Saturday 31 May 2014

Motivational Words #1 Positivity Postcard

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: motivational words, motivation, positive thinking, positive attitude, encouragement, positive outlook, encouraging, encourage, word art, hrbstslr mowds1, values

Motivational Words series Be positive! Here's a great design using motivational word art that could subtly and subconsciously help you improve your outlook and attitude. Each time you look at these influencing words, you should get a little reminder and a small positive boost!
more items featuring these motivational words
more items in the Motivational Words series

Image code: mowds1

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Give me a pug pocket journal.

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: give me a pug, cute pug, cute dog, cute puppy, cute, dog, puppy, pug, black

Pugs are so cute and funny, no one could pass them by without copying their face, or at least a smile. Smile with the cute pug!

»visit the AgniShop store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Friday 30 May 2014

Motivational Words #2 badge / button

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: badges, motivational words, motivation, positive thinking, positive attitude, encouragement, positive outlook, word art, values, hrbstslr

Motivational Words series Give some positivity! Here's a great design using motivational word-art. Each time you look at them, you should get a subtle positive boost!!

more items featuring these motivational words
more items in the Motivational Words series

Image code: mowds2

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Thank You Chihuahua Puppy Dog Postcard

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: chihuahua, puppy, puppies, dog, chewawa, chiwawa, thanks, thank you, chihuahua puppy, chihuahua puppies, dogs, pup, doggy, chiwawa puppy


In the modern age of technology there is nothing sweeter than to receive a personalized handwritten thank you note from friends and family. This cute puppy postcard features a black and white photo of a Chihuahua puppy dog posing in a flower garden.

Dog Thank You post cards are the economic alternative to greeting cards. Great for....
Communicating with customers and clients to show appreciation Show gratitude to friends and family for gifts Weddings and bridal showers Attach to gift baskets, and goody bags Acts of kindness

For some fun and daily inspiration please visit our Puppy Expressions Blog.

Other Chihuahua products and gifts you may enjoy....
IPhone 5 Cover Love Chihuahua Puppy Dog Case
IPhone 5 Cover Love Chihuahua Puppy Dog Case by alwaysdogs
Find more Puppy Casemate Cases at Zazzle
Love Chihuahua Puppy Dog Keychain
Love Chihuahua Puppy Dog Keychain by alwaysdogs
Browse Chihuahua Keychains online at Zazzle.com





»visit the alwaysdogs store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

How to Identify Social Media Demographics & Target Viewer Interests for Better Social Reach

Blogging with purpose

original post »
7910370882_39d180fb66_z

Image via flickr user Jason Howie

This is a guest contribution from Larry Alton.

There are social media demographics in general, and then there are your social media demographics for your business. You need to know the details of both in order to garner this platform for optimal gain. For instance, knowing that the majority of your followers are women in a certain age group means you can write your posts accordingly. Knowing that the majority of your fans live in a certain region means you can connect with them on a local level.

When it comes to identifying social media demographics, it’s all about using that data to hone your online presence. It doesn’t matter the platform; there are nuggets of gold in this data that can seriously boost your business. Start with considering the basic facts about social media in general. For example, the most popular platform is Facebook, followed by Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+ in a constant neck and neck race.

Back to basics

Facebook leans young, but there’s been a 45 percent spike in those ages 45 to 54 joining the site sine 2012. In total 73% of people who make over $75,000 per year are on Facebook, as opposed to just 17% on Twitter. However, a shocking 86% of FB users aren’t based in the US, making this prime pickings for businesses looking to go global.

With Instagram, now a part of Facebook, 68% of users are women. Twitter draws a young crowd with 27% of people in the US aged 18 to 29 using it, but only 16% of people who are in their 30s-40s tweet. If you’re looking to market to a younger crowd, your efforts might be better spent on Twitter rather than Facebook.

