Sounds easy enough, right?   Then why do so many photography websites I see reflect decisions that bury pages in search engine rankings or make basic navigation a virtual treasure hunt?

I don’t know the answer to that, but both photography websites I’ve made (one for Emily McManamy, a Vermont photographer and another for Alison Redlich, a Vermont wedding photographer) have managed to attract clients through search, and captivate upon arrival.   Here is a checklist of 10 things that will help improve your photography website.

Are all aspects of your website indexed by search engines?

Flash: I’ve got some bad news: The Flash site that you spent thousands to have built is nearly invisible to Google.  Since search engines can’t crawl Flash content, all text, images and pages won’t appear in Google.  Unless you create an HTML mirror site, you’ll only have one page indexed by Google.   Flash also won’t play on many increasingly popular mobile and tablet devices.

If you’re curious how Google has indexed your site, try the following search:  site:http://www.mywebsite.com

Alt text: If your site is not fully powered by Flash, kudos to you, but there is still work to be done.  Make sure your HTML image code contains descriptive alt text, which is text that is displayed if the image fails to load.  Additionally, alt text will give search engines valuable information about the content of your images.  By using the alt text, I was able to help a client have her images appear in searches for “Haraseeket Inn wedding.”  (A Haraseeket Inn wedding page was also built to rank well in traditional search.) Potential brides might search for images from various venues, and by ranking well for those terms, you put yourself one click away from a new client.

Text: Yes, we’re talking photography, but remember that search engines have a hard time deciphering information from images.   Alt text will help, but it would behoove you to add some text to each page.  Pages should all have relevant and unique h1 tags and title tags.  Instead of naming pages “Gallery 1,” use descriptive, keyword-rich text to describe the gallery.  Also, make sure you’re linking to important pages to pass on SEO link authority.

Image file names: File names, in conjunction with alt text, help search engines understand what your image is about.  Use keywords separated by dashes and you’ll make your images more visible in image searches.  For example, harraseeket-inn-wedding-photo.jpg is a better file name than IMG_8617.jpg.

URL: Your URLs are another opportunity to reveal information about a page’s contents.  Make sure relevant keywords appear in all URLs.  (Noticing a pattern here with the relevant keywords concept?)

Links: Links are viewed as votes by search engines.  It’s part of what helps their algorithms determine if your page is relevant for specific terms.  In addition to seeking links from other websites, take advantage of your own site to insert links to other pages within the text.  Keep it relevant and make sure that links will benefit the user and won’t be perceived as spammy.

Are you doing things that annoy potential clients?

Music: Contrary to what you might think, music set to autoplay is extremely irritating to site visitors.  Avoid this at all costs, and if you must have music, allow the user to turn it on, rather than forcing them to turn it off.

Photo size: If your homepage or a gallery takes too long to load, clients will be less likely to delve further into your site.  Have you used Photoshop’s Save for Web option to create a smaller file?  Images from DSLRs are large files, and you’ll need to do everything you can to reduce the file size so that the pages load quickly.

Contact form: Consider dropping unnecessary questions that make clients less likely to fill out the form.  Less-pressing information can be gathered after the initial contact is made.

Navigability: Clients should flow smoothly through your website.  They should not have to jump back to the homepage, and there should be no dead ends, wrong turns, or mislabeled links.  Have a friend or relative test drive your site and observe how they navigate.

Usability and crawlability are two of the most important aspects of a successful photography website.  (Good photos help, too.)  There are dozens of other beneficial techniques such as blogging, paid search, and social media, but this gives you a solid foundation.  I’ve added some helpful links below.  What are your pet peeves for photo websites?

Additional resources

• Photography Web Marketing Guide eBook
• SEO Photography Website review 7 point checklist
• 7 tips for creating a successful photo blog

I’ve provided a downloadable Facebook landing page PSD template that will help you get started.   In this post, I’ll walk you through customizing the design and setting up your own landing page. Here’s a look at what we’ll be creating.

The design conveys the necessary information without being too cluttered. The elements of a good landing page are as follows:

• Call to action tells me what you want me to do.
• Three list points tell me why I should do it.
• Secondary call to action makes me aware of your other social media efforts.

I’ve included a layered PSD,  so you won’t have to build this from scratch.  You can swap in your own logos and text.  We’ll build the social media links in basic HTML, so you can link wherever you please.  Here’s how it’s done.

Download the files

First, download the files and open the PSD in Photoshop. You’ll notice it looks slightly different than the image above. That’s because the social media icons and text will be done in HTML to allow for links.

