I recently discovered VectorMagic, a website tool that will convert almost any image into vector format in under 3 minutes. Vector format images allow you to increase the size of your image to any size without pixilating it.

Most image formats like JPEG and GIF are represented as pixels. Each pixel in the image stores digital numbers representing brightness and color. As you increase the size of the image, your software has to create new pixels and it estimates the color values of the new pixels based on the surrounding pixels…thus the image becomes pixilated.

Vector image formats contain a geometric description which can be rendered smoothly at ANY desired display size. Vector images are usually created in an application called Illustrator. To convert a JPEG image to a vector based image, one has to trace the image with a Pen tool in Illustrator. This takes a long time, depending on the details of your image.

That is why when I first came across VectorMagic, I was skeptical at first and decided to test it right away.

Continue Reading “Convert any image to a vector image in under 3 minutes”

After spending the last week in Costa Rica I went online last night to post photos from my trip. I had been down in Central America for a friend’s wedding, and I knew 20 of my closest friends would also want to rehash the week in images. At first I went to push them onto Flickr, but then I wondered whether I wanted images of me vacationing all over the web. So instead I uploaded them to my Snapfish account, which allows me to send a link through email to specific people.

The whole thing made me wonder: Was I being overly private? Are average people putting their personal photos up for the whole world to see? Turns out, they are. After 2 minutes of searching Flickr for other Costa Rica vacationers, I found pics of:

• A group horseback riding to see waterfalls
• Friends soaring on a zip line through the rain forest
• A grandmother showing off her bruise

Have we as online users turned a corner in how we view online privacy? Has the increased sense of community online led to a new level of openness?

Continue Reading “Is Online Anonymity a Thing of the Past?”

Email, Email, and more Email. You customers are inundated with email. So how can YOU stand out this holiday season? Write thank you notes…that’s right…I’m saying NOT to use technology

A handwritten note on a card with your signature can add the personal touch and help you stand out. Direct mail strategist Michael Kaselnak, points out the effectiveness of handwritten notes:

A Midwestern restaurant owner sent out a series of handwritten notes to his customers and had a 20 percent response rate.

A financial planner in the Northeast sent out just 80 handwritten notes to touch base with prospects and had six people call him and two set appointments.

A non-profit was able to get 51 donations by simply sending a handwritten note to warm list of 100 people.

Ikea has also seen great results from handwritten marketing:

Ikea recently tested an innovative approach for finding great employees. They put hand-written job announcements on bathroom walls at upscale restaurants in Malmo, Sweden. According to the company, the bathroom ads generated four times the response they get from classifieds.

Below are some suggestions on how you can send handwritten notes and save some time.

Continue Reading “Handwriting Marketing – Tips on how to save time”

Did you know that many universities offer online courses that you can register for and take for FREE in the comfort of your home?

In fact, MIT offers 1700 of “open courseware” courses. You can browse their online catalog of courses by department and click on the courses that interest you. Each course has a syllabus, a calendar of important dates, reading material, lecture notes, and assignments.

There are also some courses that are offered in video and audio format.

MIT is not the only place where you can get free education. The Post Gazette wrote a story about the MIT program and lists a selection of “open courseware” offerings at other universities:

Continue Reading “Take courses at Universities for FREE”

Crestock is running a Photoshop Contest where you can modify the design of the “themed” image and re-submit it back to them.

Your entry must be based on one or several of these photos, but you are free to do with them whatever you like. You may also use other elements in your design, as long as one or more of the source images can be recognised as a central part of your design.

The winner is determined 40% by public vote, 60% by our highly qualified judges’ votes. The public voting will open after the deadline for each round and run for one week.

They will be picking a winner for each round and prizes include: iPod Classic + iPod Nano, MacBook 13″ White, MacBook Pro 15″, Mac Pro + Dual 30″ Cinema Displays.

Apply and view the submission schedule.