The primary purpose behind the creation of this site is to share and educate others in areas of weakness, or provide informative information which will in turn allow our readers to “make your websiteDazzling;” hence the name “WebDazzling.” With that said, there’s more to making your website “dazzling” than the content and graphics.

Brand Identity

It is important to think of yourself as a brand. What does that mean? Today’s technology allows anyone the ability to search the Internet for information. Potential employers/clients in today’s market are making use of Google and other search engines to find out information about you. Your name is a brand.

What is Your Online Identity Score

Online Identity Calculator  provides you with a quick rating of your name as a “brand.” Look to the right sidebar on this site for an example of their widget (put one on your site too if you like). It uses information proved through Google in order to determine if your “Online Identity” is positive, negative, or non existent. Credit to @marenhogan from Twitter and http://marenated.com/ for bringing this to my attention.

How to Create a Brand

Create a FaceBook account with your name. FaceBook, unlike MySpace seems to be where the “professionals” hang out. I have an account on both; however I use my FaceBook for more professional acquaintances and socialization. With that said, my advice to anyone on either of these two sites would be to use caution and be careful who you accept as a friend. I had a bad experience on one of these sites. Someone created a fictitious profile and decided to send horrible messages and make profound comments regarding my family. So, if you are always wondering why there is only 1 photo of Chris Hebert on any given site – this is the reason. I immediately pulled any personal information pertaining to my family and made all social media 110% professional.

Kicked to the Curb

The best advice I can give is this: do not make friends with people you may be embarrassed to expose to other potential employer’s/clients. In other words, if your 30 something years old and have a bunch of friends showing themselves naked and drunk on the floor passed out, you may wish to evaluate your selection of friends. I try to carefully research each person prior to accepting a friendship. Also, do not be afraid to terminate a friendship if they are potentially dangerous to your image. Put yourself in the employer/client’s shoes. Would you hire yourself giving the negative media exposure surrounding your name? If you answered “no,” it is time to re-evaluate and make some serious changes.

FaceBook Guru

@marismith on Twitter is who you should follow for exceptional tips & advice pertaining to FaceBook. Mari Smith, also quite a few wonderful sites as well:
http://whyfacebook.com/
http://facebook4pros.com
http://marismith.com
Mari Smith is recognized as an expert on giving helpful information pertaining to FaceBook, go ahead and subscribe to one of her blogs & tell her Chris Hebert said “hello.”

Put Your Face On

Basically, choose your photo (avatar) carefully – it is a representation of yourself. In addition, be cautious which friends you allow into your social media life. When creating social media accounts – try to use your name as a “user name,” in order to continue to create a brand for yourself. Lastly, make wise choices in life and use common sense. If it would embarrass you in front of your children later in life, DON’T DO IT NOW!

One final thought, go to http://www.godaddy.com and see if your name is available for a domain name. I didn’t jump at the chance when I was advised to, and now my name has been taken by a gentleman with the same name. The early bird gets the worm, as they say.

Continue down the brand identity path, and good things will follow.

Drop us a line and let us know what you have done to benefit yourself as a “brand.”

Tags: Misc, Social Networking by Chris Hebert
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Ahhh yes January. Time for New Years resolutions, weight loss commercials, and exercise equipment. It’s also a reminder of what we have been too relaxed about in our lives, and what we need to reclaim for next year.

The end of 2008 is quickly approaching. There’s a great deal of blogs displaying their New Years reflections and 2009 wish lists. For me, I have never been one to make a New Years resolution; it seems pointless to promise to do something that will not be. Instead, New Years is a time to be more organized. Out with the old, and in with the new. I am a computer geek chick, for those of you who are unfamiliar with me. The beginning of the New Year is a time for a fresh start (on my computer).

Whether you’re a Mac or a PC owner:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I just love that saying. It has saved my butt many times over.

Isn’t it funny how we spend more time caring for our car, than we spend on preventative maintenance for our computer? Most individuals spend at least 8 hours a day on their computers and tend to take for granted it will always startup without any technical issues. Let’s start the New Year by giving a little TLC to our friend, “The Computer.”

