Google+ or Facebook?

Friday, August 12th, 2011

One behemoth is battling another for domination over the social web. Who will win? Do the extra bells and whistles that Google Plus offers surpass the popularity and solidarity that Facebook has built over many years? Before you pump your dollars into your next social media campaign, take a closer look at how they compare.

Hangouts

Though Facebook (finally) has one-on-one video chat capability – a recent service they began offering in partnership with Skype – Google+ offers “Hangouts”, a group video chat room, where users can send messages, see each other simultaneously and watch YouTube videos together. Some critics such as PC World call the tool "one interesting feature that could really put Google+ ahead of Facebook." On the flip side, one could question how big the demand is for group video chatting. Do you really want to see your entire extended family in Kansas at the same time online?

Sparks

This feature could be beneficial – or detrimental – to the array of offerings from Google+. While you’re likely to find out more about your third cousin’s wedding or your friend’s adventure through Asia on Facebook, “Sparks” will bring you the latest news and targeted information about topics you choose. Even better, Google+ members have control over which topics and news feeds appear on their Sparks page. Contrarily, one might argue, do we really need another news reader in our lives with the deluge of news and information hitting us in the face these days? Facebook, to its credit, at least allows you the choice to click on a link someone posted about a newsworthy event

Circles

In theory, this idea makes sense. The concept of circles more accurately parallels the reality of our face-to-face friendships – rather than Lists or Groups that Facebook offers. In practice, “Circles” seems to work relatively smoothly – however there has been some confusion as to how the information is shared within circles and who can see what circles. It can be harder to utilize Facebook’s Lists and Groups, as David Pogue of the New York Times reflects in his article, "Facebook has something similar, called Lists. But compared with Circles, it's buried and a lot more effort to use." The larger question should perhaps be this: Do you work better with boxes or circles?

Incoming

This feature is ummm…interesting. If you already have a hard enough time keeping up with everything your friends are saying, you might want to pass on this Google+ feature, as it shares news from folks you’ve never even met. It almost seems akin to eavesdropping on the folks at the table next to you. This could be beneficial, however, depending on which side of the table you’re sitting.

Hang with Strangers

Another interesting concept. If ‘Incoming’ is like eavesdropping, this feature might be more akin to a ‘meet & greet’ at a singles night out. While some might see this as an opportunity to make new connections, others might be concerned with privacy, as Google Hangout allows you to jump in on video chats with absolutely anyone that you’ve “circled” regardless of whether or not that person has added you to their circle. Facebook Chat, in comparison, requires you to be friends with someone before you start talking.

Access

Google+ is smart here, as they embedded the program into Gmail and Google itself (as long as you’re signed in) – which is beneficial in terms of putting themselves in front of users multiple times per day. Additionally, it also follows you as you browse Google’s search engine – which for some might seem like a slight invasion of privacy – but that also means custom-tailoring what you see. That said, Facebook also seems to magically know which ads to place on your page (no surprise here). Facebook gains exposure through being embedded on the majority of websites out there, allowing you to click the Facebook logo and link something you find interesting back to your page. One can argue either way about which avenue is better or which keeps you in control of your own privacy.

Google has attempted multiple times in the past to match one of its key rivals with a popular social networking site. Remember Orkut, Jaiku, Wave, Buzz? Though none of those succeeded, Google+ is by far the most serious threat to Mark Zuckerberg. Time will reveal if Plus’ popularity will match that of Facebook’s, but so far Google+ is growing very rapidly since its launch, reaching 20 million users in 24 days. Facebook took social networking to the next level, far surpassing the popularity of MySpace. Will Google+ do the same? Likely they might be shaking in their pants a bit over at Menlo Park – as Google+ will surely give Facebook a run for their money. That said, Facebook also seems to be doing fairly well: membership jumped from 500 million to nearly 750 million users in the last year.

Whoever can break into China first will likely take the reigns of social web domination…

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Author: darreng

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Entertain This

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

The glory days of movies and television ruling the airwaves may be coming to a close, according to this year’s Value, Engagement and Trust in the Era of Social Entertainment Survey, conducted both in the US and the UK by public relations firm Edelman. While this may be a dark cloud for Hollywood, it’s a silver lining for Silicon Valley, as more and more consumers are turning to the web to be entertained.

