I just came across an article about wristwatches as the next web portal. I’m trying to imaging what this could do to web-standards.
Paul recently tackled the task of learning to make sites that rearrange and resize their content to fit browser windows on both computers and smart phones, (cool, right??) but at a watch size who knows what that could mean for the web.
Want to learn more? Here is the article.
-Jenny
For the last 4 years, Facebook has dominated the social media market without any real competition. Facebook met our basic human need to share updates, video and so much more in one place. But nothing is perfect and in time, we realized Facebook had it’s flaws as well. The constant random interface changes, lack of privacy concerns and unrelenting ability to get tagged in photos that you thought would be burned forever. Well, Google’s been listening to all our complaints and now, they have an answer: Google+
Google+ Project is a new social media platform on which sharing and connecting with others is easier than ever. No longer will we be bogged down by irritating Spam links or Aunt Mary’s constant updates about her war against bunions. With Google+, you control which content you want to see from exactly which people. In the same sense, you also have the ability to share your own content to selected individuals. In other words, mom doesn’t need to know how interesting your Saturday night out was but she can hear about how great you think it is that the the library is open late to accommodate studious youths, such as yourself.The point being that we naturally categorize individuals in our every day, why not be able to do that with our social media. Google+ offers innovated tools like Circles, Hangouts and Sparks along with improved privacy settings that really begs the question: is Facebook a thing of the past?
Google+ Circles helps you organize everyone according to your real-life social connections. Then, you can share relevant content with the right people, and follow content posted by people you find interesting. For example, you might post an announcement about your engagement and show it only to people in your friends and family circles, or you may see a post about your favorite author in the circle you created just for your book club.You can also decide to customize your personal profile information for your circles. For example, your contact details, location, and relationship information would be visible to your friends circle, while your employment history and education would be visible to your alumni association circle. Learn more about Circles here.
Google+ Hangouts lets you tell people that you’re online and you want to hangout. You can also use live video chat to put you and your buddies in one room together plus, you also have the option of only appearing online to those people that you choose. Learn more about Hangouts here.
Google+ Sparks brings you stories on the things you love from all across the Web in one easy location. You’re able to search for a variety of interests that only pertains to you. No more hearing about the latest viral cat video when you are really a dog person. Learn more about Sparks here.
With all of that said, do I think everyone is going to jump the Facebook ship and latch onto Google+ just yet? Sorry Google, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. Zuckerberg and his creation have dominated the social media kingdom for sometime now. Just as with anything in it’s infancy, Google+ has some evolving to do before it can get enough people to accept it is as the new social media king. The real test, especially from a marketing stand point will be how Google+ Business Pages are going to be set up. Google has said Business accounts will be available towards the end of the year, so until then I’ll keep encouraging business owners to get the conversations started by joining Facebook and Twitter. I do however think Google is brilliant for recognizing the most annoying parts about Facebook and solving those issues with new features and better privacy settings. I think Facebook finally does have a worthy contender in the ring (sorry Myspace).
- Carly
Something is in the air here at the studio….er, in the water perhaps? We have two mommies-to-be…count ‘em, two babies on the way! Now anticipating a wee bundle of joy is always, well joyous- but two…at the same time, it’s just one party after another, literally. That’s why we’ve dubbed it Babypalooza! As some of you may know, Jenny is having a boy- Logan- he’s due sometime in June. We just had a baby shower for her, complete with “dirty diapers” (Mmmm…is that chocolate or poop?) And Carly…well, we don’t know what she’s having yet and the anticipation is delicious! We’re all taking guesses, based on old family secrets, you know, rings on strings or the old “is she carrying high or low” speculating. Be sure to jump on our facebook page and wager a guess yourself, as well as guessing an exact due date for Master Logan! It’s been a thrill daily to see the growing tummies, hear about cravings, see all the baby paraphernalia coming and going and simply bask in the amazing glow that not one, but two pregnant women give off. Carly’s baby is due sometime in October, so the party is by no means over! And eventually our studio will have that new baby smell (nothing to do with dirty diapers) and the conversations with be reduced to blubbering and coos and oohs and ahhs… Yes, our family here at GCI feels very lucky and we hope you’ll join us for Babypalooza over the next few months!
Our Mommies-to-be
Aunt Courtney
It’s hard in this day & age not to see or hear something about Facebook. It is everywhere from the silver screen to your grandmother commenting on your pictures from 2,000 miles away. Facebook has become a part of our daily routine, so it’s not surprising that in a recent survey of digital-media habits from Ad Age/Ipsos Observer: 41% respondents said they want to receive communications from marketers on Facebook- more than double any digital platform. Even more astounding, one in three said it was their “preferred” platform.
What are consumers looking for specifically online? Coupons, coupons and more coupons. With the option to vote more than once, an astonishing 65% of respondents wanted brands to offer them discounts online. But it’s not all about the discounts that respondents wanted: 42% want better customer service, 28% sought branded game and only 22% wanted company news.
What does this mean for you as a business owner? You NEED a Facebook presence. And not just a presence, but also clever social media tactics that give your consumers reasons to keep coming back to your page, time and time again. Facebook is great for top of mind awareness, public relations and directing traffic to your website. All in all, there’s a huge consumer demand out there for brands to be on Facebook. Let GCI help you meet those demands head on! Give me a call & let’s chat about it!
Happy Facebooking!
