general Archives - Amethyst Answers

WordCamp Calgary 2017

May 14, 2017 by Christina Workman Leave a Comment

What is WordCamp Calgary

WordCamps happen all over the world. To quote the WordCamp Central page, they are “informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other.” And I am lucky to be an organizer of this year’s WordCamp Calgary, which just happens to Calgary’s 5th annual event. WordCamps vary from location to location and even year to year. This year, WordCamp Calgary is going to be a one-day event. Attendees will have 3 options to choose from in each of 4 timeslots, followed by a Keynote session by the ever popular Dana DiTomaso.

Why I love WordCamp

meeting great people at WordCamp Calgary — photo credit: Reg Tighe

I’ve been going to WordCamps for about 6 years now. My first one was in Edmonton, shortly after I started using WordPress. I was so new, all of the amazing information was overwhelming to take in, but somehow I managed. Every time I attend a WordCamp, I learn new things, and nowadays, when I sit in a session at WordCamp, I can think of at least one project I can apply my new knowledge to. Learning aside, I’ve also met some wonderful people, some who have become friends, and others who are now colleagues and even referral partners. And the tickets are always ridiculously cheap ($25 this year!), so even if you were to only take away one tiny thing from the day, it’s still worth it!

Why you might love WordCamp

Content presentation at WordCamp Calgary — photo credit: Reg Tighe

WordCamp isn’t just for designers and developers who are working ON WordPress sites all the time. It’s for anyone who has a WordPress site and wants to learn how to use it better. Even if your site is already online and functioning beautifully, there’s always more content to be created. And let me tell you, there are always great talks about how to create great content (and get it out in front of eyeballs), and this year is no exception. There are also sessions about things like SEO, speed and current trends. And did I mention the people? We’re a fantastic bunch!

Will you join me?

If it’s starting to sound like WordCamp Calgary is a good idea, I’d love to see you there! Here are all the details:

Date: Saturday, May 27, 2017
Time: 9:30am-5pm (and then we party!)
Where: Fort Calgary
Investment: only $25 (includes lunch, a drink at the after party, and some cool swag)

Ticket please!

And if you don’t live in Calgary, I highly recommend you keep an eye out for a WordCamp near you.

Unique Gift Ideas 2016

November 29, 2016 by Christina Workman Leave a Comment

Last year I compiled a list of gift ideas that my family, friends and clients were offering. It was well received, so I decided to make it an annual thing. I present to you some of my amazing clients!

Gifts that keep giving

Chocola Chocola

What’s better than premium chocolate? Chocolate that gives back. Use coupon code “shoebox” when you order a chocolate pizza or truffled milk chocolate grahams and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Shoebox Project. Chocolate, please!

Puzzles for Good

For the puzzle lover in your life, check out these puzzle packs that support various organizations. Each puzzle pack is built around the theme of the organization. Puzzle me this!

Joy Socks

One of my favourite non-profits, Joy Socks just celebrated their first anniversary! There’s something wonderful about a fun pair of socks, and Joy Socks continues to bring socks and smiles to people in hospitals, Ronald McDonald House, and other similar places. Help spread the joy!

Treat yourself

The Gift of Divine Blessings: Meditations to Awaken your Soul

Reiki Resonance

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we could all benefit from some soothing meditations. The Gift of Divine Blessings: Meditations to Awaken Your Soul comes with the added benefit of reiki energy! Connect with compassion and love

Chiropractic Wellness Clinic

Take guided meditations/visualizations to the next level with MindFit at Chiropractic Wellness Clinic. There are hundreds of session options, ranging from reducing stress to improving your golf game. Activate your brain’s full potential!

Yogini’s Guide to Intuition

Yoga goes hand in hand with Intuition in this book that demystifies the practice of using our intuition and includes it as part of daily life. Along with a practical guide to living a yogic lifestyle, this book is filled with relatable human stories. Choose intuition!

More Cool Ideas

Kids Code Force

Got kids? Do they love computers? Book a Coding Party! Kids Code Force trains kids as young as 6 years old how to start computer programming while building their own project that can be shared with friends and family. Level up!

jwedholmdesign.ca

Just in time for the new year, get a custom branded 2017 year-in-view calendar for your favourite business owner. These are great printed out poster sized and laminated! Great for internal use or as promotional items. Best year ever!