“What we are seeing is an increasing amount of entertainment fragmentation,” said Gail Becker, president of Edelman’s U.S. Western Region, in an interview with TheWrap. “More and more people are considering social networking to be a form of entertainment and that means the definition of what constitutes entertainment has broadened. That’s going to have real implications for the industry.”

The survey showed that customers are increasingly less likely to turn to the traditional media avenues for entertainment and are more likely to turn on their computer. Additionally, the only entertainment sector that has retained its value – according to consumers’ voices – is the realm of social networking sites, where 37% of US respondents said they provided strong value. Comparatively, only 17% of respondents felt that other sources of entertainment provided an equivalent level of value.

The same survey also showed that 84% of US consumers are unhappy with sites erecting paywalls or charging fees for online videos. These folks don’t think the entertainment companies are offering enough extra value to justify charging extra money – but rather are suspicious the industry’s motivations are based upon greed. This could potentially further shift consumer behavior towards social networking where they don’t have to pay.

“The entertainment industry has not done a good enough job of communicating the benefit of a payment structure,” Becker said. “It’s talked about in terms of the preservation of a business model, but it’s not discussed as providing added value to consumers. It’s not talked about as giving them better access or more efficient service.”

Additionally, as social networking sites and social media continue to explode in popularity like we talked about in ‘Quality not Quantity’ and ‘Social Media & E-Commerce’, marketers should take heed of the warning signs and adapt accordingly. This doesn’t mean that folks will no longer turn on their television or pay for online videos, but there’s an increasing desire to connect as a form of entertainment, as the recent boom in online gaming affirms (600 million social gamers are playing worldwide with the numbers expected to rise, as we mentioned in a recent article).

How does one target their message to such a quickly changing landscape? Be in two places at once. Literally. Biometric research company Innerscope recently conducted a study which looked at how the brain responds to advertising messaging in two different mediums: television and online. Not surprisingly, experiencing ads on TV was much more engaging than seeing the ads on the Web. However the study found that utilizing both simultaneously was more effective than individual response from one or the other, maximizing brand equity through dual reinforcement – especially if the online message relates directly to the TV experience. Referring to the Innerscope study in an article by Broadcasting & Cable, Fox Broadcasting fully supports the idea of combining mediums:

“This helps to give evidence that the best way to go about it is to be in both places,” says Toby Byrne, president of ad sales at Fox Broadcasting. “And neither one is as strong independently. TV is strong independently. Online is not as strong independently, but overall they are enhanced when they work off each other with similar content.”

Conclusively, the arrow points unwaveringly in one direction – towards social media, not away. Consumer-savvy marketers will have to be more creative in engaging their audience as ‘entertainment’ continues to be redefined and metamorphose into the sprawling unpredictability of Ether-Ether Land.

If you’re thoroughly confused and feel like your audience is running the other direction, come see us. We can help get you back on track and refocus your efforts!

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Author: darreng

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Introducing…Introductions

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

RescueTime is primarily known for a web-based time management tool where companies or individual users can keep track of how much time they spend on the Web, and which sites they surf the most, in order to help web users be more time-efficient. Last week they launched a new feature called RescueTime Introductions, a program that offers a way for job seekers to find the best jobs at the companies they want to work for – and vice versa.

RescueTime Introductions doesn’t promise perfection. Rather it screens potential candidates for the right “cultural fit” and stands behind the qualifications of each individual’s skill set. The idea is to streamline the recruiting process and help companies find top talent from the spectrum of potential employees who might currently be unhappy working for another company or who might not have thought to apply in the first place.

Our Plexipixel team helped RescueTime announce 'Introductions’ by designing their webpage to help beautify their online presence and simplifying their offering message by streamlining verbiage.

We worked with Jason Grimes, VP of Product Marketing back when he was at Jobster. We were so tickled (yes, I said “tickled”) to get a call from him after all these years and are excited to be able to partner up with such a dynamic up-and-coming company.

