Archive for 2008

Small Box Video Holiday Greetings

Posted by ben
Dec
15
2008

1
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Filed Under: Everything Else SmallBox

PJ just posted on YouTube a short little video of everyone here at Small Box wishing happy holidays. Well, I should really say all of us except Joe – our lovably laconic lead developer. But fear not, PJ was able to capture some rare footage of Joe in the wild and in his natural habitat. Enjoy the video and Happy Holidays from Small Box (and the Small Box spokes-robot)!

Watch our holiday greetings on YouTube

P.S. One of the cool things about this video that we all really like (Joe included!) is that it is one of the lucky YouTube videos that can be viewed on an iPhone. Now you can carry a little bit of happy holiday cheer in your pocket.

Free WiFi is a Snap with Easy WiFi for ATT!

Posted by ben
Dec
12
2008

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Filed Under: Everything Else

I was pretty excited when I first learned that AT&T was offering free WiFi for iPhone users across the nation. I rushed down the block and got free WiFi on my iPhone at our local Starbucks.

It worked , but I have to admit that I haven’t used it that much since then. It was kind of a hassle having to go through all the steps and took way too long to get connected (2 to 4 minutes!). So, my 3G envy continued though I dared not admit it to Jeb and PJ.

But it looks like my 3G envy may finally come to an end now that I’ve downloaded a excellent, new, free iPhone app called Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T by Devicescape. This exceptional little app makes getting the free WiFi a lightning fast and ridiculously simple process.

You should download this app while you can! Chances are pretty good that it’ll become either a paid app or AT&T will make Apple remove it from the App Store.

Here’s the walkthrough:

First, you have to set it up on your own WiFi connection BEFORE you go to Starbucks. When you launch the app for the first time, it will prompt you to enter your 10 digit phone number.

You’ll then go to the Settings screen where you can enter your cell number. I tapped on the “Operator Website” and also the “Register at Devicescape” prompts and didn’t get anything useful (Devicescpae really needs to create a decent landing page for their registration). Just enter your phone number and ignore everything else on this screen.

Entering your cell phone number is a snap and (even better) this is the only time you’ll ever have to enter it to get free WiFi! I’m pretty sure that the numbers are stored server-side with Devicescape, but they assure us that they only use our numbers to get us connected to the WiFi and will never call us or give them away.

Once I was done with the setup I rushed down the block to the local Starbucks and connected to the ATT WiFi hotspot. After connecting to the hotspot, I launched Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T and the interface couldn’t have been any simpler.

I tapped the large green Login button and it displayed the following screen for less than 20 seconds while it logged in with AT&T.

When the login process was completed I got a pleasant screen like this one confirming that I was now online.

I was amazed at how fast and simple this whole process was: connect to the WiFi hotspot, launch the app, hit the green button, and wait less than 20 seconds. It seemed to good to be true.

To confirm that I had a fully functioning WiFi connection I downloaded the free Urbanspoon app from the app store directly onto my iPhone.

I also successfully downloaded the Marketplace podcast onto my iPhone while waiting for my venti cafe Americano.

This app will not only have a permanent place on my iPhone, but it will also forever be on the primary screen (I currently have three). It won’t completely remove my 3G envy (I really, really want that always on broadband connection), but I highly recommend it to anyone with a first gen iPhone.

If I could get only one thing for the Christmas, I would love to see a similar iPhone app do the same thing for the eFreeWireless connections all over Broadripple and at my local YMCA.

Here Come The Millennials!

Posted by Jeb
Dec
12
2008

1
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Filed Under: Culture SmallBox

I saw Rebecca Ryan speak yesterday at a luncheon for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. I first worked with Rebecca via a MediaSauce job and have stayed in touch since then. She is a wonderful person and it was great to re-connect with her at the luncheon. Rebecca owns a company called Next Generation Consulting in Madison Wisconsin. I sat and watched Rebecca tell the leaders of the Indianapolis business community that in order to attrack the best and brightest we needed to value the arts, green space, mass transit, work-life balance etc. (I sent her a text later that I saw a distinct ruffling of feathers among some audience members. She was happy to hear that.)

This is the subtle but meaningful contribution the current crop of Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are bringing to the community and workplace. It may be the ticket to our economic recovery. Rebecca posted a graphic showing the market capitalization of GM, Ford, Lockheed Martin and a couple other big companies. Then she showed a graphic of Google which equaled all the others added together.

