Posts

Showing posts with the label misc

Google Web Designer Review

Image
Quick Review of Google's New Web Designer Google Web Designer user interface Yesterday, Google announced the launch of Web Designer, a new tool for building interactive HTML5 sites and ads.  The beta version is available for download here . I have kicked the tires a bit.  Overall, I am excited with Google's foray into the world of HTML5 editors. Here are my initial thoughts: The Good: Cost:  It's free to download, at least the Beta version is. Animation Timeline : Keyframes are used to "tween" animation points on the timeline. (Size, rotation, XYZ coordinates, etc.). It reminds me of an old Flash animation app called  Swish .  Hooks:  Using the Components menu, you can link to external iframes, galleries, maps, tap areas, and videos. Preview : Ability to preview the ads directly within the UI.  You can also preview in local browsers. Publishing : Quick process with "zip" option (contains all related files for easy upload). The Bad:

Salmon Creek waking up from winter slumber

Image
Android 4.2 panorama photo - Salmon Creek in Hilton, NY HDR Camera+ photo for Android 4.2 - Salmon Creek in Hilton, NY HDR Camera+ photo for Android 4.2 - Salmon Creek in Hilton, NY Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agency where he supports his clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advisor.

Salmon Creek in Hilton, NY

Image
Here's an autumn view from our previous office in Hilton.  Photo has Photomatrix' tone mapping algorithm applied. Salmon Creek in Hilton, NY.

Client Communications - Constantly Evolving

Image
Client communication is critical to my business success. I'm constantly juggling and multitasking. Social media is both a blessing and a bother. Simpler Times My Web design business launched in the fall of 2001. Back then, face to face meetings, emails and phone calls were the ways I communicated with customers (sorry, couldn't do the pager on belt thing). How things have changed With the explosion of mobile phones and social media, I now have customers contacting me via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Trying to keep up with the various incoming messages from all these sources has become a challenge. Time to talk Communication is critical to business success, but it can be a real time vacuum.  As a small business owner, I constantly struggle to juggle the various aspects of running the business. Things like work flow, cash flow, and trying to grow.  I need to be able to respond quickly and concisely to the multitudinous customer inquiries I receive. Email t

1,100 Projects Completed

Image
Some fun, some not...but all 1.1K are done! My project numbering system is fairly straight forward.  For every new job that comes through the door, increment by one and add a customer code (i.e., 1100_WEB).  This morning we reached a milestone.  Well its not a big deal, but I liked the number.  It gave me an excuse to paint graffiti on the side of the building.  Just kidding. Milestone reached: 1,100 projects completed. It took us 11 years, and we've been consistent.  Completing roughly 100 projects per year.  All varieties, shapes and sizes.  From signage design to complete e-commerce websites, it's been a wild ride. Meetings, phone calls, emails and texts.  1,100 projects down, and here's to the next!   Thanks to all of our customers who have trusted us with their web and marketing needs.

Google Plus Please Learn from My Mutes

Image
Muting a Post on Google Plus is easy.  Don't like a post, no problem...click the mute button. But, What If Your Mute History "Taught" Google Plus About What You Don't Like... What I would love to see is the ability for Google Plus to learn from my previous mutes . Similar to how Pandora Radio works. The reader (in the case of G+) provides positive or negative feedback for posts in the stream, which are taken into account for future selections. Something like a " mute similar posts " button would be great. Mute Google Plus Posts Consistently... I almost always mute posts involving certain subjects. Especially when exploring the "What's hot and recommended" stream. Improved Google Plus Content... Content creators could also get a better feel for how unpopular certain subjects are, and based on number of mutes, adjust the subject matter or frequency of posts. Better Google Plus User Experience... I am still tr

Journey Back In Time - Web Design 0.0

Image
Just for kicks, I wanted to see if Wayback Machine had a snapshot of the first Website I worked on (Dec 1996).  Turns out they do, although the secondary pages aren't indexed. Here's what it looked like.  Got to love the background pattern.  Note the "Made with Macromedia" badge.  Memories... http://web.archive.org/web/19961221025353/http://www.corporatecomm.com/