Smilebox - A Creative Solution!

A colleague hooked me up with what will be the next generation of "creative messaging" ... a way to connect with friends, journal, dialogue, share photos, etc., etc ... to a new level! It's beyond the customary photo sharing websites that allow you to send "vanilla" thumbnail images that link to a photo gallery. It's an example of where we are heading. It's called Smilebox. Right now it's in the beta stage, and they are soliciting designers/developers (particularly Flash developers) to submit designs for their consideration. A video on DEMO, a website for Emerging Technologies, explains how it works! It's the closest thing I've seen so far to an interactive web environment for non-tecchies that allows sharing with others. I was blown away by the "page turning" interactivity shown in the video!

The Future of the Web?

I recently attended a lecture by Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby Awards (considered by many to award the Oscars of the web world). She made several interesting predictions as to what the future will bring, and had definite openly-expressed opinions. She recommended the PEW American & Internet Life as a resource regarding the evolution of the web. She offered up volunteermatch.org as an example of how a problem was solved that couldn't be solved before. This website was able to link volunteers to needs during the recent Katrina tragedy in a way that would have been impossible without the web. Also discussed was how anyone posting on a website, blog, etc., should never assume that it won't be read and that email should be scratched and a phone call made if liability or censorship was a concern. We also talked about the devices of the future: cell phones. Now, computers are used to view websites and we're concerned that our kids will find bad stuff on the computer, TV,or other "home system" and do what we can to block them out! In the future ... cell phones and PDAs will be the tool to just about everything, from scanning purchases, placing online orders, and viewing websites. And the internet will undoubtedly be blamed for the problems that develop from this. Also mentioned was voice recognition and further transformation of email. Interesting times, these!

Happy 2006!

Another year ... and the web development world continues to be more exciting than ever! This year, I will be helping my alma mater, Fresno State, with their "Clean Up the Web" campaign. This pleases me, as the goal and mission of this project is to bring their web presence up to current web standards. They recognize the importance of this as part of any website redevelopment these days (particularly for public entities or government agencies) as accessibility requirements must be met. I recently had a client ask me to "post pics" to make me appear more "personal" to clients or potential clients. So ... here is a Christmas photo of my family (I am the brunette with the black top in the second row). My resolution is to be better about posting on my blog! What can I say ... time is a problem!

MAX 2005

I am excited to be able to attend the MAX2005 (Macromedia) web conference to be held this year in Ahaheim. A focus will be the latest release of Macromedia products: Studio 8. Couldn't wait to acquire it! Selectively attending these conferences will keep me up to date as to where the web design profession is going. I am attending with a local colleague who has become a great friend as well! For years, my "virtual" colleagues kept me connected. Now, this new friendship (it blossomed when I attended TODCON with her last April) gives me more than an online connection ... it's personal as well. No matter how far we go with being able to "avoid" appointments, meetings, and even phone conversations as we can communicate so well online, nothing will ever replace the personal connection.

Is the World Flat???

Is the world really flat now??? I just read "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century" by Thomas L. Friedman. I was very interested in what he had to say about outsourcing, technology, and globalization (which should concern anyone in this business). A scan of the reviews on Amazon.com revealed a lot of controversy regarding this book. I still think it's a great read for anyone wanting to know where we are (and where we could be heading)as this century unfolds. For me, the most important points made related to what Friedman calls the "flat world" and how professionals must react these days to succeed ... look for ways to expand your business to fit current needs, take self-initiative, and know that if you don't keep skills current and find your fit, someone else (somewhere) will run past you at a rapid pace. Not to mention that the "old ways of doing things" will not work.

Adobe and Macromedia

Adobe (the Big Gun of the print software world) recently acquired Macromedia, the online communication guru. Current information will be provided at this link. Colleagues of mine reacted in different ways! Some weren't at all surprised ... others were concerned about how it would affect their jobs (particularly if they are currently serving as resources for a certain software package). Undoubtedly some applications will be phased out. But ... most of what Macromedia has developed doesn't overlap with Adobe ... their strength is graphics and print media. Most people are familiar with the ubiquitous pdf document, an Adobe development. And the strong Macromedia applications (such as Dreamweaver and Flash) are here to stay; Adobe is "too smart" not to recognize that. I think that there is everything to gain and not much to lose, as applications are developed to accommodate a wide range of media (everything from the television set to the hand-held device).

A Curve-Ball Update

For anyone that cares, my sojourn into weight loss with the help of Weight Watchers has been a success thus far. Since January 29 I have lost 19 pounds and at least one size, and have 15 or so left to go. I do exercise a lot, but the changes made in my eating patterns are at least 80% of the reason I've lost the weight. When I reach my goal of 35 lbs lost, I will post again!

Back from TODCON!

"The Other Dreamweaver Conference" has me inspired, motivated beyond belief, and dying to try new technologies either with clients or on my own web server for learning purposes. I wasn't sure what to expect ... I "knew" many of the presenters via the CommunityMX and Webweavers Forums,and wasn't sure what to expect. Everyone was so, so nice, there was no condescention, but they were fun at the same time! It was non-stop learning from 7:30 a.m. until 5 in the evening. This was worthwhile, both for me and for my clients. It was also a welcome break from my routine! There has to be some balance and departure from a professional life of staring at a computer monitor for hours on end, solving problems and performing tasks. One of the presenters, Stephanie Sullivan, posted some interesting thoughts in her blog. I saw myself in the article. A departure from routine, exercise, spiritual and social activities help keep my purpose grounded where it should be.