desidioms

not just vickey's secret

another cool site i found this morning is the postsecret blog. post secret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. the collector of secrets, frank warren, also has a new book out called a lifetime of secrets which reveals the hidden thoughts and fears of our fellow humanity between its hard bound covers.

this is better than confession — except i'd trade 3 hail mary's for the off chance my sister finds the site and finds out her favorite shirt's been hanging in my closet for the last 5 years.

branch out

i arrived at branchhome.com earlier today, looking for a gift image to illustrate from for a little holiday project i'm working on.

everything's recycled, renewed, reclaimed, but each and everything on the site, designwise, is remarkable. the furniture gets really pricey. but what you get for the money is a wicked awesome table that's made out of recycled paper (see left) and you also get to save the world a little bit. you can't say that after you shop at crate and barrel.

go eu logos

to the left is the overall winner for the european logo design annual, or for short, "eulda."
from almost 1000 excellent entries from 33 different countries, 201 logos were chosen to be published in the eulda '07 annual. some, wait, most, okay, all of these are really tight.

learn yer PLS + TY's

you don't talk with your mouth full. you hold the door for the elderly. and you say your "please"s and "thank you"s whenever appropriate.

but your texting, instant messaging and even your myspace manners are atrocious. you should check out the mobile user's guide to the new social etiquette. from helio. apparently, these little booklets, which have been placed in magazines, are being taken out of the magazines, without that mag being purchased. if you don't like to steal, you can go to helio's social manners site.

idk about you, but i'm sfete about the fact they've created rules for the world of virtual communicating.

qbn sessions

QBN - those people that bring us Newstoday and Krop organized a design lecture series held in LA at the getty center.

here's a snippet of joshua davis' talk:

more videos and pics are online. here's a portal to the awesomeness most of us missed.

i think we need a blog, boss.

when i was at my old firm, i tried making a case to our non-tech-savvy exec vice president of operations (a self indulgent title, every account person was a vice president of something) that to further establish ourselves ahead of our direct competitor pack, that we should start a company blog. it never happened, but here was my case along with a few supporting article links:

Why We Should Blog:

"Bloggers are often experts in their niche area."

Blogs are considered as "conversational marketing" - a chance for a company/character/representative(s) to establish a relationship with potential clients before they even step foot in either party's door. They are ways to show your expertise in a particular field, or your role as an advisor to your readership.

"Business blogs provide your small business with a chance to share your expertise and knowledge with a larger audience. A powerful benefit for consultants and knowledge workers."

"A business blog is an informal, easily maintained method for regularly communicating with your customers. A business blog offers a more approachable, informal information-providing approach in which customers find enjoyment, get to know your company, and learn about your products, achievements, and innovations."

Improves search engine ranking:
"Blogging also puts you in touch with prospects in other ways. As any company with a position on the Internet realizes, hits via Google, MSN and other search engines can provide a groundswell of leads. Blogs can add further leverage to the frequency with which search vehicles identify you and your company, particularly if your blog allows readers to post a response."

It is also an opportunity to showcase new work right after it has been produced (before you even have time to write the formal case study or insert the photo of the piece into the website portfolio).

Below are more examples and support:

Advertising Opinion/Observation Examples
(Blogs that are not linked to a particular agency/firm - mainly advertising/design/culture observers.)

Adland

Adrants

Expertise/Knowledge Based Examples
(Blogs that are linked to an agency/firm/company - used to establish a relationship with readers — potential customers — as an adviser or partner before any kind of cold call or request for proposal. Blogger/agency establishes a public personality. Most of the time, the blogger/agency is contacted by a reader/potential customer first — instead of vice versa. The blogger/agency establishes a connection with potential client, so the first actual meeting is more like meeting your pen pal in person. You know each other, before you even start working together.)

Jupiter Research Analyst Blog

Ogilvy
"The Ogilvy PR Feeds are a collection of feeds from some of the most influential blogs out there"
More specifically, here are their Advertising and PR feeds.

Influx Insights
Influx, a division of Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Blog Categories: Branding, Street Cred, Technology, Lifestyle, Style, Entertainment, Interviews, Art, InfluxTV

Steve Rubel: exec at the PR firm CooperKatz & Co.

Specific Product/Marketing Examples:

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the Tipping Point and Blink

Signs Never Sleep
The official weblog of Lincoln Sign Company

blog.ucontrol.com

GM Fastlane

BusinessWeek Blogspotting

Related Articles/Support:

From Microsoft Blog: 5 Ways Blogging Can Help Your Business

What a Blog Can Do For Your Small Business

Why Blogging Matters to Business

How Many Fortune 500’s Blogging?

State of the Blogosphere