How to have meetings people won’t hate

By Dan Shaw

What does it take to hold effective meetings, meetings that people will enjoy rather than dread? Let’s look first at the reasons people say they hate meetings, then we can easily identify how to avoid those pitfalls.

Reasons People Hate Meetings

The number one reason (according to GiveMore.com's 2012 survey):

·       Meeting leaders allow attendees to ramble and repeat comments and thoughts.

Other complaints about meetings that were listed as the most frustrating were:

• Starts late, goes off agenda, finishes late
• No specific action items or takeaway points
• No clear purpose or objective
• Not inspiring or motivating
• Not organized and there is no agenda
• Too long
• Repeating information for late arrivals
• Weak presenter who is unprepared, monotone, or overly redundant
• Boring and provides no new or interesting information

source: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2113-employees-hate-meetings.html

These seem perfectly reasonable objections to bad meetings.

Here’s how to avoid these pitfalls:

• Identify a clear purpose
• Identify specific action items or takeaway points
• Distribute an agenda in advance of the meeting to give people time to prepare
• Do not attend (or require attendance at) meetings unless new info will be conveyed
• Limit duration of meetings to 90 minutes. If a meeting must run two hours, allow a 10 minute break
• Start on time, appoint a timekeeper
• Appoint a recorder
• Do not repeat info for late arrivals
• Stay on agenda; appoint a monitor
• Choose skilled presenters
• Finish on time

Agenda sets time limits.

The agenda should specify time allotted to each topic. Because if not times are specified, it gives the mis-impression that everything is equally important.

Create a visual record.

If everyone in the room can see the minutes being recorded, this solves several problems at once. It minimizes repetition…

For more info on Running effective meetings, agendas, and visual records see:

https://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/home/HideATab/LeadershipManagementDevelopment/HowtoLeadEffectiveMeetings/BestPractices/tabid/162/Default.aspx

© 2013 DanShaw.com

Filming Conferences, Lectures and other live events

Filming Conferences, Lectures and other live events

Filming live events, limitations
Because the event is live, we will film as best we can under the circumstances, but, we do not get second takes, etc., so some imperfections are unavoidable due to background sounds, poor lighting, limitations on camera placement, etc. Plan a brief pause between speakers for a microphone change, and film (tape) change.

Privacy
Different rules of etiquette may apply when filming live events. Attendees may not want to be on film for numerous reasons. In general, film only the speaker; don't film the audience without explicit instructions and permission. At the beginning of the event, the Master of Ceremonies should mention that the event is being filmed, and the camera is filming the speaker not the audience. Of course, under certain circumstances, for example, if there is a question and answer session, you will want to film the audience. At any time, the client, or the speaker, may request that the filming be stopped.

Cell phone interference
The M.C. should request attendees turn off their mobile phones (not just silence them) each time they convene. Silenced mobile phones may interfere with audio. Other audio interference, for example, from electronics outside the room, may be unavoidable.

Unobtrusiveness
Filming should not interfere with the speaker or distract the participants.

Location scouting
If at all possible, the client and filmmaker should scout the location in advance, at the same time of day that the shoot will take place. Where are the electrical outlets? How is the lighting? Are there windows? Is the sun shining on the speaker from behind? Are there curtains, and can they be shut? Do the lights make noise or flicker? Does the ventilation, or other equipment or activity make noise? Can doors be shut? Murphy's Law applies here.

Giving your filmmaker good direction
Provide the filmmaker with the most detailed schedule possible, and be sure to notify the filmmaker of changes to the schedule. The filmmaker will use his best judgment to get the most useful footage possible. You can help tremendously by giving the filmmaker good direction.

If the video is going to tape, the speaker may want to pause briefly for tape changeover hourly.

Arranging for special footage
If there is an opportunity to get additional footage, such as private interviews during lectures breaks, or Gramma before the wedding, plan ahead and arrange for these.

 "B Roll"
Think ahead to plan what kinds of additional footage you might want, such as shots of all the attendees at the banquet, brief interview with the honorees, exhibitors, etc.

