Headstand Media

WebSmart TV received a nice boost yesterday on Ruth Ratney’s ReelChicago.com website. The article entitled “Videos give ‘average Joes’ basic web knowledge – Headstand Media boutique produces terminology Vblogs” was written by Chris Shogren-Thompson based upon interviews with Benjamin Nelson, Headstand’s Creative Director, and background research. The article focuses on Headstand Media’s recent soft launch of WebSmart TV, a video blog site that delivers a series of videos that explain the “basics of the web in about a minute” to average business people.

We asked REEL how they found out about WebSmart TV, and the best we can tell, it had to do with some online searching using keywords such as: “chicago” and “video”. Looks like our SEO knowledge may have helped a bit here!

As mentioned in the article, Headstand Media has worked on, designed or re-designed about 20 of the 200+ internal McDonald’s sites, and we are being asked to work on more of them every month that passes. Headstand Media also designed, produced and still helps to maintain McDonald’s public corporate website called About McDonald’s (www.aboutmcdonalds.com). If you’ve never visited it, you should check it out. There are lots of great stories about McDonald’s that we bet you never knew linked right on the home page, and the company historical timeline is a lot of fun to explore.

Thanks again to Ruth Ratney and the team over at ReelChicago.com for a nice feature!

One of the things you will hear Headstand Media talk about with our customers is the diminishing returns related to traditional mass media advertising and marketing, and the increasing ROI and effectiveness in engaging with prospects customers via social media.

In support of our point of view, here is a great article that highlights how Pepsi is following this path. After 23 years of advertising in the Super Bowl, Pepsi is skipping any advertising there in favor of investing in the Pepsi Refresh Project using social media!

In our opinion Pepsi “gets it” and we expect many more businesses, organizations and institutions will follow.

‘Round here at Headstand Media, we’re proud to present WebSmart TV, a brand new website that’s all about educating and extending regular folks’ understanding of the web today. Every day it seems there are new terms, services, devices, philosophies, and more that enter the marketplace, and WebSmart TV’s goal is to break it all down by means of short, simple videos that each focus on one specific web-related topic or term.

Why WebSmart?

Here at Headstand, we live in the traffic of the web day in and day out. We know all about the dirge of instant information that continues to grow on the web, and we’re all about adding clarity when we produce content… not noise. The philosophy behind WebSmart TV is simple: give people who’re moving and operating in the marketplace (and beyond!) a pound of wisdom in a 1-ounce container. As many companies and industries are shifting their focus towards online markets, communities, and individuals, mastery of new terminology is becoming a new precedent.

What to Expect

WebSmart TV is blazing a trail towards the most important web topics and terms. Each episode is only about one minute long – short enough to easily fit into any crowded schedule – and aimed at delivering the basics. For anyone curious enough to dig deeper, each video has a corresponding post on the WebSmart TV website, where an extended description goes into further detail.

Making the Magic

You might be surprised to know that these creative videos are conceived, written, and produced here at our offices in downtown Chicago … not a Hollywood sound stage. Everything is organically grown and delivered from us to you. No preservatives, artificial hormones, or animated GIFs.

Headstand Media is excited to announce the launch of a brand new online community website for The Blacksmith Project, a recording studio and Christian musician collective based in Bull Valley, Illinois. The site was built around emerging Web 2.0 strategies, and offers in-depth content, photos, music sampling and purchasing, blogs and social media integration for its artists.

Project Strategy

Headstand Media, a Chicago web design company, met with the founders of The Blacksmith Project soon after the construction of the aforementioned recording studio, and provided a comprehensive web strategy that focused on:

• Logo design, branding, and messaging
• Educating the client in regard to Web 2.0 best practices and social media
• How to tell a captivating story and engage the culture
• Developing a dynamic, compelling website

The Blacksmith Project needed a site that was both visually exciting and able to handle multiple user accounts. Since there were a handful of artists involved, it was important that each artist had their own unique area of the site, where they could develop their own content and sell their music. Equally of importance was the building of the site with a technology that would be versatile and scalable for future expansion and additional features.

Project Technology and Integration

Theblacksmithproject.com was built in a content management system called WordPress, the world’s largest blogging and content management platform, using open source technology. For this particular project we used WordPress MU, to facilitate multiple users and accounts. We designed the custom theme that controls the way the site looks and feels, using industry standard best practices in HTML, PHP, SEO, Javascript, and CSS web coding. The site is an excellent example of our balanced approach of creativity + technology—a strategy we consistently employ as we’re solving business problems for our customers.

More About The Blacksmith Project

The Blacksmith Project was founded in 2007 by Duncan Mathieson and Mark Filippi, both longtime musicians with a passion to both teach and empower new artists in their pursuit of recording, performing, songwriting, and promoting themselves and their own original music. The founders met around the time that Duncan was considering retirement from a business career and Mark was an interim worship pastor at Moraine Valley Church.

Since its inception and the completion of the recording studio in Bull Valley, Illinois, The Blacksmith Project has amassed a handful of talented musicians and hosted benefit concerts in their area. One of their big goals is to raise awareness and support for local ministries and meaningful causes in order to impact their local community. Their next free concert will be on February 6th at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois and will begin at 7:00pm. The concert will benefit the Crystal Lake Food Pantry.

