Disabling form submit on keypress
By default, forms submit when you hit the enter key inside of an input field. This is a pretty helpful feature most of the time, but there will be times when you want or need to disable that functionality. I just had one of those issues on a recent project and wanted to share the solution I found.
First thing you need is a function to escape the keypress event:
function nokeypress(e)
{
var pressedkey;
if(window.event)
pressedkey = window.event.keyCode;
else
pressedkey = e.which;
return (pressedkey != 13);
}
The second thing you need is to add a call to the function we just created in the “onkeypress” event of the input field:
{input onkeypress="return nokeypress(event)" name="textbox1" type="text" }
That’s it!
Happy Coding!
Owner/Operator
Vaughan Freelance Svcs
Escrow vs. Deposit
This is an issue I come across a lot. If you use a payment system, like elance, that allows for escrowing funds, sometimes clients will insist on escrowing. Now, there’s nothing wrong with escrowing (I use it a lot), but it is not a replacement for a deposit in hand.
Remember that the purpose of a deposit is to create a financial commitment on the part of the client, as well as help to cover any overhead during the duration of the project. Escrowed Funds simply do not meet this burden. Clients are more comfortable with escrow because they can see the money, they know you can’t touch it unless they say so, and it’s really sort of a half-commitment on their part.
Never accept escrow as an alternative to a deposit. If you agree on a job and the terms include a deposit, then get a deposit. clients may be reluctant, but I find that a client who won’t pay a deposit is more often than not pretty flaky when it comes to paying out at all… they want you to work to bring their idea to life, and they “they’ll see” how it goes… That’s not good business….
Get a deposit!
Christopher L. VaughanOwner/Operator
Vaughan Freelance Svcs
Don’t be afraid to ask for money!
Today we’re talking about the best and worst part of the job… getting paid! I say best and worst because, believe it or not, there will be clients who don’t wanna pay you, or take a long time to get payment out, etc…. and that sucks. because I hate to have to start billing people and dealing with accounts receivables, but such is the nature of business…
The Deposit
This also covers the issue of getting a deposit. If you’re not currently getting deposits for your work before you start, there’s only one reason….because you didn’t ask for one! I promise you, that most clients are more than willing to pay you a deposit. As a freelancer, you are a contract worker, just like a contractor that someone would hire to remodel their kitchen. Do those people work without a deposit? NO! The fact of the matter is, people expect to pay a deposit, but they’re not going to tell YOU that… if you don’t say anything they won’t either…. So start asking for a deposit before you accept jobs…
How much should I charge for a deposit?
How much you charge is really up to you. I routinely charge between 20-40%… usually the larger the job the lower the percentage. I try to get at least $100 in deposit, but I’ve gotten deposits upwards of $400. It just depends on the job. A good rule of thumb is to divide the total amount of the contract by the total time of the job and charge around one week’s worth(or a quarter of the total time, if it’s a short contract).
What if they don’t pay?
If a client doesn’t pay you right away, most times it’s because they are taking the time to check out your work, because they figure once you get paid you’re gone. There’s nothing wrong with that. What you have to look out for is if they are taking an exorbitantly long time and you haven’t heard from them. Whatever service you are using should have measures in place for you to request payment and take action against non-paying clients(I use elance.com). But, I find that generally a nice message explaining that you feel that the time to release payment has arrived and why you feel that way, is sufficient. Not an accusing message, but just letting them know that the job is complete. sometimes people really do just get busy and forget.
As an example, I had a client recently who we started work on a tuesday and he asked me to rush the job because it was “urgent” so I told him I can have it done by friday if it’s that urgent… I did and upon completion, he tells me that he will check it out on saturday and then pay me. normally that would be fine, but the fact that we were rushing the job, made me feel a little taken. I sent him a message pretty much explaining to him that given that we rushed the job at his request I had proceeded with the understanding that we would be done before the weekend and urging him to get it done on friday. He did and I got paid on friday. And he’s approached me to do more work… So, don’t be afraid to let people know what you require. remember, you are a business.. you can’t go in mcdonald’s and say “I’m not going to pay you until I taste the sandwich”… they have procedures that must be followed by the customer and there’s nothing wrong with you doing the same…
Christopher L. VaughanOwner/Operator
Vaughan Freelance Svcs
New Facebook Page
After reviewing my current promotional agenda, I found that I’m really slacking in the “selling myself” department, which is important, because the more popular I become the more I can charge and the less time I’ll have to spend working, which is the whole goal right.. 
So with that being said, I’ve created an official facebook page, finally! Please go like it, and read about my company….
Christopher L. VaughanOwner/Operator
Vaughan Freelance Svcs
