Making Time for Summer

  By Content Developer Paige Weslaski

Johnson’s fountain, tween crowds at North Beach, tribute bands on First Fridays, summer has officially hit Racine. Summer is the season for relaxing, rejuvenating, and recharging. The weather is hot, the pools are open, and the school doors are shut.

As a college student, summer has always meant one thing: lots and lots of free time. I could go on long runs, lounge with friends, and take trips up to the Dells without a second thought. Summer was bliss. But this year, all that changed. I am a full-time employee for Image Management this season, locking me into a strict time commitment. Unlike the past, my days are structured and full of obligations.

After working for a month, I realized that I had completely forgotten that it was summer altogether. Even though the weather was changing, my attitude was no different. I love my internship, but the long hours were a 180-degree shift from easy-going summers of the past.

I decided to make a pact with myself: Even though I’m working 8 hour days, I will still enjoy everything summer has to offer. I refuse to allow each day to roll into the next. I don’t want these months to be a blur of sitting in front of a screen. Once graduated, it is easy to lose excitement about the summer season. Unlike school, work still continues.

After some thought, I came up with three ways to keep summer, well, summer. First, I’m making it a point to get outside every two hours during the work days. Since the Image Management office is located downtown, a brisk walk around the block lasts no longer than five minutes. It allows me to enjoy the hot sun all throughout the day!

Secondly, I have started to go on beach runs during my lunch break. Racine’s beach is beautiful during this time of year. Summertime and beaches go hand-in-hand; embrace the beach, my fellow full-timers!

Third, I’m making it a priority to read a few good books. I have found myself clicking on a mouse all day at work, only to plop in front of a television at night. I’ve had to tell myself “enough already!” and started grabbing a cozy quilt and lying in the grass with a novel on warm nights. Reading for pleasure is often overlooked by those in the workforce. According to a British researcher, reading for just 6 minutes lowers stress levels by 68 percent! When I need to unwind, I drop the remote and grab an exciting read.

The joys of summertime aren’t solely for students. With these helpful tips, I challenge you, as well as myself, to make this summer just as fulfilling as years past. Summer is your excuse to pamper yourself and decompress. Sneak a quick walk outside the office, enjoy the season’s hot-spots, and do a little reading. Happy summer, Racine!

Interactive Web Trends

  By Web Programmer Brandon Edmark

At the birth of the World Wide Web, webpages were just that – static, unchanging pages of text connected to one another through “hyperlinks.” Eventually webpages came to include images, sounds, and video, but their nature remained the same. When truly interactive features were necessary, website developers often created them for proprietary browser plug-ins like Java and Adobe Flash. This meant confining the most interesting interactive elements to a small box within the webpage. Otherwise, interacting with a website meant navigating with links and buttons from page to page, often with slow load times and an experience that never felt as natural as interacting with traditional computer programs.  

Over the last several years, this has changed dramatically. Many popular websites are now more properly referred to as web applications; they are often as interactive, powerful, and complex as traditional desktop applications. In many ways, Google has been on the forefront of this trend. For example, their Gmail service became popular in the mid-2000s because its capabilities and overall polish rivaled desktop email programs, without requiring the user to install certain plug-ins. Google Docs is a web-based replacement for Microsoft Office. It allows users to create letters, spreadsheets, presentations, and more, collaborating with other users in real time. At Image Management, we have created our own real time web applications to design our web-based presentations, share resources with our colleagues, and manage our vast library of images.

Popular social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr now notify users of new information as it is posted, without requiring them to refresh the entire webpage. As users scroll down the page, older content loads automatically. This feels more convenient and natural than the old method of clicking through archives and manually reloading pages that was established by blogs and message board systems in the previous decade. The change may seem subtle, but for websites with regularly updated information, these innovations are crucial in keeping users happy and engaged with the site.

For many websites, the old model of static interconnected pages is adequate. However, it is worth considering how one’s business could benefit from the new opportunities created by real time web interactivity. Websites that need to keep their users engaged on a frequent basis or that enable them to edit complex information are perfect candidates for these trends toward seamlessly interactive web application development.

