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Thoughts from Blend Interactive

One of Blend’s core values is a dedication to advocacy and progress — to expand upon and give back to the community that fuels us. This is where those thoughts live.

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The Web Project Guide joins Content Strategy Insights podcast Off-site link

The Web Project Guide’s Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker joined Larry Swanson on the Content Strategy Insights podcast to talk about all things The Web Project Guide — how the book came to be, how it ties to the work of building websites, and what's next as the book expands into the podcast space.

November 30, 2022 | The Web Project Guide

Episode 12: Write for People and Machines (w/Sarah Winters) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk briefly about how hard it is to run a conference. Then, Sarah Winters, founder of Content Design London and author of Content Design, joins to discuss the difference between content design and content strategy, writing and designing for accessibility, and the work it takes to turn a big ship toward lasting content change.

October 13, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

The Web Project Guide on Agile Digital Transformation Off-site link

The Web Project Guide’s Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker joined Tim Butara and the Agile Digital Transformation podcast to talk about the process of writing the book, the web project process itself, and the role of agility when moving toward a successful launch.

September 29, 2022 | The Web Project Guide

Episode 11: Model Your Content (w/ Jeff Eaton) Off-site link

Corey and Deane chat about the first time they realized they really liked content modeling, and how modeling is the hidden language of content.  Then, Jeff Eaton, partner at Autogram, joins to define content modeling, the concept of content reuse (and its many issues), and the balance between philosophical modeling and actually doing the work in spreadsheets.

September 15, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Episode 10: Organize Your Content (w/ Lisa Maria Marquis) Off-site link

Corey and Deane chat about Information Architecture for the World Wide Web — ”The Polar Bear Book” — and then our experiences with information organization in real life. Then, Lisa Maria Marquis, author of Everyday Information Architecture and You Should Write a Book, joins to discuss how to frame information architecture for those who aren’t web people, the hidden biases in organizing content, and a bit about why you should write your own book. (We also take a critical look at Lisa Maria’s bookshelf.)

August 16, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Episode 9: Develop a Strategy for Your Content (w/ Kristina Halvorson) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk a little about that time Kristina Halvorson (founder of Brain Traffic, co-author of Content Strategy for the Web, and executive producer of Confab and Button) visited Sioux Falls. Then, Kristina chats with us about content strategy — defining content strategy vs. content design, what tasks are often overlooked, and some basics on spinning up an internal web content team — including a bit of conference talk about the upcoming Button Conference.

July 19, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Making the Switch to Google Analytics 4

It’s almost here: Google Analytics is about to make the biggest change in years, sunsetting the familiar Universal Analytics (UA) model in favor of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). And while the transition looks like a lot of long and tedious work, the journey to converting to GA4 can be simple and time-efficient with some helpful tips. 

July 12, 2022

Flexibility First: Designing for Mobile and Beyond

There’s a lot more to building a mobile-friendly and responsive site than just saying the words “mobile-first” and willing it into being. What does it mean? How is it done? In this article, we take a look at the process behind designing for mobile.

May 26, 2022

No CMS Is a (SEO) Magic Bullet: A Quick Guide on SEO Within the CMS

A common misunderstanding is that one CMS is better at SEO than others. The success of your SEO relies on more than just your platform - it relies on content, plugins and the algorithm.

October 27, 2021

The Web Project Guide at Boye & Co. Off-site link

The Web Project Guide authors Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker were both guests of a special member conference call for Boye & Co., an educational professional networking group primarily focused on the world of tech and web development.

August 26, 2021 | The Web Project Guide

Beyond Blend.

Blend doesn’t just write here: we also write books, create videos, and dive deep into our individual disciplines. Check out some of our external sources of knowledge.

The Web Project Guide

A phase-by-phase look at the web design and development process, providing context to each step.

Coding with Bob

A YouTube series by our director of development, focusing on .NET coding and Optimizely development.

Eating Elephant

A blog about content strategy, information architecture, and understanding user needs.