Juicy tidbits

LinkedIn is largely male but has a global appeal. Of course, it’s a more professional network, so you might want to steer clear of it if you’re trying to monetize a Paleo blog or other similar pursuit. However, for the more traditional startup or business, having a LinkedIn profile is nearly a necessity. Google+ takes the cake for male domination with 70% of users.

Pinterest is the social media platform of choice for tablet users, with 84% of users being women. Tumblr is another strong contender for teens, so it’s no surprise that only eight per cent of users have incomes over $75,000. What can you do with all this data? Manage it, analyze it and use it to craft your social media presence.

Know your users

There are analysis programs for certain platforms, including many provided (free) by the platforms themselves, which give you valuable information. For example, you can easily see which posts are most popular and which were most widely seen. You may also be able to get reports on the most active users in your network or other basic information on them.

Some of the most reputable social media analytic tools include Brandwatch, Google Analytics (a freebie), Local Response, and Moz Analytics. If you’re on a tight budget, Google isn’t fancy but it works, and the big social media platforms offer a variety of free analysis tools such as the free Facebook Competitive Analysis Report, Free Twitter Customer Service Analysis, or the Free Instagram User Report. Money can often play a role, but consider what information you need, not just the bottom line, to choose the right reporting tools.

Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

How to Identify Social Media Demographics & Target Viewer Interests for Better Social Reach

Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

How to Identify Social Media Demographics & Target Viewer Interests for Better Social Reach
 #bloggingtips 

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood

Fun and Random

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Drawing inspiration from early theatrical training, and influenced by methods of staged photography and set design, artist Barry Underwood (previously) transforms ordinary landscapes into something out of science fiction. The artist utilizes LED lights, luminescent material, and other photographic effects to create fleeting abstract landscapes that are influenced by both accidental and incidental light. He shares via his artist statement:

My artwork examines community and land-use in rural, suburban and urban sites. I created this series of installations by researching local agricultural, industrial, and recreational land-use. Curiosity about ecological and social history of specific places drives my work. By revealing the beauty and potential of an ordinary landscape an everyday scene is transformed into a memorable, visual experience. Each photograph image is a dialogue – the result of my direct encounter with nature and history. Inspired by land art, landscape photography and painting, as well as cinema, my images are both surreal and familiar.

Underwood will open an exhibition of both old and new work at Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York titled Scenes, on May 29th, 2014. You can see more over on Johansson Projects and read a 2011 interview at Juxtapoz. Images courtesy Sous Les Etoiles Gallery and the artist.

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

Landscape Light Installations by Barry Underwood light landscapes installation

 
#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/PQCGZZ0hsWU/

Cockatoo headbanger

Fun and Random

Cockatoo headbanger
D*mn bird's got better timing than me!

 #funandrandom

 » see original post https://plus.google.com/116000959328274308893/posts/WGfTjvJEQ4G

Discover the joy of the free Zazzle forum collections generator

Problem solved:

Posting a product with linked image on the Zazzle forum is too hard for many, and takes too long for the rest of us!

I wondered if I could come up with a solution that suited me and would likely be useful to others. Well, I've finished it and it does suit me, and it seems to be useful to others judging by the forum posts I'm starting to see :)

Free Zazzle Forum Post Collections Generator

Tool Benefits

  1. Quickly make forum posts of collections of related designs, all using your referrer id and tracking code
  2. Let the visitor see a page of related products with just one click
  3. Make it easy for affiliates to use your collection with their referral id and tracking codes 
  4. Use on any forum that uses bbcode, not just Zazzle's!

Tool Features

Here are the features of the tool and the webpage where you configure your collection

For the forum post:

  • A title to show on the forum post
  • The ids of exectly 4 products you want in your collection
  • As usual, the referrer id and tracking codes to use in all links
  • The display template to use of the 3 available (how it will look on the forum)
  • Your storename for a general link at the end of the post
One of the special features I've built in is the construction of a link that, when clicked, displays a page of related products. It's the second-to-last link in the forum post generated.

