Ryan Jauregui

With the recent release of mootools version 1.2, I have updated the Accordion Menu as well as the Nested Accordion Menu tutorials. I have also encountered a pretty big bug in the Nested Accordion Menu when working on a client project, and I have modified the tutorial to include the fix.

Take care!

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So great news, I was finally able to utilize the “Buyer” portion of oDesk for outsourcing some logo creation I was dreading, and it turned out wonderful. In about 8 to 10 hours on a Friday afternoon / night, I had about twelve candidates to choose from ranging from $20+ an hour to under $10 an hour. The designer I chose started the next day, Sunday, and had my finalized logo before the end of the day. The final project ran under $40 for the completed logo. I will be utilizing this end of oDesk quite a bit more down the line, it is useful and it allows me to focus on programming or other I.T. related work.

On the other side of the spectrum, I was able to get my first interview today for work on oDesk, and complete my first job only two hours afterward. This is a big step forward, as it seems there are quite a few new Providers whom have a hard time getting work on the oDesk system.

Do you want to know how I did it?

Well, first off, I had applied to quite a few jobs posted on oDesk to no avail, but I kept trying. I applied to jobs that I was confident I would be able to finish and get stellar reviews for completing quickly, and professionally. I took a pay cut, a decently sized one, but it helped me to get customer facing, some extra cash, and ultimately a “gold star” for completed work.

It is highly important to make sure you are working within your area of expertise, if you have hesitation whether or not you can complete the task, it may be best to pass it for the time being. It does not make sense trying to get your first job doing a project you are not 100% familiar with; you would just be setting yourself up for failure, right?

Be flexible. If possible, make yourself available as quickly as possible when you are invited to do an interview. If you are hired to work for the Buyer, let them know they are your priority and do whatever you can to please them throughout the entire process.

The buyer I worked with left this comment:

Vendor provided a quick and excellent service. He provided detailed documentation of the task that was completed, and ensured that I was satisfied. More vendors should be like this on oDesk — getting the job done, ensuring quality, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

If you do land your first oDesk job, ensure customer satisfaction and complete the job correctly. This will help you stand out from the thousands of Providers on oDesk, and eventually your profile will speak for itself when you apply for new jobs.

P.S. I just wanted to let you know, just because I got my first oDesk job, I am not proclaiming to know all the secrets of getting work on their system. Most of what I have written is from my years of experience working with my own business in the actual customer-facing world and I have merely adapted information to an oDesk scenario. Customer service is key, you will learn that if you do not know it already.

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A couple days late as I have been swamped with work and personal tasks… Yahoo bitched out and will be merging some of their services with Google in an attempt to save the failing company. TechCrunch has the article explaning more detail of the situation. Lets hope that the douchebag Jerry Yang didn’t totally screw over Yahoo’s shareholders by ditching the Microsoft deal.

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From MarketWatch:

Tumbleweed Communications, the Redwood City, Calif., provider of secure content-delivery solutions, plans to be acquired by Sopra Group for $2.70 a share cash, the companies said in a statement on Friday. Based on Tumbleweed’s 52.2 million fully diluted shares outstanding at March 31, the deal is valued at about $141 million. Sopra is the Paris consulting- and information-technology-services provider…

more…

I guess that means my dad and I loose out on ~$0.50 per share. Oh well right? I will approve it with my vote, its better than being down over $1.50 per share, with no reason to go back up.

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…to its office in Santa Ana, California. With everything that is going on right now, $400/month in rent is not in my, or my company’s best interest. It held its purpose when business was tempted to be booming, and people were on the ball, but it all slowly faded into somewhat of a travesty. It will be sad though, to not have an office anymore, it was a great place to come and get things done if it was too busy and loud at home, or if I was unable to keep focused at Global.

I will make due with what I have for a price I can afford, i.e. its already included in my pay or rent. I will just have to force myself to work harder so I can increase business and one day own an office building. I took a few pictures for the memories and I am posting them below… Oh, and please ignore the mess, I am currently moving out!

P.S. If anyone is in Orange County, and is looking for a reception desk (cherry wood, right return, 2 attached drawer / filing drawer), an executive desk (cherry wood, right return, 1 double filing drawer, 1 double drawer / filing drawer) I am probably going to end up selling mine. They are in perfect condition, still brand new. I paid just over $2000 for both of them, collectively. I will put up a CraigList link once I create it later tonight.

Thank you for reading!

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