Kim Fenolio

The Purpose and Importance of a DOCTYPE

Kim Fenolio — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:40:25 +0000

Recently someone asked me what a DOCTYPE was. I paused for a moment and thought, “well, I know the DOCTYPE is the first thing at the top of every webpage, even before the HTML tag.” Quite honestly though, I had no idea what the purpose of it was. When I start coding a new page, I let Dreamweaver create a new blank document and generate whatever the default tags are. DOCTYPE was one of the ones it tosses in there for me. I figure, if this is a standard thing on webpages, I should know what it is, why it’s there and why it’s so important. Yes, DOCTYPE is important. Why do I know this? It’s on every page of every website, or at least it should be.

For example, the DOCTYPE on this website looks like this:

But What Does it All Mean?

Let’s break down what DOCTYPE means to try and make it easy. DOC means document. TYPE means type. Plainly put, the DOCTYPE declares what type of documentation (or rules) our HTML page is being displayed with. If you don’t declare a DOCTYPE, the browser will assume you have no idea what you’re doing and will go into “fix-it” mode generally using the transitional ruleset as outlined below. The action is not the same from browser to browser. The unpredictability of that in and of itself should encourage you to not only use a DOCTYPE but also the proper DOCTYPE. If you’re paying attention that means there are different types of documentation, or sets of rules, that each website can be displayed using.

Strict DOCTYPE

The first of three types is the strict DOCTYPE. Any website with strict DOCTYPEs will tell the browser to follow the HTML rules as set by the W3C. For those of you not in the know, the World Wide Web Consortium is the lovely group that outlines and sets all the HTML standards that us developers should be following. That means that any website using using this DOCTYPE will not display deprecated items like the tag (if you’re still using I’ll ask that you please back away from the keyboard slowly, then call me for some consulting help).

Let’s say that you didn’t know what a DOCTYPE was and you never included it on your webpage, but then you also used tags. I bet you had all kinds of trouble trying to figure out why the darn code you were using didn’t work. Well, if you don’t specify within the DOCTYPE tag which type you want it to use, then your browser is trained like a good little puppy to display your page using strict rules by default. You see, the strict DOCTYPE makes you stand up straight! Stomach in, chest out! It accepts no substitutes or less than what the rules call for.

Strict HTML

Strict XHTML

Transitional DOCTYPE

The transitional DOCTYPE is for those of us who are want a little bit of everything. For instance, you don’t want to stop using tags (shame on you!) but you have moved onto trying out some of the newer rules. Basically, this DOCTYPE gives you greater flexibility and tells your browser it’s okay to use both current and deprecated tags.

Transitional HTML

Transitional XHTML

Frameset DOCTYPE

If you were to use frames (which you shouldn’t), then the frameset DOCTYPE can be used. It will tell your browser to use the rules of the transitional DOCTYPE but also allow for frames. For the record: frames are bad for SEO, search engines, usability, bookmarking and it just plain looks bad.

HTML Frameset

XHTML Frameset

As you can see in my examples above, you can tell your browser through the DOCTYPE tag if your page was built in HTML or XHTML. It will also include a URL to the official W3C website. It points to the exact page where the rules for that DOCTYPE actually exist. You’re telling the browser, “this is the DOCTYPE that I want you to use and here’s the rules to support it.” That leaves zero questions, your browser has less to think about and will display your page quicker. As standards change, using these URLs will allow browsers to seemlessly support your HTML code even after the W3C posts new standards.

It’s important to keep up with what’s changing with the W3C. As they release new versions of HTML or XHTML, our DOCTYPE tags will need to change in order to maintain top standards. For example, with HTML 5 now making it’s way towards the mainstream, the tag you would use is . Pretty simple and quite a bit different than current methods, however it’ll be the new standard!

Now remember, if you don’t follow the rules, your webpage just won’t work right. So with a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to keep that stomach in and your chest out. C’mon, show me what you can do!

Squeeze it! Squeeze it real good!

Kim Fenolio — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:35:19 +0000

The year 2010 started out with a bang. I was laid off of my job on January 1. We all know how difficult the economy is right now and I have many associates who are unemployed and have been for some time now. It’s not easy to find a new job.

Having learned so much over the past few years, networking and meeting so many great connections, I came to the conclusion that I needed to start my own business. As it turns out, it was just the right move at just the right time.

I’d like to introduce to you my company, Fresh Squeezed Creative, and also my business partner Chris Vandeventer.

Through referrals from our contacts, we haven’t had to do a lick of advertising to remain busy and even successful. That said, we have been so busy that we haven’t even had time to create a website or a logo for ourselves. As a matter of fact, our website redirects to our Facebook page that includes a pretty full portfolio. All of our business has been generated via word-of-mouth marketing and social media. That’s when I knew I’d done something right.

So there you have it. My newest endeavor with my new business partner. Right now we’re working primarily with smaller to mid-size businesses on website development, social media and marketing strategy. Do you know someone who needs a website or advice on how to use Twitter or Facebook to help market their business? Give them our website: FreshSqueezedCreative.com! We’d love to help!

An HTML Footer Include Made Easy

Kim Fenolio — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:54:03 +0000

Someone asked me a question about HTML includes recently.

I want to make changes to the footer on one page and make it change across all of my pages. How do I do this?

Well, it’s pretty simple. Here’s a quick tutorial.

Create a new HTML page with empty code. If your editor inserts code automatically, delete it.
Go to your original HTML page where you have your existing footer. Cut the code (Edit->Cut). Paste (Edit->Paste) it into the new HTML file you created. Save it as footer.html into the root directory (wherever your index.html is located.
Now we want to insert the code that includes the newly created footer on the page. This is called an HTML Include. Go back to your original HTML page. In place of where you originally had the footer code, you’re going to insert this code:
Save your file.
Upload both files to your server and everything should work perfectly.

For all other existing pages of your website, you’ll need to go and delete its current footer and add in the HTML Include footer code. If you’re using a program like Dreamweaver or Microsoft Visual Web Developer you can do a Find and Replace of the entire solution to make it quick and easy.

You can also do the same thing for your header, a sidebar or anything else that repeats throughout your site.

