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By Jules Allen, CIO

It’s said that dogs age at a rate that is seven times that of humans. That’s crazy we say. Once you get a puppy home from the breeder or shelter, they seem to age at the speed of sound. And somewhere in between is the ever-changing technology of the Web. Technology’s forward march waits for no man, woman or dog it seems.

Who could have predicted that Apple’s recently released iPad would cause such a kerfuffle around Adobe’s Flash? Two giant corporations with GDPs rivaling small nations postured, press released, and inspired a deluge of Tweets from pundits large and small. You may not be aware, but none of the Apple suite of mobile Internet products – iPad, iTouch or iPhone – will run Flash. Apple won’t allow it on any of them. “Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices,” says Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs. You can read more about Job’s thoughts on the topic at Wired.

So how does that affect you if you don’t even own one of these devices? Well, if your website is entirely Flash-based, or uses it for things like spiffy opening graphics or navigation, then anyone using one of these devices is locked out of that part of your website experience. Or if your call to action/strategic sales closer includes a Flash video, then nobody with an iDevice is going to see it, leaving them confused, no doubt.

“Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.” — Apple CEO Steve Jobs

A Web property is much like a owning a car: There’s regular maintenance, an occasional change of tires, replenishing fluids, and so forth. You wouldn’t dream of owning a car without thinking about these ongoing costs yet often this is what happens with websites. New browsers appear, entirely new platforms seem to drop out of the sky, and you’re doing yourself and your customers and prospects a disservice by not allowing them to interact with you. It’s now obvious that mobile compatibility is an essential part of a modern usable website, and this is a problem indeed.

Next up, Microsoft is striding toward releasing Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla’s FireFox 4 is just around the corner, and both browsers will be adopted en masse. Have you tested the pre-releases with your site? Aesthetics aside, if you have an ecommerce site and people can’t buy from you, you’re going to have to explain lost revenue to your CEO, board, or personal coffers. How will you know it’s not working other than an irate email from a prospect unable to buy from you?

BroadBased regularly reviews client websites for current and future compatibility issues and encourages you to do the same. Lost revenue, customer frustration and damage to your image are always more expensive than simple maintenance – even in the short term.

Posted in Web/Interactive Development

So what exactly does an Online Community Manager do? What type of skills do they need and how many hats do they wear? Dion Hinchcliffe’s article titled: Community management: The ‘essential’ capability of successful Enterprise 2.0 efforts will give you the skinny. For a snapshot understanding, view his infographic, below.

Posted in Marketing Planning, Web/Interactive Development

The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville recently enlisted BroadBased to give a facelift to their community-based online arts and entertainment website, ExperienceJax.com. ExperienceJax.com is a comprehensive, free resource for Jacksonville events and entertainment. Not only can you search the site to find out what’s going on each week, but users can also post an event for all of Jacksonville to see. Using existing artwork provided by the Cultural Council, BroadBased tweaked the site to be more graphically energetic.

In addition, BroadBased guided ExperienceJax.com in the planning and launch of a new Twitter account: Twitter.com/ExperienceJax. Follow them for advance news of arts, sports, and entertainment events. And the first 100 Twitter followers will be entered to win a pair of tickets to Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company, 8 p.m. November 27, courtesy of the Florida Theatre.

ExperienceJax.com is a service provided by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and is sponsored in part through a Culture Builds Florida grant from the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Jacksonville.

Posted in Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

So you’ve convinced the CEO that social media is here to stay and you’ve been given the green light to test a program. Now what? How do you use your internal and external resources most efficiently? Maybe you’re ready to jump in but prefer some guidance before the training wheels come off.

“BroadBased has a protocol to guide you to the right social media channels for your company,” says BroadBased’s Digital Media Strategist Tonisha Landry-Gaines. “Our steps include situation analysis, implementation, content development, customer acquisition, promotion and tracking. And just as with a traditional marketing strategy, there is no cookie-cutter answer that fits every company. Our recommendations are custom.”

Locally, The Blood Alliance is an example of a non-profit organization using social media to stay in touch with its audience. “Twitter and Facebook are just one part of a very comprehensive marketing plan,” says Valerie Collins, COO. “Tonisha has been very helpful in sharing best practices and providing structure and guidance to our team as we grow our efforts.”

