Montana Webmaster

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG WITH A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER?.. would you go to your dentist for an eye exam?

Professional just means that someone takes $$$ for taking photos. Unlike the medical field, it may or may not mean that the person has training or experience.

But, there is also specialization. I recently walked into an art gallery and there was a light box in the back. Whoever is using the light box knows about product photography and closeup/indoor work.

The main thing to consider is whether the photographer you like has specific experience with the type of photography you need. For example, the photographer who photographs gardens may or may not be equally as clever with broad scenics, especially if there is a specific focal point that should stand out.

And, if there is a bug hatch happening at the time the photo is being taken, it could cause all kinds of problems with that focal point! A bug hatch can mimic oversharpening, a dusty lense, and other photography problems. The more you try to fix the bug hatch, the buggier the photo becomes!

THE STRUGGLE OF ONLINE SELLING FOR SMALL BUSINESS: DISTRACTIONS

A favorite cooking supply business sent me a business anniversary email with short term 20% off on an order. They have many items that are perfect for auction an raffle prizes when non-profits ask for donations. But, my supply is down, so this would be a great time to restock.

I made my order between other pressing tasks. But when I went to checkout, I noticed that my account had 3 out of date cards on file. So, I deleted them and added an updated card. But, in my efforts, I neglected to enter the anniversary code, so of course, I missed the discount.

Dashing off a quick reply to the order confirmation, I asked if it was too late to get the discount. Will they do it?

My request is extra work for them. It's not their fault that I was busy and stressed. It's not their fault that my cards on file were out of date. It's not their fault that their website and the transaction processing service are separate and require the entry of the discount code.

Online transactions include all of these factors on both sides. It's a conundrum for sure!

WOULD YOU GO CAMPING IN A REMOTE AREA OF ALASKA TO PHOTOGRAPH GRIZZLY BEARS?

It's great to see children's non-fiction author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent share stories from behind the scenes of her more than 100 writing adventures.

Alaska--Grizzly Bears and More My mid-1980s trip to Alaska to see Grizzly bears in person taught me not only about bears by about myself.

WHAT'S UNDER THE PAINT ON YOUR WEBSITE?

If you think of building a website like building a house, there are two major steps, 1) building the structure of the house, 2) adding siding and paint and flooring and cabinets, etc.

A common problem with websites, especially in systems like WordPress, is that the interior designer gets to do both #1 and #2. This results in structural weaknesses. The combinations of plugins on the site make it easy for the interior designer to also be the construction company. The problems show up later after everyone says how pretty the house is.

It would be long term worth the while of every website owner to have a little lesson (half hour - one hour) on how the structures work to know what types of plugins, etc are the most structurally sound.

HOW IS YOUR DRIVING AFFECTING YOUR MARKETING?

We had a great experience with Recovery Masters in Post Falls, ID. When I went to post about it on Yelp, I noticed that they have a 1 star rating, which is very much out of line with our experience.

I read the 3 previous reviews and noticed that 2 were for rude driving by their employees. I knew that aggressive driving is negative marketing, but I didn't realize to what extent!

My review raised their stars to 2.

www.yelp.com

Security awareness won’t save us, and people will continue clicking on links (as they should) Getting people to help protect their organizations: shortcomings of security awareness, why employees will continue to click on malicious links, and what we need to do about it

IDEA FOR A RAFFLE OR SILENT AUCTION DONATION: BOOKS!

My Nana's Stories themed basket included books to read to the kids!

THE LOVE - HATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCALS AND VISITORS

Some colleagues recently returned from a well-deserved business planning/retreat on a Caribbean island. They said they would never go back to that particular island.

This isn't a slam against that island, so I won't mention which one, but while the locals wanted the income, the people who served them didn't welcome the source of that income.

I recently visited a small Montana town where I go for business. At a local business, I heard some local folks expressing the same sentiment of not liking outsiders. In fact, they specifically mentioned that they hope their downtown storefronts stay empty.