Any questions?

Business Owners: What Not to Do with a Bad Yelp Review

Kim Fenolio — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:23:47 +0000

In January I reviewed a local restaurant on Yelp (an easy way to find, review and talk about what’s great – and not so great, in your area). I admit, I wasn’t too thrilled with the service at the time of writing my review. We waited for over a half an hour just for initial service, and in my opinion that goes far beyond ridiculous. So with my review, I laid out the facts. You can see it here, if you like. The business owner logged in today, April, and responded directly to my review with the comment you see above.

This business owner was obviously angry but also doesn’t seem to understand how reviews work. You have to start with good service and good product in order to get a positive response and good reviews. Not everyone is going to have a good experience, or even the same experience. This owner’s comment on my review has only reinforced my service complaints.

If you own a business and someone gives you a bad review, don’t react. You need to respond. Here’s what you need to do. Take a step back and calm down. Once you have your head on straight, take some time to think about what it is this person is really saying in this review. While some people can exaggerate an experience, there’s likely some truth within what this person has written. Take their complaint and see what you can do to improve your product or service for your next patron. At that point, I’d recommend extending a coupon to the person who wrote the review and ask them to come in for an improved experience.

What it comes down to is this, you don’t want to lose customers. Someone can have a bad experience, and as an owner you’re in the business of service. So work on the best customer service that you can. If something went wrong, make it right. Invite the patron back once you’ve got your ducks in order. Make sure to give them a reason to come (discount) and start a conversation that shows you care.

Doing all of this can help to create a raving fan of your business, rather than a lost customer and a review that turns others away from your business. If the owner whose business I reviewed had done this, I’d have gone back to Yelp and written an update saying something along the lines of what they did and “Hey things have changed! I love it now! You should all go!” But no, I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth about this restaurant. Prior to today I still ordered carry out. With this lovely response from the owner, I will no longer be a patron of any kind.

Remember, respond and don’t react.

A Contest and a Podcast

Kim Fenolio — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:38:16 +0000

I know I’m not the best at writing for myself very frequently, but I thought I should come back over here and share a bit of what’s been going on in my world. Aside from clients consistently keeping me busy (thank you, you rock), I’ve been doing some things for myself that are just plain fun. And we all need a little fun in our lives, don’t we? I’m even learning quite a bit, bonus!

I’ve Got a Little Sumthin’ For Ya

In preparation for a new business that I’m starting, I launched a website and campaign to get others to Help Us Name Our Business. The concept was simple, yet rushed. The plan was that within less than a week to have a name for this business. All a participant needed to do was email, comment, write on a wall or @us on twitter with their name idea. That entered them into the contest to win a Kodak Zi8 HD Video Camera. We had over 200 people participate. Starting from nothing surrounding this project, that’s a pretty significant number of participants. All of this was accomplished via social media: blog, email, Twitter and Facebook. Submissions came in from more than 7 different countries. Interesting to note is that most of our submissions were given through Facebook. That shows the power of friend suggestions over disconnected marketing on Twitter.

Make a Little Noise, Do a Little Dance…

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve ventured into the land of producing podcasts. Last week that all changed. I decided to take the amazing relationship that my grandmother and I have and share it with the world. I’ve called the show Gram Loves Dancing with the Stars. Obviously, we talk about Dancing with the Stars. The show is about 20 minutes long and gram gets saucy about all kinds of things on the show from the boobs and hair to the dresses and the dancing. We have a flowing intro to the show and a moving exit. Right now our focus is on Facebook, iTunes and the website. I’m experimenting a bit with some different ways to get the word out about the show. I didn’t want a venture that felt like work, so this is my little bit of fun each week and a simple idea to play around with some different marketing strategies. I’ll keep you posted on what I’m doing and how it’s working. In the meantime, if you like Dancing with the Stars, you should listen. It’s free, it’s easy to listen to and, if I do say so myself, it’s rather entertaining.

The Emotion Promotion

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:54:02 +0000

I have always said that if a song or a television show can evoke an emotion from me, that’s the sign that they’ve done their job. Really, if I’m laughing my head off, crying my eyes out or feeling the emotions of love, then I’m more likely to talk to others about what caused all of that in me. What does that do? Well, the people behind what I saw just created a marketing officer in me by doing that. I start spouting off about how great their show is. Yes, when you talk about a show (in a positive light) you’re promoting their show (negative light.. well you get the idea). For example, when the show Glee premiered, I told everyone that they should watch it. Seriously, I lost my mind over this show. I still think you should watch it. It’s great! Particularly the pilot episode. I felt like I was on top of the world at the end. I didn’t want to stop believing because I felt so powerful and was truly energized by the music and the characters.

This doesn’t just work for television or movies. This concept can work for basically any brand. You’ve got to find a way to connect to your audience. What can you, your product, your service or your brand do that is interesting to your target? Once you can find what they want, all that’s left is finding a way to grab onto a sliver of emotion. What can you get them to identify with?

Have you ever seen a picture of a poor neglected puppy in the newspaper accompanied with a story about how it desperately needed a home. It’d been beaten, left for dead on the side of the road and had been nursed back to health by the great men and women at the local ASPCA. Generally those newspapers are flooded with phone calls from would-be adopters. That animal and its story struck a chord with so many of those people and they chose to act on that specific thing. After they were told someone else was already adopting the animal, most of them realized and found that they were interested in pet adoption and at the very least were now talking about action. They wanted the thing that they’d identified with. When marketing your product, you have to give them something that matters to them.

So when it comes to creating a new campaign or promotion, you need to ask yourself the question “How can I get my audience to feel something?” If you don’t get me something to be compelled, intrigued or entertained by, then why should I care about it?

Just one last question. Have you set your DVR to record Glee yet? You should. [See!]

Trying to Find That Good Samaritan

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:06:24 +0000

I just sent the following letter to Toys “R” Us in hopes that they can put me back in touch someone who touched my life ten years ago. I hope someone there reads it and can lend a hand to my search.

Dear Toys “R” Us,

I’m trying to find out how I can get in contact with someone who claimed to be an employee of your organization back in December of 1999. Let me tell you why.

