Archive for August, 2008
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
To block direct access to your pligg pages (which are residing inside Joomla Wrapper), use the following code.
In the pligg directory, create (or append if already exists) a .htaccess file and add the following code.
RewriteEngine On
# Blocking direct access
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://www.yourjoomlasite.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://yourjoomlsite.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} pliggdir [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F]
Posted in Joomla, Pligg, jpligger | No Comments »
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Sometimes, after a long busy day at office, I don’t feel like working at home. I feel so lazy that I either watch another episode of Family Guy/America Dad/Arrested Development or something like that and just hit the bed. I would even spend couple of hours with my roomies, talking nothing but worthless crap (I know I need to be social too, but its just not my kind of thing right now). Lately I started reading some books on getting ‘motivation to work’ and also implemented few of the techniques that are proving fruitful. Here’s what I’ve been doing:
- Split the tasks into very small 10 min. tasks that look doable and easy
- Write down all the best things that would happen If I finish these small tasks early.
- Make a small plan on how I can tackle difficult problems in an efficient way.
- Talk to Mom for encouragement (sometimes this takes lot of time!).
- Realize how happy my client would be if I finish the project way before deadline (or) realize how mad my client would be if I delay the project any further.
- Go through my goals list to realize that I need more money!
- Have a coffee or tea to ensure I stay awake and work.
- Staying focused on those small tasks I created. Avoid blogging!
But unfortunately sometimes, even with all that my laziness overshadows my plans, tasks list, talk with my mom, goals list and everything under the sun. That’s when I feel I am tired and I need a good night sleep 
Posted in Freelance, Intro, Learning | No Comments »
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Have you ever wanted to see, feel and enjoy the quality of education in big institutions like MIT? Well here’s a chance. Try MIT’s exclusive online courses all for FREE. Yes, its true! Go here, and try it. Check out all the courses, watch all the videos, download all the pdfs, capture everything you ever wanted and don’t pay a dime, don’t even register on the site. Here are the courses that I am following right now:-
Posted in Learning | No Comments »
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Use Google Docs to prepare requirements and tasks collaboratively with your clients. It was few weeks ago when I first tried to use Google Docs Word as a real collaboration tool. On my very first online interview with a client, instead of simple discussing the project, either on IM or Phone, I invited the client to a new Google Document and we (me and the client) collaboratively worked on creating a proposal. It was fun and very interesting experience. I added few points, the client add few points, we discussed and the end result was very satisfying for both of us. I didn’t realize how advantageous this approach was until I read the book “How I raised from failure to success in selling” by Frank Bettger. He spoke about involving the client while writting down all the features/benefits your service would provide for him/her. That’s when I realized how I was making my clients involve in proposal preparation and how it was turning into a definate sale. I am added Google Docs into the Freelance Tools list as a most important mean for proposal creation (collaboratively).
Try it at your next client interview, I am sure you will be supprised with the results.
Posted in Freelance Tools | No Comments »
