If you haven't done so already, feel free to send in the 50% deposit necessary to secure your place in my calendar. You can create a client billing account and generate your deposit invoice from my payment page. Because I receive several inquiries per week, projects are prioritized by the date the deposit comes in, so it's important to do this as quickly as possible so you aren't bumped to a later week. Please understand it is not possible for me to reserve a date on my calendar without receiving a deposit first.

Once your invoice has been generated, it can be paid online with a credit card through PayPal (preferred) or Google Checkout by clicking the payment links available on the invoice. You may also send an offline payment with a check/money order to:

Tara McKendry
PO Box 204
Park Falls, WI 54552

When sending a check or money order payment, please email me on the date it goes out so I know to check my PO Box. Information for sending a Western Union or Money Gram payment can be found on the lower, left-hand side of my payment page.

Cancellation Policy
Please be sure you have reviewed my cancellation policy. Because I lose income for those dates blocked off on my calendar for your project, cancellations must be received more than 7 days before your project start date to receive a full deposit refund. Cancellations received between 7 and 1 day before your start date will receive a 50% deposit refund (assuming no work has yet been done yet). Project cancellations received the day of or past your start date will forfeit the deposit entirely.

If you not wish to cancel, but require delaying your project temporarily, a development extension for up to six months is available upon request. Project extensions that are not resumed or rescheduled within six months will be cancelled entirely with deposit forfeiture.

1 Year of web hosting and domain name registration are included free of charge with my standard design package. If you would like to take advantage of this, just send me the domain that you'd like me to register for you and I'll do the rest. Feel free to use my domain availability search tool to ensure the domain you want isn't already taken.

If you do not require either a domain name or hosting account, I'll need the FTP username & password to your current hosting provider so I can upload files to your server.  I'll also need the login to your hosting control panel so I can setup the database needed for your VedaCMS website editor to work.  Please be advised that VedaCMS requires your server to meet the spec requirements outlined below. If you're not sure, please contact your hosting provider beforehand to confirm.

• Unix-based Server
• PHP 5 or higher
• mySQL 4 or higher
• GD2 Library
• Safe Mode OFF
• Ability to create database
• phpMyAdmin or similar

NOTE: VedaCMS will NOT work on a Windows based server.

Please provide detailed feedback on your preferences for the design areas outlined below:

Layout Style

Do you prefer a fixed or variable height design layout?  In a fixed height design, the height of your design shell will remain the same between pages and visitors use a custom scrollbar to navigate longer text.  In a variable height design, the height of your design shell expands or contracts as needed to fit your content and visitors use their browser scrollbar to navigate longer text. 

Most of the designs in my portfolio are fixed height, but I am happy to use whichever method you prefer. If you prefer a variable height design, it's usually best if you can include information on how you'd like to see your photo placed within the design area (ie: top header area, on the side, framed within text, etc), as many ladies make reference to designs in my portfolio without understanding that photos in a fixed height design will look different if laid out in a variable height design.  Another option is to send examples of other variable height websites that have content (photos/text/menu) similar to what you want.

Color Pallet & Mood

Is there a specific color pallet you'd like used with your website?  In most cases, choosing colors that compliment photos embedded within the design will result in a more professional, elegant looking website.  If you're not certain about the specific colors you want, it's fine to just provide general information (ie: light, dark, pastels, neutrals, etc) and I can do the rest.  However, if there are colors you know you don't want used - please send this information as well.

Decorative Accents & Patterns

I tend to make use of decorative accents, patterns and/or shadows within a design for balance and depth.  If you would prefer that no accenting be used or have a specific accent/pattern style in mind, please submit this information with your design notes.  You can also send samples or reference other websites that use a pattern or accenting style similar to what you want.

Menu Orientation & Position

Do you prefer a navigation menu that is oriented vertically or horizontally within the design?  If you have something very specific in mind, feel free to include details on where you'd like it positioned or provide links to other websites that have a menu style similar to what you want.

Logo Font

Do you prefer a script (cursive) font or a block/modern (non-cursive) styled font for your stage name graphic within the design?  If there is a specific font you have in mind, feel free to send this information instead, though it usually works best if I have a few different fonts to experiment with when creating your logo.  If you'd like to explore different types of fonts, DaFont.com is a terrific resource.

