How Much Meat is in Your Chulent

I was just listening to a shiur by Rav Assaf Bednarsh, delivered via KMTT podcast from Yeshivat Har Etzion. He made a comment that chulents tend to be only 10% meat. Perhaps I’m missing the point of the shiur, but I’d like to have Rav Bednarsh over to my house for shabbat. When I was a bachelor, my chulents would often have 2 kilo (~4.4 lbs) of meat. Adam, a former roommate of mine, is said to have put 2 fist-fulls of lamb fat into his chulent. Guests were falling from the table into food comas. Now that’s Shabbat hospitality!

A visitor to a previous web site of mine commented that it had "nice potatoes, but not enough meat". The site had a good layout, nice architecture, but lacked enough content.

In this stage of beta development, our site will suffer from not enough meat. But we’re aware of the situation, and as the "potatoes" of the site gets to an acceptable level, we’ll focus our attention on getting more "meat". Before long, we’ll have fist-fulls of lamb fat!

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Use the comments form below to enter:

  • Any issues you’re having using the site
  • Any design issues
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Your comments here will help us build YOU a better site.

Search Engines for All: Part 1

Until about 25 years ago, the word search meant moving around furniture and cushions for hours, or maybe spending days driving all around. In short, it was a time-consuming, exhaustive process, called in as a last resort when all else failed. With the boom of computer usage and the Internet, searching became much more popular as a starting point (portal) for most tasks. With the help of Google, both online and offline, search became a pleasure – fast and relevant.

Because of the importance of search in the online world, companies are spending millions of dollars on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Companies want to be found as much as people want to find them. This multi-million dollar industry of connecting people with companies and information is still in its infancy. No longer is searching an expensive proposition. In fact, at my last job, we had a problem that was plaguing us and had cost us at least one month’s salary already. Out of curiousity, I conducted a search, and sure enough, someone else had already solved the problem. Searching could have saved the company a lot of money.

If you’re a casual web user, you can stop reading after taking this lesson: a little search goes a long way.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably someone looking to build a web presence, get business, or perhaps a web developer. To you I say, for shame! If you’re not already a search or search engine guru, then you’re missing the boat. According to the latest statistics, over 80% of users find what they’re looking for through search engines.

Unless you’ve optimized your internal pages to take a visitor directly to his desired location, you’re probably in trouble. According to Jakob Nielsen, the average site search violates 65% of search guidelines. Almost all users resort to a site’s search engine when they can’t easily find what they want, yet only 33% of them succeed in finding it. Even worse, when users can’t find it, they give up, and your site goes in their mental blacklist.

The lesson here is: getting visitors to your site is only the first step, getting them to what they want is the real payoff.

Stay tuned for the next part in the search series, Pay to Play.

Creating Your First Invoice

This is another link-posting. Web Worker Daily has published this article about invoicing your clients. While I’m tempted to copy-paste the whole article, it’s worth clicking over to read the great comments left by their readers.

One that jumps out is this one:

Our new policy, which is becoming industry standard, is to charge half up-front, thus literally splitting the investment between us and the client.

Creating trust is always a tricky game to play. In the absence of qualified reviews and recommendations, both client and freelancer have to take some risk in business, or take action to minimize that risk, such as using a 3rd party escrow.

Good business doesn’t mean trusting everyone – it means taking all reasonable steps towards creating win-win situations.

Bad Advertising

I’m doing research online, and I came across an ad (despite my ad blocker) that made me a little uneasy in my tummy. Here’s the text:

Now even the CEO can edit the company Website!

It’s no surprise that advertising is often misleading, making false implications like "Use our product, and you can get the guy/girl, get the job, feel great, look great, etc. I even had a teacher tell us not to get involved in a career of advertising because it’s a career of lies.

We’ve all grown used to such advertising, and we know how to differentiate between the truth and untruth in ads.

But what I’m noticing now is the bad advice being thrown around, playing into people’s weaknesses, with no remorse from the advertisers. Granted, Coca-Cola isn’t healthy for you, and cigarettes can’t be good, but there are tons of other products and ads that slip under our radars and are destroying people’s lives.

