House Update

It's been a while since I've posted a house update. AND... since I know of a few people who are eager to see the progress instead of just HEAR about it... here goes.

Just as a reminder, here are BEFORE pictures of the kitchen:

AFTER:

The lighting isn't fantastic, so I'll redo them one day when the light is just right. You can get the idea though.

The microwave won't stay on that counter. We are still working on getting the microwave installed over the stove.

Can you see the under-counter lighting in this one? I wasn't sold on the idea until John got it installed, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

The Artistic Process

This Video inspires me to be creative... just watching the art process at such a granular level is delicious to me.
Enjoy!

Our Favorite Blogs 2009 - Reviews by PC Magazine

I need more blogs to read like I need a hole in the head… but here it is.. 50 more blogs to explore. There are some i can toss out the window—Average Cats? No Thanks…

But the book blogs…and how about the one—Not Always Right—there’s a customer service reps dream come true!!

which ones tickle your funny bone?

Our Favorite Blogs 2009 - Reviews by PC Magazine

Creating Great Visuals for your Content

the value of visual thinking in social business

By David Armano

darmano.typepad.com

Social business design vs. just social media design

Which of your 5 senses would you fear losing most? -- sight
The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing- Publilius Syrus

Visual thinking-- changing our thinking process to be more visual

Expressing ourselves through a visual medim = Art

Design = combines form and function to perform a task

making a visual message requires a messy analysis.. behind simplicity is complexity

History of the Internet-- Vimeo (find link?)

Getting Visual in 4 "Ms"

Metaphor- comparing your content to an image that is already familiar
Model- condensing your content down to a visual that communitcates the idea visually (Bloom's) Mindmap- "Back of the Napkin" Dan Roam (slideshare), you see the relationship of different words and ideas in relation to one another
Manifest- "to make obvious"

6 steps to Getting Visual

1. Emphathize: See the world as a child

• observe, notice the little things that other miss
• ask, ask questions, even silly ones
• explore, entertain your curiosity

2. Memorize: commit thoughts to memory

• draw, or write down key words

3. Analyze: Take a step back
4. Synthesize: Filter signal from noise
5. Visualize: See it, then do it
6. Materialize: make it tangible, make it stick

• i.e. the 4 c's of commuity- 1. content, 2. Context, 3. connectivity, 4. continuity

How do you visualize a "dynamic signal"?

For example- Twitter= Streams of data (streams, to oobvious to overlook)
What does a signal look like? (radio tower)
image: A wavy line, with random ripple radio signals at intervals.


Q&A:
What software do you use? Adobe illustrator,
Software not as important as the concepts... could be done in word, or ppt.
Social Marketing Compass-- Brian Solis Jess
Check list of rmaking content more visual:
use your brain and see what you are doing.

Why your content should be visual:

--Gets people's attention quickly
--Helps us learn faster and more effectively
--Let's people do their own thinking
--Helps us tell stories

Where to start:

Envisioning information, Tufte

Selling to the VP of No, Gray

The Back of the Napkin, Roam

Don't Make Me Think, Krug

Writing Better Blogs

By Wade Kwon
www.birminghamblogging.com

Better Writing

Why improve your writing?
- you owe it to your readers
- there's only two kinds of writing-- good and bad
- it's how you stand out among bloggers

Goal review
- what is the goal of your writing?
- what is the goal of your blog?

Read good writing
- blogs
- magazines
- newspapers
- books
- save clips

Practice, practice, practics
- often, daily if possible
- helps writers block
- helps devlop writing skills

Passion is everything!

What does this mean to the reader?
- sum it up in 1 sentence.
- sum it up in 1 word.

Revise, revise, revise
- make first paragraph count
- get someone to read over it.
- or put it down and read it later
- cut by a third
- spell check
- incorporate reader feedback

Tools
- Q&A/ FAQ
- opinion- forces you to think critically
- lists
- surprise--do something out of your box, contrary opinion, original thought,
- humor

Better Blogging

Get organized
- important on a blog page
- include a roadmap if needed
- pick a game plan- sections, lists, chronologically?
- Q&A

Write conversationally
- SEO and Keywords-- make it difficult to write conversationally if you think too much about it.
- Don't use "click here"
- but incorporate links- with headlines, with title tags,

Think Visually
- bullets
- bold keypoints, sentences
- break up paragraphs
- subheads using < h2 > tags

Think about time of your readers
- write a long version, but add a sort version at top
- add "related posts" at bottom

Think Meta
- headline- clever vs. SEO friendly, short vs. long, Think CNN.com,
- sprinkle keywords throughout post- tagcrowd.com,
- use tags

So you might not win the Nobel Prixe, but instead....Recognition, Fans, Satisfaction for a job well done.

good reminders of good writing... and ways to think about writing for the web.

Kitchen Updates, and Technology Tests

Testing a Flip ultra HD camera.... and showing off my partially completed kitchen. :D

I took this video this morning before I left for work... I've uploaded it directly to the blog from the camera itself... SNAPPY! I think I might need one of these for myself!!

Storyline Online

Found this link through the SouleMama website listed in my Inspiration links.

I’ll have to give it a try soon… any of you with little kids might find it entertaining.

 

It’s stories read by actors from the Screen Actors Guild. The story featured on the main page right now is “Me and My Cat” read by Elijah Wood—Frodo himself. :) 

 

Enjoy!

Storyline Online

Giddy about Kitchens

I think it's time to do a house post!! We are ready to paint in the kitchen.. which is one step closer to cookies in the oven! Here's some before picts:

Here's some demolition Picts:

AND... Here's the reconstruction: (ready to paint)