We’re slowly getting the band back together, as Jeff rejoined the team, fresh (or not so fresh, as the case may be) from his camping trip. This week, we really delved into the things that make us unique as individuals, and more powerful together than the mere sum of our parts.

Logo Design

Astrid Salim, Creative Director

LogoLounge.com is one of the websites out there where you can see a compilation of logo trends from year to year. In recent years, I’ve noticed more logos are going towards 3D effects and web 2.0 style. While they are appealing to the eyes, they might not be easily applicable to different media. One of the rules for creating a logo is that it should be easily used in web and print, or in full-color and one-color, and there is a good reason why it is a rule. The 2010 logo trend that I see on LogoLounge.com has been influenced a lot by colors and transparency. Then try converting these logos into one color (ie. screen printing, embroidery, logo on merchandise, etc). Most of the logos suddenly lose their identity and personality. Some people say that in this era, technology is more advanced and there is less need to make the logo one-color. While it is true that what used to be done in one-color now can be done in full-color, it is definitely going to cost the company more money.

On the other hand, we are in the process of updating the YDOP logo, and I have been working on the logo development. Our new face is coming soon, so stay tuned!

Long-Tail Blogger Outreach and Facebook Landing Tabs

Daniel Klotz, Social Media Strategist

Chris Abraham wrote an article recently for the Agencyside blog outlining his agency’s method for conducting long-tail blogger outreach. I shared with the rest of the team how we can incorporate his tactics into the blogger outreach work we already do, and how we can use our existing tools in the additional ways he suggests. I also pointed out the few tips in a new article on Facebook landing tabs that supplement the information and ideas Astrid has shared in past weeks.

Content Is King

Jeff Burkholder, Engineer/Analyst

For my Resource Friday a few weeks ago, I had talked about one of the new features of the latest build of Safari: Reader. Basically, this feature extracts the content and specifically related images from a webpage, and allows the reader to see it in a clear, uncluttered format, superimposed over the old one. This removes ads, styling, and anything else that can prevent the reader from seeing the article itself. Well, just this week, a company called Flipboard released an app for the iPad that does the same thing as Safari Reader for Twitter and Facebook. This app pulls in feeds from your accounts on those sites, as well as news, photos and information from all sorts of other sites, and puts it into a magazine-themed aggregator with an intuitive interface, but without all the different stylings and ads. I pointed out to the group that as these style-neutral aggregators become more and more commonly used, it’s going to be important to remember that the content on a website is just as key as the way it looks. Potentially, even moreso, as we move forward.

In semi-related news, I pointed out that most email programs, both online and off-, now feature snippets of the text of the email in the email list. Because of this, it’s becoming more and more important to make sure that your email starts out with something that will interest the reader, and not just “Having troubles seeing this message in your email?”

Super Mario Whiteboarding?

Mike Newswanger, Lead Programmer

In addition to its extreme gaming success, the Wii’s accessories are capable of much more than Nintendo’s limits. Brian Peek, a software developer, created a library in C# to interface with the Wiimote. This library takes advantage of the ability to pair across Bluetooth with a computer, and expands the functionality of the Wii Remote significantly. Some of the features available for polling are:

• All input press and release events (aka user presses Up on the directional pad then releases)
• 3 Axis (including positive and negative results on each) values on the accelerometer to see which way the Wiimote is moving
• IR sensor data (capable of tracking up to 4 IR points simultaneously at a resolution of 1024×768)
• Access to controller add-ons such as Nunchuck data

By having access to this, many applications can be implemented through the Wiimote. One common application is a whiteboard, which can be set up using a Wiimote and up to 4 IR emitters (typically added to markers to give a natural feel) and a projector. The Wiimote faces the projector and provides an interface to the computer–very similar to how a mouse would work) by pointing at the Smart Board. It is moderately easy to implement and provides great functionality.

This week saw the departure of Lead Programmer David DeCarmine. While we’re sad to see him go, we’re excited for him about the new opportunities and challenges he’ll face in his next job. Regrettably, this also means the end of our supply of homemade apple butter. We’ll just have to find some way to carry on. On the bright side, we’re very excited to add Mike Newswanger to the YDOP team and look forward to his Resource Friday contribution next week.

Logo Design Essentials

Astrid Salim, Creative Director

I found this article from when I was in college about developing a logo. I thought it would be interesting to share since we were talking a lot about branding and logo this week. So today, I talked about 7 criteria for a good logo.

