You’ll watch five videos, each followed by code challenges where you’ll learn to code jQuery and apply principles directly in the browser.

The basic jQuery course is free however Code School offers advanced paid courses as well.

The inspiration for this pose came from observation that most of the freelancers (very talented and creative) tend to work as ‘invisible professionals’ who deliver a lot of superb work but forget to establish their own identity. Ideas shared in this post are for all those modest freelancers to help them grow professionally and established their identity as visionaries, entrepreneurs and creative individuals; not just as ghost developers.

#1 Build your own product(s) – Since you have all the skills to design and develop creative products, why not build one for yourself. Who knows you could be the next Zuckerberg?

#2 Make full use of social media – While you work solo in your attic room, perhaps the only window that opens towards the outside world in the social media that keeps you connected with your friends. Why not use it to establish your identity as independent professional? There are 101 ways to market yourself on facebook, twitter, Linkedin etc.

#3 Share your knowledge – The knowledge and skills that you have acquired while working on several projects is definitely an asset. Why not share it with other? You can start a personal blog to share your knowledge. It could contain anything like short articles on the latest trends in the industry to video tutorials and useful code snippets. This would also help you establish your online identity. For inspirations and ideas, see Shahbaz’s blog.

#4 Review scrap, contribute to the open source – Freelancers often produce a lot of stuff (small applications, UI prototypes, plugins etc.) for their personal learning. Most of this stuff remains buried and gets deleted someday. Why not take some time, review all that stuff, modify it and contribute to the open source world?

#5 Manage your finances – Learn to manage your finances. Get rid of spreadsheets and manual invoices. Get hold of some invoicing application (there are a lot of free invoicing software available online) and start managing your invoices professionally. Also make it a habit to review your finances (credit and debit) occasionally to stay updated on your expenses, income, savings, liabilities, and profit.

#6 Improve soft skills – No matter how skilled you are in your profession, you must have good skills of communication, negotiation, dispute resolution, and people management to success as freelancer. Resolve to improve and learn these skills.

#7 Update your portfolio – If you have a portfolio online, you must keep it updated with the latest work. Also get testimonials and publish them online. If you do not have an online portfolio, get one as soon as possible. No marketing effort, awesome business proposal or killer pitch would be complete without some real samples of your work.

What most marketers and brand promoters miss is the fact that the goal should not be keeping website visitors (prospects) engaged with ‘cool’ graphics; the goal should be getting website visitors to involve, and understand the message, and become a customer. There is no denying that good a copy, decent color scheme and attractive graphics grab the attention of website visitors but what makes them stay or come back to the website is something else. ‘Something else’ – that creates the desire to know more about the brand or own the product.

This post is intended to give you an insight into ‘something else’ that works.

The foremost step is tracking your visitors. Use Google Analytics or whatever tracking tool you prefer to track the number of visitors and the gap between new and returning visitors. Set goal values (for example, 1 new sign up against every 100 new visitors) and set a target for, say, the next quarter. Once you get raw statistics of visitors, you are ready to move on and experiment with your website to achieve your targets.

The next step is starting conversations. Make is super easy for visitors to leave their feedback or comments. Whether you have a blog or a website, you should allow visitors to get involved by participating in a conversation or initiating a new thread. Remove barriers. Website visitors should not be required to create an account to leave comment. Allow them to use their twitter, facebook or Google account to get authenticated and participate in conversations.

Allow your website visitors to use their existing profiles like Google or facebook to join or sign up. If you must register them with you, avoid long registration forms. Ask only for the information that you would really need.

Allow your website visitors to stay up-to-date with your products, offerings or activities. Allow them to subscribe via RSS or follow you on facebook, twitters and other social networks. Also use Google Friend Connect, a very useful but a bit unappreciated tool.

Maintain a consistent and compelling twitter stream or Facebook updates on your facebook fan page to keep your fans, customers and prospects in the loop.

Offer useful content – not just informative articles or breaking news but practical and useful content that your website visitors would love to download or use online. It could be a freebie, online service, royalty free images, printable cards or anything that relates to your business.

Reward your customers or users with a royalty program or other offerings that compel them to use your products/services and recommend them to others.

