Survey: Being a web designer now, before and after
Social internet or as we call it, web 2.0 has changed web graphic designers work environment, methods and habits. Or has it? Share you thoughts about web 2.0 and the time before it as a working ground. Help me to get as wide spectrum of opinions as possible, share this with colleagues you know, tweet this, blog about this and take part of the conversation here. Thank you for your collaboration !
Here's some questions to help you to recollect the time before web 2.0:
- What kind of collaboration and interaction were there between graphic designers?
- Were there any forums or other chances to connect with other colleagues?
- Which topics were the main focus points in discussions and interactions?
- Where did you find your inspiration for your designs? Have those ways changed in the age of web 2.0?
- Where and how did you get tutorial guidance?
If you have stepped into business when web 2.0 was allready in I would like to know:
- What social services (for example blogs, twitter, facebook, RSS) do you use in your work as a web designer? What are the purposes of the usage?
- What are the benefits of social internet for web designer?
- Is there any negative aspects in web 2.0 for webdesigner?
And what about the future:
- How is our working environment going to change?
- What kinds of opportunities or disadvantages you see in those changes?
Thank you for aswering and taking part of this survey! I will collect the answers and publish a summary here in my blog.
Breakthroughs via 99designs
99designs is a collaborative service where designers and clients meet. Clients launch their projects and designers create graphics based on clients briefs and comments. Clients can also rate the designs and eliminate those they don't like.
Design projects are called as contests - and that is excatly what they are. Dozens designers try to win the same contest designing and improving their work at the same time. In average, there are 101 designs per project which means you cannot be sure that your design is the one that client wants. The competition there is wild and open.
Blogging stats by Technorati
TechCrunch published an interesting article about the state of the blogosphere, which is based on a survey made by Penn, Schoen and Berland from Technorati.
Briefly some main points: bloggers are divided in two groups, hobbyist 72 % and professionals 28 %. Hobbyist blog for fun and they don't make money on blogging whereas professional get more or less income from blogging. When hobbyists blogs are about personal subjects, professionals primarly only blog about the topic of their blogs and personal musings are usually related to their topics.
There are three different types of professional bloggers: part-timers 15 %, corporate bloggers 4 % and self-employed bloggers 9 %. From part-timer bloggers 75 % blog to share their expertise and 72 % to attract new clients for their business. From professional self-employed bloggers 70 % own a company and blog about their business and 22 % say that their blog is their business. Corporate professional bloggers blog full-time for a company and 70 % of them blog to share expertise and 53 % blog to attract new clients for the business they work for. 17 % of professional bloggers say that blogging is their primary source of income.
Blogging – is it all about the money ?
"I am 20 years old and am living the Internet Lifestyle which means I make money while I sleep and get to do what I want, when I want!"
- Michael Dunlop, Income Diary (Read 13. Oct. 2009)
When surfing the blogosphere you can't help noticing the blogs and articles where people advice you how to make "the most of your blog", meaning profit. Usually this money comes from advertisements which fills your blog sidebars. Michael Dunlop has listed the top 30 of the blogs that make the most money online. In top 3, sites main incomes come from advertising banners and the amounts we are talking are between $140,000 and $200,000 monthly. That is a lot.