Laura, Author at What Does This Mean to Me, Laura?

Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2016 edition)

Happy holidays! It’s time for my annual collection of Online Stuff To Waste Time On. You know, in case you needed help not getting your work done. Be virtually rained out. Like the sounds of rain? Of course you do. This site allows you not only to hear rain whenever you want, but you can change the sounds by… Continue reading Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2016 edition)

Is your library’s website costing your patrons money?

For several years, I was a lucky customer of Verizon with a grandfathered, unlimited data plan. Last year, in an attempt to shove us freeloader-types overboard, Verizon jacked up the price of unlimited plans by an insane amount. Rather than be extorted, I moved over to Google Fi. The point here, however, is not how… Continue reading Is your library’s website costing your patrons money?

Forget Pokemon Go. Your library has real problems

Ok, I admit, that’s a bit of an incendiary headline, and I’m not really advocating that your library forego taking advantage of the viral new trend that is actually pretty advantageous for libraries. But, I do worry that libraries are spending too much time on new, shiny stuff and missing some of the elephants in our room.… Continue reading Forget Pokemon Go. Your library has real problems

What’s still missing from Ohio public library websites?

Recently, at my place of work, we decided to do a broad survey of Ohio’s public library websites for some basic functionality and features. We wanted to get an idea of just how many websites still had major problems (or not). We looked at 169 different systems*. The results were a bit discouraging. Here is… Continue reading What’s still missing from Ohio public library websites?

Make your website’s search less painful for your users

If your library’s website doesn’t have a search field at all, this post isn’t for you. Your site has way bigger issues to contend with. (But, feel free to use this post to guide the creation of a search function. Go get one…NOW.) However, if your website does have a search, chances are that you still… Continue reading Make your website’s search less painful for your users

A simple idea for personalizing your patrons’ experience

If you’ve been paying any attention to digital marketing trends, then you already know that one of the next big things is the personalization of the user experience. Today, I was reading an article about a recent Adobe study about Millenials and cross-device experiences (definitely worth a read, BTW). One chart in particular really struck me:… Continue reading A simple idea for personalizing your patrons’ experience

The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing

I’m happy to announce that my new book, The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing, is now available for pre-order from the American Library Association. What is content marketing? Simply put, it’s the most effective way to increase your value to customers. When you deliver content that library users find useful and relevant, you give a… Continue reading The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing

Measuring is easy, but the questions are hard

If you’re in charge of your library’s social media and/or content marketing, then you already know that measuring your work isn’t all that hard. Getting stats for virtually anything you post online is relatively easy these days; there’s built-in and third-party tools galore. You want numbers? You got ’em. They’re everywhere. What happens, though, once you… Continue reading Measuring is easy, but the questions are hard

Tell me your worst trouble spot right now

It’s still pretty much a new(ish) year, and I’m interested in addressing even more topics that would interest you, the blog reader. This quiz will help (but let’s be real, it’s pretty limited), but please feel free to add your own options in the comments.

5 tools to ease your font headaches

Fonts are complicated. I won’t pretend that I’m anything like an expert, because I can barely differentiate between a typeface and a font to begin with*. But I have to work with fonts all of the time, and I’ve come to rely on some tools to help me get the job done. I thought some of… Continue reading 5 tools to ease your font headaches

Absolutely honest tool tells you if you need a better headline

There’s a heck of a lot of information out there about how important it is to have a good headline for blog posts. Many people will make their decision to read or not, based purely on the headline. So, headlines count. A lot. While there is a ton of practical advice about making your headlines… Continue reading Absolutely honest tool tells you if you need a better headline

Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2015 edition)

Happy holidays! It’s time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of Online Things Which Can Prevent Work. You know, in case you needed help not getting work done. Listen to Wikipedia. No, not someone reading Wikipedia entries, aloud. Rather, this site plays notes every time changes are made and shows a nifty visualization. “Listen to the… Continue reading Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2015 edition)

5 smart devices you didn’t know existed

One of Gartner’s 2016 technology predictions is the emergence of what it calls the “device mesh“: where we are surrounded by smart devices that constantly stream data to us and/or apps. In other words, when the Internet of Things becomes the norm and is all around us. Intrigued by this idea and the large-scale disruption… Continue reading 5 smart devices you didn’t know existed

The plural of anecdote isn’t data

A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted this: How many times have you heard “But the patrons want…” with no real data to back it up? #libux — Laura Solomon (@laurasolomon) November 5, 2015 The response to that, both online and off, was very interesting. It was liked and retweeted a bit, but… Continue reading The plural of anecdote isn’t data

Get the web details you need–FAST

Today’s post discusses my latest “Headache Avoidance” tool. If you work on designing and/or developing websites, you are almost certainly accustomed to vague conversations, that don’t give you all of the details you might need in order to troubleshoot an issue. In my experience, library staff rarely know what exact OS or browser version they’re looking at,… Continue reading Get the web details you need–FAST

Shifting our website from promotional to actually useful

For the past several months, I’ve been enmeshed in the writing of a(nother) book, on a topic that only marginally involves websites. During my research, I read a terrific book by marketing expert Jay Baer, called Youtility. In his book, Baer discusses the huge shift that online marketing is currently undergoing: from being purely a promotional… Continue reading Shifting our website from promotional to actually useful

Make your web colors better

Colors can be fun, but they can also be complicated. There’s a lot of psychology involved with choosing colors as well. I really enjoy putting together or finding color palettes for different websites or projects that I get to work on, but the task is always accompanied by a sense of knowing that a lot… Continue reading Make your web colors better

How hard is it to delete your account?