Breakout sessions
If there are concurrent breakout sessions, choose which you most want to be filmed.

Still photos
You may find additional still photos invaluable for your video project. Plan to hire a photographer, or ask a volunteer to get still photos, for instance, of honorees.

Filming PowerPoint presentations
How you want to film a PowerPoint depends on various factors including whether or not the slides convey information not conveyed by the speaker, whether the text is sufficient size to be legible, and whether the room lighting is sufficient to see the speaker, number of slides, and how smooth or fast the pan and zoom from speaker to slides. Most often, video quality is much improved by inserting the PowerPoint images in post-production, though this can be time consuming, i.e., expensive. Be sure to get the PowerPoint presentation on disk for future use.

Lighting
In general specialty lighting is not required since newer video cams perform very well using just available (ambient) light. However, look out for lights that flicker or buzz.

Audio
If you have a sound system, plug directly in to it to minimize background noises. You may need to ask your audio guy's permission. If you don't have a sound system, put a wireless microphone on the speaker.

In some urban settings, a wired microphone is preferable to wireless, since some electronic devices may interfere with wireless transmission, including mobile phones in silent mode, and radio frequencies used by some emergency services.

Meals and Perks
If you will be serving meals, arrange to feed the filmmaker, and to serve the filmmaker early, first, late, or to go, depending on circumstances. Often the filmmaker barely has time to enjoy a meal. Filming a conference is not attending and participating at a conference, so the conference itself is not a 'perk'.

Conference Organizer retains all rights
Make sure your filmmaker will not release any footage without your express written permission.

Permission to release short segments
If you give permission to others to release film segments, be sure to agree in advance to specific wording of on-screen credits.

Delivery of Master DVD's
Be sure to keep a set of "raw" (unedited) master DVD's, for your archives, and for your future use. Check these DVD's immediately for completeness and report any deficiency promptly. Retain the original master tape cassettes for safety.

Post-production editing
Once you have reviewed the raw footage, you will have a clearer idea of what is needed in post-production. Unless post-production is minimal, negotiate post-production separately.

Make the best use of your video once it is live.
For further information, see DanShaw.com

Hiring a filmmaker By DanShaw.com

Hiring a filmmaker By DanShaw.com

 
"I'm thinking of having a film made. What should I know about hiring a filmmaker? How much will a film cost and what should I expect from my filmmaker?"

Despite the continually dropping prices of electronic gear, and the seeming ubiquity of video cameras, making quality films requires a lot of expensive equipment and thousands of hours, even years and decades of professional experience. It is true that anyone with a web cam or even a cell phone can make short videos for youtube.com, but making effective or even watchable films is an art and a science.

Buying your own camera

If you are considering buying a video camera, the first thing you need to know is that consumer level cameras can cost under $500, but professional cameras are likely to cost nearer $1,000. The main feature that distinguishes a pro level camera from a consumer-grade camera is that the pro cameras will have an input for an external microphone. If you are at all serious about doing videos you will need an external mic jack. Shooting in all different situations requires that you will sometimes have to put your camera in a less-than-optimal position, for example, at the back of the room so you are not blocking an audience (or the bride's family!), or far enough from your subject to take in a wide area, such as an entire stage. Since the volume of sound drops off exponentially, if you move your mic twice as far away, you will get one quarter of the volume you would have at the nearer placement. You will want to place your mic up close, or use a wireless mic, or plug directly into a sound system.

All the accessories you'll need

By the time you buy all the accessories you need for your camera, such as various microphones, tripod, batteries, chargers, wide angle lens, etc., you can easily spend $3,000. Then you will still want a lighting kit, which can cost hundreds more. Tripods deserve special mention. Video tripods must have a level bubble, so that you can pan the horizon if needed… a video tripod does not have a central post; if it has a central post, it’s a camera tripod, not for video. The smoothness of the pan is critical, especially for distant subjects; Libec brand is the industry standard.

