Refreshed Homepage Slideshow

As the next step in refreshing this website I decided to really try to understand how the slideshow on the homepage works and is implemented. It's not a simple thing to get working properly but I got there in the end and I think the final result from the changes I made is much cleaner.

Gone is the awkward border that didn't dynamically change to adhere to the size of the images and image sizing is now understood and under control. There are new pictures in the slideshow and in time I'll be expanding the breadth of images available.

What's important is to show images that you enjoy seeing and are relevant so in the weeks to come I'll be asking you help to select those which you enjoy seeing the most and I'll add them into the slideshow with a link to the website of one of the participants.

More soon .....

TWITTER #photochat WEDS 14TH DEC

Two amazingly talented photographers, bloggers and Twitter contacts in the U.S. have been running 1 hour #photochat sessions in North America to bring together photographers of all standards to answer questions, give advice and swap ideas.








Darcy & Kent have agreed to run a session at a time that fits in with the U.K. & Europe so that a new audience can benefit for their expertise.


If you’re on Twitter (and if you’re not yet you ought to be) then we’d love you to join us at 9pm GMT (21:00 CET) on Weds 14th December to participate from this side of ‘the pond’ using the hashtag #photochat. 


For more information on how to participate Kent (@kw_daddio) has a great reference on his site at http://kentweakley.com. 


Darcy (@my3boybarians ) says on her site at http://my3boybarians.com/

Also, next week is the twitter photography #photochat. We’re trying something new this time! By request of our friends across the pond. (I love saying across the pond, as if it’s nearby. The internet does make the world seem more accessible.) Anyway – our friends in Europe are always sleeping during the usual #photochat time, so we’re having an afternoon in the US / evening in the UK and Europe time that will allow more people to attend. Several amazingly talented photographers from England, Ireland and Italy have said they’ll be there. Hope you will too!

Twitter: @kevleighton

INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, LIFE, LIVING & LOVING

My more recent blogs have veered away from photography and towards a discussion of different sources of motivation and inspiration and how people use different sources to help them to plan their futures, motivate themselves, become inspired, or just make it through to the next day.

Readers of my blog have placed their own interpretations on why I was writing on these topics and offered me messages of support, sent me links to further information and passed on their general good wishes all for which I'm very grateful.

My reason for sharing these thoughts with you over the last few months is simply because I've become more aware of them and have been in a position to see and hear messages both via Twitter and in presentations that previously I hadn't noticed or had the opportunity to receive which gave me more than just a passing interest in what was being said.

I've read much and learned plenty including how controversial some of the motivational, inspirational and life planning methods actually are, certainly not everybody has agreed with what I've written or discussed with them face-to-face. It's also fair to say that much of what I have read is very subjective as much of my reading about motivation, inspiration and life planning has left me; well ... uninspired!

So I want to finish up this series of blogs with a few sentences on what did get through to me and hope that you might find it useful. One thing I have noticed is that it's virtually impossible to apply these good messages to your life holistically but they can certainly be applied to certain situations.

So .. firstly I'd like to mention the presentation by Neil Holloway from Microsoft at the University of Reading. He gave a beautifully understated insight into life planning that I wrote about in my blog No Regrets . Follow the link back to the blog and you read all about it.

Secondly, I was sent a link to this image which made me smile and with which I agree wholeheartedly.

And finally I'd like to link you to the Energised Performance blog from Kim Ingleby. A lady who I've never met but would love to be able to share some time with at some point in the future. On the blog Kim links to a 'video' featuring insights from Steve Jobs the last few seconds of which I wrote down and pinned to my PC. I have applied the words it in a number of situations in my day job and I've found it to be truly helpful.


It reads ..

Your Time Is Limited

Dont Waste It By Living Someone Elses Life

Dont Be Trapped By Dogma Which is Living With The Results Of Other
Peoples Thinking

Don't Let The Noise Of Other Peoples Opinions Drown Out Your Own 

Inner Voice

And Most Important Have The Courage To Follow Your Heart And Intuition

They Somehow Already Know What You Truly Want To Become

Steve Jobs

Reflection on the news, Twitter and life in general

It has been a few weeks since I have written a blog. I'm not sure how many and I'm not going to look because it doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm back and I'm blogging.

So what's been happening in my life? It has just been so busy. The first two weeks in July included a photographic commission for networking group MumsUnltd, organising the first North Somerset and Bristol tweetmeet at The George Backwell and setting myself up on Google+ .

It all seemed so simple on the face of it but it turned out to be quite a challenge and there was no time for blogging what with everything else going on. Then followed a holiday, two weeks in a very warm and sunny Portugal at this apartment, enough to relax and unwind and start to reflect.

