FreshSpectrum.com

Why Blog? My 5 minute Ignite talk at AEA

Chris — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:22:06 +0000

My Ignite talk from last November’s AEA conference is now up on the Ignite website! I’m embedding it here if you’re interested. It’s only 5 mins so not much of a time commitment.

Also, speaking of blogging. AEA365′s series on Evaluators who blog continues this week.

New Year New Goals

Chris — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:56:16 +0000

In the past few years I’ve been building myself up as a web-savvy researcher and evaluator. I’ve learned a lot in the process; there are tons of problems that have simple solutions if you know where to look. But I have yet to leverage that experience into online success.

In my eyes there are two ways to be successful online. One is to be consistently good, pumping out solid material day after day. Another is to be occasionally exceptional. The creme de la creme is to be both. At best I would say I’m occasionally good.

I hope to change that this year. My plan is to take what I’ve learned and teach it. Take the lessons I usually only give when someone comes to me for help and turn them into tutorials. Create online courses to build up expertise in areas often thought to be too technical. And offer the occasional webinar to answer the kinds of questions I would not think of on my own.

Will I be successful? We’ll answer that question next year…

Evaluation and Blogging

Chris — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:51:46 +0000

Happy Holidays! AEA365 is doing a series of posts contributed by evaluators who blog. I have a post coming up on Monday, so I wanted to have a fresh post on here.

Toon: How Santa Gets His Data

Chris — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:42:54 +0000

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Social Objects and Magic

Chris — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:35:21 +0000

The other day I was reading about Social Objects on Hugh MacLeod’s Gaping Void blog. I won’t go into too much detail, you can read his definition on his blog, but it made me think about why I like cartoons. I see them as conversation pieces that can take on a life of their own outside of the context of the originating blog. Infographics and video work in the same way.

I created this one for a couple of fellow evaluators, Agata and Ann, and it now has a home on their site. If anyone is interested in a similar collaboration let me know.

Toon: Occupy Gotham

Chris — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:48:27 +0000

Batman is the comic book representation of the argument for the super rich. Basically, the idea is that there are certain things that can only be done by individuals who have amassed large amounts of money. What would the New York Public Library be without the super wealthy? In Batman’s case, that’s the Joker and other villains.

Toon: Festive Sampling

Chris — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:30:50 +0000

Oh Christmas tree lights, my old adversary…

Toon: Black Friday

Chris — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:00:52 +0000

I worked for about 4 years at Kmart, which included a couple of Black Friday shifts. It always amazed me that no matter how underwhelming our sale items were, or cheap our giveaways, there would always be a line in front of our store bright and early…

Toon: Thanksgiving Day Medication Floats

Chris — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:10:45 +0000

We see drug ads everywhere else in the US, why not here too?

Thanksgiving Origin

Chris — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:30:09 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving