http://ccideas.com Ideas. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:15:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://ccideas.com/chatter/high-resolution-images-vs-low-resolution-images-a-short-primer-for-beginners/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/high-resolution-images-vs-low-resolution-images-a-short-primer-for-beginners/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:06:33 +0000 Michelle http://ccideas.com/?p=1994
You may ask yourself, “Why am I having to do this? My picture is very good quality and very clear!” After all, it looks GREAT on your computer monitor, right? But digital media works completely differently than print media. And one of the big differences is how each medium handles resolution.

Very briefly, the resolution of an image or picture describes the detail (or information) an image holds. The higher the resolution, the more detail the image has, because there is more information. Information translates to “pixels,” which are the different colored “dots” that make up an image. The more pixels there are makes the image more vivid and detailed to the naked eye. If an image has very few pixels the image will appear to be “pixelated”—the pixels look like squares all joined together—but you know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve ever printed something off the internet (and who hasn’t?).

DPI stands for “dots per square inch.” This is the measurement printing companies use to determine how sharp an image is. Photos or images used for online or web graphics can be at low resolution (72 DPI) and will look FABULOUS on a computer screen. But try to print those same pictures and they’ll look horribly pixelated. For printing purposes images should be 300 DPI or better. See the photos below that I pulled off Google: even though you’re looking at this on a computer screen—and I guarantee this a low resolution graphic—it clearly demonstrates how a printing press will translate a low resolution graphic.



Now don’t get me wrong, if you’ve got a bad image to start with—something grainy, already pixelated, or muddy color—just because it’s high resolution isn’t going to fix it…it will just be a high resolution bad image, and it WILL print that way!

So the next time you want something printed, think high resolution graphics and images—it’ll go a long way in the professionalism and quality of your printing!

Questions, anybody?

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/high-resolution-images-vs-low-resolution-images-a-short-primer-for-beginners/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/super-bowl-ads-2012-edition/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/super-bowl-ads-2012-edition/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:08:31 +0000 Nicole http://ccideas.com/?p=1992
This year proved to be the year of the dog and LMFAO. Volkswagon hit it big with their Star Wars inspired commercial “The Bark Side” featuring a canine choir. Doritos, Bud Light, and Sketchers also went with man’s best friend—a wise choice as these were also some of the most popular of the night with viewers. Bud Light and M&M’s featured the “Sexy and I Know It” singers and halftime performers. However, my personal favorite was promo for Season Two of The Voice featuring everybody’s favorite funny lady, Betty White.

http://www.hulu.com/adzone/2012/watch/326503/adzone-nbc-the-voice-season-2

If you missed the commercials or just want to re-watch your favorites, Hulu has ranked the top commercials of 2012 Super Bowl based on views and Facebook likes and can be viewed here. http://www.hulu.com/adzone/2012

So let me ask you, which was your favorite?

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/super-bowl-ads-2012-edition/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/sopa-box/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/sopa-box/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:20:10 +0000 Dennis http://ccideas.com/?p=1955
In protest to the pending SOPA legislation within Congress, many major Web sites went offline (sort of) for one day. SOPA (or Stop Online Piracy Act) in general would give power to the U.S. attorney general’s office to block U.S. based Internet access to offending Web sites. This would supposedly be put into action by serving court orders to the primary/main Internet service providers.

According to the legislation, the SOPA act is intended to prevent, or at least disrupt, the copyright infringement business that may occur on offshore target businesses, where U.S. courts would have little or no litigation options. According to a comment by executive VP for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, these offshore “rogue” Web businesses steal away some 19 million American jobs via their criminally-operated businesses.

So why all the fuss? Why would major Internet names like Google, Yahoo, AOL, WikiPedia, WordPress (and many others) all use their considerable influence to make so much noise against such an obviously good cause? Perhaps because they feel this is all just a little too close to actual censorship of the Internet…government controlled censorship.

The biggest fear of course is that the whole court-ordered blocking process could become abused, or taken out of context in certain cases. There could be scenarios where competing online businesses could flail each other with copyright infringement claims to gain an advantage, and then quite possibly offending sites could fall into a quagmire of “guilty until proven innocent”, etc.

How can any one country, or any one government, protect their own interests in a space which they cannot control? One thing’s for sure, the Internet continues to change (and shrink) the world like nothing ever has before.