I get it. They want their town for themselves. They don't want it to change. They want to be able to greet the folks they see by name. The problem is that economics don't stand still. They go up or down.

I'm pleased that my work in that small town is to promote and strengthen their local small business community. As I saw in the small community newspaper industry 20 years ago, if the local community doesn't fill the business need, outside companies will.

IT SEEMS THAT DENTAL HYGIENISTS AREN'T ROBOTS AFTER ALL!

There really isn't such a thing as a boring profession ...

As a demographic, I have always found dental hygienists to be courteous and professional, but the checkout staff at most grocery stores surpass them in personality. The exception is at Olsen & Peters Dental Group in Missoula, they seem to be allowed to take the time to be human, as well.

In fact, I have had conversations about fermented pickles and other unexpected topic in the past. But, my hygienist last week surpassed them all when she told me that this book is an unexpected read about how shape and mechanics affect our breathing. It all started when she told me about the mechanics of how our jaws work with tooth brushing and I replied with how anthropologists discovered that our overbite is related to using knives and forks.

I would find game shows much more interesting if there were more unexpected questions like this:

Hygiene for 200.
Answer: When your mouth is open, parts of your jaw press around your molars.
Question: Why is it best to brush your molars with your mouth mostly closed?

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skin…

SUPPORTING FARM TO TABLE!

Mission West Community Development Partners in Ronan, Montana is celebrating Farm to Table with a dinner on Sept 27. I'm so pleased to support their work with small business and producers. So I put together a basket with a few of my local favorites:

1. Montana Cooking by our well-loved author Greg Patent
2. Olive oils from mother-daughter team Olivelle in Bozeman
3. Teas from Montana Tea and Spice Company
4. HYCH hot sauce, not so local but a small producer
5. Embroidered napkin from Three Bales Home Supply, specializing in products made from recycled materials.

And, a bag made by yours truly, filled with kitchen tools.

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🌟 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤!🌟

Discover how worker-owned cooperatives are transforming local economies and communities with 𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘! 📚

This talk will feature the book's co-authors George Cheney and Charlie Michel in discussion on how worker-owned cooperatives are meeting the multiple crises of our age. Hear stories from inspiring worker co-ops across sectors like manufacturing, energy, food, and agriculture, including Love is Love Farm, a 70-acre organic farm dedicated to workplace democracy. As founding member Judith Winfrey says, "It wasn’t so much about the ownership and wanting to own a piece of land, but the permanency and having a long-term view for how a farm could be a piece of a community.”

🗓️ When: Wednesday, September 11, 4:30 PM
📍 Where: Headwaters Foundation, Missoula
🍻 Enjoy free appetizers and beer for purchase from Ronan Cooperative Brewery, a consumer-owned co-op!

Don’t miss this evening of dialogue and community building 💬Register today: tinyurl.com/WorkerCo-opBookTalk

Photo Credit: The Conservation Fund

AN INNOVATIVE BIRTHDAY GIFT WRAPPING STORY

At 3 Bales Home Supply, I bought 2 pairs of hand embroidered napkins. The napkins on the right are from Paraguay.

I had a birthday present for a friend, which I needed to wrap. I remembered the napkins and decided I would make the gift extra special by wrapping it with a napkin.

But, tape doesn't work on a napkin, so I needed to find something to tie the wrappings together. I thought about a safety pin. I thought about clips.

Then, while I was at Rosauers, I thought about hair ties. But, I didn't know which color would look best with the napkin, so I bought two sets.

The dark gray looked best. I had to fiddle and fuss to get it right. The hair tie doesn't show anyway, but my friend can use it for a tie on whatever she wants!

The idea of using fabric, instead of wrapping papter, came to me because Paige mentioned that the Japanese wrap gifts in fabric. One of my daughters did that too.

The moral of this story: gift bags have gone a long way to providing reusable gift wrapping, but fabric is an option that has many lives!

