One of the keystones of any SmallBox web design and development project is our content management system (CMS). Despite it’s huge impact on most of the projects we take on, we previously had not branded or promoted it in any targeted way. But that’s all about to change.

Behold, the Boxer CMS.
As part of Factory Week, Boxer was one of 18 projects tackled by team SmallBox.

The first hurdle of the project was finishing up design and development for two websites – the marketing site (shown above) to promote the product, as well as a demo site our potential clients can dig around in to see how all of the various parts work from the back end.

Neil created designs that are fresh and playful and fit oh-so-well with our culture. Tyler went to work on messaging and content, while Shimp and Jeb put together the screencast to show off Boxer’s main features.

Why Build a CMS?
We get asked all the time what we build our sites on – perfectly reputable firms use WordPress, Sitefinity, Expression Engine or any other of the existing systems. The best way to answer why we built our own CMS is to think about the client experience with other solutions. Boxer is very much an “owner friendly” CMS. If you’ve used any other CMS before you may have run into one of the following issues:

• you’ve given up on adding content to your site because you found it costs an arm and a leg to make changes you intuitively feel should be simple,
• the CMS dashboard is so full of widgets and what-nots your company doesn’t need and will never use, you can’t find the one thing that needs updating,
• some of your content disappeared after software updates within the content management system caused unexpected bugs,
• your copyright symbol still says 2009 because you’d rather gouge your eyes out with hot pokers than try to update your site…

Drama aside, most content management systems are created with coders in mind, not site owners. Our CTO Joe Downey developed the original SmallBox CMS from the ground up, starting in 2006. More recently Jordan has taken the reins and is now working on a responsive front end. Boxer was created with three goals in mind: easy to use, easy to update and easy to find in search engines. If there is any piece of feedback that we hear echoed from our clients again and again it’s that we 100% deliver on those three things.

Part of why our CMS works so seamlessly is because when we build you a website, the back end is tailored by our team for your specific needs. There’s no templates to choose from – each client gets a custom web solution. Before we begin our work, Boxer has 11 core features that many clients need, including fully integrated form builder and an “active” FAQ that allows site visitors to submit questions. But each of these modules doesn’t have to look a certain way or fit into a certain place. Each piece is crafted to fit your brand and your web marketing needs. We also often create custom modules- extranets, events, resource library… the list goes on and on. The fact that we built Boxer in-house from the ground up gives us incredible flexibility when customizing it for clients.

Think you might want to put your website in the ring with Boxer? Request a demo!

I often compare business relationships to marriage. Many of the same dynamics apply- communication, trust, honesty, shared goals, etc. Just as a marriage starts with courtship we often talk about “dating before marriage” when talking with a potential SmallBox client. We know, from years of experience, that a good fit is needed on both sides. We aren’t interested in dragging anyone to the altar, telling them whatever they need to hear to sign up. It doesn’t work out, we’ve tried it.

90% of the leads that come into to SmallBox aren’t the right fit for us. One of the reasons we started Springboard Marketing was to have a home for some of these leads. Usually these are smaller projects, often new businesses, that need a “starter home” not a “dream home”. SmallBox is focused on the latter, Springboard on the former. So Springboard is the perfect solution for many of the leads we field. We also recommend other local businesses and freelancers when appropriate. We believe in helping anyone that comes our way even if there’s no monetary upside for us.

For the 10% that appear to be a good fit we have a “sales” process that we’ve fine tuned over time. We don’t actually have a sales team at SmallBox so I feel reluctant to even use that dirty word “sales”, but let’s face it, we do need to sell ourselves when we have a desirable prospect. First we set up a meeting. Our preference is to have someone from our team, usually myself or Dan Fahrner our Marketing Director, come out to visit with the prospect. We feel it’s important to have a face-to-face conversation, see the office, meet some of the team and get an overall feel for the company, its products/services and its culture. During this meeting we will talk about the company’s needs, past efforts and most likely walk through some examples of work we have done. We will also talk money and timeline to make sure we are in the general ballpark.

If that first “date” goes well then we usually schedule a second meeting at the SmallBox offices. This time we bring in some of the SmallBox team that would be working with the prospect. We also do some whiteboarding and get into specifics around what an engagement would look like- what features a website will need, what ongoing marketing services are needed, what underlying problem needs to be solved, etc.

