Dublicator

Conferences and Events Websites

Conferences and Events Websites are a topic I am currently focusing on as developing a new company website for Conference Management Services in Southern Africa. This will also include Weddings and Destination Management. For more information and to see some of my work in this area, please go to my brand-new SHOWCASE HERE ( http://showcase.biancagubalke.com ).

 

Conferences and Events Websites

My prime objective when preparing a Conferences and Events Website will be speed and user-friendly interaction. When a customer needs Conference Management Services he firstly has to find what he is looking for fast, then like what he sees and lastly be able to get through and book fast. This means the conferencing website has to be well positioned on Google Top 10 – from a content point of view and, increasingly, as an image. And it has to be reachable via the mobile web.

 

Above you see one of my Conferences and Events Images on the first page on Google Images, competing with 443 million serach returns! Yes – one’s got to learn this and use the most efficient WP based Semiomantics script! Ask me how!!!

Conference Management Services

Clients should be ‘king’ in an absolute sense when it comes to Conference Management Services – that’s what will make the success of one’s conferencing and event management business.

Customers need to be able to fully focus on their objectives to achieve maximum results and productivity. This means preparing workshops, presentations, speeches, educational and media material etc etc … and a lot of their energy will go into attuning to all the different personalities and characters attending the event, the questions coming up and the discussions to be held.

Once the operation budget has been agreed, the Conference Manager is expected to deliver professional services in terms of:

> Planning the Conference or Meeting (dates, format, committee meetings..);

> Arrangements for locations, eg. hotel bookings, conference venues, lodging including all requirements;

> Liaison between client and speakers and presenters including preparational gettogethers;

> Promotion and advertising, materials for print, press and online event websites (if requested);

> Registration procedure – taking care of all communication and payments, prepare name badges etc;

> Facility management – function room setups, electronic setup and equipment, additional staff and operators etc;

> Coordinate food and beverages incl. special menus, recreational and team building activities;

> Clear signs to the conference venue, info packs, continuous liaison for all requests and contingencies;

> Clear check-in and check-out procedures;

> VIP lounge and services on request;

> Accommodation and partner program (eg. sightseeing) if spouse accompanies.

> Follow-up: review and approve invoices for payment, provide meeting summary and financial report;

> Gratuities to staff, ‘thank you’ messages to presenters and attendees

> and much more…

 

This is just a quick list from my head having attended, talked at and organized many conferences and events in the past…

Baseline is: all must be prepared, planned, negotiated and arranged according to prior agreement and budget limits and quite simply at their fingertips! No worries for your customer, not even a thought!

Even go a little extra mile if needed… I do that each day :)

 

 

 

 

 

Conferences and Events Websites

Conferences and Events Websites are a topic I am currently focusing on as developing a new company website for Conference Management Services in Southern Africa. This will also include Weddings and Destination Management. For more information and to see some of my work in this area, please go to my brand-new SHOWCASE HERE ( http://showcase.biancagubalke.com ).

 

Conferences and Events Websites

My prime objective when preparing a Conferences and Events Website will be speed and user-friendly interaction. When a customer needs Conference Management Services he firstly has to find what he is looking for fast, then like what he sees and lastly be able to get through and book fast. This means the conferencing website has to be well positioned on Google Top 10 – from a content point of view and, increasingly, as an image. And it has to be reachable via the mobile web.

 

Above you see one of my Conferences and Events Images on the first page on Google Images, competing with 443 million serach returns! Yes – one’s got to learn this and use the most efficient WP based Semiomantics script! Ask me how!!!

Conference Management Services

Clients should be ‘king’ in an absolute sense when it comes to Conference Management Services – that’s what will make the success of one’s conferencing and event management business.

Customers need to be able to fully focus on their objectives to achieve maximum results and productivity. This means preparing workshops, presentations, speeches, educational and media material etc etc … and a lot of their energy will go into attuning to all the different personalities and characters attending the event, the questions coming up and the discussions to be held.