Use crowd sourcing techniques to engage your website visitors and existing customers to help you decide new offerings or even the redesign of your logo or website. It makes them a part of the team and the sense of a connection with the brand.

Make your website or blog easy to navigate, good on eyes and tasteful to read.

These are just a few ideas. We would like to hear more useful tips from you. Why not leave a comment and share your best tips?

appendTo helps developers to learn jQuery and JavaScript and level up their jQuery and JavaScript skills with on demand, pragmatic training solution.

Learn at your own pace with on-demand content, you only need 10 minutes to catch a free screencast. Go interactive and write some code, review your progress and decide what to learn next.

Do you know that a large number of people in your audience would not be able to view your design as you intended. Imagine how a person with vision deficiency (like color blindness) would experience your website. According to an estimate, among adult computer users of the USA alone, 1 user in 4 has vision difficulty, 1 has dexterity problem and 1 in 5 has hearing problem. By ignoring these users, we not only reduce the number of users but also limit the scope of our products.

Today’s post is all about designing accessible websites/ web applications. Accessibility is the measure of ease with which users with physical disabilities, say visual impairment, can use a product efficiently and perform the required tasks satisfactorily. In other words, accessibility means that every user in his own context can operate a system and get required output without any constraints.

Here, it is very important to understand that many end-users may be using the product in a context that is very different from the context in which it is designed. For example,

• The user may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all.
• The user may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.
• The user may be colorblind.
• The user may not have or be unable to use a keyboard or mouse.

These and many other contexts should be taken care of when designing or developing a system. The following is a set of basic rules of accessibility that you should understand and comply with when designing websites or web applications.

Use Colors Wisely

Do not rely on color alone to communicate a message. Ensure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed without color. If designers depend on color to convey information, colorblind users and users with devices that have non-color or non-visual displays cannot receive the information. Also ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed on monochrome display or by someone with visual impairments.

Text Equivalents

Provide alternative text – For each image or image link, provide alternative text using appropriate attributes like alt and longdesc. Screen readers and talking browsers use alternative to describe an image to the users who cannot access the image, such as the blind users. Use short and clear alternative text for images that carry important information.

Provide multimedia synchronization – For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.

Consider Flickering

Avoid unnecessary graphic effects. Design pages that do not cause the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. People with photosensitive epilepsy may face problem due to flickering or flashing between 4 to 59 flashes per second (Hertz) range with peak sensitivity at 20 flashes per second. When a page includes moving content, provide a mechanism within to control moving/flashing objects.

Design Device Independent Pages

Design for device independence by using features that enable activation of page elements by a variety of input devices. Users should be able to interact with the Web site using a preferred input (or output) device. The input device may be a mouse, keyboard, voice etc.

Design Accessible Forms

Electronic forms contain a number of elements that require user interaction such as input fields, push button, radio button, check box, CAPTCHA etc. Design electronic forms in a way that people using assistive technology can access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form.

Handle Time Outs

Accessibility problems can occur if your Web page times-out while a user is completing a form. Pages designed to comply with security requirements or reduce load on server may cause accessibility problem. These types of pages disappear or expire if a response is not received within a specified amount of time. Remember, that not all users are able to read or understand the page with equal efficiency. Always notify the user if a process is about to time-out. Also provide a prompt asking whether additional time is required.

Provide Options to Skip Navigation Links

Navigation links are usually placed at the top, bottom, or side of every new page. This creates difficulty for persons using a screen reader because screen readers move through pages by reading from top to bottom. The use of repetitive navigation links forces persons with visual impairments to re-read these links when moving to every new page. To counter this problem, Provide “skip navigation” tools that enable a user to move to the main content of a Web page without having to hear unnecessary information first.

Use Markup and Style Sheets Properly

Create web pages that can be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document. Use style sheets to control layout and presentation instead of elements and attributes.

Provide Text-Only Page

Provide a text-only page with complete information and functionalities as alternative to primary page. Remember, text-only page should be the last resort. Also make sure that the text-only page is updated whenever the primary page changes.

