Spring is great, right?

Yeah… that’s what we thought too, until one of our web designers noticed something was going horribly, horribly wrong…

Basically, we’ve just had bees swarming into the office for two days now. Attempts to stop them seem only to have slowed them down.

Anyhow, below is a video of the monster colony hanging out outside our window.

Where did they come from? What do they want? No one will ever know…

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I was greeted this morning with the following email this morning from Matt DeVille, G.1440’s Creative Director:

Happy 40th Earth Day. I just found my inner Burt. Check it out http://www.findyourburt.com/gallery/453.

So, being a dutiful co-worker, loyal friend, and just plain old confused, I followed the link.  What I found was a cool little social marketing site put up by Burt’s Bees, a maker of natural & “earth-friendly” skin care & beauty consumer products.

User’s upload a photo, or activate their webcam, and their image is overlaid with the iconic bushy white beard found on Burt’s Bees mascot/logo.  After you’ve created your “inner Burt”, you’re encouraged to share this newly quirky version of yourself… Just like Matt did with me this morning.

It’s not a new idea, but it’s a great application of social marketing.  The tie-in to Earth Day is loose, and the application takes far too long to load (and I’m using the crazy high-speed connection at work – it must be awful at home!) but the concept is solid: tie users to your brand and encourage them to share it.

The key with this social marketing campaign is that users are essentially sharing themselves – after being touched up by the brand.  It’s far easier to encourage a user to share a funny picture of themselves than it is to ask them to share a video or article that’s all about you…

So, if you’re on a high-speed connection and in the mood to be amused, check out the link above.  Once Matt’s inner Burt loads, you can make your own and let the social Earth Day celebration begin!

The 14^th annual Webby Awards are in and we’ve got something to celebrate!  From more than 8,000 entries submitted fewer than 15% were distinguished as Official Honorees, and the Medi-CareFirst.com website designed and built by G.1440 was one of them.

The Webby Awards are the Internet’s equivalent of the Academy Awards and entries are drawn in from all 50 states and 60 countries worldwide. Winners are chosen by well-renowned judges at the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Members of this organization include: Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson, Internet Inventor Vinton Cerf and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. This award represents a certain standard of excellence and demonstrates the outstanding caliber of work here at G.1440.

The Webby Award categories are broken down into Websites & Mobile, Interactive Advertising, and Film & Video, and then further divided into subcategories of criteria. Medi-CareFirst.com was recognized under the Websites & Mobile category and was assessed on the following criteria: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.

Our excellent team of web designers and developers made this award possible – G.1440 boasts the best and most creative web designers in the region. Our Consulting Solutions team offers an extensive suite of products and solutions that help enhance our clients’ business and we have an unmatched reputation built over a decade for having high quality, on time, and on budget delivery. We offer company specific customized solutions – see for yourself! Our Design Portfolio showcases some of our websites, user interfaces, and marketing solutions.

G.1440’s award winning team delivered a website for Medi-CareFirst.com that possesses unparalleled qualities. The website has proven to be user-friendly, informative, and interactive, which has helped it succeed. This Webby Award proves that G.1440 uses innovative technology combined with technical expertise to help differentiate businesses from the rest of the pack.

Check out the website here for a look at its award winning quality design:  Medi-CareFirst

Bet you never thought about just how smart your “smart phone” really is.  Well, now you should.  In addition to managing your email accounts, voice calls, texting, Facebook, etc…your phone tracks your location and reports back to your carrier on a 1440 basis…that is, every minute of every day.

While this might surprise you, it really shouldn’t.  For example, how many of you are using Google Maps on your phone?  I happen to love this little app on my Blackberry.  I get driving directions, maps, satellite views anytime and anywhere.  I recently used this app in Puerto Rico and it didn’t miss a beat, but did you ever think that the phone has to know where you are to give you directions and…here is the surprise for most – this data is stored after it is created.  So your whereabouts are being recorded.  For most of us, this isn’t really a big deal as I don’t really care if someone knows that I went to Starbucks for a coffee…although my wife might think that I go there too much, so don’t tell her.  As a parent, I welcome the idea of knowing where my kids are. However, it is true that this data could be used inappropriately, and we need to make sure that it is protected.

