Being involved with commission only businesses, moving, add and changing numbers, I know I have experienced my fair share of establishing phone service for business and personal use.  In hopes to save money, you always will try the next guy because they all sound great…. then just end up nickel and dime you or try to lock you into a long term contract.

Business phones are the worst because they typically charge you by the minute, most cases you have to get a special phone system, and it is a pain to make changes or maybe just add another line to the system.

My first adventure away from the traditional land line was Vonage which is a Voip System that utilizes your high speed internet instead of the regular phone line.  Believe me, I was excited to make the transition because unlimited minute, designated fax line without needed to pay for another number.  It was going to be great… or so I thought.  Things were alright, but to secure a low price they required a contract, also you had to buy special boxes to link through your modem so that you could get your regular phone to work.  Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly what I imagined.  Yes, you got all the call waiting and call forwarding including in the price.  And they did have nice features like getting voice mail in my email box or even converting my message to text.   Features my local service didn’t provide.

For a small business, it just wasn’t quite practical enough.  Trying to have an 800 or multiple lines.  It just wasn’t as flexible as I needed for running a business that would have people come and go…or even if it didn’t fluxuate.

Then…I found another system, it offered multiple lines, unlimited minutes… it seemed great, but the monthly fee even know it was less was more than what I wanted to pay for a small business….and again, they locked you into a contract.

Finally…just a couple of month ago I found it.  Probably one of the best finds I have had as a small business.  I wish someone would have suggested this years ago.  I have been self-employed for over 8 years now… and I have finally found something that is of real good value, RingCentral!

If you only knew how good this service is.  They give you the boxes, you can use blue tooth, you can forward to your pda or cell and make calls as if you were from your office…$4.00 800 numbers..unlimited minutes,

For help with organic ranking, you may want to consider key words that people will be search for you in the domain name. Many times your name is taken, if this is the case, take a look at the same name with hyphens. You will still get the benefits of your key words for organic ranking.  Also, don’t be afraid of longer names… as long as it is descriptive it shouldn’t be an issue.

Before you buy anything on the web, to save money I always look for coupons. Click on the link below to save some money on your next domain name.

People overlook coupons all the time, but saving a dollar here and there is easy.  Plus it really adds up over time.  I never buy anything online, especially at major retailers, until I check for coupons.

Here are some of our favorite resources that we call upon when our mind goes blank..

960.gs

This site offers some really useful resources and inspiration.  Now that most monitors support 960 up from 760 ,this resource is something we can’t live without.  They have templates and a very through CSS reset file that works great.

The 960 grid system also takes into consideration the Golden Ratio which is believed to be perfectly proportioned and aesthetically pleasing.  Great minds and artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dalí,  used the golden ratio in many of their works.

Smashing Magazine.com

This is a must for graphic and web designers.  They are the masters of collecting mashups and summarizing useful resources.  If you have a brain fart, this is definitely a first stop to get your mind back on track.

They offer some super freebies… this WordPress template was a freebie from one of many Smashing Magazine contributors, cssmayo.  Thanks to them, we were able to S.C.R.A.T.C.H. it up and make it our own. The beauty of the web…sharing.  Not only does it make life a little simpler, it makes humans light years better, faster.

Net Tuts

How about some great tutorials from our family of tuts… NetTuts, PsdTuts, VectorTuts, and more.  There can never be enough turtorials.  Since most people have been self taught in the web world having tutorials from several different resources can be very helpful.  Every one has a different perspective or way of doing things.  One tutorial you can get easy, the next just doesn’t cut it.

NetTuts is definitely a good start in the right direction for a web resource.  Don’t foget to use your Google Reader so that you can get all your useful feeds in one place.  You can do a search and find some other helpful sites.

A List Apart

Here is another sellar resource for those that make do web design.  They publish two quality articles a month.  Their articles pretty much cover all the fine details of making professional websites.  From code, design to process, they have you covered.

What is also nice…if you are looking for services or jobs, they have links to resources such as job posting through 37 signals and products like AWeber.

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UI Scraps

This site shows you the good, bad and ugly of web user interfaces.  Why is this important?  Well.. a good interface can be the difference between a sale or just a browser.

Putting a finished touch on your websites is what can set you apart in a sea of web and graphic designers.  Yes, I believe there is more than enough to go around, but having that extra edge is like icing on the cake for your next interview or client presentation.

Just knowing where to go for information can set you apart.

There are so many resources out there.  If you are having a hard time finding different resources, why not try StumbleUpon.. but I have to warn you, it could become an addiction.  So, use with caution.