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Author: darreng

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Women, Marketing and Social Media

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Times they are a changin’ – and they have been for quite some time, especially over the last two decades. Here’s what we’re talking about, according to the US Women’s Chamber of Commerce:

In America, women control about $7 trillion in purchasing power - a sum larger than the economy of China or Japan
Women make 80% of purchasing decisions for their families
Nearly 30% of all US businesses are women-owned
Women influence 80% of all car sales and purchase about 2/3 of them
Women influence the majority of home buying decisions

While this may come as a surprise to some, these changing demographics in purchasing power have been happening little by little over the last few decades, with greater strides made in the more recent past. The bottom line is that women have more purchasing power than men and there’s no end in sight to this cultural shift.

Newsweek reports that the pay gap is continuing to narrow, with 35% of wives making more than their husbands in double-income households – up from 28% just five years ago. If this trend continues, women will make more than men on average by 2024.

One of the primary issues, however, is that the majority of marketing is still targeted towards men. Why is this? Maddy Dychtwald, author of Influence, a book on female economic power, says, “A lot of the people making these decisions at top firms are still older men.” Wake up and smell the Starbucks, people. Things just aren’t like they used to be.

Apple is a prime example within the technology industry staying one step ahead of the norm. According to the Boston Consulting Group, Apple is the most favored brand by women. Michael J. Silverstein, a partner at BCG, says, “It’s no accident that Apple is the only company in the technology arena making any money. They make things that are beautiful, and you can charge a lot more for them.”

HP finally caught the drift as well and now has an equal ratio of male and female industrial designers. The results? More appealing cosmetic finishes, attractive components and better lines – design that they’re applying to all of their product lines. Best Buy has even added a concierge service – thanks to Apple – in order to increase appeal to female shoppers.

Online demographics show the same trend. BusinessTM reports that women purchase more online than men and represent more than half of all Internet users. Facebook, a prime arena for e-commerce as we covered in a recent blog post, now has over 56 million women on board. In fact, women outnumber men on nearly every single popular social website except Digg, ruling the space of MySpace and the like. Additionally, women ages 35-55 continue to be the largest demographic for social gaming – as we talked about in our Social Media Trends article last year – another up and coming market to increase brand presence. Overall, women account for more than 58% of total online spending.

So how do you tap into the power of this trillion dollar market? The good ol’ fashioned way you market to anyone: truly respect who your customer is; commitment to the message – and making sure the message matches the times; communicate the product’s value versus just listing its features; and increase your brand’s lifestyle image. People, both men and women, tend to purchase based upon these qualities. Apple didn’t have to create a ‘himPod’ and a ‘herPod’ – they just created the iPod.

According to an iVillage/SheSpeaks survey, women are also influenced to purchase products by growing trends such as online coupons (68%) and consumer reviews on shopping sites (61%). The same survey shows that 53% of women are buying products based upon blog information, up from 27% in 2008, with a similar increase found in decisions based upon advice from social networks. Don’t forget one of the best ways (for thousands of years now) to reach your customers: word of mouth (59%).

There are many ways to reach your target audience. Our key focus, however, is to understand who your audience is and how they consume content, so we can help brands deliver relevant messages through the right channels to create engaging customer conversations – regardless of the demographic. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who wears the pants, as long as you know who carries the wallet. So if you are looking at new ways to connect with your audience please feel free to give us a shout; we would be happy to provide our insights on future initiatives and help your team achieve success in reaching your digital goals.

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Author: darreng

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Where Are You Right Now? The Potential for Location Based Marketing

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

With the torrent of smartphone users flooding the market, as we covered in Smart Shopping two months ago, and the fast-approaching geo-marketing wave (read our blog post from last summer), Location Based Services (LBS) is quickly becoming one of the most essential tools in a comprehensive marketing strategy toolbox. Matt Britton in his MediaPost article predicts LBS will continue to become more prevalent and integrated with our marketing strategies:

“…soon all interactive marketing will be location-based. With rampant smartphone adoption, a market dying to share its location with the world, and the overwhelming desire to "hook up," brands will be deluged with a real-time treasure trove of location information that will forever change the way we market.”

Here's a glimpse into the future of LBS from Minority Report:

To give a simple definition, a Location Based Service is a mobile-based, information service that utilizes the geographical location of the device and its user. Mobile users call this “checking in”, which in essence lets your friends (and marketers) know where you are. Location Based Marketing (LBM), therefore, connects the When and Where with the Who and What, a synthesis of the four crucial elements of successful marketing. The short and quick definition of LBM is, according to Claudio Schapsis of marketing firm Georillas: “The art of transforming consumers’ shared location information into revenues.”

