Elative

Twitter: I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/3P7RDDN7 ARMY of 3 - "Somebody That I Used to Know" - original by Gotye

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:59:02 -0700

I liked a @YouTube video http://t.co/3P7RDDN7 ARMY of 3 - "Somebody That I Used to Know" - original by Gotye

Twitter: Newspaper's Poor Advice for Readers Blamed on Art-Director Fail http://t.co/kvqPAkIp via @sharethis

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:25:13 -0700

Newspaper's Poor Advice for Readers Blamed on Art-Director Fail http://t.co/kvqPAkIp via @sharethis

Twitter: just closed a deal in 17 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:20:47 -0700

just closed a deal in 17 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Twitter: just closed a deal in 9 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:11:53 -0700

just closed a deal in 9 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Twitter: just closed a deal in 16 hours on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:22:42 -0700

just closed a deal in 16 hours on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Twitter: His books have been instrumental in shaping our creative thinking foundation. RIP http://t.co/YnVPblqj

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:06:40 -0700

His books have been instrumental in shaping our creative thinking foundation. RIP http://t.co/YnVPblqj

Twitter: just closed a deal in 6 days on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:28:13 -0700

just closed a deal in 6 days on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Twitter: @37signals Our basecamp classic still seems to be intermittent at best (especially failing when trying to upload a file).

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:10:16 -0700

@37signals Our basecamp classic still seems to be intermittent at best (especially failing when trying to upload a file).

Twitter: just closed a deal in 2 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:01:41 -0700

just closed a deal in 2 minutes on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Twitter: just closed a deal in 1 minute on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:31:56 -0800

just closed a deal in 1 minute on EchoSign e-Signature solution http://t.co/AGsSu1kT

Blog: A quick note to our clients using SlideShowPro & OS X

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:58:07 -0800

So, it seems that the recent release of Flash Player 10.2 has some issues on Mac OS X when trying to upload to SlideShowPro Director. If you encounter any trouble uploading files to your SlideShowPro Director interface, head on over to this link to download an updated release to fix it. You can read more details at SlideShowPro's site.

Blog: An Easier Canvas to Draw On

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:20:14 -0700

Spotted this one courtesy of Think Vitamin, it�s called Ai->Canvas, and it�s an Illustrator plug-in that exports to an HTML5 canvas element. Very cool stuff. Basically, you make your shapes in AI, export using the plug-in, and the necessary code to draw your shapes is generated. You can even do animation with it, which is definitely very cool. For those who haven�t yet read up on it, the canvas element is a JavaScript-based method for drawing vector-based images, which is exactly what Illustrator outputs.

Blog: My new favorite: HTML5 Boilerplate

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:31:31 -0700

So, this popped up on my radar a few months ago, and has been absolutely indispensable for building sites using HTML5. It�s called HTML5 Boilerplate. It�s not a framework, which I�ve found can be constricting in how you build out a site, but instead gives you a great jumping off point. The site itself has a great list of why it's cool, but here are my favorites: An .htaccess file with caching, compression, font file types, redirects, & other tasty goodies baked right in Conditional comments to...

Blog: HTML5 amazingness

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:11:06 -0700

So Microsoft has turned the publicity machine up to 11 for the IE9 beta release, and there's some truly impressive pieces that have come out of it. Most notably, the Lost World�s Fairs! These are three graphically and programmatically impressive pieces, using all manner of techniques. The two most impressive to me, however, are the Atlantis World�s Fair and the El Dorado World�s Fair. Both sites are long, vertical layouts, taking advantage of absolute, relative, and fixed positioning, Typekit for...

Blog: 21st Century Handshake

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:05:45 -0700

In late August, Apple started their attempt to start push mobile payment solution into the hands of the consumer. In a recent Engadget article discovered Apple hired a new Product Manager of Mobile Commerce.Honestly, Apple and Paypal is just behind Japan where established mobile phones are fully capable of transactions in trains, convenient stores, and online payments. 21st Century Handshake is making digital transactions with a swipe of technology. Its exciting to see some excitement in this progress where cloud transactions are effective for every mobile user.

