Archive for the ‘Website Tools & Technology’ Category
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012No Comments »
The Feds announced today that as of Thursday the coffers of file sharing giant, Megaupload, may be razed due to copyright infringement laws. Today those files were given a stay of execution for another 2 weeks. Over 50 million files may be deleted in what is turning out to be one of the largest, if not the largest internet-seizures in history.
While it is true that many of the files hosted on the file sharing domain are copyright material, another function of Megaupload is providing a high traffic source for small and independent artists to host their content for free.
It is said that Megaupload creates up to 8% of the traffic on the internet. A source that big is a huge resource for the struggling and emerging artist to showcase his work. So where can those unsigned find free hosting and sharing for their work in this soon-to-be post Megaupload world? Both Mediafire and Limelinx provide similar services to Megaupload including bookmarking features and is available to all sorts of media.
Below are a few other sites that provide similar services, but with an added social twist:
www.soundcloud.com: Soundcloud is a site that encourages small artists to upload, collaborate and create together.
http://www.datpiff.com: Known as one of the premiere locations for hip-hop mixtapes, Datpiff makes itself available for anyone who wishes to distribute and expose their music for a nominal fee on the internet.
Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
Cell phone this, iPad that. Around half the time America spends nowadays on the Internet is through some sort of mobile device. With the emergence of the mobile web comes the opportunity to try new things and become a gamechanger in the market. Glenn Cole at 72 & Sunny says that “Mobile devices are now the place where you can have your most meaningful, most valuable, and even most inspiring relationship with a brand.” What are some of these ways and what do you need to know now to stay ahead of the curve on this emerging field? Let’s brush over some of the basics and explore some possible ways you can harness the mobile web environment for your company’s gain: (more…)
Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
Friday, January 20th, 20121 Comment »
Sam Walton of Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart is noted for saying to his executives “If you need any question answered, go to a store and ask our customers.” The idea of crowdsourcing is quite similar; bringing your clients, experts and fans of your company into the fold to assist your company in creating something palatable for your target audience. Many companies have used this method to gather ideas for their marketing and branding campaigns for a few years now. Doritos has become notorious for their crowdsourcing techniques to create their Super Bowl commercials. Recently, Harley Davidson has shifted almost their entire marketing campaign to their fans who they now rely upon to create the ideas behind their marketing campaigns.
Crowdsourcing is a great way to tackle a project or problem that you may not have the talent pool or skill set to accomplish. It can also be good as a form of surveying tool to see what your target audiences or markets like and dislike. Before your company dives head first into the crowdsourcing game however, lets go over a few basic parameters on how crowdsourcing works:
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Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Online Marketing, Website Tools & Technology |
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011No Comments »
For those who didn’t hear, Google released their new future project: The Google Wallet. Google Wallet will allow users to purchase their various needs and sundries at their favorite stores using their cell phone connected to their bank account. Already in use in other countries, the launch of the Google Wallet is Americas first step towards creating a point-of-sale network that implements a new form of technology called NFC, or “near-field communication”.
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Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
It’s a hard job trying to convince 750 million people to change their day-to-day habits. Just ask anyone from The American Cancer Society, or the people at Google+.
If you’ve been catching up with social media news recently, you would know that Google+ is beginning to roll out business and corporate pages for its new social media platform. Facebook has long since used this as lucrative means for businesses to interact with their customers. Naturally Google+ is going to jump in too, but is this how they can catch up with Facebook. If you read our previous blog, you would know that Google+ is going to have a hard time catching up with Facebook’s 750 million active users, which in itself makes it hard for Google+ to get up and running. How will Google try and get you to switch? Three words: (more…)
Tags: Consumer intent data, Facebook, google, Google plus, marketing
Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
Internet giant Google has started releasing it’s Google+ platform to the general public via invites for over a week now and is rapidly gaining headway in ways that its predecessors, Google Buzz and Google Wave, could only have dreamed. And with the new Google+ expansion to allow businesses to create profiles, we may see a platform shift in social media with the coming years. Should Facebook be scared? Lets weigh the situation for a second…
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Tags: Branding, Facebook, google, Google plus, marketing, social media
Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
Say hello to Think Insights with Google, a new site launched by Google where they will publish data-supported insights about digital marketing trends. It’s goal is to allow users and marketers to learn more about how people use the web, and even includes research on lesser known topics like the Mobile web. After watching the Google video “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Mobile Consumers” (see below) it is clear that Google also intends to promote their own services like mobile ads.
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Tags: data, digital marketing trends, google, marketing, research, Think Insights with Google
Posted in Online Marketing, Website Tools & Technology |
Media Contour is proud to be the winner in this year’s Davey Awards Gold in web design and promotion category! Congratulations team!
We treated our website redesign like we would for our clients. We carefully reviewed the previous design then highlighted its strengths and eliminated its weaknesses. Most importantly, it was a team effort. Matt, our CEO and managing director, organized the content and focused MC’s selling points. Alex, Luke and Victor designed and developed the final product. Gaberial came in at the ended and added his Javascript magic. The site is powered by SilverStripe’s CMS.
About the Davey Award
“We were once again excited to honor and recognize the amazing work submitted into this year’s Davey Awards and are humbled by the exceptional work we have grown accustomed to seeing year after year. This year’s competition saw an increasing diversified pool of entries and the high quality of work continues to push the limits of creative possibilities throughout the industry,” noted Linda Day, Executive Director of the IAVA.
The Davey Awards is an international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide. Entries are judged to evaluate distinction in creative work. In determining Gold and Silver winners, entries are judged on their merits based on a standard of excellence as determined by the IAVA, considering the category entered. A category may have multiple Gold and Silver Winners, or may have none. Entries are scored on a ten point scale by the judges. Generally, Gold Winners receive a score of 9.0 or above and Silver Winners receive a score of 7.0 to 8.9. No more than 10% of entries will be awarded a Gold Davey. Best in Show selections are made by the Academy from the pool of Gold Winners, based on their scoring and other elements of merit as determined by the Academy. The judges will award 10 Best in Show honors, one for each medium. Please visit www.daveyawards.com for a complete list of winners.
Tags: Davey Awards, Web design award winner, Web promotion award winner, Website Awards
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Website Awards, Website Tools & Technology |
W3 Award
Material deadline l May 14, 2010
WebAward
Material deadline l May 25, 2010
Summit Awards International – Marketing Effectiveness Award
Material deadline l June 23, 2010
One Show Interactive
Material deadline l June 30, 2010, September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2010
HOW Interactive Design Awards
Material deadline l July 15, 2010
Summit Awards International – Emerging Media Award
Material deadline l September 22, 2010
Communication Arts – Interactive Annual
Material deadline l October 8, 2010
Tags: Communication Arts Interactive Annual, Emerging Media Award, HOW, Marketing Effectiveness Award, One Show Interactive, online awards, Online Marketing, W3 Awards, WebAward, Website Awards
Posted in Website Tools & Technology |
Web designers and developers are continually gaining new tools to facilitate effective website creation. Compatibility, usability, interaction, visual appeal, and support for a website’s users are all important aspects for a designer or developer to consider when looking to present the most interesting and user-friendly site possible. By implementing these simple suggestions, you can dramatically improve your users’ experience and the overall performance of your site.
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Tags: web design, web design tips, website tips
Posted in Design, Website Tools & Technology |
The Feds announced today that as of Thursday the coffers of file sharing giant, Megaupload, may be razed due to copyright infringement laws. Today those files were given a stay of execution for another 2 weeks. Over 50 million files may be deleted in what is turning out to be one of the largest, if not the largest internet-seizures in history. 
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