<<< Oh my! I feel a sweat coming on, my stomach is turning, I’m starting to feel a little dizzy.>>>>

Here comes my next installment of “blog anxiety” I start to take deep breaths and then I hear…

“Melanie, when was the last time you wrote a blog?”

<<<crickets, crickets, crickets>>>>

“EXACTLY!”  in a stern but humorous voice.

That short conversation was enough for me to, as they in the country…”Get r’ done”.

So, what exactly leads to blog anxiety?

Is it the fear that no one will be interested in what you have to say or maybe the risk of not being politically correct? Regardless of the reasoning, there comes a point when we have to embrace the challenge and hug the opportunity.

My first step to writing this blog was to put the laptop down and actually grab a pen and paper. I wrote out three pages of random thoughts that have yet to make it into this document.  I’m taking baby steps with my blog anxiety, one paragraph at a time!!!

The JWT annual “things to watch” list includes many categories and topics like; Cloud Security, the much gossiped about “iTV”,  travel trends, “de-tech-ing” trends,  objectifying objects and food as the new Eco-issue.  I am so excited by several of the things listed and want to touch on a few.

Anywhere, any-way shopping – This category speaks to the integration of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailing.  QR codes could play a big part in this trend by allowing consumers to scan the code of the items they want and have the items collected and ready for pick up in-store.

Gen Z – Generation Z are kids born after 2000 who have grown up on smartphones. Many families look to this group for information on gadgets and all things new on the web.  Gen Z is said to have major influence over household purchasing decisions when it comes to tech gadgets.  This generation is also more brand aware than any before it with most children able to recognize nearly 100 brands by age 3!

Baby Boomer trends – Senior Cohousing and Apps for the older demographic are areas to watch this coming year.  Boomers are getting older but they tend to stay up with the latest in the digital world.  There will be more and more apps geared specifically to this aging generation, including the glasses off iphone app, which claims to improve vision by training readers’ eyes to adapt to certain patterns.

Both of these last two provide many opportunities for marketers to think about promoting brands in new and innovative ways to audiences hungry for it.  To read the JWT list of “things to watch” check it out here.

This was the first audit that I've been involved in, so naturally, I was totally nervous  about the ordeal.  After meeting with the Auditor to understand the procedures that were involved, it actually wasn't too scary.  It was, on the other hand, very time consuming, especially when I really didn't have the time to spare with my daily work load.

The audit was very educational to me.  It helped me to understand the reason why receipts are important to keep for all of the charges that was/are made by our employees.

So, the company's resolution this year should be to save all receipts and enter purchase orders for everything we buy in a timely manner.

This is the first in a 3-part series on what to get for the advertising professional who has everything. Today: The Designer.

Designers can be tough to buy for. Most of them are high-strung and temperamental and they tend to lash out when provoked. And since they don't usually wear ties to the office, that old standby is out. So maybe try one of these suggestions this year.

1) Pantone Swag
Pantone, the color matching system, is ubiquitous in the design world. It's how a designer let a printer know exactly what color they want to see on a printed page. And along with numerous color match books that designers use to spec colors, they also sell a line of accessories that let a designer show off their "street cred" with coffee mugs, iPhone cases, and my favorite, cufflinks. Very cool gift.

2) A Whack on the Side of the Head
No, I don't mean you get to take a shot at that designer that keeps giving you static about making the logo bigger. I'm talking about the book by Roger von Oech.  It's one of my all-time favorite books on creative thinking and it has tons of tips on how to train yourself to think outside of the box.

3) Cintiq 24HD
How much do you love your designer? Do you love them $2500 worth? Because if you do, they Cintiq 24HD is kind of gift that makes sure your projects rush to the top of their task list every day. It combines the best of Wacom tablet technology and a 24" HD display so you can draw directly on the screen. I'm an old-school mouse kind of guy, but I'd love to take one of these for a spin.

4) Designer's Guide to Color
Most designer start a collection of design inspiration books when they get their first job. Books of logos. Books of business cards. Books of web sites. They can be great sources of inspiration and are fun to read, but I rarely pick them up anymore. Not a lot of repeated reading value. But the one series of books I use all the time is the Designer's Guide to Color. A five-part series of small paperback books, they are basically a color combination cheat sheet. They have pages and pages of two and three color combos. When I find myself in a "blue rut," I'll grab one of these books and find some grey and orange combination that I would never instinctively reach for.

