Introducing... Dunwoody Music Festival 2011

The Dunwoody Music Festival is back for 2011!
At this time, applications are being accepted for musicians, food vendors, and marketplace vendors.
More features and information are added all the time so check back often!

www.dunwoodymusicfestival.com

This site is a "subsite" of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce.  It has its own design which took inspiration from the Coachella Music Festival - grungy, edgy, with lots of textures.  The handwritten-style titles and headers (the font is called "Rock Salt") were made possible with a Drupal module.   There are numerous customized information forms, each built by hand.   Because it is part and parcel of the Dunwoody Chamber, various info can be moved freely to other pages for promotion through the same administrator interface.

The site is a constant work in progress.  In this first phase, requests for applications from vendors and musicians take priority.  Next will be information for sponsors and partners.  Finally, the forms will rotate off and general festival information for the public will be rotated on. 

It's been a great pleasure working with Oktober Productions organizing the information for this year's Dunwoody Music Festival.  SDOC has great freedom in terms of design and organization, creating the best presentation.  Oktober is also responsible for the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, so the Music Festival at Brook Run is going to be a real treat.

Check back frequently for new features all the time.  Hint:  if you have photos from 2009 or 2010, get them ready for a new gallery coming soon.  And yes, the Chili Cook-Off will be back too! 

There was a change in plan regarding the Chili Cook-Off.  That contest is on hiatus until further notice.  I'm not happy.  But it is what it is.

See you in October!

Is Facebook on its way out as a marketing tool for small business?

Facebook has issued some new promotional guidelines that can potentially derail a small firm attracting attention to it.

Have you ever sponsored a contest on Facebook?  Like my page, like this wall post, be the first to respond to this wall post, or tag yourself in a picture and we'll enter you in a drawing for a prize? We'll send you a message if you're the winner?  It worked to gain an audience for your product or service, didn't it?

Not anymore.

Excerpt from the New FaceBook Promotions Guidelines:

You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.


You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

It goes on like this for a few more bullet points.

As I said in the previous post, if you're going to engage in a promotional campaign in any social media format, be ready for change.  Online forums come and go.  This restriction may very well be a "CYA" move by FaceBook to protect from liability.  Unfortunately they may be protecting themselves from popularity as well. 

So what is a business to do if they want to keep using Facebook to draw attention to their product or business?  They're going to have to make the actual contest one step removed from Facebook.  That is, put the contest on another website and then use Facebook to announce the contest and drive traffic there.  That includes contacting the winner or distributing prizes.

SDOC's client, the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce took this tack:  when the Business Expo Awards were open for public voting, the actual poll was on the Chamber's website.  Facebook was only used to announce the contest and the winners.

For other companies and their social media managers, it won't be so easy.  So everyone sit down with your PR/media people and have a serious think about how you're going to use Facebook for publicity - or even if you still want to.

More commentary from a digital marketing colleague

Leveraging Social Media - Five Lessons Learned

Tomorrow, April 21, is the first Dunwoody Business Expo.  Leading up to this event was a public online vote for "Good Eats" (aka, Best Restaurant) and "People's Choice" - general public favorite local business.

I used Drupal modules and a slew of other tools to create and tabulate the actual ballots.  To spread the word I went by the old standbys:  email, Twitter, and Facebook. 

The poll went viral in a number of venues starting with the above three and we had a full on, old-fashioned, Chicago-style Ballot Box Stuffing Jamboree!  Which is exactly what everyone wanted - it's all part of the fun!

I burned through weeks and weeks of 3G minutes on my iPhone watching the site statistics.  I saw a number of interesting trends:

First, all three of the "People's Choice" entrants had Facebook pages, but not all were getting even close to the same number of votes.

Second, only three of the four "Good Eats" entrants had Facebook pages, but the votes were close to even throughout the voting.

For all of its hype, social media is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of online promotion.  It only works under certain conditions.  Here's a checklist of how to get the most out of social media:

1)  You have to invest time and/or money to get results.
This is not the "Field of Dreams"  - "they" won't come just because you build it.  Before you get your own Facebook page or other online social outlet, be very honest with yourself about how much time you're going to spend using the medium to promote yourself.  Or, if you're going to hire someone to spend that time.  If the answer is "as little as possible", this isn't the place for you.