  1. The above mentioned ad states that the CEO should be editing the website, the only complication is that he isn’t technical enough to handle it himself. The CEO should be an officer, directing others on what to do. I’ve worked at several companies where the CEO got his hands too dirty in everyday tasks, and the companies all suffered because of it. You should know your role in your organization, focus on what you’re good at, and hire or outsource for anything else. (Although I’m a CEO and programmer, I only intend to retain one role after the start-up phase. The difficult question is, which role do I give up?)
  2. Banks advertise in Israel all kinds of loans: quick 6,000 Shekel loan, only 99 NIS/month for your dream vacation, etc. Credit card companies talk about reward points like you’re getting richer as you go further into debt. We should be using shock therapy to zap the 30% of the country living in poverty from looking at such ads. If you want to blame anyone for the great divide growing between the classes in Israel, these leeches top the list.
  3. A recent article in a local paper (I only read the headline, whatever) discussed the growing number of kids gambling between breaks in school, and accruing massive gambling debts before they’re 18. I’m no rocket scientist, but when the national lottery sponsors and plasters its logo at most of the school houses in Israel, the kids aren’t being taught that gambling is an addiction. I mean, it’s great that the lotto is giving back to the community, as per the agreement goes with the government, but c’mon!

Griping aside, the answer is education. Teach your children, students, etc, about the dangers of gambling, teach them about money and debt management, teach them about proper work protocols, whether they’re running their own business or not, and then, with G-d’s help, we can look forward to a better country and a better world.

Yet more Freelancing Advice

Taken from FreelanceSwitch. Collected freelance advice from their forums:

Unnikrishna

Whether it is a small job or a big project, before i start working on it i realised i have to get a written creative brief approved (bullet points will do). If the client does not know how to brief me then after the first meeting, i myself write a creative brief and ask the client to agree on it. If you start with out a creative brief approved then you are shooting in the dark!

Penny

Freelancing (or working for yourself) is the only career where you have the ability to say “No.” In every other job, you may be able to say “yes” to many things, at many levels, but you can’t say “No, we should not do that.” There is always someone – a boss, a board of directors, stock holders or investors who can overrule you.

Saying, “No,” to a client, project or request, when you know it is the right decision or when your gut tells you something is not right, is an important skill. Learning to say it in a way that does not harm relationships is one key to freelance success.

Rhysyngsun

Never agree to anything over the phone. There’s no record of what was said and things that get forgotten can lead to disputes later on. Also, if either or both of you are mobile and have poor signals sometimes critical words can get cut out. If there is a need for communication via phone always tell the client that you will write up what you talked about email it to him so he can confirm it for your records and to clarify anything that may be incorrect before moving on.

Verne

The most important lesson I’ve learned about freelancing is that it’s just as much about love as it is about talent. It’s that simple. Your passion for the work you do supersedes all other aspects of your freelancer life. If you don’t love what you do, everything will be strictly transactional (read: meaningless). If you do, it becomes a dream come true!

So I guess the lesson is: love what you do, or don’t do it at all. If you love it, you’ll work hard, you’ll succeed, and you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labour (what I like to call your Return on Entrepreneurship – or in this case, Return on Freelancing). A simple concept, but one that I think applies to all aspects of life.

Chris-vwd

Respect your boss!

There is so much great advice on this thread, so if you’re starting out or just feel you could learn more from your peers then check it out!

 

Happy Birthday Gary

Instead of an e-card, this year I’ll share a few wishes and blessings and what hopefully won’t be taken as unsolicited advice, but some ideas for successful businesses based on principles I’ve recently learned. As we’ve stated previously, an idea is only as good as its execution.

This year, you will:

  • Meet the perfect girl, and have the clarity to recognize it.
  • Marry that girl, and get started on more little Landsmans.
  • Be successful in arranging meetings with wine makers and professionals in Israel.
  • Video casual interviews with the wine makers and professionals for promotional materials (you can borrow my camera).
  • Get B-roll while exploring the vineyards, capturing the glory of Israel and its majestic landscapes.
  • Have the video edited in Israel. Make 3 versions of different lengths: a short one for your web site, a medium-sized one to put on CDs to throw around like a business card, and a full-length one to have viewings in the wine bar.
  • Create other promotional materials based on the pictures and quotes from the wine makers, or use their materials that you can reprint with your US contact information so buyers know how to get it in America.
  • Develop a web site to take online orders for all wines. Buy Google AdWords to attract buyers to the site.
  • Hire another company for your order handling and distribution.
  • Open up your prototype wine bar featuring hard-to-find quality Israeli wines (See here for wine bar info).
  • Develop a system for your wine bar so that it can run and be franchised without you. That way you can spend more time working ON your business and not IN your business (Michael Gerber, E-Myth).
  • Record your wine tastings to make another video so that you can give tastings without physically being there, or train others with your knowledge.
  • Buy yourself some farmland in America and/or Galil for you to chill out at, grow some grapes, play with your wife and kids, and live happily ever after.

