Without further ado, lets get go it.

Two Key Prep Items (repeat from last blog):

1)      Learn How to Convert Inches to Pixels
PowerPoint works in inches.  The web works in pixels.  To create a banner, you need to know how to convert from one to the other.  To get the right measurements go here to either download the tool or bookmark this page for when you need it.

2)      Update your Power Point to Export Higher Resolution Graphics
Do this only when you need to develop graphics for PRINT, or else it will mess with your pixel size.  If your graphics are for the web skip this step.  But for print, your graphics may look fuzzy or pixelated because the standard Power Point export setting is 96 dpi.  To fix this, you change your MS Registry files to 300 dpi.  Microsoft gives great instructions on how to change it –and its easy to change and later change back. Visit this Microsoft page to do it.

P.S. If you do this step and later you want to develop web graphics you can also go back and undo.

Now Let’s Create a Web Banner!

Lets say you’ve been given a size to work with such as 750 X 200 pixels. From here:

1) Use your pixel / inch converter : to find out what your pixel size converts to in inches. Write down the answer in inches.

2) Open a new Power Point file

3) Size it – go to design –> page setup –> type in the inches you need to create.

4) Go back to see the new layout and there you will see your new size.

• Pro tip: when you get your first header set up in the size you need, save this empty file as a Power Point presentation with the size in pixels in the name aka “750by200banner.pptx” so you can use it again later.

5) Now it’s time to insert / create your banner graphics.

• To create images that bleed off the page insert them and scale them up or down to do so.  While you will still see the whole graphic on the page, the file will only export the size you articulated in the page setup and will cut off anything around it.

6)    Add graphics as you desire and manipulate them as you desire (check out my video for more suggestions).

7) Click view slide show at any time to see what your banner will look like.

8 ) Choose save as –and select other format – choose png or jpeg.

These same instructions could be followed for a printed logo or graphic.  That is it!  Now that you know this there is no excuse. What graphic will you now make today?

If you’re visually inclined but Adobe CS poor, and you want to create graphics for web sites, business cards or other logos, you probably feel stuck.   How do you create  web banner in pixels? How can you create a simple business card graphic?  For years my choices were to:

a) download Gimp and learn the steps from YouTube videos recorded by 15 year-olds,
b) to find a 15-year old to do it for me, or
c) to hire an agency who’s going to charge me $150/hour to micromanage them to draw what’s in my head.

Outside of buying the Adobe Creative Suite and spending 100 hours to master it (which admittedly is on my list), what’s a girl to do? Here is what – Microsoft PowerPoint! I can’t believe that nobody taught me this before now, but it appears to be a little known trick and it is really, really easy to do it!

Two Key Prep Items:

1) Learn How to Convert Inches to Pixels
PowerPoint works in inches.  The web works in pixels.  You need to know how to convert them so you can build your graphics the right size.  Google this topic and you’ll find other resources but this one works well. You can download the tool here or just plug in measurements on this tool each time you need them.   Bookmark this site at least.

2) Update your Power Point to Export Higher Resolution Graphics
Do this only when you need to develop graphics for PRINT, or else it will mess with your pixel size.  If your graphics are for the web skip this step.  But for print, your graphics may look fuzzy or pixilated because the standard Power Point export setting is 96 dpi.  To fix this, you change your MS Registry files to 300 dpi.  Wait… don’t run! Microsoft gives great instructions on how to change it –and its easy to change and later change back. Visit this Microsoft page to do it.

P.S. If you do this step and later you want to develop web graphics you can also go back and undo.

Now Let’s Create Some Graphics!

We are going to create a website button.  PowerPoint is actually perfectly suited for this – especially version 2007 because you can use the Smart Art feature to add depth and shadows and more.

Pro Tip for creating web graphics – any time you create a web graphic it will look better and load faster if you create it in the exact size it needs to be rather than resizing it once it is live.  That is why the pixel size converter is important.

How to Create Website Buttons
Open PowerPoint, go to Home –> Insert –> Smart Art  then choose a style button you like. You may select one wqith 4 or more on the same page – just delete all the extemporary items you don’t want.  When you have one button,  type in your data you want to show.  Now comes the cool part. Spice it up a bit by double clicking your button and exposing the Smart Art Tools.  Select a pre-drawn design option to access pre-built shadows and glows you don’t have to create yourself.   When it looks good, here is how to save it:

1. Click on your graphic to select it.
2. Size it. If your graphic is smaller than the graphical area, then cut it and then re-paste it on the same page outside that larger graphic area that you started with.  This is to prevent you from saving a big white square around your graphic.
3. Group all the items you have created together if more than one by selecting  them all (hold shift button while you select each one) then right clicking to “group”
4. Save as picture – right click and select this option when everything is looking right.
5. Select a format that matches your need such as jpg, png.   Tip: Png typically saves a little higher quality.