2)  The first word in "Social Media" is SOCIAL.
As archaic as it sounds, there are still people out there who are loathe to mix business and pleasure.  That's OK - but that means you want to invest in traditional media and go the extra mile in promoting it.  If you're comfortable with starting your marketing with friends and family, then sign up and get your page.  If not, then again, it's not for you.

3)  You have to be ready to change.
Before Facebook, there was MySpace.  Before MySpace, there was LiveJournal.  Before LiveJournal, there was America Online.  Before America Online, there was Prodigy.  Before there was Prodigy, there were UNIX-based email lists and bulletin boards.  Online forums wax and wane constantly.  Sooner or later, Twitter and Facebook will eventually fade into the background and something else will come to prominence.  Pay attention to the kind of results you're getting from your social media outreach.  When the flower fades, start looking for the next latest wave to ride.

4)  Offer something specific and unique in your Social Media outreach.
According to this article in Social Media Today, there are specific things the average Facebook user is looking for when they follow a company online.  In short:

1. 40% want to receive discounts and promotions

2. 37% want to show support for the brand/company to thers
3. 36% hope (want) to get free samples, a coupon (a.k.a. freebies)
4. 34% want to stay informed about the activities of the company
5. 33% want to get updates on future products
6. 30% want to get updates and information on future sales
7. 27% like to get fun and entertainment out of it
8. 25% want to get access to exclusive content
9. 22% mentioned they were referred by someone to follow this brand/company
10. 21% want just to learn more about the company

Why are you on Facebook or Twitter?  What are you offering that is unique to that venue?  Lots of people are looking for freebies or the latest scoop.  If you can plan that into your Social Media approach, you're more likely to get the results you're looking for.
5)  The biggest name isn't always the best route
Facebook isn't the only social network out there.  The AddThis bookmark tool (which I highly recommend to help your visitors do some promotion for you!) links directly to over 334 social media outlets.  Sure, you can take the shotgun approach to anyone and everyone on Facebook, the current big fad.  But on the other hand, with a little audience research, you may find some hidden treasure in another network that could give you a greater ROI. 


Social Media plays a large role in many of the promotions I create websites for.  The Dunwoody Chamber is making plans to make even greater use of social and mobile media in the coming months.  The social networks got the word out, but it was the users who made the votes in the poll count.  By the way, the winners are....













going to be announced at lunch tomorrow at the Expo at Crowne Plaza Ravinia!
(Gotcha!  Made you look!)  See you at the Expo!

Introducing.... Green Concepts Land Care

Yesterday evening I finished up a new project for Forsyth - based landscape company Green Concepts Land Care, owned by David McIlvane. 

McIlvane and his services are the ideal company to promote.  The man has education and experience in landscaping and water conservation that no other landscape company has. 

Check out this CV:
•Degree in Horticulture from Texas Tech University


•Professional Arborist Certification

•State of Texas License in Irrigation

•Category 24 Pesticide License from the Department of Agriculture, State of Georgia

Most importantly is David's experience in water conservation.  Georgia may be out of the deep drought trouble we had a couple of years ago, but there is still a lawsuit in play brought by Alabama and Florida challenging Georgia's (read:  Atlanta's) right to use the water in Lake Lanier.  Anything can happen with that suit.  So conserving water as we care for property has to be Priority One regardless of the budget and other services involved.
 
After discussing the demographics of David's audience and the services he wishes to promote, I created a custom original design for his site, based on his print logo.  It features a full photo portfolio and original blog - so check in to read the latest updates, advice and tips.  If you're in the Forsyth County/Cumming area and looking for an updated, functional, ecologically sound landscape for your home or professional building, drop David a line via the Contact form.
 
I'm proud to have created this website for this local company.

Dealing Effectively with Online Critics

I was inspired to blog on this topic when I received an email update from the Yelp directory.  The blog is for owners of businesses listed on Yelp (yes, including yours truly) and their most current post focuses on when a business receives negative feedback. 

Review the Yelp post here

The Yelp blog was inspired by a post on the New York Times Boss Blog regarding a negative review of a restaurant.

We're all human.  Humans have human reactions, including negative ones.  The Internet and websites that allow reviews are not the cause of these reactions; they are merely tools to convey them.  The difference is a keyboard is faster than a speeding word of mouth comment and hosting servers have longer memories than people.

If Yelp hadn't said it first, I would have advised the following on negative reviews.  I'll just quote it and give credit where it's due:

Give yourself a cooling down period. When someone is using a public forum like Yelp to attack something you’re pouring your heart and soul into, a very natural response is to get emotional. Don’t. The last thing you want to do is overreact to someone online (See: Streisand effect).

