Feel smarter. Be trendy. Use QR Codes.

By Emily Spirek on August 8, 2011 at 11:40 am in freebies,General,Mobile Web

Yes, QR Codes are the new buzz in technology land. The question is, are you one of those smart people buzzing about it?

First, a lesson about what it is. Then, a lesson about what it is to you.

What is it?

QR Code = Quick Response Code. And they do mean quick.

It’s a simple 2D code that you generate (for free) and people scan it with their extremely intelligent, camera-enabled phones. Immediately after they scan the code, the application will direct them straight to your website.

Typing out a domain name? Psh. That’s in the past.

It can be used for other things as well, including, virtual business cards, phone numbers or even sending a text message.

We all know how creative the young generation is, and they will find plenty of uses for these codes. I even read an article about a guy putting a QR Code on his mother’s tombstone, which directed people to a memorial website he created for her. Weird, yet extremely innovative.

What is it to you?

1 in 2 Americans will have one of these super awesome smartphones by the end of 2011.

Meaning, people will have the ability to use these QR Codes…everywhere. Make it easier on your current and potential clients/customers – who doesn’t want instant gratification?

Karan Ediger, General Manager of the Edmond Business Times, wrote an article about this new phenomena. She admits that she’s “no genius when it comes to digital technology,” but she’s been quite impressed with this new fad.

She has great tips for incorporating the QR Code into your business’ marketing. She says to ask yourself, is it to:

  • Increase awareness about a new product or introduce a new service
  • Announce a big sale
  • Increase efforts on a charity fund drive

Decide your goal, and the QR Code has great potential to aid in the success of your business.

If you think the code is a bit ugly and would make your designs lose their snaz, remember, there is some room for experimentation. Check out these awesome business card designs (as well as ours pictured above). It might give you a little hope.

Consider this!

Once you add your QR Code to your business card, flyers, etc., think about what you’re directing your clients to. Most people are scanning these codes with their smartphone, meaning they’re navigating your website on their phone too.

Consider getting a mobile website design, which is a simplified version of your full site. One-touch calling and map functions are ideal for on-the-go purposes. Scan our QR Code above to check out the mobile version of our website!

If you subscribe to our Ezine in the bottom right corner of our site, we will give you a free business card design with your sparkly new QR Code! Just purchase a mobile website (starting at $595) by August 31st, and we’ll design you a new business card (200 awesomely-printed cards included).

There you have it. Two birds with one stone.

 

 

The New Twitter

By Elyssa Dolinger on October 8, 2010 at 9:14 am in General,Reviews

newtwitterTwitter is in the process of rolling out its new design. Everyday I see people rejoicing or lamenting the new design. But what are some of the new design perks? I present a smattering of the new Twitter features. I doubt that I’ve found every gem, but this should give you an idea as to what the new Twitter is like.

They’re finally implementing some of the conveniences that third party applications have been providing. It may be too late to bring people back to the browser, but it sure can’t hurt to try.

The first thing you might notice is that the sidebar got huge. At first it was a turn off to have two equally sized viewing panes, but soon enough the reason for the right side’s expansion becomes clear. Added functionality. Everything you love about Twitter is still there. Well, maybe except the background. A measly 40 pixels of safe area is left on either side, though, if your browser supports, the right side bar should be semi-transparent.

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Twitter now even has a favorite tweet button. To choose a tweet to “favorite,” hover over the tweet you like. An option with a star and the word favorite next to it should pop up. Click it and the tweet will now feature a gold half star on the corner, as well as be listed on your right panel under the favorites option.

retweeted

retweeted-by

Retweeting? A two-shade green retweet label appears in the upper left corner of a tweet that has been retweeted. The number of times it has been retweeted is listed as well as a parade of mini icons of users that have retweeted by you.

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Click on a tweet and the right side panel changes. It now holds all kinds of useful information about tweets that you never knew that you never knew you needed to know. It can embed certain video and image links which is handy when it works. You can even see where tweets were made if tweeters want to be stalked.

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If someone is mentioned in the tweet, it gives an abbreviated profile and link to their account as well as other tweets mentioning that account. If there are any replies to that tweet, they are listed in the side bar. Same deal for hashtags.

The new sidebar makes it easier to follow conversations, but you’d better hope you can find the first tweet. It doesn’t seem smart enough yet to track back to the first tweet of a convo.

Above all the tweets, the tabs at the top help navigate some new and old options, one of which is the ability to save searches. Also, when you search, you’ll have the option to filter for only those tweets with links or only those close to your location.

top-tabs

All in all it was a nice effort, Twitter. But I’m staying with my third party application, TweetDeck. (Though I have to admit, the keyboard short cuts, including “.” to refresh, are pretty sweet.)

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Check out our latest website launches!

