tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13027215797742563182024-03-21T09:18:16.827-04:00BfreemoreA start-up freelance business blog with a slant towards art, tech & design.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-84183892552529458872013-10-13T22:28:00.001-04:002013-10-14T00:14:20.596-04:00Five tips for working backwards in project managment<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e3MHM82WCxHMZOygFtcdAdAQp_WznVKrjluVggnO6hFm_UKva2uLP4v91G6gomiTXs-BYKfnk-F_R3njgJ4Nh3t3kxdkk4TE5-lK-MnvvOMIOstJWCWYY788Y80vuxhODJDeb2KAu9tJ/s1600/project-management-working-backwards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e3MHM82WCxHMZOygFtcdAdAQp_WznVKrjluVggnO6hFm_UKva2uLP4v91G6gomiTXs-BYKfnk-F_R3njgJ4Nh3t3kxdkk4TE5-lK-MnvvOMIOstJWCWYY788Y80vuxhODJDeb2KAu9tJ/s1600/project-management-working-backwards.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydaypants/" target="_blank">everydaypants</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Project management is a tricky job. There are countless variables that need to be anticipated, and many that cannot be controlled. But when you're planning your next project, I've found it's best to think of things in reverse.<br />
<br />
Many people start their project at the beginning and map the path they will take to their final result. This method worked well for the linear board games of our childhood, but often we need to push back from the deadline and critically look at the potential pitfalls along the way.<br />
<br />
Once thing to note is that when you physically walk backwards, there is a tendency to lean in either direction (forwards or further backwards) and look over your shoulder. You watch each step and carefully place your foot, swinging your arms awkwardly. In the project management scenario, you want to setup a situation where you do not need to lean forwards or backwards and where you are confidently meeting shoe to ground along both smooth and rough terrain.<br />
<br />
Here are five tried-and-true tips to working backwards on your next big project:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Count, literally.</b> Working backwards is all about counting the months, weeks, days, hours and minutes. Experience will teach you exactly how this should be executed in your company. The more people and stakeholders involved, the trickier this will get. If you are a visual person, map it visually. But don't forget to setup an automated online tracking system that acts as a personal assistant to the individual project. I've never regretted the small annoyance of a consistent reminder.</li>
<li><b>Consolidate your meetings.</b> One of the biggest issues every project manager faces is other people's schedules. We often take for granted how little project participants have in common when it comes to schedule - especially when you're talking internationally. The best thing you can do is identify the layers of stakeholders at the beginning: Who needs to be involved in what for the project to move forward? And, what is the open-source contingency plan (one everyone agree on) if an important stakeholder is unable to attend a meeting? Get everyone on the same page at the beginning and you'll find there is greater flexibility when a clash of schedules does occur. I also recommend having a consistent platform for your meetings that records and/or screen captures all discussions. This not only helps for decision-making references for your internal team, but it also gives you a way to share meeting content with people that are unable to participate, yet need to feel included in every step.</li>
<li><b>Know your people.</b> Is one of your teammate's wife about to have a baby? Is there a vacation on the horizon for your lead designer? Will one of your stakeholders become M.I.A. when attending a three-day conference in Las Vegas? You need to know your team (really well) or you risk delaying the project. I'm not saying you need to make your relationship extend beyond the professional environment, but help your team realize potential "hold ups" before they happen. People are some of the biggest variables that you encounter during your project timeline. You can clutch your deliverables happily and check your calendar with wistful joy all you want, but if you can't connect with every core team member on some level, then you are in a project management danger zone.</li>
<li><b>Prepare well for scope creep.</b> Again, like #1, this takes experience. At my company I know that core team members deal with daily functions and out-of-the-blue requests, which leaves limited time for project development. Again, break this down to the hour: How many hours per week will this person have? How does that compare to the time it will take to prepare their project deliverables? Are there any red flags that need to be dealt with now (like limited staff hours)?</li>
<li><b>Have many plans.</b> Contingency plans are always a good idea for failure and success. We learn this in business 101. But it gets complicated when you are faced with many types of potential contingencies - from budget to resources to time. Don't overdo your planning, but at least have your top "cascading contingency" project plans in place. This way you can activate your "Plan of Action" once the contingency indicators (or red flags) start falling into place. </li>
</ol>
It is exciting to start a project and look towards the deadline like a glorious trophy. But most of the time it's best to envision the end (which isn't always only completion of the project, but that's a topic for another day) and work backwards from there.<br />
<br />
It may be an unsteady journey at first, but when you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself on the right pace for success (and you'll have great project management hamstrings).Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-76017554317418075522013-06-02T21:17:00.000-04:002013-06-03T22:17:18.988-04:00Get Your First 1,000 Users: Messaging and User Acquisition For Startups | Betamore Class<div class="p1">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxeYloFmwcqr9i7hrkz4MeUg-Vd8mnE_Z0lrI1qx_WoW9VBYSfwvnQD5cuc1ay7wArcOjGy8plD8j7OBD1qn1h1gTjkkngbuZtqqPaKmYD4S1HpqZgDod4d1_uFCodrsMFZ0Czq6I0YLe/s1600/user-acquisition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxeYloFmwcqr9i7hrkz4MeUg-Vd8mnE_Z0lrI1qx_WoW9VBYSfwvnQD5cuc1ay7wArcOjGy8plD8j7OBD1qn1h1gTjkkngbuZtqqPaKmYD4S1HpqZgDod4d1_uFCodrsMFZ0Czq6I0YLe/s320/user-acquisition.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://www.aspyre.me/">http://www.aspyre.me/</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Starting a business is hard, especially if you've decided to go without the "brick and mortar" and launch your business completely online.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
But as a web-based service your competition for consumer attention increases exponentially. So how do you get the user-acquisition ball rolling and keep it rolling?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
For this question, I turned to another class at the co-working space, <a href="http://betamore.com/"><span class="s1">Betamore</span></a>. The class "Get Your First 1,000 Users: Messaging and User Acquisition for Startups" sounded like a good place to start.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
With his suit and minimal PowerPoint, <a href="http://www.lenmarkidan.com/"><span class="s1">Len Markidan</span></a> (Marketing Consultant and Copywriter extraordinaire) was ready to bestow his knowledge onto a diverse classroom of nine students.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
With only a couple small slip ups, Len eventually found his rhythm as a presenter. You could see people in the class shift from the <i>leaned-back-and-crossed-arms</i> position the <i>leaned-forward-and-tell-me-more</i> position in a matter of two slides.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Len did a great job getting specific. He spoke about actual methods he himself uses when copywriting in a pinch or helping a budget-conscious client get email subscribers. Kudos to Len!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Below are my notes from the class. But first, some key takeaways!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Leah's Top 3 Takeaways</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<b>1) Don't re-invent the web wheel.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
We've all heard this before, but do we really consider it when planning for our own online business? Len suggested piggybacking onto the research of successful companies/competitors.<br />
<br />
Learn from their website interface design decisions and then move on. Choose to focus on research that will directly impact your business, not just your color choices. Ditch the "which button color?" experiment and focus on a question like, "Is my offer right for my target audience?"</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />
2) Amazon.com is a copywriting tool.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
No, we're not buying a book off of amazon.com to teach us how to write. We are actually searching out the top selling books that are related to our business and reading consumer reviews. So a company that sells tax software to small businesses would search for the top-selling tax books for small businesses on amazon.com.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Once you've found your top-rated books, read the user reviews to see what your target audience is saying. What do they like best about these books? Why did they rate these books 4-5 stars? Also, be sure to make note of the words they are using. In other words, use <i>their</i> words in your copywriting.<br />
<br />
Make sure to also check out the bad reviews. These will help you anticipate the reservations consumers will have about your own product.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<b>3) Research is cheap.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
OK, not all research is cheap, but there are ways to do it on a budget. Make a simple survey (three questions max) that collects the valuable information for your business (we'll talk more about this below) and learn things that challenge your assumptions. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Send this survey to 40-50 people in your target audience and see what you get. There are cheap and free online survey tools that make it easy. The small amount of time and money spent on research can save you tons of time and money in the long run. I've listed some survey tools at the end of this post.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<b><i>Now for some class notes:</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p5">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Do your research</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Len started the presentation with some points on researching your target audience. Basically, you won't know how to market your business unless you know your target market (Hint: your target market is not "everyone").<br />
<br />
Len cited the example of Mint.com. They had a list of competitors that provided online money management services, but through research they found, "their biggest competitor was apathy" and a close second was Microsoft Excel.<br />
<br />
Surveys are a great way to get this research done efficiently and cheaply. So how do you build a good online survey?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Crafting a good online survey</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Of course we can all agree that "good questions" are a key component to any online survey. But can you identify a good question? To start, it needs to:<br />
<br />
1) Be non-leading<br />
2) Require more than a "yes" or "no" answer<br />
3) Compel the participant to speak freely</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Len suggested three questions for an ideal survey. Wow that is short! But you have to understand that you are asking for someone's time. And the more questions you ask, the less survey responses you get.<br />
<br />
I once took a survey from an airline that will remain unnamed, and it was the most awful and drawn-out survey experience I have ever had. Page after page of mindless rating scales, and I got nothing for it in the end.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Getting back to the good survey example. Here are some questions that Len suggested:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
1) Tell us about your experiences with __________.</div>
<div class="p1">
2) What have you tried and failed at?</div>
<div class="p1">
3) What is your biggest frustration with _________?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
You will need to craft these questions to relate to your product or service, but be sure not to lead the participant. These questions allow the consumer to speak freely and the third question compels them to answer with an emotionally charged word like <i>frustrated</i>. "People are willing to pay to eliminate frustration," stated Len.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>In-Class Question</b>: </span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Question:</i></b> But what about measurable data? There is no way to sort the data if it's all open-ended.</span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Len's Answer:</i></b> This survey is only for about 40-50 people. We want to look for trends in the responses. We aren't necessarily looking for measurable data as much as we are looking for practical insight.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Also, don't forget to introduce the survey! Tell your participants why you are conducting this survey and how they can help by providing feedback. Ideally, your product or service looks to improve something in their lives. It's a "help me help you" scenario.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Bad survey questions </b></div>
<div class="p1">
Len also provided bad survey questions, he stated that "they do not provide real/practical insight":</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>1) Anything that starts with "On a scale of 1 to 10..."</b></div>
<div class="p1">
"People suck at grading things," and they all have their own opinion of what each number on the scale means. Focus on the real responses from your target audience.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>2) If I told you that you could get ________, would you want that?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
This is leading and doesn't really provide an unbiased opinion. You may also not get the answer you anticipated and end up questioning your product/service all together.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>3) How much would you pay for ________?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
If anyone tells you how much they are willing to pay for something, they are lying. This will not help you find out what you should get paid for your product.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Build an Email List</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Set it up. Build it now. Yes, NOW!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Your email list will be one of your most valuable assets. Even if you do not have a website, there are easy ways to build landing pages for your emails subscription form or surveys.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://mailchimp.com/">Mail Chimp</a></span> is a great place to start if you are on a budget. This email marketing program is user-friendly and robust. And your account is free up to 2,000 subscribers! Pretty sweet.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
If you're looking to build landing pages "pre-website launch" you can also try a service called <a href="http://unbounce.com/"><span class="s1">Unbounce</span></a>.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br />
<b>Use Facebook to help build your list</b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><br /></b>
<b>"I love Facebook Ads"</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Len loves Facebook ads. Why? Because you can:</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Target based on interest</li>
<li class="li1">Target based on location</li>
<li class="li1">Target people that are fans of your competitors</li>
<li class="li1">Target customers that read specific trade publications</li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
"I recommend Facebook to all start-ups," shared Len. He believes that Facebook is the easiest to use and test, especially if you cannot afford an advertising manager.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Getting Traffic.</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
There are many methods you can use to get traffic to your website. Here are Len's top three:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>1) Follow your (successful) competitors.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
If they are successful, they probably spent money on research. Look at where they are advertising, where they are speaking, where they are visible... Piggyback on the research of other successful companies.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>2) Facebook Ads (again)</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Great for generating traffic.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">In-Class Question: </span></b></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Question: </i></b>What is the right Facebook budget?</span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Len's Answer:</i></b> It depends on your target audience. Start with what's comfortable and test it. It all comes down to statistical significance - are you seeing a return on your investment or not?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>3) Partner up.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Sometimes there is a mutually beneficial relationship that can be established with a business who shares your audience (not your direct competitors).</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
But be careful! When considering a partnership, you need to think of long term value, not short term sales. Len wouldn't offer something to his audience that isn't going to improve their lives significantly.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>What can you offer/barter to your partner?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Often this may include something free, discounted or a maybe a seasonal offer. The great thing about a partnership is that they (your partner) will successfully sell your product for you because their audience already trusts them.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Content (is king).</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Content is great because it builds your audience through the sharing of focused, value-driven information. This type of strategy is a great way to build trust with your consumers. "You are already giving them value before they make the decision to buy from you, and that makes it that much easier to buy from you (when the time comes)," shared Len.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This content can be shared with your email subscribers along with your website visitors.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Len presented an example of creating and testing email content. The tech startup Groove came to Len with a need to increase subscriptions. So they started to strategically test emails that would encourage subscriptions. They tested different content in their emails and looked at the analytics to see what was shared. By the time launch day came around, their list was 15,000 strong. A good percentage of these subscribers became conversions and many of them provided referrals.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Again, testing is key. Try different subject lines or types of content - see what is shared and what is effective.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">In-Class Question:</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Questions: </i></b>How much content should I post?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>Len's Answer:</i></b> Targeted content shouldn't take more than a few hours a week.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Here is a great example of value-driven content for an online business: <span class="s1"><a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/">http://blog.kissmetrics.com/</a></span><br />
<i>This blog also provides additional advice for your business! Boom. Two-for-one.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Convert Traffic (Wahoo)</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Targeted Landing pages are essential to your online business. Again, services like Unbounce make it easy to build custom landing pages.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
"People are going to tell you a lot of best practices, but there is only way to do it right. You need to create something, test it and optimize it" Len shared with the class.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Avoid looking at design that "looks cool". Instead, look at websites that have spent a lot of money on landing pages that convert.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>What is the number one mistake that a lot of start-ups make? </b></div>
<div class="p1">