Next week we’ll create a web banner in no time!

Apple is no doubt one of the most powerful brands on earth and this year’s launch of the new iPhone 4 was no exception. After facing a reservation sell-out the day the iPhone 4 hit the AT&T and Apple stores, many fervent followers nationwide were forced to stand outside all night for their chance to get their hands on their own precious iPhone 4. As an outsider and interloper on this great big launch day, I saw quickly Apple was after more than my money – they wanted my soul. And I met many people who have gladly given it to them. Join me on this insiders 4-minute video tour of the Church of Apple on the day the iPhone 4 launches to the world.

So as I sit here pondering life in Denver without Frontier Airlines, I found myself melancholy considering its possible demise. And while it maybe too much, too little, too late, I’d like to share the top six reasons I think Frontier Airlines is the best commercial airlines in the market today. 

1) Low cost does not mean poor service

In a nutshell, what differentiates Frontier IS the market position they have aspired to own. They are competitively priced airlines with strong service philosophy. And if this alone can’t keep them afloat it’s a shame – because this is a market space nobody else is filling well.  Yes, I can fly Southwest for $10 less, but when on business, I want a comfortable, solitary, no-nonsense flight and I’m willing to pay for it.  I don’t want to sit alongside Marty and his family of 5 sticky-faced kids headed to neither Disneyland – nor fly on the Las Vegas party bus where I’m asked to join in on a sing-along.  I want a business atmosphere and Frontier provides that.  

2) Their people are humans, not cranky robots

If you’re a frequent flier, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed the dramatic decline in airline employee attitudes over the last few stressful years.  With the move toward automation and the attempt to squeeze costs (read people) out of the process, the airlines have turned their remaining few employees on-hand into overworked, disenchanted, unhelpful inane rule-enforcing shadows of their former customer-friendly selves. It’s as if, not unlike the Grinch, their shoes are just a little too tight and it’s given them an edge they cannot shake despite their forced smiles and canned greetings.

But not at Frontier Airlines.  From the moment I pick up the phone to the time I exit the plane, I continue to have a friendly, human experience with each employee when I fly on Frontier. You can tell they believe in the company, its purpose and have pride in their work that has become almost extinct in the airlines industry. 

3) Friendly voices answer their phones

Ok United I’m picking on you.  When I call Frontier, I don’t get immediately routed to “Shirley” in India, I don’t reach full voice mail boxes after 10 minutes on hold, and when I am looking to finally cash in my hard earned miles, I can talk to a person who is willing to get me a flight.  Halleluiah! This alone almost makes me cry tears of joy.

4) Legroom + Creature Comforts

I’ll start by saying Frontier was the first to offer DirecTV on every seat, which is nice when you want it.  But more importantly I’m talking about seat comfort and legroom, an area where Frontier really shines. With two additional inches in seat space (33” vs. 31”) of legroom over most airlines tp://www.cheapflights.com/travel-tips/legroom-guide/ and seats that support and cushion you properly, it’s a world of difference.  Flying on other airlines, most of the time I feel like my seat was previously occupied by a 350 lb sumo wrestler who test rode it hard it for six months straight.  Can we just agree that a 135 lb woman’s butt should not bottom out an airline seat?  Frontier gets this and has built its cabins for people, not cattle.

5) They get me to the beach in time for lunch

 Denver may not be seaside, but Frontier has flights that will put my toes in the sand by lunchtime across Mexico.  From Cabo san Lucas to Puerto Vallarta and anywhere in between. I can be shopping for silver and sipping a margarita beachside by 1:30 pm most any day of the week.  I’m kicking myself now that I don’t take advantage of this more often. 

6) They’re smart enough to call Denver home

While some folks have a rabid fanaticism for local sports teams, I prefer to root for local companies. Afterall, we share a big secret – knowing that Colorado is an awesome place to live.  Denver enjoys an almost perfect climate, and is home to the most educated and fit people in the nation.  Unfortunately it is NOT home to many large headquartered companies, so we need to protect and encourage those who choose to put their roots here. 

Frontier, we love you – please don’t go away!  Perhaps we’ve taken you for granted, or not shown our loyalty to you enough and this is one reason you are now suffering.  I admit I’m guilty of whoring myself out to the cheapest airfare option from time to time, but I’d like to say that from this moment forward I’m going to put my values above my dollar whenever possible. And maybe if we all stand up for what we believe in like this, our society will benefit.

