Anne Rose Writes

Google +

2012-02-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

I admit it ... I'm a Facebook addict. I love the new timeline, I love connecting to other sites with my Facebook, I love "liking" and "sharing."

And now I love Pinterest. Almost as much as I love Facebook.

Actually, when I'm off-the-clock, these are the tabs I always have open to my personal accounts.

Google + , not so much. I just can't get into it, because I feel like a traitor, eschewing FB and asking my contacts (really all of who are on Facebook) to jump over to a whole new world. And I have - from the very beginning of the Google + hype - felt like there was some social-guru snobbism "over there." So my +anne account is pretty dismal. It's there.

But I am maintaining an alter ego on Google + for Catalogs. I have an account for myself with my work email, and a respectable number of PR, media and social types in Circles. I run the page for Catalogs.com on Google + too. It is valuable to have a business presence there, and to post articles, images and public relations materials.

Check out what I'm doing on Google + for Catalogs.com. Put us in your "shopping" circle.

Targeted Audience Marketing on Facebook

2012-02-04T08:53:00.001-08:00

Moms N Deals by Catalogs.com and Dogs N Deals at Catalogs.com

Catalogs.com is approaching 10,000 fans on Facebook. Without a concerted effort to market the Facebook page to our Website users, and with no advertising, it has been a slow process.

A couple of contests, run with Offerpop apps, gave us significant bumps in fans. The first, a "Refer a Friend" contest for $1500 in Catalogs.com shopping sprees, was a good success, and seems to have garnered real fans. The second, a photo contest, revealed the shady side of Facebook and captured frantic sweepers, fake and multiple-account holders, and a slew of overseas scammers. Watch for my thoughts on Facebook contests in a separate post.

Anyway, at almost 10,000 hard-won fans, I continue to feel that their is no single "agenda" for our Catalogs.com fans. The nature of our site is diverse - over 750 catalogs in more than 31 categories - and our social posts have been schizophrenic. One day I am posting deals from a dollar store, the next hot pumps from Chinese Laundry and a few hours later, new catalogs from auto parts retailers.

I decided to try creating two Facebook pages, branded to Catalogs.com, but targeted at very specific audiences. Neither of these pages are promoted at our website, and are not advertised. For now, they are growing "organically."

Check them out at Moms N Deals by Catalogs.com and Dogs N Deals at Catalogs.com.

The names say it all; the user knows what to expect.

Facebooking for Businesses

2011-08-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am working on building a brand presence for these, one big and the others small ... I say put it out there and let it have a life of its own. It should belong to the fans, not to you. My favorite recent quote: "don't let your facebook become a promotional wastebasket."

If you are so inclined, click over and "like" one of our pages:

Catalogs.com

Coco Plum Inn Bed & Breakfast

The Sanctuary Brookfield Bar and Grill

Bourbon on 2nd

Slick little media slick

2011-07-11T13:56:00.001-07:00

PR coup: great coverage for the rollout of our iPad app ... inspired a handout as sales tool for trade show.

Diigo Library

2010-08-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am cataloging all the press coverage for Catalogs.com, which puts the press coverage that I have leveraged in one user-friendly library, as well.

Check it out:

Extensive interview for USA Today: Catalogs get Creative

Women Grow Business: Getting Smart about e-Commerce

Internet Retailer: Catalogs.com Adds New Merchants

Video Script: Find Beauty and Cosmetics at Catalogs.com

2010-08-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Script writing was a cool project - I wrote and directed five "starter" videos, working with a video production firm, to introduce shopping categories at Catalogs.com.

The process of writing effective short scripts is actually very simple:

1. Write your keywords (think SEO) down - make the list as comprehensive as possible
2. Start arranging your keywords into phrases and then sentences
3. Use each word only once. There is no room for "waste"
4. Figure 2 words per second, max. That means a 30 second video is 60 words. Or less.

Tweak, tweak, tweak.

Read the script out loud. Have someone else read it out loud.

I wrote this script for the "Rugs & Flooring" category. I like the way it reads, it has a nice clever factor, without being too "cute:"

What’s under your feet? If your floors need attention, we’ve reviewed and found the best interior solutions online.

Click to browse hardwood, laminates and tiles. Discover everything from Southwestern area rugs to Persian carpets. Find your style and shop on the web or order catalogs. The red tags mean great discounts!

