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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A List Apart: A Modest Proposal


by Nathan Peretic



Proposals are difficult. They take too long. They’re usually an exercise in unrequited love. Is it any surprise creative professionals cringe when it’s time to put one together? Proposals are, however, often vital to being in business. Whether you’re running a solo shop or keeping a team of 25 busy, they lead directly to that next paycheck, enable us to keep the gears of business turning, and, ultimately, to make wonderful stuff.



Five critical questions
A compelling proposal requires more than a jumble of clichés and a nervous estimate of costs. It needs structure, organization, and joie de vivre.

We can provide that structure—no matter how complicated the final proposal needs to be—by providing the prospective client the answers to a few fundamental questions:

1.Who are you?
2.Why are you bidding on this project?
3.What do you propose to do?
4.When will it be done?
5.How much will it cost?

Using these questions as a foundation, we can craft a proposal to convince the client that we’re the right team for the job.

What, when, and how much?
“How much will it cost?” or “how soon can you finish?” are questions that no prospective client can apparently resist asking early in the process. Having already persuaded the client that the appropriate time to assess cost and timeline is once pre-bid discussions are complete, we now find ourselves post-discussion and smack-dab in the middle of writing the proposal, so it’s time to make those determinations. It is worth cautioning, however, that healthy client relationships, and consequently well-executed projects, depend not on answers to these relatively superficial questions but instead on deeper levels of compatibility that we will explore later. For now, we should consider how “what,” “when,” and “how much” will influence a well-balanced proposal.

At this point, the budget should at least be partially known, owing either to full and early disclosure by the client or by your persistent investigative work. A wholly undisclosed budget is a problem. No car dealer, realtor, or salesman of any type will waste his time throwing darts at an unknown target. Neither should you.

Exact dates and prices are naturally going to be hard to pin down before the project’s discovery and strategy phases are complete. In your proposal, try to get close—but make it clear that both parties will need flexibility at least through the early stages of the project. Accurately estimating how long a project will last, how large a chunk you will be removing from the client’s wallet, or how many widgets your team will crank is somewhere between a mysterious process and an utterly indecipherable black art. There will be plenty of time down the road to adjust if necessary. (Just don’t forget to include language to that effect in both your proposal and your contract.)

Regarding the “what,” the web industry rightly abhors speculative work. Designing, building, or consulting for free devalues your work and that of your colleagues. Of course that doesn’t mean you should ignore the project’s details. You absolutely need to demonstrate that you understand the context, the problem area, and potential solutions. Show your ability to intelligently discuss the essential aspects of the project. Show that you have, as David Sherwin advocates, pre-digested the problem. Whether you’re building a marketing site, a game, or a full-fledged application, you should be able to relate this project to the state of the industry as a whole and briefly touch upon the techniques you will use. Demonstrating insight into and maybe even excitement about client needs will be well received.

Who? Why?
Every successful proposal results in a partnership. You, the professional and the client team up to create an artifact, which is the product of your relationship. If they had the resources to complete the work in-house, they wouldn’t need you. Since they’ve come to you, clearly that isn’t the case. Therefore, you have an opportunity, an opportunity to describe yourself, your process, and your motivations. Do not take this opportunity lightly. Your words here will dictate the nature of your relationship. Exchanging the role of equal partner for servant is your choice. If you want respect, authority, and control, you must demand it. To do less is a disservice to the client and an altogether unprofessional attitude.

Beyond setting the tone for the relationship, of course, you’re also trying to win some business. The good news for you is that a prudent client—the kind you really want—will choose a web partner on the strength of the entire package. Doing otherwise, selecting on a matrix of numbers, dates, and line items, is an exercise in foolishness, akin to buying a car without knowing the make and model. Relationships, even in business, are founded on and strengthened by mutual compatibility. Proposing to work together on a project is remarkably similar to proposing marriage (despite the obvious and important differences): it ought to be a decision based on both emotion and reason, supported by a high degree of trust. In writing a proposal, you are making the case for the appropriateness of your new life together. These early, hesitant steps toward knowing one another better are crucial.

