Let’s talk
Menu  ☰

Home

Services

Work

About

Blog

FAQ

Contact

Community

Launch Maple Ridge

Hey, Neighbour!

The Journal

By Rod Pancine · Maple Ridge, BC

Notes on websites, brands & neighbours.

Short, honest writing about showing up online, using new tools with care, and the people who make a community feel like home.

Your website is not a brochure. It’s your front door.
A brochure is something people take home and forget. A front door is where a relationship starts.
Read the story →
I use AI every day. Here’s where I don’t.
AI is part of my toolbox now. But there are a few places where I deliberately keep it out of the room.
Read the story →
Why I’m starting Hey, Neighbour!
Some of the most extraordinary stories I know live a few blocks away. This is my attempt to stop walking past them.
Read the story →
Your logo is not your brand (but it still matters)
Caring about your logo isn’t silly. Expecting it to do everything is where things go wrong.
Read the story →
The newsletter is the most underrated tool in local marketing
Algorithms decide who sees your posts. A newsletter goes to people who already said yes.
Read the story →
01

Web Presence.

Websites, Google, and being easy to find.

All Web Presence stories →
A website wireframe sketched in a notebook
Web Presence Mar 19, 2026

Five questions to ask before you redesign your website

A redesign can feel like a fresh start. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s just new paint on the same confusion. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Read →
A hand holding a phone with a map open
Web Presence Feb 12, 2026

Google Business Profile: the free thing most local businesses forget

Before someone visits your website, they often meet you on a map. Your Google Business Profile is that first handshake, and it costs nothing.

Read →
An “Open” sign hanging in a shop window
Web Presence Jan 8, 2026

Your website is not a brochure. It’s your front door.

A brochure is something people take home and forget. A front door is where a relationship starts. Your website should behave like the second one.

Read →

The newsletter

Good notes, now and then.

New stories from the journal, local launches and website tips. Occasional emails, no noise. Unsubscribe anytime.

Join the newsletter ↓
02

AI for Business.

Using AI in a small business, without losing the human part.

All AI for Business stories →
Someone writing in a notebook beside coffee and a croissant
AI for Business Apr 2, 2026

A small business AI starter kit: three tasks to try this week

No big strategy, no expensive software. Just three small, practical ways to see whether AI can give you a little time back.

Read →
A red typewriter on a dark leather seat
AI for Business Feb 26, 2026

Writing with AI without sounding like everyone else

If you’ve ever read a caption and thought “a robot wrote this,” you’re not wrong. Here’s how I use AI for writing while keeping the voice human.

Read →
Hands on a laptop next to a cup of coffee
AI for Business Jan 22, 2026

I use AI every day. Here’s where I don’t.

AI is now part of my toolbox, like my laptop and my bad coffee. But there are a few places where I deliberately keep it out of the room.

Read →
03

Hey Neighbour.

Notes from the making of an independent series about the people next door.

All Hey Neighbour stories →
A studio microphone on a desk
Hey Neighbour Apr 9, 2026

Ten minutes, one neighbour: the format behind the series

A behind-the-scenes look at how Hey, Neighbour! is being shaped. The format, the questions, and the rules I’m setting for myself.

Read →
Two people sharing coffee across a café table
Hey Neighbour Mar 5, 2026

What makes a story extraordinary? (Hint: it’s usually ordinary)

While preparing Hey, Neighbour!, I keep coming back to the same question. What makes someone’s story worth ten minutes of our attention?

Read →
A red van parked on a quiet street of houses
Hey Neighbour Jan 29, 2026

Why I’m starting Hey, Neighbour!

Some of the most extraordinary stories I know live a few blocks away. Hey, Neighbour! is my attempt to stop walking past them.

Read →
04

Design & Branding.

Logos, colours, voice and the thinking behind a brand that feels like you.

All Design & Branding stories →
Friends talking around a café table
Design & Branding Mar 26, 2026

Do you sound like you? Finding your brand voice

Your brand voice is not a list of adjectives. It’s how you talk when you’re explaining something you love to someone you respect.

Read →
A fan of paint colour swatches
Design & Branding Feb 19, 2026

Choosing brand colours: a feeling first, a hex code second

Colour is one of the fastest ways people read a brand. Here’s how I help people choose colours that feel true, not just trendy.

Read →
A hand-painted hanging sign outside a shop
Design & Branding Jan 15, 2026

Your logo is not your brand (but it still matters)

Designers love to say “a logo is not a brand.” True. But that sentence can make business owners feel silly for caring about their logo. They shouldn’t.

Read →
05

Digital Marketing.

Social, email and local marketing for small teams with real lives.

All Digital Marketing stories →
An open planner with short handwritten notes
Digital Marketing Apr 16, 2026

Content in cycles: a calmer way to plan your posts

Instead of an endless content calendar that never stops, try planning in cycles. Start, focus, close, reflect. Your sanity will thank you.

Read →
A blue mailbox painted with the words “Send someone a love letter”
Digital Marketing Mar 12, 2026

The newsletter is the most underrated tool in local marketing

Algorithms decide who sees your posts. A newsletter goes straight to people who already said “yes, I want to hear from you.” That’s a gift.

Read →
A hand holding a phone over a café table
Digital Marketing Feb 5, 2026

You don’t need to be on every platform

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, the new one that launched yesterday. Breathe. You don’t need all of them.

Read →

Work with me

Have a project in mind?

A website, a brand, a plan for the next cycle. Tell me where you are and where you’d like to go.

Let’s talk See the work