The very last link in the forum post is a special one aimed at affiliates. It allows the affiliate to quickly regenerate the collection but using their referrer id and tracking code instead.

So for the related products page, you give

  • A search term or phrase that will pull the related products
  • If you used a storename, it will pull from the store, otherwise from the market place
  • A department id to allow you to restrict products to specific types (see screenshot below for where to get the department id)
  • The size to display the product images at
  • A background color for the product images
  • A title to be displayed on the page
  • Whether a product's tags should be included with its description
All links in the related products page that gets generated use your referrer id and tracking code. The page generated is only temporary, lasting only while the visitor views the page, disappearing when they move somewhere else or close the browser window.

Finding the product id

Here's where to find the product id to use. First, get to the product page of the first product you want in your collection. Then look in the address bar for the last number, in this case 228396736475066042.
  • Sometimes there might be some others numbers earlier in the url - you don't want those, you want the ones after the product 's name you should see



That number is the product id and if you double click it, like before, it will select just that number for you to copy.


Finding the department id

When you're in your store's back end and you click on any of the departments in the left hand nav, then you'll see the department id in the address bar. It's the one that's preceded by dp-

Have a look at this screenshot:

Look in the address bar for the number after dp- and that's your department id

If you double click that number, like before it will select just that number for you to copy.

Enjoy and let me know how you got on with it in the comments :)

Thursday 29 May 2014

Motivational Words #2 positive encouragement Post Cards

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: motivational words, motivation, motivating, positive thinking, encouragement, positive outlook, positive attitude, values, hrbstslr mowds2, wordart

Motivational Words series Give some positivity! Here's a great design using motivational word-art. Each time you look at them, you should get a subtle positive boost!!
more items featuring these motivational words
more items in the Motivational Words series

image code: mowds2

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Funny birthday card: Years Whiz By

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: dog, puppy, cute, cartoon, years whiz by, pee, cake, candles, birthday, dog birthday card, cute birthday card, peeing dog, birthdays

This cute and funny birthday card features a cute puppy dog who has his own ways of putting out candles on a birthday cake.

»visit the chuckink store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Motivational Words #2 blank notelet / card

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: motivational words, motivation, positive thinking, encouragement, positive outlook, succeed, blank notelets, positive attitude, values, hrbstslr mowds2, word art

Motivational Words series Give some positivity! Here's a great design using motivational word-art. Each time you look at them, you should get a subtle positive boost!!
more items featuring these motivational words
more items in the Motivational Words series

image code: mowds2

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy Chillin' Card

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: german short haired pointer, gsp, bird dog, hunting dog, hunter, hunting, animals, dog, canine, pet, sassybellewares, german shorthaired pointer

cute puppy!

»visit the sassybellewares store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Tuesday 27 May 2014

1st Birthday Binder

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: birthday, 1st birthday, child birthday, kids birthday, dog, first birthday, cute, blue, personalized, customizable, avery binder, 3 ring binder, three ring binder, 3-ring binder, customizable binder, custom binder, birthday binder, birthday scrapbook, scrapbook

This birthday binder features a big number one, a cute puppy with a birthday hat and present and balloons on the front, three cupcakes on the back and space to personalize it with your child's name, all on a blue polka dot background. Perfect for storing memories of baby's first birthday.

»visit the stationeryshop store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

New Hand-painted and Animated ‘GIF-iti’ by INSA

Fun and Random

New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
New Hand painted and Animated GIF iti by INSA street art murals graffiti gifs Gambia animation
Fine artist and designer INSA (previously) continues creating his signature animated “GIF-iti” pieces in locations around the world. Each mural is painted and photographed in sequence to create up to 8 individual layers (or frames) which are then animated into what you see here, a process than can take several days. In 2013 INSA also had the opportunity to travel to Kubuneh Village in Gambia where he was invited to create several of his works on local structures as part of the Wide Open Walls project. (via Hi-Fructose)

#funandrandom
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/h1tt-AUjOSE/

Looking to Outsource Your Design Needs? You Need to Read This

Blogging with purpose

original post »

This is a guest contribution from our very own Shayne Tilley.

