+ Been mulling over Jessica Comingore’s post, In Transition. It’s about the struggle between balancing your own business and maintaining an active blog. And while I could fill my own post on this topic alone, it’s also 6pm on Friday and my mind is clearly mush, you should just go read Jessica’s instead. It’s as if she wrote this directly from my own brain anyway, ha.

+ Clever photography series, Things Granny Never Told You About the Internet.

+ How one design conference made itself less of a bro-fest. (Related, I’ll be there. Ahem.)

+ Been jamming to this week’s Mykind Mix from Design For Mankind. Classic Hip Hop, a few new sounds, very danceable and good for general upbeat-ed-ness (shh, that’s totally a word). I’ve started a similar playlist on my Spotify if you want more like this.

+ Typefight: another fun typographic blog pits two custom letterforms against each other & readers get to vote on the winner. Excellent source for unusual typography.

+ Artwork supplied by Australia’s Andrew Frazier.

So how was Alt you ask? Not only did I get a fresh perspective on the web, new ideas on how to build my business, I also made a whole slew of exceptionally inspiring and talented new friends. In a word: rad. But I’m not capable of just leaving it at that, so here’s many more words on the experience.

Hotel:
Meh. During our stay at the Royal Garden we jokingly started referring to it as the Bates Motel. I’m not sure how many rooms the conference is able to block out at the uber-posh Grand America, but it’s far fewer than demand. Which sucks because if you don’t book a room IMMEDIATELY upon Alt’s registration announcement you’ll end up paying the same amount of money for the most basic and impersonal of accommodations. If this happens to you, save yourself the cash instead and book a private room at the $20/night hostel that’s half a mile away.

Swag:
Loved the rainbow Alt-branded pencils and the neon orange toothbrush. Should’ve brought more business cards. SF Girl by Bay wins best handout by far with her temporary tattoos.

My fave new-to-me blogs:
+ The Jealous Curator
+ Cubicle Refugee
+ The Artful Desperado
+ Pattern Pulp
+ MAIYA

Thursday’s keynote with Pilar Guzman of Martha Stewart Living, Deborah Needleman the former editor-in-chief of beloved Domino magazine, and Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy

Panels:
+ Most informative: Growing a Readership by Oh Happy Day, Design Crush, Making it Lovely, and Mighty Girl
+ Most authentic/relatable: Kickstarting Your Next Project by the City Sage, Lisa Congdon, Rena Tom, and Say Yes to Hoboken
+ Best slides: From Blog to Book by Grace Bonney, Julia Rothman, Chronicle Books, and Artisan Books

However, I talked to several ladies who didn’t connect well to all of the panels I tend to agree. Some of that is bound to happen of course, no conference can be all things to all people, but shooting for the middle often means that the content gets watered down as well. Specifically, everyone I talked to who went to the Dooce/HGTV/BurdaStyle/Blogstar panel felt these mega-bloggers only talked about themselves without spending anytime scaling down their experiences and offering concrete advice and suggestions small blogs could adopt more readily. A missed opportunity for sure.

Image ganked from Ghostly Ferns’ instagram

Roundtables
Bitbloggers: the Whys & Hows of Small Blogs
Oh, this was so much fun. Me and Kate Singleton of Art Hound have been thinking of how to tackle hosting this roundtable ever since we pitched the idea to Gabrielle Blair last summer. Basically we wanted to create a more accessible setting where folks could feel more comfortable talking through their blogging hang-ups. It turned into a fantastically productive venting and brainstorming session. My only regret is that we ran short on time and weren’t able to give everyone new ideas on where to take their blogs. Luckily Kate & I have created a special Bitbloggers site where all of this content will be funneled. We’ll continue posting on this topic sporadically over there. I’m really excited to start growing this content because I don’t think this is a need that will be going away anytime soon.

Otherwise, I wished for another session of roundtable discussions so attendees could’ve had two of them. There were soooo many choices and most of them seemed highly tailored and very specific, which is good, but having to pick only one was tough. Small groups are always the best way to immediately get into the meat of an issue, ask questions, and get instant feedback so I wish for more of them next year.

Will I attend next year?
I’m not sure yet. As much fun as it was, it’s an expensive trip and I struggled with the intense girlyness of the event. All I kept thinking is that we’ve been rightfully criticizing other technology & new media conferences (like CES and to a degree, SxSW) for being exclusive to women, but Alt skews so far in reverse that precious few guys want to attend as well. It’s equally as harmful in the opposite direction. I’m all for girl-power and giving women a place to act out their blogs in real life, but I’m not into segregating it away from other forms of culture. There were a small handful of guys at the conference, sure, but they stuck to the fringes and weren’t as actively engaged with the content. Most of them looked a bit shell-shocked and I heard more than one quip about them having to “tough it out”. Which is sexist and definitely doesn’t help the issue.