Blog: Social Media Tools for Parents (Part 2 of 2)

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:58:09 -0700

Welcome to Part 2 of this week�s look into the significance of social media in hands of consumers. All it takes is one mother to take down Pampers� new line of diapers overnight. Like I mentioned last week companies have used social media and networking intensively in their websites, packaging, and PR in all medias. �There is a dark side to this when your premier relaunch of your product line goes into a downward spiral. Proctor & Gamble�s strongest baby brand is Pampers� with a line of baby diapers and wipes.

Blog: HTML5 video solutions

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:33:40 -0700

So everybody�s excited about HTML5, and the native media capabilities it brings; specifically the tag. But at the moment, support is a bit tricky. To quickly reiterate: Safari 3.0+ supports H.264 video & AAC audio in an MP4 container Firefox 3.5+ supports Theora video & Vorbis audio in an Ogg container, or WebM (VP8 video & Vorbis audio in a Matroska container.) Chrome 3.0+ supports both H.264 & AAC in an MP4 container as well as Theora & Vorbis in an Ogg container. iOS & Android support H.

Blog: Social Media Tools for Parents (Part 1 of 2)

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:42:48 -0700

Part 1: Sooner or later parents of different generations and ethnics are getting involved with the basics of social media. Not as intensive as tweeting, but Facebook has strengthen family networks and rapid fire feedback. In this week�s blog is about the highlights of search engines and social media networks for parents. Next week I�ll give an example of a PR disaster companies need to be aware when their brands can be disseminated and easily tarnished overnight. Using Google, Bing, Yelp, and Wiki-Everything on the iPhone has given my wife, wealth of knowledge from the apple tree in a matter of seconds.

Blog: Facing the (Font) Future

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:14:50 -0700

It seems as though the technology for representing fonts on the web are finally coming to fruition. With the W3C�s near-adoption of the WOFF format (it has remarked that ��it expects WOFF to soon become the �single, interoperable format� supported by all browsers.�), @font-face seems poised to become the firm technology for embedding fonts in a site. Previously, techniques like cuf�n & sIFR were the best way to deploy a font not commonly installed across all systems, or to guarantee a particular font is used.

Blog: Tweet Your Menus, Dine with Immediate Satisfaction

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:39:16 -0700

Having that midnight craving or sick of fast food solutions at work? Give your local social media food trucks in your neighborhood a try. Out the door of the usual greasy, iced, and forgettable foods, say hello to the new tech buffet line. How can we say no to Twitter, Facebook, blogging and every other social media avenue? It�s the perfect vehicle for informing your customers instantly of your restaurant or event. You can actually enjoy something good and know when andwhere to be back for more.

Blog: Resolution Dependence, or why it's ok to have different layouts

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:38:41 -0700

Recently, I came across a really brilliant technique, resolution dependent layout. I’ve been exploring this technique a little bit, and definitely want to discuss & highlight some awesome uses of it. This is especially useful for tailoring a site to a mobile device, and since all of them run on a WebKit-based browser, they can all understand @media queries, which is the crux of this particular way to accomplish this. With that said, there’s two ways to do this: Using @media queries in a for a resolution-specific CSS file Using @media queries inside a single CSS file.

Blog: Why Hire a Photographer

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:20:45 -0800

Everyday we are bombarded with marketing visuals. It can be a photograph, an element of graphic design, or a video. For this blog entry, lets focus on that first item, photography. In the age of digital photography, where everyone and their neighbor has a digital camera and can essentially take a "good enough" picture for their business, I have to ask myself; Why hire a professional photographer, and what is it about a professionally photographed image that makes a business potentially stronger? For...

News: Brian Arbuckle is Creative Audio

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:39:00 -0800

Brian Arbuckle approached us to completely redesign his personal brand, and create a website to go with this new brand. He expressed a penchant for darker designs, so we crafted him a visual style with strong oranges and blues surrounded by dark greys. Since Brian primary purpose of his site are his compositions, songwriting, and sound design/mixing, we made sure a strong focus on his work was evident with large slideshows throughout the site highlighting the clients he's worked with, and a clear, easy way for him keep his site up to date.