After this second session, assuming both sides agree to continue, we draft a Statement Of Work and send it over for consideration. Our policy is to “quote as far as we can see”. Sometimes this means we can quote a new website and marketing plan- soup to nuts, sometimes we can only see as far as a planning engagement. If rough ranges are needed beyond what we can confidently quote we also provide these ranges. These ranges don’t include the same level of detail since we need to complete the first phase of the project before we have clarity on the remaining work. This also limits risk for the client who can, if needed, work with another partner for the remainder of the work. This is a rare occurrence but we appreciate that it can sometimes be the best outcome for all parties.

Once we have a finalized Statement Of Work we schedule a kick off meeting. On larger projects with a number of stakeholders we often bring in lunch to the client’s office. We feel this is a good, informal way to get the two teams together. It used to be that most business was done while “breaking bread” and we feel this is a good tradition to revive. In smaller engagements we may get straight to work. It just depends on what’s right for the project. Once the project is rolling we have a process that kicks in for each kind of engagement- websites, audits, consulting, marketing. Look for another post, or two, on that topic in the near future.

Here’s some questions you might have with my best attempt at answers:

What about out of town clients? We are even more selective about working with clients that we can’t easily visit with in person. Since we feel it is so important to have face-to-face communication on a project, a little ironic I realize since we are a web company, we need to be 100% confident we have a great match when working with a distant client. For larger projects we are happy to travel.

How much do we charge? It can really depend on the client and project but here’s some basic info. Our websites start at $15k and most are $25-75k with some well over $100k. Our marketing engagements start at $2500 a month and most are around $5k a month, not including third party spends (AdWords, Facebook, etc). We also offer site audits and other smaller consulting engagements that usually fall under the $10k mark.

How do you determine a good fit? There are a number of factors- scope of work, budget, timeline, location and, most importantly, culture. If the leadership of your organization doesn’t believe in the web and is only signing off on an agreement because they feel they have to, then we aren’t the right fit. We do our best work when we work with other believers.

Want to talk? Even if you aren’t sure if we are the right fit for your needs we are always happy to talk and help you find the right home. Call us at 317-924-0923 or use our contact form.

What’s in it and what you can do

Everyone who uses Gmail or Google+ or any of Google’s products and services recently received an email notification of the upcoming changes to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

At first, I didn’t want to bother to take the time to read through it, but after receiving the same email 12 times – I decided to go ahead and take a look.

Google provides a wide variety of valuable services for free. They are also the top search engine and all of their services are an integral part of my job and my personal life. Part of what it takes to make their services free is the collection and distribution of user information, and I understand that.

However, that being said, there are things about Google that make me squirm a little. After all, nothing is really “free”.

The privacy policy language is a bit vague and hard to fully understand, but here are a few notes I made on the policy that you may find interesting…

Google may collect the following information from you:

• Any personal information you give in any Google platform – including, name, address, photo, etc.
• Information about the Google services that you use – including websites that you visit who advertise through Google
• Mobile device information – including your phone number, type of device, etc.
• Mobile log information – your telephone log, SMS routing & IP address
• Your location
• Information gathered from cookies and pixel tags – on the web and in your email

Google uses the information it collects in the following ways:

• To “provide, maintain, protect & improve” services and products
• To present more targeted ads
• To keep forever for “legitimate business or legal purposes”
• To share with publishers, advertisers & connected sites (with the exception of “sensitive personal information” which you must opt-in in order to share)

This is not a comprehensive break-down of the privacy policy, just the major points I took away from it. You should read the entire thing for yourself and decide for yourself what you think about the new privacy policy.

If you decide you can’t live without Google products and services, but you want to limit the amount of information Google collects from you, here are a few steps you can take to control a portion of your privacy:

• Google and other sites use special cookies for “behavioral advertising”. The Network Advertising Initiative has a site where you can learn more and opt-out of receiving these cookies.
• Remove information you want to keep private from your Google Account dashboard.
• You can opt out of some advertising by editing your ads preferences.

Image credit: opensourceway via Flickr.

Broad Ripple Back in the Day- photo from SmallBox offices

Greetings Super Bowl 46 visitors, welcome to our fair city of Indianapolis! Once you have settled in and checked out all that downtown has to offer, and I realize that is no small task, I respectfully request that you wander north a few miles and give Broad Ripple Village a visit. Broad Ripple was once its own town before being consumed by Indy. Interested in learning more? Here’s Broad Ripple’s Wikipedia page.

