The past few months have been wild and crazy. But we made it through and now we're getting back to more run-of-the-mill stuff.

So, "What were you up to?" You ask. Well - here are a few of the big ones:


1. WiredChurches.com
For the past year or so we've been working toward a new eCommerce reality for WiredChurches.com. And on Friday, June 12, we flipped the switch. We went from using a HUGE industry standard (Netsuite) to an open source platform with a more simple and straightforward approach to eCommerce (Drupal/Ubercart).

Netsuite was a beast that attempted to be all things to all people while missing the simple things that make the day-to-day bearable. Not to mention that it was expensive...

Ubercart is highly customizable and makes product/event management a breeze.

Added: New look/feel, home page flash that allows video, community section with blog/Twitter integration and streamlined event registration.

It took a lot of work on the front end, but we'll reap the benefits for years to come.

Great job team!



2. InnovateConference.com
The same day innovateconference.com went live to promote our annual conference at Granger Community Church.

Highly driven by the photo shoot for the conference trailer, the site begins with a short video and then allows the user pick from the menu items. Secondary pages are laid out on transparent backgrounds over the backdrop used in the video.

This project stretched my mind which is typically very traditional and symmetrical in design concepts. But I love the new look, the things I learned and the feel of the site in general.

Sign up now. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in September.

3. Community Center Database
The next one isn't very flashy, but was a huge win for our church and for data integrity in general. We purchased a new FellowshipOne account just for our Community Center.

Here are just a few of the benefits from moving the Community Center data out of our church database and into a new one:

• Keeps things clean since people attending the Community Center are technically not members of Granger Community Church
• Allowed volunteers at the Community Center to continue using an application they were trained on and comfortable with
• Allows for the tracking of food and personal care items during Food Pantry
• Allows for check-in during events that occur at the Community Center
• Keeps reporting and queries clean since they are in different databases now

Most excellent - good work on the data clean up Jeanna Miller!

4. Something Coming...
Yes - the last thing is still in production - but very cool and I can't wait to share it. Look for the unveil in August of September.

It's been a great run of ministry. Now for a week or so of rest...

One of the reviews I read before the launch of the Pre described the device as "toy-like" due to poor craftsmanship. Basically they said it failed to reach the standards of the iPhone and some Blackberry devices.

Now that I have the Pre in hand, I disagree with all but one of the statements made in the article.

The part I agree with is that there is a sharp leading edge on the phone when it is opened to expose the physical keyboard.

An oversight in my opinion. The sharp piece of plastic is actually the bottom frame of the phone - the part the top slider attaches to and that the battery cover attaches to. It make sense that the top cover is smooth and pretty, and that the battery cover is smooth with rounded edges, but for some reason they didn't carry that through to the edges of the open phone.

Solution
I know some of you are going to freak out when you read this, but keep an open mind and just hear me out.

Sand it down.

You heard me. Get a piece of sandpaper and knock it down a bit so it isn't sharp.

Of course before you begin make sure you have the right sandpaper. Actually sandpaper isn't the best term to use. Get yourself some wet/dry polishing paper (also called emery cloth or emery paper). I'd go with the fine grit if possible. Not sure the actual number - but the 3M stuff I have has 600 printed on the back. Not sure if that is a 600 grit or if it stands for something else.

Polishing paper is typically used to polish metals and jewelry.

Open the phone and make sure the paper isn't going to hit the face of the phone in any way. Then go to town on the rough edge. You can do it fairly vigorously as the fine grit won't allow you to take off too much of the plastic.

What you get is a smoother edge with no visible sign of distress to the plastic. It will still be a distinct edge - don't get me wrong, but it will feel much more "polished" than before.

Nice quick fix to an afterthought by Palm.

Call me an idiot. I stood in line for an hour to get my hands on the Palm Pre. After 6 long months of online research I finally got to hold one in my hands...

It's hard to believe I've only had it for 5 days. It was so easy to learn and so fun to use that it seems like I've had it for months.

Now, the fun part - getting to review it.

Purchasing/Activation
Stood in line for an hour with up to 15 people. 10 phones available at my Sprint store. I was number 2 in line. In and out in 30 minutes even with a slight wait for the activation to register on the phone. Total cost: Approx. $300 with a $100 rebate certificate.