News: Richard Turgeon, Writer & Creative Director

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:03:00 -0800

Richard Turgeon wears many hats: writer, creative director, visual artist, musician, and he wanted a website to truly showcase this wide-spanning array of talents. So he came to us for a straightforward site that allowed him to showcase his abilities, but without losing the ability to manage himself. And that's what Elative delivered: a clear, concise website that immediately showcases Rich's work through slideshows, blog entries, and plenty of descriptive text and imagery. In Rich's own...

News: Covering All Bases With Fax

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:52:44 -0800

Following on the heels of an office phone line, Elative now also has a new fax number. This is not just any fax number, but rather, one backed by a online digital system that allows all Elative members access, however remote. The new fax number is (650) 644-0244, and you'll be seeing those on all of our new business cards, which also uses our new company branding.

News: New 37signals ID for Basecamp

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:46:00 -0800

37 Signals, makers of Basecamp project management web app, have begun rolling out a new login system that paves the way for many exciting feature enhancements to come. As our recent clients all know, Basecamp is an amazingly powerful, yet simple system that helps everyone stay on the same page. With the new login system, one of the biggest improvements is that you can now use the same login for other Basecamp accounts and Backpack, Highrise, and Campfire accounts. Read more about the new login system on 37 Signals' product blog entry on 37signals ID.

News: The Elative Brand, Version 2.0

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:52:00 -0800

Today Elative launched a refresh of its brand to reflect the higher level of professionalism and refinement we've matured into for a while now. The logo now uses our approved corporate typefaces, and makes bolder use of our orange and blue colors for a more vibrant brand image. Also incorporated into the logo are stylized pronunciation symbols to help address correctly verbalizing our name.

News: The Elative Office Main Line

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:53:00 -0800

Today Elative is excited to announce a new office phone number. We can now be reached easily during business hours at (650) 327-1998. In addition to cutting down on our individual mobile phone bills, we've also significantly upgraded our internet infrastructure for our offices and our conference room. Feel free to drop us a line, as we always want to hear how our clients and partners are doing.

Blog: The Last Wave?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:40:46 -0800

Every twenty five years or so, a really big communication wave comes along that sweeps innovation and change into our lives. The first one I remember occurred when network television replaced radio as a focus for info-tainment and created modern advertising; so nicely portrayed by the butt puffing men of Mad Man. Yes, I'm old enough to remember when a 'Winston tasted good like a cigarette should,' and other tobacco pedaling jingles. In the 80's, cable TV launched and undermined the network's dominance by decimating advertising revenues with lower costs and wider choice of programs, characterized by re-runs, ESPN, and faux news show.

Blog: Is Starbucks Diluting It's Brand with Via?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:07:00 -0700

When Starbucks announced that they are launching their version of instant coffee, a thought went through my head: Good job Starbucks, way to take the "luxury" out of "luxury brand". Known to many as providers of premium coffee, and to others still as simply carrying a premium price tag, entering the instant coffee market seems like a diversion from Starbucks' overall plan of being the top coffee vendor in the world. Love 'em or hate 'em, it's become trendy to slam Starbucks by making a snide comment on paying $5 for a cup of coffee.

Blog: To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:11:06 -0700

I've had a few people ask me about the frequency of tweets lately. Usually they're wondering how often their business should tweet, and if they really need to let the world know that they like the� sandwhich from Vinnies, but could have done without the pepperoncinis. Of course I tell them that would be ridiculous...the word 'pepperoncini' takes up far too much real estate in a tweet. Poor humor aside, the question of how often you make contact on Twitter is a valid one, particularly for businesses who count each tweet as a marketing effort.

Blog: Ice Cream Sundae: An Email Marketing Blog

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:09:56 -0700

On the surface it seems simple, doesn't it? You throw together a few lines of copy, your company logo at the top, and oh, don't forget that list of email addresses you bought from a guy in an alley. Slap on a button to "Buy Now!", and, oh, that subject line....how about "SAVE 10% TODAY!!!!!!!" Not so fast. A well-crafted email can be a sweet treat, no different than the most inviting of desserts: the ice cream sundae. Let's start with the copy. Rich, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth copy is the foundation, like a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

News: Our First Intern

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:49:00 -0700

Elative Marketing continues to grow since moving into its new offices, and today we're happy to introduce Will Valle as a new media design and photography intern. Will is in the midst of his new media design studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In addition to strengthening the web and graphic design area at Elative, led by Kyung Min, he also helps support new media skills in video production and photography in particular.

