Working with ex-Webmasters - Help!

Looking for advice on how to handle the past webmaster

[marketinggal]

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for your help. Our company is growing and many local companies are asking us to re-design, re-program and market their web sites.

The issue is that some of the current webmasters are impossible to deal with - one won't give us access to the client db - so we can't link the web site (directly against the client's directions) and another holds the keys to the site ftp and won't post our pages - and sends nasty emails to the client about our pages -citing 10 year brower incompatability!

Can anyone please share with me how you deal with this while you are setting up the contract and going forward. Your time would be so appreciated. Do many of you move the hosting to your servers to mitigate these issues.

P.S. There are also been plenty of professional helpful webmasters we have encountered - and enjoy working with.

[aspdaddy]

Hi marketinggal,

IMO, You need to either butter them up - be nice use your people skills :) it sometimes works.

If not just tell the client straight up - this is what we need to have, when I have it we can start. Explain the webmaster is feeling threatened by you and its best they deal with them.

>move the hosting to your servers

Sometimes, but not for that reason unless the previous webmaster is hosting the site.

welcome to WW :)

[karnb]

hi marketinggal

i am interested in how you are getting on with this. How do you handle the issue of website copyright. I have a business model which requires making additions to a clients website which was done by another. I am concerned that if i use the existing style header/sidebars etc on these additional pages i would be breaching copyright. how do you handle this

[OntheEdge]

I think your issue is with your client. If they have switched to you but still host on the old webmaster's server, it's up to them to ensure you get access. If they can't or won't stand up to the disgruntled ex-webmaster, they need to either change server's or go back to him.

Do many of you move the hosting to your servers to mitigate these issues.

In a case like this, most definately I would! The ex has issues, feels threatened, likely got burnt by the client hiring someone new, and has already resorted to low tactics. Do you really want him to have any access to your work?

[Marcia]

Who holds the copyright to the site design, the client or the previous webmaster?

[wpwdmama]

In our contract, we own the copywrite until the client pays the balance due, and then copywrite is owned by the site owner. I've had clients move to other designers after development and a period of maintenance. It's in your best interest to "make nice" with the new, or old, webmaster. It seems to be a really small world out there. You could end up passing clients back and forth, or someone could need a referral. The one thing I always do, is immediately e-mail the ex-client all log-in information. Then when they lose it, and the new webmaster calls and requests it, I send it to them also.

[marketinggal]

Thank you everyone - you are all so helpful.

Update - We presented a new solution to the client - moving host and changing db software to standard asp and away from grumpy's custom system - they loved it! It seems he's just as grumpy with them too.

So now we can move on and create the site to satisfy the client and not deal with old grumpy anymore.

As for the copyright issues - we understand as many of you do, that the content (in this case Real Estate listings) is the property of the client. As such we will move that data owned by the client to the new web site, which when fully paid for will be the client's copyright also.

Thanks again - your help is appreciated.