Quick Response (QR) Codes are the next step in integrating the physical and digital worlds. With a click and an app anyone can use their smartphone to read one of these matrix style bar codes. We have had good luck with i-nigma 4 on the iPhone and QR Droid on the Android OS.

And generating a bar code for a website, phone number, SMS, or block of text can be just as easy. I use http://qrcode.kaywa.com/, but there are many options available.

The QR codes were originally developed by Denso-Wave in Japan to …

Enchantment and the Economy of Reciprocation

I once heard that a typical audience member will by entranced by 1/3 of a performance. On Thursday, March 24, I discovered it was entirely false.

That’s when I witnessed Guy Kawasaki presenting to the Commonwealth Club of California, and I was captivated from beginning to end.

For those of you unfamiliar with Guy Kawasaki, he was part of the original Macintosh marketing team and is now an author, blogger, venture capitalist, and master of simplicity and charm. Kawasaki was introducing his new book, which …

It’s nearly impossible to make a modern website without first building a site map that serves as the basis for the navigational menu. In order to achieve the most user-friendly interface for an audience, a web designer first needs to understand the site’s purpose.  Here are four navigational models that can help match purpose to navigation.
Designing for the Shortest Path
Most websites are designed on the theory that visitors know where they want to go, and would prefer to get there in the fewest number of clicks possible. The best way to accomplish this is to construct a hierarchy for …

Hey there, I’m Boris Korsunsky, the Lead Engineer at Sparked.com. I’ve had the privilege and joy of working with a talented team to create a product that addresses the needs hundreds of Non-profits every day. Sparked.com connects individuals from around the globe to serve as volunteers for causes that they’re passionate about using their professional skills.

On average only 8% of corporate employees report volunteering annually. We completely understand that, as professionals, people don’t have a lot of spare time to volunteer. This is why we take the time to ask our volunteers about their skills and interests and connect them …

We are sort of crazy about sticky notes at MB/I; there is something magical about those little squares of colored paper with their adhesive strip. Perhaps it’s that they give ideas a tangible quality, or that sticky notes are exceedingly mobile. Regardless, here are three ways we MB/I fish use sticky notes around the office.

Sticky Notes as Creative Tools

At times in our internal meetings, we clear a section of wall and throw a bunch of sticky note pads on the table along with a few sharpies. When a brainstorming opportunity arises - we write down as many ideas as possible, …

Some business owners have found that review sites such as Yelp! and Google Maps can be a boon for business, while others have developed a love/hate relationship with them.

Well, love the fact that customers can go online and express their opinion about an experience with your business or hate the fact that prospects and search engines alike are making reviews a key data point when making decisions about your business, they don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

Read the entire article at www.openforum.com

I write about writing, meaning I write about words. Today, I’m going to write about words we speak. Specifically, words we shouldn’t speak. No, I don’t mean profanity. I mean useless filler words.
Ya know what I mean?
We all know which of our friends, family or co-workers cannot utter a sentence without inserting some useless phrase. Yet most of us are unaware when verbal bad habits creep into our own conversation.

For most, it’s an unconscious habit. When the filler phrase doesn’t make sense, the speaker is probably unaware they even uttered it. Consider the common verbal tics ya know and, worse, …