1. A logo has to have distinctiveness. A distinctive logo will not create confusion for the audience.
2. A logo has to be memorable.
3. The logo has to have good visibility. It has to be readable in different situations.
4. Next is usability. A logo has to be able to be translated well on different applications, like business cards, billboards, websites, merchandise, etc.
5. A logo has to have universality. We need to keep in mind whether the logo is reflective of what the company does.
6. Six is durability. Do not design something that is limited to a specific use/function/time.
7. Last but not the least is timelessness. A logo that is not outdated does not need to be changed, therefore, will be more memorable to the audience.

So keep these criteria in mind when designing a logo.

Facebook Privacy Changes

Daniel Klotz, Social Media Strategist

I walked the rest of the YDOP team through the Facebook privacy changes that were made in recent weeks and that are soon to be rolled out. In my mind, there are three key implications for the businesses, schools, and organizations we serve.

1. The ability to click a single button and block all Facebook applications will pave the way for many skeptics of the social networking service to embrace it. I have friends who’ve been on Facebook since it was limited to college students who have lamented what they see as the demise of Facebook from a simple, elegant site (one that broke away from the clutter and chaos of MySpace) into a commercialized time-suck full of notifications about friends’ achievements in Mafia Wars and Farmville. They will love the ability to block every stinkin’ application and get the “purist” Facebook experience they want. At the same time, the ability to block all applications will appeal to individuals who have so far avoided Facebook completely. A Facebook without applications is much more safe, closer to LinkedIn than MySpace.

2. Two long-standing best practices on Facebook remain unchanged. First, never write or share something on Facebook that you don’t consider public. Nothing on Facebook is “private,” it’s simply “not yet public.” Second, divide your friends into lists, and use those lists to give sophistication to your privacy settings. For instance, I block any friends in my “Professional” list from seeing my religion and political views.

3. Counting on Facebook as the provider of information about your customers and fans is looking like an increasingly bad idea. Facebook is making it easier for its users to shut out businesses who use Facebook applications, Facebook Connect, and Facebook pages and groups to keep tabs on their customers and communicate directly with them.

Always Be Testing, Ch. 2

Jeff Burkholder, Engineer/Analyst

I continued my survey (aka “book report”) on Always Be Testing, about Google Website Optimizer (for more on this, see last week’s Resource Friday post). This week, I focused in on the idea that knowing what to test is more important than even being able to test. GWO assists in the testing process by serving up different versions of sections of pages (or even completely different pages altogether) to site visitors, then allowing you to find which method produces more site conversions. You could also see what garners more clicks, longer “linger” time on a page, or just measuring whether or not visitors do anything different, depending on what version of the page they are served. Best things to test are headlines, as that’s what most people are initially attracted to/repulsed by. However, you can also set up tests that involve different calls to action, fonts, product images or reviews, form fields, or even shopping carts. All-in-all, it seems a very powerful tool, despite its free price point.

Mobile Marketing

Jonathan Arndt, Programmer

Today, I talked about how CSC (Common Short Codes) and SMS (Short Messaging Service, aka “texting”) can be the most profitable part of an ad campaign. Mobile devices are present in 87% of U.S. Households, and 96% of mobile phones can send and receive SMS messages. Not only that, but the response and opt-in rate for SMS ads can be two to three times that of other means of communication, such as e-mail or direct mail.

Even senior marketers say that they feel that are not reaching their campaigns are not reaching their full potential. These same senior marketers say they do not feel they have good insights into consumer behavior. But companies are starting to run structured scenarios, and listening to the results. And these structured results can be quantified, and can help marketers get the results they are looking for.

“Remarkability”

Steve Wolgemuth, Principal

Naturally I was concerned when Daniel logged into Facebook and announced that he was going to talk about his privacy. What would I learn (that could be potentially visually traumatic), and how would I follow his ten minutes on our Resource Friday at YDOP? But it turned out relatively PG and a great lead in to my subject of “being a remarkable employee who helps in leading a remarkable company that has remarkable service offerings.” It’s remarkable that I finished up in eleven minutes (just one more minute than my alloted time-slot), and everyone remained awake (one of the few advantages of being company owner).

But seriously, I carefully hired each of the amazing individuals around the table because I believe in their ability to be remarkable and to take a leadership type role in helping YDOP to become a remarkable company. That’s not just some huddle, grunt and run to the field ploy. I mean it, and did my best to cite specific examples of how this could work. We’ve been told by more than one local business person and even by a highly qualified business consultant that we have a unique and (if I don’t mind saying so), remarkable service offering available to our clients. There really aren’t other companies offering the type of approach that we bring to the table; and when well suited companies/organizations learn of our offerings, they typically hire us. But the paint will quickly wash off of Seth Goden’s purple cow – and in our case, that could be in a fairly short time-frame (when other companies start using our unique approach and model our systems and offerings). The race to remain remarkable will only be won as YDOP’s incredible staff chooses the risky path of setting their sights (sites) on being remarkable!