As our bios may indicate, a number of the Sage crew is passionate about animals! Our offices share a glimpse into our personal life and are decorated with photos of surf, family and of course…our pets. These ‘fur babies’ daily warm our hearts and inspire us to eagerly jump at the opportunity to support the local animal events! A couple months ago we supported the Carolina Canines, Walk for Those Who Can’t, and recently a few of us were at the Paw Jams 2010…and now we are excited to participate in the Dog Days Downtown tomorrow on May 29th! If you want to join the fun, check out more here, and we will see you there with leash in hand. It’s sure to be a ‘pawsitively’ fun experience!

Walk for those Who Can’t-2010

There was lots of exciting tech news announced last week during Google I/O. Everyone is talking about Google TV and thanks to my RSS feeds, I was able to stay up to date on news like Google’s purchase of Simplify Media, new apps for the Iphone and Android, and everything in between.  One update in particular that caught our designer’s eye was the release of free fronts by Google. On Wednesday Google  announced the release of 18 high quality open source fonts and a tool that can “smooth over browser issues”  in displaying the fonts. Web designers are pretty excited about the announcement.

“In an attempt to move beyond drab typography on the Web, Google on Wednesday released 18 freely usable fonts and an open-source tool designed to smooth over browser issues in displaying downloaded fonts.

A number of Web designers–if not all readers–are excited that newer browsers support downloadable fonts so sites can use more than the handful that it’s safe to assume are installed already on people’s computers. For every eyeball-searing grunge font and blood-pressure-raising instance of Comic Sans, there’s a tasteful use of an artful logo or distinctive text.

But font licensing rules mean a Web designer can’t necessarily upload any old font for a site. This is where Google’s move, announced at its Google I/O conference, comes in. The company released 18 fonts and also announced an interface that lets Web sites use them.”

Read full article here on cnet News.

When you get a moment, be sure to check out the new and improved Bento Box website. Completely redesigned and built within WordPress, this site includes classy rotating header images, an attractive interface and some really neat rollovers for the primary navigation. The original Bento Box site was built soley in Flash prohibiting Chef Lee to edit on his own, but this new site built in WordPress enables him the ability to manage the content, add pages and add posts to the blog portion of the site.

Last night I had a chat with a good friend about Twitter and Facebook. Over a glass of wine she told me she was bored with the two and ready for something new. “I got all the good stuff out of Twitter already,” she said. She owns a stock photography company and also sells brilliant handmade crafts. She relies on social networking tools to help market her brand, services, and products. Twitter was huge for her, as she quickly built up 1,000 plus followers of fellow craft buyers and sellers. But now she says it’s falling flat.

I posted this debate on Facebook and got several good responses. “What comes after Facebook and Twitter?” A funny response of “If I knew that I would be a bazillionare” was made, as well as a smart response from a smart guy who said Foursquare was the answer. Foursquare is indeed what’s hot right now: it takes the cake for hyper local interactions, and is spreading faster than you can say go. So yes, there’s always something newer and hotter, and in this instance I believe he’s right. More Foursquare-ish things are on the horizon.  And when my friend jumps on the bandwagon with the next new venue, I am sure the fresh interactions will be invigorating, and even lead generating. But the question for me is, how do you maintain your presence on any or all of these venues? How do you avoid falling flat or letting the well dry?

My answer to this question is the same as many real-life media experts: establish your own voice and personality, and don’t just try to sell to friends or followers. That gets old pretty fast, but your own persona will never go out of style.  If my friend has stopped getting social media leads, maybe it’s not the platform that’s the problem, but what she’s saying. Sure, the leads may have come much easier in the beginning, but now is when the real work must kick in. Start sharing relevant information, and not just about yourself. Teach people something, make them laugh, respond to others—in short, be a friend.  No matter what the next platform is, no one wants to run a business of hot and cold. So before you jump ship to the next new thing ask yourself: Are all the leads really gone, or did you just stop trying?

I am happy to announce yesterday we successfully launched the website for Ben Wright’s Broadway Project. As a former Broadway star, Ben Wright sought out our services to create an online presence for the Broadway Project—a national talent search inviting individuals to audition for an opportunity to perform in a NYC Showcase for Broadway industry professionals. After initial consultation, planning and logo development, we moved forward with the site build within a content management system. While developing the site, the Wright family did an amazing job of social media marketing by creating and updating a Facebook Fan page and spreading the word. After a short month, they already have over 2,000 fans! Not only does this site allow for individuals to participate in auditioning, it also allows for participation in online coaching. Complete with a unique look and layout for each page, the client is pleased with the end result and is looking forward to building the buzz and watching the Ben Wright’s Broadway Project grow!