June 17th, 2009
I recently returned from visiting my son in Washington DC/McLean Va ( he lives in McLean but usually no one has heard of the town but it’s only a short distance from DC). As in many communities, people are trying to use every means possible in getting young people to discover all the cool bars, the enticing variety of restaurants and cultural activites. There are condos, lofts, brownstones and apartments that should meet anyones needs/budgets. And if that is not enough, well leave it to the new tech age to come up with yet another cutting edge idea to lure the younger generation into moving to their suburb.
Maybe this is what Muskegon needs????
The Arlington Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo
Posted by Ramona Deters in Announcements | No Comments » |
May 27th, 2009
After several fierce games against many worthy opponents, the race for the Stanley Cup has been narrowed down to two remaining teams: The Detroit Red Wings and The Pittsburgh Penguins. What might seem like a bit of déjà vu, both teams will compete for the Stanley Cup for the second season in a row. - An event that hasn’t happened since 1978 when the Montreal Canadiens took on the Boston Bruins for the cup.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals begins on Saturday, May 30 at 8:00pm on NBC.
Tags: detroit red wings, finals, pittsburgh penguins, stanley cup
Posted by Kristopher Sosa in Announcements | 1 Comment » |
May 18th, 2009
As a designer, I’m always looking to improve my game and push myself to do better work for clients.
One of the ways I draw inspiration and better my understanding of design is through reading.
Lately I’ve been reading a couple different books on design and marketing, one of which you may recognize if you attended our Q-School Seminar on Social Networking. They focus on a range of subjects from creating a brand that works, to using social networking to reach your customers.
Do You Matter? (How Great Design will Make People Love Your Company)
by Robert Brunner and Steward Emery
“More and more companies are coming to understand the competitive advantage offered by outstanding design. With this, you can create products, services, and experiences that truly matter to your customers’ lives and thereby drive powerful, sustainable improvements in business performance. But delivering great designs is not easy. Many companies accomplish it once, or twice; few do it consistently. The secret: building a truly design-driven business, in which design is central to everything you do. “Do You Matter?” shows how to do precisely that. Legendary industrialdesigner Robert Brunner (who laid the groundwork for Apple’s brilliant design language) and Stewart Emery (Success Built to Last) begin by making an incontrovertible case for the power of design in making emotional connections, deepening relationships, and strengthening brands. You’ll learn what it really means to be “design-driven” and how that translates into action at Nike, Apple, BMW and IKEA. You’ll learn design-driven techniques for managing your entire experience chain; define effective design strategies and languages; and learn how to manage design from the top, encouraging “risky” design innovations that lead to entirely new markets. The authors show how (and how not) to use research; how to extend design values into marketing, manufacturing, and beyond; and how to keep building on your progress, truly “baking” design into all your processes and culture.”
Pick it up at Barnes And Noble or Amazon.com.
Punk Marketing
by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons
“In Punk Marketing, Laermer and Simmons take an irreverent, penetrating look at the seismic change in the relationship between the people who sell stuff—products, services, entertainment—and those who purchase it. They demonstrate that to survive in business, a revolutionary approach is needed—one they have branded “Punk Marketing”—and it’s one we all need to understand, for the traditional divisions among commerce, content, and consumers are continuing to blur ever more rapidly. Never dull, sometimes controversial, but always a helluva lot of fun, Punk Marketing presents a manifesto for any businessperson needing to engage consumers—or any consumer seeking to understand and employ their newfound power. And here’s the good news: It’s based on principles that have existed forever. In an age of digital video recorders, “branded” entertainment, cell-phone TV, multiplayer online games, and never-ending social networking, a coherent approach to marketing has never been more vital.”
Pick it up at Barnes And Noble or Amazon.com.
Twitter Power
by Joel Comm and Ken Burge
“In Twitter Power, Internet marketing and Web innovation expert Joel Comm shows businesses and marketers how to integrate Twitter into their existing marketing strategies to build a loyal following among Twitter members, expand awareness for their product or service, and even handle negative publicity due to angry or disappointed consumers. The book also presents case studies of companies on the forefront of the Twitter movement, to help reader’s develop their own social networking strategies. Twitter Power is the result of extensive testing and participation in the social networking community and is a must-have for any business that wants to keep up with the social media movement.”
Pick it up at Barnes And Noble or Amazon.com.
It’s time to start thinking about ways to reach out to your clients and customers in ways that aren’t standard practice. - The tips and tricks that worked 30 and 40 years ago, might not work so well in today’s society. Any of these 3 books will aide you in your pursuit to expanding your market and build a brand that you can not only be proud of, but that people love.
Tags: Design, do you matter, punk marketing, twitter power
Posted by Kristopher Sosa in Design, Marketing | No Comments » |
May 18th, 2009
For all the hype about the explosion in popularity of Twitter (1,382% growth in the past year) in its purest sense, the micro-blogging site is:
“A way for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”
A perfect example of the power of Twitter occurred last week at The Q.
Grand Rapids-based e-magazine Rapid Growth Media has given Qonverge some nice press over the years. With the help of TweetDeck, a search for “muskegon” and direct messages via Twitter, I was able to connect with Rapid Growth Media video producer, Andy Dragt. Click the image to the right for details of our exchange.
When people ask me to describe Twitter, I compare it to “the status updates on Facebook”. That’s it. No fluff. No snowball fights or mafia wars. The site’s simplicity is what makes it fun, addictive and relevant to your business when it’s used right.
Don’t take my word for it. Try Twitter yourself and follow me at www.twitter.com/jasonpiasecki.
Tags: andy dragt, rapid growth media, tweetdeck, twitter
Posted by Jason Piasecki in Web | No Comments » |
May 8th, 2009
2008
It may not be apparent, but Heather and I are hugely into organic gardening, composting, rain barrels, even canning. This will be our third season, and our compost/soil is looking better than ever. This year’s first planting might be “goin’ down” this weekend…needless to say, the Garner household is pumped. What I am blogging about is simply to allow you the opportunity for planting requests. We usually do squash, zucchini, corn, green beans, lettuce, soybeans, killer tomatoes, radishes, onions, and a few others. As you can see, we have limited space, so things like watermelons and strawberries are out (they need lots of space). Leave me a comment with what you would like to see in our garden, and perhaps I’ll send progress pictures of your selection…kind of like Adopt-A-Plant.
Canning Tip: Try to can on a warm-ish day, so you will be able to open your windows. I made the mistake of leaving all of the windows closed, and ended up streaking/staining most of the walls, and warping some prints due to the incredible amount of condensation.
Posted by John Garner in Announcements | No Comments » |
