One Internet, One Internet Company

Building a brand is hard work. So is maintaining one. That’s why it’s important to hire the right people to help curate your image and message.  Several times a week, we get emails from India-based SEO and web design companies; telling us how they can put us on the first page of Google’s searches or design a website for a few hundred dollars a month. 

Our initial reaction is almost always, “Do they even do research?” We do the exact things they are offering to do for us. Then, one day, it occurred to us, they probably get a lot of business by offering their services to other “web design” companies. Everything Clever Ogre does is done in-house. We don’t farm out any work, but there are agencies out there that do. To some, there may seem to be advantages to shopping work around for the best deal. They like the idea of getting web design here, SEO there, and email and hosting somewhere else…we tend to disagree, and here’s why:

Continuity: An important part of branding is continuity. Your image needs to remain constant across all platforms. Using a single agency to complete your all of your web-based work will ensure all of the elements are the same. Fonts, colors, shapes…they all help tell the story of your brand.

Convenience: Having one agency build your website and another agency produce your ads or do SEO research is cumbersome. It can also be more costly in the long run, going back and forth between multiple agencies to make changes or requests takes much more time than making one phone call or sending one email. 

Cost-effectiveness: Having a single agency work on your website and search optimization will eliminate the “Hey, web guy, the SEO guy said we need to do X.” “OK, but I've already moved forward with W, implementing X will cost extra.” When the design and content optimization are coming from the same place, there will be no overlap in work, no extras for you to be responsible for.

You shouldn't have to sift through your contact list to figure out whom you should contact. Clever Ogre wants to help make the Internet a better place. Find out what we can do for you.

7 Tips

There was a time, and you might remember it, when experts stuffed keywords into website content and filled the meta keyword section with pretty much any word that could remotely be connected with the topic or product on the website. Doing this, and other ‘black hat’ things could make a website come up high in Google’s search results. Now…not so much. Here are some things to remember when considering your website’s content as it relates to search engine ranking.

1. The most important thing to have is good content. Writing content for your website and integrating keywords, naturally, into each page will do wonders for letting the spider bots know what’s on your site.

2. There is no optimum keyword density. The right occurrence of keywords on your site is dictated by how many times the keyword can be used naturally. Use the keyword (or some variation) in the headline, page title, in the content…wherever it fits best.

3. Proper use of “H-tags” and bold font go even farther to improve search engine ranking. Think of your website like a term paper. Each section needs to have a heading and subheads to let the reader know what is there. They may only be looking for one specific thing, but if you have it, they’ll find it on your site.

4. Page titles and descriptions are more important than we give them credit for. When you perform a search, the big links you see, either in blue or purple (depending on whether you’ve been to the site) are the page titles. The limited bit of information below that is the page’s description. This is your opportunity to pull people in and get them to your site.

5. Links – it’s quality, not quantity. Search engines like that you have your site linked on other people’s sites. This is good. It lends credibility to your brand, to an extent. You should focus on having your site linked on relevant and diverse sites. Oh, and you can go ahead and cancel your subscription to that blog-spinning service.

6. Use social media. Not every network is right for every need, but find the one or ones that best suit your needs and match your audience’s habits. People search social media for answers these days. Be there.

7. Make sure you include your location in your content. Someone may search for t-shirt design, and you may do t-shirt design in Poughkeepsie, NY, but if you don’t tell the search engines where you do your designs, it won’t know to serve up your website when someone searches for t-shirt design in Poughkeepsie.

All right, that’s all we have for you this month. If there’s something you’d like us to talk about, let us know.

Make Headlines, But Not in a Miley Cyrus Kind of Way

So you’ve written a kick-ass blog post, or you want to write a social media update to entice readers to click your link. What now? Well, you’ve got to move the reader to action somehow. You’ve got to write a great (read omigodivegottareadthis) headline. 

Of course, if you search the Internet you’ll find somewhere around 3,302,382 x 10^8 articles and blog posts titled “Dos and Don’ts of Headline Writing,” or some variant. You’ve already done this though, right? That’s why you’re here. You’ve either done a search or you saw a social media post—either way, the headline for this blog post is the reason you’re reading right now. It caught your attention, filled a need, and drew you in. 

Read This

Before we move on to our (omigodivegottareadthis) list, consider this: people don’t want to read your article. It’s true. You don’t want to read this one either, but you are. You’re reading because the content is broken down into manageable chunks; each with an appealing heading and a promise of useful information. 

