Here at Monkee-Boy, we are known for shooting our clients straight.  We receive RFP’s of all shapes and sizes and most, if not all, contain some kind of CMS requirement.  Content management tools can be great as they can give non-technical users the never before imagined ability to manipulate complex components of their site.  They can also be deceivingly overly complicated and paint a client very quickly into unforeseen, proverbial corners when they thought they could easily “control everything”.

When I was growing up, I used to watch G.I.Joe — one of the highlights of my childhood.  From that, dare I say “awesome”, cartoon I learned two important things.  One — Cobra Command = bad.  Two — knowing is half the battle.

We are all about empowering our clients to manage their web sites, but there ARE some downsides to content management tools. Hopefully this will help explain some of the lesser discussed issues so that you can make an intelligent decision.  “Knowing” helped me not sniff glue.  Hopefully it will help you save a couple of bucks and a lot of headaches.

Five Things To Know If Considering A CMS

1. You will never be able to do “everything” without knowing some code — There…. I said it.  The cat is out of the bag.  No matter what a CMS’s say on their web site, you cannot do everything without knowing some code.  Each CMS has it’s little gotchas — from image manipulation to version control to SEO to design flexibility. What this means is that it is important to understand what you truly need before you make the leap.  Figure out what you really need to do and manage on your site, then research to see if that CMS can indeed handle that functionality.The other thing to note here is that many CMS’s take the checkbox approach to features.  For example, most have a some kind of e-commerce plugin.  If you are selling a couple of items online it may work fine, but as your business grows will it be able to scale and provide the true end-to-end sales/shopping fulfillment that you and your clients expect?  Just because they say they do something does not necessary mean that they do it 1) well, and 2) the way your business really needs it to be done.  The last thing you ever want to do is let a CMS force you to change the way you run (or want to run) your business.
2. Your design and layout flexibility can be impeded — Managing paragraphs of content and your standard image here and there is pretty straight and handled fairly well by all CMS’s. It is important to know that using a CMS framework can create technical challenges in deploying more advanced layouts and content organizers (like tabs, accordions, and multi-column layouts).  Similarly, integration with 3rd party systems and libraries can also be tricky — though very doable if you have the coding skills.  It is important to remember that the more walls you put up (i.e. frameworks, templates, etc.) the less design flexibility you will have at the end of the day.
   
   
3. Your SEO can be impacted — If you are starting a brand new web site, if you pick the best CMS and plugins for your site you can do quite well in search engines because you don’t have pre-existing  URL’s you need to worry about.  One of the main advantages of the SEO plugins is that they can rewrite your URLs (called “slug URLs) to be more search engine friendly. An example would be rewriting a WordPress URL from www.myblog.com/category/datestamp to www.myblog.com/category/this-is-the-title-of-my-blog/.  Rewriting the URL to include keywords separated by dashes increases your sites keyword relevance.This is great for sites that are new, but let’s assume you have had a site for a couple of years.  If your site is already indexed by search engines and then you redesign with a CMS, chances are your old URLs are not going to map directly to your new URL’s (even if you have some kind of advanced slug URL feature).  This could easily lead to lost search engine rankings, lost visitors (arriving at dead links), lost leads, lost revenue and decrease confidence from your user base.Similarly… if you have decided to adopt a CMS and the URL rewriting that comes with it and then later decide to switch CMS’s or abandon them altogether your will once again run into an issue of having to overcome how the new CMS writes your URL’s as compared to the old.  There are ways to minimize the damage, but keep search in mind as you  make your decision that anytime you move to or from a CMS your search rankings may take a hit.
4. Getting your site into a CMS is one thing.  Pulling it out is another — We just talked about how switching CMS’s can impact your SEO.  What about deciding to scrap a CMS altogether?  At Monkee-Boy we have helped just as many companies pull their sites out of CMSs (that weren’t doing the trick) as we have helped companies install and customize them.At the end of the day, the success of any CMS installation really comes down to 1) who is using it and 2) how often they are making changes.  Most require an employee to really LIVE in them to remember how to make the easy day-to-day changes. What most companies don’t see when they look at the costs of putting their site into a CMS is what it will cost them to pull it out if they are not happy.  It is a big commitment on both sides in terms of time, money, SEO impact, resources, training, frustration, and of course money, so keep an eye on the future to minimize a potential CMS divorce.
   
   
5. Plug-ins and upgrades can be dangerous — Many CMS’s out there (like WordPress for example) have amazing power through the ability to bolt on additional functionality through plug ins.  What you may not know is that plug-ins are created by 3rd party developers and in many cases do not do what they say OR impact how your system and other plug ins work.  Before you selecting plug-ins make sure you read the ratings, reviews and fine print to make sure you minimize potential problems of conflicts, server/site latency, and things breaking in general.
6. Who really needs a development site? Uhh…I do! — Most medium to large size companies (and even some smaller ones) have a need to have a development and/or a staging environment to test changes before they go to live on production.  The more infrastructure you put into place the harder it is going to keep a mirrored environments in sync (no, not the boy band).  Keep this in mind as you plan your CMS installation. Do you have the need to launch big portions of your site at different times?  Beyond day-to-day maintenance, are there any types of large site updates that you need to stage prior to deployment for internal resources to approve?  Do I really want to have to keep two separate environments (versions of tools, versions of plugins, etc.) all updated across both environments?Having to keep such track of all of the different intricacies of a multiple CMS installs can be cumbersome, though doable.  Just make sure you keep this in mind before jumping in.

Hopefully these points help raise a little flag or two about things you may not think of when just trying to get a site up and running.  The pain, quite honestly, normally comes after your site gets up and running and you want to start making changes, so the best thing you can do is get as much information up front so you know what to expect.

