For those that don't follow the BalloonHQ decorator and twister e-mailing lists, we've just picked a few random things that BHQ has seen happen over the last month. And for those that haven't had time to visit everything on BalloonHQ.com, we've found a selection of the site to highlight.
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| Artists and suppliers on BHQ are just one happy family |
The artist and supplier directory on BalloonHQ.com has resulted in a number of referrals for artists around the world. The popularity of the directory far exceded the capacity of the software that was driving it. As a result, we've rewritten that and improved searching of the database. Take a look. See if we have an entry for you. Update it if you're already in there or submit your information if we don't already have it. This directory is one of the best ways to be found by other balloon artists. We added another feature in addition to improved searches. If you're a BHQ member, you'll be given an opportunity to upload a picture of yourself or your work for others to see.
Those that have been on the BHQ mailing lists for years know that often people have asked for ways of posting classified ads. We now have a mechanism to accomplish this. Visit our new classified ad pages. If you have old equipment you want to sell, items you're looking for, or need temporary help, this is the best place to go. Ads are up for a week. You can renew them any time you want. Anyone can read the ads. Normally only members can post ads, but for this month only, anyone can post classified ads.
It was just pointed out to us that one way to make use of the classified listings right now is to find people to share rooms with at upcoming conventions like IBAC and TJam.
Huge improvements have been made to the events section of BalloonHQ. We always do what we can to keep the calendar up to date. Like the classified ads, this section is set up so members can post events. These can be major industry events or just local jam sessions. Also like with the classified ads, it's open for anyone to post stuff until the end of this month.
A few months ago we did our first BHQ poll. We picked a hot topic that people were debating and decided to count votes rather than have people yell back and forth via email. The response to the poll was good. Unfortunately, for every person that voted, there was another person that wrote in to say they didn't like the choices they were given. We tried again with a second poll the month after and had the same experience. We decided to let the poll rest for a while until we figure out a better way of doing it, or at least some better questions to ask.
Last month, we didn't have a new poll and we received email asking what happened to it. It looks like we can't win. Chances are it will come back some time down the road. If you have any thoughts about it, write to Larry with your ideas.
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| Jimmy's profile |
It was only last month that we announced a new columnist, and again we've
had a new person join the ranks of our regular writers. Jimmy Leo of Cloud
9 Balloons on Long Island, NY has decided to offer his thoughts as a
balloon entertainer. Unlike most balloon artists that tend to pick between
decor and entertainment, Jimmy has tried his hand at both over the years.
His experiences are incredibly varied, and we're looking forward to all
that he has to share.
This month's featured section of the Guide is from the The Allure of Balloons. Anyone reading this is already well aware of the value of balloons for an event and already has a great interest in their use. But sometimes a quick reminder as to why you fell in love with balloons can reinvigorate you and excite your clients.
Size to Weight
A balloon is so light for its size that it seems to defy gravity. The larger the balloon or group of balloons the more amazing this effect becomes. A balloon's air resistance and elastic skin add to it's seemingly unnatural properties. When hit it does not go far and it nearly disappears when it breaks.Energy and Practicality
Try telling a non-balloonists that an 11 inch round balloon, fully inflated, has just under 4 square feet of surface area! Then ask them if they know of any other decor medium that offers as much color intensity and visual energy and features as much surface area for so little money.Emotional connection
Balloons are associated with good times. The more the merrier. They are commonly used by advertisers to symbolize fun.Fragility
They are easy to break and require special care. Giving something personal attention makes it more valuable to the giver. Fragile also implies fleeting, A balloon by nature is not going to be around very long (or if it is, it will look a whole lot different than it did when first made). This is, from a marketing point of view, a great benefit because there is always product need. The twisted balloon adds even more to this fleeting product because you may be able to find a balloon quickly, but you cannot always find someone to twist it up for you.Danger
A balloon pop startles people. It can start your juices going to make for a moment of 'fight or flee' response.
An entire chapter of The Guide to Balloons and Ballooning is dedicated to the things tha tmake balloons special and ways of making them even more special. Check it out for ideas.
These are just a couple samples of questions we saw online this month. To find out what else people talked about, visit the twister and decorator archives. The answers to these questions do not necessarily represent the editorial views of BHQ.