You’ll also need a computer and the software to edit your film. Mac comes with I-Movie installed, but I-Movie is a not pro grade. To burn DVD's you need to download (from tucows.com, for example) a program such as Toast. If you are using a PC you could get a program such as Adobe Premiere Elements for as little as $200. "Elements" is the bare-bones version of the program that should be plenty for most novices. High-end editing suites such as Avid or VT Edit can cost thousands of dollars and require top-of-the-line computers. The exact type of camera and accessories you’ll need will depend on what you want to do. Get some expert advice.

Anticipating your costs

If you decide to hire a filmmaker, keep in mind that they have made a substantial investment of money and time to buy and learn how to use their equipment. It is reasonable for a professional filmmaker to bill their time at $150 an hour or more, and to also bill for machine time. Some professional shops estimate that a job will cost $1,000 per finished minute of film: 15 minutes = $15,000. Obviously, if you are paying this kind of money you can expect completely professional results, professional customer service, and a detailed contract before you begin; expect to pay a deposit, and to make partial payments at benchmarks along the way so the you are not expecting the film studio to expose themselves to the risk of non-payment on a major job. Fortunately, if you do not have the kind of major budget needed to hire a high-end studio, you can likely find an independent filmmaker who can do the job for less, perhaps because they have a lower overhead, for example by working out of their home instead of an office. If you are working with an independent filmmaker, read on.

A fully professional film requires an entire production crew

If you must have a professional film, it can not be produced by an individual. You will need to hire an entire crew; two or three cameras and camera-people, a director, an audio engineer, at minimum, perhaps a lighting specialist, other technicians, very likely all earning union wages. If you hire an individual, you can expect a high-quality end product, but you can't expect the kind of result you would from a crew.

Your finished product will be only as good as the footage you film. The more time you spend planning your production, the less time and money it will take to film, and in post-production. Spend as much time as you possibly can in planning, story-boarding, even shooting non-actors or stand-ins, so that you have a crystal-clear idea of what shots are needed. Scout your locations with your filmmaker, and an audio engineer, if at all possible. Visit your locations at the time of day you plan to shoot. You will need to know what the lighting and sound conditions are going to be when you arrive with your cast and crew. As with any complex project, the more precisely you can specify exactly the end-product you want, the more likely you are to get it, on time and on budget.

Shooting in the field and in the studio

Expect to pay somewhat more if your filmmaker has to haul all his equipment to a field location; it can take several people hours to pack up, move, set up, break down, and reset their equipment back in the studio. Shoot as many takes as you reasonably can, since it is nearly always more expensive or even impossible to return to re-shoot. Do not rely on the camera's view screen; bring along a larger monitor if at all possible. An otherwise perfect shoot can be ruined by a piece of lint or a stray hair that is impossible to see through the camera.

Should I film an event, or stage something for the camera?

In general, you will get much better results by staging something for the camera. In a live event, you aren't able to do second takes, impose on a paying audience by blocking sight-lines, hold up the event while you adjust the camera, lighting, sound system, etc. When the final product REALLY matters, you may need to review each shot on the monitor before you go on to the next.

Post-production
It is vital for you to scrutinize the raw footage immediately. You may discover some imperfection that may have passed unnoticed (people are their own worst critics!) Make sure there are no ‘deal breakers’ in the raw footage that make it unusable. If a reshoot is needed, best to know on the spot.

Editing video studio is a matter of micro-seconds. You may need to make a cut between words, before a blink, before your subject takes a breath, etc. You and / or your filmmaker should be taking extremely detailed notes on exactly what was shot and the time-codes. Good notes can mean hours of time and hundreds, even thousands of dollars saved in the editing studio. It can be extremely time-consuming and tedious if you or your editor has to watch and rewatch your video to find where the edits need to be made. During production be sure to take all the time you need. Pauses in speech are natural, pause between segments even if only for a second. If you make a mistake, say "Cut!" or “take two,” or simply back up and start over. In post-production you can edit out pauses, bloopers, etc. When you finish a segment, sit still for a moment as newscasters do, to allow time to "fade to black". (Don't look up right away and ask, "How was that?"). When you feel confident you’re done filming, sit for a moment to make sure you've got everything you could want.

