http://innercirclemedia.com/blog Topics include web design & development, small creative firms, and women in business. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:46:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I LOVE good project managers. Why? Because I am NOT one. While I pride myself on being a good idea generator, creative thinker, and team motivator, I recognize that my project management abilities are sorely lacking. That's why I strive to hire AWESOME project managers who can easily handle ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/06/18/ode-to-project-managers-the-scope-creep-t-shirt/ In March, our company (Inner Circle Media) built a web-based tool for the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority that allows visitors to the DDA website to see how many parking spots are available in each parking structure downtown. That means that right now you can check the DDA site ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/04/17/nifty-web-widget-makes-parking-downtown-easier/ WARNING: If you want to read a blog post that justifies and commiserates with your dissatisfaction at work - then please do NOT read any further! This post is about how each of us is ultimately responsible for our own happiness at work. It’s not up to our ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/04/15/how-to-find-happiness-at-work/ Congratulations Ann Arbor! Our city ranked #42 on the list of the “100 Best Places to Live and Launch” in a survey by Fortune Small Business. Towns across the country were evaluated based on business friendliness and lifestyle offerings, and Ann Arbor was cited as a good location ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/03/28/were-42-fortune-small-business-says-ann-arbor-is-a-great-place-to-live-and-start-a-company/ Over the past few months, I’ve been talking with other Ann Arbor web companies and discovered an interesting trend – WE ALL TRYING TO HIRE THE EXACT SAME PERSON. Well, not exactly the same person, but we’re all trying to hire for the same job position. We need experienced web ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/03/27/calling-all-web-programmers-%e2%80%93-ann-arbor-companies-need-php-and-ruby-experts/ Here are my top 10 reasons to have a business blog: 1. Marketing – Talk about your areas of specialty, clients’ successes, and/or promotions. 2. Branding/Image – Create a “personality” or voice for your company. 3. Differentiation – Tell YOUR story. Be different & real. 4. Trust - Promote yourself as a trusted ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/03/12/top-10-reasons-to-have-a-business-blog/ On March 13th I'm talking about blogs with a group of Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce members. Here are excerpts from that talk... ..................................... "People don’t listen to companies, they listen to people." Seth Godin People like to do business with people they know. Whether you like it or not, your prospects ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/03/12/blogging-for-business-ways-your-company-will-benefit-from-an-active-blog/ In the past 2 months, Inner Circle Media was honored with a Silver Addy Award and recognized by Corp! Magazine in their "Best of Michigan Business" competition (in the Marketing & PR Company category). Gosh, we sure are thankful when people like our work enough to give us awards! First, ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/27/ann-arbor-web-design-firm-honored-inner-circle-winners-circle/ Here’s an interesting Harvard Business Review article by Boris Groysberg (I found it on the BNET website). In his article, Groysberg says when star performers switch companies, they often fail to be star performers at the new company – except if they’re women. Groysberg found in his study that women ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/15/talented-women-who-switch-companies-still-retain-their-stardom/ Inner Circle Media has been lauded as a commuter-friendly business by the getDowntown program, which is committed to promoting alternative transportation options. Click here to read more about our sweet award. There are so many people we'd like to thank: our parents, who taught us how to walk, ride the bus, ... http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/04/creative-commuting-earns-ann-arbor-web-firm-award/