Deep Dive

Pittsburgh Technology Council DATA Awards: Where Tech, Design and Creativity Collide

Posted on by Jonathan Kersting

By Reuben Dacher-Shapiro, PTC Graduate Intern

J Moses was the keynote at this year’s DATA Awards.

The creative intersection between technology and art was on display at the Fourth Annual installment of the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s DATA (Design Art Technology Awards).  The evening was highlighted by the seven ‘Pop Up’ awards presented to various companies and individuals whose work captures the creative and innovative spirit that is a powerful inertia behind the burgeoning Pittsburgh regional economy.

In addition to the awards, DATA featured high-tech interactive displays, food, drink and even a little dancing.  Attendees were also afforded the opportunity to connect, network and share ideas with the array of companies and individuals who operate in the space where design and creativity merge to drive innovation and economic prosperity.  The artistic imagination that pervaded the evening is an inherent part of a strong culture of innovation which is the foundation for our regional economy.

What was apparent from the DATA awards was that the technologies on display are much more than tools for economic development and prosperity.  The intersection of art and technology is demonstrating the infinite possibility for social advancement that is possible when you infuse technology with art, creativity and innovation.  This theme was highlighted by the pedigree of the night’s keynote speaker, Donora, Pa., native J Moses.  Moses, a veteran of digital and traditional media, is well known for his former Presidency of BMG Interactive where he green-lighted the popular video game Grand Theft Auto.  The DATA awards crowd had the pleasure to listen to Moses’s first public presentation of his new social media platform, WeChi and Goodchi products of Bagooba, Inc.

The company’s mission is to tap into a worldwide power plant of emotional energy to empower humanity.  Moses and his team at Bagooba believe that every positive action on the Web is some form of energy called Chi.  With this new social media platform, they believe that this energy can be channeled to help contribute to the common good. An approach Moses has called “Social Alchemy.”  Social Alchemy is accomplished by creating applications that allow people, social movements and brands to collaborate in a meaningful manner through products that are innovative, entertaining, profitable, global and socially responsible.

In addition to Moses’s speech, a few products were on display to exemplify how the infusion of art and

Interbots demoed its Popchilla doll and iPad app.

technology is representative of the positive influence that Pittsburgh’s regional technological culture is having on society.  Popchilla the autism therapy robot to the party created by Interbots attended the party.  While still in the prototype stage, this interactive robot is poised to have a significant impact on autism therapy.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) roughly 400,000 children between 3 and 15 suffer from autism.  Interbots specializes in high-end animatronic technology and is currently developing an iPad app called Popchilla’s World to go along with the Popchilla doll. The goal of the app is to help children with autism practice daily routines and social interactions and eventually monitor progress of the user, personalize the activities, and even create their own activities.

BodyMedia demoed its revolutionary BodyMedia FIT system, which gives users highly accurate information on activity, caloric intake and sleep patterns.  BodyMedia FIT is an on-body monitoring system that consists of an armband, online Activity Manager, and an optional, free downloadable app for mobile device users.  The armbands automatically track the calories you burn in your daily activities, monitor the quality of your sleep and combines with the Activity Manager, which manages your caloric intake.  This powerful combination gives people the tools to empower themselves by losing and keeping off weight to lead healthy, active and enjoyable lives.  According to the (CDC) 35.7% of adults 20 and older and 17% of youth were obese in 2010.  BodyMedia is driven by the strong belief that its work creates tools that give people the power to change their lives for the better.

BodyMedia’s FIT helps people manage a healthy lifestyle.

BodyMedia, J Moses and Interbot are but a few of the companies that are creatively developing technology to improve society.  The number of awards given out belittles the significance that everyone involved in the DATA awards has to the present and future development of the region.  The creative innovation that is occurring with art and technology is helping Pittsburgh build a national reputation as a creative high tech city that is not only spawning innovation and economic growth but also breeding powerful ideas that have the potential to change the world.

Reuben is currently the graduate intern for the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC). His B.A. is in Philosophy, Politics, and Law and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at SUNY-Binghamton. Over the next 50 days, Reuben intends to take full advantage of this incredible opportunity by immersing himself in Pittsburgh’s tech community and the networking events the PTC offers. He will be publishing his insights from these experiences on TechBurgher throughout the summer.

Reflections on Sen. Pat Toomey’s presentation to the PTC

Posted on by theprossman

By Reuben Dacher-Shapiro, PTC Graduate Intern

I am currently the graduate intern for the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC). My B.A. is in Philosophy, Politics, and Law and I am currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at SUNY-Binghamton. Before a few weeks ago, I had never been to Pittsburgh. Being from upstate N. Y., I have little experience in and knowledge of the ‘tech world’ here. Over the next 50 days, I intend to take full advantage of this incredible opportunity by immersing myself in Pittsburgh’s tech community and the networking events the PTC offers. I will be publishing my insights from these experiences on TechBurgher throughout the summer.