Download the files

Add in your logo and change the text as you please and use Photoshop’s save for web feature to create a JPEG.

Download some slick social media icons

In this example, I used Rogie King’s social media icon set, but there are dozens of other sets out there. Size them all to 29px by 29px and use Photoshop’s save for web feature to create a JPEG.

Put all images on a server

Sounds scary if you don’t own a website, but fear not! You can simply create a flickr account and upload your images there. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need the URL for each image. Open the first image, and click “Actions,” then “Grab the HTML/BB Code.” Copy the URL after <img src=”

Or, if you do have access to a server, upload each image to a URL that you’ll be able to reference later.

Set up the tab on Facebook

Now, we’re ready to start uploading the image onto Facebook. Log on, then add the static FBML app. This will create a tab that will hold our image.

Next, click “Edit Page” beneath your fan page profile image. You’ll see a page with all of your apps. Find the FBML app and click the “Edit Settings” link.

Add your code

Give your tab a name, like “Welcome,” then paste the code from fbmlcode.html into the FBML field. Make sure to change the links to point to your Twitter account, RSS Feed, etc. Finally, change the image sources to point to where your top image and social media icons live online. (Note that all versions of Internet Explorer do not support inline styles, hence the embedded styles. An external stylesheet would also work.) Save the tab and go back to your wall.

Make this tab the default landing tab

Now we want to make sure new visitors land on your new tab. Go to your Facebook wall. In the upper right corner, (beneath where you compose a status update) click the “Settings” link.  For “Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else, choose the welcome tab you just created.

Conclusion

Now, new visitors will be greeted by your custom landing page. Since you’re the page admin, you won’t be able to see this unless you log out of Facebook then visit your URL.  Here are some additional resources and inspiration for custom Facebook landing pages.

• Mashable: 5 Fantastic Facebook Fan Page Ideas to Learn From
• Mashable: HOW TO: Design & Program a Facebook Landing Page for your Business
• Standoutblogger: Tutorial: Facebook Landing Page Template (PSD included)
• Smashing Magazine: Designing A Facebook Fan Page: Showcase, Tutorials, Resources

One day I sat Ryan down and asked him to take me through how he approaches photo assignments.  I wanted to show my journalism students at Saint Michael’s College that every photograph is an opportunity to explore angles, techniques and perspective.

In this video, Ryan shares some photography tips and tricks to help with telling a story with one image, making subjects comfortable in front of the camera and experimenting with angles. He discusses his thought process for three assignments and shares his best images from each take. Though the advice pertains to photojournalism, I think it’s applicable to anyone who wants to take better pictures.

But it’s not game over if you’ve been scooped.  There are ways that you can optimize your site/story to reach a large audience. When I was working as web editor at the Burlington Free Press, I experienced this firsthand.

A local TV station was first to report that a Vermont brewer was in a legal battle with Monster energy drinks, which alleged that the Rock Art beer “The Vermonster” infringed upon Monster’s intellectual property rights. Our reporters scrambled to find information, but I knew we could still recoup considerable traffic if we were smart.  Here are six strategies you can use to increase visitors to a website even if you’re late to the story.  I’ll continue using the Rock Art example with each strategy to show how it still became one of our most popular stories in 2009.

1. Become the place for conversation

By starting a discussion or debate surrounding the news, you can become the hub for online debate.

• start a discussion forum
• create a poll
• host a live chat with reporters or sources
• curate relevant social media discussion
• pose a question on Twitter or Facebook

Example: In the Rock Art example, we used Twitter and Facebook to invite readers to comment on the stories.  The result was hundreds of comments and a boost in page views.

2. Add documents, videos and photos

Are there any documents that could enhance the story?  Use a service like Scribd to embed PDFs, or create links to download documents. Add related media as well, like photos and videos. By pulling everything into one place, your story becomes attractive for bloggers looking to link out.

• include copies of relevant e-mails, affidavits and arrest reports
• search YouTube and Flickr for related videos

Example: I reached out to Rock Art Brewery founder Matt Nadeau to see if I could post the cease and desist letter that Rock Art sent him.  He was eager to have me post it and even sent me a copy of Rock Art’s response letter once it was drafted.  Adding these documents helped create a complete package for bloggers to link to. The added information also gave our readers more to talk about.

3. Optimize everything

You don’t have it first if you don’t have it right.  That applies to getting the story factually correct and optimizing content. Take the time to ready your content for search engines and social media.

