Archive for September, 2007
Whimsical Wednesday: A Spark of Madness
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Robin Williams once said:
“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
The best example of that I’ve seen was an Actor’s Studio broadcast on Bravo with Robin Williams.
The moderator, who is known for his extensive preparation and ability to keep an interview on track, was left totally out in the cold. Asked one simple question, Williams took off on flights of fancy like only he can do. It was truly a mad genius at work — or at play, really.
I don’t aspire to the level of madness Robin Williams has been able to keep, but I do hold on to my own spark. I think it’s that spark that keeps me from taking myself too seriously, and helps me to appreciate the wonders in the world around me.
If you haven’t done anything a little mad lately, today might be a good day to catch up!
How to Create Effective Web Photos
· CommentsPhotos Tell the Story – When Done Right!
Photos are worth a thousand words, as they say. But, on a website, photos can add to the visitor’s experience, or become a source of irritation. In some instances, your photos can even cause your visitors to go elsewhere, and you’re going to lose a potential lead.
Critical Issues for Online Photos
There are two things that must be done to a photograph in order to make it work effectively on your website or your blog.
- The photo must be well-exposed. I am constantly amazed at the number of black boxes I see on websites and MLS listings that purport to advertise a home. It sounds silly, I suppose, but if your photo is nothing but a black background with a window in it, you shouldn’t use it.
- The size of the file that contains the photo must be reasonable. Reasonable means small. Keep in mind that you can reduce the size that is displayed on your website without reducing the size of the file itself. Extremely large files take an extremely long time to load, and that’s where you can lose your site visitors!
Free Online Tools for Photo Editing
If you have photo editing software, you’re all set. Figure out how to change the display size, brightness and contrast, and how to reduce the size of the file itself.
If you don’t have photo editing software, there are a host of websites on the Internet that can be used to make sure your photos are working for you. Do a search on any search engine for online photo editing, and you’ll find a long list of websites to check out.
Here’s What You Can Accomplish with Free Online Photo Editing
You can go from this:

To this:

… in just a minute or two.
Learn How the Photos Above were Edited Using Online Tools





