Title: Front End Manager

Jason has been at Mindscape for a number of years and has grown into our leading front end coder. He pushes our team to be better all of the time and to embrace new technologies so we are more efficient and can do cooler work. He joined Mindscape with a passion to be a coder, and not much else. Previously, he had not done a lot of work with websites, but he had a desire to learn and be the best. We liked him and the fact that he played bass, so we gave him a shot. We are glad we did! Read on to learn more about Jason Van Vuren.

What did you do before Mindscape?
I worked for L3 Communications Aviation Division as a supervisor for the electronics and testing technician team.

What made you want to work with websites?
The challenge of front end development from the perspective of providing a positive user experience with great UI.

What is your favorite part about working at Mindscape?
The culture here is unique. Not at all like a corporate entity.

What is your least favorite part of the job?
At this point in my career as a front end developer, I would have to say writing html/css. It’s starting to get redundant and old. My interests are definitely moving in a direction of mobile and web application development. I believe that building apps with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript is the future of the web.

What do you do for fun on the weekend?
Golf, boating, and generally being outdoors.

What is it like to be the oldest guy in the Pit?
Actually, the age I’m at now is pretty cool. I like having the life experiences and knowledge that I have gained over the years.

Tell everyone a story about something you have done.
Actually the most recent ‘cool’ thing I have done was to attend a tactical weapons training course with a friend of mine. We got strap on some AR15’s and walk through a simulated urban environment and take out bad guys. I had a lot fun with that. Unfortunately, I took out some civilians as well, oops. First time though. ( not real people, shooting targets. Just to clarify )

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Brands Get a Facebook Face-Lift!

You’ve likely noticed a few changes in your Facebook brand page lately. In case you haven’t, you will soon. Facebook announced that the Timeline feature is now available for brand pages. The new pages will mimic user profiles, allowing brands to display their history and provide a rich experience for the user. With the recent upgrades, it’s important to make sure that your Facebook page conveys the right message!

The new interface changes a variety of commonly used features currently available to page admins. Here is an overview of the most important changes that page admins need to be aware of:

Overall Page Layout

The new layout includes a cover photo, activity history and chronological timeline to share milestones and history. All pages will have a larger image at the top (called the cover photo) along with two columns for recent content. You will have the option to feature content along with pinning images to the top of the page. The navigation items on the left side will now be under the cover photo, next to photos, with a drop-down menu to access additional apps and features. Just as it was important to move applications to the top in the old layout, it’s important to feature the applications you want users to view most often in the top row, with the ones that are less important under the drop-down. The about section is featured under your profile icon, so be sure to correctly (and quickly!) explain your organization in that section.

In general, I think the layout changes are good for brands. They allow an organization to tell their story and are a lot cleaner than old brand layouts. The ascetically pleasing display fits nicely to feature compelling, creative images and encourages users to click to learn more. Keep in mind that these changes increase the need to share more rich media (photos) and move away from traditional text-based updates, so be sure to generate and share as many photos about your brand (including logos, examples of work, employees, etc) as you can.

Cover Photo

The cover photo is likely the most important (and aesthetically attractive) updates for brand pages. The cover photo is used to welcome a user to the page, provide some unique and interesting imagery, and solidify the story of your brand. However, Facebook has set rules for what you can and cannot say or what you can use as your cover photo. The cover image cannot contain:

• Price or purchase information such as “40% off” or “download at our website”
• Contact information such as website, email, mailing address
• References to user interface elements such as like, share or other Facebook site features
• Calls to action like “get it now” or “tell your friends”

I recommend using a variety of pictures for your cover photo and changing them often. It’s a quick and easy way to refresh the look and feel of your brand page!

Timeline/History

The new change allows you to showcase the history of your organization. You can create “milestones” for every important event in your organizational history, including key sales, mergers, employees, and more! Have fun with it- tell the story of your company and be proud of the organization you’ve become!

Facebook Applications

Thankfully, applications largely remained unchanged with this update! The biggest change to Applications is the change in size. Current applications are 520 pixels wide with a small 25×25 icon on the left side of the page (in the navigation menu). With the change, applications will now be wider,moving to 810 pixels. If you do not update your current apps, Facebook will automatically center the existing one in the larger width. So, if you just have a form or image with white space, you should not need to be concerned with updating right away, as the form will simply be centered in the larger area. In addition to the small 25×25 icon, there is a larger 111×74 image to represent the app in the navigation menu.

