Feb
Navigating the Social Media Landscape

social-media

You can’t escape it, everybody’s doing it. Add me as a friend… follow me on Twitter. It’s what everyone is talking about. Social Media is all about sharing information & opinions in an uninhibited way. It’s about spreading news to potential clients and having conversations with existing ones. As the use and prevalence of social media networks grow, so do the companies who want to use this medium to reach their customers. But where do you start? And, which of the many applications or communities should you use?

Ask yourself the following questions about your company and what your goals of using social media are:

  1. Do you want to create brand buzz? Or would you like to remain under the radar?
  2. Do you want to be able to communicate directly with your customers?
  3. Do you want to increase traffic to your website?
  4. Do you need help with SEO on your site?

At Lush, we ask our clients what the level of time commitment you are able or can afford to devote towards social media marketing. For some, it’s everyday company updates for others it’s engaging clients in a dialogue about your services, it’s really what your comfortable with. CMO.com (an Adobe website aimed at Chief Marketing Officers) asked some of these questions when assessing the top 10 social media sites and if they are good for your company. To see where you stand, check out the detailed assessment of social media sites click the link below.

www.cmo.com/social-media/cmos-guide-social-media-landscape

Feb
Web Design Trends in 2010

smart-nav

Our friends at Web Designer Wall had a great article web design trends in 2010. Basically it seems to me that through all the 300 modal box scripts you can download, and 50 zillion “AJAX” slideshow scripts; one thing remains. Content is king. And as we look forward to 2010, we see less and less clutter, more standardized usability; acceptances of bigger desktop space; and smaller mobile spaces; more emphasis on typographic elegence; and less; dare I say it; “flash”; but in the figurative sense; and in a good way. While you’re reading this article if you put your ear to the ground you can hear rumblings of CSS3 and HTML5 trying to crack the surface. This as we finally get to say good-bye to IE6 to make way for 2010.
Enjoy: http://www.webdesignerwall.com/trends/what-to-expect-in-2010-uxui-design-simplicity/

Feb
Beautiful PSA. Buckle Up

Here’s a low-budget public service announcement from the UK created by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.  This to me is beautiful and an award winning piece.  Its got the 2 elements I love most in an ad; a very primitive simple idea that communicates the message in an extremely emotionally clever way.  Some of the best ads IMHO have always had these two elements.  Remember the condom ad with the screaming kid in the supermarket?  Same two elements.  What are some of your favourite ads? Anyways, here’s the video:

Jan
What does the iPad mean for online advertising?

Apple iPad

Love it or hate it, the release of Apple’s iPad definitely did one thing – it further entrenched Apple’s position of not supporting Safari based Flash content. There have been attempts to workaround this fact, but the reality is that it doesn’t look like Flash will be supported anytime soon.

With the majority of online advertising being delivered through Flash banner ads, this could show an interesting shift as Apple devices gain more market share. Some early discussions within the community point to HTML5 banner ads as the solution. At this point, only time will tell. We might see Flash Lite finally step up and take it’s place at the table.

Jan
Wax on wax off, Ramsey-sun

ramsey

Ramsey “Grand Leiks” D’Silva is a Gyso, an alien race from a still undiscovered galaxy. He is also a member of the Gyso Army, a sort of galactic police force ensuring peace and order in the universe. While on a mission in our galaxy his ship ‘The Troisck’ was attacked by Gravity Pirates. Most of the crew was able to teleport safely to a nearby Gyso outpost but the teleporter was destroyed before he could escape. With no options left he took his chances in an escape pod which landed on Dr. Umbra’s space platform. When he had recovered Dr. Umbra sent him down to earth to the Cosmic Tiger headquarters where he knew the lost traveler would be safe.

Oct
What’s Up Guy

guy

Guy Crawford: “Former genetics research scientist turned vigilante, Guy “Exo” Crawford had his life changed when his reseach grant was taken away by the government. Guy was head of the “Human exoskeleton” research team. He lost his grant and his associates but not his passion for the project. Without any means of hiring test subjects Guy turned his tests on himself. The result was the incredible ability to ‘grow’ an incredibly strong exoskeleton at will protecting his entire body in an insect like shell. He joined forces with the Cosmic Tiger Squad while definding Rise City from The Great Space Beast.

Oct
Thomas Girard: Smarter than a Robot

thomas

Thomas Girard: “During the great cosmic wars of the 3200’s, Thomas “Dr. Umbra” Girard defected from the Cosmic Tiger Squad and begun putting his own plans in moton. Backstabbing his former allies in and leaving earth helpless he retreated to his orbital space platform and began putting his mysterious plans in motion. Although he has long since left his former team mates it’s not uncommon for him to show up unexpectedly and lend a hand.”

Jun
Ask Dave Boyle

dave

You will soon discover why the TRUE most interesting man alive is Dave Boyle:
Dave Boyle “Raised in the darkest jungles of Africa by a pride of Hyenas, Dave Boyle was known as “The wild boy “When discovered in the early 3100’s. Armed with the cunning and razor sharp instincts distilled in him by his Hyena brothers, Dave is a formidable opponent to anyone crazy enough to cross him and an invaluable member of the Cosmic Tiger Squad”

Jun
Check out Adam Winick

adam

Adam Winick: “The supreme lord of his dimension known as “The X Zone”, Adam “Overlord Cranus” Winick fought valiantly against all foes and ruled his people with a just hand. A fight against Roboxtor left him frozen in crystal and sent to our dimension leaving the X zone to fall into chaos and ultimately perish. He Joined the Cosmic Tiger Squad to prevent the same fate to befall our dimension and protect it’s people from evil.”

May
It’s Aimee Racine

aimee

Aimee Racine: “The last in in the bloodline of ‘The house of the Pale Moon’, Aimee “Lone Sparrow” Racine is a swift and deadly warrior. Her ancestors in the Pale Moon were known as the fiercest warriors of all the great ninja clans before being forced underground when sieged simultaneously by the other major ninja clans. The Pale Moon ninjas were not wiped out but their numbers were down to a fraction of what they had been in their prime. Although they never seen publicly, the traditions and trainings of the Pale Moon were passed down through generations. As the last of her ancestry Aimee denounced the shame of hiding from the enemies of the Pale Moon and used her training to become a vigilante. Although she is a member of the Cosmic Tiger Squad, Aimee’s first and foremost mission is to exact revenge against the great ninja clans that have shamed her ancestors.”

May
Who Is Ryan Payne

ryan

Ryan Payne “An advanced android built eons in the future and sent back in time to save mankind from the fate that has caused the world to be ruled by the evil overlords of centuries past, Ryan “RP5000″ Payne is programmed to right history’s wrongs. Upon returning to the year 3157, he founded the group of heroes “The Cosmic Tiger Squad” and gained a significant foothold in the ongoing war on evil.”