5) A Lynda.com Subscription
On the rare occasion that we have some downtime in the studio, I love to browse through the tutorials on Lynda.com and pick up new tips and tricks and they have tutorials for pretty much every software package you could want. Want to learn to program websites from scratch? Lynda has a video. Want to learn a 3D fundamentals in Photoshop? Lynda has a video. I highly recommend checking them out.

Next up: What to get the Account Executive who wants has everything.

Back in the early Web days, the use of "click here" was defended on the grounds that users wouldn't otherwise know what to do. Authors thought that users needed hints on the basic use of their browsers. So why do people still use this language when web browsing is as commonplace for people as brushing their teeth?  Doesn’t everyone know by now that a highlighted or underlined word links to something regarding that topic?

One camp argues that ‘Click here’ has been proven to provide a higher click through ratio than descriptive anchor text. ‘Click here’ is a call to action people associate with the web, so it should be used on links to achieve the highest click through results. While some continue to defend these old ways the opposition to the term seems stronger…

When you print out a page that has the phrase “click here” it takes the link out of context. Instead of being able to see where the link goes and what it does, the user has to read the surrounding text to gain an idea of what’s going to happen. Quality guidelines suggest that anchor text should explain what a link offers.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Quality Control for webmasters suggests not using “click here” to suggest a link:

What a link means
When calling the user to action, use brief but meaningful link text that:

• provides some information when read out of context
• explains what the link offers
• doesn't talk about mechanics
• is not a verb phrase

For instance, avoid the following sentence on your page:

To download W3C's editor/browser Amaya, click here.
or:
To download Amaya, go to the Amaya Website and get the necessary software.

Both of these sentences divulge too much of the mechanics of getting the Amaya software. If you want to call your reader to action, use something like:

Get Amaya!

Note that "get" is left out of the hypertext; we do not recommend putting verb phrases in link text. Thus, rather than:
Tell me more about Amaya.

You should write:
Tell me more about Amaya: W3C's free editor/browser that lets you create HTML, SVG, and MathML documents.

A descriptive link should always be used to help increase your site’s usability, accessibility and optimization for search engines. It does make sense that highlighting keywords rather than “click here” would be more effective for SEO. What does “click here” have to do with your topic? Well, nothing. It is be interesting to look at banner ads and notice there call to action usually has something other than ‘Click here,’ i.e. ‘learn more’ or ‘get it now.’

Warren Lynch, a Louisville photography legend, officially retires today. Many of us at CurrentMarketing have had the pleasure of working with Warren over his long career of making beautiful images for advertising and marketing purposes.

We wish Warren the best as he enjoys a new chapter in his life: retirement.

Warren -
Thanks for all the great work you have done for us, and others in our community. Your attention to detail, expert lighting and laid-back attitude will be missed.

Scroll to the bottom to see a gallery of Warren's work, collected from his website.

In the spirit of fun, we asked Warren a few questions as a tribute:

CM: What's the strangest thing you have ever been asked to shoot?
WL: I am going to say it was the monkey jumping up and down on a mattress. Somehow, at the time it looked like a normal thing to do. I have no idea what the reason was..I think the drugs the AD's were using were more interesting in those days.

CM: Were you always the one behind the camera at all the family holidays?
WL: I was, until the time I was shooting a nephew's wedding, but I had a little too much punch and the pictures got more and more ‘artistic’ as the evening wore on. The last few rolls disappeared and I was never asked to do another wedding for free!

CM: After spending all this time shooting commercially, do you ever shoot just for fun?
WL: I do a lot of amateur shooting for fun. I have always been interested in astrophotography. You know where you strap a camera to a telescope, and stay up all night waiting for certain stars and such. I can already see this getting out of hand and costing a lot of money.

CM: What's the worse crime against photography: Sears Portrait Studios or Glamour Shots?
WL: Since those places are not in the same business I am in, I think they are a great way to separate people from their money, thereby helping the overall economy.
I do think if you pay money and you feel you got ‘ripped off,’ it makes you think and appreciate good or interesting photography.

