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Zipments LA

September 2, 2011 2:35 PM | filed in: ,

Last night, I attended the launch event for Zipments LA. The Grand Rapids-based company has create a system for connecting freelance couriers with local businesses who need deliveries made around town. This enables individual users to look for jobs near them, while businesses without built-in delivery can widen their reach.The CEO of Zipments cited a few core principles for the company, but the most interesting was a personal mission to make healthful food accessible to all areas. With Zipments, food from any location can be delivered anywhere else in the city... the implication being that there's no excuse for relying...

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Are You Watching Web TV?

August 10, 2011 9:47 AM | filed in:

I'm not talking about web broadcasts shown on the web. I mean television created just for the web... have you ever watched any? There are tons of writers, actors, and directors (and more, oh my) independently producing original content just for the web. The genre is wide open right now, so there's some fresh ideas and a lot of experimentation going on; this means there are also so some challenges if you're looking to be entertained: - As a whole, the producers of web series are not marketing- and web-savvy, so it can be difficult to find their stuff in...

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Site Launch: CinemaSecrets

June 14, 2011 9:10 AM | filed in:

Cinema Secrets is a manufacturer of professional-grade cosmetics. They have a cult following among pro makeup artists, but their website (store) was a little difficult to use. Over the past couple of months, I worked with the Cinema Secrets team to launch the first phase of their new website. We have plans for more enhancements in the coming months, but I think this is a great improvement. Thanks are owed to Brandon Flowers, a fellow Midwesterner and talented photographer and retoucher who created the striking images used throughout the "editorial" side of the site. Structurally, the site combines Movable Type...

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My Method for Creating Page Titles

June 12, 2011 7:38 AM | filed in:

SEO (search-engine optimatization) is the process of making your web content as "friendly" as possible to search engines so they can a) find it, and b) determine its bottom-line message, and c) deliver it to users looking for it.I have found that one element of successful SEO is creating page titles that echo the site structure--in reverse. So, where a breadcrumb trail on my site might look like this... Sugarsock > Portfolio > Corporate Branding > Logo Design > XYZ Corporation ...the resulting page title would look like this: XYZ Corporation > Logo Design > Corporate Branding > Portfolio >...

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Have a Very Etsy Christmas

December 7, 2010 2:39 PM | filed in: ,

I am really in the Christmas spirit this year. It would be even better if I could get it to snow in the LA basin, but in the meantime, evenings of online shopping and gift-wrapping with hot chocolate and holiday tunes in the background are working wonders on my usual bah-humbuggery. My go-to marketplace for general merchandise is Amazon. I've been shopping with them so long I remember Amazon Auctions (do you?), and my order history dating back to 1998 is a cringe-worthy record of my music and reading tastes from my early twenties. Because I've shopped with Amazon so...

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Whistle While You Work

December 2, 2010 10:47 PM | filed in: , ,

Okay, I'm not whistling while I work... I'm downright singing out loud to some Natalie Cole while I work. On recent evening, instead of sitting on the sofa with the laptop, half-watching television while I work, I've been escaping to the office and turning up iTunes while I work. I think I've been more productive. Even though I can't listen to music without singing, this kind of multi-tasking (belting and coding) seems to work better than the TV-and-laptop combo.So anyway, I've been whistling singing quite a bit over the past couple of months (since last I updated the site). Here's...

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Getting a Fresh Perspective

August 6, 2010 8:26 AM | filed in: ,

Every once in awhile, design becomes a dreaded chore, because nothing seems to work or everything feels uninspired. Most people expect designers to be creative at all times, but just like any occupation, there are peaks and valleys to project navigation, skill level, and attitude about the work. Every designer (fashion, interior, graphic, and beyond...) goes through those valleys at times. The bad part is not in having these moments of "un-designeriness;" rather, handling it well is the challenge. What are you supposed to do when you are in a design funk or feeling unmotivated to create? Assuming you do...

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We Live in Public + Facebook + Google = ?

