IntegrityLance Blog

Wordpress has become huge online, its one of the largest platforms being used by Bloggers today other than googles blogger.

There are 2 ways you can install wordpress

1. Automatic

2. Manual way.

Automatic Way

Now most hosting companies now days provide you with access to CPANEL, inside of cpanel is a button called Fantastico it looks like a blue smiley face. If you go through there it provides a variety of scripts and such that you can install within a few clicks. One being wordpress.

We have come across a video which details the process of installing it automatically and want to share this with you.

Manual Way

We recently come across a great post over at a fantastic design site called Killersites.com its run by Stefan Mischook. He has put together a video which details the steps to take to manually install wordpress.  Take a moment and go check it out. Also i would recommend highly his forum for designers, its packed with useful information.

Hope that helps!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Lets face it, as a freelancer you have to be able to focus and get things done. Procrastination is your worst enemy when you have deadlines drawing closer and closer.

Productivity is key, here are 10 tips that may help you

1. Set a timer – Work in 10 or 15 minute bursts, sometimes its easier to focus for short periods of time than to try and get all the tasks you need to get done.. done in one sitting.

2. Take on less Jobs – Wow this is a big one.. I know most freelancers love the money but they have to remember they are not only risking not meeting deadines and receiving bad feedback.. but they could be letting down clients. That never is a good thing.

3. Clear away Distractions – Its so easy to get caught up in all the things that are viaing for our attention in a day. I.e Turn off your instant messages unless your client wants you there available, check your email only twice in the day.. once in the morning and once at night.

4. Determine the best time to work – Are you a night person or morning person? Use this time to your advantage and reorganize other priorities around that.

5. Use a list – Its weird and yet simply surprising how few people do this. There is something about writing down everything you need to get done in a day.

6. Nike Tip – Just do it!, dont wait just get stuck in and get it done.

7. Break it down – That large project, break it down into smaller portions it looks way less intimidating that way.

8. Overwhelmed – Take a break and go for a drive, or a walk its amazing how the air can clear your head and let you rethink things through

9. Set smaller deadlines . You may have 4 dates set.. break them in half so now you have 8 set, use the 4 new ones as places you want to reach.

10. Reward Yourself.. After you have done a project find something you love to do and go do it. …. it makes doing projects more rewarding and it makes the process enjoyable

Popularity: 11% [?]

As a buyer, the job of trying to get across what it is you want done by a freelancer can be a tricky task, especially if you are not too sure yourself what you want.

Sometimes you can see it in your mind but attempting to convey that into text for a freelancer can be quite a job and of course if you don’t properly explain specifically what you want achieved, you can’t expect the freelancer to get it right.

I am pretty sure most freelancers would agree that one of their top pet peeves are Buyers who dont clarify specifically what they want.

Now this isn’t always because the buyer is too lazy to go into the finer details, sometimes it’s just a case that they are not sure.

Here are some tips for you buyers on ways to overcome this obstacle.

1. If it’s possible, try using video screen capture software like Camtasia or a free version like  Camstudio. This is an excellent method to use, if you want to literally show them and walk them through a process, mindmaps, websites you have seen, etc.. you can point out things, highlight, and even draw on the screen. I cannot emphasize enough how much this helps freelancers and yourself, as this way you can explain finer details instead of just referring to them as ” That black thing on the side of the site underneath that squiggly thing ”

2. Another option is to use a Capture program like Snagit also from the same people who created camtasia. This is a nice quick way to explain to your freelancer areas on a site, banner, whatever it might be.. that you are after or that need correcting. You can snag an entire window or just a specific area. You can add text, arrows and highlight areas

3. Let’s say there is nothing online you can show the freelancer, but you have an image inside your head of what you want. For example a piece of Software or a Graphic design. Well you might not be good at sketching… but have a go… sketch it out on paper, scan it in and attach it to your project.

Bottom line is… The easier and clearer you make it for your freelancer to know what You want, the less complications and delays you are going to experience.

Also the final result is likely to be closer to what you had in mind.

Popularity: 9% [?]

One of the frustrations of buyers has been at times, awarding projects to providers to discover that the Freelancer is currently working on a lot of projects and the buyer has no idea to guage whether those other projects are going to conflict with their deadline requirement.

Well, that’s why here at Integritylance we have made sure to provide our buyers with some nice overall information about what the provider is currently doing and when those deadlines are.

All this information can be found on the freelancers profile page, which can be found by clicking on their name. Under Business overview you will find this information.

You will be able to see

1. How many projects they have in progress
2. Which projects they are
3. When those Projects started
4. When those Projects Deadlines Are.

How can this help you as a buyer?

Simple, when you have posted a project online. You are obviously going to look over the freelancers bids and history of work they have done. Now if you discover they have like 10 or 20 projects in progress and 6 of them have deadlines which fall close to your deadline, there is a good chance unless that freelancers has a team that is working with them, they are going to be rushing to get work done, which in turn could lead to your project being completed. Click to Continue »

Popularity: 10% [?]

Every designer at one time or another suffers from bouts of design block. How can you dig up some new ideas? Well we have put together a list of places online and offlien that can help

1. ColorLovers… If your stuck on colors, this place is ideal to come up with fresh and inventive palettes to choose from..

2. CSSZengarden . you can find some good css ideas here.

3. NetDriver. It has lots of photos here.

4. MostInspired.. This has lots of galleries

5. SmashingMagazine. This just has so much on it.

6. theFWA. This has lots of Web design and flash to draw from..

7. Logopond. Packed with logo design goodness.

8. Artzmania – A smorgasborg of Art and Design.

9. Iconbuffet. A buffet of Icons they sell and giveaway

10. Devianart – massive community

Popularity: 16% [?]