Interestingly though, this data is proving to be a real asset in the fight against crime. Cell phones are increasingly being used to prove that criminals are travelling to a secret meeting or are at/near the location of crimes.  Law enforcement also has the ability (with the right authority) to listen in on the conversations these folks are having since your carrier can turn on your phone remotely and without you knowing it…just something else to think about.

You may want to keep your eye on this one.  There appears to be quite a debate raging.  Reports indicate that Barack Obama’s Justice Department insists it should have the authority to conduct such tracking without a warrant, although some judges aren’t buying it.

Man, I had no idea my phone was so smart!

This past Saturday was another well publicized milestone for Apple, Inc. – the release of the their latest gadget: the iPad. Praise, criticism, and massive discussions have the web bursting at its seams, and now businesses are asking the question: “What can the iPad do for us?”

Let’s start with the bad news for businesses (check out the article here):

1. Multitasking not an option.

2. No camera for video conference.

3. No Adobe Flash support.

4. No choice in wireless carrier for 3G network.

5. No output/input ports.

And the great business features that Apple promotes?

1. Email, Calendar, and Contacts a breeze to use and sync with other providers.

2. Secure data.

3. Powerful platform for apps.

4. iWork for iPad – create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, etc.

5. Anticipated accessories to adapt to the business person’s lifestyle.

Many have argued that the iPad with its lack of innovation and capabilities may just be a glorified version of the iPhone, maybe even and iPhone on steriods… Regardless, now that the facts are on the table I’m starting to wonder if the product was released simply to be released and rely on the brand’s success as opposed to the product quality. If “Apple” is so often described with “innovative”, I feel like something is missing here from their usual top notch performance. We all know that there are numerous advantages to being a first mover, but there’s also a huge risk of moving too fast.

Between cell phones, televisions and computers, our kids are spending an average of 7 and ½ hours a day in front of some type of electronic media.  TV…iPod…cell phone…computer.  For some kids, that’s as much if not more time than they spend in school!

The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a fascinating study on the interaction of kids and media…and (hopefully) to no one’s surprise, media consumption growing.   In 2004, kids were averaging 6 hours and 21 minutes per day…so in the past 5 years, consumption has grown 18%. Quite a jump.

One surprising statistic is that most parents don’t seem to realize how much time their kids are spending staring at some sort of screen…keep in mind that 7.5 hours/day is the average…heavy media users peak at 16 hours/day with light media users around 3.  This amount of time seems crazy, but if you take a minute and think about it…the time adds up quickly…think of all the time you spend on your Blackberry…from calls…to email…to texting…to photos…it is amazing and needs to be managed.

Some other numbers really jumped out at me…71% of kids have a TV in their room and 64% watch TV during dinner.   The number one recommendation for reducing the “over consumption” of media is to pull the TV out of the room.  Duh!  Of the 7.5 hours, TV amounts to approx 4.5 hours, with music at 2.5 hours, computers at 1.5 hours, video at a little over 1 hour and the cell phone at 49 minutes.  This is interesting to me…I have always thought my family was a little odd…but these numbers don’t reflect my family.  My kids are on computers over 2 hours/day doing homework – this may be because their school uses an online learning management system so they have to be online to get homework assignments and/or for online tutorials.   They also spend way more than 49 minutes on their phones (especially if you count texting!)  Lastly, TV time for my family is WAY below 4.5 hours as well. 

Here is some other interesting data…at least for parents…47% of heavy media consumers (16 hours/day) reported having lower grades in school compared with only 23% of light media users (3 hours per day).  So there appears to be correlation between too much media and not studying…who would have guessed…LOL.

So jump out and take a look at the study yourself…and see how your family stacks up.  I found it fascinating and it confirms that my family isn’t normal!  At last I have proof!

Good news and bad news…the good news is that new ideas on how to connect and communicate are still coming…enhancements to Facebook, Google Buzz…lots of good ideas.  The bad news is that folks seem to have forgotten that there are a lot of bad guys out there and you need to protect your social networks just as much as you need virus protection software for your pc and a firewall for your network.

