Cat-Morley Archives - Successful Blog

Cat Wentworth Is a B.A.D. Blogger

November 18, 2006 by Liz

Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Cat there?

Last night I spoke to Cat Wentworth for the very first time. How much cooler can it get than to hear the voice of someone already pegged as a friend for life?

Cat was surprised at the sound of my voice. I was surprised at the sound of hers. I thought her voice would be lower. I bet she thought my voice would be higher. What if our voices got switched when we were babies? Hey, weirder blogger synchronicities have happened. Why not that? Hmmmmm?

I’d offer to trade voices, but I don’t suppose she’d want to hear people tell her that she should be doing 900-number calls as often as I hear people say that..

The conversation that Cat and I shared was like virtual window shopping. We talked about design, blogging, business, and our histories and our futures — all the while we were passing links to places and pages that we like on the Internet. We critiqued designs, discussed the ways we find new blogs, especially those we feature, and we spoke a while on why folks online seek out communities.

Cat said that originally she had no use for blogging or bloggers, partly because she thought she had nothing to say. HA! She was caught by the blogging bug when a cause came calling. Unethical behavior by a design firm got Cat blogging with an industry-wide group of designers, who wrote for days on end, about the logos the villains had been stealing and calling their own. Cat’s been blogging ever since.

We talked about workable business models and whether it’s harder to get started as a blogger now than 18 months ago. We explored ways to help designers getting started on their own without asking them to pay for things.

It’s amazing think that it took us until now to figure out that we both had Skype and could talk this way! It’s rare, but nice. when a first conersation seems like one from the middle of a dialogue that’s been going on for years and is still going on and on and on.

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

No offense intended. I’m also fairly passionate when selecting the brand of nuts I might eat. —Cat Wentworth

Stop by Cat’s Blog, Designers Who Blog, and say hi!

Thanks, Cat, you B.A.D. Blogger!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to be a B.A.D. Blogger see the. . . a B.A.D. Blogger? page in the sidebar

Blogtipping Three of the Best

November 1, 2006 by Liz

Link Love for Three Who Make Us Better

Today I’m celebrating official Blogtipping Day. How about you? As the song goes “Give a little bit . . .” Here’s how it works.

Choose three bloggers you admire and link to them.
List three reasons why you admire each one.
Then add a tip at the end.

That’s all there is to it.

Cat Morley

Designers who Blog is a testament to Cat who celebrates the great work of others.
Every time Cat visits here, she leaves wisdom and insights. She often leaves links to wonderful tools.
When a friend is in need, Cat is there with a hand, even if that friend is a friend of a friend. Cat is an amazing person.

Tip: Watch out for evil computers who want to thwart you.

Katiebird

Katie’s blog is like Katie welcoming, open, and other centered.
Talk to her once and you’ll know she’s the real deal — more than she ever shows in a glance.
When folks are at her blog or she is at theirs everyone seems to get taller, reading what she says.

Tip: Katie know your value. You make us worth more.

Rick Cockrum

Everytiime I read Rick’s blog I learn something I didn’t know about people and about myself.
He might have called his blog Shards of Consciousness, but his own awareness is vast, and his heart matches the size of the universe.
I feel lucky to know Rick and to read what he writes.

Tip: Rick, I can never get enough of you or your words.

Thanks to all three of you for making me more aware of how human the blogosphere can be.

–Me “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 9-05-2006

September 5, 2006 by Liz

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

I’ll be Posting this both in the chronology and to the Top of Neutrality I. Thank you Cat Morley for finding and sharing it.

SW Virginia Law Blog: Net Neutrality — Detailed Research [via Net neutrality outlined]

This comprehensive outline on net neutrality was compiled by Steve Minor, of the SW Virginia Law Blog.

1. What is net neutrality?
2. Strange bedfellows (who’s for it; who’s against it)
3. What the FCC is doing and isn’t doing
4. What Congress has been doing and hasn’t been doing
5. On doing nothing (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it)
6. On doing something
7. On doing something else
Conclusion

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

7.5 Cat’s BIG IDEA

August 13, 2006 by Liz

Where to from Here?

And now that IÃ¢â¬â¢m getting to the point of retirement, IÃ¢â¬â¢m getting away from the actual work of design and am now spending most of my time on pro bono work. Hence NO!SPEC, Creative Latitude and Proscodi. And one more on the way … Cat Morely said.