Once the operation budget has been agreed, the Conference Manager is expected to deliver professional services in terms of:

> Planning the Conference or Meeting (dates, format, committee meetings..);

> Arrangements for locations, eg. hotel bookings, conference venues, lodging including all requirements;

> Liaison between client and speakers and presenters including preparational gettogethers;

> Promotion and advertising, materials for print, press and online event websites (if requested);

> Registration procedure – taking care of all communication and payments, prepare name badges etc;

> Facility management – function room setups, electronic setup and equipment, additional staff and operators etc;

> Coordinate food and beverages incl. special menus, recreational and team building activities;

> Clear signs to the conference venue, info packs, continuous liaison for all requests and contingencies;

> Clear check-in and check-out procedures;

> VIP lounge and services on request;

> Accommodation and partner program (eg. sightseeing) if spouse accompanies.

> Follow-up: review and approve invoices for payment, provide meeting summary and financial report;

> Gratuities to staff, ‘thank you’ messages to presenters and attendees

> and much more…

 

This is just a quick list from my head having attended, talked at and organized many conferences and events in the past…

Baseline is: all must be prepared, planned, negotiated and arranged according to prior agreement and budget limits and quite simply at their fingertips! No worries for your customer, not even a thought!

Even go a little extra mile if needed… I do that each day :)

 

 

 

 

 

After Effects Training

It  has been a very busy year at Ycademy, with live daily training calls and topic related monthly Seminars. The December one day seminar on the 17th December covering After Effects is the last one for this year.

Preparations have already begun for the Ycademy Media Design Seminar which focuses entirely on working with Adobe After Effects with registered participants attending preliminary sessions. The advantage of attending the preliminary training is you become familiar with what is required at the actual seminar.

Participating in live trainings gives every participant the opportunity to ask questions, sort out any problems and acquire some background knowledge relating to the subject matter.

Adobe After Effects

Using After Effects is a way to create a motion graphic or animation, from a variety of individual media objects; importing them into the software and creating a composition, adding selective effects to produce a dynamic end product. It’s a way of bringing to life the story you want to tell and visually stimulating  your audience.

Anyone familiar with Photoshop or any other Adobe related products will not find After Effects too dissimilar, just an addition to any existing workflow. Creating a clip for Christmas will be a  very festive way to end the year at Ycademy.

We are all looking forward to a very informative and productive Media Design seminar on After Effects by Adobe.

Happy Birthday Yorgo

Happy Birthday Yorgo – and may you enjoy your special “Schnapsjahr” starting with 25 May 2011! 55 makes the world go around!

 

Happy Birthday Yorgo

Happy Birthday – and a resounding “Hoch soll er leben!” from all around the world… and especially from all those on the Semiomantics Team whose lives you’ve touched with wisdom, generosity and vision on our mutual “Path to Profitability”.

Thank You from the YORGOO Team!

 

The Importance of Drawing

“Learning how to Draw” should in my view be a discipline taught as early as possible as it teaches young children a fundamental life skill: how to ’see’ and from there think in a focused, simple and clear way. . . ideally beyond the surface of appearances.

The Importance of Drawing

The Importance of Drawing here is that the ability to ’see’ helps to ‘visualize’. . .  and from there to find solutions to any question or task at hand, solving possible challenges in advance. This helps to develop a healthy, natural way of decision making and common sense within the young, sensitive and receptive person . . . and sooner or later a personal Style and sense for Aesthetics.

Practise Drawing

While you might think this only pertains to the Visual Arts – Paintings, Architecture, Sculpture, Cinema etc and Web Design when it comes to the Internet -, the fact is that being able to ’see’ and from there develop a feeling for what’s essential is fundamental for many other professions where it might be less obvious – be it lawyers,  doctors, sales people, teachers or farmers – just to name a few.

Here as in all disciplines, Consistency and Practice are key. It means one needs to Practise Drawing. . .  just like a pianist needs to play daily or a ballerina does her daily exercises one needs to practise drawing in order to stay visually aware as well as in control of one’s online skills as regards the tools and graphic programs we use when working via the worldwide web.

Personally, I firmly believe that “. . . the more I draw the more I see” . . . which is in fact quite a profound thought. . . but it would explode the topic of this post :)

Online Drawing Tools

While we are all familiar with offline tools to create Drawings – pencil, crayons, pen, charcoal, pastels, brush etc – , equipping ourselves with good Online Drawing Tools to operate professionally online is essential if you want to succeed in Web Design or create more refined Web Graphics and Graphic Art.And believe me. . . although it may sound strange to the newbie and eternal skeptic: online drawing tools are just as efficient and sensitive as their traditional equivalent in the offline environment. . . if not more. It’s totally amazing – but something that needs to be experienced to be fully understood and appreciated.