Hardware
The Pre has to be the most comfortable and ergonomic phone out there. Palm said it was designed to look like a river stone and it comes close. The buttons are well designed and are only there because they have to be. Very clean look and nothing to get snagged on a pocket. Love the ringer switch on the top (to easily turn off all sounds). Incredible 320x480 touch screen with crisp images and excellent response to light touch. Gesture area rocks - making basic navigation a snap. The keyboard is a bit tight (especially the top row) but I've been surprised how quickly I got used to it. Definitely better than the "highly negative" articles I read about it prior to launch. Camera is amazing. Pictures are so good you assume they came from a small digital camera and not a phone. Sliding mechanism works adequately.

UI
Palm has done an amazing job on WebOS. It is a highly organized system of Apps that open full screen but then shrink down into a card view. Each App lives in a card and can be sorted, opened or closed as needed. This makes jumping from an email to a text to copy/paste and then back to the email a snap. I've noticed no lag time with up to 10 cards open at one time but I haven't pushed it farther than that - nor would I typically ever use more than 5 at a time.

Synergy
Palm makes it possible to merge multiple email accounts, calendars and contact lists together. I'm currently hooked up to an exchange server (EAS) so all of my stuff was pulled down onto the phone. I have a Facebook account but haven't attempted to pull in the contacts from there.

Wireless
Works like a charm. Connect one time - auto connect the next time you're there.

Universal Search
Just start typing. WebOS looks for matches in contacts and Apps, then if it runs out of matches it switches to the web and offers searches by Google, Wikipedia and Twitter. Very smooth...

Phone
Sounds good to me...I don't use it as a phone. With all the communication avenues out there, why would I want to talk to someone :)

App Catalog
Currently small, but as long as I have a Twitter client I'm good for right now. I'm sure the Fart App will be available at some point...

OTA
Over The Air updating of WebOS - amazingly quick and simple. Use WiFi and it works until it's done. Use the PCS network and it downloads a bit at a time while idle.

Touchstone
Wireless charging is amazing - why don't all phones charge this way? When you buy the Touchstone it comes with a new (less glossy) back cover for the phone. I like this cover a lot.

Sprint Specific
Amazing plans and Apps like Sprint TV and Sprint Navigation with turn-by-turn directions.

Misses
There are things that Palm either overlooked or just didn't have the time and money to finish before launch. Here's my list:

• The door covering the charging port doesn't match the overall excellence of the device.
• The phone is VERY slippery - making it difficult to slide open at times. I fixed this by purchasing the Touchstone charging device. The new back cover is somewhat rubbery which makes it less likely that it will slide out of your hand.
• Make a screen capture easier. Three buttons at one time? Seriously.
• No visual voicemail.
• Doesn't sync with Zune Marketplace.
• Doesn't capture video.
• I lost Windows Live Search (I actually used that App a lot on my MotoQ).
• Universal search doesn't search everything (like emails).
• No good way to protect the phone. Based on the style of the phone (slider) there really is no way to protect it outside of a case. It is what it is...
• Fingerprints. Again, it is what it is...
• I'm sure there are more...

Summary
This phone blows me away - which says a lot since I was able to come up with that many misses. I think it's the fact that it's innovative (WebOS), simple to use, simple to design for (Apps can be developed with html, css and javascript), beautifully scripted (UI) and yet a workhorse (multiple applications running at the same time).

Palm took the extra time to come up with a very well appointed and precise instrument. Small things like the way notifications slide up from the bottom (without impairing your view of the current App) and the small icon below your text when you select the shift or function keys. Simple things that make the user experience that much better.

I am VERY happy with the original state of the phone. And I'm VERY optimistic that with OTA updates, many of the misses I identified will probably disappear in the next 6-12 months.

I would highly recommend you take a closer look before making an impulse buy.

If this just wasn't enough for you visit the Engadget Article written by Joshua Topolsky.

I'm a big tech geek which means I spend a lot of time reading about stuff that isn't even available yet. Sure there are some cool gadgets available right now - but the REALLY interesting ones are those in production or that are still ideas in the minds of exceptionally intelligent people.

In order to quench my thirst for new tech insights I spend a lot of time on Engadget, CrunchGear and similar blogs that offer the low down on the new stuff.

In so doing I ran across a guy that I've come to admire from afar: Joshua Topolsky, Editor-in-chief of Engadget.com. He's there for a reason. He's a funny guy (judging from tweets I've read) and has an amazing way of explaining the information you need to make intelligent decisions on tech purchases.

I've thought this for a while, but even more so when I read his review of the Palm Pre.

I love the "idea" of the Palm Pre.

Of course I don't actually know that I'll love the phone since I haven't even seen one in real life. But I love what it is supposed to do and how it thinks outside the box.

