The headline in yesterday’s Business Lexington read -National Labor Relations Board Complaint Alleges Employer Violated Employee’s

Louisville, KY – The National Labor Relations Board’s Hartford, Connecticut office recently issued an unfair labor practice complaint against an employer after the employer fired an employee who posted derogatory comments regarding her supervisor on the employee’s personal Facebook page. (American Med. Response of Conn., NLRB Reg. 34, No. 34-CA-12576, complaint issued 10/27/10).

Read the full article here

I completely understand that there are legalities involved here, and I will leave it up to the lawyers and courts to battle it out.

Seriously, think before you speak.

Just because we have freedom of speech, doesn’t mean we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. When is it ever a good idea to get on Facebook and make derogatory remarks about your boss? Never, in my opinion. If there is a conflict with your boss put your energy into working towards a solution, instead of some passive-aggressive post on Facebook. Do people actually think their employers don’t follow you on Facebook these days.

By Andrew Follett
October 20th, 2010
Smashing Magazine

In the mid-80s the desktop publishing revolution began with the introduction of the Mac Plus, Aldus PageMaker and the Apple LaserWriter printer. It took quite a few years for these tools to make an impact on the design and publishing world, but once they did, there was no looking back.

In 2010 we see a similar revolution starting to take shape with web fonts. Even though @font-face was introduced in the CSS2 spec in 1998, it wasn’t until this past year that all in-use web browsers added support for it. This year we’re seeing a wave of web font services being marketed, and this could have a profound impact on web typography.

Web font services, like Typekit and now the Google Font API, have captured a lot of attention. But in the past 3 months there’s been an explosion of new services; services like Fonts Live, Fontdeck, Webtype and others with conjugated names involving “Font” or “Type”.

While all of these services are unique, they each provide a tool for web designers and developers to legally display professional fonts on their website. The guide below compares 10 of these services, breaking down the pros and cons of each. We hope this comparison will help you make a more informed decision on which service to use when you venture into the ever-growing, sometimes confusing, world of web fonts.

Read the Article

This past weekend I attended my first WordCamp in Birmingham, Alabama. I made the 6 hour trip from Lexington to Birmingham with my friend Bill Powell of Inbox Orange to experience the developer track. Bill also shares my passion for social media and WordPress. It was a great experience filled with new found knowledge, friends and a new perspective on WordPress. I made the most of this WordCamp by taking a great deal of notes, asking questions and seeking the advice of more seasoned WordPress professionals. There were many there who had what we’d consider “Rockstar” status, but without the rockstar attitude. Everyone was very cool and willing to answer question, share stories and were very approachable.

There were many great presentations, but there were a few that helped me the most.  Syed Balkhi from WP Beginner presented How to Speed up WordPress and Boost Site Performance, covering the importance of optimization of plugins, consolidation of javascripts to reduce server calls and content delivery networks. You can view his presentation on slide share. Although only 19 years old, he carries himself with confidence and knowledge of someone twice his age. He is also very polite, we had to reprimand him constantly for calling us “sir”.

Sara Cannon from Scout Branding Company gave a light-hearted but technically solid presentation on Advanced Web Typography. It’s rare to have a presenter make you laugh and have an “ah ha” moment at the same time.

Last but not least, some WordPress contributors that left a lasting impression were Andrew Nacin (@nacin) and Otto Wood (@Otto42). Their passion for WordPress was evident and were a blast to hang out with at the after party. Here is a photo prior to the start of WordCamp.

I have had the pleasure of working with Program Director Stacey Cruse on previous missions projects. Stacey is a warm, compassionate person with a servants heart. When she came to me with the opportunity to donate a website to her latest venture… how could I refuse. You can view it at www.scottcountyhospitalityhouse.com

In October of 2009 several members of the community began conversation about the need for a homeless shelter in Scott County, Kentucky. From that conversation, The Scott County Homeless Coalition was formed to establish a network of community leaders who are interested and committed to the issue.

March 1, 2010 Stacey Cruse, Director for Hospitality House began exploration of possible grant monies. Fundraising in local churches, and through community organizations also began.

There is a growing need for transitional and emergency housing here in Scott County, Kentucky, and we are making every effort to meet those needs in a respectful and dignifying manner. We depend not only on financial support from the community but will rely heavily on volunteer support, especially as we get into our own facility. The Scott County/Georgetown Community is very committed to meeting these needs.

Recently, the Georgetown News Graphic wrote an article on the good works Scott County Hospitality House has been doing in our community. I have re-posted it here.

On Saturday August 21st I took my 16 year old daughter Elizabeth to the light the house benefit held at Lexington Christian Academy. This is an annual fund-raising event for the Lighthouse Ministries. Dinner was provided by Sullivan University’s Culinary school and served by the LCA baseball team. The food was great and Elizabeth really enjoyed the Ratatiouie. She is growing into such a mature young woman, I couldn’t have been more proud to take her to sit with my friends and be apart of a ministry I volunteer my time for.

In addition to the silent auction, there were many live auction items up for bid. The auctioneer was very entertaining and the evening was a success in regards to fund raising. That was only a small part of the story that was shared that night. There was a sign board presentation by recent graduates of the Nehemiah House program.  The Nehemiah House offers the opportunity for a new beginning to those who might not find it elsewhere. Many men who have lost their independence through unemployment, incarceration or through the ravages of addiction are now being helped to overcome the limitations that have become a hindrance to their success.

