May 2012
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June 2011
1 post
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April 2011
3 posts
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Inside Vancouver - a tourism blog done well →
It amazes me that not every city or country’s Tourism Board has a blog. There’s a limitless amount of content that can be produced and no shortage of writers, photographers, videographers and other content creators who would jump at the chance to get their work featured.
An example of a tourism blog done very well is Inside Vancouver from Tourism Vancouver. The content is really well...
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Useful stuff #7 - Things →
It’s a bit embarrassing to count how many task management type apps or online to-do list tools I have tried over the years, but Things (Mac) is the only one I’ve stuck with as an alternative to a pen and paper for planning and organizing my own projects. And it has an iPhone version that syncs nicely.
I did stick with one other to-do list service, though (in addition to Today)....
March 2011
10 posts
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Got a desk for rent in Vancouver?
This has been my longest stretch working from the home office/local coffee shop (four months now) and I’ve decided I need workmates again, or at least other people working around me.
I’m looking for a co-working or shared office space in Vancouver for at least one day a week - ideally with a small design/marketing/digital or other creative business, a small start-up, or a social...
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“Content informs design; design without content is decoration.”
– Jeffrey Zeldman
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Useful stuff #6 - Today →
My favourite to-do and calendar app, Today sits in the menu bar and integrates with iCal - very useful.
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“What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when...”
– I suggest everyone who works in any sort of job involving creative thought bookmarks this quote for the next time your other half/boss gives you some stick for staring out the window.
Not that that just happened to me or anything…
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Useful stuff #5 - QuickCursor and Safari Reader →
When doing a content audit or inventory it’s often necessary to copy and paste a very large number of web pages from a client’s existing site to organize them into one document that’s easy to comment on and edit.
QuickCursor is a small app that lets you select any text in a browser and quickly edit it in your selected text editor - in my case WriteRoom - before dumping it into...
February 2011
12 posts
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“As little as possible, as much as necessary.”
The amount of content you can stick on a website is not limited by paper size or printing costs, which is why people tend to write far too much online.
When asked how much is needed for a particular page or section, I generally reply with something like, “As much as you need to get your message or information across effectively.”
However, this is a much better way of saying it:
“As little as...
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Web content strategy. Got one?
“Content isn’t king anymore - it’s more like the emperor. Content is the start, middle and end of your online marketing story and is critical to virtually everything you do.”
- The Noob Guide to Online Marketing (SEOmoz.org)
The phrase ‘Content is king’ has been bandied around for a while as the Web has developed. Despite that, content creation - the words portion at...
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Useful stuff #4 - Pomodoro Technique →
Out of all of the ways I’ve tried to keep organized while working on multiple projects over the years the Pomodoro Technique is probably the best for shutting out distractions like a video of a gorilla walking like a man or a dramatic squirrel.
Designed by Italian procrastinator Fransesco Cirillo, the PT uses a timer that looks like a tomato to help you focus on specific tasks and get more...
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Useful stuff #3 - Notify →
I have three email accounts I like to monitor - two business and one personal. Notify (Mac) sits quietly tucked away in my taskbar and lets me know when I get a new email whether or not my email program is open. I can read and reply directly from the drop-down window, which has tabs to make it easy to flip between multiple accounts.
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Terry O'Reilly: The ad breakdown →
Terry O’Reilly breaks down some famous ads.
January 2011
7 posts
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Useful stuff #2 - WriteRoom →
When I started freelancing I had serious trouble focusing when surrounded by all the many distractions of the home - toaster, kettle, TV, sofa, those kinds of things - not to mention the Internet.
I found solace and productivity in cafes and did become one of those people hogging a table and staring at a laptop screen. Sorry. Although to be fair I did always choose a quiet coffee shop and take a...
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The full stop debate. Period.
As internet wars go I suppose it was pretty tame but there has been much heated debate about the humble full stop, or ‘period’ as I quickly became used to calling it here, started by this Slate article.
And yet people who use two spaces are everywhere, their ugly error crossing every social boundary of class, education, and taste.
Strong words indeed. Russell Smith of the Globe and...
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Useful stuff #1 - Instapaper →
My favourite ‘save to read later’ tool. Works well with iPhones.
www.instapaper.com
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“The new age, for all its electronic wizardy, is still writing-based.”
– William Zinsser, On Writing Well