For more information on The Blacksmith Project, their artists, and their events, please visit them at www.theblacksmithproject.com!

Headstand Media is pleased to announce the launch of a new website for the Morey Corporation located in Woodridge, IL. This new site was built around emerging Web 2.0 strategies, and offers in-depth content, videos, and blogs for the electronic manufacturing industry.

Project Strategy

Headstand Media, a Chicago web design company, provided a comprehensive online web strategy that focused on developing a dynamic, compelling website for the client. Our friends at Morey needed a site that was conversational, transparent, and easy to navigate, and highlighted the key strength of their business: service.

While the Morey Corporation has for decades specialized in electronic manufacturing over a wide range of platforms and contexts, this new web strategy paid special attention to their personality and relational qualities. Developing a website that both highlighted Morey’s professional and technical expertise, as well as featured their key customer service strengths, was important to the success of the project.

Entering this project, Morey had an existing site and content that where static and invisible to the web at large. The new web architecture provided by Headstand Media gives Morey an improved technical foundation, where all content is both well structured, and search engine friendly.

Integral to the strategy of the new Morey Corporation website are several new videos, which feature the Morey leadership team. These were conceived and produced by Headstand Media from start to finish, and included filming on location in Woodridge, Illinois. These non-corporate-feeling videos promote Morey’s culture of approachability, integrity, and excellence, and divulge lots of great information about the company in a creative way.

Project Technology and Integration

Moreycorp.com was built in a content management system called WordPress, the world’s largest blogging and content management platform, using open source technology. We designed the custom theme that controls the way the site looks and feels, using industry standard best practices in HTML (PHP), SEO, Javascript, Flash and CSS web coding. The site is an excellent example of Headstand Media’s balanced approach of creativity + technology—a strategy we consistently employ as we’re solving business problems for our customers.

More About Morey Corporation

The Morey Corporation is known for its rich history of providing the highest quality electronics to industry leaders. Their innovative approaches to manufacturing, prototyping, problem solving, product design and customer service makes them an incredibly versatile partner to a range of different clients. Nestled just east of I-355 in Woodridge, Illinois, Morey’s entire operation can be found under one roof. On site is also a brand new Innovation Center, where Morey employs some of the top engineers and thinkers in the industry around expanding product lines, developing new strategies, and solving complex problems for customers.

Dedicated to quality and service since the Morey Corporation’s 1934 foundation in the basement of William Morey, the people at the Morey Corporation are some of the finest individuals we’ve had the opportunity to work with.

For more information about the Morey Corporation, be sure to visit their site today!

As promised, Headstand Media has reviewed the suggested candidates to be the focus of our “Nightstand Gives Back” event on December 17, 2009. We have selected a non-profit organization called Wheelwell.org.

Wheelwell is a non-profit organization, established to advance design ideas, propose technological solutions and facilitate the creation of products to help people with physical disabilities participate more fully, more effortlessly and with more pleasure in everyday activities. Through our efforts, we would like to see wheelchairs and similar devices become products that truly enable and heal.

Hemmant Jha, founder of Wheelwell will be with us at “Nightstand Gives Back” to provide additional background and to answer questions during the evening.

We encourage you to read more about the event and consider joining us in donating your time and talents to help this worthy cause.

RSVP to Nightand 14

Visit our “Nightstand Gives Back” event posting and RSVP there! All Nightstand RSVP responders will receive an email with additional information on Wheelwell with which to prepare for the December 17th evening event.

You’ve no doubt heard of Extreme Home Makeover, Pimp My Ride, Overhaulin’ and other cable/TV shows that find a need and then fulfill that need through generous volunteers and charitable gifts. In the spirit of gift-giving and the Christmas holiday season we will attempt to “give back” in a unique way at Nightstand 14.

Here’s how you can participate…

Step 1: Nominate A Website

We are seeking nominations of deserving organizations (for profit or non-profit) that need and would benefit from the combined advice, expertise and recommendations of our Nightstand attenders related to their web strategy and presence. How? It’s easy… just contact your candidate and tell them about this opportunity. If they are interested and available, you can nominate them using the form below through December 11th.

A major consideration in our decision process will be whether or not you and your nominee can be present at Nightstand 14, and if they can provide adequate background and organizational information for us to make available to the Nightstand community before the event. Headstand Media will review the nominees in this light and select a deserving candidate. We will gather the background information and make it available several days before the event. (See Nomination Winner!)

Step 2: Attend Nightstand 14

On Thursday, December 17 at 6 PM we’ll begin the informal networking with food and beverages provided. At 6:30 PM we’ll facilitate small task groups around the following areas of interest and/or expertise:

• Content, Site Architecture, Brand and SEO Strategy
• Visual Brand, User Interface and Experience Design
• Technology, Platform, Hosting and Site Implementation Strategy

We’ll invite our guests to join us in these task group discussions. At 7:15 we will hear 15-minute presentations from each task group on their recommendations. At 8 PM we will open it up to general group discussion and formalize a strategic recommendation. Headstand Media will post our summary recommendation online after the event.