Make sure your filmmaker has clear instructions about any titling and credits on the video. Make sure that they know how to spell people's names, and how people want their website address, etc. to appear. Go through the time and trouble to render your video and upload it to the web, that they Don't waste resources having your filmmaker redo a film because you failed to mention that so-and-so's credit should have said "Dr." instead of "Mr.", for example.

Lastly, you will want to have the film rendered into several formats, a high-resolution format for viewing on TV from a DVD, and a lower-resolution format for the web such as Flash .flv, Apple Quicktime .mov, or Windows .wmv.

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Daniel E. Shaw

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Psychical Physics : a scientific analysis of dowsing, book review

Psychical Physics : a scientific analysis of dowsing radiesthesia and kindred divining phenomena 

by Solco W. Tromp

Published by Elsevier, the renown and respected scientific publisher for more than 130 years. The author, Solco W. Tromp, was professor of Geology at Fouad 1 University, Cairo, Egypt, and founder of the International Society for Biometeorology. This is a 1949 study objectifying many aspects of dowsing, still the most systematic and thorough scientific appraisal of the subject. This is the book that I would write if it weren't already written! Takes each geophysical 'force' in turn, including 'emanations' (gasses), and takes each biological mechanism in turn, and examines the good evidence for geophysical forces affecting the human body. This book substantiates the core thesis of the Dan Shaw Vortex Field Guides, that "the human energy field is not separate from the planetary energy field." 534 pages. $ 4.95 Quality PDF of out-of-print copyright-expired edition with searchable text, viewable on your computer. Download link provided after purchase. No shipping charges. Print it out at home or take to a copy shop for printing and binding. Available from http://www.orgonelab.org/cart/xlifenergy.htm

 

A window in a flower

A window in a flower

Choose a blue name

Paint a window in a flower

Dance with men with antlers

Soak in the warm waters of love’s embrace

I went all the way to the coast

But it wasn’t far enough

And so I had to go further

I went to the forest

I brought home a rock, a flower

And a rusted old logger’s gas can

Hummingbirds come and go

The pond’s edge jumps with frogs everywhere

Wind-blown sand covers a swimsuit left at a beach

Copper elephants and white monkeys

Parade

Rich colors clutter clash resound

Lush texture layers invite

I play and walk in the collage of birdsong, flowers and acrylics

Art enchants

Key-shaman-picture

Art-love-voice

(c) 2012 Daniel Evan Shaw

Devil's Graveyard -- Alaska

12 "Devil's Graveyards" around the world form a geometric pattern. What are these devil's graveyards? Magnetic anomalies? What are vortexes? Is Alaska a Devil's Graveyard? I'm Dan Shaw, a researcher of vortexes, publisher of the EarthStar globe, co-author of the Vortex Field Guide. I was recently featured on Brad Meltzer's Decoded show on the History channel. I demonstrated the Golden Vortex device to Buddy and McKinley ("Mac"), and they were truly impressed. The camera operators also told me (and Brad Meltzer!) that they saw Buddy and McKinley apparent change height. This is not an optical illusion as we usually understand it, due to a slanted background, or to camera angle! See the Decoded episode now on youtube.
Season Two, Episode 13, Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9mrbxjvxAY&feature=related
Part 2, featuring the golden vortex device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmW65f6J8Nw&feature=related

Against the rotation of the globe (a poem by DanShaw.com)

Against the rotation of the globe
(a poem by DanShaw.com)

From the discomfort of my envious time-worn green couch I travel
vicariously from Vienna to Sulawesi by video
hiding behind the remote control and channel five
glimpsing life through the pin-hole
of the big screen
wishing for a one-way boarding pass
on a jetliner business class
overseas against the rotation of the globe.
Years pass cowarding about the paths
of a small town without a mountain or canyon
without a spectacular view.
Breathtaking vistas await aboard flight one-oh-five
from transatlantic terminal to anywhere
Familiar ruts reveal the pale shadow longing casts over courage.
What serpent offers what apple to eject this naive man from dismal desert
to lion's den
What strange sun rises over unknown horizons
What unsure sands will support the foot
What travails can be side-stepped between dusk and dark?
How much plainness and porridge can be endured
before irksome comfort is thrown from the brink
to venture past armed border guards
to venture where not even breakfast speaks my language
where rock and flint and chalk could not be more foreign
where every number needs translation
nothing can be expected.
Discontent seethes beneath the TV guide.

