Karen's Blog | Much ado about something.

The satisfaction of Before/After photos.

When Apple Carpentry first approached me about doing a new web site, their site looked like this. A do-it-yourself site built with Go Daddy's Website Tonight, it had a standard template with stock photos. What it didn't have was a brand strategy and design that reflected their attention to detail and reliable service.

After seeing their standard stock art logo, we knew this was a great opportunity to brand a company positioned to grow. Their site was rebuilt in Website Tonight, but now with a fresh custom-made template. All said, it showed that Go Daddy's content management system can work for smaller simple sites.

I've worked in Joomla, LiveEdit and now Website Tonight content management systems. They all have their place. The needs of your site will determine how your site should be built.

Make sure your 'after' photo is just as satisfying. — Much adieu, K.

Get the Generation Flux Mindset

January 20, 2012 |  Karen Laukkonen

Finally, an article that describes how I feel every day. This is Generation Flux: Meet the Pioneers of the New (and chaotic) Frontier of Business, a Fast Company article that puts a spotlight on today's chaotic business climate.

Like me, you're probably not one of those pioneers — but the same conditions apply to us. Our economy revolves around social and mobile, but those are only 'the latest manifestations of a global, connected world careening ahead at great velocity.' We all need to learn to lean into the curve.

The best part? GenFlux isn't determined by your age, but a mindset that embraces change.

Here's how to embrace the GenFlux mindset:

• Just Jump In. Passionate about tomatoes or weird Japanese toys? Blog, tweet or make a Facebook page about it. Then adapt what you learned to your everyday work and drive your business. Don't worry, you can't break the internet.
• Devour technology. It shocks me how many people have an iPhone and don't even know how to do a basic reboot. Figure out the cool features on the tech you've got. Then, go buy more tech. You'll always have a topic of conversation at a party or the next big office meeting.
• Keep up with business and tech news. For tech, start with Mashable (you may not recognize a name or service when you first read it, but odds are you'll recognize it later when it pops up at work. And it WILL pop up).
• Don't default to 'safe'. Like the article (and Darwin) says, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives; nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." Take a risk.

Every day a new tech thing surprises and thrills me, I'm always glad I leaned into the curve. — Much adieu, K.