Quite a Daydream Huh Jason?

Posted on May 8, 2008

Finally American Idol caught up to me this year. I’ve never been an avid watcher but I think having pre-teens in the house is what got me hooked. Jason Castro was by far my favorite singer. I like his laid-back style. Well, it was nice while it lasted. Hope to see and hear more from you soon Jason.

Filed Under Jason Castro, American Idol, Just for Fun | Leave a Comment

10 Dependable Desktop & Browser Utilities

Posted on May 6, 2008

A quick search on desktop utilities will reveal a plethora of bells and whistles. Sometimes it’s challenging to discern between the helpful suggestions and self-promotion. After trying many utilities, there are a few that have worked their way into my daily work life, utilities I depend on to help me through my day.

Keepass - I don’t know what I did all those years without a solid way of storing passwords. What a conundrum it poses. On one hand, best practice says to use unique passwords that are long and cryptic. On the other hand there needs to be a system for storing them. Perhaps I’m showing my age but I find it more and more difficult to do so. Keepass is a small utility that stores passwords in an encrypted file on your desktop. I also heard of some IT folks storing the file on a server and opening it locally for a shared resource.
Google Calendar Sync - After years of ambiguous and conflicting appointments between work and personal life, I’ve started syncing my work calendar in Outlook to Gmail. For Getting Things Done enthusiasts, this one is a no brainer. It’s nice to open-up my calendar mindspace and not worry as much about calendaring conflicts.
Beyond Compare - This little utility, free for the 30-Day trial then $30 to by, allows you to synch files between two folders. Originally I used it to synch web folders but have found it very useful for backing-up documents to a network drive.
YouSendIt.com - Moving large files around the globe can be a real hassle. Our intranet system is in development and sometimes there’s no more efficient way to get stuff to folks than uploading it to a second party. The service is free though as a department we’ve subscribed to their first tier of service. They also offer secured service if you have highly sensitive information.
Google Adwords Editor - The Adwords Editor just makes life a little easier for maintaining one or more accounts. Management of the campaigns can be handled from the desktop and then sync’d when done. Works nicely when multiple folks are working on the same account as well.
FireFTP - This FireFox plug-in gets constant use. It keeps life streamlined for me to pop open an ftp client within the browser. It’s quick to launch and works pretty darn good. I’ve used it for upwards of a year now and have very little complaints.
Gmail Manager - Another FireFox plug-in, but probably the most used utility I posess. It enables me to keep a constant eye on email w/out going to the account. If there were such a bird for Outlook my work life efficiency would be near shangri-la.
MeasureIt - A little FireFox plug-in that measures anything on the screen. I should mention Colorzilla as well though for some reason just don’t use it as much. MeasureIt is uber handy for getting dimensions when modifying graphics for a web page.
Ad-aware - We use Norton Anti-virus at work and to put it mildly, it’s under par as an all-encompassing anti-virus utility. I prefer AVG Anti-virus which is free though I have a paid subscription for my home computing environment. Regardless of the version of anti-virus software I use, Adaware does a decent job of catching malware and spyware that they others let slip by.
Microsoft PowerToys Image Resizer
- This little utility performs a nice function to resize images with a right-click. While I absolutely love working in Photoshop, it’s a real hoss in terms of launching the program and a pain when a simple resize is all that is needed. Image Resizer is an ideal utility especially for blogging.

There are many other utilities that are credible and that I use fairly regularly, but these mentioned above range between hourly to weekly, stuff I depend on. What ones could you not live without?

Filed Under Utilities, Software Utility, Productivity, Google, FireFox | Leave a Comment

12 More to Lose by 40

Posted on May 2, 2008

Another update in keeping accountable with the world in my quest to lose weight. So far I’ve dropped ten lbs. from my tubbiest 202. But officially I set my starting weight at 200, so I’ve really lost eight pounds. With four months left it’s a good start, but just the beginning. My pants certainly fit better. The shift in weight has come from some minor dietary changes. I’ve not yet gotten into any consistent exercise program which would help me break the 190 marker.

If it weren’t for those all-day staff meetings and working lunches I’d get there much sooner. I think that’s one of my major downfalls. Still, to get anywhere near 180 I’m going to have to work much harder. From what I’ve heard the first ten pounds are always the easiest. I’ve never gotten serious about weightloss before so this is new ground for me.

