SOME RANDOM DUDE

Hey, whaddaya know, two weeks in a row… Get used to it.

Enjoy the links.

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I have been playing with Twitter for the past few months now and I have decided to temporarily take the plunge and devote much more time into it. I am planning to integrate my Twittering into this blog - which required this plugin, which required a Wordpress upgrade which ended up creating all hell with some of my plugins, which ended up clearing all my tags once someone commented, which required me to frantically try to get my site back to normal.

Good times.

If you Twitter, by all means, please head over to my profile and add me as a friend. I have been very resistant to the social networking scene as I feel many, if not most, lack substance. What I like about Twitter is the fact it is a tool that can be used however one desires - the social aspect is merely a feature. Due to this flexibility, I am going to give it a go.

Integrating some aspects of my Twittering to the blog should not take too long so they should be popping up in the next couple weeks… Along with the photoblog and the functionality updates to Some Random Dude… Yes, I know I bit off more than I can chew. Still, I think this could add a lot to the site, so I am looking forward to trying it out. Please let me know your thoughts and, by all means, Sign up for an account and add me as a friend so you can join in on the fun.
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Well, this is it, the big 50. The Weekly Links have been going on for close to a year now and it has become one of my favorites pieces of this blog. Even though I am on vacation, I thought I would take the time to drop the links for you - albeit a bit late.

Nevertheless, please enjoy the links while I enjoy my vacation.

Enjoy the links.

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I am not a big networker. I innately do not feel comfortable rubbing elbows and exchanging business cards all for the sake of adding to your contacts. That being said, networking can obviously be a very important part of a designer’s life. Not only can it help you find work, but it can expand your horizons to different thoughts/theories on design. There are a lot of good reasons why we all should spend some time to get to know other designers. Still, I feel the process breaks down at some point to end up being more like MySpace than Mensa.

All thoughts aside, a new designer-focused social networking site, Nice to Meet You has sprung up - giving us the chance to socialize with designers all across the world. I have yet to decide if I am going to participate in this community (or some other yet to come about). Still, this brings up a good question - how important do you think networking is? I personally find it to be an appendage to the true goal, albeit a very helpful appendage at times. Some would say that many of the most famous designers were those able to market themselves through various means. Did it make them better designers? Did it aid in their growth? I could see viable reasons to support either side of the debate.

So what are your thoughts? Waste of time? Valuable addition to the design process? Necessary evil?

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