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Miscellaneous Ramblings

Carmen Ballering created a spectacular display with Balloon-a-palooza.

• BHQ Year in Review
• BHQ Photo Database: Better Photo Information
• Featured Member Portfolio

BHQ Year in Review

Happy New Year everyone, another year has just flown by. Once again, fighting spam and keeping our servers secure took up more time than we would have wished. Happily, the move to Postini for spam filtering is already starting to pay off by freeing up important staff time. We feel like we're emerging from a technical coccoon, while staying current with the on-line needs of our community at the same time. We're also proud of our other 2006 accomplishments. These included the release of the BHQ Who's Who database, the return of BHQ Feature Photographs, the addition of RSS Feeds, and a great array of content provided by BHQ Columnists.

As we start the new year, we're grateful that our reliable staff of John Barthelmes and Debbie Piotrowski are continuing on for 2006. Mark, Larry and I really appreciate their service and continue to be proud of the way they represent Balloon HQ. Between the five of us, we've already got plans to have a BHQ presence at DiamondJam, Twist and Shout, Ballooniversity, Summer Camp, and Balloon Manor 2006. We're looking forward to seeing all of you in person at these, and perhaps other, 2006 events.

BHQ Photo Database: Tips for Photo Uploads

Ah, January always seems to be a good time to review the status of the BHQ Photo Database. Over 10,000 photos were added to the database in 2005 (yikes!), bringing the total to over 31,500 archived photographs. With such drastic growth, there is an ever-present need to review tips for uploading photos, keeping search strategies in mind.

Provide a detailed title that clearly defines the photo content.

Try not to think short-term.

No one will be able to rediscover your work if you identify yourself as "me" or your current stage name.

Categorize your entry appropriately.

Evaluate your photo content objectively.

Double check the text and categories you've provided.

Try not to include a wide array of categories that the in which the subject "might" fit.

Ask yourself some searching questions.

Are your entries fun but professional?

Would prospective clients trust you with their business?

Could a collegue easily find this picture in the database?

Try some practice searches, after you've uploaded a few photos. Or, ask a friend to search for your work. Such checks should give you some clear ideas on how to modify the information related to your photo entries

Birthday Crown

Featured artist portfolio: Joanne Kam

Joanne Kam of Singapore has recently begun building a small but engaging portfolio of work. Her small sculptures are colorful and detailed. We're all looking forward to seeing more of her work.

See Joanne Kam's BHQ Portfolio.

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