Spending time and money testing things like font sizes or button colors. These type of tests may get you a 2%-10% increase, but leave those kind of tests to Amazon.com. Test things like your product offer. This is more likely to give you 40%-200% increases in your conversions if done correctly.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Speaking of conversions...</b></div>
<div class="p1">
When you are looking to convert, you have to go deeper than just stating the features of your service.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Here are the three elements that give you the biggest wins (in order of importance):</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>1) Your offer</b></div>
<div class="p1">
What are you promising to people?</div>
<div class="p1">
Is it interesting to them? Is it compelling?</div>
<div class="p1">
"They don't care about your app, they can about how you are going to solve their problem(s)."</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>2) The Headline</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Don't make it too abstract. You want this to state your objective clearly. Sometimes we can get too abstract about the mission of our business. An example: "A hassle-free desktop solution"</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>3) Copy</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Len openly stated that he might value copy this more than others with his background as a copywriter, but regardless he wants to know, "Are you using the words that your customers use?"</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
When writing, Len will print out his copy and ask someone (in the intended target audience) to read it...in front of him. Yes, it sounds weird, but it's important to watch them. Are they nodding? Smiling? Are they furrowing their brow?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Long copy vs. short copy</b></div>
<div class="p1">
It's trendy now to have minimal copy and a lot of white space. Len would absolutely recommend testing long copy. Long copy in this context simply means going into detail and being descriptive. You can break it up with headlines and bullets, but what it provides is that extra nudge to those that don't already know everything about your product. These types of customers will read <i>everything</i> before they decide to buy your product.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Are you testing testimonials in your copy?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x-success-stories.do">P90X</a></span> has a good examples of testimonials. When you go to the "<a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x-success-stories.do"><span class="s1">stories</span></a>" section of the website, you'll see that they have based all of their testimonials on their consumer personas. They use these personas to create relatable experiences and address any doubts that each of these personas may have about the product.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">After the conversion.</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Engage your users! Buyer's remorse is natural. We all feel it right after a purchase. Did I make the right decision? Could I have spent my money more wisely? Maybe I <i>shouldn't</i> have ordered that after my third glass of wine? </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
To help solidify the idea of a "good buy", make contact quickly and thank your customer. Make them aware of things like support options. Go beyond just sending them a copy of their receipt.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Here is an example. Bugsnag is a bug-tracking software. 10 minutes after signing up for a <a href="https://bugsnag.com/"><span class="s1">Bugsnag</span></a> account, a user gets this email:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Hey ___,</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>I'm James, CEO of Bugsnag....[ENTER CEO's MSG HERE].</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Cheers,</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>James</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This email receives a 22% response rate. As a business owner, you get great insight (with people responding with their issues or comments) in addition to reassuring your customers of their purchase.<br />
<br />
With this simple automated email, Bugsnag customers now feel that they have a direct connection to the CEO of the company and they gain confidence in their purchase.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Referrals.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
One of the biggest conversion tools for a company is referrals. If people are referred by someone they trust, they are more likely to convert. Try offering an incentive for both parties.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
One of the most well-known referral offers comes from Dropbox. Their referral campaign offers 200MB of free storage for every referred user that creates a Dropbox account. After launching, their referrals went up 60%. They also make it very obvious in the sign-up process that users can refer their friends to get more space.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Get Great Referrals.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
This is the only time Len would recommend an yes-or-no survey question. Just ask the question: Would you recommend this product/service to a friend or a colleague? And then provide them the opportunity to refer.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
That's it for my notes! Thank you again to <a href="http://www.lenmarkidan.com/"><span class="s1">Len Markidan</span></a> and <a href="http://betamore.com/"><span class="s1">Betamore</span><span class="s2"> </span></a>for this highly informative class. This blog was just based on notes, so be sure to look up Len for his next teaching appearance. He provides a detailed handout of his presentation after his classes. So helpful!<br />
<br />
Looking forward to applying these strategies as I build my new business (more to come on that...)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Resources:</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
Len Markidan - Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/LenMarkidan"><span class="s1">@LenMarkidan</span></a>!</div>
<div class="p2">
Survey programs: <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/" target="_blank">Survey Monkey</a>, <a href="http://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=87809" target="_blank">Google Forms</a> (available in Google Drive)</div>
A great blog for more business info: <a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/">http://blog.kissmetrics.com/</a><br />
<div class="p2">
Email Marketing: <a href="http://mailchimp.com/">Mail Chimp</a><br />
Build custom landing pages: <a href="http://unbounce.com/"><span class="s1">Unbounce</span></a></div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-28352178097135154402013-05-24T11:37:00.001-04:002013-05-24T13:54:59.290-04:00Usability Testing Class at Betamore<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAOrcNxsj-E7J7ERLTgHn60EOeLn6VXNpCDaucwZzR7Qq31XYteBv9KTt3FSrf4T3gVX3MTPEwpOwlefo5Rq2-6ypFajIjTEcyj3c8JrhDlPR-AtkHcllUdSJEtoWQhksdlihp9Gx8Fvi/s1600/coffeepot_for_masochists_jacques_carelman_01_2+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAOrcNxsj-E7J7ERLTgHn60EOeLn6VXNpCDaucwZzR7Qq31XYteBv9KTt3FSrf4T3gVX3MTPEwpOwlefo5Rq2-6ypFajIjTEcyj3c8JrhDlPR-AtkHcllUdSJEtoWQhksdlihp9Gx8Fvi/s200/coffeepot_for_masochists_jacques_carelman_01_2+(1).jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://impossibleobjects.com/">Coffeepot for Masochists</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
"No one wants to hear that their baby is ugly," stated <a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Rubino">Amy Rubino</a> at the start of her class, <i>Usability Testing for Everyone</i>. She was referring to the fear that designers and decision makers sometimes have when it comes to usability testing. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My four classmates and I attended Amy's insightful three-hour lecture at the co-working space, <a href="http://betamore.com/" target="_blank">Betamore</a>. Her goal was simple: show us that usability testing is easy and necessary. With only five people in attendance, the class format was perfect for conversation - questions and stories flowed freely between the participants and Amy.<br />
<br />
Below are some of my notes and takeaways from this fantastic class.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What makes something usable?</b></div>
<div>
"When a product or service is truly usable, the user can do what he or she wants to do the way he or she expects to be able to do it - without hinderance, hesitation or questions" - Jeffery Rubin</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amy taught us that there are many considerations when it comes to deeming something "usable":</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Learnability</li>
<li>Efficiency</li>
<li>Memorability</li>
<li>Errors</li>
<li>Satisfaction (because even if it's usable, it still needs to enjoyable or else people won't come back)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>How can we make a usable website?</b></div>
<div>
Test it with your real users. These users should:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Use your website</li>
<li>Be part of your target audience</li>
<li>Not be directly affiliated with your company</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Through this type of testing, you are creating a user-focused design that is built from observed data, not the likes or dislikes of stakeholders. Amy let us know that in an ideal world, you would involve users throughout the design process - working iteratively by creating, testing and then repeating this process again and again. As designers and creators, we can choose to make this part of our creation culture - until it becomes second nature.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you want to know the general principles for usability in interactive design, read Jakob Nielson's <a href="http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/" target="_blank">10 Usability Heuristics</a> and get the jist. In order to push beyond these basic principles, we need to make usability testing more tangible. One way of doing this is by creating personas. Who is your user, <i>really</i>? What does he or she need? What are her or his challenges? What technology is she or he using?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Leverage any opportunity you can to listen to your users," stated Amy when advocating for guerrilla testing methods that she has found to be effective. As an example, she cited a project where her team visited with high schoolers during a job fair. There, she asked students to perform tasks on their readily available devices and had conversations with these real users "in the wild". Some of the results were eye opening. After testing, Amy and her team considered the fact that <i>maybe teenagers aren't as tech savvy as we had assumed.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Common question: When can you test?</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Answer: Anytime</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">Early in development - Exploratory testing with paper prototypes or wireframes.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">Mid-way in development - Check points of usability.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">Late in development - Verification test before final execution.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Prototyping tools to try out</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.axure.com/">Axure</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.justinmind.com/">Justinmind</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.balsamiq.com/">Balsamiq</a></li>
<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">PowerPoint (yes, even PowerPoint)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #0b5394;">Pen and paper</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.invisionapp.com/tour" target="_blank">Invision</a><span style="color: #0b5394;"> (I added this one to Amy's list!)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Categories of User Testing</b></div>
<div>
<i>In-Person Testing</i></div>
<div>
Pros: Record conversation and click path, see users' reactions, involve your stakeholders and team</div>
<div>
Cons: Users have to travel to meet, limits access to users who live outside of your region</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Remote Testing<br />(</i>Use screen sharing software to watch uses complete tasks)</div>
<div>
Pros: No travel, learn from people outside of your region, record conversations and click paths, involve your stakeholders</div>
<div>
Cons: You can't see their faces/expressions</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Unmoderated Testing<br />(</i>Use a service that allows users to complete the tasks on their own time without you moderating)</div>
<div>
Pros: Users complete sessions when it's convenient for them, reach people outside your area</div>
<div>
Cons: Can't ask followup questions, limited ability to hear the user or see reactions, need to watch videos for deeper analysis</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Guerilla Testing <br />(</i>Go to a public space and ask customers to complete a task.)</div>
<div>
Pros: See and hear the users' reactions, view the website on different devices</div>
<div>
Cons: Might need managers approval, customers might not be your audience, difficult to involve your stakeholders, difficult to record conversation and click path.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Putting us to the test</b></div>
<div>
During the class, Amy had us create a preliminary test plan and lead a one-on-one usability testing session with a partner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We took what Amy called a "streamlined approach". Here is the breakdown of our process:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1) Develop a test plan </b>- this is your road map and structures your testing.</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>What is your goal or purpose?</li>
<li>Who are you targeting?</li>
<li>Create a test screener for users</li>
<li>What methodology will you use? Why?</li>
<li>What are your metrics? </li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<b>What are your goals?</b></div>
<div>
Determine your objectives for reviewing this site. And be specific. For example:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"Identify the obstacles in applying for a job" </li>
<li>"Determine how quickly users can sign up for emails on the site"</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Make sure you don't set people up for failure. Do a dry run with a colleague, and don't test major problems that will only cause frustration.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What are you performance metrics?</b></div>
<div>
Goals example: Determine how quickly users can sign up for emails on the site.</div>
<div>
Metrics example: Measure if users are able to sign up for emails within 2 minutes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Other metrics include task completion rates (how many users are able to complete each task), time on task, page views, errors and measurement of satisfaction.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2) Prepare Test Materials</b></div>
<div>
<b>Script</b> - This is what you will read to the participant before starting the testing. It will help to explain that you are not testing them, you're testing the website.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Tasks</b> - Based on your goals, decide what activities your users should complete. These tasks must have an endpoint, but may also have multiple routes or "click paths". Be sure to ask, "Please let me know when you feel you have completed the task." Also, Amy says it's best to start with an easy task to build your participant's confidence. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Write each task as a clear statement in the user's language. Do not lead the participant with you questions. For example, if you want them to look for film studies courses on an educational site (and there is a button called "film studies"), simply state that they are someone interested in movies (not films) and they want to find related classes. That way the user is focused on the task - not the word "films".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Click Path</b> - There should be at least one click path or route through the website for completing each task. Click path example: Home > Academics > Majors > Film Studies</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Tips for Moderating</b></div>
<div>
I loved this example she cited regarding careful and considerate moderating:</div>
<div>
A participant had stated, "I would open <i>Goggle</i> and search for the website." In this test, Amy said that the moderator continued to call Google <i>Goggle</i> for the rest of the task in order to avoid correcting the user and disrupting their confidence. As a moderator, you're an anthropologist, not their buddy. But you also don't want to correct the user or react to much to their statements. Also, be aware that people want your approval, so they may hold back comments. This is where follow up questions can really work their magic.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>Follow Up Questions</b></div>
<div>
Ask open-ended questions that encourage conversation. </div>
<div>
Bad: "Do you like the button?"</div>
<div>
Good: "What are your thoughts on the button?"</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Stay neutral in your words</li>
<li>Hold on answering the user's questions until the end of the session</li>
<li>Don't take the feedback personally</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Tips for Note taking</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Record whether the user completed a task successfully.</li>
<li>What paths do they take?</li>
<li>Where do they stumble?</li>
<li>Do they understand what they are doing?</li>
<li>"What's missing" "What would you change"</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Focus on the user's behavior and comments. Write down direct quotes. Make sure to come up with a note taking strategy so that your notes are decipherable in post-test analysis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Usability test example:</b></div>
<div>
VIDEO: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QckIzHC99Xc" target="_blank">Rocket Surgery Made easy by Steve Krug: Usability Demo</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Common question: How many people do I need to test?</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Answer: It depends, but 5 will usually do the trick</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">"The best results come from testing no more than <b>five </b>users and running as many small tests as you can afford" - Jakob Nielsen</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">For example, test with groups of five at six different points in the process. According to </span><span style="color: #0b5394;">Steve Krug, f</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">ive users will find 80% of your problems and three users find 65% of usability issues.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Try doing things in bite-sized portions. Test one thing a month. Slowly work on different sections of the website each time.</span></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Common question: How do I recruit users?</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Answers: Any way you can! Just make sure they are the right users.</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">There are services that can provide you with a target audience based on demographics - they basically pull from a pool of people connected with their services. But these people my be biased because of their previous experience with user testing. Also, friends and family always work great in a pinch!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Analyzing Data</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Review notes, audio and video and draw conclusions on the direction the project should take.</li>
<li>Just because user said it, doesn't mean you should do it.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Takeaways</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Adapt usability - Start small, just plain start!</li>
<li>Involve your stakeholders</li>
<li>Test with a few people is better than no testing</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
"If you want to know whether your website... is easy enough to use, watch some people while they try to use it and note where they run into trouble - then fix it and test it again" <a href="http://www.sensible.com/" target="_blank">Steve Krug</a> from the book <i><a href="http://www.sensible.com/dmmt.html" target="_blank">Don't Make Me Think</a></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Usability Testing Tools</b></div>
<div>
