technology

INTERVIEW: Joseph Scola of ABID Technology

INTERVIEW: Joseph Scola of ABID Technology

It takes a tremendous amount of creativity, innovation, and dedication to build your own company, even if it’s a small one. Creative Village wants to showcase how individuals went through the process of beginning their own businesses and perhaps inspire you to do the same.

We talked with Joe Scola of ABID Technology, an interactive tool that lets you click on things that interest you while you’re watching videos online. It’s a very neat idea — check it out on their site!

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Tell us a bit about ABID and what prompted you to start a company like it? Every entrepreneur wants to change the world, and ABID is our way of trying to do so. Our goal is to transform the way viewers will interact with their video content for years to come. We believe people are in constant search of accessing information, and we’re aiming to deliver that experience through an added layer in video content. We see this as one small piece in the future of information exchange. We’re still a young company, and although we’re very pleased with the goals we have accomplished, there is still a long list of milestones in front of us. But that’s the exciting part.

Can you describe your past positions and how they led up to the creation of ABID? I’ve always been attracted to the visual arts, this led me to a BS in Film and Video at Drexel University. After Drexel, I fell into a sales and marketing position with a fortune 100 company. This experience had opened me up to a brand new side of myself. I wound up building new skills and excelling in the industry, but the limitations of working for a large corporation had slowly started to rub me the wrong way. I had ideas, so did my colleagues, none of which were being heard. It was during this experience I had met my future business partner, and we decided it was time to take action.

“If we couldn’t make change through the company we were working for, then we would create our own. Six months later, ABID was born.”

What’s one golden piece of advice you’d offer a young company? I would say, be prepared to work harder than you imagine. Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Be passionate about whatever it is you’re aiming to create, building a company comes with many ups and downs, you’ll need that passion to get you through the challenges that lie ahead.

How do you imagine ABID Technology and Creative Village could work together? Creative Village has some incredible resources, I especially love their blogs and the inspiration they provide.  It would be wonderful to attend some of the networking opportunities and exciting events they’ll be hosting. They’re a company that seems to have a deep understanding of entrepreneurship, startups, and they’re providing new tools for guidance in those arenas, and that’s something close to home for me. I would also imagine that when it’s time to expand ABID, our recruitment process would be made much easier working together with Creative Village.

What’s next for ABID? We’re currently wrapping up an incredible internship program we created and hosted in Philadelphia, and we’re extremely proud of all the students who participated. In the next couple months we’re planning a soft launch with release-1 of our product. The product is something we’ve kept tightly under wraps, and we’re very excited to begin testing it with partners.

If you knew you were about to eat your last meal, what would you have and where would you have it? I would start with some grilled calamari salad, followed by homemade manicotti with my Great Aunt Elda’s famous sauce. After the main course, a Saint Joe’s cake would be my dessert of choice, and would of course be accompanied by a double espresso. A light digestive of sambuca in a snifter glass with 3 coffee beans would polish off the perfect meal. I would enjoy this final palatable goodness overlooking the Mediterranean from the town of Aquavella in Salerno, Italy. It’s where my grandfather was born, a place of humble beginnings and true beauty.

Thanks to Joe and ABID Technology for giving us a peek into the life of an entrepreneur! Keep checking back for more interviews like this and find out the different paths there are in starting a business.

Diane Ly advice, business, career, development, education, inspiration, Interview, technology, videos 0 , , , , , , ,

The Benefits of Working at a Start-Up

The Benefits of Working at a Start-Up

We are undoubtedly smack-dab in the middle of a tech revolution — a statement that can be defended by the hundreds, if not thousands, of tech start-ups popping up each week. In New York City alone, there are so many start-up companies that the city developed a digital map of them all, including the company website, location, and whether or not they’re currently hiring.

So many current students and fresh grads would do anything to win a position at a start-up, but has it becoming a mindless desire molded by hype from our peers and media outlets? They’ve almost become this sort of mythical, romanticized ideal we millennial creatures put on a pedestal and drool over, but do we really know why it’s great to work at a start-up?

