Trust, But Verify When Using Freelancers

Elliot Silver
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13

There is a considerable level of trust required when working with web developers, people who do data entry for you, and others who are working on your websites or representing your business in other ways. After working with people for a period of time, we tend to trust them with important tasks, but we should always verify their work.

A few months ago, I hired a company via Elance to do data entry for one of my websites. I manually approved each of the 100 or so entries that were added, and the company did a fine job of adding this information accurately, and without stealing content from elsewhere. I was very satisfied with the work.

A few weeks ago, I hired the company again for another similar project. The work was done quickly as before, and I paid them right away, trusting that the job was done as it had been done before. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Many (maybe all) of the entries contain content that was lifted directly from other sites – some even competitors. Because of this, I can’t trust that any of the information is accurate.

It was a big error, but I am also to blame because I should have verified before releasing payment.

When you hire someone to work on your websites, sell your domain names, or do other work for your business, they are representing your interests. People who visit your websites or do business with your employees will assume you either posted the content or approve of how you are being represented, and when you don’t verify that it’s done correctly, you can end up looking bad or may even get sued depending on the issue.

It’s important that you trust the people working for you. However, you should always do what you can to verify that their work is representative of your business and what you are expecting.

Website Badges Are Helpful

Elliot Silver
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4

Rick Schwartz announced that he had website badge graphics made for TRAFFIC Award winners, and based on my personal experience, I think it’s a smart idea that you can replicate if you operate a website.

Naturally, when someone sees a badge, they want to learn more about what it means and will investigate.  Having branded badges appear on another website helps build awareness for your site, can bring traffic, and can increase your business. There is also the possibility of search engine benefits with the links as well.

When a company signs up for a listing on DogWalker.com or a new park is added to DogPark.com, I send a badge graphic in the welcome email. I give the recipient an option to either upload and post the graphic, or they can grab the code I include in the email to add to their website. Many people find it easier to use the code, which I can customize with proper title and anchor text.

A number of dog walking services and dog parks use the badge on their website, which you can see in action here:

I don’t know how many sign ups have come as a result of the badges, but  if they make the recipient feel special and proud to display them, it can help your brand.

500,000 Spam Comments Blocked

Elliot Silver
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8

As a website owner, one of the most frustrating things is dealing with comment spam. Most of the spam comments are automated, and when you’re dealing with computer / database driven comments, a human will never win that battle.

One of the first WordPress plugins that I install across all of my websites is the Akismet plugin to prevent comment spam. The reason I use it is because it works almost flawlessly. Only periodically do I receive a comment that should have been marked as spam, and it’s a real time saver.

As you can see from the screenshot above, this morning, I passed half a million spam comments that were blocked by Akismet. Without this free comment spam plugin, I would have had to spend hours deleting comments, and I likely would miss real comments because of the amount that has been blocked.

Here’s a shout out to Akismet, one of the few plugins I have no reservations about using or recommending.

Now You Can Agree or Disagree

Elliot Silver
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15

At the end of July, I announced some big changes to the comment section of my blog, and it seems that the changes were all generally well received… well, nobody mentioned that they hate them, so I assume they were pretty much well received. More importantly, I think the comment section makes it easier to have a discussion, which helps to enhance the articles.

Yesterday evening, I made one more noticable change to the comment section, and I hope you like (and will use) it. I have added “Agree” and “Disagree” links to each comment that is received. If you choose, you can click on the agree or disagree link, and the total number of other visitors who agreed or disagreed with the comment will be listed.

Although I wish everyone who reads my blog would comment (and comment more regularly), I think this feature will allow people to participate more passively.I hope this passive participation leads to more active participation.

What do you think about this new feature?

Name.com Video: How to Generate Leads with Content and Social Media

Elliot Silver
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4

I really like what Name.com has been doing with videos, and the video I am sharing with you today can benefit you if you are developing your domain names into businesses or communities. The topic is how to generate leads with content and social media, and it features Rebecca Corliss From HubSpot. The video was shot at HostingCon 2012 in Boston.

Kudos to Name.com for their outreach efforts – I’ve mentioned them several times in the past for their humorous and informative video channel as well as the company’s engaging Twitter feed. I think it’s good for the domain industry, especially when a company called “Name.com” is out there selling domain names and engaging the small business and developer communities.

The company is certainly practicing what it preaches in the video.

Updated Comment Section

Elliot Silver
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12

Although I’ve made several changes to my blog’s appearance during the last five years, I’ve kept the comment section pretty much the same as it was initially. I recently had some modifications done to the comment section, and I would like your feedback.

I changed the color scheme of the comments (previously alternated blue and white), and instead of random default avatars for those without them, it shows a greyed out ElliotsBlog logo. If you do have an avatar, it will show up to identify you. One big change is that the comments are now “nested.” This means you can hit reply to a comment, and your comment will appear underneath the comment, chronologically. I think it looks better than before and it’s more functional.

If you see anything buggy, please let me know. If you can think of a way to improve the format or design of the comment section, let me know that, too. If you like how the comments display and it looks clean to you, your feedback would also be appreciated so I know if the changes were for the better.

I opted against Facebook comments because if I were to ever opt against FB or decide to make a major change, I would lose all of the comments that were posted. I would also lose the previous comments made on the WordPress comment section.

Although I wish everyone used their real identities since I use mine, I understand why some people have the need to remain anonymous (some people would become targets if others knew about their wealth and/or investments). I don’t censor comments and I welcome critical comments as well, since that’s a good way to learn. I don’t permit hateful or threatening comments, and am very glad I haven’t really had to deal with that.

Please provide your feedback when  you have a chance… it’s appreciated and will benefit all of us.

BTW, thanks to Tia Wood for her help with these changes… It was custom work based on a few things I’ve seen elsewhere. Her work is much appreciated – and for a reasonable cost, too.

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