Blog: Twitter Goes Down; State of Humanity Threatened

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:13:30 -0700

It was a dark morning. For starters, it was cloudy. That doesn't happen in California. Ever. Then the news hit: Twitter is down. Twitter. Is. Down. Upon hearing this, I rushed to the street, to see hundreds or more people fleeing their homes, grabbing one another, shaking each other by the shoulders, asking how this could be possible. I drove through Cupertino and Mountain View and discovered that buildings once occupied with quiet cubicles, bothersome copiers, and endless meetings on riveting topics such as enterprise-level IT security were now in ruins.

Blog: Observations from Hearing Alan Cohen of Cisco Speak

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:21:39 -0700

I recently attended an event in Mountain View in which Alan Cohen, VP of Enterprise and Mid-Market Solutions for Cisco, spoke his mind about the nature of contemporary business communications. The meetup was billed partly as a networking event and partly as an opportunity to learn about emerging social technologies in enterprises, so naturally I was compelled to go. Unfortunately, the event turned out to be little more than a recital of the obvious mashed up with some advertising and seed-planting for Cisco products.

Blog: Email Marketing + Social Marketing ? Spam

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:45:37 -0700

I recently had a conversation with someone who asked if I thought that social media marketing should be considered spam. He posed an argument including the fact that people buy accounts and followers, and also that email marketing, which is in the same vein, is widely considered to be spam. I began to think about some misconceptions regarding social network marketing and email marketing and how they might be thought of as spam. I thought I'd take a moment to clear that up for you - free of charge! First of all, let's talk email marketing.

Blog: NFL Says 'No' to In-Game Tweets

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:59:38 -0700

The NFL has banned its players from in-game Twittering, citing a rule they already have in place that prohibits cell phone usage during games. In doing so, they might be missing a golden opportunity. On one hand, you have to side with the NFL. Giving a bunch of rowdy, adrenaline-pumped, larger-than-life professional athletes a forum to say whatever they want to the entire world during the heat of battle, with all the raw emotions that go with that - you can see how that might quickly turn into a PR nightmare.

News: Making It Official

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:32:00 -0700

Today our company name graces the wall by our building's entrance as a visual indicator of our move into a great office space in the amazing area that is downtown Palo Alto. We look forward to continuing our rapid growth and development as a company on the rise, in a creative and business climate that supports our vision. Read more about us and our new media marketing mindset.

News: Introducing Jeff Byrnes

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Elative Marketing is delighted to welcome web developer Jeff Byrnes to the team! A self-proclaimed computer geek, Jeff brings to Elative an expert knowledge in coding and developing webistes, lending his expertise in several languages as well as WordPress deployment. Jeff will also be a welcome contributor to the Elative Blog, covering web development and other topics. A pleasure to talk to, Jeff fits the Elative mold of being almost obsessive about providing an exceptional customer experience, as he has been doing for Apple, Inc.

Blog: Review: Seesmic Desktop

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:46:36 -0700

In the world of Twitter desktop applications, Seesmic Desktop has shown that it is perhaps the most valuable of them all for the novice Twitterer and the so-called power user alike. The first thing that sets it apart is the ability to manage multiple Twitter accounts. There are some others that do this as well, but just this one feature whiddles down the list of competitors significantly. Perfect for business users that have a personal and business account, as well as the split-personality sociopath who wants so bad for people to think they really are Brittney Spears, being able to manage multiple accounts in one place is a major plus.

Blog: Where were you when....?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:07:18 -0700

Where were you when you heard Michael Jackson had died? I was in my office, and found out when I switched tabs on my browser and saw a friend's Facebook status. How did you find out about the passing of the world's foremost pitchman Billy Mays? I found out through some Twitter posts, and learned more about it using Scoopler. Though I could go on about paying homage to the tragic deaths of a handful of celebrities and TV personalities this week, I won't. There are a million sites and a million blogs and a million groups on Facebook for that.