• make sure the headline contains the keywords people are searching for
• use a subhead to help rank for secondary keywords
• make sure your tweets contain appropriate hashtags
• post on social networks at the right time of day

Example: I knew the Vermonster story was ripe for a social media explosion. Not only did it follow the David vs. Golliath storyline, but it also involved beer. On Twitter, the hashtag #isupportrockart was created, but it wasn’t one that I felt comfortable assigning to our tweets, as it wasn’t at all objective.  Instead, I used the newspaper Twitter account to send out short tweets with links in the hope that I would be retweeted with the addition of a hashtag.  Leaving space in tweets helps create retweet bait. Luckily, someone took the bait, retweeting the message and adding a hashtag.

Our content was also optimized for search engines.  The station that scooped us had a headline that read “Monster Problem for Rock Art.”  It’s a clever play on words, but it is missing a major search term. “Vermonster,” the name of the beer at the center of this debate was a word many people searched to learn about this story. Using Google Insights for Search, I saw how people searched for a this topic. Sure, many people searched “Rock Art,” but this chart shows that “Vermonster” was also a popular query when the story broke in October of 2009.

4. Get links to your story.

Writing solid headlines and copy optimizes your on-site content.  However, a major component of search engine optimization is off-page optimization.  By that, I mean links to your content, which are a significant part of Google’s algorithm used to rank search results.

• find blogs that mention your topic and ask nicely for a link to your story
• reach out to politicians and activists who might want to link to your site
• if there is a Wikipedia entry for your story, add information to the entry and reference your story link

5. Tell the backstory

Is there a history worth reporting or retelling?  When news breaks, it is often first reported without significant context due to time constraints.  If you’ve already been beaten by another media outlet or individual, you can still garner traffic by curating archived information in a meaningful way.

• provide a timeline of key events
• dig through your archives to find old stories and photos that are worth adding or linking to
• offer overarching analysis

Example: I look back on the Rock Art story and it makes me wish we had a blog in place to have been able to offer some informal analysis. A business blog or general city desk blog would have been a great place for a reporter to expound on the situation.

6. Innovate

Just because you weren’t first doesn’t necessarily mean you’re last.  A fresh idea for how to present the information could net you an explosion of new readers and help you overshadow your competition.

Example: I’d love to say that we had a brilliant idea that revolutionized online news, but it didn’t happen that way. That doesn’t mean that you can’t develop a new, creative way to package and present information online. The Vermonster story became one of our most popular stories in 2009 because of strong content and the tactics listed above.

A great example of come-from-behind innovation came from The Guardian, when it was chasing the tail of a rival that had obtained confidential documents outlining a major political scandal.  The Telegraph published several reports while its competition was forced to wait for the documents to be released. Once the information became available, the Guardian created software that encouraged readers to sift through millions of pages and flag interesting information. Nearly 700,000 documents were reviewed in the first 80 hours of its launch.  This crowdsourcing approach helped the Guardian sift through the pages and find golden nuggets of information.

1. Marketing is much more effective when it tells a story.  Once your message is translated into story form, it will grab the attention of those who see it.   A story can often be the first connection a consumer makes with a company.

2.  When I was buying my first grill, I searched online, comparing features and reviews for grills, not entirely sure what I wanted.  When browsing the Weber website, I came across the story of how Weber came to be. I loved reading about how George Weber tinkered in the backyard, working to perfect a charcoal grill.  I learned about how it evolved into the Genesis gas grill, which I eventually purchased.  Sure, features and price were important, but the initial connection I had with Weber was forged through story.  Weber’s marketing told me about the company’s origin, and it became more human. Stories can have strong influence on how a brand is perceived, making it a valuable marketing tool.

Both paragraphs convey the same information. The first might have an edge for search engine optimization, but content-wise, it feels very detached and flat.  It’s not engaging, and chances are, you glazed right over it. (I’m glad you stuck with the post and kept reading.  It gets better, I promise!)

The second lead is much longer, but it’s more compelling.  By using a personal story, I’ve made it easier for you to relate to my message.  Now I seem more trustworthy, and hopefully you’ve switched from a state of passive engagement to active interest.  Sam Horn sums this up nicely in her book, Pop! Create the perfect pitch, title, and tagline for anything. “Without a first-person story, it’s all rhetoric.”  A simple anecdote can give an audience a reason to empathize with a message, person or brand.

“Without a first-person story, it’s all rhetoric.” -Sam Horn, Pop!