While LBS applications are experiencing strong growth and more users are adopting the idea, the full applicability of LBM hasn’t kicked in yet; nor has consumer comprehension about the benefits that geo-targeted marketing campaigns can provide them. This might be in part due to the fear of invasion of personal space, a.k.a the Big Brother syndrome. A recent Whitehorse study of geolocation app usage for smartphone users revealed that 61% of users are declining LBS due to privacy concerns.

Overcoming this obstacle, therefore, requires deepening one’s knowledge of the technology, the intent, the repercussions and the general perception of such tools. One thing is for certain: LBM is not going away anytime soon. A recent survey by Comscore showed that seven percent of wireless subscribers “checked-in” during the month of March and over 17 percent of smartphone users did the same.

As long as privacy concerns can be abated and respected, the potential for geolocation marketing is tremendous. Here’s a possible scenario. You’re in San Francisco, let’s say, attending a weekend-long conference. You’re hungry and aimlessly wandering around the Mission District looking for good eats that won’t break the bank. You open up your Foursquare app and “check in” to your location. Cheapism, a website that recently teamed up with Foursquare to help you find bargains and inexpensive products, sends you a Zagat-rated recommendation of a Saturday afternoon happy-hour special at an Indian restaurant only four blocks away. Perfect, right? Or is something still missing?

In the same study, Whitehorse also discovered that 41 percent of consumers value the LBS social connection more than anything else, and 21 percent valued the personal recommendations that their social network provided – compared to the measly eight percent of consumers that listed discounts and rewards as the best benefit of a location based service, and the paltry four percent that are stoked about badges (sorry Boy Scouts).

This means, ultimately, that people value their social networks more than anything else when it comes to LBS – and that trust plays a crucial role in increased use of this technology. How do these stats translate to the marketer? Find a way to get consumers to more fully utilize their trusted contacts for real-time suggestions. People tend to trust those closest to them more than their entire social network or random recommendations from the plethora of sites dedicated to recommending the latest and best in the city.

While Location Based Services and LBM have a ways to go, tapping into this stream sooner than later is key. Schapsis puts it quite simply:

“Where” is the essential ingredient that makes your message completely relevant and truly targeted. “Where” enhances the relevance of your marketing message, by delivering it at the right place, at the right time, ALL the time. You can promote your brand through many channels, but doing so when the customer is nearby your business boosts the probability of more sales.

Where are you right now? Feeling hungry? Well let me tell you about this little app I know…

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Author: darreng

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Tequila Sunset

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

The Plexi team took a quick break to partake in our own Cinco de Mayo. Unbeknownst to many, the 5th of May commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over French forces in the Battle of Puebla in 1862 – not Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16th, and celebrates the liberation from the Spanish in 1810.

We had to investigate the finer points of this Mexican holiday – meaning an in-house tequila and salsa tasting from our own Joe and Jamie. The front reception desk became a make-shift bar and Mexican buffet.

Matt Tamaru's Last Stand

Jamie aka “Jams” made sure our stomachs were full and prepared for the tequila tasting, which is no easy task with the amount of food our team can consume. She loaded us up with homemade guacamole, jalapeno poppers, bean dip and multiple salsas spanning the entire spectrum of hotness.

Joe, our resident IT expert and all around tequila guru (seriously check out his collection at http://agaveholic.com/) provided a multitude of tequila flavors for our tasting pleasure. And not only did he allow us to sample from his personal collection, but he walked us through the nuances of what we were tasting. We started off with silver tequilas, which according to Joe, are aged less than 2 months in either stainless steel or natural oak barrels. They’re smooth – or at least smoother than Sauza which tastes something like a cross between burnt Styrofoam and diesel fuel. Tequilas in general, by law, must contain at least 51% agave. Cheap tequilas use filler ingredients that lead to nasty hangovers the next day.

Stephanie & Bean, a few sips later...

We moved from silver tequilas up to Reposado – tequila that is aged between 3-9 months. These are aged only in oak barrels or casks, but always large ones, anywhere in the 600 to 20,000 liter range. Reposados have a much smoother taste. I could definitely sip on them for a while; you can almost taste a little bit of Mexico in the one we sampled.