Screen sharing</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/">Gotomeeting</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html">Adobe Connect</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.skype.com/en/">Skype</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Usability testing software</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.techsmith.com/morae.html">Morae</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Eye tracking software</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.tobii.com/">Tobii</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Unmoderated services</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.usertesting.com/">Usertesting.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.trymyui.com/">TryMyUI</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.userlytics.com/sitepublic/">Userlytics</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After the class ended, I felt motivated to weave usability testing into all aspects of my creative process. Not just for projects in my department, or for my freelance clients, but for any online interface that touches our users.<br />
<br />
<i>Amy, you may have created a test monster.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Convince Your Boss Tip:</b> For every dollar you spend fixing issues in development, it costs $100 to fix the same problem after launch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Recommended Books</b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Usability-ebook/dp/B000SEGQNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369409583&sr=1-1&keywords=Don%27t+Make+Me+Think">Don't Make Me Think</a> - Steve Krug</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Surgery-Made-Easy-Yourself/dp/0321657292">Rocket Surgery Made Easy</a> - Steve Krug</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Usability-Testing-Conduct-Effective/dp/0470185481">Handbook of Usability Testing</a> - Jeffrey Rubin and Dana Chisnell</div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-78630835649844923512012-09-03T16:30:00.000-04:002014-03-29T12:06:01.755-04:00Wordpress SEO | How and Why<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_Xz7h8jzHgdGPnMipyDuZPgcUetKFxrWK5N8XUg96Mv5gR6rx6yVba0oCknXS7GUnbXlBVnRYlr864FqJS1GVJOEMSgpKWjsJ4lMAfeZ6VA0De-9S_kiUNMStgxozaxrgoqIyLglFcI_/s1600/wordpress-seo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_Xz7h8jzHgdGPnMipyDuZPgcUetKFxrWK5N8XUg96Mv5gR6rx6yVba0oCknXS7GUnbXlBVnRYlr864FqJS1GVJOEMSgpKWjsJ4lMAfeZ6VA0De-9S_kiUNMStgxozaxrgoqIyLglFcI_/s200/wordpress-seo.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Recently I attended a Wordpress Meet-up in Columbia, Maryland to learn more about how Wordpress allows users to implement, maintain and analyze SEO for their websites. Here are some of my notes for you to review. <i>Keep in mind that these are notes!</i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Speaker:</b> Web Mechanix (co-founder), <span style="background-color: white;">Arsham Mirsha</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Need a Textbook Definition of SEO?</b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization" target="_blank">SEO</a> (Search Engine Optimization) vs. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_marketing" target="_blank">SEM</a> (Search Engine Marketing)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Why does Wordpress work for SEO?</b></div>
<div>
1) There is less source code "between" the search engine and the keywords - it's very easy for spiders to navigate your website.</div>
<div>
2) Again, easy to read - clean and organized</div>
<div>
3) Ease of managing SEO through well-built plugins</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">4) </span>Versatility</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>How does Google look at your website?</b></div>
<div>
1) Nav bar is one of the first things that google looks at - by using <div id="nav"> and other content-relevant code makes the website easy to crawl.</div>
<div>
2) Number of links to the interior pages can effect how a website is crawled (e.g. home page has 100 links, sub page has 20 link, this other page has 6)<br />
3) Sitemap Data provides a specific path for the robots to crawl along</div>
<div>
3) <a href="http://www.google.com/competition/howgooglesearchworks.html" target="_blank">PageRank</a> or the number of links to your content from external websites. This is interpreted as a measurement of your content's quality, which is the new emphasis behind Google's search algorithm.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Google Search </b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Algorithm is affected by a lot of things, some of these thing include</b>:</span></div>
<div>
Permalinks, "quality" content, URLs, Metatags, Title Tag, Sitemap, Internal Links, Page Load Speed, Keyword Density etc.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Wordpress Posts vs. Pages</b></div>
<div>
One of the differences, from a search engine's perspective, is that posts have time stamps and dates, and pages do not. Google sitemap has more priority/seniority than your pages. </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Sometimes you are penalized for having numbers in posts (is this true?)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Hierarchical</span><span style="background-color: white;"> data vs. chronological</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">There are usually many ways to get to your post - typical page is one shot straight in</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Yoast SEO plugin lets you rewrite your slug. (yay)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b style="background-color: white;">Google Webmaster Tools</b></div>
<div>
Works great with Google Sitemap. <i>Where are my errors? What can I do to improve my pages?</i></div>
<div>
Need to be using this tool - Google wants to see that your care and are updating and improving your website frequently. What can you see? Broken links, server errors, people that link to you. Important: FIX YOUR BROKEN LINKS - that is one of the first steps to a better Google ranking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Wordpress Plugin for Broken Links?</b></div>
<div>
Will identify all the broken links on your website. Search "Broken link check".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Google hates iFrames?</b></div>
<div>
Well it doesn't hate iFrames, but iFrames aren't doing you any favors since the content within the iFrame is not indexed or considered valuable content.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Links back to your website</b></div>
<div>
When you post to "Public" on Facebook, Google can index your Facebook posts that link back to your website. Something to consider - you still need quality content that people want to view and link to.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Yoast is Your SEO Boyee</b></div>
<div>
He can explain how great his tool is better than I can - <a href="http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/" target="_blank">so read up!</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Google Alert</b></div>
<div>
Track your content. Setup a Google Alert and see how long it takes for you to get indexed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What about if you have a long standing html/css website with great SEO that wants to switch to Wordpress? <span style="background-color: white;">How do you preserve this website?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">There are plugins for that even add the .html extension in order to avoid redirects.</span></div>
<div>
You want the permalinks to be very similar if not the same if you have good ranking.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Meta in Your Images</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">You can program Wordpress to pre-populate</span><span style="background-color: white;"> information, associated within photoshop, into the required image fields after an image is uploaded. It will need to be coded into the development of the theme to push out to the frontend based on the meta information in the image. Which is great because </span><span style="background-color: white;">Google looks at your Alt tags and this can streamline your content load.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>A Suggested Paid Service:</b> <a href="http://scribeseo.com/">Scribeseo.com</a></div>
<div>
Developers licenses to install on many sites - $27/month. Similar to Yoast..but...</div>
<div>
Why is it paid? It helps you with keyword <i>research</i>. Uses API's to hook into keyword research tool. Does more in-depth analysis - know what your keyword is and put it near the top.</div>
<div>
<br />
Another service: <a href="http://www.linkdex.com/">http://www.linkdex.com/</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Yoast - actually has incorporated keyword analysis and research into their plugin.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Some Neat Upcoming Events</b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://2012.baltimore.wordcamp.org/" style="background-color: white;">http://2012.baltimore.wordcamp.org/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://givecamp.org/">http://givecamp.org/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Some Cool People/Companies</b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://yoast.com/" target="_blank">Yoast</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://webmechanics.net/" target="_blank">Web Mechanix</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.sizeableinteractive.com/" target="_blank">Andy Stratton, Sizeable Interactive</a></div>
Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-57495536711592078932012-06-18T22:08:00.000-04:002012-06-18T22:09:49.422-04:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj5zgCdwyyPxZ8Jc6ShbCDEd3EcOlS8yecNuO9Y00pI8BENzfokMpuZQ3IApQEk1-3OnbYakN93QmsmMMQI3M_ErvozJKvKSRCmXMX8AEzU6PVkPm_rrYjB8FjE7zmKCvBTsoIOqZVXjK/s400/baltimore_magazine_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2012 Issue of Baltimore Magazine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj5zgCdwyyPxZ8Jc6ShbCDEd3EcOlS8yecNuO9Y00pI8BENzfokMpuZQ3IApQEk1-3OnbYakN93QmsmMMQI3M_ErvozJKvKSRCmXMX8AEzU6PVkPm_rrYjB8FjE7zmKCvBTsoIOqZVXjK/s1600/baltimore_magazine_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
This month's <a href="http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/" target="_blank">Baltimore Magazine</a> issue features the photo shoot I assisted with several months ago. Yes, it's finally time to talk about beaches, bikes and being free more (couldn't have said it better myself).<br />
<br />
As I stated in an earlier post, Baltimore photographer <a href="http://corydonovan.com/" target="_blank">Cory Donovan</a> did an amazing job coordinating the shoot and everyone involved had an super time making memories at this editorial film photography photo shoot.<br />
<br />
<b>What you don't see in the photograph:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The small group of kids that sat on the dock to the left to watch our lovely model in front of the camera (they would later request an autograph).</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">My steel grip on the reflector to the right..."fill those shadows!"</span></li>
<li>Walking briskly and carefully with photo equipment in a race to beat the sunset</li>
<li>The ladies from <a href="http://alphastudiobaltimore.com/" target="_blank">Alpha Studio</a> standing by with comb, hair spray and make-up brush</li>
</ul>
<b>The unseen luxuries/non-luxuries of the shoot:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The fancy spa/salon we used for proper hair styling at the nearby hotel/golf resort</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The hot, playground-side bathrooms for outfit changes</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The scenic drive through Maryland</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">New friends and friendly faces</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The empty gas tank</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">My name in the magazine (with an added "u" for pizazz)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHARLVDanXzxHo75MHhyphenhyphenaPJHlEBgQ1qB_XCfx3Gnk64JlVvEgc-YXQdNDzoaOB00-hAvsZ7vk6VyyH4tOjDp1eZ283JQWwKjQWni2v-HPs8m-c4DgtJl5vvzl0n9IkHw0tN7MWEeajMdV/s1600/baltimore_magazine_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHARLVDanXzxHo75MHhyphenhyphenaPJHlEBgQ1qB_XCfx3Gnk64JlVvEgc-YXQdNDzoaOB00-hAvsZ7vk6VyyH4tOjDp1eZ283JQWwKjQWni2v-HPs8m-c4DgtJl5vvzl0n9IkHw0tN7MWEeajMdV/s400/baltimore_magazine_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leah Voguely - Close enough!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-79166317114225852662012-06-05T23:05:00.000-04:002012-06-05T23:05:52.402-04:00Making Your Own Green Screen | A Creative Alliance Workshop in BaltimoreMy summer education adventures have consisted exclusively of <a href="http://www.creativealliance.org/" target="_blank">Creative Alliance</a> workshops in Baltimore. The <a href="http://www.creativealliance.org/what-we-do/filmvideodigitalmedia" target="_blank">Film, Video and Digital</a> department at the <a href="http://www.creativealliance.org/" target="_blank">Creative Alliance</a> is truly an amazing resource that grants people of all levels of experience to learn, experiment and participate in the dialogue of film making in Baltimore.<br />
<br />
On May 26, 2012 I attended the workshop <i>Green Screen Basics</i> with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1595244/" target="_blank">Craig Herron</a>. With several tubes of PVC pipe, green fleece and the right lighting, we assembled a pretty nifty DIY green screen. Along the way he explained both the high- and low-end options for construction and lighting and the specific corners that could be cut.<br />
<br />
As we lit and tested our green screen, Herron emphasized the importance of strong, even light that did not overwhelm or overexpose the screen. He made technical adjustments to his camera, like lowering the ISO to reduce noise, and steadied his shot with a tripod. Lighting your screen and subject separately is important and makes a huge difference once you move your footage into the editing stage.<br />
<br />
Once in Adobe After Effects, we learned about the finer details that are often overlooked and how to not settle for "that looks pretty good". As a test subject, I was transported to the Bahamas and layered into a Maryland barn still (video below).<br />
<br />
I had never considered the green screen to be such an art or even a real "replacement" for realism. But with the right amount of technical expertise, studio and equipment (DIY or professional), you can accomplish a great deal. Herron himself is working on a film set in the Bahamas - except he is bringing the scenery to his actors in Maryland via several cruises with his wife and the trusty green screen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Herron will be working on the set of a new indie western film to be shot in Maryland this summer. This film is written and directed by Wayne Shipley and I've been told they are looking for volunteers to be townspeople, help build sets and even audition for some main roles. Herron, in charge of special effects, will be green screening a steam engine from the 1890s into a train station set. Follow the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Day-Of-The-Gun/259833474089082" target="_blank">production on Facebook</a> or check out Shipley's other movie <a href="http://www.viewclips.net/come-hell-or-high-water-2008/" target="_blank">Come Hell or High Water </a>on Netflix.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over these past few weeks, each workshop I have attended has been hosted by a knowledgeable, experienced and generous instructor. These educational opportunities are held in a small classroom and allow you to easily ask questions and interact with your classmates. Take some time to <a href="http://www.creativealliance.org/what-we-do" target="_blank">view current workshops</a> online and sign up to <a href="http://www.creativealliance.org/get-involved" target="_blank">support</a> this dynamic Baltimore institution.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAGBD0gGuq-wFAEctmcEEP5b5eT8giVtNmHX3XP_EMUTsA4P-DxSMY_Z1C_5iHdcUlRgBel9xuucX27i1ihffxylirJHxCHk8S6U6ujzaz0-MaewwjZ9-eSgJWGoGQN_yrXvc-iFLJkBg/s1600/photo+(17).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAGBD0gGuq-wFAEctmcEEP5b5eT8giVtNmHX3XP_EMUTsA4P-DxSMY_Z1C_5iHdcUlRgBel9xuucX27i1ihffxylirJHxCHk8S6U6ujzaz0-MaewwjZ9-eSgJWGoGQN_yrXvc-iFLJkBg/s320/photo+(17).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PVC Setup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngNUAr6wtwelHdRiBnQwuZSuQN1vxgky3AUDuWiXVOoYHjQPHLxb-O5QHpWBM2pjj4Ki7WB_UJUnVGXtGq8YJeot19-eDQyJl-pfkflhKRxYiiykrHHQOP2vF1PMPanxQt5l1AxzLwsi7/s1600/photo+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngNUAr6wtwelHdRiBnQwuZSuQN1vxgky3AUDuWiXVOoYHjQPHLxb-O5QHpWBM2pjj4Ki7WB_UJUnVGXtGq8YJeot19-eDQyJl-pfkflhKRxYiiykrHHQOP2vF1PMPanxQt5l1AxzLwsi7/s320/photo+(16).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parts assembled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1tYF4cyqjK4XJq8CpBup3NHjigE6XAOUwVP5KgsMPGmJYlgeJWwKgVDie0IDPB3cG-8kyHJMy5mmpQhipd45wmFXsCxMkg6JQg1I-MpEpvGkyCid3ihkuQZxJJRIdHcMJhxUeS1sP-pO/s320/photo+(15).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Hanging the screen (or green fleece).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaNGAv0j8pgRJF0g-dkMBy5MFECGd52teDwQmJiztGJKsQQ3x1sFQnwHkyMiKvFkWMUnmRRbg5XoNi_HjjmAh4DLRJLzBr_-gAHswmAx_cz5TPKGQFHkaWYyl9xYYHaM3Z_wDmgQ5Q4Te/s1600/photo+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaNGAv0j8pgRJF0g-dkMBy5MFECGd52teDwQmJiztGJKsQQ3x1sFQnwHkyMiKvFkWMUnmRRbg5XoNi_HjjmAh4DLRJLzBr_-gAHswmAx_cz5TPKGQFHkaWYyl9xYYHaM3Z_wDmgQ5Q4Te/s320/photo+(12).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A light made from PVC, an extension cord, <br />
sockets and an ice cube tray.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPg5TFxfsmavbuwOktzryGs2xAnt8iqjitY0fB0ruOeL-LnE4c_o3htwaCOqXiA3aqnYkqWvsyliF-mHfD13ZmlpUaTDJsw2vkYOa6Reg3_kpRCsLNC_tDW4noj2D3OuqT2VPicKY-hnF/s1600/photo+(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPg5TFxfsmavbuwOktzryGs2xAnt8iqjitY0fB0ruOeL-LnE4c_o3htwaCOqXiA3aqnYkqWvsyliF-mHfD13ZmlpUaTDJsw2vkYOa6Reg3_kpRCsLNC_tDW4noj2D3OuqT2VPicKY-hnF/s320/photo+(14).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Yes, an ice cube tray.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqONixbBLH5KcIjNzXxj-pRw3hn7b5y69nQQPGXEfnd-lwUI8Diudwrmtggnq19oFtb3RIl_Epf1VxEYmaxmxfHRRp3KgyGgx1WPLKtpn6T3UB4t2Gaa1y_Hsna1ik-wnIUiAdMlbq-8Z/s1600/photo+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqONixbBLH5KcIjNzXxj-pRw3hn7b5y69nQQPGXEfnd-lwUI8Diudwrmtggnq19oFtb3RIl_Epf1VxEYmaxmxfHRRp3KgyGgx1WPLKtpn6T3UB4t2Gaa1y_Hsna1ik-wnIUiAdMlbq-8Z/s320/photo+(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Energy saving light bulbs lower the heat generated, <br />
wattage used and help prevent burns and blown fuses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcUq9ZAKBeE97zv26lNSGahqHdtjVwtGERaLJZanVzVXx3-eUwAkGMk_jBLcKnI51kW7hjk4Rz6W9oQLsghaAnTQTlimzfjZEPnEu5jtW0KC4fDV75qETgz9_7MmKRVcSCPezAvm9JE1M/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcUq9ZAKBeE97zv26lNSGahqHdtjVwtGERaLJZanVzVXx3-eUwAkGMk_jBLcKnI51kW7hjk4Rz6W9oQLsghaAnTQTlimzfjZEPnEu5jtW0KC4fDV75qETgz9_7MmKRVcSCPezAvm9JE1M/s320/photo+(9).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five bulb light for the key light.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2XoiuFroWTbx3kTfA-IQ_GqTz_DtAh-E-A6Lz_algU68MbbegFiFUl9Sloqfl_mF-KcsW803fHZQV_jOpt9-1UYf9SO3ewKqpJbWWUlFLIcEdpNPugsDQZxwWdBIZcSW_l27qdoNW7s6/s1600/photo+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2XoiuFroWTbx3kTfA-IQ_GqTz_DtAh-E-A6Lz_algU68MbbegFiFUl9Sloqfl_mF-KcsW803fHZQV_jOpt9-1UYf9SO3ewKqpJbWWUlFLIcEdpNPugsDQZxwWdBIZcSW_l27qdoNW7s6/s320/photo+(8).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flagpole base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyAaqhi7mrYoirgRShFXv7VXGSsQhyphenhyphentOjoTNaXNi_NYaJBw_5gXaHGeG_2LW4jOAUG6zyoXbCbEJ4GpiH4KxWH-TblIVG6T2rfqphM7JkP8KTYQJFcPLIcE15Chzvs2FaQxaGwL5nQudQ/s1600/photo+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyAaqhi7mrYoirgRShFXv7VXGSsQhyphenhyphentOjoTNaXNi_NYaJBw_5gXaHGeG_2LW4jOAUG6zyoXbCbEJ4GpiH4KxWH-TblIVG6T2rfqphM7JkP8KTYQJFcPLIcE15Chzvs2FaQxaGwL5nQudQ/s320/photo+(10).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A critical look at his creation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPM6lis1cjfoiAAqwqWS21sPFCBEUYTk_vwIchvPo0e-k2wD7NaOM8WHhyphenhypheny-yhX2meKHNk3LY5_yf2g5T-KI94g-Z3oquPxZY4x8TZtE90lDKqeWISyFjxF8exuRGCanCweaJJjDIpK0Z/s1600/photo+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPM6lis1cjfoiAAqwqWS21sPFCBEUYTk_vwIchvPo0e-k2wD7NaOM8WHhyphenhypheny-yhX2meKHNk3LY5_yf2g5T-KI94g-Z3oquPxZY4x8TZtE90lDKqeWISyFjxF8exuRGCanCweaJJjDIpK0Z/s320/photo+(11).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PVC tripod - assembly required.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDw2nDeBJ0l4vnv5WdfZfr8usl2-JY8OAvjlGgpHGMTDRx9khn9eAQVDcWsukyzTqDwOItrUhnN6cirLYSC2qfXoy5yTO-rN-Wtmb3IAjiydkZQT1jvBXSz4vdl8daeJJ4MVpLUQfE_DjX/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDw2nDeBJ0l4vnv5WdfZfr8usl2-JY8OAvjlGgpHGMTDRx9khn9eAQVDcWsukyzTqDwOItrUhnN6cirLYSC2qfXoy5yTO-rN-Wtmb3IAjiydkZQT1jvBXSz4vdl8daeJJ4MVpLUQfE_DjX/s320/photo+(6).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plugs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hZIx72XVgjs0UzbSwNHKY0MmbqSScJFGlw8Y4AHcWVijz9JWDc0zNrRgell3t_2Wjr1hAmX7GpJUqrGdUMDfi9bAohXe7vKNH8IZ_VuktfP7j0KCJ7aMJgSJMUI0CEapixJBjE5rocFO/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hZIx72XVgjs0UzbSwNHKY0MmbqSScJFGlw8Y4AHcWVijz9JWDc0zNrRgell3t_2Wjr1hAmX7GpJUqrGdUMDfi9bAohXe7vKNH8IZ_VuktfP7j0KCJ7aMJgSJMUI0CEapixJBjE5rocFO/s320/photo+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighting the screen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtahyphenhyphen2rrriTx8AL-wtW96yLe_jIsDVnoF0AQEtIL-8Oa3VZiA2bF6P59guotyH2WMwvTRvrr-1cRqneUcqy_FbxlZAhzN7xpxRmqXnMyok4SN1XkZdtpae_blM9HVB59OzGl1BBisLzXU/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtahyphenhyphen2rrriTx8AL-wtW96yLe_jIsDVnoF0AQEtIL-8Oa3VZiA2bF6P59guotyH2WMwvTRvrr-1cRqneUcqy_FbxlZAhzN7xpxRmqXnMyok4SN1XkZdtpae_blM9HVB59OzGl1BBisLzXU/s320/photo+(4).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camera settings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmgKskdAVaXAuu7Ngyd_XGa3YWpWO1PmU8etWMHq21_imE2YVoyODjzgXx7kfARJCoUD9wz_zE7DVgR53dtFXKzz_v2bbW11X893n92D-Cv1I2nUBWZwra7Le8oXDfLtZ3PnUrrTS5KCF/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmgKskdAVaXAuu7Ngyd_XGa3YWpWO1PmU8etWMHq21_imE2YVoyODjzgXx7kfARJCoUD9wz_zE7DVgR53dtFXKzz_v2bbW11X893n92D-Cv1I2nUBWZwra7Le8oXDfLtZ3PnUrrTS5KCF/s320/photo+(7).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clamps are a screen's best friend <br />