Late in the evening on December 23, 1999 I was driving up I-65 from Tennessee to the Chicago area to visit my family for Christmas. Right around Indianapolis, IN there was a blizzard out of nowhere. A complete white-out. I couldn’t see the road anymore and my tires rubbed the grassy median. I spun out, did 3-360s in the road, my car went across all lanes of traffic, dropped 15 feet into a ditch and skidded 50 feet until I stopped by hitting a tree.

I was 19 years old, alone, didn’t have a cell phone and was far from home still. I was scared out of my mind. A man pulled over to check on me despite the heavy snow and deep cold. He helped me up out of the ditch and let me sit in his car until the police and tow truck arrived. Now, we didn’t talk much. He could see I was scared and possibly hurt (turns out, I was). I remember he was a gentleman, nice and caring but specifically that he said he was a regional manager of Toys R Us. Sadly, I don’t recall his name.

This Christmas it will be 10 years since that night. I want to find this man so that I can properly say “thank you” for being the Good Samaritan that we all hope for in times like those.. and to let him know that I never forgot his kindness.

Is there a way you would be able to find out who your regional managers were around that time, that may have been in that area on that day? I understand there’s likely privacy issues. Maybe you could somehow reach him and ask him to contact me instead?

I know, this is a long shot but every year I think about this man and how I didn’t even know his name or say thank you like I should have. I’d like to see what I can do to remedy that. I really hope that you can help to reconnect us. Please let me know if you can and/or are willing.

Sincerely,
Kim Fenolio
www.KimFenolio.com
twitter.com/kFenolio
937-757-1331

What a Character!

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:29:27 +0000

This week I am leading the small business panel at the 140 Characters Conference in Los Angeles, California on behalf of my employer, America’s Best Companies. This is pretty significant in that I will be sharing how small business is being effected by the real-time internet. Basically, I’m going to talk about how Facebook and Twitter (social media) are helping your business in the current state of the world, even in this economy.

This panel and conference isn’t all about me. I’ll be sharing the stage with some fantastic co-panelists: Scott Townsend of United Linen and Neal Rohrbach of Idea Anglers. Together we hope to give you a rounded view of how small business works with these medias from beginning to end. We’re calling our panel Small as a Tweet. We’re taking a few questions up front. If there’s anything specific that you’d like any of us to answer, you can ask at our website or on our Twitter account.

The entire conference will be broadcast live on the internet via the conference website. If you’d like to tune in live for my panel, you can visit http://lax.140conf.com/ on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 1:55pm PST. Once the video is gathered afterwards, I’ll share it here on the ABC site as well. There are many other layers to the conference and a lot of big names going to appear and speak. I encourage you to check out the other panels and see if there are specific speakers that would pertain to your niche.

On a more personal note, I’m really looking forward to meeting so many of the fabulous people that I usually only interact with on the social networks. Along with my co-panelists I’m hoping to meet Anita Campbell, Jeff Pulver, CC Chapman and lots of other equally amazing individuals. If you’re going to be there please track me down!

Can’t find me in the crowd? Catch me any number of ways: my mobile (text or call) is 937-757-1331, Twitter via DM or @message me! I’d love to talk with you! Seriously.

Southwest Shows How Offering Incentives can Increase Your ROI

Kim Fenolio — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:50:01 +0000

Southwest Airlines announced a new campaign today that offers a set of round-trip tickets as an incentive for subscribers, new or old, to open emails. In email marketing today one of the biggest struggles is getting people to actually open the email. Obviously, subscribers know there’s something of value from a company they’re already getting a newsletter from otherwise they wouldn’t have subscribed in the first place. It’s just sometimes life, and even an overabundance of other email, can detract from getting to (and reading) some subscriptions. I fall victim to that time and time again.

So, as an email marketer I know how big of a struggle it can be to reach out to people like me and get them to even notice the newsletter I’ve sent out. One of the most successful ways of getting people to open emails has always been through a creative or compelling subject line. When I saw “Click and Win Free Travel” I was all over it.

Southwest has stepped it up a notch above a great subject line. Each time a subscriber opens up their Click ‘n Save email then the subscriber will be entered into a monthly drawing for a chance to win 2 round trip tickets. Nothing more. No need to click through. No need to shout their praises. No need to fill out a form. You open? You enter.

This is a genius strategy. They’re offering some serious value. Now, they’re getting more people to open the email due to this incentive. What that does is it creates a higher likelihood that people will actually read their content. That, in turn, increases the chances of the subscriber carrying out whatever call to action exists within it.

Incentives are always a great way to encourage an action out of your target audience. If you’re able to offer something free then you should do it. The ROI will prove the campaign’s effectiveness each and every time.

It’s all about incentive. Way to go Southwest!

Subscribe to the Southwest Click ‘n Save email newsletter here.

Twitter Tip: How to Toot Your Own Horn

Kim Fenolio — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:33:33 +0000

Someone asked me the following question today:

Sometimes I see people making a little celebratory announcement on Twitter. Like being listed on the Top 20 Twitterers for this or that, for instance. Is that something where it’s OK for the influencer types to do it but not really the rest of us [average users]?

This is a great question to ask. I don’t think tooting your own horn or celebrating something you’ve done well applies only to the people on the “A List”. In my opinion it’s all in how you do it.

Don’t Celebrate Like This
“I was just told I’m amazing! I am amazing! Look at me! How could you deny it?”

Your approach should be more suave and celebratory.

Do Something Like This
“I was just called “amazing” by John. Gosh that makes me feel great! THANK YOU!”

There’s nothing wrong with saying that someone recognizes you as having done something good. Just don’t be one of those people who comes across as a pompous self-centered know-it-all.

Twitter and Social Media — What Should it Be?

Kim Fenolio — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:09:54 +0000

It was around 2005 when I first started getting into this new age of social media. I found podcasts first. I liked the podcast hosts and wanted to get to know them further. I found them through their online forums that they’d talked about on their shows and then the initial group of us all discovered Twitter in 2006. This was a time where everything was fresh, new and exciting. The possibilities were endless for social media and what it could leverage for each of us! I made some amazing friends. We shared our lives, our thoughts and stances on all different subjects.