At Monkee-Boy we are normally involved with our clients’ sites long after they have been migrated to/from a CMS and have a long love/hate relationship with them.  If considering a CMS for your company, give us a shout and we can help you make an intelligent, informed decision that can save you time, money and a whole lot of frustration.

Still recovering from over a week of sleep-deprived days this month, but it was worth it. Attendance was up this year for Interactive, rumors have been flying that perhaps it was up around 30% over last year. There were so many events and panels this year that some even spilled out of the traditional convention center to neighboring hotels, as far as 6+blocks past to the Sheraton. Which as it has also been stated is where the “real” technology panels and talks happened, away from the fray of wild crowds and parties that surrounded the convention center.

Making a broad statement off of all the panels I attended this year. I have to say most were definitely either a hit or miss…none of which fell in-between, often dependent on the quality of the moderator or ability of the moderator to draw out insights and guide the panel, and since SXSW deploys the scalable way of voting up panels to determine who will speak this leads to panels that have popular speakers (but that doesn’t guarantee the best speakers) or topics, perhaps just ones that are deemed mainstream.

One primary example, well based off my experience, that stands out in my mind is the “SXSW panel: Fan to Fanatic: True Blood’s Marketing Hook” I will admit, I am a fan…Why else would I go, right? In short all I have to say is, Alan Ball was missed/needed. I found that for a show with such vision and impact, that has become so well known, and has such a brilliant marketing team behind it, that they couldn’t carry the attention of well… ironically, their audience. Fortunately, given the vast assortment of panels, the opportunity to find certain topics is available, providing you can easily get to the physical location. I did find the SXSWi app with schedule updater so very handy in planning my day-to-day activities and was able to jump topics on certain panels that ended up not capturing my interests for very long.

I found the importance of networking during SXSW and understanding various social networks very useful and almost bordering as a complete necessity. I attended SXSW when Twitter* first launched, yet this year there were no clear rivals or new-kids-on-the-block/breakout technologies. In my opinion it is because there is an over saturation of products, currently–while innovation certainly isn’t stifled the number similar or ‘like’ products is hard to fathom let allow encourage novices to sift through. (*however that being said Twitter is in it’s fifth year, and coined at hitting over 140 million tweets a day, that’s one hell of a network. Happy Birthday Twitter!)

Among some of the coolest tools I found was SMS/app chat, GroupMe (enables intimate discussions with your most immediate circle) and to which admittedly I have been using for over half of a year now and am pleased to note that it keeps my monthly texting costs at bay within my social circle, but it is NOT new to me. However, during SX it was definitly being heavily used and promoted by this so to speak “early adopter crowd”, even the press picked up on this new trend. * Check out Group-Me Panel highlight reel for info

What about mass broadcasting panels and topics to networks like Twitter, Facebook? Well again, I congratulate the developers behind the SXSWi app, as it was not only a fantastic tool for scheduling, but also went a step further to integrate Gowalla’s location check-in and direct topic post to feed through both Twitter and Facebook. I was impressed almost more-so than with the panels I attended.

This brings me to another point. I found my off-line networking experience to be more prominent in providing me with new resources and contacts then I had experienced in quite a while. While I feel that at times some clients express that online networking can seem like a bizarre and mysterious world to traditional ‘offline’ professionals.  That world is moving at such a rapid pace, but my response is you know more than you think. All social networking leads back to you, me and our interrelation. Many social networking users are loosing site of that including myself at times. It very easy to hide behind the screen.

Upon doing a little discovery on this progression, after one of my many social networking events this SXSW I came across a neat study that boils down off-line to on-line networking to a few base principles.  Here are five ways to translate your existing networking skills onto the Internet environment and vise-versa from Pundit’s entrepreneurs a guide for social media.

*Side note, being a member I have to state my excitement, that the AIGA Launched Design for Good this SXSWi, Asking Members to Donate 5% of Their Time to Social and Civic Causes. NOTE: A positive way to promote your company through social networking is to engage your followers!

1.  Never Sell at Networking Meetings (over saturation)
On the web, forums, comments, and social media sites are your ‘networking meetings’.  Leaving shallow comments at every tangentially relevant site and only recommending your own stuff is the online equivalent to that guy working the room with a thousand business cards.  It’s better to make just a few quality contacts who don’t think you’re a jerk.

2.  Perfect Your Pitch
Offline we learn to craft our speech, a 30 second commercial so to speak to get across who we are and what we do.  On this point, the Internet is definitely your friend.  The profile is your online counterpart to this high-speed sales pitch.  The wonderful thing is you have the opportunity to get these first impressions just right and to adjust them over time.

3.  Give Before You Get
The surest way to foster goodwill both online and off is by being generous with your support.  Want more traffic?  Post lots of links.  Need help with your site design?  Give away what you’re good at.  The key is to offer without expectation of reciprocation.  When you make a habit of giving, the help you need seems to show up automatically just when you need it.

4.  Make Appointments to Network
The Internet is 24/7.  There may be some live chats or forums where people agree to attend during the same real time, but for the most part your networking is not going to be done concurrently.  In other words, you’re likely to have conversations over a staggered period of time.  In order to carve out the necessary time to catch up with online contacts, schedule networking on your calendar just as you would the business building breakfast organized by your traditional professional association.

5.  Patience is THE Virtue
It takes time to build up a network, any network.  It can be difficult at first to observe the effects of your diligent networking when you don’t see your new contacts out for drinks or in line at Starbucks.  How will you know you’re making progress?  The truth is networking is an art, not a science.  It’s difficult to measure – online or off – how your efforts are paying off.  But ask anyone who makes networking a regular part of their professional life and you’ll get a handful of anecdotes about the power of schmooze.