This up and coming generation is perfectly positioned to create more Googles. They are tech saavy, the first generation raised with the Web, creative and willing to take risks. And they can work hard, I’ve seen that time and time again. They just work differently than previous generations.

Millennials value the overall good more than immediate monetary gain. They want to have a positive impact on this world while getting a decent paycheck. I don’t think that is a bad thing at all.

Some look down on this new generation as being an ADD mash up of all previous generations with no soul of its own. I have to respectfully disagree. Shouldn’t every generation try to take the best of all that came before and create their own stew from those experiences? Isn’t that the point of civilization?

I employ a number of Millennials at Small Box and also teach three classes at Franklin College. Although I get bummed out sometimes at gaps in their depth of understanding and knowledge overall I am encouraged and excited to see them come into their own. I think we will be pleasantly surprised. They are much more competent than I think the
older generations are aware. We are in good hands.

More Thoughts on Business Blogging and Social Media

Posted by Jeb
Dec
8
2008

1
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Filed Under: Marketing Search Engine Optimization Social Media

I recently had a family reunion over Thanksgiving and spent a good chunk of time talking with a cousin about Social Media, blogging, etc. This cousin is now getting ready to jump into the Social Media waters and I am providing some support along the way. This interaction has helped spark some additional thoughts I wanted to share on the topic of business blogging.

Make a list of blog ideas- have a list of blog topics ready whenever you have time to blog. If you are a organized person you probably have your blogging time scheduled in your calendar. But what happens when you have no inspiration? This is when a list of 10, 20 or more blog ideas comes in use. Just pick one that looks like a fun topic and get going.

Just do it- blogging is easy, don’t over think it, just jump in and get going. No-one will really be paying attention anyway at first. Don’t over think your blog posts, just make sure they are authentic both in content and voice.

A blog is just the beginning- once you start blogging you will want to make sure that you are promoting it across other Social Media and Web platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Delicious, Stumble Upon, Email Newsletters, etc. Don’t expect the world to rush in and start a conversation with you once you’ve posted your first blog. It takes time and effort to get people interacting with your posts. Bring the blog to them.

I’m sure I could make list after list along these lines but, hey!, a blog should also be short! Give people a quick idea or thought and leave it at. Longer blogs can be useful at times but only when the subject matter requires that kind of depth. In general I shoot for 4-8 short paragraphs.

So this will do for now!

Tips On Business Blogging

Posted by Jeb
Dec
4
2008

1
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Filed Under: Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization Search Engines

There is a lot of buzz about using a blog for business purposes and I agree, obviously!, but too often a business blog ends up being a waste of time. Here are some suggestions on having a meaningful conversation with your business blog that can lead to real relationships (read- sales!):
  1. Fresh content. Too often a company’s blog hasn’t been updated for months since the company bloggers never add new posts. Content gets stale fast on a blog. Get into the habit of posting weekly. Set up a reminder in your calendar.
  2. Say something meaningful. Avoid blog posts that are clearly sales pitches and do not have any new or meaningful content. Don’t use your blog to just sell your services. The rest of your site can do that. Use your blog to communicate interesting ideas, insights on your industry or anything meaningful that your visitors might find worthwhile reading. If your company is doing something interesting and you want to blog about it, fine, just be careful about sounding like a used car salesman.
  3. No “I” in Team. Too often only one person from the company posts. As a visitor and potential client I want to know what your team is like, how they think. Only hearing one voice doesn’t give me that insight.
  4. Have a point of view. Too many times I read a blog that simply quotes another blog and then summarizes the rest of the post that they are quoting. I want a blog to have a point of view. Companies are often sensitive about being controversial and blogging can sometimes cross that line. It is better to be a little controversial than boring. No-one remembers a boring blog post.
  5. Be passionate. That is really rule number one. If you aren’t passionate about your subject, or your job!, then you probably shouldn’t be blogging about it (or doing that job). Start with passion and the rest will follow.

Do you have any rules to add? Oh yeah that reminds me of another good rule.

6. Engage your readers. Don’t just stand behind the podium preaching. Ask your readers what they think, encourage interaction. Once they are having a conversation with someone you have already crossed the important confidence threshold. Focus on relationships and a sale won’t be far off.

So what do you think?




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