Stories don’t have to be bound between the pages of books, printed in newspapers, or displaying at 29.97 frames per second on your television.  Whether it’s a blurb in a catalog, a trade show presentation, a sign in a store, a press release about a new product line or a 140-character tweet, you’re telling a story.  Effective marketers recognize this and help write a part of the company story for customers.

The stories that bind us

Storytelling is a human universal.  Throughout history and across the globe, the narrative has been used to convey messages.  We humans have a natural affinity toward stories, which in turn seem to have tremendous power over how we analyze the world and accept new ideas. In today’s society, the right story can mobilize people around an idea or goal.

In 2009, the New Orleans Saints entered the Super Bowl as 5.5 point underdogs. Four years removed from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, a team with a history of losing, playing in a city still reeling from one of America’s worst natural disasters, became a symbol of strength and perseverance. Football fans of all allegiances (including myself, normally a Giants fan) now rallied around the story of a team that became symbolic of New Orleans’ rebirth.

A compelling narrative can raise thousands of dollars without even asking for donations.

In 2002, a fire forced evacuation of an oil tanker some 800 miles south of Hawaii. Luckily, a nearby cruise ship managed to rescue eleven survivors, but as the ship pulled away, passengers heard barks coming from the oil tanker.  In the chaos, the captain’s dog, a terrier named Hoget, had been left behind and was now drifting alone in the Pacific Ocean.  The media reported on the story of a dog, stuck on an abandoned ship, floating aimlessly at sea.  Donations for a rescue started poured in from 39 states and four countries.  One check came in for $5,000.  In all, the Coast Guard and the Humane Society paid roughly $300,000 to rescue Hoget. Why, in a world where millions of people go hungry, did this dog capture our attention and resources?   The story tugged at our emotional fibers because this little dog had a name and her struggle was told as a story.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof utilizes the same technique in his writing to trigger outrage.  His columns seek to rouse compassion for injustices that occur across the globe.   It can be difficult to tap into our emotional response that makes us act on feelings towards suffering strangers.  To make us care, Kristof paints a portrait of one person’s plight.  Statistics of mass suffering often come after the story of one person’s struggle.  That’s because Kristof knows we respond to stories of human beings more so than numbers. He studies social psychology on compassion so he can apply scientific strategy to his columns.  The lesson is best summed up in the words of Mother Teresa. “If I look at the mass, I will never act.  If I look at the one, I will.” Numbers and facts alone lead to indifference. Stories lead to action.

At its core, a good story is often about access. Access to new places, new people and new experiences make our world more interesting. In each of these examples, we were granted access; the Saints players told us how Katrina affected their lives. The media chronicles the every detail of a lost dog. A columnist brings us to the tragedies and injustices through the eyes of suffering individuals. And in each example, people’s perceptions changed because of story.

How to tell your story

By story, I don’t mean a fairy tale, or someone else’s story.  Tell a story that emanates from your experiences so that whoever is listening can relate and sympathize with your cause. Get creative; your Twitter profile, elevator pitch, cover letter, branding campaign or “about me” page are all opportunities to tell a story and win people over.

Here are some resources that will help you craft a compelling narrative.

• Seth Godin: How to tell a good story
• Guy Kawasaki: The nine best story lines for marketing
• Rick Braddy: Psychology of Social Product Launching: Storytelling
• April Dunford: The importance of storytelling in marketing

For now though, video on demand remains the most popular method for online viewing.  Available any time, it has proven to be an effective publishing strategy.  The two mediums have some important strategic differences, whether they deal with tech, promotion or distribution.  I’ve created a flow chart to be used when deciding whether or not to stream live video.  Because live video can be resource intensive, it’s worth thinking critically about if it’s right for your situation.

View the full-size flowchart

Read more about choosing the right medium for your message.

Working at the Burlington Free Press, I had the opportunity to debate the merits of various mediums for projects.  Early on I came across a great post, “Cheat sheet for multimedia storytelling” by Mindy McAdams that helped guide my opinion on this topic. The post showcased a helpful list by Regina McCombs outlining strengths of several mediums.   I wanted to create a similar list based on my experiences and offer pertinent examples.

Writing

The New York Times used text to handle a breaking news situation as a plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. As the story developed, graphics, photos and videos were added.

Good for

• background information
• context
• analysis
• breaking news

Advantages

• links help readers delve into an issue (previous stories, raw data, etc.)
• highly searchable
• can be scanned
• can be published quickly and altered with updates or corrections
• reaches a broad audience via cross platform publishing (mobile, print, online)
• relatively cheap to produce

Challenge
How do you convey multidimensional events, personalities, conflicts and challenges with words?

