What do you think?
Sunday, October 5th, 2008 | News | No Comments
Here are some examples of the power of Pinwheel, submitted by our users.
Our Technorati Profile
Sunday, August 17th, 2008 | News | No Comments
Yay we have a new profile on Technorati!
Profile this profile
Friday, August 8th, 2008 | Development | No Comments
This winter Laura and I spec’d out a Facebook application, but the more we worked on it, the more we realized that we’d really be short-changing our users by only doing a Facebook app. So we went back to our sketches and our two prototypes from last year. We’d have to build that social network after all.
Here’s our latest sketch of the profile page…
Login Finished
Monday, March 31st, 2008 | Development, News | No Comments
The login process is done! We’re now going back in for a second round with the facebook application to make sure it’s as simple and useful as possible. We’re excited to put specs out to people for feedback and to getting it live on facebook soon.
California Creates Cabinet Post to Manage Volunteers- New York Times
Monday, March 17th, 2008 | Rants & Raves | No Comments
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/us/26calif.html
An exciting development that shows the increasing recognition of the important role volunteers play and how with better management and tools to direct them volunteers can have an even greater impact.
It Begins
Sunday, February 24th, 2008 | Development, News | No Comments
Welcome to Pinwheel’s development blog! After a year and some change of lots and lots of prototyping and building a community to offer feedback and ideas for all aspects of the site, we’re ready to start the big-time programming. This is the place where we’ll keep you updated on that progress and any other thoughts or inspiration that strikes our fancy. Enjoy!
Why Pinwheel?
Friday, November 3rd, 2006 | Rants & Raves | No Comments
After a week at the party, Pinwheel is still raging. I know, I know, enough already, but I’m finicky. When I woke up this morning one of the words just didn’t sit right anymore, so it’s back to the war room. Since I can’t ruminate on the words chosen, I’m going to take a step back to the first step in this branding process, the name.
“Why Pinwheel?” is the one universal question everyone asks of the project, and it brings out pretty strong reactions either for or against. Each person in the project has a slightly different answer to this question, so today you get mine.
Our fallback response is that the url was available, but the truth is that was just a perk since we picked the name before we realized how quickly we would be making this project a reality. The journey to Pinwheel began at Our Roundhouse, the original working name. In addition to the karate kick fiercely executed by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris, a roundhouse, normally located adjacent to or surrounding a turntable, is used by train companies to redirect steam engines in any direction. While Our Roundhouse was a good name in theory as it provided an apt metaphor for what we wanted to do- redirect students’ interests in a new direction to benefit them and the community- it was both antiquated and, courtesy of Thomas the Tank Engine, childish.
Knowing that we needed a new name, the process was much less formulaic than our current branding exercise. It began with our group sitting around Sam’s room throwing out ideas. I don’t remember any of them, but I know that none of them were inspiring. We were quickly distracted, agreeing that we’d all keep thinking on our own. At our next meeting, it turned out that Sam had kept thinking, and while doodling in class, had come up with Pinwheel.
Without any articulated at the logic, we were all slightly drawn to it. It wasn’t love for everyone, but we all agreed it was better than Our Roundhouse. At its debut, our midterm presentation, Pinwheel received a warm response. Since then, responses have generally been polarized. People like it, or they don’t. While I’d rather have people love it than hate it, I see both as a good thing. Either way, there is an emotional response. To me, the real danger zone is ambivalence, and for the most part, we seem to have steered clear of that.
Over time, I’ve grown quite attached to Pinwheel. It works for me because it’s easy to remember and fun. I also like that playing with a pinwheel, a simple, fun activity, generates energy that, if channeled, can affect change. And that’s what we’re trying to do at Pinwheel, channel the energy created by simple, fun activities high schoolers enjoy into a force for change.
Corporate Branding- If Pinwheel Were at a Party
Friday, October 27th, 2006 | Rants & Raves | No Comments
For the past two weeks visions of pinwheels have been whirling through my head as I try to uncover that combination of lines that encapsulates all that Pinwheel is. When I attempt to explain this dilemma to some, they look at me as if I’d just asked, “What color is that red wagon?”
“Shouldn’t your logo just be a pinwheel?” they ask. The answer is yes and no. Yes, it should be a pinwheel. No, it shouldn’t just be a pinwheel. When people see our logo, they can’t just see a pinwheel. They need to see Pinwheel.
One reason the logo process has dragged on so long is its importance in defining the Pinwheel brand. Recognizing this importance and its impact on our future marketing tactics, I asked our marketing advisor if she had any thoughts. Her immediate reaction- “Don’t do anything creative until we talk. There are things you need to do first.” The major thing we needed to do, it turned out, was define our brand values.
By defining our brand values we can be stewards of our brand and maintain coherence. It will ensure that we are always communicating clearly what Pinwheel is as opposed to letting our different personalities convolute the message. To establish these values, our advisor recommended an exercise- imagine Pinwheel as a person, and if this Pinwheel person were at a party, who would he be? The goal of the activity is to come up with four adjectives to describe Pinwheel. The words should be personality driven and distinct. Defining a brand as elegant, stylish, timeless and classy is not very helpful. Elegant, adventurous, light-hearted and authentic, however, give a very good sense of a brand.
While the activity is meant to be fun, it isn’t easy. Capturing the essence of anything in four words is a difficult task, much less something that has come to consume the vast majority of your waking hours of thought. Making it even more difficult, they can’t just be your words. Everyone involved in the project must agree on the words. And when you think you have it and go to sleep with a contented smile, you wake up the next morning only to realize that two or three of the words just don’t sit quite right anymore. Like most things in life other than oatmeal, it’s not easy and it’s not instant, which is why Pinwheel is still at the party.
Welcome to Pinwheel!
Monday, August 28th, 2006 | News | No Comments
Welcome to the Pinwheel development blog!
