Captivate Masters Week - New York City

Date: June 9-13, 2008
Location: Lodestone Digital New York Training Center
227 W. 29th Street
11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Price: $1695. Sign up before May 1st and receive $100 off.

Lodestone Digital would like to announce Captivate Masters Week coming to New York City June 9-13, 2008. Get over 26 hours of hands-on training and meet other Captivate developers as well as Adobe representatives.


For more information go to: http://www.lodestone.com/captivatemasters/index.htm

See what Adobe is saying: http://blogs.adobe.com/silke.fleischer/2008/04/captivate_masters_class_june_9.html

You Might Be A Hardcore Graphic/Web Designer...

The 2nd post in this BittBox series is something that and designer can relate to.
25 MORE Reasons You Might Be A Hardcore Graphic/Web Designer

And the original post that started it all....
25 Reasons You Might Be A Hardcore Graphic/Web Designer

April Meeting Recap: YouTube.com 30onAIR

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting yesterday!

Glen Williams provided further details on the progress of the work-in-progress Harrisburg Flash Film Festival. More details will be provided as they become available.

Here are the notes from the YouTube.com / 30onAIR portion of the meeting. Most of the tips are from the book YouTube for You which was raffled away at the end of the meeting.

YouTube (30onAIR) CPAUG project

30onAIR specifics

• http://www.30onair.com/
• If you want to be included in the project, when you upload your video to YouTube, use the tag "30onair"

YouTube Tips

• Short videos are better than longer ones. Get to the point fast. Max 10 minutes (YouTube limit). Less than 100 MB
  
• Use adequate lighting, flattering camera angles, decent sound quality, no rapid movement
  
• Know you're shooting for a tiny screen and lower resolution. Stick with closeups, plain backgrounds and high contrast.
• Uses FLV (Adobe Flash Video) Format. YouTube converts your files for you
  
• You can upload MPEG-4 (.AVI or .MPG), Quicktime (.MOV) or Windows (.WMV) file formats
• The best settings: MPEG-4 with either the DivX or Xvid encoders, MP3 audio, 320x240 resolution, 30 FPS (Frames per second)
• You'll most likely want to use video editing software to cut/resize your movie. Some examples are Adobe Premier, Windows Movie Maker (PC) and iMovie (Mac). Using this software will produce better results than letting YouTube convert it.
• You can choose whether to make your videos public or private.
• You can choose whether you want to make comments available, "sort of" (on approval) or not at all.

Windows Movie Maker
You can use this free program (Windows XP/Vista) to edit your video.

1. Capture Video -->Import Video
2. Edit Movie --> Make Title or credits (or whatever). Drag and drop the order you want your Title & movie to the timeline (bottom)
   
3. Save to my computer

Mobile YouTube

• Not only can you view videos, but if you have a video camera on your cell phone, you can upload right from your phone.
• First, you must have a YouTube account, then click My Account --> Account Settings --> Mobile Uploads Profile. Once set up, your profile will show you the email address you will send your video to. Typically a series of numbers with "@mms.youtube.com" Add it to your phone address book for easy use.
  

To Remove a video from YouTube

• Videos stay up indefinitely
• Click on My Videos from the YouTube homepage, then click the Remove Video button below the video you want to remove. That's it!
• All videos are permanently deleted and you'll have to re-upload the video if you accidentally remove something you didn't intend to.
  

Freebie: Open Source Content Management System Sample eBook

This free eBook sampler contains full chapters from the following Packt books:

• Drupal - Setting Up the Development Environment
• Alfresco - Implementing Document Management
• Moodle Teaching Techniques - Quiz Solutions
• WordPress Complete - Non-Blog Content
• Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5 Beta 1 - Installation
• Professional Plone Development - The Case Study
• Building Websites with e107 - Customizing the Look and Feel of Your Site
• Joomla! Accessibility - Creating Accessible Content
• Managing eZ Publish Web Content Management Projects - eZ Publish Overview
  

Download your free Open Source CMS Sample eBook here [PDF: 11 MB]

This posts text is directly from:
http://www.packtpub.com/article/open-source-cms-sample-ebook

PSD Tuts - The site for Photoshop tutorials

If you haven't been to PSD Tuts yet, you absolutely must check out the site. It has some of the best Photoshop tutorials on the Web. You'll find a wide range of tutorials from how to make PS brushes to cool PS effects. The site is well organized and easy to navigate and is worth visiting just for some good design inspiration alone.

