Veda Designs

The unasked question…

Tara — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:45:35 +0000

Kudos to the Chicago Tribune this morning for printing a story that poses the very same question I ask myself every time I hear about legal action taken against sex workers. And that is, ‘Why is this illegal?’.

Read the story: The other prostitution scandal….

On another note, I have temporarily removed my portfolio due to unwanted attention from the media relating to the Spitzer scandal. Apparently they were trying to discover if someone I designed a website for was the very same ‘Kristen’ as indicated in that story.

As they’ve now identified this woman and posted photos, I can say outright that she is not one of my design clients. However, because I’m still being contacted with general questions about the industry, I have taken down my portfolio to prevent my design clients from being harassed with similar-minded questions about their chosen profession.

Also, to avoid confusion as to what I do, I would like to state for the record that I provide web design and hosting services to escorts. I think the media and public has forgotten (or chooses to ignore) that escorting is a perfectly legal and legitimate business. Whether or not a companion conducts her business within the legal parameters of the profession is irrelevant in terms of the website dynamic itself. It is a choice she must make and not one I have any participation, knowledge or interest in.

If a companion I host were to be prosecuted for prostitution, I would be forced to remove her website from my server. Not because I personally believe she has done anything wrong or that it is the right thing to do, but because I could be held liable for knowingly assisting a business indulging in illicit activities.

However, until that is proven to be the case, every woman I host or design a website for is an escort.� I will not tolerate or respond to emails and blog comments that imply otherwise.� I will not discuss, expose or share information about any of my clients.� These women already have to deal with enough ignorance and judgement from society.� Let them conduct their business in peace.

New Services & Fees

Tara — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:38:16 +0000

Just a heads up that beginning January 1st 2008, my services and fees will be changing as follows:

Web Design Services:

Standard fee will increase from $750 to $800
Secure SSL Form Processing will now be available to everyone at no additional cost
Hosting is now provided on a private, dedicated server owned by Veda Designs
VedaCMS, which allows companions to update text, photos and maintain a simple availability calendar has been completely rewritten and unified into one secure location.
Everything else that was previously included

Hosting Renewal Fees*

1 Year Renewal: $120
6 Month Renwal: $90 (previously unavailable)
Month-to-Month: $20 (previously unavailable)

* Existing Veda clients that have paid for the next year of hosting will not need to worry about the new hosting fees until their next renewal term.

Updated Project Timelines

Tara — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:11:07 +0000

My general policy until now has been to have the first working draft of a new website ready within one week from when I’m sent all of the project data. However, because the new baby is more active and mobile now…I’m finding that I have less time for uninterrupted work throughout the day and recent projects are taking about a week longer than they once did.

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Scheduled Downtime

Tara — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:24:20 +0000

Just a heads up that I will be migrating this website to a new server tonight.� Depending on how long it takes for the server admins to reinstall my SSL certificate, my site may be down throughout the night.

New Design & CMS Upgrades

Tara — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:35:36 +0000

Taking advantage of the holiday weekend, I’ve decided to finally launch my new site design, which was in passive development for the last two months. I’ve been wanting to do a web 2.0 look for quite some time (bigger fonts, soothing colors, lots of whitespace etc) - and am happy with the result. It’s different than my typical companion designs - but I’m aiming for usability with this site.

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Officially back from maternity leave

Tara — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:23:19 +0000

I’ve actually been back for a few weeks now - but my schedule has been so hectic with the new baby that I’d forgotten to post a blog entry (must be sleep the sleep deprivation).

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Officially On Maternity Leave

Tara — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:33:38 +0000

Although later than originally planned, I am now officially on maternity leave and will be unavailable (or significantly delayed) via email until my return in the middle-to-end of May. As mentioned previously, I will still provide emergency hosting support for existing clients - though will be unavailable for general site updates or new website projects until my return in May. I hope to occasionally catch up on emails from time to time in the next month, but please understand that it may be some time until you hear back from me - as I plan to spend very little time on my computer so I can focus more on my family and the newest addition (which will hopefully arrive in the next few days).

No longer taking on new projects

Tara — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 15:01:47 +0000

Because I currently have enough work to keep me busy until I begin maternity leave in a couple of weeks, I am no longer taking on any new web projects. Existing clients may still contact me for support and or site updates.

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Healthy Again

Tara — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:20:58 +0000

After a week of bedrest, two doctor visits and several boxes of tissue, I’m pleased to say that I’m feeling relatively well again. Unfortunately, this hiatus has resulted in my falling severely behind in emails & site updates. I plan to spend the next few days catching up on those projects left incomplete last week and touching base with everyone still waiting for an email reply.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding.� I still plan on starting my maternity leave some time early April, but am currently feeling well enough to resume work normally until then.� Please don’t hesitate to email if you need something…

Down with the flu

Tara — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 23:06:34 +0000

This is just a quick notice that I will be unavailable for the next few days as I try to shake off what appears to be the flu (which makes being 8 months pregnant so much more enjoyable :->).

My entire family has come down with it, so I’ve only managed to spend a few minutes online the last couple of days. My apologies to anyone who has written and is still waiting to hear back from me. I will try to catch up on all correspondence by the end of this week.