Today's Day

Stationery card

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +0000

We Believe Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards this season at Shutterfly.com.

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Local Genius: The Benefits Of Local Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:33:00 +0000

If you lived in Argentina and spoke the local tongue, you would order a Pepsi by requesting a Pecsi. Phonetically, this pronunciation is easier for Argentineans. In 2009, Pepsi acknowledged this little quirk and gave BBDO Argentina the green light to give a friendly nod to the locals and rebrand Pepsi as Pecsi –a significant move to localize an international brand.

Pecsi Case from BBDO argentina on Vimeo.

National Advertisers have always recognized the importance of advertising on a local level, just not always as successfully as Pepsi. Or, Pecsi for those readers in Argentina. For the majority of national Advertisers the successful implementation of local advertising has been hindered by their misunderstanding about the best tactics and traffic sources to use, and how to effectively measure the results and return on investment (ROI). This confusion exists because they don’t live and work in every community they are targeting. But you do.

As a local business, you have the upper hand. You are not only a marketer to a locale; you are a local yourself. The idiosyncrasies and particulars of your target area are part of your everyday life. Benefiting from this advantage isn’t as easy as just being present, though. You must recognize the shift in consumer control and engage your evangelists—your most loyal customers and fellow citizens. The good news is you don’t have to spend huge marketing dollars to make your brand relevant to the local community, like Pecsi.

Thankfully the current technology environment has driven media consumption on the go – making it easy for local brands to reach and engage their audiences. The emergence and mass acceptance of new devices from laptops to tablets to smart phones has created an intuitive engaged user experience. According to the latest Mobile Audience Insights Report from JiWire, when local content is added to creative, users engage 100-120 percent more than they do with the same ad without the local content. There are more cost effective, measurable ways to stretch your marketing dollars farther than there have ever been before.

If you don’t know where to start, that’s okay – we do.

This post was originally published on Deep Ad Thoughts by The Cyphers Agency.

Target Audiences: Knowing Where They Are

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Many things have changed in the world of communications, but the old adage – “Start where your customer is” – still rings true. We have already established the importance of knowing your target audience, but once you have identified who they are you need to identify how to reach them.

In a perfect world, we as marketers would create campaigns for a product or service we actually use, a brand that we’re part of the target audience for. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect. You may be awesome at your job marketing to 15 year old girls, but that doesn’t mean you are in fact a 15 year old girl – that would just be weird. So how do you reach them?

Don’t worry, I am not going to suggest you take a lesson from Mel Gibson in What Women Want and start chewing Bubblicious and watching The Secret Life of the American Teenager religiously. While that approach may be quite entertaining, it isn’t very effective. You may not think like your target audience, but you do need to understand how they think and where their attentions lie.

Previously it was easy: your choices included typical top ten media like broadcast, print or outdoor. You knew the demographics and psychographics for each media outlet. You had a budget and divided your budget up accordingly with the peace of mind your message was reaching your target audience.

Now, its a little different. You have to work harder AND smarter AND faster. With the plethora of media outlets that are capturing people’s attention these days, it is easy for your message to become diluted and lost among the masses. And don’t forget that just because your target audience exists doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll find or listen to your brand. Sure, you might know that your consumers like Facebook, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll actively seek out your brand’s fan page. It’s no longer enough to blast a siren and hope that someone hears it. Build a strategy that works towards interacting with your audience AND working toward your marketing objective.

This post was originally published on Deep Ad Thoughts by The Cyphers Agency.

Knowing Your Target Audience

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:41:00 +0000

Advertising and marketing – it’s what we do. So in our line of work, sometimes we come across companies that are stuck in an “we” mindset: How we want our brand to be portrayed. What we think the strengths of our products or services are. Who we think should buy our brand. And as marketers, it is our job to help transform this thinking. Because, after all, its really about them – the consumer.

In order for any advertising and marketing initiative to be successful, you can’t ignore one of the most fundamental basics in the realm of marketing: understanding your target audience. But it goes beyond that. You’ve got to truly understand them: not just who you think they are but who they actually are. And, where they are and why they like you. By being honest with yourself about your target audience, you can effectively communicate with them to achieve your objectives and even get them to act on your behalf.

Even big name brands have had to learn this the hard way. Tommy Hilfiger, a brand recognized the world over, only gained success by learning some lessons along the way. The American powerhouse brand first attempted to establish their brand into Europe without adjusting their marketing and product strategies to fit the very different European target audience. After going back to the drawing board, Hilfiger returned with a more tailored brand message to the newly desired market: a more upscale, sophisticated brand than what is seen in the States. They changed not only their marketing strategy but even went as far to change their products to fit European tastes; choosing the European preferred wool over cotton.

Unfortunately, we aren’t all in Tommy’s shoes. We might not have the opportunity to learn the hard way and still have the chance to start over. For some, the first chance is really all there is. At the start of any new initiative, we must define who our target audience truly is, not just who we think or want them to be.

This post was originally published on Deep Ad Thoughts by The Cyphers Agency.