When we read content on the web, we tend to skim. We’ll look for headlines, lists, italics, bold copy…anything that’s easy to digest and/or seems important. Then, only if we’re intrigued, we will read the actual copy of the ad, article, or webpage. Even then, if we’re not constantly being drawn to the next sentence, it’s all over. There is too much content on the web for people to wait and see if your blog gets interesting. 

Try these 7 things next time you’re writing a headline, title, or social update.

Lead with a List

People either love or hate numbers, but we all love lists. A list promises a grouping of information that is usable. It breaks that information up into delicious nuggets of usefulness and it only takes one taste to know if one needs to move on to the next bite.

Use Strong Adjectives

It’s amazing, beautiful, powerful, and life-altering when the right adjective is found. The artful use of adjectives in a headline helps to let the reader know you’re serious and your content is worth his time. Avoid the toxic cliché. 

Don’t USE ALL CAPS

When we’re reading, we don’t usually read every letter of a word. Rather, we look for familiar word shapes and fill in the rest. All caps breaks up these familiar shapes and makes reading more difficult. If it’s too hard, we won’t do it. 

Name Drop

It’ hurts us, honestly it does, but this is actually an effective way to get clicks. If you can relate your content to a celebrity or a popular brand and include that name/brand in your headline, more people will click. 

Make it Urgent

Just letting people know your information is the information they’re looking for sometimes isn’t enough. If you’re offering the same or similar content as someone else, let the reader know they won’t be able to function properly until they read your post. 

Do a How-To

We all have questions, and chances are the answers are somewhere on the Internet. You’re an expert; let your readers know how to do something in just a few steps. “How to Boost Your Internet Traffic in 5 Steps” will probably get more clicks than “Boosting Internet Traffic.”

Explain Why, What, When, Who or How

By doing this, you can answer a question the reader didn’t even know he had. In answering this question, you can persuade or enable your reader while at the same time allowing him a sense of accomplishment. Give the reader an “I did it!” moment, and then leave enough room for him to formulate his next question—that you’ve already answered in another post.

Most importantly, be honest. Don’t deceive the reader. Nobody wants to feel duped, and if you make a promise and don’t deliver, you’re likely not going to get another chance. 

Do you have any questions? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll try to answer them. 

It’s Web Copy, Not Copy the Web

Richard Aycock’s company, Widget Avenue, was growing and he decided it was time to redo his website. He had heard people talking about SEO, keywords, quality content, site maps and crawlability; he just didn't know what all that stuff meant. What he did know was benchmarking. All the clichés, “work smart, not hard”, “don’t reinvent the wheel”, “the right tool makes the job easy” became cliché because they were so true. Richard figured the best thing he could do would be to search the Internet for other businesses doing the same type of work as his company.

When I search Google for things my business does, this company keeps showing up in the search results, Richard thought. I’ll just copy the stuff on this website and put it on my website. After all, benchmarking is about seeing what the competition is doing well and figuring out how to do that particular something as well as your best competitor. Right?

Often times, people don’t think about the consequences of their actions. Add to that the immeasurable amount of information on the Internet and we find ourselves living in a society that believes if something is online, it belongs to the world. We all own the English language, some more than others. It’s the arrangement of words to convey a thought or concept, though, that makes up intellectual property. Some people try to lay claim to certain phrases like “let’s get ready to rumble”, “you’re fired” and “I am”, but these phrases are so commonplace it’s hard to make a strong case without a lot of money to back up the claim.  

Musicians find themselves in lawsuits over songs sounding like other songs or containing the same lyrics. Sometimes it’s called “sampling” and the “artist” can get away with it. But we know better. It’s plagiarism. A high-school student writing a term paper, copying a section from a book word-for-word without giving credit to the original author will receive a failing grade from his teacher. A journalist stealing content from another journalist without giving credit or receiving approval will be fired—and likely have a hard time finding another writing job.

So, what of Mr. Aycock? What Richard didn't consider was that he would forever be a plagiarist. To top it off, that web content he stole now has less value. The best content is relevant AND original. If it’s only one or the other, it may as well be neither. Richard acted without thinking, and the result is, the company he stole content from will write new, better content.

Don’t be a Richard. Do your research. Write your own content. Or if you prefer, hire a professional to write it for you.

If you liked the story of Richard Aycock and have something to add, or if you just want to get in touch with Clever Ogre, hook up with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Social Media Etiquette for Everybody

Every day we make decisions about what to say, how to act and react, and whether or not to let that guy who’s honking his horn and flashing his headlights merge into traffic. We try to be polite-some more effectively than others. Why is it, then, that people are so often quick to do or say the wrong thing online? Etiquette is important, no matter the medium. Here are some basics to always remember.