Default Landing Tabs/Pages

With the new display interface including a cover photo, default landing pages/tabs are GONE. This could be an issue, because it means you cannot set the default image or page for the user to see when they first visit your Facebook page. However, you can carefully design your cover image to replace this tab. And, you can drive traffic to an app or tab via a paid campaign, which is great for specific contests and promotions  you may hold on Facebook.

Here is an example of a cover photo we put together for Regional Air Alliance of West Michigan (one of our clients) that we’re using to replace the former landing tab. You’ll see that we combined text and imagery to tell the story of the organization and briefly define it’s purpose.

Messages

Users can now send your fan page private messages. This is great for users who have specific questions for your organization, or if you want to address an issue that a fan posts on your wall in a private conversation. Be sure you let your fans know when you are available to answer or address concerns and give them clear expectations for receiving a response. Just because they can message you 24/7 does not mean they expect (or want) an immediate answer- unless you tell them you will be available. If you cannot respond outside of business hours, your fans will appreciate you taking the time to let them know what to expect (as long as your respond as quickly as you can!).

All fan pages will be converted to the Timeline format March 31, 2012. If you are curious to see examples of pages that are doing it well, check out LiveStrong, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, or Magnolia Bakery. And, for fun, check out some of our Mindscaper’s personal Timeline designs.

As always, it’s beneficial to be ahead of the curve and upgrade your own brand’s page. By making the change early, you have more control of items and updates displayed along with giving yourself time to properly build the Timeline story. For a complete listing of all the changes that Timeline brings to fan pages, be sure to visit Facebook’s guide. If you’d like additional advice and tips or need help creating the perfect Timeline cover image, feel free to contact us.

Christina Torri is a Account Manager  for Mindscape at Hanon McKendry who works with Internet marketing and social media clients.

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Browser

We’ll start with something simple. A browser is just the software that you use to access the internet. The most common ones include Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome, but there are many many others. We here at Mindscape recommend using newer browsers like Chrome and Firefox for the best browsing experience. They have superior page rendering (fancy term for how the website will look on your screen) and allow for some pretty cool display effects that are not available in older browsers like Internet Explorer (IE). (In fact, it’s a well known secret that web developers hate IE… its like the bad kid at school that will never listen to the rules and is always running around breaking stuff!)

IP Address

This is an important one and we will use it to help define some other terms. An IP (Internet Protocol) is simply a set of numbers, usually in the format of 173.44.131.38, used to identify a unique place on the web. You can think of an IP as an address. Just like your street address may be 431 Oak Lane, Juno, AL, a server may have the address (IP) of 133.168.31.41.

There are two types of IP addresses: public/external and private/internal. Public IP’s are available to everyone on the web and must be unique to avoid address conflicts. Any website that you can visit is tied to some public IP. Private IP’s have to be unique only in their local network. For example, let’s say I’m connected to the internet at work. While at work, my laptop may be using a private IP of 10.1.1.22 to access the web. Now let’s say Bob works down the street in a different building and his IP is also 10.1.1.22. Since we aren’t using the same internet connection, we can have the same IP without any address conflicts.

An interesting note: the format above is considered IPv4. As of a few years ago, all of the unique available public IP addresses were exhausted for this format. So that literally means that no new IP’s can be created on the web, because they are all gone! To remedy this, a new version, called IPv6, has been under development for a while now. This format has many more distinct combinations and will be virtually inexhaustible. However, it is still several years away.

Domain

Domains are used to easily identify locations around the web without having to use IP addresses. They utilize common language words instead of numbers; mindscape-hm.com, google.com, and amazon.com are all examples of domains. Each domain points to a specific IP where that particular website exists.

There are many different parts that make up a domain. The most common ones are as follows:

Top-level domain: This is the very base of your domain… .com, .net, .info, .org, etc. This is usually used to categorize the type of website that will be at this domain. Check here for a full list of common top-level domains and their proposed uses.

Main domain (sometimes called root): This is the main portion of your domain address. This is what you are purchasing when you visit someone like GoDaddy to register a new domain. Mindscape-hm.com and google.com are examples of a main domain.

Sub-domain: The subdomain is any combination of “dots” that come before your main domain. For example in analytics.google.com, ‘analytics’ is considered the subdomain. You can have any number of subdomains attached to a main domain, even in sequence (ie, tools.basic.mindscape-hm.com).