I recommend simply the best: Wacom tablets. . . find out more HERE. This advice comes from my personal experience and is totally independent :)

Work In Progress

Just as sketches capture ideas and are as such materialized moments and visions of the mind, these Drawings… that seem to have an unfinished touch and often – but not always – are the pre-stadium for some major Artwork…, do in fact contain the essence of what is to follow.

Drawings document the “Work in Progress” – my favourite part of the creative process. . . and as you see above I continue my series of Web Graphics on Salvador Dali. This time I could not resist his beautiful red Dali rose. . .

Dali Quote

“Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.”

I just love this one!

It’s yet another great Salvador Dali Quote to learn from. . . even if it’s just to get to know ourselves better :)

Web Design with Passion

No Web Design without a keen eye for Design and Web Graphics… and lots of Passion! Check out some of my Web Design 2010 in my SHOWCASE.

Attractive Sprites

Integrating attractive sprites into a website where it makes sense by serving a specific purpose is another way of adding a personal touch, though one needs to bear in mind that there’s a lot of graphic design work in Photoshop involved, depending on the complexity of the sprite. For customers this obviously has an impact on the price.

Attractive Sprites

As I am in the process of restructuring my Author Blog, what I wanted is my slider at the top – offering examples of web design work done in various areas, eg. Media Design, Bookcover Design, Web Design etc.

This to be followed by a simple navigation bar that allows visitors to read about me, see some of my work, contact me, subscribe and click through to my very active and dynamic Blog – this combination is still work in progress and the corresponding change will be my next move.

Underneath that menu I wanted six little sprites with each leading to one of various services I offer when hovering over them.

And to end off the page there would be the usual Copyright in the footer. Nothing else.

This is what you can see on my Homepage on http://biancagubalke.com .

Hover with your mouse over any of the little images – composing the word DESIGN – and you will be guided to say my Showcase, my Shop or specific services that I offer. This will still be refined over time.

Of course, I could be more explicit on the images – but I like the curiosity effect myself… and this is not a commercial website.

Technically speaking, instead of having used 6 x 2 = 12 images (6 visible ads and 6 invisible messages subject to a hover or rollover effect) I only display 6 sprites, i.e. block background images that anchor the element itself.

Theoretically, I could have reduced this to one big sprite as well, showing a visible part… and hiding an invisible part.

Using Sprites

Using sprites in this way on a website or blog means – to my understanding – that while the cache swallows the whole image when downloading it for viewing, we have the possibility to only display a targeted part of it depending on where a visitor on the page might hover. Think Games industry… that’s where all this originally came from.

As proven by checking the amount of http-requests, this means saving time (as the image is already downloaded and opens fast when someone hovers over it) and bandwidth (as firstly the file size of the combined image is smaller and secondly we only download 1 image instead of two or many more).

The expression “sprite” in this sense originated from the computer graphics and video games industry as mentioned above. Look at a sprite as a combined graphic in a single block – it can be rather small as in my case or really big.

After creating tiny icon sprites a few months back as a first attempt to understanding the concept in general and applying it, I have ground my teeth into this subject as I am working on a website project where I want to use sprites to illustrate columns within a specific illustrative setup.

It’s work!

But then… it’s all about Web Design with Passion!

 

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis-development/semiomantics/thesis-tutorial-feature-box.

Thesis Tutorial Rotating Contextual Banner in Feature Box

This Thesis Tutorial shows step by step how to add rotating banners to the Feature Box. The Feature Box has a drop down menu from where you can choose the position of the banner. In function of that choice you will then edit the images (size).

The Thesis Feature Box in Action

The below image illustrates the result you will achieve by following this tutorial:

As you see my choice was to add the  rotating banners in full width underneath the menu. The Header Banner is above the menu. Using a large size banner, I decreased the size of the header banner. On the right side you see the Multimedia Box underneath the rotating banners.

My Banner size is 960 pixels x 278 pixels.

Semomantics Thesis Author Blog

Semiomantics Author Blogs have all scripts built in and you can skip the following steps which are market with a *.