Let people know who you are. Be sure your profiles are filled in completely, including a photo, bio and contact info. If you have a website, be sure to link it – and it never hurts to link to other social profiles as well.

Use names and @mention people. When you’re dealing with the public (assuming you’re managing social media for a business) saying the name of the person with whom you’re talking really goes a long way, both to endear you to them and solidify a connection. As an added bonus, using the person’s name helps you to remember.

Give credit to the original content creator. Not everything you share on the Internet came straight from your mind. Be sure to mention the person who did create it. It’ll boost your cred with others, and it’s good Karma too.

Don’t mass-post (also known as an instadump). If you’re managing social media for your company (or yourself for that matter) it can be easy to share several things you have found in mass succession. This crowds the timelines of your friends or followers. Do it a few times and some of them will almost certainly disconnect from your feed.

Don’t go #hashtag crazy. Hashtags are everywhere now: Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Vine… you name it. They’re a great way to search through content, but too many of them in an individual post can be quite off-putting. As an aside, don’t hijack other’s hashtags. That is, don’t try to make a popular tag about you/your product.

Keep your privates private. If you’re having a conversation with someone via direct message or email, don’t share any portion of that conversation publicly Also, if a situation requires a delicate touch, be sure to handle it via private medium.

Don’t use social autopilot. There are some great social media management programs available. These will let you schedule your posts to go out right when you want them to, no matter when you actually enter the content. Don’t forget; just because the program will take care of the initial post, doesn't mean it can answer any questions or respond to comments. It can’t.

Don’t mix voices. If this is a social media presence representing a business, don’t use “I”, don’t talk religion or politics (unless that’s your business), and don’t alienate potential customers by posting a lot of opinion pieces.

Prooferad. Make sure your statuses are pithy and properly spelled and punctuated. Use the right words. People will notice. Also, we know we misspelled proofread. We wanted to be sure you were paying attention.

If you have anything to add or if you dispute any of these, let us know. Tweet us. Facebook us. Email us. Just be sure your spelling and grammar are up to snuff.

SEO Is...

In the early 1840s, a very wise person coined the phrase “never talk about religion or politics.” Opinions regarding these two things are arguably the most deeply held beliefs among most Americans. We either agree, or we don’t. Vehemently. In either case, it’s best-in polite company-not to discuss these topics and potentially incite a row. We say, add to this list of taboos the topic of search engine optimization. SEO professionals have widely varying opinions as to what’s best when it comes to getting a website seen, and everyone believes his or her method is the best, without question. Well, we’re ogres and we've never been too keen on obeying the rules, walking on eggshells or candy-coating the truth. As such, we’re going to lay a little SEO knowledge out there for you. Pick up what you can use.

In the early days of the Web, back in the 90s, search engines cataloged websites. Their “spiders” would then download the page and crawl the content looking for links and topics. In August of 1997, John Audette of Multimedia Marketing Group documented the phrase “search engine optimization.”

I searched teacup poodle; why am I seeing results for oolong and earl grey?

Initially, the search engines’ algorithms relied on webmasters to provide information letting the engine know the content of the site via keyword meta tags and index files. It didn’t take long for programmers to start looking for ways to game the system, coming up higher in end-users’ search results. Eventually, a simple Web search would return links to sites that had nothing to do with the actual query. Webmasters were stuffing meta tags with anything they could remotely associate with the product or information actually being displayed.

An old internet marketing joke goes (something) like this: 

A SEO expert walks into a bar, bars, pub, Irish pub, tavern, watering hole, beer, wine, whiskey, whisky, shot, shotgun, rifle, pistol, bandolero, tequila… You get the idea.

Search engines adapted. Traditional methods of utilizing keyword density, inbound links and link farming used to get businesses a spot on page one of Google. Now, those practices may get your site flagged for spamming.

Wait, so SEO is dead?

We didn't say that.  There are still lots and lots of companies out there willing to sell you a $500+/month SEO package of blogging, link building and general Internet voodoo. Some of the old practices are still very valid in modern marketing. More important, however, are things like quality/original content, frequent updates, social sharing and well written code utilizing embedded keywords, heading tags and alt image tags.

The old SEO methods of telling people you had something (keyword stuffing) and then not delivering on content are dead. Search engines are getting better at showing us what we’re truly looking for. Thank you, search engines.

Sound off!

Do you have any SEO experiences – positive or negative – or is there anything you’d like us to blog about? Get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter or via email. 

