This is just a quick note to let everyone know that my schedule will not open up until the beginning of next month (April). Even though I’ve got a plate-full of projects (more like two - my new set maximum) feel free to send over your project details and forms for a free quote!

In other news, I have a few side designs I’m working on for some nice, creative additions to our portfolio. The new “Crunchy Mustard” blog is currently being created for an anonymous “client.” *Shifty eyes...* I know this blog will certainly be a great addition to the blogosphere with the group of writer’s witty musings on various current events. COMING SOON!

That’s all for now. So, thanks! - and HAPPY SPRING! 

I decided to throw in a little featured spot on our portfolio page to highlight what recognition we have received and a few extra special accomplishments. So far this includes:

• Successful transfer of 9,000+ posts from Powerblogs to WordPress
  » The Moderate Voice
• We have had our designs featured on the following websites:
  » Magnolia
  » Kloobik
  » One Pixel Army

• Clean, structured, and valid code
• Slick and modern design
• Gain access to a personal project management system accessible from any internet connection
• Near 24/7 customer service
• ...plus answers to all your questions, no matter what they are!
• And finally… designers who love their jobs and what they do!

Voila! Have a happy afternoon everyone!

Currently at BWD we’re juggling a bunch of projects that we absolutely LOVE and can’t wait to show you. We just ventured into the market of wedding websites and have had a great time jumping into it. We also are designing three very “niche” specific blogs along with a medical practice’s company website - the designs are looking great and we’re more than excited to add them to our portfolios. I’m also very happy to start a redesign of an e-commerce website for a returning customer of mine.

All of these projects are scheduled to conclude around the end of February/March. Currently, we’re taking design requests as they come from the contact form. However, once we finish all of these projects we will finally be posting the project order form. Our starting prices may also be revised (so get your quote requests in while you can!)

It’s still cold down here in good old New Jersey and we hope everyone has a fantastic Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Enjoy your chocolates! For the Valentine’s Day non-enjoyers out there, we think you’ll like Despair Inc.’s ”Bittersweets."

“For most, there is no crueler day of the calendar year than that of Valentine’s Day. While a tiny fraction of the population can look forward to a holiday of wine and roses, poetry and song, the vast majority of us can anticipate a day of nausea and grimacing, trauma and grief. A day in which minutes seem like hours, and hours like days, as we reflect sorrowfully on yesteryear’s romantic indignities, today’s loneliness, and the unknowable but certain heartbreak that will be visited upon us repeatedly in the years to come.”

“‘Dysfunctional’ sayings include:
RUMORS TRUE | PRENUP OKAY? | HE CAN LISTEN | GAME ON TV
CALL A 900# | P.S. I LUV ME | DO MY DISHES | UWATCH CMT
PAROLE IS UP! | BE MY YOKO | U+ME=GRIEF | I WANT HALF
RETURN 2 PIT | NOT MY MOMMY | BE MY PRISON | C THAT DOOR?”

The long-awaited and updated version of WordPress is finally here and is ready for download. Since it’s release a little more than a year ago, the new WP 2.0 has only undergone a series of minor security and bug fixes. However, 2.1 has a lot to offer in terms of new features.

Auto-Save: Finally, your blog posts won’t be lost by the accident click of a link. The auto-save feature runs on Ajax and does not require a page reload. However, be sure to type in a post title in order for your work to be saved.

Easier Image Uploading: Ever find that annoying little menu slightly confusing? Well you’re not alone. The new system uses simpler radio buttons and allows bloggers to edit the image attributes after it is uploaded.

New Post Editor: With 2.0’s release came the fancy post editor powered by TinyMCE. Although very useful for those unfamiliar with web languages, it was a real hassle for code-savy bloggers. The feature is now significantly improved, and offers two tabs: “Visual” and “Code.”

Privacy Features: If you’re looking to keep your blog away from the prying eyes of popular search engines or curious family members, WP 2.1 offers a feature to support many privacy options.

It is also important to note that there are many back end changes and modifications in WP 2.1. However, the only notice that readers of this blog should take is that many plugins which previously worked in WP 2.0 will not work correctly in WP 2.1 Although many have made the cut, clients should still take note of the approved 2.0/2.1 plugins before upgrading their blogs.

And, just on a side note: the new version was dubbed ”Ella" after the famous jazz vocalist, Ella Fitzgerald.

If you would like these awesome features with an upgrade to 2.1, drop us a line and we’ll add you to our work queue and take over from there!

Thank you to Technosailor’s ”10 Things You should Know About WordPress 2.1” for much of the information included in this post.

The very talented people at Kloobik.org approached me a few weeks ago requesting to interview me and then compare the workings of French design companies versus American studios. I was flattered! They just decided that they’d like to include their whole community in the process, so they asked me to create an account on their message boards: kloobik.org/blabla/ and reply to all the questions on a special post that they created for Christian and I. They even have this spiffy announcement displayed across their forum (excuse the strange characters):

Webdesigners franco-américains
Le premier jumelage graphique franco-américain !
Venez discuter et poser vos questions à Lara et Christian de l’agenceblogwhatdesign.com sur le topic dédié à cette première expérience !

Google Translation:
Webdesigners Franco-American The first Franco-American graphic twinning! Come to discuss and put your questions with Lara and Christian of the agency blogwhatdesign.com about the topic dedicated to this first experiment!

The actual post and interview is all in English, but it was quite an experience trying to fill out the registration form! Haha. Anways, go take a look and join if you’d like to make a comment.

I’d like to note that I am by no means a total expert on the subjects they’re interviewing me on, but I was very honored to fulfill such a request! Please add a comment if there’s something you’d like to mention there! It’s been a lot of fun so far. So, go check it out and read my “broken” French!