Example WebSites

If possible, please provide links to any websites that have a layout, color pallet, style or mood similar to what you want.  Although I cannot overtly copy another design, it's very helpful to have a visual reference of the overall style you admire so I can be sure to take your design in the right direction.

IMPORTANT: Please understand that I will not work with photos that do not belong to you. I strongly advocate honest advertising and will not implement photos into a design if I know you are not the person in them.

Start Date Requirements

A photo will be needed for each main page of your website before I can begin work on your design.  If you're having new photos taken and discover that they won't be ready by the time we're scheduled to begin, please contact me as soon as possible so we can adjust your start date as needed.

Photos that will go into your gallery won't be implemented until a later stage of development, so you don't have to send those immediately if you'd like more time to pick out the ones you want to use.

Photo Sizes

Please send photos that are AT LEAST 1000 pixels on one side  (larger sizes are fine too). This ensures I have more flexibility for positioning them within the design, as I can always size down an image but cannot size up without significant loss of quality.

Photo Choices

If you have a preference on which photo is used for each page, please name the photo files accordingly before sending them so I know where they should be placed. (Example: bio.jpg, rates.jpg, contact.jpg, etc...)

Photo Editing

I can crop or blur your photos, so it isn't necessary to do this prior to sending them unless there is a specific way you'd like it done. If your photos show your face, please specify if you'd like your features hidden. I typically use a combination of cropping, shadowing or blurring. If you prefer one method over the other, you can outline this in your notes.

Although I'm happy to do minor touch-ups on your photos, a professional photographer will generally do a much better job with advanced editing on your images than what I can do for you.  Because I encourage honest advertising, please understand that I won't do dramatic body sculpting on photos.  I'm happy to smooth skin and fix bulges from tight clothing, but am not comfortable making a companion appear more than 5-10 lbs below her actual weight.

Sending Photos

You are welcome to email your photos to me directly or we can use a cloud storage service like Dropbox.com, Box.com or Picasa to make the transfer (share invites for those services should be sent to vedasupport@gmail.com). 

Design Photos VS Gallery Photos

Design photos are those which are embedded into your site graphics and cannot be swithched out using your website editor.  Gallery photos are those that appear in your photo gallery and can be changed any time using your VedaCMS website editor.  If you get new photos in the future and want your design photos swapped out, you can open a support ticket to have me do this for you.  

Page List

Please outline the pages you'll need for your website in the order you'd like them to appear in your menu.
Examples: Bio, Gallery, Rates, FAQ, Contact, etc...

Booking Form

Your website includes an SSL secured booking form that is processed through my SecureForm service at SecureCompanion.com.  A base form with the most common fields will be set up for you by default (Example Form). Once the form is active, you'll have the ability to login to your SecureForm dashboard to add or remove fields as needed.  

Optional Features

The following pages & features are available to you at no additional cost.  Please indicate which of these tools you'd like to use so I can create the necessary pages or links when setting up your website.

• Blog
• Calendar
• Mailing List
• Member Only Gallery

If your text isn't ready  yet, PLEASE work on it during the first two weeks I am creating your design. 

Your VedaCMS website editor allows you to add/edit/remove page text, but it's best if I can do the initial insertion & formatting for you. Your page text will be requested after the initial design draft is finished, so it's essential to use that time I'm working on your initial design to write your content so we aren't delayed in the next stage of development. Although I regret taking such actions...excessive delays due to content not being ready by Stage 3 of development may result in a $50 penalty being added to your final invoice. 

You are also welcome to send your site text immediately with your initial project notes if you have it ready, but I can use dummy text during the first phase of development if you need more time to work on it.  If you will be using content from your previous website, please copy & paste the text into an email or send it as a file attachment.

Copywriting Services

Please see the Copywriters & Assistants section of my site for copywriter recommendations.  

Development on your website begins after all of your materials above have been received (with exception to page copy, which can be sent after the 2nd week of development). The first draft of your website will be ready two weeks after development begins. If you like the design I come up with, then it usually takes an additional week (depending on your feedback) to finish tweaking your site and having everything ready for public launch.