This is further concerning in the bigger picture because eventually this will evolve into a pink ghetto stereotype that blogging is the only way for women to contribute meaningfully to the web. I’m not into that perception, despite the fact that females dominate the design/lifestyle blogging scene and I count myself as one of these bloggers too. But why should design and lifestyle blogging be a girl thing at all? Making one’s life better through design seems like a pursuit that all of humanity can benefit from. I’d love for us to continue to foster that, but let’s also simultaneously focus on spreading awareness of this dichotomy and promote more discussion around it.

For next year the biggest thing the Alt organizers could do to help remedy this would be to host a broader range of speakers. I know the most popular bloggers sell the most seats, but more up-and-comers and more presenters who aren’t necessarily design or lifestyle bloggers would lend a greater variety in perspectives. And more dudes please, just like there should be more ladies presenting at all the rest of the conferences in the world too.

Regardless of my opinions I still consider myself immensely lucky to have experienced Alt. I hold all of the presenters and conference organizers in the highest esteem, I can’t even begin to imagine how much work it is putting such an affair together. I’m really proud I made it happen for myself too because I would’ve always wondered what it was like if I hadn’t gone. Plus, I’ve got a bunch of ideas in motion that will help keep my head in the blogging game and that’s pretty much priceless.

Now, to catch up on sleep and the veritable mountain of client work I’m facing this week. Woof!

This is the most engaging and informative explanation that I’ve seen of Protect IP/SOPA yet. Via Mme Swiss Miss.

Protect IP/SOPA is one of those bills that seems too ludicrous to actually get signed into law…Yet if sites like Wikipedia are blacking-out their entire content library for 24 hours it’s not for no freaking reason. It’s neat to watch the internet mobilize in defense against this truly unbelievable piece of kaka (pardon mon français) legislation. I’m excited to watch this unfold at while I’m at a conference about blogging (ALT!! Holy crap.) too. I’m observing the black-out as well and will be activating a plugin that will turn off Pitch for the next day. I’m not going to be writing anyway while having a giant sleepover party with some of the web’s finest. Which is only a tad sad since I’ve built some new functionality in the sidebar and I’m antsy to unveil it!

Catch you on the flip. Salt Lake City, ho!

You know sometimes when you visit a blog and its author’s (or in this cause, authors’ plural) personality gallops off the screen and sticks in your brain like a stubborn earworm? Such is the case with Northcoast Zeitgiest, a blog I’ve been following since 2010. Joseph & Casey have things to say dammit, and they waste no time unabashedly putting themselves out there. I applaud how Joseph manages to connect politics & design, a gusty & compelling angle, especially coming from the charged battleground state of Ohio where Casey & Joseph live. Joseph is responsible for answering these questions, and it’s no accident that he’s the first male design blogger to participate in this feature. I just knew interesting things would come of it and I wasn’t wrong…

What was the first blog that hooked you?
It depends. Several years ago, when I first started blogging, I ran a progressive political site, doing so from just before the 2004 election to just after the 2008 vote. In those days, I was inspired by sites like AMERICAblog, Feministe, Feministing, and Pandagon, whose authors are all united in their passion and ease in combining wit and intelligence.

The first design blog I clearly remember bookmarking was Aaron Draplin’s. Apart from his talent and perspective, I was instantly drawn to his willingness to use his portfolio site to talk about whatever he wants to. He doesn’t just show off his work and call it a day. There’s a real person behind it, one I had a great time meeting at WMC Fest this year. He’ll talk about music, his city and his after-hours life with as much gusto as he will his latest project.

We hear A LOT about big bloggers but not so much about the little guys. In your words, why are small bloggers important?
Specialization and personality. Think about it like retail. You’ve got big-box stores and you’ve got neighborhood shops. Both have their value but you go to each for different reasons. Typically, mom-and-pop stores offer things you may not see at their larger counterparts. There’s also the human touch you get at smaller stores that keeps you coming back. You know the owners. They know you. They become a part of your life.

Small bloggers offer the same potential. The best ones specialize in ways big-time bloggers may not have the time or ability to do. There’s also the potential for more interaction between reader and blogger. Because my audience is much smaller, I’ve got the time to think about and respond to just about every e-mail that comes my way. We might have a smaller readership, but I’ve found they’re really dedicated to the site and enjoy interacting with us as we share our work and our lives.