A few men shared their testimonials. This was very powerful hearing how Meth had taken wifes, children and extended families away. A great number of graduates of the program come back to volunteer and help encourage others in the program. The Lighthouse Ministries are meeting the needs of the community and making a difference to many people here in the central KY community. I encourage anyone who is interested to donate their time or money to this worthwhile ministry. More information.

Here is a great article on what it takes to be a web designer, and insights into the career / lifestyle aspect. This should be required reading to anyone who is looking to get into the business.

Many of the principals discussed can transcend into other careers, such as taking criticism constructively, learning patience, being a helpful member of your business community, and believing in yourself. That is great advice not matter how you earn a living.

Balance is also important to avoid burn out. Take time for yourself, and time to spend with friends and family and enjoying life away from the computer. You don’t have to check into every location on foursquare, or update your status every time you leave the office. Unplug and refresh. In my experience, I feel more focused when I don’t burn the candle at both ends.

The most important principal covered in my opinion is to never stop learning. Think you know it all… wait until you don’t get the account after your next new business pitch. We need to say focused, stay hungry and stay informed. If you are not on top of your game, someone else is – and they are one lunch meeting away from taking your account. The best solution is education. Never stop learning.

Read The Smashing Magazine Article

Smashing Magazine‘s recent post released a free Facebook GUI PSD Kit. It was designed by SurgeWorks and released for Smashing Magazine and its readers. The main idea behind the kit is to speed up the prototyping of Facebook application UIs and Facebook fan pages, thus sparing you from drawing all the comps and letting you customize all the texts, buttons and data as you need. As usual, the kit is free to use in all projects, without any restrictions.

Read the full article and download GUI PSD Kit here.

Eight weeks ago I was told I need to see a specialist. It took 6 weeks to get an appt. They needed to take blood to run tests. Fine, i had a followup appt with my primary doctor for bloodwork the next morning.

After waiting at the specialists office for an hour I am told they never got the results from my primary doctor.

This is where everything falls apart like a wet taco.
1. Primary doctor’s office failed to send results.

2. Specialist’s office failed for not following up and being sure they had them for my appt today. After all I got a reminder call about my appt yesterday.

3. My fault for not babysitting my healthcare “professionals”.

I am told 15 minutes later that the specialist called and left a message with primary doctor to send over labs.

After patiently waiting for 3 minutes, I picked up the phone and called my primary doc’s office, hit “0″ and got the receptionist and asked politely if the could find the lab results and fax them asap. I provided my info and gave them the doctor’s fax number.

Both of my doctors are first-rate and take the time to listen and address my concerns. For this I patiently wait for an hour or more for my turn. I realize they are providing excellent care to other patients and rely on their team to follow through on tasks.

I am reminded that every person in an organization is vital to their success or failure. While I am inconvenienced, everyone is polite and pleasant. Somehow the 70′s music they ade piping in seems somehow acceptable.

Your support staff is vital to your success at every level of customer interaction. How is your customer service these days? If you were the owner of the company, would you be satisfied with your performance or would you fire yourself?

Justina is at the perfect age for daddy / daughter date nights. Whether it be a trip to Brewster’s for some ice cream, or a movie we enjoy spending time. It’s still an event when I get home from work to her, as I am always greeted with a big hug and lots of excitement. My teen girls barely look up from texting long enough to notice. Which is typical and fine. I take them them to dinner and we amuse each other with funny stories, but now that they have boyfriends it gets harder and harder to get much one-on-one time with them.

Tonight I took Justina to see Dispicable Me. Excellent film for young children. It held our interest and had enough humor that adults could identify with without being inappropriate. I highly recommend it.

Last weekend I got the chance to spend some quality time with my son Wesley, who recently turned 5. He is full of boundless energy, smiles and endless curiosity. We attended a Mens church retreat and had a great time.

Some of my greatest moments as a dad have been teaching my children to do things, specifically riding dirt bikes. Like most things in life you start off small and work your way up taking things one step at a time. Both of my older girls learned to ride on our Honda 50, then worked their way up to a 125 with a clutch. Each learn at their own pace and take their own time to master the clutch, and when they final get it they were so excited. We made some great memories together riding in the mountains of Georgia.

Now that Justina and Wesley have mastered riding their bicycles, this summer they are learning the fine art of riding a dirt bike. To date, balance and throttle control has been their primary focus. We’ll get to shifting out of first gear later.

So last weekend at our Mens retreat he got the chance to spread his wings and ride the 50 all by himself. With several hundred acres to ride on, he had a blast. We had borrowed a friend’s quad and took it through some unkempt areas of Sanford’s (gentleman who runs the retreat) property. In some spots the weeds were over our hands, and the natural spring we drove into proved a memorable experience. After getting stuck, we had to walk back to camp and get a full size truck to pull us out. Of course, it backed into the spring and got stuck! Sanford saved the day with his F250 diesel and pulled us out.

Wesley got to shoot a bb rifle (Alexandria’s boyfriend gracious gave Wesley) for the first time and learned how to load, aim and fire. I spent the majority of the time covering safety issues, although the rifle wasn’t powerful enough to break the surface of the large zip lock bag we were shooting at. Some of the other men brought their rifles and pistols and boy did Wesley jump the first time they fired the 12 gauge. We topped off the morning with some incredible pork chops cooked in large cast iron pots over and open flame for lunch. Despite being an inch thick, you could cut them with a plastic fork! We had to leave early, as Wesley was having a birthday party at our house and just couldn’t skip it. Neither of us wanted to go, but won’t soon forget the great time we got to spend together.