We started by taking their existing design and created a solid foundation with a custom Ruby on Rails application to replace their failing PHP web site. Once the foundation was in place we began to slowly redesign key elements of the site, such as the navigation, coupons, search functions and administration.

Not to mention their are some great deals on the site, most of which are exclusive to PinPoint Perks.

Growing Up and Reaching Out

After two years in business, it was time for PinPoint Perks to take the next step. Just this past month we spent some time on the organization of the site, added some key pieces for Search Engine Optimization, and took the covers off the site, opening it to the general public. The reception has been great.

For this year’s update, there were four specific things we wanted to address:

1. Make it easier for a visitor to find the product they want and suggest related items that might meet their needs.
2. Treat customers with respect and make them feel safe about their decision to purchase with Floormingo.
3. Simplify the purchasing process.
4. Increase product awareness in the search engines.

At lot of research and attention to detail went into this design and it has truly paid off. Here are a few quick stats about the changes we’ve made to Floormingo.com:

• Visitors spend twice as long on the site.
• Unique visitors are up over 400% year over year.
• Sales are up over 500% from this time last year.

And don’t think for one second that we’re done just yet. We have a large number of new features, minor changes and tweaks that we are testing to optimize the shopping experience even further.

If you’d like to know more about the changes we’ve made and how we might help you sell on line, please give us a call at 317- 663-3296, ext 202.

In addition to speed improvements, new features include:

• A much larger video archive, including some games in HD (requires IOS 4.0).
• Schedule of Upcoming Games
• iPhone 4 Retina Graphics

For those of you wanting to watch games live, you’ll have to wait a bit more. While we have the capability to show them to you, most of the game locations cannot give us the multiple, large video streams we need.

Image Gallery

Here are a few screen shots of the iPhone App. Click on each one to view full size.

Over the last two years we have been working hard to change this and bring video to mobile viewers. We found early on that people wanted to watch sports, podcasts, TV shows and even movies on the go. In 2008 there was really only one choice for mobile video – archival footage on YouTube for the iPhone. Live streaming was not supported and hosting it yourself was not worth the pain.

Thankfully, the landscape changed dramatically in 2009 and early 2010. We can now deliver mobile video to 100′s of millions of people in both archived and live streaming formats.

Apple, Android and Blackberry

Based on market share, there are three platforms you need to care about when providing mobile video. The iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android devices and some Blackberry phones.

All these platforms handle H.264 encoded video with AAC audio in an MP4 wrapper. This is a major bonus as the MP4 wrapper is great for both the desktop web and mobile as it allows you to start playing the video before it downloads the entire file. That’s the difference of seconds over minutes to start watching a video and also keeps them from clicking elsewhere.

The biggest challenge we have is what dimensions and bit rate we use for the video. Apple set the standard and the others are now following suit. The iPhone, iPad and Android all play nicely together, but some of the older Blackberry handsets need smaller video files.

Here are the specs to use:

H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .mp4 file formats.

If you have specific Blackberry phone coverage you need to meet, then we suggest you take a look at Blackberry’s list of supported media types for their phones. Many of the older phones or smaller screens only support 320×240 resolution.

I would also suggest you keep the bit rates closer to 650Kbps. Many cellular carriers can’t handle larger files and it will take too long to start playing the file.

Note: We haven’t been able to test it yet, but the specs for Windows Phone 7 show similar support for H.264.

Hosting Video for Free

At this point you have a choice in how to handle delivery of the video. You can do it yourself, pay someone to host it for you, or use a free service. There are pros and cons to each.

YouTube

These guys have been around the mobile space the longest. They know how to do it, and as long as you upload them an H.264 video file, they will convert it to the proper formats for both desktop and mobile.

There is one big caveat to YouTube though. You don’t have as much control as they are hosting it for free. Consequently, if you include copyrighted music or video from third parties, chances are their automated flagging system will pull your video down. Many news organizations have been caught out by this, even when they legally have the right to fair use.

