I like to fancy myself an early adopter of new technology.  I was a Twitter-er before anyone else I knew, I begged friends for a Google+ invite, I converted to Gmail’s newest theme when it was still just a trial version, but most recently I changed my Facebook profile from the classic view to the new Timeline layout not because I wanted to but rather because I would be forced to sooner than later.

Am I fan of Facebook Timeline?  Aesthetically speaking, no I am not a fan.  Timeline displays your activity in a chronological column alternating left to right and back again.  It’s a bit jumbled compared to the classic news feed view, but just like any other design change Facebook has made over the last few years I’m sure Timeline will grow on me.  Love it or hate it, Facebook Timeline is going to be mandatory for everyone in the next few weeks as they “roll it out.” (according to their blog)  It’s social networking Darwanism at its finest.  Adapt or be left in the dust.

Facebook is famous for rolling out changes to the site’s design, layout, and privacy settings frequently enough to frustrate users who had “just gotten comfortable” with the previous version.  Speaking of privacy settings, there are a few of those to pay close attention to as well.  The big one being that Facebook Timeline goes way back like Steve Jobs’ hairline, displaying information from the beginning of Facebook time (okay, that’s only 2004, but still!).  Once you make the switch to the Facebook Timeline layout (or when the switch is made for you) you will have a seven day preview of your profile during which you will be able to edit or delete any information from your Facebook past that you don’t want to be visible.

Don’t worry; the seven day grace period isn’t the only opportunity you’ll have to edit your information.  Whenever you post on Facebook, there is a “Public” dropdown menu that allows you to choose whether your info will be public, for friends only, close friends, acquaintances, only you, and more.  You can also delete your past activity from friends’ Timelines.

To some, Timeline may seem pointless.  For example, do I need to know what I posted or who I was dating in 2006?  Do I really need to relive my college years?  If that is important to you however, Timeline makes old information much more accessible.  If you wanted to see one of your posts from 2005 in classic Facebook you would be required to scroll to the bottom of the page and click “See More” an exhausting number of times.  With Timeline, you just select the year that you want to view on the right, and voila, there are all of your posts.

Apps

Facebook is also pushing Timeline Apps as a way to share activities and interests with your friends.  Facebook explains “Apps on Facebook allow you to play social games with your friends, remember friends’ birthdays, share your taste in movies, send gifts to friends, and much more.”

With categories like entertainment, music, food, fitness, news, fashion, and more you can add apps like Words With Friends, Hulu, Rdio, Spotify, Urban Spoon, Wall Street Journal, and Pinterest just to name a few.

A Little Creative Freedom

My favorite part about Facebook Timeline is the new “Cover.”  Facebook encourages you to “fill this wide, open space with a unique image that represents you best.  It’s the first thing people see when they visit your timeline.”  Finally, Facebook gives users a customizable (even if it’s just one spot) profile for the first time.

Here are a few examples of really creative (and funny) Facebook covers:

http://mashable.com/2012/01/26/funny-facebook-timeline-covers/

As usual, there are plenty of Facebook Timeline critics.  As reported by the Washington Post, a SlashGear poll revealed that forty five percent of responders admitted to considering nixing their Facebook accounts altogether over the mandatory switch to Timeline.  But let’s get real for a moment, Facebook isn’t going anywhere.  In fact, I doubt it will see a very steep decline in users once Timeline becomes the norm.  We’ll just have to learn to enjoy Facebook Timeline until the next big change comes.

No Changes for Facebook Business Pages… For Now

For the time being, Facebook Timeline is only being rolled out for personal pages, so business pages will have to wait for any profile design updates.  However, rumors are swirling that Timeline could be available as soon as the end of February.

Facebook VP of Global Marketing Solutions Carolyn Everson said:

“The goal has always been to have your personal experience on Facebook not be so different than the brand or page experience. And right now, it is different. You have Timeline and you have a page-brand profile. So we are absolutely moving in the direction to sync those up. We believe that brands want to be able to curate how they’re represented in a more visually pleasing way, and we’re in the midst of trying to figure out how best to do that.”

If that’s the case, then now is a great time to get a head start on Timeline design concepts for promoting your brand to millions of Facebook users.

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Not so fast.

Two days after the proposed blackout (Jan. 18^th) of major websites like Reddit and Google, Lamar Smith, the main sponsor of SOPA, postponed further action on the bill in Congress soon after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did the same with PIPA.    The postponement of both bills came on the heels of a somewhat unified protest by Internet giants Google, WordPress, Mozilla, and Craisglist, amongst others.

Wikipedia and Reddit “went dark”, Google covered its logo with a black rectangle, millions of armchair activists voiced their opinions via social media and by signing online petitions, and in turn Congress backed down.  A moral victory if nothing else.

What does that really mean?

We’ve won the battle but not the war.  While SOPA and PIPA have been shelved for the time being, we need to be aware of revisions and similar bills with new names (and acronyms) that will likely surface in the coming weeks, months, and years.

“It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products,” Smith stated in an interview.

Markup (that’s Congress speak for “debating, amending, and rewriting proposed legislation”) for SOPA is scheduled to continue in February.  Hopefully the new bills will outline a responsible way to police online piracy while still looking out for the best interest of everyone, especially small  business.