At Catalogs.com you’ll be floored with what you find.

Flyer for IRCE iPad giveaway

2010-06-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writers always Needed

2010-03-10T06:04:00.001-08:00

I just want to shout this: Hey fellow writers, come and play!

... instead of writing a formal job opening announcement.

So: Hey fellow writers, come and play! This pays great, the editor is human, and the assignments are like little pieces of candy.

Send me an email at anner@catalogs.com with a couple links to what you've done, and I promise I'll get back to you!

Chinese Drywall Brochure

2010-03-02T19:30:00.001-08:00

How to Get Around in Google Docs

2010-02-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

1. Go to Google Docs online at http://www.docs.google.com

2. If you don’t have a Google Docs account, find the question “Don’t have a Google Account?” and click on the blue box “Get started. Fill out all the information to Create an account, click on “I accept." Create my Account.” Follow the instructions to verify your account.

** Note that you are creating a GOOGLE DOCS account, not a Gmail account. This is a different URL, a different log in screen and a different account. **

3. If you have a Gmail account, or have already set up an account for Google Docs, sign in with your email address and your password.

4. This opens your Google Docs home page. You will see all of the documents that you have created, and all of the documents that you have been invited to share.

5. In the left column, click on “All items.” This will show you every item in your Google Docs. Also from the left column, clicking on the other options will sort your items and change your view.

6. To create a NEW document, working in Google Docs, click on “Create new” and then select your document type from the drop down menu.

7. To upload an EXISTING document or image from your computer to Google Docs, click on “Upload.”

8. This is the Upload screen. You will see a small up arrow. Next to it, click on “Select files to upload.” Select the document you want to upload. The title of the document will now show in the white box above the “Select” button.

** Note: for very large word documents with many embedded images, you will have to convert the document to a PDF before uploading to Google Docs, in order to comply with file size limits. **

9. Click on “Destination Folder” if you want to upload the new document into a specific Google Doc folder.

10. Click on “Start upload.” Large documents may take many minutes to upload. Wait for your upload to complete.

11. You can click on the name of your document (underlined in blue) to open it on Google Docs, or upload more documents.

12. Open your document to view it on Google Docs. Right now, you are the only person who can view or edit it.

13. To share this document with other people, open it. Find the “Share” option in the upper left hand corner, click for the drop down box.

14. Select an option:

Invite people: this puts your document in someone else’s Google Docs account. They can edit or view your document by signing in to their own Google Docs account. In the “Share with others” box that opens, enter email addresses, decide whether these people can view or edit the document, add a personal message, and click “Send.”

Get the link to share: this will give you a link for access to the document stored in your Google Docs account. They will not have to sign in to see the document. You can also give permission for people to edit the document. You can copy and paste this link into an email or a document. People can use this link to access your document. (They will see only this document, not every document in your Google Docs account.)

Email as an attachment: This emails your Google Docs document as an attachment. The e-mail recipient can open the attachment, save it, edit it and forward it.

See who has access: This opens a box that shows the detail of who can view or edit your document. From this box, you can also share you document, and you can edit the type of access given to people.

It is very important to set and verify your permission levels in this box. If you invite people but do not allow them to view without signing in, you will create confusion and frustration!

The “People with access” tab shows you who you have invited to see the document, and what their permissions are. You can edit permissions with the drop down options next to each name. Make people “viewers” or “editors.” You can also allow people to view or edit the document WITHOUT signing in – make your selection in the blue box.

In the “Advanced permissions” tab, you have the additional options of allowing people to forward your document and allow people to invite additional editors.

15. From the document view screen, you can select “Download” to save the document to your computer.

16. From the document view screen, you can select “Print” to print your document.

17. At any time, to return to the Home page of Google Docs, click on “Docs list home” in the upper right corner.

18. If you open a document from the Docs list, an edit screen will open. The “Share” button is now on the upper right.

19. From any screen, clicking on the multi-colored Google Docs icon at the upper left will return to the home page view. The navigation buttons at the top left will take you OUT of Google Docs to other Google products.

20. ALWAYS SIGN OUT of Google Docs. Even if you close the tab in your browser, Google will remember you and your Google Docs will stay open. This can become very confusing if you use multiple email addresses (especially multiple Gmail addresses) during one session, or if you are working in multiple browser windows.