Domains can be a bit tricky at times, but the main thing to remember is that domains point to an IP address! For a pictorial representation of domains, click here.

DNS and Nameservers

These two go hand-in-hand. You can think of DNS (Domain Name System) and Nameservers as the traffic directors of the internet. DNS tells all web traffic where it must go, whether it be email, internet surfing, or file sharing. So when you type in a web address, your domain then asks “Where am I supposed to go?” To answer this, it will find the DNS records for that site which it then uses to point to an IP address.

There are many different types of DNS records, but their basic functionality is to take a domain (google.com) and translate it into the appropriate IP address (74.125.225.129), so that your browser knows where to look for content. Here are the most common types of DNS records:

‘A’ record: points directly to an IP address.

CNAME or Alias: points to an ‘A’ record.

MX Record: record used for email directing.

Here is what a couple of typical DNS records would look like.

A nameserver is just the place where all of these DNS records sit. A good analogy I like to use is this: think of all the DNS records like mail men. They filter and deliver the various letters and packages (web traffic) to the correct house based on the address. You can think of a nameserver as the Post Office, or central hub where all the mail men live and all the records are stored.

Server

This is one that you hear thrown around a lot on the internet. What exactly is a server? Well, its actually much simpler than you might think. There are many different types of servers, but you can think of them as just a plain ol’ computer with a couple extra bells and whistles attached. Most of them look like a regular desktop tower computer that you might have at your home or office under the desk. The only difference is that they have special software tools installed that allow them to host and serve websites to the world. In fact, with one of our Mindscape servers, you can actually sit down at it, log in, and browse the web, just like you would your home computer. It is running a version of Windows so you can even play Solitaire and Mine Sweeper if you feel like it (shhhh…). So don’t be too overwhelmed if you hear someone talking about a server; it’s just a fancier version of your home desktop.

The Internet

So you might be wondering why this one is on here. I mean, everyone knows what the internet is, right? Well, unless you’ve been exposed to the idea before, the internet can actually be a little perplexing at first. Where is it located? What does it look like? Who is responsible for maintaining this big giant thing we call the internet?

Well actually, those are all trick questions! In reality, the internet is really not a physical thing at all, just a concept. There is no big gray building that says “Internet Headquarters.” Whenever you access the internet, you are just connecting to someone else’s computer out in the world (aka, their server). For example, some of the Mindscape servers are located in Texas… so when you connect to a webTRAIN site, you are really looking at a computer in Texas that has all of that site’s data stored on it. If you’re looking for a trivia question to stump your friends, you might ask them, “Where is the internet?”

That’s all the topics I have for this edition. Feel free to suggest others for future dissection!

Jon Siterlet is the Customer Service Manager for Mindscape at Hanon McKendry

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Technology is full of confusing terms, and building websites is no different. As a developer or as a person in need of a website, you will no doubt encounter a number of acronyms and words that you either don’t understand, don’t want to understand, or that just plain make you want to cry a little bit out of sheer frustration.

DNS? PHP? .NET? IIS? Apache? Joomla? Drupal? CMS? IE? FF?

The list grows longer and your attention span grows shorter. I’ll not bore you with all of the acronyms now, I’ll just save that for another post. Instead, I want to shed a small ray of sunshine upon a dark corner of confusion.

What’s the difference between Java, JavaScript and jQuery?

Java
Let’s start with what Java is not. Java is not coffee; you won’t find it at Starbucks.
Java is not a populous island nation in the Indian Ocean; at least, not the Java we are talking about.

Java is a programming language developed in 1995 for Sun Microsystems. Its main purpose is to be able to run on all different types of operating systems. In other words, a program written in Java can run on a Microsoft computer and an Apple computer. All you need is to download the Java run-time to your computer and you can run any Java applications.

Java can be used on the Web, but I haven’t seen an example of a site using Java in a long time. If someone is telling you they’ll build your website using Java, they probably mean JavaScript.

JavaScript
JavaScript is not Java, just like tea is not coffee and Bermuda is not the same as Java the nation. Beyond some superficial similarities in syntax (the words and symbols used to write the code), Java and JavaScript are quite different.

JavaScript is built to run on the Web. How it executes and how well it performs is dependent on the type of browser you are using (Check out this website to help you determine: What is a browser?).

JavaScript was decried, denigrated and dismissed by many programmers for years, including myself. The relatively recent rise of “fancy” websites that update quickly without reloading a page (Ajax or asynchronous JavaScript execution) has brought JavaScript into prominence, and has even made an old hater like me at least acknowledge its importance.