April 23, 2010 12:03 PM | filed in: | 1 TrackBack

The web is atwitter this week with yet another change to Facebook's privacy practices, which will allow your information to be shared with third parties. The examples being provided are things like: - If you go to imDB to research a movie, you'll see which of your Facebook friends have "Liked" it. - If you go to Pandora, it will suggest music based on the contents of your Facebook profile. Some may think that this can be controlled by strapping down application and privacy settings within Facebook and controlling browser options (like removing all cookies on exit), but I have...

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The Problem with Your Alexa Rating

April 10, 2010 2:01 PM | filed in:

When you're trying to gauge the traffic to your site and its growth across a period, Alexa is one tool. This information--traffic rank, growth or loss of traffic, and sites linking in--is available to anyone with Internet access, so it's easy to rely on for a quick overview of a site's popularity. An important thing to remember about Alexa, though, is that its reporting is based solely on data gathered from users who have installed the Alexa toolbar in their browsers. Alexa claims to have over 10 million installations of the toolbar (as of 2005) but doesn't provide information about...

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Scooped by Google Buzz?

April 6, 2010 11:20 PM | filed in:

Currently, a business partner and I are developing an iPhone app (and boy, am I getting antsy for its completion). My husband and I discuss ideas for widgets, apps, and games all the time. The problem with techie ideas, of course, is that development can be expensive: There's the labor of programming, followed by testing and trial periods that often lead to additional labor. Money, money, money. One of my long-term goals is having a substantial "development bank," a savings account whose funds are dedicated the creation of personal technology and creative projects. Back in 2003, I approached a couple...

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Do It Yourself Publishing

April 1, 2010 6:40 AM | filed in: ,

I recently had a great time working with Chris-Tia Donaldson on a Kindle edition of her book, Thank God I'm Natural: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Maintaining Natural Hair. It features great historical info on black hair, lots of photos, resources for those going natural, and tons of recipes for home-made hair care. Cool! In addition to writing the book, Chris-Tia self-published it. To help other authors, she's put together a Wordpress site called Do It Yourself Publishing, which includes excerpts from her forthcoming "hands-on" manual for every step of self-publishing. I feel lucky to be included in...

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Kindle Formatting Tips: Part 2

March 28, 2010 11:26 AM | filed in:

In Kindle Formatting Tips: Part 1, we talked about why you should format your book in HTML and explored some principles to get you started. This segment deals with images. I am going to stick with references to Kindle 2 for now, since it is the most widely used device. The Kindle 2 (viewable) screen dimensions are 520px wide by 622px high. Introduction: Kindle shows images in black and white. Even if you include color images, they will show as grayscale images on Kindle. For best results, when you resize your images, convert them to grayscale so you can make...

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Kindle Formatting Tips: Part 1

March 24, 2010 11:16 AM | filed in: ,

Unfortunately for the publishing industry, there are many options today that make self-publishing a viable alternative to securing a traditional publishing contract. That doesn't mean it's easy or inexpensive: Expect to shell out time and money to find the right combination of solutions to fit your plan. Also know that you won't have the marketing power, reputation, and connections a "real" publisher has--and that, as more people accept self-publishing as a normal mode of publishing, you'll have to be smarter about competing in a sea of similar content. One of the simplest favors you can do for your book is...

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Shout-Out on the Radio!

March 22, 2010 11:08 AM | filed in: , ,

When my client Tuck Self interviewed another of my clients, Nikki Nokes, about her book Maybe It's You, somehow I came up! They called me "amazing" and "a mind reader." Cool. About Tuck: Her show, Claim Your Voice, Own Your Life, features women who live with bold self-expression. Topics are centered around personal growth, alternative health, and spirituality. Check out this radio talk show for women!About Nikki: Maybe It's You is a book of advice (based on research) about how single women can become successful daters--and get "unsingle." She includes videos and blog entries with dating advice for women.Want in...