(get out of here wrinkles).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuqb61MEOqXpAKMLhyphenhyphenodbfNXI51B9iYaDgcF34d5d5xhyi2e5KgNgOqsFF8bnKqz3IJHFCS1rvPQ924q3QC8-Q4N52VdcEEowEF8kL8cbV0NgmBtVCEor9GTw3ClZ-YlwTG45tEEQ1T30/s320/photo+(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keying out the green in Adobe After Effects.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTM9rb_tXQmCspVBu7J8Jcw7tT-YYpEvI1CPUyRB_6-g9XJUhkhyphenhyphenH10GmhoURtSn1a5HGBOc7ditcXJ7cwxauKLxCGA2D1OVYB3XeXPr2ybznoHb_FmbeFUa23PHymutOaohOn0y5M5kU/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTM9rb_tXQmCspVBu7J8Jcw7tT-YYpEvI1CPUyRB_6-g9XJUhkhyphenhyphenH10GmhoURtSn1a5HGBOc7ditcXJ7cwxauKLxCGA2D1OVYB3XeXPr2ybznoHb_FmbeFUa23PHymutOaohOn0y5M5kU/s320/photo+(3).JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tutorial on rotoscoping <br />
(for those with patience).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAMaSQxhjHQuhy1-Hr9MMKSeWNsQIzbK7p4POxVneSlmed0yX-VHVm9mtFR15-4sK3v6mNpfpLHv6vWZx2v8-LN6LEUqepUBkze5FawH9S2AusIpyVv3D853ULxLw9hXqFb0X8p62Wnsi/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAMaSQxhjHQuhy1-Hr9MMKSeWNsQIzbK7p4POxVneSlmed0yX-VHVm9mtFR15-4sK3v6mNpfpLHv6vWZx2v8-LN6LEUqepUBkze5FawH9S2AusIpyVv3D853ULxLw9hXqFb0X8p62Wnsi/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did we get into that barn?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyvKNzuK5NluhFdERylshQuozF-s5TSJcGObUykhhg0fr8j39EEchb2kAHesKkq6Zh3QOlQc9qvLSQBPVVUuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Some Resources:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://camoviemakers.tumblr.com/">http://camoviemakers.tumblr.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.md-filmfest.com/">http://www.md-filmfest.com/</a></span></div>
<br />Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-51155482404673846122011-10-01T10:34:00.001-04:002011-10-01T10:36:05.379-04:00Baltimore Magazine Cover Shoot on the Boardwalk with Photographer Cory Donovan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I agreed to assist with another Baltimore Magazine cover shoot with the local Baltimore photographer, Cory Donovan. The day of, I picked-up model-for-a-day, Kara, and headed over to meet with <a href="http://corydonovan.com/">Cory Donovan</a> and the other assistant, Talia Scher. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amazingly enough, Anthea Thurston and Aimee Lin from <a href="http://www.alphastudiobaltimore.com/">Alpha Studio</a> had graciously agreed to be the hair and make-up stylists for the shoot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all gathered at the <a href="http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/">Baltimore Magazine</a> headquarters for a pre-photo shoot meeting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With directions to <a href="http://www.ci.cambridge.md.us/">Cambridge, Maryland</a> we carpooled to the amazing <a href="http://chesapeakebay.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null">Hyatt Regency resort</a> - they had generously provided space in their spa for us to prepare for the shoot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While Anthea and Aimee styled the model - Cory, Talia and I scoped out the nearby <a href="http://www.tourdorchester.org/attraction.php?attraction=237">Sailwinds Park</a>. There, we discovered the perfect view; an old boardwalk bordered by rocks and water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the day moved closer to shoot time, the sun peeked through the clouds to create a beautifully diffused light. Cory shot in both film and digital; this versatility allowed him to get varied exposures of light and really capture the shot, literally, through a different lens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the sun threatened to disappear, we moved quickly to get the three required outfit changes and two locations into the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the sun fell beyond the horizon we packed-up for the day with a real sense of accomplishment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, it was an amazing experience with some really talented people. Look out for the July 2012 issue of Baltimore Magazine for the final shot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJERjQQRDgDK4GwQ9joHympZ2DvuGEiWnWGk23X4Gif2syKFuXxQkcAQRVy51LGSWcM4MUp0oZ2h5udtDifDQg7DF5RIjK_doUaWuvSvV4ZaVjNsjVuW_76ygzf3OPqAJeXKHxnDhFUyXt/s1600/IMG_2423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJERjQQRDgDK4GwQ9joHympZ2DvuGEiWnWGk23X4Gif2syKFuXxQkcAQRVy51LGSWcM4MUp0oZ2h5udtDifDQg7DF5RIjK_doUaWuvSvV4ZaVjNsjVuW_76ygzf3OPqAJeXKHxnDhFUyXt/s320/IMG_2423.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cory Donovan and Talia Scher on location</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRZtMPV5Wj0aLxs5kDfNDmVWrli7Rzq_t7QmHLdV-AEx8hUgPGLS_xjZ8D6AN493apkvIdZkZvQCARkPwvzLoN0LGnj7HSejxD0YSScCu49Z_ODcvxQrGWwM2uFdaMhkWWSmJTAGjQkin/s1600/IMG_2425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRZtMPV5Wj0aLxs5kDfNDmVWrli7Rzq_t7QmHLdV-AEx8hUgPGLS_xjZ8D6AN493apkvIdZkZvQCARkPwvzLoN0LGnj7HSejxD0YSScCu49Z_ODcvxQrGWwM2uFdaMhkWWSmJTAGjQkin/s320/IMG_2425.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you tell they also model?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OiLdV3Bixnh4NLB1U9gyc5J74iTUgIiem4wArpIq0KBh2CW85iT3cGQF5bJgBtPyggSHqh-C6d6937zZ8EJpD-VxJNJeH5VYnD6ItiMr9mFOsCH4444w7J5FqtZgKacYfFBJvLszm-8w/s1600/IMG_2429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OiLdV3Bixnh4NLB1U9gyc5J74iTUgIiem4wArpIq0KBh2CW85iT3cGQF5bJgBtPyggSHqh-C6d6937zZ8EJpD-VxJNJeH5VYnD6ItiMr9mFOsCH4444w7J5FqtZgKacYfFBJvLszm-8w/s320/IMG_2429.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boardwalk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcy5KhPQJH1-RWriHUcO5wZfy-KqLvwUI0GKQCTe8d98zhio4716MMRZc7Q8361nnwdkNmcnDUGB9MLzExLZClwLy3HuOvOcif-chVvRFNJF_s93_Ycl5rXbJ_qHw_tAH7IeB15031kum/s1600/IMG_2430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcy5KhPQJH1-RWriHUcO5wZfy-KqLvwUI0GKQCTe8d98zhio4716MMRZc7Q8361nnwdkNmcnDUGB9MLzExLZClwLy3HuOvOcif-chVvRFNJF_s93_Ycl5rXbJ_qHw_tAH7IeB15031kum/s320/IMG_2430.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8xW2bZ-xPvzAT9u7b7fcwdMtfWaoA4SF8ChUNkxTc2z9pISVnMNQZmQeHzDes_dLMcrqP7FzDSxTa87vlShuM2AvNMyaKe0rJhssq5xSPpZy24Nl5r0eME1Z0Esj4lHcoo5wY4M0-6iG/s1600/IMG_2435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8xW2bZ-xPvzAT9u7b7fcwdMtfWaoA4SF8ChUNkxTc2z9pISVnMNQZmQeHzDes_dLMcrqP7FzDSxTa87vlShuM2AvNMyaKe0rJhssq5xSPpZy24Nl5r0eME1Z0Esj4lHcoo5wY4M0-6iG/s320/IMG_2435.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the Hyatt with the model.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU-Dd6ODhua9-9TQ3qSiy7LqKwtK7iakEY5dHzsWNJJiTb8PI-1YHsv3zwho__v3JMAPFaMV-CnYLRwBzog93iD5Jd4O1LcEDFl1gGMtaDaU7X0wMdWdBL97VqMTJQYGgrknp51CWw7nn/s1600/IMG_2438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU-Dd6ODhua9-9TQ3qSiy7LqKwtK7iakEY5dHzsWNJJiTb8PI-1YHsv3zwho__v3JMAPFaMV-CnYLRwBzog93iD5Jd4O1LcEDFl1gGMtaDaU7X0wMdWdBL97VqMTJQYGgrknp51CWw7nn/s320/IMG_2438.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Schwinn bike for photo shoot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-lbIsqc7UwG7j8XKvjAnK5KoicpOkAkCDaIfzDzl8L-SJiiN23Tn10NqUPrgQMoGkLfB0m95mo7rszEsvnH3tF4cJoWmrCK953Q6AsOLKv7sJa7R-NI7wtL-RVxvw0JWapCt-EU0wVvn/s1600/IMG_2443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-lbIsqc7UwG7j8XKvjAnK5KoicpOkAkCDaIfzDzl8L-SJiiN23Tn10NqUPrgQMoGkLfB0m95mo7rszEsvnH3tF4cJoWmrCK953Q6AsOLKv7sJa7R-NI7wtL-RVxvw0JWapCt-EU0wVvn/s320/IMG_2443.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BCsXEfBc_tsGxYhU4Q3Uj-7Xn2xidGl2I5tdOIWQIfasgQttCXHmsAtSLbRepVtv2HNoTLpV3eYUw08d2zNpiIKTloaV60AlZUaxsApVKADDMbUeJuUP0Z2dxwuoB3ijhmS3IAx2LIl7/s1600/IMG_2447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BCsXEfBc_tsGxYhU4Q3Uj-7Xn2xidGl2I5tdOIWQIfasgQttCXHmsAtSLbRepVtv2HNoTLpV3eYUw08d2zNpiIKTloaV60AlZUaxsApVKADDMbUeJuUP0Z2dxwuoB3ijhmS3IAx2LIl7/s320/IMG_2447.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Anthea Thurston (right) and Aimee Lin (left) from <a href="http://www.alphastudiobaltimore.com/">Alpha Studio</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktF-zRDyzqVJnhBHv1D8j27-WxPQQiCZ-oBlQR04HTOmrq09LWrwNImlLzBp2hJnkpWD-csGbaRbh2Cz8Aiq_CU-ZbvPdo-YsR6Q1Lzk5_ybtQznDtuC_7xPZd7ELUJQsRwwN9pk5c7k8/s1600/IMG_2453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktF-zRDyzqVJnhBHv1D8j27-WxPQQiCZ-oBlQR04HTOmrq09LWrwNImlLzBp2hJnkpWD-csGbaRbh2Cz8Aiq_CU-ZbvPdo-YsR6Q1Lzk5_ybtQznDtuC_7xPZd7ELUJQsRwwN9pk5c7k8/s320/IMG_2453.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cory in action!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ47GARr4vRBCoPw9W0ULT8Cfl-y9gZRUB-IBh4Ih9Ix2eYv3zWwv-tajxBn_2RdT8T-CYylCtw04VTekNWQQHcb2XBbSM_qsgGiQ6wDfX_Dx5nEdBdwgHJUMpEL_Q8fQdRH_R7HsKkjZj/s1600/IMG_2456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ47GARr4vRBCoPw9W0ULT8Cfl-y9gZRUB-IBh4Ih9Ix2eYv3zWwv-tajxBn_2RdT8T-CYylCtw04VTekNWQQHcb2XBbSM_qsgGiQ6wDfX_Dx5nEdBdwgHJUMpEL_Q8fQdRH_R7HsKkjZj/s320/IMG_2456.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test shot with film.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCh4XHlSVQ11SU31p20sfX1SjoMbE6yUWQCvamNfC6AELyrlq-3cIKPSbvcJB77HntXF872c8LmTQ7gp8xh2579lgomTCQZaedDl5zssOCif2Lkol_gvRZObu7vqYCwccnifyGYxrRn78/s1600/IMG_2467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCh4XHlSVQ11SU31p20sfX1SjoMbE6yUWQCvamNfC6AELyrlq-3cIKPSbvcJB77HntXF872c8LmTQ7gp8xh2579lgomTCQZaedDl5zssOCif2Lkol_gvRZObu7vqYCwccnifyGYxrRn78/s320/IMG_2467.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwinn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPzCgq3hT05TOomFWvdIyJ1ojM55zwVI599vRTLTTVPY3RFGKlQCFhUXwz74zF2Y4X71h9w9zP8tI_hZh8gVR4r5VVNY8bPjzLxbVGdKzaRRH4bp0AwNlNwO02sLok7L8I054y8j5usb8/s1600/IMG_2469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPzCgq3hT05TOomFWvdIyJ1ojM55zwVI599vRTLTTVPY3RFGKlQCFhUXwz74zF2Y4X71h9w9zP8tI_hZh8gVR4r5VVNY8bPjzLxbVGdKzaRRH4bp0AwNlNwO02sLok7L8I054y8j5usb8/s320/IMG_2469.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWOYg5kk3lFUP1K68fn-R20nH6MlYm0Q_4byH9xSw0oOUrAUM7i8smB4Hr2STtSlUv8XOV_aqA0-YuHmLC71CQcs_e6NXnFdkygfYjX0yjAlHYyCWa42b2EtYtlk8qyuCOiAzfwCa57ts/s1600/IMG_2473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWOYg5kk3lFUP1K68fn-R20nH6MlYm0Q_4byH9xSw0oOUrAUM7i8smB4Hr2STtSlUv8XOV_aqA0-YuHmLC71CQcs_e6NXnFdkygfYjX0yjAlHYyCWa42b2EtYtlk8qyuCOiAzfwCa57ts/s320/IMG_2473.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reloading film.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLw5VVp44FA_Dc1QXQ4Ufjx5aB4RB3fmtSQR5FNyj8JXMV2DwbhYvTRhY_u89A7zKUMLDdN09Z2y6rLxxgn8a4FDpcmZnENObRO2JSNeUr9A5QfVV8sMbRaWnagm9iSFkExDbRNpFI6gx/s1600/IMG_2475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLw5VVp44FA_Dc1QXQ4Ufjx5aB4RB3fmtSQR5FNyj8JXMV2DwbhYvTRhY_u89A7zKUMLDdN09Z2y6rLxxgn8a4FDpcmZnENObRO2JSNeUr9A5QfVV8sMbRaWnagm9iSFkExDbRNpFI6gx/s320/IMG_2475.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6GSgdtTQP-dsPQGGcyzMO2czWp7qtkt8hhM3OJdqUyNG1gI0lFQqsZdAs6PFMAuYhyphenhyphenHR3ClV0n98DrJp5EFz25vtNZRBD-r0h3uCsBljoNAdqgkejjgGntZbEymbFhi-EEu_vztFzKB_/s1600/IMG_2479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6GSgdtTQP-dsPQGGcyzMO2czWp7qtkt8hhM3OJdqUyNG1gI0lFQqsZdAs6PFMAuYhyphenhyphenHR3ClV0n98DrJp5EFz25vtNZRBD-r0h3uCsBljoNAdqgkejjgGntZbEymbFhi-EEu_vztFzKB_/s320/IMG_2479.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving direction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2PHAqxMQTdQgjZRAmqS8j8jq218Ie3OmY9jTsIwiGAXDvOhTRAGDOfM4lSQ-o3McsDUq-qd_0xk6R_8WDEZu-VN0HeugaJtOBKms3k83sC-p28pAjpU2z41YoDAoScI-I_Q9dToH1rvT/s1600/IMG_2484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2PHAqxMQTdQgjZRAmqS8j8jq218Ie3OmY9jTsIwiGAXDvOhTRAGDOfM4lSQ-o3McsDUq-qd_0xk6R_8WDEZu-VN0HeugaJtOBKms3k83sC-p28pAjpU2z41YoDAoScI-I_Q9dToH1rvT/s320/IMG_2484.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make-up touch up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QEym1Qkc2Q_5q2-xZsZKvorfWk29GA8ajLynde3AI6ngofvXL_Ns3j9k09E6c1qoQ5ha7kEF7fO5Xh0JTFzlOGnx7J_TpvNpxbM7Bn2t66exD3AanR81Mus71WkcVfpJZdcsmTJOGG-K/s1600/IMG_2490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QEym1Qkc2Q_5q2-xZsZKvorfWk29GA8ajLynde3AI6ngofvXL_Ns3j9k09E6c1qoQ5ha7kEF7fO5Xh0JTFzlOGnx7J_TpvNpxbM7Bn2t66exD3AanR81Mus71WkcVfpJZdcsmTJOGG-K/s320/IMG_2490.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0Baltimore, MD, USA39.2903848 -76.61218930000001139.2028853 -76.703222300000007 39.3778843 -76.521156300000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-80522237817115064882011-09-12T21:25:00.000-04:002011-09-12T21:25:08.931-04:00Plywood Opening / Jim Lucio: StripOn Saturday, September 10, 2011 the new gallery opened its doors in at 511 East Belvedere Ave., in Baltimore, Maryland. Plywood is a co-creation by <a href="http://www.chrisattenborough.com/Site/home.html">Chris Attenborough</a> and <a href="http://sean%20naftel/">Sean Naftel</a> who are also partners in the artist group <a href="http://web.me.com/cjattenborough/PEACOCK/peacock.html">Peacock</a>. Occupying a vacant space in <a href="http://www.belvederesquare.com/">Belvedere Square</a>, this new gallery space is available for artists, curators and creatives alike to come together and take advantage of the relatively new, white space:<br />
<br />
<i>"Plywood is a new flexible white cube project site located in North Baltimore's Belvedere Square. As part of Roving Project Plywood occupies a currently unused space, transforming it into a space for creative practice. Plywood will only occupy the location until another tenant leases the available store front."</i> - <a href="http://www.plywoodsite.org/">www.plywoodsite.org</a><br />
<br />
The gallery opened with a bang with a new show by <a href="http://www.defekto.com/">Jim Lucio</a>. "Strip" is a collection of <a href="http://www.polaroid.com/en/stream">Polaroids</a> shown consecutively at eye-level around the gallery space. Hung with nails and clips, the photographs create a cinematic effect reminiscent of Tarantino. Passing by, you get glimpses of retro signage and fish nets; clear heels and horror movie imagery captured by instant emulsion.<br />
<br />
The photos, a precious collection of a dying photographic art, are not for sale. But, if you're lucky, the gallery may make you an enlarged print signed by the artist. A great idea from a new gallery that is already gaining interest from the artist community.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mggpf7OTxDo_jQQuLkbXe1As1yy9dBENj6m3Ku9GFUbY379sSf0kpXTMg_V2V121__-vriMj-uILTuw3632dFD0-IM7VotRduJVOyNfU6u7NTm2xqh5APbgK9T7ApswGIsV7gdGCZotG/s1600/IMG_2206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mggpf7OTxDo_jQQuLkbXe1As1yy9dBENj6m3Ku9GFUbY379sSf0kpXTMg_V2V121__-vriMj-uILTuw3632dFD0-IM7VotRduJVOyNfU6u7NTm2xqh5APbgK9T7ApswGIsV7gdGCZotG/s320/IMG_2206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeQ5S2K12zeyiT4JnovA35pP6O44UoIJ8Ze3BhyphenhyphenYG67ncKDxZIJJps2MbS3xSXv_VenYCIum4mM4nXazMncNvVATGa7Yi-Uigk_ysetuy4zpAuvWyZORxjEArSPX2BxAaq5ANXJo9SOwE/s1600/IMG_2208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeQ5S2K12zeyiT4JnovA35pP6O44UoIJ8Ze3BhyphenhyphenYG67ncKDxZIJJps2MbS3xSXv_VenYCIum4mM4nXazMncNvVATGa7Yi-Uigk_ysetuy4zpAuvWyZORxjEArSPX2BxAaq5ANXJo9SOwE/s320/IMG_2208.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPX3MvjRcGtDhSLwgSu8kMlQsQgMuaXpzrBiZbE1E2oXwRmdZxXFIMq_xoag0grnkb-fbN3FLALO6zE5sbhKT8q-dWdIHmNdHUdLNw43Yuekm9mHfVSRBBymAYbCOtM2sJ08NFGSZzPca/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPX3MvjRcGtDhSLwgSu8kMlQsQgMuaXpzrBiZbE1E2oXwRmdZxXFIMq_xoag0grnkb-fbN3FLALO6zE5sbhKT8q-dWdIHmNdHUdLNw43Yuekm9mHfVSRBBymAYbCOtM2sJ08NFGSZzPca/s320/IMG_2212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-wIjAAaVooqLUG7cS4Fjsi0QeHPwoLdoWeoWuMJDrBeg5Nhfs8bIINI7k-X65qSsHOtSR7LbCM4SLB-HHfVe8C75AJzJq6cwW_NOE0PVfs27Pwwfj8XSE7V_9sNiDraOVBaM0unlI3UT/s1600/IMG_2216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-wIjAAaVooqLUG7cS4Fjsi0QeHPwoLdoWeoWuMJDrBeg5Nhfs8bIINI7k-X65qSsHOtSR7LbCM4SLB-HHfVe8C75AJzJq6cwW_NOE0PVfs27Pwwfj8XSE7V_9sNiDraOVBaM0unlI3UT/s320/IMG_2216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_64cuZc-9T9x7g8kccOgnaaK_8KlGgSq8FsNSkyE21dS7xoF1Eejko5XQUVNu1c3D_flqUjYZgXfhl9Qg0tGZm5oE53Fxe-lc3snsh0kgj1FbiKP_TzsC6RwzlpGT45qwsVFlhJl5Ae2/s1600/IMG_2220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_64cuZc-9T9x7g8kccOgnaaK_8KlGgSq8FsNSkyE21dS7xoF1Eejko5XQUVNu1c3D_flqUjYZgXfhl9Qg0tGZm5oE53Fxe-lc3snsh0kgj1FbiKP_TzsC6RwzlpGT45qwsVFlhJl5Ae2/s320/IMG_2220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagkQ5SyD58jzvrHG_QnzJ83SJZlziYOvxG9_p3B9zNfVCcDdQW8BiWy2A9CORjqY1BNwLcT4Xc0DDXKwaIdsyqNUhDx8EBqH2MeRIKKqk80RDwtF0sm4M3XE6kcV7FXw5yqksCGMoDtlr/s320/IMG_2210.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0hg_Ks8B-H9OkzyMYe4vw8WI4gDs-gfKo0tARtoGS_e2dkMTR5kkWO3D-IcOo7lYnB38XTUc1umsz2G63IddGJA9gKfZTYG8rVzgBFuUEm8-OoedfCw-U2nnA5E66_9yQpR6Hx8FnTND/s1600/IMG_2218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0hg_Ks8B-H9OkzyMYe4vw8WI4gDs-gfKo0tARtoGS_e2dkMTR5kkWO3D-IcOo7lYnB38XTUc1umsz2G63IddGJA9gKfZTYG8rVzgBFuUEm8-OoedfCw-U2nnA5E66_9yQpR6Hx8FnTND/s320/IMG_2218.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfFItjwT0iKvTsNBcycZ42ISWIOGn73Y_FLiusuqnmT2mY3XURem9C4KENKQ2yd36jCuopLjiCbDiyE_UoTTQiMFtAqzmDYkTKoIi5V4iLE00T1HEL94GnV8YYLa5oi2Q_8_OZIMrZOtR/s1600/IMG_2214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfFItjwT0iKvTsNBcycZ42ISWIOGn73Y_FLiusuqnmT2mY3XURem9C4KENKQ2yd36jCuopLjiCbDiyE_UoTTQiMFtAqzmDYkTKoIi5V4iLE00T1HEL94GnV8YYLa5oi2Q_8_OZIMrZOtR/s320/IMG_2214.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJF36dravJhlxJeaXFUP91jiSAKxs27e4bYBZ2-o1lAWNaH9FRBbIIdwqcDx8wejy90xwZXAwp211aePy_HJHrKdWbD1ecr3gnztPDrOrhZ1BuOEl8DZo5VThcVUhdsfBgzeWUTfzWfOI/s1600/IMG_2222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJF36dravJhlxJeaXFUP91jiSAKxs27e4bYBZ2-o1lAWNaH9FRBbIIdwqcDx8wejy90xwZXAwp211aePy_HJHrKdWbD1ecr3gnztPDrOrhZ1BuOEl8DZo5VThcVUhdsfBgzeWUTfzWfOI/s320/IMG_2222.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmjqtM2S7_Ouu4pc-JkF8JRbvxj_IxmhDrZORZiPX0x6Tmn6VCvoowCg3SOxDd6yvKaO4UwFgJTp9CObZ61tTw_is0rtSOv_PEis_C8FDRfewM9ldzQULnhNt01B5oOxMLylVS7UhWuBi/s1600/IMG_2224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmjqtM2S7_Ouu4pc-JkF8JRbvxj_IxmhDrZORZiPX0x6Tmn6VCvoowCg3SOxDd6yvKaO4UwFgJTp9CObZ61tTw_is0rtSOv_PEis_C8FDRfewM9ldzQULnhNt01B5oOxMLylVS7UhWuBi/s320/IMG_2224.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jkEiTjpBntbdS6zHm57hfWBYEWu6JE9Az7C38OGKYDaHa3pqEFgFZWCyGaJS2owK28eLmhdLW19PUWUXmw09eMfNmqThboLjI1xxq0XTnvCHd5pilBMEyFIxWZUL4tCjC1OJ8WxdoiFK/s1600/IMG_2226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jkEiTjpBntbdS6zHm57hfWBYEWu6JE9Az7C38OGKYDaHa3pqEFgFZWCyGaJS2owK28eLmhdLW19PUWUXmw09eMfNmqThboLjI1xxq0XTnvCHd5pilBMEyFIxWZUL4tCjC1OJ8WxdoiFK/s320/IMG_2226.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrnKey53a_Z59ch7ecOln1ehqqmgNS-FVirPPUtAfQHXFyblEIaZcM3UPU4MAs9Ti1R9H8fC7cpyDDkEY1OjPPunmqdt4RnF2boLHcDWHCB2S-gd0iJBMuh-0JVZ20Nq9pHcRRjCQMpAk/s1600/IMG_2232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrnKey53a_Z59ch7ecOln1ehqqmgNS-FVirPPUtAfQHXFyblEIaZcM3UPU4MAs9Ti1R9H8fC7cpyDDkEY1OjPPunmqdt4RnF2boLHcDWHCB2S-gd0iJBMuh-0JVZ20Nq9pHcRRjCQMpAk/s320/IMG_2232.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrL50boKm6btIWW5xvGcmfazbr2Axr0TSYK_mxU-kQ5ZDqOFBN-Dj8LYovE358tlIEaBT78LP83wXhtRGVHAGCrlPrkKwpbbIeeXR7XlWGdyvLW7digdmc9w7yhdP6GFjhK_QgakBVZYE/s1600/IMG_2204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrL50boKm6btIWW5xvGcmfazbr2Axr0TSYK_mxU-kQ5ZDqOFBN-Dj8LYovE358tlIEaBT78LP83wXhtRGVHAGCrlPrkKwpbbIeeXR7XlWGdyvLW7digdmc9w7yhdP6GFjhK_QgakBVZYE/s320/IMG_2204.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<object id="BLOG_video-FAILED-2" class="BLOG_video_class" contentid="FAILED" width="320" height="266" ></object></div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-40909291771919391322011-08-18T22:41:00.001-04:002011-08-19T07:31:23.429-04:00Paper and Ink | My day at the printing plantRecently, I received a personal tour of a local Maryland printing plant. Entering in through the offices, the warehouse space opened-up to a bustling floor of contraptions and weathered tinkerers. The smell of ink emanated from freshly pigmented paper and the floor was clean and bright. Several generations of printers occupied every corner of the space. Metal cans of ink gathered in stadium-seating shelving as a man in a branded blue shirt leafed through Pantone swatch booklets.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5g6xiYg72ZNoxCBebx3Ym3334jP5KBUbitnBlTTSwr_8kKXO9Jeu0QqUlm9C3d7RmlNUlyr_bf3M_QJPanORMSbsg_Ls6eNg9SD-_lBdKdTLRiFWIvabL2JXk0Xg-8tFwZhhANg6fUMSr/s1600/p_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5g6xiYg72ZNoxCBebx3Ym3334jP5KBUbitnBlTTSwr_8kKXO9Jeu0QqUlm9C3d7RmlNUlyr_bf3M_QJPanORMSbsg_Ls6eNg9SD-_lBdKdTLRiFWIvabL2JXk0Xg-8tFwZhhANg6fUMSr/s320/p_0012.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collection of inks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I enjoyed the overwhelming size of the Komori 5-color process printer. The tall towers housed gooey ink rollers of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsFHqoQeU85dURl_0HRzrWhiVz0gf5JfJsFjr9mjodLI7Et_6aG0mPfqfpxSiyalxIxjE3beF2vRjoPFnD_s64zSKMPsrmf8MNlr1bbl-LeRJ6sDtreeKItbOd-RDo1jONqtKxSjGeM70/s1600/p_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsFHqoQeU85dURl_0HRzrWhiVz0gf5JfJsFjr9mjodLI7Et_6aG0mPfqfpxSiyalxIxjE3beF2vRjoPFnD_s64zSKMPsrmf8MNlr1bbl-LeRJ6sDtreeKItbOd-RDo1jONqtKxSjGeM70/s320/p_0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading paper into one end.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlkx4azYUdga3btS_i43jjD1pDqldmEtCXy3R4cggH-PMY-evsWZ6UADsUx5cn-UWcdDbgHX2ueJ8tAeFXEhzEY9JjC5c6qnnRo0zZH9jcAn51FKB78RconP3CUaBhA-GZktGa-asDHcr/s1600/p_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlkx4azYUdga3btS_i43jjD1pDqldmEtCXy3R4cggH-PMY-evsWZ6UADsUx5cn-UWcdDbgHX2ueJ8tAeFXEhzEY9JjC5c6qnnRo0zZH9jcAn51FKB78RconP3CUaBhA-GZktGa-asDHcr/s320/p_0004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 5 towers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig989SdvlWR-w26xkAJ5-nSSd3toyFEDZH15MENhPp22pzVN6EgSWNnKv2N-zYjAHhgm-_2RhRWzNxR-IESoh1_Pby89Ko4_ce1UL4J4DOo1vnW04rqHnJwdB9Sqx8T33g5UT4EzrvL_W/s1600/p_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig989SdvlWR-w26xkAJ5-nSSd3toyFEDZH15MENhPp22pzVN6EgSWNnKv2N-zYjAHhgm-_2RhRWzNxR-IESoh1_Pby89Ko4_ce1UL4J4DOo1vnW04rqHnJwdB9Sqx8T33g5UT4EzrvL_W/s320/p_0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The paper moves through the machine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmS5xklUrn56VjboopaSdzQ9AaWd1hM8DKMOfgBAFQt2zOHTYQPvA06dmgwOuMqyD-CnkM7IGZGij0vhOM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prints coming out the other end.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-J3aszO-EUABuNlwxcwWXaBW6tUbFnj_WiI4PF6ldAODn6mPdtkwUJWtTHnlGiAorZ3GOqXUV38ka5JxyyeNXR_2rc29mZXyShjLuAapDLkE_VYkfY9vy6h7-UPZdlLzt2a76KHlgZSK/s1600/p_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-J3aszO-EUABuNlwxcwWXaBW6tUbFnj_WiI4PF6ldAODn6mPdtkwUJWtTHnlGiAorZ3GOqXUV38ka5JxyyeNXR_2rc29mZXyShjLuAapDLkE_VYkfY9vy6h7-UPZdlLzt2a76KHlgZSK/s320/p_0006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proofing station to catch any screen errors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In contrast, the smaller traditional printing machines buckled together like a thousand metal knuckles; punching out pristine white stationary.<br />
