Today is my first “normal” day back at work (from my home office) since Chris came home. Now, under ideal circumstances (everyone but me — including the dog — out of the house for an eight-hour stretch, the house clean and crock pot simmering), I enjoy working from home. However, since “ideal circumstances” seldom present themselves […]
I’ve been traveling. A lot. Heaps, you might say, for those Down Under. I’ve learned three important life lessons in my travels this past three months during all the travel on which I’ve embarked for Little Flower Strategies. There’s been, in fact, more than three lessons, to be sure. Out of respect for your time, I’m […]
Why do software projects go awry?
Amanda Mortus from WorthyOfAgape.com wrote a post about twitter practices called, “Missing the Point.” In the post, she highlighted her frustration with certain practices and strategies used by some folks on social media; in this specific case, Twitter. She asked me for my input into the post, so I will gladly give it! (Note: Amanda and I […]
Managing a social media account for clients is super fun – you get to learn their brand, interact with their followers and friends, and ultimately, help your client achieve their goals. What can be more fun than that? Building a comprehensive social media strategy does not need to be that complex at all. As I always, always […]
As many may know, I am the guy behind the social media at my parish in Plymouth, Michigan – Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church. I’ve been asked several times and contacted by many who want help or insights into developing and designing a social media strategy for Catholic parishes. So, I’ve decided to quickly […]
In the coming months I’m definitely going to diving deep into the topic of influence; be that influence online, in person, or in business. The fact of the matter is that you are either an influencer, or you are being influenced. Hopefully there is some balance between the two. But if you’re trying to influence […]
Sliding pictures in website banners are very popular today. For a long time, I tried to like them. But I gave up because they drive me crazy. That’s because I get interested in the initial picture shown and then it changes. Hey, where’d my picture go? Or, after looking at the picture, I start to […]
Do you regularly read Church documents from the past? If you don’t, you should start. Many people talk about Vatican II, and will very, very quickly give their opinion. And yet a large majority of those same people have never read all the documents, if any at all. I want to study Inter Mirifica. Church documents […]
I have a love/hate relationship with the comment box. On my blog where it’s moderated and readers are spiritually mature and have attended Combox-Finnishing school, I can kick my shoes off and put my feet up like I do on my sister’s coffee table. But elsewhere on the world wide web, writing about politics or […]
“I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.” – Fred Rogers The traditional family unit has been negatively hit from so many directions in our world […]
I manage several social media accounts for various clients. From time to time, I get to help promote different products, events, and campaigns in order to get the word out. In addition to my client’s social media accounts, I have my own Twitter and Facebook account for EntreCatholic, my personal blog. While my Twitter account is […]
Have you ever noticed that in the comments following articles, including Catholic Lane’s, that some people have their pictures next to the comment? Other comments just have a “ghost silhouette” to represent the commentator. A picture of you will look so much better than a ghost. A picture immediately makes the reader think, “How cool […]
I do quite a bit of reading. Up until recently, I was convinced that paper books were the way to go. And then I thought an iPad would solve all my “I want to read it electronically” problems. Then, slowly, I started to think about how some of the “just like real paper” e-readers might be […]
A retail-store owner called and asked me to look at his website. I always try to find something nice to say about a prospect’s website, but this one was pretty challenging. It looked like it had been done in the early 1990s. It was slapped together, with glaring colors, strange navigation, and too much bold […]
I’ve been looking for an app to chart my body’s fertility for quite a while. Remember my begging? No? Well, I assure you, I even used this space to try to find something, and never had any luck. My days of searching are over, though, and I’m excited to share a brand-new app with you: […]
I write copy for commercial clients to help them make more sales from key web pages. My process always includes writing a detailed creative brief with my clients before starting a project. I debrief both owners and sales staffers. But no matter how deep my brief goes, I still need to ask my clients questions […]
One day, my 17 year-old strolled into the kitchen after a long day at school, leaned against the kitchen counter and, between mouthfuls of food to appease his growling stomach, said, “Hey mom, did you know that the Pope has Twitter?” “So, I hear,” I replied absentmindedly while chopping vegetables for dinner. “Do you have […]
Digital media has changed the landscape of the entertainment industry. Traditional music albums have been replaced by MP3s, and streaming services are now delivering movies to your home instantly. Will the same hold true for the book publishing industry? Will ebooks become the new medium of choice? According to the Center for Applied Research in […]
During the early years of Facebook mania, I posted pics of my kids, events, travels, anecdotes and chanted with the universal FB voice: “Look how great I am; how amazing my life is; how many people like me!” While I really wanted to post about how great God is, a social network broadcasting my religious […]
Do you ever ask yourself whether it is alright to stay plugged-in to the internet? I have struggled with this question since I was first drawn, overwhelmingly so, to this new form of communication six years ago. I already loved email, then I discovered Facebook and discussion forums. I could engage with people from all […]
Any Internet sensation—even if it colorfully overinterprets what is taking place—that further clarifies how child-like the unborn child is will always be welcomed. Enter “Twins fighting in the womb,” actually better described as two babies, approximately 20 weeks old, attempting to stake out additional leg room in cramped quarters. Reuters put it nicely: “It’s a […]
I reinvented Thanksgiving dinner 3 years ago, and not by choice. Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite dinners to fix for my family. Three years ago, things changed. I was recovering from major surgery, forbidden from driving, forbidden from lifting more than 5 pounds, and needed to sit more than stand. My husband and our […]
By now, you probably know that using keywords or key phrases are important to help drive traffic to your website. A good way to think of keywords is to think of them like fishing bait. Different bait brings in different fish, so, too, different keywords bring in different prospects. So keywords — the words that […]
