WeBlogged

The life of a webbie. Back in the day when I first started getting into the world wide web (WWW!), we were still looking at web pages on a black screen with amber letters. There’s nothing like that whopping 256MB hard drive with 64 MB of RAM, and my lightning fast 14.4 baud modem. Ahhh, memories.

I remember the scifi channel website forum (where I was a regular poster) getting a site redesign. With [image] [image] [image] all over the page that I was looking at, I was having trouble understanding the buzz concerning the new yellow, page layout and the graphics. Graphics? Yellow? The only thing close to yellow on my screen was the sticky note next to the on/off button reminding me to call Sara and remind her that our presentation was supposed to be on Friday. Ahhh, memories.

I remember my, youthful, um, exuberance with … forums, finding out early that when you put something online, even if you were just having a reckless moment, that it’s out there …. forever; and you’ll have various consequences based on those things that you wrote. (I do have to admit I find myself at the wayback machine, double and triple checking things now and then.) Um … memories?

All in all, it’s been a wonderful ride on a sometimes bumpy road that brought me to this place I am now, a pretty decent web designer / developer with a strong and ever-growing client list and a strong team around me. As a professional web developer, I’ve been in the trenches long enough to learn how things really move, and I’ve found some things I must say I’m not real pleased with. Many times, there is a certain integrity missing from the whole web development experience — on the part of clients and developers alike.

This lack of integrity on the part of some make it harder on those who continually strive to do the right thing in the hard situation (even if it means losing money for your business at times). The payoff for having clients trust you — REALLY TRUST YOU — is well worth a few sacrifices here and there, because then you have the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and do what you know is best and right and good, and let your clients know as you move forward. (Keeping them in the loop is always a good thing, even when there is complete trust.)

After a cursory online search, and a bit of consideration; I thought it would be great to create a Web Designer Code of Ethics for the Web Professional Who Really Cares. So here it is. Please let me know what you think.

Code of Ethics for the Web Professional Who Really Cares

1. I will not unnecessarily over-charge for services. I will not pad my hours, charging for more time than I actually work. I will not charge $100 for a domain name. When the client doesn’t know they can buy their own domain for $8.95 a year, and you charge them $100 per year, there is something really, really wrong with that.

2. I will not suggest unnecessary updates in order to keep the money coming in.

3. I will not use “tech-talk” to get my client to agree to something that if he / she fully understood, they would not agree to. This is lying. No matter how you try to spin it, it is dishonest and has no place in the process for the Web Professional Who Really Cares.

4. I will not drag my feet, or make my clients jump through hoops if they choose to find another web designer or developer. If they no longer want to work with my company, then I need to do as much as I can to help them in their transition to whatever company they want to use. I’d be sorry to see them go, but if I’m not providing the service they’re looking for, then it may not be a good job fit. So far … this hasn’t happened, but I’m confident that if a client chose to leave, I would help in any way possible could to assist them in the transition. Any Web Professional Who Really Cares would do the same thing.

5. I will get to know my clients on a personal level. If my company gets so big that we can’t know our clients personally, then we need to hire more project managers, so we can take the time to value and cultivate our relationships so they are meaningful. Clients are more than a pay check. They are real people with real lives, issues, problems, celebrations; and I don’t want to miss any of it!

6. I will dot my i’s and cross my t’s, even when no one is looking. How many times have I gone into a client’s site — long since finished — only to fix a typo they had on their site that no one noticed? Too many to count. Do I charge them for it? No. Keeping their website in good working order benefits both of us. Besides, it’s the right thing to do for the Web Professional Who Really Cares.

7. I will not pretend to be an expert about something that I know nothing or little about. If I am researching something, I will let my client know. I will never pretend to be more than I am. I guess this sort of goes against the whole — fake it till you make it – thing; and you know, on some level, you dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I understand that, but when a client is paying you for a specific service you are promising, don’t pretend to be an expert when you’re not, because it can really hurt their web efforts and goals. Be the one to get the expert opinion, and then filter it for your client, but don’t say you know when you don’t! You can still garner the respect and loyalty from your clients who trust you because of who you are and what you REALLY know, and your ability to translate and apply what the experts are saying.

8. I will not be a mindless web-update puppet. If the client wants something that I know will hurt their marketing efforts, or conflicts with their branding efforts, I will do everything I can to consult with them to find a better solution. Even if it means more time and effort on my part, it is worth it to take the time to explain why and how, to encourage the client to choose a better option. Yes, they are paying XPRT Creative, but what are they paying for? When is an update just an update? It’s my job to help them pick the best route, not to blindly do what they say. Does this make me a little more difficult at times? Well … I suppose so, but don’t you think it is better to do the right thing than the easy thing? (isn’t it nice when the right thing is the easy thing? Another post for another time I suppose.) If a client insists on a certain modification that we don’t agree with, after discussion about our concerns I will gladly make the update (with a happy attitude), even if I do not fully agree. The Web Professional Who Really Cares is a service provider afterall.

9. I will accept responsibility for my actions, choices, mistakes and victories. I will not blame the programmer when as project manager I didn’t relay the information. I won’t blame the designer for being late if I didn’t check my e-mail on time to get the draft to the client. I won’t blame the market for a poor SEO decision on my part. I won’t make excuses for dropped balls when it was me that dropped them and it could have been avoided. Only through accepting responsibility for these things is there any true growth. We are building for our future. Sometimes that means free updates, or a discount or credit, but it all works out in the end; the foundation is strong. Taking responsibility goes a long way when it comes to trust. And trust is a really, really important commodity for the Web Professional Who Really Cares.

10. I will keep my word. A statement IS a promise. It is who I am, and who I strive to be. I am a Web Professional Who Really Cares.

[digg=http://digg.com/tech_news/Web_Designer_s_Code_of_Ethics]

© 2007 Jennifer Poyer

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 4:13 pm and is filed under Customer Service, Do the right thing, Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.