Despite my temporary position with the Council, I still have the privilege of attending all of its events.  During the last week of May, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania discussed the new Federal Jobs act – a series of non-controversial legislative bills proposed by President Obama to get Americans back to work – at a PTC event.  While the Senator’s presentation was informative and engaging, it was his opening remarks that caught my attention.  Sen. Toomey opened his speech by ‘venting’ to the audience about some of the frustration he has experienced working with Congress. Most people who follow the news know that American Congress is a vehicle for political controversy and deliberation. Our Congress’ lack of ability to compromise and  pass bills which address the myriad of economic problems that plague the country is a contentious and frustrating issue for most Americans.  Seeing Sen. Toomey, who is mired in the constant bi-partisan struggle of American politics, express this sentiment was a welcome surprise.

Sen. Toomey is pro-business and is a strong advocate of reducing and eliminating taxes as a means of addressing our nation’s massive Federal debt.  In Congress, he has voted to reduce the capital gains tax, eliminate the estate tax, cut small business taxes, eliminate the “marriage penalty” and overall cut federal income taxes and other taxes by $958 billion over 10 years.  Despite Sen. Toomey’s propositions to help achieve a balanced Federal budget, the political motives of our nation’s congressmen and women have stymied his attempts at reducing our Federal debt.  Notwithstanding his frustrations, Sen. Toomey remains diligent and committed to pushing his reforms and improving our nation’s business climate.  We must not be discouraged but take the necessary steps to promote and advocate for a pro-business climate in the region. Whether you work for U.S. Steel or for a small startup, there are few things that you can do to promote the growth of the tech industry in this region:

  • Reach out to local and elected officials so that your voice is heard. Participate in the current discussion about regional economic development.
  • Contact your local trade association for information about networking events, seminars and the availability of other resources that can help your organization grow and prosper.
  • Communicate with other organizations in your field about your successes and failures.  Connect with other organizations and create a culture of information-sharing in the region.

While there are those, including myself, who do not agree with all of the politics of Sen. Toomey, it was his underlying message that won my support: be pro-active in the pursuit of your goals. While it is unlikely to ever pass through Congress, Sen. Toomey talked about the budget he proposed to achieve a balanced Federal budget.  By no means was this necessary or required by the Senator, but this action is emblematic of the work ethic and commitment that is needed by everyone, not just elected officials, to instill positive economic change in this country.

Within the context of the technology industry and Pittsburgh’s regional economy, Sen. Toomey’s message should not only be lauded but imitated. There is no doubt Pittsburgh is a burgeoning hub of economic and technological development but there is still tremendous room for growth and improvement. Regardless of the successes and failures that individuals and organizations may experience in the quest for economic prosperity we must maintain vigilant. Collectively adopting the ethos of Senator Toomey will facilitate present and future economic opulence not just for the tech industry but for the entire region.

 

RJ Lee Group Launches Newsletter and Microsite for the Intersection of Science, Policy, and Regulatory Matters

Posted on by theprossman

 

RJ Lee Group

RJ Lee Group, Inc., industrial forensics laboratory and consulting firm, announced a new initiative that will provide insights from RJ Lee Group experts on issues relating to science, policy, and regulation.  The major elements of the initiative will be an e-mail newsletter entitled “Scientific Insights at the Intersection of Policy and Regulatory Matters” and a supporting microsite.  The inaugural edition of the bi-monthly newsletter was sent to subscribers last week.

“We are very excited to offer this resource that will provide up-to-date information on relevant technical and scientific issues.  It has been a few years since we have had a regular newsletter to share with clients, so we are eager to get this rolling again,” commented Dr. Richard J. Lee, Chief Executive Officer.  “We continue to strive to share our experts’ knowledge with the public.  This newsletter and website allow us to further that goal by offering insights that would not otherwise be available.”

The Scientific Insights e-mail newsletter will feature analysis of new policies or regulations, highlight new key publications, showcase subject matter experts that have joined the company, share resourceful articles read by our company experts, and more.  The microsite will support the newsletter with full length articles, biographies of experts, and a comprehensive downloadable resource section.  Both the newsletter and microsite will have content addressing issues in the current spotlight, such as those dealing with construction materials, corrosion, nanotechnology, root cause failure analysis, particle characterization, air quality, and post-disaster assessments, as well as those dealing with traditional and recurring issues such as asbestos and fly ash.

The microsite is accessible online at http://www.insights.rjlg.com/ and contains a form to subscribe to receive the Scientific Insights e-mail newsletter.