Imagining the iPhone

  By Web Programmer Richard Joswick

For years, Apple has defined success with innovative product releases. What started with the iPod years ago rolled into a cultural phenomenon. But weighty competitors like Google and Microsoft have since upped the ante. They’ve thrown their own products, powered by Android and Windows 8, into the ring. A volatile market has never been more competitive. Now, Apple, the company that redefined branding, has the enormous challenge of branding itself all over again.

The man tapped to spearhead this endeavor is a veteran designer and Apple employee. Jony Ive is Apple’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design. His goal is to transform iOS into an elegant, modern operating system by the next fall release cycle. iOS is Apple’s operating system for their mobile devices.

Current iOS users have long wondered why their digital calendar has to look like a real calendar or why their digital address book has to look like a real address book. Wonder no more. Former designers thought a visual connection was needed to familiarize users to functionality.

That is all changing in iOS 7. Now the focus is on clean, flat and quick. Gone are the shadows and bumpy textures and time consuming animations. Information is presented without clutter. It will still function as an iPhone. The onscreen keyboard still acts the same. Unlocking the phone still requires a swipe of the thumb.

iOS 7 is an exciting development. Not only does it represent the new artistic direction of Apple, websites have also been trending the same way. Modern websites focus on presenting information in an easy to read format, using concise, large text against flat backgrounds, focusing on the nuance of design rather than the instant flair of obtuse graphics.

Fans of Apple have a lot to look forward to. Jony Ive has bold plans in store for iOS and other Apple products. The beginning is just the new design. The rest is up to the future.

Gone But Not Forgotten

  By Administrator Kevin Weslaski

It was a snowy, blustery night on March 13, 1999. I remember it vividly as I walked to the window of the Gateway Technical College classroom just minutes before 7pm as I was about to teach my Medical Terminology class. I recall peering out at a particular tree which was being blasted by the wind. I thought to myself, “What an awful night.” It was at that very moment some 250 miles northeast of me, that my only brother, Allen Saint James Weslaski, age 33, tragically died in a car accident. He was all by himself about five miles from his farm on his way to work the graveyard shift at the local foundry when the accident occurred. That was the night part of me died with him.

Where has the time gone? It has been fourteen years since then. What is really sad is that every year on March 13th since 1999 I would take some time out to remember my little brother Al. I would remember the time we played in a pile of leaves as small children, or when I encouraged him to jump off the high dive board at the swimming pool, or the times we played basketball together as teenagers. But this year I forgot to remember him. March 13th came and went without a thought.

I can’t remember what I was doing this past March 13th. It was a Wednesday. Typically I attend a business breakfast at 7 am. From there I go to Olympia Brown school to tutor a 3rd grade girl on spelling. Then I beeline to the office where I begin managing people and projects until nightfall. My life is not complicated, just busy.

I miss the summer days of hanging out with my brother at the outdoor municipal pool as youngsters. I also miss the recent years before his death of deer hunting, cutting firewood, and just being with him.

Al was a big guy, standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 220 pounds. He was much stronger than me and he used to tell me, “You got the brains, Kev, I got the brawl.” His nickname was “Big Al.” Yet he was a caring and loving man who cherished his wife, pets, home, and job. That’s all he ever wanted.

I always felt a sense of peace around Al. That peace has been taken from me but his memory lives on forever. I won’t ever forget my brother Al.

The Importance of Social Networking

  By Graphic Designer Sarah Katt

Social networking can help a business large or small increase their public awareness, gain contacts, and get their business’ “face” out to millions. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are in a sense a modern concept of the six degrees of separation. A business can follow certain people or companies and those in turn can follow your company. Followers from all over the world can find your company. Being able to increase your viewing public without actually going to each individual person or business is a huge advantage for the modern company. The larger and more diverse your company’s network is, the more likely your business will continue to grow.

Being able to publicize your business’ work and recent happenings may even interest visitors who have never heard of or seen your company before. This may not always lead to an instant business contact but could be an important initial stepping stone to securing future work.

Networking can also include traditional methods such as billboards, television spots, radio ads, newspaper, and attending face-to-face business gatherings. Job fairs and Young Professional business events are great places to meet people and introduce your company. Image Management runs television spots, radio ads, newspaper ads, and city bus ads. We belong to RAMAC, YPR, and Kenosha Chamber of Commerce.