By Emily Spirek on August 20, 2010 at 4:59 pm in Client Plug,General

Angels Foster Family Network OKC

We had the pleasure of working with Jennifer Abney, founder of the Angels program in OKC.  She is an extremely kind-hearted and admirable woman, and we’re so thankful for her hard work in developing the OKC branch. Please read more about this organization because so many children are waiting for a loving home! Angels will be with you every step of the way with training, information and more. Thanks Jennifer!

Visit Angels’ website and Facebook page

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Land Enterprises

Land Enterprises is not only worried about quality of work in roofs, but they truly care about their customers. Brian Land founded the company in 1996, and his company has been booming ever since! Brian’s genuine personality is what sets them apart, so you will be taken care of no matter what! Check out Land’s in-depth roofing process explained on their new site. We guarantee you’ll have a wonderful experience with them!

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Launch Baskets!

When we design a custom site for a client and launch their new site (like Angels and Land), we want to send them a little piece of our appreciation:

  1. CD with a copy of their website
  2. Thank you card
  3. Candy/treat
  4. T&S pen
  5. Personalized rocket for their “launch”
  6. A custom labeled T&S Jones soda bottle

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Thanks to all of our clients, and we look forward to more website launches coming soon!

Websitepalooza: Part Deux coming soon

By Tim Priebe on June 23, 2010 at 12:54 pm in General

Websitepalooza: Part Deux is coming on July 22. Websites while you wait. More info coming soon…

Websitepalooza: Part Deux

2009 non-profit website winners

By Emily Spirek on February 17, 2010 at 11:22 am in General

In 2009, we decided to give away a free custom website to a different non-profit group every month. We selected from a group applicants, all from the Edmond and Oklahoma City area.

We were so blessed to work with all of these organizations, and it was undoubtedly a rewarding experience. Thanks to all of the non-profit winners, and we hope your new websites have aided towards the success of your organizations!

Please check out the sites below and learn about what these people are doing for the community.

2009 Winners:

January:

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http://edmondmobilemeals.org/

February:

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http://www.dsok.net/

March:

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http://oklahomawomenscoalition.com/

April:

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http://teenempower.org

May:

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http://www.vipofok.com/

June:

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http://www.edmondlacrosse.com/

July:

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http://www.edmondkids.org/

August:

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(pending publication)

September:

N/A
(Unfortunately, the non-profit we selected for September
did not have the time available to develop a site with us)

October:

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http://www.chosenokc.org/

November:

Wayman Tisdale Foundation

(pending – awaiting confirmation)

December:

Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled

(pending – awaiting confirmation)

Update: More detailed entries about each non-profit are soon to come!

Diabetes Solutions’ new website

By Tim Priebe on November 23, 2009 at 10:18 pm in Client Plug

Diabetes Solutions thanks T&Sdsok.netAs you probably know, this year we’ve been giving away one website a month to non-profits here in Oklahoma. Diabetes Solutions was the winner in February, and we launched their site awhile back.

Well, we just received their newsletter in the mail the other day, and they were kind enough to include a thank you note to us in their newsletter.

Kim and Casey, you were great to work with, and we appreciate the opportunity to help you guys out. Enjoy the website!

Websitepalooza coming soon…

By Tim Priebe on October 1, 2009 at 7:05 pm in General

Websitepalooza is coming on October 29th 30th. Websites while you wait. More info coming soon…

websitepalooza

Launch Boxes!

By Emily Spirek on September 4, 2009 at 4:55 pm in freebies

If our incredible service and fantastic communication isn’t enough incentive to purchase a website from T&S, we have the answer: launch boxes.

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T&S just added a new step in our standard and premium website process. At the end of designing and coding your website, we have decided to send you a “launch box” proceeding the launch of your new website. We think it’s a very exciting step for a company to see their new site online, so we thought our clients would appreciate a tasty thank you package in the mail.

Our favorite part of the launch box is our personalized My Jones Soda bottle with the T&S’ logo printed on the label. Even if you don’t like Orange & Cream soda, the bottle looks pretty darn good on display. Just sayin’. In the future we’ll be making plenty of upgrades to the launch boxes. Guess you’ll just have to buy a website to find out what they are.

Brand spankin’ new sites!

By Dave Roach on August 21, 2009 at 6:48 pm in Client Plug

Recently we have launched three more new sites, Dental Depot, Westwind Digital and TS Dudley.

Dental Depot‘s site covers all of their locations in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Their site resembles what the inside of their offices look like, truly a unique dentist office. You can view their website in our portfolio.

Westwind Digital Communications installs business telephone systems, provides computer networking hardware and services, and installs video surveillance equipment. You can view their website and their business cards in our portfolio.

T. S. Dudley Land Company Inc. (TSDI) is an energy service company in the business of providing professional landmen, acquisition agents, and project management to the energy industry.

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We always have more websites in development, and we will post them here around the time of launch, so check back often!

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