RE: FW: what to put on your site?

At 04:25 PM 10/22/2002 -0400, Drew Lehman - DigitaEye Designs wrote:
>[SNIP]
>  Otherwise you may find yourself posting one of
>those "I've been stiffed and what can I do" posts that appear on this list
>with regularity.  And of course it never matters...until it matters.
>[/SNIP]
>
>  Oh, but it DOES matter, even without a dispute.


Of course I was being facetious.  It always matters since, as Drew points 
out, negotiating leverage often wins the day.

>  By having a contract, the
>client is much more likely to take you seriously when you set a deadline,
>ask for payment of simply in the course of doing business.  It shows you
>thought ahead and plan on being a stable business person.  Such a contract
>shows that this is not merely a hobby you might drop in a few days.


That is the essence of my article "Dignity for Designers."  First 
impressions are essential and if you are either operating with no written 
agreement or you've got one of those cut and paste, layman written, 2 page 
versions, the impression you present is one of being quite 
unprofessional.  Given the significant amount of competition in your field, 
image is everything.  But if you project that you take your business 
seriously enough to warrant a clear, professionally written agreement, then 
you are saying to the client that they should take you seriously as well.



IVAN HOFFMAN, B.A., J.D.
Attorney at Law
Lawyering With Integrity
Internet Law, Publishing Law, Copyrights, Trademarks, Web Design Law, Fine 
Art Law, Corporate Training and Online Education Law, Music Law.  *A 6 
Times Award Winning Site.* http://www.ivanhoffman.com

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