Social Media World Forum
Image courtesy of Nimages DR
Fancy going to the Social Media World Forum? I’ve got a two-day conference pass worth $850 that needs an owner.
There’ll be speakers from Google, Ford, Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, Starbucks, GM, Walmart, Kodak, Technorati, LinkedIn, and plenty more.
The two-day pass includes:
- Entry to the conference and presentations
- Access to the pre-event online meeting planner Conference Materials
- Refreshments throughout each day including full buffet lunch
- Entry to networking drinks reception
- Post show digital access to speaker presentations
For a chance to win just leave a comment saying something you’d change about my blog (the design, topics of chat, frequency of posts—anything really). I’ll list a randomly chosen winner on my Twitter page this Friday (October 9th), along with collection info.
You’ll obviously need to be in California in November (I can’t unfortunately), and there’s more event info here.
Oh, and if you can’t make it, but still have a suggestion, I’d love to know. Just remember to tell me not to include you in the draw.
Related posts
44 appreciated comments on “Social Media World Forum”
Anything to add?
All comments are moderated so you may experience a short delay before yours appears. Comments should be respectful of other voices in the discussion, and I reserve the right to edit or delete comments at my discretion.
Please use your real name. Keywords will be removed.
Hi David,
My suggestion is to add the option of subscribing to your blog via newsreaders, e.g., Google reader. I looked to do just that. Couldn’t find a way. Maybe I missed it.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter your contest. Would be awesome to attend!
Warmly, Tina
Hello,
That’s nice of you to offer up a pass to the Social Media World Forum.
Looking at the article “How to create interactive PDF forms”. I was sad to see I couldn’t check out your logo design questionnaire – its great that you are too busy to take on clients – but I wish you would still share!
that’s the only change I could manage to come up with.
Cheers,
Kim
p.s. you were adorable on your fist video blog post, I hope the nerves settle in and you keep them coming.
Tina – I follow David via Google Reader with no problem. Try again.
David – can’t be in California, so do not enter me in your contest, but should be interesting.
marge
Hello David,
Maybe update your picture? Its hard to come up with a suggestion for you…
Victor Zuniga
Thanks Marge, did you subscribe manually? Didn’t see the little Google reader chicklet.
David- thanks for the opportunity. I would suggest a couple subtle design changes to the blog. I’m an admitted ultra-minimalist but I think the content on your pages is too good to get lost by being surrounded by such busy sidebars. There is a lot going on there and it doesn’t reflect your great design portfolio and the good looking work you have done IMHO. Just some slight tweaking (maybe a two column style or hiding some of your personal info/headshot) would look awesome. Thanks,
Gabe
Hmmm, tough one. You post frequently enough and your topics are usually quite good so if I was to nit-pick at the design – I think I would change the ico to a version of your logo.
I think the main thing I would change would be the design of the two side navigations.
I understand that they have been designed to the same stylings but there doesn’t seem to be a visual hirearchy to these sections. I have never even noticed those sections until now as I firced myself to look at the whole layout.
Maybe you could add some contrast to these sections.
I can’t get to California sadly so don’t worry about the prize-draw for me
Good stuff, everyone. I’ll reply to each of your points here.
That’s a surprise, Tina. I show a “subscribe” button in my top and bottom navigation bars, as well as at the foot of every blog post, and in the section at the top of the right-hand sidebar. Once you click on the feed link, you should be given a choice of feed readers. Maybe I should make the “Freshly delivered” title more obvious—”subscribe for updates” or something similar.
Hi Kim, I actually found that my PDF form caused more trouble than it was worth. I’d highly recommend using an online form instead, or posing your questions in a text file. Both options are much more straightforward for clients. Thanks for the props on my video post, by the way. I’ll create some more once my book’s finished, and that’s hopefully within a few weeks.
Good of you to subscribe, Marge, and thanks for replying to Tina.
Funny you mention my picture, Victor. I wonder if it’d be better just to remove it altogether, and spare my readers until they view the “about” page.
Gabe, I’m keen on minimal designs too, and agree, there’s a fair bit in the sidebars. But then, if I get rid of any, it won’t be as easy for people to view the archives, and with more than 350 posts, that might be a shame. You know, I’ve been thinking about launching a kind of “studio” website, whereby only my projects and testimonials are shown. I’ve registered http://www.davidaireydesign.com for the purpose, but I’m not convinced on the name. Opting for something a little more abstract, less obvious, might be the way to go this time. Not sure.
dc3, and the logo—that’s another element I plan on changing. There was me thinking that once the book’s finished I’ll have some time to relax.