You might find it helpful to start simply by describing yourself. What’s different about your company? Why does your company exist? Who comprises the company? Where are you located? Don’t underestimate the importance of this narrative.

At some point later in the document, include the contact information for a few of your best clients. References reassure the reader that you are who you claim to be. You might also wish to provide a brief overview of some previous projects similar to the project on which you are bidding. Business is as much (if not more) about people as it is about dollars and cents, deliverables and timelines. If your company is difficult to relate to because your proposal is generic, it shouldn’t surprise you when you are inevitably forgotten.

Above all, don’t be timid. The proposal is where you lay it on the line. It is your ambassador, your emissary. It serves to screen you from undesirable clients and attract the good-looking ones. To do this, it should reflect and clarify the reputation you have already established. Be upfront about your business principles. Stand for something. Even if—especially if—your way is controversial or unique. Full Stop might not agree with Bold about whether the customer is always right, but it’s important that Bold’s potential customers do. Meticulously evaluate every client before issuing a proposal. Once you do, don’t panic if they walk because you stuck to your philosophical guns. You just saved yourself bucket-loads of stress and misery.

Finally, have a reason for offering your services and make that reason clear. Is non-profit work something you’re passionate about? Do you love sports? Is it your mission to help local companies? Realistically, it’s possible that you’re just trying to make payroll or ends meet. That’s okay. At the very least, you can state your commitment to fast, error-free code, clean and simple design, or intuitive content strategy. Find your reason.

Bonus materials
At minimum, to qualify for the job, you must answer the key questions. An outstanding proposal, and one that puts your company in the best possible position, needs more. A few tips:

Read it backwards. If who, why, what, how much, and when are the scaffolding your proposal hangs on, conscientious attention to the little bits are what can elevate it over the competition. A poorly designed, sloppily worded, or generally slipshod proposal signals the client that your work is of the same poor quality. Don’t send a proposal full of typos and grammatical errors. Have a friend look it over. Try some of these proofreading tips from Purdue’s Online Writing Lab. You’re a professional. Make sure your proposal reinforces that.

Under-promise. Don’t commit to anything you can’t deliver. It’s better to lose a project by leaving yourself room to over-deliver than to boast of your prowess only to find yourself in the weeds later. Managing expectations is critical to having happy clients.

Have a template, but don’t be a slave to it. Reuse language about your company, but focus on making the parts unique to this project shine. Proposals ought to be preceded by a period of getting to know the client. Use that knowledge to shape the language, tone, approach, and content. This proposal may be shown to people you haven’t met personally, so make sure it conveys who you are without your presence.

Shorter is better. Superfluous examples, references, and blathering on about “capabilities” are easily identified as boilerplate and possibly even a bit desperate. Make the client feel special.

Solicit feedback. Win or lose, each proposal is an opportunity to improve your writing, to hone your story, to get better. What did they like? What didn’t they like? Sometimes your price will be too high. Sometimes you will be bidding against someone who is more suited to the job than you are. Sometimes you failed to write a compelling proposal that gave the client a reason to work with you. Don’t leave valuable information behind.

Be confident in your work and in your proposal. For every project that goes your way, six won’t—at least in the beginning. Failure, however, is the handmaiden of success. Don’t lower your rates, exaggerate your abilities, or abandon your process in the face of rejection. Confidence—even confidence you don’t always feel—is attractive and will eventually beget results.

Win one for the team
Why should you be selected for this project? Because you’re the cheapest? The quickest? Because you promise to do more than the other guys? Maybe. Sometimes those are the reasons, but they’re also the levers you least want to rely on pulling. Website design and development are services and not, on the professional level, commodities. Providing a commodity is an exhausting, unsatisfying, deadening experience. Doing what you love, on the other hand, working as an equal partner with smart, respectful clients is invigorating.

Establish that collegial relationship at the outset of the project with a personal, brief, sincere proposal. You’ll be glad you did.
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Lisa’s (Online) Teaching Blog: The Wild West and Mobile Learning: a weblog experiment by Lisa M. Lane, dedicated to the principle of Pedagogy First!