Step 3: Consider Extending Your Gift…

Based upon the specific details and outcome of the event, Headstand Media is planning to donate some leadership, time and expertise to implementing the recommended web plan for the nominee. We invite our Nightstand community to consider joining us in that endeavor in any way they can. We will define and clarify those options as the details of the recommended plan unfold.

Invite Others and RSVP!

We’d love to see as many of our past guests again, and we encourage you to pass on this invitation to others in the industry who would benefit from and could contribute to this kind of event. In order to provide enough food and beverages, we need to know how many are attending. Please RSVP by leaving a comment below with your name and organization.

Thursday, December 17, 2009
Headstand Media – training room in Suite 850 (Dillon Kane Group)
333 W. Wacker Dr. • Suite 850 • Chicago, Illinois (Map)

• 6:00PM – Informal networking with food and beverages provided!
• 6:30 PM – Task Groups
• 7:15 PM – Task Group Reports
• 8:00 PM – General Discussion
• 8:30 PM – Wrap-up
• RSVP by leaving a comment below!

We’d love to have you join us!

RSVP Attenders

Randal Birkey – Headstand Media
Matt Ritsman – Headstand Media
Taylor Birkey – Headstand Media
Kyle Williams – Headstand Media
Kent Thompson – Action Web Apps
Shane Montgomery – VIP Property Chicago
Chris Vezeau – Neotechnics
Parag Humbad – crushme.com
Hemmant Jha – Wheelwell
Patrick Richards – Richards Patent Law
Kayo Takasugi – Visual Voice
Alex Garcia – Chicago Tribune
Steve Tanner – Kidology and BevReview.com
Becky Williams – Critical Mass

Nominees Received to Date

• eighth blackbird
• wheelwell.org – Winner announced on December 11, 2009
• Support1000

Shands Healthcare Cancer Hospital

Shands HealthCare is the hospital system connected to the University of Florida. Their web department needs some campus maps and floor plans developed for their new cancer hospital in Gainsville. So, they went to Google and typed in campus map illustration… and who did they find but Randal Birkey! Through links they eventually contacted Headstand Media and shared their needs for the project.

It turned out that they were going to use these maps in print as well as in an interactive Flash web application for hospital guests and patients at www.shands.org, and needed a partner to develop that application as well. Funny thing… Headstand Media can handle both!

So, Headstand Media wrote a proposal and won the project.

We say to our new customer from Florida… “welcome to Chicago!”

What happens when corporately-crafted public relations initiatives go bad and social media lets you know about it? We’ll take a look at one such situation from October that targeted the folks behind Monster Energy drink. What happened, how did the company respond, and did the mobilization of fans via the ‘net have an effect on the outcome?

We’ll host a conversation facilitated by Steve Tanner, Editor of beverage review website, BevReview.com. A negative product review, overly litigious law firm, microbrewery in Vermont, and a horror film actor placed Steve in the middle of a battle with the folks at Monster Energy. He’ll explain how “going viral” with his situation created a positive result in the end… but he won’t be providing any Monster Energy drinks for the discussion, so bring your own!

About Steve Tanner

For the past 6 years, Steve has served as the Director of Web Operations for Kidology.org, a non-profit, community-driven resource for those who work in children’s ministry. Prior to that, he worked professionally in the fields of online community media, marketing, and project management. On the side, he’s an avid blogger and beverage enthusiast.

Invite Others!

We’d love to see many of our past guests again, and we encourage you to pass on this invitation to others in the industry who would benefit from this presentation topic and networking event. RSVP by leaving a comment with your name and company or organization below.

We’d love to have you join us!
Headstand Media: Randy, Benjamin, Kyle, Matt and Taylor

RSVP Attenders

Randal Birkey – Headstand Media
Benjamin Nelson – Headstand Media
Taylor Birkey – Headstand Media
Steve Tanner – BevReview.com
Patrick Richards – Richards Patent Law
Conor McCarthy – The Talking Mirror
Erik Vorhes – VSA Partners
Joe O’Connor – O’Connor Design Works
Melissa Meulenberg – Hard Rock Hotel Chicago
Chris Arndt – Moody Bible Institute
Nikhil M – Illinois Tech
Laolu A – Illinois Tech
Steve Miller
Jacob Saunders – RightPoint Consulting
Joe Dascenzo – Firebone
Kent Thompson – Action Web Apps

In 1934 William Morey began manufacturing radio test sets in his basement for Montgomery Ward, an industry-leading catalog retailer. Today, the Morey Corporation continues to provide American-made electronics manufacturing and design services with the highest levels of customer service and support. Their products include ruggedized electronics and telematics for a number if industries and other well-known American manufacturers.

Headstand Media is pleased to be selected as the company’s newest partner in redefining and designing a new web 2.0 strategy and presence for the 21st century. Several web projects are being planned extending into 2010. Headstand’s creativity + technology approach will ensure that the new site messages and brand stories are compelling and perform well in the search engines to produce new business for the company.