Blog: Social Media Marketing and Business Results

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:34:22 -0700

Despite the success and popularity of social media and networking sites, there are still plenty of objections, misconceptions, myths, and plain old concerns that I hear from people in small and large companies alike. Perhaps the most pressing question is one of metrics; can you really measure the results of a social marketing campaign? Businesses are understandably concerned with how they invest their advertising dollars, especially in an economy where companies have cut costs by letting their marketing budgets shrivel like a salt-covered slug.

Blog: Scoopler Gives You The Scoop

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:42:16 -0700

What exactly are real-time search sites? Imagine being able to type in a buzzword, a hot news item, or just any word that could spark a conversation. Then imagine being able to get a real-time stream of information from both major news sources as well as people all around the world. Now stop imagining. It's real. And your boss isn't going to like you sitting around with your eyes closed looking like you need your 3pm shot of java. I've checked out a few of these sites, my favorite so far being Scoopler.

Blog: Iranian Election Coverage Proves The Power of Social Sites

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:46:08 -0700

Politics are neither my forte nor my preferred topic of discussion, however as a new media marketer it's impossible not to realize the impact that social media sites - particularly Twitter -� have had on the happenings surrounding the Iranian election. According to CNN, the U.S. State Department asked Twitter to reschedule maintenance in order to keep the social network alive and pumping information out to the web during crucial election-related moments. Furthermore, sites like YouTube and Flickr...

Blog: Facebook Usernames Set to Cause Friday Night Stir

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:57:31 -0700

If you have a date to go on, a movie to catch, family to see, or any other typical Friday night brew-ha-ha planned, I have bad news for you. You're going to have to cancel. After all, the joyous warmth of human interaction pales in comparison to the radiant glow emanating from your computer monitor, in front of which you will be accessing Facebook after 12:01 EST in order to select your username. As attached as you are to an ID like profile.php?id=1064330513, you just won't be able to pass up the opportunity to finally pick a name that reflects your true character, like PrInCeFaN4eVa.

Blog: MySpace Giving Way to Facebook, Twitter

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:06:09 -0700

"Why-eee-iii-eee-iiii-eee.....yeaaaa....MySpace is dead...." MySpace seems to be suffering the same fate as the Our Lady Peace, the band who's lyrics I so artfully butchered. �Like the mid-nineties pop-rock outfit, MySpace got its 15 minutes of fame and now seems to be on its way to the land of irrelevancy.� In the world of social networking, it's all about what's hot, what's new, and what everyone else is doing. We're nothing if not a society of sheep!� In an article from CNN, the author points out the decline of MySpace and the rise of Facebook, as well as the social media tool that may eventually dethrone Facebook: Twitter.

Blog: Web Marketing Craze Sparks Web Marketing Education Craze

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:39:44 -0700

I've been noticing a few institutions lately that have been offering courses and even certificate programs geared towards learning about web marketing and web 2.0. I suppose this shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, web marketing is hot right now, and "web 2.0" is a buzzword being thrown around like a rag doll in a windstorm.� Leading Bay Area institutions like UC Santa Cruz and University of San Francisco offer�certificate�programs in marketing geared towards new media and web marketing studies.

Blog: You spent how much?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:08:52 -0700

Let me start by saying that as a general rule of thumb, I'm not the type that tends to cling to a brand name. For example, I have a friend who will only buy Sony electronics, Ford cars, and Oakley sunglasses. My nose ironically stuck in the air, I often considered myself to be above this seemingly baseless snobbery. Sadly, �I recently found out that I too am privy to the expectations, vision, and lifestyle associated with high-end products...which is why I spent about $200 on a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.

News: Elative's New Home

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:12:00 -0700

Blog: Marketing and The Economy Part 2: Binky's Bananas

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:58:52 -0700

Back for more info on marketing and the economy? How could you not be! Examining corporate behavior during desperate economic times not only makes business sense, but is fascinating as well. This time around I want to talk about a company that probably doesn't want me divulging their clever marketing plan to the public. So, let's just say this company is called "Binky's Bananas", and let's say that they manufacture and sell high-end bananas through retail stores as well as several other sales channels.