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Better Google Rank: Tip #1

March 10, 2010 10:22 AM | filed in: ,

A lot of people have built themselves websites for personal or small-business use, but they don't understand how to get users there.Have you ever Googled yourself and tried to figure out why some old webpage shows up high in the search results? Are search engines a mystery to you?(Side note: I am concentrating on Google, but the same principles apply to other major search engines. Although people do use Yahoo, Bing, AOL, Ask, and ISP search tools, Google covers the overwhelming share of online searches. Bing is moving up a little, and sadly, Yahoo is dwindling away. I say "sadly...

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Site Launch: AllAnimalsVets.com

February 6, 2010 10:00 AM | filed in: ,

This Movable Type-based site allows the staff of a busy Calabasas veterinary office to keep their content updated and organized. Dr. Molnar also is a talented photographer, so it features rotating images on the home page and other photos throughout the site. Working with an existing logo, I designed and built the site. Features: - MovableType - Google Analytics - Twitter - Facebook - RSS- Random image javascriptClick the image to visit the website.

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Site Launch: NikkiNokes.com

February 6, 2010 9:53 AM | filed in: ,

This Movable Type-based blogsite allows author Nikki Nokes to easily update and expand her content. Using materials (logo, book design) I created with the author, I designed and built the site. Features: - Movable Type - Google Analytics - Google Voice - YouTube video- BlogTalkRadio- Amazon Associates- CreateSpace- Twitter - FacebookClick the image to visit the site.

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Dear Department of Homeland Security:

January 9, 2010 4:03 PM | filed in: ,

Is that really you visiting my site so much? According to my research, one (or possible three!) your IPs makes more server requests than even Google and Yahoo bots. What could it be? I didn't know the DHS had such an interest in design. Thank you for checking out my samples. Perhaps you are looking for someone to redesign your agency's image? Or maybe you need a blog installed at www.dhs.gov? Oh, you probably like reading my to-do lists, thinking that maybe your bureau can get some inspiration from my perpetual and overriding work ethic. Could it be that you...

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Devil in the Details...

November 20, 2009 9:57 PM | filed in: ,

I have two site projects 98% done... it's that last 2% that's coming so slowly on both. Why do things work this way? 

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A Funny Stat...

October 23, 2009 3:35 PM | filed in: ,

One of the search phrases that sends sent traffic to my site is "chubby wonder woman." (Awhile ago, I wrote a post about how much I don't like Charm City Cakes--and their 50%-floral-foam creations--and I think one of the images I included was a Wonder Woman cake.) Anyway, that's amusing.

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A Good Way to Get Traffic

October 22, 2009 4:07 PM | filed in: , , , ,

So, for probably about a year, I've been seeing people using post images they created with the "Mad Men Yourself" feature at AE.com. Since its inception, the avatar generator has been improved with added features, and some of the most recent images I've seen include new backgrounds and larger sizes. I thought I'd check it out--and I'm not even a Mad Men-watcher. I've never even seen the show, but I have heard from many people that it's a great one.A+E has made a good decision in developing this lightweight app, because it's fun and allows people to easily make something...

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The "What Not to Wear" Method

October 17, 2009 11:21 AM | filed in: , ,

On TLC's What Not to Wear, the hosts show chronic sweatpants-wearers how bad their wardrobes are by making them parade in front of full-view mirrors (while slinging insult after insult, of course), then try on ensembles that flatter their bodies and styles. This before-and-after approach allows people to see for themselves what crap they've become accustomed to and how it compares to good stuff. By now, Etsy.com is a big player in web marketplaces. DIYers can make crafts, clothing, candy, arts, anything--as long as it's handmade or hand-finished--and sell them to others through the site. Opening such a community to...

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The Internet Isn't Perfect...

October 12, 2009 8:30 PM | filed in: ,

For instance, why is it that when you believe you have a singular username, you eventually find that other people are using it too? This isn't me. Neither is this. Neither is this. Not this one either. And so on and so forth... It makes me wonder whether someone saw my username and decided to use it... or if we had the idea at the same time... or if it wasn't so singular after all. In other news, why are Whois records always so outdated? (And do you think ICANN will get mad if I haven't updated all 64 of...

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