If a salesperson is talking to you about using JavaScript to build something on your website, they are probably talking about implementing some sort of “fancy” interface feature to make the site more appealing to your visitors.

jQuery
Finally, we come to jQuery. jQuery has nothing to do with questions. In fact, it answers a lot more questions than it raises. jQuery is a library of functions that uses JavaScript. It is like using the phone instead of sending a telegram. It is like sending a text instead of using the phone. It is like using GPS navigation instead of an old, paper map.

jQuery is what made it palatable and fun to start using JavaScript again. It is the most popular JavaScript library in use today, and if you are building a site you should be using it. If you are having a site built, when the sales person talks about JavaScript, it is almost certain that the developer will be utilizing jQuery to make it happen.

So there you have it. Java, JavaScript, and jQuery, now clear as mud for you!

Aaron Brander is the VP of Technology for MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry.

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Have you ever had a house built, or an addition added to your house? Did it go like this?

*****

“Good day, Mr. Architectman, I would like you to build a home for me,” Chris VonClient said.

“I would be happy to help, Chris. How big do you want the house to be?” Andy Architectman responded, tilting his head to the right so that he could hear Chris better.

“I was thinking we needed three bedrooms and two bathrooms. So I don’t know, two thousand square feet?” Chris was not really sure what he wanted, but he had a vague picture in his mind.

“Two thousand square feet, eh? Hmm. Yes. I can see it now. That’s enough for a big kitchen, vaulted ceilings, a den in the basement, a living room upstairs. Wait, you do want a basement, right?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea, Mr. Architectman. A basement is just what we need!” Chris was excited. He could see the house better already.

“Alright then. We can get started next week. How’s $150,000 sound and we’ll be done by September?” Andy was quite sure he knew exactly what Chris wanted.

“Perfect! Thanks Mr. Architectman!”

*****

I am hopeful that when you had your home built, it did not go this way. Somewhere in this process, Mr. Architectman built out a full blueprint for the project, perhaps even with visual aids like a 3D rendering of the home so you could walk through it.

Unfortunately, too many software projects are treated like the short story above. With a few descriptive words about the project, the developer is off and running and the client is left to wait for the project to be done.

Honestly, we have done projects this way at MINDSCAPE in the past. It was a long time ago, but still it happened. It was fairly standard practice in the software industry. There are two main ways to protect against this.

The first way is something called agile development. You can go ahead and look that up on Google if you would like, but basically it means that we work directly with the client through all phases of the project. The client asks for something small and we will deliver in a week or two. That thing is then evaluated, changed as necessary and we start work on thing two. It’s a great way to make sure the client gets what they want; but it has two downsides:

1) It is time intensive for the client. We’ll need your ear and your mind a lot of the time during development. That could be a month to a year of work, and not many clients have that time.

2) We don’t know how much it will cost because we are working collaboratively on it. That means we end up charging for all of the time we put into the project. Not many clients are willing to engage in that agreement.

So, we have taken the idea of agile development and married it to a more traditional process. Once we get to development, we make sure the client receives regular updates of what we are building and they will get to play with the software as we work. We do this by breaking up a large development into multiple milestones.

But to get to development, we first have to build the blueprint, and that’s where technical design comes in. There are three benefits to the technical design.

1) The client and the developer can look at words and pictures and sometimes even partially functional prototypes to make sure we see the same ideas.

2) The developer has a better understanding of what the client wants and how long it will take to build.

3) The client can take the technical design and have it quoted by other development companies. Sure, we’d like to have their business, but the technical design ends with a solid deliverable that will give other development shops a solid way to understand the project quickly.

So what does a technical design include? Much of it will depend upon the scope and complexity of the project, but it will always include one or more of the following:

Feature List
This is present in even the simplest design documents. It lists out the features that are needed with a description of what the feature does.

Wireframes
Often, we’ll pair the feature list with a visual representation of what each page may look like. This is not intended to be a final design, but rather a way to communicate how the feature will flow and look on the page. We often use a program called Balsamiq to help this process. Here is what a Balsamiq mockup looks like.

Prototypes
Sometimes, it is necessary to model interactions or complex use cases in a more dynamic way. In this instance we will build out a prototype. This allows the client to play with the proposed solution instead of just reading about it or seeing a picture. This is helpful when there is a lot of animation or fancy user interaction with the application. It is not the final solution, as it will not have any data or logic tied to it, but it is helpful for showing what the application should do.

