We’re delighted to announce our newest Haiku Deck Guru: entrepreneur, blogger, and all-around creative force Megan Hunt, a.k.a. Princess Lasertron. Megan’s high-style Haiku Decks have been wowing us for weeks, and we finally had a chance to hear more about how she’s using the app–and how it provided blog inspiration for Radvent, her latest creative undertaking.
Q&A with Megan Hunt
Haiku Deck: So, what inspired you to start using Haiku Deck?
Megan: I found out about Haiku Deck when I saw a business use it to pitch during a local Startup Weekend competition. I’m always super interested in trying new apps that seem like they’d make my life a little easier (particularly in the context of entrepreneurship). I thought Haiku Deck had a cute name and seemed promising, so I downloaded it and was immediately hooked. For me, the sparseness of the app makes it as fun to play with as it is useful. It honestly reminds me of the hours spent toying with HyperStudio as a kid. Really. It’s just fun.
Stuff You Need To Know About Me – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Haiku Deck: Could you tell us a little bit about how you’ve been using it?
Megan: This year I launched a new startup called Hello Holiday, and I’ve been using Haiku Deck for all of our pitches and demos. I spoke from a Haiku Deck at the Kauffman Foundation, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Silicon Prairie News, The University of Nebraska-Omaha, and several others just this month. I also like to mess around with it when I’m sitting up in bed at night and make funny or personal decks about myself, my family, my interests, whatever makes me laugh. So both for business and personal reasons, Haiku Deck is getting a lot of use on my iPad these days.
Hello Holiday – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Haiku Deck: What do you love most about Haiku Deck?
Megan: I love the simplicity–Haiku Deck makes it easy to make slides quickly. It’s obviously designed to help you get to the point of your presentation–-there’s no space for flowery language or rambling text on the two lines of copy per slide. I also love how easy it is to find background pictures to go with each slide. I usually make my own or pull them in from Flickr, Facebook, or Instagram (they’re all integrated), but I can search natively through Haiku Deck for Creative Commons images on the web to use. And finally, I love the way Haiku Deck feeds my need for organization. It’s sort of “next level” technology for compulsive list-makers like myself, making it easy to list ideas in slide form and make them shareable.
Haiku Deck: You make some of the most stylish Haiku Decks we’ve seen. What tips would you suggest to help people create Haiku Decks that stand out?
Megan: Thank you–that’s very kind. I just have a lot of fun with it. Most of the ones I make I don’t intend to be seen, so that takes the self-consciousness away. I think the best Haiku Decks have well-written text. Think as though you’re writing a headline and you have to make every word count. Think about writing concisely, but in a way that communicates a narrative between each slide so the reader can follow along. And I’d suggest skipping stock photos and trying to use some of your own images for a really unique presentation. Pick ones that are well-lit with high contrast. And finally, the extra themes are worth playing around with. I dropped a few bucks for them and I love having the extra options.
Hi I’m Megan – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Haiku Deck: Radvent sounds…well, rad. How does it work, and how can people get involved?
Megan: Radvent is a yearly tradition I started in 2010, posting a different writing prompt and essay on my blog each day in December. It’s meant to encourage my readers to reflect on the past year, honor their memories and experiences, and re-examine their goals and hopes for the coming year. I also love the way it encourages my readers to engage with me and each other by sharing their answers. There are no rules–anyone can participate, and you can jump in any time. I suggest beginning with today’s prompt!
Title – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Each of Megan’s #Radvent posts includes an embedded Haiku Deck like this one, illustrating that day’s theme. We’re collecting them all on a special Pinterest board–if you want some five-star blog inspiration, be sure to check them out!
More Blog Inspiration
You can learn how to embed a Haiku Deck in your own blog here and see examples of Haiku Deck blog slideshows on Seth Godin’s blog, on Geekwire, and on the Trulia Pro Blog.