There is a lot of fear and confusion right now. This is often made worse by the media. What is the cure for this sickness? CONNECT WITH REAL PEOPLE

A dear friend of mine, Kurt Daradics, is one of the social catalysts who has been critical to my success in business. He, along with some other heavy hitters in LA and the OC, have collaborated and brought together many groups and organizations into one major networking event and holiday party. The goal is to make real connections with real people.

On Thursday, December 11th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, the Digital Family Reunion (DFR) is bringing the Southern California technology and business communities together for the holidays at the Skirball Cultural Center. In association with some of the region's top trade associations (like the DMAsc which we're a member) and social networking groups, the DFR is throwing a major holiday party. The DFR's goal is to reignite old relationships, spark new ones, and set the stage to kick off 2009 with a bright new start.

Scheduled attendees include leaders from all the major industry sectors such as media, entertainment, finance, publishing, venture funding, software, commerce, education, and many more.

Visit Digital Family Reunion and join the collective conversation.

UPDATE 11.20.2008 :: WE GOT A PROMO CODE TO GET $20 OFF EACH TICKET :: USE DFR16 WHEN YOU BUY :: Your Welcome. =)

Installed the new art piece for Jeff’s and my office today – affectionately known as “the geekery.” It’s an 8 foot wide print on a dense foam core material called gator board. Sweet!

Here’s Jeff in front of it:

Rangefinder Magazine recognized Dane Sanders' array of websites as being the BEST in Steve Tout's recent column Profitable Website Management. Make sure to catch the article here. It includes complements on his brand experience, blog, Fast Track Book, and pDNA, all of which have Elevation fingerprints all over them.

While it's always nice to have our work recognized in a national publication, the kudos definitely go to Dane for having a brand which connects within the photography community. It's clear that his signature style is refreshing in the industry and the resources he's providing fill a wonderful service to empower developing photographers.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that licenses used for OpenSource projects can be enforceable under copyright law.

Here are some excerpts from the summary document published by the Court:

... Open Source software projects invite computer programmers from around the world to view software code and make changes and improvements to it. Through such collaboration, software programs can often be written and debugged faster and at lower cost than if the copyright holder were required to do all of the work independently. In exchange and in consideration for this collaborative work, the copyright holder permits users to copy, modify and distribute the software code subject to conditions that serve to protect downstream users and to keep the code accessible ...

... Traditionally, copyright owners sold their copyrighted material in exchange for money. The lack of money changing hands in open source licensing should not be presumed to mean that there is no economic consideration, however. There are substantial benefits, including economic benefits, to the creation and distribution of copyrighted works under public licenses that range far beyond traditional license royalties. For example, program creators may generate market share for their programs by providing certain components free of charge. Similarly, a programmer or company may increase its national or international reputation by incubating open source projects. Improvement to a product can come rapidly and free of charge from an expert not even known to the copyright holder ...

... Generally, a copyright owner who grants a nonexclusive license to use his copyrighted material waives his right to sue the licensee for copyright infringement and can sue only for breach of contract. If, however, a license is limited in scope and the licensee acts outside the scope, the licensor can bring an action for copyright infringement ...

Source: Jacobsen v. Katzer Appeals Summary

Copyright holders who engage in open source licensing have the right to control the modification and distribution of copyrighted material. A copyright holder can grant the right to make certain modifications, yet retain his right to prevent other modifications.

This decision is important because it reduces the legal uncertainty regarding OpenSource rights and will make it a more attractive option for software development and OpenSource distribution models.

Elevation continues to support the OpenSource ideology. Litigation about OpenSource is rare so it's good to have this legal precedent on the books. August 2008 will likely be looked back on as the start of the next wave of OpenSource collaboration.

