Mind Maps What are They Good For?

It seems as though everyone's recommending mind mapping - from my fabulous speaking coach, Connie Miller, to my business coach (can't get coached enough when you run your own business) Molly Gordon. It's suppose to help us creative types make sense of our disparate thoughts.

Last time I met with Connie, I pulled out her notes on mind mapping and read through them, "with pencil, write down in the center of a blank page the message you want your audience to be able to communicate to others, circle it." Yikes! As fun as taking medicine. Note the pencil part. Needless to say I didn't get too far as I changed my mind and erased ideas - this task is definitely made for the computer where revisions are easy.

So, I tried creating something in photoshop, but it was laborious. A few days later, Molly sent me her mind map of her ideas for her web site (which I'm redesigning) and it was so cool looking and useful. "Did you use mind mapping software," I asked her? Yes, she used Concept Draw. So, I downloaded a trial version to check it out. It's GREAT! It's everything that pencil and paper aren't.

I used it to mind map ideas for my revised web site (sample below). In ten minutes I had clicked and added "branches" that are movable so branches don't become intertwined. And, it's easy to change branch names, delete and add branches. If you're stuck on a theme for a project or speech, I'd recommend this software to anyone with more ideas than time.

Adding News Feeds to Your Site

Ok, so a number of my clients have thought about using news feeds on their web sites - specifically their home pages. Naturally, I had to find out for myself what this was all about. Maybe my site could use some news feeds.

I was hoping that I could go to my favorite blogs (such as Fast Company), click on the RSS link and have their feed display on my web site. Alas, this is not how it's set up to work. The Site Feed buttons are meant to be used with third party software know as news aggregators. The thought being that you would collect all sites/or blogs you wanted to pull information from, customize what information reached you then scroll through specific news each day. Great, but I'm all about the web and if I can't share my favorite news, what's the point?

It seems there is a whole industry devoted to helping web masters create web news feeds. I found a freebee that I'm testing out in this blog called Feedroll. Basically, you pick the news provider you'd like (e.g., NPR), I picked Fast company, then you can select colors, widths and some other preferences (works best in Explorer 5.5) then it creates some html code that you cut and past into your web page where you'd like the new feed to appear. I've pasted mine below.... This may or may not work once it's live on my server. I tested it on a html page on my server and it worked...so I've got my fingers crossed.

Apparently, Blogger just allows Atom.xml news feeds and not the more common RSS news feeds, Feedroll is suppose to be compatible with both systems. It doesn't work in this text editor, so I'm going to try to embed it directly in my blog template.

It worked! I put it in the right-hand column and removed the background, so it almost looks like it was designed as part of the site.

I have to say even though Blogger is VERY easy to use, as usual, it helps to know a little html and be comfortable mucking around in code a bit.

Making Money Through Amazon

Ok, so I've been wanting to set up Amazon links on my site for AGES, but I've been patiently waiting until I redesign my site with our new logo etc. Obviously, I can't wait any longer as I think it's a great way for our clients to earn money as well.

Just think about all the books you read - how many would be useful to your grantees? business associates? visitors to your web site? And, why not make a little money for the recommendation (I'm sort of assuming your reading the books first...)?

Again, I'm happy to be your test case (I'll have a page of recommended reading on my new web site, but in the meantime just a few samples for my blog). It takes about 10 minutes to set up an Associates Account on Amazon's site, just look for the text link at the bottom of the home page. Once you have an account, you'll be able to select books, or anything from the Amazon store, generate a link with your associates code embedded in it then paste that code into your website. This will work whether it's a static HTML site or a dynamic data-base driven site with content management tools (if you have a View Source tab - if not there are workarounds).

In any event, here are some of the most recent books I've read for business - this one is PERFECT for all of my clients - an essential read if you own or run a web site:



Here are some that are perfect if you run your own business or small organization:





...and what I'm reading for fun:



Click throughs are an easy way to make some passive income and help our clients, business associates and friends at the same time. Please let me know if this idea works for your business or organization.

SWG hires Ben Lesh - Web Applications Developer

Super WebGirl, Inc., hired Ben Lesh of Seattle, WA, as a Web Applications Programer. Ben has worked as a database programmer for more than seven years. He was recently hired by SWG to develop custom web applications for our clients including e-commerce solutions, content management tools, so sites can be updated in-house without knowing any HTML.



Prior to joining SWG, Ben worked at Knowledge Anywhere, Inc. for four years where he was a systems architech and developer for various E-Learning solutions, including Learning Management Systems (LMS). Ben’s programming languages include: ASP, SQL, VBScript, JavaScript, Visual Basic, ColdFusion, DHTML, among others.

