Blogging South

We're off to SMBTV to sit on a panel about blogging.



Looking forward to sharing how it went in the next couple of days. In the meantime, go have a gander at the blog of one of the funniest people on Twitter.



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Talkin' Turkey

Two weeks from now Amanda will be taking to the stage, kind of, as she sits on the panel for the 4th Social Media Breakfast-Tech Valley. SMBTV4 will examine:

What makes a successful blog? Is ghostwriting appropriate? How do you attract more readers? What kind of content do you write about? Is a blog right for every organization? How does blogging fit in to an overall social media strategy? Should CEOs and corporations blog?

Amanda will be there in her capacity as a founder of Trampoline and as a blogger— personally, professionally and unofficially. @amandamagee + @designtramp

The other panelists are:

Lara Kulpa, owner of Ginkgo Consulting and community admin for ProBlogger.com
@larakulpa

Christina Gleason, copywriter, blogger, and founder of Phenomenal Content LLC.
@christinagayle

Greg Dahlmann, the co-founder of All Over Albany.
@alloveralbany

SMBTV has taken the area by storm, with each breakfast selling out and having a lively stream of live tweets that run the gamut from best takeaways to funny asides. Amy Mengel puts each event together and serves as moderator.

The December 4th event, sponsored by The College of St. Rose Communications Department will take place at The American Red Cross of Northeastern New York . Annemarie Lanesey of MZA Multimedia will provide live-streaming.

For those not signed-up for the sold-out event, you can follow SMBTV on Twitter @smbtv or hashtag #smbtv You can also sign up for the waitlist.



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Judging Amy

Stacey Mattison, Campaign Communications Manager at Skidmore College, asked Amy to sit on a panel for the Case District II – Council for Advancement and Support of Education judging how photography is used in college marketing materials. The other judges on the panel were Meg Marshall from FingerPaint Marketing and Tom Myott, a South Glens Falls art teacher and owner of Tom Myott Art and the Corner Gallery.

The panel worked together to narrow the entrants to the final 3, relying in the final stretch on the evaluation forms to declare the winner.



Stay tuned, though Amy knows who the winners are now- she won't tell us, they'll be announced in Mid-January.


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Free to Breathe

Perhaps at the top of the list of things you take for granted: breathing.

You should be able to trust that every day you'll breathe, that your lungs will work the way they ought to, but it isn't always the case.

Not yet 30, employed yet uninsured, Tribune employee and Glens Falls Resident, Regina Rothstein found herself staring down a diagnosis of lung cancer (neuroendocrine carcinoid) on September 18th of this year.

One of her co-workers, a longtime friend and client of Trampoline, Melissa O'Sick, called us to ask if we might be able to help in some way. Unsure how to have the most impact, we decided to do everything we could in the time that we had.

First came t-shirts for those walking with and for Regina.





Colleen over at Ridge Street Coffee Company (1 Ridge Street in downtown Glens Falls) continues to sell the Regina t-shirts for $15 a piece— raising awareness and money for Regina as she battles this diagnosis with bottomless ferocity and zero health insurance.

Next came banners and markers to guide the way along the walk.



A poster to get the word out to hundreds of Tribune employees.


A spot on the web that directs people to a place to give.


Melissa O'Sick, Nicolle Burton and Regina Rothstein.


Team Regina's frontline.



Regina's Behind-the-scenes Team. A very special thanks to these Trampoline vendors who helped us complete this effort with minimal costs. They always work hard for us and produce quality products. This went above and beyond—we're proud of the work, humbled by their commitment and generosity.

Arca
A&M
GFprinting
GVHstudios


Breathe new life into this campaign, give to Regina and Team Regina.

Not always about winning

We like to think of ourselves as nice, but the truth is, we're pretty competitive. Sometimes it's just challenging ourselves to be better, or it's competing within the studio and other times it's against other agencies. Recently we entered into our first New York State bid project.

It was a monumental undertaking for us, but felt as if something we should do. The entire Tramp team came together and worked in the most literal sense as a team, pushing, supporting, combining and executing things in a way that had the full strength of 8 different skill sets and talents.