Self-Employed Individuals and Small Business Owners have the responsibility of ensuring that there is enough working capital available for the operations of the business. Many startups or expanding businesses find that they need an ever growing supply. The preferred method is to have enough corporate credit to maintain operations. However, it is often necessary to tap personal credit lines because they are already established or offer better rates and terms. One method that has been utilized recently is the use of a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit). The problem is that with the turmoil in the housing and financial markets, lenders such as Countrywide are freezing credit lines for borrowers, even those borrowers who have never missed a payment. Declining home values in certain markets have made these loans more risky for the banks and the sad thing is that they close the easy ones first (the ones that don’t have any balances).

So what does this mean for you? If you have a HELOC that you depend on for your business it may be a good idea to pull from it while the line is still active. But before doing so, be sure to confirm that they wouldn’t have the ability to request full payment unless you go into default. Another thing to look into is an actual business line of credit. The rates will likely be above prime. However, the fact that most of these lines aren’t tied to the value of any collateral will enable you to still have the fuel to operate your business even if the economy slows down.

We’re back! Yes, it has been a busy season here at Elevation and we apologize for being away so long, but we’re excited to let you know that we have much to roll out in the upcoming weeks and months. You’ll want to check back often or RSS in order to get the scoop.

Hope everyone has been well and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks~

The Elevation Team

Yesterday the Fed dropped interest rates in an effort to stimulate the economy. So today we decided to do our part and added a new team member to the Elevation family. Ok, so it wasn’t because of the Fed’s action that we hired Jeff ... it was because he is in tune with the vision of Elevation and brings with him some major web skills. We’re excited to have him on board as we continue to grow our suite of web services.

As I’m sure many of you have heard, our beloved Southland has been on fire for the last five days. And by “on fire” I don’t mean on a roll. The Southern California fires have hit home, quite literally, as I (Mike) had to evacuate my residence in Solana Beach on the second night of this aptly named ‘Fire Storm 2007’. I didn’t lose my home (which I rent and am now seriously considering renters insurance). None of my friends lost their homes (at least for now) but we all know someone who knows someone who lost something. Be it a home, a business, a pet, or worse, a loved one. The last few days have been a never ending media blitz of fire, smoke, devastation and more fire. Everywhere you went, be it a friends house, a restaurant, a department store or evacuation center, the TV was always on. Talking heads were tirelessly repeating necessary information while bouncing back and forth between the news desk and their adventurous thrill seeking “on the scene” counterparts. It was all very surreal, no commercial breaks, no rest from the reality of a tragedy unfolding before our eyes. As much of a headache as the media coverage was, they did a phenomenal job. New technologies and systems such as reverse 911 and the constant round the clock updates via web, broadcast and mobile phone may very well have saved thousands of lives. And let’s not forget the heroic efforts of the emergency services personnel, putting their lives on the line, fighting tirelessly for days without sleep sometimes just to save a few photographs. Southern California, especially San Diego has literally been in a fight for it’s life. And I am happy to report that it’s winning the battle. Communities have stood strong, volunteers continue to out number the evacuees, and support has poured in from all over the world. However, this is far from over. Reminiscent of Katrina, this disaster will continue to leave it’s residue for months, maybe even years. Those of you reading this that aren’t Southern California residents or haven’t been directly affected, please help. The estimated damage has now reached over 1 billion dollars and has left nearly 10,000 people homeless. I encourage you to help by supporting one of the well known organizations listed below. Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and support. Southern Cali loves you.

Red Cross

The Salvation Army

Hey everybody, check it out! AlbumExposure has been officially released. All you professional photographers looking for some style and efficiency in your album presentation, go sign up now...I think you'll be very glad that you did.

