Digitalia | Indianapolis Social Media Marketing

Five Reasons Why I Love Wordpress

WordPress was originally made as a blog publishing application but has now evolved into a huge content management system (CMS). It was first released in May 2003 by its co-founders Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as the successor to b2/cafelog. It is powered by PHP and a SQL data backend. As of September 2009, Wordpress is used by 62.8 million websites in the US and 202 million websites worldwide.

Here are my top 5 reasons that I would recommend WordPress any day of the week:

1. WordPress can make websites that don’t look like blogs. This is a very big misconception. Many people always assume that if you are using WordPress as a CMS that it has to be a blog. This is very untrue. For example, check out the very popular site colourlovers. This site runs WordPress and is not just a blog.
2. Plugins. Plugins are extensions that add additional functions to the basic WordPress software. These are what turn the basic blog program into a full content management system. Plugins can extend WordPress to do almost anything you can imagine. There are almost 10,000 different king of plugins! Everything from basic social media plugins to advance portfolio galleries.
3. Themes make it easy to customize and update. Essentially, the WordPress theme system is a way to skin your website. You can find thousands upon thousands of premade themes online for free or sometimes a small fees. Here at Firebelly we make a lot of the custom themes from scratch. Themes allow your WordPress site to look ANY way you want.
4. Installing a WordPress blog/website is VERY easy. WordPress is now known for what they call the “famous 5-minute WordPress installation.” The title says it all. Wordpress is very simple to setup and start using ASAP. You can setup a free account with WordPress.com to host your site or you can always host it on your own server.
5. WordPress is really easy to use. If you have ever used Microsoft Word or something similar, you can easily use WordPress. When you update posts or pages it has a very “word-like” editor, which is called a WYSIWYG editor (What you see is what you get). This built in visual editor makes updating as simple as tying your shoe.
6. BONUS REASON: It’s FREE!

Do you love WordPress? Tell us why! :)

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

5 Design Blogs Worth Following

I wanted to post today about some great design blogs that I constantly check and follow. These are some great sites to use for RSS! They have a lot of tutorials, inspiration, tips, tricks, and knowledge! Check them out!

Smashing Magazine

Abduzeedo

CSS-Tricks

Tuts+

Tuts+ is the makers of the great communities: http://psd.tutsplus.com, http://vector.tutsplus.com, http://net.tutsplus.com, and more!

I Love Typography

What design blogs do YOU follow and RSS!?

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

Tour Of The *New* Firebelly Website

As of Wednesday August 13th, 2009 we have a new Firebelly Marketing website. I wanted to dedicate this weeks blog post just to look over some of the neat features and design elements we chose to put into this new website. Our test was to create an innovative new company site and this is what we made. The new site was made on the incredible system of WordPress using the javascript library of jQuery .

I will now go over a few key features and cool things the new website has to offer.

Site Home Page

Portfolio Section | View Section

Sleek Contact Form (powered by WuFoo) | View Section

Company News Feed | View Section

Image Transition Effects | View Section

Detailed Team Member Bios | View Section

Helpful Navigation Hints

Company Blog | View Section

Optimized Site Searching

We hope you enjoyed a small tour of our new site. These are just a few of the cool things the new site has to offer. So, please check it out for yourself and be sure to be on the look out for new and innovative websites by Firebelly Marketing.

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

12 Amazing jQuery Effects & Tutorials

jQuery is a free and open source JavaScript library that is used by Web developers to navigate HTML documents, handle events, perform animations and add Ajax interactions to Web pages. jQuery was developed by John Resig and is licensed under the MIT License and the GNU General Public License.

You can do some incredible things with jQuery. Below is a round-up of 13 awesome effects and tutorials - all using the wonderful jQuery!

Smart Columns w/ CSS & jQuery

A way to use jQuery and produce "smart" columns for width and spacing on your website.

Sliding login panel

A sleek sliding panel (in this case used for a login) using jQuery. After you understand this tutorial, you can use it for more than just a login panel.

Build An Incredible Login Form

Use jQuery to style a login form. This can be useful to spice up a form a bit!

jQuery.popeye – Lightbox alternative

A lightbox tutorial using jQuery, something a little bit out of the normal lightbox effect.

jQZoom Evolution

JQZoom is a unique jQuery effect that does a cool zoom effect on pictures.

Fancy Thumbnail Hover Effect

A cool way to make a picture gallery and use jQuery.

Creating a fading header

Use jQuery to make a fading header for a website. Something might normally think to do in flash but this allows you to make the effect with jQuery!

CSS Sprites2

A different way to use CSS Sprites with jQuery.

SuckerFish Style Drop-Down Menu

A nice jQuery drop-down menu. This works great with WordPress layouts and multiple level websites.

Curvy Corners

This jQuery effect allows you to apply rounded corners to div's, pictures and other various objects in your website.

