Reality Video Online At It’s Best!

Posted July 23rd, 2010 in Article by admin

Over the past few years Coca-Cola’s marketing has hit a few miss steps until recently.  One of our friendly competitors in Atlanta, and I have to say, they hit a home run.  What I like about it is the company engaged Coca-Cola’s brand by taking real people, in an unique setting and getting them to react with Coke’s “Sharing the Happiness”.  I have to tip my hat to Definition 6 for a brilliant job!   Enjoy!

Our Po!nt: Finally, a use of reality video that makes sense and tells a great story!  What message can you create about your product(s) that provokes the next viral YouTube video from spreading like wild fire?  Welcome your comments and thoughts!

Design Matters

Posted July 20th, 2010 in Article by Evan Mullins

People are amazed at how well Apple is doing, they are doing better now than Microsoft! I think Apple understands the power of design and this has helped get them where they are now. Apple hardware/software (since they are almost the same thing) focus very heavily on appearance and design.

Alex of Airtight Interactive points out:

Apple understands that laptops and phones are the new watches and jewelry. We are using them majority of our waking life. They define us to the people around us. They need to be both functional and beautiful. Apple products have plenty of hardware and software issues, but people are willing to forgive them since the products are so nice to look at.

phone design

He also points to the design by Andrew Kim that I love. I hope other companies get into their heads the fact that design really IS that important!

phone comp

Client Portal

Posted July 13th, 2010 in Article by david.wood

As companies grow and expand they need a way to more effectively handle any and all client requests and complaints. Companies also need to do this in a manner that is both fast, efficient and prevents anything from falling through the cracks and being forgotten. All of us over here at Cornerstone have been working over the course of the last few months to provide just that, a system to manage requests and complaints in a way that we can process them quickly, efficiently and without missing anything. Systems like this are two-fold, however as both the company and the client need to embrace the solution for it to be effective and solve the problems it is intended to solve. Our new Client Portal has several benefits over the standard email or call us method of getting problems resolved. To name a few, once registered you can look up invoices, services you have, articles in our knowledge base, and view past and current support tickets. The best part is you can do all this any time, night or day (holidays included)! The Client Portal is located at: http://accounts.csmediahosting.com/

Starting August 1st the Client Portal keeps records of all invoices for hosting, domain names, and some of our other recurring services. This allows you to quickly and easily look up what is due, when it is due, and how much at any time of day or night.

Have a question about email settings? Our knowledge base is accessible any time of day or night and contains basic help on email issues and setup as well as several other topics. The knowledge base helps us out by allowing us to spend our time on issues not addressed in the knowledge base and helps you out by giving you an almost immediate answer.

Can’t find your answer in the knowledge base? If you can’t find your answer in the knowledge base, then you can send us a support ticket. Support tickets ensure that all requests are handled in the order that they are received and helps keep track of everything to ensure nothing is forgotten or overlooked. It is also important to note that support tickets should be submitted under the support department that best fits the issue you are having. This allows us to better handle requests as they are automatically assigned to the people that can actually help with the issue. The benefit for you, the client, is that you receive the fastest possible support without a chance that something will be missed as several people have access to each support department. This also saves everyone a significant amount of time over the old email or phone methods as we can gather all of the information we need from you to address the issue without missing anything.

The Client Portal also keeps track of any recurring services you have with us, such as hosting and domain names, and allows you to see all of them with their current status. Note that once you register, we will add any existing services you already have to your account. All you need to do is register! You may register for the Client Portal at: http://accounts.csmediahosting.com/register.php

Using LinkedIn For Business

Posted July 1st, 2010 in Article by Mark Treager

How to Use LinkedIn for Business

If you are not a fan of Guy Kawasaki you need to be!  He is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. He is the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. I have heard him speak at several conferences and trade shows and his style and no non-sense approach will have you asking for moreLinkedIn

Not long ago, Guy wrote a piece on LinkedIn called 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn. It provides several great ideas about how to leverage this valuable tool.

(By the way, Guy’s list includes 11 tips, not 10. Just goes to show that there are 3 kinds of people — those who can count, and those who can’t.)

Here’s an excerpt of Guy’s article. For the complete article, visit 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn.

Most people use LinkedIn to ‘get to someone’ in order to make a sale, form a partnership, or get a job. It works well for this because it is an online network of more than 40 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 170 industries. However, it is a tool that is under-utilized, so I’ve compiled a top-ten list of ways to increase the value of LinkedIn.