Posted in Brand Development, BroadBased, Capabilities, Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

BroadBased Digital to Focus on Web, Application and Social Media Strategies, Implementation

Tonisha Landry-Gaines, Digital Media Strategist

BroadBased Communications, one of Jacksonville, Florida’s leading marketing and public relations firms, has announced it has expanded with the opening of BroadBased Digital. BroadBased Digital develops and implements web, application (app) and social media strategies and tactics.

“We are responding to the market and trends in our industry,” said Jan Korb, BroadBased founder and CEO. “In a truly integrated environment, we are able to offer our clients the most creative, effective and innovative traditional and non-traditional marketing and PR campaigns.”

Tonisha Landry-Gaines has joined the firm to serve as the division’s digital media strategist. Landry-Gaines focuses on digital strategies for mobile application development, website development and social media strategy.

Landry-Gaines has seven years of experience crafting and executing marketing outreach plans for non-profit organizations using events and both traditional and online media as methods of communication. Tonisha also serves as the director of social media for the First Coast Chapter of IABC (International Association of Business Communicators). She is a native of Panama City, Fla., and holds a B.S. in business economics from Florida A&M University and a certificate in instructional design systems.

BroadBased Digital was born out of client and market need for an organized, strategic, research-based approach to website development, social media, online marketing and mobile application development. The division works alongside the marketing and communications experts at BroadBased, including designers, marketers and public relations pros, to complement client campaigns and drive content for digital programs.

Posted in BroadBased, Corporate Communications, Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

Q&A with Jules Allen, CIO

Q: So why are these mobile devices getting so much business mindshare?

A: Look at sales figures from Apple or the domestic cell phone carriers, and you’ll see that these devices are still flying off the shelves. Regular old “dumbphones” are still selling, but the future belongs to the smartphone.

Q: Isn’t developing an app a lot of extra effort?

A: It’s another channel that’s been added to a business toolkit and a revolutionary one at that. Most businesses said the same thing in the early 90’s about the web, and by ‘97 any serious business had been on the web for a couple of years or so. I can’t think of a single business I’ve seen launch in the past five years that hasn’t had a web strategy.

Today we’re seeing the same shift as we saw in the 90’s. It’s not a question of will you get ready for mobile, it’s a question of how soon you can integrate it.

Q: iPhone or Android?

A: Short answer is ‘yes.’ Maybe Blackberry, too. Android devices have just started to outsell iPhones, but iPhones have been around a bit longer. They’re the top two for consumer focus. If you develop for the iPhone, you can also use much of that investment in an iPad app.

Posted in BroadBased, Capabilities, Web/Interactive Development

BroadBased welcomes Jules Allen as its new Chief Information Officer. His resume reflects his deep passion for what he does and includes titles such as Chief Technology Officer, Director of Internet Strategies through Director of Product Delivery, Security and System Integrity and Vice President of Persuasive Technologies. Also in that line-up is a lengthy stint as a technology correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times, and founder of “The Site Seeing” column, which is still in existence online.

“I have known Jules for nearly 20 years,” says BroadBased CEO Jan Korb, who shares a St. Petersburg, Fla., background with him. “He’s an innovator and strategic thinker in communications and technology. In our new collaboration, he is focused on advanced digital strategy development and implementation for our clients. He will be leading a new niche market for BroadBased that focuses on advanced Internet applications.”

Most recently, Allen was Chief Technology Officer for Widmeyer Communications, a public relations agency with offices in New York City and Washington, DC. Prior to that he was responsible for technical aspects of the Digital Strategies Group at Porter Novelli in Washington, D.C., working for clients such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Heart Association, Penske, IRS and FDIC.

“I see my role at BroadBased as helping to create very, very usable Web site applications — a lot more dynamic applications for clients,” Allen said. “We now offer capabilities — that did not previously exist in-house — to produce creative applications for the iPhone and Android devices. Mobile is huge, and for many these have become the sole ‘smart’ devices with which people interact.”

Allen is a resident of both St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C., and now will be a frequent visitor to Jacksonville. A native Englishman, he became a resident of the U.S. in the late 1980s. He loves travel and food, in addition to a passion for design. So it’s no wonder that on a recent visit to London he sought out two of his favorite destinations there — St. John Bread and Wine and the Design Museum to view the works of the former Braun products designer Dieter Rams.

