Monthly Archives: November 2012

Phil Stalnaker, Stickboy Creative’s Business Development Director, Interviewed by News-Press

I am honored to announce that I have been highlighted in a story from the News-Press in their Coastal Life Section. The article was published on Friday, November 23rd, and tells the story of a dedicated professional who works hard while enjoying his sunny new life in Florida.

I am excited to be on the Stickboy Creative team and pumped that my efforts have led to an article after only four months of living in SWFL! Follow the link to read the article in the News-Press and see my dedication to doing what is right for each and every person I meet.

Stickboy Creative is a cutting edge Design Company specializing in Website Design & Development, Print Design and Print Management, Animation, Video Production, Identity Branding and much more. We are a one stop shop for all of your company marketing materials and we do not disappoint. Stickboy Creative was established in November of 2007 and has been growing at a rapid pace. Please contact us at 239.206.1193 or toll-free at 888.758.5558 to get a website that will make you bold | innovative | now.

FYI, since the publishing of the article is has already turned into direct business for our firm. Thanks, Florida!

This is a scan of the actual paper from the News-Press.

This is a scan of the actual paper from the News-Press.

Here is the full link to the article for sharing:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20121123/COASTAL_LIFE/311230003/Q-Phil-Stalnaker?nclick_check=1

 

Giving Thanks is Hard Work…So is Shopping

As we enter into another holiday season, we realize how easy it is for all of us to quickly jump into Christmas mode while the impact of Thanksgiving fades away with the tryptophan. While I enjoy cringing at the start of “The Christmas Shoes” as much as the next guy, it seems a bit unfair that our beloved turkey day gets left in the dust. Stores have traditionally never had respect for the holiday, decorating for Christmas while children were still out trick-or-treating. Yet each year the disrespect deepens to the point to where “Black Friday” has now officially become a higher priority than Thanksgiving.
Black Friday, the day where good people turn into vicious monsters, has gained fame in recent years with the growing bargains of retail stores. As stores compete for who can run out of merchandise the fastest, consumers are prodded with earlier open hours and larger percentage discounts. Only a few short years ago, early starts on Black Friday were 4am. Last year, 4am turned into midnight, and this year has turned into 8pm the evening of Thanksgiving.

As much as it pains me to admit this, the frenzy for bargain shopping and the response by the retail outfits is actually in line with the original spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday. As the pilgrims celebrated the first year’s harvest, each individual at that table was relieved and thankful, because their death inducing labor finally showed fruit. With the first Thanksgiving, early Americans could finally see a future to work towards. Survival would soon turn to growth, and growth would eventually give birth to a thriving national economy. We, the people survived. It was true grit and tenacity that saw to that.

It is true grit and tenacity that will ensure our survival through these difficult fiscal times. Whatever business you may be in, success means rolling up your sleeves and getting into the game. We know that – and we know that we cannot do it alone. The team is the golden egg; just as any team truly is. Companies that have close, tight-knit units will operate with power and efficiency; those that don’t…well, let’s just say it doesn’t matter how early they open on Black “Friday”.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my wife and her willingness to do what it takes for others. I am thankful for friends and family, whether they have been around for days or years. I am excited and appreciative for every future opportunity and will continually be on the lookout for those whom we can help along the way.

The original settlers did what it took to survive and celebrated their success with thankfulness. Now, we do the same to survive in the mall. The times may look different, but the attitude of thankfulness stays the same. Let’s all hope that attitude is in full bloom when the shopping begins, as it is that attitude that made it possible.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Mob

Image from Gengame.

The Incredible Dork-i-ness of Being

I admit to being a dork, and truthfully, I don’t exactly mind it. There is a lot of fun allowed in this world to the dorks, nerds (smarter versions of dorks) and generally unappreciated members of society. Bart Simpson himself is a dork – he gets bullied at school, hangs out with Milhouse (and, at times, Martin) and is a failure at being a rebel because he cares too much. Coincidentally, that would be the first piece of evidence of my dorkiness; my ability and desire to discuss deeper philosophical issues from the Simpsons. But part of what makes life so much fun is relating most everything to the krazy karacters headlining Fox’s Sunday night animation domination (Peter Griffin, is still second to Homer).

The topics of deep discussion move forward from there, but not necessarily upward. One of my favorite debates is the swallow’s ability to transport coconuts. Before you ask me whether I am talking about African or European swallows, let’s make sure we stay on track. And was it really that hard for Lois Lane to not catch Superman hiding behind Clark Kent’s glasses? I will always side with Aragorn’s story over Frodo’s and am honestly glad that the movies did not include the 27 more endings for Return of the King that the book did. I enjoy having my opinions and arguing their basis for insight on human nature; after all, how would we know not to skip immediately to ludicrous speed if not for Dark Helmet’s mistake?

As I’ve aged, the naysayers that laughed at me during puberty have all fallen into silence. It’s incredible to note that more people seem to discuss Glee in public circles today than the Philadelphia Eagles’ plummet from the ranks of the NFL elite. By the way, I do not in any way endorse Glee – I have never seen an episode and do not intend to – I would still rather watch an Eagles’ game (despite me NOT being a fan and their dismal play of late). Being a dork isn’t really made fun of anymore – it’s glorified, respected; even admired. This is unlike one of the other labels I have been living under.

