Recently I had a client ask me for some tips at building a good blog. I thought I'd humbly pass them on, as she found them pretty helpful.

First off, very few people actually follow blogs religiously. While there are functions to subscribe to blogs, there are only a very few blogs that are visited on a regular basis, and they tend to revolve around pop culture (say TMZ or Perez Hilton's blogs). Particularly as you start out, it is not feasible to expect that people will find your blog and then continue to come back to read more. More and more, people are simply subscribing to bloggers' Twitter feeds, and just sampling the posts that interest them the most.

So, where do most blog hits come from initially? For us, there are three main sources - search hits, social network referrals, and self referrals.

Search hits come from people finding blog posts through Google. If you blog about topics that people are frequently searching for then your posts will be found by those searchers. For example, we blogged about Lululemon's Olympic clothing line (that VANOC pooh-poohed) and to date we've had over 300 hits to it; of those over 100 came from web searches.

Your social network can be a big source of blog traffic. When we write a blog we immediately post it on Facebook, Linked-in, and Twitter. This way people who follow us through those sites are instantly informed every time we add new content. Plus, we're always promoting the blog in our email signature, and there's a link to all our social media sites on every page of our website. This comprehensive social media strategy hits multiple people every time we create content, and works together to create fans of our brand.

Self referrals are simply hits to the blog from people that land on our home page. They see that Studiothink has a blog, and then they go check it out. They might not specifically be interested in our content, they're probably just curious as to what we blog about.

At this point you might ask "why even bother blogging if it's so much work to get traffic?" The truth is that even if your blog doesn't get a lot of hits, it does build an aura of expertise around you. When people visit your site, they see the blog and they see the quality of your content, and it adds to your reputation as an expert in the field. So, even if the blog isn't getting a ton of hits, it will still help people feel more comfortable choosing your firm.

You might not know the name Rube Goldberg, but you've definitely seen his machines at work. He was the inventor of the cartoon depiction a tremendously complicated device that completed a relatively simple task (an authentic Goldberg cartoon is above).

We love these things, and decided to collect a few videos of them here for your enjoyment.

Mouse Trap
The famous children's game from 1963 is a great example of a Rube Goldberg device at work. I don't recall actually ever properly playing the game, we would just build and set off the trap, then re-pack everything. Check out this awesome 60's commercial promoting it.

Der Lauf der Dinge
One of the best-known examples caught on video is Der Lauf der Dinge by artists Fischli & Weiss. Translated from Swiss it means (spoiler alert!) The Way Things Go, and boy do they go. First revealed in 1987, the 15 minute performance inspired many of the clips further down this list.

The Cog
In 2003 Honda produced this 2 minute long epic commercial to promote their flagship Accord model. It cost 1 million pounds to produce, and involved over 600 takes to get right. In the end, the time, cost, and effort was worth it as it became one of the most famous ads of all time. And to think in North America we got stuck with the "opportunity knocks guy".

This Too Shall Pass
The latest video from OK Go, and the inspiration for this blog, is for their new single This Too Shall Pass. Not only is the sequence exquisitely complex, but it also operates in time to the music. Look carefully and you might spot a model Martian rover in the video - that's because some of the engineers in the video actually helped build the real Spirit Rover!

Studiothink is seeking a hyper-organized control freak with a personable personality to fill our full-time Project Coordinator position.

Your job entails organizing multiple projects, establishing project timelines, and managing the subsequent work flow. You will be responsible for tracking all projects, both internally and externally, ensuring that jobs stay on target with deadlines, and producing weekly Excel reports on each jobs status.

On a daily basis you will be communicating between the client, suppliers and staff, which is why your organization skills are not enough, they must be paired with a great attitude and a demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively, not to mention a high tolerance for airborne Nerf weapons. You will also perform general office management tasks such as ordering supplies, sending invoices and couriers, filing, and answering phones when needed.

This is an entry-level position within our company, and marketing experience is an asset, although not mandatory. We are offering $35,000 per year to start, along with extended benefits and three weeks paid vacation.

Qualifications:
- Extensive organizational skills with a focus on solutions
- Highly-developed customer service skills
- Personable verbal and written communication are crucial
- 2-3 years experience working in an office admin role, demonstrating clear organizational skills
- Extremely competent on the computer using email, databases and MS Office
- Able to confidently communicate with clients, suppliers and internal staff
- Interest or experience in the field of marketing, graphic design and website design is an asset

Job Duties:
- Working directly with the Marketing Director and Creative Director, you will generate project timelines and schedules for all our projects, and be responsible for ensuring internal staff, suppliers and clients adhere to the project deadlines
- Creating job dockets and notes on necessary revisions and proofs
- Obtaining records of client approvals on project quotes and final sign off
- Work closely with external suppliers to obtain quotes and send out materials
- Closely track projects at all times, internally, to printer or other supplier, to final delivery to the client
- Acquire all information and materials needed to complete projects on time
- General office management including filing, invoicing, couriering, supplies, phones, etc.

If you are highly organized and personable, and enjoy being in a marketing, design and interactive environment, then communicate with us and demonstrate your skills! Send us a PDF or MS Word document that includes your well-written resume and cover letter to careers@studiothink.com

Studiothink is a creative agency located in Surrey, BC. To find out more about us, visit our website at www.studiothink.com

I wanted to take an opportunity to show off some awesome art produced by our Senior Graphic Designer Dave Williams. Initially we were thinking of using these in a new website design, but they were abandoned when we changed directions on the site. Instead of letting them go to waste, I thought I'd share them with all of you. Eventually all the team members were going to have their own poster, but we just never got around to them all. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to resurrect them someday for another project.

Remember when the 2010 Vancouver Olympic logo was first unveiled, and everyone complained about it? Everything seemed wrong, from the simplicity in the concept, right down to the cheesy smiley face. And, when the Olympic mascots were revealed, they were met with intense skepticism, I mean, how could we possibly face the world with giant, anime-style fuzzy creatures?

All of my branding reservations went out the door when I discovered that my 9-year old stepdaughter desperately wanted anything Quatchi or Miga. The 2010 Olympic branding has really grown on me, and I feel Vancouver has actually done a superb job with their graphics and pulling the brand all together. The end result has indeed been a success.

So, you can imagine my horror when I saw the unveiling of the 2012 London Summer Olympic logo. Now, I’m all for modern, I love a good colour palette, and I embrace change (or at least try), however, I have no idea how this brand is going to come together. It’s the first logo to use numerous colour variation, and not only that it’s...well...it’s UGLY. I do believe, if you squint really hard, you might even make out the fact that it’s supposed to be the numbers 2012. Yah, that’s right, look again.

I’ve heard some speculation that the logo is supposed to embrace London’s grunge scene. Not convinced on that one. I’ve also heard it wanted to encompass the internet generation, again, not convinced on that one either. I’ve also heard that this logo cost upwards of 400,000 pounds (roughly $650,000 Canadian) to create. That one I am convinced of.

Let’s all hope that the upcoming scheduled evolution of this logo will improve upon it, and that in 2012 my then 13-year old stepdaughter will still want a fuzzy Olympic mascot—although I’m not holding my breath on that one.