Michael, how often would you say you visit? I’m surprised you never noticed the sidebars. I think I tried them with a black background at one point, but found them too heavy. Maybe I could go with gray.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. Much obliged.
Hi David,
Good to connect with you. Love your work. Interesting that. I see all the places you mention but don’t get the option to subscribe to a newsreader (hence my suggestion) only via RSS. The good news is I subscribed manually. You rock!
Warmly, Tina
I’d like to see more posts on your design work or your design process…
I think the suggestion of a 2 column design maybe good, I look forward to seeing what happens with the “studio” website.
Don’t worry about the prize, I can’t get there!
hi David..cant make it to california, but my suggestion is to put target:_blank on each url that leads to external site. so it opens in new tab. maybe there is reason why you have it like this :)..but anyway this is my suggestion :) other then that i think your site is cool..clean, simple easy to use :) i enjoy coming here every time:)
I’d make the social share options more blatant. I see them there at the bottom of your post, but they don’t really catch my eye any more than the text. I’d also consider importing a Twitter feed instead of just asking people to follow you on Twitter…more impact!
That’s kind of you to say, Tina. Excuse my ignorance, but I’m not sure why you’d want to subscribe to a newsreader—or did you mean subscribe with a newsreader? I thought you keep updated by subscribing to my RSS feed, and view the posts in your chosen reader.
Mike, I get that a fair bit. Seems the process posts are most popular, and that’s one reason why I’m writing a book about it. There are a few projects backed-up to be shown here, and once I send the book artwork to press I’ll get back to those, cheers. And I see you’re using “design” after your name in the URL. Was that because mikeingham.com was taken, or is that what you wanted from the outset?
Tomas, there was a lengthy chat here a while back about links in new windows. I advise everyone to steer clear of the “_blank” or “new” tag. Visitors know how to use the “back” button, and there’s always the “right click” if you want a new tab (I use that a lot). Thanks for the suggestion, though.
Erin, the Twitter feed import’s a nice idea. I’ll definitely look into that. But where the social icons are concerned, I’m not overly keen on showing a lot of multi-coloured logos at the foot of every post. Perhaps it’d make a difference, but I’m not convinced. Have you found it useful on your blog?
I like to make the option available since I’m trying to weave a web that gets people where they really utilize social media…figure I’ve gotta practice what I preach! :)
hey David, I suggest you add more RESOURCE articles for other designers, I think it would be interesting to see where someone like yourself find resources online (fonts, vectors, etc).
thanks man! great work!
mike
Hi David,
My suggestion would be to do something remarkable with your top navigation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that same menu. it’s become ubiquitous amongst weblog templates. You’re a creative guy, make the menu bold and iconic.
I would love to attend this event and sharpen my social media knowledge, it’s also a refreshing opportunity to escape the Canadian cold.
Cheers
David,
Honestly, I cannot find anything to change. Keep up the good work!
And do not enter me into your drawing – as I will already be in attendance.
I’d tweak the horizontal navigation (Home/About/…) so that all the links turn orange on hover, as they do in the sidebars. I notice this currently happens only for the Subscribe button, but I’m not sure it’s particularly effective at making the button stand out, since it really works only if a user hovers over the entire navigation bar. Plus the button’s separation sets it apart anyway.
Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the shot at the conference, and the clever way you’ve managed to put a broad set of eyeballs to work :)
Blog needs more updates on your book deal, I’m hanging out for a copy :P
Funny enough I would have said the questionnaire too!
I agree on the opening links in a new tab that aren’t from your site. It’s much more user friendly and it means people “stay” on your site. I know you said you advise people to stay clear but my research has shown that it’s better because a) not everyone gets the back button and b) it still keeps people on your site. They have to close your window/tab besides the one they went to, gives them a second chance to see something else on your site to go to.
Sheri
I would recommend adding some guest posts by users that are frequent readers of your site.
Thanks for all the great articles.
-Esin
Hi David, I decided I wanted to use my name, which was taken so yea I went for design on the end, which I don’t mind really, guess it helps with search engines a little.
