Interactive Buzz - August 1 '08

Harnessing the power of community
This is a crazy cool site (created as a sustainability effort by NEC) with gorgeous design and great functionality. Click "enter" to watch today's efforts in "replay", then click "Skip replay" to start interacting. Here's an overview: "Ecotonoha is a project to nurture a virtual tree collaboratively, and at the same time contribute to the actual environment to cope with the global warming. As you make Ecotonoha's leaves, the virtual tree will grow, and as Ecotonoha grows, real trees will be planted by NEC.

Flint Interactive's Recently Launched Websites

I know there's a listing down the right side of this blog - but I thought I'd send out the list in a posting as well. Here are some of the sites and other web tools Flint Interactive has launched in the last couple of months.

Sertich Consulting
UMD Bulldogs
Woo Her
United Way of Cass Clay
Fit City Duluth
Big Iron Farm Show
Vista Waters
Nodak Mutual
New Geography
Microlap
Fargodome
Fargo Moorhead CVB
Beacon Point Condos
Woodmaster
Northwest Manufacturing
Fred Mertz Farm Sales, Calgary AB
Residential Care Track for Points North

Interactive Buzz - July 18 '08

Microsite get edgy
I appreciate when brand isn't afraid to push the creative bar. This is a well-done video and entertaining "jingle" (that you can download) all encased within a lovely little microsite. And looky there, they included it on their corporate site so you can easily find it (see the blog posting about Microsites".

How to be a UX Team of One
This is a Slideshare presentation by Leah Buley at Adaptive Path. It's pretty good for designers out there... and here is her blog if you want more.

| View | Upload your own

Micro-Interactions
I'm into presentations this week I guess. Micro-interactions is a new term that's been thrown around lately. A new concept - no - newly trendy, yes. It means everything from a company's blog to employee Twitters to employees themselves. Small interactions people may inadvertently have with your brand that make the world of difference. One of the best quotes from the blog reference below is "we need to remember that the real power in "social" is the quality of interactions we have with companies and brands".

This is a good presentation put together by David Armano, VP of Experience Design with Calgary-based Critical Mass. It's called "Micro-Interactions in a 2.0 World". I've included the Slideshare presentation below.

| View | Upload your own

Interactive Buzz - July 3 '08

*side note - happy birthday to my dear husband!*












One of the best...
This is one of the best sites I've seen for getting a true sense of a brand in a digital format. In this case, the brand is a person - a photographer. I've seen hundreds of photographer websites and this one, more than any, gives you insight into who this person is, how she will be if you hire her and what you can expect out of this "brand" of one. It starts out with a (surprisingly quick-loading) video of her talking about what she does (wedding photography). The video adds a whole new dimension...you can see her, hear her and get a sense for what she'll be like. It's like an interview without doing any work. The transitions between pages have a little spark with more video and the copywriting on the site is fantastic. Whether it's truly her or a creative writer, the copy has emotion. (under Jasmine*). The "Life In Between" section is more than a "bio" and adds a creative flair to getting to know who this photographer is. Overall, this site does what many strive to do - get a true brand experience in a digital format and make a positive first impression.

Shops strive for a new formula
This is a bit of a long read but it's a good one - especially for people writing tactics into Comm plans and for creatives coming up with new and different ways to help people engage with a brand. Here's a quote from the story: "The shift from storytelling to user experience is huge," Armano says. "The advertising agencies that want to move beyond microsites are just figuring that out. It takes a different way of looking at things and expertise."

Volkswagon Germany (click on center image)
This site is in German, but it's visual enough to get a good sense of what's going on. The blend of video to set the stage, backed by some basic interaction. It's futuristic and it's purpose is about telling people VW is being eco-friendly. While it has nice glitz, it could have been better served by trying to connect with audiences a little more. The beginning video is good, but improved interaction and some deeper thinking would likely make this a bit better.