Golden-Vortex.com now live online

The Golden Vortex device, invented by Nick Nelson, featured on Decoded on the History channel, now available at http://golden-vortex.com/

Golden Vortex on History channel

Dan Shaw just on Brad Meltzer's Decoded on History channel with Golden Vortex shrink and grow. contact inventor Nick Nelson: vortexfinder@centurytel.net. 7620 Hwy 2 E,  Columbia Falls, MT 59912. $33 includes shipping.

Dan Shaw to appear on History Channel
on a forthcoming episode of Brad Meltzer's Decoded series likely to air in December, filmed today in Olympia, Washington. I demonstrated Nick Nelson's Golden Vortex device to 'Shrink and Grow' show hosts Buddy and McKinley and they were suitably delighted and convinced.

Pattern Language in Aquaponics

Pattern Language in Aquaponics

To: Christopher Alexander

livingneighborhoods.org

Dear Mr. Alexander,

Your Pattern Language book has made a profound impression on me. I want to thank you for your inspiring work.

Some weeks ago, I mentioned Pattern Language to my Transpartisan friend Joseph McCormick,

http://reunitingamerica.org/

and he referred me to a website on the subject of pattern language in “Dialogue and Deliberation”:

http://grouppatternlanguage.org/

I have long had an interest in ‘architecture without architects’, and during the past year, I have been involved in learning Aquaponics; I am sure that I have seen your book referenced elsewhere, and seeing it a second time, and seeing that the work is so archetypal that it has been applied in other domains, I went to the shelves of the Willits (California) library, and found there a copy of Pattern Language.

I read (almost) the entire volume over the next couple days, and reread numerous parts. In a rare impulse, needing to return the book before leaving for a trip to Seattle, I left a few of the last sections unread to savor another time.

The book had a nameplate at front, ‘Gift of the Jeavons Family’. As it happened, I was about to dig a trench, and had also checked out a video called Dig It, in which John Jeavons

http://www.johnjeavons.info/

shows how to select and use a shovel – my background is ‘white collar’ and this year in the woods represents an effort for me to learn more about using materials and tools, and about working with plants and animals. Since John’s name had arisen twice that week, and since I was so grateful for Pattern Language, I wrote thanking him.

Since that time, I have been effusively telling one friend after another about Pattern Language, as it seemed germane in numerous conversations. I have been wrestling with what I call ‘design criteria’, and the desire to better understand the same, with the intention of writing an article on the topic. I have found that much of what I learned about design, and about project management in my past decades in publishing, websites, and video, is transferable to designing and building aquaponics systems. In my struggle to design an aquaponics system, I have found Pattern Language to be a revelation. Parts of Pattern Language concisely described things I had long felt, (such as the need for crosswalks to be elevated above the level of the street), and other parts explained things I had long wondered about. Other parts came as a relief, explaining why I feel uncomfortable in certain situations (such as a seating area not set back far enough from a walkway).

I have begun Timeless Way of Building and am looking forward to reading your other works, and also the derivative works such as the Dialogue techniques.

I am presently in Seattle visiting friends, one of whom lives at a co-housing community (in Bothell) called Songaia. At breakfast, I mentioned that I had just read Pattern Language, and that while reading it I was repeatedly reminded of Songaia. For instance, the communal workshop. One of the community members there explained that before Songaia was built, the members had a study group on Pattern Language. I wonder if you have ever visited Songaia, or if this is the first you have heard of it. It is a wonderful group of people, and a wonderful built environment, and I could ‘feel comfortable’ there.