Social networking also helps companies with their own employees, both future and current. A company can view future employees on these sites and decide on whether they want to proceed with the interview process. Managers can view past employers, interests, and activities on social networking sites. Our President, Claire Weslaski, updates our Facebook page regularly.

A job seeker can also use social networking to find companies that they would like to work for. They can view the company’s website, what services they offer, some of their clients, and what people are saying about the company.

If used correctly and often, social networking can help a company grow by increasing public awareness. The information provides extra insight into potential hires and employment opportunities. Big or small, businesses benefit from an active and well thought out social networking campaign.

Internet Explorer 10

  By Web Programmer Richard Joswick

Microsoft recently released their new Internet Explorer 10 browser for the home computer Windows 7 market. Internet Explorer 10 is the standard Microsoft browser on Windows 8. Windows 7 users can now take advantage of the latest of the IE browsers. There are plenty of reasons to do so.

IE 10 provides two modes of operation: a Metro mode for touch screen operation and a Classic mode that looks almost exactly like IE 9. Windows 8 users are greeted by the tablet-PC friendly Metro mode while Windows 7 users will start up with Windows mode. The two modes may be alternated as you wish.

Much like Chrome does by default, IE 10 can update itself seamlessly during operation. As Microsoft adds innovations and new web standards are accepted and implemented by the platform, IE 10 users won’t need to worry about running installers to get the latest and greatest.

Backed by native Operating System (Windows) hardware acceleration, IE 10 also feels quick and responsive. With expanded support for HTML5 and CSS3, some long accepted techniques such as gradient backgrounds and text shadows are finally available. New techniques for offline operation of web applications using application caching and built-in database store are ready, as well as usability improvements such as drag-and-drop awareness. This means that app developers finally have a reason to consider IE as a deployment platform.

Much of the ground lost by Microsoft in the browser wars has been its own fault. IE 10 leveled the playing field. Anyone currently using IE 9 on Windows 7 should look into upgrading their browser. However, Chrome and Firefox are still the cutting-edge of the browser experience. Users of these browsers will probably miss the apps, games, and add-ons they’ve grown accustomed to, considering the IE10 web app store is still new. Nonetheless, Microsoft finally has a browser (IE10) that holds its own and that they can be proud of.

Unfortunately, Windows XP only supports up to version IE 8. Windows Vista only supports up to version IE 9.

Google Fiber

  By Web Programmer Richard Joswick

When it comes to Internet speeds, the country that created the Internet lags far behind much of the developed world. The United States has about an average 6.7 Mbps (Megabytes per second) download speed compared to a global average of 2.6 Mbps. South Korea leads with 15.7 Mbps, followed in order by Japan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and Latvia. One of the primary reasons for America’s poor performance is our obsession with wireless networks, which simply can’t compete with the speed of wired networks.

One company is looking to change that. Google completed its Google Fiber project in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri in July of 2012. Enough time has passed to call it a major success. First of all, it delivers performance. Using fiber-optic communication technology, it delivers 1 Gbps (Gigabyte per second) download speeds. That’s about 150 times faster than the United States average of 6.7 Mbps. Not only that, but it provides cloud storage, television plans, and a low-performance free Internet for a one-time installation fee that is comparable to what the rest of the country has to pay monthly for.

Google is now currently seeking to expand their fiber optic communication system to areas around Kansas City. This provides an opportunity for job seekers since the amount of momentum Google is placing behind Google Fiber and the enormity of the task demands people capable of doing the work. As a foreseeable need in the near future, this could be a worthy investment for specialists in technology.

Finally, Kansas City has erupted into a company start-up haven. Technology companies thrive in areas with fast Internet connection so Kansas City has become a natural choice for many. Certain companies, like SparkLabKC, have received national attention for their part in bringing technology entrepreneurship in force to Kansas City through a unique, mentor-driven business accelerator approach.

It’s clear from Google Fiber that wired Internet connections will continue to play an important role. But that leads us to a final question: what is the future of Google Fiber? Beyond their recent expansion plans, only Google knows for sure. Plans to expand to Canada and New York City may be in the close future. For Google Fiber fans in Southeast Wisconsin, we can only hope that our proximity to Chicago and Indianapolis puts us on the map sooner rather than later.