The review by Joshua gave me ten times the insight I'd been given anywhere else. From numerous quality photos to helpful video walkthroughs he explains almost everything about the phone. And in such a way that you hear the good and the bad no matter how he feels about the phone itself.

If you're looking for good reviews on today's tech I'd encourage you to read Joshua Topolsky's stuff on Engadget and even follow him on Twitter.

Well...it's crunch time around here.

After a SCUBA vacation, conference in Texas and some free time thrown in it's time to buckle up. The ride is going to get bumpy...

But then again, that's the way we roll around here. Our Senior Pastor explains it as "sprinting" and "resting." You sprint for a while and then you rest. Then you do it all over again.

For the Web Team at Granger (Communications Department) it typically hits in the spring and early summer. And this year is no different. Right now I'm working with teams on 4 high level projects being fine tuned for roll out. I can't exactly say what they are - but let me just say a couple of them will be very cool and will help us take the next step in our evolution. The others are annual projects that just need to get done but will also add value to those experiencing them.

On the side things are also running full speed ahead. Freelance projects are suddenly plentiful (with no advertising mind you). I may have to start turning some down.

I'm working on one commercial site and one non-profit site currently with a few waiting in the wings. I've loved testing out my design skills and learning new shortcuts in the development process.

My current blind spots: eCommerce and branding.

On the home front the family keeps growing (not in number...just in height). We're into the summer routine with soccer, swimming, weekends at the lake, lawn care, and the whole nine yards...

Like I said, it's a "sprint" season and I'm loving every minute of it!

I've lived the majority of my adult life believing the following:

An accident really isn't an accident. It's simply poor planning on your part.

Similar to the saying, "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine." And while I know this isn't the case 100% of the time. I do think it holds true a lot of the time.

Here are some examples:

• My son kicked a small (but fairly dense) ball this morning. After one bounce it hit a glass panel on a piece of furniture. I explained the problem to him and he said, "It was an accident."
• My daughter was jumping on the furniture, slipped off and put her foot right through the bottom of a decorative wooden basket. She said, "It was an accident."

Obviously kids do a lot of things without thinking about the consequences. But does that mean adults are immune? Heck no!

I'll confess I've done some pretty stupid things in my time (as an adult).

Like the time I was trying to get a jammed window open in our basement. It was really stuck so I decided the best tool for the job was the butt end of a hockey stick. I started by "gently" tapping the frame. After a few unsuccessful taps I slipped and tapped the window instead of the frame. We did get the breeze we were looking for, but I had to replace some glass very quickly.

So what's the answer?

In my estimation it is simply this:

Always think before you act. Not just about what you are doing. But predict potential negative outcomes to decrease the likelihood that they will occur.

I have a love hate relationship with the road crew in our area. On the one hand they keep the roads clean and accessible. On the other hand they destroy my lawn every year - even when I put up the idiot sticks!

This year was probably the worst. The idiot sticks were all but gone when a plow took out the first 15 feet of my grass in an apparent attempt to "widen" the cul-de-sac.

So when winter left and the grass started to grow I had the enjoyable task of repairing my lawn. Here's the standard process:

1. Clean out the mess.
2. Prep the affected areas.
3. Reseed the affected areas.
4. Water like crazy.

Bring It On Back
Our websites (unfortunately) meet the angry snow plow guy on a regular basis. We wake up one morning to find that entire pages are broken, bad or simply irrelevant.

Things like this typically happen when something falls through the cracks of your regular maintenance and quality control procedures. But they do happen so my advice is to follow the standard process:

1. Clean out the mess: Get rid of the page(s) that is causing the problem. Having a bad page out there is worse than no page.
2. Prep the affected areas: Figure out what damage was done by removing the page(s). Example: were people familiar with that page? Will they miss it? Come up with a plan for correcting the problem.
3. Reseed the affected areas: Implement your plan. This might be reviving the same page just with correct information or layout. Or it may be that you redirect people using the same link to completely new functionality.
4. Water like crazy: Take care of the page(s) this time! Check it regularly to see that it is fresh and relevant.

This year I think I'm going to install reinforced concrete posts along my property so the plow will be the one damaged this winter.

Who me? Bitter?

No way! Okay maybe a little...

So the day finally arrived. This morning it was announced that the Palm Pre will be available in stores (Sprint Stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart) on June 6. This after numerous rumors about release dates and the tight-lipped stance taken by those at Palm and Sprint.