Currently interning at a young start-up, RentShare, and even at a small company like Creative Village/Creative Interns, I wanted to share the benefits I’ve personally experienced by going into the office every week (thus, it by no means is a checklist for all companies you may encounter):

  • It’s small: Some may even call it “intimate” (but that’s a little weird). One of my favorite things about being part of a small organization of about 5-7 people (it fluctuates with the hiring of new interns) is that I actually get to know my coworkers and talk to them on a one-on-one basis. It makes the ambiance seem more like a team rather than a bunch of coworkers, which is great for morale.
  • Your work matters: Not that it doesn’t elsewhere! But what I noticed when writing blogposts or press releases or even managing some social media is that since I’m part of a smaller team, my task has a larger impact on the company goals. I’m much more accountable for the work I put out and that itself is a motivator.
  • Your ideas get picked up: Since team meetings are smaller and you are most likely in direct contact with the CEO and other super important figures, you get a chance to pitch your ideas and elaborate on them. The beginning stages, in my opinion, are so great because the white board isn’t full yet, so no idea is easily dismissed. The best part is when everyone starts to voice their suggestions on how to make your idea better, and an thought you jotted down in your notebook suddenly becomes a working project. That’s what happened with my Neighborhood Profiles series!
  • Witnessing a company GROW: This part is super exciting. You get to see the baby steps of an organization become toddler steps, and then big kid steps, and then adult steps! I’ve always wanted to enter the stage of a company where one new sign-up was to be celebrated — it definitely makes you more personally invested in the company.
  • Lunch is fun: No, really, this is important! I’ve really become friends with the people I work with which is something that is entirely undervalued in the workplace. Being close with your coworkers allows for easier communication and teamwork. Plus, you should like the people you work with, right?

Remember, these are only what I’ve personally seen first hand after working at a start-up. If you disagree or have something else to add, I’d love to hear it in the comments section!

Diane Ly inspiration, social media, startups, technology, testimonial, trends, Uncategorized 0 , , , , ,

The Hidden Code

Have you ever wondered why you like certain products more than others? Watch this interesting video I found on TEDEducation. It is an educational yet fun-to-watch video showing how media uses the hidden code to manipulate our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The video is only 6 minutes long, but it fully explains the intricate system of symbols in our everyday life and how those codes are applied through advertising messages, TV shows, magazines, Internet, and other media channels. For instance, color, image, sound and writing in media are all appealing factors that influence and shape the way we see the world. The authors did a good job in making this complicated theory easy to understand.

I hope you enjoy the video, and let me know what you think about it.

Cathy Qiu communications, inspiration, technology, videos 0 , , ,

Content First!

Content First!

Last month, I was invited to “Reasons to be Creative”, a design and tech conference held at the SVA theatre in Chelsea. While I ended up having to cut my time there short, I managed to see two sessions I had planned on.

Up first was Content First!, A lecture by Jeffrey Zeldman. The talk addressed the need for a new approach to web design by putting the viewer first and using small screen or mobile web design as inspiration.

As an example of content “don’ts”, Zeldman pulled up a screenshot of the homepage of the East River Ferry, notifying passengers of delays. He pointed out that the site, intended to aid the viewer, was oversaturated with unhelpful content; including the phrase “East River Ferry” displayed about 4 times in various heading weights while the actual delay notice was small and buried beneath.

Another example offered was that of a movie review site that used the same text size for all its content, including its long list of links; which could be found on every page. Zeldman explained that not only was this a problem in content hierarchy, but also an unnecessary amount of links. Maybe this was helpful as far as SEO marketing was concerned, but a headache for the actual target – the viewer.

But the viewers are learning to fight back against this anti-user behavior; changing text size or colors for legitimate concerns (e.g., bad vision, color blindness) or people using apps like instapaper for easier mobile readability.

So does that mean the web is dead as we know it?

Praising minimalist web design (like the famous “Minimal” Blogger template) and new techniques like responsive design and progressive enhancement, Zeldman says it doesn’t have to be. A company may want a page overrun with SEO content or a few camouflaged ads, but this will only hurt them in the end. At the end of the talk, Jeffrey boiled down the talk into four major points (pictured above) as well as his this parting advice:  put content first and scrubs away the unnecessary extras – the result is a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Morgan Sobel advice, career, design, development, education, mobile, technology, trends, UX/IA 1

Social Buttons Made Easy

Social Buttons Made Easy

Whether you work as a freelancer or part of a blogger studio, redesigning your portfolio is key to long-term success.