JobOp: Internet Marketing Manager

Internet Marketing Manager
Company: WebpageFX, Inc.
Location: Carlisle, PA 17013
Salary/Wage: 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD /year
Status: Full Time, Employee
Job Category: Marketing/Product
Relevant Work Experience: 1+ to 2 Years
Career Level: Experienced (Non-Manager)
Education Level: Bachelor's Degree
Apply Online at Monster
http://www.webpagefx.com/employment.htm

The Position:
WebpageFX is looking for a recent marketing graduate or junior marketer who is passionate about Internet marketing strategy and execution.


The Company:
Webpagefx, Inc. offers a wide array of design, development, and marketing services aimed at establishing a unique and highly effective online presence for our clients. Founded in 1997, Webpagefx has become a leading force in redesigning the web as we know it. Over the past ten years we have acquired not only valuable experience, but also an exceptional team of designers, programmers, and internet advertising specialists. With every project we take, our goal is to analyze and identify the needs of site users, organize information based on these needs, and develop a finished solution that is both innovative and user-friendly.


Job Description:
- Optimize client websites for search engines
- Website and PR copywriting
- Manage significant budgets on top tier search engines (Google, MSN & Yahoo!)
- Calculate ROI and prepare monthly Internet marketing campaign reports
- Consult with clients about their business goals and propose solutions and strategies that meet their needs
- Create and implement email marketing, affiliate marketing and online advertising programs
- Direct the design of web pages and develops web content, assures that content is consistent with standards and up to date, and assures that all web functionality is operating properly
- Assist web development team testing web applications


Skills:
What You Need (WebpageFX will provide skill specific training):
- GPA above a 3.3
- Strong written communication skills
- HTML and Dreamweaver experience
- Acute understanding of traditional marketing
- Strong understanding of the Internet and Internet technologies
- Superior quantitative, analytical and technical skills including spreadsheet or database analytics
- Exceptional customer service skills


A Plus if you Have:
- Advertising agency experience
- Internet marketing experience
- Strong knowledge of SEO a huge plus
- Proficiency in Photoshop
- Background in statistics


Qualities:
- Up-to-date on the latest web technologies and zeal for the Internet
- Professional, dependable, solid work ethic, detail-oriented, self motivated
- An eye for detail and a dedication to quality
- Approaches problem solving proactively and in a professional manner
- Self-motivated with a high level of initiative and follow-through


Preferred Education:
Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Advertising, IT, Communications or related field


Perks:
*Salary Range: $30K to $40K
*Health, Dental, Vision & 15 Day Vacation Benefits Package
*Company match IRA
*Fun creative work environment at rapidly growing company


Office Location: (Murata Business Center)
Carlisle PA in Keystone Innovation Zone


Job Submission Requirements:
*Resume
*Sample marketing works
*Sample written works
*References


How to Apply (Interviews are already underway, so please apply
without delay):
- E-mail with "Monster - Internet Marketing Specialist" in the subject line
- Submit resume in text of e-mail or as word ".doc" attachment to
superjobs@webpagefx.com
- Please include in email: Samples of written works and marketing materials developed.

For addition information, please visit our website at:
http://www.webpagefx.com/employment.htm

Keywords: Marketing, Internet, Advertising, PR, Copywriting, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, PA, Pennsylvania, Web Design, Web Designer, Website Promotion, SEO, Marketer, Advertiser

Contact:
Company: WebpageFX, Inc.
Email: superjobs@webpagefx.com
Address: 453 Lincoln Street
Suite 101
Carlisle PA,PA 17013

Purchase a Visual QuickStart Guide from Amazon and receive a free Video QuickStart!

