You can blame Lynn Terry...

Hi everybody - I heard about this forum through Lynn Terry and since she's probably one smartest online marketing gals I know, I had to take a peek. I probably need another forum like a hole in my head - but WOW - this place looks fantastic!

I'm self employed - 10 years now - I'm a graphic designer, web designer, writer and digital artist. So, depending on who you ask, I'm either owner, creative director, a serial entrepreneur or completely psycho

I was a graphic designer and pixel artist in the late 80's- early 90s, dabbling with hypertext, multimedia presentations and digital graphics when I saw the web and lost my mind. It was like - "oh my gawd, this is it, I know what I'm going to do now."

I immediately taught myself HTML by hand typing it in notepad and viewing it in a browser with gray background over a 28.8 connection.

[Hey - who can traipse down memory lane with me? I distinctly remember being thrilled when we got the ability to add pictures to web sites. I remember the scandal when Microsoft suddenly realized the web was there and announced their own browser. And I remember the frenzy when the first spam went out. No kidding. God, now I feel crusty.]

Anyway - I started a little moonlighting thing called Turtle's Web Art & Design in '95 (Turtle was my online nick), quit my day job in '96 (who had time to WORK, too?) and over the next 5 years, rode the wave. I churned out somewhere in the vicinity of 250 web sites for people and businesses worldwide from home. Plus I got to work on some amazing web projects with some very talented developers that knew their way around cutting edge code and databases but happily accepted that they weren't designers or information architects

No one even knew my real name back then - web companies, programmers and ISPs outsourced front end work to me and they only knew me as "Turtle" til the time came to write me a check. LOL

1999-2000 I was recruited by a big software company 3,000 miles away, to be the Creative Director on an incredible web application project, and did all the design, IA and PM for the team of programmers in Krakow and content writers in LA - that was a wildly exciting time! And then, well, you know what happened... it all collapsed. That start up got in trouble, many of the web development companies that outsourced to me went out of business... and I floundered for a while

Anyway - now I own a totally different business, SOHO It Goes! which "helps small businesses make a big impression" and I do the full spectrum from print graphic design (logos, brochures, flyers, etc) to custom web design and development. Probably got myself well past 300 sites by now - but I stopped counting. Diversifying to add print design and marketing technology saved my hide and that biz is my bread and butter. I also write for publication and my info products, and have two ecommerce stores. Plus the blog and newsletter called Increase Your Reach: Infuse Your Marketing with Technology for 2+ years now.

I love online communities, having been on a couple early web design list servs and IRC channels back when there were hundreds of web designers, not hundreds of thousands like now.

I'm really kinda hoping to find a good forum where I can communicate with my peers and industry colleagues, maybe even some old timers - and learn a thing or two

Did I find it? Can I play? I promise I won't write this much all the time. LOL

 

Hello and Welcome to DP!

 

Hi and Welcome to DP.

We look forward to your contribution to the forums.

 

Welcome to DP...

 

Well I'm glad Lynn brought you on board and might I had that was a very thorough introduction. I would love to open my heat to you as you have to me, but yet there's still something holding me back. There’s a tiny voice inside me screaming out, “No hodgedup don’t do it.” So alas I may never get to say what I want to say to you.

OK. I’m going to do it. I’m going to overcome my fear and open my feelings to you. Here is goes. Welcome.

 

welcome to dp! keep posting to contibute!

 

Nice intro!

Welcome to DP.

 

Welcome... whats your favourite colour?

 

Purple, Design Agent - why do you ask?

 

Now thats what I call an introduction.

Why? Please do, we love content as much here as on our own web sites

 

And I thought I started early. This one is like buddha but without the name lol. Anyway Turtle, welcome to DP and our online community

 

It was the only thing not mentioned in the bio

 

Oh. LOL. Well, actually, I have even more to say.

 

Think I'll gonna cry....huhuhu can i have that for my content? .. just joking heheheh
Welcome to DP!!

 

So lets hear it. More wise words from you are always accepted.

 

Patience, grasshopper

 

A totally uncommon introduction, and I like it.

Here's hoping you will find time to share a decade of accumulated wisdom.

BTW, oldest daughter is pursuing Master's degree in marketing. I'm trying to move her away from print / TV advertising. Unfortunately, her profs are still teaching 'old school' (yes, even at a famous and huge university).

Any suggestions?

 

What are her options where she is - any? I do think a marketing MBA is an extremely valuable foundation to have (wish i had one but alas, too busy to go get the papers) but maybe she needs to pursue studies in another school that recognizes current and future technologies.

Her school isn't unusual. Do you have anything like this where you are? You simply can't get much better than RPI in the northeast and their programs are stellar (plus pricy and hard to get into but otherwise everyone would get it)

http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/
http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/programs/index.cfm?p=1&c=1&s=1&L=1&inc=content

 

What are her options where she is

sent you a PM.

 

That's impressive history - I look forward to reading your posts...

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers

Ol