Want to introduce you to an organization we’ve been working with called Kingdom Assignment. They’ve been around for several years, but took the opportunity to relaunch their efforts and new brand strategy through a wonderful kickoff event Wednesday night called “The Well Done Awards”. The evening was a huge success! There was definitely some great entertainment with American Idol Finalist Katharine McPhee, Bebe Winans, the Groovaloos (these guys are sick!!), ‘07 Idol contestant Chris Sligh, and inspiring words from Chris Gardner (the man who inspired the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”). I’ll hit a little more on this in a second, but the real highlights of the evening were the amazing stories of people who have accomplished incredible things for the Lord with only a little. Each person had taken on one of the kingdom assignments and in turn was used by God to do immeasurably more than anyone could have dreamed. The stories we heard were encouraging, inspiring, and remind us of what can be accomplished when we are willing to humbly and creatively invest our time, talent, and treasure into loving others with Kingdom activities. Take the opportunity to hear some of these stories, you’re sure to be blessed and if you get the chance to hear any of the above mentioned talent, you’ll be glad you did…they were all amazing, simply amazing to see and hear live! To read more about the event, check out this wrap up article in the OC Register.

Here’s some fun pics from the evening:

_{My beautiful wife Jana, Sara Sligh, Chris Sligh, and me (Gary) (the Sligh’s are a very cool couple…looking forward to knowing you guys better!)}

A dream come true (Mike & Katharine)

_{Katharine & Bebe singing on stage (amazing…really amazing)}

Jana & Chris Gardner (really neat man…if you haven’t seen the movie, go see it!)

~the ladies (Jana, Katharine, & Danielle (Mike’s lovely lady :-)

& a pic with the Founders Lisa & Denny Bellesi (and that’s Jared in the middle – a main cog in our team)

So everyone in the photography world has already written about their Vegas experience. I’m a bit late with these thoughts, but I still have a few, so here it goes…

1) Becker is a gracious host and throws one heck of a party! Honestly, that’s a bit understated…if you know Becker, he’s one of the best at getting people together and making sure everyone’s a part of the fun. Thanks again for the invite brotha! Being one of the few non-photographers at the party, I was actually surprised at how many people I recognized or already knew. The [b] party was certainly a highlight as I met some great people and reconnected with others.

2) Photographers in Vegas reminded me of my college days. I can’t remember the last time I pulled two all nighters in a row to hang out, play cards, and eat at all night cafes….awesome.

3) Buy a Shootsac

4) Get a Simple Photo Booth

5) Play nickel slots (you’re friends will not stop making fun of you for playing a game your grandmother plays, but they’ll remain a little jealous of the $3700 you take home, ask Blake if you have any questions.

6) I am blessed to know and call friends some of the most talented photographers and most genuine people around. I am better for knowing these people: Becker, Jessica Claire, Mike Colon, Dane Sanders, Jim Kennedy, Blake Schwendimann, & Luke Walker.

7) Some of my new favorite people you should meet: Craig & Andy @ Studio 563, Vic Sizemore, Peter Thomsen, & Kevin Swan

If I missed anyone, I apologize greatly, cause it was a blessing to see you all and I’d be a bit embarrassed to leave a friend off the list above…I’m sure I’ll hear about it if I did. You all made WPPI an amazing experience, so thank you! Now, I’m looking forward to the next poker game!! ~til then

Elevation has developed the very best album presentation solution for today’s wedding photographers. It’s a well designed and easy to use comprehensive solution for presenting and managing your designed albums. It provides powerful tools in an easy to use format, available to you anytime, anywhere. Check back soon for launch details!

Yep. It’s official. We’ve joined the web 2.1.1 movement by creating yet another way to do what we do best. Talk. Welcome to the Elevation Blaahg! The rant and rave begging bad design to behave. Here we’ll be discussing everything from WHACK brands to visual masterpieces. From the latest design trends to the played out, tired and overdone (please, no more faux vintage band tees) We’re also pop culture junkies, so beware and prepare to read everything from album reviews to overly opinionated hot air from our little collective of creative gurus, tech heads and overly caffeinated sales staff. A blog for all, by all… Ok, not entirely true, we’ll mostly be talking about our current projects and how we can create effective communication solutions for companies, organizations and fellow human beings worldwide…Enjoy!