YouTube works great at no cost, just be careful building mashups pulling in other video or music. The also have the best API for automating large numbers of video in the background.

Vimeo

Vimeo separates itself from YouTube in several ways. It has both free and paid options (faster conversion and larger files), has above average content from a great community, and does not allow commercial video. If you are a business, you can skip this one.

Back in January 2010, Vimeo announced HTML5 video support for desktops using H.264. This was a great first step that lead to their Universal Player announcement this past August. The Universal Player is an embeddable iFrame that works on iPad, iPhone and Android. Their support for Blackberry is suspect, but they are working on it.

If you want to use Vimeo for mobile, make sure you pay for the Plus option. It’s the only way to get it.

Viddler

This is a product built for businesses. Viddler provides some of the best ways to customize, monetize and track the video playback experience. I would suggest watching their promotional video for an overview of what they provide.

In order to get mobile support, you’ll have to be a business member (starts at $100/mo) and you’ll have to specifically enable iPhone and iPad support. This works with Android as well and may work with newer Blackberry models.

The Community Aspect

All three of these hosted services provide discovery features for visitors browsing their site. If you are providing video for wide audiences then you’ll benefit greatly from the community. However, if you are targeting a niche the impact will be near zero.

Live Streaming to Mobile for Free

There are three main competitors for businesses in the live streaming space: UStream, Justin.TV and LiveStream. As of today, the only one that supports live streaming to mobile devices via a web page is LiveStream. Ustream and Justin.tv have applications that must be installed, but frankly, that just doesn’t work for business.

In the long term, Ustream actually looks very well suited. They are currently working on the technology to stream events using variable bitrates from one master feed. This will allow you to stream a game or press conference to just about everyone on their desktop, mobile device on cellular or wifi and still provide the best video they can. Their uptime and load capabilities are also the best around.

Personally, we’ve used LiveStream in the past, but switched away due to downtime issues. I still wouldn’t put them aside though. Their mobile streaming package is currently the best.

Hosting Video Yourself

If you are one of those companies who needs to have total control, then you’ll want to host it yourself. You have a lot of options here, but the most common for hosting archival videos are Amazon S3, Edgecast, Rackspace and Akamai.

You’ll need to do all of the file conversion yourself using tools like Apple’s Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier or Handbrake before you upload, or pay someone to do it for you. Most of the time your video production or web design partner can do this for you.

You’ll also need some very specific knowledge around Flash video, HTML5 video and JavaScript to make this all work. We’ve spent a significant amount of time investigating the different ways to deliver video to the desktop and mobile devices at the same time. It’s not easy, but it works great when done right.

Streaming Video Yourself

If you are wanting to stream events live, there aren’t many choices here and you will pay a hefty fee for it. Edgecast, Akamai, Ustream and LiveStream all provide white label products so it looks like you host it yourself. However, unless you are a major corporation with money to burn, you don’t want to go this route. It’s highly cost prohibitive.

Planning for the Future

For a variety of reasons, video is great way to set yourself apart. With 100′s of millions of devices in the market, mobile video has tipped and is on a downhill rush. You are making a huge mistake if you don’t have your website videos viewable on the go. Consumers are eager to see great content about your product, or watch your events live, but they want to do it on the go.

Don’t make the mistake and hide what you have to say from so many people. It’s minimal work to make that sale or gain a new fan – Be mobile ready and beat your competition today!

Horizon League Mobile provides fast access to the latest blog entries, news from other sites around the web, Twitter updates, and videos for your favorite Horizon League teams — Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola Chicago, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State, and Youngstown State.

You can view the app on the iTunes website or in iTunes on your desktop or iPhone.

Find Ideas and Save Them for Later

People are extremely efficient at going through information quickly. There are two ways you can use this to your advantage. First, you can scan copious amounts of information your self in a short period of time. Second, other people already do it for you.

