I saw my blog traffic jump by a huge amount yesterday, with most traffic coming from Stumbleupon, and I wondered how I could check who had reviewed me, and what they had said. I found a webpage on Stumbleupon that links to this information. It doesn't seem to be directly accessible from your user account but I found part of the answer in this post. You need to build a URL using a base URL of: http://www.stumbleupon.com/refer.php?url= plus the page URL, eg http://stephenbaugh.com/2008/09/the-guy-that-turns-her-light-off/ This means the full URL would be http://www.stumbleupon.com/refer.php?url=http://stephenbaugh.com/2008/09/the-guy-that-turns-her-light-off/ To View More >>

In business there are no magic bullets, but this idea is so powerful it certainly feels like magic. I ran into an old friend yesterday, and it reminded me of a series of seminars I ran a few years ago that contained a section on how to increase profits. Especially when times are tough, it's great to be able to break things down into some simple rules that allow you to know where to focus, so I'll share this very simple but powerful idea with you now. Gross Profit is calculated on an "averaged basis" as: (Total number of clients x Average number of visits per year x Average sale x Average margin) To View More >>

 Photo by Brett Harkness I just wrote about why I love photograph albums, but the story got a little long so I've edited it. I guess the truth is we love the industry, the books and just as importantly, we love design. Queensberry's love and focus on design is a story all by itself. Let's face it, though, some albums suck ... Sorry but they do. The book is cheap and plasticky, and no consideration is given to what photos are included. A great album is so much more. I'm not trying to turn this into a shameless plug, and I know quality is subjective, but I believe we produce the world's finest To View More >>

I while back I wrote a post about Malcolm Gladwell, someone I think is very interesting and also a deep thinker. In my Post I talked about one of his books called "Tipping Point", well it seems all is not good in the world and there are doubters out there ... In this article on FastCompany Duncan Watts asks "Is the Tipping Point Toast?". Great reading if you are interested in consumer marketing, and I got as much to think about from this as I got as I did Malcolm's book. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/is-the-tipping-point-toast.html?partner=rss To View More >>

One of the things I like about myself is the ability to appreciate other peoples craft and skill. I came across this a number of months ago on youtube and found myself drawn into Takagi Masakatsu's moving paintings and the description of how he works. You have to admire someone not only blessed with great observation, but also the ability to recreate what he sees in a new medium. I liked his closing quote, in talking about seeing colour and light in the world ... "In a sense I am not expressing anything that is not already there" To View More >>

In addition to work, I get hundreds of personal emails a week, and have got myself into a situation again of "email overwhelm" on my personal account and Facebook. Today I decided to catch up, and although I haven't got through the 500 odd emails completely I am stunned by what I have come across so far. - an email from an exchange student that lived with us over 20 years ago. - 2 emails from old friends remaking contact. - an email from an online friend telling me that her husband has passed away. - a tirade of emails ... first saying hello and then a number asking why I haven't replied, escalating To View More >>

I've always loved Body Art (Tattoos). To me they can show a strong sense of confidence while also being a means of self expression ... ... A connection to ones culture ... ... an incredible talent ... ... although not always positive, a strong demonstration of belonging ... ... and sometimes just a means to be a little rebellious! Despite my love of them, I don't have any, I worry what people might think. Does that say more about me, or the people that have them? To View More >>

My career started the traditional way, many moons ago, running a lemonade stand, collecting coke bottles, mowing lawns, and basically doing anything I could to turn a dollar. While at university in the late 80s I installed computer systems for a legal firm, and worked in hospitality as a waiter at the Regent Hotel in Auckland. I also worked in the family handcraft/souvenir store, Earthworks, in Parnell, Auckland. Computers were my favourite toys. My Dad had been into computers since before either the Mac or the PC (those were the days), so even though there were no computers in schools I was a To View More >>