Chad Engle

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06-25-09

Beware of Open Platforms

The What

I ran into tonight a bad spam run with social media/ open platforms for users. I am not going to say which app, to save them the heat for now. What happened was that several of us were video chatting and then someone came in changing their name to mine and other to obscene things. Obscene is hillarious. However, in a formal meeting setting its not. This was with other professionals who knows, maybe future employers. This is basically a warning/wake-up call for those that are into social media and open broadcast mediums.

How to Protect Yourself

The service I was using did not force users to login. Great if you want mass amounts of people to join horrible if you want to moderate. If you want to make sure you are protected and others are as well make sure there is some sort of authentication wether it be your twitter account, your facebook a login for that particualar site whatever. However, this is not magically going to kill the spam. It will however cut down on it. Another way to protect yourself is not to put yourself in these kinds of situations. Don't make it open to the public or something of the sort. I didn't make it open to the public however I tweeted it. So thats 4,000 people + 2500 on @DCTH which my as well be public. The point of DCTH is to get as many as possible, the problem is that to do this it is more public.

06-16-09

New Twitter Back

I needed to update my twitter background so I made a refresh. It needed to be more fresh and clean and should be online with my new site design. It also showcases a bit of what I have been up to recently. I think that a twitter background is very important for us designer types because of the way we are put on display and judged on a daily basis. We can't control things like facebook but we can control the background of twitter. It is important to rememeber to brand yourself in a clean professional manner throughout all online facets as well. Most of these should be the same branding. That way its not hard for people to find you throughout different mediums.

06-02-09

Free PSD Twitter Background Template

Well I have had tons of people ask how I design my twitter backgrounds and get everything to look right. So, instead of telling everyone I took 5 minutes and made a twitter template. Inside of the template I made guides that match up with different resolutions.

Note:

Twitter aligns all backgrounds to the left.

Make note of this when designing your background. Also, you can put elements to the far right but be aware that some users will not see them depending on what monitor/resolution they are running. I included the "twitter container" (logo and space where your tweets are housed) it is actual size. So you can move it into different resolutions to keep in mind what other users will see.

This template is free, with no attribution or warranty from me. However, if you do make a cool background shoot me an email Chad@ceaweed.com or send me a link on twitter @chadengle

Cheers.

Download the PSD

05-03-09

A HUGE Thank you to my followers

As I have moved through the world of twitter I have had a tremendous support group, my 24/7 technical support line, my sanity police, my spell checkers and my RT machines. Thats my followers. I recently crossed the 2,500 mark and I wanted to take the time to give a huge thank you to everybody who has followed me, RT'd me, suggested me to a friend, given me a follow friday request or anything that has helped me. Thanks!!

05-03-09

DCTH Membership Badges

Recently I kicked out a set of DCTH membership badges over on DCTH.info If you haven't seen them you should probably head on over and check em out. They are pretty wicked.

04-27-09

DCTH Featured on CharlesRyan.com

I recently was featured on my agencies website. I figured I would pass along the info as it is pretty cool to be featured. (I didn't even have to beg!!) Check our site out as well its new, and if you haven't already become our friend on facebook.

04-13-09

Siege Audio: The Stealth w/ Mic Review

I have had these beautiful badboys for a little more than a week and I have put them through the paces. I work in an Advertising Agency where I am surrounded by Account Executives and Media Buyers which has given me a great testbed for these headphones. I needed a set of headphones that would give great sound quality, block out noise, and be comfortable for long periods of time. (as I get sucked into designing something at work) I have based the review on me using these at work which is roughly around 8hrs of day of use. Some days more some days less etc.

What comes in the box?

So what comes with your Siege Audio Headphones? You get the headphones, a softcase for the headphones, some sweet swag in the form of a dogtag/keychain, and five different earbuds. Five? Yes five... I applaud them in this effort because you are sure to get a great fit with them.  So starting out I tried to get the best fit possible. Take head in this because 1. If you don't your ears will not be as comfortable as possible and 2. You will not enjoy all of the sounds that these headphones will offer.

How do they perform?