No two technical designs are ever the same as we tailor it to the client, the project and the scope of work to be completed. However, the technical design should make the requirements clear to the developer and the client, should allow the developers to create a reasonable estimate of work and give the clients a deliverable that they can shop to other developers.

And it’s just a good idea to build a house with a blueprint and not an ambiguous conversation.

Aaron Brander is the VP of Technology for MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry.

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If you are like me, you are longing for the days when social media was easy. And FUN! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love all the things we can do with social media now days. But lately, being on Facebook has become a chore for me. With all the political nonsense to worry about (both nationally and the internal politics that exist between human relationships), I’ve found myself losing interest quickly and longing for the days of customized (albeit insane) MySpace profiles!

Luckily, the latest crazes in social networking are starting to bring the social aspects of media back to the forefront. Their clean, focused designs (and targets) are actually allowing for some FUN in social media again! Below is a breakdown of three of the latest social media platforms, along with main target audiences and some ideas for how you can leverage them for your business:

Pinterest

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of this tiny little start up that has ballooned into a huge craze. With over 10 million users registered (80% of which are women), Pinterest is already considered the “social media darling” of 2012. In case you are not one of them, Pinterest is basically a photo sharing site designed to easily share images around the Web. Users can upload their own images or “pin” what they like from websites to their very own image “boards.” Think scrapbooking in the digital world.

There is little doubt that Pinterest will continue to grow and be important in 2012. What is yet to be determined is if this network will become a flash in the pan, or if it has some legs to stand on. As with any good idea, rapid growth without a clear plan can be the kiss of death, so only time will tell how the developers handle their growth. There have been recent rumblings that this network could go the way of Napster, with the creative/photography industry in uproar over free sharing of their work. And although users are addicted now, will they stay addicted once the “high” wears off and the next social platform comes around? Only time will tell, but with their recent integration as a Facebook app and adjustments to their policies, I have a feeling that Pinterest will stay on the radar for at least a little bit longer.

Who it’s targeted to: Renee Achterhof, content developer at MINDSCAPE, suggests that the site is “…for the visual craver. It’s simple, yet somewhat chaotic layout is somehow both aesthetically pleasing and plucks at user’s heartstrings. This network is picking up speed, and fast. Ranging from cutesy arts and crafts to spins on old-fashioned recipes to funny women’s rights-type puns, Pinterest is the guilty pleasure of a busy woman.”

Ways your business can use it: Create a board and start pinning! If you are a company that focuses on high design, then post images of great design. If you are a marketing firm, you could try pinning inspirational quotes or infographics that you like. Feel free to have some fun and let your company’s personality show through in what boards you create and items you pin! Don’t forget to make sure the images on your website can easily be “pinned.” Better yet, create content/images designed to be “pinned.” Right now, there is no official “Pinterest for brands” policy yet, but stay tuned to be sure you are in line with any changes.

Since you cannot connect with a Facebook fan page (and we all know that having a personal page for businesses is a no-no), don’t forget to encourage employees to create an account and “re-pin” content you post. Since they can connect with their friends, it will help share the content. You can connect to your business’s Twitter account, and there is nothing wrong with letting your Facebook fans know you have started a new board.

Spotify

Spotify is an internet based radio application that originally gained popularity in Europe due to simple interface, easy-to-use application and social aspects. Personally, this is one of my favorite “social networks,” though it’s not technically it’s own social networking community. The application offers millions of free tunes for listening pleasure, gives the option to import users’ own music and allows creation of playlists of favorite tracks. Think Pandora mixed with iTunes. Users also have the option to upgrade to premium subscriptions, which removes the ads and gives the option for offline listening.

Spotify is unique from other media services in that with one easy click, users can connect their account with Facebook and Twitter and see their friends’ favorite lists and tracks. You may have noticed some of your friends “listening to” various songs on Spotify on your Facebook news ticker, as posting your current track is part of the Spotify Facebook App. In addition to sharing, users can discover new music from those they trust and share activity on social media. They can even send another user a track to check out or even a whole playlist for them to listen to – kind of like making a mixed tape for someone, but in the digital age. I love this feature- I’m always looking for new music and wanting to share the latest tracks I’m feeling with my friends. I feel like with Spotify, the FUN is back in digital music!