Ogre Shawn Knows the Key Code: It’s F#m

Alright, listen up. If this is your first time here, look around a little. This is the final installment in our Clever Ogre “What are the ogres listening to?” blog series. We’ve talked about all kinds of different music, from Christopher’s old school jams to Nora’s punk bluegrass (Punkgrass? Blunk?) across to Dadant’s reggae and Dan’s jam bands. We finally had a chance to catch up with ogre Shawn and get his take on the listen.

When we found him, Shawn Grimes was sitting in a dark cubicle in the corner of the basement. It smelled like a coffee shop in a cave. He was wearing headphones and typing away like a crazy person. Shawn is Clever Ogre’s front-end web developer. He doesn’t work in words or images, instead he uses special characters, acronyms, and abbreviations to do his work. In other words, he’s free to rock his music loud and constantly.

So, loud and constant it is. If Shawn is streaming music he’s either using rdio or Pandora. He cranks his headphones to drown out all external sounds allowing him to dive deep into codeland. When coding, he turns to his favorite band, 311, for good tunes. Alternately, if he’s in the mood for mostly lyric free music, he’ll listen to Deadmau5, Skrillex, or some other dubstep-electronic grooves.

If Shawn finds himself cleaning the house or doing other non-web related work, he listens to a wide variety of music. Of course, 311 makes a return, but he also likes to throw in Mumford & Sons, Jimmy Eat World, Sufjan Stevens, Sublime (even with Rome), Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and pretty much any 90s alternative including Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Stone Temple Pilots. Old habits die hard, indeed.

On the off-chance he finds himself with little to do other than relax, he puts on some Pink Floyd or Adele. The melodies of Adele and lingering instrumentals of Pink Floyd allow his mind to rest. It’s tough when a person thinks in <html dir=”top”> <head> all the time. A little decompression is important for everyone, but for a programmer it’s kind of like when a daycare worker is finally able to be around adults and have actual adult conversation.

Phew. That’s 100% of the ogres. Do you think you’ve gotten some good tunes out of this series of blogs? There certainly has been a wide variety of artists in these posts. If you dig or hate any of the bands mentioned, let us know. We’re all over the place and ready to hear from you.

You’re already clicking around the internet. Click here to check us out on Facebook and here to Tweet us. Oh, don’t forget to click here to go to our website.

Music is My Literature – the writing ogre listens

If you’ve been waiting for our next ogre music blog, your wait is over. If you haven’t, hopefully you’ll be waiting for the last one – which will be out after this one.

By now, we hope to have turned you on to at least one really good band or artist. Have we succeeded? We can’t hear you or read your thoughts, so please nod at your webcam. Cool. Speaking of music, we recently told you Christopher listens to a lot of really good, but obscure, music; Chris Dadant likes his music melodic, driving, and jammin’; and Nora likes a little punk in her bluegrass. What about Dan?

Dan Fugate is Clever Ogre’s writer and social media manager; sometimes he even does graphic design. Writing doesn’t afford the same listening freedom as social media and design, so he has a couple of listening trends. This has been bittersweet for the one-time loud singing jam band enthusiast.

Being a writer, you might expect Dan to be a voracious reader. Well, he’s not. He goes after and gets into music the way other writers devour books. He often says “Music is my literature.” We believe him. When he’s writing, music generally leans toward instrumental stuff. Widespread Panic, the Grateful Dead, Phish, the London Symphony Orchestra, and Deadmau5 are where he turns for lyric free tunes.

Behind the social media and design wheels, Dan likes to add the lyrics back into his listening. The same jam bands from before are present, but also folks like: Mumford & Sons, MGMT, Keller Willaims (who he’s going to see at Vinyl in May), the Black Keys, and Ok Go.

Dan also has a soft spot for female singers. The emotion that comes through is “so powerful”, he says. When he’s in the mood for lady listening, he turns on: the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Feist, Mates of State, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, and Sugarland. Melt and swoon.

He will listen to most anything once and he’s found he has no place in his heart for rap, r&b, or the heavier rock/metal stuff. They have too much anger and screaming for his liking. Dan has a bit of music snobbery in him too. He’s of the belief if a band can’t perform as well on stage as they can in the studio, they’re not worth his time. He says he’s just about stopped listening to Modest Mouse after seeing them live.

Alright, readers, that’s 80% of the ogres down. Now, if we can track down Shawn Grimes we’ll feature his preferences next time to round out this musical exposé series.

Let us know how we’re doing. Have we turned you on to any new music? Sound off on Facebook or Twitter.

No, I Can’t Hear You. My Music’s too Loud.

Once again we’re here to tell you about an ogre’s music preferences. If you’ll recall, Christopher is a music snob with a broad, eclectic musical taste (except for reggae) and Nora listens to everything she can cram in her ears. This time around, we’ll talk about Chris Dadant’s ear candy.