This is beginning to feel less like a revolution and more like a revelation of what the Internet is by the majority of Congress members; you know, the responsible leaders who are writing legislation that could affect everyone who uses the Internet, who is, you know, EVERYONE.

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A Case of Censorship VS. Free Speech

Raise your hand if you can tell me what SOPA stands for.  Okay, well how many of you have at least heard of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)?  How about the Protect IP Act (PIPA)?  If you still didn’t raise your hand, you should pay close attention to what follows as SOPA and PIPA could change the Internet as we know it as early as January 24^th.

Introduced on October 26, 2011 by Representative Lamar Smith, (R –Texas), the SOPA bill targets rogue websites (mostly located outside the US) that infringe upon the rights of intellectual property owners by offering illegal downloads of movies, music, and other copyrighted, trademarked, and patented material.

PIPA: The Senate’s Older Cousin to SOPA

The Senate will have their own vote on their bill, PIPA, which was first introduced May 26, 2011.

According to MediaBeat:

“Under PIPA, if a website is accused of containing copyright-infringing content (like a song, picture, video clip etc.), the site could be blocked by ISPs (like Comcast), de-indexed from search engines and even prevented from doing business online with services like PayPal.”

How Do SOPA & PIPA Affect You & Me?

If any of the bills pass allowing governmental regulation of the Internet we could, at the very least, see the demise or severe depletion of content shared on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Reddit, Tumblr and other popular social media websites.  Blog authors would be putting themselves or their websites at risk of copyright infringement every time they post a link, video, or share a photo with their readers.

For other websites and small business owners, even if you’re clean, one of your visitors could post a link to copyrighted material in your blog’s comment section and put your site in danger under these new guidelines.

Social media sites aren’t the only ones affected by these bills.  Monster Cable, “the world’s leading manufacturer of high performance cables that connect audio/video components…”, cites Ebay and Craigslist (as well as Costco and Sears) as “rogue” sites because their users offer Monster’s secondhand cables at cheaper prices.

Craigslist now offers a page with more information on SOPA, including a list of supporters and opponents of the bill.  A Craigslist representative added:

“SOPA/PIPA authors and supporters of course insist they’re only after foreign piracy sites, but Internet Engineers understand this is an attempt to impose China-style controls on the Internet, complete with DNS hijacking and censoring search results.  Except in the US, instead of to the Communist Party, that control will go to the highest bidder.”

It’s a perplexing issue for lawmakers.  On one hand protecting U.S. jobs and earnings is very important for the economy.  However, the hasty fashion in which this legislation is being drawn up and voted on could result in major repercussions for small-to-medium size companies doing business online; something that I don’t think the government is addressing.

Who is supporting these bills?

The entertainment industry loves the idea of ending online piracy.  The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)issued a press release alleging that content theft has cost the U.S. economy $58 billion dollars annually, “including more than 373,000 lost American jobs, $16 million in lost employee earnings, plus $3 billion in badly needed federal, state and local governments’ tax revenue.”

However there are plenty of people who oppose SOPA & PIPA and for good reason.

Together We Stand

In a letter titled “We stand together to protect innovation” addressed to Congressional leaders several Internet giants expressed their concern for the bill:

“We support the bills’ stated goals… Unfortunately, the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new and uncertain liabilities, private rights of action, and technology mandates that would require monitoring of websites. We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry’s continued track record of innovation and job creation, as well as to our nation’s cybersecurity.”

The letter, which was signed by Google, Facebook, Mozilla, Zynga, eBay, Twitter, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and AOL, also cites the already-strict Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which “…criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself… while limiting the liability of the providers of on-line services for copyright infringement by their users.”

Under the DMCA, sites are responsible for removing content or users who use or share copyrighted material when they receive a complaint; a sort of honor system.  That disappears with the passing of SOPA or PIPA and instead leaves the policing of websites up to the government.

Just when you thought that was enough, there’s a third “solution” for combating online piracy.

OPEN Act

SOPA and PIPA essentially assign responsibility for policing every site on the Internet to the government, but who is actually the watch dog?  If it’s up to the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Ace (OPEN), policing international online pirates will be a job for the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Sponsored by a coalition of lawmakers including Representative Darrell Issa (R – California), OPEN is a somewhat less severe option for policing overseas piracy.  As reported by the Washington Post, Issa explained, “OPEN would address the problem of piracy without resorting to denial of service, he said, by empowering the ITC to cut off the money flowing to copyright infringers.”

While OPEN may enlist the help of the ITC for overseas matters, they cannot regulate domestic matters.  That would be left up to whom?  SOPA or PIPA?  Even if that is the case, would all of this regulation actually “fix the problem”?  According to NY Times reporter David Carr, no.

“…Even if it made some progress toward reining in rogue sites, the collateral damage would be significant. Under the terms of each proposed bill, the federal Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, could seek a court order against a Web site that illegally hosts copyrighted content and then wall off the site permanently.”

The letter to Congress concludes by pointing out the major impact the Internet has had on the US economy.

“We are proud to be part of an industry that has been crucial to U.S. economic growth and job creation.  A recent McKinsey Global Institute Report found that the Internet accounts for 3.4 percent of GDP in the 13 countries that McKinsey studied, and in the U.S., the Internet’s contribution to GDP is even larger.  If Internet consumption and expenditure were a sector, it’s contribution to GDP would be greater than energy, agriculture, communication, mining, or utilities.  In addition, the Internet industry has increased productivity for small and medium-sized businesses by 10%.  We urge you not to risk either this success or the tremendous benefits the Internet has brought to hundreds of millions of Americans and people around the world.”