Purchase any Visual QuickStart Guide on www.amazon.com through May 31, and you'll get free access to Peachpit's InDesign CS3 Basic Layout: Video QuickStart Guide—a $30 value. The Video QuickStart Guide is organized into the topics and tasks most relevant to beginning and intermediate Adobe InDesign users, and users new to InDesign CS3. Start learning InDesign CS3 at your desktop!

Better GReader - GoogleReader Firefox Add-on

If you use GoogleReader as your RSS aggrigator, you'll want to make you use the Better GReader GoogleReader Firefox Add-On. When blog post comes into Reader, this allows any outside links to be opened with GoogleReader. No more opening up each blog post into a new tab to read the entire story!

I've been using it for about two weeks now and have a new love for GoogleReader because of it.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6424

Freebie: Inspired CSS: Styling for a Beautiful Web

Inspired CSS: Styling for a Beautiful Web
For the next month Peachpit is offering you exclusive access to Andy Clarke's new online video, Inspired CSS: Styling for a Beautiful Web. Andy will show you how to take your design to the next level using typography, microformats, advanced CSS selectors, layout techniques employing floats, positioning, and margins, and CSS3. Throughout the video, Andy demonstrates these concepts using examples from a fictitious Web site he created.

Simply go to www.peachpit.com and use the following log in:
E-mail address: PPvideoreview@gmail.com
Password: eleninicole
Under Digital Purchases choose Inspired CSS: Styling for a Beautiful Web and start viewing right away. Requires the free QuickTime Player software.

After viewing Peachpit would appreciate hearing what your thoughts are about it, what you liked and didn't, what areas they can improve, etc. Send your feedback to usergroups@peachpit.com.

Don't forget that User Group members receive a 30% discount off the list price of any Peachpit books. At checkout, right before you put your credit card number in, you must enter the user group coupon code UE-23AA-PEUF (case-sensitive). This coupon code is an exclusive offer that may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon codes. http://www.peachpit.com/store/

The Moment It Clicks flickr Group Contest

Share photos you've taken where you have used some of author Joe McNally's techniques from his book Moment It Clicks, The: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters

Post your original photos on The Moment it Clicks flickr group and let them know about the moment it clicked for you.

Submit Your Photos
From The Moment it Clicks flickr page choose “Join This Group,” then go to the Organize tab, add your images and click "Send to Group," choosing “The Moment it Clicks”. Individuals may submit multiple images to be considered. Read the official rules.

Win Prizes:
Author Joe McNally will select three winning images. The winning images will be posted right here so site visitors can vote for their favorite. Grand prizes consist of:
• Signed print by Joe McNally
• One year membership to NAPP
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 Power Session DVD by Matt Kloskowski
• Choice of any five Peachpit or New Riders books

Don't forget that User Group members receive a 30% discount off the list price of any Peachpit books. At checkout, right before you put your credit card number in, you must enter the user group coupon code UE-23AA-PEUF (case-sensitive). This coupon code is an exclusive offer that may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon codes. http://www.peachpit.com/store/

Create a Widget for the Mac OS X Dashboard Contest

Submit a widget you've created for the Mac OS X Dashboard for your chance to win a library of five Peachpit books, plus an Apple iPod Nano! Enter by April 28, 2008 at www.peachpit.com/widgetcontest.

Technical Communication Summit - Philadelphia

Dates: Sunday, June 1 - Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Location: Philadelphia PA
Details
Registration
Sessions

The Technical Communication Summit is the primary source of learning and expanding your knowledge about technical communication. Over 3 ½ days, the summit certificate programs, education sessions, keynote speakers and networking opportunities make the Summit the place you should be. Whether you’re a novice or a senior practitioner, manager or researcher, the Summit caters to your need for education and professional growth!