Creating a Slick Auto-Playing Featured Content Slider

A slick content slider using jQuery. This is a nice way to feature certain content on your website.

Using jQuery for Background Image Animations

The title explains it all. Use jQuery to make an animated background on a non-flash website.

Bonus Tutorial:

Create a music player using mouse gestures & hotkeys

I have never seen anything like this, so I thought it should really be added to the list as a bonus! A really cool music player using jQuery!

Have any cool jQuery tutorials/effects we didn't add? If so, comment a link below!

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

7 Things That Make Great Websites

1. Purpose

The purpose of a website is huge. It defines everything in the site. This is basically obvious with any website though. When you first make a website, 99.9% of the time you are going to have a purpose for it. It could be a website for your company, selling items, etc. This is important because you do not want to have a website that does absolutely nothing for no one.

*Screenshot Example: Worldvision.org

2. Graphics

Graphics can make a website aesthetically pleasing. Your graphics could include vector drawings, clip art style images, or real photography. Good graphics are eye popping, but not distracting. Ensure your site has a balance of copy and pictures. We are all kids at heart and a site without any pictures/graphics is just boring.

*Screenshot Example: Davi-t.com

3. Navigation

Navigation is often considered the most important part of your website. It helps the user flow through your site. With poor navigation, the user cannot easily get to the information they are looking for. You want to make your website navigation very easy to use and easy for users to get where they want to go (or where you want them to go) in the fastest way possible.

*Screenshot Example: Clearleft.com

4. Accessibility and Usability

I use Mozilla Firefox on a PC, a co-worker uses Safari on a Mac, another co-worker uses Mozilla Firefox on a Mac, and my mom uses Internet Explorer on a PC. People have different browsers, different computers, different screen sizes, and different Internet speeds. One of the most time-consuming parts of making a website is ensuring your site works in different settings. You cannot expect all of your users to have the same settings. This can be very time consuming, but when you look at big sites (Google, MSN, Amazon, etc.) you will notice the same site - no matter what you use (excluding mobile browsing). Making your site usable and accessible separates your site from the amateur sites on the web.

*Screenshot Example: W3.org

5. Color Scheme

A color scheme on your website is something similar to the icing of a cake. Like graphics, it pulls the site together. It adds something to the look of the site. A good site will have consistent colors throughout.

*Screenshot Example: Viget.com/extend

6. Content

Content can make or break your website. You need a good balance of copy and graphics to make up a site with good content. The content is almost a summary of the above. A lot goes into content, but as long as the aforementioned copy and graphics are really good, your content should be fine.

*Screenshot Example: W3-markup.com/order

7. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is similar to usability. Just as we want users to easily navigate your site, you also want to ensure the search engine “spiders” can also easily navigate your site and find the appropriate information. Doing the necessary steps to optimize your site for search can ensure higher search engine rankings and increased traffic.

*Screenshot Example: Google.com

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

Michael Jackson Tribute "Eternal moonwalk" has global participation

MJ Fans upload moonwalking videos

I saw Pete Cashmore's tweet and followed the link. Transfixed I watched videos of people on this site moonwalk in one direction almost seamlessly for hundreds of meters. So what's the story - Studio Brussel aka Stu Bru, a Belgian readi station has created this website called the "Eternal Moonwalk". Fans from all across the globe - of all ages, both genders, a variety of age groups - have filmed themselves and uploaded videos of themselves (in some cases animations - home made, videos from Second Life, and more - all in honor of the "the king of Pop". To keep the flow, all videos are in the same direction and hands and feet are visible. All kinds of moonwalkers you have to see it to believe it. You'd think that the fact that people have plan something, execute it, shoot video and upload it would be a barrier to entry - but obvioulsy not!

Note: 697 m of moonwalking at the time of this screenshot!!

My friend Mark Juleen has been saying this for months - "social media ain't new" - whether its websites or email or itunes - its been around for a while. This site is about shared values - a love for Michael Jackson's dancing. I can remember being 15 years old - wearing a glove, white socks and jacket and shades - and moonwalking at a party on Woodland Terrace with my pals from La Martiniere for Boys.

As Pete says and I paraphrase - come on baby - ain't you gonna moonwalk for the whole world to see! BTW there are some MJ remixes on my profile at Blip.fm

Duncan Alney Facebook | Twitter | Naymz | Blip.fm

Best of the Web - 20 Creative Websites (Getting Out-Of-The-box!)