CM: Photoshop: "Takes the art and skill out of what I do" or "Makes my life 1000X easier"
WL: Sort of a mixed emotion here. A little of both. I remember times before Photoshop and it did not stop people from insisting on trying to do impossible layouts,(see answer 1 about good drugs.), like flying chicken wings. Somehow we would get something on film that somebody would spend weeks on putting together some how with scissors and glue. Sometimes no matter how much skill or art you pump into a shot it still looked...how should I gently say this...CRAPPY!
So the photo Saints looked down and said we need to help these people. Poof–Photoshop was invented. So crappy just gets done a lot faster.
When we first got into Photoshop we would say we can fix it in Photoshop and found we were volunteering to do a lot of editing that should have been fixed on camera. So now we always say "you can fix it in Photoshop." Because every agency or studio has an expert on staff, which can be good or bad. I still feel a photographer needs some Photoshop skills but to be a Photoshop expert you really need to spend most of your time editing and then are you an editor or photographer.

CM: What's the farthest you have ever traveled to shoot?
WL: I went to LaGrange to shoot a bull. No kidding this was a big ass bull and they did ads for you know, artificial cow stuff. I had to shoot through a fence because the week before he put one of “the hands” in the hospital. So LaGrange is my answer. Which is sort of exotic with that whole ‘La’ and then ‘Grange’ spelling.

CM: What was your first camera?
WL: Cameras are like tools. They are a means to get your work done…which means I can't remember...OK I am old and my memory only goes back to the 60’s.

Got any easier questions?

CM: What’s your favorite shot you've ever taken?
WL: Of course, FRESH PAINT. Julius Friedman came to me with the shot he had somebody else attempt before. So I was 2nd string and did it and thought it was fun and all. Julius put the finishing touches on at the printer with making the eggs red and blue. This was before Photoshop so Julius would camp at the printers until they did what he wanted. So when he showed it to me I thought it was "good" but when it got into National Museum poster collection and won about a kazillian awards, I thought it became great. GREAT ART!!

CM: Smartphone cameras: good, bad or ugly
WL: Greatest invention since girls. I used mine recently to do some interesting furniture pictures. I just wish all this technology was invented 30 year ago when I was just getting into the business.
I love the artist that does his art on his iPhone (in bed) then emails it to the gallery where he has 20 phones hanging and each day…new art. That is art.
Also we will be using the iPhone at our open house as a means of communication so I don't have to talk to anybody.

CM: Digital versus film?
WL: I could not wait ‘til film died because of the water pollution it caused during process. I think art wise it was a much cooler medium but commercially digital has been great. After getting use to the digital process there is no comparison. I love it.

CM: Who was the best ping pong player you faced over the years?
WL: Some smart-ass kid AD came in and had never played ping pong and after a few minutes I could not return a serve and he could send everything back. He was a natural athlete so I never invited him back. Asshole.

CM: How many Hawaiian shirts do you own?
WL: Are you asking this because you think I am cool or funny looking? I think I look very cool in Hawaiian shirts. Which of your people asked that question? It's not polite to make fun of old men and their attire. Hummmmph.

CM: What was the best or favorite thing you shot that was never used by the client/agency?
WL: Of course every photographer at some time in his career thinks he has a better idea than the client. So I have done extra pictures that I thought were better for the job. Most clients are polite and would say ‘we will run it by them’ which is code for ‘that sucks.’ More assholes!
Well, the weirdest thing was, we shot for 3 months for an unnamed local appliance manufacturing company, and they wanted everything black and white because of budget cutting, but during the time we started shooting and final printing they decided color was better and they found some money. So we reshot everything on a rush basis meaning we stayed up for several nights, charging OT to get the same work done again. Another example of why God invented digital.

CM: What's the most bizarre thing you've put in the deep fryer and eaten?
WL: The tastiest were the valentine Sweet-Tarts. We first dipped them in fish batter and experimented with different times.  I think we were very, very bored.
Nobody would try the rubber ducky, But, it looked delicious.

CM: You've done amazing work over the years, what is the worst thing (or project) you had to shoot?
WL: It's all great and I loved every minute of it. (code for...I hate this shit) Especially when they pay me to do it.
When I think in the middle of a shot, ‘I have done 10,000 times’ and then I think, ‘why am I doing this? Oh it's my job!’ But some times I do wonder –when the final product is nothing but landfill in the end. Is that cynical enough for you? I got more.
You know some of the things you would think would be bad sometime turned out the most fun because It was something you don't do everyday.
Like the time the pigs bit my hand. I didn't know pigs bite. (State Fair poster, don't ask.)
Or one time I did some filming in New Mexico inside a tunnel they were digging to get water to an Indian reservation. It was dark, it was wet, it was filthy, and it was fun. We had a ball!
Oh I said LaGrange was farthest, but I lied. Am I supposed to be telling the truth here? Oops.

