From the Front Porch to Barn Raising.

The one thing I value most from PartnerCon is this image. And it's not because I like the photo. It's because I like the image, the memory it evokes.

It's an image of a barn raising.

In the Amish tradition, a barn raising is when a community comes together to raise a barn for one of its households. Barn raisings aren't pretty. In fact, they're pretty dirty. Everyone gets their hands dirty by lifting planks, sifting dirt or cooking food. It's not pretty, but it's beautiful.

That's how I felt last week watching you. You guys got your hands dirty; you reached out to help each other. You sat down in the dirt to teach a new friend how to understand composition. You slogged through the French Quarter late at night, trying to help an old friend track down a stolen bag. You loaned cameras to colleagues. You shared rooms and meals and tears too. You shared your vision with families in LaFitte and children at the Boys & Girls Club. You created memories for yourselves and for folks in New Orleans.

I think PartnerCon is basically a big barn raising. It unifies an entire community, and it's done without a lot of ego. In fact, getting together and helping folks seems like the most ordinary thing in the world.

And that's what makes it so powerful.

A Front Porch Community

My grandmother is my hero. She shares more wisdom in a short story and a wink than I could learn in a lifetime.

During my last visit with her in Mississippi, I opened her door and glanced over my shoulder to say goodbye. I glimpsed her porch and noticed it was sagging, a few worn pine boards sloping gently. I casually commented, "Are you going to fix your porch? It's sagging."

She met my gaze, paused and firmly replied, "Of course not. That's where all my people have gathered."

I stood there like a beanpole, breathless and dumbfounded.

Like many Southern homes, my grandmother's house has a prominent porch whose presence plays a vital role in daily life. 

A front porch is the ultimate gathering place, a clearinghouse for celebration and a shelter from suffering. We gravitate to front porches because we can check our egos at the stairs and enter a welcoming place where everyone is equal under the eaves of a home.  

On the front porch, we interact face-to-face with folks from all walks of life. It's a threshold for real, human community where new connections are welcomed and old connections are strengthened. It's a place for all of us.

The front porch illustrates the hospitality we would show if only we weren’t so damn busy being busy. So, let's slow down a bit. Let's sit for a spell, sip some drinks and share some stories and show folks that the ShootQ & Pictage community is a front porch, not a fortress.

 

Take a Test Drive

Get into the Driver's Seat Experience the power of ShootQ at your own pace. Yup, you heard right. You've got unlimited time to get to know ShootQ! If you've always wanted to see how ShootQ can help your business, take it for a FREE spin. Go ahead – kick the tires for up to five shoots! Introducing High Speed Booking Your sales system just got turbocharged with ShootQ's new booking system. All of the proposal and order building interfaces have been replaced so they're package-centric. Any faster, and it would be considered dangerous! All in the Family New family grouping & relationship management lets you keep tabs on profitable connections. Place relationships together into “groups” which show an integrated view of profit & key dates. Make your clients feel like a million bucks by subscribing to a new calendar feed that keeps track of key dates like birthdays & anniversaries. Your Pricing just got Prettier Want clients to see the finish, color & size of your products? You can include now “options.” Include variations of products like “Large Red Album” or “Small Black Album." Check out the new tool that lets you raise or lower your pricing across the board by a percentage or a fixed amount. Unclutter Your Workflow Newly revamped workflow manager lets you place entire workflows "on hold" while you wait on tasks that are out of your control to be completed. You Asked, We Listened Calendar feeds now include shoot remarks in the “notes” field. Plus, you've got increased control over automated emails, and have the ability to BCC yourself for automatic emails. Other Cool Stuff Your ShootQ calendar now has a dedicated tab for easy access. ShootQ has a swanky new text editor. You can enable Skype-integration, which will dial phone numbers using Skype in a snap! GET SCHOOLED on the new features TODAY