That was 2006 and this is now 2009, where much has changed. I still see people giving of themselves, though not nearly as much. What I see more of is people promoting whatever it is that they’re into: their jobs, their new money-making scheme, but even more-so I see links. They’re everywhere and I have to tell you, I’m tired of it.

I miss the days where the value that you brought to the table was shown openly in the social network. Someone would make a statement and everyone cheered or responded right there. I didn’t have to see your “call to action”, click the link and then read it on your blog. The value was clearly right there. Instead, so much of what’s out there feels like email: spam. I realize that junk mail fills the mailboxes outside of our homes and spam fills our email inboxes. I really don’t enjoy seeing so much of it in my communication stream.

One example of value are the small business tips I post on my Twitter account Monday – Friday. I decide what I want to write about (sometimes with a little help from my friends), figure out how in the heck I’m going to condense it into 130 characters (10 of the 140 characters are consumed by the hash tag and what number tip it is for the day) and then just post the tips to Twitter. I don’t require anyone to go to my blog or my company’s blog to consume the data. I give easy and actionable advice that you can take right from that message and use for your business. That’s the value I try to bring to the table.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking you having a blog or the promotion of it. Obviously, I have one myself and I know that not everything can be said in 140 characters or less. My point is that I don’t feel social networks should be used solely as a way to promote a person, a product or a brand. If you’re going to be on a social network then you should be there adding to the the value and not the noise. Bring something to the table that I can actually use, something that will mean something to me. That right there is what proves you’re valuable and as a result promotes your brand, product or service that you’ve associated yourself to.

You’re right, it’s not traditional media but what about this medium is traditional? We’re here to reach out to consumers, business owners and each other in ways that haven’t been explored. So why should we continue to do it in the same way that’s always been done? Let’s break free of the traditional mold and get back to actually communicating!

Let’s make Twitter and all of social media become a culmination of solid thought, communication and value. When it comes down to it, isn’t that what we want when we’re being social in social media?

What do you want social media to be?

Lots of Changes

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:21:41 +0000

This past month has been full of changes for me. Thankfully they’ve all been positive. I have a new job and as a result, it’s helped me create a new way to how I function in my social networks.

The New Career Opportunity
At the beginning of October I officially moved from self-employed to being employed by a small business: America’s Best Companies (ABC). We are basically a national-level small business association. This is a company that educates, offers advice and helps to make life overall easier on the small business owner. One of the main ways they do this is by offering discounts (the kind that actually help you!) from companies like Staples, UPS, insurance, utilities and even health care. There are blogs, a weekly newsletter, search engine submission and even a bi-monthly magazine. The magazine is absolutely amazing if I do say so.

As with any small business association, there’s a membership involved to receive these discounts and additional benefits. ABC offers so much more in comparison to many city and town based associations and chambers of commerce and for far less money. I think that’s the key here, the cost is low and the give is big.

We recently opened it up and now offer free basic memberships! I think that’s way cool because it allows people free access to our eWeekly newsletter (I get to write a bit for that too), a free business profile and automatic search engine inclusion. You even get a free issue of our magazine.

After the free basic membership, there are two other levels. One brings you an amped up premium profile, those fabulous discounts I mentioned before, online advertising, advice, information, news, full subscription to America’s Best Magazine and a boatload of marketing material. The other offers all of that, plus your own customized website.

What made me want to work for this company, aside from them wanting me to work there, was their real desire to help small business in the United States. The philosophy isn’t to kick the super-I-sell-everything-stores to the side, but to find a way for the small business owner to be able to thrive right along side them! The goal is that once we get enough members, well have the power of numbers on our side and can make it to Washington to become the voice of small business and lobby for some rights. It’s that integrity and that value that hooked me. They want to help and they can.

What do I do?
Now I’ve told you what the company does and what they offer, but what do I do for them? I help to make them look good. I get to do a little bit of everything that I’m good at. I design a little, I code a little, I talk a little and I interact all around. I work on interface and new media and I love what I do.

The interesting thing with this transition is that I’ve changed how I play in the social media space. Since I used to work from home, for myself, I always had a hard time separating personal and business. Business for me was personal. I had a personal Twitter account and a business account. The sad thing is, I neglected my business account and never paid the proper attention to the people who wanted to follow me there. I’ve done away with that account and have followed all of the people who followed me there on the account that I now interact on during the day: @kFenolio. I am still maintaining my personal Twitter account privately. I certainly don’t need more than two Twitter accounts.

So if you’re on Twitter, follow me there. I generally interact and talk throughout my day. I share interesting small business finds or internet marketing related things. I also write a bit and share my own advice.

So I leave you with a couple requests, if you would, I’d love if you’d follow me on Twitter or share with others what my company can do for them. Now I need to know what I can do for you. How can I help you?

Social Media Impacts Lives

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:59:48 +0000

On Monday, August 4, 2008 a tornado touched down in Griffith, Indiana just two blocks from where I currently live in Highland, Indiana. I started Plurking and Tweeting (on my personal accounts) as soon as I saw the National Weather Service alert that the tornado would be to me within five minutes; of course that was after I got my family safe. Here’s my Twitter time line and what the folks who follow me there got to see from when it began through to the next morning:

08:21 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
So [name] sent [their] tornado to me. In the basement now.

08:25 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
OMG neon blue sky.. Neon green.. Sirens!

08:30 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
The sound is terrifying! We’re in the crawl space.

08:37 PM August 04, 2008 from txt
House is moving and creaking. Jacob is freaking out. No power obviously. Cramped in here.

08:52 PM August 04, 2008 from txt
Outside with my father because he’s freaking INSANE! It’s a mess out here. Emergency vehicles all over.

09:15 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
The tornado ran along the next block. Lightening struck, we lost a ton of electronics. Things are smoking…

09:22 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
Houses are gone…

09:26 PM August 04, 2008 from txt
Turning off my updates from u people.. Phone juice running low.. No way to power phone for now. Will keep updating.

11:41 PM August 04, 2008 from Ping.fm
It’s around midnight and the people out walking the streets to see th damage reminds me of a parade.

