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UPDATE: Interesting… An RFP for the National Endowment for the Arts recently required spec work, so the leading graphic designer’s association responded in a well-written letter. The irony is quite strong here… that an arts organization would be requiring free work (and damaging an industry they are supposed to protect)!

In the past few days, there’s been a somewhat heated discussion on Linked In about companies expecting creative firms to give away their design ideas on RFPs—before getting paid or selected, of course! The discussion was expanded to all RFPs and many different people, ranging from consultants to CFOs commented their varying views. I wanted…

I recently connected my personal website and Twitter accounts to my Facebook page, and I’ve noticed a lot more feedback on my posts. This got me thinking… if Facebook continues to grow in popularity and the amount of time spent, will it outrank Google in terms of reaching potential clients and customers? Will it become…

I was excited to see that WordPress has been awarded the Overall Best Open Source CMS Award in the 2009 Open Source CMS Awards. It’s a great tool! As WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg said in his post, “This is a landmark for us…it marks a shift in the public perception of WordPress, from blog software…

I attended the leadership assembly for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) this week as a delegate for my local St. Louis chapter. An interesting discussion ensued among members about the difference between Public Relations and communications. Many PR professionals feel like their work is distinctly different from communications, although the general public would…

Since I’ve been working with my husband’s web development company for the past two years, I’ve met with many clients as they develop marketing plans and consider website improvements. Interestingly enough, it seems that many companies have it backwards… they put more emphasis on the tangible print or sales presentations and less emphasis on their…

A few years ago, I read an article in John Maxwell’s leadership newsletter where he shared a tip for staying positive when you are not in charge at work. He said that when he was in a subordinate position, he started keeping a list of “Things I’ll Do Differently When I’m In Charge.” He said…

After I wrote my review on Quickbooks, my husband shared a humorous instant message conversation he had with Quickbooks customer service. We can’t win, so we might as well laugh! For your reading entertainment, here’s the recent “circular” conversation that my husband had with Quickbooks customer service regarding an upgrade for the 2009 version. Very…

A big part of running a small business is managing accounting. For those of us who are creative types, this can be a bit of a challenge. Most companies, however, buy accounting software like Quickbooks, MYOB, Peachtree, or one of the new online services like Freshbooks. When I started this company, my husband and I…

I’ve been in PR a long time, but like all industries, it’s very segmented. I worked primarily in the electrical industry, so I knew those publications very well and had excellent relationships with those media. However, now that I work for myself and for my husband’s graphic design and web development firm, I have a…