Chris is Clever Ogre’s chief designer. As a result, he is in the best position to use music as an IV drip. When other ogres have to stop listening so they can take a phone call, concentrate on a series of words, or focus on lines and lines of code; Chris can keep the music pumping and draw inspiration from the rhythm.

When he’s designing, which is pretty much all the time, he listens to music that drives him – moves his thoughts from point to point. He listens loud. Music, to Dadant, serves to activate the mind and remove external distractions. The Black Keys, MGMT, Phoenix, Wolfmother, these are the bands that drive the broad strokes of Chris’ designs.

When it comes to concentration, he mellows out the sounds a little. The same music Chris uses for concentration is what he chooses when it’s time to relax. John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Eric Lindell, Blackberry Smoke, and Bob Marley are just the right mix of dip, drive, and dance.

Chris’ preferences sway with the weather as well. In the summertime, his mood is high, and his musical tastes reflect this with an extra injection of reggae. Once the temperature starts to drop and the grill gets warm, the music gets a twang and the Illinois country boy comes out with some George Strait and Eric Church.

The only genre Chris tends to shy away from is screamo. In his own words, he’s “hard of hearing as it is” and can’t tolerate a lot of screaming and yelling in his music. Understandable.

As for live music, Chris, like all of the ogres has an addiction. He can often be found listening to James Adkins, one of his favorite local musical talents, wherever he’s playing. He recently saw Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers at the Blue Nile in New Orleans. Also, he never misses a chance to see his pals Boukou Groove play. Usually, however, this requires a trip to Destin or South Walton but he says “It’s well worth it to hear some real New Orleans Funk.”

Alright, three ogres worth of listening.

Are you finding any new bands or artists to check out? We hope so. Get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter to let us know.

Thanks for reading.

What the Lady Prefers

Welcome back! Last time, we started a series of blogs dedicated to each ogre’s musical preferences and listening habits. If you read that blog, you now know what kind of music Christopher Davis enjoys and when. You also know he’s a bit of a music snob. This go ‘round, we’re going to discuss the lady ogre’s musical taste.

Nora Jones loves music like no one we’ve ever known. One time, she referred to music as her Xanax. We’re assuming that means it relaxes her and helps when things get too stressful. Either that, or it’s a drug that requires a prescription and she’s hiding her addiction from the public. (Hmm, a daily dose of music doesn’t sound like a bad medication.)

She’s constantly on the lookout for a new band to get into. Relix magazine is a good source for interesting tunes, and their monthly compilation CD showcases the artists featured in that particular month’s issue. Other sources for new music are Paste Magazine’s website, Spinner.com, and Spotify.

There is not a particular genre of music Nora sticks to and her listening is steady across most moods and activities. She has an affinity for punk band members who’ve gone solo and broken away from their punk roots. Among her favorites are Tim Barry of Avail, Dallas Green of Alexis on Fire, and Ben Nichols of Lucero. Though she doesn’t limit herself to one particular genre, bluegrass is far and away her favorite type of music. Her love of bluegrass and interest in punk has drawn her to bands like Old Man Markley, who’ve created an interesting blend of the two musical styles.

Like every audiophile, Nora has a specific preference for when she’s feeling sullen and down. On the rare occasion when something is troubling her, she likes to listen to mellow sounds like Adele or Florence and the Machine.

Alright, that’s two down and three to go. Up next…maybe Chris Dadant.

Do you share Nora’s musical preferences? Get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know.

Thanks for reading.

In One Ear, and In the Other

If you've been with us for more than a week or so, you have probably seen a Facebook post or tweet where we've mentioned the music we’re listening to; or at least what’s been stuck in our head. We love music and it’s always playing in the office. If you don’t hear it when you come in, we probably have earbuds tucked in, each ogre listening to his own jam. There is a lot of overlap when it comes to ogre musical preference, but we all listen in our own way.

Christopher is an eclectic cat in every sense of the word. His musical interests pull from most genres and generations. When he’s working, he likes to listen to music with a constant drive. Among his work-time favorites are Interpol, Common, the Replacements, the Black Keys, John Zorn, the Jam, MandoDiao, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and the Darkness. Christopher is a long-time Black Keys fan, but their newest release, “El Camino” came up short for him.

When the work is done, or at least put on pause, the music changes. For mellow times, he leans toward classics like Steely Dan. He also still revisits his high school years with bands like Dag Nasty, Dinosaur Jr, BlackFlag, X, Hüsker Dü, Social Distortion, The Stooges, and MinorThreat. Music is a constant for Christopher. When there’s no music, he makes his own. Really. He’ll strum a guitar, hum, tap, or listen to the cacophony of an orchestra in his head.