Sometimes it can be hard getting out of the realm of simple, boring designs. The following websites can give you the inspiration you need to make your website become less generic and ultimately an even better one! Hopefully you will find these resources very inspirational, awesome, and let them feed your creative side. Enjoy! (websites listed in no particular order)

http://inside.nile.ru

http://jasonsantamaria.com

http://www.nikolamircic.com

http://spacecollective.org

http://www.tri-win.com

http://www.serj.ca

http://baristaapp.com

http://www.nofrks.com

http://www.volll.com

http://dannyblackman.com

http://alexarts.ru

http://www.rabotilnica.com.mk

http://www.ideo.com

http://www.bootb.com

http://www.ericj.se

http://sunrise-soya.com

http://creativeperson.info

http://youlove.us

http://www.getlondonreading.co.uk

http://missscha.com

Article by: Zach Reed // Firebelly Designer (Follow me @bluetidepro)

What to do when your marketing budget gets cut by 80%

6 ways to squeeze the most out of your marketing dollars

I've run into VP's and Marketing Directors in the last few months who complain of massive marketing budget cuts. While the logic behind cutting the hand that feeds you is another blog post all together, the more pragmatic question is "what the hell should I do?". It doesn't matter what size the budget was - a 50% to 80% cut can be staggering. I heard one great believer in convergence marketing bemoan the fact that she would not be able to do much broadcast anymore. Another colleague is cutting back his boutique style brochure and focusing on one brochure for various assets (with minor customizations).

This is the perfect time for innovation. And in the business of image, perceptions, and conversations - people are the raw materials of innovation. Between your internal team, your brand evangelists, and the rest of your universe, you should be able to do some "sense making" and move most of your marketing online. Keep the artifacts - brochures, trade show booths, direct mail pieces - they're all vital - but reserve them for the prospects that are showing greater potential. 

Start with your website
The area that most companies don't focus on enough - us included - is conversion. While PPC folks live and die based on conversion, the rest of America seems to check off websites, once they're done, and move on to the next thing. Based on some interactions with Tim Ash lately and much studying myself, I say with confidence, work on your landing page optimization - Test, test, test! Is your site optimized for search, social, and usability? Is the traffic from the right places? What's the bounce rate? Do you even have a conversion path plotted out?

Make your social media work harder
Even the Mayo Clinic has a full scale social media program. Are you using the platforms that your customers are using? Are they being updated regularly? Its easy to forget one, yet that could be the one that your customers like best. Are you being authentic? Yet don't be a slave to authenticity. You may never get anything done. Are you taking risks? Are you failing? If your answer to the last two was no, then you need to start over. My opinions aside, the much respected Charlene Li, author and former Forrester Research recently put it best (and I paraphrase) if you're not failing, you're not doing the right things. I don't subscribe to the notion that your website is the center of your web universe. That's like saying - I'm best when I'm in a tux or in a boardroom. Your website is all business. Everyone from Billy Ray Cyrus to Perez Hilton love a party in the back. That's what social media is supposed to be. Make sure that you create the right context for conversations. And of course measure, measure, measure. But my new friend Robbie Slaughter says it best - "there is a danger of over measurement: we become more obsessed with figures than providing value, and we tend to game the system instead of tend to the actual work"

Try an integrated SMS, Email and Social Strategy
You know that saying the sum of the parts is greater than whole? Uh huh!

Activate your evangelists
Every brand has evangelists. Are you showing yours love? Are you tight with them? Are you giving them things to talk about?

Micro-sites and landing pages
These can be invaluable for spreading the net. They're great for search and you can measure the hell out of them.

Move people to real world interactions
Of course this is the key for most companies - whether its doing some offline or online. People must be inspired to do something. Is your marketing to a few people (or to a whole bunch) inspiring people to act?

For Indianapolis social media: I'm Duncan ;) What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Duncan Alney Facebook | Twitter | Naymz | Blip.fm

Happy 25th Birthday Apple!

25 years since the trail blazing tv spot

 

I was 16 when I watched the "1984" tv spot in India (and it was in the commercial break of an American TV show on a video tape). First of all, I loved Ridley Scott and the spot was captivating. Of course, in those days people swore by Big Blue but I was immediately drawn to this scrappy underdog that wanted to smash this oppressive system - even though I didn't know what the "system" was. I didn't know anyone in the mid-80's that owned an apple but the imagery stayed with me. I began using an apple in 1990. It was so much easier and intuitive than DOS and the early version of windows. But what I've always loved in the Word of Mouth marketing that apple has generated, the kinship and loyalty of apple users, and the evangelism of the die-hards. Apple was social before social was cool.

In our business today at Firebelly Marketing, we have to use both PC's and Apples. Thats the only way we can test the websites, micro-sites and landing we develop - with IE (and all its glorious versions) - but we all get along regardless of our computer preferences.

Anyway, here's the text of the original commercial (done by TBWA/Chiat Day). And, here's some further reading if you're diggin' it.

Apple Museum

Apple TV Ads

Apple's 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh
in the Cultural History of Personal Computers
by Ted Friedman
Revised version of a paper presented at the Society for the History of Technology Convention, Pasadena, California, October 1997.
 

Text of "1984"

Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology. Where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!

- Duncan Alney Facebook | Twitter | Naymz