For those of you that don’t know, Mr. Kassouf (G1440’s Marketing Manager) and I not only share a passion for all things internet related, but we also share the same Alma Mater…Go Tigers! Recently, we bumped into one another at a Towson College of Business and Economics event and started discussing, Twitter. After some back and forth banter and POV’s on Twitter, Tim asked if I would guest blog on the topic. According to him, I’m “twitterific.” I’m not quite sure how to take that…

I could discuss best practices or opportunities that exist for you or your business, but as Tim put it, “there’s about a million of those out there,” and who wants to read another one of those. However, Tim posed another question, “how Twitter fits into the culture here in Baltimore?” Now there is a better question! I love Baltimore, and I love Twitter! From my perspective, Twitter has had an interesting and noticeable impact on the local culture.

First example, “Let’s Have a Tweet-Up!” I can’t tell you how many of those I have been to or invited to lately. Using services like twtvite.com local restaurants/bars, bed and breakfasts, and even firms have been sponsoring these twitter-based meet-ups. The interesting part is that these are open events that anyone can attend. The result is an eclectic mix of Baltimorean’s getting together to build meaningful relationships both personal and professional.

Second example, “I’m Gonna TwitPic That!” This example is more specific to me in anecdote but I know others have shared this experience. Using the service TwitPic.com, people have been posting interesting pictures of locations and events that I didn’t know existed. There are so many amazing places here in Baltimore, with wonderful architecture and history that are unfortunately, not well known. Recently, these locations have seen a revival of visitors because of twitpic’s and tweets.

You’re probably thinking, “those are two good examples but what else is there?” Well, in true social fashion, I am going to use my 2,000^th twitter post to ask the local twitter community to share their stories and perspectives in the comments section of this post.

Next week, we’ll revisit this post and discuss some of the most interesting comments.

A couple weeks back, I was given the chance to share my thoughts on the new Recovery.gov website in an article that was published in the Baltimore Sun.

Here is the complete text of my commentary, which was edited (thankfully…) for inclusion in the paper:

“President Barack Obama’s newly launched Recovery.gov is aesthetically similar to the new WhiteHouse.gov. The design is sparse and straightforward, with emphasis put on communicating information clearly and effectively. The site employs very clear, uncomplicated information graphics to communicate where the stimulus package money is being spent. Additionally, a draggable timeline allows users to experience the history of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The tone of Recovery.gov is more conservative than Obama’s campaign site. This is reflected both in the typography and the color palette. For example, Recovery.gov uses serif fonts extensively, whereas the campaign relied heavily on Gotham, a modern sans-serif font produced by Hoefler & Frere Jones. Additionally, the color palette has shifted to a more subtle pairing of royal blue with greys, golds, and variations on the blues that dominated his campaign site.

Recovery.org has been launched as a work in progress. It promises to change and evolve as milestones are met. Where it may lack in vibrancy, it shines in its use of interactive elements. On the homepage, users can view an address from Obama. Using YouTube to deliver the video allows the message to exist outside of the site and increases the chances that the video will go viral.

Users are encouraged to share their “recovery stories” and the site promises to publish collected stories in the future, which hints at the site’s goal of building a community.

Also of interest is that the site appears to use Drupal as its content management system. Drupal is an open source PHP-based CMS that is supported by a large user base. Choosing Drupal as the platform of choice for this site shows that Obama’s team is committed to delivering change and doing so without being beholden to any proprietary systems.

All in all, it is an exceptional start to what will be a very important website.”

Since the article was published there have been some changes to the site, including the use of a new logo. My expectation is that the site will continue to grow and change over time. The selection of a flexible and modular CMS (Drupal) will help the team behind the site continue to add to it and change it as needed. Interested in using the same CMS on your site that our new President is using to run his site? Drop us a line!

Most of us know the pain of job seeking – and for some, it’s been especially hard recently! Over a million fewer jobs were posted online in January than 2 months prior, marking the sharpest decline since 2005.  The job seekers in December outnumbered open positions by 7.3 million. Not only does this paint a scary picture for the job seekers, but with more people applying to a smaller selection of jobs, employers have to sort through a larger amount of applications, taking away vital work hours.

A survey in 2005 reported 90% of companies in Northern America use staffing services to hire temporary and permanent staff. These companies are on the right track!  A staffing firm, like G.1440 (the best for IT Staffing!), can save a company a significant amount of time and money in making sure the right candidate is chosen for the job.  In this economy, no one can afford to sift through the ever growing pool of applicants looking for the diamond in the rough – which is why we’re excited to be a staffing agency that’s always focused on bringing a handful of quality candidates rather than a stack of papers.

And, of course, if you’re looking for a position – don’t be afraid to check out a staffing firm!  Agencies like ours are aware of job openings much faster than Internet job boards because of the relationship with upper management. And, contrary to what you might think – a staffing firm isn’t competing for your salary.  Companies pay the best agencies to find the best talent – often for a commission based on a placemen’t pay. Who woudn’t want an advocate on their side fighting for the most money possible?

It’s scary out there.  Maybe we can help!

Don’t you hate it when you miss an episode of your favorite TV show? Everyone else is talking about what happened and you’re out of the loop……well, now you don’t have to be. You can watch TV shows and movies and web clips anytime you want. Hulu.com lets you become the ultimate couch potato….no matter where you are.

Hulu.com is a TV station for your computer. Shows such as 24, the Simpsons, E! News Now, Saturday Night Live, Chuck and movies like Rocky, Liar-Liar and Dragon Heart are ready and waiting for you. Hulu is about a year old and over 24 million people visited Hulu in January of 2009…..pretty amazing.

The site is very easy to use…..you literally just click and start watching. Commercials are limited to one short commercial at the beginning of the show and then you are off and watching.

On the site you can sort the shows by title, air date, most popular today, most popular all time and recently added. Also, as you watch, it finds more content for you based on your preferences….I didn’t see this advertised as a feature, but I am certain that as I searched the site for content, it started showing me more content of the same genre.

If you sign up for an account, then you can post reviews as well as maintain a video queue and add videos to it for future viewing. In addition, you can subscribe to shows and Hulu will add new videos to your queue automatically as well as giving you the opportunity to participate in Hulu’s discussion boards to write viewer reviews.

I like the user experience and enjoyed watching a few shows in researching this column. I am never going to be out of the loop with 24 again!!!