EC Container 4
Comment
The end is nigh!
18/05/11 15:42
Unfortunately the economic climate has not treated Freelancers like myself very well, and there are too many of us trying to compete for far too little work.
After the most disastrous year I could have imagined, I had to take a long hard look at my situation, and decided that I could not carry on trying to survive with little/no income every month especially with the ever-rising cost of living, and the costs involved in running the company. As a result I have been looking to get back into permanent work, and I am glad to say that I have been lucky enough to secure a position with a company that will utilise my IT skills again.
So it is with deep regret that I have therefore decided to close the business down in its current form, as it is just not viable to keep spending more money keeping the business running, than I am actually taking in.
We are currently in the process of closing the company, and have removed our local-call 0845 number which was an additional business cost when there are no calls!
All contact to the company will now have to be via our contact page/email or skype; going forward.
When I was made redundant a few years ago, and took the plunge into the wild world of Freelancing; I entered with open eyes, and willing spirit, eager to make something of myself and prove that i could do it. There have been a few laughs and tears along the way, but on the whole it has been a great experience.
However, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and an exciting new beginning is awaiting me back in the world of corporate IT.
To all of the customers that used our services in the past, I would like to say: THANK YOU!
It was a pleasure working with you all, and your custom was extremely welcome. From the feedback that I received from you, it appeared that everyone thought we provided a first class service, and was happy with the work that we produced. That is enough to make me feel happy that this endeavour was actually worth while!
So in the words of the late Douglas Adams; "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
After the most disastrous year I could have imagined, I had to take a long hard look at my situation, and decided that I could not carry on trying to survive with little/no income every month especially with the ever-rising cost of living, and the costs involved in running the company. As a result I have been looking to get back into permanent work, and I am glad to say that I have been lucky enough to secure a position with a company that will utilise my IT skills again.
So it is with deep regret that I have therefore decided to close the business down in its current form, as it is just not viable to keep spending more money keeping the business running, than I am actually taking in.
We are currently in the process of closing the company, and have removed our local-call 0845 number which was an additional business cost when there are no calls!
All contact to the company will now have to be via our contact page/email or skype; going forward.
When I was made redundant a few years ago, and took the plunge into the wild world of Freelancing; I entered with open eyes, and willing spirit, eager to make something of myself and prove that i could do it. There have been a few laughs and tears along the way, but on the whole it has been a great experience.
However, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and an exciting new beginning is awaiting me back in the world of corporate IT.
To all of the customers that used our services in the past, I would like to say: THANK YOU!
It was a pleasure working with you all, and your custom was extremely welcome. From the feedback that I received from you, it appeared that everyone thought we provided a first class service, and was happy with the work that we produced. That is enough to make me feel happy that this endeavour was actually worth while!
So in the words of the late Douglas Adams; "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
Comic Relief
20/03/11 16:35
Comic Relief is such a worthwhile charity to support, that does a lot of incredible work in Africa and the UK on so many diverse projects.
This year's Red Nose Day (18th March 2010) raised a phenomenal £74.3M (and there's more to come!).
It makes me so proud to be British, to know that in the adverse conditions of a recession, with increases in VAT, increases in fuel costs, increases in everyday living, that the people of this country can reach deep into their pockets and give so generously.
If you've not given yet, please do so now - every penny counts! http://www.comicrelief.com/
This year's Red Nose Day (18th March 2010) raised a phenomenal £74.3M (and there's more to come!).
It makes me so proud to be British, to know that in the adverse conditions of a recession, with increases in VAT, increases in fuel costs, increases in everyday living, that the people of this country can reach deep into their pockets and give so generously.
If you've not given yet, please do so now - every penny counts! http://www.comicrelief.com/
Netmovers discount no longer available.
11/02/11 14:04
We regret that today (11-Feb-2011) with immediate effect; we have withdrawn the 10% discount that we made available for all netmovers.co.uk customers on all of our products and services.