I think this interaction is key to keeping things interesting. As a bonus, I’ve found that the more you have a conversation with your readers, the more likely you’ll be to get content – and jobs – out of it. All of these attributes can be true for the big bloggers, I’m sure, but I think the design blog world thrives when there are more (and varied) voices. Plus, without smaller blogs, you wouldn’t see as much interesting stuff rise to the point it gets on the radar of bigger blogs. So, in that way, we depend on each other.

Blogging is a TON of work and rarely pays the rent. Your family think you’ve lost your mind … so what drives you to blog?
To know me is to know that I’ve always got something to say. Plus, I’m a bit of an extrovert – albeit a shy extrovert, if that’s possible. On top of that, there’s quite a bit I’m passionate about. The things we write about – design, photography, our town, etc. – are things we both care very deeply about. So, in my case, it’s hard for me to separate caring about things like this from writing about them and sharing them.

Plus, writing is something I’ve always loved. It’s actually what I went to school for (my undergrad and grad degrees are both in journalism). And though I’ve found my passion in design, writing is something I’ll always do. In fact, my most fertile and creative times as a writer have come when I was working during the day as a designer. The itch to create will always be there, whether it’s pushing me to design or write.

And though I’ve found my passion in design, writing is something I’ll always do…The itch to create will always be there, whether it’s pushing me to design or write.

Blogging means putting part of yourself into the world for others to see and react to. How comfortable are you with being “out there?”
It varies. When I was writing the political blog, I wasn’t very comfortable with putting myself out there at all. Now that I’m writing about design, however, that’s changed. Creative people are all very passionate about what they do, and I’m no different. I try to inject as much of myself and my personality into my design and my writing as possible. I love hearing from people about our work or something that’s been on the site. And I’ve enjoyed the chances I’ve had to meet some of our readers. I’m trying to be better about blogging more and more consistently, which is hard considering I do it when I’m not at my day job. And, as much as I love doing it, it will never take precedence for me over my private life, so I’ve gotten better about managing my bursts of inspiration and scheduling posts several days out.

Do you follow your stats? How are they useful to you?
I’ll glance at my stats from time to time when I’m in the content management system moderating comments or preparing to post stories. Honestly, though, they really don’t matter that much to me. I only really take notice when there’s a big spike if one of our stories gets picked up by a larger site, but I refuse to let the ups and downs of them govern what I write about. If you ever find my stories loaded with search engine-attracting keywords or other optimization trickery, you’ll know I’ve been kidnapped and replaced with a soulless SEO-Bot. Let’s hope it’s a benevolent SEO-Bot. Only time will tell.

…women have better taste and are better writers than men. It’s interesting, when I think through the creative people I know, most of the sites run by women are both portfolio- and blog-based, while most of those run by men are portfolio-based.

Why do you think there are more female design bloggers?
Probably because women have better taste and are better writers than men. It’s interesting, when I think through the creative people I know, most of the sites run by women are both portfolio- and blog-based, while most of those run by men are portfolio-based. I find the combo sites far more enjoyable. Sure, I want to know what you can do, but I’d also like to learn about the person doing it. Blogging is about building community, so it doesn’t surprise me that with more women getting together to start design collectives – think Quite Strong and Parliament of Owls – you’re seeing an explosion of female bloggers.

It’s something that should be nurtured and encouraged, because design has a reputation as being a male-dominated industry, even though that’s not at all the case in the trenches. So more women designer/bloggers! And more LGBTQ designer/bloggers! And more African American designer/bloggers! And on and on. Nothing worthwhile is strengthened by keeping people from being able to do it. The design and blogging communities will only get better as more people (especially those with diverse backgrounds and experiences) get into them.

Who, in your mind, cuts through the noise the best? What makes their content more memorable?
Anybody with a clear perspective or who consistently delves into the process behind his or her work. I really enjoy strawberryluna/Allison Glancey’s blog. Elaine Chernov’s new travel blog, Design Vagrant has really been a pleasure to read. Jessi Arrington’s Lucky So and So is a great example of putting yourself out there in a fun and memorable way. Austin Kleon’s site is a must-visit, too, if only to marvel at the creative fire he possesses (go Ohio!). On a somewhat more local front, I’ve always been a loyal reader of The Donut Project, a wonderful design blog started by a group of Kent State University alums I’ve gotten to know. All big talents that you’ll be hearing from soon (if you’re not already hearing from them).