Shortly I will be returning to my adopted home town of Ashland, Oregon, to proceed with an aquaponics project. My friend Asha, owner of Pacific Domes, has arranged for Rudy Behrens to visit to teach his version of aquaponics, Tetraponics. Rudy’s system includes an electricity generator that burns biomass, namely, duckweed, with its only emissions being CO2 and water vapor, that he calls the bio-energy dome.

Asha has long worked diligently towards building sustainable community, as have I, and so this project is only one expression of a larger mission, I want to invite your participation in this project at whatever level you might like. Your Pattern Language will be reflected in some degree in our projects, so at least I wanted you to know how grateful I am to you.

Thank you,

DanShaw.com

How I Measure Up

How I Measure Up

I have measured quality of life in teacups

I have measured my education with a ruler

I measured the moon with my thumb

I measure hurry and boredom with a clock

Human kindness I weigh in a thimble

Money I do not number but arrange by author like fiction

The time between sunrise and sunset I measure

By how much I can jam in or leave out

Distance I measure in hours and days

We have a number for measuring the mind

When the sun is highest, that is not noon

All clocks bow to the satellite

Each day I consecrate to some obscure god or occult planet

Each year insert two Popes between six and seven

Except February which has 28.

Pick a new starting date and number backwards from there.

I am still using a calendar from 1491 as flat as the Earth once was

I measure years in waiting

Streets in stop lights

I draw straight lines on maps

I am so sure I am right.

A More Tragic Figure

A More Tragic Figure

I have not stood on battlefields

Earthquakes and hurricanes have missed me

But I have seen news of such disasters

But one will never see a greater tragedy

A more tragic figure

Than the man of reason,

The man of reason believes that God does not exist.

That man has made Reason his God (and emotion his Demon)

The man of God believes in a God existing

Why should I care if you believe or don’t?!

Believing is not knowing.

To believe is to not know.

In my magical reality

I have seen enough miracles to know.

Science is the world “exterior”

Where perhaps two people can share a consensus “reality”

Spirituality – experience of the Divine – is a world to each his own

For the man or woman who believes the scientific realm is the whole world

I weep

______________

DanShaw.com

Make changes to your site yourself:

Make changes to your site yourself:

Uploading web site pages, etc.

using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program

such as WS_FTP or Fetch

WS_FTP, CuteFTP, etc. are for PC’s; Mac’s use Fetch.

If you don't already have WS_FTP (or Fetch) download it from www.download.com.

Install the program by double clicking the icon. Macs: Drag the Fetch dog icon into the applications folder.

WS_FTP

Click Connect (in the lower left). In the Session Properties box, select NEW. Use an obvious profile name, such as "!publicftp". (The exclamation point onveniently will bring this session to the top of the alphabetical list).

You will need a host name, a user name, and a password.

Host Name/Address is often in the form of: ftp.hostname.com

You may need to set Host Type to Auto detect.

Select the "Anonymous" checkbox and User ID and password default. Choose SAVE PASSWORD.

You will see your files on the remote server appear in the right hand frame. to To send a file to the remote server, Double-click to select it, and drag it; or, select it and click the transfer arrow.

Fetch

The same settings apply. Select “PUT”, then choose the local file you want to send to the remote host, then PUT again to send the file.

Back-ups!

Always be sure to make back up copies of your original, unedited files onto the local server into a new folder titled, ‘backups’ before you begin work. That way, if your web pages don’t look right once you’re edited them, you can always revert to the earlier version!

Permaculture and aquaponics projects...
My new endeavors include building an aquaponics system at Ukiah High School, and getting certified in Permaculture Design and Aquaponics.

VortexMaps.com website and retail business closing
After more than 15 years, it is time for me to close this chapter of my life. Thank you to especially to Bethe Hagens, Dorothy Leon, Barbara Hero and Nick Nelson for making it possible. Thank you to everyone who supported my work. And I am grateful to all you who shared your research with me. I will continue to work quietly in this field until hopefully VortexMaps.com will reappear in a new incarnation. I have a few maps remaining, for those who "must have one!"
I have a new cell phone #, 7zero7-513-9005.

