The FlashCanon

The last Flex project I was working on before I left Click Here to join Blockdot was a site for GameStop known as the Smack Talk Generator. While the site was originally due to launch before my departure, there were unforeseen events that pushed that date out and I didn’t get to finish it up. Since that was the case, the project was handed over to a couple of my (now former) coworkers for completion and I was told that it launched yesterday.

Ok, so what exactly is this Smack Talk Generator? Well, the short version of it is this: Since gamers like to talk smack to each other, they can now do it via email (linking out of course) with voice and animation. To talk smack with someone, you simply drag words you want to use from an available “word bank” and drop them in the smack sentence area. Your chosen words can then be removed or rearranged as you see fit and then you can choose an animation to play along with your smack, preview it and then send it all out to your friends. That’s it in a nutshell.

So get over there to check it out and then come back here because I’d love to hear what you think.

One more thing for Chris, Scott and Charlie (and anyone else involved in the project): GREAT JOB GUYS!

After much thought and careful consideration, I’ve recently turned in my resignation with Click Here and will be joining the team at Blockdot starting on November 26th. While I’m very much looking forward to meeting (and of course working with) all of the extremely talented developers at Blockdot, I will also miss my friends at Click Here who have been the best group of people I’ve had the pleasure of working with to date. The last 4 years have been very valuable to me in terms of both personal and professional growth and if anyone reading this post is presented with the opportunity to work at Click Here, I would definitely recommend it. With that said, it’s time for me to look ahead to my future and open a new chapter in my career… a chapter that looks to hold plenty of fun challenges, learning opportunities and of course… games.

Just read this post over at Actionscript Hero and since I’m in advertising, I wanted to be sure to pass it on as well:

“Google has announced and given some examples of their new Flash based ads. They seem to vary from average size to full screen-width Flash advertisements, with some interactive abilities. ‘Gadget ads can incorporate real-time data feeds, images, video and much more in a single creative unit and can be developed using Flash, HTML or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, they run on the Google(TM) content network, competing alongside text, image and video ads for placement. They support both cost-per-click and cost-per-impression pricing models, and offer a variety of contextual, site, geographic and demographic targeting options to ensure the ads reach relevant users with precision and scale.’”

Here’s a Link to Gailin’s post on Slashdot
And since this involves Flash and advertising, here’s a shameless self promo link to my book on Flash Advertising

While Amazon still has it marked as a pre-order, my book, Hands-On Guide To Creating Flash Advertising, has been published and I’ve got my first copy in hand. And while the title may make some people cringe at the thought of another annoying banner with lots of blinking fluorescent colors, the true purpose of the book is to teach its readers a better, more likable way to advertise online with Flash. And it’s not just about banner ads, it’s about microsites as well. With chapters covering everything from advertising examples to sample code to topics such as design and preparation for advertising with both banners and microsites, I hope you’ll enjoy reading the book just as much as I hope you’ll gain some bit of new knowledge from it.

With the publish date for the book only a month away (August 24), I went ahead and pushed the website live last night. Not all aspects of the site are fully functional at this time and that’s intentional. While I wanted visitors to be able to do a couple of things like read about the book (or the author), I’m holding off on some other features like downloads and questions/comments for individual chapters until the book is released. Anyway, check it out when you get a chance and feel free to order a copy if you like.