Having a flowchart along with a site map helps keep track of the various updates needed and who is in charge of what. It's invaluable when someone quits or changes job responsibilities. It's also a great tool for training new employees.

Using calendar software with reminders is another great way to make sure the website is updated on time.

For best results, though, strive to automate the website updates. Whenever possible, feed the web content directly from a database. This works especially well for features such as product and event listings. Some companies balk at the programming expenses but the investment is well worth it.

Next week my post will focus on another challenge -- keeping the look and feel of a website current.

Educating your clients about the importance of keeping their website current will help both their business and yours. When it comes to updating a website, the four areas of concern are:

- Outdated Content
- Outdated Style
- Outdated Functionality
- Outdated Coding

In the next few weeks I'll write separate posts detailing each and how to make sure your site or your client's site stays current.

Personally, I prefer designs that the article would classify as masculine. But maybe that's because I've worked mainly for high-tech sites and most of the time I work with men.

I'd be interested to hear your experiences with men and women clients. Do the differences in taste usually conform to the general stereotype?

Yet, the freedom and the thrill of exploration made it the best design experience I've had since… I initially designed my site. I'd like to hear about your experiences designing for yourself.

But then Meryl Streep snapped at the assistant and explained to her, and everyone in the audience, why her choice mattered. The shade of blue she chooses will be popularized in the magazine, it'll be carried in designer boutiques, then department stores, then discount stores. It'll end up being worn by just about everyone, even by those who never read fashion magazines. For better or worse, it'll help sell mountains of merchandise and provide jobs for thousands. It'll end up as an integral part of our surroundings, of our cultural landscape, and ultimately of our consciousness.

Thank God that part was played by Meryl Streep. Coming from another actress's mouth, these words might've sounded like a joke. But she delivered them with dignity and intelligence. Hopefully, she made some people realize that indeed everything around them was designed by someone who obsessed over the right amount of magenta in the red of the movie theatre seats and the yellow of the popcorn bags.

I don't know why Adobe decided on the download method since another Adobe newsletter, The Edge, uses links. By the way, the Flash Lite article also appeared in The Edge. Maybe Adobe should combine the two into The Proxy Edge.

1.Become more marketable.
More and more companies make having a Bachelor's degree a requirement. Bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. With more and more companies using database searches for recruitment you may not get a chance to even show your portfolio if a college degree is not a part of your resume.

2.Learn new skills.
When you work you often don't have time to devote to learning new skills that aren't directly related to the task at hand. Yet, this can be personally and professionally rewarding. I learned video and even got a chance to show at a couple of festivals.

3.Get into teaching or management.
Bachelor's degree is a requirement for teaching and management positions, at least in big cities. Of course, there might be exceptions but those are few. A degree doesn't guarantee you'll become an art director but at least you'll be in the running.

4.Experience college life. Or not.
Your experience can vary depending on whether you live on campus or not, how much free time you have, and other personal factors. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

5.Change career focus.
Maybe you worked in print for over ten years and you're getting bored with it. The grass looks so much greener over in the web design field. Although you can make the switch without a degree, the knowledge and experience from college certainly won't hurt. You'll have more credibility and confidence.

I find myself often agonizing which design to pick after brainstorming. I end up with numerous sketches, each with its own style and personality. Yet, at the end the judges (the client) and the audience (their clients) will see only one. And my work, me as a designer, will be judged solely on that final choice. Although we can show the client several of our initial sketches and solicit their input, they soon forget about the other possibilities we've offered. The final choice still determines how we'll be remembered as designers.