about their areas of expertise than by just watching them on stage. I’ve become friends with a few speakers as a result, and have regular email dialogue now with my international contacts.

So how can you benefit the most from attending a conference? Here are seven tips:

1. Gain as much advance notice of the schedule as you can. Normally, with more than one stream, you’ll need to make some decisions–which presentations to watch and which ones to miss. You’ll want to read up on the presentation topics to ensure you make the best choices. Bring along a list of your preferred schedule to avoid missing an important session.
2. Make contact beforehand with other delegates you know personally. If you’re going by yourself, you can arrange to meet for coffees and not feel so isolated. If you don’t know anyone attending, you might like to introduce yourself on the conference blog, or alternatively, search the blog posts for other like-minded attendees and arrange to meet up with them.
3. Stay for the whole conference. Don’t get the day two doldrums and skip sessions. It goes without saying that the presentation you miss will be the one everyone raves about afterwards.
4. Don’t be hesitant to ask questions. If they don’t cater for question time during the presentation, seek out the presenter at the break and ask them; you’ll be amazed at how approachable they are.
5. Schmooze. You’ll meet loads of new people at the social events that accompany these conferences, who may eventually become friends, colleagues, employers, or clients. Be genuine though, and don’t set out to “work the room.”
6. Buy the book. If they are selling books, get hold of the ones you believe you’ll benefit most from, and get them signed whilst you’re there. It’s a great souvenir of the conference and a valuable education tool as well.
7. Find accommodation in the conference’s vicinity. You don’t want to be traipsing across a busy city every day, and you’ll probably need to charge that laptop or digital camera every so often.

This post first appeared as part of Issue 414 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

It’s out of the bag; the Australian Web Awards are now open for entries, and have now been announced to the world.

What started as a humble black tie cocktail event in Perth four years ago has grown from 2005 to be a large glitzy event in Perth, and now, after many requests, we’re taking it nationally.

Previous winners and attendees of the WA Web Awards will tell you how great it is. Not only is it a great opportunity to don a more formal outfit and enjoy a great meal and networking with other web professionals, becoming a finalist is a joy for those who manage to get to this point.

We’re starting off ambitious however cautious. This year, we’ll have two cocktail events in two capitals; being Brisbane, QLD and Sydney, NSW first, before concluding with the national awards to be held at the end of the Edge of the Web conference, held in Perth.

I’m already being asked if we plan to grow to include events in other capital cities in the future - the answer is we hope so! It’s not an easy challenge both financially and logistically to hold these events, so our caution this year is to only hold two events before getting too big for our boots. We’d love to see them in every capital city; however that may take some time to achieve.

As for always holding the finale event in Perth, no, it isn’t set in stone for the future, so don’t be surprised if it does shift cities in the future - who knows what the future holds.

Thanks also to the amazing volunteers of the Australian Web Industry Association, who put this whole thing together in their spare time, along with the wonderful ladies from Red Horizon Events. This wouldn’t be possible without you, Helen, Jan, Kay, Myles and Rebecca - a HUGE thanks!

The Australian Web Awards are truly a showcase of outstanding work from Australian Web Designers and Developers. As they say, you need to be in it, to win it, so support this great initiative, by heading on over and entering your best work right now. Entries close July 7th, so get cracking!

Earlier this year, I organized a loan for my new house with my usual bank. All went well, they approved it quickly and before long, I had removalists at my door.

Then the trouble began … payments not deducted, double payments deducted from the wrong accounts, inept bank employees who tried to argue with me, more double deductions … the list goes on.

After a while, I was close to giving up–even considering changing banks and organizing new loans. Then, one day I got a telephone call from one of the handful of managers who handle this bank’s business in my state.

He opened with “I owe you an apology.” I was over the moon! This manager had taken the time to phone me and say that he’d heard about my plight; he wanted to assure me they didn’t believe anyone should be treated the way I was.

