Ready for an amazing summer?  So is Boxkite Media's principal, Len Neighbors, who recently founded an Athens, GA-based record label titled "This Will Be Our Summer. Records" (TWBOS). 

Started in March 2011, This Will Be Our Summer. Records began with the idea that pays homage to the Golden Rule.  The idea is that artists should be treated with fairness and honesty by their record label. 

This Will Be Our Summer. Records also stems from the belief that fans shouldn't have to be cynical about the people from whom they buy records.

TWBOS' sums up its mission with a simple four word sentence: "Music should be fun." 

The website now showcases This Will Be Our Summer's first record "Black Velvet," recorded by Athens, GA favorite Madeline Adams, that is set to release in early June.  Madeline is also about to embark on a nationwide summer tour. Dates can be found on the TWBOS website.

From the website, you can purchase TWBOS records, view the latest TWBOS news and updates, follow TWBOS artist concert dates, subscribe to the TWBOS newsletter, and find out multiple pieces of information getting started with/contacting This Will Be Our Summer. Records.

So surf on over to This Will Be Our Summer. Records. You won't be disappointed. 

http://oursummerrecords.com/

Rob Pincus, the designer of the CFS program, approached Boxkite with the need to redesign the existing CFS website, along with building an e-commerce system so visitors can purchase training books and merchandise.  

After gathering the particulars, we crafted a user-friendly Web design that thoroughly informs visitors about the combat focus experience.  The website filters important CFS information, such as Instructors, Courses, and the Store, into separate categories for intuitive browsing. 

To control the website's content, we custom-built a content management system with various features that align with the CFS business model.  These features include blogging, which allows CFS to inform visitors and customers about combat-focused news and life, and a staff profile manager, which permits every CFS instructor to control his or her own biography and contact information.  

The system also comes with a calendar feature with which CFS employees can add classes, and information associated with classes such as prices city, state, and instructor.  When an instructor is added, the calendar creates a class on the specific instructors section of the CFS website.

The content management system also comes with a fully functional e-commerce system.  The e-commerce system lets CFS Admins create products and assign pictures, descriptions, and an inventory count.  

The e-commerce system is built so CFS can add attributes, such as color and size, to products so that merchandise does not have to be entered twice.  

So, if you're interested in self-defense and becoming aware of your natural responses when in a combat situation, check out combatfocusshooting.com for more information.

RYOT came to Boxkite with the need to showcase products in and clear and organized fashion.  It needed an intuitive content management and e-commerce system that allows employees to add and edit products at will.

We worked alongside RYOT to thoroughly gather business requirements and determine the market for which the RYOT website would reach.  

Based on these requirements, we designed the website to capture the essence of the modern lifestyle.  The website displays newly entered products, popular products, and organizes these products into five main categories so customers can pinpoint the item they need.

RYOT's design is powered by a custom-built content management system (called the Spool) that allows employees to control Web content through a single back-end portal.

The content management system (CMS) offers many features with which RYOT can control the website.  These features include the ability to create new webpages on the fly, blog, archive contact information, edit website text, and add videos, files, and documents at will.

The CMS also supports an e-commerce system that is tailored to the RYOT business model.  The system tracks product inventory and permits employees to upload product pictures, supply product text, and define shipping dimensions.

The e-commerce system is built so RYOT can assign products to categories, which represent the section on the website that the product is displayed.  The system also lets RYOT create common attributes, such as size and color, that Admins can associate to every product.  This streamlines RYOT's process and makes sure RYOT does not have to enter multiple products for each size and color.

Furthermore, we wrote and produced product demo videos, which can be found on the RYOT home page.

So if you're a modern enthusiast, be sure to roll on into RYOT.com and order a product today.   

Kannastor is an online retail store that sells spice grinders that offer exceptional versatility and that come in a variety of dimensions.

