Archive for December, 2006
James Brown, May He RIP
I know this is three days late and I also know that most people in this area really didn’t respect James Brown as they should. I know he had his legal issues and the Augusta, Georgia, folks probably saw more than any of those who didn’t live in the area where he lived. He didn’t get a lot of the respect here that he deserved, in my opinion. Sure he got a street named after him and a statue and an arena, but people still griped that he didn’t deserve them. Those people are idiots, in my humble opinion.
The man was and is a legend. He took music to an entirely different level and has influenced decades of musicians and that has to be respected.
So on the behalf of Augusta (James Brown’s hometown), I’m saying that I hope that James Brown has finally taken that long deserved rest he has earned as the hardest working man in show business.
Stay funky with your bad self, Mr. Brown and your music will always keep us Feelin’ Good.
I had the opportunity to see and meet James Brown on several occasions living here and those are stories I will always treasure.
Form and Function in Web Design?
When you visit a band’s website, does the design play into how you perceive the band?
My opinion is that design is as equally important as content because a band should use their website to brand themselves online. You can’t easily do that with your MySpace account so the website should not only tell in words who you are, but also through images and visuals. And this is where I differ in opinion from many of the marketing experts I read. But my difference is that my background isn’t just in marketing, but also in commercial web development.
I tell the artists I work with that my goal is to let people know WHO THEY ARE the minute they view their website. Because most of us net surfers are ADD and aren’t going to read and click through the whole thing. The marketers do stress putting things on your site like an e-mail list, which is important, but they don’t get that the way the information is organized and presented is equally as important. If a band has an e-mail list, that should go on the home page, no questions asked. You do not put a link to the list and expect people to click on it. Because there’s no guarantee getting anyone past your home page.
And forums? Where are the forums? Have they not heard of all of this Web 2.0 talk? I mean, we’re in Time magazine, for goodness’ sake!!! Establishing a community gives bands an excellent way not only to connect with fans, but give fans a way to connect with each other and to keep coming back to the site and to keep interacting with the band and its fans.
Maybe I’ll have the opportunity to address this on the call because I feel that these are the kind of people who tell bands they don’t need to hire designers to make their websites look nice, to make their websites look like them. They just need to pay a cheap $50-$100 and get a crappy looking site that may be functional, but at the same time, that’s all it is. I know when I see sites like that, I usually don’t look any further because they don’t grab my interest. But are all internet users now that savvy? I’m thinking the answer is yes…
I’d love to hear what others have to say on this subject.