Not once did he even attempt an excuse, nor blame others. Here was an executive who was in charge of dozens of bank branches and yet, he took it upon himself to call and say that he and the rest of the organization he works for were sorry.

This manager was attentive and keen to hear my views. We ended the call fifteen minutes later with him providing his cell phone number, and asking me to call if other issues arose.

We’ve all been there. A web site project goes awry or one of your team makes a mistake, and before you know it, you are metaphorically huddled under your desk, frightened that the client will call.

What your client wants to hear is “sorry.” Everyone is human and when mistakes do happen, what we all want is for our suppliers to recognize when they have erred and offer a simple apology.

It costs you nothing besides a few minutes of your time, and believe me, you’ll feel better being proactive and apologizing before the client gets a chance to be angry.

So, swallow that ego and make the call–you’ll be relieved afterwards, and your client will respect you for it.

I’m still with that bank and the service has improved. I’ve even recommended them to my colleagues, based on that manager’s one call. Wouldn’t you rather your clients do the same?

This post first appeared as part of Issue 413 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

The great thing about writing your own book, is when it comes to reading other books, you have a new found appreciation to what effort has gone in to create what you’re holding.

There’s certainly some effort put in on SitePoint’s latest title, Online Marketing Inside Out. Two authors, Brandon Eley and Shayne Tilley collaborated on this tome; their upbeat, personal styles intertwine fluently, and certainly not disjointed as you may expect when there’s two writers involved.

Pitched at business and website owners who are looking for the knowledge to promote their services or products online, this book is a great starter for those without intimate knowledge of traditional marketing techniques, or who don’t have a decade of social media and web development experience under their belts.

The 210 page colour book is divided into nine logically grouped chapters. Chapter one outlines the changing face of marketing; it covers the basic reasons why organisations can’t ignore online marketing as part of their mix, and wraps up with some great reasons why you’ll love online marketing.

Chapter two, ’21st Century Public Relations and Media’ covers the modern Press Release, blogs and importantly, how to monitor social media for mentions of you or your product.

The third chapter, ‘Turn Page Views into Profit’ may seem shallow for those hardcore technical types, but I’m sure just like me, you’ll learn something from it. The chapter covers those all important on-site tweaks that you can do, to improve accessibility, usability, browser testing, content, landing pages and testing.

Search Engine Optimisation is covered in chapter four, and is a fantastic read for both beginners and advanced SEO gurus alike. This would be a great stand alone chapter to give web development clients who want to know what SEO is, without needing a PhD.

Chapter five is very interesting, covering Social Media such as micro-blogging, photo and video sharing, social bookmarking, podcasts and more. This is a great guide for those wanting to build a social media strategy.

Email Marketing gets a nod in Chapter six. This takes you from building your recipient list, to creating the content, to designing the delivery (and choosing the method), and even covers those tricky frequency and scheduling questions. Great thing here is the very clear warnings about spamming and buying email lists.

Chapter seven takes us through the topic of ‘Affiliate Marketing’. For those with a clearly affiliate ready business model, this sure looks like an exciting avenue to take. This chapter clarifies what this mystical affiliate world is all about, and takes out the snake oil component.

This book wouldn’t be complete without a chapter on online advertising - here’s where the penultimate chapter eight steps in. Banner advertising, PPC, text links, cost per mille, agency relationships and more are clearly explained.

The ninth and final chapter, ‘Tying It All Together’ does just that. It asks and helps steer your strategy by reiterating what you’ve learnt, how to create an online marketing strategy, setting goals, and then encouraging you towards writing a detailed plan.

Although I found I knew much of the books content already (but then I have years of interest in marketing, both online and offline), it certainly helped polish my knowledge, so the book was still valuable for someone with more than a decade of experience. I also started seriously considering the possibilities of distributing copies of this book to a number of my clients.

