When’s the best time to start?
March 2, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
“Is it okay to launch a site on a Monday? What if something bad happens?”
“How long does it take to learn how to do ‘this web stuff’?”
“I’m not really a computer person, but I gotta start learning these things.”
I get these questions a lot when I start working with any new client or project. They all revolve around time and possibility. How long does it take? Can I do it? Just like with anything else, it takes as long as it takes, and, for part two, ‘yes’, you can do it.
It’s easy for me to compare this to starting any kind of weight training or fitness regimen. When you start, especially if you’ve spent years on a chair and behind a desk, there’s going to be some pain involved. You’ll also want to quit. Everyday you’ll want to quit. Excuses that sound really legitimate come up and tell you why there are other things more important to do. Besides, what’s the use of running around the neighborhood or picking up iron dumbbells and putting them back down? Over and over again?
You know the answer. There’s a payoff. Eventually the iron and the fitness becomes part of you. Just like your new technology talents. You’re not a pawn being held hostage by the web guy that doesn’t return a call. Suddenly the idea of an organized calendar, notes that don’t get lost, and email hasn’t rotted in your inbox isn’t just fantasy. Your information is connected, and routine tasks are automated & streamlined. Your runway is clear and the infrastructure is there to do big things. You can lift a whole lot more than when you started, and that’s when things start to click.
But, yeah, it takes some time, work and practice. Oh, and it might hurt at first.
Professional Skills Evolution
March 1, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
There’s a lot of talk about the evolution of technical professional skills, so I put together a little chart to show how things kinda evolved. I tell people all the time that knowing MS Office isn’t enough anymore. In the early 90’s, proficiency in Word or the ability to make a kickass pivot table in Excel may have won you the day. Today, you’ll rocket to superstardom if you’re able to cut through the classic tech red tape and update a website, run a blog, create a bridge between the techs and the civilians, and, if you can automate operations… forget about it!
This is the kind of stuff Thicksole has been doing for people for over ten years, as well as training them how to do it on their own. Upgrade your technical skills, you’ll be shocked how it effects the rest of your work.
Thicksole Ships :: February 2010 Update
February 28, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
Instead of pimping every project we ship around here, an end of the month wrap up is the direction I’m leaning. So, here are the projects that shipped out of the Thicksole doors in February 2010:
- Stamford Review Update
http://stamfordreview.com
.- Wiley Geodiscoveries Blog Site
http://wileygeodiscoveriesupdates.com/
.- Techshelf Interview with Dave Mark and Jeff LaMarche
http://techshelf.com
http://techshelf.com/2010/02/15/iphone-developers-dave-mark-jeff-lamarche-interview/
.- Access Anesthesiology Blog Site for McGraw-Hill
http://www.mhprofessional.com/blogs/accessanesthesiology/
.- The MBWPicks Finder
http://mbwpicks.com/finder
When a site takes on a life of its own
February 22, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
I had the pleasure of interviewing iPhone Developer and author, Dave Mark, a few days ago and one of the interesting things that came up was the website he put together to support the readers of his book. What started out as a way for him to field a few questions here and there turned into a full-blown hang out spot for iPhone developers – both new and experienced. With close 14,000 registered users, the forum he created has taken on a life of it’s own.
During the interview he even mentions how it’s just not another thing on his todo list, but it lives without him because folks with more experience swoop in and help newcomers. All for free and all because they came together through a central idea: Dave’s book.
I pulled the clip and you can listen below. If you want to hear the whole interview (with co-author, Jeff LaMarche), just head on over to Techshelf where you can download it or listen on the site.
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Download & listen (MP3)
Skill Shift 2010 :: Introduction
February 18, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
In a lot of companies a line exists between what the tech guys do and what the marketers, publicists, and managers do with their computers. Same computers. Same horse power. Same permissions. But when it comes to updating a website, creating online content, changing images, creating a video, producing a podcast, or launching a website, that’s somehow off limits. And if not totally off limits, there are many meetings to sit through before proper procedures & protocols are created. Unfortunately, many ideas die by the time this is all knocked out.
Well, I’m here to help you get your tech skills up to par so you can do interesting things online both on your own and affordably. The goal is not to create a bunch of rogue seudo-techs that kinda know what they’re doing. Rather I want to show you the stuff that is already available and how to get in there and use it. From setting up a new domain and installing a blog, to hand editing some code and setting up a quick database.
It’s Independence Day!