Laurence (Larry) Shaw, my older brother, has had tremendous success with his toy invention, Astrojax. He's in NY at the International Yoyo Open 2009...

The Future of the Yo-Yo Debuts at IYYO 2009

Astrojax(R) will be making its first official appearance at a major yo-yo event in the United States this weekend at the International Yo-Yo Open at South Street Seaport, New York City, on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. The IYYO attracts top yo-yo talent from across the nation. Four of the continent's most creative Astrojax players will be demonstrating Astrojax from 12:40 pm to 12:55 pm on the main stage.

Astrojax consists of three centrally-weighted balls on a string and play involves creating a variety of orbits. While yo-yo play is generally limited to two dimensions because of the spinning of the disk, the possibilities produced by a three-ball geometry takes play into the third dimension. Astrojax has won a number of toy awards and was the first modern toy taken into outer space by NASA.

As the featured performers show, Astrojax play is as much about creativity as technical virtuosity. * Chris Marshall uses Astrojax as a means of musical self-expression. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnothwtgoQ) * Jason Simard plays in a flowing, meditative, improvisational style. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uxISJtBWqU) * Will Kerzic is the world's most inventive "jaxer". ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lluV9vs9VbI) * Claudia Yvette brings fun, humor and a rock-and-roll energy to her play. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv_PRrVlzfc) The players will be introduced by Larry Shaw, the inventor of Astrojax.

For more information contact Jim Marielli/USAstrojax.com

The Corner of Street and Avenue

Seattle city streets slick and shiny
Faces of every shape
Some shapely some misshapen
Thin mist thickens into gray rain
Signals change
Heels in her hand, flats on her feet
She crosses to glassy offices
Blue buses rumble shudder hiss and disgorge
Pedestrian lives wait for a signal 3, 2, 1
A mute parade
An occasional bright umbrella
Backpacks, bundles and bags of every description
Above in the overcast crows pigeons gulls
Shoes stroll stride and limp
Standing sitting moving straight
Between busy square blocks and blurred crosswalks
Waiting for the signal to change
Signals change.


===================

DanShaw.com

Choosing a website name
By DanShaw.com

Your website, or domain name, is vital to the success of your business. How do you choose the most effective name possible? Here are the rules I go by. You must weigh and balance all the rules, since there are always exceptions and trade-offs.

Your website name becomes your business name.
Never write or say your business name without adding the “.com”. Reinforce the website address at every opportunity. If you have a storefront, your .com address should be on the sign outside the shop.

Your web address is your own .com.
“.com” is the default type of domain name. If you get a “.biz” or “.info” or some other type of extension, people will forget and go to the .com first, and you will lose traffic. Even if you get a .org or .net, you will still need to get the “.com”, too.

Get your legal name as your domain name.
For example, DanShaw.com. If your name has already been taken, get it now even if you are not planning on using it right now. Better yet, put up a page with your contact information. Many people use the web instead of opening up a phonebook, and many people don’t even a have land-line listed in a local phone directory. Make it easy for people to contact you. You legal-name-as-domain name may be too broad for any single business, but works great if you have numerous divergent businesses and interests.

Choose a name you don’t have to spell
You (and hopefully many other people!) will be repeating your domain name many thousands of times. Choose one you don’t have to spell out.

Bad: Auctions4u.com
Bad: ClairesTyes
Bad: Gonzalos (“What did you say?” Gonsales? Gonzales?”)
Good: Auctionsforyou.com
Good: BobsTies

Choose a short name
Choose a name which is about 15 characters or less. Some people will type your name directly into their browser address bar (not to mention how many times you’ll type and write your name). Shorter names are not only easier to say and spell, they’re less subject to typos.

Choose a name without any dashes or underscores.
People are likely to forget dashes or underscores.

Bad: Collectible-Coins.com
Good: CollectibleCoins.com

Choose a name that is memorable.
You don’t want people forgetting it!