Efforts like this remind me of how challenging it is to make fundamental lifestyle changes as one matures in age. Hard but not impossible. I for one do not want to be one of those folks who gets more and more set in my ways as I grow older. I think you have to fight the force of habit all along the way. Otherwise I’ll wake-up one day fat, sedentary and suffering as a result of it.

Filed Under Losing weight, Goal Setting, Just for Fun | 4 Comments

Tech is the Easy Stuff

Posted on May 1, 2008

Just this past week I was appointed team lead on an intranet implementation team. Endeavoring to structure a site in a meaningful way that will serve the needs of different departments in multiple locations in America, Europe and Asia is more than a little challenging. It reminds me once again that technology per sa is not the most daunting challenge we face.

In this specific case we are implementing MOSS 2007 (Microsoft Office SharePoint Server). While I find some clunky aspects to the platform, overall it provides some pretty slick features out of the box and nice integration with Microsoft Office.

MOSS, much like blogging platforms or other Content Managed Systems, have evolved to the point where rapid publication is quite possible. The tough reality is effective implementation from an information architecture standpoint proves to be the real challenge.

Just yesterday, I was speaking with a friend of mine who is dean of the college of business at a local university. He remarked that they recently migrated their intranet over to MOSS as well. The ability to rapidly expand the site has, in some ways, proved to be to their detriment as it is becoming unwieldy.

As the tools continue to become more user-friendly the need for effective development of information architecture grows in direct proportion to the proliferation of information within a corporation.

There are two basic ways of categorizing information:

Navigational Taxonomy - how the site is structured to maneuver through the information.
Metadata Taxonomy - how the data is tagged for searching through the data.

Seems easy enough.

Navigational taxonomy in many respects proves to be the most challenging from a conceptual standpoint. Thinking of information from a landscape perspective can be challenging as one can only fit so much information on a screen. How do you go about making a large amount of information easily accessible without having to drill-down fourteen layers?

Metadata taxonomy, the basic means by which the web is structure, is much easier to conceptualize as a few descriptive tags to a document returns effective results in search. The major drawback however, is the human factor. People have been trained to stick information in folders, in locations rather than tagging information.

Effective planning and design of a system that’s the hard stuff. And if you are ready for a real challenge, take on training with the hope of behaviour modification of 750 people in how they do their job on a daily basis. Now that’s the tuff stuff.

Filed Under Behavior Modification, Library Science, Intranet, MOSS, Productivity | 4 Comments

Refurb Madness

Posted on April 10, 2008

Can of Paint

Decision to fix-up the house rather than move, some cash in-hand and a new Lowe’s opens within a mile of my house all makes for a very dangerous combination. We’ve developed a long list of projects and purchases for the house and it seems that I’m singlehandedly knocking stuff off the list everyday. Somewhere along the way I got the idea to get it done quickly, so every evening I’m laboring away cleaning, painting, shopping and scheming my next move.

One thing I’ve quickly discovered is that each choice impacts the pocketbook. Afterall, I’m not trying to build a Taj Mahal Texas style, just spruce up the old homestead. The basic question is what to upgrade and what to fix-up. The first inclination I have is to replace an item, that is until I investigate the cost. I’m both an optimistic dreamer and a cheapskate.

Originally, I was thinking of replacing the front door and the back sliding glass door. As Sabrina and I did the leg work to order the new doors we found a new creative edge when faced with the cost for replacement. It’s amazing what a little paint, new hardware, new screen door and molding will do to an existing surface.

What is really maddening is dealing with the big box stores. For the work we are going to have done, namely new tile for two-thirds of the house we are hiring an independent contractor. Love Lowe’s for the convenience factor but their and Home Depot’s rates are too costly and I figure labor for laying tile is cheaper than knee replacements.