I entered the white collar workforce when people were making the transition from typewriters to personal computers, and from hand distributed memos to email. It’s happening again. If you think using MS Word and Excel are enough, you’ll find yourself stuck and reliant upon people that have the knowledge and experience with HTML, blogs, CMSs, databases, and websites that keep you connected. With outdated skills, you’ll end up being a commodity instead of someone that can freely create, produce, and ship. Nobody wants that.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll cover things like setting up a domain, launching a blog, the ins and outs of Wordpress, some handy database tricks, essential HTML tags, and more. Sometimes in text, sometimes in video, and sometimes both, I’ll work to get the ideas over to you so you can take control and unleash those brilliant ideas without getting stuck in a marsh of technobabble.
Will Books Become Apps?
February 6, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
I don’t know. Nobody really does. But what we all know is that the way we get books, how we read them, and the depth we’re involved with them is changing and nobody’s going to stop it (no matter how bad some folks want to). Currently the digital delivery and consumption of text is taking off with hardware like Amazon’s Kindle, and will only increase if Apple’s iPad proves successful (which I think it will be). But, what if that’s just phase one?
Could phase two be the elimination of copy protection on the content? Nobody thought it would happen with legitimate online music stores, but Amazon led the way with selling unprotected MP3s, and iTunes quickly followed. The world didn’t end. In fact, I personally buy more music online than ever (my ‘click to buy’ finger has become quite loose as the great Merlin Mann might say). Text will likely head in the same direction. Really, it’s just natural.
But after that (or maybe before) what happens? Could you have a study group or book club built right into your book? What about a discussion area? Or related videos or ‘click for more information’ links? An electronic flashcard pack for review? Study questions? Presentation materials for instructors? Of course. Some publishers do this already but it’s clunky and can be tough to figure out. But now what if it’s all smoothly delivered and accessed from one central location – the book? Could be great, no?
With all the change and potential, there’s one thing that holds true and that’s the relationship the writer will have with the reader. I think the guys that are work-for-hire, write to the spec, take your check for $4k and hit the road will fade further and further away. But the guys and gals that have the blog that’s religiously updated for the 30, 3,000, or 30,000 (or 3mm) readers will win. Win because of the relationship, trust and reputation they built over time. Did you start building that yet?
Speculation on the Apple Tablet
January 19, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
There’s a ton of speculation on what the Apple tablet will be. A Kindle Killer? A new hope to the magazine industry? The end of netbooks? The end of laptops?
Apple does have a tendency to not only redefine things, but also create brand new categories. Who knew we needed an app store with over 100,000 apps that run on a tiny phone screen? Not me, but try to take it away now and there’s gonna be trouble. 5,000 songs in my pocket? Couldn’t leave the house without them.
But with the speculation of total industry annihilation, I don’t think it has to be a zero sum game. Maybe the Kindle will co-exist with this mystery device just fine. Maybe the mystery tablet will be a perfect extension to your laptop. The win/lose scenario is too easy to devise. The low hanging fruit. Hopefully in the end, the remarkable products rise to the top, and the average sink to the bottom.
Well, maybe it is over for netbooks. We’ll see on the 27th.
The Web Development Shift
January 13, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
Companies used to take months (sometimes years) to discuss, spec, design, build, test, and launch a website. Often, piles of money backed up these future failures, as they were often done by committee and thought of as critical to the success of a department or organization. Then, after months and months of toiling with ridiculous details (how about we try cornflower blue?) the site launches and it’s all hands on deck. Weeks (sometimes days) later, the group figures the site is live and it’s mission accomplished. The effort plunges across the board, and the site falls into obscurity.
If somebody took a Sharpie and an index card, it might look like this:
Today, using open source tools, we can keep costs low and develop fast. We put together sites that are easy to manage and update so the focus is on “post launch.” What’s the effort the group or individual takes everyday to serve the audience?
If you look at those two graphs, the frequency shift is clear. What frequency are you operating on?
Our First iPhone App
January 7, 2010 by Paul Mayson · Leave a Comment
Thicksole released it’s first iPhone app last month. Not only is it a new platform for us, but it was very exciting to work with a client that moved fast and understood the importance of “shipping”. It’s an app that is meant to support their market-leading textbook, BOONE & KURTZ CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS. Simulating a deck of flashcards, the app lets students review key terms and definitions from the 18 chapters of the book.
You can take it for a test spin here.
Exciting times around here, plus we have a couple more apps in the works.
