Oh boy are we ever excited about the return of NBC’s Community next Thursday. To get the celebration started, here’s a teaser trailer. Everything is about to Chang.
New Project: The Sense Plays
This week we launched www.thesenseplays.com. Written by Sara Israel, The Sense Plays are six fun short plays benefiting arts education in Los Angeles. They’ll be performed from April 19th – April 22nd by top notch actors at studio/stage in Hollywood.
For this project, we wanted to create a site that showcases the great talent involved in producing, directing and performing the show, as well as educates the audience about the importance of arts ed, specifically in LA, in the outstanding work by P.S. Arts.
Starting with a graphic, “sense-ational” logo, we used vivid colors and short snippets of text to grab the viewer’s attention. The further a visitor moves into the site, the more information he or she can find – about why this project is important, the vision Sara had in writing these plays, and how you can help the cause. Finally, as this is an event, each page clearly points the visitor toward a ticket purchase.
If you have the opportunity, definitely check out this show, and be sure to purchase your tickets in advance – it’s likely it will sell out.
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Category Projects
Happy Valentine’s Day!
What a cute arts and crafts project for the digital loves in your life. Check out the full instructions over at Mini Eco. Have a great day!
Guest Post on The Grindstone: Strategies for Informal Networking
Last week the lovely Meredith Lepore of The Grindstone asked me to write a post about my strategies for informal networking, and my favorite afternoon pastime, the coffee date. Keeping the momentum going in your professional network is incredibly important, even if you’re happy at your current job. And, in fact, it’s even easier to network casually when you’re not pressed to accomplish something like landing a new job.
If you haven’t already, head over to The Grindstone to check out my post and all the other great advice and tips they have about women’s workplace topics. Share your own strategies for informal networking and strengthening your professional network in the comments.
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Category Taking Online Offline
Tags Career Advice, coffee, Meredith Lepore, The Grindstone
Afternoon Snack: Pinterest Makes Me Hungry
Just for fun, I created a board on Pinterest called Dessert I Would Eat Right Now. I’ve found some beautiful photography of decadent desserts, and these images provide inspiration throughout the day.
New Year, Old You? How to Resolve Resolutions
It’s the first few days of the new year, and you are raring to go with a list of resolutions. Your mornings start with rosy images of the new, improved you, living a happier, more successful life. You can wait until are are that person, and the only thing standing between you and your awesomer self is, well, everything.
Despite our dearest wishes to the contrary, the major difference between who you were last year and who you are on January 1 is only a couple minutes. No amount of aspiration wipes that away, carte blanche. So you can have a great list of resolutions, but they won’t happen unless you know how to make them happen.
It’s the time of year to just get it done. Here are 4 tips to help you break through and make this year’s resolutions a reality. Continue reading
If Your Home Office Looked Like This, You’d Be Home By Now
Working from home can be a challenge for the same reason it’s so wonderful: you’re in charge of your own time. While it’s nice to have the flexibility to design a schedule around your own responsibilities, it can be tough to focus your undivided attention on work.
For example, so much of the day revolves around responding to email; often hours go by, and I haven’t touched any of my projects. It’s easy to get mired in the endless inbox stream because responding to individual emails feels a lot like the instant gratification of checking tasks off a to-do list.
When your home is your office, and vice versa, discipline is of highest importance. All other positive work habits flow from it. The adage “you can do anything you put your mind to,” stems from the fact that when you exercise mental discipline, you push yourself to work hard, try often, organize meticulously, and achieve successfully.
Today we’ll explore ways to exercise discipline to stay organized, including both physical and intangible tactics.
What are some characteristics of the well-organized home office?
- Clutter-free: This one’s a no-brainer. It’s flat out more difficult to get work done when you’re surrounded by piles and piles of stuff. Try to file papers in respective folders or drawers, but if you must, have a box on hand to temporarily “file” your clutter. You’ll clear your workspace, and your head.
- Technologically focused: Ever notice how difficult it is to concentrate when you have 20 tabs open on your web browser, or how slow your computer performs when there are too many open files? Chances are you’re not working in all those programs at once. Consider closing anything that doesn’t pertain to the task at hand. There will be fewer distractions, and your work will literally move faster.
- Supply-friendly: For want of organized files, tracking all aspects of a project electronically seems a surefire way to keep everything in a searchable database, but sometimes plain old pen’n'paper allows your brain the most room for critical, creative thought. For example, I prefer jotting an outline on scrap paper before designing a PowerPoint presentation, but if I’m taking notes on a phone call, I’m faster if I type. Find the best online-offline workstyle for you, and be sure to have the appropriate supplies on hand in your home office. (Plug: I happen to love these Bic pens.)
Want more tips on how to keep your home office optimized for a productive workday? Check out this guide from Kate Pruitt of Design*Sponge, or her guest post on My Life Scoop. And share your own ideas for home office organization in the comments.
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Category General
Tags design, Design*Sponge, digital communication, discipline, home office
Quotes Worth Quoting: Mary Beth Caschetta’s Modern Love
Quality words, each week from NYT’s Modern Love.
The older you get, the more you understand that we are, most of us, just struggling to be better versions of ourselves. You forgive. You try to focus on what’s important. Love, maybe.
- What Wasn’t Passed On
Read all of December 8th’s column.
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Category Quotes Worth Quoting
Facebook Rolls Out the Profile Timeline
Point Facebook. I’ve secretly always wanted to make a virtual scrapbook of my life, and now I can.
Profile Timeline, swell.
Where To Find Your Network Of Influencers
In marketing strategy, there is constant discussion of how to find and engage “key influencers,” the people who will act as your brand evangelists to reach a much larger audience than you could on your own.
The concept is simple: imagine the circular waves set in motion by a stone thrown into a pond. Each circle is larger than the one preceding it, covering increasingly more area than the stone could alone. Substitute your idea or message for the stone (and, uh, people for the water), and you’ve got an ideal influencer network.
Sticking with our stone-as-message comparison (no pun intended), you want to find the right shape, weight and composition to send your idea as far as possible. Know what you want to say. Understand who you want to reach. Edit out the unimportant details. Test your own strength against it. Be confident that what you have to say is meaningful.
Now for the water-people. Think as carefully about the right people as you do about the right message. Do you already know potential superfans; or, can you easily introduce yourself to them? It’s OK to court key influencers.
Search keywords on Twitter, Google (or your search engine of choice), Quora, and LinkedIn. Consult others’ blogrolls and recommended links. Make a list of individuals you think could champion your brand.
Next? Throw hard. You have the right message, and the right audience.
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Category digital get down, If You Build It, social media
Man Goes Missing, Reunited With Family Via Facebook Photo
Yes it’s true: those hours you spend trolling friends’ Facebook albums may actually be worth your time.
Read Jon Russell’s article on The Next Web here.