The discount was in place due to an advertising arrangement that we had with netmovers.co.uk, which in a year of advertising with them, has yielded us without a single enquiry, and very few people actually linking to our website from the advertisement (5 x "referrals" in the last 5 months according to Google Analytics® ). We have therefore re-evaluated our advertising expenditure with this company, and have decided not to renew, and in-turn remove the discount that was originally made available to their customers.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused.
We are always happy to discuss discounting products with our customers, so please ask us what we can do for you!
The discount was in place due to an advertising arrangement that we had with netmovers.co.uk, which in a year of advertising with them, has yielded us without a single enquiry, and very few people actually linking to our website from the advertisement (5 x "referrals" in the last 5 months according to Google Analytics® ). We have therefore re-evaluated our advertising expenditure with this company, and have decided not to renew, and in-turn remove the discount that was originally made available to their customers.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused.
We are always happy to discuss discounting products with our customers, so please ask us what we can do for you!
Google Places Now Fixed!
15/09/10 12:01
Wow! The Google machine is getting faster - it is only 3 days since reporting the problem with google and they have sorted it out, and we are no longer appearing as a B&B in web searches (hurrah!).
Thanks google - that's going to save a lot of late night phone calls!
However with the response that we were getting from that little mistake, if someone is looking to invest in a business in the Greenford (North/West London) area, then a B&B looks like it could be quite lucrative - just be prepared for some late night phone calls though!
Thanks google - that's going to save a lot of late night phone calls!
However with the response that we were getting from that little mistake, if someone is looking to invest in a business in the Greenford (North/West London) area, then a B&B looks like it could be quite lucrative - just be prepared for some late night phone calls though!
Google Places Woes
13/09/10 12:49
Google we have a problem!
Having recently signed up with Google Places (the new name for what was Google Local), we have started to receive some very strange phone calls from people asking us if they can book a room!
It appears that Google have somehow listed the business as a Bed & Breakfast! I've logged in and checked the business categories and we are listed in the correct categories, and B&B isn't in that list! However, if you do a specific search, there we are on Google listed as a B&B!
Over the weekend we have received 3 calls (two of which were after 11pm... with one nearer 12am!), including one from someone who became quite argumentative and wouldn't believe us when we told him we were not a Bed & Breakfast!
Sorry fella, we're not! Honestly!
We have reported this to Google, but knowing how fast they can be in resolving issues like this, it could take several weeks for it to get put right.
In the meantime, may I just reiterate:
WE ARE NOT A BED & BREAKFAST!
Thank you.
Having recently signed up with Google Places (the new name for what was Google Local), we have started to receive some very strange phone calls from people asking us if they can book a room!
It appears that Google have somehow listed the business as a Bed & Breakfast! I've logged in and checked the business categories and we are listed in the correct categories, and B&B isn't in that list! However, if you do a specific search, there we are on Google listed as a B&B!
Over the weekend we have received 3 calls (two of which were after 11pm... with one nearer 12am!), including one from someone who became quite argumentative and wouldn't believe us when we told him we were not a Bed & Breakfast!
Sorry fella, we're not! Honestly!
We have reported this to Google, but knowing how fast they can be in resolving issues like this, it could take several weeks for it to get put right.
In the meantime, may I just reiterate:
WE ARE NOT A BED & BREAKFAST!
Thank you.
Something for nothing!
13/08/10 15:30
Always on the lookout for new areas in which to find work, I have recently signed up to http://www.peopleperhour.com/.
This site allows freelancers in many different fields of work, to bid for jobs that are posted online by companies and individuals.
For instance a company may want a new Logo and branding for their marketing, and can post their exact requirements on line, with either an expected budget, or fixed fee for the work, plus a deadline for the work to be completed, and freelance graphic designers can bid to do the work.
However, after viewing many of the jobs that are posted on there, it is disheartening to see that people are expecting work to be carried out to a professional standard by freelance professionals for less than minimum wage!