Tech Cocktail DC

Date: Thursday, April 24, 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm
Venue: MCCXXIII: 1223 Connecticut Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20036 (Map)
Cost: $0 - It’s free!
RSVP: techcocktaildc2.eventbrite.com

If you happen to be in the DC area, you may want to check out this cool mixer.

"Staying true to our mission of helping to amplify the technology signal in under served markets and have fun doing it we are excited to announce TECH cocktail DC 2! It has been almost a year since our last TECH cocktail DC and in case you missed it you can get caught up on what happened at TECH cocktail DC 1 and check out some of the TECH cocktail DC 1 photos. Make sure to subscribe to the DC only TECH cocktail email updates to keep up to date on what we’re doing in DC.

TECH cocktail DC 2 will be sponsored by AOL and Viget Labs, Voxant, Network Solutions and Jess3 (one of our preferred service providers). If you are interested in sponsoring TECH cocktail DC 2 we still have spots open so please contact us as soon as possible - more information on sponsoring is here. We run these events to break even and would love to do so on this second event. Also if you are interested in demoing your startup product or service please contact us. See you there!
"

Google SEO tips (Webmaster Tools)

In the past, we've talked about SEO (Search Engine Optomization) and I just wanted to take a moment to post a link to Google's guidelines and rules for ranking in their search engine. They are very clear as to what helps and hurts: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

Tutorial: Integrating Flash content with the HTML environment

From the Adobe Developer Connection: "Working with Flash content has become part of the process for many web developers whether the content is a small element on the page or the entire page. Knowing how to use Dreamweaver to integrate your Flash content with the HTML environment will allow you to create rich user interfaces and handle many tasks related to interface design.

This article provides an overview of some strategies for integrating Flash content with HTML content. You'll look at the code in Dreamweaver and Flash to get a clear picture of how things fit together."

View the tutorial article.

Seminar: Captivated by the Light

Where: Harrisburg, PA - Four Points Sheraton
When: April 29, 2008
6:30PM-10:30PM
Trade Show 6:30PM
Seminar 7:30PM
Cost: $49 registration (use code WESTCOTT to save $30 and attend for $19)
Details: http://edpierceseminars.com/index.php

Adobe is one of the sponsors that will be set up at the Trade Show, along with Canon and others.

Captivated by the Light Themes (From the website)
Lighting for digital is not the same; it’s better. In the digital world of post capture manipulation. It’s easy to lose sight of the essence of great photography. Capture is everything, light is the essence of all our images. This seminar will teach you to become a master of light. Take advantage of all digital has to offer. Explore exciting new tools and techniques. Learn to create, in the camera, the finest image possible to maximize your back-end opportunities.

Workflow is probably the most over used buzz word of the digital age, yet the wrong workflow can create an absolute nightmare resulting in long, exhausting hours capturing, organizing, categorizing, editing, manipulating, managing and archiving your image files. In this seminar we will show you how to use the latest and greatest software and hardware solutions to help you get your life back and ensure your peace of mind.

Marketing, sales and sound business practices are essential to the success of every photography business. Tap into the practices, insights, and proven methods of six of the country’s most successful and diverse studios. Whether you specialize in children, families, seniors or weddings, you’ll benefit from the time-tested, proven strategies presented.

Adobe E-Seminars for Education, Print and Web Professionals

Adobe Education eSeminar Series

April 15, 2008 - May 15, 2008

Join Adobe education and industry experts as they conduct free online seminars about using industry-leading Adobe software solutions. During these live, easy-to-follow sessions, you will discover brand-new ways to prepare engaging curriculum, teach essential digital communication skills, empower students to creatively express what they’ve learned, simplify complex concepts, and improve communication.

---

CS3: The Creative License eSeminar Series for Print Professionals

April 16, 2008 - May 22, 2008

Please join us for free eSeminars specifically designed to help print professionals deliver superior results. Join Adobe software experts as they demonstrate the new features in Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 Design Premium that will enhance your print output.