The Broad Ripple of today is a little schizophrenic. Wow, I just spelled that correctly without spellcheck! Totally winged it, must be my lucky day. Anyway, Broad Ripple is one place during the day and another at night. Since I recently turned 40, I have to admit I fall more on the day side of things at this point. But it’s a blast at night as well so you can’t go wrong no matter when you visit.

Here’s some of my favorite spots and things to do:

Indy CD Vinyl: I’m a huge vinyl collector, some might call it a habit, I consider it an investment and so far my wife seems to be buying it, so all’s good. I stop by Indy CD & Vinyl almost every day. Rick, the owner, is a great guy, knows a ton about vinyl and always looks out for stuff he knows I like. Getting to pick through the stacks of vinyl before they go on the floor is one of the highlights of my week. If you have any interest in getting into vinyl collecting or adding to your collection then stop by and see Rick, Annie, Mike and the gang. They will take great care of you.

India Garden: I remember the first time I had the lunch buffet at India Garden. It was a life changing experience. According to some touring bands coming through Indy, India Garden’s buffet is the best in the country. I can believe it. So good. Funny thing, I have never been there for dinner. Might totally suck but I seriously doubt it.

Audio Solutions: if you stop by our SmallBox offices you may note the awesome stereo we have procured for the break room. All we had to do was walk down the street to Audio Solutions, who hooked us up with everything for a great price. They know their stuff. If you want a great home stereo/theater set up go see them. The place is filled with mouth-dropping gear. Ask for Graham.

Monon Coffee, Starbucks and Hubbards & Cravens: I have to admit I am pretty hooked on Starbucks these days but if you want to have an authentic Broad Ripple coffee shop experience then go to Monon. Great baristas, excellent espresso drinks and usually the coolest music around outside of Indy CD & Vinyl. The Starbucks here is one of the best around. How Starbucks finds people with these amazing memories is beyond me. They usually have my drink ready before I can even speak. Great place to meet for business as well. Hubbards & Cravens is a little out of my normal path but they are a solid local coffee shop, more upscale vibe than Monon but great wifi and excellent coffee. There is also Perk Up off the Monon trail that some friends swear by but I never seem to make it over there. Regardless, you will not be lacking for coffee in Broad Ripple .

Wellington: having a bar directly across the street that feels, and looks, like a real English pub is a beautiful thing. There’s always great music, incredible beer on tap and a cool staff – a recipe for…awesomeness! The Wellington can be hard to find, even when standing in front of it, and is about the size of a postage stamp but well worth a visit.

Monon Trail and White River: when it’s nice out I usually find my way to the Monon Trail for a walk. I particularly love the overhangs on the bridge across the White River. I just wish there was a way to see the Broad Ripple dam from the trail but unfortunately it is obscured from all views unless you’re standing in the woods or on a boat. A real shame since the river is a major, and often overlooked, asset to the city and Broad Ripple. Wish I could see that damn dam!

Short list of other cool places to check out:

Brugge (Belgian beer and food), Petite Chou (awesome food and great place to work in the mornings) Bungalow (great for gifts), Good Earth (a real health food/vitamins store), LaPiedad (the fastest, if not the best, Mexican food ever), Marigold (gifts for the ladies in your life), Broad Ripple Brew Pub (the original microbrew bar in Indy), Naked Tchopstix (best sushi in town),  Just Pop In (their Indy Mix of cheddar and carmel is addictive) and Union Jacks (love their personal pub pizza for lunch, also great for beer). I know I’m missing some here…

Oh, did I mention our SmallBox offices? We are in the middle of Broad Ripple, overlooking Westfield and Guilford. Personally I think our offices are the best bar in town when we decide to throw parties- planned or impromptu. But I may be a little biased.

Mostly I would encourage you to get out and explore for yourself. The only place I would recommend you avoid is Brothers. That place just bums me out. Wish it would pack up and leave so a better bar/restaurant could take its place.

Welcome Football Fans and Party People!

It’s finally here! After years of planning and preparing for one of the world’s largest sporting events, Indianapolis is finally starting to get cozy with football fans from all corners of the globe for Super Bowl 46. Between the celebrities and media in town, all of the events throughout the week, and the actual game itself, there’s plenty to see and do for the next week.