Your guilty pleasure blog? Go.
Fuck You, Penguin is a site that Casey hipped me to and that I got into way too late – considering they don’t publish anymore. We’re both animal lovers, but we’d sit there and literally laugh out loud reading each other stories from that site. We’re all suckers for adorable animal pictures, right? Add to that devastating personal critiques and you’ve got internet magic.

That said, since it’s sitting dormant, I’ll cite two active Twitter accounts that are worth your time when you’re looking for a mental break: @FriendFromHS and @Channel11News. The journalist in me loves how close the Channel 11 tweets are to those of actual local news outlets, while the fictional friend from high school seems plucked right out of my graduating class.

Do you have a favorite source for awesome content?
I find quite a bit of inspiration for content from the people in my Twitter feed. I follow and interact with a lot of really creative people, so there’s always something bubbling up out of that. Elsewhere, I’m drawn to sites like Coudal Partners – whose amazing Fresh Signals sidebar I was lucky enough to guest edit last year – as well as Grain Edit, Brand New, and FPO. I do enjoy the popular image aggregator sites, but I’d much rather look through my Dribbble timeline, because I know where those images are coming from.

What’s the one thing about the blog world that’s got you stumped, the thing you’re dying to ask somebody but haven’t?
Would it kill people – I’m looking at you, Tumblrs – to provide credit for the images of people’s work you post? Would it kill those doing the creating, though (guilty as charged), to remember to put a little credit line on the images we post? To Art Chantry: Could you please turn your amazing Facebook picture posts into a full-time blog? To Jim Coudal: Could we see a letterpress Layer Tennis this next season? To Jennifer Daniel: Could you start a blog devoted solely to your mind-blowing data visualizations? To Aaron Draplin: When are you going to start working on a book about your work? To my fellow designer/bloggers: Can you write as much about WHY you do what you do as you write about HOW you do what you do?

Your top three favorite posts you’ve ever written?
- Wilco (The Shirt).
- Embrace Frustration. My speech at WMC Fest 2011.
- Getting back to work in 2010.
BONUS! Here’s my favorite post Casey’s ever written: The ritual that nourishes us (in more ways than one).

It feels a tad weird to be interviewing mahself on my own website, but in all fairness Kate, my Bitblogger partner in crime, came up with most of these questions so it doesn’t feel quite so shoegaze-y. Also, I’m off to Brooklyn next week which means I get to meet Kate in person! Awesomeness will ensue as we continue to scheme on this feature.

What was the first blog that hooked you?
This is an easy one! I remember exactly, Under Consideration’s Speak-Up got a mention in a 2004 HOW magazine that I picked up at lunch one day at my first job. I knew what blogs were before this, but I had no idea they were anything more than personal journals. I haven’t stopped reading them since. I also knew fairly early on that I wanted to be part of the blogging community but I never had the cojones to go for it until I got laid off from my corporate job in 2008.

We hear A LOT about big bloggers but not so much about the little guys. In your words, small bloggers are important because:
Well. Everyone loves an underdog, right?

Blogging is a TON of work and rarely pays the rent. your family think you’ve lost your mind… so what drives you to blog?
At this point, I don’t think I could stop if I tried. Writing and blogging has been such a huge part of my design process ever since I started Pitch three years ago, and now it’s habit. I’ve also discovered I don’t truly grasp my thoughts until I write them down somewhere. Like, if it doesn’t leave my head through my hands I don’t retain it. Which is why my life is ruled by to-do lists.

“I’ve also discovered I don’t truly grasp my thoughts until I write them down somewhere. Like, if it doesn’t leave my head through my hands I don’t retain it. Which is why my life is ruled by to-do lists.”

Blogging means putting part of yourself into the world for others to see and react to. How comfortable are you with being “out there?”
It’s funny, I always seem to want to share more than I can actually get online. I would post ten things a day if I could figure out how to do that and still make ends meet. One of those not enough time in the day deals. It’s totally me not making it a priority like I could, but I do what I can. I do know that I am shy behind the camera and if I could just figure out how to get over that then I might be running a whole different show.

Do you follow your stats? How are they useful to you?
I have analytics but I barely check it. With the occasional spike and lull, my traffic has pretty much plateaued since year one. I do pay attention to my twitter followers though, but stats and traffic have always seemed so relative and subjective to me. And then when I think about traffic I think of ads and I have mixed feelings there too. Like, this one ad guy was trying to talk me into a sidebar package once; he said my traffic would net me $30/mo per ad. So, great. I’d have to have 10 more of those and not even pay half my rent? That didn’t seem right to me either. And then my brain melted. The end.
 