How many accounts do you have spread across the Internet? I couldn’t even begin to guess how many accounts I have. Social media accounts, accounts to comment on blogs, ecommerce-related accounts, gaming accounts…the list goes on. Every once in a while, I get the urge to clear up some of my web detritus, and I’ll… Continue reading How hard *is* it to delete your account?

Are you designing for something that isn’t there anymore?

When I started doing web stuff in the 1990’s, I remember it being very much a “Wild West” kind of realm, with few hard and fast guidelines or rules (which is why sites made with GeoCities could get away with looking incredibly awful and still be “cool”). Everyone was experimenting with creating for the World Wide… Continue reading Are you designing for something that isn’t there anymore?

My teddy bear web design tools

Some people have a teddy bear. Some people have a security blanket. I have some little browser extensions that make me feel better on a daily basis, that are far more useful than Mr. Teddy. I’m willing to share these; the people with teddy bears and blankets probably won’t. So here are some of my… Continue reading My teddy bear web design tools

Why responsive design can be scarier than dating Taylor Swift

If you didn’t know already, your library’s site should be responsive. Having a separate mobile site is no longer good practice. Heck, even Google is penalizing non-responsive websites. If your library’s website isn’t responsive already, you’re way, way behind the curve and you should feel horribly guilty about it. That’s the message you’ve probably… Continue reading Why responsive design can be scarier than dating Taylor Swift

Link roundup: things your library should be paying attention to right now

I’ve only listed the three I think are most important right now, because we all get overwhelmed. Fill up on caffeine and get reading, folks. Does Google Think Your Library is Mobile Friendly? If you ignore everything else in today’s post, that’s fine. This one is critical. Too many libraries don’t have websites that are really… Continue reading Link roundup: things your library should be paying attention to right now

Spring cleaning for your library’s website

Allegedly, we’re heading into some season that doesn’t necessarily involve horrible weather and the desire to hibernate. Perhaps, you might be thinking about cleaning things out after the long winter. Hopefully, that urge includes your library’s website. In that vein, I offer up a list of some posts here at Mean Laura, that may help you and… Continue reading Spring cleaning for your library’s website

5 blogs I follow and you should, too

I’m an avid user of Feedly, and I subscribe to a ridiculous number of blogs and websites. However, if I had to narrow those down to the bare essentials, these are the five I couldn’t live without. Mashable. Honestly, if I could only pick one, this would have to be it. By far, it’s the… Continue reading 5 blogs I follow and you should, too

Get help understanding your website’s data

Many libraries devote significant resources to their website. It’s important to know how it’s being used (and not being used). Google Analytics is a popular tool for website analytics, but I have to admit – it scares me. It’s an incredible product, especially since it’s free, but it is overwhelming for nearly everyone, even paid… Continue reading Get help understanding your website’s data

Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2014 edition)

Happy holidays! It’s time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of Online Things Which Can Prevent Work. You know, in case you needed help not getting work done. Cat Petting Simulator. If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember text-based adventure games. Now, imagine petting a cat as a text-based adventure game, with options such as “behold… Continue reading Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2014 edition)

3 things you can learn from other websites

Let’s start with defining “other” here: I mean sites that aren’t library websites. If you do nothing else, I want you to get out of the habit at looking at other library sites for inspiration. No, really, I mean it. Why? As a profession, libraries are too insular. Quit looking at your peers; often, they’re… Continue reading 3 things you can learn from other websites

How well do you know your web usability myths?

Learn about more common UX myth at http://uxmyths.com/. [qzzr quiz=”26203″ width=”100%” height=”auto” redirect=”true” offset=”0″]

5 quick fixes for your library’s website

I’ve talked about all of these before, either in various presentations or blog posts. If you’re looking for a quick tune-up for your library’s website, you might try starting with these: Cut the text on the homepage. Nobody’s reading it. Honest. If you have more than a sentence about any given item, you’re likely turning… Continue reading 5 quick fixes for your library’s website

Too quiet for you?

I’ve mentioned before how I primarily work from home nowadays, where it’s very quiet. So, I’m often looking for ways to jazz up my work environment without actually playing music, which I often find to be too distracting. I’ve written about Coffitivity, which gives you a modifiable coffeehouse ambiance. Since then, a couple of new… Continue reading Too quiet for you?