<br />
My tour guide pointed out the large HP Indigo printer, "digital is the future" he said as we stepped past boxes of fresh prints.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-6A0TvycLF66QnRKR_T9x4aRhtPTV55-YLZN0_YLHPAOJqlUTpLf0j6PTsBguDgR2wSX-6H6zrfGbLEUfolKgzWYL5ly7gBXYlj61Sari2vyzLJv2my7qoLoQYVJfr-SetXMmzGv_BqY/s1600/p_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-6A0TvycLF66QnRKR_T9x4aRhtPTV55-YLZN0_YLHPAOJqlUTpLf0j6PTsBguDgR2wSX-6H6zrfGbLEUfolKgzWYL5ly7gBXYlj61Sari2vyzLJv2my7qoLoQYVJfr-SetXMmzGv_BqY/s320/p_0015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digital HP Indigo Printer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOpl1nR6_1Orl9cK2V9esnDra7LZQr6UyKs4l_S5i6u6uWVP_udfq_BE3POLXPozh5QLUu2xua4PCUMfoZydpT44E0ZHPoetT9dUqhl5j7ee-Npd_1hNR-QqGsK8IZYsxFUjY1NeZbgRa/s1600/p_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOpl1nR6_1Orl9cK2V9esnDra7LZQr6UyKs4l_S5i6u6uWVP_udfq_BE3POLXPozh5QLUu2xua4PCUMfoZydpT44E0ZHPoetT9dUqhl5j7ee-Npd_1hNR-QqGsK8IZYsxFUjY1NeZbgRa/s320/p_0016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5-color process ink with a tube for a PMS ink on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CKr-2DSckcayzn6nyXa9Pnh5d4cRQLRMgrCXuFq8mvqp3pJ3N2BArL-F3fyRWUILsUv5hSuSQuibaT3DsgmfbhNtH39EP1K7hfNHijSuMzvCAqYfsu3VUBzYzXltVSBY_cbLF6dnuEzE/s1600/p_0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CKr-2DSckcayzn6nyXa9Pnh5d4cRQLRMgrCXuFq8mvqp3pJ3N2BArL-F3fyRWUILsUv5hSuSQuibaT3DsgmfbhNtH39EP1K7hfNHijSuMzvCAqYfsu3VUBzYzXltVSBY_cbLF6dnuEzE/s320/p_0017.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love ink.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaBPRay5d4O7cUqpg5gjliT_ZO4eHus7InpWFTSPq5vTuuy5yQCY1zKKdU-RMcHA7avFMqrLA6jSSTV_9oy3YnL2bHFHxyx0szrlTnzL_OPwSSlgjHwhOthgkmDUAjfdgJwxUFsNu99xp/s1600/p_0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaBPRay5d4O7cUqpg5gjliT_ZO4eHus7InpWFTSPq5vTuuy5yQCY1zKKdU-RMcHA7avFMqrLA6jSSTV_9oy3YnL2bHFHxyx0szrlTnzL_OPwSSlgjHwhOthgkmDUAjfdgJwxUFsNu99xp/s320/p_0021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large and in charge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-pxYPeL5nmuonoZcSTJFF9HgLiqNFgkkLF2ojDNYmI4rA4AFamdI9nW3n6t5XV6XDs42WKTpR8Ex8qZPtmLdonmd2WLhfZ3MKlXNvYs7Rkio1SBpj5XM8IvqqzlM6O3onl4vBQsh6G2U/s1600/p_0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-pxYPeL5nmuonoZcSTJFF9HgLiqNFgkkLF2ojDNYmI4rA4AFamdI9nW3n6t5XV6XDs42WKTpR8Ex8qZPtmLdonmd2WLhfZ3MKlXNvYs7Rkio1SBpj5XM8IvqqzlM6O3onl4vBQsh6G2U/s320/p_0020.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolls of paper lower costs and increase efficiency.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The more you learn about the other processes that influence your profession, the better you will be at completing your projects at the best price and quality for your client. It's like standing on your head; take a look at things on the other side. Explore new territories and processes and, most of all, have fun!</div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-49567877805894848672011-07-18T16:29:00.000-04:002011-07-18T16:29:21.168-04:0012 Free Photography Business & Marketing Guides<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Today I received a really great email from ASMP providing links to a library of e-books for photographers.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am currently a member of the <a href="http://asmp.org/">American Society of Media Photographers</a>. I highly recommend checking out their website and <a href="http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/">blog</a> for great resources on anything from copyright to contracts.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The resources below are provided by <a href="http://bit.ly/n1nvi8" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">PhotoShelter</a> (so don't be surprised if you need to fill out a form in order to obtain the book)--providing valuable information is just another way to generate leads!</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The entire library of e-books is available <a href="http://bit.ly/n1nvi8" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><hr style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>What Buyers Want from Photographers</strong><br />
Our 2011 survey of over 500+ image buyers reveals insight into how to best reach them, attract their attention, and keep them coming back for more.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/nNjXjm" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>The Freelancer’s Online Marketing Blueprint</strong><br />
Learn the latest online marketing tactics to attract more potential clients to your website and convert them to paying customers.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/oHW31R" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>The Photographer’s Guide to Selling Like a Pro</strong><br />
Top salesmen share their advice on cold calling, booking meetings, generating repeat business and more.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/nqnB8Z" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Starting a Photography Business</strong><br />
Start your business with valuable insights from the experts and case studies from six College Photographer of the Year winners.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/qrh2Rr" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Facebook Fan Pages for Photographers</strong><br />
Learn how a build a Facebook Fan Page that can grow your business.<br />
Download this book on the <a href="http://on.fb.me/mRR9op" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">PhotoShelter Facebook</a> page.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Email Marketing for Photographers</strong><br />
Get an introduction to email marketing that includes the metrics that matter, case studies, and how to find an Email Service Provider that can simplify your strategy.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/nVSofQ" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Inspiration Handbook</strong><br />
Read insights from eight professional photographers on finding and cultivating inspiration.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/nqyp5v" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>How to Sell Prints</strong><br />
The advice and case studies in this guide will teach you how to sell prints by creating an effective marketing plan and selecting optimal merchandise.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/p4jcZj" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>SEO Cookbook for Photographers</strong><br />
Learn the secrets of Search Engine Optimization and how to use them to rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/pSzc2q" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Photography Blog Handbook</strong><br />
This guide shows you how to use blogs to help grow your website traffic, deepen client relationships, and build a bigger following.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/pbsj4J" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Social Media for Photographers</strong><br />
A 55-page step-by-step guide that shows how you can use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to succeed online!<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/qpW9fN" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>Google Analytics for Photographers</strong><br />
Determine how users are interacting with your website and how this free service can support business decisions and future marketing expenses.<br />
Download this book <a href="http://bit.ly/oleT5J" style="color: #1c51a8;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-88075070880575151322011-07-12T20:59:00.002-04:002011-07-12T21:46:40.769-04:00Top Online Freelance Design ResourcesI just wanted to post a short list of resources that I think would help any designer who is on their way to freelance efficiency! <a href="http://www.freelanceswitch.com/" target="_blank">Freelance Switch</a> is a great resource overall and they publish great lists all the time. Here are my favorites from their infamous <a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/general/101-essential-freelancing-resources/" target="_blank">101 Essential Freelancing resources</a> article. <br />
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.mynewcompany.com/" target="_blank">My New Company</a> – Legal and general start-up information</li>
<li><a href="http://www.designerstoolbox.com/legal/tools.php" target="_blank">Designers Toolbox</a> – Free legal forms for graphic designers</li>
<li><a href="http://www.copyright.gov/" target="_blank">Copyright</a> – Everything you need to know about US copyright</li>
<li><a href="http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/standard-agreement" target="_blank">AIGA Form of Agreement</a> – Standard form of agreement for design services template</li>
<li><a href="http://helpmework.com/">HelpMeWork</a> – US – Services to help you focus on what you know best</li>
<li><a href="http://creativecommons.org/">CreativeCommons</a> – For licensing…just about anything</li>
<li><a href="http://www.creativepublic.com/" target="_blank">Creative Public </a>- Useful site for anyone starting a freelance graphic or web design career. A $49.95 fee buys unlimited access to forms, manuals, pricing guides, contracts etc</li>
<li><a href="http://www.yousendit.com/" target="_blank">You Send It</a> – Send files up to 2GB online</li>
<li><a href="http://www.jewelboxing.com/" target="_blank">Jewelboxing</a> – superior packaging for short run CDs and DVDs</li>
<li><a href="http://www.powerxchange.com/" target="_blank">PowerXChange</a> – Extensions for a variety of creative software, including Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dropsend.com/" target="_blank">Dropsend</a> – Email up to 1GB of files</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/" target="_blank">Media Fire</a> – Send 100MB files online</li>
<li><a href="http://www.box.net/" target="_blank">Box</a> – Store, share and access files online</li>
<li><a href="http://www.icebrrg.com/" target="_blank">Icebrrg</a> – Simple web forms</li>
<li><a href="http://www.formsite.com/" target="_blank">Formsite</a> – Web forms and surveys in minutes</li>
<li><a href="http://kuler.adobe.com/" target="_blank">Kuler</a> – Colour scheme picker</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nattyware.com/pixie.html">Pixie</a> – A useful little colour picker</li>
<li><a href="http://www.colorschemer.com/download.php">ColourSchemer</a> – A bunch of colour tools</li>
<li><a href="http://www.jungledisk.com/" target="_blank">Jungle Disk</a> – Online storage for 15 cents a gigabyte</li>
<li><a href="http://www.askcharity.org.uk/">AskCharity</a> – free online contacts for journalists</li>
<li><a href="http://www.techinline.com/">TechInline</a> – Remote Desktop Software</li>
<li><a href="http://www.protolize.org/">Protolize</a> – Web Resource Directory</li>
<li><a href="http://www.proposalkit.com/" target="_blank">Proposal Kit</a> – Proposal and contract management tools</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tadalist.com/" target="_blank">Ta-Da Lists</a> – a simple (free!) to-do list application that can be shared with the world</li>
<li><a href="http://www.backpackit.com/" target="_blank">Backpack</a> – Service that integrates to-do lists, notes, files, images, and a calendar with reminders that can be sent to your email or cell</li>
<li><a href="http://www.writeboard.com/" target="_blank">Writeboard</a> – Sharable, web-based text documents that save edits, so you can collaborate, roll back and compare</li>
<li><a href="http://www.conceptshare.com/" target="_blank">ConceptShare </a>- Share designs and get feedback with visual annotation tools</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wridea.com/" target="_blank">Wridea</a> – Free tool for writers focusing on idea generation</li>
<li><a href="http://goplan.info/" target="_blank">GoPlan</a> – Note-taking, calendaring, task management, issue tracking, file management and online real-time chat</li>
<li><a href="http://www.toodledo.com/" target="_blank">Toodledo</a> – Another web based to-do list</li>
<li><a href="http://www.activecollab.com/" target="_blank">ActiveCollab</a> – Open source collaboration and project management tool</li>
<li><a href="http://monkeyon.com/" target="_blank">MonkeyOn</a> – Your to-do list for things that you want <i>other </i> people to do</li>
<li><a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/" target="_blank">Remember The Milk</a> – Another To-Do List manager</li>
<li><a href="http://www.highrisehq.com/home" target="_blank">HighRise</a> – Track communication and conversations with leads, employees, clients, colleagues, vendors </li>
<li><a href="http://www.campfirenow.com/" target="_blank">Campfire</a> – Real-time group chat and file sharing</li>
<li><a href="http://www.centraldesktop.com/" target="_blank">Central Desktop</a> – Shared workspaces and web conferencing</li>
<li><a href="http://www.relenta.com/" target="_blank">Relenta</a> – Manage your email, contacts, documents and activities</li>
<li><a href="http://www.google.com/a/smallbiz/" target="_blank">Google Apps</a> – Communication and collaboration tools from Google</li>
<li><a href="http://zoho.com/" target="_blank">Zoho</a> – Free office tools</li>
<li><a href="http://www.campaignmonitor.com/" target="_blank">Campaign Monitor</a> – Email newsletter software</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mailbuild.com/">MailBuild</a> – More newsletter software</li>
<li><a href="http://www.feelbreeze.com/" target="_blank">Breeze</a> – Email campaign and newsletter software</li>
<li><a href="http://business-paper.dk/cms.ashx/login.aspx" target="_blank">Business-Paper</a> – Easy business cards</li>
<li><a href="https://www.gotomeeting.com/" target="_blank">GoToMeeting</a> – Easy online meetings</li>
<li><a href="http://wufoo.com/" target="_blank">Wufoo</a> – Make forms to survey your clients</li>
<li><a href="http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work" target="_blank">AIGA Spec Letter</a> – Sample letter to communicate with clients who want spec work or free pitching</li>
<li><a href="http://cpadirectory.com/" target="_blank">CPA Directory</a> – Find an accountant (in the US)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html" target="_blank">SBA</a> – Small Business Administration, help and advice</li>
<li><a href="http://www.paypal.com/" target="_blank">Paypal</a> – Online payment system</li>
<li><a href="http://www.moneybookers.com/" target="_blank">Moneybookers</a> – Online payment system</li>
<li><a href="http://www.escrow.com/" target="_blank">Escrow</a> – Online payment system that protects the buyer and seller, useful for those bigger jobs with anonymous clients.</li>
<li><a href="http://yay.kenwallacedesign.com/resources/Business/Entrepreneur/index.html" target="_blank">Resources for the Design Entrepeneur</a> – Free sample forms and agreements</li>
<li><a href="http://www.work.com/" target="_blank">Work</a> – How-to guides to running a small business</li>
<li><a href="http://www.xe.com/ucc/" target="_blank">XE</a> – Quick and easy currency converter for all your international transactions</li>
<li><a href="http://www.trendwatching.com/" target="_blank">Trendwatching</a> – Consumer trends and insights resource</li>
</ul></ul><b>Here are some books to top it all off:</b><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1581150989?tag=north0c-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1581150989&adid=19F3TBTN4Y44TQSG45Z6&">Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting — Revised Edition</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592535127?ie=UTF8&tag=north0c-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1592535127">100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers: Insider Secrets for Working Smart & Staying Creative</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600613020?ie=UTF8&tag=north0c-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1600613020">Freelance Design in Practice</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/071532053X?ie=UTF8&tag=lipliving-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=071532053X" target="_blank">Design Basics Index</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1856694216?ie=UTF8&tag=lipliving-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1856694216" target="_blank">Getting It Right In Print </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1856694100?ie=UTF8&tag=lipliving-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1856694100" target="_blank">How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0471933384?ie=UTF8&tag=lipliving-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0471933384" target="_blank">1 Hour Website</a> (includes template CD-ROM with professionally designed templates)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0321410971?ie=UTF8&tag=lipliving-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0321410971" target="_blank">Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=68340&c=ib&aff=9994&ev=aadaf3035d" target="_blank">How To Be A Freelance Rockstar</a></li>
</ul>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-53568002473087132452011-06-07T20:58:00.005-04:002011-06-07T21:02:59.164-04:00Long distance learning gets personal | How your online class may be a lot like a long distance relationship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTvG-BynIDTds29vkzdp7c6PAA7IFggdtzzpwKIvB5m5JFMzFLw7kXzVBKGeiP1rP3KnVLYGoigUKby7SmbrJI49n17obf1YnE_pWCDTp6CDxSoyjqywm5TeyXcLyfGhxgbGB6BDXC_p2/s1600/1346874_96916526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTvG-BynIDTds29vkzdp7c6PAA7IFggdtzzpwKIvB5m5JFMzFLw7kXzVBKGeiP1rP3KnVLYGoigUKby7SmbrJI49n17obf1YnE_pWCDTp6CDxSoyjqywm5TeyXcLyfGhxgbGB6BDXC_p2/s320/1346874_96916526.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Many of us have experienced the complications of a long distance relationship. We find someone we like and then we go to college, graduate college, get a new job, the list goes on. After the positive “we can do this” push, our experiences slowly grow foreign, disconnected and awkward.<br />
<br />
<b>So how is a long distance relationship a lot like taking a class online?</b><br />
I recently finished an online accounting class. This is the first class I have taken that has been exclusively online (not counting online webinars/tutorials), and I have been attempting to pinpoint my discontent. I know you're thinking “accounting?! That's why it was terrible”; meh--it was the one thing I couldn't force myself to learn on my own.<br />
