Primal Media -

Multiple Vocabularies, Drupal Taxonomy Images & Contemplate

primal — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:15:41 -0400

Every once and a while a design comes across my desk that looks easy but ends up being a challenge to code.

Right now I'm working on a Drupal project that has multiple Vocabularies. Users need to be able to select the terms that describe the product, and the corresponding term image needs to be displayed on the page.

Simple, right? That's what my designer thought.

Taking Control of Drupal Images

By default, Drupal's Taxonomy Image dumps all your images in one place, reguardless of how many Vocabularies you have. If you need more finite control, you have to theme your pages with the Content Templates (Contemplate) module.

Getting Specific with Vocabulary Images

So, you have multiple Vocabularies, and each of these Vocabularies has multiple Terms, and each Term has it's own Taxonomy Image. What's the best way to display just the Taxonomy Images for the terms selected within a specific Vocabulary using Contemplate?

Coding the Solution

Place this code in Contemplate body or teaser where you want the Taxonomy image to show up. Tested in Drupal 6.

<code>
<?php
if (count($taxonomy)):
// replace '5' with your vocabulary ID
$terms = taxonomy_node_get_terms_by_vocabulary($node, 5);
if ($terms) {
foreach ($terms as $key => $term) {
$items5[] = taxonomy_image_display($term->tid);
}
print implode($items5);
}
endif;
?> </code>

I hope this is helpful to you. Let me know in the comments below if this was something you were looking for, or if there are any ways you could improve upon it.

Sustainable Map Solutions

primal — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:36:23 -0400

Sustainable Map Solutions, the premier provider of online permitting and GIS in New England, has chosen Primal Media to design an intuitive user interface for their new permitting software, Total Permit.

Sustainable Map Solutions (www.sustainablemapsolutions.com) is the leader in cost effective, environmentally friendly web solutions for small to medium municipalities and corporations. In February 2009 they released a powerful new online permit and application management system called Total Permit.

Total Permit automates the municipal permitting process from start to finish, eliminating mountains of paperwork and tedious administrative tasks.

Applicants can submit and track applications, attach drawings, pay fees and receive approved certificates online. Inspectors can manage all their permits, communicate with applicants, asess fees, and approve or deny applications.

We will be working with Sustainable Map Solutions to simplify the Total Permit user interface and make it more intuitive for applicants and inspectors to use.

Look for the unveiling in early summer.

Seacoat Local (H)EAT Interview on WSCA

primal — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:42:59 -0500

Seacoat Local has recently kicked off their holiday (H)EAT (pronounced "Heat Eat") campaign to raise $50,000 for food and fuel assistence to our neighbors in need here on the Seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire.

We've been very involved in the campaign, helping out with everything from event planning and online marketing to decorating the (H)EAT storefront on Market Street. We've even stitched up mitten ornaments to be sold to raise money.

So it was a pleasure to join Seacoast Local board member Mark Sullivan of Seacoast Asset Management today on Portsmouth Community Radio WSCA 106.1 FM to talk with host Burt Cohen about the (H)EAT campaign. It was a great discussion about what we're doing and how businesses and individuals can join together to make a difference in their local community.

Missed the program? Listen to the show online by visiting the radio archives.

For more information about (H)EAT check out www.heat-eat.org and join us online at Twitter @HeatEat and become a fan on Facebook.

How to Print Custom Dates Using Contemplate & Scheduler

primal — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:06:38 -0500

Sometimes your code just won't work, even though it looks like it should. In my case, a couple of "smart" apostrophe's cost me a few hours.

I was trying to find a way to make the Drupal module Scheduler print the date a node is unpubished in a custom format using Contemplate. By default the Scheduler prints the date as Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 13:00, but my designer wanted the date to appear as Tuesday, Feb. 17 - 2 pm EST.

I found this blog about Custom Date Snippets which put me on the right course with this code:

Print Custom Date for a node:
print format_date($node->created, ‘custom’, ‘M d, Y’);

Print Custom Date for a comment:
print format_date($comment->timestamp, ‘custom’, ‘M d, Y’);

To adapt this to the Drupal Scheduler I poked around the module and found this value:
format_date($defaults->unpublish_on, 'custom', $date_format...

So I tried a hybrid of the above code with the one from the module, and I came up with:
print format_date($node->scheduler['unpublish_on'], 'custom', 'l, M. j');

After hours of pulling my hair, I realized it was the apostrophes. The code for the custom date snippets used "curly" or "smart" apostrophes (‘). When I cut and pasted them into the code, they weren't recognized as single quotes. Once I replaced the "smart" quote with regular "dumb" quote (') everything worked as planned.

I want to give a shout out to Eric Schäfer for letting me know I was on the right path! If this is helpful to you, please let me know in the comments below.

Twitter, TweetsGiving & the Power of Social Media

primal — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:12:05 -0500

This Thanksgiving, while most of us were reaching for another slice of pumpkin pie, the folks at EpicChange.org were rocking the social media sphere with a little campaign called TweetsGiving.