This is Indianapolis’ first time hosting the Super Bowl, and although the city’s never hosted this event, some people believe it’s set up to be the best host city ever!

If you’re from out of town, and want to take in all of what Indy has to offer, SmallBox is here to help! We like to think we collectively have our finger on the pulse of the city and what makes it special.

Whether you’re looking to head to the big events throughout the week, or would like to get away to the places that make Indy unique and awesome, check out our list of places you should check out!

Here’s where some of us at SmallBox think you should be headed during Super Bowl week:

Some of Indy’s Best Grub Spots and Watering Holes

Elizabeth – When visiting any city, I think one of the best things to do is check out local restaurants – not those crazy chain restaurants that you can eat at when you are basically anywhere – but the local restaurants that bring a unique flavor and personality to a city. Indianapolis has some fantastic local restaurants, some of my favorites being in Broad Ripple. This is a super short list of some of my faves, and thankfully Indy has plenty of tasty local food spots to feed you during your visit. Happy eating!

• Monon Food Company or 3 Sisters Cafe for brunch or lunch
• Bazbeaux for pizza
• Mama Carolla’s to feed your Italian cravings
• 10-01 for some delicious dinner entrees.

Jon - Yats is a good cajun place to eat, and Brugge makes some of the best beer in the world.

Leigh – Brugge Brasserie and Mama Carolla’s Italian cuisine in Broad Ripple

Sara – If you like dive bars, you must venture to South Broad Ripple, or SoBro as the locals call it, for the Red Key. This legendary Kurt Vonnegut hangout is best experienced well after the sun has gone down. The staff is amazing, so long as you don’t break the rules. No swearing, no moving the furniture and gents are expected to give up their seats to ladies if the bar fills up. With model airplanes dangling from the ceiling and Patsy Cline on the jukebox, the Red Key offers a welcome step back in time, plus they make a mean manhattan. Two more things: bring cash and beware that smoking is allowed.

Leigh – The Sinking Ship on North College Ave and The Wellington in Broad Ripple are great bars

Neil – Fountain Square in general is a great – especially with it’s close proximity to the downtown area and Lucas Oil Stadium. Lots of great restaurants and drinks and a bevy of arts & culture hotspots:

• Red Lion – English Style Restaurant
• Siam Square – Thai Cuisine
• La Revolucion – Mexican
• Calvin Fletcher – Coffee Company
• Brass Ring – for Cocktails
• New Day Meadery – tasty treats

What is there to do around here?

Neil – One great part of the timing of the Super Bowl will be that the big weekend falls on First Friday.  So I would have to say that for those interested in the arts community that venturing to Fountain Square and some other downtown art spaces would be an awesome way for visitors to spend their Friday nights – it is also a great way for Indianapolis to flex our collective creative muscle.

Jon – Excellent record shops:

• Luna Music
• Indy CD & Vinyl
• Vibes are all worth checking out.

And I can often be found at Half Price Books on 86th Street. It can be a treasure trove – mainly for vinyl, sometimes for books.

Leigh - I like to shop at Silver in the City on Mass Ave, Luna Music and Indy CD & Vinyl. I’ll check out bands at Local’s Only (Indie Rock, Blues), Melody Inn (Indie Rock, Metal, Punk), Chatterbox (Jazz), Slippery Noodle (Blues, Rock)

Dan – I love visiting the Indianapolis Museum of Art. During the summer the gardens surrounding the building are lush and vibrant and they’ve recently opened an “Art’s and Nature Park” just west of the grounds that is perfect for picnicking.

During the winter, browsing the various museum galleries is a wonderful escape from my every day routine. A recent special gallery has opened dedicated to Native American art and artifacts, which provides an amazing perspective on humanity and how our culture has evolved (or devolved? heyoo…).

Factory Week allows for our entire team to stretch out creatively and take on new challenges. Factory Week is also about getting things done so when one of our developers, Jordan Wilson, pitched the idea of making a video game tied into SmallBox culture were we extremely excited even though a lot of questions surrounded the execution of the project itself.

Read on to find out the story behind our video game.

The Jackal Contest

UPDATE – We have our winners. You will be notified shortly on how to redeem your prizes. This contest is now closed. Thanks for participating!