<br />
<b>I am a big advocate of online learning</b>, but I still feel strange being part of this “team learning environment” where you don't really know your teammates or your coach and you still are expected to perform. Part of it may be the disgusting clashing colors of the tiny online slide presentations that could have only been put together by a goblin or drug addict. But, for the most part, the whole setup brings back that same feeling of trying to study my significant other's social web over my mobile minutes and messaging.<br />
<br />
<b>As the class progressed</b>, I found myself measuring the classes commitment my learning experience “...you hardly listen to me anymore webinar! I feel like we never talk...”. Disjointed conversations, erratic moments online, an abundance of social distractions, late nights up solving problems through chats and postings. So what is this yearning for human connection; why do I feel so lonely in my quest to understand balance sheets?<br />
<br />
Devon, an IT professional, is no stranger to the online environment. He relates his experience taking an online class to his long-distance relationship experience in that “You're not really experiencing things together and so trying to catch up after a long week where you are both separated feels forced and awkward.”<br />
<br />
<b>Do your Learning Style</b><br />
Label me what you like; I suppose multiple tests have proven that I am an experiential/kinesthetic/visual learner. I think that the experience of learning doesn't just come from facts and processes being revealed by a turn of a page or a click of a slide, but through human connection; student-to-student, teacher-to-student. I am convinced that a laugh/smile/intonation stimulate your senses, getting those brain juices flowing and growing. In this class, I'm on my own, humming to myself and my textbook and my mind-numbing presentation slides.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://katelinderdesign.com/">Kate Linder</a>, a graphic Designer and teacher in Brooklyn, elaborates, “Material often just makes more sense when you can hear someone ask a questions and see the teacher answer it, as opposed to reading short questions typed in a forum. I'd personally like to see the online classroom more integrated; texting a teacher can be posted online with a click, live video chat with catch-up video download for those who missed it...”<br />
<br />
<b>So why am I able to learn independently online but not as much in a class format?</b><br />
Simple (I think), I am in control. If I want to put down the books and pick-up a camera, experiment with my digital editing programs, or get a job seeing/doing, I can! No deadlines for learning or weekly measurements of “progress”. Who says we all progress in the same way? Who says we can all learn from clip art and text? (I'd actually like to know if anyone can really learn from clip art and text).<br />
<br />
If this experience has taught me anything, (besides that I now know enough accounting to smile a nod at my accountant instead of zoning-out and drooling at the sight of a balance sheet) it has taught me that:<br />
<br />
1) Not all online learning is alike, in fact, do your research before getting involved<br />
2) Be self-aware and weigh your options<br />
3) Do not underestimate the power human interaction when it comes to learning, loving, and the endless pursuit of warm fuzziesLeahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-67829393910923383862011-04-07T19:41:00.009-04:002011-04-07T20:05:09.265-04:00The Entrepreneurial Generation | Full Interview with Genystartup.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuAIZ2j0dKEG50M6JPBYs6YPbDcxX9qxG8RYQUxVeEyHDSVmzOCEN7oKgJDpOYjlP1CRbNU_ZXR66-csHzWASLOHgTksMOJ2As2_SXt5ChzVkUyyaUP7AZ2rtXt9p2dsq8IBWiROrmDxz/s1600/1305802_56051491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuAIZ2j0dKEG50M6JPBYs6YPbDcxX9qxG8RYQUxVeEyHDSVmzOCEN7oKgJDpOYjlP1CRbNU_ZXR66-csHzWASLOHgTksMOJ2As2_SXt5ChzVkUyyaUP7AZ2rtXt9p2dsq8IBWiROrmDxz/s320/1305802_56051491.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was approached by Tolu Babalola, a writer at <a href="http://www.genystartup.com/">Generation-Y Startup</a>, to contribute some thoughts to an article on entrepreneurship and generation Y. You can read the article <a href="http://genystartup.com/startup/the-entrepreneurial-generation/">here</a> at genystartup.com.<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here is the full interview:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>What inspired you to get into entrepreneurship?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I think my main inspiration came out of a need for a lifestyle plan. I took a step back from my life and asked myself what I wanted most out of my daily routine. I came up with a short list that has influenced my decision-making ever since and I always come back to it when things get tough. This list is the driving force behind my business mission and goals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My List:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Immerse myself in the arts while providing a much needed service to the artist community<br />
2. Own my own schedule while working feverishly/passionately</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Enjoy everyday through exploration and lifelong learning</span></div><div class="im" style="color: #500050;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Does location, (Baltimore, NYC, Silicon Valley) affect success rate of entrepreneurs?</b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Of course location affects the success rate of entrepreneurs, but I believe it is a common misconception that location "limits" entrepreneurship. In most cases it's the entrepreneur that limits success rate. Every location has its own entrepreneurial energy<b>;</b> it's up to the entrepreneur to harvest it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Baltimore is a wonderful city for creative entrepreneurs. There is a great energy from the professionals in this city and there are so many people that support the fusion of entrepreneurship, arts, and technology. You can find out more from organizations like <a href="http://startupbaltimore.org/news/startup-city-baltimores-first-startup-accelerator/">Startup Baltimore</a> or going to events like <a href="http://baltimore.startupweekend.org/event-info/">Startup Weekend</a>.<br />
</span></div><div class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Do you see a shift in work dynamic of the gen y compared to previous generations? Are more college grads looking to 'do their own thing' versus work for other people?</b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Great question, at this point there have been many books written about how to "deal with" Gen Y. Really, you just have to understand the way we think and give us space to grow. The most recent <a href="http://ignitebaltimore.com/" target="_blank">Ignite Baltimore</a> (an event that invites artists/entrepreneurs/<wbr></wbr>personalities to present for 5 minutes on any topic) and one presenter named Greg Dekker presented on how "71 Million Americans Say Your Cubicle is Stupid". The reality is that Gen Y (the 71 million Americans referred to in the title) will be filling the shoes of the retiring baby boomers within the next decade. Though they are ready to break down the cubicle walls, not all of their actions will be destructive. Within the corporations, Gen Y will rewrite job descriptions and bring a new perspective to the traditional idea of the 9-5. Though, if businesses remain rigid, Gen Y will look towards greener pastures and choose to collaborate with fellow classmates either as leaders or supporters of new exciting ventures. If you challenge us just right, we will move mountains--deny us stimuli and assign us busy work, we will focus our energy on our own interests and leave your traditional job in the dust.</span></div><div class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>What are your biggest struggles as an entrepreneur?</b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Since I am at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I will say my biggest struggles as at this point are my impatience with progress, learning to embrace my mistakes, and balancing my home life with my desire to work constantly.<br />
<br />
Another big struggle is finding the time get involved in the community. I believe it is so important to get out and interact. Today, building a business brick-by-brick on your own is no longer necessary. Many of my efforts have gone into networking or simply making connections with other inspired and passionate people. Do not let the fear of rejection or that you are "not worthy" get in the way of making friends (professional and non-professional). Any open community forum, event, or lecture is just that, <i>open</i>! I believe a <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">real</span> </i>experience with another person will always make more of an impact then any handshake or business card (though those do help).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
I cannot thank my friends and family enough (not to mention my two dogs and a cat) for their unconditional support. If you're not having fun and enjoying life while you build your business<b>,</b> then you risk burning out and losing sight of why you started in the first place.</span></div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-24285544856189458382011-03-21T22:56:00.006-04:002011-03-21T23:04:37.090-04:00Is Networked WordPress Right for You? | Wordpress Meetup with Zane M. Kolnik<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sOtTpdWwQJ9kMB2MrwCL6JbckJZ3_fTfVEPNWzBnct9eGLnwkSjc80CDjfVHMDRYJMFBxpbU0wDzBu6I_ogCjOW4mC6REnzsJK6usUwX0sBk22nW9utDmKuul6Gnu6bE0p41uY7ChDGg/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sOtTpdWwQJ9kMB2MrwCL6JbckJZ3_fTfVEPNWzBnct9eGLnwkSjc80CDjfVHMDRYJMFBxpbU0wDzBu6I_ogCjOW4mC6REnzsJK6usUwX0sBk22nW9utDmKuul6Gnu6bE0p41uY7ChDGg/s320/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Tonight, I ventured out to the Beehive Baltimore co-working space in Canton for a <a href="http://www.meetup.com/The-Baltimore-WordPress-Group">Wordpress Group Meetup</a>. Roni Noone was originally scheduled to present on <i>Blogging, Community & Lessons Learned,</i> but she went into labor and will be rescheduling for another time (congratulations!).<br />
<br />
Luckily, <a href="http://zanematthew.com/">Zane Kolnik</a> stepped in to demo networked Wordpress and domain mapping. To start, Zane offered-up the Wordpress codex for creating a network--simply visit <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network">http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network</a> to get the full breakdown and requirements.<br />
<br />
In essence, you will <b>simply be placing code in your wp.config.php file and your htaccess file</b>. After doing so, you will be prompted to login--if you are unable to login you will need to remove the code and start over (bummer).<br />
<br />
In the next phase, you will need to choose whether your networked site will use <b>subdomains or sub-directories</b>--choose wisely as you will not be able to change your mind! To help you with your decision, below are two website examples. Visit each and compare the urls--also check out the content organization and notice how themes are adjusted according to the subdomain or subdirectory.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Subdomain</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://tutsplus.com/">http://tutsplus.com/</a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(see "Our Sites" menu)</div></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://tutsplus.com/"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweaPI8Wc57rTum3OeAHvePiHXc0WH24aHPuwcdO_PruJuB00PXkPR-PU9kn_1srl1SP8BAlDxnY-nNCHRl8-Vg6RXs47oY3J59CfE8Kk01pqDPCro8hhiDDaJRIy8BC0sJ18ltR77QvRG/s400/tuts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><b>Subdirectory</b></b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/</a></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(Click on Main Nav categories)</div></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvoW8Rek1w3X-DS00l40ejEUkjuGEwbORYod5OCaIJ213EWKtE6A_JvH9pzWz3o8FvQypCLGnRHvQK4MdfXlvkJaBuxoXwKWMhDAlKnMwlPWQ95VvQa1dci2jJHEvAC9cqMurfDlKa2wS/s400/huff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br />
</b></div><b>General Tips</b><br />
*In version 3.1 you will see the "network admin" as a top right menu option.<br />
<br />
*Be sure to enable uploads for the multisite in your network admin settings--towards the bottom there will be check boxes for images, video, and music.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">*Initially, your uploads per site are limited in both number and in size. For example, each site may be only allowed 10 images at 1500kb each.</div><br />
<b>So why would you use this feature?</b><br />
*Easily delegate administration<br />
*Control user permissions<br />
*Use separate themes / build unique themes within one website<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">*Works great for theme developers</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">*From a production standpoint, the subdirectory option helps to organize robust content</div><br />
<i>One attendee stated that this would give her a level of control that she required for a franchise business that will need theme and permission customization for their different regional locations.</i><br />
<br />
To finish it off, here is Zane's favorite <b>domain mapping plugin and his go-to tutorial</b><br />
Plugin: <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mu-domain-mapping/">http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mu-domain-mapping/</a><br />
Tutorial: <a href="http://www.ottopress.com/2010/wordpress-3-0-multisite-domain-mapping-tutorial">http://www.ottopress.com/2010/wordpress-3-0-multisite-domain-mapping-tutorial</a><br />
<br />
I am more of a student then a teacher, so I would encourage you to review the <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network">Worpress codex</a> and visit blogs like <a href="http://zanematthew.com/">Zane's</a> for more information!Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-32903316723425234732011-03-02T22:27:00.027-05:002011-03-21T23:01:05.028-04:00I Heart Art: Finding Your Market with Megan Auman<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsvbKUlC0BIxfjPQGkmsdq7Mfo7MteTBB0fI0DL8DC-GLjegTyCaBggwGD4Dnzy0JZNxOAhOhpKjZqFC5We-pcx5PgBm5L_AIr5T_AA1_2l1YJ0cQiSn6qHJTj2irye6zTxZKvfQ5LX8J/s1600/1331302_34772692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsvbKUlC0BIxfjPQGkmsdq7Mfo7MteTBB0fI0DL8DC-GLjegTyCaBggwGD4Dnzy0JZNxOAhOhpKjZqFC5We-pcx5PgBm5L_AIr5T_AA1_2l1YJ0cQiSn6qHJTj2irye6zTxZKvfQ5LX8J/s320/1331302_34772692.jpg" width="320" /></a>Megan Auman recently presented for the <a href="http://www.mica.edu/Programs_of_Study/School_for_Professional_and_Continuing_Studies/I_Heart_Art_Baltimore_Workshops.html">I Heart Art</a> seminar series at MICA. I was able to experience the presentation through a live webcast. As a chat room sardine I met many crafters, artists, and entrepreneurs anxious to refine their marketing strategy.<br />
From the beginning, Megan had a great energy (despite all the sound blips and frozen screens) she really reached both live and online audiences with a great clarity. I believe her <a href="http://www.craftmba.com/">website</a> states her mission best:<i> </i><br />
<i>"...what would business school look like if it was geared towards crafters, designers, and makers? At<a href="http://www.craftmba.com/about-2/"><b style="font-weight: normal;"> crafting an MBA</b></a>, the goal is to help you polish those basic skills (like business planning and bookkeeping), develop a marketing plan (online and off), and help keep you up to date with trends in the business world – while also helping develop skills specific to a craft based business (selling online, craft shows, trade shows, and promoting your portfolio)."</i><b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Everyone always tells us to "find your niche"</b>, but we often need questions and processes that allow us to really narrow the field.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN6McYypDqmyTwJcj9t3oqNTYjdLiw1htJzkKzh11wvtpCu-2N4vlNLh0QpGrfDpDWKcuIIlrBUQL93OI8qITpYzgiYO9AvXZB9rA3CojOQa86Pg9ON7U2VEv9nQsZkEx3dvZC0_4UXOG/s1600/1330529_84449164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN6McYypDqmyTwJcj9t3oqNTYjdLiw1htJzkKzh11wvtpCu-2N4vlNLh0QpGrfDpDWKcuIIlrBUQL93OI8qITpYzgiYO9AvXZB9rA3CojOQa86Pg9ON7U2VEv9nQsZkEx3dvZC0_4UXOG/s320/1330529_84449164.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here are a couple of Megan's answers to the "niche dilemma":<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Ask a <i>Bazillion</i> Questions About YOUR Customer (Be Specific!)</b><br />
Is your ideal customer male or female? Age?<br />
Where do they live? Geographic area? Counties? City vs. suburb. vs. farm country?<br />
What do they look like? Hair, skin, anything!<br />
Are they in a relationship? Married? Single? Kids? Grandkids?<br />
Employment/Career? Professional Occupation?<br />
Office? Home? Checkout counter?<br />
Income level? Do they get paid regularly? What is their pay check pattern?<br />
Hobbies?<br />
Vacation? Do they have time for vacation?<br />
What do they read or listen to? TV? Books?<br />
Trend follower?<br />
Friends? Loner?<br />
Stay at home type? Go out on the town type?<br />
How is my ideal customer different then me?<br />
(Your ideal customer is NOT you!)<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>The Social Media Spy Cam</b><br />
We all know you have researched old boyfriends/girlfriends from college on Facebook, why not put the same effort into researching your fans? What about your twitter followers--who do <i>they</i> follow?<br />
*Pay attention to what your fans and followers <i>talk about</i> <br />
*Send out a formal Survey: Facebook/Blog Polls or Survey Monkey<br />
*Start to have a dialogue: Post questions that your customers will answer freely<br />
*Even Google map your online purchases<br />
<style type="text/css">
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }
</style> <br />
<b>Research your Competitors</b><br />
Do they have a press page?<br />
Which blogs or magazines feature them?<br />
Look up the target demographic of that site or publication using online resources like alexa.com<br />
What stores are carrying their products?<br />
After your research is done be sure to ask yourself - how do I differentiate myself from my competition?<br />
<br />
<b>Amazing Resources and Presentation Links</b>:<a href="http://tgncrafts.tumblr.com/"><br />
The Great Northern Crafts</a>: All based on embroidery for Twin Peaks<a href="http://www.girlscantell.com/"><br />
Girls Can Tell</a>: A craft shop that makes all products with diagram imagery<br />
<style type="text/css">
</style><a href="http://shankman.com/">Peter Shankman</a>: Social Media Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, CEO, Speaker, Consultant & Adventurist<a href="http://www.mica.edu/spcs"><br />
www.mica.edu/spcs</a> More information on the NEW Business program at MICA and other Continuing Education programs.<a href="http://marketingformakers.com/"><br />
http://marketingformakers.com/</a> A 12-week marketing e-course by Megan Auman!<a href="http://www.alexa.com/"><br />
http://www.alexa.com/</a> Free traffic metrics, search analytics, demographics, and more for websites...<br />
<style type="text/css">
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { }
</style> <br />
<style type="text/css">
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }
</style>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-4150689816535765832011-02-20T21:12:00.005-05:002011-03-21T23:01:59.388-04:00Refresh Baltimore Visualizes Data with Paul Smith and Everyblock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEMvjmQhbS6cvKnv-HhkTunvnyH-7sJ2B8nB2ysupCaZ3xTsE6BzUWN3RihBwXRlwM6C21AgeTd2ttaEgIjsEaBnbUqixbIe-uT1l9EqjexuOxnAIy1oNjfz9wva-XhZXhfajP3E1upmT/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEMvjmQhbS6cvKnv-HhkTunvnyH-7sJ2B8nB2ysupCaZ3xTsE6BzUWN3RihBwXRlwM6C21AgeTd2ttaEgIjsEaBnbUqixbIe-uT1l9EqjexuOxnAIy1oNjfz9wva-XhZXhfajP3E1upmT/s320/photo%25282%2529.JPG" width="237" /></a></div><a href="http://www.refreshbmore.org/%20">Refresh Baltimore</a> presented another hit speaker last Thursday-- Paul Smith from <a href="http://www.everyblock.com/">Everyblock</a> continued the top Baltimore tech discussion that was jump-started with the Baltimore's Civic Hack Day on Feb. 12. His presentation showed us how mapping and visualizations may be applied to the newly released Baltimore data.<br />
<br />
The data repository, <a href="http://data.baltimorecity.gov/">Open Baltimore</a>, has created a feeding ground for programmers and designers alike. Paul Smith made this apparent with his playful investigation into the Charm City Circulator bus routes. He mapped the routes of the orange and purple bus lines overlaid on a map of the city. By breathing life into this data we were able catch glitchy nuances and morphing pathways that showed Baltimore city life in action.<br />
<br />