The highlight of my Interactive experience would have to be Bruce Lawson’s presentation on Mobile Optimization with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.

Bruce quickly dismisses the idea of separate webs. He presented the idea that there is no mobile web, there is just one web. Just like there is no desktop web or tablet web. He supports this with reasons why we should think of a more unified web. He says that rather than creating different desktop and mobile sites (which ultimately confusers the end user) why not create responsive web development using CSS. We are able to use CSS to detect properties such as width, height, device-width, device-height, orientation, resolution and color to name a few using CSS3 Media Queries. Using these properties, we enable our browsers to detect the device settings and offer up proper css styles and rules for a better user experience on the web.

Bruce also presented various tips and tricks for a better mobile web experience, which I will run through below:

1. No browser sniffing for the simple reason that over 100 new browsing solutions appear every day and there is no possible way to cover all those solutions.

2. Don’t use tables for layouts. Tables are heavy on CPU and battery usage on mobile devices.

3. Give width and height dimensions in HTML in your image tags 
( i.e. <img src=”/source/” alt=”" width=”xx” height=”xx” />).

This will enable your browser to make room for these images when loading, rather than guessing the size of these images.

4. Use the <a href=”tel:xxx-xxxx”></a> tag for phone numbers.

5. Future proof your CSS. You do not have to limit your prefixes to -moz and -webkit. You can also throw in -o for opera and -ms for IE, and once these properties are available on those browsers your site will already be CSS3 enabled in those browsers. So for instance when setting up the CSS3 transition property:

-moz-transition
-ms-transition
-o-transition
-webkit-transition
transition

6. Minimize HTTP requests to save on CPU and battery power by combining JavaScript into one file and combining CSS into one file. CSS sprite images can also be used to minimize HTTP requests.

7. CSS optimization:
- use ems instead of px for fonts (for browser scalability)
- use fluid layouts (for landscape and portrait mode flexibility)
- turn off fancy shadows and transitions to conserve on CPU and battery power

8. JavaScript optimization:
- put JavaScript files at the bottom of the source file and especially after CSS.
- if you don’t have you use a library (i.e. jQuery), use your own script.

We still have one more day of SXSW Interactive, but I figure with the bulk of it behind us, let’s look at some the highlights so far.

Web Anywhere: Mobile Optimization With HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript

Bruce Lawson knows his stuff, and really calls out some philosophical problems many developers (myself including) carry around with us. He quickly dismisses the idea of a “mobile web” or a “tablet web”, and makes a pretty strong case against separate sites for mobile users. Many of the new technologies in HTML5 can be used to progressively enhance the web experience, especially for smarter mobile browsers, without causing problems for older browsers. Javascript libraries, he argues, have become a crutch for many developers who should maybe write their own code if possible to avoid sending heavy JS files across the wire. Most of this stuff I already knew, but Bruce really brought it all together and made me think about the diverse needs of all web users.

Designing iPad Interfaces – New Navigation Schemas

I had no idea what to expect here, but Lynn Teo changed the way I approach iPad design. Before, I think I conceptualized the iPad as really just an iPhone with more screen space. Lynn describes the iPad (and similar tablets) as a new form factor, and as such it has its own set of rules for what works from a design perspective. After going through some theory, she jumped into some real-life iPad design samples that seemed to be pretty powerful. Her presentation sure kicked the pants off of Microsoft’s boring follow-up “The Future of Touch User Interface Design” talk.

Creative JavaScript and HTML(5) Visual Effects

2+ hours of what can be done with HTML5 canvas. Creating Flash-like graphics with javascript is a pretty exciting notion, and Seb Lee-Delisle walked us through how to start doing this. Sadly, though, until IE supports it, canvas will only be able to be used for non-essential bells and whistles. Maybe in a few years time that will change.

CSS3: Beyond the Basics

This panel had a LOT of ground to cover; there is so much to be done with CSS3, and it changes almost on a weekly basis. I learned a couple of new things about gradients, including a way to create a very simple faux column effect. I had no idea about background-size, which is something I’ve always had to with some nasty javascript. I took pages of notes and picked up a couple new css tricks to add to my arsenal. While there are still some holes in terms of browser support of CSS3, many of these techniques can be used in a progressive enhancement fashion, gracefully degrading in IE. And for webkit mobile browsers, these tricks are ready to use.

I have to say that after a semi chaotic and uninspiring day on Friday (Day One), Saturday (Day Two) was MUCH better.

I have come to the conclusion that I prefer the solo sessions as opposed to the panels because the material is much more focused, providing quality information and demonstrating tactical action items as opposed to debating opinions and/or talking about projects & clients that very few attendees will ever have the opportunity or budget to work on.

Here is a recap of my day and the “golden nuggets” I walked away with.

What Comic Books Can Teach Mobile App Designers

As a comic book fan and designer, this was setup for a perfect session. It started with a tribute to and history of Will Eisner’s contribution to the comic book industry and how comic book screen panel layout translates very easily into mobile screens. Though it was a nice intro to Eisner’s contribution (which I honestly was not aware of), I didn’t really see too much similarity between the two mediums outside of the similarity of panel based design/organization and semi standard 3 x 3 icon layout on some popular apps like Facebook.  Overall a good presentation by Simmons — REALLY liked that you could actually hear him (which was a prevalent issue for most of the speakers), an interesting presentation to watch, and that enjoyed that he surprised the front row of the session with comic books taped under their chairs to prove a point.