It is a Wonderful Time of Year

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:04:00 +0000

Sweet And Retro Christmas Card

Make a statement with personalized Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

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Welcome to the Future: The Mobile Future

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:14:00 +0000

The decision of where to place your marketing message used to be a no-brainer. Your choices included broadcast, print or in store media placements. It was simple and the media was simple. As the use of the “world-wide-web” became mainstream, online advertising was born. Marketers were able to add banner ads, email marketing campaigns and more to their arsenal of media options. Then just as marketers became comfortable with the options in online advertising, we have seen the emergence of Social Media and Mobile Marketing. And these platforms are evolving at pace never seen before.

It is more important then ever to understand your target audience and where they are spending their time consuming media. It is becoming more and more about the user experience everyday.

First Changes
Mobile marketing in its simplest form appears as SMS messaging: the user sends a text message to a short code and receives a pre-programmed response from the advertiser. Advertisers have seen the marketing benefits of Mobile Marketing at the point-of-sale influencing purchasing decisions, building consumer relationships, and providing increased consumer intelligence. It is pretty obvious why technology is evolving at such a rapid pace.

Evolution
Already, Mobile Marketing has evolved from standard SMS messaging techniques to Image Recognition technology. We are also quickly seeing the potential of Augmented Reality in the consumer experience. Take for instance Stella Artois’ Le Bar Guide, where using augmented reality allows a mobile application to overlay the profile of bars surrounding your current location. The recent launch of Apple’s iPad has even further exposed potential Mobile Marketing and its effects on how we look at the very definition of “mobile”, and how advertisers choose to spend marketing dollars. Time, Inc. recently released this video demonstration of how tablets are changing their advertising model.

Mix It Up
And while the world of marketing is ever changing, traditional methods still have a place (Apple’s iPad is advertised on the back cover of my latest issue of National Geographic, after all). Traditional marketing still has relevancy, but it might sit next to some new, technologically savvy neighbors in your annual marketing plan. Proper use and integration of new technologies with older ones will be the key to success.

This post was originally published on Deep Ad Thoughts by The Cyphers Agency.

The Evolving Role of the CMO

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:56:00 +0000

I don’t need to lecture you on the changes that have taken place in the way we market since the start of the economic downturn. No, you have studied, talked about and pondered those changes at nauseam. You get that your options have changed. (And hopefully you know we would love to assist you in figuring out which options will best help you reach your goals.)

Times are A’changing

What I do want to talk about is how the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Marketing Manager, Coordinator and Associate has changed. Previously, in plentiful times the objectives for marketing included producing qualified leads for acquisition, communicating with the current customer for retention and establishing and maintaining brand recognition among the masses. Delivery fell on the shoulders of operations, while sales was responsible for the hard numbers. If marketing was producing the leads, their job was done. Well, I hate to break it to you, but those days are gone.

The Future is Now

As a marketer in today’s new world, you need to be a businessperson first and a marketer second. Understanding and working in the business from an operations and financial side is imperative for the survival and success of any marketing plan. While “soft” metrics like brand awareness are just as important as they have ever been, they don’t carry the clout in the board room that profitability and ROI metrics do. Marketers are working alongside operations to respond timely to consumer feedback, all the while, following the sales pipeline further than ever before.

The Value of Marketing

These changes can be a real positive within a company and your career. Yes, marketing is now even more accountable for the overall performance of your company. But with accountability also comes the opportunity to prove the value marketing brings to the table. Not to mention, the walls that are being broken down between departments.

So I leave you with this to think about — How has the role of marketing within your four walls changed? Have you and your team adjusted accordingly?

This post was originally published on Deep Ad Thoughts by The Cyphers Agency.

Holiday Greetings from Us

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:56:00 +0000

As we approach the Holiday Season (Well I guess it is here), I look back over the last 12 months. And BOY have we accomplished many things to be proud of. Which, gets me thinking...I need to step it up with this years holiday card. Typically, we purchase our holiday card from the American Humane Society. This year however, we have a FAMILY to share. Not that ours wasn't family before, but now we are three. A generic card just will not do.

Luckily for us, Shutterfly is running a free holiday card promotion this year. Now we just need to decide do we go with a super cool Story Card? Or to we keep it simple with a Photo Card? Each has its benefits. This year was a BIG year so we could tell the story with a Story Card; or we could choose a favorite picture that everyone will be able to keep forever. Decisions, Decisions?

What do you think?

Acorn Squash, I own you.

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 01:51:00 +0000

I finished my first batch of Acorn Squash puree today, and I'm feeling pretty invincible.

As far as eating habits go, it is important to me that I start her off right. I know it is unrealistic to think I will be able to serve her every meal made and cooked at home. But I want to provide her with an appreciation for home cooked food, even if she doesn't get it everyday.

I know she won't appreciate it now. But just maybe, in 28 years she will want to provide her own child with a meal made of love and care, because her Mom made sure she had. Just like my Mom made sure I had.

So today, my babycook and I conquered the Acorn Squash (and some Avocado). Later this week will be the Pumpkin. She won't taste it for another couple of months, but I am now ready when she is.

I'm learning

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:27:00 +0000

She is new and for that matter so am I. A new mom, that is. We are learning. Her about this new found world she is now apart of. Me, I'm learning how much I didn't know before. I didn't know what it was like to really be willing to take a bullet for someone. I didn't know what it was like to be truly tired. I didn't know what it was like to be drained (literally). I didn't know what I was capable of. I didn't know what it was like to be a Mom.