08:03 AM August 05, 2008 from Ping.fm
http://ping.fm/p/ogle4 – Never seen anything like this.. Looks like a hurricane came thru & mangled all the towns around here. It’s hard to find words for this…

08:14 AM August 05, 2008 from Ping.fm
We have power back. A lot of things are fried. AC is dead. DSL dead. Headed out now to buy new surge protectors.

09:09 AM August 05, 2008 from Ping.fm
The storage unit I put all my apartment and life in is demolished. I’m balling my eyes out. WHY AGAIN?!

10:55 AM August 05, 2008 from Ping.fm
Aaaand to top it all off: my computer is fried despite the surge protector.

As soon as I said that a tornado was on the way, a flood of reply messages started coming in. People expressed concern for our safety, asked if we were ok and extended prayers. The responses coming to me on Twitter via text message were comforting to me while my family and I huddled together in the crawl space of the house. I may have been alone in taking care of my family, but my social media family was with me in spirit. I was amazed at the compassion and immediate response from the people that I’ve simply formed relationships with online.

In the time line above, you read that I found out that I’d lost my storage unit (again) to the tornado. I’ll elaborate on the again part of that statement. Two years ago in September I was living in a basement apartment that was flooded so bad that they had to gut the building to its foundation. My son and I lost our home and everything but my dining room table, my computer and a duffel bag of clothing.

Just a few months ago I had moved in with my parents while I began my search for a full time job (didn’t want to sign another year-long lease since I planned on moving) and also to help out since my father and grandmother need daily assistance. I took everything from my home and placed it into storage with the exception of my clothing and my computer.

The tornado touched down two blocks from me, made it’s way across the the parking lot of a Kmart, took out a strip mall, demolished the residential neighborhood behind it, went straight through my storage building and then down through another neighborhood.

My storage area was an afterthought and I’d only stumbled upon it the next day because I was on the way to pick up new surge protectors for the house. I saw just the edge of the warehouses and they looked as though they’d gone through a shredder. I broke down into tears immediately. I am still questioning how two different natural disasters can affect one person in two years.

My social media friends extended their thoughts, love and prayers immediately yet again. I received phone calls, emails, text messages and word through friends concerned about me. They wanted me to know I wasn’t alone, that I was cared for and that they would help in any way they could. Just having their words was a huge help.

I have my friend Jim of With a Voice Like This to thank for his support and help in the clean-up, but also my family from Reunion Church. As soon as Pastor Chuck found out about this, he sent word out via email to the church community. People started calling immediately offering to come and help, which many did. Also a result of the Reunion family, I even received a text message of support from someone in New York that I didn’t know. The physical was covered.

The social media friends certainly couldn’t be there physically to help me sort through what was and wasn’t salvageable (china cabinet, kitchen items, sentimental things in Rubbermaid totes were saved; lost all furniture and beds), but they found their own way to help out. Friday evening my friend Andrea of Geek is Chic sent me a text message saying that she had a question for me and asked that I call her. She was bubbling with excitement while she told me that she had organized a group of people who had together pooled over $400 to put towards helping us get back on our feet. Of course, I began crying again. This time it wasn’t in sadness but because I had such amazing and wonderful people who cared so very much.

Thank you to Mark Tafoya, Rachel, Krissy, Alison L, Flick, Amy Osborn, Winnie, Bleu, Cliff and Stephanie Ravenscraft, Kim Thompson and FrancR for your generosity and your compassion. I love you people. Thank you so much.

–

New and social media is here to stay. I talk about it all the time, but this example here is something that shows how strongly it can take hold of you, how it can truly affect lives. I’m a testament to that. Social Media is helping me start fresh. I’m one person. Now think for a moment, on a bigger scale, how social media could affect the world. What are you doing to be a part of it?

Additional Media re: Tornado

Here’s a YouTube video that I shot of a neighborhood along Arbogast.

This is another YouTube video that someone else put together. At around 4 minutes into this one, there’s actually additional footage beyond just sights and sounds from the storm. You may want to skip ahead.

Photos of the destruction

I’m Engaged: How’d That Happen?

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:25:29 +0000

I’ve been engaged in Social Media and the internet since before it received its title. In the early 90s I began by teaching myself how to code HTML using Notepad and created my own graphics using MS Paint. I created websites that defined who I was and was among the first to display my contact information publicly.

Shortly after that I started working in an online gaming community that was in it’s infancy. This was a time where internet communities hadn’t yet figured out how to identify themselves. By 1997 I attended my first community meet-up where people from all over the USA met in person for the first time. Here I am today, just over a week out of a meet-up that I personally organized and ran for a podcast that I created in May of 2007.

I have formal training in graphic design and multimedia: an associates degree. That training has further encouraged me to display my communications in an attractive way; a nice, net package if you will. This is far beyond what many designers and/or social media artists are capable of. It’s this vast array of capabilities that make what I can do so very marketable.

I know what it is to communicate and create meaningful relationships that last. I know how to market myself, a business or a brand with a communication strategy that involves the written word, spoken word or graphic appeal. Relationship building, brand building, marketing: it’s all the same. We’re just learning new and innovative ways to make it more efficient.

I wonder how the rest of you came to be social on the internet and what you made of it if anything. Care to share?

Self Employment: Is it All That?

Kim Fenolio — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:01:31 +0000

It is no secret that I am looking for a job right now. One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received since I’ve started looking again is, “Why do you want to stop doing the self-employment bit to get back out into the corporate world?” My answer to that is pretty simple. My work has taken over my life. I need a healthier balance between personal and business. I often find that I have so much to do that I’m unable to find the time to update many of my blogs or social networks. If you’ve paid any attention to the dates on this blog, you’ll see that I’ve neglected it as well.

Why did I choose to pursue self-employment in the first place? Many of my reasons are personal and for those, my plan worked out fantastically for a time. The other natural desire of self-employment is to be your own boss. That was great too, but the reality is that you’re never your own boss if you have clients. Each job comes with its own job description and someone on the other end who will approve your work; I’d call that a boss. Bosses are good for all of us because they give you goals and something to strive for, even if sometimes they are a bit warped. Let’s face it though, who isn’t? I’ll wait for comments from the peanut gallery on that one.