Blog: Marketing and The Economy

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:22:58 -0700

We all know what happens when an organization starts to lose money: the creative departments are usually the first to take a hit. Take public school systems for example. When there are budget issues (and believe me, us Californians know about budget issues), the art and music departments are shut down and the teachers running those departments get the boot. This is all too sad, but I guess some school districts feel that the investment we make in trying to develop creative-minded individuals who are not just left-brained robots is a boondoggle.

News: Elated to join Elative

Fri, 01 May 2009 17:28:00 -0700

Elative Marketing is proud to announce that Mason Razavi has joined the company as the New Media Marketing Strategist. With years of sales and promotion under his belt, Mason will help strengthen the marketing arm for Elative. In his position he will tackle several roles, not the least of which is helping clients develop a promotional strategy through new media outlets.

News: Music Lovers Website Overhaul

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:53:49 -0800

Music Lovers Audio & Video recently hired us to give their website a complete and redesign with a focus on search engine optimization. Since they are a high-end retailer, we decided they needed a very classy and modern design. With an eye toward SEO, we wanted to improve their content, so we created sections for News updates, Bargain listings, and of course, a full Product catalog. They are thrilled with the results and we're proud to announce the debut of their new website!

Support: Add Audio with PodPress

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:40:48 -0800

Here are the steps to follow when adding an audio or music file to your Wordpress blog when using the PodPress plugin. The first step is to upload your media file by clicking the small music notes icon. After uploading, don't worry about inserting into the post. Next, you want to scroll down the add/edit post page until you see the Podcasting Files section. Click Add Media File to start the process. Now you'll see the screen change and more options will be displayed on your screen. Go to the Location drop-down menu and find the file you just uploaded.

Blog: Add Audio with PodPress

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:40:45 -0800

News: Birdmonster Joins Freshman Class on MTVu

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:26:50 -0800

Birdmonster has been making moves in all the right ways, which included performing a few gigs recently at the Sundance Film Festival. Now their "Born to be Your Man" music video is in the running to be in regular rotation on MTVu! And the best thing is, you have the opportunity to support their success! Voting ends tomorrow (Friday, January 23rd) at noon Eastern time. Vote to support good music now!

Blog: Yahoo hosting, no htaccess, and permalinks

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:08:33 -0800

So everyone wants clean permalinks these days; those search engine friendly URLs are everywhere (even on our own site!), and made ubiquitous by Wordpress and other CMSes. The usual technique is to use Apache's mod_rewrite module and an htaccess file to re-write the URLs (see here). But what if you can't use an htaccess file? Well, I found out recently that Yahoo Small Business hosting does not allow htaccess files, at all, and I had to find a solution for that. The solution for me? PATH_INFO, an environment variable in Apache, which is basically extra "information" at the end of a file path/URL.

Blog: Obama's New Whitehouse.gov

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:06:22 -0800

If you haven't noticed yet, the new White House website debuted today. It has a modern, classy look, similar to the Obama campaign website. The site features a blog; not sure if President Obama himself will be blogging, though. It also looks like the site will host a weekly video address from the President. Looked at the source code, and yes, they are using my favorite, jQuery! Nicely done.

News: That Southern Rock Band Feel of Jason Isbell

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:15:00 -0800

Tough Love, the artist management company for Birdmonster, was well-versed in using our modular Elative CMS as a tool for helping to connect a band with its fans, and come to us to redesign and upgrade another of their artists' websites. This time it was Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, hailing from Alabama. The new website is rich with dynamic content, from all the latest news and tour dates to rich photo and video content, as well as YouTube integration and a complete music catalog, all driven by Elative's custom-built CMS solution.

News: Blooming to Get Noticed

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:39:00 -0800

Referred to us by the amazing Ariel Hyatt, Fiona Bloom is fast becoming the person to turn to for urban hip-hop PR needs. The Bloom Effect is positioning itself at the forefront of marketing for urban hip-hop artists throughout the world in today's internet-powered society. The Bloom Effect's blog was in need of a similar renovation as Ariel's, with a specific and targeted focus on enhanced functionality and to bring in more traffic from search engines and other sources. With our work, her blog...