So here’s my list of stuff that can be done very cheaply to spruce-up the homestead with little out-of-pocket expense and a little elbow grease:

Paint - Probably no greater bang-for-your-remodelling-buck than a good can of top-quality paint. The cost is in the elbow grease, don’t skimp on paint quality. You’ll regret it later.
New light fixtures and ceilng fans - Lighting really does set the mood. Hanging a ceiling fan is a cinch. The most challenging part is putting the darn thing together. If it’s your first time, look for a good used one at Goodwill or a garage sale and save yourself the headache. I’m amazed that no two seem to be built the same.
New hardware for the doors - Unless you have a love for brass, imagine what a dark or silver metal would do for your home. A real stylin’ measure is to match your lighting with the hardware with something swank like brushed bronze.
Outdoor furniture and coverings - we scored a heavy-duty pergola kit for the backyard at Lowe’s made of sturdy black metal beams. The same item built from red wood, would have been three times the labor and cost of materials.
Landscaping - Patience grasshopper is a good thing to remember with gardening. I’m also a bit of a gardening evolutionist believing in survival of the fittest. If you don’t have a green thumb, just plant stuff that is native to the area and it will do fine without a lot of fuss.
Throw rugs and pot plants - a few well chosen accent pieces do wonders to finish-out a room.

Even if you are new to home ownership or feel intimidated even walking into a Home Depot, you can learn how to do some basic remodelling and upgrade your environment on a budget. Just watch-out for the refurb madness, It’ll get ya.

Filed Under Remodelling, Money Savings, Just for Fun | 7 Comments

Google Gets Goofy on April Fools Day

Posted on April 1, 2008

If you haven’t looked at your calendar today, it’s April Fools Day. Last year Google posted some really funny April Fools jokes; one being Gmail Paper where you can have your archive snail mailed and the other being Google TiSP which was free in-home wireless broadband that was routed through your toilet.

I am usually fairly enamored with what Google does but today’s jokes just don’t compare with last years. Gmail Custom Time is an overused joke messing with time stamps. Of the two gDay with MATE, search tomorrow’s web, today! is probably the most humorous but neither is as believable as Gmail Paper. Come on Google, you can do it. Give us some real zingers again next year. I’m counting on you.

Filed Under April Fools Joke, Just for Fun, Google | 5 Comments

How Much to Charge for Side Work?

Posted on March 30, 2008

Calculating what to charge for freelance work on the side is a question I wrestled with for a good while. Search the internet and you’ll come up with everything from vague answers to complicated formulas. What I’ve landed on is a simple formula: Take your yearly salary working full-time and drop-off the last three zeros. That means if you are just starting out in web design or development and making $35,000 let’s say, then you you’d charge $35 or possibly $40 per hour. As your income goes up, so does your hourly rate. This rate assumes a yearly compensation in the private sector. If you work in government or higher education you may need to boost this rate in congruence with the market. As you become more accomplished in your work you may also pad the number in kind.

A Worker is Worth His Wages

As you move-up in your career you will find fewer customers that will pay $75 to $100 per hour for web development or design. Those customers however will be very serious and the compensation will be worth your while. As your salary continues to rise your need for side work will continue to diminish and your hourly rate will actually prove to be a protection for your time.

This formula assumes you are picking-up side work in addition to full-time employment. I would not use this pricing structure to launch a business. Running a business full-time will entail much more overhead.

It’s All or Nothing Baby

A year ago I devoted a good deal of time launching a site for our start-up church CedarRidge. I told our pastor that he couldn’t pay me for the work in any form. I’ve made the decision to never do discounted work. There are three distinct categories in my mind:

Pro Bono - This type of work is only done for causes in which I have a high degree of vested interest and only on a limited scale.
Limited Free Consulting - My line in the sand is when my hand touches the keyboard to configure, design or implement any changes for a friend or acquaintance. I’m always happy to engage in conversation even for a couple of hours to help someone out. That is one of the motivators for this blog. I find it stimulating and enjoy the process. Two or three hours is about my limit in this category. If the person needs more time than that, they will need to start compensation at my going rate.
Full compensation - If someone is ready to pay my hourly rate in my field for their site, then they are very serious about the project. I don’t by-the-way charge or engage in related work such as system administration. Though I’ve worked as a system admin, I’m not up-to-speed to the degree that I would charge someone and not interested in working in that area. I’m happy to lend a hand on occasion to a neighbor in which I classify that as free consulting.

The “going rate” for web design or development is all over the map. In no way would I want to take advantage of a customer but in the same vein, if I am going to spend night and weekend hours, I want to be compensated well for that effort. If you, like me work professionally in any given area you will become an expert in your field. That knowledge has value that should receive compensation. Don’t sell yourself short.

What’s your experience with side work and compensation? How have you figured what you would charge?