Just between us, he’s a bit of a music snob too. He knows what he likes and doesn’t like. Don’t play what he doesn’t like. One of his biggest pet peeves when it comes to aural satisfaction is when someone changes the music mid-song. It drives the control freak in him crazy.

We are going to write a bit about each ogre’s likes, dislikes, listening habits, and whatnot, but we don’t want to keep you here too long. So, that’s it for now. Anyway, it’s time for a potty break.

There are still four ogres to cover, so look for a series of these to come out in pretty quick succession.

If you liked this post, thought it was crap, or want to find out more about Christopher’s musical preferences, get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

Clever Ogre’s Top 7 Toppy Things of 2011

Preamble

Here we are, at the end of 2011, another calendar year in the books. For some it was a year of accomplishments, for others…not so much. Dictatorial world leaders fell, the King of tech died, the prince of England, Duke of Cambridge, married a commoner, Charlie Sheen proved winning can be as bad as losing, and Kim Kardashian interpreted the definition of marriage. This is the time of year when everybody and his semi-aquatic mammal have a top 10 list of one kind or another. So, why not a Clever Ogre top 10?

Photo: thedailycute.com

‘Cause we’re not everybody, and we’re certainly not platypuses. Though, those little critters are cute, in a weird, freak of nature kind of way. What we’re gonna do is give you a top 7. Without further ado…

Clever Ogre’s Top 7 Toppy Things of 2011 

7: Invented 8 ogre-themed games designed to challenge us both physically and mentally. These super challenging, totally awesome games are clip board paddle ball, indoor golf HORSE, hacky throw (kicking is for donkeys), paper airplane flight control, balance something on some body part longer than everybody else (long name, fun game), point and laugh (ok, we didn’t invent this one, but we perfected it), 1-2-3 NOT IT: coffee edition, and the wildly popular, make the reader guess if we’re serious game.

6: Together with the U.S. Navy and the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, we celebrated flight (100 years of Naval Aviation)

5: We entered and got high score in three golf tournaments. As it turns out, we’re great at bashing things with sticks; just not golf sticks.

4: Won an award for every piece of advertising we submitted to the Addy Awards. We’re bad at golf, but we’re pretty doggone good at advertising. Insert Norma Rae reference here. The Addys are kind of like the Academy Awards for the advertising industry. 

3: In the summer, we had an intern from the University of West Florida; then, in the fall we had another student come in and shadow our work for a day. We loves us some free labor, er, students. We love the students. 

2: Moved our office from the corner of Chase and Coyle to 49 S. Jefferson St. We’re now right above Hopjacks, one of our favorite downtown Pensacola haunts. Speaking of haunts, our old office was haunted. Thought you should know.

1: Developed and launched a new, more ogrey (ogreier) website at cleverogre.com. If you were a fan of our old site, you can still find it at cleverogre.net.

And there you have it. Clever Ogre’s list of 2011’s Top 7 Toppy Things. Do you have a list somewhere? Tell us about it on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from the gang at Clever Ogre: Christopher, Chris, Dan, Shawn, and Nora.

City Ogre, Country Ogre, Focus Ogre

Not actual focus group participants

Recently, some of the ogres had the opportunity to conduct a few focus groups. If you're not familiar with what a focus group is, fear not. Basically, it is an arena where a small group of people who have something in common are presented with topics for discussion. From this discussion, a group or individual hopes to gather some insightful data. Sometimes, the person moderating the group has to redirect the conversation, or summarize what's been said for clarification. Apart from that, the participants are the focus of the group. When more than one focus group is held, there is a bonus data set. Neat, right? The bonus data are the observable differences in culture across sample sets. Bet your bottom, it's neat!

What was cool about the focus groups we conducted was the sense that we were in geographically varying locations, when in actuality, we were in the Pensacola metro area.

One of the events was done in a town near Pensacola. The area was wooded and buildings were tucked in and among the trees. The whole feeling was laid back, natural, and welcoming. The people with whom we spoke used the words “open” and “family” freely. It’s safe to say we were taken in, openly, and treated like family. Participants in the focus group were eager to share ideas and willing to hear one another’s views. Information flowed freely.

Another of the focus groups was held in a central part of Pensacola. The tone of the event was quite different from the previous. People we met could be compared to New Yorkers. They knew what they wanted, knew where it could be found, and they didn’t mince words or waste time. Their interaction during the focus group was boisterous and varied. Some participants were lively and animated, while others remained mostly quiet. There was definitely a big-city feeling; not that we were concerned with getting jacked or anything. We were in amazement at the contrast between this and the previous group.