One recently advertised job was for a professional videographer ("with professional video camera") to video a boat trip that was going to last at least 6 hours down the Thames, and supply an edited version of the video back for a fixed fee of £70!
To edit together 6 hours of footage, would take a day (minimum), so essentially they wanted someone to work for 2 x days for £70! If you say that the person worked for 7 hours each day, that would work out at £5 an hour!
Probably the most insulting job I saw on the site was posted by a Veterinary Surgeon who was looking for a bespoke PHP MySQL system to be created for his practise, that would include: a Point Of Sale system, including barcoding, database entries for customers and pets, invoicing system, stock control system, appointment system, customer and veterinary staff logins as the site would also be external facing to allow customers to be able to book appointments, needed to be accessed from two different sites, payment handling etc... etc...
His budget for all of this work? £80-£100!
And he hadn't made a mistake! This charmer also stated in a comment to someone who actually queried the budget that he "didn't want to be paying for someone's coffee breaks"!
A few disgruntled PHP professionals commented on his budget, and many stated that to do a job (and do it properly) with that many detailed requirements would take in the region of 20-30 days work. Therefore in the worst case scenario of 30 days, working 7 hours per day his budget maximum of £100 would work out at 47p per hour for the freelancer! Let's put that in context - that's 12 times less than minimum wage!
He was then asked how much he would charge to fix a broken leg on a dog, and how long that would take. Funnily enough he didn't reply to that posting!
In my opinion I believe to have quoted a budget figure like that, for that amount of work is totally insulting to a professional freelancer, and totally under-values the work of freelancers in general. OK he might not have had a clue of how long it may have taken, but he must certainly have had a rough idea of what off the shelf Veterinary software with the same capabilities would have cost, so why did he think he could attempt to get a freelancer to create a completely bespoke system for such a derisory sum?
Due to the recession and economic climate, everyone is trying to ensure that we get the best value for money that we can get at the moment. But if you want professional services, provided by professional people, you have to have a reasonable budget, and be realistic about it!
Unfortunately it seems the "something for nothing" culture is pervasive on that website, so I doubt very much if I will be getting any work via that website in the near future!
This site allows freelancers in many different fields of work, to bid for jobs that are posted online by companies and individuals.
For instance a company may want a new Logo and branding for their marketing, and can post their exact requirements on line, with either an expected budget, or fixed fee for the work, plus a deadline for the work to be completed, and freelance graphic designers can bid to do the work.
However, after viewing many of the jobs that are posted on there, it is disheartening to see that people are expecting work to be carried out to a professional standard by freelance professionals for less than minimum wage!
One recently advertised job was for a professional videographer ("with professional video camera") to video a boat trip that was going to last at least 6 hours down the Thames, and supply an edited version of the video back for a fixed fee of £70!
To edit together 6 hours of footage, would take a day (minimum), so essentially they wanted someone to work for 2 x days for £70! If you say that the person worked for 7 hours each day, that would work out at £5 an hour!
Probably the most insulting job I saw on the site was posted by a Veterinary Surgeon who was looking for a bespoke PHP MySQL system to be created for his practise, that would include: a Point Of Sale system, including barcoding, database entries for customers and pets, invoicing system, stock control system, appointment system, customer and veterinary staff logins as the site would also be external facing to allow customers to be able to book appointments, needed to be accessed from two different sites, payment handling etc... etc...
His budget for all of this work? £80-£100!
And he hadn't made a mistake! This charmer also stated in a comment to someone who actually queried the budget that he "didn't want to be paying for someone's coffee breaks"!
A few disgruntled PHP professionals commented on his budget, and many stated that to do a job (and do it properly) with that many detailed requirements would take in the region of 20-30 days work. Therefore in the worst case scenario of 30 days, working 7 hours per day his budget maximum of £100 would work out at 47p per hour for the freelancer! Let's put that in context - that's 12 times less than minimum wage!
