Website: Neil Smith Designs blog... i.e. This one!

Ok, "I've been away from blogging for a while"... I wonder how many times that sentence has been written... (313 results for that exact phrase in google - at time of going to blog!).

So what's my excuse?

Let's have a look at the possibilities... Was I...



a) Spending my well deserved lottery win?

b) Enjoying an around the world trip?

c) Entertaining 15 girlfriends at once?

...nope, unfortunately none of the above!

To be honest, although I don't consider myself a dull person (those who know me... shut up!), I've not had that much to say in a blog that was to cover views, news and booze...

I made a few fundamental errors when starting out blogging. I didn't think hard enough about what I wanted to blog about. What others would find interesting. And finally what I knew enough about to make it more than a one-blog-wonder!

Ok, so my first blog outing lasted about as long as Paris Hiltons pop career... but this second bite of the cherry is gonna be sweet!

I intend to apply my knowledge to this blog. I work in web development every day.
So all the best web tools, concepts and inspirational sites I come across in my work... I'm going to blog about. Hopefully you'll like it!

Views: Using StumbleUpon to keep up with the latest on the web

For such a long time I used the web in pretty much the same way each day. I would log on to my favourite sites, normally in the same order, carry out my everyday tasks, usually in the same way, then close the browser, usually with the same red cross in the top right hand corner. Ok, so the red cross bit of it's not going to change, but the way in which I now browse the web has... and that's thanks to StumbleUpon.

I've been a web developer for several years now and have often looked at ways in which I can keep up-to-date with the latest new websites out there. Not easy, due to the fact a new website wouldn't fit into my pattern of web usage! The only new websites I used to come across were factual ones when searching for information or code and they were hardly the most inspiring.

Since starting this website, I've tried to look into every avenue of online marketing (for no budget) to try and encourage visits to the site. My primary focus was obviously SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and generating content through this blog. But as any web developer knows, it takes time to make an impact.

That's when I looked into user-generated sites such as Digg, reddit, delicious and finally StumbleUpon. So, initially I looked to these online resources to promote my site, but after installing the StumbleUpon toolbar, I started to view a handful of new sites a day just to see what else is out there.

The good news is, I've come across some really useful sites and some that have inspired me. I've finally found that way of keeping up-to-date with some of the most impressive content on the web. I've quite literally stumbled upon a gem of a site. If you haven't already, I suggest you also give it a go...

Views: Alan Partridge and Gene Hunt Quotes TV Soundbox

After the success of my fonejacker TV Soundbox on Facebook, I decided to try out the same with
two of my favourite characters.

Alan Partridge is a legend... pure and simple. Also, running through his tv shows - The Day Today, Knowing me Knowing you and I'm Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan has blessed our screens with a character that delivers some of the best comedy quotes ever!
Perfect for an Alan Partridge TV Soundbox...

The next character is Gene Hunt from the shows Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. Both show's have proved to be the best thing to come out of the BBC drama vault in years and Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt doesn't only deliver a cracking performance in each episode, he also delivers a plethora of quality quotes.
So again... Gene Hunt lends himself perfectly to a TV Soundbox application.

As I have used Widgetbox to make these applications, you can install them on any social networking profile or add them too your own website.

Check them out here...

Gene Hunt
http://www.neilsmithdesigns.co.uk/genehunt.html
Alan Partridge
http://www.neilsmithdesigns.co.uk/alanpartridge.html

Fonejacker
http://www.neilsmithdesigns.co.uk/fonejacker.html

Views: Still in my twenties!

Come Friday I'll be out on the town "celebrating" my birthday.
A couple of weeks ago when I looked at the calendar to see what day my birthday landed on, I was well chuffed it was a Friday, It meant a birth-weekend rather than day!

Double checking, sure enough as is the norm, Saturday would definitely be the day after and therefore another chance to don those dancing shoes and fire into town.

However, as my last few weeks of being a twenty-eight year old descended, I realised I am heading full force into the final year of my twenties... final year!

I'm now concerned.

I'm concerned because I still make funny noises at work. I still use slang language, still wear trainers with my jeans and still get disappointed when the lights come on at 3am on a Sunday morning and I have to make my way home.
I'm concerned because I still put product in my hair, I still watch Hollyoaks and I still call The Arctic Monkeys "The Arctic Monkeys"... not Arcade Monkeys or Arctic Fire!

To make things worse at my place of work we take on Placement students from universities. This week I was looking through the CVs and what caught my eye was the birth-date. As I was entering the last year of my twenties... The new student would be entering the last year of their teens! They were, all but a year... born in the 90s! That makes them a totally different generation.

They can't remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off or the importance of when defending yourself knowing the technique of "wax on, wax off"!
They couldn't sing the theme tune to fraggle rock, know the lyrics to Ice Ice Baby or dance "Hammer style".
They wouldn't have a clue what you would drink in the Congo, who you would write too to "fix it" or what you would do with a "cassette"!

Problem is, I still feel young (and immature!)... I still feel 21. So I just know, if not this weekend, then soon, I will be uttering the words "It's not how old you are, it's how old you feel". When I do utter them words, I'm hanging up my dancing shoes, buying slippers and no longer watching Hollyoaks, I'm watching Emmerdale. Done!