Starting today. Play the game – Musée de Bobby Pin: The Return of The Jackal – where you take on the role of international thief extraordinaire, The Jackal, and successfully outwit and out maneuver the security of the Musée de Bobby Pin to abscond the most prized bobby pin in the entire museum. After successfully jumping, sneaking, and stealing your way to victory the game will display a special phrase. The first 5 individuals to email us the phrase proving the success of their caper before Monday, January 30 at 5pm EST will win an Indy grab bag. Our selection of prizes Just Pop In popcorn, local music, tshirts and other goodies.

What can we do? What will be fun to play?

The most important aspect of the video game project actually happened weeks before Factory Week: Jordan’s project pitch to Jeb and the team. At first the idea of developing a video game seemed a little out of place. We took the idea a bit further and came up with a concept for the game that tied it directly into SmallBox culture by focusing on the Musée de Bobby Pin and its nemesis, the thief known as The Jackal. The light went on and the excitement level immediately rose as the project was green lit.

With a general concept and goals defined, there was still work to be done leading up to Factory Week to ensure the project was possible. Jordan used his spare time to research platforms and game engines that match his skill set. The final selection ended up being an ActionScript 3 code library that specializes in 2D platforming (running and jumping) games called Flixel. With our tools chosen, our concept defined, we were ready for the first day.

The first morning of Factory Week Jordan and myself as project manager met to define our daily goals. Our initial issue was that we had to flesh out our video game concept so that it had the potential to scale based on our progress throughout the week. What was the simplest version that would still be a complete game, but also leave room for expansion if we wanted to add onto the game? That answer led us to concepting several levels of museum security that The Jackal would have to conquer in order to unlock his prized bobby pin as the end goal. While our final version ended up having 3 puzzle rooms total, we left room initially for creating an additional 5 rooms.

Welcome to the Musée

Midway through the first day we felt we had a solid concept so Jordan began work on a prototype game with placeholder artwork to put our ideas to work. Our goal by the end of the first day was to commit to our game concept or know if we needed to simplify it further. We could not move forward with specific design elements until we knew exactly what elements we needed to create until the game concept was locked down.

Coloring with Legos

While Jordan began his prototype, I brought in our lead designer and culture advocate for the project, Leigh Marino, to get her up to speed on where we were headed with the game. We decided to work on the overall style by looking for inspiration for the museum design and The Jackal character himself. Based on the strengths of the game engine, we decided to pursue a sprite based or 8-bit art style reminiscent of early Nintendo video games. The most interesting aspect of this was that even though the graphics themselves look relatively simplistic, Leigh cautioned that designing these elements could be very time consuming. It became very obvious that designing a video game in a week is possible, and developing a video game in a week is possible, but the real challenge would be combining the two in the same timeline.

Our initial interactive prototype proved successful enough on Day 2 that we could nail down our design wish list. As with any prototype some features worked better than others (the lasers) while features that seemed relatively simple (going through doors) proved to take more time and others had to be scrapped entirely (an inventory and gadget system). Overall though, we were happy with where the game was headed and had confidence that we would be able to make a complete experience by the end of the week.

Now that the design elements were defined a bit more clearly, we brought in additional SmallBoxers that had time to spare to assist with the pixel art, namely Justin Shimp and Emily Watkins. The team hammered away at this project as well as the other Factory Week projects and several personal hours were spent at home to keep the video game on track. It is safe to say that no other Factory Week project had so many different people working on project features they had never done before. While Jordan and myself were the “most experienced” in video game development neither of us had completed a Flixel game to this point so communicating what we needed from the design team was a challenge because most of the time, we weren’t sure what we needed until we were able to work with it. Thankfully, we have a very patient design team at SmallBox.

The prize bobby of the entire collection.

A major breakthrough occurred in the afternoon on day 4 when Jordan completed a fully featured prototype. At this point we had a complete game, the only factor being the graphics we were using were placeholder graphics so it wasn’t exactly presentable to the public. However, Jordan was now free to work more directly with the design team and customize the graphics as needed. By the end of the day, the first version of the game with our design assets was sent out to the team and we considered it a success when Jeb found the game challenging without being frustrating.

The final day actually found the video game with more art assets than we knew what to do with. In applying the artwork we had to make some tough choices that did not allow for some of our hard work and detailed design elements to be displayed in the final game. Instead we opted for using fewer design elements that had a more consistent look and feel. By mid-afternoon the video game was finished. That just left play testing and fixing relatively small issues throughout the rest of the day. After one final step of incorporating the game into the Musée’s homepage on the SmallBox website, the project was complete.