Keep in mind that hacking has taken on a new strategy whereby the hacker gets in and keeps their presence quiet so that they can pick my opportunity to take advantage…no longer are they just attacking…hackers are in stealth mode and your social network is a great target.  Also note that hackers post successes for others to read…so that when one gets in, the rest can follow.

Social networks are the new big “Greenfield” opportunity for hackers.  People are forgetting that your network has a ton of info about you and a ton of info about your friends.   I have been seeing reports of Facebook hacking scams where a hacker gets in to your page, changes the password so that you cannot get in and then scams your friends by telling them you are trapped in some foreign country and need money.   Your friends respond by sending you money…only problem is that you don’t get the money…the hacker does.    Facebook has a form that must be filled out if your account has been compromised.   Make sure that you know where to find it on their site as it might come in handy some day.

Other tips include limiting the info that is on your page…don’t have your complete birthday (just the month and date are good enough) and don’t put your full name or address or cell number on the page.  Also watch out for information that you unwittingly include…such as your schools name on a sweatshirt or a license plate on a car.  Hackers are smart people…don’t forget that…and your friends already know how to get in touch with you.  Also make sure that you review the privacy settings…don’t just go with the default.

Google Buzz…you have to love the notion of using your email list to automatically create your social network.  I think that this is a great idea because the people that I email all the time are great candidates for my social network.  Only problem is that my contacts could become publically available.  Don’t worry as Google is fixing the issue, but this is a great example of a well meaning company making a mistake.  Google is getting real serious about social networking and Buzz won’t be the last we hear from them.

So what is the bottom line…for me it is that you have to pay attention to the details and make sure you information is protected no matter where it is stored.

The worst of the recession looks to be over and companies are starting to hire again.  Great news.  So if you are in the market to find a new job or career – then where do you look?  The same is true if you are just coming out of college and are looking for employment that might not be in your main field of study.   Since I have spent the last 20 years in tech, I may be biased, however I recommend technology.

The demand for tech is continuing to grow with many tech jobs remaining in demand during even the bottom of the recession.    AND…technology jobs are going to be one of the first to return…I have already seen this to be true with IT job demand since the January 1!

So if you aren’t a techie, but want to be…or at least think about it…what positions are the most in demand?

Well, the folks at Network world did some research and came up with the following listing…I am only going to directly discuss the first two and add one that is not on the list.  The entire list can be found at www.networkworld.com.

First on the list is Security specialist/ethical hacker.   Most websites are Swiss cheese and hackers are having a fun time hacking in to everything they can.  There are even websites that list sites that are vulnerable and how to break in.   Want to be surprised…go to YouTube.com and search on “hacking how to” videos…there are plenty of them.  This is going to be a major field, so get in now, with the Wash/Balt region becoming the epicenter for IT security for the world – you can’t go wrong.

Next on the list is Virtual Systems Manager.  If you aren’t familiar with the concepts of Software as a Service (Saas) and Cloud technologies, take a few minutes and read up on these topics.  Predictions are that more than 50% of all software will be purchased using a Saas model – meaning that you will pay as you go.    Cloud technology and virtualization allow for companies to significantly reduce their risk and costs by using technology computing resources that are “in the cloud”..you no longer need to know where your servers are…let someone else worry about it and cut your costs by 50%.  Amazing.

Other positions on the list include Capacity Manager, Network Engineer, Open Source Specialist, Service Assurance Manager, Electronic Health Records Manager, Sourcing Specialist, Service Catalog Manager and Business Process Engineer.  All good jobs and worthy of some research should you be interested in choosing a new career.

Also give some thought to a Social Media Analyst.  These folks are very much in demand as everyone works to grapple with the best way to utilize Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare to create and maintain communities of friends, clients, customers, prospects, vendors…Being able to do a little HTML will dramatically raise your price tag for this position.

