Community hasn't always been something that was important to me. An introvert and a bit of a loner, I tend to be most comfortable in my own little bubble. Over the past few years, though, community has become a big part of my life as I've discovered how great it feels to be part of something bigger than myself.

For my October contribution to The Pastry Box Project, I write about this power of community.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: community, Emily Lewis, ExpressionEngine, shameless self promotion, The Pastry Box Project, writing

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

A very special episode of the EE Podcast is available for your listening pleasure!

For episode 80, Lea and I were at EECI 2012 US! A completely different episode than we've done before, we had a ton of fun with a record 10 guests participating in trivia challenges and interviews.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: Aaron Sherrill, Anna Brown, Ben Croker, Brad Parscale, Chad Crowell, EE, EE Podcast, Eric Lamb, ExpressionEngine, interviews, Jean St. Armand, Kelly Cook, live recording, Michael Boyink, podcasts, Ryan Irelan, trivia

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

I've been an editor longer than anything else I've done in my entire career. It began when I was 15 and was appointed a Section Editor of my high school yearbook. That year, I fell in love with writing and developed a passion for helping other writers communicate. I also discovered I was pretty good at organization, deadlines and details.

The following year, I became Editor–in–Chief of that high school yearbook and helped the publication earn a coveted, highly-competitive Silver Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (I'm still ridiculously proud of that). I continued with my newly-discovered passion in college, also serving as yearbook Editor–in–Chief during my Freshman year.

Once graduated, I took a job as a news writer and was promoted to editor soon after. Then I discovered how to write HTML and CSS, and a new passion took my focus.

But writing and editing have always been a part of my days. Having opportunities to write about HTML, CSS and other web topics is the perfect marriage of my two passions. And I'm thrilled to be able to take it to a new level as Managing Editor of Web Standards Sherpa!

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: editing, Emily Lewis, shameless self promotion, WaSP, Web Standards Sherpa, writing

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

A new episode of the EE Podcast is available for your listening pleasure!

On the heels of our discussion about Stash with Adrienne Travis, Lea and I talk to Stash creator Mark Croxton in episode 79.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: add-on development, add-ons, development, EE, EE Podcast, ExpressionEngine, Mark Croxton, podcasts, Stash

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

A new episode of the EE Podcast is available for your listening pleasure!

For episode 78, Lea and I talk to Adrienne Travis who shares her template development approach using partials and the Stash add-on.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: Adrienne Travis, development, EE, EE Podcast, efficiency, ExpressionEngine, optimization, podcasts, Stash, template partials, templates, templating

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

A new episode of the EE Podcast is available for your listening pleasure!

For episode 77, we discuss EE search options from basic core functionality to more complex requirements that need add-ons.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: add-ons, EE, EE Podcast, ExpressionEngine, podcasts, search

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

I've always enjoyed project management. I did it professionally for a software company many years ago, and now I do it every day for my freelance business. Over the years, I've learned how essential project management is for just about every project.

And my definition of “project” is broad. Not only do I use project management techniques and tools for my client engagements and running my business, but I use it for the projects I'm involved with such as Web Standards Sherpa, EE Podcast and Webuquerque. I also rely on project management for the projects in my life, such as moving to a new house or mentoring an aspiring graphic designer.

For my August contribution to The Pastry Box Project, I list my absolutely–must–have–can't–live–without project management tools and resources.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: Emily Lewis, freelancing, project management, self-employment, shameless self promotion, task management, The Pastry Box Project, writing

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

At EE Podcast we're kicking off a new interview series to help our listeners get to know fellow EE community members who are active on the #eecms stream.

Our first “Get to Know #eecms” episode introduces Anna Brown (AKA @mediagirl).

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: Anna Brown, EE, EE Podcast, ExpressionEngine, interviews, podcasts

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

A new episode of the EE Podcast is available for your listening pleasure!

For episode 75, Lea and I talk with Leevi Graham about ExpressionEngine site themes.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: development, education, EE, EE Podcast, ExpressionEngine, optimization, podcasts, themes, theming, training

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!

Two years ago, when I decided to freelance full-time, almost all of my friends and family predicted I'd have so much more free time.

I naively thought so too. With my “own” schedule, I envisioned frequent half-days and regular days off. I thought of new hobbies I could start and all the books I would read and all the extra travel I'd do.

As it turns out, these predictions weren't quite right. In my July Pastry Box contribution, I discuss how my expectations for tons of free time have evolved into appreciation for quality of time.

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Published in: Elsewhere

Tags: Emily Lewis, freelancing, self-employment, shameless self promotion, The Pastry Box Project, writing

Interested in HTML5? Buy the Cookbook!

I was a contributing author for the newly-released HTML5 Cookbook, now available for sale on Amazon! Get yours now!

P.S. Don't forget my book Microformats Made Simple is still for sale!