We finished with two different Añejos, the finest of fine tequilas aged from one to three years. According to Joe’s many years of research, Añejos are akin to Scotch but with a different aging process. One need age tequila only a year or two to reach the same level of sophistication as a Scotch that is aged ten years. And Añejos are 100% agave. No filler hangovers here.

You now probably know more about tequila then you ever wanted. So take advantage of some of the wear on Joe’s liver when you’re picking up supplies for a sunny afternoon margarita and choose wisely. I strongly recommend paying a little more at the counter, as you’ll pay in a different way for the bottom-shelfers. Anejos are the bomb; the best of the best; le meilleur du meilleur, as the French like to say.

Here’s a shout out to Joe for sharing his collection with us even after we convinced him to go for that 5 pound burrito challenge a few years back (http://www.plexipixel.com/articles/fun/plexi-de-mayo/). We may just need to find another reason to celebrate Mexico again sooner than next Cinco de Mayo. September 16th isn’t that far away, after all…

Rockin' the 'stash

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Author: darreng

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Join Our Team! Plexipixel is Looking for a Web Developer

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Plexipixel is a full-service, award-winning interactive agency specializing in consumer-driven, digital experiences across multiple platforms that utilize what we call “Sticky Brand Play”. We're proud of our work environment and employ fun loving, slightly crazy characters whom we house in a studio on Lower Queen Anne located amongst a plethora of dining options, music stores and tons of cultural stuff. There’s no strict dress code and we play music just as loud as the bar downstairs.

What does it take to become a member of our wacky team you ask? Be passionate about learning and have a natural curiosity for the unknown.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Assist with planning and development of interactive projects from start to finish
Work with Designers on asset preparation to ensure that creative intent and results are achieved
Research code/technique for applications, test/debug applications, assist in quality assurance testing
Follow creative briefs and functional specifications
Participate in daily team meetings, update your lead with project progress and any potential roadblocks/risks that may come up
Exercise quality control in all aspects of development maintaining high coding standards and practices

Qualifications:

1+ years of web development experience
Must have a solid foundation in coding logic and have explored at least one if not more programming language while successfully creating an application or website
Prior experience with PHP, ASP.NET, JavaScript, XML, XHTML, CSS
Working knowledge of Object Oriented Design and Programming
Working experience with the usual Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Excel, Word)
Ability to work under tight time constraints and within established deadlines, while handling multiple jobs/projects

Bonus Skills:

Flash
Silverlight
C#
XAML
HTML5
Experience with game or application development
Physics and math background
Experience working with source control and bug tracking (in Subversion and Trac preferably)

The "Musts":

Be a self-managed, team player who is motivated and able to prioritize tasks
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to talk effectively with people at all levels of the organization
High attention to detail but also know the fine art of prioritizing and when to let something go
Remain calm in stressful situations
Strong problem-solving and crisis-management skills
Be eager to learn and teach
Have the ability to handle multiple projects at once and be able to balance time & communication appropriately
Have the ability to find the answers to help facilitate any need beyond the basic level of knowledge
Should have a sense of humor and love of the silly

Who We Are:
We are a tight-knit team that offers our employees excellent creative freedom and growth potential. Plexipixel was voted finalist for NWjob’s Favorite Creative Company in 2010 as well as finalist for Small Company - Most Unusual Perk(s).

To Apply:
Individuals looking for a contract position and those looking for full time employment are encouraged to apply. Please submit a cover letter and resume via email to pickme-at-plexipixel.com. No phone calls or surprise visits to our office.

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Author: vicky

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Make Games Pay – How Online Social Gaming Can Boost Your Brand

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

If Facebook is the apex of social networking, then social gaming is the upcoming boon of the social web marketer. As of 2010, according to MarketResearch.com, nearly 600 million social gamers are playing worldwide – with numbers expected to continue rising. This translates to a global social gaming market that is worth just under $1.5 billion – with an expected increase to $4 billion by 2015. Notably, the US portion of the global market is the largest with revenues of $670 million – with expected growth to $1.2 billion by 2015.