Golden Nuggets:

1. Number of Approved Apps By Device
   1. Apple = ~400,000
   2. Android = ~ 200,00
   3. Other = ~40K
2. Number of Mobile Device Users = 62  Million
3. Number of apps used more than once = 26%

Ordering Disorder: Grid Design for the New World

I enjoyed this session.  Vinh did a great job of explaining the relevance of the grid in not only the world of design, but also the history of it and it’s amazing significance in the world that many of us take for granted.  I was happy that he broke everything down in a step-by-step approach as to how to best use grids in today’s world of varying user displays and experiences.  It was also nice that he came at the discussion from both angles — primarily discussing the standard web browser — but also touching on how mobile and fluid layouts apply (or don’t).

Golden Nuggets:

1. Grids in multiples of four (4) work best for high level grid layout
2. Elements in groups of three (3) are the most usable and accessible for the user
3. At the standard 1024×768 layout, it is best to utilize a 960px grid
4. From a readability standpoint, typography should be kept to 60-80 characters.
5. When it comes to Fluid Grid Systems, there are some truths:
   1. Users crave landmarks — some elements should remain in the same place on the page no matter the width/height.
   2. Devices should behave consistently — don’t have the fluidity vary so drastically that users have to relearn how to use the site
   3. Fluid designs may not be worth it — all about execution and providing the approach to the right customer

Behind the Curtains: Secrets of Mobile App Wizardy

Like many of the sessions at SXSWi, the title of the session can be misleading.  I expected, maybe naively, that this session was going to show some real tactical information about how to simplify the “magic” of mobile apps.  Why put “Wizardy” in the title of your session if you don’t really give the audience information on specifically “how” things were done… not “what” the finished product was? It seemed very much like more of a “we do cool thinks at Razorfish and here is what they look like” as opposed to “here are some things we have done to design and build mobile apps that really worked for our clients and/or had to overcome to break past standard issues in application production”… will somebody please do that?  Oh yeah, there was one this morning, but the line was 3 miles long to get in 15 minutes before it started.  Sucks to be, well… all of us waiting in line who missed the “iPad Design Headaches” session at 9:30.

Despite the fact that the audience could hardly hear the speaker through most of the session because Gelb had his mic clipped to the left side of his shirt and his head was facing to the right as he looked at this slides, there were some interesting nuggets (that put things in perspective) and it was nice to take a peak into the internal process of how a major agency handles mobile projects.

Golden Nuggets:

1. More people have mobile phones than the number of people who have access to drinking water.
2. More people have mobile phones that the number of people who have a toothbrush.
3. Mobile application development is a continuous process.
4. There really are no best practices when it comes to design/development.  The best approach is to make apps different from others, but not SO different that users can’t adopt.

Metrics-Driven Design

In full disclosure, this was not my first choice, but was on my short list, so it was nice to be able to have an strong alternative to fall back on.  What I liked about this session, was it was very related to how we do things at Monkee-Boy — measuring our client’s sites to show ROI and successful conversion rates — but also that it took web measurement into a new direction (for me) of incrementally measuring design decisions in an ongoing process of tracking site success.  Porter was very engaging, very easy easy to hear and provided great examples to help explain all of this points, some of which were very complicated.

The most interesting part for me was hearing the story of how the head designer for Google left, in a not so friendly way, to go to Twitter.  The reason behind the whole move was based on the Google’s engineering powerhouse and philosophy of measuring every little thing and not making any changes until each design decision is over analyzed to a level that would drive any designer to suicidal tendencies.

Golden Nuggets:

1. Metrics (gracefully summed up) are numbers that measure the effectiveness of your business.
2. Google ran a test of 41 different shades of blue to find the best shade of blue to use on their link colors (http://www.zeldman.com/2009/03/20/41-shades-of-blue/)
3. Google and Bing use different shades of blue and Bing values their shade of blue at $80 million dollars.
4. Designers follow an intuitive design philosophy and Engineers follow a data driven design model.
5. It is important to remember that the “best current model” is completely different from the “best possible model” — the best possible model is only possible by releasing all current design decisions/directions and letting the data driven visual modifications direct the strategy.
6. What to measure for a company is as unique as each company itself.
7. Metrics move people along the usability life cycle.
8. Email marketing is still the best and most effective way to market (as opposed to social marketing).
9. Designers love metrics because:
   1. Metrics reduce arguments based on opinions.
   2. Metrics provide answers about what works.
   3. Metrics show your weaknesses/strengths as a designer.
   4. Metrics allow you to test anything you want.
   5. Clients love the fact that we can measure to justify their dollars spent.

Here’s hoping that tomorrow brings as many golden nuggets as today — it almost makes you forget about the cost of tickets, crowds at every turn, and all of the free beer we drank.

Between getting you badge, thumbing through your swag, and remembering how to get around the Convention Center, Day 1 of SXSW Interactive is always pretty chaotic. There were fewer heavy-duty talks today, but that made more time to check out all the cool goings-on (the Tron Legacy Lounge was kinda fun).

I did get a chance to check out John Battelle’s interview with WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. Not a lot of technical talk, but it was fun to hear how WordPress came to be, and where it’s going. Apparently 12% of the web is powered by WordPress – a pretty staggering statistic. I loved Matt’s philosophy on ads – keep out of site, and only serve them up to non-Firefox users – #Mullenweg.

Caught the end of Google VP of Consumer Products Marissa Mayer’s presentation. Apparently Google was actually making plans to provide maps and Streetview for public indoor spaces as well – neat! – #MarissaGoogle.

South by Southwest Interactive starts tomorrow! Are you ready for a unique convergence of emerging technologies, original music, and independent films?! Well let us not forget to mention the amazing SXSW parties…

Here are a few helpful SXSW 2011 tidbits from our very own Social Monkee:

You want to attend the SXSW Interactive parties because they are the perfect place to grab a nibble of some tasty local treat, cold drink, hobnob/network, see old friends and listen to some sweet music. Here are some parties that are hosted by some of the leading heavyweights in the tech industry, so the odds are definitely in your favor to  make new friends and solid connections while enjoying endless free treats. There are an endless amount of parties to attend, here are the top five must attend tech parties.