Get the Dynamic Content Gallery Plugin *

From your dashboard under Plugins, select Add Plugin. Type into the search box “Dynamic Content Gallery” and install and activate the pugin.

Add the Function to Thesis *

Edit custom-functions.php from your Custom File Editor and add the following code:

//-------------------featured content--------------
function featcc() {
if (is_home()){
global $post;
if( function_exists( 'dynamic_content_gallery' ) ) :
dynamic_content_gallery();
endif;
}
}
add_action('thesis_hook_feature_box', 'featcc');

With this code we hook the Dynamic Content Gallery to the Thesis feature box for display. Also, the feature box displays on the home page only, as on the other pages we use the Top Carousel.

Configure the Dynamic Content Gallery Plugin

You may choose another configuration. As an example I just copy here what my set-up looks like. Edit the Dynamic Content Gallery from your Dashboard under “Settings”:

1. Image Management

I select Full URL to keep absolute flexibility about the image source; this could be an external link to an image server. In fact I just load my images to the main image folder in the domain root.

2. Gallery Method

To keep the image and gallery management simple, I created a new category called Featured Main. All posts which will have a featured banner, will also be added to that category. Therefore I select here “One Category”.

Scroll further down and you will find more options:

As you see, I selected the Featured Main Category and I choose to display 4 posts.

3. Descriptions

For reasons of laziness I keep the setting on Auto and display 100 signs. In fact, my posts are usually structured in a way that the automatic excerpt has some meaning…:-).

4. Gallery CSS

Just a copy of my settings:

5. Javascript Options

I select jQuery and I show the carousel with the banner (it’s the drop-down overlay on top right of the banner which displays thumbnails of the banners). You may give that tab a more interesting name than Featured Articles, for example: Must Read. Note that I deselect the left and right arrows which serve to scroll the banners; I just think they are not necessary and ugly.

6. Load Scripts

As we display the banners on the home page only, I select Home Page to load the script only where needed.

7. Tools

I don’t display Error Messages and enable the editing box in the page and post editor as follows:

You will now be able to add banners from your WordPress editor to your post or to overwrite some of the configuration settings.

8. Load some Banners

I just headed over to Photoshop and made a few banners which I uploaded to my main image folder:

As I have configured to display 4 banners, the above four will do the trick.

9. Attach the banners to some key posts

Now  I select 4 key posts from my blog and edit them:

I add the Featured Main category to all of them and then I add the corresponding banner image link to each post and update the post:

10. Time to enable the Feature Box

In your Design Options toggle Feature Box and select the position:

I select Full width above content and sidebars. The home page selector is not active as we have overwritten the function in custom-functions.php.Also the Display Options are not built into Thesis yet, however if you wish to style the box, do the last step below:

11. Style your Feature Box

If you would like to get rid of the light gray background and the borders or style the box differently all together, just add the following few lines to your custom.css from the Custom File Editor:

/*----------------Feature Box-------------- */
.custom #feature_box { background: #ffffff; border-style: solid; border-color: #fff; }

I have set it all to white here, but you may modify and adapt to taste and amend this CSS code as needed.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Related posts:

1. Thesis Tutorial Header Banner Rotator
2. Thesis Tutorial Author Box
3. Create a Header Widget in Thesis
4. Semiomantics Thesis Interpretation
5. Create a Widget below the Multimedia Box in Thesis

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis-development/semiomantics/thesis-tutorial-author-box.

Add an Author Box to Thesis after Posts

Here is how I have added the Author Box after the post in Thesis. The procedure is as usual:

1. Add the custom function

2. Style your box with custom CSS

3. Add the content

1. Author Box on Thesis: custom function code

Copy and paste the following code to custom-functions.php from your Dashboard under Custom File Editor:

//------Add an Author Box at the end of Post--------------------
function post_footer_author() {
if (is_single())
{ ?>
<div class="postauthor">
<?php echo get_avatar( get_the_author_id() , 100 ); ?>
<h4>Article by <a href="<?php the_author_url(); ?>">
<?php the_author_firstname(); ?> <?php the_author_lastname(); ?></a></h4>
<p><?php the_author_description(); ?></p>
<p><?php the_author_firstname(); ?> has written <span><?php the_author_posts(); ?></span> awesome articles for this site.</p>
<p>Subscribe to feed via <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/yorgonestoridis/feed"><b>RSS</b></a> or <a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=yorgonestoridis/feed&amp;amp;loc=en_US"><b>EMAIL</b></a> to receive instant updates.</p>
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</div>
<?php }
}
add_action('thesis_hook_after_post', 'post_footer_author', '1');

Change the content as needed.
You could also hook the above code to the thesis_hook_after_post_box; in this case just change the hook name in the last line.

