View this email as a Web page:
www.ccidc.org/eNews/jan_2012.html
 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
from the CCIDC Board and Staff
Robert E. Wright,  John Searles, Susan Hauser,
Richard Galitz, Patsy Zakian-Greenough, Millie Kwong,
Michelle Eaton,  Kimberly Alonzo, Marie Kimble Cooley,
Deborah Ogden, Brian Kaneko
Doug Stead, Roze Wiebe

January, 2012
News for Certified Interior Designers

A message from CCIDC . . .

We wish all our readers a very happy and healthy New Year.

As we enter our 21st year as the certifying body for interior designers in the state California, we continue to look forward to serving your professional needs and helping the general public both find a CID to work with, and address any consumer concerns they may have.

CCIDC was the first "private nonprofit" board created in California. Now there are now four other boards modeled after CCIDC: Certified Industrial Hygienists, Registered Tax Preparers, Massage Therapists, and Common Interest Development Managers. There are more in the wings, waiting to be codified into law, over the coming years.

As we prepare for our 2013 Sunset Review by the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee this year, we can proudly look back on the path we have blazed for this unique and cutting edge approach to the regulatory process without creating a burden for the California taxpayer.

Thank you for the support of your certification board.

- - CCIDC Board of Directors

Register for the next IDEX^® California exam

Your deadline to register for the Spring exam is Thursday, March 1, 2012

Designers must register for IDEX by midnight March 1, 2012 to take the Spring exam which is given May 1 through 31, 2012.   Study for IDEX.
 

Please join us @ 10 am on Saturday, January 28 in San Diego
for our board meeting + CEU

Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Time: 10 am
Meeting location:
Hilton San Diego Resort
1775 East Mission Bay Drive
San Diego, California 92109
Tel: (619) 276-4010  Toll Free: (800) 445-8667 Fax: (619) 275-8944

Directions - - From I-5, exit Sea World Dr. and head west. Turn right onto E. Mission  Bay Dr. Follow past the park. The resort is located 3/4 mile on left.


CEU is “YOUR INTERNET PRESENCE”
The ease & importance of having a website for your interior design business.
Presented by Jon Anthony Gaugert, EPhost, Inc., San Diego, CA

Topics will include:
1) Web Design and the importance of having a user friendly website
2) Web Development and custom coding
3) SEO (search engine optimization) SEM (Search Engine Marketing) How it works.
4) Social Media: Facebook Twitter
5) How do search engines work? (Google, Bing, Yahoo, MSN)
6) (CMS) Content Management System Demonstration on how to maintain your website
7) Web Hosting, Cloud Solutions, Dedicated & Shared Servers, Smarter Mail-email
8) Blogs and Ecommerce
9) Photo galleries and video related web functionality
10) Statistics: Understanding the traffic volume and sources

The CEU will help interior designers get an Internet presence with their own web site.
This is a “how to” CEU, and you will learn how to get it done inexpensively by others.
By attending, it is conceivable to have a ‘live’ web site within a week or less.

Even if you already have a website, this class is for you. You will learn how to make your web presence even more effective with the latest available technology and media!

Save $10. Fee for this CEU is $20.00 by paying online by Thurs., Jan. 26, 2012 or pay $30.00 at door. Register & pay here

Board Meeting & CEU Schedule
9:00 am -Disciplinary proceedings  (Closed session)
10:00 am - 12:00 noon is the public portion of our meeting
12:00 noon - Break for lunch
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm  CEU presentation, “Your Internet Presence” 

It is not mandatory to attend our board meeting to attend our CEU.

Credit 2 hours CCIDC; 2.0 LU HSW; .2 CEU HSW
Note: this is not IDCEC approved, therefore it cannot be reported to any design associations such as (but not limited to) ASID or IIDA unless the attendee can, or wants to get separate approval from their respective association.

Your CEU fee is tax-deductible. CCIDC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Our CEUs are open to interior design professionals and students as well as the general public.
 

Study for the May IDEX^® California exam

Download our free IDEX® California Study Guide which gives you important information on the exam, test results, rules, schedule, etc.  It is NOT a 'study manual' per se.

To study for the IDEX, please refer to third-party study classes and materials listed below:

From IDEX Prep.com
The IDEX Prep Online Class
Study anywhere online! This comprehensive class gives you 34 presentations; 34 quizzes; 385 practice questions; over 65 multiple page handouts (equal to hundreds of pages);and a final quiz of 150 questions. Contains more than 24 hours of instruction and you have a full 60 days to complete the class!
$195 - IDEX Prep Online covers IDEX^® Domains I, II and III. Best value.
$150 - California Codes covers IDEX^® Domain I only.
$100 - Business Practices & Design Standards covers IDEX^® Domains II and III only.
Enroll anytime it is convenient for you ~ You have 60 days of access.
www.idexprep.com

How to sign your communications and contracts

Here are the proper ways to sign your name to promote your certification credential:

Your Name, Certified Interior Designer #____

Your Name, Certified Interior Designer #____
in the state of California

The above also includes the commonly adopted abbreviation “CID” such as:
Your name, CID #____ but it is preferable to use the codified title “Certified Interior Designer” as written in statute, Section 5800 of the California Business and Profession Code (CBPC).

Please do not use “CCIDC” behind your name. It is not correct, you are not a member of CCIDC, and we are not a membership organization. CCIDC is the certification board which administers the certification statute Section 5800 through 5812 of the California Business and Profession Code.