Personally, I scan some 400 RSS feeds and 140 people on Twitter every day. Out of that, I probably have 10-12 items that I read. Typically I save them until late at night by bookmarking, flagging in Google Reader or saving to Instapaper. Scanning, not reading, is the key here.

Once you get into a scanning mode, it’s amazing what you can process. However, sometimes it’s best to let others do it for you. Google Reader (RSS) and Twitter Search trends for shared items. Fever takes that one step further and looks for trends in your own RSS feeds so you don’t have to scan everything.

Read! Read! Read!

Now that you have those items tucked away, you can use it to build your vocabulary and style. Subconsciously, you’ll find you prefer some sites over others because of the writing style. This in-turn will guide you to your own style of writing. Having a style makes it easier to say what you want the first time.

Write More often

Nothing is worse that trying to write a letter, blog post or web page copy when you haven’t done it lately. You’ll find every excuse in the book not to do it. However, when you get into a routine, something magical happens. It becomes much easier! You’ll get in to the zone faster, create better content and make fewer corrections.

Twitter and Texting

When you are forced to keep it short, you get to the point faster and with less fluff. Instead of trying to add to the piece you are writing, ask your self, “What can I remove?”. In a world with tremendous amounts of information, you have to stay on point.

Friends and Family

If you wouldn’t say it out loud to the ones you respect, don’t write it. Having a voice is everything on the web. This will make your personality shine through and that’s what matters.

Concentration is Important

Finally, before you start writing, you need to clear your mind. There are a lot of synergies between writing and music — structure, tempo, tone, volume, etc. With the right songs I can quickly slip into a flow in just a few minutes.

Choose music with slower tempos. Personally I prefer Radiohead, Pink Floyd or Ben Folds, but it should be what works best for you. The right music will relax and calm you, and put you into the flow.

Every company is different — people, customers and culture. When considering a blog for your company, there are five key things you should know.

It is a Long Term Commitment

Like most marketing efforts, blogging is a long term investment. You start slowly, trying different things. Mistakes are made, but you adjust as you go. Slowly over time you will begin to gain followers. These are people who appreciate the value you offer them. Treat them like friends or they will disappear as fast as you gain them.

Press Releases Don’t Belong

When you speak to your friends, you don’t talk about how wonderful you are all the time. You have conversations with them where they learn just a bit more about your personality each time. You also learn a lot about them. Press releases were created for people who write about your products, not the people who use them.

Traffic Doesn’t Come to You

Just like that new website or e-commerce store, people don’t know about you yet. You have to earn it. Blogging on a regular schedule and sticking to it creates a rhythm that readers enjoy. They’ll know how often to come back and won’t waste their time. When you create great content you win sneezers. Those are the people who tell their friends.

Your Competitors Will Read It

So what if they do? It just doesn’t matter. When all they do is follow your lead, you will always be ahead of the game. The better the content you create, the harder it will be for them to be original and win over readers. They’ll stress about it and waste time while you pull farther into the lead.

Only You Can Make the Difference

In the end there is only one thing that matters. You. It’s you who has a voice. It’s you they want to know. When you create a friendly dialogue you become transparent. People are fallible and so are companies. It’s OK when you make a mistake. Admit your wrong doings and explain how you will correct them.

Now that you know what to expect, let’s go back to the original question.

Should you start a blog for your business?

Yes you should, but only if you have the will, the transparency and long term vision to stick with it. Just like a friend, you must earn it.

However, the iPhone Dev meetup was quite different and very exciting. The buzz that Apple has around its products was in the air with passion running deep. I was expecting something highly technical when in fact, it was quite the opposite.

The first presentation was from the developer of the Loan Shark and Yowza!! applications. August walked through the apps explaining why he created them and why he made the design choices he did. He thanked Apple on several occasions for the high amount of visibility he has been given, and rightfully so. He has spent quite a bit of time on the UI and it showed. At the end we had a good Q & A session where we mostly discussed the business side of the app store.

At no time did we look at a single line of code.