News: Introducing Creative Health and Productivity

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:01:00 -0800

Our work for A Green Church caught the eye of Dan Danzig, who brought us in on the development of Claremont Partners, a new company that develops creative health and productivity solutions for employers and health benefit trustees. We delivered a logo, print brochure, and website that serves as a streamlined online brochure for the company's offerings, powered by Elative's custom modular CMS and using the latest in web standards and best practices in SEO findability.

News: Sprucing Up LegalBuffet

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:10:00 -0800

In our first official business from our new St. Louis office, we provided some much-needed updates to LegalBuffet and their blog. LegalBuffet offers excellent information on a myriad of legal affairs, and also helps you choose the best online legal service for your particular legal scenario. The team over at LegalBuffet also just started a great blog, powered by Wordpress, which features current-events legal stories and commentary.

Blog: Using Template Tags In Wordpress Widgets

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:23:43 -0800

When working on our Wordpress theme here, I was looking for a way to create a more custom widget than the default Categories widget, without having much know-how when it comes to Wordpress plugin design. But Google comes to the rescue: this great tutorial from Lonewolf Online on how to create a simple, custom plugin w/ widget. Then you can go crazy with template tags in widgets, even if you are not a pro with plugin creation.

News: New Resource Bank Wins Best New Green Biz Award

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:58:05 -0800

Elative would like to congratulate New Resource Bank, where we have a business bank account, for winning the "Best New Green Biz" award from SF Weekly's 'Best of San Francisco 2008'. It's admirable that New Resource puts sustainability near the top of its concerns, and certainly, there's no other bank we'd want to be associated with. Make us proud!

News: All Elative Social Media Accounts Now Live

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:48:32 -0800

All of Elative's social media accounts, which includes a Facebook page, a Twitter, LinkedIn company page, SEOmoz account, Flickr photos, and del.icio.us bookmarks, are now up and running. Stay up to date with all of Elative's happenings, from fleeting thoughts and inspirations communicated through tweets, to portfolio items and photographs on Flickr, and all social media updates via the Facebook page, and much more! Become our friend, and we'll return the favor.

News: St. Louis Branch Now Open

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:56:00 -0800

Elative Marketing's Director of Web Development, Rob Sanchez, recently relocated from sunny southern California to the home of the Gateway Arch and Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri. Elative is proud to open its doors for business in the midwest!

News: The New and Improved Elative Marketing Website

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:23:00 -0800

It was a long time coming, trying to fit in our own website in the midst of churning out client work left and right. The old saying, "The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot", is one that really struck a chord with us on this one. With this website, we're able to more thoroughly describe our services, show off our portfolio, and keep you informed of all that's happening with us. So check out the new Elative Marketing site, and feel free to drop us a line, as we always love hearing from our audience.

News: Heading for Better Health

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:37:00 -0800

Coming onboard just after the foundational site frame for Head for Health was designed and coded, we were subcontracted by Some Pulp to design and implement a multi-section website, as well as to power it solely with Wordpress for dynamic content management. The life/wellness coaching & psychotherapypsychotherapy website includes many stock photography as part of the site's and content pages' designs, various custom widgets such as the contact box found on the bottom of most content pages, a blog as one section of the site, and much more.

News: New and Improved CyberPR Blog

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:51:00 -0800

Ariel Hyatt, the mastermind behind Ariel Publicity, is one of the most active and passionate people we know, as she's determined to help artists help themselves in the new social internet era. And the thing was, she needed a modern blog that was deserved to be the platform for her insightful thoughts, information, and advice. We overhauled her Wordpress-powered blog to be optimized for SEO findability, to have a design that supported and organized her content, and supported her goals for emphasizing participation and her email marketing efforts.

News: Elative Cruises Right Down to L.A. (The Redux)

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:20:48 -0800

Elative Creative Director Kyung Min heads down to L.A. for Thanksgiving, meeting up with co-partner Rob Sanchez for what is likely the last all-management meeting in L.A., as Rob is preparing to open up Elative's East coast office in St. Louis next month.

News: Texas, Meet the Fair Trade of Good News Goods

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:04:00 -0800

Today Elative rushed out the door the website for Good News Goods, a partnership between Trade as One and the CLC to bring Fair Trade to BGCT churches all across Texas, just in time for a major Good News Goods event in Austin, Texas. The site is delivered with the standard Elative high quality of our custom CMS, the latest standards-based web code, best practices in SEO, as well as direct marketing sign-up modules and custom Google Maps integration.