Social gaming utilizes existing social networks such as Facebook and platforms like the iPhone, allowing users to interact with each other through games such as Mafia Wars or Farmville. Many social games are asynchronous, giving players the opportunity to play whenever they want – rather than having to get online in real-time. And they’re basically free, which is universally appealing, especially during a down economy. More so, gamers tend to be receptive to brand advertising, as we covered in an article last summer.

Typically, developers see their ROI come through a variety of marketing offers, advertisements, in-game currencies and sales of virtual goods. The purchase of currencies and virtual goods, however, is often the primary source of revenue, according to Miikka Kukkosuo, in her article “Making Money From Social Games,” written after attending the Games Developer Conference Europe in Cologne, Germany. Using these as a monetization source allows the player – depending on the game – more playtime, quick recovery of health, faster progression through the game or simply better clothes and decorations for their virtual house.

One can always play the games for free, of course, and only invest time; however the nature of social networking (and thus social games) typically involves willing friends to collaborate with you in the game. The free players, therefore, help keep the game moving by directly or indirectly bringing more people on board to play the game. Inevitably, a small percentage of total users switch to a ‘paying user’, which largely depends upon the games appeal and design, as well as the target audience.

Pauline Reader, Senior Director of International Business at Rockyou, a Facebook developer firm (watch Rockyou’s presentation from San Francisco’s Game Developer Conference on how to monetize social games) , gave three approximations to help estimate “viral user acquisition and user re-engagement reactions on Facebook:

Feed posts - Three Facebook users should click on every feed post created by the app
Requests - Expect 70% on request (e.g. gift) accept ratio if a friend is already playing the game
Bookmarks - Expect 20% of Daily Active Users (DAU) to enter your application through bookmarks”

But it’s not just the “free-mium” model that is the coup de grâce that sets social gaming apart from the soon-to-be antiquated boxed games of recent past. It’s also the ‘games-as-a-service’ element that they provide – the ability to continually adapt to the rapidly changing online climate.

“A typical game might launch with just 5 percent of its overall content but get daily, if not weekly, updates that enhance the game and incorporate user feedback,” said Sean Phinney, vice president of business development at Mountain View's Playdom, the biggest developer on MySpace. "The games are continuously evolving. There is no end date to them."

Tim Chang, a principle with Norwest Ventures Partners in an article by the San Francisco Gate, is optimistic about the future of social gaming, because people inherently desire to have fun with friends. "People love games," he said. "And now these mechanics have been formalized in places like Facebook so everyone can participate in the games."

Need some inspiration in making money from games and reaching the fast-growing market segment of social gamers? Watch this slide show by David Perry, cofounder and chief of Acclaim Games: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/08/0815_make_money_from_games/index.htm

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Author: darreng

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Getting Up to Speed – With Your Kids

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

The over-thirty crowd didn’t grow up with a lot of technology – albeit more than previous generations. Computers were just beginning to infiltrate our homes and schools; the first (foot-long) cell phones were showing up in luxury cars with curly antennae; and the idea of the ‘world wide web’ was still a pipe-dream. Not until the mid-90s did the US begin to truly see a proliferation of technological wonders. Yet the range of choices available during the days of Macintosh 128Ks pales in comparison to the choices kids have today.

The question is: How does one cope with the exponentially-growing world of tech? Your kids will always be one step ahead of you – no matter how hard you try. Their connection with technology seems to reside on the cusp of an unworldly intuition. If you don’t have kids, the young whipper-snappers in the office tend to fill the same role. If you’re lucky, your kids are young enough so you can prepare them – and yourself – for the onslaught of digital, you-name-it appurtenances that inevitably will find their way into every single nook and cranny of your life.

A recent study from Internet Security Company AVG called ‘Digital Diaries’ focused on kids in the 2-5 year-old range. The study highlighted some generational shifts in tech-comfort for the very young:

More kids in this age range know how to play a video game than ride a bike
Nineteen percent of these kids know how to play with a smartphone application; only nine percent know how to actually tie their own shoes
A higher percentage of children can open a web browser than swim unassisted

"Technology has changed what it means to be a parent raising children today - these children are growing up in an environment that would be unrecognizable to their parents,” said J.R. Smith, AVG chief executive. "As our research shows, parents need to start educating kids about navigating the online world safely at an earlier age than they might otherwise have thought."

