Ever wonder how all the puzzle pieces come together to create a bimonthly publication? Take a peek into the process for American Spirit, a history- and preservation-focused magazine Hammock publishes for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The upcoming May/June issue is a special one, as it will be distributed to all DAR members to commemorate the three-year term of President General Linda Gist Calvin. No two cycles of the magazine are the same, but here are roughly the steps the editors and designers take from initial story ideas to the magazine landing on the coffee table:

The illustration of a fashionable woman with a sky-high wig gracing the March/April issue of American Spirit, the magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution, is for a story on 18th-century hairstyles. It’s a relief to learn that an obsession with how our hair looks is far from a modern phenomenon. Our early American forefathers spent time and money on their hairstyles — whether importing wigs from Europe or forming their own distinctly American looks. In our cover feature on “Revolutionary Hair,” readers learn more about big wigs, men in pigtails and the origin of the term powder rooms.

The photo of three angry-looking guys and the caption, “Are your people pages scaring away prospects?” accompanying this content marketing article by communications consultant Jon Buscall made me laugh. Maybe your company doesn’t have people pages that would actually frighten away prospects, but are those pages showcasing your team in a way that would make those prospects eager to work with you?

It might not be all that significant unless you know me or my friend Beth, but I love all the stories that this snapshot tells, all the small symbols it captures of an enduring friendship:

*A connection made in graduate school. Some strong bonds are made when you survive English T.A. boot camp together.
*Two English nerds who get a rush out of writing and editing and smart communication and (okay, let’s be honest) geeking out on grammar and punctuation.
*A kitchen table, where the best work and the greatest conversations are sparked.
*A friend who labors nonstop to spread humanitarian relief across the Caribbean, and especially now to Haiti.
*An afternoon we both spent working on Nazarenes Help Haiti, a Web site where tons of content — from news to video to photos to links — on earthquake relief can be found.
*An iPod remote, ’cause how could you cope without the perfect mix?
*An artist’s lovely painting of a cup of coffee, the goodness that fuels us on long nights and prods us awake on early mornings.
*A vase of flowers, a gift of beauty amid too many reminders of pain and rubble.
*A baby’s jacket, a symbol of new, giggling, sweet life.

This film nerd always gets super-excited around Oscar time. Just for fun, I’ve checked out the content available on Oscars.com, sponsored by ABC, the home of this year’s Academy Awards broadcast, and Oscars.org, the official site of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). These two sites have different strengths, but both add valuable content for their audiences.

Among the many weird Facebook groups springing up every day—“I bet this pickle can get more fans than Nickelback” is a recent gem—one grabbed this editor’s attention: “’Let’s eat Grandma!’ or, ‘Let’s eat, Grandma!’ Punctuation saves lives.”
As long as punctuation continues to make a difference in Grandmas’ lives everywhere, good proofreaders will be necessary. But how do Hammock editors and designers keep our proofing wits about us, especially if it’s something we’ve read, edited and commented on a hundred times? From the well-proven strategies to the unusual ones, here’s how we keep those proofing pencils sharp.

In a salute to February’s Black History Month, American Spirit‘s January/February issue features recently discovered information on Eunice Davis, recognized as the first and only known Real Daughter of color. More than a century after her death, DAR historians are delving into the life of this fascinating and passionate anti-slavery activist and community volunteer.

Davis–among the few women with the designation “Real” Daughter, or members of the DAR who were just a single generation removed from a Revolutionary War Patriot–was a founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society and helped catapult it to the forefront of women’s abolition groups in the 1830s. Her home was even a station on the Underground Railroad.

Still relying on old forms of media to get the word out about your business? If so, your content marketing strategy needs an update.
The mindset of prospective customers and buyers is evolving, says content marketing blogger Bernie Borges. An integrated approach of old and new is needed to get this audience to fully connect with your brand.
So, what exactly would such an approach look like? It could mean forging ahead with a brick-and-mortar trade show, while using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to engage an audience before, during and after the event. (Hammock managed a similar old/new media blending with Association Media & Publishing last year.)
For more practical ways to take these old media formats–phone, print ad, tradeshows and direct mail–and convert them to new media marketing, read more of Borges’ article here.

My attention today, as with many around the world, is on Haiti and its earthquake victims. I spent some time last night with friends looking through photos of our trip there in March.

Here’s my shot of the Haiti Presidential Palace. Though just a building, its destruction is emblematic of the enormity of a crisis in which thousands are feared dead and many more thousands face real dangers moving forward.

Below is what it looks like today.

I realize that attention will soon (not too soon!) turn to other crises of a 24-hour news cycle. But I hope that some people will remain focused on Haiti tomorrow, and the next day and the days to come. Haitians lived on literal precipices of life before this earthquake, and I can barely imagine what those needs will be now. There are many relief groups already doing great work there (as Rex points to on his blog), but I have to give a personal plug to a faith-based organization called Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and its Caribbean Emergency Fund. Giving to the Caribbean Disaster Response fund enables people on the ground to provide immediate basic necessities such as food and water and, eventually, continue in the reconstruction process of homes and lives. Corruption is a serious problem in Haiti, but I can vouch that if you donate to this group, your funds will be used immediately as well as wisely and with integrity.

Christmastime is magical at Tryon Palace, the Georgian-style palace in historic New Bern, N.C., gracing the November/December issue of American Spirit, the magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Once known as the finest public building in the Colonies, the palace, which was built around 1770 as the royal governor’s home and North Carolina’s first permanent capitol, hasn’t always been so radiant. It was reduced to ruins, until local preservationists launched a campaign to resurrect it. Thanks to their tenacity and the discovery of the original architect’s plans, the palace still enchants the public today, 50 years after its restoration.