Emerald City Media

Change the Rules

James H. Wooldridge — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:17:23 +0000

Time for a Game Change

Obtaining the Same Results?

Change the Game Rules

Albert Einstein wrote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

Admittedly, not the most brilliant mathematician, he began with the end in mind, having a hypothesis, Einstein wanted to prove a theory that came to him—the birth of an idea—by pure mathematical means.

In order to accomplish this ‘game changing’ theory that superseded a 200-year-old theory of mechanics elucidated by Isaac Newton, Einstein surrounded himself with the best innovative, positive, mathematical minds in academia. Special Relativity and General Relativity later to become known as The Theory of Relativity, or Relativity took the Scientific Community mind set of the era by storm.

Incidentally, Einstein’s teachers said he would never amount to anything. Now they are gone and he is famous.

The rest is history: E=MC²

Game Change

After all, fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew what you know, ‘it is what it is’.

Imagine what you will know tomorrow.

How to Move Forward

Now is time the time for a game change. Change what you know with new information, act on it and everything else will change. It is a belief system. Fate favours the bold.

Reality is perception; change your perception and everything else will change to reflect your new reality.

Einstein understood he could not do it alone, he needed help from other, bright-accomplished minds—open to different ways of thinking—the key to success. To put this into perspective, man was being powered flight in 1905, when Simple Relativity was published, long before space exploration.

Retain proven and accomplished talent to alter the status quo and profit from a new beginning.

Mathematical Equation For Success

A root of an equation is a number which substituted into the equation instead of
an unknown converts the equation into an identity. The root is said to satisfy the
equation. Solving an equation implies finding all of its roots. An equation that is
always satisfied, no matter the choice of values for its unknowns, is called an
identity.

(a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2

Think outside the box!

“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.“
— High-tech proverb

Best Talent

James H. Wooldridge — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:16:47 +0000

Best of the Best

Retaining the Best

Inc. Magazine writer Keith Cline, Talent Scout, reports on December 19, 2011, the 5 hardest Jobs to fill in 2012 are:

Software Engineers and Web Developers
Creative Design and User Experience
Product Management
Marketing
Analytics

Hiring the best of the best is an absolute must if you are going to build a successful company.

You will need to be prepared to compete against big companies with deep pockets and other up-and-coming startups that also have blue chip investors and a game-changing idea.

So, what are the most competitive areas for talent these days? Here’s a look:

Software Engineers & Web Developers

The demand for top-tier engineering talent sharply outweighs the supply in almost every market especially in San Francisco, New York, and Boston. This is a major, major pain point and problem that almost every company is facing, regardless of the technology “stack” their engineers are working on.

Creative Design & User Experience

After engineers, the biggest challenge for companies is finding high-quality creative design and user-experience talent.

Since almost every company is trying to create a highly compelling user experience that keeps people engaged with their product, it is tough to find people who have this type of experience (especially with mobile devices including tablets) and a demonstrated track record of success.

Product Management

It is always helpful for an early-stage company to hire someone who has very relevant and specific experience in your industry.

This is especially true for product management, since the person in this role will interface with customers and define the product strategy and use cases.

However, be prepared, as it will be a challenge to find people with experience in these high-growth industries: consumer web, e-commerce, mobile, software as a service, and cloud computing.

Marketing

I’m not talking about old-school marketing communications. Companies are looking for expert online marketers who know how to create a buzz of inbound marketing or viral traffic through the web, social media, and content discovery.

Writing a good press release just doesn’t cut it anymore, as everyone is looking for the savvy online marketing professional who understands how the current state of the web operates and knows how to make it work to their benefit.

Analytics

Since data is becoming more and more accessible, smart companies are increasingly making decisions driven by metrics. Analytics is becoming a central hub across companies where everything (web, marketing, sales, operations) is being measured and each decision is supported by data.

Thus, we are seeing a high level of demand for analytics and business intelligence professionals who almost act like internal consultants; they help determine what should be measured and then build out the capability for a company.

