Check out the interview.

I could talk about the process of creating the site, and the cool technology involved, but I won’t.  Instead, I wanted to highlight the concept of Getting in the Groove. 

Getting in the Groove is an organizational development program like no other.  Have ever taken part in team-building exercises that left you saying: “That was cool, but how does that affect my work and the people around me?”

Well… Getting in the Groove uses the real-life example of Jazz to demonstrate to teams, organizations, etc… how risk-taking, trust, communication and improvisation (among other things) are crucial to high-performing teams. 

According to Brian Hayman - Groove’s head honcho: “Early on in the adventure, I made an important decision. I’d not lecture on what people might learn from the improvised performance, but simply provide them with an unmediated encounter with jazz musicians making music. I would then work with the observations and insights that were generated from this encounter with the music and conversations with the people who made it.”

Essentially, Groove will gather with a group for a few hours, play some amazing jazz (with an amazing line-up of musicians, I might add) while exploring the relationships between jazz and organizations.  A fantastic concept.

If you’re looking for a different and more effective way to kick-off a team meeting, I suggest giving Getting in the Groove a look.

Aside from the great exposure, the article and Brad’s wisdom give a good perspective on how to plan financially for health care issues in the future.  Aside from the great exposure, the article and Brad’s wisdom give a good perspective on how to plan financially for health care issues in the future. 

See the finished product at: http://www.wdw.utoronto.ca

If you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do to prepare yourself to build your website - get your content in good order first.  Actually, get it in GREAT order.

You’d be amazed at how well the design of your site will fall into place.  Get your content in order first, and undoubtedly you will have a site that is:

- nicely designed
- focused
- worth every penny

The folks over at Mind Petals have outlined 6 fantastic reasons as to why you should start an email newsletter.  I think the most important reason is to show people that you are an expert in your field.  It’s a great way to spread your wisdom when you’re not face-to-face with clients and prospect.  It’s also a fantastic way to stay connected with your clients and prospects in between regular interactions with them.

No, email newsletters aren’t spam.  At least if you send them out properly - which means always asking for permission to send the emails (which you can do on your website sign up form).  Proper etiquette also means that you should always give your recipients the ability to opt-out whenever they want.

There are plenty of Email Newsletter services out there.  In most cases, setup is fairly simple, and the costs are reasonable. Definitely more value than printed mailings and such. 

If you’re interested in sending out a regular Email Newsletter to your clients and prospects, drop me a line.

More importantly, what exactly is a blog?

Should you start a blog?

The people at Common Craft have put together a fantastic (and short) video explaining exactly what a blog is, in everyday language.

Some of the norms from these studies actually go against what I hear from my clients on a regular basis… text is generally more eye-catching than images, readers ignore banners, users only look at a sub-headline if it interests them.

The bottom line for me is that a well-designed web page starts with content.  Well thought out, succinct and well placed. 

Don’t be verbose - people won’t read it.

Don’t use graphics in the place of text - it’s not as effective.

A navigation bar is usually most effective and easy to use at the top of the page.

I could go on.  These may not be as “cool” design decisions, but the observations support effective design.  Your web site visitors will thank you.

Seth Godin summarizes many of the key points from eye tracking studies.

I think the majority of his points boil down to making decisions about your site based on basic common sense. 

This is something that you don’t need in-depth studies, or large committees for.  Think about what your customers want/need, and give it to them.  Don’t wait until your site is 100% perfect before launching it (or you never will).  Keep the language and purpose of your site focused.  Hire the best to build it for you… don’t settle.

Building your web site is important work, but you shouldn’t over-complicate things.  Use common sense, and keep things simple and things will be just fine.