Kickoff Party at SXSW 2011 – Hosted by TechSet

Every year, Techset opens SXSW Interactive with the must-attend party of the year. You walk into the venue and instantly everyone says you’re a rock star, so bring it! This year’s theme is “Living Rock Stardom” so you arrive dressed for the part and show the peep how it’s done. It’s highly recommend that you sign up early as the event sells out every year.

Time: Friday, March 11 8:00PM | Venue: Enzo

SXSW Interactive ‘Appy Hour’ Party Presented by BestBuzz

Guest list is limited and there will be a DJ and plenty of fun surprises at the event. You can get ‘appy’ and mix and mingle with the industry’s peeps while enjoying appetizers, an open bar, party favors, and our signature Appy Hour ‘BuzzBrew’ cocktails. www.bestbuzz.bz/sxsw

Time: Friday, March 11 @ 5:00PM | Venue: The Belmont @305 6th St

You can RSVP via iPhone or Android only right now. The oompa-loompas are working overtime on the Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and OVI versions.

NING Presents the Official Interactive Opening Night After Party

The SXSW opening night after party, featuring Washed Out, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears The Limousines and DJ Premier. Also, RAC (Remix Artist Collective)and DJ Aaron Axelsen of Popscene.

Be sure to RSVP: http://go.ning.com/sxsw

Time: Saturday, March 12 8:00 PM | Venue: The Mohawk, 912 Red River Street

Groupon Presents: SXSW Hangover Brunch for the Freely Hungover

Eat the hair of the dog after a weekend of mandatory industry parties and non-stop beeper radiation exposure at a free meal of brunch on Groupon. Enjoy a complimentary brunch buffet to fill your empty stomach and an open bar, stocked with beer, Bloody Marys, mimosas, and well drinks, to fill your empty liver. Give your ears the wake-up call they need with a performance from Slim Richey and the Jitterbug Vipers, featuring the Most Dangerous Guitar Player in Texas. Groupon tells me that their free brunch will expand your stomach with food, your lungs with appreciation, and your mind with knowledge. RSVP is required but does not guarantee entry (first come, first served basis). http://sxswhangoverbrunch.eventbrite.com/

Time: Monday, March 14, 10:00AM | Venue: Iron Cactus, 606 Trinity St

GSD&M + Google Present: The Industry Party

Google and GSD&M says join us for a night of listening, learning, drinking & networking. That includes live music from the Mother Truckers, J. Roddy Walston and the Business plus other special guests.

And you can even browse through an art gallery featuring works from Daniel Johnston, Magda Sayeg, Hugh MacLeod, Ian McLagan, Dave Mead and many more. Show your SXSW badge for entry or RSVP to sxswparty@gsdm.com.

Time: Monday March 14, 7:00PM | Venue: GSD&M, 828 W 6th St

SXSW Trade Show BLOCK PARTY

Mix, mingle and have a drink courtesy of participating SXSW Trade Show exhibitors. The Block Party is the perfect opportunity to watch that new technology demo, find out more about the coolest new startup, or simply network with some of the most plugged-in people in the industry. Be sure to get there early and bring your friends, because the SXSW Block Party is one of the hottest events of the show.

Okay…let’s make it six:
Pinpoint Music’s Party @ SXSW 2011
Pinpoint Music is headed to South by Southwest 2011 to host the very first Pinpoint Music party in Austin, Texas. This inaugural event will be held on Thursday, March 17th (St.Patrick’s day) at the Lanai Rooftop Lounge in downtown Austin and will showcase 8 very talented bands from across the country. The lineup will span our diverse interest in music genres with the bands Family of the Year, Pepper Rabbit, Inspired Flight, Slang Chickens, Pujol, Sundelles, Hi Ho Silver OH, and Solace and Fury.

The show is FREE but is by RSVP ONLY, so do that here.

Also be sure to check our Monkee-Boy SXSW 2011 Page for details on how you can win VIP passes to The Texas Music Magazine Party on the 18th! + added extras like links to daily parties and panel tips.

We will see you out there!

Someone I met with recently, asked me what the essential differences were between designing for print, and for the web. Having done a fair amount of both, I began to really think about this question deeply – and these were my resulting conclusions.

As a designer, it is important to wear multiple hats in order to be able to adapt to a number of clients from different backgrounds, and also to be able to approach each project with a fresh perspective. I am inclined to think that designers are somewhat like actors in that they create an identity for a product, and put it in context – much like an actor does with any role.

Now, web and print are merely media through which a designer can express his or her ideas and aesthetic point of view. Most designers have some trademark features in their work, which is what makes their touch unique or recognizable – regardless of the medium of expression. I think that designing for print is somewhat like acting in a live theater production, and web design is similar to being part of a TV series. My analogy might seem a bit out there, but let me explain.

With a print design project, you are given a timeline during which you can make all the modifications you want, and exploit the design brief to its maximum potential. You have a certain space within whose dimensions you have to confine your work, and once you decide to send to print, there is absolutely no way to make changes (without spending a lot of money of course, because nothing is really impossible!). Think of a theatre performance – the production can undergo any amount of evolution and changes within the practice and preparation timeframe, and there is a stage within whose set dimensions the production has to function. Once those curtains go up, you get only one chance that day to put your best forward, there is no way to go back and correct or change anything while the performance is in progress. A print piece is tactile, and so are the performers in a theater presentation – you can meet and speak with them if you so choose, after the curtains go down.

