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My interest in computer as a kid (4 or 5) came from watching my dad working/playing on the computer, and he would show me simple commands in DOS and little things (the paint bucket stood out for some reason) he could do with it. It really left an impression and told me that computer was a useful/fun tool that was worth exploring, which I believe eventually led to me trying to figure things out on the computer and making websites/interfaces.

Totally agree with this answer. There are tons of free design resources being shared by designers.

I agree. Dell monitors' matte screens are really nice.

I think what feels more relaxed depends on the person in question. Many introverts like myself feel a lot more comfortable in an enclosed workspace, and thus, productivity is also increased.

Well not everyone wants to "start something". Starting a business is risky and requires tremendous dedication. Some people work better in technical/supporting roles. Perhaps after years getting paid peanuts in grad school, he wants something more stable?

My Dribbble content still reflects my design style to a certain degree - with things like icons, logos and illustration, it's a bit easier. However, with a 400x300 (yes, I'm aware that there are @2x pixel and file attachment but when people browse, they only see the small cropped thumbnails) pixel restriction, it's not always easy to fit a meaningful UI design there and still keeping the thumbnail attractive (so you can get more clicks - this isn't just for an ego boost, we need to market ourselves too).

When a potential client contacts me on Dribbble, I usually send them samples of my "real" work so they can get a better idea of what they will be getting from me.

I used Forrst for a while, and some people posted design processes there. However, people are naturally drawn to eye candies more. Like others have mentioned, Behance is another option.

I'm a designer on Dribbble. The work I present on Dribbble and the "actual" work I do for my clients are quite different most of the time. You can think of Dribbble as the "runway" of graphic/UI design - most of the stuff there are for showing off the designers' ability and/or are conceptual. They are fun and beautiful to look at, but not always designed for practical use, just like most people won't wear runway fashion everyday.

There is always a chance that you won't get anything when you order on Kickstarter. The risk is higher.

Sure, that could be what he meant. However, I still think that asking for example "May I know what is available?" sounds much better than "what you have to offer me"

To me, the biggest problem of this guy isn't his use of text message, it's his attitude of entitlement "what do you have to offer me?"

I think that since the two have been hanging out regularly for half a year, it would be acceptable (to me, at least) to ask for opportunities available politely over text (email would be much better of course), but for him to make it sound like he's hot commodity and the author is the one who can't wait to hire him, is just plain silly.

I tried them for a year because of the great reviews on Reddit, but I was quite unhappy about it. Less than 99.9% up time monitored by uptimerobot.com. Some of my sites have less than 99.5% up time in fact. I'm monitoring some of my clients' sites on Siteground and they have better up time over there (>99.9%).

I tried Dreamhost for a year (for my non serious sites and just personal testing purposes) because people raved about it on Reddit, but it was disappointing. I tracked all my sites using uptimerobot.com and Dreamhost has less than 99.9% up time consistently. Just signed up for asmallorange.com...will see how it goes.

I agree. A tiered pricing plan would really benefit OP. Adding a forum to offload some of the one on one support would be great as well.

One more question from me since I can't seem to log into the demo now. Will I be able to disable certain features (eg, payment through Paypal - I would rather get a check)? Thanks.

Awesome! Going to buy it now!

Thank you for doing that! As a freelancer, I'm much more willing to try a product out for $45 than anything above $100.

Hi, this looks like a nice and affordable product for freelancers like me. Great job! If I purchase this app now, will I get free updates (eg, bug fix) for at least a certain period of time?

I guess it depends on the individual. I'm a designer but I have a graduate degree in physics and I also do PHP. Some do coding and some totally stay away from it.

One advice I got recently - think about what is people's #1 favorite thing to talk about? Themselves! So start with asking people what they do and they will talk non-stop.

What's worse:

Looking for: Leonardo da Vinci 2.0, Einstein reincarnated

Compensation: We cannot afford to pay you now but we promise equity

You're right on. I lost count of how many times clients ask me for Apple quality design without the intention of paying me for the time to come up with a polished design.

Works on my Firefox 7.0.1

Nice site with great textures! Thank you for sharing.