Bennett and I have collected a pretty good list of email addresses, and it was with much hesitation that we decided to send out a mass email about Be A Design Group. I built the email, plugged in the mailing list, and stared at the screen for about fifteen minutes contemplating whether or not this really was such a good idea. After all, this list represents not only huge names in the graphic design field, but most of the people that are responsible for the success of our site. If there is anybody we don’t want to upset, their name is most likely on this list. Once I gained enough courage, I hit the send button. “Here goes nothing.”

Maybe you got our email, and have something to say about it. Let us have it. Your feedback is welcome and will be taken very seriously.

Pardon the break from the graphic design dialogue. As a responsible member of the blogosphere, I thought I would share the following exchange between me, Movable Type Support, and our hosting company. The conversation is regarding a hack of mt-comments.cgi which turned out to be a false alarm. If you aren’t interested in what happens behind the BA curtain, go about your business…

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Last week I finally upgraded Be A Design Group from Movable Type 2.661 to Movable Type 3.15. The main reason I wanted to upgrade was to control comment spam better. The upgrade was pretty painless aside from a few glitches that I will explain in a second. I apologize if anyone experienced any problems with our site during the upgrade. If anyone is comparing blog software, I highly recommend Movable Type. It is a great product, and worth the relatively low cost.

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Don’t know how many of you read Steven Heller (May/June) and Rick Poynor’s (Sept/Oct) articles in PRINT this past year. They are worth a read. Some of the highlights:

HELLER: *”I hate design blogs. True, they provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas and the oportunity to win virtual friends and influence people, but they are habit-forming, time-consuming, and sometimes infuriatingly self-serving.”*

HELLER: *”Some bloggers simply post to see their words in type√≥like being smitten with the sound of their own voices.”*

POYNOR: *”…overfamiliar tone and endless jokey asides can be a distraction for those who want to read, think and participate in debate.”*

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If you didn’t know that the stock photo site Veer had a blog, it is worth checking out. They just announced that they are sponsoring a poster contest with SpeakUp. The only creative limitations is that you must base your poster on a quote from SpeakUp’s blog.

While you are at Veer, check out their "Behind the Typeface: Cooper Black."