The second presentation was from the developer of the GenCon application. Chris did a similar walk through with his application. He also explained a few of the 3rd party libraries he used, but we never walked through the code itself. Again this was much higher level.

We then passed the microphone around the room. It quickly became apparent that there was a wide range of people present. 50% of the room was composed of your typical developers and hardcore programers. However, it was the other half that blew me away. Many of the people had never programmed and had no intention of doing so!

There is a huge emphasis in this group on business, marketing and design. You never see that in traditional groups. This is what makes the Apple community so unique.

At the end we broke out into groups based on topic — Games, medical, new programmers, etc. It was here that I met several people with great ideas looking to get help, others looking to share their expertise, and watched people helping each other out.

Great things are coming to Indianapolis and I’m really looking forward to it. iPhone development is high on our radar and I can’t wait to get our apps into the store.

iPhone Development Update

Some of our applications are currently in the iOS App Store. Feel free to have a look at some of our publicly available iPhone development work and learn more about the work we can’t show publicly.

Background

There are two main versions of HTML in use today: HTML 4 and XHTML 1. In reality the two are nearly identical. Both are about 10 years old. XHTML is the strict parent that requires you to put everything away in specific order. HTML is your grandparents who forget quickly.

We choose to use XHTML every day for two reasons. First, we find those strict conventions to be helpful in making the code more readable. Second, when something isn’t right, it is easier to track down the problem.

In the future though, we are going to have to change. The XHTML 2 working group recently announced they have disbanded and are backing HTML 5. Don’t worry — unification is a great thing and we applaud the decision to do so.

XHTML is dead. Long Live XHTML.

One of the big reasons I believe the XHTML 2 working group disbanded was because the HTML 5 group has essentially adopted their style as an option. Using HTML 5 you can still retain that strict parent approach that makes it easier for designers and developers in the long run.

Structure

The biggest changes to HTML 5 are with respect to semantics. As designers, there are common ways we create pages for every web site. Headers, navigation, sidebars, footers and content areas. We always name them the same as it makes it easy for us to step into each other’s work.

The HTML 5 specification addresses these commonalities head on by creating new tags that are what they say. The new tags include:

• header
• nav
• aside
• footer
• article
• section

Not only will it make it easier for us as designers, it will make it easier for the search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing). It takes some of the guesswork away in determining what links and content are most important on a page. You can now say “Yes, this is the article and is most important”, or “These are my main links. Please prioritize to these”.

In addition to that list, there are two more tags I’ll talk about next.

Video and Audio

Audio has been around a while, but video is the new kid on the block for a very good reason. Studies have shown time and time again that people will watch video for far longer than they will read content or listen to someone talk. Our body language says so much about who we are and what we are trying to say. People know it, and they prefer it.

The biggest set back to audio and video on web pages today is the lack of a standard way to do it. Flash is the most common way, but it requires a plugin, doesn’t work on most mobile devices, is harder to customize and can be slow.

The new tags allow very clear cut ways to add audio and video to pages. You can add a poster frame (image before the video plays), easily control the player with javascript, and specify multiple file types. That last one is a very big deal. If the browser can’t play the first type of video, the browser will keep looking down the list to find one that works.

Timelines

The good news for website owners is that nothing is going to change on existing sites in the near future. First of all it doesn’t have to change. What works today will still work on browsers in the years to come.

Second, ubiquitous browser support won’t happen for quite a while. Firefox 3.5, Safari 4 and iPhone 3.0 are the only ones that support the big video tag. All of these have been release in the last three months. Internet Explorer 8 supports only a few small items in the spec and isn’t worth raving about.

Third, the rumored date for a finalized spec is 2022. The date aside, browsers will implement support for the draft specification that’s out and being to do so in the next 2 years.

Finally, unless you are in a controlled environment that dictates which browser is used, it just doesn’t matter. It will take 4-6 years to cycle out the current browsers that lack the support.

It really is a shame that cycles are this slow. As a team we are excited about the opportunities HTML 5 gives us. We just won’t get to enjoy it for quite a while.