In the case of a series for television, there are a few characters whose circumstances change dynamically with each episode, and the series is constantly evolving to include new characters and situations. Should a member of the cast drop out, the script can be tweaked to alter the course of the series. To me, this is very much like building and maintaining a website – we start out with a sitemap that has sections whose content evolves over a period of time, new sections are added and design modifications can be made ongoing. In a way, there is more flexibility with what you can do with a website as opposed to a print piece. Sure, web design is somewhat limited by constraints on the development end, but technology is evolving so rapidly that these constraints are diminishing a bit more with each passing day.

Basic principles for effective design are applicable in both situations – it just depends on what the designer finds more exciting – the thrill of live applause, or bringing screens alive with their magic!

It’s that time of year again… SXSW Interactive, an Austin-based haze of mixers, tacos, and lovable geeky meet-ups is right around the corner, but never fear there is still time to get your interactive game plan down.

SXSW Interactive features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, with tons of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders, the incredible SXSW Trade Show, which “wows” me every year and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new digital works, video games and innovative ideas the international community has to offer. Taking place March 11-15, thousands of prospective panels get submitted by all kinds of people… The trick is to weed through the panels to hone in on focused area’s of interest that can or will be applicable to your field of interest, or heck perhaps may just seem interesting.

It is near impossible to go through every panel. Here are a few that caught my eye, but I encourage people to keep their eyes on the inter-webs for helpful tips, and also take the 5 seconds to Google the speakers you may be interested in, a little Google research goes a long way. Some panels I chose because I know the presenters are good. Some I picked because the subject matter is interesting to me. And some I selected because the description well… it just seemed pretty darn interesting. For a list of all panels and locations, I have included the following links:

Click here to browse the schedule of 2011 programming

Click here for campus locations and programming types

PANELS WE RECOMMEND (and will be attending):

Design-

How Print Design is the Future of Interaction
This session is about how the history of Print Design is becoming an important influence in the evolution of Interaction Design. As a craft, design for printed media has a rich history. Several generations of designers have pushed its boundaries in countless directions. It has been shaped over several hundred years as both a functional and aesthetic discipline, with a deep foundation of principles, practices, theories, and professional dialogue. In comparison, Interaction and UI Design is still a relatively young field. Its history has largely been driven by technology and functional goals. The dialogue around it has been centered on usability, which has been its purpose in the context of technological advancement. The visual language of UI has evolved from that standpoint: that it should evoke the familiar, analog experience of tools, buttons, knobs, and dials. That foundation has led to a very specific visual language in interactive experiences. In the past ten years however, the relevant technologies that support the design of Interfaces – displays, processing speeds, and rendering engines – have matured to a point that they provide a more capable canvas for design… Presented by Mike Kruzeniski

Anatomy of a Design Decision
What separates a good design from a bad design are the decisions that the designer made. Jared will explore the five styles of design decisions, showing you when gut instinct produces the right results and when designers need to look to more user-focused research. You’ll see how informed decisions play out against rule-based techniques, such as guidelines and templates. And Jared will show you the latest research showing how to hire great decision makers and find opportunities that match your style. Of course, Jared will use his unforgettable presentation style to deliver an extremely entertaining and informative presentation.  Presented by Jared Spool, Founding Principal of User Interface Engineering.

Inclusive Design: Creating Beautiful, Usable & Accessible Websites
The concept of the Web for All is something that we hold dear, but sometimes it feels like we are holding on to it for dear life! There is plenty of knowledge sharing about Web Standards and best practices, but too many opinions about what a website really is. If you ask a designer, a developer and a marketer, you will probably get 3 different answers and this can be a tad problematic when you only have one website. Things that are designed are invariably products of some sort and it became clear that the internet is a product that people interact with using technology. Learning to apply the principles of Inclusive Design to building websites makes sense, but existing technologies and practices in order to ensure its successful implementation is where we are at now. Presented by Ian Pouncey

Creative and Effective Leadership in Design Environments
A search on Amazon shows 62,000+ books on leadership but almost nothing to help creative team leaders build and sustain a creative environment. Creativity and innovation can be delicate and emotionally fraught processes. Leadership theories are helpful, but what do you do when your star designer suddenly starts mailing it in? Or a project team is frozen in infighting? Or one of your designers just can’t find their footing in a new project? When you got your big promotion for being an amazing designer, no one told you that you needed an entirely new skill set. Sink or swim, baby. Learn tips from vision development to team alignment, from bottom-up empowerment to top-down intervention. Presented by Sarah B. Nelson, Hot Studio

Development-

Web Anywhere: Mobile Optimisation With HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
Web apps, mobile phone apps, websites that work anywhere, SVG, HTML5, Widgets, location-aware sites, Media Queries. Beyond the buzzword assault is a revolution in the way sites are made, what they can do, and how they are accessed.Explore different methodologies for making websites that users can access on mobile phones and other devices, and how to optimize your existing website for mobile. Find out what’s coming around the corner in HTML5 and the W3C APIs that allow websites to access native capabilities on devices.  Presenter: Bruce Lawson

The Politics Behind HTML5
HTML5 is the flavor of the month. Steve Jobs thinks it will feed his cat, Google thinks it means whatever they think is good, and the rest of us are waiting to discover what (apart from video, better forms, and interoperable parsing on the web) it actually *is* when it’s done. Obviously, there is a lot of interest in the next generation of such an important technology, and a lot of discussion about what it will be, how it works, etc. Where the people go, politics follows close behind. From CSSquirrel to MrLastWeek, from the New York Times to bloggers in Kyrgyzstan, people are also watching the politics. And there is a lot of it. On this panel, the people who have been there take you on a guided tour of the (smoky backroom) discussions and deals that shape HTML5, and looks at what is happening now. Where did HTML5 come from? Who were the players, who are the players, and what do they think? Why is X3D not in HTML5 if MathML is? What happened to accesskey, and why are people unhappy? Why does HTML5 have two licenses, and two specs? This panel *won’t* answer your questions about how to include HTML5 in your website. It will explore the thorny questions you want to ask but nobody wants to answer, and we’ll maybe have a little fun along the way.