  1. Increase your visibility: By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 67,000 product managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends know and trust.
  2. Improve your connectability: Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include past companies, education, affiliations, and activities. You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as an attachment.
  3. Improve your Google PageRank: LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you. To do this, create a public profile and select ‘Full View.’ Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various places on the web. For example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in your signature.
  4. Enhance your search engine results: In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected categories like ‘My Website’, ‘My Company,’ etc. If you select ‘Other’, you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link, and voila! instant search-engine optimization for your site. To make this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to ‘Full View.’
  5. Perform blind, ‘reverse,’ and company reference checks: LinkedIn’s reference check tool to input a company name and the years the person worked at the company to search for references. Your search will find the people who worked at the company during the same time period. Since references provided by a candidate will generally be glowing, this is a good way to get more balanced data.
  6. Increase the relevancy of your job search: Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a programmer would use search keywords such as ‘Ruby on Rails,’ ‘C++,’ ‘Python,’ ‘Java,’ and ‘evangelist’ to find out where other programmers with these skills work.
  7. Make your interview go smoother: You can use LinkedIn to find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing that you went to the same school, plays hockey, or shares acquaintances is a lot better than an awkward silence after, ‘I’m doing fine, thank you.’
  8. Gauge the health of a company: Perform an advanced search for company name and uncheck the ‘Current Companies Only’ box. This will enable you to scrutinize the rate of turnover and whether key people are abandoning ship. Former employees usually give more candid opinions about a company’s prospects than someone who’s still on board.
  9. Gauge the health of an industry: If you’re thinking of investing or working in a sector, use LinkedIn to find people who worked for competitors-or even better, companies who failed. For example, suppose you wanted to build a next generation online pet store, you’d probably learn a lot from speaking with former Pets.com or WebVan employees.
  10. Track startups: You can see people in your network who are initiating new startups by doing an advanced search for a range of keywords such as ‘stealth’ or ‘new startup.’ Apply the ‘Sort By’ filter to ‘Relationship’ in order to see the people closest to you first.
  11. Ask for advice: LinkedIn’s product, LinkedIn Answers, aims to enable this online. The product allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. The premise is that you will get more high-value responses from the people in your network than more open forums. For example, here are some questions an entrepreneur might ask when the associates of a venture capital firm come up blank:
  1. ‘Who’s a good, fast, and cheap patent lawyer?’
  2. ‘What should we pay a vp of biz dev?’
  3. ‘Is going to Demo worth it?’
  4. ‘How much traffic does a TechCrunch plug generate?’

Our Po!nt: This is one of the best social mediums for making contacts and generating opportunities for you business.  Let us know what you thought about Guy’s article.

The iPad – Why and Why Not

Posted June 29th, 2010 in Article by david.wood

With Apple’s recent announcement and release of the iPad there has been a lot of hype over their latest product. In all the hype over the iPad there are people, both Apple fans and non-Apple fans alike that say you shouldn’t buy an iPad. Conversely, there are those that say you should. Most of their arguments leave people wondering whether or not they should buy an iPad. Simply put though, there are several key points that can help anyone make a decision about whether or not they should buy an iPad.

Some of the reasons to buy an iPad include the reasonably large touchscreen as this is something that most netbooks and laptops do not have. Another reason to buy an iPad is that the 3G version can access the web from virtually anywhere as long as you can get a cellphone signal. You also aren’t locked into a long-term contract like you would with most any other mobile web-browsing device.

Switching from the pros of an iPad to the cons, we discover several reasons that may influence someone not to buy an iPad. One of the primary reasons most people say you shouldn’t buy an iPad is the fact that Apple does not let you install Adobe’s Flash Player. Flash is used for most web-based videos and in several games and applications. Luckily, YouTube can work without depending on Flash and with many sites converting their Flash elements into HTML5 there will begin to be fewer and fewer sites that rely on Flash, but that is still a long way from being common. Other reasons not to buy an iPad include the fact that you are limited to what is in the app store, unlike a netbook or full laptop where you can install virtually any program; you are limited to Apple’s pre-approved applications.

Finally, there is the cost factor. Most netbooks will cost between $200-$400 whereas the iPad costs between $500-$700 for the Wi-Fi only version and $630-$830 for the version that includes the option to have 3G service. You can buy a fully functional laptop with a lot more power, flexibility and storage space for about the same cost as an iPad.

Bottom line though, should you buy an iPad? This is a question that will have a different answer for everyone depending on what his or her individual needs are. Some people will want to buy an iPad because they don’t have a laptop or they want a lighter device to carry with them to work or school. Others will view it as a device that while cool duplicates the functionality of a device they already own. For someone like me that already owns a laptop and an iPhone, it would be impractical. However, there are many people out there, both in school and work environments alike, that could potentially benefit from buying an iPad. At the end of the day, it comes down to you taking what you know about the iPad and what your technology needs are and deciding if you should buy one or not.

Facebook Facelift

Posted June 22nd, 2010 in Article by adrian.dunegan

If you have a Facebook account, chances are you are a fan of something or someone. But, if you’re hesitant to join in the social media hoopla (don’t worry, I was too) here’s how fanpages work. When you set up a Facebook account for a company, you actually create a fanpage, where Facebookers from all over the world can become a fan of your company and suggest their friends become fans also. Any status updates from your company show up in the newsfeed of all your fans. You can use this to make fans aware of specials, introduce new products or use special Facebook fan only discount codes!

Many national companies have utilized fanpages, such as Macy’s, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. However, not everyone has an attractive fanpage. What makes these companies stand out from everyone else? These companies, and several others, have integrated a section, such as the company homepage, About Us or Contact Us pages right into Facebook. You can check ours out here!

Not only can you have your homepage be a part of your Facebook fanpage, but you can also have all of your fans and fans-to-be default to particular Facebook tabs. For example, many fans-to-be are directed to the homepage or About Us tab in the fanpage, while actual fans are directed to the fan comments tab or a tab introducing new products or specials.

So, how is it done? Facebook uses a special language, FBML (FaceBook Mark-up Language) to code the insertion of your website page. There is a special application in Facebook (FBML app) that translates the code of your website into FBML so your content can be viewed in Facebook. You can search Facebook for the application and follow directions or, if you are anything like me and this stuff is just way beyond your realm of geekiness, call us at Cornerstone and one of our gurus would be happy to help get you set up with an appointment for your very own Facebook Facelift! (no surgery required!)