Who's Holding The Keys?

TALES FROM THE DIGITAL SOUP KITCHEN

Looking for web help shouldn't be like looking for old rims and side mirrors for your car in the junk yard. You should get a quality product from the starting gate.

1. Look for the BBB
2. Get someone who is certified either in web building or in SEO
3. Get references

.. nuff said.
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The real stickler this week came from a newsource about web site designers keeping their customers hostage. They can do this somewhat legally by having ownership over the domain name and even the web site itself.

This rarely comes down to a legal court of law but it can. To keep things safe and sane I always give my partners full ownership over anything I create for them. I do not want to get into a sticky situation down the road. Remember that in a court of law you have to have proof.

Business owners get sloppy because they start to trust the "leader" a little too much. In fact, they let the leader steer the ship right into an iceberg. When things go sour, and this can happen for whatever reason, then the owner has a right to take his business elsewhere.

I would say about 20% of our business centers around looking for domain names, (registered in other countries) and also taking web sites back from deadbeat designers. Other times I have to track these web designers down and often times if they are real small they don't have an office. This means I have to track them down through friends and ex-business associates.

I actually tacked on a SUPER SLEUTH FEE for this service. I have to play detective for the defective and to do that takes money. The most annoying thing I feel about this process is that it eats up a good deal of my time. This is time that I could spend doing something else that is productive for my business.

To save everyone from a trail of disputes and the dreaded "HE SAID SHE SAID" take a tip from Cantu. Make sure you get EVERYTHING CONNECTED TO A WEB SITE PROJECT IN YOUR OWN NAME.

This includes:

* Domain names
* Web site hosting accounts
* Graphic services
* Add ons, (graphic enhancements)
* Form code
* Pictures
* Video
* Additional hosting information

Make sure you get everything in YOUR name and also make sure you have the passwords and usernames to access these accounts.

** I would install a policy that forbids us from entering a project of this nature. But the problem is that this is becoming very widespread. It becomes somewhat difficult to avoid this turmoil.

Make it easy on everyone by being a responsible business owner and take FULL OWNERSHIP.

Posted by Cantu on Aug. 6, 2007 at 7:59 AM