Negotiating project costs and overruns can be tricky. BUT it can also be viewed from multiple perspectives, as this video on client vendor relationships shows. It’s funny but contains grains of truth.
Client Vendor Relationships
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Screencasts with Screenflow
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Produce your own screencasts with Screenflow. Capture the contents of your entire desktop at the same time as your video camera, microphone and computer’s audio. Screenflow makes screencasting simple. Sophisticated editing tools allow you to create incredible screencasts in no time. The finished result is a QuickTime movie, ready for publishing to your website or blog.
screencasting made simple
I have been using Snapz X Pro and Quicktime pro to make my screencasts. It was the best solution for screencasting on Macs. There are rumors of a big update, there are also rumors of a Camtasia for Mac version, and now there are numerous online and inexpensive products for screencasting. Once I tried Screenflow I knew I’d never need anything else. There are some bugs and support is still growing but it looks like the best screencasting tool for Macs right now.
In the next few weeks I’ll be posting a lot more screencasts on this blog to demonstrate some features of Screenflow but also show my screencasting skills.
On the website of Screenflow there are handy tutorials made with Screenflow to show you how the features work. Visit the site now to watch the tutorials.
Contact me if you need screencasts for your intranet, website, or office. I have made over 300 screencasts and I can deliver screencasts for any budget.
Flowplayer 3.1, web media player
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Flowplayer is an Open Source (GPL 3) video player for the Web. Use it to embed video streams into your web pages. You can also use it to embed screencasts on your site. It doesn’t matter what file format your screencasts are in, .mov or .flv, it can handle them.
Built for site owners, developers, hobbyists, businesses and serious programmers. There are free non-commercial versions available and competitively priced commercial versions.
Flash technology ensures that 98% of all Internet users can see your videos. Highly skinnable and extendable. No other software makes it easier. Flowplayer looks like the customizations are much easier to do and can be very nice looking.
If you add a screencast as a .mov file many of your users will have to add a Quicktime plug in to view the video. Flash Player has a much larger market penetration so 98% of your users will already have it installed so they will see your screencasts or videos with no extra installation nightmares.
Read more about the Flowplayer 3.1 web media player here.
Contact me if you need screencasts for your intranet, website, or office. I have made over 300 screencasts and I can deliver screencasts for any budget.
JW FLV Player, Open Source Flash Player
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Do you need a flash player on your site? Do you want to embed screencasts on your site? Do you have file compatibility problems?
A great company providing open source media players
Do you need a flash player on your site? Do you want to embed screencasts on your site? Do you have file compatibility problems?
The JW FLV Player is a very popular and flexible media player. It supports playback of any format the Adobe Flash Player can handle (FLV, MP4, MP3, AAC, JPG, PNG and GIF). It also supports RTMP, HTTP, live streaming, various playlists formats, a wide range of settings and an extensive javascript API.
You can customize its look through skins and even design your own. Its plugin architecture allows you to easily extend the player with features such as sharing, recommendations, searching, analytics and ad serving.
I have been working with a client doing screencasts. The client needed something a Flash Player could handle. I didn’t want to purchase a video file converter so I was (h)appy to discover this player.
The client can purchase the commercial version and I can still deliver the screencast files in the .mov format that I get from either Screenflow or Snapz X Pro.
Read more about JW FLV Player here.
Contact me if you need screencasts for your intranet, website, or office. I have made over 300 screencasts and I can deliver screencasts for any budget.
Cloud Computing vs Open Source
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I read this interesting article today in the Economist. It traces the rise of Open Source software and all the hurdles it has overcome. Just as Open Source is gaining credibility and stability, along comes cloud computing. Will it threaten Open Source, enhance it, or destroy it. Will the future be more Open or proprietary?
Read the article:
http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13740181&subjectID=348963&fsrc=nwl
WordPress theme: Prologue P2, Twitter-like real time communication
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WordPress has just released a great new theme. It is available on wordpress.com as a free theme in your presentation area. It is also available as a downloadable theme you can use on your self hosted WordPress blogs. It is an awesome addition that gives you the opportunity to create a Twitter-like real time communication system. I’m going to implement it on a new site I will work on this summer. Instead of having a forum I’ll use Prologue.
