Becoming Your Own Boss: 10 Points to Ponder Before You Unplug

Starting your own business is the dream of many. Is it really right for you though? Here are 10 points to consider carefully before you take the plunge.

Bucqueroux, Bonnie. Wise-Women (2004). Careers>Freelance

Cascading Style Sheets: Using Element Display For Layouts, Links and Lists

Introduces the concepts of block-level and inline elements and mentions padding, borders and margins along the way. You'll learn simple techniques using CSS to create accessible layouts, lists, links and navigation bars.

Jordan, Miraz. Wise-Women (2004). Design>Web Design>CSS

Contracts 101

Contracts are the oil that keeps business running smoothly. If you are running your own web design business, you should think of a contract as a business tool that can help you communicate clearly with your clients.

Fine, Scott. Wise-Women (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Contracts

The Early Bird Catches the CSS: Planning Structural HTML

Do you struggle to make the switch to Cascading Style Sheets? Are you using some CSS but can't quite complete the transition to all CSS? Your problem may be that you are not thinking about Cascading Style Sheets early enough in the process of making a web page.

DeBolt, Virginia. Wise-Women (2005). Design>Web Design>CSS

Educating the Clueless

Educating your boss and co-workers about what we do for them on the company Intranet can be a major headache or it can be a fun-filled, creative exercise. It is our choice.

Burns, Barbara. Wise-Women (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Technology

Hate Selling? Try Helping!

You cannot succeed in any business without selling. Delegating or ignoring selling skills is one of the worst things you can do. How to develop your sales skills, even if you think you hate it. Wendy Peck explains.

Peck, Wendy. Wise-Women (2004). Careers>Business Communication>Marketing

Have Women Websters Achieved Equality On the Internet?

Will cyberspace fulfill our dreams of creating a new work environment where not only women but men can choose to work remotely at home, rocking babies with one hand while pushing pixels with the other? There are no easy answers.

Bucqueroux, Bonnie. Wise-Women (2004). Careers>Web Design>Collaboration>Gender

Learn Your Design Process

Web designers look for clients that are a good match for their skills and styles, while clients/employers look for the same match. Organization, documentation and communication skills in web design can open doors. Barbara Burns explains how.

Burns, Barbara. Wise-Women (2004). Design>Web Design>Communication

Logo Primer

I want to explain why a logo should be produced in a vector program such as Illustrator or Freehand. (Vector art is LINE art -- the digital equivalent of art done in pen and ink.)

Stephens, Suz. Wise-Women (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Web Design

Passing the Ten-Second Test

When you make a web page easy to grasp, in the very first 10 seconds after a visitor arrives, you can both increase its credibility and improve its search engines ranking. Rachel shares precise methods for composing effective text for Web sites.

McAlpine, Rachel. Wise-Women (2004). Design>Web Design>Writing>Usability

Passion Matters

In creating the site for a client, the magic ingredient was passion. My client's passion added fuel to my own, and I was immediately catapulted to an even higher energy level than usual designing his site. This magic ingredient was being reflected in the client's web site.

Kaiser, Shirley E. Wise-Women (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Web Design

Using the .htaccess File

Web designers often ask how to handle redirects or to password protect directories; the .htaccess file can do these things and more. Miraz Jordan has contributes an excellent compilation of advice, tips, tricks and techniques focusing on .htaccess, security and redirects.

Jordan, Miraz. Wise-Women (2004). Design>Web Design>Server Side Includes

Wise-Women

Wise-Women is a world-wide, online community of web designers, developers and programmers.

Wise-Women (2005). Organizations>Web Design>Information Design>Gender