Shhhh, promise not to tell? I will let you in on a few secrets to make your website prettier! Some designers like to keep this information all to themselves, however I believe in networking and helping others. How else are we to learn if we do not share information with each other? We were not all born in our jobs, we had to start somewhere in our profession. So, whether you like to blog, create websites, or just enjoy photography - I have just the information for you.

It is a new year which symbolizes it is time for a make-over. We all need to get into shape. So, I am going to let you in on the perfect places to do just that. Ready, here we go…

Stock Image Sites

Dreams Time http://Dreamstime.com
Fotolia http://us.fotolia.com/
Bigstockphoto http://www.bigstockphoto.com/
Shutter Stock http://www.shutterstock.com/
123rf.com http://www.123rf.com/
iStockPhoto http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php
CanStockPhoto http://www.canstockphoto.com/
Feature Pics http://www.featurepics.com/
Photostockplus http://www.photostockplus.com/

More Must Haves

Speckboy.com 30 FREE Resources for Photoblogging & Image Galleries (WordPress)
twentybytwenty.com  Free Icons, Typefaces (my favorite), and WordPress Themes
LayersMagazine.com  “Adobe How-To for Everything Adobe”  this one is a Lightroom Tutorial
Nicolesy- a photographer at work on Flickr, while taking a picture of a child (adorable work)

Fun Fonts

ilovetypography.com  If your going to go all out with your make-over, then you’ll need to play with some fonts. I have just the luscious place for you to hunt down that special font.

http://www.groan-zone.net/delphi.html Great little website with Freeware tools. I personally enjoyed the Font Viewer. You can type in a phrase and it will easily change with each font selection for better selection choices.

Mr. Tweet?

Check out @MrTweeton Twitter. He is your own personal assistant for discovering the great followers and influences in my network! Try him out for your network.

The Ultimate Twitter Icon List

randaclay.com 
soulvisual.com
Webfruits.it

Photography & Lighting

Lightroom Tip: Backing Up Huge Lightroom Files
Free List of LightRoom Presents

Is Your Username Available in the Social Media?

http://usernamecheck.com/   - This awesome website will go through every Social Media website you can (and can’t) think of to check to see if your username is taken. For example, if you use “MrTweet” as your username, this website will tell you if it is available on MySpace, FaceBook, Flickr, etc. Try it!!  Special thanks to jimmacleod last week leaving a comment, I found out about this useful tool. I am slipping this one in here, but it pertained to last weeks post on “How to Make Yourself a Brand.”

Share the love…

I would love to add to this list of information to pass on to others like yourself. Please leave a comment so we may share information with others and pass on a good thing. Everyone has a bit of creativity at heart, and lets share the love and pass it on.

Tags: Blogging, Graphic Design, Mac, PC, Photography 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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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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Many times we run across a great tutorial on YouTube, or some other informative video we would love to share with the world on our blog/website. I would like to share with you a Holiday greeting and tutorial all in the same package. Please place your cursor over the “Play” menu in the video below and select it - in order to play the video.

Embeded Video Example

HTML Code to Embed Video

This particular code will prompt the user to download Macromedia Shockwave plugin if they do not have it already installed on their computer. In addition, I have a 425 width x 344 height, which I have found to work well.

Remember to replace the <”http://yourvideonamehere.swf”> with YOUR desired website address.

Video Tutorial

I am a visual learner. For those of you who follow in my footsteps, please view this YouTube Tutorial Video on “How to Embed YouTube Video in WordPress” by Jack Humphrey.

Taking Requests

Thanks for stopping by, I hope this tutorial helps you in the future. If there is something you would like a tutorial on, please use my “Contact” form page to submit it. I would love to hear from you!

For Hire

My services are for hire. Please use my “Contact” page and I will quickly respond.

Happy blogging…

Tags: Blogging, Computing, Mac, PC, Wordpress by Chris Hebert
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Are you to busy to buy the perfect gift for a family member. Would you like to be able to purchase the perfect gift without even leaving your home?  I have just the solution for you.

Recently, I stumbled on a great gift idea, sent as an advertisement in my e-mail. Blurb.com is a wonderful site which allows you to make your own hardcover/softcover book full of your very own family photos and illustrations.

Download the free ”Booksmart” software from www.blurb.com to start the process of making your book. In my opinion, their prices are extremely reasonable. For a hardcover book 7 x 7 inches, with “0 - 40″ pages and color photos, the starting cost was $24.95. It also comes with a paper jacket for the hardcover, you create (shipping not included, but look for promotions). Here is a link to their holiday pricing:

Fun Gift to Give and Make

For a newbie, this was extremely easy. I started the project as a gift idea for a family member, until my husband took over (it was for his mom anyway).

I simply used the digital photos located on my home computer hard drive, and uploaded them into the Booksmart software.

There are several picture layout templates to choose from for your books page layout. You can quickly change the graphic design of each individual page.

Each pages can have a different pattern, different color, various font styles, and “1 - 9″ photos per page. The list goes on and on with what your imagination can create.

You can choose to create your book and keep it private, or you can choose to allow others to view the book online.

Not Just for the Holidays

Other ideas for these books include weddings, baby showers, birthdays, business, portfolios, and someone even told me they used it for their final project at college.

Needless to say, my husband had all the fun creating a book with our newest member of the family! Let me share a secret with you too; promise not to tell him I told you, ok? The website suggests “strongly” you print out your book prior to submitting it for print. We used the software spell check feature, and he proof read it on the computer screen. Feeling quite confident, he submitted the book for print. Let me tell you - there is no turning back once you submit it for print. Errors and all, that is what you will get in the mail. My husband submitted the wrong birthday of our daughter in the book he created. Ouch!!!

I will just have to make my own version of a book for a different family member, so I can play and have fun too.

The book should ship within 7 days, so plan ahead in order for it to arrive for the holidays.
Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Tags: Mac, Misc, PC by Chris Hebert
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