alexwolfe

Zurb and Bootstrap look very similar in many ways. However, bootstrap seems to be growing at a really fast pace and appears to have more elements and javascript plugins than Zurb Foundation.

I think when picking a framework it's important to look at the direction it is taking. In this case Bootstrap is very actively being used in the development community and backed by some really great developers at Twitter.

Code Canyon is a marketplace for that: http://codecanyon.net

Agreed, a key would be nice.

The colored triangles are a nice "at a glance" way to see what language the library is for.

Startup guys is still my favorite: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6507690/hardly-working-sta...

In a sense you have built a portfolio of connections. You spent 4 years developing relationships, building your communication, and getting to know people in the industry. Your experience shows there are many ways to approach this but I would say experience is definitely a prerequisite for any freelancer. Weather you spend time building a portfolio or an amazing network of connections in this industry, you gotta put in the time.

I would definitely spend time building & working on your portfolio. A portfolio is really a business card for any good freelancer. Your portfolio can even be a collection of github projects, there just need to be some real substance there.

Ultimately if you land a job freelancing the client is looking for a few key things, an excellent portfolio, good communications skills, and most of all experience. These qualities take time to develop and allow the client to put more trust in the hands of someone outside the company.

An alternate to freelancing is working for some small startup for a year at a time. You'll get a wealth of experience and also a chance to build your portfolio. Good luck.

Not sure if it's their worst design ever, never the less pretty horrific. The color choices on this page make me cringe.

Allan has founded four companies. This isn't his first ball game and I'm sure he knows better.

Harvard Law School's free course on negotiations. Covers all aspects of negotiations.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcas...

This is really upsetting for so many reasons. The intent to use these site designs took time and effort to implement. There had to be hours of time that they knew without a doubt they were stealing work they did not produce. To feign ignorance in this case in unacceptable.

Furthermore these guys have raised 1.2 million dollars. To think that someone in this position would raise that amount in capital and pull this kind of bullshit is offensive. This is a black eye for the valley.

I created http://goalstacker.com to address this problem. It's not the list that kills you, its the list you can never finish that kills you. In order to be productive each day, its nice to have a small set of obtainable goals that you can actually finish. This list need to take into account how much time you have and how much time it takes to complete these tasks.

I think the author's method is pretty close, the only problem with a calendar is that if you don't finish the task then one of two things usually happen:

1. You forget about it and it fades away never to be completed. 2. You have to keep moving it to a different day until you complete it.

I think there are a lot of people disagreeing with "Don't state the number first" but it's important to be open to new ideas.

This article is meant to make you stronger and offer some new tricks in the negotiating process. You're certainly not learning and expanding your game if you're convinced that you don't need to do anything different.

I think its important to think about what the author is really saying: Can you find out what cards their holding before they know what cards you have? Can you? It's tough, its challenging, that's the point.

The more information you have before you start making decision the better decision you're going to make, period. When you start throwing out numbers a very big decision has just been made, theres's no going back at that point.

If you're worried they are going to laugh at you, or be offended, they won't be. This is not a war, it's an interview, a chance to make an introduction and meet somebody new. Sometimes you can make connections in the interview even if you end up not taking the job. You're dealing with people, not robots. No one is out to get you. In fact, they're considering hiring you and working with you everyday!

The point is learn new tricks and push back a little.

I've tried this approach and others. I'm sure for some it can work but ultimately I found you can't cheat time. If you wake up at 5am by 2pm you toast (mentally at least). I've found no real secret to gain extra real hours. The reality is that your mind can only function productively for so long each day. The productivity you feel at 5am is the same you'd feel at 8:00am it just seems more amazing because it's happening at 5.

The bottom line is you have to find what is sustainable in the long run. Regardless of how early or late you wake up the key is coming up with a consistant schedule that maximizes your productivity. Only you can figure out what the schedule is. It's certainly great to try new things and see what ends up working for you. Good luck.

This reminds me of the book "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell. Something doesn't seem right and our instincts pick up on it way before we understand it.

Communication is such an import part of business, relationships, and life. If there is a lack of communication it can spell trouble in many different areas down the line. In this case it seemed to be an indicator of many other problems as well.

Thanks for sharing, interesting to see how the pieces are connected from a business/startup perspective.

The site works pretty well. I like the number of options available. It may not be a cause for a company but it is a useful website. nice work.

I certainly don't have a hard time with that. Perhaps reread the comment I left.

"unless they feel it will provide them some decent traffic and strongly support the product/company"

Not sure you added anything to my previous comment.