Completion is no small accomplishment

I could not have been more proud of our team on this project. Not only did we complete a project outside of our normal skill set, but just talking about the game brought about a sense of pride from the entire company. Passion projects are notorious for never having an end, and our team did a masterful job of producing a truly finished product. The video game project went from not even being an option for Factory Week to becoming one of the most tangible and entertaining representations of our company’s culture.

Recently I introduced Freedom as SmallBox’s 8th core value. Here’s an excerpt from my recent 2011 wrap up speech:

Starting February 1st, 2012 we now declare all SmallBox employees to be free.

Free to come to work when they want for however long they want. Free to take as much vacation time as they need for whatever reason. Free to work and live the way they want to.

With freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility to do our best work. To hit billable goals. To go above and beyond when needed. To thoughtfully communicate. To plan ahead. To think of others. To hold each other accountable when we stop growing or lose focus.

If you need help knowing where the lines are, ask. If you want personal structure, create it.

And we’re off!
Day one of the January 2012 edition of Factory Week is in the books. We got our assignments for the week in our first huddle on the mezzanine of the Speak Easy, our HQ for the week. After one day, I can’t say enough good things about this space. If you’re interested in co-working space in Indy, you’ve got to check it out.

What we’re up to:
With 18 projects queued up, we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’re tackling everything from planning for the team trip to SXSW, to taking new team photos, to developing a video game for our culture page. Good thing there’s plenty of white boarding space for all of these projects -  224 sq. ft. to be exact.

Keep on the up & up!
We will post a recap of the week here, but you might want the whole nitty gritty. If so, follow along on the Factory Week blog and the twitterings @factoryweek. We also started an instagram account, so look for SmallBox there!

After a long journey through my 20′s–geographical, temporal and otherwise–I have now landed in an office that is down the street from my high-school. I am basically okay with this.  It is also down the street from where I attended driver’s ed: 86th St. in front of North Central was among the first stretches of road that I drove out upon legally, accompanied by a driving instructor who–it seemed to me–lived in an unwavering state of barely contained fury and constant paranoid vigilance.

I’m not sure if everyone had this experience, but my Driver’s Ed teacher made driving around in Indianapolis sound like it was about on par with going over the top of the trenches in World War I and sprinting out into No-Man’s-Land during the Battle of Somme under heavy fire. His attitude was pretty much like, “Well. You might survive without being taken prisoner. But if you do, it will basically be a lucky accident. And frankly, knowing you, it would surprise me.”

Occasionally, mid-commute, my mind will drift back to those days. I’ll remember the grisly stories that I was told in Driver’s Ed about the mortal danger zone that I would immediately be plunged into if I ever drove out into traffic without first checking my tires to make sure that they were at the correct air-pressure, having my hands at 10 & 2 o’clock on the steering wheel, making sure my mirrors were adjusted to ideal angles for a maximum span of surveillance, and sitting erect in the driver’s seat in a frozen 90 degree angle posture, with my eyes looking straight ahead at all times aside from occasionally darting left or right to look in the rearview or driver’s side mirror.

For a moment my hands will spring back to their 10 & 2 o’clock positions and my spine will stiffen into an erect posture. When I turn, I will turn hand over hand, immediately returning my hands to 10 & 2 after completing the turn.  My eyes will scan my mirrors at the recommended “every 10 to 15 seconds” frequency, just to make sure that no semis or busses are accelerating behind me at a speed and proximity that would indicate that if I don’t step down on the accelerator they will roll over my car from behind and crush me (apparently, according to my Driver’s Ed instructor, there’s usually about 50-50 chance that they probably are).

I’ll slow my vehicle down by about 5 miles per hour to drive in perfect conformity with the speed limit. I will take my foot off the accelerator and begin slowing my vehicle at the recommended 800 yard distance before Stop signs.   I will brake and accelerate smoothly, pretending that a glass of water was sitting on my dashboard and I didn’t want to spill it.

Unfortunately, if I am completely honest, I have trouble maintaining this level of disciplined operational perfection at all times while I am out on the road. Even more frightening is the fact that, according to my understanding, other people sometimes have problems doing this too.  We are all out there on the road in various slumpy postures, with imperfectly adjusted mirrors, and our hands—God forbid—at all sorts of incorrect positions on the steering wheel, driving 5 miles over the legal limit.