It was intense, exciting and ultimately the single-greatest act of team-building that we have ever experienced. We are stronger, bolder and more aware of the value of each player than ever before.

All that said, we didn't get it, which kind of sucks. However, at the risk of sounding like an also-ran, the truth is, it was awesome just to compete. We can look back, feel damn proud of the creative and genuinely say, "We gave it our all."

Last Friday everyone got a little something as a way of rewarding their willingness to go above and beyond what was expected of them. Upon recounting the story to a nephew, one Tramp shared this:

So when I got home Friday Jacob said, "so how was work" in an annoying teenager tone, 'cause whenever I see him I ask him how's school. I said it was great and that actually we got a little bonus for our hard work on the state bid. Even though we didn't get it, the work and effort didn't go unnoticed. I said that it was such a nice gesture and how appreciative I was.

His response: "wait a minute, you got extra money for NOT getting a job? That's like sports teams, they lose the game but they still get paid. Not fair Aunt Amy."

We may not have a state gig, but the state of affairs here at Trampoline is this: Our team kicks ass and we are grateful for that every day.



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Go Big.

Amy is known around these parts for her delicate and refined touch, some might even call it girlie. Underneath the pinks and paisleys, Amy had a fine trick up her sleeve, 74' of trick to be exact.



Long a hardworking yet unadorned part of our community, the Finch Paper Mill needed a sign. A very big sign. Amy worked with Beth Povie to get it just right and the folks at Sign Perfect hung it exactly to spec.



A big job, well done.



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Added Features

It's fascinating to track waves, whether it's Lists to Twitter or campaigns to add a dislike feature to Facebook, it's interesting to see the landscape evolve. The thrust of change, easy or hard fought, seems to be coming from consumer or individual demands as opposed to business models or internal strategies.

"I want my phone to do this."

"I want this out of my plan."

"I choose not to work out of the office."

Whatever it is, people are taking the initiative to make demands and initiate a kind of compromise that is leaving some businesses behind. You can use advertising as an example in a very general sense, the idea of sticking to the same approach despite an evolving consumer preference creates a dead end. You cannot corral people into digesting their information a certain way, there are simply too many variables. The three or four tried and true arenas for marketing oneself are diluted. Mechanisms exist to circumvent advertising, preferences are honored and, quite simply, people are opting out in the literal sense.

So, does this mean a hamster-on--a-wheel existence of catering to external elements?

Hasn't customer service on some level always translated to that?

Or are we not thinking about it the right way?

What about imagining a way for it to work? A way to make the business run smoothly as it met, and maybe even exceeded, the expectations? I mean, when you get down to it, it's really kind of simple. The marriage is— your bottom line, your fulfillment and your clients.

The way to a harmonized trio would involve considering each one and taking pains to make sure the balance always stays fairly close. Can you think ahead and find ways to please people as you accomplish your own objectives?

So instead of running just to keep up, you veer a little off course, look ahead and carve a new way. Better, stronger, faster, cuter. Whatever. Just don't do it in a vacuum, don't pedal furiously only to find yourself alone. You are as entitled as anyone else to demand a better way, leaving behind what hasn't worked.

We're working on this. Strengthening relationships where it makes sense and extending our capabilities where we anticipate people (ourselves and our clients) needing to go.

It is scary and challenging, but the alternative is a much darker place, don't you think?




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Be Counted

UPDATED: The Crandall Library Budget passed!

We all have something from our childhood that made a difference— for some of us it's a teacher, for others it's a place. Participating in campaigns for Crandall Library is an honor for us, as we know that one day, new voices will say, "Crandall Library was my place."

In 10 months, attendance is up more than 50% over last year's total. The library has seen a 70% increase in new borrowers in the 2009. And, 1,000 children read 20,000 books in the Summer Reading Program.

Knowing that we may have had a hand in helping strengthen the potential of legacy, well, it makes us feel powerful. Try it.