Nonprofits take note: TweetsGiving raised over $10,000 in just 48 hours to help build a classroom in Tanzania through the power of Twitter and social media.

Using Social Media for Good

The idea was simple: use Twitter to share what your thankful for, using the #tweetsgiving hash tag. Encourage your friends and followers on Twitter to do the same. Link to the TweetsGiving page and give a few dollars using the Chipin widget. Easy as pie.

Word quickly spread on Twitter. Within hours of launch, more than $3,000 was raised. 48 hours later, 369 people from around the globe had given over $10,000 to TweetsGiving - enough to build a new classroom in Tanzania.

Imagine: hundreds of people coming together to give $5 or $10 to a charity just because of their friends on Twitter. To quote Jeff Pulver, it was like "raising money out of thin air." This is the power of social media.

Social Media for Non-profits

Inspired? Join in. Social media marketing is all about conversation. It's about using technology like blogs, social networks and photo sharing sites to share content and interact with people in order to drive sales– or in the case of non-profits, donations.

Done well, social media marketing can exponentially increase awareness and drive online donations.

Check back soon - we'll be posting more on Web 2.0, Twitter, and using social media for non-profits. Follow us on Twitter @primalmedia for more ideas.

A New Look for RiverRun Bookstore

primal — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:23:40 -0500

Primal Media has launched a new website for RiverRun Bookstore, an independent bookstore located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, NH.

For years, RiverRun had a minimal online presence, encouraging customers to come into their independent New Hampshire book store and meet them face to face. But with a growing events calendar and requests from customers for more ways to interact, it was time for a redesign.

Feature-Rich CMS Website

We created a clean, professional look that showcases events and enables customers to order books online.

A powerful Drupal content management system makes it easy for staff to update the site, add book recomendations, post events, blog and share photos.

"Our new site is awesome!"

"After years of looking for the right way to have a meaningful presence in the virtual world, we finally found the answer in our own back yard—literally," raves RiverRun owner and manager Tom Holbrook.

"We picked Primal Media [of Portsmouth, NH] because we wanted a fast-loading website with a very, very easy back end," he goes on to explain.

"We wanted maximum flexibility, but needed updating to be easy because we will be changing and adding to the site constantly. We got all that and more – our new site is awesome!"

"Primal Media gave us a creative, gorgeous website that's crisp, easy to navigate, and offers customers a taste of the store when they can't be here," adds Michelle Filgate, the event coordinator at RiverRun Bookstore.

Instant SEO Results

In addition to a great design and smooth updates, Primal Media also optimized the NH website for the search engines.

Our advanced SEO features helped bring the Portsmouth, NH bookstore into the top 3 Google results for many of their keywords – within hours of launching.

The site also ranks in the top 86% of websites for marketing effectiveness according to Website Grader.

Check out the results at riverunbookstore.com.

New Website for Loyalty Builders

primal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 -0500

Primal Media has launched a new website for Loyalty Builders.

Loyalty Builders helps mid and enterprise clients like Microsoft create more efficient direct marketing campaigns using Mathematical Marketing to analyze transactions and predict future buying behavior.

The Portsmouth, NH company came to us wanting a dynamic, expandable site for their web-based service, Longbow, and a fresh new corporate site.

We created a clean corporate website that’s on message and easy to update. Advanced search engine optimization (SEO) tools allow the company the control keywords, meta tags, descriptions, and URL's for every page, supporting the companies online marketing efforts.

Check out the results at loyaltybuilders.com.

Primal Media Joins Seacoast Local

primal — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:27:04 -0400

Primal Media is pleased to join the ranks of almost 100 one-of-a-kind local businesses and organizations that make up Seacoast Local.

What is Seacoast Local?

Seacoast Local is a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting community involvement in local business, agriculture, arts and culture, the environment, and civic life on the New Hampshire / Maine Seacoast.

Why We Joined

We joined Seacoast Local because we love our community.

Adam and I both are returned natives: I grew up in Kittery Point, Maine and he grew up in Gilford, New Hampshire. We've explored other areas, and have chosen to come back to live and work on the Seacoast because we love the people, the energy, and the community.

We Love Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth, NH and the wider Seacoast area offers a great mix of culture and ideas in a beautiful setting.

Walk downtown to get your coffee and mail and you're sure to bump into friends with a few minutes to chat about politics and what's going on around town. At night, there's great food and tons of events, from plays and concerts to art shows and exhibits.

So much of this great local flavor comes directly from the locally owned, independent businesses and non-profits here in Portsmouth, NH and around the Seacoast.

We Love our Local Clients

And while we work with many great national and international businesses and organizations, we're especially proud to work with the independent local businesses and people that make our area unique.

In fact, many of our clients are also members of Seacoast Local, including G. Willikers! Toy Shop and RiverRun Bookstore of downtown Portsmouth, NH.

4 Reasons to Buy Local

So why buy local? For every $1 that you spend at a locally owned, independent business, 25¢ more is returned to our town than if you shopped at a national chain or big box store.

