A subset of the Behance Team made the trek to Austin, Texas this year to attend the SXSW Interactive Festival. Our beloved TheServed.com project was up for an interactive award, and Scott Belsky presented some of Behance's research at a morning keynote (which received some coverage on some blogs like NewCityMedia, BionicTeaching, and DuckSXSW).
Other highlights included legos, the Behance gathering, and an ever growing fascination with Twitter. All in all, a good trip.
As we launched the first version of Action Method for the iPhone, we were pleased to track initial responses via Twitter.
The only lingering frustration is the group of people posting reviews in the App Store that claim "there is no way to delete an Action Step." So we would like to explain: All you need to do is open the Action Step and then touch the "Trash" icon. And, of course, if you are just completing the Action Step, touch the checkbox. Sorry for the confusion between "Trash" and "Delete" - it will be addressed in future versions.
We're excited to announce the launch of Action Method for the iPhone. You can use Action Method Online to create a whole connected world of productivity. It offers advanced features like Discussion, File Sharing, and Events (deadline coordination). And Action Method for iPhone lets you take your Action Steps with you. It all works together to ensure nothing falls through the cracks again!
For more information, please visit http://www.actionmethod.com/iPhone_Tour
Serial innovators Bre Pettis and Kio Stark came together to produce what the call "The Cult of Done Manifesto." As Bre explains, it was written "in 20 minutes because we only had 20 minutes to get it done." Talk about making ideas happen...
The manifesto, reprinted below, inspired technical illustrator James Provost to represent the manifesto as a poster (below). No word on how long that took...
VentureBeat, an online publication covering emerging businesses in technology, profiled Behance founder Scott Belsky's view on productivity in the creative world as well as the company's development.
For some, an office space is just a place to come every day, do stuff, and then leave. For others, an office space is a hatchery, an incubator, an arena, and a place that feels like home - often all simultaneously.
As a company on a mission to organize the creative world, we wanted a space to practice what we preach - a place to experiment with our ideas around creative collaborations, work with a bias towards action, and find ways to organize for productivity.
The Behance team now inhabits the 8th floor of a rather unique building in Soho. Our hardwood floor boards run diagonal rather than straight like any other floor boards we have ever seen. We are told that the floors date back to a very young and creative maverick in the real-estate world that had a crazy idea: the floor boards on this particular floor should run parallel to Broadway (in NYC, every major street and avenue is on a perpendicular grid except for Broadway - an avenue that runs diagonal through the city). Since he owned the building and inhabited this floor himself, he made the idea happen. Carpenters and contractors thought the guy was crazy, but he defied the status quo nonetheless.
The space fits Behance quite well, and for this we are grateful.
Behance's Action Method received some center stage attention at this year's TED (Technology Entertainment Design) conference in Long Beach, California. All TED participants received a subscription to Action Method Online. And, those who attended the TED Prize lunches received a limited edition TED Prize Action Book.
Every year, TED gathers luminaries such as Bill Gates, the Google founders, and other leaders of organizations, companies, and non-profits that are innovating across industries. Collectively, the audience has the opportunity to add value to three "wishes" that will improve the world - announced at the conference every year.
The Served Sites have been listed as finalists in the "Art" category of the SWSX Interactive awards. "From traditional photography to untraditional performances, this category focuses on web-based collections of life, society, and culture." Congratulations to the other finalists!
We're excited to announce two more speakers to the 99% Conference.
Cheryl Dorsey /// President, Echoing Green
An accomplished social entrepreneur with expertise in health care, labor issues, and public policy, Cheryl Dorsey was named President of Echoing Green in May 2002. She is the first Echoing Green Fellow to lead this global nonprofit, which has awarded more than $27 million in start-up capital to over 450 social entrepreneurs worldwide since 1987.
Scott Thomas /// Design Director of New Media, Obama for AmericaIn 2007, Scott's career took a dramatic leap when he was invited to join the New Media team at Obama for America. The chance encounter led Scott to becoming the Design Director of the historic Obama Presidential campaign. He is currently writing a book that explains how an obscure senator rose to the highest office in the land and celebrity status with the aid of branding and design.
R/GA is sponsoring a contest on the Behance Network for imagining the future design of the "mobile music experience." They encourage all creative professionals to "submit projects that represent how you think we'll use mobile devices to experience music in the future, and we'll award one lucky winner $2500."
The rules? None. Just make something. Or submit something you've done in the past (there is no "client," it is just a creative challenge). Just stick to mobile + music. And make sure it's cool.
To enter, please visit http://www.behance.net/Circles/The-RGA-Mobile-Music-Challenge/59639