One of SDOC's more prominent website clients is the Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association.  This is the Atlanta chapter of the National Panhellenic Conference, a group of 26 Greek-letter sororities.  Atlanta's chapter was founded in 1927 to promote sorority life among collegians and alumnae alike.  The website and its information and features are a nationwide destination for women looking to learn about sororities and get updates on activities in North Georgia.  Dunwoody has been its meeting home for years.
 
In spite of a documented track record of community service and emphasis of supporting women in advanced education, Greek-letter sororities are, at various times, the butt of jokes, the subjects of outlandish urban legends, and a tasty target for legal action.  In the 1950s, Life Magazine called NPC sororities "a growing societal problem"!  Many in the public have negative impressions of sororities either from a personal experience in college, or from movies and TV.
 
The leaders of AAPA are more than aware of this negative mojo.  It would be easy to turn up one's nose and become indignant at those who express their impressions.  But they don't take the easy route.  Atlanta Panhellenic has taken a bold and proactive approach to rumors and negative information:  they invite it and address it head-on.
 
AAPA holds an information called College Sorority 101 every spring.  High school girls and their parents who wish to attend RSVP online in a form I publish annually.  In that form there is an opportunity for questions.  Any questions.  About anything.  Some I've seen included "Is being in a sorority only about drinking and partying" and "Is it true that when you're in a sorority you can't wear the same dress twice".  (In case you're wondering, the answer to both of these is "no".  )
 
No matter how crazy some people may find these questions, they are all considered valid and are taken at face value.  No taking offense.  No getting frustrated.  No judgement of those doing the asking.  No speculation on their motivation for asking.  Just straight, honest answers - in person, looking the public right in the eye.
 
The discussions continue on the AAPA Facebook group.  Like the informational session, it is wide open.  News is discussed and questions get answered directly and professionally.  No one is going to get huffy and have other members "stand in agreement", squaring off for a flame war.  AAPA is looking to improve opinions, one person at a time.  That's why a well-run web presence is the best tool for the job:  it can foster positive communication where otherwise there would be none.

"Smart People - Smart Business"

Some animals hibernate in winter.  I seem to hibernate in spring.  Not really sleeping, but holing up in a cave working on a big project that is just bursting to get out.  Such was the case with the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce

With the debut of Dunwoody's branding initiative, all of the marketing materials - including the website - needed an overhaul.  I had originally planned to reevaluate the site's structure and content after about 2 years.  Instead, we had to start looking at an overhaul about 8 months in to the previous design.

The original site was one that I organized, but didn't have much to do with in terms of design.  I was handed a Drupal platform, a pre-selected template, and an assortment of modules and told that I WILL make this work.

Within a few months, the staff were reporting difficulties in making their required content fit the format.  We already needed a different type of layout.  Further, the City Branding Committee had assigned a completely different color scheme to the Chamber's identity.  Because the scenario wasn't complicated enough, the site's very hosting was about to fall through.  So the job was now, host, update architecture, and redesign.

First things first:  SDOC established a new server host.  This happened right before New Year's Eve 2010.
Next, build a layout.  The only guidelines were a standardized style guide issued by the Branding Committee and a new logo.  I was finally free to design the perfect showcase from the ground up!  All of the graphics were custom-made to find the balance between a modern, up-to-date aesthetic while staying true to the intent of the standardized guide.

Finally, additional modules were added for functionality - including custom "block" appearance, custom block placement, ability to host numerous sites at once (compare the Dunwoody Business Expo 2011 site within the site) plus others that are still in the testing phase.

The new site launched officially on February 26 at about 6 PM ET.  From the time I was greenlighted to assume hosting the site to the final launch, I logged about 70 hours on everything, including graphic design, module installation and troubleshooting.

The physical construction of the site was a one-woman show.  The office staff signed off on the project in stages before the big reveal but it was my 10 little fingers doing the work.  Again, the content is mostly turned over to office staff and approved volunteers for updating, while I remain available to the IT Committee for functional updates and inservicing for volunteers.

Come on by!  http://www.dunwoodycommerce.org/.  While you're there, check out the Dunwoody Business Expo.  It's shaping up to be a major event with a lot of people showing their wares, breakout discussion sessions, and award presentations.