All things, I thought I knew. All things, I've quickly learned I didn't have a clue about.

We are learning. Together, we are learning something new everyday.

The Magic of Social Media.

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:31:00 +0000

A few years back my husband and I went camping at Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland. If you have never been to Point Lookout I strongly recommend going. It is like stepping back in time. Right there between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River is a treasure of a place.

(Photograph taken by Joseph C. Nowak)

A place where the grocery store closes by 6PM and everybody knows your name. A place where neighbors look out for one another. It is in Point Lookout that I encountered the true magic of Social Media. Trust.

Our first morning in Point Lookout we woke early to run into town and pick up some produce for our stay. While driving through the sleepy town we came across a roadside stand. You know the kind. The kind of roadside stand where you will find the sweetest corn you have ever had and the juiciest tomatoes. Along with the nicest old man with sun scorched skin from working the fields for hours on end. He is no doubt standing there with his plump grandson by his side. There was something off; however at this stand. At least, it felt off to me initially.

(Note: This is not a picture of the roadside stand from Point Lookout.)

The produce was carefully put out on display. Each row of tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, plums, and apples were clearly labeled with the prices. But there was no one there. No old man. No grandson. Nobody to watch over the stand or take money from the customers. No one even to deter a morally inept individual from taking their fill of tomatoes without leaving a dime. Instead, at the end of the stand was a hand painted sign. The sign was made out of plywood painted white with black lettering. In front of that sign was a small metal water pale with a few dollars inside. The scrawl on the sign read "We work on the honor system".

As a urban dweller this was unheard of. My initial reaction was to laugh at the naive belief that there will still honorable people. Then I remember where I was. I was in the southernmost point of St. Mary's County, in a community where each member was there for the next. In a place, where honor and trust are worn like a membership badge.

Social Media may be a newer concept to some. However, the only thing truly new about it is the tactics for delivery, the Media portion. The social part has been around as long as time. When participating in Social Media, it is imperative that you recognize you are interacting in a community. A community just like the southernmost part of St. Mary's County, Point Lookout. A community that demands trust. A community that will call you out if you don't honor it.

Once I had gotten over my initial "urban dweller" reaction. I was able to realize, it was a magical thing to be able to feel the trust in the community. I was just a visitor to Point Lookout, but I felt a sense of responsibility for the town and its people, just as if I had lived there all my life. Looking back on it I wish I had taken a picture of that stand. I hope it is still there, with the same sign.

Jimmys...Sprinkles...Jimmies?

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I was at Dead Freddies last night with my girlfriend, Chrysler and her boyfriend Josh. I'm not even sure how it happened, it may have had something to do with the alcohol, but we started a debate on what the things you put on the top of ice cream are called. Josh and I agree that they are more commonly referred to as sprinkles. While Chrissy is confident that they are Jimmys; with a "ys" not "ies". Needless to say we were not reaching a consensus among the three of us. So we are polling.

Please help us solve this debate, by participating in the poll below.

What do call the things on top of ice cream? They come in chocolate and rainbow? ( online surveys)

Pennsylvania, a Southern State? No.

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:33:00 +0000

As Maryland native with southern roots, I have often been part of the ongoing debate on whether or not Maryland is considered a Southern state. The argument typically falls between, a Marylander and someone from a tried and true Dixie state with a slow drawl in their speech. Typically, the argument ends with the Mason Dixon line which essentially divides the country in two. The Mason Dixon line also just so happens to run directly along the border of Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Which is why I could not help but chuckle to myself as I was traveling North on I-95 today and was passed by this truck.

It is hard to tell in this photo, but "The Southern Company" is apparently located in Willow Grove, PA. Apparently, no one was around to slap the owner of "The Southern Company" upside his/her head when he/she was naming the company.

How is it handled when the name of the company is partaking in false advertising?

LG

Reasons to <3 Maryland

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Well maybe it is only one reason, but it takes the cake! The "crab" cake that is. Growing up in Maryland a weekend full of warm sunshine, water, chicken necks, crab pots, docks, beer, sweet tea (for the kids), newspaper, little wooden mauls, butter knives, and Maryland Blue Crabs is tradition. Just like whiskey and women were tradition for the Williams family. An open season on the tradition came rolling in this April 1st, no foolin'.

As the Baltimore Sun tells it, Maryland Waterman are holding their breath as we enter the 2009 season. Hoping and praying that the female crab population has rebounded. Most recently the Maryland Blue Crab population has continued to see hardship with each year being worse than the last. But no doom and gloom here! As a one who knows how to appreciate a good pot of steamed crabs, I have my sleeves rolled up butter knife in my right hand and a cold beer in the left. I hope you fellow Marylanders will join me for good company and good crabs!

As Richard's Seafood in Bel Air, Maryland puts it...it is a rite of passage!

LG

Lessons in being unemployed: Lesson #1

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:58:00 +0000

The last time I was out of work I was eighteen. I have never had to looked for a job, so I can meet my responsibilities (i.e. pay the bills, feed my dogs). On March 10^th I joined the ranks of the nations unemployed. Someone once told me that “everyone needs to go through the experience of being let go to truly understand the situation.” The “situation” being what it is like to be unemployed; as well as, what it is like to be employed. At that time, I thought they were just excusing a blemish in their past. I laugh at my naive reaction, now.