Here is a wordpress.tv video showing you it’s capabilities.
Here is an overview on wordpress.
http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/introducing-prologue/
http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/p2-the-new-prologue/
Tags: wordpressthemes, p2, prologue, twitter,
30 Days to Become a Freelancer
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I created my business thanks to the new auto-entrepreneur laws in France that were enacted this year. I am going to be doing freelance IT consulting mostly consisting of creating video screencast tutorials and demonstrations, custom WordPress installations and tweaks, website optimizations, and English language training. Whewwwww, what a list. Too much at the beginning.
I enjoy reading Skelliewag.org. It is a blog dedicated to finding your passion and turning it into a revenue. She does not promise getting rich quick or even getting rich at all. No matter what you do, if you want to earn a modest income, you will have to work. All the internet marketers who promise riches in no time flat, are lying, sort of. Many do make lots of money and it is possible, but it is not possible to do with just a few hours a day. Would you rather sort invoices, log client requests, and do LOTS of clerical work or just do the work you enjoy doing? I’d rather do what I enjoy doing. Either way you will have work to do so why not do something you at least like or hopefully LOVE.
She has created a step by step self paced tutorial if you would like to become a freelancer. Since I am already doing that I decided to use it anyway but to reinvigorate my creativity and motivation. See the challenge here.
http://www.skelliewag.org/30-days-to-become-a-freelancer-961.htm
Since I am new I want to focus on just one aspect of my business. I am going to focus this month on creating video tutorials. I think it sets me apart from the other services I can offer. I have done over 300 video tutorials and now I can offer them in French and in English. My goal is to create 2 video tutorials each day to demonstrate not just useful tips but also the quality of my work. My goal is to put them on this site. It will serve as a good set of examples of what clients can expect when working with me.
If you want to join this challenge with me so we can support each other please feel free. Contact me and we can work together. I hope to be posting more on this blog about my business development. Build a better freelance business in 30 days.
Should I use Twitter?
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Twitter has had me thinking for a while. At first I didn’t get Twitter. Now that the new Facebook look has a more Twitter like feel, I get it. I started a small IT consulting business here in France. I’m thinking of giving it a go and promoting myself that way. This great article helped me decide. Sharing useful sites and targeting an English speaking population in Toulouse cqn be done on Twitter. I take the plunge.
http://www.copyblogger.com/grow-business-twitter/
More GIMP tutorials
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Is GIMP as good as Photoshop? Can GIMP replace Photoshop? How powerful is GIMP? I hear these questions all the time. My answer is really who cares. For the average user GIMP has more power and functionality than they will ever need. For most average users of Photoshop this is true as well. I don’t really care to add to the debate except that if you are a small business or an individual for whom the price tag of Photoshop is a concern, and in this economic climate who isn’t concerned with price, take a good look at GIMP. It has come a long way, it is much more user friendly, and there is a lot more support than before. Here are 2 more tutorials on how to use GIMP.
How to make a photo black and white but preserve on color element
GIMP Color Effects on a B&W Photo – More DIY How To Projects
How to reduce or eliminate motion blur in Photographs
Reduce motion blur using The GIMP – More DIY How To Projects
Weekly Review as a motivator
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I often use a great post from Lifehacker as a guide for doing my weekly review. Since I have been doing a weekly review for almost a year now, I know the drill without consulting the post. Today for my weekly review I decided to revisit the post for more inspiration. See the post here.
One of the things I spent more time on this week was my calendar. This really motivated me to finish a few marketing materials for my new business. I had to look on my calendar and make sure everything was scheduled properly and that I had all the materials I needed for my week. Well I don’t have much on my calendar this week so it means I don’t have enough work this week. That was a little wake up to stop procrastinating on my new business venture here in France.
I must update this site, my CV on this site, and finish my packet of materials that I will send to potential clients when making contact for the first time. Since I don’t have much work I must use the time wisely but also use the threat of little work to motivate myself into action.
Another not so evident benefit of doing a weekly review, uncovering these kinks continues to motivate me to continue to do a weekly review, even when I don’t have much work and I know I am on top of my to do lists. Each time I find something useful about it so I am motivated to continue doing it. Do the weekly review each week.
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