Example
The New York Times’ reporting of  US Airways Flight 1549 landing in the Hudson River began with text.  As more quotes and details trickled in, the reporters made changes to the story, writing through the original piece.  Eventually, The Times added photos, graphics and videos, but when the news broke, text led the way.  In this instance, technical demands of other mediums could have gotten in the way of quickly disseminating the information.

Photo essay

Los Angeles Times photojournalist Rick Loomis won a Pulitzer for his photo essay “Altered Oceans.”

Good for

• evoking a gut reaction
• telling a simple story

Advantages

• photos stop time allowing viewers to study individual moments
• photos transcend language barrier
• versatility allows for a wide range of subjects

Challenge
How do you tell a story with just a few images?  The images must be strong enough to stand alone with minimal text.  Photos should bridge all necessary gaps to tell a story or convey a message.

Example
Los Angeles Times photojournalist Rick Loomis won the Pulitzer Prize for his photo essay “Altered Oceans” which documents the plight of our seas. Because this is a global issue, a photo essay is an appropriate choice as it transcends language barriers.  The images of dead animals and polluted waters evoke a gut reaction regardless of who views the essay.

Audio

NPR is king of radio, having created programs and podcasts that appeal to a variety of audiences.  The station successfully plays to a multitasking audience.

Good for

• powerful voices
• natural sound
• song
• interviews

Advantages

• portability lets people listen while on the go

Challenge
How do you create vivid images and portraits through audio?  Will your message/story be clear enough that people won’t need to rewind or pause the audio?  Podcasts and radio are a favorite of commuters and runners, so your audio must also engage a multitasking audience.

Example
I couldn’t pick just one NPR program or podcast to highlight.  The radio station is acutely aware that it often plays to a multitasking audience, and the shows are easily digested while driving or exercising.

Audio slideshow

“Free and Uneasy: The First Year Out.” is a first-person narrative focusing on a man who is readjusting to freedom after a 16-year prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. The images and audio pair nicely to enhance the story in a way that text could not.

Good for

• mood
• focus on individual moments
• emotion
• tension

Advantages

• audio transports viewers to the moment of a photograph
• simplicity

Challenge
How can you elevate the audio slideshow beyond a traditional photo essay?  The photos and audio must compliment each other. Whereas video traditionally relies on sequences, the strength of an audio slideshow is often its focus on individual moments.

Example
My favorite audio slideshow is a New York Times production “Free and Uneasy: The First Year Out.” Seven people worked on this story of a man exonerated after 16 years in prison for a rape and murder he didn’t commit.  The audio of Jeffrey Deskovic as he tells his story is absolutely chilling.  The photos match Deskovic’s narration of his struggles as a free man.

Video

Good for

• motion
• action
• interviews

Advantages

• experiential
• real, familiar, authentic
• can incorporate other mediums (text, photos, animations, audio, graphics, etc.)
• often watched in groups

Challenge
Because we see the world similarly to video, this is one of the hardest mediums to fake.  Either the on-camera authenticity will shine or people will see right through the facade.  Also, longer videos  are a tough sell online, so the beginning is of paramount importance.  Think of the first 30 seconds as an audition for someone’s time.  Recently, there has been a surge in the popularity of streaming online video. In another post, I discuss when to stream live video versus video on demand.

Example
The Burlington Free Press needed a way to expand its annual donation plea to online readers, so I partnered with the leaders of seven Vermont charities to create a Giving Season video. I asked leaders of each charity to read a script I’d prepared for the project.  This was particularly risky given that the charity leaders are not actors, but their sincerity helped the concept succeed.  I chose to create a video partly to reach an online audience, but the medium also helps put a face to those who benefit from charities.

Infographic

“Selling to Brokers, Suing Fans” is an infographic from The Washington Post that tells the story of a lawsuit against the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Good for

• comparisons
• showcasing data
• displaying personalized information like news near you and facts that directly affect your life

Advantages

• helps break down complex problems
• lets audience decide what path to follow
• numbers can create conversation

Challenge
How will you use data and graphics to tell a story?  Great infographics use a combination of data and design to trigger action or reaction.

Example
My friend and former Free Press colleague Jacqueline Kazil worked on a great infographic for The Washington Post, telling the story of a lawsuit against the NFL’s Washington Redskins. The infographic does a good job of breaking down a thorny issue.  Here’s what Jacqueline said about the project:

“With the Redskins investigation, there were a couple of elements to the story that we were trying to tell. One was that there was a waiting list of people wanting to buy Redskins tickets who were not able to. That story, better told in words.