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/sopa-box/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/help-stop-sopapipa/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/help-stop-sopapipa/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:11:17 +0000 Sarah http://ccideas.com/?p=1953 our basic internet freedoms are being threatened and we want to alert our clients and friends.



For even more information on these issues:
http://americancensorship.org/ ]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/help-stop-sopapipa/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/you-can-always-get-what-you-want-and-need/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/you-can-always-get-what-you-want-and-need/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:09:02 +0000 Mona http://ccideas.com/?p=1943
But it’s so important to know what you can and cannot do when it comes to promoting your company. Maybe saving money and being efficient does NOT include managing your website, or blogging, or taking care of the monthly ins-and-outs of marketing your business. And maybe the advertising/marketing aspect of your business does not warrant a full-time employee (and all that THAT entails). If that’s where you are, it may behoove you to consider hiring a company on a monthly retainer basis to take care of those things for you. Think about it: a full marketing department that is at your beck and call for a designated period of time every month. Need an ad designed and placed in that industry pub next month? Need your website updated with your latest blog…or need the blog written? Need a postcard designed and mailed out to promote a special? One email or phone call, and you’re done. The onus is on the company to produce for you.

Our goal is to be your single source when it comes to marketing and advertising your business. Whether it’s putting together a website and teaching you how to use it and be effective, or handling EVERYTHING for you, we work within your budget to create and maintain your branded message with measurable results.

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/you-can-always-get-what-you-want-and-need/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/pinterest-a-marketing-tool/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/pinterest-a-marketing-tool/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:14:35 +0000 Nicole http://ccideas.com/?p=1930
I am currently using the site to gather ideas for my wedding—but, with categories like architecture, art, design, food and drink, humor, sports, travel, and men’s and women’s apparel—there is a category that fits just about everyone’s “pinterests.”

From a marketing standpoint, this is a godsend because the site provides a multi-faceted platform allowing businesses direct access to potential and current customers.

Here are just a few ways Pinterest can be used: Product Promotion
Retailers like Nordstrom, Gap, and Land’s End have created makeshift online catalogs to advertise their latest products.



Market Research
Companies can follow users to find out what interests them and track what is trending.

Relationship Building
One of the key principles to keep in mind when your business is engaging in social networking is the 80/20 rule. No more than 20% of your posts should directly talk about yourself and your product or service—you do not want to inundate customers with pushy sales pitches . Instead, you should focus on the other 80%—engaging people in conversation—that’s why it’s called “social” media. In the case of Pinterest you can offer your followers tips and insight—make a connection on a more personal level. If you’re a company that specialized in home decor, offer up ways that people can decorate for the holidays on a budget. Or if you’re a clothing retailer, share the top trends of the season. Provide compelling content so that people will remember you and the sales will come naturally.

You may ask, “Why is this better or different from other social media efforts I already make?”. First of all, you have a direct connection to demographics like the 20-something female and Moms—both of which have tremendous buying power in certain retail sectors. Secondly, with how complex Facebook is becoming for some of it’s members, the simplicity of Pinterest with it’s basic visuals is very refreshing and in turn, engaging. And third, it provides a way for people to go back again and again and look at what you post. With Facebook, it can be insanely difficult to track down a post that was put up even a few weeks ago—with Pinterest you have all of your visual representations in one organized place.

I could go on and on touting how wonderful I think Pinterest is, but I invite you to check it our for yourself—and be warned, the site is insanely addicting…I know I’m only one of many in need of “pintervention.”

Click here to check it out: http://pinterest.com

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/pinterest-a-marketing-tool/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/it%e2%80%99s-cool-to-be-wrong/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/it%e2%80%99s-cool-to-be-wrong/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:47:54 +0000 Paul http://ccideas.com/?p=1924
As a young boy, I could not wait to “grow up” and become an astrophysicist, a teenage mutant ninja turtle, archeologist, architect, fire fighter and a family physician (you can laugh at my childhood dreams, I am). But somedays I still feel like that little brown boy who giggled spontaneously during class, chased cute girls around the playground or doodled while the teacher was lecturing about Christopher Columbus sailing the ocean blue. Now that I am nearing my mid 20’s, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. You can sense the frustration in my parents when they hear these words coming from the mouth of a college grad. Their glare of disappointment and cynicism stings a little, but inspires me to keep dreaming.