David Carr is as unbiased a reporter as they come, however he may have put it best when he wrote, “Given both Congress’s and the entertainment industry’s historically wobbly grasp of technology, I don’t think they should be the ones re-engineering the Internet. The rest of us might have to just hold our noses and learn enough about SOPA to school them in why it’s a bad idea.”

Blackout Imminent… Hopefully

Reddit, a social news website, has proposed a blackout day to the veritable Internet superpowers who drafted the letter Congress.  Reddit has promised to go dark Wednesday January 18^th from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. just over one week before the House’s scheduled floor vote on SOPA the 24^th.  Whether or not Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter or any others will follow suit is still up in the air.  Will they walk the walk or let Congress walk all over them and their users?  We’ll just have to wait and see.

What Can You Do?

While it is important to stop these pirates to curtail the hemorrhage of jobs and capital that is otherwise due to the entertainment industry and the US in general, it is also important to consider the ramifications that imposing such harsh laws could have on everyone who does business on the Internet.  SOPA, PIPA, and the OPEN Act affect nearly everyone.  Stay informed.  The Washington Post recently reported that Congress is starting to back down on SOPA and PIPA.  However, that does not rule out a revised SOPA or PIPA bill resurfacing in a few weeks or months.

It will be interesting to see how Congress handles this matter going forward.  In the meantime, contact your State Senator and tell them you are against SOPA and any other bill that imposes governmental regulation of the Internet.

Speak up!  Contact your representatives today.

Be sure to sign Google’s petition that tells your representatives to vote “NO” on SOPA and PIPA:

Google: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Visit Wikipedia’s homepage today, enter your zip code and you’ll be linked to a list of your Representatives with their contact information:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Craigslist offers a plethora of links to tell Congress that you oppose SOPA & PIPA:

Craigslist: http://www.craigslist.org/about/SOPA

SOPA UPDATE: Read “SOPA Far, So Good” Here!

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On our blog this year we brought you news about cell phones; making good first impressions (on the web and in person); what we watch and how we listen to our music; stand-up work stations; our favorite apps; 360’s big move; open creativity; Netflix and Qwikster; and 360 PSG’s web culture.

As the year comes to a close at 360 PSG, the heads of all departments are meeting to discuss our plans to improve procedures to better serve our clients in 2012.  Tonight, we have our holiday party where the Championship round of 360’s Foosball tournament will be played before we head to Lasertron for Laser Tag and Cyber Sport.  Then of course, it’s back to work tomorrow…  Sure it’s a Tuesday but hey, we have to celebrate the holidays together when it’s convenient for everyone.

With all of the upgrades in workspace, personnel, and internal procedures, 360 PSG strives to provide the best web solutions and superior customer service for you, our readers, our current clients, and all future clients.

360 PSG thanks you for reading.  As always, we greatly appreciate your feedback to help us improve our services.  Please be sure to fill out your Snapshot surveys.  We look forward to an even better 2012.

Happy Holidays!

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What do I mean by culture?  360 PSG has a set of core values that our entire staff adheres to in order to provide the best customer service to our clients and community that is possible.  Part of that culture is also about how we conduct business and communicate internally.  Believe it or not building, supporting, and hosting websites is a stressful, fast-paced career.  We have hundreds of clients and we work hard to deliver superior websites and web solutions that fit the needs of every client.  Each of our departments relies on the next to do its part efficiently for every project.  Our production team takes an idea from sales to project management, on to design and programming, over to content and SEO, to our quality assurance department, then to training and support, and finally to our customer service department.  Each team has a hand in creating a unique experience for our clients, so it’s crucial that we function like a well-oiled machine.

Not only is it procedure, but culture is also part attitude.  We’re fortunate that we work in a creative environment where we can listen to our favorite music, hang up whatever posters we want to customize our work stations, and social media interaction is actually encouraged.  Our culture is really about building a strong relationship with our employees that will carry over to our clients.  Being comfortable with sharing ideas amongst other team members is crucial for growth as a company.

This October I celebrated my three year anniversary at 360 PSG.  One of the things that really attracted me as a potential employee was the work environment that the original team created.  I was told in my interview that they believed in a creative work environment and that they modeled themselves after Google.  I was hooked.  And they weren’t lying.

Google fosters growth by encouraging creativity.  From their Google Culture statement:

“Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats. Because we believe that each Googler is an equally important part of our success, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands (“TGIF”) meetings…”

That should sound familiar to 360 PSG employees.  It started with Open Creativity meetings, which still take place on the first Friday of every month.  We enjoy pizza and wings, recognize individual and departmental accomplishments, and brainstorm ways to develop the company.  But our efforts don’t stop there; Friday evenings used to be reserved for interdepartmental challenges of online first-person shooter games.  We’ve since graduated to more sophisticated means of bonding like board game nights, Lasertron, volleyball leagues, happy hour, holiday parties, and most recently a foosball league.