---

CS3: The Creative License eSeminar Series for Web Professionals

April 23, 2008 - May 21, 2008

Join Adobe software experts to learn how to use the tightly integrated tools available in Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 Web Premium. Web eSeminars are designed for web designers, web developers and anyone interested in enhancing their workflows, and learning new tips and tricks. New series begins after April 15.

Total Training - Free Offer and Discount Coupon

Total Training is the premier, award-winning provider of video software training for Adobe.

Visit this site: http://www.totaltraining.com/adobe7, receive a 7 day FREE all-access Adobe Essentials pass, as well as a 15% off coupon if you are interested in any of the Total Training products.

Password Strength Checker

Ever wonder how strong the passwords you use really are? Test the strength of your pass words using this tool from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

Additionally, here's a good article about how to create and use strong passwords.

Thanks to Michael for sharing this link.

Win Adobe CS3 Web Premium from SitePoint

SitePoint is giving away two copies of Adobe CS3 Web Premium (kindly donated by Adobe) to the authors of the best articles about Adobe Flex and AIR submitted over the next four weeks.

That's right - you could WIN a copy of the ultimate graphics package for web developers, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, just by submitting an article about Flex or AIR. Worth USD $1,599, the package includes the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Flash, Dreamweaver and a host of other tools that form the industry benchmark for creating web graphics.

For more information please visit this link:
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/04/08/write-for-sitepoint-and-win-the-adobe-cs3-web-premium-suite/

Adobe TV (AMP) - Adobe Media Player

From the Adobe website: "Adobe Media Player software provides control and flexibility to view what you want, when you want — whether online or offline. You can queue up and download your favorite Internet TV content, track and download new episodes automatically, and manage your personal video library for viewing at your convenience."

Get it: http://get.adobe.com/amp/

Tune in: http://tv.adobe.com/

More info: http://www.adobe.com/products/mediaplayer/

Help Adobe by reporting Flash bugs

Adobe has announcing that it is adding Flash Player to it's list of public bug and issue management system. Would you like to help improve Flash Player? Then please take a moment to report any bugs using https://bugs.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Some good information can be found at this blog posting from justin.everett-church.com. Justin is a Sr. Product Manager for Flash Player at Adobe.

Google App Engine

Google launched their preview release of the Google App Engine for developers. "Google App Engine enables you to build web applications on the same scalable systems that power Google applications." Registration was limited and it looks like it's already been exceended. However, you can still download the Google App Engine SKD and documentation.

http://code.google.com/appengine/
Also, be sure to view the App gallery and the FAQ

Here's a great blog posting from Mashable.com from Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins about Google App Engine that you'll want to check out:
http://mashable.com/2008/04/08/google-app-engine/

Cool Tool: When is Good

When is Good is one of the most practical web tools I've found lately. Basically, it's a way to coordinate dates and times with a group of people. http://whenisgood.net/

From the website:
"An a easy online tool that can help you choose the time for your next meeting or event.

Just click the grid for all the times that are good for you - we send you a link to circulate to your participants. They see your proposed times and click on when they are free. You see the combined results. Simple.

• Eats time zone confusion - perfect for international conference calls
• Beautiful personalised URLs for each of your events
• You write the invitations - no cheesy automatic emails
• Free for basic usage

No sign-up form. No password to choose. No fuss at all."'

What's your favorite web tool? Share yours in a comment below!

So Long Internet! Hello Grid!

Last week, scientists met in Geneva to talk about the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) project, which is a global computing network designed by CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). CERN is the group that created the particle accelerator.

From the CERN website: "The Grid is based on the same idea as the Web, which was invented at CERN in the beginning of the 90s: sharing resources between geographically distributed computers. But whereas the Web simply shares information on the computers, the Grid also shares computing power and storage capacity. This means that scientists can log on to the Grid from their PC, and the work they need to be done will be carried out by many machines across the planet. This allows scientists to carry out very complex calculations quickly and simply.