Aside from the reasons I’ve already mentioned, self employment is lonely. Sure a lot of what I do is in new and social media so I get a lot of opportunity to talk to people every day. The difference with that is my interaction is on a computer, not always verbal and usually not in person. I’ve found that I really miss the personal interaction with others, even if it’s just a few people a day. Who would have thought working alone would be lonely? Bring on the office politics I say!

Seriously though, it’s just time for me to get back out into the world and take on someone else’s new and social media desires or their requests of graphical goodness. I’m good at marketing for others and making it look fantastic. Let me work someone else’s projects so that maybe I can get back to my new and social medias being just for fun. Don’t get me wrong, I still have fun in what I do. It’s all the requirements of what I’ve taken on that have eaten away my desire to continue the personal consulting full time. I’ll continue to do some freelance consulting, of course. When I work for someone else, their priorities will come before those of my own, as I feel that it should be.

Let’s Talk About Breasts

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:06:42 +0000

I want to talk about breasts here for a moment, and not just for the sake of talking about breasts. I’ve been doing a lot of work lately helping out with raising funds to support finding a cure for breast cancer. I have a number of friends who have been affected by the disease; maybe not directly but have friends or family who have.

This Saturday I’m going to be helping and participating in a fundraiser called Bowling for Boobs. During this event we’re going to plan a game. It’s similar to the game that women play at baby showers where you Measure the Mommy’s Belly:

(Materials- String or yarn and scissors) Have each woman pull the yarn to the size they believe would fit perfectly around the Mother-To-Be’s center of her pregnant tummy. After everyone cuts their string, compare the results to the Mommy-To-Be’s actual tummy. Give a prize to the woman who is the most close! This is a baby shower favorite.

The obvious twist is that we’re going to do this for the bust instead of the belly. We need a new and clever name. I posed this question on Plurk not too long ago and got a bunch of ideas.

Fundraisers that I’ve helped out with so far have been called:
Cooks for a Cure (cookbook)
Buy a Pear, Save a Pair (Farmer’s Market stand)
Bowling for Boobs (bowling event this weekend)

Here are some ideas compiled so far:

Judge the Jugs
Size ‘Em Up
Boob Barometer
Measuring the Mammaries
Take Size of the Ta-Tas
Less Than Equal
Rack ‘Em Up
Guess the Breast
Guess a Cup for Cancer
More Than a Handful
More Than a Cupful
Gauge the Girls
Size up the Sweater Stretchers
Calculating Cleavage
Ample Appraisal
Notice the Knockers
Calculate My Curves
Are the Breasts in Here Bigger Than They Appear?
Rate This Rack

Let’s see if the power of social media can evoke some of your creative juices for a name to this game. What ideas do you have?

–

If you’re able to, help support this cause financially. Someday you might be affected. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a cure? Donate to support a young boy on the team who’s grandmother is currently fighting breast cancer.

To Plurk or Not to Plurk?

admin — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:24:49 +0000

I spent much of a whole day playing within Plurk. Yes, it has quite the peculiar name. When I first registered and began using the service I found it to be rather buggy. I got a lot of “File Not Found” errors and even the style sheets wouldn’t load properly. After a bit of clicking around and fidgeting with the browser, all things became right in the world.

What is Plurk?
Well it’s similar to Twitter in that it’s a micro-blogging social network. You can send out messages that are 140 characters or less. It’s your choice if you want to use a qualifier “kimfenolio IS writing about Plurk” or choose not to “kimfenolio: I’m writing a post to encourage others to micro blog.” Using the @ function like you do in Twitter works the same in Plurk only it creates a direct link without the @ sign having to appear in the final message. They’ve even supplied you with a list of safe Plurking habits.

How is it Different?
There are a number of things that set it aside from Twitter. First is the interactivity. You and your friends have the ability to comment directly on a message that you Plurk. The really neat thing is that if you have that message open while someone else responds you can see their reply appear right before your eyes.

Alerts
You are continually appraised of new Plurks and new updates with an alert box in the bottom left-hand corner of your timeline. It is unobtrusive, no sounds and no pop-up windows for it. It will simply appear when there’s something new for you to check up on. I will admit that with multiple people responding to Plurks, it certainly gets old after you have to keep going back to each message time after time. I suppose that’s why on the alert’s menu there’s a “Mark all as read” option.

Visual Timeline
While I’m talking about the timeline, let’s expand on that for a bit. The timeline runs from right to left. Updates appear as if they’re almost floating in the sky based on time. If you hover your mouse over an update it’ll highlight the time at the bottom of your timeline. Clicking on an update will expand it so that you can read the entire update as well as any responses. You can also view the mobile timeline if the visual timeline is too conspicuous for you. Either I don’t like this visual timeline or it takes a lot of getting used to.

Friend Filtering
I can create “Cliques” and add people. Once I do this I can send out a Plurk to just the users in that specific group. Apparently there’s a way to filter incoming messages from just those in that group but I haven’t found it available to me just yet. The only thing I don’t like about adding folks to the clique is that you have to type their names rather than selecting people with check boxes in a list.

Friend, No Need to Follow
Friends can be friends but you don’t have to follow their timeline. I really like this feature. Someone asked me why I would want to be friends with someone but not read what they have to say. There are folks that I’m friends with where I want to see what they have to say some of the time, not all of the time. It allows me a certain amount of discretion by letting me hit a button to turn timeline updates on or off.

Drawbacks
I was in at least 35 different conversations today and I can’t remember where I said what. I want to be able to search for things that I said. Make “me” searchable. I still can’t find out how to view just people in my clique. I want that to be an option and if it is, I want that to be more intuitive. Due to the instant interaction and the instant alerts I’ve found the use of this network to occupy a lot of my time. It’s hard to just walk away from a conversation. This is by no means the fault of Plurk, but a human trait we all possess.

I wonder how Plurk will do with scalability? Twitter has experienced a lot of trouble and downtime lately and it doesn’t have the type of interaction or interface that Plurk does. I wonder what kind of plans the creators of Plurk have to combat the inevitable?