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Microsoft: 4 reasons to synchronize your phone with your PC


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Microsoft: 5 productivity tips for Windows


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Microsoft: Time management tips: 5 beliefs that limit productivity


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6 ways to streamline your tasks in MS Outlook


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Business resources of Microsoft.com


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Tech Tutorials


Free computer tutorials, whitepapers and forums for the Windows family, Macintosh, Unix, Networking, Programming and others.

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HBCU Connect: Dillard University


HBCUConnect.com is the largest community of students, graduates, recruits and fans of Historically Black Colleges and universities.
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BlackEngineer.com: Army Provides $13 Million for HBCU Education Scholarships


The United States Army presented a patriotic flag salute in honor of historically black colleges and universities during the 2011 Essence Music Festival.

The presentation featured Army ROTC Cadets representing their historically black college and a check presentation of education scholarships totaling over $13 million to the United Negro College Fund and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Army, the single largest provider of college scholarships in the country, provides $100 million in scholarships annually to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). There are nearly 700 HBCU students currently receiving Army ROTC scholarships.

Army currently supports education and mentoring programs and events offered by the United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and 100 Black Men of America, Inc.

The U.S. army has sponsored the Essence Music Festival since 2000. This year, a record number of Army general officers and soldiers participated in several Army-sponsored events including a seminar “Promise, Pride and Power of the HBCU Education” for Essence’s “Transforming Your Community Empowerment Experience.”

CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien was the moderator for the discussion about the current state of higher education and the financial and social challenges for young African Americans attending HBCUs.

The Army offers a variety of education benefits for those who choose to enlist, including up to $80,000 through the Army College Fund and the Montgomery GI Bill for education and career development.

To learn more about Army education programs and wide variety of career choices, please visit http://www.goarmy.com/
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Campus Technology: How Do You Grade a Presentation Minus Content?

By Emmett Dulaney 07/13/11

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Afro-American Book Stop: Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will be autographing his book: "Katrina's Secrets: Storms After The Storm" , Saturday July 16, 2011 12 Noon-2 PM


The Afro-American Book Stop

7056 Read Blvd

New Orleans, Louisiana 70127

504-243-2436



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'State Authorization' Struck Down - Inside Higher Ed



U.S. judge voids Education Department rule requiring state approval for online programs, but upholds regulations on incentive compensation and "misrepresentation." more

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Making Ethnic Studies Compute - Inside Higher Ed



Cal State San Marcos professor explains how she used online mapping tools to help students connect social research to their own personal narratives. more

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University Business: Spread Of E-Learning Could Get Costly


By Janese Silvey Columbia Daily Tribune Tuesday, July 12, 2011

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Wikispaces Private Label in Higher Education Webinar Archive



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EDUCAUSE 2011 Online: Rich Content, Convenient Access


As you contemplate the best way to participate in the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, be sure to compare your options. Whether you're attending this year’s gathering of the best thinking in higher education IT in person or online, you're bound to be inspired by innovative strategies, learn practical takeaways, and make new connections.


Here are the benefits of participating online:

Extensive live streaming sessions—With nearly 70 session streams to choose from, you’ll have access to more content than at any past EDUCAUSE online conference. You'll benefit from much of the same content face-to-face attendees are getting, without leaving your campus.

Searchable online program—Navigate live streaming sessions, exclusive online-only sessions, and unique networking opportunities. Also, create a personalized itinerary for what you want to attend. (LIVE sessions will be recorded for on-demand viewing during the conference.)

Virtual exhibit hall—Connect with solution-oriented product/service providers who are available to answer your questions and offer a variety of resources to explore.

Dynamic, user-friendly event environment—This year, you’ll have access to a virtual convention center that allows for easy navigation across all online event activities and enhanced engagement opportunities.