CM: Besides photography (and occasionally ping pong) what talents do you have the most people don't know about?
WL: I am a great fisher-person. Ask Jim LIndsey. I need more practice, which is on the agenda after I am outta here. Also I like to make tall grass short. I spend a lot of time doing that. I am also taking lessons on the Dobro, which I love but need a lot more time on it. I plan to be a bluegrass star in my next life.

We love you Warren! Thanks for all the great memories!!!

Click the image below to see a few of our favorite shots from Warren.

Our recent influx of staff has required that the Traffic Department, Department heads and our Developware CSR to have a set of "process" meetings to discuss how the whole company and each department can more effectively and efficiently move projects through the agency.

First, our Traffic Department & our Developware CSR met to discuss where we see issues and came up with solutions and/or helpful tips that will help each department work better together.

Second, our Traffic Department & Developware CSR met with the interactive and media department heads to get their feedback on what their staff can do better and what others can do to help them better do their task at hand. These two departments seem to be the most misunderstood, meaning no one really knows all the steps it takes to get to the end result.

Third, the Traffic Department has individual meetings with each department along with their direct supervisors. In these meetings, traffic shares helpful tips and reminders of what our processes are. Then we had open discussions on various topics that will make projects run smoother and with less mistakes and wasted time. We also take notes from the staff on what traffic can do better/differently.

Once the meetings are over, our CSR prepares a recap for us and it is up to the Traffic Department to implement any changes and make sure everyone is following the processes discussed in said process meetings. This can be a daunting task, but a necessary one in order to make the company stronger as a team and more profitable.

We will continue to have these meetings more frequently throughout the year as business trends and staff change. And it never hurts to keep our agreed upon processes fresh in our minds, if we revert back to our old ways, we open ourselves up for chaos.

I HATE going to the doctor. H.A.T.E. I.T. Between the hold time to make an appointment, the wait in the waiting room, the wait in the exam room, the discomfort of the imminent poking and prodding and the anxiety of the forthcoming expense that follows – how could someone [who isn't a sadist] ENJOY this process?

Despite all of the distasteful components, however, I actually enjoyed my most recent visit to the doctor. Let me preface this by saying that all of the unpleasantness I mentioned above took place without fail. No relief on that front. Ugh.

What made it bearable, even enjoyable, was the bedside manner. The nurses and doctors were friendly and accommodating, which was refreshing, of course. But they explained what was happening and why at every step of the way.

So, what does all of this have to do with advertising? Sheesh! Hold on to your trousers – I'll tell ya!

The healthcare process can be a lot like the client-agency relationship. Clients come to us for help with symptoms they can't explain and for which they have no discernible treatment. We're not just talking nosebleeds or stubbed toes here. We're talking cancer...amputated limbs...loss of eyesight. That's how big their marketing dilemmas are.

And, sometimes, I bet they feel like a patient – waiting forever with little explanation, inexplicable proddings, ceaseless questions, needless examinations, mysterious billings...

My experience at the doctor made me realize that it's so important for us to exude a positive, supportive, honest and consultative beside manner. Our clients may not, as a result, mind a short wait (short...NOT long), a little prodding and a fair bill. If we explain what's happening step-by-step, there are no surprises and the client leaves our shop feeling happy and excited about us as a partner.

Some time ago, a dear friend told me about his ideal business. It wouldn't necessarily involve a particular good or service, persay; rather, it would be something he could do with people he enjoys. I love that idea. I am learning that life's about the impressions we leave on one another. The client approach is really no different. A client should always feel like they can confide in us, spend as much time with us as they like and that we're as invested in the health of their company as they are.

It's really kind of funny to me that the agency partnership, in spite of massive evolutions in technology and capabilities, truly does rely on something as simple as a pleasant phone call, a hand-written note or an in-person chat over breakfast or lunch. Pretty similar to a visit to the ole doc, wouldn't you say?

Out of habit, I read everything that comes in the mail.  I was very disappointed to see this piece from a higher education organization with not one, but two typos before I even broke the wafer seals.

How many times should a document get proofed before it goes to print? Who are responsible parties when it's time to proof?

It's protocol here to make sure all materials go through a thorough proofing process before they are published or printed, and even after the client's final approval.