Website Design And Development by SDOC Publishing Supports Taste of Dunwoody and Friends of CHOA

SDOC is proud to announce that we are an official corporate sponsor of the Taste of Dunwoody at the W Atlanta Perimeter TONIGHT, benefitting Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.

Tickets are completely SOLD OUT.  So if you have tickets, please come say hello!  If you didn't get tickets before now, the Aha! Connection has a website post where you can connect with others looking for tickets, or looking to sell.  Post here to sell tickets or announce that you're looking for them.

It looks like the weather is not going to slow this event down.  My other half and I will be there even if we have to slosh in our rain boots!

This cause is near and dear to my heart, and not just because I'm a parent.  Years and years before I started developing small-business and not-for-profit websites, my career was in medical research at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.    My first position was in a translational research lab in the Pediatrics Division (Today it's called the Childrens Cancer Hospital at M. D. Anderson)  Our lab's key project was to develop a way of diagnosing leukemia relapse before the symptoms recurred using custom-made DNA probes, designed to match each patient's unique genetic signature.

It took a lot of cooperation.  The patients, their parents, the clinic nursing staff, the medical staff (including my boss) and a slew of other "lab rats" like myself all had a different task.  My task was to take biopsies of bone marrow and grow them in a culture bottle.  Then I handed them off to my partner so that she could analyze the DNA and design the diagnostic probes. 

This process was exta work for everyone.  The patients were already getting their bone marrow analyzed as part of their treatment and maintenance.  That didn't make the procedure less painful.  I made the process easier by being the extra pair of hands everyone seemed to need.  If it didn't require an MD  or RN, I was there.  I found prep trays, wiped anesthetic bottles with alcohol, and made sure drapes were at the ready.  If the Lab Medicine department got slammed and wasn't able to come down to the clinic, I made the histology slides that the technicians would read to determine if the cancer was in remission or recurring.  There were lots of trips to the clinical lab! 

I held lots of things.  Usually hands and ankles.  I helped hold the patient still and talked them through the sampling.  Having bone marrow aspirated is like having your soul pulled out through a little hole in your iliac crest, so say the patients I worked with.  Holding still makes the difference between getting it over with quickly and getting injured.  The only people more worried about bone marrow testing than the patients, were their parents.  If a parent is going to be an a procedure with their child they have to be able to emotionally hold themselves together.  Otherwise the child is even more frightened and chaos ensues.  Most times, the parent couldn't bear to be in the room; a few got sick and spit up.  I held their hands - and sometimes their heads.

But it wasn't always a bad experience working with patients in the clinic.  I saw many of my teenaged patients at summer camp where I volunteered as a counselor.  I saw first loves, "summer prom", and even busted a few making out behind a cabin.  We saw high school and college graduation photos, and wedding photos.   Some have even returned as volunteers, or gone on to medical school. 

I have three children of my own today, so I can't imagine returning to this kind of job.  A lot of life-long lessons came from it.  First, it is critical to have a child-centered health facility.  Caring for children is different than for adults, from the size of the equipment to the dosing of various medicines, to managing their emotional state with the decor in the room. 

Second, communication is an art form.  Very complex information about the child's disease and how to treat it has to be delivered and perceived at the level the patient and their family members can understand.  On top of that they have to understand all of this complexity during the worst stress of their lives.  This lesson is one I use  every day in writing text copy for a website.  It's a unique art to make information that readily accessible that quickly.  I mastered the art of communication talking to patients and families.

Finally you can't have a childrens' health facility without the support of the community.  Fundraisers are not a hobby, they are critical to supporting the patients and their families that often roll into town on their last tank of gas to save their child's life.  But then they need to purchase incidentals to survive in the mean time.  I'm proud to support Dunwoody Friends of CHOA, and I am equally proud to join my Phi Mu sisters in the Star94 Radiothon for Childrens' Miracle Network in November.

That's the story behind the story of SDOC's support of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.  I'll be glad to tell you more about our support of local charitable causes and other work - both websites and other - at tonight's gala.  I'll be there with rainboots on!

Where Is the Human Touch?

I usually write posts on this blog about customers or business in general but today I'm going to be self-indulgent.  Refill your coffee cup and settle in.  This is long.

How many times have you heard an acquaintance or colleague bemoan the lack of courtesy that used to be so common?  It's in every venue.  Some blogs I read describe  kids backtalking teachers - threatening, even, in some cases.  Reality TV has encouraged confrontation rather than conversation.  The immediacy of blogging has generated quick responses.  I work in a medium where every word and every image carries some subconscious meaning.  It's important to choose carefully not just the words you use, but when to use them.  Even whether to use them. 

