Mar
19th

Oneupweb : Twitter Madness—Picking Up On The Social Heat

Posted by Kathryn on March 19, 2010 at 8:32 am

I’m not really the gambling type. And I’m definitely not a sports nut. But inevitably, the delirium of March Madness gets the best of us. Dollars are exchanged for brackets (including an unofficial office bracket), and the strategizing begins. Really, how complicated can it be?

Well, some people know how to make it very complicated—developing complex systems and methodologies for predicting the outcomes of each match-up. But how does percentage of wins divided by guard experience plus my gut feeling add up to Baylor over Villanova in the Sweet 16? Argh!

Okay, so I don’t follow college basketball all that closely, but I still have fun participating. And it would be nice to think I had a shot at winning the office pool.

So I needed another strategy, something other than copying my husband’s bracket. I remember reading last month about how a communications agency predicted “The Hurt Locker’s” Oscar win—an upset against the blockbuster “Avatar”—by analyzing Twitter activity. It could work for basketball, too. So I did a quick search on Twitter for “March Madness.” As it turns out, there are a lot of people tweeting about their picks.

It’s easy to search for a topic on twitter using hashtags. I can easily get a handle on all March Madness chatter by simply searching for the hashtag #marchmadness. But most twitter search engines will be able to find tweets, including the keyword, even without the hashtag.

Geomeme.me is another way to measure Twitter trends. Trending in Michigan: Love beats March Madness.

So after scouring Twitter I now have what I think is a “well-informed” bracket. But I also learned a couple other things about Twitter.

1) Hashtags are very useful for sorting the firehose of information out there—and by using location specific hashtags, like #NWMI (for Northwest Michigan), you can target regions with your tweets. This means that even those not following you may still see your tweets if they are following that hashtag.

2) Although March Madness is a hot topic, Justin Bieber is still hotter. According to TweetVolume, there were eight times as many tweets about Justin in the week leading up to March Madness.

So even though it isn’t recognized as a true “bracketology” method, it was still a fun exercise in seeing how trends are picked up on Twitter. And after all the research, I’m going with Kansas. What are your March Madness picks?

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Mar
18th

Oneupweb : Words from a Writer – An Interview With Doug Stanton

Posted by Maureen on March 18, 2010 at 11:39 am

I was absolutely thrilled when Doug Stanton said he would be our guest on the March episode of Be Relentless: Business Success Against the Odds. As the New York Times bestselling author of In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers, Doug really knows what it takes to be a successful writer. The constant struggles, the relentless drive—he’s been through it all and had some amazing experiences as a result.

The idea behind our new monthly podcast series is to profile the ups and downs, do’s and don’ts and mesmeric lives of Michigan’s most exemplary business professionals—those who have relentlessly pursued and found success against the odds. I’d say Doug has done just that.

I could go into how he worked during his early high school years, saving all his money so that he could attend Interlochen Center for the Arts. Or how he gave up a good job as a college professor to pursue his real dream of some day becoming an author. But I think what makes Doug Stanton’s story so compelling is the experiences he has had while in the midst of writing his books. He nearly drowned in Cape Horn Waters and spent time with soldiers in Afghanistan. It’s clear that he’s relentless when it comes to getting a story, and I think that’s what makes his books so compelling.

The interview he gave with Oneupweb CEO and Founder, Lisa Wehr, and Oneupweb Director of Operations, Tim Kauffold, was no different. I got a sneak peek yesterday, and was glued to my chair as he relates an acting lesson he once had with Harrison Ford and talks about the current National Writers Series. So what are you waiting for? Go to iTunes, download the podcast, and discover Doug Stanton’s story for yourself.

And don’t forget to stay tuned for next month’s episode, featuring….wait for it….a business owner who can tell you just about anything you want to know about political participation in Cuba, and therefore, makes jam for a living. Have a guess who it is? Submit it via the comments option below.