Online Marketing Inside Out is a great book for those who want a no-hype understanding on the how and why of online marketing, written by two people who have succeeded in this field. Perfect for the web developer or indeed their clients, this book is easy to digest (I read it easily on a four hour flight), and is the perfect level for anyone yearning for online marketing knowledge, who would be happy without pages of geeky code snippets.

Well done, Brandon and Shayne!

Disclaimer: the publisher of this book also published my book. I was given a PDF copy of this title, however will not see any personal gain from writing this review. I feel no obligation to write a good review, and if I had, I wouldn’t be posting one here.

It’s true that I’m passionate about Port80 events; I’ve seen so many great things come out of Port80 Perth, I really want to see them established in other Australian capital cities.

Well, the Australian Web Industry Association are hitting the road again - this time, we’re bringing Port80 to Sydney and Melbourne, with aspirations that these cities then take the baton and grow their events locally.

Gary Barber (AWIA Treasurer) and I will be promoting the Port80 Melbourne concept on May 26th, along with fellow AWIA committee member, Harriet Wakelam, who recently moved to Melbourne from Perth.

We’re putting on some free nibbles, free entry and a cash bar at the funky Softbelly Bar. The full details are:

Port80 Melbourne
Tuesday 26th May, starting at 7.00pm, at:

The Lounge @ Softbelly Bar
367 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

You can see a Google Map here.

Then, Gary and I are also joining fellow AWIA committee member and Sydney local, Marc Lehmann, at Port80 Sydney. Once again, free nibbles, free entry and even a few free drinks (thanks to sponsor, Saasu!) on May 27th, at the Saasu offices in Sydney CBD.

The full details for this one are:

Port80 Sydney
Wednesday 27th May, starting at 7.00pm, at:

Saasu Offices
Level One, 111 Elizabeth St
Sydney NSW 2000

You can view a Google Map here.

If you’re going to be in either city on these days, I’d encourage you to attend. We promise no long boring speeches, this is a casual social affair. Port80 events are a chance for you to meet other web designers, developers, project managers and others in the web industry in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Mark these dates in your diary, and please feel free to invite your colleagues and co-workers in the industry. I hope to see you there!

The original bean bag was created in Italy, back in 1968. An icon throughout the 1970’s, the bean bag is back, and even more comfortable with the arrival of successful bean bag brand, Sumo Lounge, into the Australian market.

I got my hands on an Omni Chair a few weeks ago, and I’m hooked. The size of this 135cm x 165cm (4.5′ x 5.5′) super comfortable seat will make you want to refer to it as something other than a bag. Think of it as more a lounge, filled with beans. Perhaps ‘bean furniture’ would be an apt phrase?

Showing my age, I recall the bean bag craze of the late seventies, and now I understand what all those retro hipsters were on about. The first time I put the filling in (I used 300 litres of beans, and it could possibly do with some more), I climbed in and didn’t want to move. The whole family are now fighting over who gets a turn, yet the massive size means that both Miss 5 and Master 8 can both chill out on it in front of their favourite TV shows, or alternatively Master 9 months and I get to play with his toys, and still have room spare.

The material (Ballistic Nylon for those fabric geeks) is hardy, and held together with some serious triple stitching; the result being that the Omni looks fairly indestructible. The nylon looks easy enough to wipe clean, and the bean insertion area not only comprises a zip, but also enough velcro to make it a challenge for younger ones to even get to the zip.

I can see myself dragging this outside near the pool during the warmer months. Cooler months will see it being used as a spare bed, as well as an ‘in front of the movie’ couch.

I’m thinking the only drawback of this great Sumo Lounge product is that once you’re in it, you don’t want to get out - now you know what to blame for my lack of blogging!

You can get your hands on an Omni (available in five colours) from their online store for $199, which includes delivery. Sumo Lounge now has local presence in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. They even offer a money back satisfaction guarantee, for the skeptical out there.

Disclaimer: I was provided an Omni Chair for the purposes of this review. Just because I got one for free doesn’t mean I feel obligated to write a positive product review. This really is one seriously cool lounge accessory.