As time progresses we will look at what we do to make our business and how we market ourselves better based on customer demand and feedback as well as trends in the marketplace. We have changed some broad categories into more focused niches. We are also making the fact that we are about providing marketing services for our clients and are committed to consistent branding more obvious. We used the word, “share” to describe the final part of our 4-step work flow and now we have replaced it with the word, market or marketing. Our new motto of “Harmonious New Media” also reflects this.

We are making our photography service more prominent and instead of covering the broad category of “portable media” with are going to focus on Podcasting as a service. We will continue to explore other areas for future products and services but those will be feature and discussed in a “labs” section to be announced at a later date. You will probably see those innovative explorations at our portal site, SpinningSilk.com . One new service we are offering is an enterprise level/server based e-mail service via MXLogic. You can find what we are offering at our SpinningSilk.com Marketplace.

This is a question we get asked a lot when we encounter people in public and hand out our business cards. When most people think of silk they usually think of clothing items made from the product of a silk worm. Actually when we came up with the name for our business we were combining some new services into with our older business name, Greer Web Design. We didn’t want a name that would restrict us to our family name or web design only so we debated several names and SpinningSilk stuck. Why? Well the majority of the work we did and still continue to do revolves around the World Wide Web, a subset of the Internet. We were not thinking as much about the material silk worms produce for fine textiles but rather the webs spiders construct. Spider silk is extremely thin and lightweight but don’t let that fool you. It is also one of the strongest fibers on the planet. Designing for the web and print works best when you can make files as small as possible while at the same time crafting compelling words and images.

When you hear the term, “Personal Branding” an initial thought may be that it’s all about how you look and come across to people but I was very happy to see a very refreshing post at the Personal Brand Blog on the myth that personal branding is about you. Dan, who write and runs the Personal Branding Blog interviewed Daniel Pink about his new book, “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need.” and one of his favorite quotes from the book is, “You’re here to serve, not to self-actualize.” I love that. What are your thoughts?

The past couple of days have been fantastic days of growth and the feeling of a turning point in the history of our company.  We’ve been getting more and more calls for current clients to take on new web design projects, an upswell in photography assignments from clients has been encouraging and we are making big plans for a greater focus on podcasting aspect of our company. Last night I attended an excellent webinar hosting by Cliff Ravenscraft of gspn.tv where I learned many of the aspects of podcasting that will help us streamline and bring better service to our clients. As a result of attending the webinar I spent a good part of the morning testing out some audio editing programs and as a result I’m looking at getting a piece of software I don’t currently own, Sound Studio 3.  More than likely I will take advantage of the MacUpdate Promotion which not only includes a copy of Sound Studio but also several other pieces of software that will be interesting to try out including a copy of Parallels so we can run Windows on one our our Mac laptops that currently aren’t running a copy of Windows.

Tonight I plan on doing further work on the web site I mentioned in a previous post. The task will probably take several days as I work on it between client projects so please be patient as some things will be renamed and moved around in the following days. I want to close by saying I appreciate all of those who have thought of us for their small business marketing needs such as web site design and development, custom photography, small print jobs and online media distribution like podcasts, etc.

I admit it. I grew up in a fairly conservative culture and something like Earth Day was often seen as something “counter-culture” or what the “hippies” were into. Truth be told I am still a very conservative person both politically and religiously although my views don’t always fit into the boxes people would like. One of the areas I am “outside the box” is probably the recognition that taking care of our environment is a matter of stewardship. It a frame of mind that goes beyond alternative fuels, preventing animal extinctions, etc.

The recognition that I am a steward of the resources that has actually inspired the direction I have taken in business and home life and general innovative thinking. When web design and digital photography became available I was excited that I would be able to produce the original creative content without high printing costs. I also like to think of myself as an innovative thinker and thinking “green” spurs innovation like nothing else. “Alternative” energy is basically looking at everyday things in new light if you will excuse the pun.

During the late 80’s I worked at a Boy Scout camp in Northern Greenville County,SC. For 4 years I was the ecology-conservation director which for the most part meant we taught nature related merit badges to the campers. However we also were in charge of running a nature lodge and maintaining the trails and other areas in order to prevent erosion, etc. Other than my current job that was the most enriching job I ever held. I’m thankful I learned to see how geography, natural forces, plants and animals were created to work together and to also see the impact each of the elements have on each other.

I’m always on the lookout for how our business can be the best stewards or the resources we have from providing services that save fuel, participating in a roadside trash clean up, exploring and innovating technologies, etc. Last week I had the opportunity to hear Elizabeth Garrison of Ever Green Recycling, A Greenville, SC based company with a goal of help companies create and implement recycling programs that work for their businesses. Check out the web site and think about how you and your company can participate in ways to  How is rising fuel prices and environmental issues caused your company to think about innovation and seek out new solutions to provide good and services more effectively?