A third focus group was held in what could be considered a borough of Pensacola. Neither in the country or the city, this location proved to be a combination of the two others. Interesting. People were in a hurry, but not so much that they didn’t have time or interest in sharing opinions or giving direction. Participants turned out in overwhelming numbers. Though they clearly had somewhere else to be, they stuck around as long as their voices were being heard.

We’re always fascinated by different cultures, even if they’re subsections of the larger. We would like to hear from you. Have you had similar experiences when working with groups? Let us know here or on social media. We do the Facebookand the Twitters.

Clever Tech Review: OtterBox Defender for iPad 2

Ok, we told you guys to be on the lookout for product reviews from us every now and again. Well, now’s the time for another review. Last time, we told you about the ZAGGfolio Bluetooth keyboard and folio case for the iPad 2. This time, we’re still talking about the iPad 2, but we’ll be reviewing the OtterBox Defender case. Ready? Here we go.

Since 1998, OtterBox has been making hard-core cases for tech devices. Well, they’ve been making hard-core cases for the tech devices of the clumsy and klutzy. They cover just about every device with several levels of protection available. The Defender series is the most rugged in most lines of tech protection offered by OtterBox.

Being the most rugged, the Defender is also the bulkiest offering. A four-piece design consisting of two hard plastic pieces that interlock to cover the device, a silicone skin that covers most of the hard plastic and provides shock absorption, and a hard plastic cover for the touch screen which also doubles as a stand for typing or movie watching.

There are cutouts for all of the device’s ports, including the camera. Silicone flaps cover the headphone jack, volume/orientation toggle, and dock connector port, while the volume rocker, sleep/wake button and home button are completely covered by silicone. Responsiveness beneath the silicone is adequate; however the protection for the home button can make double clicking a bit cumbersome as it’s difficult to tell if a full press has been completed.

The outer skin provides a nice feel and is easy to keep a grip on. With the screen cover snapped onto the back, yes, it works on the front and the back, the tabs provide a nice place for fingers to rest while holding the iPad. Also in any configuration, the camera is always open and available for fast photography.

We’ve used OtterBox products before. Among the ogres, we’ve had experience with the Defender and Commuter case for every version of the iPhone and Defender cases for both iPads. The Defender for the iPad 2 is certainly an improvement over the previous generation’s protection. It’s lighter, easier to install, and easier to use. It does add a substantial amount of bulk to the device, but in return it makes the delicate iPad 2 feel like a tank wrapped in Kevlar. The added size and texture make the device stable in small hands so, if you’re a parent, feel free to let the little ones hold your iPad to watch ‘toons. Short of stepping on the touch screen or hitting it with a solid object, they’re probably not going to hurt your $600 - $900 investment. Not too bad for around 90 bucks.

Overall, if you need or would be comforted by the kind of protection the OtterBox Defender series provides; go get one. The same security is available for other devices too. Though we’ve focused on Apple products, you can get top-notch protection for your device, whatever brand it is.

If you have anything to add, or if you have any additional questions about the OtterBox Defender for iPad 2 get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter. We’re there all the time and we’ll get back with you pretty doggone quickly. Thanks for reading.

Just Another Day at the Office

Sometime around 7:45 am the key enters the lock and another day begins at Clever Ogre. Chris Dadant, coffee in hand, steps into the cave. Over the next 15 minutes, his coworkers, who all require lots and lots of caffeine to be productive members of society, will arrive. His early morning energy is both envied and hated.

The groggy ogres, and the one peppy one, settle into their desk chairs. Coffee is consumed by all as music plays. After the overnight emails have been checked and coffee from home has been consumed, a bit of 1-2-3 not it! determines who will make the first pot of ogre coffee.

Someone asks “What’s on the agenda this week?” – clearly it’s time for a meeting. The group gathers around a table in the great room. A close look reveals pens and paper, a sure sign the ogres are ready to take notes…or at least doodle. After all of the upcoming projects have been discussed, each team member returns to his/her desk. The sound of mouse clicks and keystrokes mixes with the music. Work is happening here.

Dadant is stroking his beard as he’s scouring the internet looking for bits of design inspiration. The reason for this is two-fold; he wants to see what kind of design elements are being used by others to suit a particular client or market, he also needs to be sure Clever Ogre doesn’t produce anything that could be confused for anyone else’s work. “We don’t use stock clip art.” he says as he modifies layers, removes strokes, and ogres up an image.