Late last year Darren looked at some of the DIY image and graphics tools we use here on ProBlogger — many of which I frequent daily. However with design, whilst I can resize and format an image and cover some the basics, the idea of approaching more complex design tasks very quickly exceeds my skills – and bad can design can be worse than no visuals at all!

So today I wanted to share with you how a marketing guy with no design skills and no time to waste gets through a pile of design jobs every month without spending a fortune.

The quick stuff:

I’m finding more and more there’s a ‘real-time’ element to design.  Posts need more supporting (and complex) visuals to improve the quality and iterations are needed for more shareability. On top of that, when doing A/B testing you need to be creating visual variations in batches as much as copy.

Personally I appreciate, and am often amazed by, high-end visual work (just spend an hour with this guy and you’ll know what I mean), I just can’t bring myself to pay $100 an hour to create five versions of a button, or create a collage to share on Facebook.

So for this work I use:

swiftly

I was first introduced to Swiftly through my history with 99designs. After running a few trials in the initial days I was impressed by not only the quality but the speed of delivery. So excited was I about by what they were doing, I’ve offered my help the to team with their plans for world domination.

Price: $15 flat rate

fiverr

To be honest, I’ve used fiverr more for fun than serious work.  For example, if I need to play a gag on a mate for his birthday. But there has been the odd occasion where work and fun meet with my graphical requirements and that’s where I’ve headed.

Cost: $5 + upgrades

microlancer

Microlancer is a bit of copy/paste of fiverr, but brought to you by the Envato network that I use a lot for stock WordPress themes and plugins. It’s perhaps a little more serious/businesslike than fiverr, and I’ve used them for slightly bigger design jobs.  It’s newish and time will tell but I’m impressed with my experiences to date.

Cost: $5-$500

Why I like swiftly over the others…  (with a disclosure)

Being totally upfront here, I’m helping the swiftly team at the time of writing this post. But I’m very selective about who I work with and I’m helping because I believe in what they are doing…

I believe they are destined to be the Google of quick design services.  What I mean by that is I can spend 30 minutes browsing for the right freelancer on fiverr or microlancer for my task. In the same time I can have my designs already done with Swiftly.

They have built some behind-the-scenes magic to play matchmaker. I just tell them what I want, they find me the best person for the job, and it’s done.

There’s a reason we use search engines not directories to find stuff these days, and they’re doing the same for great design talent.

The big stuff:

When it comes to major overhauls like full site re-designs, full landing pages there’s likely to be much more at stake. So more thought goes into deciding who I’ll use. My decision marketing process goes a little like this …

My network:

I’ve worked directly in the past with some great designers across the globe so often my first port of call is to tap into the design network I’ve built over time. The requirements and style of the design jobs I need can be very diverse, so I’ll never limit myself to just one resource.

With an idea of time, a feel for the budget and the style required, out will go the expressions of interest to a bunch of people I’ve got a history with.

I realise that not everyone with have these connections to begin with, so it’s important to start building your own.

A big part of finding great talent is to go to where they are.

Freelancer.com & 99designs.com

Both these sites have great designers in their thousands. You might run a 99designs contest or a freelancer project initially and then work 1:1 with designers who you click you in the future.  You need to commit some time up front to find the talent in the crowd, but if your are thinking in the long term it’s worth it.

But also don’t forget to look locally.

Whilst sites like the above tap you into the global market of designers, chances are good there’s a great designer just around the corner. Do some searching, send some emails, make some phone calls and you might be surprised. If you can find a great design partner locally and develop a relationship over time, you’re in good shape.  You can talk about your requirements face to face. The challenge of time-zones don’t matter. It’s a great place to be in.

The visual web is an every growing thing and getting stuff designed well is more important than ever.  There’s no one size fits all solution to all your design needs, but if you make some smart choices and grow your network you can take the hassle and expense our of making your blog and the web more beautiful place to be.

