The MatriX Files

Blog: Which Came First? Design or Content? Neither, They Need to be Hatched at the Same Time

jpineda — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:18:25 +0000

There is an ongoing discussion at Matrix Group about content and Web design. One camp says that clients need to have all of their content prepped and ready to go before design on a Web site even begins. The other camp says this view is not realistic, content is always behind, and clients often need the [...]

Blog: I Did It! I Got My Ham Radio License!

jpineda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:24:31 +0000

A couple of months ago, I blogged about how my 5-year old son challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and get my ham radio license. Wanting to set a good example, I decided to go for it. On Saturday, October 10, after weeks of studying, I passed the Technician exam! I was [...]

Blog: Recruiting Top Job Candidates Through the Barry Deutsch Method

jpineda — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:33:25 +0000

A few years ago, Matrix Group was looking for a Network Administrator. We had been looking for 18 months with no success. The situation was bleak. The candidates coming in were awful, my team was overworked and desperate to make a hire, and recruiters were failing us miserably. Then I attended a presentation by Barry Deutsch, [...]

Blog: My Favorite Twitter Applications

jpineda — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:16:26 +0000

Twitter was super smart when they created their API and encouraged developers all over the world to come on in, use their API and develop their own applications using Twitter data. But wait, what’s an API, you say? API stands for Application Program Interface. Wikipedia defines an API as “an interface that a software programs implements [...]

Blog: Did You Forget Your Order? — My Favorite Customer Service E-Mails

jpineda — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:43:56 +0000

Last Sunday, I logged onto Snapfish.com and started creating a customized calendar using mostly photos of my son (who else should be featured on my homemade calendar?). I ran out of time before I could finish the order, so I saved it and logged off. Tonight, I got a really cute and friendly e-mail reminder [...]

Blog: Customer Discounts Shouldn’t Cost You More Money

jpineda — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:40:56 +0000

I was at Union Station a few weeks ago and on my way out, I validated my parking ticket, which would have given me a dollar or two off the total charge. As instructed by all the signage, I paid for my ticket at the automated station, then hopped into my car and exited the [...]

Blog: Does the Social Web Mean an End to E-Mail?

jpineda — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:36:23 +0000

During a recent interview, the candidate asked me if Matrix Group still uses e-mail to promote its services and events. Curious, I asked her why she asked that question. She replied that she thought e-mail was obsolete, that all marketing is moving to the social Web. My first reaction was “no way, you’re crazy, e-mail [...]

Blog: What I Learned About Marketing From a Recipe on a Box

jpineda — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:14:14 +0000

A couple of years ago, I was reading about the health benefits of barley. So I decided to pick up a box of Quaker Oats barley at the grocery store. Having never cooked with barley before, I searched for recipes online. Finally, my husband said, “Hey, there’s a recipe on the box. Why don’t you [...]

Blog: The Art and Science of Business Cards

jpineda — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:21:06 +0000

When we moved to our new office in Crysta City, it meant reprinting all of our marketing materials. While it was simply a matter of updating and reprinting most of our collateral, we decided to redesign our business cards. Matrix Group Creative Director Alex Pineda wanted to update the design with the refreshed logo and [...]

Favorite: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

cdwyer — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:56:46 +0000

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Educate a girl, change the world. This book will inspire and amaze you.

Blog: Making Sense of the Twitter Speak and Twetiquette

jpineda — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:46:50 +0000

I was at a conference recently where one of the attendees mentioned that although she’s on Twitter, she doesn’t understand half of what’s being said. “What’s a DM?,” she said. “And what’s the difference between RT and via?” Twitter is deceptively simple. You get 140 characters to speak your mind or share some news. In [...]

Blog: At Work, as in Marriage and Friendship, A Sense of Humor Rocks

jpineda — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:15:14 +0000

Last Wednesday afternoon, I was harried and stressed. I was leaving for a conference on the West Coast. and if I didn’t leave the office by 2:30pm, the drive to BWI was not going to be pretty. But I had two people to call, five e-mails to write, three people to see and it was [...]

Blog: Creating an Integrated Marketing Strategy for Your Organization That Blends Traditional Marketing and Social Networking

jpineda — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:27:31 +0000

Clients often ask me how to add social media to their marketing and communication initiatives. Rather than viewing social media as a separate program, I recommend adding social media to existing marketing activities. In addition, I recommend against blasting the same message across the different platforms. Instead, I urge clients to create a layered approach that [...]

Project: Fire Your Broker Web site Redesign

cdwyer — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Matrix Group collaborated with author and certified financial planner Kelly Campbell to launch a redesigned Web site for Fire Your Broker. The redesign features Kelly’s book Fire Your Broker, a practical guide to help individuals take over their financial futures and find the right broker. Our work included: A new blog where Campbell addresses financial [...]

Blog: Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media

jpineda — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:11:41 +0000

I had the pleasure of being part of a panel at today’s Grow Smart Biz conference, sponsored by Network Solutions. Our topic was “Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media.” Despite being the last panel of the day (we started around 4:20pm), I estimated that over 80% of the conference attendees attended the panel. And by [...]

