We're Off Like the Comments

We're taking off for Sayulita, Mexico, where our good friends are getting married next week.  We'll be back in action on November 12th. Until then, we won't be returning emails and answering phones on time.

Part of this vacation includes a vacation from dealing the beloved comment spammers.  Comments are off until we return. Adios amigos.   

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A Tasty Treat for Halloween from New Tee Vee

We were so happy to get a tasty Halloween treat from New Tee Vee who did a nice write up about Common Craft and our videos called Paper Cutouts Have Never Made So Much Sense.

And speaking of Halloween...

Remember folks, be careful tonight - zombies don't eat candy. If something happens - we'll see you at Costco.

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Comments Off For a Bit (Updated: Comments Now On)

Updated: Comments are currently on.

Unfortunately, this site is getting absolutely HAMMERED by comment spam from a single source.  100's of bullshit comments a day for a few days now - all peoples' names.  Akismet (a comment spam fighting tool) isn't picking them up and I'm tired of dealing  - especially with a weekend on the way.

I'll turn on the comments again soon.  If you want to be in touch, please use the contact form. 

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Why We Do This

Every once in a while we get an email that reminds us why we started making videos for the Common Craft Show.  Here is a quote from an email today:

I love your films! We were so inspired by the Wiki-Plain English that we have now set up 5 active team workspaces and have totally revolutionised the way we work. (I spent 10 years as a TV/Radio Producer and now work in behaviour/social change communication and I can say I have never come across a short film so motivational yet so simple!)

Yay!

This email put smiles on our faces.   Any thing we do that can help people create positive change is time well spent. 

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Give it a Name (Friday Fun)

When asked what sort of videos we make it's a bit hard to explain in normal terms.  They're not really instructional or how-to, they have elements of marketing and promotion and some say they are entertaining.  Here's a few options - maybe you have more?

Infodocutainmercials?

Explanatainment?

Docuinfotainment?

Explanapromomercials? 

Explanadocuinfotainmercials?

or maybe just...

explainment?

By the way, don't expect to see any of this on the Common Craft business cards - just for fun. 

Any suggestions? 

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On To Bluer Oceans

The transition is complete. Common Craft has become a different company and our first products are coming out in the next two weeks.

A Bit of Background:

In 2003, I started Common Craft to focus on online communities. After being a professional online community manager for a few years (1999-2003) Common Craft gave me a chance to be a consultant for the first time. I loved it - I had a cozy little niche that enabled me to work on fun and interesting projects, like the March of Dimes - Share Your Story community. Even then, part of my services included plain English explanations.

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Technorati's Top 500 and Other Milestones

First, let me say that I've been known to unsubscribe from blogs that become too self-congratulatory. It bugs me and I'm constantly aware of it here on Common Craft. That being said, this post may appear that way, as I'm about to share some rankings, numbers, etc. So please bear with me - we're both excited to share.

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Intermittent Site Issues

We're having some problems with the site over the last day or so.  This means that you may click on a link and see a blank page.  We're working on it now. Thanks.

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Did You Miss Common Craft Week?

I'm not sure you realized, but it was Common Craft week last week. I know, it snuck up on you again. Me too!

Really though, we were surpised and honored to see that the folks at New Media in the Land of Manana decided that such a week existed last week. Well, it started in Tuesday, but we'll call it even.

Tuesday: The Common Craft
Common Craft Wednesday: What is a Wiki?

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...And We're Back

Phew. That was less of a vacation and more of a party. I need to sleep for about 28 hours to catch up. Good fun and lots of time with lifelong friends and family.

Photo: Lake Norman, NC, where I spent a lot of my childhood.

Sachi and I take our time off quite seriously and I was very inspired by a couple of posts by Hillel at Jackson Fish. It looks like they have a philosophy similar to ours regarding time away from work.

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