–

I think Plurk has some real potential though I don’t know that I’m ready to migrate from the familiarity that is Twitter just yet. What makes it different and sets it aside from Twitter are all huge advantages for me; aside from the timeline view. I can see using Plurk as a means by which to have more personal interaction. It’s like interactive polling. Twitter is much easier to just output and walk away. Plurk, however, is a more like instant messaging in groups at your friends’ leisure.

Have some fun. Play around. What do you think about Plurk? What drawbacks, bonuses or other features (or lack there of) should we talk about?

This entry has be Dugg!

Social Networking and Me

Kim Fenolio — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:13:05 +0000

Recently I was talking to my brother. I asked him if he had a Facebook account. His response was as follows:

Social Networking.. Blahhhh. I like meeting people the old fashion way. “Hey you, come over here. I wanna talk to you.”

I guess I’m not doing my sisterly job very well. I’ll work on that. The whole point behind social networking is to be more social. You get the opportunity to connect and network with people that you likely may not have stumbled across in the physical realm. Once you make those connections through social networking, it provides an easier means of which to make the connection in your personal space.

Heck, you may not even need to meet face-to-face. I have a number of clients that I have never physically met. I’ve communicated with them through the social networking sites, chat programs and video sites. Some of my connections aren’t necessarily clients, but are colleagues and even friends. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a number of them in person as a result of the relationship we’ve formed through the social networking that my brother blahed at earlier.

I have made some great friends, connected with old friends, networked with connections of my connections, created business relationships, negotiated ideas, have held and been the subject of interviews and meetings all as a result of this social networking.

What has social networking done for you?

Adjusting Your Microphone’s Recording Volume

admin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:05:47 +0000

This article is going to cover how to adjust your microphone’s recording volume if you’re on a Windows XP machine. I voice chat a lot and run across many people whose microphone volume’s are coming across either too soft or too loud.

Why is this a problem? Well, for example, if I have three other people on a Skype conference call, one person might be soft while the other two are a good volume. I don’t want to turn up my system volume because the other two will be exceptionally loud in my ear while that one person will be at an acceptable level. The one person who is too soft should be able to adjust their level so that the rest of the people in the call won’t have to adjust.

These instructions are for those who are using the Win XP generic drivers for their sound card. The majority of people are. If you’re using something else, then you may be able to adapt these instructions. Give it a read and see.

There are two different ways to get into the panel and adjust the recording volume. I’m going to list both ways. You decide which is easier. Screen shots are provided within the instructions. Click on the thumbnails to view the full size image.

Access From the System Tray (with explanations)

In your system tray (the little area on your taskbar with the clock) there will be an icon that looks like a little gray speaker. Double click on it.
The window that comes up is called your Playback Control. This is what controls the volume of anything that you hear either over your speakers or through your headphones. There, you will see a Microphone slider. This controls how loud you hear yourself through your headphones. If the mute button is checked, then you won’t hear yourself at all. This has no baring on whether or not others will hear you if you’re in a VOIP call. It only controls what *you* hear of yourself. Only adjust this volume slider if you need to hear more or less of yourself.
To get to the area where we adjust the recording volume (what others will hear when you’re in a call) click on Options at the top of the window. Then Properties.
The Properties box now has an area in the top that says “Adjust volume for”. Click the Recording button.
You should now notice that the options in the bottom of that box have changed. Make sure that there is a check mark next to where it says Microphone. Then click OK.
The window will now change and become the Record Control. This is the mixer that controls what gets recorded or sent out as audio through a call. Each of these sliders does not have a “Mute” under it, instead it has “Select” under it. Unless you have an advanced setup (you’ll know if you have this) you will want the check in the box underneath the Microphone slider. None of the other sliders on this window will effect your outgoing voice or audio. Generally, the best place to have your slider is right at or just above the halfway mark. If people tell you that you need to be louder, obviously you’ll want to drag the slider up. If you’re too loud, drag the slider down.
When your voice is being sent out at an acceptable level, simply close the window.

Access From Control Panel

Go to Start, Control Panel. Double click on Sound and Audio Devices. If you don’t see that, click on “Classic View” in the left hand side of the window.
Click the Audio tab. Then click Volume under the “Sound recording” area.
The window will now change and become the Record Control. This is the mixer that controls what gets recorded or sent out as audio through a call. Each of these sliders does not have a “Mute” under it, instead it has “Select” under it. Unless you have an advanced setup (you’ll know if you have this) you will want the check in the box underneath the Microphone slider. None of the other sliders on this window will effect your outgoing voice or audio. Generally, the best place to have your slider is right at or just above the halfway mark. If people tell you that you need to be louder, obviously you’ll want to drag the slider up. If you’re too loud, drag the slider down.
When your voice is being sent out at an acceptable level, simply close the window.

It’s a Go

admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:41:22 +0000

Today is the day I unleash my new site here to the masses. I want to explain a bit about what it is that I want to do here and why I’m doing it.

The Finger Trail
I’m a graphic artist. It’s what I went to school for. It’s the degree that I graduated with. It’s why I was the president of my school’s graphic design club. It’s the title that I’ve held professionally for the past five years. I love graphic design and I love being creative. Over the past year I’ve felt like there’s been something missing within the realm of my career. I haven’t really been able to put my finger on it. Finally I decided to stop running around in circles and put my whole hand down on what I want; not just that finger.

Final Destination
Playing around in new and social media is something I’ve been doing for about four years now. I say playing because it’s something that’s merely been a hobby of mine. Help is something that I have offered freely and likely will continue to do. Today I focus and make it a part of my career.

I say a part of my career because I’ve proven that I am a good graphic artist but that I’m also good at producing and consulting in new and social medias. I am creating a workable relationship between design and new media. I have no doubt in my mind that this can and will be a good thing. The next step is application and follow-through, which we all know is the key to any relationship.

The Key
I look forward to using this key to open doors not only for myself but also for those people whose paths I will cross. There are people who will benefit from the skills that I have to offer. I love to help out wherever I can, and if it’s something I don’t know how to do then it’s something I’m going to learn how to do. I love a good challenge. What’ve you got?

