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Archive for June, 2009

Choosing a Content Management System

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

cms-logos1 Today’s websites commonly employ Content Management Systems (CMS) instead of plain HTML, allowing non-programmers to make ad-hoc updates to content on the site. When building a site equipped with CMS, a big question for website developers is, “Which CMS do I use?” The CTP interactive team has some opinions on the matter, which I’ll outline here. Before we start looking at the contestants, let’s lay out some ground-rules.

Open Source Only!
This isn’t just because we like free software. Open source may be free, but free can also mean that there is a large user community both supporting and complaining about said software.

LAMP! (Linux Apache MySQL PHP)
We love LAMP! Not just because it’s the #1 server technology, but because it offers tons of advanced features and optimizations.

Now that we have that sorted out, let’s take a look at the contestants. (more…)

Posted by John Ediger | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: cms, open source, web development

Social Networking’s Finest Hour?

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Nick Glasgow

I admit it. My social media skills are severely lacking. Unlike most others here at CTP, I don’t have a Facebook page. Or a MySpace page. I’ve never even Tweeted. I shake my head when I look over my wife’s shoulder at her Facebook page and see that one of her friends “has nothing to do today.” Who writes this stuff? Who reads it?

But yesterday, I learned of a moving example of how social media can be used in a powerful, positive way. A way that just might save someone’s life.

A 28-year-old employee of EMC who works in California, Nick Glasgow, was diagnosed with Leukemia in March. He’s been through three rounds of chemotherapy but has yet to go into remission. His best, and perhaps only hope, is to find a bone marrow donor. But because he is part Asian and part Caucasian, the odds of finding a donor are long. At one point Nick’s doctors told him there was a “zero chance” a donor would be found. But Nick’s long odds may have changed, at least a bit. (more…)

Posted by Fred Conover | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: blogs, cause marketing, grassroots, web 2.0

Can Branding Save a City?

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Richmond, California

A brand is a promise. And one of the central tenets of branding is that a product/service must be able to deliver against the promise being made to the consumer. Someone could create a mind-bogglingly brilliant campaign for a new grape soda, but if the stuff tastes like stagnant pond water there’s really not much chance of success (ed. note: we have not pulled research on the market potential for stagnant pond water aficionados – but we’re digging into Scarborough right now).

Some marketing consultants have carved out a niche by specializing in “Community Branding.” It’s a bit different than the destination branding that many agencies (CTP included) do for resorts, cities and countries. Community branding involves the marketing of cities/towns as places to call home, not just to visit or do business in. (more…)

Posted by Steve Angel | Share: Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, LinkedIn

Tagged: branding, economic development, tourism

Teens, DA using the media to combat violence

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

teenviolence After singer Chris Brown was charged in February with assaulting Rihanna in a high profile case of domestic violence, a survey showed that 46% of Boston teens at least partly blamed Rihanna. And with one in three teens saying they know a friend or peer who has been assaulted by someone they’re dating, we can see clearly where the roots of domestic violence begin.

That’s why CTP is proud to be working with Middlesex (MA) District Attorney Gerry Leone’s office on a creative initiative to counter this threat. High school students from across the county produced public service announcements (PSA) aimed at drawing attention to this very real issue, and their peers will vote on the best spot. CTP will then professionally edit and produce the winning PSA before it’s aired on Boston TV.

UPDATE: There is a story on this initiative in today’s Boston Globe.