I am going to give you a breakdown of my ... er ... work ... playtime .... income ....

I'm a UK based Web Designer, Web Developer, Internet Consultant. I build websites, content management systems and internet solutions for anybody who can afford me. I am a prostitute!! Yes! A prostitute - I use my website to sell my wares and hope that the client enjoys the result if they decide to pick me up. I like to think of myself as giving good head to a "web enabled userbase". Apparently prostitution is the "oldest trade". Well if that's so then I've been doing the same as long at the internet has been available to home users here in the UK.

It's been nearly 8 years since I first logged on to the internet from my home. Prior to that I'd used gopher servers via mdx.ac.uk as a student in the early 90's. Prior to that BBS's were fun. I now find myself working from home as a kind of web dogsbody. Just me, four cats, 2 horses, my son and my amazing partner down here on a 6 acre smallholding in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. I have several titles:

Web Designer

I use this if a client needs me to make images to make their site "pretty". Web design has been written about by the Guru's in their ivory mansions. At the end of the day what is it? It's being able to realise the clients vision without resorting to cheesy backgrounds and blinking text. Keep it nice and clean.

If your a web designer with a difficult client.. do not do what they want!! Just tell them what they should do or drop them. The previous statement depends on two things:

How much do you KNOW your right?

How much are they're PAYING you?

Most of us now know what is good design..

If your lost - read some Chomsky : )

Web Developer

This one is for websites that need "coding" - y'know... PHP, ASP, SQL etc. A web designer puts good clean concepts into an xhtml - css layout which works (HTML is bunk). A web developer makes the content within this design actually "do stuff". I started out making web sites "do stuff" in late 2000. I now make websites do "lots of stuff".

A web developer does stuff which allows users to do stuff. A web designer allows users to read the stuff the web developer does.

Internet Consultant

A nice one this - it covers both of the above yet also allows me to do the following.. It also looks good on a business card.

Beware folk who say that they are "Internet Consultants" who do not also claim to be at least one of the others on this page. They are probably con men.

Web Guru

This is a found role. I can teach! I have ideas!

"Hmm, I do that also" - what makes you special? That's what your thinking.

I don't need anyone to show me how to use my new fangled CMS (that's "Content Management System"). How to send email, use Adwords, get cash from Adsense. Guru - that's just a made up term..

This title come through experience - people are telling me that I'm a Guru. I myself am holding judgemental on this.

I have always been a "communicator"

Friend

I have lots of clients. Some are just one offs. The small guest house that needs a simple three page website and an email account - others are clients that need constant modifications to their portal or ecommerce website. I try to get on with them all. Some have become friends.

About the Author
Andrew Mottershead is a web developer providing his freelance services to anyone who needs his talents . If he's too busy he has loads of freelance mates who may be able to help. His website is www.mindstream.co.uk - which is updated when he gets time.