Tonight I read a quote from Mark Twain that said “The key to success is to make your vocation your vacation.” After reading that I was amazed at how much it resonated with me and how true it was, especially in today’s day and age. I think Mr. Twain was on to something because he was actually preaching the “do what you love, love what you do” mantra before all the so-called social media gurus of today. With the advancements in technology and the elimination of the “gatekeepers” in business, the game has changed. Folks are able to build businesses around what they’re passionate about and share that with the world with the click of a button… and THAT is a powerful thing!
All posts tagged Business
Trimming the Fat… Socially
There’s no denying that we live in a “social society” these days. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that the amount of “friends” and networks that we’re associated with online far outweigh those which we are associated with in the physical world. That being said, I’m overwhelmed. There are simply too many networks out there, and for some strange reason I feel the need to try and be a part of all of them… Well, no more! It’s time to trim the fat when it comes to my social endeavors and quite frankly I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m narrowing down my networks to 3-4 main ones and the rest are going away… For good.
My Thoughts on Facebook’s Timeline for Brands
As you know I am a hopeless social media addict… It’s because of social media that I’ve been able to have the success that I’ve had the past few years. True, my audience is not huge, but they’re loyal and very engaging… Especially those on Facebook and Twitter. In late 2011 I gave a presentation on CreativeLIVE called “Designing for the Social Web” which discussed ways to cultivate your brand through social media, and how to design your various profile pages. The good news is that about 90% of it is still completely relevant. However, as many of you know, Facebook made a HUGE change recently to their “fan pages” and it has a lot of folks running for the hills. In this article I will attempt to dispel the notion that the new Facebook Timeline is a bad thing and show you why (and how) you should embrace it.
The Game is Changing. You Should Be Too.
I’ve tried to write this article several different ways. In fact, this is probably the tenth revision so far. This time, however, I’m simply going to shoot from the hip and say what I feel. As many of you know the world of graphic design is something that is constantly evolving. Though some principles remain the same, the game is changing. Unfortunately, I don’t see a vast majority of designers changing with it. For decades the worlds of print and web design have resided safely in their own respective neighborhoods. Print lived in a high-rise penthouse, while web chilled out in a studio loft. Well, nowadays the web community is “movin’ on up” and the distinction between print design and web design is become increasingly difficult to discern. I’m of the opinion that we should no longer try to separate each other into categories like print or web, but merely call ourselves designers as a whole.