Bad: TheGoodPlumber.com (“the” is forgettable)
Good: BestDamnPlumber.com (humor is memorable)

Choose a name that describes what you do.
In most cases, choose the most descriptive name you can. Consider that your website address can be all you need. If you need more, you’ll need more room to print it, you’ll have to print it smaller, and people will need more time to read and understand it. Choose a name that doesn’t need a tag line.

Bad: PinkPanda.com: Exotic Pets
Good: exoticpets.com

Choose a new that will make people want to look you up.
For example, if you saw the name JohnDoe.com on the back of a bus, would you go seek it out? No.

Bad: JohnDoe.com (Unless your name is a household word.)
Good: DonaldTrump.com (Redirects to Trump.com.)
Good: VideosForDancers.com (“I’m a dancer who wants video, I’ll look that up.”)

Differentiate your business.
Choose a name that describes your unique offering, your ‘radical monopoly’.

Bad: RalphsAutoParts.com
Good: AntiqueFordAutoParts.com

Choose a name that is broad enough.

Bad: ValleyAvenueHaircuts.com (what if you move to another location? What if you want to sell some other product or service besides?)
Good: VelvetSalon.com

Choose a name that is narrow enough to help your search engine standings.
The more narrow your market, the easier it will be to differentiate yourself, promote just a few keywords, get ranked highly in the search engines, and identify and reach your target audience.

Bad: RalphsAutoParts.com
Good: AntiqueFordAutoParts.com

Choose a name that people will search for.
Will people type your company name into Google? Only if they already know about your company. If you expect to get business from people through search results, do your best to put keywords into your domain name.

Bad: VelvetCloud.com
Good: VelvetShoes.com

Always Use Intercaps
Intercaps make your name more readable. Intercaps help avoid conflation of terms.

Bad: danshaw.com
Good: DanShaw.com

Avoid word conflation.
Since there are no spaces in domain name, choose words that won’t be mis-read.

Bad: whorepresents.com
Bad: whoistheiragent.com (tendency to be read, “who is the iragent?”)
Good: talktomyagent.com



“www.” is not part of your domain name.
All websites are “www.”, It’s the default, there’s no need to type it into the browser address bar. It’s hard to say. It unnecessarily takes up space in print.

Brainstorming tips.
Write down all the possible relevant words and phrases you can think of and recombine them. For example, if you’re in the auction business, high bid, higher, highest, bid, winning, auction, block, gavel, lot, going once, highbid, bidhigh, winningauction, winning bidder, etc.

Should you get the singular or the plural, or both?
For example, should you get videosfordancers.com, or videofordancers.com? That depends of meaning, but also on how the name sounds, and how people will remember it. You don’t want to have to re-emphasize, to try to get people to remember, for example, “that’s ‘shows’ with an ‘S’.” You may want or need to get both if they’re both available.

Bad: spotpetfoods.com
Good: spotpetfood.com

Check to see if a domain name is available only through internic.net!
You can check to see if a domain name is currently hosted simply by typing in to the address bar in your browser.

However, to see if a domain names is already registered, check your domain name only at:
http://www.internic.net/whois.html
Do not check for domains at any other site! Checking for names at unknown sites may mean someone is watching.

Domain names registration is cheap.
Domain names are registered by the year through many resellers. One of the largest registrars is godaddy.com, though they have had some involvement in promoting porn. As of this writing, domains are about $10 per year. So if you think of a better name, you can always switch.

Take the time to find just the perfect domain name.
When you’re figured it out, you’ll know it’s perfect. You won’t have to call me to ask me what I think of the name.

Register the name for at least two years.
It’s likely that domain names that are registered for just one year are deprecated by the search leader, Google.com.

Parking domain names.
You may get any number of domain names and have them all point to the same website. This is called parking. For example, if you qualify for a .org, you will still want to get the .com name, and redirect the .com to point to the .org address.

If you’d like further advice and support, I invite you to contact me, DanShaw.com. Telephone 541-951-3394.