When we moved into the new office space, we had a spare room that we agreed would be our break room, but not just any break room: a break room with a foosball table.  However, as a result of the move, we accrued a hefty load of moving boxes which quickly piled up in our break room.  Since July we’ve slowly cleared out the leftover moving materials and finally had an official break room.  We ordered the foosball table that day, had it assembled by week’s end and voila: the 360 PSG Players Association 2011 Winter Intro League kicked off last week and runs through December.

Each 360 PSG employee created a team and will compete in a round-robin style season through the rest of the month.  Of course our entire schedule, standings, and rules are organized online (c’mon, we’re a computer company).

Regardless of the event, we use our out-of-work activities as time to bond.  Our time spent together outside the office translates to stronger working relationships and allows us to maintain that team mentality while working on a project.  Plus, it makes work fun.  I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to say, “I love my job.”

Do you love 360 PSG as much as we do?  Be sure to fill out your snapshot survey to let us know about your experience working with 360 PSG on your web project.

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Less than a month after Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced the split of Netflix’s old model into streaming (Netflix) and mail-to-home DVD service (Qwikster), he’s had a change of heart.  In an October 10^th blog, Hastings said, “It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.”

The people spoke and Netflix reacted.  Sheesh, New Coke much?

Last month, when Qwikster was announced, I talked about “knowing your brand” and highlighted the pitfalls that go with a major branding overhaul.  While Netflix is the brainchild of Hastings, it still very much belongs to us, the consumer.  After all, the whole point of Netflix is making it as easy as possible for customers to select and view movies without having to leave their homes.  For a moment, Hastings neglected the convenience that the Netflix provided: a central hub for selecting, ordering, and watching those movies.

In his “apology blog” Hastings wrote:

“So here is what we are doing and why:

Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever made is published on DVD, plus lots of TV series. We want to advertise the breadth of our incredible DVD offering so that as many people as possible know it still exists, and it is a great option for those who want the huge and comprehensive selection on DVD. DVD by mail may not last forever, but we want it to last as long as possible.

I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I can watch anytime I want. The benefits of our streaming service are really quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail. We feel we need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolve, without having to maintain compatibility with our DVD by mail service.

So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are becoming two quite different businesses, with very different cost structures, different benefits that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently…”

That’s where Hastings got it wrong though.  The split made marketing the services easier for Netflix, but it didn’t benefit the consumer; in fact, it inconvenienced them.

When Hastings, who’d already become acclimated with criticism from the price change, saw an even bigger backlash with the Qwikster announcement, he had two choices: 1) Stick to his guns and roll out Qwikster to his declining client base or 2) Listen to his customers, compromise, and give them what they’re asking for.  Fortunately, he chose the latter and now may save face and a few subscribers in the wake of the whole Qwikster botch.  Lesson learned.  But while Hastings has decided to nix the split of DVD and streaming services, he issued another statement via his blog announcing that price increase will remain in place.

The Wall Street Journal has reported, “The company’s stock price has fallen more than 60% since it announced price increases July 12.”

However, the decision to keep the DVD and streaming services together under the same Netflix roof may help them retain some of the customers who were scared off by the prospect of having to sign up for and use yet another service.

Hastings was in a tough position.  The market was changing and he decided that his business model needed to adapt in order to stay afloat, even if that meant increasing prices.  He just did it in a very public manner on his blog, with, what seems to be, very little thought.  Hastings took his blows and now seems to be doing what’s best for his business: making his customers happy.  Hindsight is 20/20.

Next time you’re thinking about rebranding or redesigning your website, use Reed Hastings as a cautionary tale.  Before you add that humongous Flash piece, lengthy bio, video, or those pictures to your website, ask yourself, “how does this help my visitors solve their problem or get what they need faster?”  After all, that’s what your website is really there to do, isn’t it?

*Oh yeah, and you’re probably wondering what happened to Jason Castillo in all of this?  As it turns out, Castillo missed out on his opportunity to sell his @Qwikster Twitter handle to Netflix.  Better luck next time.

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When Netflix CEO Reed Hastings blogged his apology to Netflix subscribers earlier this week and announced the split of the streaming service, which will retain the name Netflix, and the DVD only service, which will now go by Qwikster, he forgot one thing.  That one thing: to make sure that the name that he’s switching his multimillion dollar company to is secured across all of the social media platforms that he plans to use to market the new service.  Oops.

Following Hastings’ blog, if you were curious what Qwikster had to offer and did a quick Google search, you may have found an established Twitter account for @Qwikster.  You may have also found that the account belonged to Jason Castillo, a foul-mouthed, Elmo-loving pothead with a propensity for being “bored as shyt” [sic].

What’s most compelling is the interest that the rest of the Twitter community has taken in Castillo.  When Mashable reported on the story Monday morning Castillo had a little over 500 followers.  By 4:30 pm Monday afternoon that number had more than quintupled to 2,796.  This morning (Tuesday) it was 10,346.  Not exactly the kind of marketing campaign that Hastings, Netflix, or Qwikster’s newly appointed CEO Andy Rendich had likely anticipated.

What’s probably going to happen is one of two things: 1) Jason Castillo is going to try and sell his @Qwikster handle to whom he believes to be Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Twitter will cancel his account because according to their Name Squatting Policy, “Attempts to sell, buy, or solicit other forms of payment in exchange for usernames are also violations and may result in permanent account suspension.”  Or 2) Qwikster will adopt a different username like @QwiksterDVD because it’s really unlikely that Castillo will just hand it over.  *His friend, and apparent business partner, @SoccerIsLifegc7 tweeted “We’re not talkin til the offers get in 6 figures.”