What is your proofing protocol?  Is it worth a few extra minutes to reread what you've already read and also let someone else put their eyes on it?

I don't think so...I KNOW SO!!!

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, has been taking down domains in the name of copyright infringement under the Operation in Our Sites campaign. There has been some controversy about the process employed to take the domains down since some sites are removed without finding legal authority first. Critics such as Senator Ron Wyden made the following statements about the process in this article:

“Moreover, in contrast to ordinary copyright litigation, the domain name seizure process does not appear to give targeted websites an opportunity to defend themselves before sanctions are imposed,”

“As you know, there is an active and contentious legal debate about when a website may be held liable for infringing activities by its users. I worry that domain name seizures could function as a means for end-running the normal legal process in order to target websites that may prevail in full court.”

Piracy Network claims the process is unconstitutional for the following five reasons:

1. The Government Seizes The Domains Without Prior Notice And Hearing.
2. Seizures of Protected Speech Without a Hearing Violates The First Amendment.
3. There Is No Concern That The Accused Will Flee With Their Domains.
4. There Is An Unacceptable Risk Of Wrongful Seizure.
5. Targeted Sites Are Not Given An Immediate Opportunity To Reclaim Their Domain.

Looking beyond the process in which the domains are seized, it is also questionable as to whether or not this process does any good. Since the site itself is not seized, only its domain, the site can reappear on another domain fairly quickly, which defeats the purpose of taking it down at all. Once the domain is seized all the site owner has to do is purchase another domain and the site is back up and running.

A developer with a site called MAFIAAfire.com ( the acronym MAFIAA stands for Music and Film Industry Association of America) got word of the questionable nature of the process and developed a program that redirects users from the old domain to the new domain, which he/she added as an extension to Firefox, and later Chrome.

Before the new extension was available for Google Chrome, Mozilla received a request from DHS/ICE to take down the extension. Instead of taking it down, Mozilla requested answers to the following questions, according to techdirt.com:

"To help us evaluate the Department of Homeland Security's request to take-down/remove the MAFIAAfire.com add-on from Mozilla's websites, can you please provide the following additional information:

1. Have any courts determined that MAFIAAfire.com is unlawful or illegal in any way? If so, on what basis? (Please provide any relevant rulings)
2. Have any courts determined that the seized domains related to MAFIAAfire.com are unlawful, illegal or liable for infringement in any way? (please provide relevant rulings)
3. Is Mozilla legally obligated to disable the add-on or is this request based on other reasons? If other reasons, can you please specify.
4. Has DHS, or any copyright owners involved in this matter, taken any legal action against MAFIAAfire.com or the seized domains, including DMCA requests?
5. What protections are in place for MAFIAAfire.com or the seized domain owners if eventually a court decides they were not unlawful?
6. Can you please provide copies of any briefs that accompanied the affidavit considered by the court that issued the relevant seizure orders?
7. Can you please provide a copy of the relevant seizure order upon which your request to Mozilla to take down MAFIAAfire.com is based?
8. Please identify exactly what the infringements by the owners of the domains consisted of, with reference to the substantive standards of Section 106 and to any case law establishing that the actions of the seized domain owners constituted civil or criminal copyright infringement.
9. Did any copyright owners furnish affidavits in connection with the domain seizures? Had any copyright owners served DMCA takedown notices on the seized domains or MAFIAAfire.com? (if so please provide us with a copy)
10. Has the Government furnished the domain owners with formal notice of the seizures, triggering the time period for a response by the owners? If so, when, and have there been any responses yet by owners?
11. Has the Government communicated its concerns directly with MAFIAAfire.com? If so, what response, if any, did MAFIAAfire.com make?"

I believe Mozilla couldn't have handled this in a better way. By forcing them to go through the appropriate processes before adhering to their request, Mozilla is standing up for the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' instead of the 'guilty until proven innocent' process (or lack there of) that we have seen.

References:
Mozilla Stands Up to US Government Takedown Request
Mozilla Stands Homeland Security
Homeland Security Demands Mozilla Remove Firefox Extension that Redirects Seized Domains
Mozilla Stands Up to US Government Over Firefox MAFIAA Fire Add-on
US Domain Name Seizures Alarmingly Unprecedented
Senator Wyden Demands Feds Justify Domain Seizures
5 Reasons Why the US Domain Seizures Are Unconstitutional
MAFIAA Fire a Firefox