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By Severin Skolrud

‘Relaxing at the Top Mop.’ ‘Just finished shopping at Espinoza’s!’ These ‘Tweets’ or ‘Posts’ can catch the eyes of marketing firms and have social-media-ites receiving tons of free swag. A recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) highlights the glitz and glamour social lights can have when people follow their digital profile. Depending on the amount of ‘friends’ or ‘fans,’ a person has, marketers claim they have the potential to influence what to purchase and where. Are you unemployed and have a lot of friends? Listen up.

Social media firms such as Twitalyzer and Klout have established a points system to measure someone’s digital social hierarchy. Points are assigned based on how many followers you have which gauges your level of persuasion. For instance, Speaker of the House John Boehner has a digital score of 75 based on his followers and social hierarchy while teenage sensation Justin Bieber has a score of 100. But you don’t have to be notoriously famous to receive some exciting perks.

By Jamie Fernandez

“Use existing communication channels to exploit human beliefs and behaviors,” reads the easier-said-than-done job description of most advertisers. Age-old pressures to produce ads with a “wow” factor have gone digital.  Creating the next big viral video marketing phenomenon, in all its rapid-multiplication glory, is the new advertising challenge.  And “challenge” doesn’t do the task justice!  With over 2 billion videos streamed daily on YouTube, crafting a chart-topping video clip that stays a hit for more than 24 hours is no small feat. Here are a few of my favorite video campaigns that have managed to stand out from the rest…

1.The classic favorite: The E-trade Baby.

Mazel Tov to The Shalom Group for their engaging new site created by DC, Maryland, and Virginia web design company, Blue Water Media.

Washington, DC – (December, 2010) – Mazel Tov to DC Area Kosher caterer, diner, and supermarket, The Shalom Group, on their recently redesigned website, (www.theshalomgroup.com).  The more intuitively structured and aesthetically appealing site was created by DC web design firm, Blue Water Media.   It optimally showcases The Shalom Group’s three main divisions: The Shalom Kosher Market, Max’s Kosher Café & Catering and Signature Catering, more effectively promoting the company’s commitment to producing the highest quality products and customer service in the DC area.

The homepage effectively draws in visitors and facilitates easy navigation throughout the site.  Vibrant high-resolution food-themed images grab visitor attention on the homepage and boost visual appeal.  Flash animation with mouse scroll picture-to-text interchange bestows the site with a cutting-edge feel and increases user comprehension of the Shalom Group’s three primary businesses.

Visual redesign, font embedding, video, and the Joomla content management system help IMN Solutions better attract and engage clients.

Washington, DC. (October, 2010) — Full service association, foundation and meeting management company, IMN Solutions, recently launched a completely updated website created by DC web design firm, Blue Water Media.  The upgrade includes a visual redesign using new font embedding technology, a dynamic showcase on the homepage, numerous videos, and the award-winning Joomla content management system. The improvements make certain that IMN Solutions continues to utilize the “ power of the network” both domestically and in the global market.

The website is now more visually appealing.  Vivid high quality images and a dynamic showcase on the home page immediately entice all site visitors.  The precision and attention to detail achieved through font embedding and a consistent green blue and white color scheme makes the site appear more cohesive, professional, and polished. Not only is www.imnsolutions.com more aesthetically stimulating, it is significantly more user friendly.  The streamlined homepage and toolbar organized into sections “About IMN Solutions”, “Management Solutions”, “Meeting Solutions”, “Managed Organizations”, and “News & Media” ensures all users find what they are looking for easily and efficiently.

By Sergey Guryakov

If you scratch your head when someone mentions the general demise of print media over last few years, you live in a bubble (someone had to tell you). In an era where smart phones and iPads provide the public access to a virtually unlimited and ever-expanding mass of fresh content, Newspaper businesses (particularly local newspapers) simply cannot compete.

It’s not just the lack of fresh content that’s holding local newspapers back.  It’s their lack of connection to the public at large. While they print stories about people in the community, they don’t encourage reader involvement.  How does one reply back to an article, for example, that they feel completely misrepresents a story? Answer: They don’t!  Thanks to the birth of social media, however, newspapers’ long used “gate keeper approach” to information has given way to a more interactive two-way dissemination of news.