I won’t be, BUT, I wish I were.
Michael, not sure if you’ve seen it, but if not, you might like this compilation of logo resources.
Farmarz, that’s a fair point. My site nav has been based on Derek Punsalan’s work on the Grid Focus theme for a while now. I’m no coder, so it won’t be easy beating it, but a fair point all the same. Cheers.
Sheri, the way I see it is if someone wants to stay on my site, they’ll either right-click for a new tab, or use the back button. I don’t want the links that I visit to force a new window, so I treat others as I would treat myself. But yes, I get that questionnaire one a lot. I guess it got to me a little when I saw so many others copy it word for word.
Esin, that’d be the least I could offer to regular readers. From time to time I’ll receive random emails asking me to publish a pre-written post. It’s rare that I have, because the quality is often lacking, but I’m sure that many regular readers would be better at drafting a post.
Thanks again, everyone.
How do most people (potential clients) find you, David? Do they land on the home page or more often on a blog post because they are searching for that particular topic? I am thinking of the home page for this site; what if it is more like a portal? You could have a section for your portfolio, the blog and the major client pages like your fabulous FAQs, contact, testimonials. Of course, you could leave these on the main nav, too, but the home page would be completely different. Does that make sense? Let me know if not and I’ll try to find some examples.
It seems that clients have been asking me more and more about what they can do with social media and their business, so I would love the opportunity to learned from the pros! This is a great giveaway, David!
Maybe show preview thumbnails next to your articles in the sidebar? An image might help with more clickthrough?
Dave ;)
David, I really like your stuff. I don’t have any meaningful comments right now other than to say keep up the good work.
Hello David,
I love your blog…my only suggestion would be to add more specifics on pricing. Seems to be the toughest part for me. I’ve tried to create a pricing structure to help with estimates – but hard to set it and stick to it.
Thanks!
Anna
Gabe, I am going to disagree with you on the suggestions of removing the stuff David has in the upper left corner. It is not coincidence or people copying that a lot of designers have a photo of themselves and portfolio links in that location. Since research shows readers eyes linger the most in those areas, his portfolio and about him links should be in or adjacent to that region.
David, as for a studio site, I think you ought to just point the DNS entry of davidaireydesigns.com to this site. First it would save you the hassle of running and maintaining 3 sites. While you do not post every day even across this site you still have your interactions with readers, researching your posts, backend stuff with WordPress as well as all your work for clients and your book.
Second from my perspective this site is central to your branding. You have a very strong personal brand built here. I would not be surprised in the least if places like Pentagram were sending you offers based simply on reading your blog and seeing your work. I think anyone who would interview you would find most of what they wanted to know simply by reading. Your work is on display, your personality is presented, your work ethic shows, etc.
My last point against another site is your SEO. The job you did on this site in that regard is phenomenal. When I refer classmates and instructors here, I do not even have to tell them your URL but rather “Google ‘graphic designer’ and he is the third result”. Do you think you would be able to get similar placement with davidaireydesigns.com?
Good question, Lauren. I’ve no idea what page my clients see first, but I know it’s not always the home page (I’ve been told I was found through links pointing to my blog posts).
The portal idea is one I’ve been thinking about, just like you suggest. It’s a good option, and one I’d need a fair bit of coding help with, so probably worth hiring a developer if I go that route.
I gave that a shot, Dave (images in sidebars), but I was never happy with the images I was showing, and found it threw the balance out. Thanks for the suggestion. Reckon it’d be more appropriate if I do go with the portal idea.
Thanks, Anna. You can take some comfort, at least, that you’re definitely not alone on the pricing front.
Jon, that’s kind of you to say, thanks. My idea with the “studio” site was to create a more static showcase of work, and in a more professional design style (I’m not happy with what I have here). So in that sense, it wouldn’t need much maintenance, except for the occasional case study update. But you make some very good points, and they back up what Lauren had to say, too, how a portal would be a good option—where on the homepage I show a section for the blog, with some recent headlines or a few thumbnails to click, a section for the portfolio, one for the book, one for FAQs / testimonials etc.
Or, maybe it’s just fine as it is, and all I need is a redesign to keep me happy.
Sometimes I think too much.