I'm not saying I'm going to line up on the 6th and wait for hours to be told that they are out of stock. I'm just glad the day finally arrived. As a long time Sprint advocate I'm glad there is finally a phone worth waiting for. The amazing technology coupled with my insanely low monthly plan will be a marriage made in heaven...

What I Can't Wait For
I'm excited to see how this thing performs. Especially the following:

• Connected Calendars & Contacts: Pull in contacts from exchange as well as Facebook and other sites to view in one place.
• Multiple Activities: Apps run in the background with notifications and easy switching between them.
• Notifications Bar: See when activity is happening on any of your open/running Apps.
• Universal Search: Just start typing...the Pre will search your phone first and if it can't find anything it will switch to searching with Google.
• Combined Messaging: See all incoming messages from someone in one place whether it be email, IM, text etc.
• The "Puck" as I call it: Charging dock that you don't have to connect to the phone. Just set the Pre on the puck and it charges through the phone cover.
  
• Complete list here.

I just can't wait to get rid of my Motorola Q9c!

That's about it for now. I'll let you know what I really think at some point in June :)

It's that time again.

WiredChurches.com workshops are being held June 25th and 26th.

There are many options to choose from but those reading this blog would probably be interested in the Less Clutter. Less Noise. workshop which will help you develop a cutting edge Communication Strategy. Come on Day 1 for the meat of it and then stay for Day 2 where you'll get hands on training and work through questions specific to your setting.

Look forward to seeing you there!

For much of my life I have viewed the phrase "out of context" as a negative thing. I mean only bad can come from taking something out of context right?

Here are a few examples: A preacher takes a verse of the Bible out of context and builds an entire religion based on it - ignoring numerous other verses that say the opposite thing. Or an image is taken out of context and great harm is done to a person when it's spread over the Internet.

But this morning I came to the conclusion that some things taken out of context are not only positive, but can change people's lives for the better.

It's been right under my nose the entire time I've attended Granger Community Church but I never looked at it this way.

At Granger, pop culture is used to illustrate themes and concepts for people that might be attending church for the first time. And it occurred to me today that every time we do this we pull the element out of context. A secular song is played outside of its pop radio station context. A movie clip is outside the overall context of the movie etc.

But it is NOT a bad thing!

In essence, it is the very act of taking it out of context that allows it to impact people the way it does.

Why?

Because you have people's undivided attention and the ability to do the following:

1. Set it up: You can explain a concept and then use the song, drama or clip to illustrate.
2. Explain it out: You can use the song, drama or clip and then explain the significance after the fact.

Either way, the element tends to have a greater impact that it may have had in it's original context.

The next time you hear someone say, "That was taken out of context." Don't assume it's a bad thing...

Things have been pretty quiet around here. Some friends and I went to Key Largo, FL for some open water SCUBA diving. Our first time in the ocean and hopefully not our last.

Day one was a wake up call. Mr. Ocean said, "Welcome newbies - feel my power." And most of us did by puking our guts out and feeding the fish.

But by day 2 we learned about motion sickness medicine so we were good. In our four days of diving we saw numerous fish, lobster, moray eels, a stingray, giant grouper, etc. No sharks unfortunately, but we'll save that for another day :)

Welcome Home
After being home for a few days my wife packed up and is in Florida for a girls trip of their own. I hope they have as much fun as we did.

I'm back into the swing of things with two big projects at work and two large freelance sites to fill my time. The kids are all in soccer and doing well.

And we haven't even hit summer yet. Can't wait to see what happens...life is good!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm NOT a hardcore coder. In fact, I went to school to become a psychotherapist and assumed that was my profession because it's what I did.

Web design was just a hobby like chess. I bought Macromedia Flash 5 bundled with Freehand 9 and taught myself how to create rich media for the web. My next step was to purchase Dreamweaver and Fireworks as a bundle. I then learned html and this little thing called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) which has rocked my world. From there I never looked back. I began volunteering at the church and was eventually hired to do this stuff full time. I love my job!

Over time I have been successful at plugging in simple javascript or php elements as long as the person creating them did a good job and documented the implementation well. But that is as far as my coding skills have progressed. With my responsibilities the way they are there isn't time or a need for me to drop hours at a time on learning to code.

So if there is one thing that has helped me muddle through with coding it's cheat sheets. I've found them invaluable for quick reference when designing/developing and getting stuck over some simple syntax error.

Web Design Ledger has pulled together some of the main ones in their article: 18 Seriously Helpful Cheat Sheets for Easier Coding.