In all seriousness, driving back and forth to work is without a doubt the most dangerous activity that most of us partake in during an average 24 hours.

That’s where Pulse comes in. 90% of rear-end collisions are avoidable with extra warning. Just watch this video and see if you don’t agree with me.

A Marketing Challenge: Pulse’s product-offering—namely, pulsing third brake lights—is not available to consumers for direct purchase. Instead, Pulse partners with car dealerships across the country to provide this safety feature. Consumers who want to purchase one need to locate a nearby dealership who can install Pulse in their vehicle.
 
This presents a marketing challenge – and opportunity. Pulse focuses on a two-pronged outreach. Their main focus is in-person networking between dealership personnel and their nationwide sales team. To bolster that, they use social media to make connections and help co-promote their product. SmallBox helped by offering consulting around social media best practices and helping produce video content (the one embedded above!) to tell the Pulse story.
 
Pulse is just starting to blow up all over the country—keep an eye out and you’ll probably see their product while driving down the road at some point in the next few weeks.  It’s a small but extremely important innovation that will save lives—and no doubt already has. You can find Pulse on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and LinkedIn.

Once in a while, as I show a coworker or client something on my computer, I get a “How in the heck
did you do that so fast?!” reaction. I am a huge fan of quick keys, or keyboard shortcuts that make quick work of tasks like minimizing browser windows and moving files to the trash. Here are just a few of my
most-often used keyboard shortcut time savers.

1. Snag a Sneak Peek. Have you ever opened or shared the wrong file? If you have OS 10.5 or later, you can easily eliminate those “oops” moments — take a “peek” of the file by tapping the space bar. This feature works great with most standard media file formats (MP3, MOV, MP4, JPG, PNG, PDF etc) and with iWork and iLife native files (Keynote, Numbers, Pages).
2. An Easier Way to Dump. If you’re like me, you were originally “trained” to drag things to the trash to delete a file or to eject a disc, but you can save yourself a lot of extra “mouse-work” by learning to tame your trash habits:
   • To move a file or folder to the trash, select it and use Command + Delete.
   • To instantly empty the trash itself (without the annoying confirmation) use Option + Shift + Command + Delete
   • To eject a disc, camera or other server or hard drive, select it and type Command + E
3. Quick!!  Hide!! Never be caught off guard by an impromptu visit from your boss or co-workers again… simply hit Command + M to instantly minimize the window and keep it away from prying eyes. “What if the other windows I have open are MORE incriminating?” you might be asking? Easy… use F11 to instantly minimize ALL open windows. If you’re on a laptop or using a keyboard that utilizes the function keys for other purposes, simply use Control + F11 (and yes, this trick will give you access to your other function keys too.)
4. Cycle and Recycle.  Don’t waste your time navigating from program to program or file to file via the Dock or through Menus, instead start using Command + Tab to cycle forward through your open applications and Command + Shift + Tab to cycle backwards through them. And some applications (Chrome and Photoshop for example) support a similar short-cut — try using Control + Tab and Control + Shift + Tab to cycle forward and background through any files (or tabs) you have open.
5. Quit Already! Yes Macs are great, but they can still fall prey to renegade applications that suddenly decide they don’t want to “play nice”. When you’re faced with such a dilemma, don’t fret, just click Command + Option + Shift +  ESC  and hold for 3 seconds to “Force Quit” the renegade app and regain control. Yes, you’ll lose any unsaved data, but you’ll save yourself from tearing your hair out from frustration. You can also access the Force Quit feature by holding the Control + Option keys down while clicking on the app’s icon in the Dock and select “Force Quit” from the pop-up menu that appears.

BONUS TIPS FOR LION USERS:
Just Swipe It. With OS Lion, Mac ushers in a new alternative to the standard “keyboard shortcut” — gestures. While it still feels a bit strange to me, I do find myself using a few of the “triple finger swipe” ones.
Using three fingers on your trackpad:

• Swipe up to see all currently open spaces, apps and open files
• Swipe left or right to cycle through Full-Screen apps (this only works with full-screen enabled applications)
• Spread (using 3 Fingers + Thumb) to reveal the desktop (if you have Lion try it! It kinda feels like you’re just flicking everything out of the way)

What about you? Do you have any time saving keyboard shortcuts up your sleeve?