We were rather excited to complete this recent project for Monimos in Victoria, BC, a developer with a “mission to foster strong community relationships in order to provide future sustainable growth and development”.
This 3D rendering of a building project in Sooke was completed expediently, thanks to Google SketchUp and a 3Dconnexion Space Navigator controller… and several years of experience as an architectural draftsperson. It’s amazing how efficient and flexible modern architectural visualization tools have become. Since working with the original upFRONT software, which surely must be a direct ancestor of SketchUp, work has become fluid, immediate and direct. No more waiting to see a shaded rendered version, or carefully and slowly switching views.
It will be fascinating to see these same technologies applied to upcoming design projects. Do you have experience using SketchUp and the Space Navigator for design? Then please leave a comment!
Sometimes Facebook can actually be useful and productive. A case in point: I recently reconnected with a friend from Northfield High School. David Narum is a partner with Greenway Partners in Arcata, California, promoting and using regenerative design to go “beyond sustainability”. It’s great to find like-minded people working to reconnect people and the planet. Read more about David's company...
We’ve added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to this site.
We’ll add questions and answers we get regularly… or feel free to ask about anything related to web design and development, online marketing, or software development and we’ll do our best to answer.
I believe that competition and the mindset that accompanies it are a form of scarcity consciousness. Focusing on “beating competitors” and the associated conflict may be exciting for some, but ultimately it hurts both the business community and the social community.
I believe in abundance consciousness. I believe there is enough work, food, love and compassion to go around… if we open to it.
Search Engine Optimization is always changing. Thankfully, Rand Fishkin and SEOmoz perform a survey every two years. They poll up to 100 of the SEO industry’s top minds. In 2009 they had 72 experts participate. They recently published the results as the Search Engine Ranking Factors 2009 Survey.
This chart summarizes the five most important factors which they identified: Read what it means for your site, new or old...
We are firm believers in open source CMSs (Content Management Systems). They make it easy to manage a web site… so easy that you don’t have to rely on us to edit and expand your content. It’s great for us, because it avoids those call like, “I’ve noticed an errant semicolon on page 2, paragraph 2, sentence 3. Could you change that ASAP?” Workflow like this is not efficient for anyone. And it empowers you to build more valuable content into your site, which is great for SEO, attracting new visitors, and retaining visitors.
Sometimes, though, even a simple, powerful tool like our hosted WordPress is too much. In that case, there are a few web building tools out there that are even simpler. The Codeless Website lists them and provides thumbnail reviews. (Be sure to check the comments on the article for a few they missed.)
Why would I tell you about sites that you can build and run entirely on your own? Our goal is not to sell you services, it’s to help you succeed. We measure our success by how your endeavor is measuring up to your yardstick. Greener processes? Happier clients… and employees? Higher profit margins? Often a well designed, green marketing program can work wonders. Sometimes it’s a sophisticated, interactive website. We’ll help you figure it out. And if the answer involves a site that doesn’t involve us, then “more power to you”!
After winning a demanding and thorough selection process, CB&F helped Raffi and the staff of the Centre for Child Honouring to craft a direct, consistent and powerful online message.
Working with Centre staff, Charles facilitated the move from an older site, focusing and expanding the message, and keeping it on point, conceptually and visually.
The CMS-based site delivers… through a clean, friendly design incorporating social media and rich media. An open architecture ensures the site can expand as it increases it’s important role in their vital outreach and education programs. Hosting on CB&F’s carbon-neutral, green server was a natural for this group. Easy, secure online donations and a basic web store will help raise funds for the next stages of their meaningful growth.
Charles Buchwald & Friends is proud to announce our latest web site development effort. The WOLF Kids school, here on Salt Spring Island, has recently debuted a site that is both a information portal for their program, and a communication tool for the participants in the group.
WOLF Kids web site
The WOLF Kids program is a very exciting “nature immersion” program on the leading edge of educational curricula. Here’s an excerpt from the program description:
Wolf Kids offers a nature immersion and home school program where students interact with their natural environment through adventure, challenges, and a lot of fun. A core principal of the program focuses on experience in nature, as it has always been fundamental to the education of young developing human beings. For instance, climbing trees and running, tracking animals, building shelter and watercraft, making fire, discovering edible and medicinal plants, students acquire a keen knowledge of the taxonomy of flora and fauna, as well as traditional outdoor skills. These activities lead to an ecological integrity, which answers the call for affirmation and maximization of the potential of our children. Their classroom is the forest, ocean, fields, streams, and mountains. Their teachers are the otters, birds, shifting winds, and the people who make up our tribe. This full immersion program, utilizes both scientific and indigenous studies. Through hands-on outdoor experiences, students develop an ingrained knowledge and awareness of the natural world, and their place in it. They become eager and quick learners, the stewards and unshakeable voices of our environment, in whatever they choose to do for the future.
Please check out the site and leave a comment to let us know what you think!
Chris Anderson, Wired Magazine’s Editor in Chief, has written a thought-provoking article for the latest edition of said magazine. Tech Is Too Cheap to Meter: It’s Time to Manage for Abundance, Not Scarcity presents views from his latest book about how the falling prices for information technology have the potential to change our thinking and feeling.
The central premise is that most of our business and organization thinking is based on promoting scarce materials, products and ideas. But falling tech prices present a different paradigm, where it’s our thinking and creativity that are the main limitations. This chart was very helpful:
Note that the audio version of the book is currently available for download within the body of the article.
What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know!
Here at Charles Buchwald & Friends we keep focused on one goal: meaningful growth. We’ll help you and your business, organization or community achieve that through bigger margins, a better triple bottom line, or renewed clarity and focus… however you define meaning and success.
Sometimes it means going back to basics and working with success coaches and advisors to refine or redefine your goals. Often it means our coordinated efforts help integrate all your business materials across a range of media with focus and clarity, making for a message that is direct, consistent, and powerful.
Whether yours is a small solopreneurship, a charity, or an established Fortune 500™ firm, we have worked with clients like you, and we can help. Our experience and capabilities encompass web, print, rich media, identity systems and traditional advertising. Small or large, we treat you and yours with intention, care and respect.