1. Local businesses support local people. Small, local businesses create more new jobs than big chains, and they spend a larger share of their revenue on local labor than chain stores with corporate headquarters elsewhere.

Locally based businesses also provide some of the most stable employment opportunities in our community.

2. Local businesses buy local. Locally owned businesses buy from other local businesses. They use local services like lawyers and banks, and they work with local web design firms like ours.

3. Local profits stay local. Locally owned businesses help keep more money in our community because local business owners spend more of their profits where they live – here on the Seacoast in Portsmouth, NH and Maine.

4. Local businesses give more. Local businesses donate more than 350% on average to local charities than non-locally owned businesses.

More About Seacoast Local

For a full list of member businesses, as well as upcoming events and more information on buying local, check out www.seacoastlocal.org.

Marketing Transform Pharmaceuticals Event

primal — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Primal Media and Sales Protocoal International teamed up to create the marketing materials for the Transform Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ribbon cutting ceremony on October 14th.

Tranform Pharmaceuticals is a Johnson & Johnson company that specializes in building better drugs through medical technology.

What we Did

Working with strategic consulting firm Sales Protocol International, we created e-mail and print invitations and designed banners used for the event.

About the Event

Photo © David MaurandMassachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was the main speaker at the ceremony celebrating the installation of the energy cogeneration facility at Transform Pahrmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company headquartered in Lexington, MA.

Malaria in Africa: Designing an End to the Cycle of Poverty

primal — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:51:05 -0400

Today is Blog Action Day 2008, and Primal Media is joining with thousands of socially-conscious bloggers to raise awareness about a single issue: poverty.

I'd like to take this day to talk about malaria, poverty and the power of marketing for non-profits.

Making the Connection

Recently we've started working with NetsforLife, an Episcopal Relief and Development non-profit partnership program that works to prevent, recognize and treat malaria in Africa.

This is how we learned of the link between malaria and poverty in Africa.

Malaria: A Cycle of Poverty

In malaria-endemic countries in Africa, 300-500 million people get sick from malaria every year.

Malaria accounts for up to half of all hospital admissions and outpatient visits in Africa.

Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.

In addition to the burden on the health system, malaria costs Africa $12 billion in lost productivity each year.

This represents a crippling 1.3% annual loss in GDP growth in countries where malaria is endemic.

Malaria disproportionately affects the rural poor who can't afford bed nets for prevention or access appropriate treatments when they fall sick. It makes children too sick to go to school and prevents their parents from working, decreasing productivity and household incomes and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

The Challenge for Non-Profits

It's estimated that betwen $1.9 and $3 billion is needed annually to control malaria in Africa. Currently, only half that much is given.

NetsforLife is part of an international community that is working together to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to cut extreme poverty and malaria in half by 2015.

The challenge for NetsforLife and other non-profits is how to move beyond donor fatigue to raise awareness and encourage people to get involved in the fight against malaria in Africa.

The Power of Marketing

The solution is to connect with donors through effective design and marketing.

After all, people have choices: in the US alone, the number of nonprofit organizations has nearly doubled since 1996 to more than 1.4 million.

In order to connect with donors, non-profits need to create a compelling story and show how giving can make a difference.

How to Market Non-Profits in 3 Easy Steps

Inspired by Katya Andresen great tips on how to market non-profits, here are 3 ways we are helping NetsforLife make the connection:

1. Make it Personal
The decision to give is emotionally based. Numbers and statistics, while compelling, can overwhelm people and prevent them from donating.

Bring it down to the level of the individual.

For NetsforLife, this means telling the story of how malaria affects a single child or a pregnant mother. It means photos of real people and regular updates from the field. Malaria is a big problem, but a single insecticide-treated bed net can save the life of a child.

2. Make it Unique
With so many orgnaizations out there, it's important for non-profits to develop their brand messages around how they are different.

There are some great organizations out there fighting malaria, including Malaria No More and Nothing But Nets. NetsforLife is unique because:

NetsforLife goes "to the end of the road" to fight malaria where help is needed most.
NetsforLife is a faith-based partnership working through churches. Fatih-based organizations have proven to be more effective at fighting malaria because they are part of the community.
NetsforLife doesn't just drop off nets - they instill a net culture. For every 10 nets distributed, 1 person goes out and buys a net on their own.

3. Make a Difference
Donors need to believe they can make a difference. It's critical for non-profits to share their successes and show how donors are making a difference.

For NetsforLife, this means sharing the results of distributing insecticide-treated bed nets and educating people about malaria. It means talking about how churches are empowering communities in Africa, where nearly 1 million nets have been distributed and 9.8 million people helped thanks to NetsforLife initiatives.

Next Steps

If you'd like to know more about NetsforLife and how they are making a difference in Africa, check out their website.

And check back here at our blog for more updates as we work to make the NetsforLife website a more effective marketing tool in the fight against malaria.

We welcome your thoughts about poverty, malaria, and marketing non-profits.