Is Social Media a Job?

2010-02-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Earning Your Stripes for a Social Media Job | Brand Elevation Through Social Media and Social Business | Altitude Branding

Thoughts to come ... this is an excellent post ----

Post a Poll on Facebook

2010-02-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

Easy as anything: put a poll on your Facebook Fan page. Encourage interaction, while giving yourself a way to monitor if your fans just "fanned" you and disappeared, or if they are paying attention.

How Do You Like to Shop? hmmmmm ... mall, catalogs or online?

Catalogs.com Starts New Year with Merchants Rich in Catalog Experience

2010-02-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

Catalogs.com Starts New Year with Merchants Rich in Catalog Experience

Press release for Catalogs.com on 1st quarter 2010 new merchants.

PDFmyURL.com - Convert and save pdf from any webpage for free | Diigo

2010-01-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

PDFmyURL.com - Convert and save pdf from any webpage for free | Diigo

Very useful tool ... great to bookmarklet. Keep this. Use this.

This little link of mine ...

2010-01-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

... saved the day:

http://docs.google.com/#all

Because this one:

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=true&nui=1&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&followup=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&ltmpl=homepage&rm=false

and this one:

http://www.docs.google.com

sure didn't do what they were supposed to.

In other words, if you want to embed a link from a Web page to the google docs login page, without hanging up in the land of redirect, go in the right direction, no detours, no turns.

Good luck.

Bucket of Photos

2010-01-08T20:48:00.001-08:00

This week the cold snap has us digging through the closets. Looking for sweaters and David's Kangol hat, trying to find enough variety for the project of staying warm in Florida's version of an "artic snap."

Sam and I pulled out the photo bucket. We could spend hours going through pictures ... and I have saved hundreds of them. So today I spent the morning scanning. Some are on my Facebook, and some have emailed to my kids.

This photo makes me smile, me and Phil, on our own. Phil was just about two. Nice outfit, nice hair, so very '80's.

40 Fresh & Beautiful Examples of Websites With Large Backgrounds

2010-01-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

40 Fresh & Beautiful Examples of Websites With Large Backgrounds

This is such a cool Blog ... and this post has me in awe. THIS is what I love about the 'net. So cool.

Green works for print

2009-12-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

Working on the print ad to roll out a collaboration between three construction/building groups: comprehensive Chinese Drywall remediation and executive service. The landing page for collecting potential client contact information and sharing an FAQ will be my project for the coming weeks. We've got "www.chinesedrywallsolved.com" ... score.

How to Put Facebook on a Cell Phone | eHow.com

2009-11-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

How to Put Facebook on a Cell Phone | eHow.com

I am writing on "social media" topics, my passion. There should be more of these to come.

HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds

2009-11-21T23:13:00.001-08:00

HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds

Posted using ShareThis

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie & HTML

2009-11-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: Creative Commons: Flicker Wonderyort

My grandmother grew rhubarb in her garden in Wisconsin. It read cold, crisp, Fall-moving-quickly-into-winter. Harvest before the hard frost.

We never experienced "rhubarb," except when we were visiting Grandma Irene. She made strawberry-rhubarb preserves - heavenly, sweet and tart and certainly not fancy, out of well-worn Mason jars, on toast for a freezing Wisconsin morning - and strawberry-rhubarb pie. Her pie was perfect. Not a work of art like Baker's Square; but real pie, made with shortening and garden grown produce, kind of flat and not so gorgeous, certainly not a "photo op." But it was real. And I remember it was wonderful and exotic, a Wisconsin country-kind of exotic. Flavors that growing up in Europe didn't even began to prepare me for.

So here, as promised to my colleagues at PC Professor, is a starting point for Strawberry-Rhubarb pie.

All of these sound excellent. I've never (or rarely) made the same pie twice. I'm more like Lewis & Clark in the kitchen, always seeking new territories. Here's what I look for in strawberry-rhubarb pie:

cinnamon (great in the crust)
sugar sprinkled top
more rhubarb than strawberry
a thickening agent - due to the "watery" issue ... tapioca is wonderful ...

so let's go ... I have to select the one I'm making next, too ...