Organization of files

Clear off that desktop. Come on, I can see the mess from here. How many times have we quickly downloaded something from the Internet and plunked it on our desktop? How many times have we copied something from a USB stick and dragged it onto our desktop? The list goes on, and on. So, your personal challenge is to dispose of the unneeded files on your desktop, and create a new “STUFF” folder for everything else you don’t want to deal with - for now. Or better yet, choose a specific day and sort through EVERYTHING 110% and move things into their rightful place (ie: new folder, recycle bin, external hard drive).

Backup-Backup-Backup!!!

Or else you may regret it sooner than later. Backup frequently and regularly. Backing-up computer files is a task most people dread completing. If you’re like me, I tell myself “I will do it later.” Although, “later” never comes around here much. So, January is when things are put into perspective and “later” is recognized as “right now.”

Uninstall

Now is a great time to uninstall those games your kids put on your computer that’s occupying prime hard drive real estate and causing it to slow down (especially if your a PC user). Also, uninstall any programs you no longer use, have not used, disliked once you installed them, and have no future plans of utilizing. Don’t be afraid - uninstall those unwanted programs.

Virus/Malware

Once you’ve organized, backed-up, and uninstalled unnecessary programs; I would highly recommend running a virus/malware scan on your PC computer. Refer to my prior post “Make Your PC Run Faster,” for tips, software recommendations, and web sites.

Not for the Light Hearted

This isn’t for everyone. I once read an article years ago which suggested formatting your PC and reinstall your operating system. Starting fresh each year is a great way to start fresh and get the bugs out. Without getting to technical, this is a very complex job. Not only because of the reinstallation of the operating system, but because of the reinstallation of all the files that were backed-up. Restoring music into iTunes is what I dread most. I find myself praying to the iTunes Gods. This is not for the simple hearted, however it is my preference and New Year practice.

If you are contemplating this route, make sure you have all of your recovery discs prior to completing this task. More and more companies are hiding a partition on PC hard drives, which contain everything needed for this task. Unfortunately, step-by-step instructions are beyond the scope of this post. Due to the various types of computers, it would be virtually impossible for me to address each individual circumstance completely.

What is on “YOUR” Computer?

Drop a comment and let me know what your preventative maintenance habits are for your PC/Mac. Please share with others what programs you tend to use & what works for you. I do realize the PC has more virus/malware software available than the Mac (we all know why, shhhh “big brother” is watching), however we would be very interested in knowing what you enjoy running on your computer. Through the sharing of information, we can all help each other.

Happy New Year

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope everyone finds time to give their trusted friend, “The Computer” a whole bunch of TLC this holiday.

Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for sharing!

Happy Holiday’s

Tags: Computing, Mac, OS, Operating System, PC by Chris Hebert
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There’s an infinite amount of information floating around the Internet. I have chosen a few sites to showcase, along with other information which you may find valuable too. I would like to share with you what you should know, but possibly don’t. Bare with me and continue on, to find out what you don’t know, but probably should.

Just in case you think your reading a programming language or I made a typo - let me explain. In the land of “Twitter,” a user can only communicate to another user through a Twitter client. In order to communicate with another user, the “@” symbol must be in front of the user’s name (for example @chrishebert). If this is still all Greek to you, take a peek at my previous post Do You Twitter?

Today’s WebDazzling Stars

@GirlinYourShirt on Twitter,  hosts an Internet TV show with a genius idea (wish I would have thought of it).  Girl.inyour Shirt.tv  ”introduces a daily tech start up while wearing the company swag shirt.” Wonderful diversity of ideas and trends on this site, that make you wanting to watch more. Featured on TechCrunch, among other blogs; see for yourself what your missing!

While surfing Girl.inyourShirt.tv, I found  this gem of a site TechieDiva.com. Wonderful site filled with great technology “Gizmo’s” and a female twist to boot (you know I love that part of it - being a female geek myself!).

@calebkimbrough  is from the Lost and Taken site; posting a flood of textures for free. 2008: The Year of the Texture was a dream come true for anyone sick of hunting down textures on the internet. “Lost and Taken” is a depository of copyright-free stock photographic textures that you can use however you please…whether it be for a graphic design project or as a texture in a video game you’re designing.”  Say “HI” on Twitter, or stop by and collect a few textures for yourself (I did).

@bittbox bittbox strives to offer exceptionally useful “FREE” fonts.  The site is not just full of free fonts; there are tutorials, software, news, rants, and software. Something I was not aware of as a WordPress plugin, but is free for download on bittbox ”Customize Your WordPress Login Page.”  