It’s sad to see what’s happening to Netflix.  Loyal customers are cancelling their subscriptions, stock has dropped nearly 50% since their price adjustment announcement, and now this Qwikster debacle.   The point?  Do a little research.   Secure your brand.  It seems as though Hastings is making some hasty decisions that are having a negative impact on the future of Netflix.  There are likely more people following @Qwikster now because of the mishap than will actually sign up for the DVD service going forward.  But it’s not only big business that needs to beware.  Securing your brand on all fronts is essential for avoiding an embarrassment like the one Netflix has endured.  You want customers to know and trust your brand for being reliable and reputable.  In other words, before you launch your new pizza joint, UPS (Ultimate Pizza Service), make sure that acronym isn’t already taken…

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No, it’s not an eating contest, though some months do have some I-bet-I-can-eat-more-pizza-than-you side bets…  Instead, open creativity allows for brainstorming where individuals can express ideas to the group and employees from every department can collaborate to develop new strategies to grow 360 PSG and better serve clients.

The goal of 360’s open creativity meetings is to generate new ideas, recognize company growth, and acknowledge both group and individual achievements within each department.  Progress from the previous month is reported and two new “heroes” are crowned, one in sales and one in design/programming/project management.  Heroes exemplify an above-and-beyond mentality adding hero-worthy tasks to their already heavy workload.  The heroes’ names are then added to the plaques that hang in the new 360 PSG lobby.

Probably the best part about open creativity Fridays is that they’re fun.  We get to bounce ideas off of one another while we gorge on bacon-covered pizza and delicious chicken wings.  Of course, along with chicken bones, good-natured ribbings are hurled across the room creating a sense of camaraderie throughout the company.

It’s a really great way to keep everyone working toward a common goal.  Over the course of a month, each department may have a different hand in a single project.  Open creativity meetings give us an opportunity to meet as a whole company, where the departments involved can share their thoughts on the entire project while allowing others to offer their ideas as well.

What is your favorite part about open creativity meetings?

Joel:

I really enjoy the team recognition of individual achievements. Each department manager nominates and describes the successes and extra efforts of their team. It gives me a chance to really see the individual day-to-day wins when I don’t get to experience them in the fast paced momentum of the month.

Lee:

We get to sit down as one big 360 family and recognize each others’ hard work and discuss future company ideas like new services and expansion.

Kelli:

I enjoy the points system and hero recognition, mainly because I think it’s a positive way to share individual accomplishments with the rest of the company.

Dan:

Getting together with everyone in a more casual environment.  Otherwise, I hardly see anyone throughout normal business days.

Matt:

The open creativity meetings provide a time for us to hear what the other departments in the company are doing.  We’re very focused on what our department does and most of the time don’t get to hear what other new developments have been happening thanks to the rest of the staff.

Ben:

Having everyone from the company in the same room, on the same page, discussing the vision and future of a company we all pour ourselves into.  It’s team-building and a reminder that we’re all in this together.

Angie:

Catching up on what everyone is doing. We’re all so busy that we lose track of events and others’ accomplishments.

How do the open creativity meetings help 360 develop as a company?

Joel:

It creates a forum for the management team, like myself, to update the whole team on major initiatives, changes, and advancements of the whole company. We are a very transparent team and as an owner I like that everyone gets informed of what is going on and that we don’t operate with a ton of closed doors or private information.

Lee:

During the open creativity meetings, we are all encouraged to bring up our views and concerns and discuss them as a company.  I feel this really enforces the team or family atmosphere throughout the office.

Kelli:

I think that the various forms of recognition provide an incentive to go above and beyond (when your queue allows). It’s also one of the few times that every employee is in the same place at the same time, so it gives everyone an opportunity to catch up about what is new in each department and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Dan:

Generally, team members don’t see what is going on in different departments.  These meetings keep everyone involved in the big picture and shows how everyone contributes to the success of 360 PSG.

Matt:

The meetings often get new ideas going, an opportunity to build on what someone is already doing, to offer new ideas or address issues.  We can sit back and get a broad view of our direction in our perspective.  We also have an opportunity to recognize workers for any accomplishments, which I think tends to boost morale.

Ben:

The company was built on the premise that everyone involved should be contributing on a level greater than just punching a clock and checking off daily tasks.  The Open Creativity meeting helps facilitate this and directly contributes to the morale and purpose in the company.

Angie:

These meetings give you a chance to discuss ways to streamline our workload and bounce ideas off each other.

What’s your favorite activity or brainstorming exercise?

Joel:

Personally I like crafting an activity, contest, or exercise that ties everything we do together… sometimes related to our Core Values, Mission Statement or other company-wide detail.

Lee:

The text message pop quiz during the monthly meeting was a really fun idea but I like having the morning huddles as the group is smaller and more closely knit to the operations side of the business.

Kelli:

I don’t think I have a preferred exercise, but I appreciate the perspectives that the rest of the team provide and usually find some insight in or utilize them.

Dan:

Recognizing the great work of team members.

Matt:

I love to hear what ideas get brought up and what they turn into.

Ben:

Bouncing ideas between different groups (like design and programming) always reveals new insight because of the drastically different viewpoints and minds in each group.

