You are currently browsing the Engine Communications posts tagged: projects

Tumblr: The next Star?

April 13, 2011 Advertising / Marketing / Public Relations / Social Media / Web
Comments Off on Tumblr: The next Star?

Recently I have begun to experiment with a new (2008+) and growing media tool: Tumblr. The tool combines Twitter and Blogging to create a “micro-blog.” Instead of short posts on your WordPress or Blogger account, you post small updates on your Tumblr page. These updates can be larger than Twitter’s 140 character limit, but users are encouraged to keep updates small. Multimedia can be uploaded to a page directly, much like a blog or a Twitter pic link.

Tumblr wants you to Save Twitter for short links and updates, blogs for longer discussions and Tumblr for longer than Twitter updates but not long enough to merit a new blog post.

On one extreme there are blogs (long, in-depth) and the other extreme is Twitter (short and shallow). Tumblr strives to hit the golden mean and let users post medium posts, enhanced with embedded multimedia.

My favourite feature is the news feed, which standard blogs do not have and acts just like the Twitter feed. Users can “reblog” their favourite posts directly from the news feed.

Does it work? From what I have seen so far, Tumblr is easy to use and is quite unique. If it was not for their technical instability I think Tumblr would be the next big social media platform.

The instability means that users can never know whether their posts will be posted or lost. They won’t know if people will even be able to access their page when Tumblr servers go down. Tumblr will not continue to grow if users become frustrated with technical glitches.

Tumblr is a neat tool and has a vibrant community if they can fix their issues I can see it becoming quite popular. I definitely recommend checking it out and see if it is useful for you and your organization.

Is Tumblr the way of the future, or is there some other site out there that is thriving and growing? Let us know what you think. You can check out my work-in-progress Tumblr at: troyvstew.tumblr.com

Charity Wreath Off!

December 8, 2009 Design
Comments Off on Charity Wreath Off!

wreathoffWe here at Engine love it when our colleagues and clients come up with amazing ideas! Here’s one that we just had to share.

The group from JB Printing, in Belleville, Ontario, have created an online charity auction, where they’re selling off Christmas wreaths, made by members of their team, to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation.

Here’s Owner, Teresa Bell’s, take on how this project came about:

It started in October…….at a staff meeting we somehow got started challenging each other to a pumpkin carving contest. Well, the next week everyone showed up with a pumpkin and then we asked customers to vote. We had such fun with it that we started thinking, what could we do next?

With Christmas just around the corner it was natural to think of a wreath making competition, and we always support a charity. Why not put the two together? The Wreath Off was born.

The hardest part was deciding which charity to support. In past years we have done a Toy Drive, Christmas Sharing Baskets and Coats for Kids. This year we voted to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.

Everyone at JB Printing made a wreath. The rules stated that you had to make it yourself, it had to be a continuous shape and less than 24″ wide. When the wreaths arrived we were amazed at the variety, ingenuity and talent showcased in the various themes.

We are now auctioning the wreaths off, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Make a Wish Foundation. The JB staff are a pretty competitive bunch and we all want to have the highest selling wreath. It’s annonymous, so no one knows whos wreath they’re purchasing. The wreath designers will be revealed after the auction closes on Dec. 14.

Merry Christmas,
Teresa Bell

This is such an ingenious way to engage staff, foster creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, and to give back to the community!

To find out how you can participate in the JB Printing, Christmas Charity Wreath Off, check out this link!

Guest Post on NateRiggs.com

December 2, 2009 Public Relations
Comments Off on Guest Post on NateRiggs.com
Henderson Bas, The Nice Agency

Henderson Bas, The Nice Agency

Hey all! Just a couple things:

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of working with the team at Henderson Bas, the most awarded interactive agency in Canada. They are an amazing group of creatives, strategists, marketers, and programmers. Some of their clients include Coke, Mercedes-Benz and Molson Canadian. Thanks for having me, guys!

I also had the pleasure of writing a guest contribution on Nate Riggs’ blog. If you don’t know Nate, make sure to take a look at his guest post on our blog from last week. He’s a brilliant creative, working in the field of social web strategy. He not only runs his own business, Social Business Strategies, but he is also the Director of Communication Strategy at Huber + Co. Interactive, in Columbus, Ohio. On top of that he’s a great dad, and a marathon runner. Not too shabby.

So today, rather than write something of my own, I encourage you to read my guest post over at NateRiggs.com.

Healthy Living

September 15, 2009 Design
1 comment

Well, as Kerry mentioned a week or so ago, it officially feels like Fall now with it being September and the start of school. It is also the time when we consider making positive changes to our daily routine, whether this is getting more organized at home, or making a more conscious effort to live a more healthy, active lifestyle.

I received the Loyalist College Continuing Education magazine in the mail, and this is what got me thinking. Then I heard several radio advertisements from various physical fitness centres in the area for Fall class registration. Programs ranging from from yoga and pilates to aerobics are offered and they all start the beginning of September.

I decided to be brave and make a positive change myself! I started a spinning/strength training class at Mindful Movements which runs every Tuesday at 5:30 for the next 15 weeks! My first class was this past Tuesday and let me tell you – while I have been a little sore the past couple of days – I feel great already! It will be challenging most definitely, but I will endeavour to be conscientious and not miss a single class. Wish me luck!

If you are looking for ways to live a more healthy active lifestyle, the Hastings & Prince Edward Counties Health Unit website is an excellent source on many topics ranging from a healthy diet and physical activity to simple steps that you can take each day for positive change.

Last fall, we were asked by the health unit to help them with a campaign encouraging healthy living. Take a look at the posters I designed, below. Thanks to the Hastings & Prince Edward Counties Health Unit for allowing us to share them!

I wish you all healthy living!

 healthylivingblog

healthylivingblog2