SwedeThings

Eco-friendly dishcloths like nothing you’ve used before! Streak-free cleaning, throw them in the dishwasher to clean and disinfect, use them for dishes, in the bath, anywhere! And they are super cute. Find a retailer near you.

Interior Design Shoppe

Know someone who is thinking of changing things up in the new year? Interior Design Shoppe is offering gift certificates for a 1 or 2 hour in-home design consultation. Get stylin’!

One last thing…

I also recently created a Kids Code Force store on amazon.ca where you can check out some great coding resources. If you know someone who is interested in computer programming, you may just find their coolest gift!

Have fun shopping!

15 Gift Ideas You Probably Didn’t Know About

November 30, 2015 by Christina Workman Leave a Comment

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately encouraging people to “Shop the Neighbourhood”. It’s a great idea, but it seems to be made more retail businesses with an actual storefront. I know a lot of fantastic small businesses without storefronts who could use our support as well, so I invite you to shop MY “neighbourhood”. Click on the company name to visit their website.

Unique Ideas

ChocolaChocola
Specialty chocolates once described to me as “the gobstoppers of chocolate”. Take a nut, fruit, or even start with a bit of chocolate. Coat it in chocolate, and then coat that in another kind of chocolate. YUM!

Cuter Cuticles
Know someone who loves decorating their nails? Why not get them some custom scented cuticle oil, barrier butter or mani bombs? Seasonal scents currently include: Candy Cane, Elf Sweat, Snowman Balls, Cranberry Sugar, Gingerbread, Wintergreen and Jingle Bells.

Flora Italia
Flora Italia is a luxury brand that designs custom crystal art and jewellery with intention.
Get 15% off with discount code SPARKLE15

Joy Socks
Give someone the gift of happy feet! Warm winter toes with fun “mismatched” socks, or make a statement with various one size fits all styles. Proceeds go to the Sox in a Box Campaign (see further down). I’ve got “Computer Keys” on my wishlist.

Julie Marwood Photography
Julie is a photographer with an eye for the finished product. In addition to family photos, she specializes in creating beautiful wall art from your shoot. Purchase a $50 Gift Certificate and receive $100 towards, or a $100 Gift Certificate and receive $200 towards Julie Marwood Photography. Good towards future sessions only. Can be purchased up until December 20th. Valid M-F 9-4.

Kids Code Force
I’m a bit biased, but this is an awesome opportunity! If your child can read, they can code! Computer programming with a drag and drop interface is a fund way to create games and other projects.
Book a private 3 hour session for only $50!

Kids Photography Academy
Learn about the art, science and fun of photography with online lessons designed for kids. An annual membership with access to all lessons, exclusive contests and more! This is a perfect gift for the budding photographer in your family!

TJB Photography
Tyneal has a knack for bringing out the best in kids to capture priceless family memories on film. She specializes in milestones and studio special event mini sessions.

Health & Wellness

Chiropractic Wellness Clinic
Improve your brain and body health with Chiropractic and Functional Neurology. They also have laser technology, orthotics and other options available. You’ll be amazed at the symptoms and conditions that are treatable!

Dr. Linda Kodnar ND
Offering Hair Mineral Analysis and 30 minute consultation for $125 (regularly $225!) until Dec. 20. Evaluates body mineral status and toxic metals, extrapolates absorption issues,estrogen dominance, adrenal status – extremely useful tool as an introduction to additional methods of assessment outside of routine medical blood tests. Use in conjunction with other comprehensive saliva, allergy or digestion analysis.

Naturally Sweet Body & Wellness
Natural products for your home and body, including bath salts, body balms, candles and sugar scrubs. Scented with 100% therapeutic grade essential oils. The Cold Rescue Body Balm is popular this time of year. Now featuring Christmas gift sets.

Susie Stockham
Did you know that anxiety, skin rashes and breakouts can all be linked to your insides? Also that our guts are our other brains so when they talk, we should listen! Through Energy Work and Intuitive Guidance, Susie finds imbalances in your body and help you release them. Specializing in but not limited to intestinal discomfort. Find Susie at Lasya Healing. Offering 15% off during January

Support a Cause

Cancer Chic
Providing Workshops that explore inner and outer beauty, physical fitness and survivorship for young women facing cancer.