Angie:

I just enjoy the interaction of ideas and future plans.

Be honest, what’s your personal record for slices of pizza eaten in a single open creativity meeting? *(I am in no way promoting a pizza eating contest at our next meeting)

Joel:

I have had five squares and about 8 wings on a starving day… usually try to stick to 3 squares and 4 wings… all depends on how much is left, don’t want to leave it sitting there.   Been eating less this year while dieting a bit.

Lee:

I’ve been able to polish off 4 slices at a meeting but now as we continue to grow company wide, it’s only fair to make sure everyone get some before I get seconds and thirds!

Kelli:

Four, I think? I was having a rough day. Oof.

Dan:

Four.

Matt:

I think I had 6 one time :-/

Ben:

4

Angie:

2  (Weak sauce!)

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Since the last renovations that were made to accommodate our growing design, programming, and sales team, 360 PSG has added seven new hires including a programmer, account manager, customer service coordinator, content populater, marketing designer, search engine optimization specialist, and a project manager.

To give you an idea of the impact that the expansion of the 360 team had on our last space, by March of 2011 we had seven desks jammed into the designer’s room.  Although that led to some very interesting creative conversations/brainstorming sessions, the new space is much more conducive to a more efficient work environment.  In other words, we’re not tripping over one another on our way to the conference room.

Speaking of the conference room, the new one is huge, nearly double the size of the old one.  This one even has windows!  There’s a smaller conference room in the back of the office for departmental huddles, brainstorming sessions, and one-on-one client meetings as well.

We each have our own work spaces too.  The design, marketing, SEO, sales, customer service and content departments all have their own cubicles with brand new desks and chairs.  The programmers and department heads all have new offices with sliding privacy doors.  The new client entrance was designed by 360 PSG’s Creative Director, Ben Shepard, and a vinyl wrap was installed by VSP Graphics.  In addition to all of the new space for our current team, there is still plenty of room left for 360 PSG to grow.

I think we’re all excited about the new space and the prospect of 360 PSG continuing to make an impact on the web in the future.

What’s your favorite part about the new office?

Chris

The office has a much more professional look.

Lee

Tons of room in the new office and it looks great.  Plus I can always find a place to park!

Kelli

My new space (obviously) and being able to easily access things like the paper cutter that I never knew we had

Jordan

There’s a more professional feel.

Jena

Everything is new, clean, and organized.  It felt great to throw things out and reorganize stuff that had accumulated over the years.  The new building is also better in terms of parking, facilities, and common areas.

Angie

The new space allows me to have my own private desk area.  But I love the new conference room.  It’s bright and inviting

Joel

I love the workflow. Having built the space floorplan, offices, and rooms to the custom way our teams process flows, it is so much more convenient to get together with the right people and not disturb others.

Matt

The building just seems nicer and cleaner.

What’s your favorite part about your new work space (specifically your new cubicle or office)?

Chris

My huge new desk.

Kelli

I finally have a phone!  And there are also fewer distractions now that everyone is in their own area.

Jordan

A legitimate desk.  Holla!!

Jena

It’s wonderful that everyone has their own space now.  Everything is sectioned off and a little more private.  It will be easier to be productive now that you don’t hear everyone’s conversations or have people walking through your office space all day.

Angie

My new work space is large enough for me to be organized and productive. I enjoy the privacy in order to get work done.

Joel

I love my new office. It has a large enough space to have small internal meetings and the new desk offers more storage and space than my old one.

Matt

The way that our desks are broken up makes it a lot easier to concentrate.  I actually feel like I own my space more too, so I’ve taken more interest in hanging some things up and getting plants.

How do you think our new office will help us with our overall goal of world (internet) domination?

Chris

We look like a serious business now.

Lee

We have the room to continue growing with several workstations empty and an impressive office to bring clients into.

Kelli

I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about this…?  What’s the first rule of fight club?

Jordan

It’s more organized and more professional. When clients come in for meetings and trainings I’m sure they will be impressed, especially with the graphics on the wall and floor.

Angie

The office space allows all of us the privacy to be productive while still allowing us to work as a team. We’re no longer stepping on each other’s toes, but giving each other the space to be creative.

Joel

There are enough spaces for an extra 20% more people to join the team right away as well an expansion option that will let the company triple in size over the next 5 years.

What are your thoughts on the vinyl wrap in the client entrance?  Pretty sweet, huh?

Chris

It’s really impressive for first time visitors and it’s great branding.

Lee

They look Awesome!

Kelli

Definitely sweet. What can we wrap next?!

Jena

The reactions to the entrance have been amazing.  Our clients all want to reach out and touch the graphics.  One client felt as if they were going to trip over the rocks and took a side step because the floor looked so real.  Nearby businesses have also stopped in just to check out the designs because they heard about it from others.  Ben should be proud )

Angie

I love the wrap! It’s eye-catching and it’s unique. I think it will draw out the creativity in our clients and give us the ability to show our expertise when it comes to designing their website.

Joel

Working with our creative director on the concept was a challenge, but in the end he did an amazing job. Then our friends at VSP were great with the production and installation. My goal was to have a lobby that local customers would remember when they came in. We are not done yet either.  We will see even more creative design flow throughout the office, conference spaces, and more.

Matt

I like the logo part the best, definitely makes an impression on clients in the right way.

How do you think the new office will help us professionally?