Keep Visitors on Track with Customized 404 Pages

Posted on by Clint

In all of the excitement of designing a new website, many tech companies completely overlook one very important thing: the 404 Error page. As you probably already know, a 404 page is where a visitor lands when he attempts to visit a page that no longer exists or never existed in the first place. Landing on a 404 page is frustrating and often prompts visitors to click away from a site altogether. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Don’t Scare Them Away

When presented with a generic 404 page, many people immediately assume that they are in the completely wrong place. That’s especially true when they land on one through links from major search engines. Instead of accepting the 404 error page as an unavoidable nuisance, you should embrace it as an opportunity. A carefully designed and customized 404 page can actually improve your customer retention rate and enhance the effectiveness of your website.

The Problem with Default 404 Pages

By its very nature, a default 404 page is impersonal and generic. After landing on one, it’s easy for a person to assume that they aren’t anywhere near where they want to be. A generic 404 page generally makes a person’s frustration even worse. It’s easy to click away from such a page, and many people do so automatically. In the case of a customized 404 page, though, you can grab a person’s attention and increase the odds that they will stick around for a while.

Customizing Your 404 Pages

Some of today’s most successful tech companies have customized 404 pages, and creating one for your own site is easy. The first thing to do is to give it the same look, feel and personality as the other pages on your site. The next thing to do is to make it easy for someone who lands on it to find what they need. Add a search bar so they can search within your site, and include navigational links, too. As an added bonus, you might even throw in a little humor. When done properly, this will assuage a person’s annoyance and give them a favorable impression of your website.

At the end of the day, creating customized 404 pages is simple. It’s a quick and easy way to improve the experience that a person has while visiting your site. Make sure to create customized error pages for your site right away.

Creative 404 Page Examples




Ready to Launch

Posted on by Jonathan Kersting

By Tricia Egry Director of Marketing, Alpern Rosenthal

tegry@alpern.com | http://www.linkedin.com/in/triciaegry

Your great idea turned into an even better product. Now it’s time to let people know about what you’ve done. But how do you do it? Blogs? Conference presentations? Press releases? The short answer is yes, yes, and yes! The longer answer? Keep reading.

Typically a startup business will have more time than money; therefore, marketing tactics such as face-to-face networking, online social networking and blogging can be effective. In order for your business to avoid getting lost among the millions of messages already passing through direct marketing channels, your promotions must be highly creative, contain a quality message and fit the target audience.

Here’s how:

Start by asking WHY?

Why does your product or service exist? Why should anyone pay attention to your product? Why should anyone give their hard earned money for this product? The answer should be more in depth than because of its nifty features.

Be a Blogger

Many startups have a blog, but most do not start blogging until after they have launched a product.  If you start blogging before you have a product to sell, you’re helping to build an asset. Think about your content from the point of view of the clients you want to attract.  Talk about what people are most interested in reading and sharing.

Build a client base

I’ve found that the best way to do this is to build a list of e-mail contacts. You can use a list to promote new products and services or to simply send out newsletters and alerts regarding your business.

Create a website

No business in this day and age can survive without one. This doesn’t have to be a challenge. There are many online site building tools available on the web to help you.

Content, content, content

The future of marketing is definitely more social media and more interaction with prospects and clients. One of the best ways to gain attention is with good content on relevant topics or a highly customized message with valuable data. Prospects are gathering their own information and increasingly finding the content they need independently.

Get out of the office

Design business cards and start networking. There are two reasons to network: to help yourself and to help other people. Networking helps you identify new ways to expand the market for your services and new ways to leverage core operating competencies. You will see practices that have been tested and successfully implemented by others, which will give you the confidence to put the ideas to work. Most importantly, don’t forget to stay in touch!

Speak at a conference or seminar

Consider presenting on the features and benefits of using your products or services. If your business provides a service that targets prospects in your local community, speaking at a seminar can be a great way for you to get to know more about your contact base as well as demonstrate your expertise.

Get involved in fundraising for your favorite charity

This is a great way to promote your business and give back to the community. Consider raising funds for a local charity, something that you’re passionate about. Often you can generate public interest and free local radio and press advertising.

Maintain a commitment to client service

The most important aspect of marketing and promoting your business is to offer a flawless customer service experience for your clients.

Ask for feedback

Feedback and testimonials can help attract more clients to use your products and services based on others experiences with your company. Ensure that you ask your clients to leave feedback where ever appropriate.

Every product and service can be different to market and there are multiple ways to reach your prospects in every industry; but I would say that any marketing program that can’t be measured effectively is not worth doing. The bottom line is that you must be able to measure the return on your investment.