Heartbeats
Offering information, resources and emotional support to families dealing with congenital heart disease.

Sox in a Box
The Sox in a Box campaign is focused on collecting fun new socks in all sizes (newborn to adult) and distributing them to people in various charities and organizations where people could use a smile.

And a Freebie!

Colouring Sheet
Download and print off this colouring page for your little ones. Generously offered by the talented Jaime Wedholm, Graphic Design Solutions

Why you won’t rank number one on Google

March 27, 2014 by Christina Workman 1 Comment

In the last few weeks I have had several conversations that started with a client asking a seemingly simple question: how do I get to rank number one on Google? Or: why am I not first on Google? Unfortunately, the answer is not as simple as they would like; it’s actually rather complex.

First, it’s important to note that being “number one on Google” is not the same as it used to be. For that reason, nobody can guarantee to get you there. (If they do, and you believe them, I have some magic beans and a lovely piece of land to sell you.)

What do I mean when I say it’s not the same as it used to be? For starters, Google is always modifying how it determines site rankings. But they have also made a lot of changes to make search results more relevant to the individual searcher. Because of this, two people using identical keywords will not necessarily return the same results. Their results could vary for several reasons including:

your location
the device you are searching on
your preferences if you are signed in to a Google account

How can I improve my Google ranking?

Individual searches aside, there are still numerous factors that affect your search ranking. Most of them are positive factors, but there are some things that can have a negative impact. Here’s a short list of dos and don’ts that you can easy implement today:

Do set up a Google Business page
Do link your Google+ profile to your blog with Google authorship
Don’t have duplicate content on your site
Do ensure your images have Alt text and utilize your keyword when possible
Do use keywords in your urls, page titles and headers
Don’t engage in keyword stuffing or negative backlink campaigns
Do write content for humans, not computers and bots
Do expect it to take time and effort

In the end, keep in mind there are no prizes for ranking first in search results. The ultimate goal is to get people to your site so they can engage with you, and there are many additional ways for this to be accomplished.

Resolutions getting you down?

January 16, 2013 by Christina Workman Leave a Comment

resolutions get back on the horse — Image courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the beginning of this year, barely more than 2 weeks ago, I embarked on a mission. A mission to successfully complete the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Call it a resolution, goal or whatever you want. I proclaimed it and away I went, like many people do. 31 blog posts in 31 days. It seemed like a reasonable challenge. Not too easy, but not impossible. Until.

Until, like many people who set New Year’s resolutions, things start to fall apart. It becomes more difficult. We slip. Sometimes just a bit. Sometimes a bit more. For me, things were going great. It wasn’t easy, but I was managing a post a day. Then I missed one, due to a trip with my son to the hospital. A reasonable excuse for sure, but still, it was just one day. Easy enough to make up. I just need to write 2 in a day at some point.

But then, a bigger thing happened: I dislocated my knee on Saturday. Off to the hospital I went. Jacked up on morphine. No blog post that day. Or the next, as I pretty much slept off the drugs, adrenaline and whatever else your body produces to cope with such a physical trauma. Monday, I still was feeling better, but still not quite ready to focus on anything. Tuesday, I said. That will be the day I get back in the swing of things. But I had already missed 3 days in a row at this point. What’s one more? How do you get back on track? Can I even make up all those days?

It started to seem like an overwhelming task, getting back on track and finishing the challenge. But then I realized two things. First, the only way to get back into writing my posts was to just do it. I recognized it doesn’t have to be fancy. Heck, I can even write about my struggle to write. It wouldn’t be the first time!

Second, I entered this challenge as a goal for myself. And, as part of the goal, there were results I had in mind. Some of these results were to increase content on my blog and connect with more readers. I’ve already done that with what I’ve written so far! So I’m already ahead. But remember, one of the things about goals is that they are adjustable. Life happens. So, maybe I won’t get my 31 posts in 31 days (although I’m not ready to concede yet). But if I don’t, I still did a great job, and I need to get back on this blogging horse and finish out the month!

And here’s a bonus: this post about me is actually about you, too! If you have come up against an obstacle in achieving your resolution or goal, don’t let it get you down. Check in with yourself and applaud your achievements to date. Accept that you are human and life happens. Figure out what the next step is to get you back on your horse, and then take that step!

Feel free to share if you have stumbled recently and need to re-declare your goals.