It sounds good, and it’s certainly doable, maybe in 2 years, though. I wish you all the best and much success, and I love you very much. Meira and Simcha wish you a happy birthday too.

The Price of Advice

According to Wikipedia:

Web hosting is a service that provides Internet users with online systems for storing information, images, video, or any content accessible via the web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center.

I haven’t paid for a web host in about 4 years, and I haven’t shopped for one in about 7. Even then, the options were intimidating. Wikipedia lists 17 different types of web hosting services, and with many thousands of web hosting companies in existence today, how do I choose one that’s suitable for my needs.

I was in a unique position to be familiar with technical specs and I knew what I needed, but that didn’t make the process any easier. I turned to my friend Dan at RankAbove for guidance, and he blew me away. He responded with the message below which provided me with everything I could have dream of:

  1. Honest and objective advice
  2. An easy-to-read listing and overview of the different types of service
  3. Company recommendations for each type of service, based on personal experience and reputation
  4. Objective Pros and Cons of each type of service
  5. Addressing each type of service as it applies to my needs
  6. A final recommendation, clearly stated at the bottom of the report

While he charged me nothing ($0) for this advice, he has already saved me about $60 in the past 2 months, meaning this advice has already proved itself to be worth between $1 and $6 (~1.5-10%)

I also want to wish a Mazal Tov to Dan, who just informed me of his engagement, may it be a short one, followed by a long marriage full of happiness and joy to them and the entire nation, Amen.

The report:
Hey Zvi

Below are, imo, the best solution for each hosting category. At the end is my conclusion as it pertains to you.

~ Closed Hosting ~
My servers (I’m really the only solution in this category)
Pros: Managed, fast, secure, and only open to people I know. *Very* few domains on server.
Cons: Virtual host setting, meaning no root or SSH/shell access.

~ Virtual (Shared) Hosting ~
DreamHost – (dreamhost.com)
Pros: Good reputation, give you a TON of space, bandwidth, and features. For $8/mo you could host unlimited domains with 140 GB storage and 1.4 TB bandwidth.
Cons: Virtual host setting, no root access and, as far as I know, no SSH/shell access. Most probably an enormous amount of domains on each server – which equates to a big hit in speed and security.

~ VPS ~
Hub.org – (hub.org)
Pros: Plans start very cheap and even their cheapest plan (as far as I’m aware) gives full root access and allows you to install whatever software you wish.
Cons: Sharing a server with others means shared resources. Also, since it’s all unmanaged, you’re stuck with a reliance that the other partitions won’t crash the server or allow it to be vulnerable to outside attacks. I hosted with them a few years back and they’re speeds were incredibly slow – though judging by their website they appear to have progressed a lot as a company since then.

~ Unmanaged Dedicated Server ~
ThePlanet – ( theplanet.com)
Pros: Easily the most inexpensive solution to getting your own server. Total control, no one touches the machine but you. Their Economy and Entry-Level servers are really inexpensive, plus they’ve got the Clearance servers which usually have some good deals.
Cons: You’re simply handed the machine and wished the best of luck, you better be comfortable with SSH and Bash (if you’re going the Linux route). You also better know how to secure, manage, and maintain the server. If you’ve never managed a remote server before your first few weeks will be spent learning how to configure, tweak, optimize, and secure it. After that it’ll be an ongoing effort to keep up the server… but you’ve got your own machine to play with.

~ Managed Dedicated Server ~
Rackspace – (rackspace.com)
Pros: They have a reputation as the best hosting provider on the internet. They’ve got a policy called Radical Support, which basically means you *never* have to worry about issues with your server. Since it’s a managed solution, they’ll deal with keeping it secure, optimized and up-to-date – and they’re really good at it. They also customize every server to the clients needs, there are no pre-configured servers to price through or purchase.
Cons: Basically "managed" means you’re employing your own system admin, and if you want them to manage the server instead of dealing with it yourself, it’ll cost you. If you’re not prepared to spend at least $800/mo – for starters – don’t bother contacting them.