So the good news is that companies are starting to hire and tech positions are one of the first to gain momentum.    Do some research and jump in…a bright future awaits.  If you want more information on what the Baltimore business community is looking for in IT positions, feel free to visit www.g1440.com and check our list of positions that businesses are looking for.

Ever heard the term…”it takes a village”…well, Mark Randall, a local entrepreneur has launched The Athlete Village.  If you haven’t heard about this site, I believe you will.

Launched on January 19^th, www.theathletevillage.com was built to create an online community of swimming coaches and swimming enthusiasts for the purpose of making you a better swimmer and building community.  Cool idea and joining the village is free.

Let’s face it…most folks are competitive and we all love to win.  What is the major difference between many successful athletes and many unsuccessful athletes?  Professional experienced coaching.

Athlete Village solves this issue by offering online technical analysis of your swimming stroke…and for only $49.   All you need to do is upload a video on the site, and you get access to some of the best coaches in swimming…they will give you feedback, advice and pointers on how to improve.  Now, the really good coaching that used to be only available to the top swimmers is now available to everyone!

The Athlete Village is really an online “village”…and provides an online meeting place for athletes and coaches to share experiences, knowledge, guidance, and just to get together with other villagers with similar interests.   Athletes love to hang out and learn/chat with others of similar interests.

“There is a large community of swimmers out there – a community that includes beginners, kids looking for better times to get college scholarships, masters swimmers, recreational swimmers, and triathletes –and they are looking for ways to improve,” said Scott Riewald, performance technologist for The US Olympic Committee and Athlete Village coach. “We don’t intend on replacing existing coaches or swim camps but rather want to provide access to other resources and a greater number of experts than is readily available to most swimmers along with a community site to host the exchange of information”

And swimming is just the beginning…many sports will fit in to this model…so stay tuned and keep checking out as Mark and his team continue to roll out new sports.  I can’t wait for golf…because I could certainly use the help!  Come on Athlete Village…what is wrong with my wedge…it IS my wedge right…and not me…right?   It has to be the club…couldn’t be me…right?

Baltimore, MD, January 4, 2010 – G.1440 today announced the completion of an agreement to be acquired by Constellation Software, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Constellation HomeBuilder Systems. The talent and technology of G.1440 will remain in Baltimore, where the company will continue to operate under the same name and management team. With a portfolio of over 20,000 customers in over 30 countries, Constellation will help solidify G.1440’s position in the market and help it grow as Baltimore’s technology leader.

Founded in 1998, G.1440 provides a range of technology services, including web design, online marketing, custom application development, and IT staffing. The Baltimore company’s depth and range of services made it attractive to CSI.

“By bringing expert teams in web design, marketing, development, and tech staffing together, G.1440 offers a hybrid solution unlike any we’ve seen,” says Dexter Salna, President of Constellation HomeBuilder Systems. “With a 12 year history of growth fueled by repeat business from an impressive client list that includes many of Maryland’s premier companies, G.1440 was a natural fit for the Constellation family.”

“With Constellation we’re in an even better position to empower our clients through technology,” said Larry Fiorino, G.1440’s President and Founder. “We’re excited that CSI has recognized what our clients have experienced – the immense value that our design, development, marketing, and staffing teams bring when they work together. This acquisition is great news for Baltimore!”

Financial details of the acquisition are not being made public.

About Constellation Software, Inc.

Constellation Software Inc. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “CSU”. Constellation is an international provider of market leading software and services to a number of industries across both the public and private sectors. The Company acquires, manages and builds vertical market software businesses that provide mission-critical software solutions to address the specific needs of its customers in those industries. Constellation Software, Inc. is in no way affiliated with Constellation Energy – a Baltimore based energy company.

About G.1440, LLC.

G.1440 is a 12 year old Baltimore based technology firm that provides End-to-End IT solutions that Get IT to Work for leading companies nationwide. With services including custom web application development, web design, online marketing and tech staffing, G.1440 stands out by offering hybrid IT solutions – the right mix of technology, the people, and price – working with clients however clients need us to. G.1440 was founded by Larry Fiorino in 1998 and was previously a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Media Inquiries
Tim Kassouf
marketing@g1440.com
(410) 843-3823