Who’s it for: For the music junkie, looking to discover new music and techies who are early adopters looking for the latest thing. I also think this is a great platform for anyone who loves the convenience of controlling their music from their computer but wants to access their own playlists in the cloud.

Business use: Although the business uses of Spotify are limited right now (unless you are a musician/band/promoter trying to get a song out there), you can still leverage this platform to increase your brand awareness by creating a brand playlist of music that relates to your organization. Or, you could showcase some brand personality by asking your team to add their favorite song to a list. Share your playlists with your fans across social media – you may just introduce your fans to something new! Although your return on investment is limited, it’s still a fun, quick and easy way to share the culture and personality of your organization.

GetGlue

GetGlue is the latest app attempting to make offline activities social. Users can read a book, watch a movie, drink wine or (the most common use) watch their favorite TV show and share that activity socially. When users check-in while watching a particular show they can discuss the happenings in real time with other users around the globe. Plus, the activity will automatically feed into the user’s Facebook and/or Twitter accounts, allowing to share their activity as it’s actually occurring.

Although this app is not overly popular yet, I can easily see how it (and others like it) could impact the way in which we watch TV. I think that giving users the opportunity to connect while a show is broadcasted live changes the recent trends of watching television “on demand” via streaming or a DVR – especially for reality TV addicts. People are using a second screen while watching TV on a daily basis (come on, like you don’t?), so I can easily see this connecting those with similar interests and opening the doors to discuss the program. Plus, the app gives the opportunity to write reviews and suggestions, so those looking for new shows or movies to check out can benefit by seeing what others have to say about them.

Who it’s for: Television junkies, movie watchers and everyone in between. With the variety of activities you can share, almost anyone would want to “GetGlued.”

Business use: Similar to Spotify, GetGlued is limited for business use right now (unless your business is directly tied to the entertainment industry). But you can get involved by sharing your thoughts about favorite shows, movies, books or activities with your followers on Twitter. It’s a great way to see what your fans/followers are into and start a conversation. You never know where that conversation may lead… 

These three social networks are just the beginning. Networks like Gentlemint (similar to Pinterest but for men) and BUZZ.net are already gaining some street cred. Plus, there are new ones forming every day focused on niche industries like travel, design and sports. As I’ve said before, 2012 will bring the emergence of smaller, focused social networks, which means you need to be on the lookout for your industry’s specialty network to get in on it as soon as possible!

Remember: Not everything on social media has to be directly tied to promoting your business; it can just be for fun too!

Christina Torri works with social media and Internet marketing clients for MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry

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We had a solid team and plenty of work to keep us busy. What made it nice is that it was manageable. Between two designers and two or three programmers, it was not so bad keeping their schedules straight.

We had a nice process. The salesperson would enter a form with the information I needed to make the schedule. I would take the form and create a Basecamp project using the information provided.

The Basecamp project would hold all of the tasks we needed to complete and the communication that we had on the project. Basecamp still works pretty well for this, and we use it daily.

Once a week I would sit down, write out by hand the hours needed for the different projects that came in, and get to work on Google Calendar. Each person in the company had a calendar, and I would put an All Day event in place for what they should be working on each day.

In this way, I could model the 4 days it would take for design, the 2 days of design revisions we would need in a week, and then the HTML and other programming that a different resource would need to do when the design was complete.

It took a little while, but it was manageable. And it was free. Each person could check their calendar each day, and know the main projects they should be working on. Here is a look at a schedule from February of 2010:

Pretty crazy looking, right?

Well, those quaint days are long gone, and yet we have not updated our scheduling methodology. We tried sticking with this process, but now there are two project managers, an entirely new department for marketing and double the number of programmers. It has become onerous to keep track of what project has priority and what each person is working on.

Want to find when we can fit a project in or get a new project completed? Good luck tracking that date down. We just don’t have it right now.

The issue came to a head over the last few weeks. New projects started pouring in, as our two salespersons worked their magic and Mike, Pete and Paul got in on the sales too. It became very clear that we needed to find something new. It was time to evolve.

So what is that something new? We don’t know for sure yet, but I have really enjoyed LiquidPlanner so far. It certainly makes scheduling a breeze compared to what we have done in the past. I have spent the last three days adding nearly two dozen projects into the system, assigning them to resources and adding tasks and estimated effort to each. And every time I add a new project Liquid Planner updates the schedule for me.

I am pretty sure I cannot go back to Google Calendar.

I will circle back to this subject in month and let you know a bit more about how we have solved the scheduling problem.