"Nothing takes the place of attending the conference, but the online method was EXTREMELY valuable to us. People from different departments on our campus got together and...created some opportunities for networking that we often seem not to have time for." —EDUCAUSE 2010 Attendee
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LearningExpress, LLC July 2011




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AUC HOSTS FIRST NATIONAL BLACK WOMEN'S LIFE BALANCE & WELLNESS CONFERENCE


ATLANTA - From July 15 to 17, Black women from around the country will gather at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library to discuss ways to maintain a healthy life balance despite the unique challenges they face. The First Annual National Black Women's Life Balance and Wellness Conference, co-chaired by Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum, Ph.D., and Carrie M. Sawyer, will provide opportunities for Black women to learn from one another's experiences, enabling them to live healthier, happier lives.


Statistically, Black women are more likely to face serious and chronic health challenges due to stress, family and job pressures, lack of self-care, and delayed preventative strategies. Many women experience a lack of support as well as strategies for maintaining their physical and emotional health and wellness over the course of their lifetime.

Having experienced some of these challenges themselves, Brooks-Tatum, postdoctoral research and instruction fellow at the AUC Woodruff Library, and Sawyer, experience architect at Critical Mass, set out to create the conference that they always wanted to attend: one that would allow them to have honest, open dialogue centered on health, family, lifestyle choices, career, love, spirituality, relationships, motherhood, and more.

“The conference stemmed in part from a late-night conversation about the struggles that we as Black women face in achieving life balance while working hard to advance in our careers,” said Dr. Brooks-Tatum. “It's something that Black women always talk about when we get together with our friends, but once we plunge back into work, it's pushed to the back of our minds. Then, the lack of mental, physical, and emotional balance affects our health and well-being increasingly over time. This conference is for women from all career fields, socio-economic backgrounds, and ages. We will address our differences while also highlighting our many similarities.”

“The conference’s goal is to provide a platform for Black women to gain the necessary practical strategies for making healthy life choices,” said Sawyer. Brooks-Tatum and Sawyer aim for conference attendees to learn what might work for them, and how they can prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Conference presenters include Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College; Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, chair of Education Studies and associate professor of sociology at DePauw University; Sandy D. Welfare, executive director of Cool Girls, Inc.; and Kimleigh Smith, actor and performer. For additional information or registration, visit http://www.lifebalanceconference.com/
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Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Report: College Enrollment Pool Increasingly Turning to Adult Learners

July 1, 2011 by Amara Phillip

Years after finishing high school, Tracy Perez is finally in college, working to complete her bachelor's degree. Help from the military provided an incentive for Perez to complete her education.

But according to a new report from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), returning to college may become a necessity for millions of adults like Perez.

The report, “Not Just Kids Stuff Anymore: The Economic Imperative for More Adults to Complete College,” finds that the demand for college-educated workers is expected to rise 16 percent by 2018. Yet, what has traditionally been a reliable source of workers—high school graduates—are expected to diminish over the next decade.

In order to keep up with the demands of an increasingly competitive workforce, a growing number of adults will need to attend—or complete—college.

“Congress, state governments and colleges can all support adult credential completion by recognizing that adult students are a substantial and growing share of the undergraduate student population and adjusting policies accordingly,” the authors write.

Cheryl Blanco, vice president for special projects at the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB), says that the CLASP report, though troubling, brings much needed attention to the plight of adult learners, who have complex schedules and often struggle to balance school, work and family.

Blanco says that the national debate over college completion has excluded large numbers of students who have college credentials but have yet to finish their degrees.

“Everyone's so concerned with high school students going on to the college, but they have such a larger number of people out there who would like to complete their degree to make them more competitive in the job market,” she says.

Blanco points to programs in several SREB-member states—such as Kentucky, Louisiana and West Virginia—which are developing pilot projects specifically targeted to adult students. Many of these programs focus on offering flexible schedules which include online or blended coursework.

In Oklahoma, a college completion program, called "Reach Higher," is geared specifically toward adults—age 21 or older—who have accumulated some college credit. Students then work toward a bachelor’s of organizational leadership degree, which provides training in business administration, accounting and communications.

"[It's] really a personalized degree program that allows mostly adult students to take the credits that they've earned that may be in several different majors—maybe they have switched majors or something along that line," says Ben Hardcastle, director of communications at Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

"They have a lot of credit, but not in a lot of areas. And this allows counselors to pull together a lot of that credit that they possibly can," he says.