Filed Under Freelance, Compensation, Productivity, web design | 2 Comments

Day Three of Search Engine Strategies New York

Posted on March 19, 2008

The keynote speaker this morning at Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York this morning was Gordon McLeod discussed the evolution of the online Wall Street Journal. Interesting to note has been the bounce-back of mainstream online media. Like the WSJ many outlets have come of age in their online environment catching-up with the blogosphere. It’s quite impressive the gains made by the slower moving giants.

The best session of the day that I attended was the Business-to-Business Tactics session. This was one of the sessions that had the most practical input for the job that I do. One thing I appreciate about these type of events is the balance of breadth and depth. Probably the best info is related to segmenting the audience with respect to ads and landing pages.

Filed Under Search Engine Strategies, Search Engine Optimization, Reviews | Leave a Comment

Day Two of Search Engine Strategies New York

Posted on March 18, 2008

While staying in New York I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to stop-by the John Lennon Memorial. It was a moving experience to think of that fateful day when John was taken at a young age. I knew that Scott Blitstein from mythermos.com would appreciate this in particular. The memorial is right across the street from the Dakota where he lived and was tragically shot on that cold December day in 1980.

The second day of the SES Conference in New York City was excellent. The day started out with a key note from Nick Car, author of "The Big Switch: Rewiring the world, from Editon to Google." Nick gave an interesting talk about the fundamental changes in the way computing and ultimately how business is and will be done. One interesting concept is what he called the worker-less companies. Consider the following companies and their work force:

Skype: 200 employees. They service the same number of customers as the British telecom who employs in the tens of thousands.
YouTube: 60 employees. Let’s hear it for user-contribution.
Craigslist: 20 employees. This site always amazes me as one of the ugliest and amazingly successful sites. Raise your hand if you don’t actively use craigslist on a regular basis.
Plentyoffish: a whopping 1 employee. He’s apparently done pretty well for himself.

What are the implications for the information technology work force? In this day-and-age it sure pays to be well cross-trained. How will computing continue to change the employment landscape in the near and distant future?

The Exhibit Hall was hosted on three floors with over a hundred vendors. All total the show continues again to hold-up to its reputation.

Filed Under John Lennon, Search Engine Strategies, Reviews | 3 Comments

Day One of Search Engine Strategies New York

Posted on March 17, 2008

This is my first trip to the Big Apple. As a history major in college, I have a deep appreciation for the architecture and history of this amazing city. Attending the Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York is an amazing experience of witnessing a city rich in history while learning from cutting-edge marketing and technologists teaching about current and future trends.

Once again Search Engine Strategies holds-up to its reputation as a valuable resource worth the time and money. So far today I’ve focused two sessions on regional search and a basic session on web analytics. I’m rounding-out the day with a panel discussion called "Getting Vertical Search Right" and a final session on "How to Train Your Pets to Search".

Attending these types of conferences, more than answering my questions, lead me to know the right questions and information I need to research. For instance, I heard some interesting statistics on some specific countries in Asia and Europe regarding user search patterns and how to reach audiences in those markets. There were some common themes in most countries such as the prominence of Google as the primary search (aside from China where Baidu is king). But other stats such as the prominence of mobile search varies greatly from Japan being a huge market in contrast to France on the other end of the spectrum. These individual country statistics lead me down the path of compiling a matrix for user stats and patterns for each country. The end result then provides a metric for resource allocation in regards to issues such as mobile site development, language translation, localization and local search.

The Search Engine Strategies in New York is a much larger show than the Chicago show I attended in December 2006. It also, perhaps due to its location seems to draw a more international crowd. That may be due however to the maturation of the SES conference as a whole, I’m not sure.

The conference venue is at the Hilton New York which is conveniently located half-way between Times Square and Central Park in Mid-town Manhattan. It is a top-flight hotel with excellent facilities. I am fortunate to have a room on the 33rd floor with a partial view of Central Park.

Beyond the speakers and sessions, the event provides a wonderful opportunity to talk with the major search engines, consultants and pier professionals. I teased out some interesting online marketing budget from other manufacturing companies similar to ETS-Lindgren that they spend around 10% of their budget in online advertising. This by-the-way jives with the overall national average for online advertising. Networking returns some very valuable information to leverage with corporate leadership for substantiating the potential ROI on a larger budget for instance.

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