Personal Experience in Podcasting

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:49:46 +0000

How I Got Started
I first got involved in podcasting back in January of 2006. It started with my listening, which quickly turned into my participating in other people’s podcasts; either by comments at their blog, messages left to show voicemail lines or participation in online forums. After a short time I was asked to guest host a show, which sealed the deal for me: I needed to start my own podcast and it didn’t matter what it was about. It was fun, engaging and wholly entertaining.

My First Show
A friend of mine agreed to co-host a show with me. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to get the show past two episodes and it fizzled out. I continued to participate in other people’s shows as well as help out where I could. There were times that I even produced my own audio segments for shows. In February of 2007 though, things changed. An idea was created to start a podcast based on the television show Grey’s Anatomy. It was the first fan based podcast of it’s time and was an instant hit. I co-hosted the show with Stephanie and Cliff Ravenscraft where we incorporated live listeners, voicemail calls, also making the show available for download at a later time. I created a visual brand for the podcast in terms of cover art, podcast logo, promotional banner and other promotional items to be used on forums and the like. After the television show finished up for the year in May, I resigned my position as co-host.

The Current Focus
Just a few weeks later in May of 2007 I launched another podcast called Girls Night In. This is a show with a total of four hosts. Not only do I occupy the role as a host but I also manage, produce and have branded this show. As I continue on I find that I’ve learned so much more than I thought was possible in regards to all aspects of podcasting.

I’ve established how to effectively market our brand, incorporate live listeners into the show, route and record audio where each of the four hosts of the show are in separate parts of the country, master audio levels, edit audio, learn to master post-production editing and effects to allow for the final product to be more palatable on the download. I’ve been able to give the show a presence on a number of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace where we’ve been able to find a number of listeners willing to interact and pose feedback.

The Visual Brand
I’ve established our presence at a website which is syndicated with RSS (a blog) thus allowing the media that we create to reach the listener without any action on their part. The site itself is branded along with the cover art. Beyond simply creating the logo, coverart and website with a consistent brand, I also went a step further and created individual avatars for each of the hosts to use if they so desired. This way, each host would be visually associated with the show on whichever social network they chose to be a part of. The blog has been sprinkled with all sorts of goodies that make it easy for the listener or potential new listener to navigate and find out more about the show. There are blog posts from the hosts, posts that contain the podcast episodes and show notes, pages that share what the podcast is about, how to contact the hosts, where to interact within the show, outside of the show and in social networks, a schedule of our show dates and an easy way to listen directly from the site.

Why do you want to do this? Well, people are going to find your podcast by searching for it, looking for it and not necessarily hearing it first. They’re likely going to read something somewhere about it, find your page and view what you’re about before they download and listen. This is why having an attractive visual brand is so important and an integral part in expanding your podcast audience.

A logo is the most readily available representative of your podcast. Your logo can accompany press releases, be used as a link to your site, for advertising purposes, and give potential audiences a glimpse at what you and your podcast are all about even before listening to your show.

If you or your company already has a logo, you could further brand your image by incorporating your business logo or design a variation of your corporate logo to strengthen and reinforce your brand. Just as with your logo, your cover art displays your identity. It will display your logo and the name of your podcast, if that is your desire. This is what is shown when any directory displays your podcast. It is used as a way to represent your show. This image can also be used as your show artwork in RSS feeds or on your website.

The Audible Brand
Outside of making everything visually appealing and consistent, the same needs to apply to what the audience is hearing. There needs to be consistency in what to expect with audio quality as well as what’s being mixed into the natural sound. The use of an intro, outro and audio bumpers in between segments is a great way to establish a template of how the show works, thus creating a consistent flow. The audience then recognizes and is able to anticipate what’s coming up. Outside of the mechanics of the audio, you need to sound like you’re more than just a drone reading from a word document. Even if you are reading, the best way to keep your audience engaged is to add flare to your voice. You need to be interested in what you’re speaking about or your audience will lose interest. If you lose the interest of your audience, you lose your audience.

What it Comes Down to
Create your brand both visually and audibly. Make it clear, concise and easy to follow. Your message needs to be relatable and interesting. Is it? Are you sure you’ve established yourself in that manner? What else needs to be done to make a podcast work and work well?

When I’m At My Best

admin — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:51:33 +0000

I’m winding down on day two of this re-branding process. It’s approximately 2:41. I state the time because it’s important to something I’ve learned this week. I have bigger and better ideas starting around 10:00. I’m finding that I work through at high-speed and with fantastic clarity through to about 3:00. It’s quite surprising.

Not only am I finding that I work harder, faster and produce better product during this time period, my voice even performs at what I might call optimum levels. I podcast as well, so to have a clear and round tone to my voice without having to concentrate or use any vocal tricks is something that’s also encouraging for production in that realm.

Why is that important? Well, simply because I now recognize when I’m at my best, performance wise. I know when I’m going to be able to produce more and where to schedule less of my fun-time activities. There is now the thought that I might be able to find what makes this time-period so productive for me and see if I can’t apply that to the rest of my day. That would be optimal, but for the time being I’m going to go with what works.

What are your peak hours of operation and why?

The Experiment

admin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:49:25 +0000

Welcome to the Kim Fenolio redesign and rebrand. The goal is to embark upon a career path that will not just be monetarily rewarding but also enjoyable. The concept is quite simple, the road however is a bit more rugged.

As I design, tweak, code and create myself again (did I mention again?) on the interwebs I’m finding new and different things that I can do and also enjoy doing. I don’t just put my mind to something. I put my mind to something and I finish it. If I don’t have the answer, I will find someone who does.

I’ve built this great network of people by means of social networking. Some of these folks I’ve met through podcasting, through Twitter, through Facebook and other forums. The point is that I have a large pool of talent and knowledge available to me. All I have to do is ask a question and so many people are willing to share and give of themselves and their knowledge. It’s actually quite amazing. Without my having met and spending some time to create a relationship with each of these people, I wouldn’t be the talent that I am today.

The point is that when you get me, you also get connections. I have strings attached, but they’re not in the conventional way that you would think strings are attached. It’s the idea that you get more bang for your buck.

Welcome to my personal brand. Welcome to my life. Welcome to Kim Fenolio.