If you have any questions on how to sign your name or advertise yourself properly on your web site, please email us.

CIDs and building permits

Reminder
Local building officials are the sole authority to determine who can (and who cannot) submit plans for building permits, including architects, engineers and Certified Interior Designers.  

There is no language in any California code that gives architects or engineers “the right” to have their plans accepted by a building department.

Whoever issues the permit and conducts the inspections assumes the risk, therefore they (the building official) are the determining authority on who they will accept plans from.

Do Stamp Your Drawings!
This is a mandatory requirement by the Certified Interior Designers law (Section 5802(a) which states: "All drawings, specifications, or documents prepared for submission to any government regulatory agency by any certified interior designer, or under his or her supervision shall be (emphasis added by us) affixed by a stamp, as specified in Section 5801, and signed by that certified interior designer."

Get the most from your certification

Over the past year or so, we have been getting a lot of telephone calls and emails from CIDs about the state of the economy and the effect it is having on their business, or their ability to find a job. They ask what can they do, or what is CCIDC doing to help them. Interestingly enough, in this eNews, and in many previous issues of eNews, there is a section titled "Free Marketing Tools for Certified Interior Designers”. Very few CIDs take advantage of these tools, even though most are free.

DO YOU HAVE A WEB SITE? If you don’t have a website, you are invisible! It would seem obvious that if you are in business for yourself you would have a website in this day and age. However, we have recently been presenting a CEU about “The Internet and Your Web Presence” after our last two board meetings, one in San Diego, and one in San Francisco. What seemed apparent is that at least half of the attendees at these events, all or most of whom were self employed or participating in a small business, did not have websites.

Here's the news! Very few people today go to the physical Yellow Pages to find a designer. Most people, if not all, who either own a business or have the wherewithal to hire a designer for their home, use smart phones and computers. When they need something where do they go? To the "World Wide Web".  If you are not there, you are missing out on the greatest form of information and communication ever developed. Having a website works for you 24/7/365. You could even be sleeping while someone is looking at your website and comparing your services and work with others, before making a decision to call and talk to you.

The Web is your silent and most cost effective partner in getting your name and your message out to literally millions of people. For example, two people could be having lunch, and one suggests it's time to redo their kitchen, and voila' out come the smart phones and an Internet search ensues using Google, Bing, or any other number of search engines, quickly finding a dozen or more interior designers in their area. This is how business is done today.

Okay, so now here come the excuses. I'm not tech savvy, I don't know how to go about it, I can't afford one of those web design firms, I don't have the time, I don't have the... you name it. There are really no excuses. You can create a six or eight page website for very little money, especially if you do it yourself. GoDaddy, Intuit, the people conducting our CEU on this topic (EP Host in San Diego) all have easy, inexpensive, do it yourself solutions, and will help train you to create your website. These sites are so user-friendly now that you can literally add photos, type text, and publish it, all with the simple click of your mouse. Again, there really are no valid excuses. You choose, but don't delay. How long do you want to remain invisible? Register for “Your Internet Presence” today ( for Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012).


THE CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER PAGES

Finally on this topic, CCIDC has the "CID PAGES" on its website. We get tens of thousands of visitors every year and many of them are consumers looking for CIDs. Get your CID Page for 12 months or renew your listing for a full 18 months - both just $100.00. We will help you as necessary to get it up and running. It even tracks the number of visitors you get and you can add your own text to describe what you do (up to 800 characters) and 8 photographs of your work as you wish.
This is the easiest and simplest of web pages you can possibly have, and yes, Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, you name it, it will find you there.

Free marketing tools for Certified Interior Designers

ABC Brochure - “Answers & Basics for Consumers” is available to print online or you may request 10 printed copies "free of charge” by sending an E-mail or checking the box at the bottom of your certification renewal notice.
Download: www.ccidc.org/pdf/interior-designer-consumer-guide.pdf
Online: www.ccidc.org/consumers-guide/faq.html


Subscribe to the Certified Interior Designer Pages
Help a Client Find YOU for Their Next Project! Put your photos and web site on the CCIDC site! FAQ: www.ccidc.org/listings/faq.html


Consumer's Guide to Hiring a Certified Interior Designer
www.ccidc.org/pdf/interior-designer-consumer-guide.pdf


Hiring an Interior Designer? Make sure they’re Certified!
www.ccidc.org/pdf/CIDflyer2.pdf


The Most Common Mistakes People Make When Hiring an Interior Designer
www.ccidc.org/pdf/common-mistakes-hiring-interior-designer.pdf


The Difference Between a Decorator and an Interior Designer
www.ccidc.org/interior_decorators.html


A CID's Code of Ethics and Conduct
www.ccidc.org/pdf/CID-Code-Ethics.pdf

Keep current with CCIDC
If you are a CID, please be sure that we have your current contact information. Our combined “Change of Address/CEU Registry” allows you to update your address, phone or email. 

Login to your CEU account to send us any recent changes to your information.

Don’t have a free CEU account? Create one here.
 

Add ‘n track your CEUs for free!

Report your CEUs (and your Change of Address) to CCIDC.

Create your own CEU registry.
1. Provide a login name and password.
2. Access your account 24/7 (see sample view below). 

Your private account keeps all your CEU courses in one place. You can enter CEUs that you’ve taken in the past, as early as 1995.