Through the looking glass ...

A sweet vignette by Duralee as seen
at the Boston Design Center

Ever long for an insider’s view on the world of design blogging? Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the person whose voice I have been listening to faithfully on The Skirted Roundtable, an interior design related blog that interviews some of the top names in the design industry. Being able to sit in on a conversation with one of the three moderators of this podcast-format blog was a special treat.


Linda Merrill of Decorative Surroundings with yours truly

South Shore based designer Linda Merrill, whose main design blog (she has a few!) is titled Surroundings, led the group in a very informative and often humorous discussion on the benefits of using social media to promote your business while connecting to the world of design. Besides taking home some great tips on how to add more bells and whistles to the pages of my blog, I really enjoyed listening to Linda share her insight on the best ways to blog with style and grace. She also presented a very honest view on the social aspects of putting yourself out there online. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the funny stories that she referred to that were related to specific blog posts/podcasts that I have followed online.

Inside the Kravet Showroom at the BDC

One topic that was of particular interest to many of the audience members was the issue of naming your blog. How does one go about choosing a name? I have posted about how I chose Design Vignettes. Recently, I noticed there is another person out there blogging as “Vignette Design.” I forgot to ask Linda if I should be concerned by this!

If you are blogging out there, how did you choose your name? Do you ever wish you had chosen a different name for your blog? Or if you are enjoying the blogs of others, what are some of your favorite blog names that you have come across? Please leave some comments (we bloggers love to know that someone is out there listening!)

A pretty combination from Kravet:

pink, gray, cream and white

Another topic that raised many questions was how do you keep all online identities (twitter, facebook, blog and website) related, yet specific to their particular function and audience? With her extensive background in social media and communications, Linda was able to speak from experience on these very current issues in the ever-changing virtual landscape. What successes – or bumps in the road – have you encountered while navigating social networking?

These spring-colored carpets behind the

glass window of the Stark showroom
got a second look as I left the BDC.

Linda Merrill will be offering more great lectures on social networking this month. I highly recommend signing up for one if you are in the Boston area!

April 14th at Residential Design
and Construction 2010 at the
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston

And April 29th sponsored by
the IFDA held at the
Boston Design Center