Once you’ve created a stunning website or online portfolio to showcase your work and skills, you need to make it easy for people to find you. Which is where your social network comes in. More

Ehab Aref business, career, design, education, inspiration, mobile, technology 0 , , , , , , , ,

Behavior by Design Talk

Want to gain users for your next big product or service? First, you’ll have to understand how the human mind works.

Watch Nir Eyal — start-up founder, lecturer, entrepreneur — explain his theory on How to Manufacture Desire. In his video (which is based off an article he wrote explaining the topic) Eyal discusses how big companies like Facebook and Twitter gained so many users through creating a habit-forming product.

If you’re trying to build something that will get people hooked, take a look for valuable information.

Diane Ly advice, career, communications, development, inspiration, resources, startups, technology, videos 0 , , , , , ,

Creative Village Presents: Aurnhammer and ShopKeep at Hiveat55

Creative Village Presents: Aurnhammer and ShopKeep at Hiveat55

Creative Village recently had the pleasure of hosting two of New York City’s most innovative businesses; Aurnhammer, LLC and ShopKeep. Bill Aurnhammer, Founder of Aurnhammer, Karen Pattani-Hason and David Olk, Co-Founder of ShopKeep signed on to share how brands are navigating the mobile space and how mobile and the cloud has changed point-of-sale.

Aurnhammer is a creative media, design and development firm specializing in branded smart device applications for the mobile space. They have an impressive list of clients including but not limited to Sony Music Entertainment, Showtime Networks, The New York Jets, Bowers & Wilkins, Stanley Hand Tools and Russian Standard Vodka.

ShopKeep is an iPad Point-of-Sale system (POS) that gives merchants the power to run and analyze their business in an elegant, easy-to-use and cost-effective cloud-based interface. Merchants can load and manage inventory, track customers, and get robust reporting and analytics for their business. In addition, merchants can access real-time sales remotely via their iPhone to monitor stores even when they are on the go.

Both businesses began as startups at the downtown co-working space, the Hiveat55 located at 55 Broad Street. Aurnhammer and ShopKeep blossomed within the Hiveat55 space and later grew into new locations at the 55 Broad Street address. Business is growing in both of their industries and we expect to see continued innovation and creation from these companies. Check back at www.ourcreativevillage.com for the final cut video captured during the presentations. See Aurnhammer’s creativity expressed in a mock-up of what could be Creative Village’s mobile app design and ShopKeep’s persuasive explanation on why several new businesses will utilize ShopKeep as their future POS provider.

Several Creative Village NYC Meetup members and guests attended the event including; Alison Minaglia, CEO of Technology PR, Justyn Markarewycz, Employee Relations Specialist from Baruch College and Ray Kasbarian, CEO of Zypline. Thank you to everyone who was involved and helped put this experience together and a special thanks to Donn Gobin from Aurnhammer for presenting us with the opportunity to partner. Creative Village looks forward to continually bringing our community opportunities to promote, exchange and partner with creative industry professionals.

Don’t get lost in the crowd–become part of a village! Creative Village

Marc Scoleri apps, business, creative services, design, events, mobile, resources, software, startups, technology 0 , , ,

Creative Village Meetup Highlights by GraphicDesignNYC

There are many components to GraphicDesignNY, one of our jobs is to capture as much of the NYC arts and tech scene as physically possible. As a meetup group, we enjoy the camaraderie of supporting other groups and organizations in the visual arts and digital communities throughout the tri-state region. Recently we were lucky enough to attend a ‘Demo Night’ event hosted by our friends over at the Creative Village Meetup group.

The presenters for the evening were VYou.com and Squidoo.com. VYou is a video Q & A utility that is used to intimately communicate with audiences across multiple social platforms. Squidoo creates huge waves of social curiosity, builds trust and communities around content.

The event was well attended by a variety of people interested in media and web technologies. The venue, Wix Lounge is a great friend of Graphic Design NY and has been gracious enough to allow us to host not one, but two of our own events there (and hopefully more in the future)! Wix Lounge is a completely free co-working and event space for creative professionals. Wix Lounge is run by Wix.com, a free website publishing platform providing user friendly tools for building beautiful, easy-to-make desktop, mobile, and Facebook sites.

