Posts

Robert Crain

Change Of Hours, and some.

About two months ago, I changed the days and tweaked the hours I dedicate towards CrainWP.com.

My dedication towards the work I do for CrainWP.com hasn’t changed, but I made a promise to myself and my partner, to live a life more balanced than I have in recent years.

I wanted to ‘get out’ more, rather than sit behind a desk for 70+ hours per week. I am also looking forward to studying photography in the new year, and flying my drone [ as a hobby ] a bit more.

Although WordPress has been very good to me, financially, I’ve been doing consistently good elsewhere, with other investments and the time has arrived where I’ve needed to re-evaluate my ‘role’ in life. The age-old question of ‘how much is enough’ has been trickling through my mind for the past few years, so I’ve decided to act on that question.

I love WordPress, so I will not be giving it up. I’ll still be answering emails, helping people via forums, and accepting requests for assistance via theme developers – just less of it.

The time has come to fly more, drive more, and enjoy life more. The past 9 months, have been bliss :)

(Drone Photo via Unsplash.com)

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Robert Crain

This is NOT me

Not WordPress Related.

Several months ago, I attempted to contact this business, and find out who the ‘Robert Clifford Crain’ was behind the ‘Mums Cafe and Restaurant’ Business. To no avail.

I contacted NSW Police, as I believe that someone may have stolen my identity, who in return recommended I contact the Australian Taxation Office.

The Australian Taxation Office, in their wisdom, asked if I had proof that somebody had in fact stolen my identity, and is committing a crime. Obviously I don’t have proof, but what I do know is;

  1. My name is Robert Clifford Crain.
  2. In 2010, I registered a business name, Mums Cafe and Restaurant.
  3. I never renewed the business name, although for some reason it was renewed. It was finally cancelled in 2018.
  4. There is NO business registered now by that name.
  5. The odds of ANOTHER Robert Clifford Crain existing in New South Wales, let alone one that just happens to use the business name of Mums Cafe and Restaurant, dare I say, are all but 0%.

At what point does ANY Australian Government department or office, take these things seriously. I was basically told that if I had proof that somebody was breaking the law, I should provide it, otherwise, there’s nothing they could do.

What could be done at a Police or ATO level, is look at Government records to find out if there is in fact ‘another’ Robert Clifford Crain. Something so simple, made difficult by bureaucracy and a Public Service, that just does not care.

So, for the record – This is NOT me.

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Robert Crain

Freelance Websites Vs Local Business

Great subject. Who would you rather turn to, to get work done on your WordPress Website? Local or International?

I watched the video below, a few days ago – Stefan is worth subbing, if you’re into development, and I’ve been thinking about writing about this subject, discussing what I believe are the Pro’s and Con’s with using Freelance Websites as opposed to a Local WordPress Professional.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working on websites that weren’t based in Australia. The issues I primarily faced, was payment related, and time differences which was a bit of a problem when needing to communicate with the websites’ owner. Chasing someone overseas for payment was pretty much a waste of time.

In Australia, we have a rather high cost of living / standard. Sometimes, if you’re doing work on a US or Canadian, or European Country-based website, the exchange rate can work in your favor, because you can lower your rate to match or ‘beat’ another WordPress Professionals’ rate. Other things that come into play, are the quality of work, and accessibility of communications, so it’s not always price-based that matters most.

The ‘problem’ we, as professionals, now face – and I use that term loosely, is that you have emerging economies such as India / Pakistan, and the Philippines, who have entered this area of work, and are charging ridiculously low rates, and they ARE getting the work. In some ways, this has ‘forced’ some WordPress Professionals to lower their rates, to get any work at all.

This is where your Branding comes into play – and has the ability to benefit you so much more than someone operating in one of the BRIC economies.

Some people with a little entrepreneurial flare have embraced this, and actually build their brand, based on pushing out cheap websites – using people in BRIC economies to build these cheap websites. The issue I have with using these operators, is that people have been left with ‘broken’ websites, that these operators refuse to repair. People like me are left to pick up the pieces and fix websites that are just horribly written, and most need to be built again, from scratch. These operators will take your money and run.

This is part of the reason why I tell people up-front, that I am not cheap – but I get the job done, and will provide assistance free-of-charge, if there’s an issue. Not one customer of mine has ever had to say a bad word against me – because I do whatever it takes to do the job. I don’t leave people in the lurch if there’s an issue.

My name is my brand. I’ve said it before, and will continue to say it.

The option you have is simple – Pay the going rate (based on experience and quality) in the country you live, or pay the penalty through a dud WordPress Website.

We all have choices. Sometimes we make choices based on what we can afford, I get that. But, given the fact that more and more WordPress Websites are used for business, I ask you this very simple question;

What value do you place on your business, your brand, your future?

I often ask people to think very carefully about who they trust with their websites. The consequences can be pretty scary.

In Australia, for example, we have plenty of laws that basically make you liable for security breaches – be it, insurance-wise, or criminally. I for one, work within these laws, because I know that I ‘could’ face charges of not securing your data, whereas, if you (for example) were to have a website built by someone from a BRIC economy, they would be untouchable, whereas you would be completely liable.

I think it’s a very serious subject, that needs greater transparency regarding liability.

Just think about your choices. It could mean the difference between owning your home, or losing it – and going to jail.

Whatever you choose, make it the right one.

As always, I’d appreciate a share or seven, and please feel free to contact me for any information about this post or any other subject I’ve written about.

EDIT – I’ve been asked by a few people where I get my images for websites that I build. If you’re in need of images for a new website, or if you’re updating a website, visit websites such as Pixabay or Unsplash – AVOID using images you ‘just like’, it’s illegal unless the image has been labelled for reuse.

Finding your own images can save you hundreds of dollars off a build.

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