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By hinchcliffe on
Hi, I know this is off topic, but I'm not part of any other web design forums and I needed to get some opinions.
This doesn't really have anything to do with Drupal at all Infact, but I was wondering how other web development companies went about charging for content.
9/10 Times I do a web project the client is not willing to supply me with usable content for the website (Images, Text, ect...) and I'm stuck loosing money by waiting for the client. Is there a simple solution for this? How do you guys go about this. Let me know - Thanks for the help.
Comments
what we do
We usually work get the template working on the site and all the backend functions done first. Then, we move on to another project, after the client has the content ready, we go back and update the site using the Drupal cms.
Yeah...
Yeah, That's what we do right now, but I find it's hard to do also, because now I have like 6 projects on the go and I'm waiting for content from 5 of them... but your still waiting and loosing money... It's almost scary picking up more than 6 projects at a time with a small design group of 4 people. Reason being: All the sudden those 4/6 projects come back to you and hit you with ALL there content at once and most of it is crap...that you have to re-edit very time consuming. Then they give you dead lines. Scary picking up more projects.
What if...
In the contact there is a reasonable deadline for the client to give the content...and following that date they have to pay X amount of dollars each day until the content is provided. Would that solve my problem? Any other ideas?
I think that's more likely
I think that's more likely to scare clients off. IMHO, they don't usually mean it when they say the content is 100% ready.
I think a more reasonable approach is to include in your contract (you do have a contract, right) that any schedule slip due to late content delivery is subject to rescheduling at your discretion. Then you are in control. I like to establish a payment milestone for a fully themed, but content-incomplete site. This way, if the content slips, I'm paid up for the work I've done. I let the client know that the content work will need to be rescheduled.
http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
Don't start
I remember reading someone blogging about this problem not so long ago, not in the context of Drupal but around web sites in general. Their solution was to *refuse to start* until the content was provided!
Their logic was that you can't make a great design without the content, the design and the content aren't two separate things, but go hand in hand, the one influencing the other.
Whilst I agree with the sentiment I personally I haven't had the guts to try that yet :) Still if you're already loaded with projects and have more customers approaching you, perhaps taking that tack with a new customer of two might be a good idea. What have you got to lose?
Adrian Simmons
adrinux@perlucida.com
Adrian Simmons
adrinux@anaath.at
Just re-discovered the blog
Just re-discovered the blog post I as talking about, it was Steve Rose on Fadtastic:
http://fadtastic.net/2007/06/27/content-extraction/
Some good advice from people in this thread too though :)
Adrian Simmons
adrinux@perlucida.com
Adrian Simmons
adrinux@anaath.at
Why don't you just train
Why don't you just train them on how to add the content themselves and end your part of the project with the site build? Putting others in charge of the content seems to be most of the point of running a CMS.
--Zivtech--
That should work in theory,
That should work in theory, but I've found that your portfolio looks pretty silly when your sites are only 1/2 finished.
http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
maybe
Why dont you just subcontract someone cheap to do the copy-righting as needed after all the content has been provided by the client? You dont need a Drupal developer/designer to enter text into the CMS, just let your team move on to other projects.
Arnold Leung
www.appnovation.com
This is a common problem...
This is generally more of a problem with smaller clients, than with mid to large-sized businesses.
I can't count the number of times I've had a client who wanted a visually-appealing site, but did not have, and did not want to pay for images, stock or otherwise.
Usually what I attempt to do is make clear at that outset that I can come up with an FPO design, and site functionality, but if they want real images, they will have to provide them or pay for me to obtain them. I get as much ready as possible, so that if they come up with photos, etc. they can be placed.
But nine times out of ten, I never get the image content. : )
Knowing this, I try to set up the site so that it looks decent without a lot of graphics. I try to make sure that I make clear to the client that photos and graphics don't come from thin air. People are so used to seeing graphics and photos that they don't even pay attention to them - they don't "click" that they have to be created somehow, or that they might _belong_ to someone.
Part of it, I think, is that people who don't create art, graphics, and media, get an idea that it is somehow created from nothing - especially when it is digital art. They even tend to think of the graphics as not having a monetary value- after all, isn't it just "made up?" somehow?
If I think a client is going to do this, I try to design with a lack of graphics in mind, so that the site will at least be launchable.
In a case where the graphics/media is _necessary_ to the site, like their company logo, product images, or where the media is the _content_ for the site, I try to get them to adhere to a media deadline, and make sure that they understand that if they hold up the process there, that it's their own project they're undermining.
Also, years ago, I gave up doing work where I was only paid on completion. There were too many times that I finished all my work, but the client held up site launch indefinitely by not having things on their end ready. I found that when a client already had money as well as time invested in their site, that they were generally a _lot_ better about providing materials and media on-time!
Developer - Mediacurrent Interactive Solutions, LLC
An additional solution, of
An additional solution, of course, is, if you are not able to or willing to create the necessary graphics/photos/media/design, and your client doesn't have anyone to do it, or does it slowly, or is floundering... provide them with a solution.
Find an artist, designer, or media developer you are willing to work with, and get the client to contract with them, or if you are brave, subcontract it to them yourself (with client approval), or partner with the graphic creator. Don't shell out expenses for this out of pocket - make sure you work with the client, tell them that since they don't have the material, that you've found someone who can provide it, and what it will cost.
Often, a client is coming to a web developer with no knowledge of development or the creative process, and they are relying on us to give them direction and help.
Developer - Mediacurrent Interactive Solutions, LLC
Some good reading
There are some good points made here:
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/bulletproof-web-design-contract/
Personally I always take a deposit usually:
Free consultation
33% payment on signing contract and approval
33% payment on completion of code
remainder on launch
I have had it where clients have taken time to input/give me, their content but by this point they have paid 66% and usually sort the content out quickly.