I did bounce around schools during my college career; changed my degree twice; travelled into the mountains to find my inner self. Finally, grace voluntarily pushed me across the graduation stage. I am willing to bet you have had similar experiences like these soul searching journeys. To me, the most fascinating sensation of all this is the obscurity of tomorrow. As much time as I spend calculating and dreaming of tomorrow, I don’t exactly know how my ideas will manifest. If you allow me to be perfectly honest, I am dead wrong most of the time! And you know what? This is totally cool with me.

Life has taught me that it is ok to take my share of risks and blind turns and turn out being wrong. I leave space in my life for a huge margin of error. Errors are a beautiful pattern to life and if you allow them, they can force you to discover new possibilities.

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/it%e2%80%99s-cool-to-be-wrong/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/socially-yours/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/socially-yours/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:45:57 +0000 Dennis http://ccideas.com/?p=1901
I don’t mind that a social network I participate in has any personal info on me, as long as I’m in control of it and I know what it’s being used for.  What I do mind is when it becomes difficult or too confusing to control the way my information is used and/or exposed.

Tech writer Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols recently called attention to the myriad ways that Facebook can potentially invade your privacy.  He also pointed out the difficulty now faced (even by knowledgeable users of social media) in keeping up with all the privacy-related features that you should be constantly monitoring and/or tweaking.

A major software company like Facebook, for example, who undoubtedly has teams of top-notch developers.…they can’t make the process of safeguarding privacy anymore straightforward and simplistic?  That just makes me think they have some other intent in mind besides watching out for me.

The obvious concern for me is that some of these companies will use my personal information for their marketing efforts, most of which I probably did not knowingly elect to be a part of.  The bigger concern is that my personal information could possibly be sold outright to unauthorized parties for some much more sinister purpose.

Supposedly there are various sites now that attempt to inform you about what’s on the Internet about you.  One of many, but try out your name on Spokeo to find out what’s known about you…it’s kinda creepy.  But even lots of these “helpful” sites are just simply for profit themselves and, you guessed it, some of them want more of your personal information before they will divulge any details.

Funny side of it all…

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/socially-yours/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/chatter/holiday-marketing-for-procrastinators/ http://ccideas.com/chatter/holiday-marketing-for-procrastinators/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:16:08 +0000 Mona http://ccideas.com/?p=1893
Today, before it gets too late, I want to focus on holiday marketing for small-to-medium product and service business owners (retail is another blog!). If your company offers a specific product or service, no matter if it’s business-to-business or business-to-consumer, the holidays are a great time to remind your clientele of three things:

1) You’re HERE!
2) You have some product or service that you are supplying at a special rate for the holidays.
3) You’re happy/privileged/grateful that you have them as a client.

Now obviously, this takes a little upfront planning—especially item #2. While the larger your company is usually dictates how much further in advance you need to plan, mom-and-pop shops really just need a couple of months… with an extra month for planning. Your holiday marketing efforts (Christmas/holiday cards and corporate gifts decided upon and ordered, holiday mailers being designed and printed, etcetera) should be in production by the last week of October.

In all reality, the chances of this happening for 95% of small business owners are not, well, realistic.

But here’s the real deal: while we all want our businesses to thrive over the holidays, item #3 above is the most critical to keep your company thriving over the next year. Everybody wants to be remembered. Everybody wants to feel like they’re appreciated. Everybody likes to “get something,” it almost doesn’t matter what it is. (But if you give them something really cool or useful—or both!—your company WILL get remembered, I guarantee it!)

So even if you’ve procrastinated in your holiday marketing this year, just remember that taking care of item #3 will reinforce item #1 for the coming year. It really is worth the effort.

Now, go ahead and put it on your calendar to start thinking about 2012’s holiday season next September!

]]> http://ccideas.com/chatter/holiday-marketing-for-procrastinators/feed/ 0 http://ccideas.com/laugh/laugh-29/ http://ccideas.com/laugh/laugh-29/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:25:42 +0000 Sarah http://ccideas.com/?p=1880 a tired bird.”
Best diss ever.

Play Me!]]> http://ccideas.com/laugh/laugh-29/feed/ 0