Favorite: The Beatles RockBand

cdwyer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:11:13 +0000

The Beatles RockBand

The Beatles RockBand is the best. Love being able to harmonize. Love the dreamscapes.

Project: Flight 93 National Memorial Web site

cdwyer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:55:19 +0000

Matrix Group worked with the Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission and the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, to design and launch the Flight 93 National Memorial Web site. The purpose of the site is to raise public awareness, funds, and commemorate the memorial, so that future generations may learn, and remember how the brave [...]

Project: SMCA and Local 19 Microsite and Campaign Branding

cdwyer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:29 +0000

Matrix Group collaborated with the Sheet Metal Contractors Association (SMCA) and Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, to create a microsite. With the launch of the site, SMCA and Local 19 hope to help stimulate the region’s construction industry and create green jobs for their members, as well as educate the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley [...]

Blog: Using the Crowd to Attract a Bigger Crowd To Your Events

jpineda — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:39:08 +0000

I’m going to be a panelist at the Grow Smart Biz conference next Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. In my opinion, this conference will be a must-attend event for small business owners and entrepreneurs (more on that later). This blog post is about how the conference planners are [...]

Blog: “Just Try It, Mama” or Lessons from the 5-Year Old

jpineda — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:29:04 +0000

I have a rule when it comes to food: you have to try it before you render judgment. This is a rule that my husband and I have impressed on our son from the time he was little. My mantra: Don’t tell me you don’t like it; you have to try it first. In fact, [...]

Blog: Are You a Book Lover? Check Out Google Books!

jpineda — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:37:11 +0000

Google is doing it again. Google is turning the publishing world upside down with Google Books, currently in beta. Google Books allows the public to download more than a million public domain books in PDF and EPUB formats. Google has been quietly scanning the world’s books for inclusion into Google Books, which is [...]

Blog: Burglars Are Shopping for Victims Online

jpineda — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:21:08 +0000

I’m online a lot and yes, I update my Facebook and Twitter accounts all day long. For some, updating their status on a minute by minute basis is almost a religion. I follow some people who tweet ALL the details of their day, all day long. Heck, I know where they are eating, that they’re [...]

Blog: The Myth of Multitasking

jpineda — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:06:47 +0000

Multitasking is everywhere. People are texting while driving, e-mailing during meetings, talking on the phone while walking their kids, tweeting while watching TV and IMing while working. Many people even brag about their multitasking prowess. But can we really do two, even three, things at once? Research shows that we can’t really multitask. Not well at [...]

Blog: Is Your Business Ready to Make the Switch to Google Apps?

jpineda — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:27:52 +0000

We’ve been kicking around ideas for making the Matrix Group intranet better. During a recent meeting, the Director of Software Engineering wondered if we should switch from our intranet calendar to the Google calendar. Whoa, I thought. Put my company calendar and personal schedule on Google? My mission-critical data that I would die without? [...]

Blog: I’m Following Martha Stewart on Twitter, But Is It Really Martha?

jpineda — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:40:14 +0000

I started following Martha Stewart on Twitter because I had heard that she tweets recipes. How hard can a recipe be if it’s tweeted? But then I got to wondering: am I following the real Martha Stewart? What if someone is impersonating Martha on Twitter? I know this happens a lot because there are dozens [...]

Blog: Netiquette for The Boss While on Twitter, Facebook, and Other Social Networks

jpineda — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:47:10 +0000

I was on LinkedIn yesterday and the LinkedIn search engine helpfully recommended a couple of people for me to add to my network. The list included a couple of people who currently work at Matrix Group. While it’s every CEO’s dream to have a large network, I did not invite the staff to get linked [...]

Blog: Who’s Afraid of User-Generated Content?

jpineda — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:32:11 +0000

From homemade movies on YouTube, to movie and book reviews, comments on blogs, and entries in Wikipedia, user-generated content (UGC) has changed the Web forever. I can’t imagine the Amazon shopping experience without comments and ratings from other moms, the posts from the 500 or so people I follow on Twitter could keep me [...]

Blog: Post-Launch Tasks = Project Overhang

jpineda — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:25:01 +0000

After each Web site launch, I ask the Project Manager in charge what’s left to do. Why? Because inevitably, there are items that didn’t make the launch. I call this Project Overhang and it can be deadly to a firm’s profitability and productivity. Project Overhang is what we call tasks that are left over from a project. [...]

Blog: What’s So Cool About Cooliris?

jpineda — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:26:26 +0000

I just discovered CoolIris, a browser plug-in that lets me surf images and videos in a cool, new way. Browser plugs-in are small pieces of software that extend the capabilities of your Web browser. In this case, I downloaded the CoolIris plug-in for Firefox, installed it, restarted, and I was good to go. So what’s [...]

Project: AOPL Web site Redesign and MatrixMaxx Implementation

cdwyer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:16:39 +0000

Matrix Group collaborated with Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) for a Web site redesign and a MatrixMaxx Implementation. Our work included: A fresh, and engaging Web site design, promoting AOPL as the expert in fuel transportation, and an environmentally aware organization. Implementation of a Content Management System (CMS), allowing staff to make Web site updates with no [...]