Using audits to drive change, Mechanics Bank launched with a new CMS and an improved design that follows web best practices. Find out how.
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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Simplifying the Complexities of a Banking Site
We all know what we want from our bank: simple solutions for our hard-earned money. But we also know that banking isn't quite that easy, especially when it comes to communicating those simple solutions. Blend's CTO Joe Kepley explains some ways to improve financial site performance in this article.
Improving Your Professional Association Site: Tips for Driving Engagement
Blend's CTO Joe Kepley has tips for how to increase website traffic and engagement for professional associations.
Episode 21: Migrate and Populate the Content (w/ Carrie Hane) Off-site link
Corey and Deane discuss an old migration project. Then, Carrie Hane, Principal Digital Strategist at Sanity and co-author of Designing Connected Content, joins to talk about preparing content for site migration — how good content modeling helps set up a site for future success, the psychological side of migrations, and a few horror stories from Carrie and Deane. Carrie graciously insists this is not the most depressing episode yet.
ChatGPT, Bard, and the New Wave of AI: What it Means for the Web
The path to computer intelligence hasn't proven quite so direct. On the surface, brains and computers seem very similar, but it's clear that computers aren't thinking yet.
Corey Vilhauer Joins The Content Strategy Podcast Off-site link
Corey Vilhauer joins Kristina Halvorson on The Content Strategy Podcast to discuss his start in content strategy, his thoughts on communicating with clients and stakeholders, and his work toward demystifying the world of web projects.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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The Web Project Guide
A phase-by-phase look at the web design and development process, providing context to each step.
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Coding with Bob
A YouTube series by our director of development, focusing on .NET coding and Optimizely development.
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Eating Elephant
A blog about content strategy, information architecture, and understanding user needs.