Chris

The new office makes us look like a more “together” business.

Lee

It feels like a more professional environment compared to the previous set up.

Kelli

The new office setup is definitely more efficient and comfortable in many ways, which makes it a nicer place for clients to come visit. The decor and furnishings are also mostly brand new ,which is an added perk!

Jordan

I think all the groups are closer together who interact with each other most often, so it’s more efficient in that manner.

Jena

Overall, the office feels more professional, and I think clients will be put at ease when they come to the new space.  It’s a better first impression to see a clean lobby and conference room.

Angie

Clients will definitely feel more comfortable in the new space. The old space was very small and most clients didn’t see our individual offices anyway, but the conference room alone is more welcoming. The fact that we all have our own space will allow us to be more efficient as well as happier on a daily basis.

Joel

Having two fully wired up conference rooms with full blown communication suites, TV’s, Web Cams, and the works, we can now handle twice as many incoming client meetings and won’t have to struggle to squeeze meetings in-between appointments. This will really give us some flexibility to not throttle the speed of all the incoming client kick off meetings and trainings. Clients will love the fact that they can get their appointments at more flexible times and don’t have to worry so much about if one of the two conference rooms is booked.

Matt

I know the new work area makes me feel more comfortable and less distracted.  I think that clients can know they are in good hands too because we’re still growing.

How did the move go?

Chris

Extremely smooth; the move was just simple and quick.

Lee

The move went very well.  We had the old office emptied in no time and setup in new place was actually fun!

Kelli

The move itself was pretty easy. Getting everyone’s work stations setup was a little more difficult.

Jena

We were able to complete the move all in one day.  We had a good system going of filling boxes in the old space, loading everything on trucks, and unpacking at the new space.  Everyone put in a lot of effort and the weather was on our side too.

Joel

It went much faster than I originally thought. We started at 8am and had the bulk of everything over by the time pizza and wings arrived at 12:30.

It was a huge help having MidCity Office Furniture build out all new workstations, desks, etc. before we moved one paper over.  It was like coming into a fully ready space and setting up our computers (well, maybe a bit tougher than that, but not too bad at all). Our wiring partner had every network dropped, installed, and tested before we arrived and that made reconnecting the team a snap. (Matt may disagree on the network setup smoothness as the Verizon guy screwed up his router settings, but Matt reset everything by end of day and we were fully operational.)

Matt

We had a beautiful day for the move.  Everyone pitched in and we were very efficient.

What was the most difficult part of the move?

Lee

Getting the big screen TV mounted in the conference room was a 3-man task!

Kelli

Cleaning out the old office. Who knew the old place could hold so much stuff?!

Joel

I think the internal server racks, the giant 200 lb. Whiteboard, and the full-size fridge for the cafeteria room were the most challenging.

Is there a funny anecdote from the move that we could include?  Any 3 Stooges type moments that went down?

Joel

Honestly, it was pretty smooth all around. Aside from some boxes getting mixed around to the wrong workstations, etc it was straight forward.

We even had most of the posters and small whiteboards up before the end of the day.

Matt

Chris, Todd, and I hung up some of the dry erase boards and it was pretty entertaining to see the look of panic on Todd’s face when he knew we wanted him to use a drill.  I’m no handy man myself either, but we all got the job done.

Check out some of the Before & After pictures of 360 PSG’s new office space:

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One key element for having a successful website is your ability/efforts to drive traffic to your website.  One way that you can improve website traffic is to be more active with social media.  And good news, there’s an app for that.

If you have a smartphone, tablet, iPad, or iPod touch, then you probably use applications (apps).  But with over 425,000 apps (according to Wikipedia) available from Apple’s App store alone, it’s not all just fun and games.

Sure you can make a grocery list, share pictures with friends, and listen to your favorite music, but apps on your mobile device can be used for a lot more.  Do you realize that you have valuable marketing tools at your fingertips wherever you go?  You can Tweet links to your followers, update your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, and write blogs right from your mobile device.   You don’t have to be chained to your desk if you want to be active on the web.

CNET recently reported that a study by Flurry found that people are spending more time using mobile apps than they are surfing the web.

According to the study, “The amount of time spent using mobile apps has jumped 91 percent over a year ago, which Flurry attributed to more sessions per person per day rather than an increase in the average amount of time spent per session. In contrast, the amount of time spent on the Internet has grown only 16 percent over the past year.”

You can read more about the Flurry study here.

Social media apps allow you to provide your followers with useful and interesting information, including links back to your website.  By building relationships through social media, you’re increasing the likelihood that your followers will share your content with their followers.  Before you know it, your site is flooded with brand new traffic.  Gaining access to your followers and potential website visitors has never been so easy.  Take advantage of social media apps to help drive more traffic to your site.

Here are some of 360’s favorite apps:

What are you favorite apps?

Chris

I like the Google office apps.

Kelli

Aside from the usual social media apps (specifically Facebook, LinkedIn, and IntoNow), one of my favorite apps is AroundMe, a location-aware application that finds the nearest businesses and services, such as banks/ATM’s, gas stations, hospitals, etc.  It allows you to seek out a specific establishment with the built-in search feature. I also use GoogleMaps to find EVERYTHING… I’ve driven all over the country relying solely on my iPhone.

Lee

So many apps,  so little time!  My favorite app is my wireless tether which turns my phone into a mobile hot spot for devices around me.