In media, culture and even some individual chatter, being a Christian is becoming more and more a joke. Not a Peter vs. the Giant Chicken kind of joke, but a serious offense against the rest of the world. As humans, we are all in this together, and though we each have our own opinions and beliefs on what is best and how to move forward, we still occupy the same space with each other. Whether or not there is room enough on this planet for all the differing opinions does not matter; we are all stuck here on this planet and all life (thus all opinions) have a right to exist.

As a Christian, I hold to certain opinions (the content of those opinions is not important here). This is where most people get angry, as they see those opinions as intolerant and aggressive towards other worldviews. Why? Look at this first part of the sentence: “As a Christian…” This means that I have chosen to live under a certain set of principles. My opinions are held for those who choose to live under the same set of standards. If I were to say, “As an American, I believe in taxation with representation”, that would be a belief held by those who choose to live under America’s standard; regardless of how they became a citizen. That may not be the opinion in another country, but I have no right, rhyme or reason to judge the citizen of another country that does not espouse that belief.

People who have chosen to live under another faith, or no faith at all, have ultimately chosen a different set of standards and principles to live under. That is their choice. Do I believe that my faith has something to offer other people? Absolutely, and I’m not afraid to share that. But it is still their choice to follow. If they choose not to, then they are free to live with whatever opinions they see most desirable. Tolerance is allowing them that decision. There are those inside my same faith who believe it is their duty to push their rules onto other people. Those people also exist in every faith, nationality and world view. In the end, each individual is accountable for only themselves.

I cannot nor will not answer for the inquisition, Holy wars, or even Jimmy Swaggert. What other people have done in the name of their country, their faith, or even themselves is a problem for every race and creed. What I can answer for is myself. Are my acts friendly, loving, and full of grace? After all, if you sum up everything in the Bible it comes down to one thing: love.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

It’s incredible being a dork.

Does Your Website Have the Strength to Be a Hero? Supercharge with Analytics!

Originally posted at Stickboy Creative, but written by me.

A bullet train is speeding quickly across the terrain, unknown to the dangers only a few miles ahead. In the middle of a long bridge lies Lois Lane, tightly tied to the tracks. At the end of the river span lays a case full of dynamite meant to throw the train and all its passengers down the chasm. Suddenly, with a flash, a red and blue blur zaps past the watchers-by on the train. Superman unties Lois and lands her safely in the plain, then blasts back to toss the dynamite into outer space. The day is saved!

Superman references are fun, and we are a creative design firm with a specialty in web design and development, so I’m going to launch this with a classic. Look in the sky! It’s a bird; it’s a plane; I don’t know what it is and it’s headed this way! Run! Ok, so that’s not the way it happened in the comics. Everybody automatically trusted Superman and the heroes, allowing them whatever freedom they needed to save the day. If only comic books were real life (of course, there might be a world-wide shortage of spandex if that were the case).

Just like the nice, neat wrap-ups that happen in every comic book story, we trust that our marketing pieces are ultimately going to win the day. But do they? Can you trust that? We believe in our heroes not because of spandex outfits and golden lassos, but because data tells us so. Case in point: would you trust a man dressed in a giant black bat costume walking through the shadows of the dark alleyway downtown? If your answer is yes, then I worry you may be under a spell from one of Scarecrow’s poisons.

Of course not! It’s our human nature to mistrust a person or a company until they’ve proven themselves. Building trust takes evidence; data is the answer. Thus, let me ask you this: are you collecting and interpreting data on your website’s success? Do you know how many visitors frequent your website? Where did they come from? How did they find you? Are they bouncing away from your site faster than Mr. Freeze could blanket Gotham City in ice?

If you do not know how to find the answer to these questions, then you cannot turn that data into solutions. All of a sudden you’ve loaded yourself down with kryptonite and don’t have the power to change anything. If you are aware there is no lead shield protecting you, then install Google Analytics for free (http://analytics.google.com) on your site and get yourself saved from the unknown. With knowledge comes power, and with great power comes great responsibility (thanks for the cross-over, Spiderman!). Make your website responsible, even responsive through actively listening to your customers. This is information your website itself can provide.

With this kind of information you will be able to change or adapt to best fit your target base. Do they prefer clicking on organic searches as opposed to paid ads? What should you invest in? Are people spending all of their time on your pricing page researching, but never contacting you? Maybe that means you are being shopped. With the proper information, you can make the changes necessary to ensure your success, both now and down the line.

We all long for that green ring of power, turning every desired thought into reality, but we are not Green Lanterns. There is no guarantee of success, no magical fairy dust that will fill your store to capacity each week. We must collect, analyze, and interpret the data so an informed, powerful decision can be made. We suggest Google Analytics due to the site being free and there being access and help through the site to get yours installed, though there are many services out there. And, as always, if you find yourself surrounded by enemies of confusion with no help in sight, we will be there to rescue you. Just don’t expect me to wear a cape.

Posted from http://www.superman-picture.com/