Note to Private Person
Thursday, June 23, 2005 at 5:40 am | 
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I got this email today from someone who was apparently too much of a coward to post his email address and simply went by "private person". I hope he's reading this.
(shakes my head) I begin to wonder about validity of your portfolio... I dont see any website design by your agency... and I don't see any of direct links from your folio to your clients. I think your claim such a misleading.
Be very, very careful with your creditability! Learn more about ethics!
I checked with XHTML, CSS and 508, there are some errors at your web design agency Infinite Design... I don't want to know your agency name at all... (end of shakes my head in totally entire disbielf)
Grow up and get real!
Private person
I think this part is the best: Be very, very careful with your creditability! Learn more about ethics! Hmm... Maybe he should learn more about ethics - where I come from you don't go around accusing people of things you have no idea about. I am extremely careful with my credibility, and would never claim to do work that I've not actually done, but I simply can't help it if he chooses to believe I've not done the work that I have.
I do realize I need to update my portfolio to include some text about what we did for each client, but rest assured, I have (obviously, I would think!) done work for every client listed in my portfolio. I was in a bit of a rush to get the site up, as I took place in the May 1st Reboot, so the portfolio is definitely bare-bones right now. I'll try to update it soon...
Anyway, for those legitimately interested in what I've been up to lately, I hope to update my portfolio soon and explain a bit of what we did for each client. I've been fortunate enough to do some exciting work for some big, prominent names lately, but due to non-disclosure agreements, etc, I've not been able to talk much about the work I've been doing.
For most of the sites listed there, I was responsible for the front end coding (XHTML, CSS and JavaScript). I've also done some PHP/MySQL work, and a bit of design work here and there (hopefully I'll get to focus on design a bit more in the near future).
So, maybe his email will give you a bit of a laugh... I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. ;)
Comments
Yeah, don't worry about deusch bags that don't even bother to leave a name or e-mail so you can correct their misconceptions. They get power trips by doing little pesky things like this. They're almost as bad as forum trolls.
Sounds like business is going well. From one Wisconsinite to another, good luck! Even if you are in Minnesota now. :)
"So, maybe his email will give you a bit of a laugh... I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. ;)"
Exactly the right attitude to take. Half the stuff I'd like to brag about is covered by NDA's - its par for the course in this line of work.
Maybe it was just a case of sour grapes from someone who realised he's become outskilled and outclassed?
People that come off like this never cease to amaze me. It's hard to believe how people can be so negative for no apparent reason. Just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, I can't wait to see some of the latest work you've done, Ryan. :)
I've been checking in on your site for a year or so now. You've done some great stuff. I'm surprised you even acknowledged this guy's email. He obviously is either 1. playing a joke OR 2. is totally clueless.
I say don't give him any satisfaction by ever thinking about his email again.
What planet did they fall-off from? I think they need some more medication or use a search engine and they'd realise what was fake and what was real.
I have a nationally recognised qualification and certificate in 'website accessibility' but I don't advertise that because I didn't rate the course content much better than Joe Clark's book. Thus I didn't learn anything new other than the course was too basic for me.
I don't know about 508 as it doesn't apply in the UK but the colour contrast might be an issue.
I think this person has a point. You say you have done work for,
* TiVo
* Six Apart
* Natural Variety
* Sun
* Rearden
* Virginia Spine Institute
* Hillary Clinton
but what work? they are some really big people and you don't provide any work to show what you did.
Hey Chris,
In the entry, I said: "I was in a bit of a rush to get the site up, as I took place in the May 1st Reboot, so the portfolio is definitely bare-bones right now. I'll try to update it soon..."
Also, it's not overly uncommon to simply have a list of names for a client list. But, as I said, I'll be filling the clint list out soon.
Actually, I think he was looking at my site and sent you the email instead. He was trashing 'Infinite' not 'Infinity'. He clearly couldn't even e-mail the correct firm so I wouldn't worry too much about such anonymous nonsense. If he can't be bothered to get your name right or sign his I would count the criticism as less than valued input.
A small message to 'Private Person':
I came across Ryan Brill because of reading one of his articles at A List Apart, and i would find it hard to believe any of the works he claims to have done, he has not done.
Maybe if you did a little research before you accuse people, you wouldn't get mocked in this manner.
Lets take "Natural Variety" as an example. A quick google search is in order. The first link is Ryan's blog post about the site. The second link is to Natural Variety. Now if you check the footer of that site, it says "© 2004, Natural Variety Pet Food. Web Design by Infinity Web Design."
I think that is enough to make anyone believe that that project was by him. Im sure a similar search for any of his other clients would bring up similar results.
Think before you type.
To Ryan:
I eagrley await to see what you have been so busy with lately, and yes, the email is quite amussing ;)
Private Person wrote that he (or she) "...didn't see any of direct links from your folio to your clients."
I thought this was sort of funny. I'm guilty of that myself (not that I see it as a problem). I make a portfolio-only copy of the sites I make. I want the copy of the site linked from my portfolio to have that new site smell (like new car smell). If I link to the client's copy it may end up making me look worse than I am after the client gets done messing it up (it could happen). My portfolio sites stay valid this way. :)
The email you got is so unimportant I don't think I would have even posted it. It's really meaningless.
Damn - I wish I could post links and descriptions of all the work I've done in some kind of portfolio. But I can't, mainly because of NDAs.
Don't rise to his taunts Ryan. Those of us who know you also know about some of the great work you've done.
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June 23rd, 2005
6:45 AM | #
It's like the town with the two barbers-- get your hair cut with the scruffy guy; he's too busy with his numerous clients to take care of himself.
The web company I did PHP for last co-op term had a hideous website, and hardly any publicside portfolio. Once there's a slow spot in the business, these things get updated. But word-of-mouth is where it's at, Mr. Private Person.