Conclusion:
I don’t think shared hosting will suite your needs. So you could (and should) check out DreamHost but you probably won’t get what you want from them. It’s also the most insecure and slowest solution.
Dedicated servers will easily perform the fastest and best of the bunch. With dedicated resources and no one messing with your machine you could really optimize and secure your production environment. Rackspace is clearly out since I don’t think you’re looking to spend anywhere near that kinda cash. An unmanaged solution is ideal since I totally think you’re capable of learning how to manage a remote Linux server (if you don’t already know). I use ThePlanet and am very happy with them. I’m spending around $150/mo on my server and would recommend any non-Celeron solution.
If you’re not looking to spend on a dedicated server – and I don’t think you are – you’re best bet is hub.org. They give an unmanaged VPS solution which can be very cost-effective. But when I hosted with them a few years back they didn’t offer any kind of backend, so make sure you’re really comfortable with SSH/bash (or are willing to learn).
In conclusion, if hub.org fixed their atrocious speeds (which I’m hoping they did by now) they’re your best choice to get the environment you need at the price you want.

 

Getting Started: Be a Little Greedy

So you’re ready to join the freelancer’s lifestyle, landing your own projects, setting your own hours, billing the clients. There can be a lot of overhead, planning, and stress involved in this process.

Take a deep breath – it doesn’t have to be so frightening. Just set yourself some ground rules and you’ll be fine.

Today we’re going to discuss taking projects and setting prices.

If you’re accepting your first project, make sure you put in 100% effort as far as communication, quality, and deadlines – this first client is crucial for getting honest recommendations and referrals. Make sure to get the recommendation and post it prominently for all to see.

You may be tempted to under-price in the beginning. While this can distinguish you from others in the field who may have more experience, make sure that the client knows that this is an "Introductory Price", and future projects will cost them more. Otherwise, you may have to reject future clients, even those who are willing to pay you more, because you’ve forged this on-going relationship that underpays you.

As far as rejecting clients goes, recognize that saying ‘No’ is vital for your business and personal life. If you over-extend yourself, you may be forced to miss deadlines or worse, miss your kid’s recital. Unless you’re facing eviction, don’t let business keep you from the important things in life. This article, 8 Essential Strategies to Saying “No”, provides useful information for sugar-coating rejections and preventing loss of work. Make sure you don’t become a freelance pushover.

When setting a price, you can follow the advice here:

  • "take your [full-time] hourly pay and multiply it by 2.5 or even 3.0 to arrive at a more realistic hourly rate." This accounts for overhead expenses and down-time.
  • Look at your clients and competition, so see how much people are willing to pay, and how much others are charging.
  • Don’t feel "locked-in" to your rates and clients. As you change, your rates can reflect that.

If possible, I suggest setting yourself apart from your competition. If you can be the "Rolls Royce" of your industry (Tag-line:Trusted to deliver excellence) and deliver something that no one else can, such as lifetime support guaranteed. Price yourself as such, and you may be surprised by how much more business you receive than by underpricing.

Good luck!

Yet Another Reason to Build a Case for Telecommuting

Taking a lazy day and reprinting this article from Web Worker Daily:

Yes, we know. We’re preaching to the choir. Do you really need another justification for your web worker lifestyle? Yes, you do.

Business continuity and disaster preparedness (or COOP in government-speak, short for “continuity-of-operations program”) is yet another great reason to foster a web-working culture, even in the most traditional businesses. FCW.com, the online arm of Federal Computer Week, reported this week about a recent Juniper Networks survey of federal, state, and local government computing professionals that noted in part:

41 percent [of survey respondents] think that telework is so critical to COOP that all employees should telework occasionally as a form of COOP preparation.

This is key: you can’t know your “emergency only” remote access plans will work unless people are using them on a regular basis to do their regular work.

A lot of companies in the Bay Area discovered the weaknesses in their remote access technologies during the commuting crisis a few months ago. Those companies with robust telecommuting policies and technologies in place were able to continue operations without a hitch, even with their employees facing (and rejecting) multi-hour commutes until the highway repair was completed.

So, let’s review: Making web working technologies and techniques a part of your regular workplace routine is good because

  • People like telecommuting
  • You offer a great benefit without a huge cost
  • You can reduce staff turn-over
  • You can compete for the best talent no matter where that talent may wish to reside
  • You help your employees save money on gas or public transportation costs
  • You help save the environment
  • It can help you stay in business in the event that some unforeseen disaster makes it impossible for your workers to schlep to your offices.

What’s not to love?