It was the middle weekend of the fortnight that reflection kicked. Although I wasn't watching any TV news I was dipping into Twitter and that's when bad news started to filter thru. The death of Amy Winehouse, train crash in China, shooting in Norway. Opinions dashed to and fro across Twitter as to which was the most shocking of the events and which deserved most focus or attention.

I was still removed from it all so I paid no more than a passing interest but still referred to Twitter for updates.

My return from holiday prompted a bout of post holiday reflection. I didn't watch the TV news or read newspapers but the story of a polar bear attack on some students and the riots in London started to break. Even then I didn't watch TV news but referenced Twitter for updates.

So where is all this going? For a start I was interested to analyse the fact that I really wasn't interested in following the news via the TV or newspapers. Was this disinterest because of being super busy and then on holiday, I think so. But then also of interest was why I would turn to Twitter for updates.

I think because Twitter provided me with easily scannable 'throwaway headlines' and URLs to blogs and web pages with detail I was really interested in. I could find opinion and articles from people I trust and value rather than those trotted out in front of me by the news organisations. Whether it's information from a professional reporter or just a regular man or woman off the street Twitter and blogging give the perfect platforms for direct access of information from trusted sources, and thoughtful opinion from experts and laymen alike.

My reading has been varied over this time and has included the wonderful art and colour of rachomini including her blog reference to 'The Seven Deadly Sins of Indoor Photography', the thoughtful analysis from Paula White on Twitter responses to the sad weekend of the death of Amy Winehouse, the Norway shootings, etc,. and reading about life decisions on this blog from John Foster. Add to this the calm reflections on life from journalist Rachel Burden and the man who can even make the weather interesting Ian Fergusson and I wonder why I need to go anywhere else for my daily dose.

What are your thoughts?

Kevin

Follow me on:

facebook
Flickr 
Google+

twitter

Is Social Media Marketing a fishing trip or a proven approach?

It appears that using Social Media for trying to elicit a two way dialogue is a bit like using sonar on a submarine. You ping out a lot and occasionally you might get a response back. Once you receive the response you have to evaluate it to see if it's meaningful and then do something useful with the information received.

In recent days I have experimented with sending Tweets which should have elicited some kind of response. Some were to specific individuals or organisations who are active in their own channels and regularly push information by Twitter and some were general requests for information to the greater Twitterverse.

My return rate was very poor, not surprisingly perhaps for the general broadcast Tweets but the targeted Tweets asking for information or help remained mostly unanswered. One response was very non-committal and after a second exchange was phrased in such a way as to encourage me to go away.

Social Media Marketing is becoming the latest buzz word (or is it phrase?) and there are a lot of people about who can help you to manage this. I would be very interested to know of cases where management service can both improve a potential customers experience and an organisations return on investment in Social Media Marketing.

Planning to blog but not blogging to plan

As this is a new blog I sat down in the week and drew up a plan. In the plan it said things like. Choose a direction to go in (technology, photography, etc). Write x number of articles a week. Make certain changes changes to the blog to make it more user friendly.

I sat down on the train and started to draft a blog entry and this isn't it. What I have already learned in my short blogging time is that things change. What I started to write then I don't want to publish now. You see I'm a technology person, a logical person, everything needs a plan. Not necessarily a project plan or an implementation plan but at least know your next steps. Right or wrong? Well I think both actually.

Well Here We Are Then!

So this is it then. I've thought about it, looked at different blogging sites, tried some and not really liked what I've done. I've looked at other blogs and sometimes wondered why people bother and found little in the way of inspiration.

The social networking bug has tried to get a grip me but hasn't really taken hold. I have a Facebook account but don't often use it. I've never used MySpace or worried too much about MSN. I chatted once or twice on Yahoo or something similar but couldn't quite work out why it was supposed to be easier or better then using the phone.

Twitter is my thing and I do enjoy short exchanges with users around he world or just being able to let off steam by posting my frustrations to no-one in particular.

So why am I here now? Firstly, after many years I have rediscovered the Opera browser and the slick experience that version 11 is bringing to the Internet, secondly I like the simple but effective blog and photo album capabilities of Blogger and I will be developing those soon.

But recently through Twitter I discovered the inspiration the is a blog called "Moments of Whimsy". Beautifully designed and with excellent photography I can only aspire to producing something that is homely, slick and professional all at the same time. It is well worth a visit and you can follow the link below to feast your eyes on its' sumptuous loveliness.

And as for me. I also am into my photography, some of which will appear here soon. I work with IT and have a pet hate of companies who offer poor service to their SOHO (Small Office Home Office) and private customers, or who continually provide poor value for money.

So check back here from time to time and I'll let you know what's been going on and no doubt have a rant about some company that's (IMHO) giving poor service. I'll also post up some images that I enjoy and hope you will too and link up to some other sites that may be of interest.