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Mar
18th

Oneupweb : Don’t Forget the Training Wheels

Posted by Jeremiah on March 18, 2010 at 8:43 am

Your client is ecstatic about their brand new site. Everything’s been optimized, your code is tight, and it’s a snap for the end user to interact with. The launch has gone off without a hitch, the keys have been handed over, and you’ve already congratulated yourself on a job well done. Just as you’re about to wrap the day up, your phone rings… It’s the client…

“How do I…”

Despite everything you’ve done right, you forgot one crucial piece of the equation: Training.

All too often in the world of web development, training is an afterthought. There are a fair number of businesses out there who have paid top dollar for exceptional websites, but have left them to languish, devoid of fresh content and regular updates. In order for your client to view their business investment as an asset, they need to see the value in what they’ve paid for. They need to be able to use their site.

On the positive side, training is a relatively painless endeavor, so long as you take the proper steps during the development process. It really boils down to making sure you hit three major points.

1) K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple, stupid. It’s important to streamline processes as much as possible. In order to minimize confusion, try to make it simple and efficient to do things like create a blog post, upload a PDF, and swap out images.

Before you even begin installing the content management system, make sure to consider the needs of whomever will be maintaining the site. Do they have experience with HTML, or will they be relying on a WYSIWYG editor to make copy changes? Do they need to have full admin privileges? Or is it better to make their primary user account restricted to prevent the possibility of them “accidentally” deleting an essential template file or the home page?

2) Documentation
When developing the actual site, make sure to keep notes on how the client will actually use the site. By constantly keeping notes as you implement the initial design and integrate features, you’ll essentially end up with a rough draft of the site’s documentation by the time you’re done. With these notes to work from, and a few choice screen shots, you can put together a comprehensive guide to the basics of the website in a very short time.

Actually having documentation for a site is a huge boon to both you and your client. They have a handy reference to review whenever they need it, and it minimizes the amount of “little questions” they have to ask you if they forget how to do something.

3) Hands on training
Despite the fact that you’ve provided your client with a useful reference for their new site, and made it as simple as possible to interact with, it’s still necessary to provide some one-on-one training as well. In the real world, people have different learning styles, and many individuals find it easier to “learn by doing” rather than reading. This is also a great time to go over any more nuanced details the site may have, as well as a chance to really “showcase” the work you’ve poured into a project.

So the next time you’re working on a website for a client, don’t forget the training wheels.

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Mar
17th

Oneupweb : A Gift from the Gods – How to Customize a Facebook Tab

Posted by Quillen on March 17, 2010 at 8:32 am

There is no question that Facebook reigns supreme in the social networking world. If you’re still one of the few that think MySpace is better—it’s probably because of how customizable MySpace is (and Facebook isn’t). Well, I hear ya. While I do think Facebook is better, I do wish that the design or look of Facebook was more customizable.

Well my friends—the Facebook gods have been listening! They are now allowing Facebook tabs to be customized using CSS, HTML and FBJS (Facebook’s own JavaScript)! Sure, it’s no custom background, but it’s a glimpse into what I think is the future of Facebook. Here’s a quick guide to help you get started.

How to Customize a Facebook Tab
Things to note before getting started:

You have to use the Static FBML application, and it can only be added to Facebook fan pages (public profiles or business pages).
To add the application to your Facebook fan page, you have to have a personal profile associated with the page as an administrator; the admin can add apps when logged in.
Currently the maximum width of a tab or FBML page is 760px, but Facebook announced that the size will be shrinking to 520px in early 2010. So far no shrinkage yet.
Only include the HTML/CSS that’s between the tags.

Adding the Static FBML Application to Your Public Profile (Fan Page)

Click “Edit Page” under the page’s profile image.
Under “Applications,” then under “More Applications” (normally at the bottom) select “Browse More”.
In the left column search box, enter “Static FBML” and hit enter/return.
Click on the “Static FBML” search result (it should be the only one).
In the left column, click “Add to my Page”.
Congrats! You have added Static FBML to your page.