Jason

Gmail, Calendar, YouTube, iBeer and BIC Concert lighter.

Ben

Advanced Task Killer, Radar Now, Bible, Yelp, Chordbot, Jambox

Angie

My favorite apps are: Rdio, Instagram, The Weather Channel, Tweetbot, Diptic, Redbox, Wedding Gawker.

What app(s) do you use most often?  What do you use it for?

Chris

Writing scripts/conversation starters/word processing.

Kelli

Aside from my GoogleMaps obsession, I’ve been using the Netflix application more than I would like. I use it as background noise in lieu of iTunes or Pandora.

Lee

Gmail and Google Calendar apps are used several times throughout the day.

Jason

I use Gmail and Calendar for work and to keep track of my events, all other ones are just for fun.

Ben

Advanced Task Killer is used almost every time I use my phone.  One button kills unnecessary apps and saves battery life.  I probably use Radar Now and Chordbot the most.  Radar Now shows weather radar for the past hour giving me a pretty good idea of what’s going on in my area and Chordbot is a great tool for arranging chord progressions which I use while playing guitar.

Jordan

Sportscenter app – to keep up to date on all my teams; Flixster to check movie times, watch trailers, etc.; Facebook to keep up to date on the social world; Words With Friends  to showcase my amazing scrab-ility (19 points);  The Weather Channel to find out today or tomorrows crappy forecast that will most likely be inaccurate.

Angie

I use Rdio, Instagram, Tweetbot & Facebook most often; Rdio for music sharing, Instagram for taking pictures of my dog mainly, Tweetbot & Facebook to stay connected & entertain friends & family with my witty thoughts daily

What app(s) do you use for work?

Chris

I use Google docs and spreadsheets.

Kelli

It’s not often that I use my iPhone apps for work, because I handle most of our social media updates though our website’s built-in Social Media Publishing tools. I do get meeting reminders though Google Calendars, though.

Jason

I use Gmail to keep track of email, especially when I’m in meetings or outside of office.

Ben

Calendar and email are my go to apps.  Google Navigation is helpful if I’m traveling.

Angie

Currently, I only use my calendar for work on my iPhone to remind me of meetings. But I’d like to hear what everyone else is using to see what I should/could incorporate.

Are there any apps that would make your work or personal life easier?  If so, what are they?

Lee

A universal TV remote app would be pretty awesome!  I have a remote for my media player on my computers but a TV remote app would be even better!

Jason

Yes, a note taking app (that would require a stylus); it would help to organize all notes on projects and discovery meetings.

Jordan

I’m sure there are a bunch out there, I just don’t have time to browse through thousands of them.

Angie

Personal life:  AroundMe to find anything around you (when you’re in an unfamiliar area) when you need it; Grocery iQ – you make your grocery lists, designate to certain stores, and check them off once you’ve purchased the item.  Also, you can scan the item’s bar code to immediately attach it to your list, so you get that brand and exact product. You can also link it to find coupons on coupons.com; RedLaser to scan a product’s bar code to find if that item is cheaper anywhere close by; IMDB – just because you don’t want to waste your entire day letting the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon drive you nuts

Do you think that smartphone/iPad/tablet apps are useful for anything other than pure entertainment?  Why or why not?

Kelli

There are many apps available that can help increase productivity (we even wrote about some useful Twitter apps in our newsletter a while back).  Personally, I’m working on tracking my personal expenses with the CashTrails app right now… It’s useful because it’s almost always accessible, and it means that I don’t need to carry a notebook and pen with me everywhere I go.

Lee

Mobile devices act as portable computers where you can virtually do anything thing on them.  Update your web content or blog, post new pics of your social accounts, and even create presentations on the go.  The sky’s the limit.

Jason

Not currently.  Most are targeted towards entertainment uses and not educational or work productivity.  While applications due exist for these purposes, most are missing essential features or integration that would make them worthwhile.

Ben

I was skeptical at first as it seemed to be gimmicky or just a smaller version of a laptop with less functionality.  Now I can see it being useful for someone who is really plugged in …or just a more convenient way to waste more time online.

Jordan

Absolutely, there’s tons of apps that help you become more organized as well as stay informed with information that’s either important or relevant to you. I think most apps are designed for entertainment, but down the road I feel a lot more will be developed to help business professionals, as well as for businesses themselves.

Angie

I think they can be extremely useful. If you apply yourself & change old habits – some of these can be insanely helpful in streamlining your day and allowing you more time for more important things like family and friends.

How do you think someone could use smartphone/iPad/tablet apps could help someone promote their brand?

Chris

Build a custom app that interfaces with clients or prospects.

Kelli

Custom applications go a long way in the form of branding, as we are starting to see with many larger businesses. Personally, I prefer applications that offer tools or resources that are relevant to the brand, but don’t necessarily share the same function as the website. A good example of what I’m talking about is the Nike Training app.

Lee

Social media is the most convenient way for marketers to communicate with potential clients and these new devices are all integrated with apps to assist in the social marketing.

Jason

By creating a small app to allow customers to do something useful.  For example, insurance companies typically have applications that allow clients to capture and submit claim information right over the phone.

Angie

By making an app that applies to their business model. Allowing people the convenience of an app, gives them the ability to get to your brand quicker & at essentially anytime or place.

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