@thinkdesign One of my all time favorites, I even have a designated “Tab” in my browser for it - ThinkDesign has a very unique feature you can download. I would recommend ANYONE to download the WordPress Test Pack. If you are unsure what your new theme will look like, prior to making it 100% your own - this download is for you. On the other hand, if you are a designer and would like to test your site, this test pack makes life so much easier - this is also for you. “Included categories, sub-categories, pages, sub-pages, 30 test posts, tags, thumbnails via custom fields, and a “Testing the Elements” post so that you can test html elements, such as <h2>, <blockquote>, etc.” Don’t forget to look-up the free WordPress themes too.

@princesstimetoy Have you ever wanted to feel like a princess? Do you already have a princess in your home but lack the wardrobe? PrincessTimeToys has a cute array of dress up “full line of quality and educational wood toys and children’s furniture.”

Free Custom Twitter Background - Yep you heard me all right, “FREE“ @princesstimetoy is having a special if you mention this post & give some link love to her site. Small price to pay for her very professional looking back grounds. Take a look at her portfolio. The site also has a quick tutorial on How to install your backgrounds on Twitter.  

http://www.sneakysunday.com/  Very fun to play with. Try this interactive City Guide for “Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Entertainment, and Lodging.”  I found this site by accident, and fell in love with graphics. Now you go play with it…

File Sharing

MediaFire:  Free Hosting of files, photo’s, etc. for your blog. I have noticed a growing number of blogs which permit downloads, .zip (compressed) files - are coming from this free hosting site. Thought I would pass on the love and let you decide. I did sign-up for free, however I have not utilized the service yet to give you a 100% good/bad opinion. Please comment and let me know (if you could be so kind).

Web Hosting

By no means am I getting any compensation for my posting. I am passing on information from other sources. It has come to my attention this week, MediaTemple.net has a “Grid-Service” which provides reliable, and most importantly secure service. In addition, they specialize in WordPress 1-click installs, for as little as $20.00 per mo. http://mediatemple.net/webhosting/gs/ Give me a shout and let me know what you think of their service, once you sign up.

Do You Remember Your First Love?

Cute little feature - find out who was your “First Tweet” on Twitter (I couldn’t remember that long ago, can you?) http://dcortesi.com/tools/my-first-follow/

My Secret Sites I am Addicted To:

http://designm.ag/ Designm.ag - Great design online magazine (articles & resources for designers)
http://lifehacker.com/ LifeHacker - Don’t let the name fool you “Tips and Downloads for Getting Things Done”
http://www.netmag.co.uk/ .NET Magazine from the UK. “Develop/Discover/Design” Great ideas & articles.

Pet Peeve - For Today

I just had to sneak this one in there. Aside from individuals who talk at a movie and eat with their mouth open; I dislike designer’s who do not design their site to open a new browser window, when a user clicks on a link. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose of keeping traffic on your site if a user leaves your site once they select a link? Just saying….

Just an FYI, thank you for listening… (Pssstttt - You won’t hurt my feelings if you want to “Stumble” this <wink>)

I would love to hear your comments on any information you may have found interesting and/or useful. Your voice is important, please feel free to share.

Tags: Blogging, Graphic Design, Social Networking, Twitter, Wordpress by Chris Hebert
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If anyone knows me, they know I am a huge fan of Twitter. Twitter.com is an excellent way to meet new friends, find others to socialize with who have similar interests.

In the past, my blog has been geared towards tutorial based posts. I enjoy helping others, and as I come across something unique or helpful, I post it. Well, this morning I woke up and was still thinking about what happened late last night while tweeting on Twitter. I would like to explain.

First off, during the months of July - September I made several new friends on Twitter and even had a request for a guest post. This was extremely fun and exciting for me to participate in.

Sorry

During the months of October - November, my dedication failed due to family obligations and some college courses. WebDazzling took a great toll on it’s “Subscriber’s & Site Visits.” This is heart wrenching to me. WebDazzling is my baby. I worked so hard to help others, and keep them informed on interesting tutorials and information. Not only did I let my friends down, I let myself down.

Well, I am back! Thank you to everyone who stuck it out, I did try to post information, however small it may be.

One of my first posts,”Secret Twitter Tricks” informed newbies on some straight forward information which I was lacking during my early learning curve. Information I didn’t include in that tutorial that I learned along the way, include other search features.