In the same room, Dan is typing away…and singing. It doesn’t matter if he’s writing website copy, a commercial script, a blog, some pithy social media post, or a storyline for a web video, his stoic demeanor is an odd counterpart to the frequent outbursts of overreaction, laughter, and singing. Inspiration comes from everywhere, except other people’s writing. Not reading is a great way to avoid plagiarism.

Over in the corner, Shawn sips on a Java Monster as he stares at code. Sometimes it’s hard to make websites do cool stuff without using Flash, but he finds a way. “Why no Flash?” you ask…a lot of portable devices don’t display Flash content. More than 90% of tablet based web browsing in the U.S. is done on Apple’s iPad, which doesn’t support Flash. The voodoo magic he’s creating over there looks like a bunch of punctuation to the average Internet user. Fortunately, we never have to see that stuff; just the cool things he can do with JavaScript.

Out in the great room, Nora is plucking away at her computer, scheduling meetings and keeping all of the ogre children on track. She spends almost as much time out of the office as she does at her desk. She’s a member of this group, that chamber, and just about any network where humans are welcome. The lady ogre is responsible for being the main point of contact for clients, both current and potential.

Telecommuting is Davis. Everything gets run by him before going out. He’s an emailing and phone calling ogre, for sure. Whatever the other ogres are doing, he’s having a peek and providing his opinion and expertise.

Two or three pots of coffee (and 20 or 30 potty breaks) later, someone blurts out “I’m hungry”, gets up, and makes lunch. One by one, stomachs get the better of bodies and food is consumed by all…at a desk, in front of a computer.

It’s not long before Dan decides it’s time for another pot of coffee. “Anyone want some? Cool. Who’s making it? 1-2-3 Not it!” Sounds of “Not it!” come from the remainder of the team. “Nora, you’re it.”

Soon, afternoon fatigue begins to settle in. Dadant leans back from his monitor, eyes red, and proclaims “This isn’t working!” Writer’s block doesn’t only strike writers. Really, it should just be called creative’s block. Like zombies, the other ogres look up from their work. Dazed, they decide to break the tension with a little teambuilding.

Putting contest!

Stress free and clear headed, the ogres get back to work. The last hour of the workday breezes by. Around 4:00, computers are set to “sleep” and the see you tomorrows begin as each ogre packs up lunch containers and coffee cups.

The same key that began the day turns the same lock to end it.

“See you tomorrow, Clever Ogre.”

In the Box and On the Fence

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission" 

– Grace Hopper

We’ve all heard, and are likely tired of hearing about, “thinking outside the box” and “pushing the envelope”. These one-time buzz words are now the standard. Folks just think outside the box now. Very few people are still inside the box or folded neatly and tucked in the envelope. To be innovative now, it’s best to get back inside the box and see what can be done in there that hasn’t been done before. Outside the box and pushing the envelope used to mean something. Now, they’re just cliché.

Enter forgiveness and permission. Once we’ve made our way back into the box we find there are things to be done…but these things haven’t been done before because they seemed edgy and questionable. Now is the time to take that edge and slice up what’s questionable. In the box, the quest for new is on and we are all able. The problem is, everything that’s still in the box is in there because we were afraid to take it out. It could be an ugly monster with biting words and design, or it can be a frog-prince. What was once considered risqué is now tame. This means there’s even more in the boxes than we can bring out today. Maybe later.

So, where does this leave us? Well, sometimes it leaves us asking forgiveness. Several companies have launched ad campaigns, only to be on the receiving end of negative publicity. Below are two examples.

Sony, in anticipation of the launch of the new white PSP, launched a campaign pitting a white model versus a black model. Whether or not the campaign had intended racial overtones can be debated. At their simplest, the ads predictably use black and white. Will the newer, white PSP overtake the black one in sales? Fortunately, Sony was able to save face by pulling the ads and apologizing. Black versus white should probably stay in the box for a while longer.

Another advertising faux pas was committed by Spirit Airlines. In June of 2010 they launched a campaign promoting travel to Ft. Lauderdale, Cancun, and Puerto Rico touting the slogan “Check out the oil on our beaches”. The ads featured a bikini clad woman, drenched in spf50. Seeking to take advantage of the 2010 BP oil spill’s devastation of the north Florida coast, Spirit missed the mark. What could have been an interesting campaign, pitting beach against beach in a battle for tourism dollars, ended with the removal of the ads and a small base of angry potential customers.

There are plenty of cases where a great campaign came from what could have been a bad idea. Many of your favorite ads could have been sink or swim. A wrong first impression and even the most well thought work can be cast aside.

Are there any hits or misses that come to your mind? Let us know about them here, on our website, or on Facebook, or Twitter. We’d love to hear from you.