Even if you can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, like me!

Shayne Tilley is the marketing guy for ProBlogger.net and Digital Photography School.  The author of the PB Guide to Online Marketing and a long time contributor to the blog.  When he’s not thinking of new and interesting ways to grow the ProBlogger sites, he’s either bashing up developers or hanging out with the swiftly.com team.

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

Looking to Outsource Your Design Needs? You Need to Read This

Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

Looking to Outsource Your Design Needs? You Need to Read This
 #bloggingtips 

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature

Fun and Random

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

Ultra Small Bonsai Plants Give New Meaning to the Word Miniature plants miniature Japan bonsai

What happens when you apply of love of small things to an art form that’s already all about small things? In recent years Bonsai—Japan’s art form of growing miniature trees in miniature planters—has undergone a miniaturization trend. Industry experts consider bonsai plants less than 3 cm (about 1 inch) to be particularly difficult, but artists have taken on the challenge, creating tiny plants and tiny planters that, literally, are at your fingertips. It’s given rise to a new category, known as cho-mini bonsai, or ultra-small bonsai.

It’s no secret that the Japanese excel at making things smaller, whether it’s automobiles, electronics or food. In fact, Japan’s love of small things can be found in literature dating back over a 1,000 years. When it comes to the land of the rising sun, it’s clear that beauty comes in small packages. (via Archie McPhee, RocketNews24)

 
#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/AjkdLDa_W-c/

Monday 26 May 2014

Piebald Pony business cards template

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: generic, business cards, logo, profile cards, genbct, horses, hrbstslr, piebald ponies, grazing dartmoor pony, wild ponies

Animals and Pets series A great generic business card template. Just upload your logo or use the one provided. Then customise with your details and give a strap line, quote or personal message for that professional feel.

This business card template with other artwork

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Cute Puppy Dog Look Post Card

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: cute, puppy, dog, money, college, dorm, mom, dad, please, send, wild, williams, card, greetings

Go Wild~ Send a funny keepsake card for a guaranteed smile and maybe a bit of money. Stock up, buy all your favorites now and receive a bulk discount.

»visit the WildCardGreetings store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Sunday 25 May 2014

Respect, Kindness, Trust, Virtues word art poster Poster

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: honour, trust, kindness, peace, patience, honesty, strength, motivational words, hrbstslr mowds3, motivating respect, harmony, tolerance, courage, inspiration, imagination, virtues, good traits, values, wordart

Here's a great poster design using motivational word art based around virtues that could help give the whole office a nice little boost. They are great values to encourage in your staff with the added benefit of better customer interaction.
It works on the psychological principle of conscious and unconscious positive reinforcement and can lead to a virtuous circle of ever-increasing influence.

more items featuring these motivational virtues words
more items in the Motivational Words series

Image code: mowds3

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Saturday 24 May 2014

Adopt a shelter dog, Love a dog Shirts

Cute Alert!

How can you resist this cute puppy design? Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it? Click to customize and personalize...


tagged with: shelter dogs, dog adoption, dog rescue, dog keepsakes, tees, t-shirts, dog gifts, dog t-shirts, cute, blessingartanimals, fernleaf, rescue

A cute puppy looks at viewer. Colorful background and text, Love a dog, Adopt a Shelter dog. Original design.

»visit the BlessingArtAnimals store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

The Collages of Joseba Elorza Set in Motion for Air Review’s ‘Young’

Fun and Random

The Collages of Joseba Elorza Set in Motion for Air Reviews Young surreal music video collage

A few months ago we featured a number of collages by artist Joseba Elorza (previously) who merges stock historical footage, photography, science fiction, and humor to create surreal worlds that are both strange and nostalgic. Now we get to see his collages in motion. Dallas-based band Air Review comissioned Elorza to make this beautiful music video for their track Young. (via ★Stellar)

 
#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/HFnueULeW_M/