Comments on: Do You Own Your Web Site?

By: Vlad

Vlad — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:35:33 +0000

No, you should have full rights for the work you paid for. Clarify before you sign up that person or company. Check domain name to if you planning to get one.

By: Paige

Paige — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:13:36 +0000

Yuwanda, I’m glad you found the post valuable. The greatest compliment I can receive is that I’ve been able to explain a tech topic in a non-tekkie way! If I can’t get my mom to understand it, then I’m not explaining it right!

By: The Freelance Writer's Blog

The Freelance Writer's Blog — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:02:09 +0000

Great way to put this post out there Paige.

Many just don’t get how crucial this is. It’s like not owning or being able to lay claim to your own birth name.

For those of us who tend to be “tech challenged” your way of explaining, point by point, what to look for on this particular topic is invaluable.

Yuwanda

The Freelance Writer’s Blogs last blog post..What’s the Difference Between a Website and a Blog?

By: Paige

Paige — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:19:55 +0000

Great comments from everyone! Travis, you’re so right that hiring somebody to design a site doesn’t necessarily give you ownership rights. I’ve had this experience only once with a client who came to me from somebody else, and then only with the graphics, so we were lucky. I do try to explain the ABCs of having a website to potential clients and John, most of them just tell me to “take care of it.”

By: Meryl

Meryl — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:46:38 +0000

Right on, John. I think some people do struggle with knowing what to do, but once they get in a groove, it's not too bad.

I've been PTA webmaster for three organizations and handing over is always hard as I have to train and answer questions. Although, I had one who did a fabulous job and ran with it. But she had a tech background.

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:38:57 +0000

People tend to thing owning and running a web site is far more diffiult than it actually is. Even if you don’t think it is easy, it is better to elarn thses things on your own than to entrust the ley to your livelyhood to the knwoledge of others.

John Hewitts last blog post..06/05/2008 Writing Jobs and Links

By: Meryl

Meryl — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:33:02 +0000

@Travis, thank you for sharing your experience on this difficult issue. Thank you for saving another business from heartache and legal issues. I wish more designers had your ethics.

By: Travis Vocino

Travis Vocino — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:09:54 +0000

I’d like to also point out that paying a web developer to create your site doesn’t necessarily give you the rights to it. Generally, that work is still the intellectual property of the designer and derivative works might sometimes be the subject of legal issues in the future.

One of my clients had this type of issue with their previous designer who was basically holding some material hostage. Our legal team who we introduced through my consulting took care of it but not without some substantial cost. Intellectual property law can be a bit tricky.

That’s why it’s important to accurately document who owns the entire rights package of the work and whether that is handed over upon payment of the final invoice or if it’s a situation where the designer is considered to be your employee and any/all works default to your ownership. Also, once those contracts are in place, it’s much easier to require things like source files (e.g. PSD, AI, FLA, etc.) that will allow you to have an exit strategy in case the relationship with your developer goes south.

After hearing a couple of these stories and being directly involved in helping a client out of one, my company has begun including specific verbiage regarding the issue in our consulting agreements. This is primarily for the client’s peace of mind, more than anything, since we do give them the ownership rights.

Travis Vocinos last blog post..Building Web Apps for Seniors

By: Meryl

Meryl — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:34:39 +0000

@Jamie, absolutely agree with you and spring for the privacy every time even though it’s easy to get my info. The pains of an online presence and a one-person business.

When it comes to domain names… it’s an ugly business. I just switched a long-time domain from one provider to another. I had had it with the original provider.

By: Jamie Grove - How Not To Write

Jamie Grove - How Not To Write — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:30:44 +0000

I would also recommend that folks spring for the anonymous registration. This will keep you personal information private on your domain registration. I love my visitors and I enjoy getting email from them. My wife, on the other hand, is a little skittish about phone calls at 11PM on a Saturday night.

Great post, Paige!

Jamie Grove - How Not To Writes last blog post..Write Funny: My Guest Post and Your Chance to Win a Free Book!