The Opus Olympics kicked off last Friday in light of, well, the real Olympics. Taking place under the roof of our very own agency we all know what an honor it will be to take home a gold medal on our home turf.

We have 5 brave teams willing to do all it takes to steal the Gold and stand tall at the end of the 2 weeks of competition. Having started Friday the 12th, we will continue through the 26th battling the elements to come out on top. Stay tuned for the scores from the events to come. So far the events have been Trash Can Basketball! and Water Jug Relay.

Current standings after 2 Events:

Here is the footage:

The video features a group of Portland High School youths speaking to the camera about their views on invention, robots, engineering, opportunity, discovery and more. They speak to their involvement. To others involvement. They speak to a need to empower their lives – to get to where they want to be. To discover their place in the world and their individual path to the future.

In light of the disaster in Haiti we have seen what may very well be the future, at least for now, of people lending a “helping hand” so to speak. Social Media has definitely risen to the point of ruling the way we live our lives today and it is no wonder that Social Media was many people’s first reaction to the question: “How can I help with the Haiti disaster?” People have created Facebook and Twitter pages to raise money for relief and, of course, this leaves us wondering how much of these Social Media relief groups are legit? This is cause for some alarm and, unfortunately, in spite of a true tragedy some people will take advantage in nefarious ways. On a good note, organizations such as the Red Cross have been able to raise over $4 million for the relief funds. They have used text message fund raising techniques which are very effective these days.

Then there are the celebrity messages. One that is rather funny and legit is Stiller Strong, Actor Ben Stiller’s website to raise money for the Haiti relief. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter and Share This, Stiller has started the Haitian School Initiative. This initiative seeks to help provide temporary schools for Haitians after the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

In the end, we see positive results from the use of Social Media in response to disaster. It has been called out as lazy, using the term Slacktivism to describe it. It seems more like an addition to the standard. Traditional methods of raising relief funds and helping are still in place, so it would seem Social Media is the icing on the cake, allowing people to reach out for help in ways they never could in the past.

Reference Articles, check them out:
Helping Haiti – Social media doing its part
Haiti quake relief: How technology helps

Here are the goods:

Fast Company’s info graphic of the day led me to this GOOD place with the noble tag line of transparency. If good design promotes clear seeing, then our calling fulfills more than aesthetics.

Here’s the screen caps:

Sean’s pink ball

Hobbit bowling mystifies

Dudes being dudes

The end of days

Jared whooped our butts!

The crew breakdown

Cory // El Capitano

The captain made it happen and finagled several strikes to lay down a solid night on the lanes. Not only that, but he let out an awesome growl/grunt every time he sent one ripping down the lanes!

Ryan // Hulk of Backend

Ryan made it clear that he was already kind of drunk by the time we arrived at the alley. This didn’t keep him from dropping pins like nobody’s business. There were also plenty of hobbit jokes, the best being:

You knocked that pin all the way back to the Shire!
-Short Timer

Sean // The Animator

The Animator got his drink on but forgot to get his game on. On one game he only scored a 67, but that was with a 9 point error from the computer, so it was really only a 58! He blamed it on the alcohol, I blame it on the Flash!

Plus he had no style on the lanes, and he bowled the whole night with a bright pink ball…

Brandon // Junior Intern

I dropped two gutter balls in a row to start the night off. But, I turned it around, took a tip from Jared and bowled a 154 my final game. Not bad for the Junior Intern, eh!?

Plus, check out that style on the release!!!

Jared // Short Timer

Such finesse! I think the pictures can basically speak for themselves for this guy. He’s a seasoned vet and he didn’t hold back!

Look at that dedicated approach!

And he’s taking points away from me…

And Jared bowls a stellar 197

Are you a person that makes websites, in any shape or form? If so, take the A List Apart (ALA) survey. Since 2007, ALA has conducted a survey of web professionals with the objective of determining position classes, defining job roles, salaries, etc. The 2009 survey was just announced.

The results are made public and, I think overtime, could provide vital human capital information for the industry at-large. (I can call it an industry right?).

If you think about it, ours is somewhat a new field. Our roles are perhaps formally defined by only 15 years of practice. Often our titles are self defined, determined by old-school design protocols and/or terminology that evolved out the “new economy” of the late 1990s. (Ouch – remember that?).

