Breaking Even Communications

Why You’ll Never See ‘Designed By Breaking Even Communications’ On A Website

Nicole Ouellette — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:07:51 +0000

We had a recent client who was so grateful for our work she insisted we put ‘Designed by Breaking Even Communications’ at the bottom of her website. I refused. She couldn’t believe it, and I couldn’t think of a way to explain it well at the time. (Yes, this is how I get ideas for [...]

How To Handle Control Freaks

Nicole Ouellette — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:15:07 +0000

Someone has hired you to do a job for them. Based on their goals and other factors, you’ve decided a way to do it and they’ve signed off on your plan. Or so you thought. Suddenly, they want to be involved in every little detail of the process. (Why are you using 14 and not [...]

One Day Website Workshop: The When, The Why, and The How

Nicole Ouellette — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:38:50 +0000

Last Friday, we gave our twice a year ‘One Day Website’ workshop. Our reasoning is that there are people who have the time/interest in learning website software but not the funds to pay us to do it for them. The reason we do it only twice a year? Honestly, it’s a ton of work ahead [...]

How To Handle Tragedy On Social Media

Nicole Ouellette — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:12:28 +0000

So when something crappy happens, what are we supposed to do online? The same things we do offline actually. Here’s what I’m talking about. There was a historically huge Bangladesh factory collapse that killed over 1,000 people recently. My friend David posted a link from The Village Voice showing a screenshot of Joe Fresh, the [...]

Managing Expectations For Your DIY Project

Nicole Ouellette — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:56:43 +0000

My hairdresser Shaina is a great person who not only does amazing hair but also has one of those witty personalities. She posted this awhile back: I will say right off that I don’t do anything hair altering (especially related to hair color) by myself. The whole looking in the mirror and having it be [...]

My 6 minutes and 40 seconds of [local] fame

Alice Kaiserian — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:29:54 +0000

People think that I am an extrovert, and they couldn’t be more wrong. I’m quite simply an introvert who has gone great lengths to hide her fear of speaking in public. Make it till you fake it, as they say. So when I was asked to participate in a Pecha Kucha Night here on MDI [...]

Your Guide To Bar Harbor Barter and Swap (And Websites Like It)

Nicole Ouellette — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:19:10 +0000

To some people in our area, there is an epic Facebook group called ‘Bar Harbor Barter and Swap’. It’s a closed and small group, mainly of people getting rid of random stuff (SCUBA fins!) or looking for random stuff (universal car seat stroller). Two examples from the past hour. I’ve learned a few things from buying [...]

Hiring Someone To Write Your Blog: The If, The Why, and The How

Nicole Ouellette — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:41:52 +0000

Many people are surprised when I tell them we ghost write for other blogs. Despite the fact that this blog is fun and kicky, we can be serious when we need to be. Some of our clients have been tech companies (since we have that knowledge anyway), some are just regular businesses. Many people know [...]

New Website Launch: National Park Sea Kayak

Nicole Ouellette — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:44:59 +0000

When Robert approached us about a website redesign, we could see that while the information on his site was current, he needed a visual refresher. Robert wanted to use a logo that Z Studio had made several years ago. He also wanted it really obvious how to make a reservation request on the site: We [...]

Youtube’s and My Dad’s Birthday

Nicole Ouellette — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:53:22 +0000

Business Insider let me know this morning that it was Youtube’s 8th birthday. It also happens to be my dad’s birthday. No one had to tell me that, in part because it’s three days before mine and only a few days after my sister’s. (Yes, my mom made three separate birthday cakes and had three separate [...]