But her life hardly seems to be slowing, in fact it seems to be gearing up. Before we left her or looked too far down the road, I wanted to know what Cat sees now.

Cat, what do you think most designers get wrong?

Depends what you are talking about. Wrong about choosing freelance over
inhouse before they have enough skills? Not enough education and experience before striking out on their own? Working on spec? Being gullible? Not being professional? I guess I answered your question …

What could Successful Blog do to support designers more?

Successful Blog has its own style. It caters to a range of professions
with diverse interests. If you were to attract designers, in my opinion
youÃ¢â¬â¢d have to teach them something they do not know. Something they
need to know. Something you know. Writing. A large number of designers
are crap at grammar and sentence structure. IÃ¢â¬â¢m one.

In order for this to work, youÃ¢â¬â¢ll need to first get their attention,
then get them to understand that they need to keep paying attention.

Cat, What is your BIG IDEA? When people think of Cat Morley, what’s the first thing you want them to think of?

First thing I WANT them to think?

Hmmm…. tall, slim, young, brilliant?

[deep sigh] not the truth, just wishful thinking.

The truth is IÃ¢â¬â¢m passionate about the industry of design. IÃ¢â¬â¢m demanding of myself much more than I am of others. I am very good at organising but IÃ¢â¬â¢m not perfect. I have a quick, fiery hot temper. I no longer shy from it as IÃ¢â¬â¢ve lived with it for way too long and know itÃ¢â¬â¢s not going away. No more than I am. IÃ¢â¬â¢m loyal to my friends and not adverse to attempting to see the point of view of those who IÃ¢â¬â¢ve disagreed with hotly. IÃ¢â¬â¢m not one to say I have Ã¢â¬Åno time for foolsÃ¢â¬Â as IÃ¢â¬â¢ve been a fool myself once too often. Live and learn, then live some more.

I tried to talk Cat into convincing one of her clients that she needed to call me in on one of her jobs. But once she explained the economics, we both decided it was wishful thinking.

Wishes are good things and one day I will meet her.

That Cat Morley is just too interesting to time run out without finding an afternoon to spend together talking about life and other stuff.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

7.4: Cat’s Advice and Her Favs

August 7, 2006 by Liz

Whew! Cat’s a Busy Designer!

I’m not going to list all of the places we’ve been with Cat. From OZ to design for the Queen is enough said. Tonight questions are a little closer to home.

Cat, What do you do when you’re not sharing your great links and ideas at Successful Blog?

I still have clients in the wings (the last ones before taking off into
unemployment), I keep Designers who Blog running. IÃ¢â¬â¢m project manager for NO!SPEC which means I deal with design orgs when spec competitions come up, I send out letters of protest and galvanize people to send out letters, etc. As project manager for Creative Latitude I confer with my team before we update, deal with new authors, come up with angles, etc. As the president of Proscodi I put together committees to deal with each element of setting up a design org, I meet other heads of design orgs, go to meetings, etc.

What advice do you have for new bloggers and young designers?

Bloggers – it always takes more time than you planned so be sure to write about something you love. And be prepared to walk away if itÃ¢â¬â¢s taking up too much of your life.

Designers – there is not enough room here for all the advice IÃ¢â¬â¢d give to a young designer, so the top priority would have to be:

– Get a degree. The best one you can afford. And then some.
– Learn about business, accounting, dealing with clients,
communicating, public speaking, hiring, etc.
– Learn to write. The majority of the designers I know have appalling
grammar. Myself included.
– Latch onto a mentor.
– Never stop learning.
– Get a life. Preferably your own.

What design work online do you point to as well done?

Illustrator: (Von created the icons for Creative Latitude) –
http://www.vonglitschka.com/
Web designer: (Nigel designed the Creative Latitude website) –
http://www.commonsensedesign.net/
Blog designer: http://www.pearsonified.com/

One more part to go. Cat tells her BIG IDEA.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

7.3: Cat, the Toothpaste, the Queen and Everyone

August 5, 2006 by Liz

How Does One Person Do All This?

So far we’ve met Cat as world traveler and designer, a child star in the Wizard of OZ, and a crusader in the logo wars which got her into blogging. Now as promised . . . Cat meets the Queen and takes over the world (so to speak.). [Read more…]