As a person who makes websites, my own titles have included: Webmaster (my least favorite), Web Coordinator, Web Communications Director, Information Architect, Information Strategist, Strategist, User Experience Architect, User Interface Developer and Interactive Project Manager.

I wonder what’s to come. Maybe if enough of us take this each year, I will eventually have an easier time knowing what to say the next time I have to determine my job title. So, help a girl out – take the survey and pass the word along.

Behance Network

This online community of designers, artists and creatives offers quite a bit of customization to colors and some layout options for portfolio display. Behance has a very healthy supply of great work by great creatives and supplies a very long list of selective fields to tag yourself under. Join and create Circles to narrow down your network and find other creatives to collaborate with. And, of course, you can always appreciate work that strikes you as awesome.

Flickr

Flickr is a great resource to find imagery as well as share it with others. I would gear this Website more towards photography and design resources, however, you can use Flickr as a way to share portfolio work as well. Another good use for this Website is to share inspirational imagery or just keep a quick and handy gallery of your inspirations for use at any time.

Vimeo

Vimeo is a little the opposite of Flickr. Here keep a selection of your short films, motion graphics or flash animations.

Carbonmade

Carbonmade is easy to use, though I would not consider its overall display of work nor organization to be quite as good as that of Behance. When you start getting into portfolio’s its browsing UI degrades slightly. Nonetheless, it still ranks as a good place to show your work and get more eyes on it.

Coroflot

Corflot creates a network that is easier to navigate than Carbonmade and more user friendly. It has a lot of similarities to Behance in terms of appreciating work, categorizing in sets or projects and displaying information about the artists. With over 164,000 portfolios, give it a shot!

Design:Related

Honestly, this is not my favorite. I wouldn’t consider this one to be the most UI friendly site in this list and its overall display of your work doesn’t quite compare to that of Coroflot or Behance. Again, probably wouldn’t hurt to try it out though.

Deviant Art

Ah, Deviant Art! You are likely to find just as much work you could care less about as you are to find some very amazing work. It is definitely worth it to browse the site every once and awhile to see some pretty great stuff from almost any artistic field. All in all, its probably not the most professional option.

Shown’D

This site incorporates some sexy jQuery into its portfolio viewing, however, really leaves you stranded once into a portfolio. The only way out is a link back to the home page. This site would benefit from some better UI throughout but remains an interesting spot to show your stuff.

Wordpress

As odd as it may seem, Wordpress is a decent option for displaying your work. With as many of the available themes out there, the ability to quickly put together a blog/portfolio is incredible. Obviously I still suggest taking the time to design and build your very own custom theme, but if you’re someone who doesn’t mind pre-made templates you can be up and running in no time.

In honor of appreciating Twitter, I have compiled a lovely little list here of what I feel are smart and useful ways to use it. This article was inspired by TheOatmeal’s article on Ten Things You Need to Stop Tweeting About. I felt I would alternatively write about some of the good ways we can use Twitter ;)

So, here are a few of the key things I always keep in mind. I think if you practice good Twitter and social media etiquette it does enhance what you get out of the experience and what you can give back to the community you are interacting in. Remember, try not to take take take, give the love back as often as you can.

Keep it industry related

I realize that, while many people use Twitter for random Tweets of nonsense, there are a great many out there who utilize Twitter for networking within a niche industry. This is a great way to find inspiration if you’re a designer, freelance work or just connect with others and build up contacts for your career. Believe it or not, this happens everyday. I know people who have landed industry jobs via Twitter!

Tweet with Relevance

This idea is really a big one on my mind a lot. The more relevant your Tweets and those of everyone in your network the more pay-off there is for everyone. Think about it, we often are trying to share industry tips, tuts and assets and spread the word as far as possible. Be helpful and inspirational to your network and in the end, we all get an egg in the nest.

Follow appropriately, read those Tweets

When you are partaking in a little bit of following on Twitter, do so with care. Even people associated with your industry do not always Tweet very much relevant content. Make sure you read their Tweets before you click follow. If you’re not careful, before you know it you’ll be seeing nothing but what people ate, what color their new shoes are blah blah blah!