Sound:

Headphones are the best place you can get a full experience of music. There is no calculations on getting the space of a room filled up with enough sound, echo, how big to build your subwoofer box in your car etc. etc. These headphones perform very, very well. The deliver crisp high notes as well as deep, firm bass notes. The midtones are delivered very precise as well. I did notice that some songs (through iTunes) will have to be customized via the EQ because they will awaken noises you haven't heard before. For example some songs will be more bassy than others but you can make a few clicks and that problem is solved.

Durability:

I have only had these headphones for a little over a week but I can say that these headphones are simply amazing in the durability dept. They have tangle free cloth wrapped cords that are just flatout fantastic. If you are used to using normal iPhone/iPod headphones this will make you smile as soon as you see them. I have thrown them in my bag, wrapped them into a circles and been rather rough with them trying to see if they will show wear, or fail and they are just as tough as the day I got them out of the box. The headphone cord design is also SUPER long so you can share or configure them to wrap around your head, run around your shoulder, or whatever you can dream up. They are long which is nice so you do not have them pulling out of your ears whenever you bend over. Working out with the headphones is just as nice. There is a volume knob that is on the headphones so you can adjust there as well as on the device your are going to be using them with.

Would I buy them?

Heck yes. This product has surpassed my expectations. As well as the people behind SiegeAudio like Shane Kofoed who is amped and ready to answer questions and talk about anything (just not his products) Big kudos to him for my headphones and the product in general. I think that SiegeAudio is going to be a viable audio company. Keep your eye on them as I expect great things from these guys.

Where can I get my Siege Fix?

Siege is on twitter @siege

Beautiful Website here: http://www.siegeaudio.com

Facebook: Siege Audio

*all images used here-in are courtesy SiegeAudio.com*

Do you want your product featured here? Do you want me to test it?  drop me an e-mail at chad@ceaweed.com

03-22-09

20 Recent Bookmarks for Inspiration

Recently I have been bookmarking kinds of links. I have them on delicious.com but I feel that people would get more use out of them if I made a blog post about them. So, here are 20 of the most recent things I have bookmarked under my inspiration folder. Some of these are rounds ups, individual images or flickr pics. The text supplied is a preview of the post, on to the inspiration:

35 Black Web Designs That Show Us That Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back | Abduzeedo

"It's been some time since we had our last post on the Web Design series. We've been giving you a lot of graphic design inspiration, but its time to get some web awesomeness. Yesterday we had black wallpapers, today it's all about black layouts."

Honda The Power of Dreams | Honda

"Very inspiring videos about what happens at Honda and why its important to not be afraid of failure."

Line 25's Sites of The Week for March 20th 2009

"The Line25 Sites of the Week is a weekly roundup of the most outstanding website designs. In this week’s collection, we have designs from OH! Media, Ciplex, Adrian Restantia, Iceberg and Mark Lamb."

25 Beautifully Colored Websites - Part 4 | VandelayDesigns

"During the past year or so, I have published 3 collections of colorful websites. Today we’ll take a look at another 25 sites that make exceptional use of color. There is a wide variety of color schemes and design styles represented here, so I hope the work of these designers provides some inspiration for your own work."

60+ Awesome Blue Websites

"We are wrapping up our series on colors in web design with the most popular color for websites… blue. Because this is the last in our series we have included a whopping 60+ awesome blue websites. If you can add any to the list, just leave a comment."

Greg Anderson on the Behance Network

"Greg Andersons folio on behance which is amazing, stellar and inspiring. Leaves me drooling regardless of how many times I look at it."

Purple Haze: 20 Inspirational Purple Websites

"This is the fifth in a series exploring infrequently used colors in web design. Don’t forget to go see our.... "

25 Nature-Inspired Website Designs | Vandelay Design Blog

"Inspiration or web design can come from anywhere. An increasing number of websites are including elements from nature in the design. Background images, photos, illustrations… nature can be used a number of different ways in web design. In this post we’ll look at 25 excellent examples."