We plan to bring you more video coverage of as many design, creative, digital and tech events as we can get to. NYC always has plenty of things going on and the new media sector is extremely hot. We will also be uploading interviews, tutorials, creative videos, product reviews and job/career specials. And if you have any ideas, content or interesting story you want us to cover, let us know.

Please rate the video, leave a comment and subscribe for updates.
Also head over to our creative events group:
http://www.meetup.com/GraphicDesignNYC

Marc Scoleri creative services, education, events, inspiration, startups, technology, trends, videos 3 , , , , ,

“Are We LinkedIn?”

It’s a question I now hear more often than “Are you on Facebook?” or “What’s your Twitter name?” A quickly growing social networking site, LinkedIn aims to connect members by their business, not their favorite movie. Joining up allows you to create an up to the minute online resume and a network of direct connections (colleges, students, classmates, etc) and is an awesome tool to have in any creative’s arsenal.

What makes the social network so great isn’t its ability to keep track of your colleagues, but it’s potential to help you gain new ones. Making direct, or first-degree connections on LinkedIn allows you to see the information of their contacts (your second degree connections) as well as their own second-degree connections. By asking for an introduction, a new connection may also lead to new opportunities. The more connections you have, the bigger and stronger your network gets. But be cautious of adding people you’ve never met. It’s tacky and, if you are a repeat offender of this, you could get banned from the site.

Another great attribute of LinkedIn is the ability to create a detailed and dynamic profile. You can use this to create your own super resume. Be sure to fill out all your contacts, any past or present experience and all your skills. Ask for recommendations from co-workers you respect. To help you along, a progress bar on your page will tell you the percentage of your profile that is completed and tips on how to fill the rest. Additionally, LinkedIn has apps that allow you to connect your twitter, portfolio or blog. Use all of this to your advantage.

The site (available as a mobile application as well) also lets you follow businesses and join groups related to your career objectives. Both options can be used to scout job openings in your desired field. In addition, you can also use LinkedIn’s own job search tool. For those wishing to maximize their LinkedIn potential, upgrades are available for monthly or annual fees, but even the basic version can prove quite useful. Many people sign up for LinkedIn but never use it, but if you’re looking to take your job search (or current one) seriously – LinkedIn is a great tool to have.

Morgan Sobel advice, career, how-to, mobile, resources, social media, technology 0 , , , , ,

I hate to break this to you, but education doesn’t stop after you graduate

Especially if you’re a web developer.

You may be at the top of your class, but the truth is whatever you’ve learned up until graduation isn’t enough. All of the classes that you’ve taken are only building blocks for learning. Get ready to be humbled when you start your internship or first full-time job.

Learn to grow

Technology is always changing. Before I graduated, I learned to use Flash and write a little bit of ActionScript. Now, I work full-time at a digital agency writing HTML5, CSS3 and catching up on my JavaScript skills. I still find myself staying home on the weekends, studying tutorials or researching new frameworks.

Be flexible and open. There are always new technologies to learn. The worst kind of developer to be is the kind stuck coding websites in tables for the rest of your career.

The key is to learn from the people in your development team. They’ll introduce you to new technologies, a new way of thinking and different techniques in coding.

I’m really lucky to be working with talented people. A senior tech member took me under his wing when I first started working at RAPP. He showed me some of inefficient ways I was coding CSS and taught me new techniques. I gained knowledge of useful development tools that I can’t live without. I’ve learned more with my experiences with my team at RAPP than any class I took at school.

I don’t want to scare development hopefuls away. There are plenty of development resources available at your finger tips:

Videos:

MIT OpenCourseWare
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

MIT had posted a whole collection of lessons from different MIT deparments. OpenCourseWare is absolutely free with no registration required.

Academic Earth
http://academicearth.org/subjects/computer-science

Academic Earth is the Hulu of academics. This is a free online resource that brings together lectures from all the top colleges.

Webcast Berkeley
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/

Webcast Berkley is a collection of all of Berkley’s courses. You can find many videos dealing with web development from the professors who work at Berkley.

O’Reilly School
http://www.oreillyschool.com/

The O’Reilly School brings together various online certificate programs ranging from Python programming to web programming. Check out the website for available courses and pricing.