Scripts and Plugins

Text Equivalents – Ensure that plugins, scripts and other objects on a web page are accessible to users who need assistive technologies like page readers. Design web pages in a way that these are useable when scripts, applets or other objects are not supported. If this is not possible, at least provide text equivalents of these objects.

Alternatives –  When a web page requires that a plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that can be interpreted through assistive technologies.

Tables

Identify Headers: In data tables, identify row and column headers. For example, use TD to identify data cells and TH to identify headers.

Use Markup: For data tables with two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells. For example, use THEAD, TFOOT, and TBODY to group rows, COL and COLGROUP to group columns, and the “axis”, “scope”, and “headers” attributes, to describe more complex relationships among data.

Identify Frames

For proper navigation through frames, identify each frame with suitable title. For example, use title attribute on Frame elements. If required, describe the purpose of frames and their relation by using longdesc attribute.

Please note that a website or any web based interface that is optimized for accessibility may not comply with some functional requirements and vice versa. Therefore, functional requirements of the product must be kept in mind at every stage of design and development and appropriate guidelines should be followed accordingly.

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If you are relying on traditional methods like word of mouth, social networking, emails etc., simple mathematics will tell you that you are converting only a fraction of your audience into your customers. (Just compare your facebook fans or Twitter followers with the number of new customers).

Fortunately, there are a number of ways small businesses or solo professionals can advertise their products or services without having to hit their pockets – take the example of Quick Response (QR) Codes. Initially used in automobile manufacturing, QR codes are gaining popularity as an effective medium for advertisement and brand promotion.

Marketing yourself with QR codes is easy, quick and simple. All you have to do is create a free QR code and place it at all interesting places – elevators, bus stops, conferences, business cards, blogs, websites, avatars, display picture etc. Your audience would need a smart phone with a tiny QR reader application to read your message and trace back to your website.

Intrigued? Scan this QR code and get 25% discount on technical writing services from one of our associates. Don’t have a QR reader? Use online QR reader and scan http://goo.gl/f2DIf

To begin marketing your services, product or brand, you can experiment with QR codes one of the following creative ways:

• Go Viral with your Resume
  Use your QR code as mini resume to direct people to your Linkedin profile, VisualCV, or online resume
• Show your Portfolio
  Add QR code to your business card, online resume, facebook profile, twitter
  picture and personal avatar on forums to drive traffic to your personal portfolio
• Get Customers
  Publish QR code at conferences, meet ups, elevators etc. to offer exclusive discounts
• Offer Special Downloads
  Drive more customers and loyal visitors to your websites by offering exclusive downloads via QR code
• Advertise within Budget
  Advertise your QR code in limited spaces to save budget
• Promote Your Brand
  Put your QR code on your vehicle allowing people in parking lot to get in touch with you
• Instant Contact Card
  Offer QR code at your website, personal blog or product page that people can scan and save your contact information in phone book/address book
• Get a Link Back
  Distribute freebies (wallpapers, digital illustrations, photos etc.) or commercial publications (brochure, booklet, flyers, user manuals etc.) with your QR code that provides link to your website, portfolio or blog
• Offer Professional Services
  Promote your professional services by offering promo codes via QR codes

For the rest of 2011, we can expect a number of new trends as basic requirements of good web designs.

Here is how Greep It! foresees the future of web design for the rest of 2011.

Touchable Designs

With rapid proliferation of iPad, tablet computers and touch screen phones, web designs are transforming rapidly to catch up with the new generation of mobile users. Web pages and applications, now, have to be ‘touch-enabled’.

You should design interfaces that render flawlessly on traditional PCs as well as on touch screens of multiple sizes and resolutions. On the same note, your applications and pages should load fast on mobile devices with lower bandwidth. Hence, web pages and applications have to be simple, fluid and lightweight.

Splash Pages

The trend of photographic splash pages would continue to grow for the rest of 2011. You can see a large number of one-page designs on WordPress and all other platforms on the web especially since the launch of services like about.me. You can expect more and more creative experiments with splash pages/one-page designs with a lot of imagery, portrait pictures and animated background.