The owners of Kannastor came to Boxkite with hopes to develop a usable web presence that clearly showcases products.  Kannastor also wanted us to construct a content management and e-commerce system that allows employees to control every aspect of the website from a single portal.  

We did just that.

The Kannastore design was created to present visitors with a straightforward view of Kannastor products.  The design allows vistors to easily navigate the site by presenting products in four main categories: Grinders, Storage, Presses, and Accessories.

To power the front-end, we custom-built Kannastor a fully functional content management system that supports an e-commerce feature, which perfectly aligns with the Kannastor business model.

The e-commerce feature allows Kannastor employees to track inventory, upload product pictures, write text descriptions, add shipping and handling dimensions.  

The e-commerce system also permits employees to add categories that, when checked, correspond to the product location on the site.  Kannastor can also add product attributes.  This feature Kannastor create common product characteristics, such as color, size, etc., and assign these characteristics to multiple products.  

For example, if creating a spice grinder that comes in black and blue, Kannastor can create the "black" and the "blue" attribute, add the spice grinder product, and assign the "black" and "blue" attribute to the grinder.  The black and blue attributes can then be assigned to other products, and the spice grinder is only entered once.

The content management system also lets Kannastor Admins create/delete web pages based on the custom design, add/edit content, blog, upload video/audio/document files, and route contact information received from the website.

Dr. Yager and associates needed a website to document the Antarctic trip, called AntarcticASPIRE, and to communicate information not only to research scientists, but to the general public.

Understanding this desire, we worked with Dr. Yager to pinpoint her design wishes and gather the functional requirements so we could build an intutive content management system.

The design was crafted to showcase a multiple image slider, with which Dr. Yager can upload pictures and write comments associated with the pictures.  The design prominently displays the latest blogs from the research team and organizes information into four main categories: About, Research, Contact, and Support.

To control the content, we built Dr. Yager a custom version of our content management system - the Spool - so that she could manipulate and tweak content as needed.

The Spool allows Dr. Yager and friends to create and insert content at will, blog (with pictures, videos, and photo galleries) about recent research updates, archive contact information, and add manage resources and links by creating categories and sub-categories associated with each resource.

The Spool also supports web page creation so Dr. Yager can easily add/delete webpages on the fly.

So be sure to chill out with Dr. Yager on her journey through the Antarctic by checking out AntarcticASPIRE.

Well look no further because we have teamed up with Woodlands Condos to give apartment seekers the ability to view and to interact with condos from their iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry mobile device.

The mobile version of the Woodlands Condos complements the main website by grouping menu options into eight iPhone App-like buttons, which include Floor Plans, Directions, Pictures, Videos, Life at the Condos, Ask a Question, FAQ, and a Maintenance option that permits current residents to request maintenance work.  

The design of the mobile site was built to cater to mobile-centric visitors by paralleling an Application found in an iPhone or Android App Store.  It gives mobile visitors a more intuitive browsing experience from a smaller device.

The mobile version displays when a visitor (from their smartphone) finds Woodlands Condos through a search engine, or types www.woodlandscondo.com on his or her device.  The Woodlands website automatically detects the machine on which the user is browsing an directs the user to the mobile version.

The site then allows visitors to select condos by city and directs them to the city-specific version of the mobile site relating to their choice.

Woodlands Condos are available in five cities across America: College Station, TX, Columbia, SC, Gainesville, FL, Statesboro, GA, and Tuscaloosa, AL.

Be sure to check out woodlandscondo.com from your mobile device to fully experience the wonderful Woodlands mobile presence!  

Spark approached Boxkite with the need to design and build an e-commerce website to showcase Spark's "green rush" devoted products.  

Boxkite accepted the task and did just that.

We crafted a product-centralized layout for Spark420 that divides products into general categories, and showcases popular and new products on the Home Page.

To power the design, we customized our content management system, called the Spool, to support a product-driven e-commerce system.  The e-commerce system allows Spark420 to create new products, upload pictures of products, and enter product descriptions and summaries.  