Hope you find them as useful as I do :)

We've been talking about it for over a year now and though it isn't a reality yet, you can definitely hear it coming.

Websites like ipTV News and ipTV Community offer up to date information on where we're at with Internet Protocol Television (ipTV) and how soon it will become available.

But for me, it's all a bunch of noise until I see some actual movement in that direction. Maybe movement like this:

For immediate release: Silicon, OEM, Cable and Content Partners Embrace Adobe Flash Platform for Televisions, Set-Top Boxes and Blu-Ray Players. (full press release)

Now that's the type of news I'm talking about! Flash video has taken the Internet by storm and is easily the standard by which all other streaming media is measured.

But the unfortunate reality is that flash has not expanded quickly beyond the web.

On gccwired.com we offer streaming flash video of our media clips and weekend messages. Right now if you want to watch them you have to use your computer. But as flash support spreads to various devices we will be able to do the following:

1. Watch flash media on your LCD/LED/Plasma HDTV: If your HDTV has a network plug you could stream flash content directly off the Internet. HDTV's that support flash could also stream flash video directly off a network (NAS devices or other computers), off flash drives and even off PMP's like the Zune.
   
2. Watch flash media through a set top box or Gaming System: If your television does not support flash you might still be okay if you have a set top box or gaming system like the Xbox360 or PlayStation3 that supports flash. These devices would decode the flash video and send it to your television.
3. Watch flash media on your phone: Currently flash support is weak on mobile devices. But the Palm Pre is launching soon and claims that they will support flash by the end of the year. I'm assuming most other cellphone manufacturers are scrambling to do the same.
   

Obviously there is work to be done, but believe me the pieces of the puzzle are coming together faster than ever. And I can't wait.

Before coming to work at the church I worked in the mental health field. And unfortunately I learned some bad habits. Everything from watching my back, to hoarding knowledge to paying someone as little as possible to do a job without thinking how it might impact future interactions with the person or company.

It was about keeping your job and trying to live up to unrealistic expectations - typically to pad the companies bottom line and allow the CEO to feel good about himself on his next exotic vacation.

But the church has taught me new habits. Trust, sharing your ideas, collaborating with teams and partnering with people.

It's that last part that I want to stress - partnering with people and vendors. I've seen it over and over again. Instead of contracting the cheapest solution and then dropping them the next time if something cheaper is found, the church develops strategic partnerships. These relationships begin like any other but over time become a sharing and collaborative interaction that helps strengthen both entities.

For years now we've had this partnership with AspireOne. They help us maintain the foundation of our website - allowing us to manage the daily/weekly updates and dream about future revisions. They push us on our decisions and we hopefully keep them on the cutting edge by asking for the next crazy thing out there.

Little by little it all made sense - to the point where last week I formed a partnership with a company in the community. It's starting over a specific project, but I hope it continues for years to come.

Isn't growth a wonderful thing?

As our diving trip to Key Largo, FL approaches, I become more and more aware of the concept of preparation.

Diving is not, "Hey! We're going to the beach so bring your suit!"

It's more like, "Hey! In 3 months we're going diving. Start getting your stuff together."

Of course if you own all of your own gear it might be a bit easier. You go down to the basement, get your stuff, make sure it has been serviced recently and pack it up. But I'm new to this whole thing. I'm still in the process of deciding what gear to buy and what to rent, what type of wetsuit to take on the trip, how to get good and familiar with my dive computer and how to get all the stuff down there safely.

I'm sure it will get easier. But for now, the process is very time consuming.

Bring it On Back
So how does preparation apply to web design and development? Well, around here we talk about web projects (everything from complete web redesign projects to the implementation of a new web element like a media player or a social networking application) in the following terms:

1. Discover: Figuring out what it is you need, why you need it and who it is really for.
2. Define: Taking the concept and fleshing it out.
3. Deliver: Pulling it together and implementing well.
4. Repeat: As needed...
5. (concepts from the book Less Clutter. Less Noise. by Kem Meyer)

Call it doing your due diligence before putting something out there.

In discussing the dismal release of the Blackberry Storm, RIM CEO was recently quoted (here):

That's our first touch product, and you know nobody gets it perfect out the door. You know other companies were having problems with their first releases.

Not only does he make excuses for his own product, but he also tries to drag other companies down with him.

Preparation is key to the success of anything worth doing, eating, making, owning etc.

Go into it saying, "It's going to be the best thing out there." Instead of saying, "We're just putting it out there and it will probably tank."