For now suffice it to say… fly, Frontier, FLY! 

But one thing is for sure, the level of consumer expectation of technology automation and integration is climbing rapidly and the companies that realize this and build applications with their customers’ needs and uses in mind are the ones who will win.  As a consumer, think about your own expectations today compared to just a couple years ago — previously using online automated processes seemed cute and fun to try, but now you expect them to work seamlessly 24 X 7.  Online ordering, upgrading, adding features / functionality, integrating between multiple applications, accessing customer service, etc. — the paradigm has shifted and now consumers are comfortable doing these things online and this is the way we get things done.  As such, consumers have come to expect nothing short of perfection from our vendors here.

As I was lamenting this, I completed my photo upload. Then WebShots asked if i wanted to post my pictures to a blog.  Sure why not?  With one simple clck i had the code, plopped it in here and put it here. The result? It took over the page and rewrote the look of my blog and only showed 13/rd the pictures.  Example #2.

My English teacher sister and I recently got into a lengthy conversation about the official definition of irony.  It turns out that Alanis Morissette didn’t quite have it right in her song, “Ironic” crooning about rain on your wedding day and a fly in your chardonnay being ironic.  This has evidently resulted in not only Alanis losing respect from every English teacher north of Tijuana, but according to my sister, has also confused an entire generation of English students.

Dictionary.com defines irony as my sister did, “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning” or an “outcome of events that are contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.”   So that makes a fly in your chardonnay just a bmmer – not ironic.

Evidently, irony differs from sarcasm because irony shows greater subtlety and wit. And similarly, satire is close – but it implies the use of irony or sarcasm “for censorious or critical purposes and is often directed at public figures or institutions, conventional behavior, political situations, etc.”

All of this came rushing back to me tonight as I sped home and passed this road sign.  It flashes your speed as you go by and if you are going over the limit, it does so with increasingly frantic warning lights.  I personally always try to go as fast as I can to make it go from static to red flash and even to a strobe light flash eventually– it feels like an accomplishment somehow.  Evidently I’m not the only speed demon out there, as someone else took my game a bit further by posting a score board underneath the sign boasting his “high score” of 42.  Had I a Sharpie, I would have posted my record breaking addition.

Considering this is certainly not the expectation local  law enforcement had when posting the sign, I’d say THAT is ironic… and maybe even satirical.  But I’ll have to get the official word from my sister. 

After my rant late Saturday night, I woke up fresh Sunday morning with renewed passion for making things work between us.  I’d done some late night reading – and had found numerous posts from similarly unsatisfied women mainly -  openly complaining about their disenchantment with Roomba…  I then visited the iRobot relationship support desk, where I saw a video that changed everything. 

As it turns out “inspect and clean Roomba’s brushes” means more than I’d initially thought.  I was only cleaning the surface of the brushes, and it appears Roomba likes it when I clean behind his ears too.  Yes I could have read it in the manual – but I guess I skimmed that part.  So the resolution is that I had to add to my regimen removing the brush ends (think of those things you put on the end of a corn-on-the-cob) and clean the gook and dog hair or else the wheels don’t spin right.  I did this, and Roomba is buzzing about with renewed energy and spirit.

I know there will be rocks ahead on the road – especially as we both age, but I have renewed hope that Roomba and I are strong enough that we can weather them and happily grow old together.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

On that note…  I have to go – Roomba is calling me from the Master Bath and he seems upset.

A few short weeks ago I took a new lover.  It’s been more than 30 days but less than 90 – as it corresponded with my taking a new job and I considered my chance meeting with him as a sign it was time to treat myself to something new and sinful.  His name was Roomba.  It all began at the check out counter, when he was sitting in my cart, looking up at me with that such masculinity and promise. Three different women commented to me about him before we even got in the car – “I LOVE my Roomba!” they cried to me.   I was tickled, excited, could not wait to get him home, plug him in, and watch him work his magic. 

And that he did.  The next day, Roomba was spinning around my living room whilst I sat drinking coffee and reading the paper.  He zipped about, gracefully sweeping up dirt out of every corner of my dog hair infested not-so-white carpet.  His tone was so pleasurable as he hummed along – and I really thought we were meant to be together.  Then out of nowhere, he stopped – and said, “UH OH” and with a female voice that does not suit him, “please inspect and clean Roomba’s brushes!” 

“OH gladly!” I exclaimed, skipping all the way to the sink.  From that moment forward,  I was delighted to obey his every command as he asked me – with increasing frequency it seemed – to check and inspect his wheels,  clean the brushes, empty the dustbin, and more.  Each time I was overjoyed at doing so, as it was clear to me he was doing MY dirty work, and evidently it was pretty dirty with all the emptying he needed. 