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
Lattice-topped Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Deep-Dish Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Southern Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Let me know how it goes! And if I find REAL rhubarb in the Publix close to me, I'll let you know!

http://haleysuzanne.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/strawberry-rhubarb-pie/

2009-11-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

More to come above, put THIS one I am going to try next ... the trick is getting the filling to thicken properly, because rhubarb breaks down, just like celery, and has a very high water content. That's why frozen is just not quite right.

http://haleysuzanne.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/strawberry-rhubarb-pie/

Tips for Building a Community on Your Site

2009-11-02T19:06:00.001-08:00

Tips for Building a Community on Your Site

Posted using ShareThis

DIY Chatroom

2009-10-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Article written for eHow through Demand Studios ... appears on DIY Chatroom:

How to Level a Particle Board Subfloor

Google "anne rose ehow" and there are pages of hits. Cool. I'm a writer.

10 Questions for Choosing a Dog | DailyPuppy.com

2009-10-14T19:58:00.001-07:00

10 Questions for Choosing a Dog | DailyPuppy.com

Shared via AddThis

My office

2009-10-08T10:17:00.001-07:00

Very pleasant: view from the 19th floor, precious collectibles and a butler.

Construction Process of a House | eHow.com

2009-09-30T18:11:00.001-07:00

Construction Process of a House | eHow.com

Shared via AddThis

This is one I'm really pleased with - David helped me write the article, with his ease on the topic and great skills at explaining succinctly. I used Building Solutions as a reference, was published on eHow, and have a great backlink to the Building Solutions Web site.

Working wordpress

2009-09-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a blog for my sister to promote her artwork, and learning a new application. The blogs that I've done are on Blogspot. For Sherrie, I'm working on Wordpress. It's not very image friendly, perhaps the emphasis on "word" should have tipped me off ... I want to embed some slideshow applications from Photobucket, and am not having much luck.

I've got more to do, but this is a start. The home page has an elegant look that I'm liking so far. Nice URL too, Sherrie Rose, painter.

Clickable Twitter background

2009-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a minute or two since I had a "my cool thing of the day" ... and this is it today: an application to make a Twitter background clickable.

Madison herself now links to her blog from her Twitter page.

Highly useful for embedding urls and email addresses.

Writing away

2009-09-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have been diligently gaining chops writing for Demand Studios. Here's the thing, it's not a lot of money, but it's real money. The deposits go into my paypal account right on time. The first week, I earned $5, the second, $80. This week I should break $200. My stories are submitted, edited and published.

And now I am on the Web! Is this cool or what? Check out all my little articles, by "Anne Rose eHow Contributing Writer":

Causes of Dog Heartworm
Treatments for Cut on Dog's Paw
Do Anti-bark Collars Work?
Grapefruit Seed Extract for Dogs
Gallbladder Stones in Dogs

and the FIRST article I wrote (one day to be famous):

What Do Flea Eggs Look Like?

That one will go down in family history, as it was the sad end of a serious conversation and empassioned argument on our state of financial distress.

There are more to come. I am getting more proficient, writing more efficiently and being productive. It's not the great American novel, but it's work.

Not too constantly in contact

2009-08-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Las Olas Fine Arts
Quarterly e-news, designed on Constant Contact and distributed to opt-in 3400 subscribers

Freelance Jobs | Demand Studios

2009-08-23T16:06:00.001-07:00

This is intriguing. I am now registered as a "writer" with Demand Studios. Another rock turned over. Another mine worth mining.

Freelance Jobs | Demand Studios

Shared via AddThis

Not implementing

2009-08-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

ha! this is my update:

Biznik. well, okay. I think that LinkedIn is richer, and for my clients, the connections will drill down deeper. Biznik seems to be loaded with marketing consultants and other such freelance types.

Fast Pitch Networking. I don't really see the value. There certainly is a glut of sites that request that you load up all your data, your photos, your links, your life. I signed up for a free webinar on how to maximize benefit from F. We'll see. Maybe a lightbulb will go off. And then again, maybe not.

Plaxo. Another one that I was already signed up for, and that I forgot about. (see Bebo, below) I signed back up. It will put some of my execs on overload. I don't think that the duplication of the "rolodex" function is that important. We are getting excellent results with LinkedIn. And the "guys" get it. LinkedIn is intuitive and the graphics are appealing.

Merchant Circle. Okay. Connected with a lingerie shop, a florist and a plethora of realtors. Great.