Development of your website would commence in the following stages:

• STAGE 1: DESIGN DRAFT (2 Weeks)
  
  This is the initial design phase where I create a mockup of your new site in photoshop. I typically spend the first week sketching up different ideas and experimenting with accents, colors and layout choices. Once I decide on a final direction for your design, I spend the second week fine tuning the details into a viewable demo.  The initial draft will be sent as a collection of mock-up screens or, in some cases, as a fully coded web page. 
  
  What to Expect
  I generally don't communicate with you during this phase unless I need clarification on something in your notes.  Because feeback on an unfinished design usually ends up being counter productive, I don't allow early previews of my work until the first draft is ready after the 2nd week of development.  If you don't like what I've come up with, then I'm happy to revise the design based on your feedback in stage 2 below.  Unless you've already sent page text, you should use these first two weeks to write the initial draft of your text , as it will be expected after I send the first demo of your design.
   
• STAGE 2: FEEDBACK & MODIFICATIONS (0-? Days)
  
  This is where I will modify the initial design draft based on your feedback. Typically this process takes 1 to 5 days, though more time may be needed if you require extensive modifications or request a completely different direction from your original notes. If you like the design as-is, then I will go immediately to stage 3.  This is also the point where you should send along your finalized site text if you have not already.
  
  What to Expect:
  Daily collaboration is needed during this phase so we can finalize your design in a timely manner. If you will be unavailable 3 or more business week days during this stage, it is important to let me know so we can adjust your project timeline. Extended delays in communication during this stage will result in your project being rescheduled or cancelled. Although it rarely happens, if we cannot agree on a final design within two weeks, we may have to discuss additional fees necessary for the extended development.
  
  If you require more than just minor tweaks to the demo, this stage goes more smoothly if you can provide specific and detailed instruction on how you want things to look. The reason for this is that we're evolving the design at this point more from your instincts than my own. Because we're only focusing on the design at this point, I'll ask that you not send any changes that relate to your site copy (assuming it is being used in the demo) - as I prefer to work exclusively on the graphics design portion of your site until it is finalized. 
   
• Stage 3: DEVELOPMENT (2-3 Days)
  
  This is where I take your finalized design and code it into your actual web pages if this was not already done for your demo. Once your pages are set up, I will install your content management system and plug all of your finalized site copy into the database.
  
  What to Expect:
  There is really nothing for you to do during this phase, as it involves all of the technical development of your web pages.  Once VedaCMS is installed and plugged into your website, I'll ask you to login and make any necessary changes to your site text, which also helps you familiarize yourself with the editing system.
   
• Stage 4: Testing and Launch (1-3 Days)
  
  This is the point where your pages are set up and we go through to inspect for any errors or last minute changes. Once everything is ready, I'll send off your 'Account Information' email and final invoice. After receiving payment, I'll remove the 'In Development' page from your domain. Final payment must be received within 3 days of project completion, regardless of whether or not you want to start using the site publicly right away.
  
  What to Expect:
  In addition to double-checking your site text for any last minute changes, you should log into your VedaCMS website editor at time and update the META tags for each of your pages.  

Work Schedule

My work schedule typically runs from 9am-5pm, four days a week. I reserve weekends and Wednesdays for time off with my family. There will be exceptions to this when I am working  to meet a deadline or if I keep later hours due to family responsibilities in the day, but for the most part, you can expect my availability to fall within the official timelines. My hosting server is monitored 24/7 by a company I keep on monthly retainer - so there is always someone available to reboot or fix problems with the server even if I'm not working.

Post-Launch Support

Once development on your website is finished and you are launched publicly, all future support requests should be made through the ticketing system of my online help desk. Non-critical client updates are usually performed in the morning of every Monday and Friday. Support tickets are prioritized by the order received, so it is important to use the ticketing system to submit your request so you are added to the update queue. Maintenance or update request emailed to me directly will be receive a delayed queue placement, as I'll have to instruct you to submit a ticket for the request.

You have the choice of three support ticket severities: High, Medium or Low. High severity tickets are handled as soon as I see them, but please understand this should only be set in the event of a real emergency (something that prevents visitors from using your site or contacting you). All other update requests should be set to medium or low.

Clients should periodically check my blog or twitter feed for important announcements or server notices. Upcoming vacation notices are always posted above the form on my contact page.

This covers everything I'd need to get started initially. Please don't hesitate to contact me or provide additional information with the requests above if needed.

I look forward to working with you!

- Tara