Jane Lindley opened Super WebGirl, Inc., in January of 1999, after working as a commercial photographer (Lindley Photography) and then as graphic designer (Lindley Eaton Productions, Inc.). Clients include: Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau, Port of Bremerton, YES! Magazine online, Conservation in Practice Magazine online.

SWG Poised for Rebranding - Why We Changed Our Name

“I didn’t want to be the John Eisenhauer show,” explained John Eisenhauer of Mercury Online Solutions at a recent Bainbridge Island Chamber breakfast when someone had asked why he named his company Mercury Online Solutions instead of just after himself, as so many small business owners do.

In a way, that statement sums up why I’m rebranding Super WebGirl – I don’t want it to be the Jane Lindley show - Super WebGirl has become too closely aligned with me. Too often in local newspapers I see statement such as “Super WebGirl (aka Jane Lindley)” does such and such. While Super WebGirl is currently just a two-person company with two subcontractors, we plan to continue to grow as our clients needs grow.

Plus, most potential clients can’t believe that a small company, such as ours, can offer the products and services we do. In fact a friend of mine from Microsoft was blown away when he saw our content management tools. “It’s just the two of you?” he started repeating as he clicked through our software. “You’re really software developers…this is what we’re doing at Microsoft.” Wide-eyed he turned to me after I showed him the custom client area we’re in the process of building “when do you ever sleep?” he asked.

That is the question. We need to grow to survive.

When I started Super WebGirl in 1999, I was thinking of a cross between Tank Girl and Laura Croft – tough but quirky and fun. Programmers were into dungeons and dragons and the web hadn’t become corporate America, it was the wild, wild, web – the more outrageous the better.

Now, although our company name has always got a chuckle or smile, it’s come to our attention that in today’s conservative climate our logo’s super hero outfit is considered a tad revealing instead of fun and adventurous.

So, with two strikes against our company name and logo, I started considering rebranding last January. However, when I mentioned our plans to current clients they were visibly distressed “it’s so memorable” some said, “I love Super WebGirl” others said. “Think of all the one-person brands: Eddie Bauer, Martha Stewart, Mary Kay, Hugo Boss …” still others said.

I was torn, wasn’t that what any company owner wanted? A memorable brand that people loved? But what about the racy super hero outfit (never mind that every Marvel comic book has become a movie recently)? And, the fact that company sounds small? Will that impede growth?

Holy Hat Batman! Is Super WebGirl caught in her own web? Find out in the next issue of Media Index.

Blogs and Why I chose Blogger

My goal for this blog, and the monthly newsletter I'm starting, is to provide a resource for my clients and help them find inexpensive and easy ways of marketing their sites, and to grow on-line.

I started looking into blogs last January and took a class with HTML Writers Guild (they have great on-line courses) for Moveable Type's blog software. So many of my clients have talked to me about starting blogs for their sites, I figured, I might as well be a test case for setting up a blog to see if it is as easy as I thought (it is).

Like many of my clients, my time is precious, so when the HWG course seemed to drag on and the teacher's notes were hard to follow (it was a new course, new teacher) and client deadlines started to encroach, I wasn' t able to complete the course. Moveable Type has been around the longest and has some nice features, it's competitively priced, but I chose Blogger, because it's FREE. Google owns Blogger. I set it up so it runs from my server, but you can also just have it run from their server. MoveableType sells TypePad that runs off of their servers, but they charge you a monthly hosting fee depending on which level TypePad you need.

I've always felt blogs are a young person's game and I worry that after logging 8-10hrs on the computer, I won't have the bandwidth to spend another hour blogging, but I realize I have to find new outlets to help my clients stay ahead -- I read a ton of trade journals and newspapers on a variety of subjects from business, web to graphic design and communication. When I saw an article in How Magazine (great design pub) I realized I need to share some of what I read with my clients.

Before you launch your own blog, I'd recommend reading a few blogs for a month to get a sense of what works and doesn't work for you.

If you're at all unsure, check out Lynda.com (a great resource to learn just about any software associated with the web) she's now offering on-line videos (online learning library). Blogger, for instance, is a 3.5 hour course that takes you step-by-step through the process to set up a blog. It's mind-numbingly easy. Lynda Weiman was one of the first web teachers (she came up web safe colors) and has remained the best. She offers books, dvds, cds, videos etc. I have to say the on-line videos are the best because you can open a second browser window and work along side the video.