 
Your guilty pleasure blog? Go.
The Hairpin. A collision of high and low brow content written by some of the most whip-smart ladies I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Do you have a favorite source for awesome content?
Depends on what I’m looking for. Blog posts come from all manner of places, I cast a wide net to find inspiration there, both offline and on. But if I’m researching for design project or trying out a specific style I go to aggregator sites like Designspiration, Fffffound, Behance where I can quickly access tons and tons of random things. I also like to visit the websites of my favorite artist/designers and peruse their favorite people, there’s always new eye candy there.

What’s the one thing about the blog world that’s got you stumped, the thing you’re dying to ask somebody but haven’t?

How come some are so guarded about their traffic but other’s aren’t? Why is it weird to quantify the internet like that? Also, do I have food in my teeth?

 
 
Your top three favorite posts you’ve ever written?
Howdy Do It – A series I co-wrote with Ellie Snow of Mint Design Blog.
Gender and Design on the Fox is Black.
The Things We Make – My book.

This week’s BitBlogger is Jessica Comingore who writes the elegant and restrained Destined to Design. Jessica’s one talented monkey with her hands in interior design, graphic design, and photography projects. Plus her blog, let’s not forget! I’ll let her fill you in on the rest:

Destined to Design just reached a big milestone of turning four! Can you tell us how it all began back in 2007?
It really started the same way for me as I think it did for a lot of people — I wanted one central place to catalog all of the inspiration I was finding on the web. There were only a handful of design blogs out there at the time, but I was following them religiously. I was just beginning design school and trying to find my voice and aesthetic, which I’ve come to find out is a process that is constantly evolving. But blogging has definitely helped me better define it.

You have a wonderful aesthetic that runs through fashion, interiors, furniture, products, photography… How did you develop your aesthetic? What were some early influences?
I think a lot of it is being conscious of your surroundings and being influenced by those who inspire you. I’ve been lucky enough to work for some incredible designers, and they’ve really taught me about refinement and simplicity. I’ve never been a particularly fussy person when it comes to personal style, but I’ve wholeheartedly adopted the mentality of “less is more” and investing in quality over quantity. There is something so beautiful to me about paired down, conscious living.

Blogging means putting part of yourself into the world for others to see and react to. How comfortable are you with being “out there?”
Ha, not very. It’s always made me a bit uncomfortable to talk about myself, which is probably why I love blogging so much — I just get to boast about everyone else! But I think it’s been a great marketing tool to bring awareness to myself as a designer and what I’m capable of.

Do you follow your stats? How are they useful to you?
I do. I’m always curious to see where traffic is coming from versus actual numbers. I’ve found out about some pretty honorable mentions through it that I otherwise would have never known about.

“I think it hit the right note at the right time when a lot of online content is very oversaturated.”

+ The design world is abuzz about the newly launched Collected Magazine (which Jessica cofounded with Krista Schrock). Have the scale and visibility of the project been something you’ve had to adjust to?
Thanks! It was a great project to work on if only to find out how much you’re capable of if you put your mind to it. Neither of us had any idea how well it would be received, and the reaction was overwhelming. It certainly made eight months without a social life worth it. I think the most rewarding part for us was being able to showcase local designers and craftsmen that deserved a little limelight. There’s a lot of talent in Los Angeles that slips under the radar! It was also great to have our overarching theme of “refined living” resonate with so many people. I think it hit the right note at the right time when a lot of online content is very oversaturated.

Your guilty pleasure blog? Go.

The Man Repeller. Whit and style — who can resist?

Do you have a favorite source for awesome content?
Oh man, it’s everywhere. My endless blog roll has introduced me to a number of incredible designers, photographers, chefs, artists and shops. Whenever I find something that strikes a chord with me, I’ll bookmark it to revisit later when putting together my own posts. I like to refer to my blog as a “visual journal” in that it’s like the notebook you carry around on your travels or the bulletin board in your office — it’s snippets of a little bit of everything that make up my lifestyle. I’m a believer that you have to be true to yourself, even if it only resonates with a handful of people, that means more than appealing to the masses.

Your top three favorite posts you’ve ever written?
On Slowing Down — a good reminder that I come back to time and time again
Natural Light — this interior is one of my all-time favorites
Currently Coveting — these posts are my favorite to put together