Carousels: time to go

Carousels have almost become ubiquitous. I am frequently asked about them when I start designing a site for a library. I often. now, make it clear that these don’t represent a good design choice. Yes, they’re convenient. They seemingly solve the problem of how to fit all that “stuff” on the front page. They’re flashy… Continue reading Carousels: time to go

Public computing : Thoughts from the field

Librarians generally don’t like to say “No” to patrons: no, you can’t do this, no, you can’t have this. But they don’t understand the technical challenges involved as we try to preserve and protect public computers so that everyone has a consistent experience. Plus, there’s this whole thing about what is a public library computer… Continue reading Public computing : Thoughts from the field

Tool Tuesday: Flare by Filament

Getting people to share stuff, especially via social media channels, is always a challenge. I’ve tried various WordPress plugins and sharing buttons for my blog, but never been really happy with how most operated; typically, most required being at the bottom of my content and/or I didn’t get to pick the specific channels featured. So,… Continue reading Tool Tuesday: Flare by Filament

3 truths about your library’s website

I create websites for public libraries. I’ve been doing that for more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve learned a few things, especially in my current job, where I work on sites for multiple libraries. I’ve learned some hard truths about these sites, and sometimes I’ve shared those with the clients I’ve worked with. … Continue reading 3 truths about your library’s website

Losing your virginity–thinking more about the payoff

Social media and promoting your library’s “stuff” is something I’ve written about before. It’s still a message that I find many libraries ignoring. Too many libraries believe that their stuff is “cool” because they say so, and ignore one of the most fundamental aspects of promotion: making the promotion actually relevant to the audience. I’ve… Continue reading Losing your virginity–thinking more about the payoff

Tool Tuesday: TL;DR

Perhaps you’re like me, and you have the attention span of a gnat. Or, maybe you’re just like most people, and you don’t have time to read today’s news, in depth. That’s where this handy site comes in: TL;DR. (You may have seen that acronym before; it’s gaining popularity quickly across the web. It stands… Continue reading Tool Tuesday: TL;DR

Tool Tuesday: NameChk

If someone were to ask me “Which tool do you wish you had known about at the beginning of the Internet?” it wouldn’t be that difficult to answer. It would almost certainly be NameChk. NameChk does pretty much one thing. You put in a username, and it checks a very large group of social media… Continue reading Tool Tuesday: NameChk

Going “Cold Turkey”

I admit it. Sometimes, the siren call of Facebook or Twitter gets to me, and I head over to social media to see what’s going on. Maybe it happens to you, as well? Or, perhaps instead of social media, you feel an overwhelming need to check out your auctions on eBay, or the news on… Continue reading Going “Cold Turkey”

Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2013 edition)

It’s that time again! Time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of online things with which you could potentially be ruining your productivity. That is, if you still even have time. After all, Candy Crush Saga might have eaten your soul by now. Here we go: Check the status of the existence of the world. … Continue reading Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2013 edition)

Need a timeline?

Have you ever needed to create a timeline? Or had a student ask you how to create one? Just like most other things nowadays, there’s an app/online tool/thingy for that. One of these is called When in Time. This is an online tool (free, just need to register) that allows you to create interactive timelines. … Continue reading Need a timeline?

Challenges

I was recently asked to talk to a SLIS class for the University of Illinois, concerning what I do and what real-world advice I might care to impart to a class full of potential web librarians and developers. One of the things that I shared were the major challenges that I typically face in my… Continue reading Challenges

How to hire a library tech: Part 4 (Warning Signs & Final Advice)

As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part Four, is the advice received from both administrators and library techs. (See Part One here, Part Two here and… Continue reading How to hire a library tech: Part 4 (Warning Signs & Final Advice)

How to hire a library tech: Part 3 (The Interview)

As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part three, is the advice received from both administrators and library techs, specifically on items relating to IT staff candidate… Continue reading How to hire a library tech: Part 3 (The Interview)

How to hire a tech: Part Two (Job ads and requirements)

As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part Two, is the advice received from both administrators and library techs, specifically on items relating to creating job ads… Continue reading How to hire a tech: Part Two (Job ads and requirements)

How to hire a library tech (Part One)

As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part One, is the advice received from library administrators. The advice from library IT staff themselves will be available in… Continue reading How to hire a library tech (Part One)

Why your website’s UI should not be a special snowflake

So, let me tell you about what happened to me earlier this week. Our family went to Cedar Point. I’m getting really thirsty. Hot day in August and, of course, soft drinks at the amusement park have an approximate 1000% markup*. I want a bottle that I can re-close and store, so I can take… Continue reading Why your website’s UI should not be a special snowflake

Thinking about web analytics

(Today’s post is almost more of a question than anything else, so please post your thoughts in the comments. I’m genuinely interested.) I’ve got questions. Most libraries have some form of web analytics, to measure at least the basics: page views, number of unique visitors, time spent on the site, and so forth. But those… Continue reading Thinking about web analytics

Can’t work in a coffee shop? This might help

It’s true: I have a yen for weird little apps and web services that are truly niche in purpose and yet are helpful. I’ve mentioned some of my favorites previously, such as Newsle and Sunrise. I’m not sure the one I’m featuring today is going to be one of my favorites, but it does get… Continue reading Can’t work in a coffee shop? This might help

Voicemail for your website

Now, they may be out there, but I have yet to run across a library that accepts voice messages via its after-hours answering machine. (I’ve never been clear on whether this was an active choice or a limitation of the answering systems.) I’ve always thought this was rather a shame, especially since libraries often pride… Continue reading Voicemail for your website