And because some of the products are the same, but offer different attributes, such as color, size, etc., we built the system to allow Spark to create one instance of an attribute, which Admins can associate with multiple products.  For example, if the attribute is the color blue, Spark can assign this to every product needed, rather than entering "blue" hundreds of times. 

The e-commerce system also permits Spark420 to create product categories, which represent the section of the site the product is published under.  For example, if adding a new shirt, Spark can simply check the "Shirt" category, and the product then exists under the Shirt section of Spark420.

The Spool also lets Spark blog, manage newsletters, and route contact information.

So, feeling a little "green?"  Head on over to Spark420 and check out the site for yourself!

Boxkite approached designing UGA Communication Department's website with the goal in mind to clearly inform thousands of students, parents, and teachers about everything related to the UGA Speech Communication program.

Remembering this, we crafted the site to boast UGA's classic red and black color scheme, and we organized content into six main groups: About, People, Undergrad, Graduate, Contact, and Research.

We also chose a readable color for the information presented on each page.

To control this information, we tailored our content management system (CMS), called the Spool, to allow the Speech Comm Department to edit content - pictures, text, and other files - at will.

The Spool's features include blogging, page creation, content editing, blogging, FAQ management, contact form routing, file and photo gallery uploads, and profile updating/editing.  

These features were specifically constructed for the UGA Department of Communication Studies and perfectly align with the department's website needs.

Have a look at the site at http://comm.uga.edu/. 

Led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Patricia Yager, the Arctic Nitro team journeyed into the Arctic to understand what is happening in specific Arctic ecosystems to assess future change.

Dr. Yager came to Boxkite with the hopes that we could not only craft a calming and informative Web presence, but also custom-built a content management system so that Dr. Yager, along with her team, could control webpage content, create resources at will, and blog about the trip.

We did just that.

The Web design was created to inform not only the research community, but also the general public about the Arctic Nitro study.  We also constructed the Web presence to highlight supporting organizations, along with public resources. 

To control the content present on the Web design, we tailored our content management system (CMS), the Spool, to meet the needs of the Artic Nitro team. 

The Spool allows Dr. Yager and friends to update existing Web text and images and to and create additional webpages on the fly.

The Arctic team can also use the Posts feature, meaning to post a blog entry, to journal the trip.  The Posts feature allows the research team to add images, videos, and associate photo galleries with each posts.

The CMS was also built to create and add resources so visitors can educate themselves about science relating to Arctic Nitro.

Be sure to follow Dr. Yager on her and her team's journey through the Arctic by visiting http://arcticnitro.org.

We recently rejuvenated the design of the Full Circle web presence.  We redesigned the site to offer a more intuitive real-estate browsing experience by grouping buyers into three categories: Residential, Commercial, and Management. 

We also crafted a look that gives Full Circle the ability to showcase hot properties - with images, pricing, location, and agent information -on the Home Page, as well as blog about local news and real estate happenings.

Furthermore, we upgraded Full Circle's real estate-focused content management system, the Real Estate Spool, to give Full Circle complete control of website needs.  

The Real Estate spool allows Full Circle to showcase properties through the Spool's property management feature, which permits Full Circle staff to input pertinent content, such as address, agent, summary, and associate categories to the properties, routing each individual property to its proper location on the site.

The property manager also dynamically generates maps based on the address entered, and showcases these maps alongside the property.

Along with the property manager, the Real Estate Spool features a staff profile manager, easy blogging, a resource manager, and a listserv manager, which stores contacts received from the contact form and gives Full Circle the option to customize email lists and to send HTML-based emails. 

Be sure to browse the Full Circle Real Estate site, and let us know what you think!

The Dallas Urban Debate Alliance (DUDA), launched in 2007, operates in a dozen Dallas ISD high schools, making competitive academic debate an option for more than 10,000 Dallas high school students who previously did not have the opportunity.

