Why are we doing this? There are many reasons, but the key ones are:

• Improved user experience. It’s probably fair to say that the performance of webworkerdaily.com has been extremely sluggish recently. The performance of the new site will be much better, improving the experience for our readers. It should also be much easier to navigate.
• Increased exposure of our content. There is a ton of great technology content from some terrific writers on the network, much of which you probably don’t get to see even though it might be interesting to you. We’re redesigning the navigation and the organization of the network so that we we can introduce our readers to some of the great stories from our other sites. On the flip side of the coin, it should also mean introducing WebWorkerDaily’s content to a much wider audience.

At some point soon we’ll have a new URL structure to go with the updated design. It’s important to point out that this doesn’t mean that our content or writers will change. We’ll still be publishing the posts that you come here to read, and you can still subscribe to our email newsletter, RSS feed, our Facebook page and our Twitter feed, which will all function exactly as they did before. The difference is that we’ll also be able to introduce you to more of the content from around the network that we think you’ll find interesting, too. The new design and backend should give us a way to showcase content from across all blogs, with each site picking out the pieces that meets the needs of its unique set of readers; the objective is to give you a more frequently updated and well-rounded view of the world of tech.

Any problems with the new design? Let us know in the comments.

As part of a network-wide overhaul of all our sites, we’ve been hard at work for months creating a new design for WebWorkerDaily that’s easy to use, is more social, and showcases our best content while still retaining some of the signature look of the previous version.

The new design is also aimed at giving us more flexibility as to the type of content that we can offer — we should be able to use more video and publish more image-heavy posts, for example. However, it’s important to note that while we’ve updated the look of the site, our focus won’t change: We’ll continue to deliver content that helps you to be more productive, more connected and more successful.

What do you think of our new look?

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Every time I want to open my mouth and put in my $2.50, I bite my tongue. I know that my Web design skills are so…1996. That is the year I began hiring other designers to work for me at my Internet company, finally loosening the iron-fisted grip on the creative, so my HTML and design skills are frozen in time. Still, I’ve always redesigned my own web sites – not because I think I’m a good designer, but because I can.

At this stage of my business, I can no longer afford not to outsource this work. Even though I do small design projects for some clients, most of my time is spent doing strategy, content development and e-marketing. Frankly, like so many marketers and developers, I don’t have time for my own site and without an overhaul, it is no longer working for me or communicating what I do.

The site redesign will be up in a few weeks, and I must admit the process has been easier than I thought it would be because I’ve been conscious of all the things that I could do to mess things up. Here’s how I’ve been getting through the last month with my new Web designer.

1. Shut Mouth. There is nothing worse than a client who thinks they know everything, right? I keep reminding myself that I am outsourcing this job for sound business reasons and that maybe, just maybe, I don’t know everything there is to know. I admit my possible ignorance, then shut my mouth and listen to my Web developer.

2. Open Mind. A closed mouth does no good without an open mind. I know I must be open to new ideas and perspectives. Even I admit there is no way one person can keep up on all the latest Web design and development techniques and tools. Maybe, just maybe, my Web developer has some great ideas, and I must be open-minded to accept them or at least consider them carefully.

3. Hire Wisely. I hired a young woman in town who I’ve worked with on smaller Web projects. During those times, I got to know how she thinks and works and felt she was not only talented and creative but smart. I appreciate intelligence. I hired her because I respected her and her work. Without that initial respect, I don’t think a positive working relationship could form.

4. Trust. I have had to let go and trust my Web developer to do a good job. I’ve been known to micro-manage in the past, and I paid close attention to this tendency. The idea that “nobody can do it as good as I can” doesn’t hold up. It takes trust not only in my Web developer but trust in myself that I made the right choice.

5. Respond. I really am trying to be the perfect client. I respond quickly to any request from my Web developer and try to be thoughtful and thorough. I want her to know how important this project is to me, and that her time is important, too.

6. Toss the Box. Most of us tell our clients they need to “think out of the box,” and we pride ourselves in doing just that. But truth be told, we are in a box of our own creation, our own comfort zone. I just had to admit that, step out of the safety of that box, and toss it aside. Once I did that, I felt all my knee-jerk reactions and irrational resistance to someone else’s ideas subside.

We’ve just passed the mock up stage, and she is now building the prototype. I’m absolutely thrilled. She has come up with solutions to all my design quandaries and has addressed all – and I mean all – of my business goals in the design. Her fresh perspective brought solutions that I didn’t even know were possible.

Any downsides, you ask? Other than the fact that I want it up right now (I’m not known for my patience), I can’t see any negatives. I think being aware of the potential pitfalls of a Web development relationship when you’ve been a Web developer is the first step to making things work.

And biting your tongue a lot helps, too.

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