It has been learning experience to say the least. I've learned a few things about myself. My perspective on things has changed slightly. Most importantly though, my appreciation for those I surround myself with has sky rocketed.

A main career objective has always been to apply my knowledge and skill set to a job; in trade for the opportunity to learn new things. An opportunity I am always grateful for. Through my career I have kept my sights closely aimed to make sure I was constantly gaining this knowledge. Until now, I never realized the true gift I was receiving was not the knowledge, but the people.

After I was let go from Renegade I was headed home, not really sure what to do with myself for the rest of the afternoon. Until my cell phone rang; Kate was calling to see what I was doing. Kate was the Post Production Supervisor at Renegade, and was also let go the same day. I immediately changed my course and to meet Kate for lunch. Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t alone.

Lesson #1: In this economy those people who can count themselves among the unemployed are not alone. We should recognize that and work together to reach our goals.

LG

I have a problem

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:32:00 +0000

I have a problem. Well more accurately, I have multiple problems both related and unrelated. However, I am only going to talk about one. How do you overcome a fear that you haven't clearly defined?

Currently, I am working on development of my personal website jhawkw.com. As a visual person by nature, the design of the site is taking form in my head; as well as, on paper/computer. However, in an effort to govern myself I have decided that I can not; will not work any farther on the design until I have completed the copy development. Otherwise, I run the risk of launching a site with greeking in the place of the would be copy. My problem is I can not write about myself. I mean of course, I can. It is just that everything put down seems corny or pompous. So I start and stop, erase and then start all over again. It really is a vicious cycle, that is getting me no where.

In all reality what I write is not corny nor pompous. In all reality, the problem isn't in my writing or conception. The problem is in my head. One of my main skill sets is my ability to conceptualize an idea and then proceed to communicate said idea through written and verbal word. I do it all the time for clients, products, and the like.The problem is my reaction after I have written about myself. I giggle and blush after reading over what I've written; eventually scrapping it all.

I'm not sure why this is. Which I believe is why I can't get over it. I am a firm believer that facing your fears head on, is the only way to overcome them. So, how do you overcome a fear that you haven't clearly defined? Have you experienced a similar dilemma?

Please help. Otherwise, I may have to resort to putting a rubber band around my wrist and snapping it each time I start sketching or day dreaming about the design for jhawkw.com. I really don't want to do that, it hurts.

LG

Hosting Options

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:38:00 +0000

My job recently fell fatal to the economic conditions that have become our everyday lives. (In writing that sentence I changed it from “I fell” to “My job recently fell”. I choose to do this because, despite the fact that I have recently joined the ranks of America’s Unemployed, I am doing rather well. The word “fatal” felt dramatic when speaking of myself; however, it feels appropriate when speaking about the job I am no longer performing. ) Since, becoming unemployed I’ve realized a lot of things that I over looked or took for granted before. (So many that I may dedicate a post solely on this topic.) I haven’t been “out of work” since 2001, when I first began my professional career and I haven’t “looked for” a job since 2005, when I left The Miller Group. One of the biggest things I immediately couldn’t ignore is that it is a much more competitive marketplace and finding a job isn’t as simple as looking in the classifieds and faxing a paper resume. Especially, when focusing in the marketing and advertising field; the earliest adopters of anything promotional. So over the last two weeks, along with applying to jobs I’ve been focusing 100% on giving my personal brand a face lift. One item that is part of this face lift is #6 on my 101 in 1001: to create, design and develop my professional website.

Last week I secured my domain names: jhawkw.com, juliannawittig.com, juliannahawk.com, and juliannahawkwittig.com from godaddy.com. I’ve decided to use jhawkw.com in all my branding efforts, being that it matches my twitter, gmail, and flickr profiles. All URLS will point to the same website for those people who are just doing a quick search on “Julianna Wittig” or one of my other aliases. Next item on my list is to secure hosting.

In the past I’ve always used Hosting.com for my hosting services both professionally (when appropriate) and personally. I’ve been using hosting.com for 8 years now, without ever looking elsewhere. I’ve never really had a reason before, and quite honestly they haven’t given me a reason now either. However, service offerings have changed greatly since I started using hosting.com and I’m in a place of change personally and professionally. In spirit of this place of change, I want to use a different hosting service for jhawkw.com. You are invited to join me while I narrow down my options for a new hosting service. Below are the steps I have taken to make my selection. Note: I am writing this post as I make my selection, so I don’t even know who I am going to end up with.

1. Recommendations: I employed my network for recommendations on hosting services. On twitter @dwplanit recommended myhosting.com and @briancrumely recommended MediaTemple. On facebook Shaun Ault recommended bluehost.com and hostmonster.com. So right off the bat I have been able to narrow down my options with recommendations from trusted resources. Resources that I can metaphorically say to: “I know where you live”.

2. Consumer Feedback: Now that I have narrowed my options to four capable solutions via the assistance of my direct network, I would like to see what everyone else is saying about these services. Once again, this is a question that twitter is perfect for answering. Simply by performing a twitter search on each of my candidates I am able to see real-time results on what other users are saying about the services I am considering.