For DUDA, we designed an informative Web presence with the goal in mind to educate schools, students, teachers, and parents about Dallas debate, and to give DUDA complete control of web content through a single back-end content management system. 

The system is a debate-centric content management system we call the Debate Spool.  The Debate Spool is specifically built to support DUDA debate organizational needs, and which offers features commonly used in the debate world.  

These features include a calendar management system, which gives DUDA the ability to easily add/delete tournament and practice dates, a resource manager, which permits DUDA to create categories and associate documents, links, etc. under each category, news blogging, which allows DUDA to give users update information about the organization, and a newsletter management system, which stores contacts received from the contact form and gives DUDA the option to customize email lists and to send HTML-based emails.

The Debate Spool also lets DUDA create additional webpages at will.

Boxkite Media has teamed up with Athens-based 3tree Realty, a boutique real estate firm specializing in residential and commercial real estate and property management, to custom-build a real estate devoted content management system - the Real Estate Spool.

The Spool provides mapping functionality that dynamically generates maps of properties, neighborhoods, and points of interest for the user.  These property maps are generated automatically based on the addresses of the properties in the system, and administrators have the ability to create custom maps of neighborhoods and points of interest.

The Real Estate Spool also comes with a Property Management feature, which allows 3tree to add descriptive text, photo galleries, and maps at will.  The Property Manager permits 3tree to update and delete properties as needed.

Furthermore, the Spool gives 3tree staff the ability to update/add staff profiles, blog, manage listserv emails, and add/remove categories associated with resource links.

So, if in the market for a real estate-centric website, be sure to contact us with any questions you may have.  

The National Debate Coaches Association's (NDCA) ultimate vision is to provide opportunities for high school coaches to strengthen their abilities in order to provide stronger learning environments for their students.  

To coincide with this vision, we crafted a usable and intuitive Web design for NDCA so that high school debate coaches across the USA could congregate and share thoughts and resources related to debate.  

So NDCA could easily update and control Web content, we customized our debate-centered content management system, also known as the Debate Spool, to facilitate debate-related tasks.  NDCAs Debate Spool is tailored to support blogging, tournament scheduling, instant page creation, and newsletter management.  

The Debate Spool is also built with a Resource Manager, which allows NDCA to upload documents, videos, images, and files associated with debate.  NDCA can create categories within the Resource Manager and add files associated with these categories.

Furthermore, we helped NDCA incorporate a community Wiki, which allows NDCA members to update tournament information, and other content as needed.

More questions?  

Drop us a line, or have a look at the National Debate Coaches Association website yourself!

This conversation could include topics such as the Winter Olympics, World Cup, Republicans conquering the House of Representatives, and Gulf Oil Spill. As with most “Year in Review” analyses, it will likely culminate into a Nostradamus-like prognosis of the year to come.

With this article, I hope to pass on my own technological wisdom in order to assist you with the technology portion of your 2011 Prophecy with my own Top Five Tech Predictions for 2011.

A Fluffier Government

The cloud, which is a fluffed-up word for Internet, looks to accumulate a public sector following in 2011. With Microsoft winning a bid to implement a cloud-based system for the Department of Agriculture, and Google and Microsoft competing to transform federal, state, and local governments into collaboration central, the cloud appears as though it will drift into Uncle Sam’s house—and he’ll have open arms.

Prediction: President Obama uses a digital signature to sign a bill into a law, which exists as a Google Doc.

Cyberwar Goes Public

2010’s Cyberwarfare implications will shoot into 2011 like a speeding bullet. Noting such 2010 attacks January’s Google China security breach and the recent WikiLeaks fiasco, hackers likely will infiltrate servers in 2011 with full force.