He was then asked how much he would charge to fix a broken leg on a dog, and how long that would take. Funnily enough he didn't reply to that posting!
In my opinion I believe to have quoted a budget figure like that, for that amount of work is totally insulting to a professional freelancer, and totally under-values the work of freelancers in general. OK he might not have had a clue of how long it may have taken, but he must certainly have had a rough idea of what off the shelf Veterinary software with the same capabilities would have cost, so why did he think he could attempt to get a freelancer to create a completely bespoke system for such a derisory sum?
Due to the recession and economic climate, everyone is trying to ensure that we get the best value for money that we can get at the moment. But if you want professional services, provided by professional people, you have to have a reasonable budget, and be realistic about it!
Unfortunately it seems the "something for nothing" culture is pervasive on that website, so I doubt very much if I will be getting any work via that website in the near future!
Photographers Rights 2
22/09/09 12:00
There are now several high-profile campaings being run concerning the current legislation that is abusing photographers rights.
These draconian laws and misinterpretation of the laws are causing anyone with a camera to be targeted, including foreign tourists; as was reported recently concerning an Austrian Father and Son, who were stopped from taking a photograph of Walthamstow Bus Station!
The Metropolitan Police have issues new guidelines to their officers; http://www.met.police.uk/about/photography.htm but over-zealous officers may still interpret these in anyway they see fit.
The British Journal of Photography has its own campaign running presently, which has the backing of many other photographic organisations (such as the Bureau of Freelance Photgraphers and UKlandscape), and uses the "Not A Crime" slogan. They are encouraging photographers, both amateur and professional to take self-portraits of themselves with a "Not A Crime" or "I Am Not A Terrorist" caption and post them to their campaign website; http://www.not-a-crime.com
There is also an independent campaign http://www.PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org which is also encouraging photographers to take self-portraits with "I'm a Photographer Not a Terrorist" captions, and to post via their website.
They organised a flash-mob campaign on Saturday 12th September 2009 at Canary Wharf in London - a spot notorious for photographers to be stopped by the Canary Wharf Security services. Approx. 60 photographers turned up with cameras in hand, and all took some interesting photographs, whilst the Security who were outnumbered, looked on in dismay.
There's more information on: http://www.PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org/events
They have also created a very handy "Stop and Search Bust Card" that any photographer should print out, and carry with them, which cleary states what rights you have as a photographer in a public place, and also what Police Powers may be used against you.
I have added my own picture to show my support, to both of the above campaigns.
"How Photographers Are Perceived In The Eyes Of The Police and Government"
Please give these campaigns your support, before Britain becomes a complete no-photography zone!
The Prince's RainForest Project
14/07/09 09:40
HRH The Prince of Wales currently has a campaign to attempt to save the Rain Forest, called The Prince’s RainForest Project.
We are happy to add our names in support of this worthy cause, and blog this, in the hope that so that others may also add their support to the project.
I know you might be thinking, well what has the Rain Forest got to do with me? Well without it, global-warming will increase, many species of trees, plants, insects, and animals will be wiped off the face of the earth permanently. This little blue-ball we all live on needs such resources, for us to survive, otherwise there will be nothing left for our future generations. We have done more damage in the last 100 years, than we’ve done in the whole of the history of mankind, and the planet can not sustain this.
Prince Charles can sum this up much better than we can, so we would advise going to: http://www.rainforestsos.org to get the full story.
Please show your support by signing up for this campaign.
We are happy to add our names in support of this worthy cause, and blog this, in the hope that so that others may also add their support to the project.
I know you might be thinking, well what has the Rain Forest got to do with me? Well without it, global-warming will increase, many species of trees, plants, insects, and animals will be wiped off the face of the earth permanently. This little blue-ball we all live on needs such resources, for us to survive, otherwise there will be nothing left for our future generations. We have done more damage in the last 100 years, than we’ve done in the whole of the history of mankind, and the planet can not sustain this.