Perez, who grew up in Hopkinton, Mass., found herself in a familiar predicament after high school—she wanted to go to college, but didn't have the means to do so.

“I took a year off and the plan was to go to college, but the year came and went,” she says.

And though she wasn’t poor, she was never pressured by her parents to attend college.

“They didn't expect me to go to college because they didn’t go to college themselves,” she says.

So she joined the U.S. Army, drawn by its promise to pay for her college education, should the need ever arise.

Eventually, the time came when she began seeking advancement through the ranks. But found that she could only get promoted if she earned an associate’s degree. So, Perez enrolled in Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colo., as a campus-based student, eventually earning an associate’s degree in general studies.

Perez, now a 34-year-old mother of two, is currently living in Orlando, Fla., where she works as contracts specialist for the U.S. Army. She's also taking online classes at the University of Maryland-University College.

Like many adult learners, the decision to take online classes was borne of necessity.

"In the early part of my academic career, I would go to a classroom environment," she says. "But because of my demanding schedule, the only way I can get my education is to go online."

At UMUC, Perez is working toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Though she’s been supported by her employer, she says she still feels like a bit of an outsider.

“I feel like I'm the only one here who doesn't have a bachelor’s degree,” she says. “I feel like I'm the minority.”

The Army currently offers her around $4,500 a year in tuition assistance.

“At the rate I'm going at, that's perfectly fine,” she says. Though since she's taking four classes this semester, she's exceeded her cap for the year.

Blanco says that an adult learner’s ability to receive financial aid is complex and varies from state to state.

Because so many non-traditional students work part-time and often pay for their own tuition, many are not eligible for state aid, though some lottery scholarship programs have provisions which allow nontraditional students to be eligible. Tennessee’s HOPE scholarship program, for example, has a nontraditional component.

And in recent years, employers have been forced to make cutbacks on programs—such as tuition assistance—which ease the burden on working students, says Blanco.

“At least, [students should] work with their employers with a schedule that would allow them to take classes in the evening or late afternoon,” she says.

“It's critical for the overall economy that we draw more attention to the possibilities and the fact that the states are being responsive in building new approaches to help adult learners.”
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Dreamstime Newsletter of July 2011


Stock photography community providing high quality stock photos and stock images. Free photos added weekly.
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Dillard to Host HBCU Law Enforcement Conference: FEMA Specialist to Conduct Training Exercise


(New Orleans) The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Law Enforcement Executives and Administrators (HBCU-LEEA) will host their 12th Annual National Training Conference this week at Dillard and Xavier universities in New Orleans. The conference, which runs from July 12 to 14, will set up shop at Dillard University on Thursday, July 14 for a full day of programming.

A presentation from Phil Moore, a training specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, will highlight the Thursday schedule. From 12:50 p.m. to 5 p.m., Moore will conduct an emergency management tabletop exercise, examining operational plans and problem solving strategies for HBCU law enforcement personnel.

Other speakers slated for Thursday include Warren Riley, former New Orleans police superintendent, who will give the opening plenary entitled “Working Effectively with Administrators” at 9 a.m.; Glenn Rosenberg, general manager of Allied Barton Security Company, who will give a lecture entitled “Working Effectively with Budget Restraints” at 10:15 a.m.; and Henry Kuhn, who will discuss firearms training at 11:45 a.m.

“We want to welcome the HBCUs to New Orleans and thank (HBCU-LEEA President) Chief Therese Homer for bringing the conference to Dillard and Xavier for the first time,” said Dillard University Chief of Public Safety Andre Menzies. “This conference helps to become better in everything we do. We talk emergency preparation, grant writing – everything related to public safety departments – and put it all in the HBCU context.”

HBCU-LEEA, Inc. unites police chiefs, security directors, and public safety executives and administrators from the nation’s 105 HBCUs. Formed in 1999, the organization provides a network of support and an avenue for sharing information, challenges and best practices. It works to provide training and development opportunities for its members, and to address public safety issues in HBCU communities.
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