Lunch and Learn with Adam: Google App Engine

Posted on June 17, 2013 by
Google App Engine Lunch and Learn

Adam, our Designer & Developer, shows us how he uses Google App engine

Getting all the nuts and bolts for a web application can get complicated. Google has stepped in to make building web applications easier with App Engine. App Engine allows developers to build web applications using the same technology that powers all Google apps – all with Google Cloud. It enables businesses to build, run, and maintain their app in a secure environment.

Using App Engine

The other week, Adam, our Designer & Developer showed us how he’s used the Google App Engine to build one of his many web apps – an online classifieds community on Google Island. The app enables people on the island to sell their items and complete credit card transactions online using Stripe.

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How Hawaii’s Tourism Website Manages Global Content

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

Hawaii's Tourism Website Case Study

As a global destination, The Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau (HVCB) needs to be able to tailor their content for Hawaii’s official tourism website for a global audience. The Hawaiian Islands brand creates global marketing content for their six major islands for nine target markets: USA, UK, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Australian and New Zealand.

That’s over 54 websites not including the pages for each region and the additional tailored content HVCB creates for their markets!

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WATIR and Cucumber in Plain Language

Posted on June 10, 2013 by
Cucumber automated testing

Cucumber is an automated testing tool our team uses as part of our Agile development process.

We’ve been learning about some pretty neat things around here. A few weeks ago, Garry, our Director of Professional Services gave us a quick lesson at our weekly Lunch and Learn on WATIR and Cucumber testing.

Today, I had the chance to sit down with Garry to learn a bit more from a non-technical perspective about automated testing tools.

Our team uses automated testing tools like WATIR and Cucumber as part our Agile development process. By automating tests throughout development, we’re able to find errors in our code and fix them on an ongoing basis – rather than wait until the very “end” of the project.

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Rocky Mountaineer Launches Free Upgrade Offers

Posted on June 6, 2013 by

Today, connecting to customers with relevant content is more important than ever. By using geo-targeted offers, businesses can create marketing messages and offers tailored to a specific location. Geo-targeting allows businesses to be anywhere their customers are at any time they want to be.

Rocky Mountaineer Free Upgrade Offer

Rocky Mountaineer travelers can book now until June 28th for a free upgrade offer

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Our Meatless Monday Lunch and Learns

Posted on June 3, 2013 by

Meatless Monday

The City of Vancouver has proclaimed June 10th as Meatless Monday.  Although every Monday for us is meatless, we’re still pretty excited. Every week, we hold a Lunch and Learn where our team chows down on a vegetarian lunch made by Michael, our CEO. Being an omnivore, I must say these meals are always delicious and filling. This weekly event is a great way to start a week off and reconnect with other team members. It’s also a great chance to learn about what other people on the team are working on or learning about.

But I was curious to learn more about our chef and his idea behind our lunch and learns. So I sat down with Michael and asked him a few questions. Continue reading →

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Does a New Marketing Director Mean a New Website?

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

From working on both agency and client side, I’ve found it extremely common for new Marketing Directors to launch a new website as one of their priorities.

Content Strategy for New Website

Learn about your target market and develop a content strategy with different departments in your organization.

I must admit I did just that many years ago. Today, in the same situation, my approach would be totally different before I decide to commit my budget and time resources on a new web project.

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Developing a Global Web Strategy To Gain New Business

Posted on November 14, 2012 by

International marketing is no longer an option but a strategic imperative.

Global Web Strategy

As companies expand into global markets, they must be able to adapt to their target market’s cultural, linguistic and business context.

Prior to the current market turmoil of the U.S. and Europe, savvy business leaders turned their eyes abroad, where greater access to the Internet, high population growth, and improved purchasing power have created an increase in demand for foreign products and services.

As you expand further and faster into these global markets, you must adapt your web presence to target key populations in their native languages. The shift to a truly global audience compels companies to adopt a web strategy that conveys information in the cultural, linguistic, and business context of their target audience — a concept known as web globalization.

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Elephant in the Room

Posted on September 23, 2012 by

The elephant in the room – CONTENT

Lets start with a little story telling. It’s probably a familiar scenario for many folks out there. The story is called “The Elephant in the Room”
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