Prince Charles can sum this up much better than we can, so we would advise going to: http://www.rainforestsos.org to get the full story.
Please show your support by signing up for this campaign.
Photographers Rights
06/07/09 12:01
There was a very good reason I joined the Bureau of Freelance Photographers recently, and that was because of their untiring quest to preserve the rights of photographers who are just going about their business, and trying to earn a living.
Over recent years, the British Parliament has brought in legislation that has severely restricted photographers. In their eyes, anyone that is pointing a camera anywhere in the vicinity of a child is a potential pedophile, and if you are just taking pictures of local landmarks or buildings, you are a potential terrorist.
Over-zealous officials appear to be making their own interpretation of the laws, and have attempted to confiscate cameras and memory cards from individuals, or demand that they delete the pictures. It appears that each time a photographer gets out a tripod in urban areas, they are immediately swooped upon and told to move on.
Unfortunately panoramic photographs (that are used to make up Virtual Tours), are either taken using one-shot lenses, or using “pano-heads”, which need to be mounted on tripods to ensure image stabilisation, and therefore panoramic photographers are potentially more at risk of being approached than others.
It is worth bearing in mind, that a Police Officer (or any other such individual) is actually breaking the law if they damage any of your equipment, and they cannot attempt to confiscate any memory card or camera, or demand that you delete any pictures taken in a public place, without first obtaining a warrant.
If terrorists were reconnoitring a building or somewhere else to do whatever evil they wanted, I’m sure that they wouldn’t be carrying one or more DSLR’s, lenses, and a tripod to do it. They would be a little more covert, probably using the camera built into their phone, so that they could take pics, and be out of there quickly without being spotted.
MP’s in Parliament have recently all been tarred by the same brush over the “expenses row”, however the vast majority of them are innocent. They should bear this in mind, when making strangling legislation, that is essentially stopping us from going about our business, without being repeatedly stopped, and harassed by officialdom.
I for one, feel reassured that I have my BFP blue membership card with me when I am out taking photographs as it proves that I am a legitimate photographer, and makes “officials” somewhat easier to deal with.
Over recent years, the British Parliament has brought in legislation that has severely restricted photographers. In their eyes, anyone that is pointing a camera anywhere in the vicinity of a child is a potential pedophile, and if you are just taking pictures of local landmarks or buildings, you are a potential terrorist.
Over-zealous officials appear to be making their own interpretation of the laws, and have attempted to confiscate cameras and memory cards from individuals, or demand that they delete the pictures. It appears that each time a photographer gets out a tripod in urban areas, they are immediately swooped upon and told to move on.
Unfortunately panoramic photographs (that are used to make up Virtual Tours), are either taken using one-shot lenses, or using “pano-heads”, which need to be mounted on tripods to ensure image stabilisation, and therefore panoramic photographers are potentially more at risk of being approached than others.
It is worth bearing in mind, that a Police Officer (or any other such individual) is actually breaking the law if they damage any of your equipment, and they cannot attempt to confiscate any memory card or camera, or demand that you delete any pictures taken in a public place, without first obtaining a warrant.
If terrorists were reconnoitring a building or somewhere else to do whatever evil they wanted, I’m sure that they wouldn’t be carrying one or more DSLR’s, lenses, and a tripod to do it. They would be a little more covert, probably using the camera built into their phone, so that they could take pics, and be out of there quickly without being spotted.
MP’s in Parliament have recently all been tarred by the same brush over the “expenses row”, however the vast majority of them are innocent. They should bear this in mind, when making strangling legislation, that is essentially stopping us from going about our business, without being repeatedly stopped, and harassed by officialdom.
I for one, feel reassured that I have my BFP blue membership card with me when I am out taking photographs as it proves that I am a legitimate photographer, and makes “officials” somewhat easier to deal with.
EC Container 5