Creative JavaScript and HTML(5) Visual Effects
It’s time to get creative with JavaScript! Seb Lee-Delisle, Founding partner of BAFTA winning agency Plug-in Media, shows you how to create beautiful visual effects in HTML5 canvas in this 2.5 hour workshop. He’ll also demonstrate how easy it is to convert 3D points into 2D and show you how to make your very own JavaScript 3D engine. Bring a laptop and prepare to get coding! Presented by Seb Lee-Delisle of Plug-in Media

Social Media-

Beyond the Check-In: Location and the Social Web
This panel will look at how the “ever-present human desire to share” leads to success for check-ins using location-based services such as Gowalla and Foursquare. Josh Williams, co-founder and CEO of Gowalla, will explain how people’s propensity to share where they are and what they’re doing is changing the way we communicate.

Williams will also share insights on how geolocation has shaped mobile technology and what’s next for Gowalla and other mobile-social services. He plans to address questions that would be of interest to both journalists and news consumers, including this one: “OK, so I’ve shared all the places I’ve been and connected it with photos and videos. Now what do I DO with all that data?”

Exploring the Twitter APIs
This panel is worth going to if you want to find out how the Twitter API works, how some of its new features came to be, and how it might look and work in the future. In particular, Matt Harris of Twitter will talk about what you can and can’t do with Twitter’s API. The panel is bound to be technical, but at the very least it will help you gain a better understanding of how APIs work.

Mobile-

Designing a Seamless Web to Mobile Experience
Clearly more and more consumers and small businesses are making the move to mobile to help manage their day to day lives. With that migration comes the demand – and expectation – for seamless utility between their Web and mobile experiences. Rather than having services live separate lives via their desktop or Web applications, customers are looking for instant gratification in an end to end experience independent of what device they’re using to access their information. The problem? No one is providing this seamless experience yet – and if they are, it is not meeting customer expectations. Explore the ways that companies can and are making the successful translation of Web to mobile and how that will result in customer delight and uptake of new mobile services across the market. Presented by Omar Green, Director of Strategic Mobil Initiatives at Intuit.

Designing iPad Interfaces – New Navigation Schemas
Lynn Teo of AKQA, an agency specializing in interactive marketing, will look at trends and best practices in iPad application design navigation. Based on an assessment of more than 50 iPad apps, Teo will provide an analysis of navigation methods and will answer questions such as: “Are there specific wayfinding and browsing mechanisms that make for a satisfying and productive iPad user experience?” and “How effective are the navigation approaches? Why are some more/less effective than others?”

App, Shmapp, Tell Me What Works Across Platforms!
This panel could be of interest to publishers and developers who want to better analyze consumers’ behavioral patterns to “develop the best possible mobile application and mold the app to harness the advantages of each platform.” Aaron Forth, director of product design at Intuit’s Mint.com, will look at how mobile apps have changed the way companies interact with their companies and will explain how developers can create behavioral-based apps for the iPhone and Droid platforms.

Behind the Curtain: Secrets of Mobile Application Wizardry
Razorfish’s Paul Gelb says “tens of thousands of developers and hundreds of thousands of mobile applications have gotten it wrong” and have failed to attract active users. Gelb plans to show participants how they can do it right and will talk about the biggest mistakes that developers make when creating apps. He’ll also offer tips on how to measure the performance of a branded application.

Apps vs. Mobile Web: Which to Reach Consumers?
This presentation discusses the pros and cons of using Mobile Web and Applications to reach consumers. It draws on GetJar’s experience as the world’s 2nd largest app store with over 1 billion downloads on what works and what doesn’t to reach consumers on mobile. The presentation will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile apps vs. mobile web. It will also discuss innovative new ways to use both mediums to reach your consumers in a way that is scaleable and cost effective for your organization. The presentation will also discuss who you can communicate your mobile web / mobile apps offering to your consumers in a way that is clear, simple and easy to follow for consumers regardless of what kind of handset or platform they are using. Presented by Patrick Mork, CMO Get Jar

Personal/Self  Improvement-

Fail Big, Fail Often: How Fear Limits Creativity
It can be difficult to embrace failure when you’re working on deadline and under a tight budget. But Jeramy Morrill of Big Spaceship says failure is a necessary part of creation. During his panel, he’ll talk about how our responses to failure improve or decrease our potential as creative thinkers, and how to get satisfaction out of the process of “failing forward.”

I’m So Productive, I Never Get Anything Done
Media columnist David Carr of The New York Times will look at how technology contributes to, and detracts from, journalists’ productivity. He raises relevant questions for journalists who want to strike a better balance between consuming media and creating it: “Is your desktop a window on the world or just a view of the prison yard?” and “What specific steps have you taken to bifurcate your world into productivity and recreation?”

Miscellaneous-

*Geek Out ALERT! An Interview with Mythbuster Adam Savage
As one of the co-hosts of The Discovery Channel’s & Mythbusters, Adam Savage’s work is interactive at the most literal and basic level — yet also indicative of the forward-thinking approaches to communication celebrated at SXSW. A proponent of both DIY trouble-making and an outspoken advocate for science over rumor, Savage has to balance the enthusiasms that spring for wanting to see something for oneself with the hard facts that have been proven by others time and again. An industrial designer and special effects supervisor prior to busting myths, Savage brings an engineer’s methodology to the problems not just of urban myths and historic legends but to the larger problems of scientific illiteracy and know-nothing-ism in American culture.  Presenter: Ana Marie Cox, GQ Magazine

Q&A With Google & Bing On Website Ranking
This looks like a worthwhile panel if you’re interested in search engine optimization and driving traffic to your site. Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, will join Google’s Matt Cutts and a representative from Bing to talk about ways to increase your site’s ranking online. They’ll address questions such as: “What are best practices to do well with Google & Bing?” and “What are common design techniques that should be avoided?”