Maps

Maps can be used in many different ways on a website. There are a plenty of examples around. Check out Ed Hamilton’s online resume built on Google Maps, navigate twitter trends by location maps on TrendsMap, track and find rental apartments using Google Maps on housingmaps, and experience sharing geo-tagged images with Google Maps on Snaper. There are many more examples and the trend would continue in 2011.

More Typography

Now that a number of font APIs allow you to display your favorite fonts on the Web and almost all major browsers are capable of rendering fonts seamlessly, you can expect more typography in web designs. Adding fonts to your design is now quite easy with simple API calls. You do not have to juggle much with scripts and CSS. Start with Google Web Fonts and see how easy it is to spice up your design with typography experiments.

Facebook Applications

Facebook is now more than a social networking website. It is hosting many smart applications. Checkout Branchout and see how job search and professional networking can be integrated within your facebook profile. The trend is catching pace and you would see many serious web applications developed exclusively for facebook. See Picnik photo editing tool for facebook and expect much more to come within your facebook account.

Food for thought: Also consider using QR codes. There are a plenty of ways people are using them in their designs. QR codes are being adapted rapidly. Many early birds are using these nifty codes to engage their online visitors. Microsoft is also pushing this trend harder with its own version of QR codes.

It gives advice to avoid common mistakes, subtle bugs, as well as performance issues and bad practices that non-expert JavaScript programmers may encounter on their endeavours into the depths of the language.

Former knowledge of the language is strongly recommended in order to understand the topics covered in this guide. In order to learn the basics of the language, please head over to the excellent guide on the Mozilla Developer Network.

There exists many strategies to improve website Search Engine Ranking (Create and join groups, join social sites like Facebook and Twitter, join forums, etc… ) but some are more appropriate to the design niche than others and Link Building is one of them.

What is Link Building?

Link Building is the process of creating inbound links to get more traffic; to improve your site’s ranking in Search Engines and to be popular. It is one of the best ways to make your site well-known. Link Building can be achieved by reciprocal links, being listed in design galleries, sponsoring a contest, etc.

Followings are very good strategies for getting inbound links.

Reciprocal Links

Reciprocal link or Link Exchanges can be defined as a mutual agreement where two webmasters agree to show the links of their websites interchangeably. More sites (quality & relevant sites) you get linked form, made you more popular in search engines.

Web Design Galleries

Try creating a nice design. If you have a good blog design then you can submit your site in different web design galleries. It’s an effective way to show off your skills and more important to get quality traffic. Few of them are as follows:

• http://www.cssmania.com/
• http://www.nicestylesheet.com/
• http://www.thebestdesigns.com/

Internal Links

Important point but many bloggers don’t bother and usually neglect it. Google rewards coherent internal linking so never miss your previous related articles or posts.

There are few good plugins developed for WordPress that can be used to help internal link building process. Few popular ones are:

• http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/
• http://rmarsh.com/plugins/similar-posts/
• http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/…

Another plugin named SEO Smart Links can automatically link keywords and phrases in your posts and comments with corresponding posts, pages, categories and tags on your blog.

Sponsor a contest

Try sponsoring a contest by giving away software, service or a cash prize. You can give away your product’s licenses, Membership for a certain time, Hosting accounts, etc.

If you are interested in sponsoring a contest at Greepit.com, let’s discuss by contacting me.

Create a Free Theme or Web Template

This is a very good approach and this Link Building strategy can lead to a lot of backlinks if you create an attractive free theme or a free web template which has a lot to offer to the audience.

A creative, eye catching and free theme or free web template can put you on top from nowhere. While creating a theme, try placing your link in the footer. I learned from past experiences that people who download your theme will not get rid of these links.

If you are a good designer then you have a chance to show off your creative skills and to help yourself getting few design projects.

Guest Posts

Another out of the box technique to get backlinks is writing quality guest posts on different blogs can make you popular. If you want this technique to be efficient then choose blogs which are identical thematically to your website.

If you are willing to write a guest post on Greepit.com, I would love to hear from you. Contact me with your post topic.

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Design patterns are reusable solutions to commonly occurring problems in software development and are a very useful tool to have at your disposal.

This Free Ebook is very helpful for those JavaScript developers who may not have had a chance to explore just yet.