Welcome to Willow White Board, a new series of posts where one Willow Shrub poses a question to our entire agency for all to answer. It’s just a fun way for you to get to know us a bit more and have fun doing it. Feel free to answer the question as well!

Being a programmer is a tough cookie. You have to sift through lines of code that seem to go on forever not to mention keeping in mind what the code is intended to do or what the general jest of the program is trying to facilitate. I liken it to being an editor that has to remember every word that they read in the work they are correcting. As with all offices there are plenty of distractions from conversations that might be interesting to the encounters with people that need questions answered, I have found that music helps me zero in on what I am doing and block out the randomness of the office environment. Personally I like listening to Heavy Metal and the occasional Classical etude. I find the high energy of rock charges me up and helps me stay on track with what I am trying to accomplish. Since I am an oddity in my office I put on head phones to keep others from being distracted by my form of focus enhancement. Now back to my regularly scheduled Concert and Code Critiquing!

Do you listen to music while you work? If so what and how does it help you?

To read more about how music influences our office, check out art director Andrew Rutledge’s post on playlist inspiration.

Social media is certainly going to be one of the biggest trends for 2011. One of the latest social media developments is the introduction of LinkedIn’s new company pages.

More than a million companies are now utilizing the free service and individuals are following companies to stay in the loop on new developments, compare products and services, track potential business opportunities and keep an eye out for job openings. Businesses are now able to update their pages with products & services, careers, and view analytics. You can even add videos and photos of your products and services. Learn more here.

Check out a few of the first companies to utilize the new LinkedIn company pages:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/at&t/products
http://www.linkedin.com/company/dell/products

Does your company currently have a LinkedIn page? Have you utilized any of the latest enhancements? How does your company plan on utilizing LinkedIn in 2011?

I have some ideas of what’s in store for 2011, but I figured that if you haven’t already started thinking about it at the end of last year then you are a step behind! Last year I posted links to my favorite sites from which I get ideas. This time I found a great link from NetTuts on this very topic.

Most of the stuff mentioned in this article is either new to me or I haven’t had time to really dive into it. Which brings me back to the “What’s in store for 2011″ subject… Learning! Whatever projects I might touch or internal processes that come along, one thing is for certain, I will be learning new skills this year. I say this with confidence because it’s been this way since I started working in the computer industry. I am constantly learning new things and being exposed to new ideas.

Comment on this post and let us know what you are going to be doing new this year or what skills you will be developing. Perhaps we can help each other figure it out.

On chilly days like today I’m so thankful for a cup of hot chocolate to keep me company while I work away.