It's easy to blame the Internet or TV.  They're new!  The technology is evolving.  The influence is growing.  The science behind the delivery of a message is more precise.  But it's not the Internet or TV.  It's us.  The humans.

I've been pondering this as I've watched groups of people in my own community use various tools to hash out new problems and old conflicts.  A big controversy at the moment is school redistricting.  Comments are flying fast and furious, electronic signatures appear on Internet petitions as quick as a keystroke.  Is it the Internet causing the intense reactions?  No - it's the basic mammailian instinct to protect one's young from perceived threats.  An instinct older than our species itself with a young medium to communicate it.

Soon after my family relocated to this area a situation arose where a homeowner wanted to change the zoning designation of her property, from residential to commercial.  Zoning is a passionate issue here, as homeowners feel they have had little protection from the government and other business interests over the years.  I'm inclined to agree - the county government looked the other way in many instances while a commercial enterprise flauted the law.  It's a key reason this region became a city.

The person making the request followed every procedure to the letter.  A public hearing w/ extensive notice was required.  A meeting room was secured.  Signs were posted.  Civic groups were notified.  A date and time were set.  I don't think they were prepared for the response they got.

The local community was opposed to the change.  Vehemently so.  Email groups fired up.  Civic group leaders banded together to plan their opposition.  Makeshift uniforms (red shirts) were organized.  This tiny meeting room saw 150 residents packed into it.  I was one of them - new to the area, to these people, to this process.  I agreed that the proposed change was a bad idea.  I still do.  But I have had many, MANY second thoughts over the years about how it was communicated and what kind of "people" we all turned into.

Some residents came prepared (armed?) with facts and figures explaining why the property did not qualify for the redesignation.  Others came with more appropriate recommendations for the type of business the individual wanted to open.  But all of that rational planning was overshadowed by the passion that became overwhelming.  Cheering, clapping, yelling.  "Yeah!  Get em!  Don't oppose us!  Because we'll band together and bring everything we've got to stop you!"  One hundred and fifty people yelling and offering legal threats - and one person facing them alone.   Since that time I tried to imagine myself in that person's position.   If I were the person up there calling this meeting, I would have felt threatened by a lynch mob.  I don't know how she kept from crying. 

I wouldn't have thought twice about this at a Braves game.  Pro sports aren't that personal.  But this was.  Everyone involved owned property and wanted to protect it and the local community.  A difference of opinion that could have been discussed calmly became a raving mob.

You'll notice it wasn't the internet.  It was the people.  Live and in person.

Ever since I realized how that scene must have looked, I've tried to be much more careful, in a lot of ways.  Words mean things.

When I see a civic group taking a stand on an issue, I tend to step back.  Is this going to be civil or will there be another mob scene?  I don't know.  I don't want to be a part of a mob.  I certainly don't want to face one alone either.  The same goes for community blogs and online newspapers.  I only recently started posting comments on issues where I feel I have something reasonable to say.  Is it because of the Internet medium and the instant transferral of thought?  No - it's the people involved in it.  The only difference is the location, Internet vs in-person meeting.  The people are no different.

That's a key thing I keep in mind when I'm working on a project.  I've met colleagues and other fellow web technology folks who are so wrapped up in what the machine can do that the needs of the people using it take a back seat.   It takes an enormous amount of effort to ensure that the message one delivers is the same one that gets received.  I think it's worth the effort.  Because we all have to live together.

Avoiding More Potholes in Telecommuting

This review began some months ago.  Time for an update now that we're snowed in!

Pothole #3:  You still need "face time"
Human beings need social interaction in person.  We thrive on non-verbal communication and are comforted by the sight of a real, live face to speak to.  Make time for networking, in-person meetings, and just socializing offline.  If you telecommute, make a regular in-office schedule for meetings or other followup.  Don't let the powerful communication tool of the internet become the ironic barrier to real personal interaction.

Pothole #4:  Know the Law and Follow It
Working from home either as a telecommuter or a business owner may not be completely up to you.  Your local municipality may have zoning laws that restrict what kind of work may be done in a residence.  For example, in some parts of New York City, business owners may live in the very same building as their storefront.  Or they may even live in their workspace if they have opted for an industrial loft-type of residence.  It's simply expected that work and home often occupy the same space.  On the other side, my community requires additional licensing permits for operating a business from a home; to actually meet customers at home requires a special land use permit from the City Council. 
Always check your local municipality's ordinances before you establish your business or begin telecommuting.  It's a lot easier to work within the law - and be a good business neighbor - from the beginning, rather than adjusting later to comply.