A Tumblr blog may not be the best solution but spending that many resources on a blog (especially one not featured in the main navigation) is usually out of the question for most startups.

For most startups the amount of time invested for a custom Jekyll setup and a downtime script could be replaced with a new feature or a better product/home page.

I think its important for startups not to spend too much time blogging unless they feel it will provide them some decent traffic and strongly support the product/company. Make the product better first. If your blog host (Tumblr) isn't stable enough, wordpress it and be done with it.

Have the confidence to know you can do anything.

Have the humility to know you can always get better.

The moment you believe your the best at anything it becomes very dangerous because you have no reason to improve, your the best. Generally speaking there are very few people that are the best at anything (In fact only one for each thing). Most likely there is plenty of room for growth.

I'm glad the author used the negative comment as motivation to get better.

There are some people that have both but it is extremely rare as the author points out. Being a hack or OK in design and development is not the same, many people can do that. I think he is pointing out the very small circle of extremely gifted individuals who can legitimately do both on a professional level.

As in any profession there will always be some extraordinary individuals that are heads and toes above the rest.

I've been working for startups a long time (over ten years) and I have only met one person that I would consider a great designer and developer. I don't think it is because others aren't capable but rather aren't interested or forced to. This type of person is definitely a rare breed which is good. I think a lot of people say they would like to fall into this position but in reality probably not so much.

Please keep in mind that I have met quite a few people that dabble in everything but a true professional at both is quite rare.

You don't need to do something unbelievable to be great. Don't let yourself get into this mindset that you need to keep up with the Joneses. Do something that makes you happy, that is the real measure of success.

The reality is that no matter what you do, even if you do it great there will always be someone better. So you have to do something because you get enjoyment out of it not because your peers approve or because it might garner some praise for a few minutes.

You're young. Yes you are. 30 is a great place to be and for most people the real beginning of their careers.

If you have your heart set on building something cool/useful/etc then you just need to focus (don't beat yourself up), just focus. Look at the list of things you have and pick 1. Don't do any other projects (other than work of course) until you finish. You'll find that in a year from now you'll have plenty to be proud of and that's not bad for a 31 year old.

Good luck.

PS. I found this article very helpful when I've had these same thoughts: http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/03/how-entrepreneurs-can-incre...

I've been in school too, it is expensive (especially now).

However if my text books costed $24 I would have been insanely happy, most cost well over $100. So if the book is good perhaps its worth it.

As long as the content is good $24 is cheap for something I'd consider reading to expand my skill set.

The author makes some interesting points but should be more specific that he is referring to Aesthetic Design.

Design is everywhere not just in the shiny stuff. Design is a workflow, response, messaging, interaction... These are all areas of design you might not be able to see immediately but are often the key components of making a great product.

My guess is that every one of the companies he considers successful had good design baked into their products somewhere (even if they had terrible aesthetics).

To categorize all design in this way is very misleading to those starting a company.

This is definitely a great way to focus on the actual layout and UI elements. Starting with photoshop can often lead to designers block, going to paper keeps its simple and allows you to start at the lightest detail and build on top of that. btw, nice video.

Yah, I appreciated your explanation there were definitely some good points and you probably hit the nail on the head of what they were trying to achieve. They didn't come across to me as arrogant either, just unprofessional. Doesn't make them horrible in any way just makes the job posting not the most appealing in my eyes.

Actually I don't know if they are keeping it real, you don't know unless you meet them. I'm not a fan of stuffy corporate bs either, I've never met anyone who loves that.

I think being thoughtful, informative, and respectful doesn't have anything to do with corporate bs. I've worked at many companies with great cultures that don't need to write questionable job postings to keep it real.

Being professional and being stuffy are two very different things. I know a whole industry of professionals I'd love to work with or have a beer with anytime.

Regardless of how "In the know" you are, I doubt your going to feel awesome sending your cover, full resume, and project to HugeMeme@gmail.com

I don't think what they are saying is arrogant but it is not very professional.

They offer no name and a graph that you are supposed to take on good faith. In return they expect you to write them (what most would) a cover letter, including probably a resume, and a project you've built in rails that you are proud of.

This is a tremendous amount of information and a effort to expect when they have given very little. By contrast they cannot provide a company name, a legitimate email address, or information on who is running the company.

Granted the graph may be impressive but what about the company culture, location, work space, size, etc? Those seem like more important things to talk about for someone planning to commit the next year or two of their lives to a job.