Inspiration - 5 Amazing Graphic Designers/Artists | Think Design

"Time for some more inspiration! This time around, I’m featuring 5 amazing graphic designers. These are all well respected, extremely-talented graphic designers, whose work I find especially inspirational. I’m hoping yall enjoy there work as much as I do! I’m just featuring a couple pieces from each, but I suggest you go to there sites for tons more. You can never get enough inspiration "

Minimalism Around the Web: Design Inspiration & WordPress Themes - Tutorial9

"This post showcases minimalist design from around the web, and briefly explains the ideology of minimalism. It is to be used as inspiration for anyone, and as a resource for web designers. "

SEED - The Universe in '09

"The Universe in ‘09 is a exploration of the content of the print issue at the highest resolution possible. the flash front-end is driven by a content management system that makes content creation and presentation as easy as dragging and dropping. ui09 was the 2nd most visited content on seedmagazine.com in the month it launched, it got picked up by many design and information design blogs, and lit up the crowd on twitter. Except from Fangohr "

18 Wickedly Creative Brochure Designs | Graphic Fetish

"Stuck in a rut trying to design that brochure that will stand out from the boring norm? Try playing with unique folds, die-cut shapes and eye-opening colors. But don’t get too crazy or you might forget the marketing basics of designing and printing brochures - make sure they’re still portable and not too bulky to keep. Listed below are some really creative ideas for your next brochure project."

GE | Plug Into the Smart Grid | Augmented Reality

"See a digital hologram of Smart Grid technology come to life in your hands."

David Merrill: Siftables, the toy blocks that think

"MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?"

Nike Search on the Behance Network

"A search that I stumbled across that just happens to showcase amazing work some from Si Scott and others."

55 Creative Advertisements Revisited

"There are many new clever advertisements created recently. Here is the list of them that really capture my attention. Apart from the highly detailed photo-manipulation works, I also like the way designers present the concept across to the consumers. I was greatly inspired and hope the same for you. Enjoy!"

The 20 most creative resumes i’ve seen in a long time. Pure inspiration - FrancescoMugnai.com

"20 Resumes that really make me want to redesign mine, me neighbors and anyone else I come into contact with. Beautiful list of work."

23 Inspiring Invitation and Note Card Ideas | Graphic Fetish

"What better time to splurge on creative printed invitations and notecards than on the occasions closest to your heart. Below are some inspiring ideas for invitations and note cards you can use."

Magazine Spreads 2000-99

"Here's what you came for – select magazine page spreads from the publication I work on. Don't forget, I take photos, too!"

Washburn Construction Brochure

Brochure I found on flickr which is clean and pratical design all at the same time.

03-18-09

15 Epic Follows on Twitter

As I progress further into the twitterverse and my online precence I feel that I should look back and reflect on where I have come from and what I have done. This post is about the people who I have connected with from when I started out on twitter and I usually keep in touch with them every couple days. These people have helped me find sites, bounce ideas off of, laugh at bad design and just basically have been an extended network. Does this mean that these are the only people I have good connections with on twitter? No. I had to start somewhere so don't feel left out if you are not on this list there will be more like this in the future. So without further adue here is the list (in no paticular order)

KrisColvin @kriscolvin
Kansas City
http://design-for-users.com
Bio Chief Mischief Maker at Fresh ID & Fresh Webware.
Creator of Twitterface. User & Brand Experience Designer

Mike Conaty @mikeconaty
Location New Jersey
http://www.michaelconaty.com/
Bio Marketer, video producer, web guy & rabid jazz fan,
working with nonprofits & businesses to effectively use
old & new communications tools.

Rob MacKay - @svgrob
Manchester - England
http://www.svgonline.co.uk/
Just another web designer

Niki Brown - @nikibrown
iPhone: 42.385193,-71.117035
http://nikibrown.com/designoblog
Graphic & Web Designer

Andrew Houle - @myinkblog
WNY
http://www.myinkblog.com/
I am a designer, blogger, twitter'er, wordpress'er,
silverstripe advocate & soon to be father!

Martin Newham - @mjnewham
London, UK
http://martin.newham.ws/
Bio Enjoy web design, photography and architecture,
love helping out local charities, building and designing
their websites...

Chris Rossi - @modbird
tampa..er..brooklyn in my mind
http://modbird.wordpress.com/
Interior Designer, Graphic Designer, metalsmith--
beautiful modern art, design, architecture, thoughtful people,
yoga & yummy dark chocolate make me smile

Calvin Lee - @mayhemstudios
Los Angeles
http://mayhemstudios.com/blog
Self-Proclaimed Media Ho, Designer Guy and Twitter Addict.
In his spare time, Stunt Doubles for the Hulk and a really Nice Guy!