Adding Your FBML Box or Tab to Your Public Profile Page

With your page open, click on “Edit Page” in the left column.
Under Applications, find the “Static FBML” link and click “Edit”.
Enter the tab/box heading in the “Box Title” field.
Enter the proper code (HTML, CSS or FBJS) in the “FBML” field. This is the custom content you want to appear.
Sorry, there isn’t a preview function yet, so click “Save Changes”. Now, return to your page (you can click on the page title link in the upper left hand corner) to see your new custom tab.
You can drag and drop the box tabs to change the order (with the exception of the “Wall” and “Info” tabs). If you want your new custom tab to be the first thing a viewer sees when opening your page:
- Click “Edit Page” under the page’s profile image.
- Under “Wall Settings” click on “Edit”.
- Under “View Settings” and then to the right of “Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else” click on the drop down and select the name of your new tab.

Pat yourself on the back. You have now successfully added a custom tab to your Facebook page! The all powerful Facebook gods are now smiling upon you!

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Mar
16th

Oneupweb : 10 Years in Traverse City

Posted by Maureen on March 16, 2010 at 12:35 pm

Break out the cake, it’s time to celebrate! Oneupweb has officially been headquartered in the Traverse City area for 10 years.

I thought it would be fun to see what was going on in the world when our CEO, Lisa Wehr, picked up and moved from Alaska to Northern Michigan back in 2000. Here’s what I discovered:

Justin Timberlake was still at the top of the charts with ‘N Sync. (That was well before he brought sexy back. So does that mean sexy was still going on?)
Mel Gibson showed us What Women Want (great quote – “I’m the man-eating &%^$# Darth Vader of the ad world”).
Bush defeated Gore.
Richard Hatch won the first US Survivor.
Y2K (need I say more?).

Ah, yes. Remember when. Anyway, in 2000 Oneupweb had seven employees. That number grew quickly, requiring five moves over the past decade. The last move was to where I am currently writing this blog post from today—a 30,000 square foot facility overlooking Grand Traverse Bay. We currently have 43 employees, and (always growing) a couple of open positions we’re looking to fill. Here’s a pic of our current digs:

It’s been an amazing decade, one full of growth, awards, technologies and community giving. Here are a few highlights for Lisa and Oneupweb over the years:

Named to BtoB’s Who’s Who for six consecutive years for being a key thought leader in the search marketing industry.
Named a top search marketing agency in the world three times by AdAge.
Created two of the nation’s leading proprietary analytics tools.
Featured as a thought-leader in more than 400 articles.
Honored with numerous industry awards including ADDYs, Tellys, Communicator Awards and a BMA Sledgehammer.
Named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Completed a 5-day tour of the state offering our services for free to any business that needed them.

Being headquartered in Traverse City, far removed from a bustling metropolis like New York or LA, has proven to be good for Oneupweb. It’s here in our hometown that we can really focus on our clients, dig in and get to work. And being in Northern Michigan has probably also helped us stick to a policy that Lisa instilled from day one—writing it on a piece of notebook paper and sticking it to the wall with duct tape.

Be humble, be honest, be professional.

It’s simple, which is something you don’t find a lot of lately. With the amount of communication options at our fingertips, everyone is clamoring to be the most advanced and have the newest gadgets. We long for things that are complex, and as a result, are quickly leaving simple behind. I was reminded of this today by Lay’s potato chips (random, I know). They just started a new campaign that “happiness is simple“.

It’s the minute you get to spend watching a beautiful sunrise over the bay. That quick break you take to play a game of ping pong. That moment when you get home, take your shoes off and relax knowing you’ve put in a hard day’s work. Yes, simple is good. A simple promise, faithfully followed, has propelled one woman’s dream from a small basement office to one of the nation’s leading digital marketing agencies.

And you can bet, when she looks back on it all, she can’t help but be happy (no, I didn’t have to consult Nick Marshall on that one).

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