#myhosting.com
Overall positive conversations. A couple of complaints regarding service interruptions.

Note: You have to search myhosting.com because myhosting has a profile on twitter for the company
#MediaTemple
Overall conversations seem to be tech related. Indicates a higher usage by professionals? A couple recommendations for using other services.

Note: MediaTemple also offers a twitter profile @mediatemple
#bluehost
Mostly recommendations. A few complaints regarding service suspension and customer service.
#hostmonster
Overall banter about service. No real hearty recommendations or complaints.

3. Feature and Cost Comparison: Next I compare the features and costs of each service. There is a plethora of options out there when it comes to hosting services. I need to make sure the option I choose is the best solution for this project. Although this site will be for professional growth and brand establishment it is a personal website. I don’t anticipate insanely high traffic demands or the need for especially large amounts of data storage space. I will be handling the design, production and testing of the website myself; so I’m not interested in any free site builder options.

MyHosting Cost: $6.45 a month
My Hosting Features: Linux (Debian) platform, 5 GB disk space, 50 GB data transfer, 250 email accounts with spam filtering, 5 domain name aliases, Free web-based Site Builder, PHP 5.2.9 and Perl, Free MySQL 5.0.32 database 9
Media Temple Cost: $20.00 a month
Media Temple Features: 100GB premium storage, 1TB network transfer, Host up to 100 domains, 1000 email accounts, Clustered architecture, Rails & Django Containers, MySQL SmartPool v.2, FREE Urchin Analytics, Money Back Guarantee.
Blue Host Cost: $6.95 a month
Blue Host Features: UNLIMITED Hosting Space (NEW!); UNLIMITED File Transfer (NEW!); Host UNLIMITED Domains!!!; 2,500 POP/Imap Email Accounts; SSH (Secure Shell); SSL, FTP, Stats; CGI, Ruby (RoR), Perl, PHP, MySQL; 2000/2002 Front Page Extensions; Free Domain Forever!; Free Site Builder (NEW); 24/7 Superb/Responsive Sales/Support
Host Monster Cost: $5.95 a month
Host Monster Features: UNLIMITED Hosting Space; UNLIMITED Site Bandwidth; Host UNLIMITED Domains; Unlimited Pop/Imap Email Accounts; SSH Access (Secure Shell); SSL, FTP, Stats; CGI, Ruby (RoR), Perl, PHP, MYSQL; Front Page Extensions; Free Domain Forever; Free Site Builder; Best Support in the Industry

4. Customer Service: Last but not least I take a look at the Customer Service offerings of each service. One of my biggest pet peeves is when working with a internet based company that only deals with service requests through FAQs and tickets submitted via an online form. Now, I certainly expect that each service is going to boast “Award Winning” and “Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed”. Which means I am going to have to read between the lines to ensure I am purchasing the customer service I will expect.

Myhosting: 24/7 Phone Support, Online Chat, FAQs, Email Support, and Call Back Request. Myhosting also has a presence on twitter as I mentioned previously, @myhosting. More and more companies are continuing to embrace this means of communication. I am glad to see myhosting adopting twitter; however, their account was just created at the start of sxsw this year and their tweets are regarding their sxsw participation. Hopefully, they evolve their usage to include customer support.
MediaTemple: Our Promise and 24/7 Support. MediaTemple also has a presence on twitter, @mediatemple. A pretty active presence, these guys are using twitter to its fullest for customer service. They are interacting and engaging with their users; becoming part of the solution.
Blue Host: Ticket System, Knowledgebase, 24/7 Phone Support & Live Chat.
Host Monster: Ticket System, Knowledgebase, 24/7 Phone Support & Live Chat.

5. Decision & Reasoning: My network was able to provide me with four capable options for my needs. I could have simply chosen the cheapest option or the most complex and went from there. However, I did not. I wanted to make sure the one I selected was going to meet and maybe exceed my needs as a consumer. In the end I've decided to go with myhosting.com. The reviews they have received were positive for the most part, their features and price were exactly what will meet my needs, and they show the potential for adopting proactive customer service techniques.

MediaTemple appears to be a great solution to meet the demands of a robust corporate website. I will probably refer back to thier service the next time I'm working on such a site.

BlueHost and HostMonster both lost points because if you look at thier customer support pages, it appears they may actually be the same company just branded as two different companies. I don't know this to be true, but there was just too many uncanny similarities. Check it out for yourself.

Well I hope I havn't bored you to death. I know this hasn't been the most entertaining post. I just hope the information, helps you make a hosting selection in the future.

LG

The Economy, Responsibility and Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:18:00 +0000

I come from a generation where the great depression is made up of story tales of hardship, togetherness, and struggle told by my elders. I don't remember it and I can't fathom it any more than I can fathom the story of sleeping beauty or the renaissance. So I turn on the switch to the analytical part of my brain to make my own determinations of the theatrical media reports.

