Mindfly Website Design Studio

My options for the last wee bit of the day were 1) new task or 2) write a blog for the Mindfly website. Naturally I picked option one, because honestly, writing on a company website just intimidates me. But here I am. Writing on the blog. Trying to make sure I use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling: three things I've gotten extremely lazy about in the last few years. And seeing how the last post was about 'its' versus 'it's' I thought I should make an extra special effort.

While being subjected to this this special torture (I mean great honor) I thought I'd take this time to introduce myself as the newest member of the Mindfly team.

Hello. My name is Erica.

It sometime seems surreal when I think about where I've ended up in my life. If you would have asked me five or so years ago where I thought I'd be now, I would never in a million years say designing websites in my hometown of Bellingham, WA. Five years ago I was a year out of college with a degree in international studies recently back from living in Turkey and traveling Europe. Shortly after that it was Scotland for a masters in economic development never wanting to living in Bellingham again (however cool this town is). Clearly not on track for graphics or even a location change. And while I love economics and my favorite magazine is The Economist, web design is by far the best 'thing' I've ever fallen into, making the move back to the Northwest a better decision that I originally thought (though we are coming off of an amazing summer. I might change my mind again come January).

My trip in to web design really began because of an amazing web designer I had the privilege of working with a few years back. Just by working along side of her I saw that it was more than computers. It was art and creativity as well. So after Scotland and the unrelated masters degree I began my study of all things graphics related. While I did take some classes at the local community college, I owe a lot of my education to the many many design blogs I subscribe to and follow. For those I've found especially useful, I thought I'd give a wee shout out and pass along access to a wealth of knowledge for other aspiring web or graphic designers.

• Smashing Magazine | The only site I let clutter my twitter feed. Yes, they're that good.
• Noupe | Who were actually just invested in by Smashing Magazine. That just goes to show how fantastic they are.
• Six Revisions | Useful information for web designers and developers
• Web Designer Wall | A plethera of design ideas web trends and tutorials
• Web Designer Depot | A bit of everything really
• 1stwebdesigner | Another lovely blog of tips, tricks, and resources

I have now been with Mindfly for about a month and I am super excited about what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with (hazing including ). So far it's been a great experience and I have high hopes that it will continue to be (is that considered brown nosing?)

Pre-publishing check list:

• Grammar: check
• Proper capitalization: check
• Punctuation: check
• Spellcheck: check
• Witty banter: check
  

I am never on the cutting edge of anything. I didn’t get an iPod until the fifth generation. I only watched “The Office” with Ricky Gervais after the American version premiered in 2005. I have never Skyped.

So even though it has been around for over three years, I feel like I discovered a secret treasure when I happened upon “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing” while browsing iTunes. And I had to share it with all of you. I feel like it’s my civic duty as the resident English major in a web of…well, web developers.

Grammar Girl, aka Mignon Fogarty, hosts a weekly podcast to address questions of grammar, punctuation, and other hazards of the English language. Listeners can email, call in, or Twitter their grammar questions and Grammar Girl responds with a five or six minute podcast to clarify language rules and usage.

The podcasts are the perfect length to give you the necessary information to write a grammatically correct and euphonious sentence. Fogarty has a friendly, soothing voice and she manages to interject a bit of humor into her examples, so her lessons don’t make you feel like you’re back in ninth grade English class. You can find transcripts of the podcasts on her website as well.

I like to listen to episodes while I brush my teeth and get ready for bed, ensuring that I’ll have sweet dreams about sentence structure and proper word choice. I even referred to previous podcasts while writing this blog post, so I definitely recommend stopping by the site to do a quick search when you have a grammar question.

Visit Quick And Dirty Tips to find links to podcasts by Grammar Girl, as well as tips in other subjects like law, manners, and nutrition. Send your questions to feedback@quickanddirtytips.com or call (206) 338-GIRL to record a message. You can also follow @GrammarGirl on Twitter if you would like Fogarty to answer a brief question.

Here are a couple podcasts that I recommend to writers of all skills and abilities:

• Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
• Top Ten Grammar Myths
• How Many Spaces After A Period?