Figure Out What Your Missing on Twitter

I prefer TweetDeck for a Twitter Client. The most powerful tool in TweetDeck is the wonderful ability to SEARCH. How is this powerful, you ask? Twitter’s “All Tweets” is comparable to watching a falling star. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of information yet miss the whole tweet among others (valuable information or links). If you miss a conversation, just “search” the user-name of the person who is tweeting to catch up. I find valuable links and current events this way. And mostly, I found a great many new friends too (one can never have to many of those).

Twitter vs. FaceBook for Traffic - Debate

During the late hours last evening, there were tweets from (in my opinion “the famous”) Darren Rowse, known as @probloggeron Twitter; and many others debating the traffic statistics of Twitter vs. FaceBook. FaceBook Sends More Traffic than Twitter. Darren also has a fairly new blog TwitTip.com with Twitter Tips you won’t want to miss.

One report states “Twitter would take 36 years to catch Facebook.” Another interesting post from TechCrunch “The State of Twitterphere.” A look at how many followers do individuals actually have on Twitter.

People You Should Follow

Besides the whole “Twitter vs. FaceBook” debate last evening, I made friends with over a dozen new followers last evening. I don’t believe in an auto responder to follow individuals, I love the experience of visiting their profile and looking at their website and what they stand for (and how pretty their site is too). You should get into the habit of this as well. How else is anyone going to get to know you, unless you interact with one another.
Forgive me if I don’t list everyone here:

@inevergrewup inevergrewup.com is a recent follow with gems on her site. I recently found it to be a blog in which a mother has lots of fun and love with her family. This isn’t just a “mommy blog,” her husband is a professional dog trainer and she gives excellent advice on how to make YOUR blog better, through her personal experience.

My favorite was her information on video montages using “One True Media.” This free service allows you to create and edit your own video’s like a professional, with various music, special effects, etc. Look forward to some video tutorials from me in the near future (once I break my “flip” out of its wrapper).

@usetypography usetypography.com “UseTypography is mainly focused on showcasing websites that have good typography. Its purpose is to inspire and encourage good typography principles in web design.” This site displays full websites with a navagation choice of any font you can imagine. This is a designers dream. You can be inspired all day long!

@andysowards AndySowards.com is a new father, in case you missed it. He and his wife had child #3, a baby boy. All is well and mom is resting at home. Please send Andy a “congrats!” Also, pop on over and visit his wonderful blog full of a web designers dream - great links (keep up the great work Andy). P.S. Any just added Webdesign.alltop.comto his list (as if he has nothing to do with a new baby! Thanks Andy). It is an “Online Magazine Rack” of popular topics. You pick the topic to search. Check it out.

@graphicidentity graphic-identity.blogspot.com focuses on tutorials and reviews regarding (but not limited to) Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Digital Graphic Art, Web Design, Typography and/or Fonts.

@nebrow Niki Brown doesn’t know I am alive… so could you please tell Niki “Hi” for me? LOL I am a fan of the precious mouse, illustration skills, and “Quick-Tip” tutorials. I just may get into show biz with this competition. Head on over to the Design O’Blog and see what I am ranting about (Tell Niki I said “HI” too, OK? Maybe I will get a Tweet back)

Twitter Nominated - Shorty Award

Big joke in the family - because I am a petite female anyway. I was nominated for the Shorty Awards on Twitter in the #socialmedia category by @MatchesMalone who is running in the #humor category. Thanks Matches! @mayhemstudios also gave me a nomination for #brainsandsexiness <blush>

Michigan Humor

I just had to finish up with this very funny YouTube video. Here is a real life photo of my car this week.

If you live in Michigan or somewhere snowy, you can appreciate this. If you live where it is warm and it NEVER snows - (or if you escaped the winter for a warmer climate) this may be funnier…

Tags: Blogging, Graphic Design, Mac, PC, Twitter by Chris Hebert
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Currently, there are many individuals down and out, financially and emotionally. Many of us are struggling to make ends meet in today’s society. While families struggle and business owners want to give up, this empowering video just may change how you feel about “giving up.”

Thank you WhiplashDesign.com for sharing this on your site, I would like to Pay it Forward:

Tags: Misc, Social Networking by Chris Hebert
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