During the Great Depression, in the United States, the percentage of the population that was out of work rose to 25 percent of the workforce at its highest level. This number translated to 15 million Americans being without work. But times are very different in 2009, then they were in 1930. The population is larger, there are more women and men leaving for work everyday, jobs have changed and technology has changed. According to my calculations (I am no mathematician), for the US unemployment rate to reach 25 percent again, 35.5 million people will need to be out of work. So where do we stand? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. Not good, not comfortable, but you know what? I don't think the sky is quite falling either.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everything is fine. It is not. We've had it pretty darn good since the end of the depression and even better still in the more recent years. But as the english proverb goes, "all good things must come to a end". Things are not going to be as easy as we've grown accustomed to, we are going to have to work a little harder and be a little more responsible for ourselves and our own. Responsibility should and will take on a whole new meaning for us, that is if we are doing it right. So I ask you, what are you doing about it? Are you sitting around waiting from someone else to fix it? Are you talking about how bad things are? Or are you taking control of your own mindset? Are you talking with people like yourself? People who are empowerd to change things, people who can change things?

My point is you can read the news reports on the american economy. Reports with words like grim, destroyed, wrenching and brink. Or you can start being selective about what your reading and who your talking to. I'm not using google for the same purpose anymore. Google no longer gives me what I need or what I want. It is just a tool to aggragate and display information posted by whoever and whomever. Instead, I'm listening and talking with a whole new network on twitter. A network that is optimistic and sharing ideas, successes and lessons learned.

According to Twitter's homepage the service is defined as "A service 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? However like all tools, Twitter is what you make of it. You have to follow the right people, you have to offer valuable information, you have to be transparent and honest. If you are complaining to your network and talking about what lunch was for the day; your going to hear people complaining and telling you about their newest aliment. You will get back what you put in. Below is snapshot of my favorite things that my network shared with me this past week. I hope they inspire and make you smile, as they did me.

@prnewswire Editor who had earned 6 figures until she was laid off last year now interns to become tech-savvy http://burnurl.com/xokiHn

@AgencyConfesses Friday Ad Haiku: Responding to a-holish blog comments http://tinyurl.com/b82plv

@george_murphy RT @city_paper DC takes one more baby step toward admitting that Baltimore is, like, totally the cooler city: http://tinyurl.com/akdbpj

Lost it, Found it, Not going to lose it again! Here is a blog post from @rohitbhargava that I found worthy. http://is.gd/c9Ja

@mashable It's #followfriday! The usual reminder of how #followfriday works: http://tinyurl.com/cz545c

@adamostrow Reading "MySpace is Toast" - http://burnurl.com/lIzsuF ... nice to-the-point headline!

@CocoOnTheWeb The most impressive 27-year old you’ve never heard of? Barack Obama’s speechwriter: http://tr.im/2k3k

@mashable Reading: "The Power of Social Networking to Save the World (from zombies)" http://bit.ly/105EJb

@mashable Reading: "A Twitter Basics Primer" http://tinyurl.com/b83yay

@MrTweet Which great organization or individual should @MrTweet feature next? Tell us: http://bit.ly/1SaYrZ (RT if you know great folks!)

@jhawkw “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” — Chinese Proverb

LG

Glossary of Terms: Search Engine Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Below is a glossary of terms that were originally published in SES Vol.3, Issue 1 for search engine marketers. I found these definitions clear and consise when explaining things to the general public, and thought you may too!

advertising network: A service where ads are bought centrally through one company, and displayed on multiple websites that contract with that company for a share of revenue generated by ads served on their site.

algorithm: The technology that a search engine uses to deliver results to a query. Search engines utilize several algorithms in tandem to deliver a page of search results or keyword-targeted search ads.

anchor text: The clickable text part of a hyper-link. The text usually gives visitors or search engines important information on what the page being linked to is about.

click through rate (CTR): The rate (express in percentage) at which users click on an ad. This is calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of ad impressions. CTR is an important metric for Internet marketers to measure the performance of an ad campaign.

content network: A group of websites that agree to show ads on their site, served by an as network, in exchange for a share of the revenue generated by those ads. Examples include Google AdSense or the Yahoo Publisher Network.

content advertising: Advertising that is targeted to a web page based on the page's content, keywords, or category. Ads in most content networks are targeted contextually.

cost per action (CPA): A form of advertising where payment is dependant upon an action that a user performs as a result of the ad. The action could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or asking for a follow-up call. An advertiser pays a set fee to the publisher based on the number of visitors who take action. Many affiliate programs use the CPA model.

cost per click (CPC): Also called pay-per-click (PPC). A performance-based advertising model where the advertiser pays a set fee for every click on an ad. The majority of text ads sold by search engines are billed under the CPC model.

geo-targeting: Delivery of ads specific to the geographic location of the searcher. Geo-targeting allows the advertiser to specify where ads will or won't be shown based on the searcher's location, enabling more localized and personalized results.