According to Jeff Galinovsky, regional manager for Intel’s classmate PC in North America, it’s more than just choosing the right computer to buy. Parents need to consider age and content-appropriate software, interactive e-reading programs, social media safety education and how to best integrate technology into their child’s curriculum.

In a recent column in Mashable.com, Galinovsky said, “taking a comprehensive approach to technology education will ensure that children thrive in the modern education system and in the jobs of the future.” Here are the five steps he recommends:

Expose them to the world beyond the classroom. Take them out with a tablet PC and help them learn in a multi-pronged way through audio, visual and kinesthetic. The more learning modes the better, as this helps with long-term retention – and it keeps thing fun and interesting.
Make lessons applicable to the real world. Learning math can be a lot more fun when applying ratios to a baking recipe. Open up the netbook, choose your favorite recipe and get cooking.
Let kids own it. Kids, like adults, like to take ownership of their education and technology can help facilitate this process. Project RED, in a study of technology immersion that focused on student achievement and laptop use, found higher test scores, GPAs and graduation rates in school programs with a high student to laptop ratio.
Assist with self-paced learning. Kids all learn at different rates. Technology allows for each child to learn at the pace that is best for them – and gives parents or teachers the opportunity to provide the appropriate guidance.
Educate your child about safety online. Whether you use web-monitoring software or built in safety tools on your computer, teaching your child about using the internet properly – and what to be aware of – is essential.

Ultimately it comes down to this: Whether you’re just changing the diapers or sending your kid off to college, keeping up with the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of the world can only help improve your child’s performance in the classroom and give them the edge they’ll need later in life – and even better, it’ll give you the one-up with the kids at the office.

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Author: darreng

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Join Our Team! Plexipixel is Looking for a Project Manager

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Plexipixel is a full-service, award-winning interactive agency specializing in consumer-driven, digital experiences across multiple platforms that utilize “Sticky Brand Play”^TM. We are proud of our work environment and employ fun loving, slightly crazy characters whom we house in a studio on Lower Queen Anne located amongst a plethora of dining, options, music stores and tons of cultural stuff. There’s no strict dress code and we play music just as loud as the bar downstairs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Manage all communication between clients and the studio
Manage the production process and daily workflow for a wide variety of interactive projects
Monitor resource needs and availability, manage and schedule team resources
Manage and document project assets and delivery files using source control database
Create and maintain project scope of work, budgets and actual tracking
Write creative briefs and functional specifications
Problem solve with members of the creative and technical teams, to find solutions to issues that arise.
Schedule and set agendas for team and client meetings
Coordinate and document project meetings from launch to post mortem
Facilitate meetings between individual team members and their team leads throughout the project process to maintain quality and keep projects on track
Assist in the management of team leads to ensure they are checking in on team progress, keeping everyone on track, and giving sufficient feedback while completing their own project tasks
Execute research and lead brainstorming sessions
Other tasks, as needed (i.e. sometimes jumping in to do simple production work, computer fixes, or research for the team)
Ensure quality of work across all deliverables, including QA testing.
Coordinate with accountant to process project invoices (for both clients and contractors) and ensure all project POs are opened and billed per set schedules

Qualifications

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required; Associate's degree (A. A.) or equivalent from two-year college or technical school helpful; and at least one year related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Must be proficient with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, etc.)
Internet savvy.
Prior team, project and client management experience.
Thrive on multi-tasking
Eager to learn and teach
Working experience managing people of varying skills and personalities

Must Have:

Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to talk effectively with people at all levels of the organization
Strong problem-solving and crisis-management skills
Excellent attention to detail, be extremely organized, and able to foresee problems that may arise down the road
Sense of humor and ability to laugh when needed

Bonus Skills

Certificate in Project Management
Familiarity with source control
Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash experience
Prior knowledge of specific technology sector (internet, computers, interactive technologies, marketing)
Prior experience with budgeting and scheduling projects and creation of scope documentation

Who We Are
We are a tight knit team that offers our employees excellent creative freedom and growth potential. Plexipixel was voted finalist for NWjob’s Favorite Creative Company in 2010 as well as a finalist for Small Company - Most Unusual Perk(s).

To apply for this position please submit a cover letter and resume via email. We heart email, phone calls or surprise personal visits to our office will get you disqualified!

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