Five Things You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Databases But Were Too Embarrassed To Ask

This presentation will be tailored for the average business person and web designer to gain a more practical real world understanding of this important element of web design and development.

About the Presentation

Databases play a very important role in all of our lives. After all, almost every website you visit interacts with a database in some way. However, many working in the IT and web design industry never come in direct contact with the database and may wonder what’s actually going on inside. In this presentation we’ll answer 5 basic questions about databases that will help you understand what’s going on “under the hood.” We’ll also talk about some recent trends in the database world for handling ultra-large datasets and huge amounts of traffic (think facebook, twitter, google, amazon). How these companies can handle the astronomical amounts of data and traffic without crashing their systems is quite clever… come to find out!

About Kent Thompson

Kent has been building web applications for 9 years including shopping carts, live chat applications, help desk systems and survey products. He currently works exclusively on building and maintaining the cloud-based www.monsterfollowup.com, a follow-up marketing system that lets you capture and follow up with your prospects and customers via a variety of mediums including phone, SMS, email, print and web.

Kent graduated from Taylor University in 1999 with a degree in music composition. In 2000 he earned a Certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from the University of Southern California. He has been a regular attender and contributor at Nightstand events. Visit Kent’s personal blog at http://krtthompson.blogspot.com

Invite Others!

We’d love to see many of our past friends and guests again, and we encourage you to pass on this invitation to others in the industry who would benefit from this presentation topic and networking event. RSVP by leaving a comment with your name and company or organization on our Nightstand Blog. NOTE: You mus RSVP to be added to the attendee list at our building security desk! You will also be required to have a photo ID.

Where and When?

We are pleased to bring you Nightstand 16, an after hours educational and networking event to be held on Thursday evening, September 16, 2010 at 1 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 4000, Chicago, Illinois (photo ID Required). Informal networking begins at 6 PM, with food and beverages provided. Introductions begin at 7 PM followed by our featured presentation and informal discussion until about 8:30 PM.

We’d love to have you join us and see our new office space!

- Your friends at Headstand Media

RSVP’d Attenders – 11

• Randal Birkey
• Benjamin Nelson
• Kyle Williams
• Matt Ritsman
• Taylor Birkey
• Megan Lee
• Kent Thompson
• Ellen Malloy
• Lauren Liebovich
• Vijay Donthi
• George Gill

Content Management System

• Headstand Media worked with top level iTRACS management executives to redefine the strategy and goals of the site. We restructured old content and updated, refined and created new content. The WordPress content management system was selected for its simplicity and ease of use.

Design

• Headstand Media redesigned the corporate logo and identity, and based a new website interface around it.

Video

• Video was identified as a strategic way of communicating the more complex ideas and solutions that iTRACS provides. Headstand Media shot and produced all of the videos for the website project, as well as all of the website production and design.

Blog

• A company blog was also integrated into the site, allowing iTRACS to more effectively communicate their thought leadership within the IT industry.

The type of questions that we plan to address are:

• What is a database? – Examples
• The power of a database, ease of use, sample SQL query
• How spreadsheet fields relate to each other
• What is an index and why is it important?
• Common problems with databases (what happens to databases when you become Facebook)
• How Facebook, Google, Amazon organize their databases to scale up
• Overview Amazon simple DB and how they solve scaling problems for startups
• Limitations of simpleDB

More details will be forthcoming here on the Nightstand Blog in the weeks ahead, and email invitations will go out in early September.

We hope to see many of you then!

- Headstand Media

Since Headstand Media was born, we have had the privilege of working with some excellent companies and organizations. One of the benefits of working in the space that we do is that we get to see and experience exciting new technologies. In 2008 we began working with Day software products and in 2009, Headstand Media became a Day Software Professional Partner. We continue to enjoy serving Day Communique (CQ) customers through this partnership.

We’re excited about this new merge because both Adobe and Day are industry leaders and innovators who produce increasingly stronger software and technology solutions.

Click here to read Adobe’s immediate press release.

But today, we’re excited to move into our new office location at 1 North Wacker, also known as UBS Tower. You can learn more about this building (built in 2001) here. Headstand Media occupies a great corner of the 40th floor. We’re surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that look West and North. To the West, we can see the suburbs and the top of the Civic Opera House. To the North, we can look over the city and even see some of the lakefront. It’s quite a view.

Below is a video and photos we took when we first got the space last month. We’re excited to move in on Monday and see what the place looks like all cleaned up.

If you’d ever like to come visit us, please let us know. We’d love to have you spend some time with us in our new digs.

Agility Matters

• Learn how your peers are enhancing Marketing and IT Agility with CQ5. Customer keynote speakers, Hyatt, Adobe and Newsweek share their online, multi-channel success stories.

It’s About the Experience

• We are going mobile to Ignite our summit experience. Day Ignite 2010 is about building community, making new relationships, and getting everyone engaging in a conversation on the New Web and Day CQ5. The Innovative Summit goes mobile, minimizing paper and enhancing your Ignite experience.

It’s Time to Engage

• Learn about ground-breaking new enhancements for multi-channel marketing and campaign optimization with our upcoming CQ 5.4 Sneak Peek, presented by CTO David Nuescheler.

The event will be held at:
The Westin Chicago River North
320 North Dearborn Street
Chicago IL 60654
October 13-14

More details to follow.

(More about CQ5 Design and Development)

In 2009 YFC/USA has determined a need to rebrand themselves and establish a new web strategy and presence that reflects the new direction of the organization in the 21st century. Headstand Media initially engaged with YFC in April of 2009 in a consulting and advisory role. Randal Birkey visited the YFC/USA headquarters near Denver CO and facilitated a 2-day discussion centered around YFC’s web strategy and web presence. From this discussion, a new strategy was described and funding for the project was sought. In 2010, as funding was realized and new staff resources were put in place, Jake Bland, Director of Digital Innovation developed two requests for proposal which were released in May 2010. Headstand Media responded to these RFP’s and in June 2010, was selected to be the implementation vendor of the new web strategy.

The two 2010 projects consist of providing technology, search and social media advice during the design phase, and then production and implementation of the national organization’s public website, and 5 chapter websites by Fall 2010.

Headstand Media is honored to be selected to partner with YFC in this strategic role and looks forward to the successful implementation of an effective new web and social media strategy for the organization in 2010.

Mystery Photo 1

Judging from the responses below it looks like some extra help is needed!

Mystery Photo 2

• Background: on the hotel itself, the Hard Rock brand, and why they decided to jump into the social media moshpit to begun with
• Implementation and Strategy: general info about listings, strategies used to pick up fans and followers, and some sample guest interactions
• Social Media Method to Providing Kick Ass Service: discussing rewards programs, and some entertaining social media guest stories
• Damage Control: how Hard Rock Hotel responds to complaints, and strategies for acquiring positive consumer reviews

Melissa and the rest of the Nightstand attendees discussed the ins and outs of social media, how it applies to the hotel and service industries, and what kinds of things might be coming down the line.

As always, we enjoyed a tasty dinner and spent time meeting new people, networking, and having a grand old time. We would like to thank Melissa for presenting well-organized and engaging material that provided some great fodder for discussion. Thanks also to all our guests who came out to Nightstand 15. See you all next time!

Ryerson Inc. is headquartered in Chicago and is one of the oldest corporations to be continuously located in the city. It is also the largest steel distributor in North America. The current corporate website at www.ryerson.com was designed and developed by Randal’s previous web design company, then called BIRKEY.COM.

Headstand Media is proud to be associated with Ryerson again in this strategic initiative.