LaunchList

This is one gorgeous and valuable resource.

Pre-launch checklists are a vital part of a project launch, but they’re generally not that cool. Oh, and they can’t be static. Every project is slightly different and for a checklist to really be functional, it has to be all inclusive.

I have always wanted a checklist that was a “starter” but allowed me to add items that I needed for a project. It’s even on my list of things that I want to build. Well, today I’m scratching it off!

LaunchList.net is wonderful! It takes a very mundane part of a project and makes it sexy. I’m including a full screenshot here, but be sure to check it out.

The New Think Vitamin Membership

The new membership from Think Vitamin launched last week.

On top of being a great resource for designers, there is something extra cool related to this launch.

Carsonified hired on Nick Pettit and Jim Hoskins from Doctype TV to do the instructional videos. Nick and Jim attended the first Front-End Conf last year and they make it out to support many Florida events. They have done some great coverage of BarCamp Orlando and FOWA Miami. DocType is a sponsor of Front-End this year as well.

They are two really nice guys and I’m very glad to see them getting such a great opportunity.

Membership Features

As for being a resource, you should  check it out to see if it’s right for you. They have a free 24-hour plan that will give you a good idea of the content available. I signed up for a Silver account because I want to be able to work through the HTML5 and CSS3 stuff and have access to some of the extras. It includes one online conference, which is Carsonified’s latest addition to their great offerings.

Everyone learns differently, but I really enjoy video tutorials over written ones. Partly because of the instructional feel, but also because it forces me to write the code. It’s easy to copy and paste parts of a tutorial to just get it working.

I may end up upgrading to get 6 online events. At $49 a month, it’s just under $600 per year. I paid $150 for the HTML Online Conference, so the 6 events are worth at least $900 and I get access to all of the other ones throughout the month. We’ll see.

So, be sure to check it out and hit up Nick and Jim on Twitter to let them know what you think.

Attendee Spotlight: The Robot, Monster and Ghost Company

One of the great things about running the conference is that I get to interact with some wonderful people from our community. I have to say that this company got my attention very quickly on Twitter. Tweeting from @RMGCo, they “threatened” our attendees with free schwag while crashing the event. Great stuff!

The Robot, Monster and Ghost Company is comprised of Kevin M. Scarbrough and Reina Castellanos Bermudez, who seem to work together separately form Chicago and Savannah. Niki Brown interviewed Kevin for part of her Design from Different Perspectives Series on the Design O’Blog.

Be sure to check out their style across multiple mediums. There are some outstanding items in their portfolio.

Check them out at thinblackglasses.com and follow them on Twitter at @RMGCo

Come With Me to Converge SE

Comment to Win Contest for All Registered Attendees

If you’re registered for Front-End and you’d like to check out Converge SE, comment on this post with which of the speakers you’d like to see most!

The conference is on Saturday, June 26th, running from 9am til around 4:15pm. It looks like it is going to be amazing and they have made tickets very affordable! So, you can always register if you don’t win.

Speaking of winning, I want to give time for everyone to find out about this but I also want you to be able to plan getting there, so we’ll pick a winner Wednesday after 12pm.

So, comment below with who you want to see most!

For me, it’s Neil Patel and he happens to be the first speaker of the day. I’m a big fan of Crazy Egg and Kiss Insights, as well as his blog Quicksprout. Of course, it will also rock to see 2009 speaker Kevin Hale’s presentation too. Yes, I’m a fanboy, I know!

Communication

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

- George Bernard Shaw

Communication

I have been very guilty of this illusion lately and I’m intent on fixing it! I would like to thank Joanna Camburn of the Compass Knowledge Group for pointing out a pretty big hole in my communication logic. See, I have grown into quite a social media junkie. (Well, more of a Twitter-a-holic than anything else.) I use Twitter for communication any chance that I can, so I based my customer service strategy around it for the conference. That would have been fine if I had left the door open for people that don’t use Twitter. You know, something simple like an email address on the site.

On top of needing to fix my approach to communication, I have a ton of ideas! Rather than continually rearranging the site, I see great potential for running a blog around the event. I don’t know of any other event that does it, so that’s all the more reason!

What’s Coming

So, starting today, I will be posting every day until the event! There is plenty to talk about, including the activities of the speakers and some of the great people that have signed up already. Plus, I could talk about design all day long…