Paul John Frangedakis, DC is a 1993 Graduate of Life Chiropractic University. He established Clays Mill Chiropractic in 1994 with a vision of a world that is not dependent on drugs.
WordCamp Columbus
Bill Rice of Rice Design was selected to be a speaker at WordCamp Columbus on July 14-15. He will speaking on “How To Add Content to your WordPress site” on Saturday, in the beginner track. After the 35 – 40 minute presentation, there will be time for question and answers.
Previously, Bill presented “WordPress for Beginners; an overview and best practices” at WordCamp Louisville in 2011. If you have not been to a WordCamp, I highly recommend you attend one. For a full list of WordCamps in your area, please check out WordCamp Central
WordCamp Birmingham
This past weekend I attended my first WordCamp in Birmingham, Alabama. I made the 6 hour trip from Lexington to Birmingham with my friend Bill Powell of Inbox Orange to experience the developer track. Bill also shares my passion for social media and WordPress. It was a great experience filled with new found knowledge, friends and a new perspective on WordPress. I made the most of this WordCamp by taking a great deal of notes, asking questions and seeking the advice of more seasoned WordPress professionals. There were many there who had what we’d consider “Rockstar” status, but without the rockstar attitude. Everyone was very cool and willing to answer question, share stories and were very approachable.
There were many great presentations, but there were a few that helped me the most. Syed Balkhi from WP Beginner presented How to Speed up WordPress and Boost Site Performance, covering the importance of optimization of plugins, consolidation of javascripts to reduce server calls and content delivery networks. You can view his presentation on slide share. Although only 19 years old, he carries himself with confidence and knowledge of someone twice his age. He is also very polite, we had to reprimand him constantly for calling us “sir”.
Sara Cannon from Scout Branding Company gave a light-hearted but technically solid presentation on Advanced Web Typography. It’s rare to have a presenter make you laugh and have an “ah ha” moment at the same time.
Last but not least, some WordPress contributors that left a lasting impression were Andrew Nacin (@nacin) and Otto Wood (@Otto42). Their passion for WordPress was evident and were a blast to hang out with at the after party. Here is a photo prior to the start of WordCamp.
The Web Design Community Offers Advice To Beginners
Here is a great article on what it takes to be a web designer, and insights into the career / lifestyle aspect. This should be required reading to anyone who is looking to get into the business.
Many of the principals discussed can transcend into other careers, such as taking criticism constructively, learning patience, being a helpful member of your business community, and believing in yourself. That is great advice not matter how you earn a living.
Balance is also important to avoid burn out. Take time for yourself, and time to spend with friends and family and enjoying life away from the computer. You don’t have to check into every location on foursquare, or update your status every time you leave the office. Unplug and refresh. In my experience, I feel more focused when I don’t burn the candle at both ends.
The most important principal covered in my opinion is to never stop learning. Think you know it all… wait until you don’t get the account after your next new business pitch. We need to say focused, stay hungry and stay informed. If you are not on top of your game, someone else is – and they are one lunch meeting away from taking your account. The best solution is education. Never stop learning.
Free Full Layered Facebook GUI PSD Kit
Smashing Magazine‘s recent post released a free Facebook GUI PSD Kit. It was designed by SurgeWorks and released for Smashing Magazine and its readers. The main idea behind the kit is to speed up the prototyping of Facebook application UIs and Facebook fan pages, thus sparing you from drawing all the comps and letting you customize all the texts, buttons and data as you need. As usual, the kit is free to use in all projects, without any restrictions.
Complete Beginner’s Guide to Web Analytics and Measurement
Ever wonder what web analytics are, or how to measure the performance of your website? Where can I find more information about web analytics and learn about the tools of the trade?
UX booth provides a great article titled Complete Beginner’s Guide to Web Analytics and Measurement.
“[Web Analytics 2.0 is] the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from your website and the competition, to drive a continual improvement of the online experience that your customers, and potential customers have, which translates into your desired outcomes (online and offline).”
– Avinash Kaushik, Web Analytics 2.0
It’s a great article by Andrew Miller. Check it out.