OH THE PEOPLE YOU WILL MEET: AT HVN

It was a pleasant surprise to meet Paige Ward at the last Hellgate Venture Network (HVN) meetup. Many of the folks who participate are from companies with innovative software products. Paige's innovation is a high end cookware and tableware store with product made from recycled material.

Her enthusiasm for her products prompted a stop earlier this week. Crafted cast iron with a lovely sheen caught my eye. Paige told me that they are made by Smithey Ironware, which started in restoring old cast iron as a hobby.

I bought some lovely napkins: one pair from Paraguay and the other pair embroidered by Paige's Grandmother. They will make an excellent substitute for wrapping paper.

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TIGHT FI**ED OR OPEN HANDED?

I remember hearing about an adult education instructor who told her technology students that there were tricks she wouldn't teach them because they were her secrets.

I remember talking to a developer of an industry-specific RFID technology who didn't want to talk about it because he was afraid I would steal his ideas. Unfortunately for him, he was so closed that I couldn't validate either the quality or the security of his software.

Really, neither case really had anything special or unknown. They just didn't have a big enough picture of their industry to know that.

I have also worked in situations where there was indeed a strong need for security. The conundrum is to figure out the difference. I've had people ask my why I'm transparent and open-handed with technical information on my website and on social media. It's because I don't have anything to lose in work and everything to gain in relationships.

The reasons that I don't have anything to lose is that the information is already out there. What I have that's unique is the ability to choose combinations of information that are unique for each situation.

Send a message to learn more

WHAT TO DO FOR A BIRTHDAY?

Go to the Bison Range and stop by Mission Valley Popcorn in Ronan. Give them plenty of time to change their minds several times.

Kathy Eyster has been successfully teaching regular folks how to take great photos for as long as I have been in Missoula!

Join me for tips on how to create amazing pictures of carnival rides at the fair. The Scavengers Photography Club at the Montana Natural History Center will be the host July 25, 2024, at 6pm. Come join us in person!

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SPAMMERS SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THEIR 8TH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHERS

Genre

Now that most of you spammers have moved past 3rd grade spelling mistakes, it's time to understand genre.

1. You can't put your print ad on the radio.
2. Not all marketing is advertising.
3. Your emails should read like an ad.

How NOT to start an email newsletter or spam:
"Frustrated by the never-ending back and forth managing numerous freelancers and agencies for your agency clients?"

That is an ad, not an email.

A big THANK YOU to all the super English teachers I had at East Jr. High and Butte High!

Mrs. Honeychurch
Miss Hockaday
Mr. King
And several others whose names I don't remember, but the learning endures!

Mission West Community Development Partners is hiring!

Mission West News: July 2024 Exciting News & Your Input Needed! Team wins, hiring news, & a survey to shape our future offerings.   Visit Our Website July 2024 Newsletter     Our Mission "To enhance the quality of life and econom

THE VALUE OF DOCUMENTATION

Some years ago, in a conversation with a developer with many more years experience than I had, I mentioned the word "documentation". The developer scolded me that, if I coded correctly, there would be no need for documentation.

But, I have persisted in my note taking, and the notes I have kept about my client website work over the years just sit there most of the time, but when I need it, it's invaluable.

WHEN THE NOTES EXIST
A client, who only needs my services occasionally, contacted me to ask about the cost of her web hosting package. Because of my notes, I was able to give her a specific answer about the package she is currently using, even though the decision was made over 5 years ago.

WHEN THE NOTES DON'T EXIST
Working through a site built by someone else who didn't keep any notes about the software decisions for a website means that I will spin my wheels figuring it out. My client will have to pay for that time.

Yesterday, hammering away at some perplexing software behaviors, I learned that my instincts to avoid some specific software was spot on. Oh, I added tools to my knowledge toolbox, but it seems that the previous developer could have been more thoughtful about the future cost to the client of not having taken the time to make some notes.

DOES THIS PHOTO TELL THE STORY?

The question is, "What Story"? The story this photo should tell is using local produce and brats for family picnics.

Why doesn't the photo do its job?