Treehouse
http://teamtreehouse.com/

Team Threehouse streams over 600 training videos about web and iOS development. Pricing starts at $25 per month.

Interactive Learning:

Codeacademy
http://www.codecademy.com/

Codeacademy is an interactive website to learn programming basics. You’re first course is to learn JavaScript through different exercises. Creating an account is easy and its all free.

Codeschool
http://www.codeschool.com

Codeschool follows the principle of learning by doing. Their courses involve watching 10 – 15 minute videos called CodeTV and coding each exercise. Current courses involve Ruby on Rails, HTML5, and jQuery. Codeschool is $25 per month.

Tutorials:

Nettuts +
http://net.tutsplus.com/

Nettuts is a tutorial resource for web developers and designers who already have an established skill set in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or Ruby on Rails.

Codrops
http://tympanus.net/codrops/
Codrops is a development blog that offers tutorials on new technologies in HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery. The best tutorials involve creating complex animations using CSS3 and jQuery. It takes development to the next level and proves that you don’t need flash anymore to develop sites or ad banners.

CSS Tricks
http://css-tricks.com/

Created by Chris Coyier, CSS Tricks is one of the more popular development blogs. CSS is the main specialty, but Coyier has branched out into doing some wonderful WordPress and jQuery development tutorials.

Elif Bayrasli career, development, education, technology 0 , , , ,

The Next Big Thing in Digital Education

“The next big thing…” is a big promise and the one being made by McGraw-Hill Higher Education as they begin rolling out the latest version of their Connect online content, now integrated with the Blackboard learning management system (promo video — marketing site).

After working on “the next big thing…” in educational technology for Pearson Education several years ago maybe you’ll understand why I’m a skeptic, but now that I’ve spent the past several months working with McGraw-Hill Higher Education’s first-rate UX Group on the architecture of the Connect-Blackboard platform, I have a different perspective. Today, I think McGraw-Hill is on the right track.

This contradicts some of what Lee Wilson voiced in his post The Web is Breaking Big Publisher’s Business Model last week, but I’ll split the difference and can support both points of view. While Lee asserts there’s “a fundamental shift in the instructional materials industry, away from the scale economics [...] to the value of niche focused expertise..,” the combined Connect-Blackboard product has the potential to deliver both niche and scale —  chunks of curriculum (expertise) on one of the leading learning management systems (economies of scale, established channels). Can McGraw-Hill marketing rise to the challenge of a flexible pricing model that works for students, school and publisher?

Marc Scoleri education, technology 0

Using Social Media and Game Mechanics Improve Learning

By on March 28, 2011 in Educational Technology, Games & Simulations, Social Media

Do you hear what I hear? After reading Social Networking in Schools on the Huffington Post today, I recognized that nearly every project I’ve worked on over the past year has pointed towards a new round of convergence — a mash-up of social media, mobile media, game mechanics, assessment, and various forms of blended or self-directed study in the service of improved online learning.

Of course the issues around using social media, game mechanics and other techniques to improve learning vary according to educational level. The concerns of K-12 teachers and parents are very different from those in post-secondary, professional and corporate settings. One thing that’s clear, though, is that most students get it and benefit from it.

Three years ago, researchers at the University of Minnesota surveyed students ages 16 to 18, in 13 urban high schools in the Midwest. 94 percent reported using the Internet, 82 percent go online at home, and 77 percent had a profile on a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views, and communication skills (Educational Benefits of Social Networking Sites – University of Minnesota).

More recently, Mashable made a Case for Social Media in Schools, framing their argument around six immutable points:

  1. Social Media is Not Going Away
  2. When Kids are Engaged They Learn Better
  3. Safe Social Media Tools are Available and Free
  4. Replace Online Procrastination with Social Media
  5. Social Media Promotes Collaboration, Not Cliques
  6. Cell Phones Aren’t the Enemy

Their conclusion, “Nobody would dispute that the risks of using social media are real and not to be taken lightly. But there are also dangers offline. The teachers and parents who embrace social media say the best way to keep kids safe, online or offline, is to teach them.”

More starting points from around the web to explore this further:

Marc Scoleri games, social media, technology 0