Also in 2011, become aware of the information that is stored in your browser’s cookie, which is a piece of text used to automatically authenticate log-ins for sites such as Facebook and Gmail. HTML5 supported browsers already flaunt sensitive cookie information, and user-friendly hacker programs such as Firefox’s Firesheep extension make it simple to use this information to hijack your Facebook, Twitter, or Gmail account.

Prediction: Pajamas become the new standard uniform for the armed forces.

Tablet-tastic Retail Sales

The tablet takeover appears on track for 2011. The technology research firm Gartner projects that tablet sales will hit approximately 55 million units next year, triple the number for 2010. Gartner also states that in 2011, all-in-one tablets, such as Apple’s iPad or Dell’s Streak, will “cannibalize” their reader-focused counterparts, such as Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes and Noble’s nook. As Apple rolls out the iPad version 2 in Spring (although last week Technorati reported the Chinese manufacturer said it could be out this winter) and Google enters the tablet game, Gartner’s forecast could reign true in 2011.

Prediction: The tablet replaces the dog as man’s new best friend.

Internet TV Takes Control

In 2010, Google released Google TV, a zombifiying box that brings the experience of the Web to your home television set, setting the standard for Web-based TV. Also, online television platforms such as Netflix and Hulu turned profits, convincing more and more people that the scheduled-TV model is dying. With Time-Warner reporting a 150,000 subscriber loss during the months of July to September 2010, and Comcast citing a 275,000 subscriber loss during the third quarter, Internet TV looks to continue to crumble cable service in 2011.

Prediction: Mirroring the concept of the “couch potato,” the “streamer” becomes the 2011 hip word, which is defined by those who stream TV from multiple locations.

4G Mobile Internet Makes an Impact

4G, or the fourth generation of mobile Internet, showed its face in 2010, but didn’t make much of a public impression. Available only in major cities, 4G is accessible through a handful of mobile products such as Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G and myTouch 4G. But because AT&T is rumored to expand the 4G network in mid-2011, and as people begin to adapt to the superior speed, 4G Internet is sure to become a 2011 mobile necessity.

Prediction: The iPhone 4G that supports 3G Internet begins to work with 4G Internet and Apple renames the phone, “The iPhone 4G squared.”

"Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life." That's the home page pitch that has convinced so many of us to sign-up for a personalized virtual neighborhood.

After agreeing to the homeowners' contract, or the Terms and Conditions, we are welcomed with a newsletter, an event planning tool, a message board, and a neighborhood chat room. We even have the power to add new neighbors to our territory, and to delete neighbors at will.

When we first move-in, we feel as though we reside in a back-country home. There is no one in sight, except for the friends who convinced us to join the community. We wonder what the Facebook fuss is about.Soon thereafter, word gets around about our vacant lot. Overnight, our mailbox becomes flooded with building requests, as friends seek to gain acceptance into our space. We gladly approve requests from close friends and family, and reluctantly accept those from enemies.

A few months later, corporations apply for approval to build. Companies such as Coca-Cola and Nike wonder whether we "like" their products. Before we know it, our quiet country home becomes a noisy city apartment.

It's then when we start to wonder what our fellow tenants are up to.

We begin to pry open their photo albums and inspect notes written on their front door. We examine fellow occupants' friends that we do not know, and also the friends of these unknown friends. 

During these investigations, we pass judgments about inhabitant lifestyles. Conjuring up feelings from jealously to arrogance, we compare Facebook resident activity to activity of our own. And based on these comparisons, we filter our own profile to reflect, what we believe as, the "proper" way to live.

To neighbors, our profile image becomes an identity. To employers, this image epitomizes self-competence. To ourselves, this image embodies our social reputation, and even our social standing.

We remove tags, crop pictures, and censor content to promote our good name. When continually edited millions of times by millions of users, this filtered facade becomes the new social caste benchmark for the hundreds or thousands of residents in our personalized neighborhoods.
And as we strive to keep up with our neighbors' standard of living, and edit our own standard to maintain our social standing, we generate a new, far more extensive method to "keep up with the Joneses."