The Grand Challenges in Media
Robin Sloan is a serious media innovator, having moved from Current TV futurist to Kickstarter-funded novelist to media integrator at Twitter. He’s going to “describe the significant unsolved problems in media, and talk about why they matter,” and then offer “a starter kit” of models and ideas that point to a solution.

Tips to surviving SXSW Interactive:

1. It’s OK to skip a few panels. The numerous options of panels, book signings, speaker sessions, and meet-ups can be totally overwhelming, especially for first-timers. But definitely maintain a “must attend” list, but also take time to enjoy the spontaneous hallway conversations that often take place when roaming the convention center.

2. Ditch the lap top, but carry a charger. This tip certainly isn’t for everyone and your job may require that you carry your lap top with you everywhere. If your lap top is optional, then you may want to consider leaving it in your hotel room and instead carry pen/paper or use your phone. You’ll be doing tons of walking to/from/around the convention center and may not have a break to drop off your bag at your hotel before going out.

Between geo-location check-ins on Foursquare or Gowalla, live tweeting during panels, taking notes, and text messages/calls/DMs to meet up with people, you don’t want to run out of juice early in the day.

SXSW has a Volt Recharge Lounge on the ACC floor that will have lots of chargers & plug-in space.

3. Say hello to people! People are very friendly and approachable — even the rockstars of social media and emerging technology. Introduce yourself to people sitting next to you in panels or while walking from one session to another. At SXSW, everyone enjoys learning things such as where other people are from, what they hope to get out of SXSW, and what they think of the Texas BBQ!

4. Arrive early to popular panels. Due to the size of the convention center and number of people trying to get from point A to point B, it can take 10 – 15 minutes to walk from one session to another. Many of the sessions fill up to maximum seating capacity quickly, so if there is a session on your “must attend” list, then not a bad idea to aim to arrive 10 minutes early to that session.

*SXSW Pro Tips. The food always runs out before the drinks at SXSW, so if your only priority for the week is sustaining yourself on the generosity of blogs, publicists, and Internet start-ups, enjoy fighting through that taco-and-Sailor-Jerry’s hangover in order to get in line early enough to gulp down another aluminum-foil chafing dish full of barbecue, rethink this…projections in number of participants for this years SXSW is way higher then last year. Pack a snack or visit one of the bar/restaurants on either 4th or 6th Street like Frank, The Jackalope, B.D. Rileys, and Halcyon, they all usually have SXSW specials during the month.

The learned SXSW-attendee knows that the “free food” is a bonus, but definitely not a guarantee. A day of day panels, shows and industry parties can be quite long—so pad your wallet with a little lunch money.

Also, Block Off Some Time for the Trade Show Block Party…The Block Party will be popping this year from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Tuesday, March 15, the Block Party is styled after a traditional pub crawl.

Instead of pubs, registrants are encouraged to visit the booths of participating companies for tasty treats and refreshing beverages, both alcoholic and non. This year will feature participation from over 30 entities, so it is sure to be a good time.

To stay up to date on all the SXSW happenings in the Trade Show and beyond, visit the SXSW Schedules often.

There are a lot of design firms out there who do great work, and I always wonder, what makes a firm and a client “click” and, what makes a client “stick”?

I feel that building a rapport with a client is much like trying to build a friendship with someone from another culture. As people, we all have things in common and yet there are communication gaps that need to be bridged when two people or groups of people from different backgrounds are trying to find a solution to a common task. In the case of a web design firm it starts with trying to understand what the client is looking for both in the appearance and functionality of their website, followed by trying to find the most effective and efficient way to make that happen.

Often times, a client will get what they want from the firm at the end of what is a long and arduous process of iterations and churn which is frustrating not just for the client but for the design firm as well. One thing we have always focused on at Monkee-Boy is how best to streamline the communication process so that a minimal amount of hours are spent going back and forth trying to understand what needs to be done.

A process such as this needs cooperation and patience from both ends of the equation – for the people doing the work to walk the client through the basics of what it takes to design and build a website and to clearly communicate to the client the things that would really help them do this as efficiently as possible – and for the client to take the time to understand what is needed from them and to respect and comply with these requests as far as is reasonable.

In my considerable experience of interacting and working with a wide range of clients, I find that a majority are more than willing to do anything that will help reduce expense dissipated via wasted hours of needless churn, and that they are also willing to make the time to understand what this takes.

Not only does this exchange drive the firm to do their very best, but also leaves the client satisfied that their billable hours have been very well utilized. Also, it is a constant learning process for both parties involved. Our clients have always helped us learn and evolve – every time we are faced with a request that we have not tackled before – just as someone from a different culture helps you discover new facets to yourself and helps to constantly expand what you think are your boundaries.

To illustrate with a simple example: this past week, I had to look for a solution that would reduce the size of a print-resolution PDF file without compromising the quality of the images, and without the help of Adobe Acrobat’s ‘PDF Optimizer’ functionality. I discovered that if you open the PDF file in the program it was created, select “Print” and choose “Adobe PDF” as your printer, it does exactly this. I was able to shrink a 6+ MB PDF into a 140KB one with minimal loss in quality. There are other designers who might have already known this, but in my case it was a client’s request that pushed me to look for an alternate solution. I learned something new, and was able to deliver what the client needed.