Pothole #5:  There Is No Such Thing as Multitasking
Again, put down the torches and pitchforks.  This isn't heresy.
When personal computers evolved in the mid 1990s, companies promoted their capabilities as "multitasking" - the ability to run more than one program at a time.  That wasn't exactly true.  The computer was fast enough to run a series of steps in a program in sequence so quickly that it seemed to be doing them all at one time.  But they really didn't.  The computer just did one thing at a time, very quickly.
People are the same way.  When you try to balance multiple tasks in exactly the same moment, something gets dropped.  You can avoid this by simply putting your tasks in order and running through them one at a time.  Not only will you get your work done faster and more efficiently, you won't feel overwhelmed and exhausted all the time.

Pothole #6:  Get Dressed
How many times have you seen an online program advertised on TV, claiming how wonderful it is to work or attend school from home because you can lie around in your pajamas all day?  It sounds wonderful - lounge and work at the same time.  That will last about a week, at most.
Whether you work at an office or at home, it takes effort to get your mindset focused on the job.  Getting dressed in "work clothes" goes a long way to set the tone for your work, even at home.  Whether it's business formal, business casual, or some type of uniform, if you look professional, you'll be professional.  That starts with your senses before anyone else sees you.

Anyone else have experiences in making working from home productive?  Leave a comment!

The Sincerest Form of Flattery (Update Jan 2011)

I just got a sneak peek at the new City of Dunwoody website. It looks amazingly similar to the current Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce website!!! There could be legal implications to that "similarity" but I'll sit back and take the credit for creating something so usable that other, larger companies want to replicate it. ;-)

I was asked to keep the new City logo confidential, before it is revealed this Saturday evening at the Dunwoody Music Festival.  So for that reason I'm not linking to the new City website page.
 
But to give you an idea, take a look at the Chamber of Commerce page:

  

And here's a screenshot with the sensitive parts edited out.

They have lots in common, don't they? 

The company contracted to create the new logo and website is Calvin, Giordano, and Associates out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Not exactly Dunwoody natives, but I'll let City Hall explain why they went out of state for this job when there are plenty of developers right here in town capable and willing to do a job for local government.
 
Evidently, Calvin et al know a good thing when they see it!  Pardon me while I pat myself on the back.

UPDATE:
Just got an update. Calvin, Giordano, & Assoc do not have a website department. They do have an employee in their city planning function that creates websites as a hobby. 

It's hard to fault any entity for trying to find the least financially expensive alternative for a job, especially when dealing with taxpayer money.
HOWEVER - the irony is the Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling (email: michael.starling@dunwoodyga.gov) is in a job that encourages businesses to start up here and stay here and for customers to buy Dunwoody goods and services.

Off the top of my head I can think of five other website development firms operating inside of city limits who would have been happy to take a government job. I bet they would have been much more creative than just lifting the color and layout scheme that the Chamber of Commerce was already using. The City wants to reap the benefits of a business community, yet to date they will not lead by example.

This partially explains the stolen design/color scheme and the fact that the City Government is trying to force the Chamber of Commerce to change its brand to that of a City department.  By "unifying" the branding the City is trying to show that they are in control of the business community instead of letting them advocate for themselves.  We've got the makings of a very interesting news story here. 
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What a Way to Start the New Year! Atlanta Snow Storm: Largest Snow Event in Years Expected Sunday Night, Monday - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Snow Storm: Largest Snow Event in Years Expected Sunday Night, Monday - 11Alive.com WXIA Atlanta, GA

So it looks like I'm going to be at my desk on Monday, one way or another! If you have a website project in progress, I'll be able to finish it up on that day. If you have a website project you would like to discuss or get started on, you'll have an easy time reaching me.

January marks the 10th anniversary of SDOC Publishing Internet Solutions' history of creating small business websites and other online communications and marketing solutions. I was working on a somewhat different announcement that didn't have to do with 3 inches of snow in Metro Atlanta (!!!) so I'll get to that later.

For members and others interested in the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce First Monday Networking, keep an eye on the main page at http://www.dunwoodycommerce.org/ for announcements regarding rescheduling if needed.

Weather closings from Channel 11
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