- Carly 360.786.9657 ext. 104
GCI has always encouraged our clients to keep their websites fresh and current. You may have noticed we practice what we preach!
A little over a year ago we completely redesigned our website, wrote new content and were really happy with the results. But as time marches forward (on the web it actually sprints) it came to be time to begin anew. We went through an extensive brain storming process (pictured) and every member of the team had a chance to weigh-in on the new restructuring and design.
Some highlights…
We’d love to hear what you think, and if your business is in need of a website facelift let us know!
I need to disclaim my glee by ensuring you all that I am NOT an ‘early adopter’… Generally speaking I’m skeptical of “new revolutionary technology to change the world, save time, protect bunnies and make sure senior citizens in Florida don’t get sun burned.” But I this time I’m just too excited to not jump on the hype bandwagon…
Google is cooking up a new web product called “Google Wave”.
It’s difficult to explain, but the gist is that rather than email being a package that gets delivered from point A to point B. Google instead is treating the ‘email’ as a destination. A single package that users can connect to, edit, make additions and then notify others connected to it that it has been changed. The changes that Wave will allow you to perform include basic text editing (like email) but takes it many steps further. Easily add audio, video, polls, translations, images and just about any other media to the Wave.
The glorious thing about this is that it would mark an end to long and confusing “reply to all” email chains helping to keep everyone on the same page and make clear who is contributing what to the conversation.
In certain cases when multiple people are editing a Wave the edits will appear on everyone’s screen in real time! It’s more like having a real conversation and thus can be a huge time saver, protect bunnies and possibly keep the senior citizens in Florida from getting sun burned.
Wave is currently in beta (and probably will be for a very long time) but some invitations have been dispersed. If you’re interested leave a comment (with your email address) and I’ll send you one!
-Paul
Just as we have advised you to do, we are part of a few networking sites.
Check out our company pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Join (if you haven’t yet) and connect with us and your peers and you’ll have a stronger networking presence in no time! (Plus we’re pretty cool to “friend” of “link”.)
-Jenny
P.S. We’d love some comments about the social networking or blogging experiences you’re having. Don’t be shy!
This morning I had the pleasure of attending our local Boy Scouts of America “Celebrate Scouting” annual breakfast. They could not have chosen a better keynote speaker than Phil Smart, Sr. from Seattle.
The man is the living embodiment of community volunteerism. His passion and dedication to giving his time to his community are legendary and wide-reaching. This morning his focus was “just” on how his 78 years (yes, 78!) in Boy Scouts has impacted his life and business.
He spoke of how Scouting has changed over the years since November 1931 when he joined (he held up his original membership card) and 1935 when he earned the Eagle Scout pin he was wearing. For example, the “Sheep Farmer” merit badge among the 30 or so on his sash is no longer offered.
More importantly, he admired the things about Scouting that have never changed. . . the Scout Oath and the Scout Laws. He reminded the audience that the core principals of Scouting really do matter, even though they don’t seem to be much in evidence these days. Honesty. Integrity. Honoring your family. Being true to your word. Doing your best.
He attributes much of the success of his 50-year, family owned and operated business to running the business according to these same principles that have guided his daily life for 78 of his 89 years now.
Phil has been married to my late father’s sister for more than 60 years, so I’ve known and been influenced by him all my life. Maybe his values are, in part, why I’ve always felt so comfortable at GCI for going on 21 years now. The day Connie and I met, we talked for more than two and a half hours. I left the office that day not knowing yet if I had a job, but feeling like I’d known her all my life, too.
Hearing Phil speak this morning helped me put that day and now all these years in clear perspective. Connie has always operated GCI under those same principals.
At the end of the breakfast, person after person came up to meet Phil. They called him an inspiration, a community treasure, a remarkable person. But I get to use the best title. All my life it’s been my honor to call him, “Uncle Phil.”
- Ed
I go to New York City at least once a year to visit my family. I don’t tour around too much because I spent many years living there. Mostly I hang with my sister and catch up with the family and in the process I weave my way through the various neighborhood and shops. Next visit though, I plan to check out the new Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) at 2 Columbus Circle. It just opened in September 2008. Formerly the American Craft Museum (chock full of folk art, which I love) it was located across the street from The Museum of Modern Art — quite the contrast.
MAD still has folk art (part of the permanent collection, Permanently MAD), but has expanded to include a gorgeous collection of design. The biggest buzz, however, is the building itself. It has been transformed. I can’t tell you how many times I walked past the original “lollipop” structure. Check out the before and after shots. If you’re really interested, there’s a NY Times video clip on how the architects made the leap.
—Martha
2 Columbus Circle Before. Note the "lollipop" motif at ground level.
2 Columbus Circle After
Launching this new website is almost like waking up on January 1st, or graduating high-school. There’s so much possibility ahead of us, the future is wide-open and it’s all tremendously exciting!
So without getting too emotional, the Team at GCI would like to extend our warmest of welcomes to you!
Everyone on the Team will be contributing to this blog and we hope it serves as a place of inspiration for our visitors, and an open forum to discuss everything advertising. Maybe we’ll even discuss a couple things that aren’t (like who keeps hogging all the coffee mate creamer)!
We invite you to join in the discussion by leaving comments and feedback for us on our posts and getting in touch with us via the contact page.
We look forward to our future, and hope you will be a part of it!
–Paul
Cheers!