You can see an animated explanation of the Grid on the GridCafé website, which shows how the Grid works."

Read the entire article about The Grid from CERN.

Adobe Edge Newsletter

If you haven't subscribed to the Adobe Edge newsletter, you may want to check out what you've been missing! It's "published" every few months and is filled with the latest & greatest about Adobe software. You can sign up to receive it by email, or just bookmark the website and view it online. April's newsletter is filled with articles about AIR, Flash, Open CMS, Flex, Fireworks and Soundbook. Enjoy!

Teeth Whitening in Photoshop CS3

Lynda.com's newsletter has this great "Hot Tip of the Month" on “Whitening Teeth” from Photoshop CS3 Portrait Retouching Essentials with Chris Orwig. It walks you through a few short, easy techniques to create whiter teeth. Very nice!

Preparing for the Flash Player 9 April 2008 Security Update

If your using anything that requires Flash Player, you will want to read up on this security update as it may effect your Flash content.

"Adobe is planning to release a security update for Flash Player 9 in April 2008 to strengthen the security of Adobe Flash Player for our customers and end users, and to provide further mitigations for previously disclosed vulnerabilities.

Customers are advised to review the upcoming Flash Player updates to determine if their content will be impacted, and to begin implementing necessary changes immediately to help ensure a seamless transition. "

More at:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/
flash_player9_security_update.html

Radiohead Animated Video Contest

• Competition begins March 17, 2008
• You upload your original storyboard which can range from basic sketches to storyboard in video format or a fully developed animated video clip using ONLY songs from RadioHead’s new album inRainbows.
• 10 semi-finalists will each receive $1,000 to create a one minute long video clip.
• 1 grand prize winner will receive $10,000 to create a full length Radiohead music video to be completed within a given time period.

In Rainbows animated music video contest details:
http://www.aniboom.com/radiohead/

More information & rules:
http://www.aniboom.com/Pages/Application/Competitions/
Radiohead/RadioheadAdditionalInfo.aspx

Meeting - April 23 - Digital Video Workshop

Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Time: 6-8PM
East Shore Area Library - Computer Lab, 1st floor (basement)
4501 Ethel Street
Harrisburg, PA 17109
No food or drink is allowed in the computer room.
GoogleMap
Information about the meeting location

CPAUG RSS Feed

About the Meeting:

Flash Film Festival - Proposal
Fellow user group member, Glenn Williams, would like to propose some ideas to the group and receive suggestions regarding a Harrisburg Flash Film Festival that would be run both locally and globally online.

Digital Video Workshop
Your User Group Manager, Megan Fister, will show you how to shoot a digital video, pull it from your camera to computer, and upload it to YouTube in this special hands-on workshop.

Everyone will get an opportunity (time permitting) to shoot using a Flip camera and "be talent" for a 30 second "Why Adobe?" video that we'll upload to the 30onAIR YouTube project. No supplies are needed but if you have your own digital video camera (and know how to use it) and/or laptop, feel free to bring 'em! Curious? Check out what others have done for the 30onAIR project so far.

Please know what you'd like to say for your 30 seconds as "talent" by having a response ready for one of these questions:

Why Adobe?
Why Flash?
Why Flex?
Why Javascript?
Why Actionscript?
Why RIA?
Why FlashPlayer?
Why AIR?

----------------------------------
Upcoming Meeting Dates:
Topics for these are TBD. Let me know if you'd like to present!
Wednesday, May 28th 6-8pm.
Thursday, June 19th 6-8pm.
----------------------------------
Please feel free to post a comment if there are any topics that you'd like to see covered, or if you are interested in presenting a topic.

Wow, is there anything Google can't do?

Now you can look into the future! "Google Australia has introduced a new feature, enabling you to search content on the internet before it is created."

More details can be found at:
http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/gday/index.html

Don't forget to look up your lottery numbers! :-)