News: Alex Karweit's ENEMY debut

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:07:00 -0700

Addo Label artist Alex Karweit is releasing his debut CD the first week of November. The album was remastered, and the CD will be available for anyone attending the release party on Sunday November 2 at the Hotel Utah Saloon. For any fans that have the original version, they can trade it for the new one for free. The album will also be available at online retail stores starting on Tuesday November 4th. Listen and learn more at www.alexkarweit.com.

News: Birdmonster Tours North America

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:42:00 -0700

Birdmonster has left the nest that is the Bay area to tour North America with The Rumble Strips. Elative's Kyung Min was able to catch the San Francisco leg of the tour at Popscene this past Friday, and they sure were killin' it, like the seasoned concert veterans they've become.

News: The Conversation

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:30:00 -0700

Elative's Kyung Min attended The Conversation this weekend, a conference on the future of cinema, games, and online video, with particular emphasis on the new tools, distribution methods, and rules of the new era of rich media. Speakers included representatives from Dreamworks Animation (showing off their new digital 3D technology), Netflix, JibJab, YouTube, Webby Awards, Workbook Project, and more. There were many parallels to other industries in the entertainment sector, particularly music, as it's no longer about wishing and praying for that big distribution deal.

News: It's Back to the Lab, with a Pen and Pad

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:14:00 -0700

Coldbloods, a special client of ours, finds themselves in certain situations that give them an opportunity now to reassess their focus and business model. As a result, the new website we've been developing for them has been put on hold, and we wish Coldbloods the best of luck with whatever new direction they chart out to explore.

Support: Encode FLV Video Files

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:10:00 -0700

So you've got a custom video player for your site (maybe it's an open source thing, or SlideShowPro, or one a developer built for your needs). The problem with most of those solutions is that they require you to upload videos in the .flv format, which not every video application can just crank out. Of course, if you're only concerned with catering to those using the Flash browser plug-in's version 9 and higher, then you can serve up .mov videos in Flash, as long as they are encoded with the h.264 codec.

News: Birdmonster's Site is Open for Business

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:04:00 -0700

Birdmonster came back to Elative to expand the online store on the band website we recently designed and built for them to include not only their records, but also Birdmonster apparel and merchandise.

News: Music Lovers' Grand Opening in Berkeley

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:16:00 -0700

Music Lovers, the Bay area's finest in high-end audio, video, and home installations, opened a new location in Berkeley this weekend. Having outgrown their previous Berkeley location, Music Lovers has taken the opportunity to strengthen their business with a bigger facility that's closer to downtown Berkeley. Mike and Kyung from Elative were at the grand opening festivities to congratulate them on this significant milestone achievement. We've recently been hired to further their upward journey by revamping the Music Lovers website and helping to improve search engine performance.

News: Alex Karweit's monthly residency

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:09:00 -0700

Alex Karweit will begin a residency at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco with a brand new band. Starting in October, Alex will be performing the first Sunday of every month. Each month will feature new music, prizes, and some great headline acts from around the globe. Sign up for his newsletter to learn more at www.alexkarweit.com.

News: The Addo Label signs Alex Karweit

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:20:00 -0700

Elative Marketing's sister company Addo Label has signed a contract with local SF bay area artist Alex Karweit. This fall Addo will release his debut album, Knock 'Em Out. Learn more at www.alexkarweit.com.

News: Birdmonster Releases Latest Album

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:53:00 -0700

Elative Marketing client Birdmonster has just released its latest album. From The Mountain To The Sea is now available in record stores everywhere and can also be purchased on the brand new Birdmonster webstore.

News: Elative Cruises Right Down to L.A.

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:53:00 -0700

Elative team members Kyung Min and Mike Zawitkowski took a trip down to LA to meet with friends, family, and business associates in a nice long weekend adventure. The highlight of our trip was meeting with Rob Sanchez, who now joins the team as Director of Web Development. Elative also laid out some plans and strategies to end the year with a bang.