Reference:

Akamai Global Average Broadband Speeds on Tech Crunch

Email Etiquette

  By Web Programmer Brandon Edmark

Though social media has diminished its use in other ways, email is still a crucial communication tool in the business world. According to a recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute, the average office-based employee spends as much as a quarter of their day reading and responding to email. With everyone spending so much time on email, it may be easy to think that one has mastered the art of email writing.

However, email is a surprisingly difficult communication medium. It offers neither the visual and auditory cues that make face-to-face or phone interaction more pleasant, or the ability to clarify in real time. A study by Professor of Management Kristin Byron at Syracuse University found that email recipients consistently interpreted messages as more negative than their senders intended. Positive email messages are interpreted as neutral, and neutral email messages are interpreted as negative. Misunderstandings can easily escalate into genuinely tense situations.

With this in mind, there are a number of ways you can make your email communication more pleasant. Be aware of the negativity bias; if your email is meant to be positive, don’t be afraid to make it obvious. You have to work to infuse positive emotion into your emails.

Make requests in ways that empower, rather than diminish, the recipient. Can you think of situations where leading questions are more effective than direct orders? If criticism is necessary, try to “sandwich” it between commendation or positive dialogue.

It’s important to pay attention to grammar. When email first became popular, it was considered quick and ephemeral compared to “snail mail.” However, it stays for as long as the recipient keeps it, and it takes much longer to correct or clarify than it would over the phone or in person. Therefore, it’s important to eliminate any potential ambiguities in your emails. It may take several revisions to ensure that your message is clear.

You might even consider whether email is the right venue for what you’re trying to communicate. If your intended recipient can be contacted by phone or through social media, ask yourself whether you could convey the message more naturally through these channels.

Email is a common, yet often misunderstood form of communication. With these tips in mind, you can be confident that your emails deliver the image you want to portray.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY at Image Management

  By Administrator Kevin Weslaski

As predicted, we are swamped with website work and proud of it. Currently we have at least 15 websites in progress, and a dozen more quoted and coming soon. Along with the 450 current website clients, Image Management is going gangbusters.

We knew the economy was picking up, as I gave proof of in my previous blog post. This is only the beginning of what is expected to be a banner year for Image Management. We stand by our reputation as being the leader of website design, development, and hosting in southeastern Wisconsin.

As experts in our field, we are proud to bring our expertise to light through a website workshop at the Racine County Economic and Development Corporation’s (RCDEC) iMet auditorium on Thursday, January 31st from 7:30 AM-9:00 AM. Our very own Account Executive, Chad Arents will be presenting along with one of Image Management’s talented Website Programmers, Brandon Edmark.

Two important topics at this Website Workshop will include the latest features and designs of successful websites and how to increase website visibility on Google.

As we increase our website client base we hope to attract larger corporations that seek the latest website design and development techniques. I am proud to be the administrator of Image Management and will continue to make every effort to maintain leadership of website design, development and hosting in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.

Registration is required to attend the free Website Workshop. We’re already almost at capacity, so if you would like to take attend, sign-up now with this link.

Register at Constant Contact for the Website Workshop

Fiscal Cliff Ahhhhhh…. Help

  By Administrator Kevin Weslaski

Are you a procrastinator? Let’s hope not. We have enough of those in Washington, supposedly running our country. Of course I am not someone in debt either. That is another problem with our country’s leaders. I am not usually argumentative as I know in order to be successful I must also be agreeable. This is another trait, unlike our national leaders, I am proud of and attribute to being a successful business man.

Image Management is by far the largest website development company in southeastern Wisconsin, with over 500 web clients under management. We add 2-3 new web clients per week. We also provide graphic design and additional digital services such as image retouching, CD/DVD duplication, and video editing.

Our mission is to provide expeditious service coupled with a fanatical attention to detail. A few weeks ago I wrote an article about how I had faith that our government leaders would come together to formulate a solution to the fiscal cliff crisis. With only hours to go, I am losing hope. This type of behavior is the exact opposite of Image Management’s mission.

As Starbuck’s CEO, Howard Schultz, pleads to our politician’s to “come together” on a fiscal cliff compromise, I can only think they need to wake up and smell the coffee!