Web Design Trends for 2010

There's always something new in the world of technology, so web trends are constantly evolving. It use to be flashy and in-your-face, but is now refined, simplified, intuitive and interactive. Web is no longer about being showy, it's more about engaging the user, and quickly sharing your information. Here is a list of the top web design trends for 2010:

1. Magazine Style
Oversized logos and header graphics are taking over. Web 2.0 is gearing more towards a magazine style layout — eye catching, easy to read, easy to navigate. Expect lots of whitespace, clean usage of fonts, and carefully positioned imagery.

3. Real Time Interactivity
With the extreme success of Twitter, we’ll be seeing more and more experimental projects. And, with the ongoing battle between Google and Apple, we’ll be seeing more application development. You'll be able to present and share your information across multiple social networking sites and devices, linking everything together.

4. Organic Layouts
2010 may be the year to break out of the grid and create more organic web layouts. We may see some literal “outside the box” thinking as web design starts to take on some of the characteristics of print.

5. Large Footers
Footers are taking up almost a third of some web pages, filled with easy-to-access information such as news clips, contact info, social media links and blog info.

Welcome Baby Reed!

My goodness, it's already December! My apologies for ignoring my blog -- it's been a crazy past few months. I just gave birth to a beautiful, amazing, healthy baby boy, (Gary) Reed Deniston! He was born on Saturday, November 21st, 9:22 a.m. Weighing in at 7 lbs, 4 oz. and 21" long. It has been a whirlwind, it's hard to believe he's already over 2 weeks old! He's doing great, and I'm getting much better. The delivery went very very well and we're recovering nicely. I LOVE being a mommy, and it has completely changed our lives. He melts my heart :) What an amazing Christmas gift to receive this year, we are truly blessed to have this little man in our lives!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year -- Wishing you all the best in 2010!!!

Digging Into DIGG

Social Media — it's a hot topic for firms trying to keep up with the latest technologies. I'll admit, it's hard to know everything about all of them, but to stay in the game, it's necessary to understand how these can benefit you and your clients. Not only can potentials learn about you and your company, you can learn more about your industry and be better at whatever it is you do.

Today, I'm exploring the world of DIGG and hope to share what I learn about this, and other social media sites, along the way. Here are some tips on how to effectively use DIGG:

SEARCH
Next time you're searching articles, images or videos, try looking it up on DIGG. When you come across stories you like, you can "digg" it, book marking it for yourself and to share with others.

On this site, the news is controlled by it's community of users. They decide what is newsworthy and what makes the front page. This site has a whole range of categories that cover almost any topic. Stories that get the most "votes" or "diggs" come up first in the results.

LEARN
If you are new to Digg, then hang out around the site for about a week and read and see how people are commenting and what kind of stories are getting popular. Participate in threaded comments and discussions.

SUBMIT
Submit your own articles and stories. If your post is unique and good enough, it could make it to the first page, exposing you to over 10,000 visitors.

CONNECT
Connect to other users and build your circle of friends. Why? Because, when you submit a story - you can invite your friends to Digg it. Don't forget to reciprocate :)

COMMENT
Another easy way to get traffic (although a fractional amount) is by posting comments on popular stories with high diggs. Just make sure what you write is relevant to the story and then leave a catchy phrase and link (signature) at the end of your comment.

Happy DIGGing!

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Laughs, a Launch and the Loo

Join the SyFy channel's Ghost Hunters Friday from 3-6pm at the Barnes & Noble on Newport on the Levee as they sign the new book they co-wrote with Roto-Rooter plumbers, "Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat."

Also there will be cover model and porcelain princess Brittany Everitt, a toilet ice sculpture and a signed toilet (that was on the cover) that will be signed by the Ghost Hunters and Brittany and raffled off at the event.

Copies of the book will be for sale at the event. Be sure to grab your copy and we'll see you there!

It's a BOY!

Well, assuming everyone knows by now, Gary and I are expecting :) We're just about 22 weeks -- so a little over 5 months! We recently found out it's a boy!!! Couldn't be happier and I've been feeling great! Belly is ever-growing and this kid is gonna be tall like his daddy.

Now is when things start to get interesting -- we need to pick a name, register, find childcare (ACK! expensive!) and decorate the nursery! I cannot wait to decorate baby D's room. Hope to pick out some paint in the next week or so -- I'll be sure to post pictures of the room when it's done.

Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat

It's here! EMG's first book is launched and available for purchase at chillytales.com.

SciFi’s Ghost Hunters, Roto-Rooter Launch New Bathroom Reader Book
Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat Available

Cincinnati, OH – June 25, 2009—Roto-Rooter, America’s largest plumbing and drain cleaning service provider, has unveiled its latest creation to bring joy and relief to bathroom users everywhere. Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat is a vignette-style bathroom reader featuring real life Roto-Rooter plumbers and SciFi channel’s Ghost Hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat features strange but true tales of plumbing horrors and hilarity and is available for purchase at www.chillytales.com.

The idea behind the book stems from all the strange, odd, unexplained and simply weird experiences both the Ghost Hunters and other Roto-Rooter plumbers have witnessed over the years involving pipes, drains, sinks and toilets. “Many of the locations alleged to have poltergeists simply turn out to be plumbing issues, clanging pipes and DIY projects gone wrong,” Hawes said.

“Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat highlights the odd experiences that many plumbers encounter on a daily basis,” Hawes added. “Readers will be shocked to learn about some of the things we’ve experienced on the job and we’ve even had folks from all across the country send in their own plumbing stories for the book. There are tales that will curl your hair, and others that are just so funny you can’t help but belly laugh. It’s a great way to spend some quality time on the throne.”

The book is also filled with practical tips, advice and what not to do’s for do it yourselfers who may be looking to tackle a plumbing problem, although Hawes wryly admits that his best do it yourself plumbing advice is to call an experienced plumber. Chilling Tales features toilet trivia and even a special foreword by the Porcelain God himself.

Visitors to www.chillytales.com or www.rotorooter.com can also enter Roto-Rooter’s Chilling Tales Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Colorado where the winner will join Jason and Grant on a ghost hunt at the famous Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the location for the filming of the movie The Shining, or the chance to stay at the haunted Spaulding Inn of New Hampshire, owned and operated by the Ghost Hunters stars. Other prizes will also be available.

Media Contact: Allison Brinkman
Eisen Marketing Group
859-291-4302
Allison@eisenmarketinggroup.com
Twitter: @EMGMediaAccess