Googlebot: Google uses several user-agents to crawl and index content in the Google.com search engine. Googlebot describes all Google spiders. All Google bots begin with "Googlebot"; for example, Googlebot Mobile: crawls pages for Google's mobile index; Googlebot-Image: crawls pages for Google's image index.

inbound link: An inbound link is a hyperlink to a particular web page from an outside site, bringing traffic to that web page. Inbound links are an important element that most search engine algorithms use to measure the popularity of a web page.

invisible web: A term that refers to the vast amount of information on the web that isn't indexed by search engines. Coined in 1994 by Dr. Jill Ellsworth.

keyword: A word or phrase entered into a search engine to return matching and relevant results. Many websites offer advertising targeted by keywords, so an ad will only show when a specific keyword is entered.

link bait: Editorial content, often sensational in nature, posted on a web page and submitted to social media sited in hopes of building inbound links from other sites. Or, as Matt Cutts of Google says, "something interesting enough to catch people's attention."

link building: The process of getting quality websites to link to your websites, in order to improve search engine rankings. Link building techniques can include buying links, reciprocal linking, or entering barter arrangements.

meta tags: Information placed in the HTML header of a web page, providing information that is not visible to browsers, but can be used in varying degrees by search engines to index a page. Common meta tags used in search engine marketing are title, description, and keyword tags.

pay per click (PPC): See cost per click (CPC).

quality score: A score assigned by search engines that is calculated by measuring an ad's clickthrough rate, analyzing the relevance of the landing page, and considering other factors used to determine the quality of a site and reward those of higher quality with top placement and lower bid requirements. Some factos that make up a quality score are historical keywords performance, the quality of an ad's landing page, and other undisclosed attributes. All of the major search engines now use some form of quality score in their search as algorithm.

return on investment (ROI): The amount of money an advertiser earns from their ads compared to the amount of money that advertiser spends on their ads.

search advertising: Also called paid search. An advertiser bids for the chance to have their as display when a user searches for a given keyword. There are usually text ads, which are displayed above or to the right of the algorithmic (organic) search results. Most search ads are sold by the PPC model, where the advertiser pays only when the user clicks on the as or text link.

search engine marketing (SEM): The process of building and marketing a site with the goal of improving its position in search engine results. SEM includes both search engine optimization (SEO) and search advertising, or paid search.

search engine optimization (SEO): The process of making a site and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searches. SEO includes technical tasks to make it easier for search engines to find and index a site for the appropriate keywords, as well as marketing-focused tasks to make a site more appealing to users. Successful search marketing helps a site gain top positioning for relevant words and phrases.

search engine results page (SERPs): The page searchers see after they've entered their query into the search box. This page lists several web pages related to the searcher's query, sorted by relevance. Increasingly, search engines are returning blended search results, which include images, videos, and results from specialty databases on their SERPs.

social media: A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like Linked-In or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction.

spider: A search engine spider is a program that crawls the web, visiting web pages to collect information to add to or update a search engine's index. The major search engines on the web all have such a program, which is also known as a "crawler" or a "bot".

title tag: An HTML meta tag with text describing a specific web page. The title tag should contain strategic keywords for the page, since many search engines pay special attention to the title text when indexing pages. The title tag should also make sense to humans, since it is usually the text link to the page displayed in search engine results.

universal search: Also known as blended, or federated search results, universal search pulls data from multiple databases to display on the same page. Results can include images, videos, and results from specialty databases like maps and local information, product information, or news stories.

web 2.0: A term that refers to a supposed second generation of Internet-based services. These usually include tools that let people collaborate and share information online, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies.

Hope you enjoy!

Photoshop 3.0

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:46:00 +0000

Most people who met me after 2001 are surprised to find out that I have an artistic side. In actuality, it is this side that keeps me sane. Before I entered the workforce I swore that I would end up at graphic designer. Apparently fate, had different plans for me however.

Anyway in honor of reminiscing, I wanted to share a design I completed in 1998 -1999. This illustration was based on a image found in National Geographic and was completed 100% by using Photoshop 3.0 and plenty of time and patience.

Foreign Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Typically I can appreciate foreign advertising. There always seems to be a satisfying delivery of humor and/or sex appeal that balances right on the edge of going to far. See my blog posting Just Admit You Love Advertising for a classic sample. However, this recent spot from El Cielo for Claro makes me a little uneasy.

Maybe it is because my American brain associates gerbils and little boys with the scandals and horror stories at local hospitals and in tabloid articles. Or maybe it is because I typically only see the cream of the crop when it comes to foreign advertising.

Any which way, this spot was definitely foreign for my tastes. Now, the hamster dance I would have been able to associate with.

LG

Meet the Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:26:00 +0000

I recently received a joke from someone that spoke of a wife's love for her husband versus a dog's love for his best friend. I'm not going to try and re-tell it; I would just butcher it. It finished with something on the line of telling the husband to lock his wife and his dog in the trunk of his car, wait 4 hours and then let them out. He would then be able to tell which one loved him more, by the one that would be happy to see him. A dog's love and admiration is everlasting; which is probably why I have four of them. I'd like you meet them...

A. Grips
aka. Grippers, Pippers, Fatty Patty, Yellow Butt, Feather Butt

Grips is my alpha dog. She is the second oldest and The Queen.
She runs her house with a firm paw. Taking a passive approach to her
alpha status. Letting her brothers "think" they are alpha. But let them
step out of line, and she will be first to put them in the place. A true woman.

B. Sprocket
aka. Spicket, Sprocket the Piss Rocket, Sprocket Tucker.

Sprocket is my baby. He is the oldest and often reminisces
about the time when it was only him. There isn't a day that goes by that I can
almost hear him saying to me, "Mom come on lets just get our own place.
Remember how nice it was when it was just me."