Q Alias. Nope. This one puts me on burnout. And I already am managing the internet presence for those that I am managing the internet presence for, so why do I need an internet presence manager?

Done for the day.

Making an hCard

2009-08-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

David Quintin Galassi
Building Solutions and Inspection Services, Inc.
dgalassi@bldsolutions.net

511 SE 5th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33301 United States
954.770.7171

This hCard created with the hCard creator.

Implementing

2009-08-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Biznik
F (Fast Pitch Networking)
Plaxo
Merchant Circle
Q Alias

well, maybe not IMPLEMENTING it all, but experimenting. I will make decisions on what is appropriate for whom. It's only worthwhile if it will be used with consistency, so always important not to overwhelm those with feet that are barely wet.

The button below is my little widget of the day ... not new, just basic.

Wikipedia

2009-08-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

I started this entry in Wikipedia for Dominic Besner, one of the artists represented by Las Olas Fine Arts. He is one of the artists with the most substantial biography and notable body of work. He is a young artist, going important places in the art world.

The entry has evolved, with others adding to it, most in the form of bulleted lists of expositions, etc., that I have no control over. It is cool to watch this evolution, and exciting that one of my entries has "stuck."

Social media is cool

2009-08-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

I'm not much of a You-Tuber, mostly because I feel like it will suck me in and be a major churn of time. Lots of cute videos, lots of beguiling snippets.

I will set myself a mission to find a couple client- or work-related videos and incorporate them into content rich posts this week. But they must serve my needs, not the other way around.

In love with a widget

2009-08-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

I am in love with a widget. Actually, with multiple widgets. Or just the thought of a "widget."

I can be a fickle lover. But today I know that I am fondly obsessed with the little apture widget. I am putting it everywhere I can.

Be still my heart. Whoops, I mean this heart.

FriendFeed

2009-08-11T09:43:00.001-07:00

This one I like. I am thrown for a loop a bit with the concept of "aggregator" because I write so many things, use so many email addresses and wear a multitude of virtual hats.

Bebo didn't do much for me, but this IS cool. I listened to the ReadWrite interview this morning. Simple to set up and it was fairly tolerant of my multiple schizophrenic identities. The feeds that I have set between some of the Web sites become redundant on FriendFeed, but it's not terrible. I've got my three blogs, Madison's twitter, Miami dog care Examiner, my Flickr account and Facebook dumping here. I just might add some more.

I love the photo feeds. I've put this one on my tool bar. I'll keep an eye on it.

If you are on FriendFeed, find me at www.friendfeed/rosavie.

Lesson for the day

2009-08-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today I built a sweet little website for Peter, who is selling buy-install hurricane shutters. He has a deal with a company that manufactures shutters; his customers get good prices and detail-oriented attention and service. Peter purchased his url and hosting through Costco and then got embroiled in their "design" service ... $375 to select a canned template and get canned content. I figured I could save him some money and at least do some a bit more personal.

Project, at least phase 1, is completed.

Sam and I went to see Julie and Julia today. Great movie, as it had all the ingredients I could possibly wish for:

Paris
French
Food
Cooking
French Food
Writing
Blogging
Love stories
Humor
and more ...

Worth the price of parking and admission, and a couple hours away from the "office."

I have discovered a cool little application, so this is my self-directed educational endeavor of the day.

Hello, Apture.

Cool.

Photo inspiration

2009-08-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

How do I figure out what to write? Some days, it just isn't happening, although I know that it is important to constantly post fresh and interesting content in order to keep my readers returning.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. I have Google news alerts set, of course, and a community of bloggers - especially the Dogs with Blogs group for my Examiner.com column - that I read and from which I cull ideas.

I've been meaning to write a short little piece on "salty dogs." My friend, Becky, went on a sailing trip north along the coast. Her great photos have been a good jumping off point for a number of fun posts.

123 Taadaaa!

2009-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

I am having fun trolling for people, inspired by having found a driver's license at the dog park this morning. The owner of the license is not on FaceBook, or MySpace, and doesn't come up in a google search, as far as I can determine.

No luck on the driver's license, so I'll follow the advice of a friend's friend the cop: just drop it in the mailbox.

And not an overwhelming result when I google myself. My little eight-letter name is very common. I could be anyone and do anything I guess, depending upon the day: porn author, distinguished professor, family planning advisor, landscape painter.