Tablets Rule

James H. Wooldridge — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:05:12 +0000

Tablets are Personal

Tablets Rule The Evening Hours

In a recent article by Johanna Werther, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Ads, dated September 26, 2011, she writes.

Are you reading this post from your PC at work, from your mobile phone as you wait in line at a cafe or from your tablet at home before bed?

The screen a user chooses to engage with is largely driven by context and users are matching their device type to their situation.

At Google Mobile Ads, we’re interested in the way the proliferation of these screens is impacting user behavior, especially search behavior. We looked separately at searches from tablets, PCs and mobile devices.

The data show that during the workday users are searching from their computers and they use smartphones steadily throughout the day

with a lift during commute time and in the evening. Tablet usage spikes dramatically in the evening. While both tablets and mobile are portable devices that can be used in a variety of places, this data points to the fact that tablets are used primarily at home as “lean back” devices while sitting on the couch, whereas smartphone devices may be used in a similar way but are also used in the office and on-the-go throughout the day.

Customers prefer Tablets

If you’re an advertiser, you might be wondering which is the best screen to reach your customers on.

The answer is: all of them. These screens are better together. Each screen fills a specific need state consumers have for information at different, complementary points in the day.

Failing to invest in any of these three digital screens not only leaves the door open for competitors to engage with your customers, but also could mean a missed opportunity for brand awareness and sales either on the device itself or through driving potential customers into your place of business.

Scan Codes

James H. Wooldridge — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:42:43 +0000

Emerald City Media Mobile QR Code

I need information and I need it now!

Put QR Codes to work for your business. Be easier to find and more profitable. Mobile customers will love the convenience, you will love the additional business.

During the month of June 2011, according to one study, 14 million mobile users scanned a QR code or a barcode. Some 58% of those users scanned a QR or bar code from their home, while 39% scanned from retail stores; 53% of the 14 million users were men between the ages of 18 and 34.

Although the QR technology is still new to North America, mobile barcode scanning was up over 4,500 percent comparing Q1 2010 to Q1 2011. So far this year (as of Q3 2011), ScanLife reports over 20 million barcodes have been scanned worldwide, of which 60 percent were in the United States.

Recommended Mobile QR Scan Code Usage:

Serve a business objective to generate leads, retain customers, drive traffic, etc.
Add value for the user such as to save time, reduce cost, enhance experience, mobile-friendly content, etc.
Provide contextual assistance such as How-To Steps, link to get a reader app, call-to-action, barcode link or SMS alternative, etc.
Test to ensure codes are scannable reviewing QR Code size, colour, lighting, Wi-Fi, etc. across different readers and handsets.

Note: Some earlier camera phones like iPhone 3GS and Blackberry or any other brand for example, operating with less than 3 MP resolution with out auto-focus capability may not scan bar codes smaller than 1“x1”.

Where do I get a QR Code scanner?

Check with your manufacturer for applications such as Apple, Android and Blackberry. For best results keep your apps updated with the most current version.

New Decade

James H. Wooldridge — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:51:38 +0000

Bringing together the best talent.

Marketing To The Invisible

Emerald City Media enters a new decade of exciting web development.

Our modern minimalist site focuses on a ‘less is more’ design, clean and crisp with high impact visual mediums re-purposed for Tablets.

Providing valuable web resources to small business, we offer unprecedented options for greater profitability and security for the future.

We are a small creative advertising firm specializing in web design and supporting media, serving businesses of the Kawartha Lakes, Muskokas, Haliburton Highlands, Trent Hills, Oshawa and the greater Metro Toronto area.

Kawartha Lakes City Life™

Situated in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes often referred to as the ‘Kawarthas’ or ‘Cottage Country’, the area is rich in history with notable mechanical leviathans rivaling the Titanic; Lift Lock marine transport systems, constructed during an earlier military era.

We thank the ancestral indigenous people for naming the area. The word ‘Kawartha Lakes’ comes from the Ojibwe language, interpreted to mean “shining waters”.

We are a full service creative advertising agency supporting all aspects of your business. Now you have big city productions with small town value. We level the playing field with excellence.

You are important to our business. You are the best at what you do!
–MA