The infographic addresses the other part of the investigation, which was the lawsuits and the overlap of the resales. We started with two separate sets of data. One was a list of seats being sold by a broker and the other was a list of lawsuits and the seats that they involved. We processed and matched up the two sets to see where they overlapped. We could only definitively say that the lawsuits and resales were coinciding if we had the exact seat number and the date of the game for which they were resold. The stadium graphic gives you a visual of the distribution of the five seats that overlapped in lawsuit and resale, along with the density of lawsuits and resales. There were many layers to the data and the interactive graphic allows users to explore specific elements, for example the lawsuit results. This would have been impossible to do in a written article. The story would have been unfocused. You might as well be reading the court papers themselves.

If you find yourself explaining something in great detail that distracts from the progression of the story, you need an infographic to take over. In some cases, infographics tell a story better than words could. USA Today and The Sun Sentinel have a strong tradition of dominating a story with a graphic even as their main art on the front page of the print edition.”

Website

Good for

• conveying news, information and data
• solving problems through queries
• scannable
• interactivity

Advantages

• websites can be static or wildly dynamic
• can tie in other mediums or platforms
• can personalize the experience for different visitors
• analytics help understand how visitors interact

Challenge
How will your website stand out from the millions of sites that already exist?  How will you incorporate new technologies to engage visitors?

Example
Students at the Ohio University School of Visual Communication do a great job each year building a website that explores the diverse community of Athens, Ohio. “Soul of Athens” works particularly well as a website because it is a collaboration of so many talented students.  The site takes full advantage of the web, using multimedia and integrating social media tools to create a conversation about the project.  An added bonus is that the site is optimized for mobile phones.

Rules are meant to be broken

It’s worth noting that there are no hard, fast rules about what mediums work best for stories.  While this outline can serve as a guide for making multimedia decisions, there are great works that defy my criteria for mediums. Here are three examples.

1. The first four minutes of the movie “The Kingdom” offers a history of the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, a complex topic for which authors have written hundreds of books. The collage of news clips and graphics makes the issue easy to understand and provides necessary background information to set the stage for the rest of the movie.

2. Rather than focus only on individual moments in an audio slideshow, Ed Kashi’s “Iraqi Kurdistan” places emphasis on sequences as well.  A flipbook-style slideshow provides a unique portrait of daily life Iraqi Kurdistan.

3. Using audio to explore a convoluted topic like the cause of our recent economic woes might seem like a fools errand, but The Giant Pool of Money breaks the issue into language anyone can understand.  Here’s how Kevin Kelly described it:  “By far the best explanation I’ve heard of the Housing Mortage/Credit Crisis is — improbably — a podcast from the mother-lode of storytelling on NPR, This American Life. This podcast is a bit different from their usual slice-o-life stories in that they try to explain something extremely complex and abstract — but in personal stories. The episode is…worth at least an hour of your time on your next commute. Hearing the agents all along the ‘chain’ of events describe what they thinking in their own words is about 100 times better than reading about it.”

Paul Grabowicz of the Knight Digital Media Center has a great roundup with further reading on choosing the right medium for journalists.

Well hello! I’m Mark Gould, a Maine-based web designer, videographer, photographer and writer.  I know, my interests are kind of all over the place and for a while, I thought that was a bad thing.  I assumed I’d have to paint myself as a one-trick pony.  Lucky for me, the web continues to weave a wild mess of interconnectedness, drawing seemingly unrelated mediums closer together.  Turns out, it’s not so bad to have lots of interests!

Most recently, I worked as web editor for Vermont’s largest daily newspaper, the Burlington Free Press.  While in Vermont, I also taught at St. Michael’s College as an adjunct professor in the journalism and mass communication department. I plan to share what I’ve learned from those experiences in this blog.

Why are you blogging?

For the money, of course! Actually, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people on some neat projects, and I think much of what I’ve learned and continue to learn is worth sharing.

What will you be blogging about?

I’m here to share tips and tricks I’ve gleaned about web design, video, photography and writing. I’ll keep a logical taxonomy, so if you’re interested in some but not all, the blog will be easy to navigate.

How I can leave feedback?

This is meant to be a conversation, so I’d love to hear from you whether it be in a comment on a post or email. You can also find me on Twitter as, predictably, @markgould.