I found an interesting site that aggregates people search results, 123people.com. It's great one-stop shopping, and turns in pretty good results. I tried it on using friend's names. It does a good job of pulling from the social network sites, grabs linkedin profiles well and even turns up photos. All the links are clickable, so it's easy to navigate.

Arty copy was arty fun writing

2009-07-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

This was fun to write, striving for high brow esoteric, but accessible content that actually makes sense:

Las Olas Fine Arts has held a prominent place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as one of the primary venues for contemporary art over the last fourteen years. Our contemporary direction features original works by over 45 award winning international artists.

The focus of the gallery is on integrity of artistic statement and originality of vision, with intense pride in building long-term relationships with artists throughout their creative exploration and technical development.

The philosophy of Las Olas Fine Arts is punctuated by a sense of collaboration and discovery: with collectors, painters, designers, sculptors and art lovers. The gallery continually strives to present established collections alongside new and emerging talent. We draw from this unique dynamic and bring an individual and refreshing perspective to the South Florida art scene.

Please enjoy browsing our comprehensive online collection. You may contact the gallery for assistance in navigating the artist portfolios, or for additional information and quotes. The knowledgeable professionals at Las Olas Fine Arts provide full service consultation, on-location previews, digital presentations, delivery and installation.

I actually sold three of the glass and stone sculptures by Thomas Scoon too, like those in the image on the Web site. They are cool: contemporary but primitive. And expensive.

Some thoughts on Bebo

2009-07-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well here is what is up with the previous post.

I write from home, and, just like I did in high school and then in college, I write best with some background hum. Just a little buzz. Animal Planet's Meercat Manor is my current preference. Nice neutral color palette, not too much action, kindly narration. No comments please.

The other morning, I had The View on and listened half-attentively to a community development exec from AOL talk about "lifestreaming," social media in general and Bebo in particular. (I looked for a link on The View's Web site, but can't find one to insert here. Apologies.)

Anyway, I decided that my self-inflicted assignment of the day would be to get into the Bebo community, troll around, get immersed and form an opinion.

First of all, Bebo is an AOL community. I was prompted to log in with my aol screenname and password. Then Bebo wants to immediately grab everyone from my AOL address book and start sending out invitations. Push my social engagements. I hate that. SKIP. (AOL ... my brian is screaming bias with respect to the little TV chat that got me here in the first place.)

And this is the weird thing. I am already on Bebo. I set up a profile over a year ago, uploaded photos, inserted links to my blog, created the little creek that was to grow and feed my "lifestream."

And then I forgot about it.

So what does that say? I was uninspired. Rubbed just a little wrong way. The concept that one Website will open and insist upon my passwords to present my emails from multiple providers (AOL, gmail, yahoo) ... grab up all my friends ... urge me to post something thought provoking and chide me for being "camera shy ..."

Well. I will manage my own life, streaming or trickling or roiling like the rapids.

Lifestreaming and Bebo

2009-07-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm going exploring. Don't know anything about Bebo, but lifestreaming sounds like a cool concept. Is this the new next thing?

Mini-media campaign for construction group

2009-07-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting project. A group of construction professionals, each with their own consulting business, are joining forces under the umbrella of Construction Advisory Group. They need to project a unified presence, promote their expertise and compounded experience in the field, leverage connections and communicate with each other.

Alex Smith, one of the principals, has set up a Web site, so they already have a start at an online presence.

I created a blog, using the same color template as the Web site and the white line graphic from their Web site as the header image. I have written a few initial posts and added content to the sidebar. The blog links to blogs created by other members of the consortium. They are committed to commenting between their posts. The roster of partner names links to each of their profiles on LinkedIn. An RSS feed of the group's Twitter posts is included.

The color theme is carried through to Construction Advisory Group's Twitter account. A customized background using the white line graphic, as well as a photo from the Web site, was designed. I think that Twitter works best with a hip, hot, splashy sensibility, so the primary color was switched to yellow, which picks up a primary shade from the photo. I have set up Google news alerts for CAG using keywords, and am tweeting for the group. The Twitter page includes a link to the CAG Web site and the blog.

On LinkedIn, all the principals have set up profiles, and are members of a Group for CAG. The LinkedIn profiles link to the Web site and the blog.

The beauty is in "closing the loop." Each vehicle is used to greatest advantage, and all are interconnected.