(If we have not solved the problem by then, Sisyphus and I will be best friends.)

Aaron Brander is the VP of Technology for MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry.

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Some people are simply born with great writing skills. For others, it’s an acquired and practiced skill. Whether you want to simply become a better writer or are looking to strengthen your writing skills, these four tips can help.

Write. The truth is, in order to improve your writing skills you need to write. Starting a blog, writing short stories, poems or focusing on creating headlines that radiate can help you get started in your endeavors. Read. A lot. Books, Web articles, magazines…anything, really. Mind mapping and outlining can help you stay focused and on-topic, and don’t be afraid to go back once, twice and a third time or more to make edits. The main idea: keep it simple.

People. Talking to others and listening to how they talk is an important resource in improving and polishing your writing skills. Join a writing group to interact with others who share your passion. Plop yourself in the middle of a busy coffee shop or mall and observe those around you. Then write about it.

Get proof. You’ll need to make edits more than a few times to your own work, and pass it along to a few others to get feedback. Take the criticism. Don’t take it personally. Once you are close to your final version, read it aloud to anyone willing to listen. Even if it’s just the dog.

Inspire yourself. Learn a new word each day. Rewrite movies. Take a trip. Keep a journal. Take a class. Listen to podcasts. Reminisce. Do some art. Take up a new hobby. Live. With. Passion.

Let me know how you do! Good luck, and happy writing.

Renee Achterhof is a content developer for MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry

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The Super Bowl has aired, along with the much anticipated commercials those in our industry – and even those not in advertising – look forward to each and every year. In years past, a few would leak out on the Internet here and there, and buzz would generate prior to their actual air time. This year, we’ve seen an increase in ads leaked and viewed online before the Super Bowl which has created a lot of buzz on social and traditional media channels. The buzz spurred debate around the office about whether or not this takes away from the excitement of watching the ads during the big game. Our resident advertising junkies Christina Torri and Renee Achterhof debate the pros and cons of ad previews:

Q: Did you watch any ad previews or did you wait until the big game?

Christina: Yep. I couldn’t resist…

Renee: NO! I wanted to be surprised! 

Q: Many of the commercials had been “leaked” online prior to airing during the Super Bowl. Do you like the idea?

Christina: Yes, I think it’s a excellent idea for brands to leak some of their ads ahead of the big game. It helps to generate buzz before the game and provide additional exposure for the ad, especially when extended versions or online only exclusives are offered. I think this strategy gives advertisers the opportunity to gain more “bang-for-their-buck,” especially with the pricey Super Bowl ads.

Renee: I’m really not a fan. Although it may help with buzz and exposure, it takes away from the exclusivity and excitement of airing for the first time during the Super Bowl itself. I avoided watching them online prior to airing for that very reason – I wanted to have a reaction when they actually aired, not have prior knowledge of what to expect.

Q: Do you think there are tactics or strategies for these sneak peeks?

Christina: Of course. Many companies launched Twitter campaigns ahead of time, sponsoring hashtags and promoting accounts. Plus, they utilized other social networks like YouTube and Pinterest to promote the preview, which clearly shows a strategic effort across paid, earned and owned media properties. Beyond online activity, mainstream media shows like the Today Show covered the ad previews in the week leading up to the game, which likely resulted from a strong PR push to generate awareness.

Renee: They definitely helped brands gain buzz, but beyond that, I’m not sure there was much benefit to the strategy. I think Kia had a great tactic by “teasing” audiences with a small blurb of its ad (who didn’t see that commercial ahead of time?). Although the ad itself was somewhat of a disappointment once aired, had it been a hit, they would have nailed the strategy of leaking before airing.

Q: Will previews to the commercials affect the brands financially?

Christina: The brand has already committed to producing and purchasing the spot, so releasing it prior to the game doesn’t directly impact them financially. However, many brands ran promotional campaigns on social media and across the digital space to generate additional buzz, which was likely supported with a strategic media buy. With 3.5 million for 30 seconds, and likely millions to produce the spot, these brands will likely see an increase in the overall ROI for the ad spot as a result of the buzz from previewing the ads before the game. 

Renee: I’m sure it will continue, but I think brands who don’t follow the trend will be smart. In my opinion, a “teaser” would be more appropriate.

Our MINDSCAPErs have debated – now it’s time for you to weigh in. What do you think of brands offering previews of their Super Bowl ads?

Take a look at the 10 best Super Bowl ads.

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