You can contact Jules at Jules@bbased.com and follow him on Twitter at @JulesAllen.

Posted in BroadBased, Capabilities, Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

Over the years, we’ve seen many of our clients turn away from the elaborate, full-color, magazine-style annual report toward simpler, shorter print treatments. And many companies across the U.S. (as many as 75 to 85 percent by some estimates) have gone on-line with their annual reports, regardless of the size or breadth of their print version.

“What used to be a standard-bearer in the industry — the full-sized, glossy annual report — is no more for many companies,” said BroadBased CEO Jan Korb. “Our clients tell us that cost considerations and the movement toward more environmentally friendly communications have been influences. Many clients, even before this recent recession, had cut back to color ‘wraps’ around their 10-Ks. Although there will always be a need for a print version to some degree, the emphasis is on-line.”

The growing trend is toward more interactive components and “moving parts” in the on-line version of the annual report, Korb explains. “Video, either including the entire report or used to highlight management, products or special initiatives, is a trend that is catching on fast.”

Another feature to consider for your investor relations communications is a searchable, page-flippable, printable and web-linkable product to post to your Web site or corporate blog. These types of documents can easily be referenced from your print, email or on-line communications and greatly enhance your user experience. And they save you printing and mailing costs as well.

Whatever direction you take for your annual report this year, consider incorporating some of the new trends. Email jkorb@bbased.com to talk about non-traditional options.

Posted in Brand Development, BroadBased, Capabilities, Corporate Communications, Web/Interactive Development

So your company has experimented with social media over the last year and you “get it.” Now you’re ready to commit to a program and you want to do it right. How do you use your internal and external resources most efficiently? Are you ready to jump in but prefer some guidance before the training wheels come off?

BroadBased has created a research-based protocol to help you determine what social media channels are right for your organization. We’ll guide you through the planning, content development, launch and measurement of a social media marketing program.

“New tools are being created at an incredible speed and quantity,” says Sean Collins, Web Designer for BroadBased Communications. “Do you want to integrate your blog into an information highway that feeds your other channels? No problem. Have you been hoping for a tool that allows multiple internal departments to contribute to your social media feed? No problem,” says Collins.

Social media is just one component to an overall marketing and public relations plan. BroadBased follows a comprehensive process to identify each company’s external needs and internal resources. “Just as with a traditional marketing strategy, there is no cookie-cutter answer that fits every company,” says BroadBased CEO Jan Korb. “So we developed our own process, similar to the one we use for creating traditional marketing and PR strategies. This process is a logical guide to social media strategy development.”

How Does it Work?

Similar to traditional marketing and PR strategies, we begin with an audit of your resources and needs. This guides us in determining which social media channels will be the best complement to your existing marketing and PR programs. Then we review your goals, expectations, internal resources and budget before making our final recommendation.

Ready to Start?

Email jkorb@bbased.com to receive a Social Media Marketing Questionnaire, the first step to implementing your custom social media solution.

Posted in Brand Development, BroadBased, Capabilities, Marketing Planning, Public/Media Relations, Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

Richard Willich, the CEO and Chairman of MDI Holdings has fast become one of our area’s most watched CEOs. Not only is he the CEO of the largest employer in St. Johns County, he is also a historian, a veteran, a philanthropist and a man of deep spiritual faith. Having not been in the area as long as some of our most watched companies, he has often been misunderstood and/or relatively unknown in our market for his accomplishments and giving.

Recognizing how versatile the Web is for conveying ideas and sharing points of view, client Richard Willich asked BroadBased to develop a contemporary site reflecting his background and current perspectives.

Led by Web Designer Sean Collins, the team incorporated an array of narratives, documents and photos from Willich’s life experiences. Readers learn first-hand about Willich as a decorated U.S. Marine during the Vietnam era, through college, law school, pilot training, in business and his numerous philanthropic activities.

The public relations team at BroadBased also works for Richard to communicate his news to traditional and new media. Complementing the campaign is an ongoing media relations plan, a new media plan including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, making it easy to connect with Richard and learn about his projects.

The site will be constantly updated with his philanthropic projects and other news.

Visit www.richardwillich.com for a fascinating account of this patriot, businessman and conservative activist. He is certainly someone you should know!

Posted in BroadBased, Marketing Planning, Web/Interactive Development