Laur-Loons (Thinkpositivity@aol.com) asks:I'm going to be teaching "Balloon Art for FUN" in an after-school program 4 hours a week. I am so excited. Kids are K-5. Any tips on working with kids this age? And does anybody have a favorite book referral I can buy that covers facts about giraffes, dogs, cats, basic animals? I want the kids to learn about animals as well as twist. I'm really excited about this opportunity. I still earn more in the restaurants, but this is an entirely new facet to it all for me. Thanks again for any sharing! Keep on Twisting! LAUR-LOONS Tucson, AZ
Lorna Paris (lorna@balloonhq.com) answered:> I'm going to be teaching "Balloon Art for FUN" in an after-school program 4 > hours a week. I am so excited. Kids are K-5. Good for you. Working with kids is a LOT of fun! and they will remember you forever for doing something different with them. > Any tips on working with kids this age? For the younger portion of your students, I would recommend working with 160's. In general, 160's better fit their tiny hands. Linda Berman has a beginner's book and kit that has excellent instructions for 160 use. A different idea (if your kids are all older) would be to promise to teach the kids a few things. . . i.e. a dog, a teddy bear, a cat, a hat, etc. Have them write out the instructions. . . how to do each twist on one page, and later on, have them write out how to make each animal. . i.e. a dictation. At the end have them staple the pages together in book form and draw a cover for it (I demo this by drawing a quick balloon doggie). This meets education standards. and the kids love it. For the smaller kids, having them just draw pictures, etc. are also good ... and definitely teach them to do a dog. (I haven't had the chance to do more than than, but Fred Harshberger's sons a few years ago, showed me that the tiniest of guys can learn to twist.) > And does anybody have a favorite book referral I can buy that covers facts > about giraffes, dogs, cats, basic animals? animal facts. . . . Eyewitness Books have a lot of different subjects that are well organized. I have noticed, arms and armor, Witches, Magnetism (specifically), but I am sure that they have a variety of books about animals, as well. (probably marine life, mammals, reptiles, etc.) They are educational books that are widely found in classroom libraries. Kids are great to work with. My balloon dog making book (even if it is only one dog and nothing else) has made me a memorable substitute teacher in a lot of classrooms around town. Lorna
[Editor's note: This topic comes up quite often. A lot more material on this subject can be found in a special chapter in the Guide to Balloons and Ballooning.]
Melanie Binkley (applause2x@earthlink.net) asks:I need a chemistry lesson.....hydrogen? and they float? Zapped by my own ignorrance somewhere somehow I got the impression that helium was the only gas available for floating.....que pasa? Mark--I am sure you have the answer here.....break it to me gently please! No snickering....
Melanie, we're not snickering. A lot of people seemed to be confused about helium and gas usage in general.
Mark Balzer (mbalzer@balloonhq.com) answered:
For shame, Melanie... don't you know your balloon history? :-) :-)
Yes, hydrogen filled balloons do indeed float. The very first
lighter-than-air rubber balloon ever made (by scientist Michael Faraday in
1824) was filled with hydrogen that he produced in his experiments!
In the Quarterly Journal of Science that year Faraday wrote:
The caoutchouc (rubber) is exceedingly elastic. Bags
made of it...have been expanded by having air forced
into them, until the caoutchouc was quite transparent,
and when expanded by hydrogen they were so light as to
form balloons with considerable ascending power....
>Hydogen is the lightest of gases and highly explosive.
Indeed, hydrogen is the lightest. But hydrogen is not one of those
chemicals that are explosive all by themselves. It's just like propane or
natural gas. Flammable, yes. Explosive, no. Only in the presence of an
oxidizer do you need to be careful with it. (Of course, one fifth of air
happens to be a pretty good oxidizer :-)
>Lighter than helium, this gas is very volatile
If we use the chemistry major's definition of volatile (as opposed to the
english major's definition) I agree. You don't see much liquid hydrogen
laying around, unless you call the space shuttle's fuel tank home
(volatile = evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures).
For some reason I can't find the posts, but I know that we had a
discussion about a year ago which started when someone in the Phillipines
(I think?) reported that hydrogen was commonly used because helium was so
expensive. (This practice was universally decried at the time... by those
who could afford helium :-)