Smith's relaxed and curious nature allowed for an open discussion regrading city mapping. I look forward to seeing Everyblock in Baltimore!<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are some companies, programs, and services that were mentioned during the presentation:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mindgrub.com/">Mindgrub</a><br />
Fuses technology with a training development process to create rich applications that focus on the end user experience.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.everyblock.com/">Everyblock</a><br />
Track and discuss what’s new in your neighborhood. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/staticmaps/">Google Maps Static API</a><br />
Lets you embed a Google Maps image on your webpage without requiring JavaScript or any dynamic page loading. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.qgis.org/">Quantum GIS</a><br />
Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS">GIS</a>). <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php">Image Magick</a><br />
A software suite to create, edit, compose, or convert bitmap images. It can read and write images in a variety of formats (over 100).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=fusiontables&passive=1209600&continue=http://www.google.com/fusiontables/Home&followup=http://www.google.com/fusiontables/Home">Google Fusion Tables </a><br />
Upload small or large data sets from spreadsheets or CSV files. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://yourreps.org/">Yourreps.org</a><b class="layer"> </b><br />
<span class="layer">Web app created by Paul Smith U.S. Congress</span><span class="layer">, State Senate</span><span class="layer">, House of Delegates</span><span class="layer">, and City Council representatives.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://seeclickfix.com/citizens">See.Click.Fix</a><br />
SeeClickFix encourages active citizenship, by offering a variety of platforms to report your concerns. Report issues through our website, mobile apps, widgets, and voice mail. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.socrata.com/">Socrata</a><br />
Programmers get immediate and uniform programmatic access to government datasets.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-7518520991909506572011-02-13T13:09:00.007-05:002011-02-21T10:49:39.528-05:00Bear Hugs and Peacock Installations: Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnROIzq36z-YcedFgM0_FmKvn9TPiteEqul3yPH4zf2kKLZyLpEidym6bf3wzttufIZgQ1o9h3Pash4NSODsZla1Iu5LUhqzn4oRHqpzfc6c8CPq4uGVwMjl1nNnXJ8l9u0h5f9P8bJcV4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnROIzq36z-YcedFgM0_FmKvn9TPiteEqul3yPH4zf2kKLZyLpEidym6bf3wzttufIZgQ1o9h3Pash4NSODsZla1Iu5LUhqzn4oRHqpzfc6c8CPq4uGVwMjl1nNnXJ8l9u0h5f9P8bJcV4/s320/photo.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>This past weekend I had a blast the Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever party! I am a little biased since I helped plan the party, but this also means I have a unique insight into how it all went down.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>A little background</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After the Executive Director, Irene Hofmann, left for another opportunity on the west coast we knew that there would be a transition period that threatened to effect programming and events. Luckily, the Senior Administrator and Membership Director, Johaniris Rivera Rodriguez, was left in charge while the search for the new director began. She not only kept the museum afloat, but created an environment of unity and collaboration--promoting a solidarity among staff and supporters.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Cue the winter party</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A challenge for the incoming director (Sue Spaid), members, fans, and staff to come together and pull-off an event of big ideas on an itty-bitty budget.</div><br />
<strong>Platform Heels and Tunic Sweaters</strong><br />
The party kicked off with the exhibition opening of <a href="http://www.contemporary.org/exhibitions.html">Agitated Histories</a>--curated by Irene Hofmann. While you gossiped about art and sipped champagne, you may have caught a glimpse of a bear giving hugs and discussing modernist theory.<br />
<br />
<strong>Peacock Punch</strong><br />
Meanwhile at the old Greyhound station, the artist duo "Peacock" was making last minute adjustments to the party space. Working feverishly the entire week before, <a href="http://chrisattenborough.com/Site/home.html">Chris Attenborough</a> and <a href="http://www.seannaftel.com/">Sean Naftel</a> transformed the old office spaces into installations and playful Cabin Fever puns. Highlights included The Shining twins frozen in time on adjacent TVs screens, a three-dimensional collage of skis in an alcove, and a red stenciled deer head that hinted at hunting season.<br />
<br />
<strong>Fire Hoops and Loops</strong><br />
Making your way over to the party was easy, thanks to Regina Armenta (and crew) lighting the way with their flaming hula-hoops! Once the party had begun, she headed inside for a stilt walking performance--making sure to bring extra hula-hoops for guests. Regina, who runs <a href="http://www.yogaonwheels.org/">Yoga on Wheels</a> (again, I am biased since she used to be my yoga instructor), really took her performance to the next level and was a big hit at the party! It was amazing to see board members throwing caution to the wind to dabble in the often hilarious act of hula-hooping.<br />
<br />
<strong>Hot Shots by the Fire</strong><br />
Entertainment included a slew of talented DJs and two amazing photography students from MICA that volunteered their time and skills to take photographs of guest posing in our rugged cabin themed room. Look out for a new museum Facebook album!<br />
<br />
<strong>In the End (Ouch My Feet Hurt)</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Through it all, what I enjoyed most about the party was the feeling that the hard work that everyone contributed really took the party to another level. I hope that this post helps those behind-the-scenes players know that they were the mini-marshmallows to the hot chocolate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtTulS_j52w0TUsNvOUSgUcdHCGfEZe4v_Psi2ya-Xly6AfXNYpCYUWtRafc4hKluF8n9KR29Me4n4xgN7T_vL7zOYMivTI7hpL2_eu-TMU1y-5p_HciCqS8fl97J7mOoxs_h5qvJzvaD/s1600/photo6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtTulS_j52w0TUsNvOUSgUcdHCGfEZe4v_Psi2ya-Xly6AfXNYpCYUWtRafc4hKluF8n9KR29Me4n4xgN7T_vL7zOYMivTI7hpL2_eu-TMU1y-5p_HciCqS8fl97J7mOoxs_h5qvJzvaD/s400/photo6.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_KPPsUyFZdfUrzu0kgkH-RUCv0_DN9gpB7VbCR1zV-L2v4JkGPJWhyphenhyphen5AQOyBLzsMhv3nlw1Ml_SGslnvleU3-BGWPEqikN5f-LL8wsAUyqZK666-bYWHeEJMv6ve7BnuFIjXQPCwpdt4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_KPPsUyFZdfUrzu0kgkH-RUCv0_DN9gpB7VbCR1zV-L2v4JkGPJWhyphenhyphen5AQOyBLzsMhv3nlw1Ml_SGslnvleU3-BGWPEqikN5f-LL8wsAUyqZK666-bYWHeEJMv6ve7BnuFIjXQPCwpdt4/s400/photo.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvh-vJrul-zYwl0QfzauDduxD4TtmfuX5DRapxzvZFHOPUoj8Wd8h76qadWdIwPts14J-MwuCysKFgloeZSSmNAX6YHf3YpWAvPf2YDx60qJe-Ks3hSU-KxgcjGp4j-ckPtXblrz-ZW80/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvh-vJrul-zYwl0QfzauDduxD4TtmfuX5DRapxzvZFHOPUoj8Wd8h76qadWdIwPts14J-MwuCysKFgloeZSSmNAX6YHf3YpWAvPf2YDx60qJe-Ks3hSU-KxgcjGp4j-ckPtXblrz-ZW80/s400/photo2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWtNTs2RX4s_pH1x5lrMFTB35wknmRxmlaZGasIfFgKL5ez7WVB9nyF1pPmIL8ioekd_y0XZAU4jjQRss6v92QD5iLyjHYgIb77jUeM6l9sOrXuvU6KFJrWtOmDBgfB0Dh91W4Bbgt6V_/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWtNTs2RX4s_pH1x5lrMFTB35wknmRxmlaZGasIfFgKL5ez7WVB9nyF1pPmIL8ioekd_y0XZAU4jjQRss6v92QD5iLyjHYgIb77jUeM6l9sOrXuvU6KFJrWtOmDBgfB0Dh91W4Bbgt6V_/s400/photo3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSH3GFVFePmZXH1rz2iNPWC2SCP5oZ1Fv8CBupJxMrbPlDpmQ09M1V5E2YKelWAJZG6ko6y-TZbyhhVp2WD0tNQssGy0GANqunvRbfCrIhfpOqZu5WzofO0-o0h1ZJ0LZw0bYyUkXpP2c/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSH3GFVFePmZXH1rz2iNPWC2SCP5oZ1Fv8CBupJxMrbPlDpmQ09M1V5E2YKelWAJZG6ko6y-TZbyhhVp2WD0tNQssGy0GANqunvRbfCrIhfpOqZu5WzofO0-o0h1ZJ0LZw0bYyUkXpP2c/s400/photo4.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2TLDqsW8a8vI2EiihqP6ahKi35NO5VLGK1lWk38wN069rArG36tGqm5BjpC_aIsK99tQglK5H4zotWPDdr8dpq69I-cNC_MCOyOBPQ1fBXGWLbLhbZFJClji31AQn4n599z3Dh2C20li/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2TLDqsW8a8vI2EiihqP6ahKi35NO5VLGK1lWk38wN069rArG36tGqm5BjpC_aIsK99tQglK5H4zotWPDdr8dpq69I-cNC_MCOyOBPQ1fBXGWLbLhbZFJClji31AQn4n599z3Dh2C20li/s400/photo5.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQwDI1_CB5EjQBHPdnTEkBCco4EG53hY474HX4_8IaKBPoWJmLd-IBVo1s8s-Jqr-UsZZX2NiO7moaHCqBsEAdNAMUiOT2Kfm9R2EneC08pNGegRdNU3ub6xBvjHBnFfRVnTzDFOc8-zH/s1600/photo7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQwDI1_CB5EjQBHPdnTEkBCco4EG53hY474HX4_8IaKBPoWJmLd-IBVo1s8s-Jqr-UsZZX2NiO7moaHCqBsEAdNAMUiOT2Kfm9R2EneC08pNGegRdNU3ub6xBvjHBnFfRVnTzDFOc8-zH/s400/photo7.JPG" width="296" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrZXwzoPkaUIzk5lrT1oN8ApQmSA6Y5FlqclXMBACrJ1Fpny6u-nY_aKR4QOxiYdNv1MTW8NbyoHlSjubSLG9tC75voGkCOLx_2P4oYq26YXt55C6x54BAI3-ghbieA5t0P_OvRGPtXNA/s1600/photo10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrZXwzoPkaUIzk5lrT1oN8ApQmSA6Y5FlqclXMBACrJ1Fpny6u-nY_aKR4QOxiYdNv1MTW8NbyoHlSjubSLG9tC75voGkCOLx_2P4oYq26YXt55C6x54BAI3-ghbieA5t0P_OvRGPtXNA/s400/photo10.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK4XoPhB747HvJZ3gof78jR-sQRlWMn6P_cfPTz2L2K37FA3c7Lz3mYMEHABRa5FLf0Yz6cQCM5GlcSXix5GXe8k8a-GBue32gviKJVJ6IPlxfWfZAp3hnGBWNHz0pl4hYuGJW4kRDQrH/s1600/photo8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK4XoPhB747HvJZ3gof78jR-sQRlWMn6P_cfPTz2L2K37FA3c7Lz3mYMEHABRa5FLf0Yz6cQCM5GlcSXix5GXe8k8a-GBue32gviKJVJ6IPlxfWfZAp3hnGBWNHz0pl4hYuGJW4kRDQrH/s400/photo8.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9lLKlI26g-D4Jeh0oAFjSpvHWAGbZoD4deaSy1Iv9T_-Kctom6FGl2Oh_hzBQEXNXYH8Km9Gvsm7se71rBGspiU7zyBLCeu3pNPjGgjnJcPMlM7jR-CDBDNtQ7VcRFoBj9o81wMYeU3Tp/s1600/photo9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9lLKlI26g-D4Jeh0oAFjSpvHWAGbZoD4deaSy1Iv9T_-Kctom6FGl2Oh_hzBQEXNXYH8Km9Gvsm7se71rBGspiU7zyBLCeu3pNPjGgjnJcPMlM7jR-CDBDNtQ7VcRFoBj9o81wMYeU3Tp/s400/photo9.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-17404428679688903322011-01-31T10:47:00.001-05:002011-02-01T08:27:40.815-05:00Baltimore Print Studios: Letterpress Workshop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ECi4azIN2S4miwlZDmjoqARWgmdXkzESXdCMrN-YzjOLTDFUvjyxHQtHyQp5RMIjQBgozs30CZpm6kx0DKw5gsHTYFVvoNk_03XFgZk6YKEltFvWJYFU7xmnqx_des2atUEmd8J9Q0R4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ECi4azIN2S4miwlZDmjoqARWgmdXkzESXdCMrN-YzjOLTDFUvjyxHQtHyQp5RMIjQBgozs30CZpm6kx0DKw5gsHTYFVvoNk_03XFgZk6YKEltFvWJYFU7xmnqx_des2atUEmd8J9Q0R4/s320/photo.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>On Sunday, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in the <a href="http://baltimoreprintstudios.com/">Baltimore Print Studios</a> <em>first</em> letterpress workshop. I very much enjoyed their previous class, though I was thankful that the heat was working this time around.<br />
<br />
Taking us through a historical summary of the life of letterpress, Kyle Van Horn and Kim Bentley presented their passion for the medium through their expansive knowledge of the process. We started out on the Vandercook machines using wood type. I learned a variety of terms (quoin, furniture, type high, packing, etc.) that are still swimming around in my mind; luckily they provided us with powder-pink folded pamphlets for reference.<br />
<br />
Our class of six banned together to experiment with printing wood type. I volunteered the idea of setting type for the Peppy Premarital Potluck I'm hosting on March 26th (two birds, one stone). We were energized by the rushed rolling, the clacks and clinks, and the subtle unpredictability of the resulting blocky letter forms.<br />
<br />
After printing a variety of posters for my potluck, we were introduced to metal type and the platen press. Tasked with making speech-bubble coasters, we got to work sorting-through the catalogue of tiny letter forms and setting them with different sizes of leading to ensure even pressure. The press was smaller and used a stamping motion to achieve the desired result. I'm not sure if I'll put a water glass on these new fresh coasters, but I will be sure to heed the messaging provided by my press partner Emily.<br />
<br />
Overall, I had a great time! If you're not sure if a BPS letterpress workshop is right for you, here are some perks for your consideration:<br />
<br />
*Learn the fundamentals and history of letterpress in all its glory<br />
*Bond and collaborate with fun interesting local folk<br />
*Break bread at lunch in a bohemian restaurant<br />
*Build muscle with the Vandercook two-step<br />
*Take home colorful and useful souvenirs<br />
*Achieve the know-how to <a href="http://baltimoreprintstudios.com/pressrental/">rent studio time at BPS</a> for your next printing project<br />
*Do something different! Even if you're not a printmaker, designer, or artist of any kind you'll have fun exploring this medium.<br />
<br />
Below is some candid iPhone documentation of the day:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnFRqsmnmTna6LZXv939K2FUVcY6kJFdKhtJdgO7zrL1z8qewtGetPfKR7IorJ25LHvtB-AJ-EM-a2YjA_pfFKMF4V6qqh33o-GTev2_Lcu_w99aIUa6xcuVbq3gH549-Uoxgeab9E2bo/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnFRqsmnmTna6LZXv939K2FUVcY6kJFdKhtJdgO7zrL1z8qewtGetPfKR7IorJ25LHvtB-AJ-EM-a2YjA_pfFKMF4V6qqh33o-GTev2_Lcu_w99aIUa6xcuVbq3gH549-Uoxgeab9E2bo/s640/photo4.JPG" width="473" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqKZgjxaKWGwHiA5ZKwPotOvh8UlP6lTuc5TQ0szUxphAnVsriiE6HIbRpmvg51ClS_xb7Z9d81iBThcqHq4GA-2_zAt8f6hRiHKyMpL1PY3mGgGtGIT0ZWsDR_xuQt556MWOZEv9_pl4/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqKZgjxaKWGwHiA5ZKwPotOvh8UlP6lTuc5TQ0szUxphAnVsriiE6HIbRpmvg51ClS_xb7Z9d81iBThcqHq4GA-2_zAt8f6hRiHKyMpL1PY3mGgGtGIT0ZWsDR_xuQt556MWOZEv9_pl4/s640/photo2.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnZpq7D0heMMQaCEM6B7rZYOAkFgts1nwSCMuVMXJClLOvuSPpVDmnQlXuKK3wY0WOBkTsJefkcQzYdEQdo7GFsaUfkNeUUxuvb7id9sCGrvQevGYS1hoQNJb1qiDnJXnevMvArIQLOuV/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnZpq7D0heMMQaCEM6B7rZYOAkFgts1nwSCMuVMXJClLOvuSPpVDmnQlXuKK3wY0WOBkTsJefkcQzYdEQdo7GFsaUfkNeUUxuvb7id9sCGrvQevGYS1hoQNJb1qiDnJXnevMvArIQLOuV/s640/photo3.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2TB91K1GSGkhaw6goQFGGwalbWx9QDs79-cNgrvUv5gzc9Zs7ElayVvfwMaho4QolLfTk9Qqz_Ez5VcLztXKlXvF9XhUHd_F2r0_l4lNt4tK-6zCDAecWuDFQDzJm0Fd4XouezXQ423a/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2TB91K1GSGkhaw6goQFGGwalbWx9QDs79-cNgrvUv5gzc9Zs7ElayVvfwMaho4QolLfTk9Qqz_Ez5VcLztXKlXvF9XhUHd_F2r0_l4lNt4tK-6zCDAecWuDFQDzJm0Fd4XouezXQ423a/s640/photo5.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSu_Hfu5JUXMusMHzd0SLq7D4LfC6UFrJ3ERMunF4gPTHe14YE0mQxd2ZlZkdMfyx89O7ye-x2IDCphaX4hizst7eCZtnWfJMM1R375NYPiAWQHduJRTksoGH455Z6mNM70yfSgRGpdwh/s1600/photo6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSu_Hfu5JUXMusMHzd0SLq7D4LfC6UFrJ3ERMunF4gPTHe14YE0mQxd2ZlZkdMfyx89O7ye-x2IDCphaX4hizst7eCZtnWfJMM1R375NYPiAWQHduJRTksoGH455Z6mNM70yfSgRGpdwh/s640/photo6.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn4a3WsTdg4y5Sc9G-H-sc9E0dB5NkOrHkV_kkldBqaRSoEMkR5SHgrHLhhXaf2trxKWZniGY_O1BQeN5eaEFp5OdFct77rdSRC-IQeonoCMaWs3krW_7DxeSwuhkLBOs1MtPzehkc9cw/s400/photo7.JPG" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwvufN92ZMNDj-oDnIj652XLP4R5A6PiLgSf6Tj18_ZiGB-AYsOZ2ngFO1DBrzFBucgYMRTmTaaNe_5VNmeKdW-lfyPkwWqkpvqnOcsFNnTmM_bXd-CpAOxIJHTD6KHatsapd9auGYFBz/s1600/photo12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwvufN92ZMNDj-oDnIj652XLP4R5A6PiLgSf6Tj18_ZiGB-AYsOZ2ngFO1DBrzFBucgYMRTmTaaNe_5VNmeKdW-lfyPkwWqkpvqnOcsFNnTmM_bXd-CpAOxIJHTD6KHatsapd9auGYFBz/s640/photo12.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg661fZ5981JO42dv7T-Bo9HtQ7a0Baj4qlmC4rib6jWTZ6PWA9ZBwkn64X6vZRLBCyIfsZwevcBobFDtCGDq-pSXS-M7_AkqGH0KJkWvYPVl5qOOrVBEiz7TeGFDB7NveCaDMiu9NIEXNj/s1600/photo8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg661fZ5981JO42dv7T-Bo9HtQ7a0Baj4qlmC4rib6jWTZ6PWA9ZBwkn64X6vZRLBCyIfsZwevcBobFDtCGDq-pSXS-M7_AkqGH0KJkWvYPVl5qOOrVBEiz7TeGFDB7NveCaDMiu9NIEXNj/s640/photo8.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMysBZaCUN_v6CMeVJOxP6Fef5c2FXwAIlpU_RBf2bijmqGVYiEO9HUbiaqrJh1JJqXCwY-BwkzL96M5sd7O4paDk4dMIhrq6V_UIg_x-s8Te3fUNqT7ChlKfLsVc2Qe-lLknDGe2Depo/s1600/photo9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMysBZaCUN_v6CMeVJOxP6Fef5c2FXwAIlpU_RBf2bijmqGVYiEO9HUbiaqrJh1JJqXCwY-BwkzL96M5sd7O4paDk4dMIhrq6V_UIg_x-s8Te3fUNqT7ChlKfLsVc2Qe-lLknDGe2Depo/s640/photo9.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OZK6jZCTrXvnpKr9kXGuCGRwQaezOCe-OE_HI_NYLrRctgYabWxn0dbDhUnLPwQU4Vmt3BRcLtLvVvuqiKU_ItRsu_JPuIYAM6krQepjTYT2nBcBH1N6j_uJaphrri9YXNqXfjwrK81W/s1600/photo10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OZK6jZCTrXvnpKr9kXGuCGRwQaezOCe-OE_HI_NYLrRctgYabWxn0dbDhUnLPwQU4Vmt3BRcLtLvVvuqiKU_ItRsu_JPuIYAM6krQepjTYT2nBcBH1N6j_uJaphrri9YXNqXfjwrK81W/s640/photo10.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfladOYDdkpFFCtxxu0a7GmGAvJ2UhTgiJlgYnlLRjqEOZB4GeFLxWcoWZGvOhx0FfhgtB9sGBVXJfAeVtpYBIkLBsgLYnGejbg9Jdnuxw9LD6XGir4S4IVL9YTiOvP2OTbRYOIiVYB4Qe/s1600/photo11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfladOYDdkpFFCtxxu0a7GmGAvJ2UhTgiJlgYnlLRjqEOZB4GeFLxWcoWZGvOhx0FfhgtB9sGBVXJfAeVtpYBIkLBsgLYnGejbg9Jdnuxw9LD6XGir4S4IVL9YTiOvP2OTbRYOIiVYB4Qe/s400/photo11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-21910986954324645372011-01-16T14:46:00.004-05:002011-01-16T14:57:31.866-05:00Web Accessibility with Reinhard Stebner and Refresh Baltimore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BRuAY2VusLTrJiydega9aeQQPGPyEUwVEtxBJyuxR_8BGsdaWQ2oocq-jvbpcyirQkuJUK_5PjquVFOTxBDYo9RnD13I6s-sWAWzzLvIWylmYVVX0EyTNa2X0ogxs_vxpo-_fwKm1_k5/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BRuAY2VusLTrJiydega9aeQQPGPyEUwVEtxBJyuxR_8BGsdaWQ2oocq-jvbpcyirQkuJUK_5PjquVFOTxBDYo9RnD13I6s-sWAWzzLvIWylmYVVX0EyTNa2X0ogxs_vxpo-_fwKm1_k5/s320/photo.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>I recently attended a <a href="http://www.refreshbmore.org/">Refresh Baltimore</a> event on Web Accessibility. The speaker, Reinhard Stebner, was amazing. Honest and humorous, he made a big impact on my perception of web design and development. He is also completely blind. He spent the first part of the presentation answering questions about his lifestyle; cracking great jokes and making us understand a situation that is almost unfathomable.<br />
<br />
What makes a website both accessible and usable? Using the JAWS screen reader he showed us how another group of people see the world online. Moving through various government websites, we heard how a <a href="http://www.section508.gov/">508 compliant</a> website sounds. We also saw that most of the time these sites lacked usability. Reinhard also broke down the MICA website; made primarily of lists, it was difficult to find the main content of the page.<br />
<br />
Here are some great points I learned about coding for a screen reader:<br />
<b>Limit your links.</b><br />
Before the reader moves through the website, it sizes it up and gives the listener and overview of the content. "150 links" seems overwhelming and a little daunting and is something to consider in your editing process. What is necessary? What is extraneous?<br />
<br />
<b>Headings are for structure, not font styling.</b><br />
As visual designers, we often see code as something we can twist and manipulate in order to establish a visual dialogue. Yet if the site structure and design are not in sync, then the screen reader is unable to establish a hierarchy for the listener. For example, "News Headlines" is a H5 tag while the headline "A mischievous puppy was found trying to eat a giant rock" (true story from a minute ago) is a H2 tag.<br />
<br />
<b>Navigation should be made with divs and spans, not lists</b>. I think everyone in the room scratched their heads when this was said. One of the first things you're taught about coding is how to structure a navigation and this is normally done with an unordered list. This list structure, however, is not conducive to the screen reader's logic. The span tag is not recognized by the screen reader, so it is one of the ways you can simplify your content for accessibility.<br />
<br />
<b>Display and visibility traits should come secondary to negative margins</b>. If it's not on the screen, it's not going to be read. This varies depending on the screen reader you're using. It is best to have the necessary text, which may have been replaced by and image, visible to the screen reader to maintain the cascade logic.<br />
<br />
<b>Label all your graphics and images with an ALT attribute</b>. This is something that is well known, but is still not always implemented during the coding process. He emphasized that accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought, but present throughout the planning and coding process.<br />
<br />
<b>Load order is king</b>. The screen reader works with load order to convey content. If your header is loading last, but your CSS is popping it up to the top of the page you're only creating a visual solution that will not work for a screen reader.<br />
<br />