Michael Kristof - @kristofcreative
Nashville, TN
http://www.observingpolarity.com/why-i-twitter/
Founder & Empire Architect. Wicked Marketer. SEO Savant.
Advertising Aficionado. Designologist. Entrepreneur. Speaker. Thinker.
Husband. Father. Dream Catcher.

Jeff Glasson- @jeffglasson
Attleboro
http://www.perkettprsuasion.com/
Social Media Director for PerkettPR, blogger, podcaster, gamer,
and die-cast car collector

Graham Smith - @imjustcreative
Seaford, East Sussex, England.
http://imjustcreative.com
Logo & Brand Identity Designer. 20+ years experience.
Freelance design, typography, marketing, social media, art.
LovePhotography. LoveHelvetica. LoveDogs.

Kimberly Beaven - @bluewavemedia
Ontario, Canada
http://www.bluewavemedia.ca/
Bio Creative Director at BlueWave Media, Web Designer, Geek,
Marketing Strategist, Podcaster, Blogger, MAC fan, Coffee Drinker.

Brian Hoff - @behoff
Philadelphia
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/
Graphic Artist, Blogger, Visual Communicator, Professional Mouse Clicker

Andy Sowards - @andysowards
Lynchburg, VA
http://www.andysowards.com/
Im a professional Web Developer, Programmer (primarily PHP,
Javascript and Actionscript), Family man, and All around advocate of all
things Tech. #hashtagmafia

Adelle Charles - @adellecharles
all over the place.
http://fuelyourcreativity.com/
Principal, Creative Director at the Fuel Brand Group
(fuelbrandgroup.com & fuelbrandnetwork.com) Partner &
Interactive Design Director at Fresh ID (freshid)

And of course the part that everyone has been waiting for the shameless self promo!

Chad Engle - @chadengle
Charleston, WV
Web http://ceaweed.com
Bio designer, wordpresser, twitter’er, caffiene addict, RSS freak, mac fanboy, adobe nut & a design community innovator FT designer for Charles Ryan Associates

03-12-09

Two iPhone Apps I can’t live without

In the recent days of my life I have become some what of an app whore. I have downloaded countless apps for my Macbook Pro and my iPhone. I wanted to take the time and review/recommend two apps for my iPhone that I think are downright stellar and with very tiny price tags and in my eyes pay for themselves time and time again.

Tweetie

This app is the best iPhone twitter application hands down. I tried all of the others and have read reviews for them all. It's dead simple, acts like a native iPhone app should and has a clean layout. Your asking: what are some of these said great features tweetie offers?

• Handle multiple twitter accounts.
• View your timeline, replies, direct messages and favorites.
• Browse your friends and followers.
• Post new tweets, retweet
• Reply directly to tweets and send direct messages.
• Follow and unfollow people.
• Mark tweets as favorites.
• Navigate reply chains.
• Inline web browser.
• Post links with automatic link shrinking via bit.ly.
• Upload pictures to twitpic.com.
• Update your twitter location.
• View twitter trends and perform custom searches.
• Save your favorite searches.
• Implements the full twitter API.
• Uses secure connection (https).
• Go to User shortcut
• Nearby search
• Themes and adjustable font size
• Bookmarklet support

If you want more information about Tweetie I supplied the links below and even gave the link directly to the iTunes store. I am really in love with how dead simple this app is and how flawless it has performed for me.

iTunes | Website | Twitter

Ego

I just learned about this app the other day and have been running it for about 2 days (there is a theme with two in this post) and if you are a blogger, twitter'er, brand manager for yourself or business this is a must have. It offers support for twitter, haveamint and feedburner and is coming out with Google Analytics support on the next release. This app tells you what your follower count is, how many people are subscribed to your feedburner accounts and your stats from haveamint and now as well Google Analytics. How do I use it? Just open the app and all the rest of the information is there. Simple. Easy.The website has a pretty sweet playback of the animation of how the application actually works.

Ego gives you one central—and lovely—location to check web statistics that matter to you. With support for Feedburner, Have A Mint, and Twitter, and now Google Analytics! you can quickly view the number of visits to your website (including daily, hourly and monthly numbers), feed subscription totals and changes, and how many people are following you on Twitter.

iTunes | Website | Twitter