Pixel Lava Interactive
  • Home
  • Websites
    • New Websites
    • Website Redesigns
    • Website Portfolio
    • Website Tune Ups
    • Website Updates
    • Zoom
  • Graphic Design
    • Logo design and brand identity
    • Business Cards
    • Postcards, flyers, ads and more
    • Illustration & Infographics
  • Marketing
    • Seasonal Website Promos
    • Video Holiday Cards​
    • Video & Motion Graphics
  • Training
    • Online Event Hosting
    • Web Lab Kits
    • Webinars
    • 1-to-1 Trainings
    • Weebly Training
    • Digital Summer Camp
    • Training FAQs
  • About
    • Blog
    • Client List
    • Good Vibes
    • Review Me
    • Recommendations
    • Partner Program  🔸
      • Partner Portal
    • Adventure Indoor Fitness
    • Pixel Lava Unplugged
    • Art Barn Shop
    • Happy Holidays
    • Happy Halloween
    • Remembering Bob
    • Remembering Mary
    • Sample Store
  • Contact
    • Download page
    • Support
    • Make a Payment

Field Notes Blog

News and thoughts on UI/UX, web design, and more.

Concerned about Facebook? Here's how to protect yourself

3/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the aftermath of Facebook's mind boggling privacy breach revelations I've had a few concerned calls about using social media. While it is scary that companies like Cambridge Analytica were able to purchase data and quite possibly influence political elections in several countries, those bad actors should not be allowed to overshadow the positive aspects of social media. Like me, many of my friends use Facebook to keep up with friends and family. Many of my clients use Facebook to help new clients find them, to share valuable resources and connect to colleagues and industry associations. Many nonprofits and popular movements use Facebook - and social media in general - to fundraise and organize. But like all media, it is important to consume it with a critical mind. Who benefits from this or that story? What agenda is being served? So, assuming that we as users can think critically about our usage and that the good outweighs the bad, here are some simple ways to make your use of Facebook more useful and secure. 


Read More
0 Comments

Celebrate International Women's Day with 10 Pioneering Women in Tech

3/8/2018

0 Comments

 
10 Pioneering Women in Tech
The face of technology, both past and present, is persistently male from Jobs to Gates to Zuckerberg but behind those leaders are millions of people who contribute critical research advances, put the ideas into production and market, sell and support tech companies and products. To celebrate International Women's Day, I did a bit of research and found a huge list of amazing women from a range of countries and cultures whose work laid the foundation for modern computing, websites and the internet itself. Here's a look at just 10 of my favorite pioneering women in technology.   

Read More
0 Comments

What is Weebly? A quick look at the fantastic website platform with the funny name

11/9/2015

0 Comments

 
What is Weebly?
Weebly is a simple, easy to use online service where you can log in to build, maintain and manage a website. Your site is created within the Weebly content management system and an array of features and tools come with each plan level. You get forms, photo galleries, social media widgets, unlimited pages and storage and lots more all in a drag-and-drop editor that's a snap to use. Weebly also provides a built-in mobile-friendly, fully-responsive version of your site - at no extra charge. For simple sites Weebly can't be beat.

Read More
0 Comments

Twitter's new profile layout = Love+Hate

4/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Pixel Lava Interactive
I love Twitter's new profile template for the same reasons I liked Facebook's graphical overhaul awhile back. As a designer it gives me a gorgeous, HUGE canvas to work with in promoting ideas, products, concepts, calls to action, etc. However, I'm also shocked and amazed that Twitter has so brazenly emulated Facebook. Shocked I say! Really Twitter, you couldn't come up with something better?
​
In my mind the two services are dramatically different. While both have their pros and cons, Twitter can soundly be equated with democracy, scientific advancements and nothing less than revolution itself. Facebook, on the other hand, has an undeniable association with lots of problematic, unintended social consequences. Both are very valuable for marketing but I just believe that Twitter is superior for one main reason - it is primarily about ideas. Who knows what Facebook is primarily about. I'm not sure it's escaped it's origin as a "Hot or Not" web app. So, why would Twitter be emulating Facebook?


Read More
0 Comments

What is Facebook's "Timeline"?