C. Pegs
aka. The Bitch, The Devil Reincarnated, Piggy,
Piggy Wiggy, Piggers, Peggy, Little Miss Piggy.

Pegs is the second youngest at 3 years and weighs in at around 50lbs.
She is our spoiled brat, she doesn't hold the nickname The Devil for nothing.
If it wasn't for the fact that she is our hunting dog I am sure
we would have taken her to that famous farm that all bad dogs go to.

D. Drake
aka. Drakers, Snookems and Larry.

Drake is the youngest and the largest. He is our problem child.
Drake is the result of a broken puppy hood. After spending time in a abusive
home and then some time as a stray he ended up at Lab Rescue.
He was supposed to just be a foster dog for us. However, he quickly stole
my husband's heart and everything else since. Including 4lbs of raw
pork loin. While Drake is a fear bitter he is the sweetest dog on the earth.
Just don't show that you afraid of him or anything else for that matter.

LG

Neighborhood Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:10:00 +0000

When my husband and I were buying our second house the neighborhood bar was right up there with a bathroom in regards to "must haves". A necessity, for those of us that grew up watching Cheers "Where everybody knows your name" and where no family gathering was complete with out a room full of drunken relatives.

So in honor of those places that make you want to put a beer bucket on your head, I have compiled a list of my top places to throw back a cold one, in Maryland. Enjoy!

Bruce Bitner's Cafe & Grill
Located in Harford County on Rt 22 across from the community college. Bruce Bitner's embodies the true meaning of a neighborhood bar. Not only, does everyone know your name they have a killer burger, wing, and beer special from 1 - 4 on Saturday and Sunday.
Cross Street Market
Located on Cross Street in Federal Hill. While, technically not a bar this is my all time favorite place to throw back a 22 oz beer and eat my self silly on sushi, raw oysters, Alaskan crab legs, and shrimp. Not to mention the patrons of Cross Street are such an diverse group there is always a new and interesting character to meet.
Harborside Bar & Grille
Located on the harbor side (hence the name) in Ocean City. Chock full of drinking establishments for the pleasure seeking patron, Ocean City has much to offer. Harborside always proves to be a favorite drinking hole, ecspecially with their honor of being the birth place and home of the Orange Crush.
Looney's Pub North
Located in Bel Air, MD. Looney's North is the prime establishment to listen to a local or not so local band, while catching the game on any one of their many many televisions. Not to even mention their St. Patty's Day Celebration. I didn't move for two days after St. Patty's day and two shots of Jameson Whiskey one year.
Nick's Fish House
Located at the Baltimore Yacht Basin. Nick's Fish House is the perfect stop on a weekend excursion. While I can't say I've ever stayed long at Nick's I always enjoy the time we spend there. The atmosphere can't be beat plus no matter what I always seem to run into good friends.
Riverwatch
Located in Middle River. Riverwatch will always be my neighborhood bar at heart. At the Riverwatch you can see a couple in their sixties bumping and grinding on the dance floor, or during the warm season you can finish out your weekend with boats, bikes and live music. Any which way you can't go wrong with the Riverwatch.

Ropewalk Tavern
Located in Federal Hill, Ropewalk Tavern is a must visit. The Ropewalk's offering of beer choice is only shadowed by it's offering of cigar choices. This bar is complete with loft, piano, wooden Indians, and the ability to get your M.B.A. Master of Beer Appreciation.
The Emerald Tavern
Located in Parkville on Harford Road. The Emerald Tavern is another bar that has the neighborhood thing down right. Thursday's is wing night and I've never been inside and haven't ran into the most unexpected people. They put on a pretty killer St. Patty's celebration too.
Torino's Bar & Grill
Located in Bel Air, Torino's Bar & Grill holds my official neighborhood bar status. Not only do they offer $1.50 Miller Lites on Saturdays, but they offer karaoke on Friday and kick ass food any other day of the week. If you visit I recommend their micro brew called One and Done. I drank one and was definitely done.

So I raise my glass to Neighborhood Bars, without you life would be a whole lot less interesting. Plus, I wouldn't have a reason to put a bucket on my head.

LG

The Perfect Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:59:00 +0000

The perfect weekend is like beauty. It is in the eye of the beholder. This past weekend came pretty close to perfect for me. Certainly there is some things I would adjust slightly to make it actually perfect. For instance, the warmer climate would be permanent and not just a tease.

Either way, though this past weekend had the makings of greatness. Ingredients included one lazy Friday evening, followed by on restful Saturday morning with a desperately needed clipping of the dogs nails. Then an evening with good friends who you don't get to see enough and one bad ass movie. (Even though, I fell asleep.)

Then on to a Sunday, that starts around 2 in the afternoon, some time in front of the computer finishing up #67 on my 101 in 1001 for @CSTINEBUSY, a quick visit to the grocery store and Little Ceasars, and then pizza and tv.

Yeah, pretty close to the perfect weekend. Definitely in the top.

LG

Maybe One Day I'll Explain

noreply@blogger.com (Julianna Hawk Wittig) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:50:00 +0000