Overall, I'm excited that I was able to have this opportunity and look forward to the ones that follow. I may introduce myself as a web newbie, but I hope to continue to learn from experts and the Baltimore web community.Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-76153854167009241482010-12-29T22:13:00.001-05:002010-12-29T22:16:14.019-05:00Baltimore Groups, Meetups, and Committees--oh my!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_ZZoHBLrjAHm3GQDpNkPmrSPLW-g_M6R1PlCmMeD8iTpp6XiXWoHf0jIenOY6KOUy_TvAG253v22-WusG4-BdbAbC_79O1CSJD6FG8N5FkYxNreNn3MrAx7DjUImUA_1rppypL3BogyZ/s1600/meetup_logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_ZZoHBLrjAHm3GQDpNkPmrSPLW-g_M6R1PlCmMeD8iTpp6XiXWoHf0jIenOY6KOUy_TvAG253v22-WusG4-BdbAbC_79O1CSJD6FG8N5FkYxNreNn3MrAx7DjUImUA_1rppypL3BogyZ/s320/meetup_logo.gif" width="320" /></a></div>One of the best parts of working in a creative field is meeting other creative people! They are usually excited to share ideas and provide valuable feedback. If you're a full-time freelancer, there is no point in developing cabin fever--join a group, attend some Meetups, events, conferences, or even join a committee! The best part is that you don't have to travel far to find good company. Even if the event is a bust, you may end up chatting with a potential collaborator or client over a stinky cheese platter.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple groups and activities that I have signed-up for recently. I am excited to meet creative professionals and maybe even make a couple friends!<br />
<br />
<b>Refresh Baltimore</b><br />
Description: "<i>We are a community of web-developers and designers who meet once a month to share ideas related to our industry. Our goal is to educate each other with new ideas so that we can help refresh the city of Baltimore, Maryland.</i>" http://www.refreshbmore.org/<br />
<br />
<b>Innovate Baltimore</b><br />
"<i>...a social community for creative technology leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and enthusiasts in the Baltimore region.</i>"<br />
<a href="http://innovatebaltimore.com/%20">http://innovatebaltimore.com/ </a><br />
<b><br />
Ignite Baltimore</b><br />
"<i>At every Ignite, 16 artists, technologists, thinkers, and personalities take the stage to answer this challenge. Our goal is to spark new conversations and collaborations across cultures and disciplines. The Baltimore City Paper named us <a href="http://www.citypaper.com/bob/story.asp?id=18846">"Best Nerd's Night Out"</a> in their 2009 Best of Baltimore awards!</i>"<br />
<a href="http://ignitebaltimore.com/">http://ignitebaltimore.com/</a><br />
<b><br />
Wordpress Group</b><br />
"<i>The Baltimore WordPress meetup gets together every third Monday and talks about a wide range of topics related to WordPress</i>"<br />
<a href="http://baltimoretech.net/meetups/baltimore-wordpress/">http://baltimoretech.net/meetups/baltimore-wordpress/</a><br />
<b><br />
Create Baltimore</b><br />
"<span class="vevent"><span class="description"><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: small;"><i>CreateBaltimore is a participant-created conference for artists, cultural workers, entrepreneurs, and technologists interested in building a creative community in Baltimore.</i>"</span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://createbaltimore.eventbrite.com/">http://createbaltimore.eventbrite.com/</a><br />
<br />
<b>Baltimore Tech</b><br />
Baltimore Tech Hub/Directory--Meet the faces of the tech community! I hope to one day add my humble mug to this list of amazing professionals.<br />
<a href="http://baltimoretech.net/">http://baltimoretech.net/</a><br />
<br />
<b>Contemporary Museum Winter Party Planning Committee</b><br />
My good friend roped me into this, but I'm actually really excited to help plan and execute this annual event! I can't reveal any of our plans (yet), but it's going to be a blast and a much needed break from this cold, dark time of year.<b></b><br />
<a href="http://www.contemporary.org/index.html">http://www.contemporary.org/index.html</a><b><br />
<br />
Strictly Business 3 Conference, Philadelphia, PA</b><br />
<b>ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) </b><br />
A huge photography conference that talks business to a range of professionals--from beginners to experts. Looking to network and meeting photographers that may be interested in a virtual assistant! I also will get to visit and reconnect with a friend from back home, so it's a two-for-one deal.<br />
<a href="http://asmp.org/content/strictly-business-3">http://asmp.org/content/strictly-business-3</a>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-51752201042732283432010-12-19T18:00:00.002-05:002010-12-20T11:01:01.606-05:00Baltimore Print Studios Adventure!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yesterday I attended the</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://baltimoreprintstudios.com/2010/12/419/" id=""> Holiday Card Mini-DIY-Magnetic-Poetry Workshop</a> at the NEW <a href="http://baltimoreprintstudios.com/">Baltimore Print Studios</a>. I enjoyed it so much, I smiled and danced throughout the whole two-hours we were there. I knew Kyle Van Horn, bearded-man pictured below, from the MICA printmaking studio--he's a very helpful and knowledgable instructor! In this workshop we used a letterpress machine to create kick-ass holiday cards. Will I send them out? Who knows! I am just excited to have them. Here are some highlights from the day<span style="font-size: x-small;">:</span></span><span id="BB_SIGN_BEGIN" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSROBoe9LV58Vqst3dXUNChyphenhyphenBczpS4TUOJ_-lS76KqUzTg2Oq_zGFHn_BLa8H8a_7LyxZ7B8Fg_fY5le8bX3U2WpmBpb_akEqh5qVly3eM3kfI5_KJwb59P7PC0csO8pucmcePX0xtwiY/s1600/print_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSROBoe9LV58Vqst3dXUNChyphenhyphenBczpS4TUOJ_-lS76KqUzTg2Oq_zGFHn_BLa8H8a_7LyxZ7B8Fg_fY5le8bX3U2WpmBpb_akEqh5qVly3eM3kfI5_KJwb59P7PC0csO8pucmcePX0xtwiY/s640/print_0072.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle explaining the printing process we used.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zq7gGkFpXV-tiyVdY8BlR-MVuSv3CNTsuTwcw4BYg3xBqMbmY7ksZOolJpZBfM03fOXAP0OMlhc0MLre2yD-HirrHdPu-16MkWZyyYUkHMUldfcQSOORmwLLJjCBeezZwY5uc3yfCwb8/s1600/print_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zq7gGkFpXV-tiyVdY8BlR-MVuSv3CNTsuTwcw4BYg3xBqMbmY7ksZOolJpZBfM03fOXAP0OMlhc0MLre2yD-HirrHdPu-16MkWZyyYUkHMUldfcQSOORmwLLJjCBeezZwY5uc3yfCwb8/s640/print_0088.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy payment with the square! https://squareup.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotrjhVR7tdzyQcHek4MkHjeyvtRnZa2nMRJsatzOaEg7EoEi1c_S5YJyDcUXSMgvD5dOjiJfZBN5bTa7n09R2dCzVOJI3kWY32fy6x2XoZPGl6X_pnIzO3z7jBypCKiNrvEAmKCYbkM8X/s1600/print_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotrjhVR7tdzyQcHek4MkHjeyvtRnZa2nMRJsatzOaEg7EoEi1c_S5YJyDcUXSMgvD5dOjiJfZBN5bTa7n09R2dCzVOJI3kWY32fy6x2XoZPGl6X_pnIzO3z7jBypCKiNrvEAmKCYbkM8X/s640/print_0081.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using the <a href="http://www.vandercookpress.info/vanderblog">Vandercook Press</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZD1-inqRepu-omtRLuiANUx8LwuK6cLM3tAI_FmjqjhPV9hLJDyfvgITNLANtm8-Sr4MKHh6QGmvhG8O42akMqc768QkgzUTDI2mcckbZlns3D9uXchZSdA1gATkDWyb_Gfy87X8qKSP/s1600/print_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZD1-inqRepu-omtRLuiANUx8LwuK6cLM3tAI_FmjqjhPV9hLJDyfvgITNLANtm8-Sr4MKHh6QGmvhG8O42akMqc768QkgzUTDI2mcckbZlns3D9uXchZSdA1gATkDWyb_Gfy87X8qKSP/s640/print_0082.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurray!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRS7ygRNmNSeQp2qttyqqwEfk-_M9yN4lvxUQ8rRKLcPzfbcFRnlcmChIxXMRJ4PMqEXQZzxuhYjLqbiAw3xHRMzDlBcGpDsu8CxDIBA7t0Q52WyKu4n3O20ewfDCCnOdXDi0kPC4-BDB/s1600/print_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRS7ygRNmNSeQp2qttyqqwEfk-_M9yN4lvxUQ8rRKLcPzfbcFRnlcmChIxXMRJ4PMqEXQZzxuhYjLqbiAw3xHRMzDlBcGpDsu8CxDIBA7t0Q52WyKu4n3O20ewfDCCnOdXDi0kPC4-BDB/s640/print_0083.JPG" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH9HDkp2C6XU7Srtd0nXem58mPENt10y2XtwsVVqdRn49flZA-l_Q_hG6_yVMSJWXTQeRrPLHypXdGf2WvIydbjVPDMvqTYMYcvSpr4ru63HzOLJYzXUuyfPSHu8Ea9VQONnpz0vbjqtB/s1600/print_0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH9HDkp2C6XU7Srtd0nXem58mPENt10y2XtwsVVqdRn49flZA-l_Q_hG6_yVMSJWXTQeRrPLHypXdGf2WvIydbjVPDMvqTYMYcvSpr4ru63HzOLJYzXUuyfPSHu8Ea9VQONnpz0vbjqtB/s640/print_0084.JPG" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eAN50hEVK-q30MOqsTAv3ptbK0UJhmN_cuKNdMw5ZCeq10oP5YNUwg58MBwnv7tMYWFPZHEZ1BCcZ4itS7hO9_YgB8BuI2NrDjvngL_OYJsqLgIrPOS2CxFE4-MouhZABCP9ITygo5vA/s1600/print_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eAN50hEVK-q30MOqsTAv3ptbK0UJhmN_cuKNdMw5ZCeq10oP5YNUwg58MBwnv7tMYWFPZHEZ1BCcZ4itS7hO9_YgB8BuI2NrDjvngL_OYJsqLgIrPOS2CxFE4-MouhZABCP9ITygo5vA/s640/print_0085.JPG" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-48800220328599698442010-12-13T13:26:00.000-05:002010-12-13T13:26:44.974-05:00Neat Lens Options: 4-in-1 German Lens Kit<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/subjektiv-4-in-1-lens/embed"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://embed.photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/productImages/subjektiv-4-in-1-lens-6590.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The holidays always tempt me to purchase goodies for myself. This is a super indulgent item that I am itching to purchase; a 4-in-1 German Lens Kit that provides four different effects that you would normally get with more traditional photography processes such as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pinhole, plastic, glass, and zone plate. Above is an example of the plastic lens module.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out the </span><a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/subjektiv-4-in-1-lens/embed"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Subjektiv 4-in-1 Lens Kit</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> at the </span><a href="http://photojojo.com/store/embed"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photojojo Store!</span></a>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-45986342752059698002010-11-29T21:50:00.001-05:002010-11-29T21:50:32.622-05:006 Tips for Your Website Redesign<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoMMEyRItr7AJ3X8yUoxFTjywXgdY5G3mSOx-QoKLjTzXupUlxqvZuTx-MwjWcS5YvcngiePNxgdb4WxzQTaVq-rEC5jgIij3DfFLcq_AYPXArWSYRHod8kx4CmpnIcigobvu6HIq7fwj/s1600/800px-Honey_bee_on_blue_flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoMMEyRItr7AJ3X8yUoxFTjywXgdY5G3mSOx-QoKLjTzXupUlxqvZuTx-MwjWcS5YvcngiePNxgdb4WxzQTaVq-rEC5jgIij3DfFLcq_AYPXArWSYRHod8kx4CmpnIcigobvu6HIq7fwj/s320/800px-Honey_bee_on_blue_flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">See <a href="http://flagstaffotos.com.au/">flagstaffotos.com.au</a> for credit and licensing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Like a busy bee obsessively collecting pollen, I am currently in the midst of redesigning my website. This can be as time-consuming and complicated as building a hive, but the result is oh so sweet!<br />
<br />
Enough with the bee references! I wanted to take a quick break from the process and quickly mention some points that I have considered along the way that have helped me fuse my design, code, and vision.<br />
<br />
<b>Draft a Mission Statement</b><br />
Before getting caught-up in the bells and whistles of jQuery interactivity, be sure to take a step back and write-up a quick mission that will help you guide your design and functionality to support your vision/branding. The mission should include a vision/branding statement, your goals for the website, and a description of your visual concept--in that order. Think about how each element contributes it's own aesthetic and emotional message--from navigation to font-size. Conflicting messages are often confusing!<br />
<br />
<b>Research, research, research!</b><br />
Great way to find out what is out there and to get some inspiration. Web design trends are always changing, so decide whether you want to be on the cutting-edge or timeless. Review your mission again after sponging about the Internet. <br />
<br />
<b>Get a Second Opinion</b><br />
To give yourself art direction is a little difficult since you tend to get too close to your own ideas. Let's just say that my fiance is very much over the question, "What do you think of this?". This also helps you justify your decisions (out loud) and fish-out those pesky elements that may be holding your website back.<br />
<br />
<b>Details Count</b><br />
Both in the design and in the functionality. If a link doesn't work properly, how does that reflect on your business?<br />
<br />
<b>Keep Developing</b><br />
Once you have launched your website, be ready to make it dynamic and interesting with new content, images, and social connectivity. This may also help you launch it in the first place--instead of dwelling on how many things you want to incorporate and how much time it will take, stick to your mission and add any of those time-consuming extras over time.<br />
<br />
<b>Boost Your Blog </b><br />
I will also be redesigning my blog to match my web design so that my messaging and vision are consistent.<br />
<br />
Now, back to work!Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-22925834483267112302010-11-12T11:05:00.003-05:002010-11-12T16:27:26.284-05:00Information Overload: Creating Your Own Curriculum<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1saHfT8Ipv5KfsNXmFXQtzT80VVRMuwdloPgBbHpY_ZDIFZ9HSO7vwQW6taM0DLGOP2npwIMsiHHVdw_lyZgNxRdPX4LPbQdsppICXvAbPq5jeZo1oMT-PYaMQWMBOElO-OWi4T7Byisj/s1600/overload.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538672327054933618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1saHfT8Ipv5KfsNXmFXQtzT80VVRMuwdloPgBbHpY_ZDIFZ9HSO7vwQW6taM0DLGOP2npwIMsiHHVdw_lyZgNxRdPX4LPbQdsppICXvAbPq5jeZo1oMT-PYaMQWMBOElO-OWi4T7Byisj/s320/overload.jpg" border="0" /></a>Learning can be overwhelming. With all the resources, on and offline, I found myself <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">overwhelmed</span> and constantly feeling left behind. It is often difficult to pinpoint the right learning tools, stay on track, and avoid desire to jump from subject to subject.<br /><br />Books, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">webinars</span>, online Tutorials (free or subscription-based), personal/business blogs, magazines, graduate classes, and mentors all have unique methods of conveying valuable information. If used all at once without set goals in mind, you may develop a strong case of information overload, which can be a productivity killer.<br /><br /><strong>Define your learning style.</strong><br />First and foremost, you need to define the way you learn <em>best</em>. If you haven't considered this before, then you're in for a treat. Take a couple online quizzes and read some articles about learning styles and in less then 20 minutes you should have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to absorbing information. I am a visual <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">kinesthetic</span> learner; if I am not interacting or seeing connections happen, I will quickly fall asleep to the sounds of droning audio tutorials. Here is a <a href="http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html">simple quiz </a>to get your started.<br /><br /><strong>Outline your goals.</strong><br />Simple--write down three main goals that you would like to adhere to throughout the learning process. These goals may be specific subjects or short statements that narrow the scope even more. For example, I would like to learn more about web design best practices, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wireframing</span>, and current trends. When I come across an article, book, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">webinar</span> that fits this criteria I quickly bookmark it, put it on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">wishlist</span>, or register.<br /><br /><strong>Get Organized.</strong><br />Work smarter, not harder. I use Google Reader to organize and update all my blog subscriptions. I also only subscribe to those blogs that meet my learning goals. In this reader you have the option to "star" blog posts to easily access later on. On my mobile app I can also email them to myself, tweet or post them to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Facebook</span>, or even add it to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">url</span> bookmarking program. I have been using <a href="http://www.delicious.com/">Delicious</a> as my social bookmarking tool for a while now. You can add websites, create tags, and search your library to find what you need. There are now several more programs that allow you to quickly add and organize your resources while sharing with an online community. Here is some more information regarding <a href="http://caroline-middlebrook.com/blog/do-follow-social-bookmarking-sites/">social bookmarking</a>.<br /><br /><strong>My curriculum toolbox</strong>.<br />By creating a tool box you will have some consistency and become familiar with your learning flow. You will then be able to create learning patterns and finally establish habits.<br /><br />Here are some of my main learning resources:<br />Lynda.com<br />Amazon.com for books<br />Top Design blogs (20)<br />Magazines (3)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Webinars</span><br /><br />It seems pretty simple, but within each category I have a listing of tutorials, books, and articles. I have even created a spreadsheet for Lynda.com that lists all the relevant tutorials and the amount of time each will take--then I check them off as I go!<br /><br /><strong>Schedule your classes.<br /></strong>Plain and simple. I have class every Tuesday and Thursday for 2-3 hours. I also listen to a tutorial in the car on a long drive, read articles while I walk the track, and keep myself current when waiting in a long-line. I will also read a little before bed and get up early in the morning on the weekend to map out next weeks goals.<br /><br /><strong>Assignments and grading.</strong><br />This can be difficult, since you don't have the pressure of externally imposed deadlines. On the other hand, I understand my schedule best and know when assignments can actually be completed. Make a deadline for an assignment that reviews what you have learned while doing something positive for your portfolio or business (two-for-one). Grade yourself and consider sending your project out to a couple colleagues/friends for a critique. There are also a lot of online forums where you may post to receive feedback. I suggest doing this eventually since professionals are always happy to help, you can make some online connections, and with this type of assignment you have the a luxury of a revision phase.<br /><br /><strong>Overall, by using these tips and tricks you will have a easier time taking the self-taught route.</strong> You will also be able to track your progress and comeback to useful resources for assignments or for eventual client-based work. I suggest creating a larger curriculum calendar that breaks down an evolution of your learning goals; have them drive you towards a "graduation date" where you will "complete" your coursework. The great thing is that through this process you will have created learning habits that are oh so necessary for a budding freelance professional.</div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302721579774256318.post-5502626414411015642010-10-29T11:07:00.003-04:002010-11-01T21:05:05.300-04:00Book Review: My So-Called-Freelance Life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXq9iGtWSXCTVAMe3FOjpltBb6Z2K6aryC8eUXYgiBvu70xM_HTKrY0-DixFeaqzo0pgNcBgAdcHK1KRrpBkm4q0Rv23hzBHYsrJWW-MOBdFWPBNnElBBfeCH2k6UTHRCcHPJwESzWJfzl/s1600/freelancelife.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533540580541077554" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXq9iGtWSXCTVAMe3FOjpltBb6Z2K6aryC8eUXYgiBvu70xM_HTKrY0-DixFeaqzo0pgNcBgAdcHK1KRrpBkm4q0Rv23hzBHYsrJWW-MOBdFWPBNnElBBfeCH2k6UTHRCcHPJwESzWJfzl/s320/freelancelife.jpg" border="0" /></a>I recently finished the book <em>My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire</em> written by Michelle Goodman. With witty comedic styling, Goodman pushes for a sense of informed preparedness when deciding to take the plunge into a freelance career.<br /><div></div><br /><div>My favorite sections teach the reader how to maintain a budget and schedule their work week (and how the two are connected). Negotiations and dealing with clients are also tough topics; especially for those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">creatives</span></span></span> out there that don't have the business persona of Jack <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Donaghys</span></span></span>.<br /></div><br /><div>As a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">struggling</span> freelance writer, she admits to encountering some business sink-holes. Thankfully, she lives to tell the tale as a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">thriving</span> professional. I recommend this as a great book for freelance therapy; with its underlying success story, it will give you a zap of motivation. I have ear-marked at least a dozen sections that I want to come back to and research further--from communicating with customers to establishing long-term goals and even the F-word (finance), Goodman starts you out on the right foot. </div><br /><div>I see this book as a great starting point if you're in search for career advice. Short, sweet, and full of chuckles, this book will reside in my collection for a long time.</div>Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970915840956245573noreply@blogger.com0