Roomba was so cute in those early days of our relationship.  One time he mistakenly went out on the deck – one minute I heard him humming along and then I didn’t hear him so I went searching– “oh THERE you are…!”  I giggled sheepishly.  “Roomba you are so funny playing tricks on me!  Ok I’ll clean your brushes again – lucky you are so cute.” 

That was three weeks ago.  Funny how times have changed.  Since then, Roomba has gotten increasingly on my nerves.  Like most relationships, what started out so fresh and exciting has turned to annoyance.  Today, Roomba refused to clean a single room for more than 5 minutes before demanding I again inspect and clean his frigging brushes! 

And then when I turned him over and looked inside, it was clear to me that Roomba could have stuffed a boat-load more of dirt in there before ever REALLY needing even a half-assed brush cleaning from me… I mean COME ON!  When Roomba resorts to attention getting tricks like that it makes me not even care anymore.  Crying wolf just makes me more callous to Roomba’s needs.  And I’m frankly tiring of his escalating acting out behavior.  My frustration is showing as now rather than jumping to his every beck and call, I tend to say hurtful things such as, “get over it Roomba – just clean the damn rug and stop your WHINING!”

So I guess I could just write Roomba off as another empty promise.  I could call it a $279 life lesson and move on.  But the thing is, I really don’t want to cut it off with Roomba because I know in my heart he has great potential to bring such joy to my life.  The thing is, he needs to change.  I know its never easy to change someone else – but perhaps because I’m a sucker or maybe an idealist, I do have some confidence that with a little help from me, he can do it. I’m going to scour the Internet now for articles and advise from others who may have been down this path who maybe… just maybe can help me.

What do I need to do? While it’s only been 30 days – do I need to already buy him some new brushes?  Or maybe it’s the way I acted.  I mean, I rode him pretty hard those first few weeks… and he does seem to have a little limp sometimes already.  It would not be the first time I was told I have very high expectations.  But I just thought we were going to really go places together.  I was already talking about him to all of my family – I’d hate to go back now and explain this early breakup – one that could tarnish his reputation with others.   

You see, once I find something I like, I tend to spread the word pretty well.  And I was ready to do that for you Roomba.  But Roomba, you have let me down.  I’m going to give you just one more chance before I change from evangelist to naysayer.  I’ll give you a fair trial and I do truly hope you can redeem yourself.  Come on — I’m rooting for you.

The truth is great people are drawn toward other great people like moths to a flame. 
But how do you know whether the moth you’re courting is indeed a moth or really a butterfly waiting to spread its wings?

According to blogger, author and former Starbucks marketeer John Moore, it’s a mix of “verve, candor, and can-do spirit, and a highly likable personality” Starbucks sought in employees that catapulted the coffee chain from nobody to international stardom. 

In his book, Tribal Knowledge, Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture, he explains

how Starbucks set out from its earliest stages to recruit fresh-faced customer focused employees who exhibited a sense of personal integrity, and put them into action on the front lines of the business at every level. As a barista-turned Starbucks marketing guru himself, Moore was tapped to help drive the Starbucks brand from the inside through word of mouth marketing. 

His downloadble online manifesto hints at  some aspects of the secret concoction that drove the firm’s WOM success including the belief that Starbucks’ employees were the critical X driving that brand forward from day one. As a company that has eschewed advertising since its founding, Starbucks relied heavily on word of mouth to propel it forward. The company successfully drove WOM success through not only the consistency and flavor of the coffee, but in the way store employees treated customers and exhibited a true positive attitude and even participated in local community and charitable events.

A case in point where great people drove the success of a great company. 

So just how should companies go about finding and hiring the right talent?  The questions will differ depending on your own corporate culture. But savvy hiring gurus suggest you focus on questions that will uncover traits such as honesty, dependability, thoroughness, discretion, creativity, flexibility and attentiveness,  Its just as important to share with your candidates your company’s ultimate sense of purpose and to be clear and passionate about what ideas your company is fighting for. 

If your organization keeps these concepts in mind and a keeps its passionate purpose close at heart, great people will find you and will want to be a part of it.  The truth is high performers are incented less by money than by the opportunity to be surrounded by other smart people who challenge them and give them the chance to grow.  In addition, connection and success are their drugs of choice and they need to feel like they are having a positive impact on the business to excel. When you get a team in place that exhibits these qualities, and you give them the freedom and opportunity to stretch, you will be rewarded in spades.