David,
I would offer a suggestion to improve your blog if I knew what you wanted to achieve. What is the visitor’s call to action? Do you want to increase traffic or email subscriptions? Gain more clients? Develop another revenue stream? Obviously you have to ask and answer these questions to yourself. Another option is to integrate a poll on the site and learn more about what visitors want.
Mark
You’re very welcome.
I do not know what traffic stats package(s) you use, but one suggestion I have for you is to look at SiteMeter. It gives you a breakdown of several stats including what pages your visitors come in on so you can see overall and user-by-user what is the first page they load and what was the last page they were on before they went someplace else or closed the browser.
As for your design and not being happy, are we ever happy with stuff we design for ourselves? I still pull my hair out trying to design a logo for myself and it is crunch time as I now have my domain parked and I need to get business cards out to press. Clock is even ticking more with a December 11th portfolio showcase at school. Part of my problem is just not being satisfied and overly tweaking things.
But what about an external page outside of WordPress here on this site though?
One thing I would also suggest is maybe add some liquidity to the central column as a nod to the wide screen users. Set it to a range (i.e. 800-1200 pixels) so that it is comfortable for 4:3 users and wide screen users are neither cramped or feel like they are watching a tennis match when they read. I myself use a 20″ widescreen at 1650×1080 and there is a lot of white space after I get below your sidebars.
David, the only change I would make to your site is your navigation. The text is a little small for reading, but your top navigation roll-over makes it difficult to know what tab I’ve rolled over. I like the bottom navigation with the reverse text on roll-over. If you didn’t want to use the color orange for anything else but the subscribe tab, what about doing a reverse on the top navigation – making it roll to black text/white background on hover? That would make a direct opposite to the bottom navigation.
I really enjoy following your blog and Twitter comments. Learning from the pros helps keep me in the know!
Good question, Mark.
There are a number of things I want to achieve with my blog. The first goal I set, way back when, was to attract clients. That’s still important, but also, I’ve found that the more people who contribute with blog comments, the more I can learn and improve the work I do, so building a sense of community is a priority, too.
Jon, I use Google Analytics. At least, I have a quick look at it every once in a while. It’s so indepth I’m sure there are courses on how to read the results. As for not being satisfied with our work, I hear you.
Lisa, good of you to take time, and I’m glad you enjoy the content.
So everyone knows, I gave all entrants a number, then used Matt’s random number generator to draw a winner.
Jon Liebold’s the lucky guy, and I’ve emailed him with collection details. Enjoy, Jon!
Hi David,
I don’t comment on the website much, but I do visit quite frequently. I enjoy your posts as all here do. I think one of the main things that makes your blog unique is the touch of personality (after all there are many blogs about logos). I know you mention previously about removing the pic all together and just leaving those to view the ‘about’ page – but I say leave it! In fact, my suggestion is that you add more pics of yourself. Images of you at conferences, working with clients, designing the great logos that you design, etc. Your vast experience and ability to relate to your readers through writing is what makes this site great – would you tell a client to defer from anything that helps establish their USP? More pics of you I say!
David,
I realize the drawing is over but had to say that I definitely think you should keep your picture as part of the blog structure instead of reserving it for the about page. Having a picture adds personality and reminds us that we aren’t interacting with a computer; we’re interacting with a person.
Also, I’m looking forward to your book’s release. Best of luck to you!
- Crystal Aria
I now see that I missed Dean’s comment … and just reiterated it. Maybe that shows that there is a consensus!
Thanks for the encouragement, Dean, Crystal. Thanks very much.
Hi David,
I have been following your blog for a really long time now, but I am a lurker and don’t leave comments. Time to change that I thought and I just wanted to say how much I love all your posts and the fact that you reply to almost every comment. It’s great to see you make that connection with your readers especially since you are so popular….
Good of you to say, Bakula. Bye for now.
on the social media buttons point already mentioned, how about not using the coloured buttons?
you’re a logo designer, make your own, ones which fit in with the style of this blog, my first thought would be line art versions of some of the circular “badge” style buttons, in the same colour as the text.
I think that would be a good compromise, adding more style to what is already there, but not compromising the design of the site (or your brand)
It’s partly to do with the colours, Chris, but also to do with the clutter. If I can remove anything from my website without affecting legibility and ease of navigation, I’m all for that. Thanks for your suggestion, though.