9/7/2012

0 Comments

 
Timeline is a big change that was made in mid-2012 to the way that Facebook displays user generated content. It offers information in a chronologically compact way and gives designers and developers new control over how pages look. While it IS still Facebook, and therefore limited to Facebook's very specific functionality, it does represent a quantum leap forward that's very beneficial for small businesses and nonprofits. ​For more info about using Facebook for business, see my Facebook for Business page. 
0 Comments

Gotta be user-editable

2/28/2011

0 Comments

 
My small web design & development business has recently shifted focus completely and I’m super excited about what this means for my clients, my business and the future. When I began working for myself in 2003 my job was to create great websites and be available (often seven days a week) for edits and updates. Those changes were emailed to me by clients, I then fired up trusty Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Flash and got the updates done as quickly as possible. About 70% of what I provided was ongoing service. It was a challenge to respond to requests as quickly as expected – especially when a lot of requests came in simultaneously – and getting away on vacation was really tough. I did teach many people how to use Flash and Dreamweaver but for most folks, the learning curve on those apps was just too steep. In the same way that we don’t need to know how a car works in order to drive one, I’ve always felt that one shouldn’t have to know xhtml & css to be able to maintain a website. Finally,  with a new breed of user-editable website platforms I’m seeing this come to pass and the old 70% service model is (wonderfully!) shifting.

Read More
0 Comments

WordPress.com and WordPress.org

10/26/2009

0 Comments

 
I’ve gotten a few questions about the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress is blogging software and it comes in two main flavors. .Org is the place to go to download the free WordPress software to run on your own server. In this flavor you can modify the code (php and modules built using other languages) and install thirdparty plugins, themes, and other goodies.

​WordPress.com is where you go to start and run a free online blog. Here you have a bit less customization available but you also avoid the headaches of hosting and maintaining the software on your own server. For beginners, WordPress.com is probably the place to start. Read more at WordPress.com.
0 Comments

Community over mass customization

10/14/2009

0 Comments

 
The concept of mass customization has always been interesting to me. It’s the idea that we want custom products as long as they are not too different from what everyone else has…or more expensive. In my web work I’m often trying to balance the demand for custom work with the need to keep costs under control.
A recent radio interview caught my ear because the guest has just completed a book about the decline of Starbucks…the epitome of mass customization. Starbucks is a great example because people are able to place unique coffee orders (customization) and receive their item immediately within a cost range no different from their peers (mass marketing). Hanging out in a Starbucks or sipping from a branded cup imbues hipness. It communicates that you have $4 a day to spend on coffee, insist on only the best, and know what you want.
But, the value of that image is declining because coffee and coffee houses meant something very different before Starbucks. People are remembering that for hundreds of years coffee houses have been places where people gather to discuss, debate, assemble and find community. The allure of mass customization is giving way to the simple yearning for simple human contact.

Read More
0 Comments

    Blog

    Ame Stanko, San Diego Web Designer

    About the author

    As the owner of Pixel Lava Interactive I've helped hundreds of small businesses and nonprofits with websites, graphic design and more. I hope you'll find this blog full of useful information.
    ~ Ame Stanko
    Mailing List Sign Up
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Announcements
    Community
    Digital Summer Camp
    DIY
    DIY Marketing
    Email Marketing
    Featured Projects
    For Nonprofits
    Fun Stuff
    Happy Holidays
    How Tos
    HTML Is Not So Scary
    Industry Musings
    Interwebs 101
    LGBT Business
    Marketing Ideas
    Monday Motivation
    New Products
    Newsletters
    Nonprofit Marketing
    Online Marketing
    Partner Program
    Pixel Lava Unplugged
    Product Updates
    Promo Ideas
    Reviews
    Scam Alerts
    Small Business Inspiration
    Small Business Marketing
    Social Media Marketing
    Tips & Tricks
    Training
    UI/UX
    Webinars
    Web Labs
    Website Workshops

    Archives

    June 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    December 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    September 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    October 2010
    December 2009
    October 2009
    February 2009
    December 2008
    December 2007
    December 2006
    December 2005

Home  |  Websites  |  Graphic Design  |  Marketing  |  Training  |  About  |  Shop  |  Contact

©2005-2019 Pixel Lava Interactive. All rights reserved. 🚀

  • Home
  • Websites
    • New Websites
    • Website Redesigns
    • Website Portfolio
    • Website Tune Ups
    • Website Updates
    • Zoom
  • Graphic Design
    • Logo design and brand identity
    • Business Cards
    • Postcards, flyers, ads and more
    • Illustration & Infographics
  • Marketing
    • Seasonal Website Promos
    • Video Holiday Cards​
    • Video & Motion Graphics
  • Training
    • Online Event Hosting
    • Web Lab Kits
    • Webinars
    • 1-to-1 Trainings
    • Weebly Training
    • Digital Summer Camp
    • Training FAQs
  • About
    • Blog
    • Client List
    • Good Vibes
    • Review Me
    • Recommendations
    • Partner Program  🔸
      • Partner Portal
    • Adventure Indoor Fitness
    • Pixel Lava Unplugged
    • Art Barn Shop
    • Happy Holidays
    • Happy Halloween
    • Remembering Bob
    • Remembering Mary
    • Sample Store
  • Contact
    • Download page
    • Support
    • Make a Payment