Author Box Style

Add the following code to custom.css from your Custom File Editor:

/*--------Author Box-----------------*/
.postauthor {background: #F5F5F5;
border-top: 1px solid #e1e1e0;
border-bottom: 1px solid #e1e1e0;
overflow: hidden; padding: 1.5em;
}
.postauthor img {border: 1px solid #e2dede;
float: left;
margin-right: 1.5em;}
.postauthor h4 {color: #666;
font-size: 2em; margin-bottom: 5px;}
.postauthor p {color: #515151; font-size: 13px;
margin-bottom: 12px;}.postauthor p.hlight {font-size: 11px;
text-transform: uppercase;}.postauthor p.hlight span {color: #CB3131;
font-size: 1.5em; font-style: italic;
font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.8px;}
.custom .postauthor p {
fontsize:15px;}
.custom .postauthor p.hlight{
fontsize:13px;
fontweight:bold }

Adapt the style to your taste.
That’s it.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Related posts:

1. Thesis Tutorial Header Banner Rotator
2. Semiomantics Thesis Interpretation
3. Create a Header Widget in Thesis
4. Create a Widget below the Multimedia Box in Thesis
5. How to Customize WordPress 2

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/online-communication/dallas-conference-on-diversity-in-africa/.

Dallas Conference on Diversity in Africa

The Internet is an amazing institution: today it enables me to speak LIVE at a massive event: the Dallas Conference on ‘Diversity in Africa’ – and this all the way from my PC at the tip of Africa – from Noordhoek, South Africa to be precise! Our friend and partner Les Kudla thought of using modern Internet technology to showcase what in many ways still is a little bit left behind when it comes to high-tech amenities that are so common in first-world countries in the Northern Hemisphere. And if we think that Dallas Airport in Texas with its massive Conferencing facilities is the 4th largest of its kind in the world – it’s kind of impressive… and a little intimidating… to say the least!

Dallas Conference on Diversity in Africa

The choice of presenting an aspect of our beautiful and diverse country – South Africa – was largely based on the fact that with the latest Semiomantics Flash Evolution Script we could develop a smashing and highly interactive presentation for Monkey Valley Resort – also based on great photos by David Turnley from New York, who holds annual Digital Photography Workshops at the “Crowned Eagle”, the so-called “Jewel of the South”, the top accommodation available for small groups at the unique South African Holiday Resort – which by the way is also home to the Green Party of South Africa, lead by Judy Sole.

There is a special ambience and a focus on people and the environment throughout this website that so beautifully reflects a very important aspect of the Rainbow Nation. There are many others… South Africa has countless faces and facettes… however, this is what I know and what I love to convey: the spirit of warm and compassionate people touching people. Just that. It’s deeply rooted in Africa… a part I sincerely love and hopefully I can pass on the spark of this flame.

Dallas meets Cape Town on YouTube

With comparatively slow Internet connections and wild African elephants marching over them with astonishing regularity, there had to be a Plan B in case Plan A would fail.

Plan A would be a direct projection of the talk accompanied by a virtual guided journey through the website from our Ycademy Online Conference Room … via Les Kudla’s laptop … straight into the high-tech Conferencing Center of Dallas Airport. So far so good…

Plan B would be a pre-recording of this that would serve its purpose in the same way – although without the same LIVE situation of course. Just a voice-over.

Well, all was fully prepared – with one little detail that changed it all: to upload this video – basically a spontaneous run-through in case the lines are dropped – well… the upload either to my server or to YouTube will take probably 10 hours.

So let’s think positive, we are ready and we think YES! WE CAN!

Once uploaded, the video will be available on this blog… but now the time is ticking: Dallas here we come! YEBO GOGO!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.