• Many are still afraid to dabble in the most basic format of social media as it could be viewed as a waste of time and a shameless channel for self-promotion.
• Many do not have a clue on the creative uses and applications of these channels to build their personal brand or their organizational brand. Creating a Facebook or Twitter account is not enough.
• Many simply do not care to understand and prefer to hide under a rock while “attacking” those who are “socially enlightened”.
• Many see social media as white noise instead of an opportunity to learn and engage.
• Many are afraid of going public. Transparency is not an easy pill to swallow.
• Many make privacy an excuse.

For the first time in my years of learning and sharing about the digital space professionally and as an digital media entrepreneur, I received “hate mail.”

As humans we respond to confrontation or negative information in varied behavioral patterns.  I chose to reflect rather than react. Why? There was no point in glorifying my “attacker’s” limited perspective and understanding on the powers of engagement. Unfortunately to many, engagement is equivalent to conversation. This is an incorrect notion.

Barriers To Entry

What challenges are brands facing in today’s social web?

• Fear. Many brands continue to fear true engagement as it leaves zero barriers for criticism and attacks. Setting up a Facebook or Twitter account and displaying this information in your store-front is not equivalent to true engagement.

• Champion. True engagement within an organizational brand thrives when there is someone leading the project idea and program.

• Proof of Burden. Lack of internal data and specific market data showcasing that true engagement works and directly translates to revenue.

I could list more, in my opinion these are the top of mind barriers and reasons why brands are hesitant to embrace true engagement.

Characteristics of True Engagement

• Ecosystem. From the moment a user steps into your web destination a connection is sparked up to the point he or she checks out of your site and returns. A great example of an engaged ecosystem is Toms.
• Market Appeal. Your audience flocks around your brand like a moth to a flame for a variety of reasons and influences. Market appeal can be created by attaching your brand to a cause. A great example is One Day Without Shoes.
• Transparency. Be open and honest about what your brand can do and cannot do at the moment.The more fluff in your message, the more traction you’ll lose in convincing your audience to engage with your brand.

Lastly, here’s a book from Brian Solis that could help lead your brand to the next level of  Engagement.

Article first published as Understanding True Engagement on Technorati.

Thrilled to be part of this New York event for women in startups! I’ll be at the fair helping answer questions on digital branding, website development and social media. Also sharing lessons learned in starting up your own virtual business. )

Location: NY Kids Club on 68^th & Amsterdam

Event Time: 7-9:30

Panel: 7:30-8:30

Resource Room: 7-9:30

Register now!

This awesome event is sponsored by In Good Company Workplaces (@ingoodcmpny) and Baby Bites (@babybites)!

See you there!

Workplace for women entrepreneurs

social community for moms to be

Just Kite It dot com, a community for kiteboarding enthusiasts

After speaking with a friend kiter, she joined a few kiting message board forums, which seemed so outdated in comparison to the social media technology of web 2.0 standards. Armed with not much information about kiteboarding she took her chances and called a school in the Great South Bay, New York in July. Good idea? Bad idea. Summer is the worst time to learn the sport in New York and the nasty green flies leave you with painful bites. Not only is the Great South Bay a two-three hour train ride on the LIRR from Brooklyn and Manhattan, learning to kite is not inexpensive. A lesson can cost anywhere from $150-$200 per hour depending on the level of instructor. At times the school will share your lesson with another student and not inform you of this. In some cases, you could get five-hour lessons for $500. Granted the sport is difficult, you will need more than three hours of water instruction. Kiters who have sailed, windsurfed, surfed and wakeboarded could pick up the sport quicker and faster. It is 90% about the kite and 10% about the board. Meaning, understanding the nuances of the wind and controlling the kite within its power, your kite flying skills and knowledge about your environment is key to enjoying the sport, your safety and the safety of others in the water and on the beach.

In August 2009, after a number of frustrating attempts at lessons in New York and Cape Hatteras, NC due to lack of wind in the months of July – August, Jessica then ventured to the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The wind capital of the Pacific North West. “I first discovered the River Gorge through a kiter friend on Facebook.” Jessica a natural traveler has not ventured beyond California for travels to the West Coast. “It looks like a little piece of heaven, why has not anyone mentioned this place to me before?” Another loop hole in the kiting world is the discovery and the level of detail that existing kiting web properties can provide. “Information sharing about kite education, kite spots and the consistent engagement of kiters worldwide is what we hope to solve for the progression of the sport.” Kiteboarding is breaking down geographic and gender barriers for over a decade now. So many untold stories are raring to be shared that will inspire connoisseurs of the sport, viewers and those curious about it. The global and local community’s affinity for wind, water and kite is a natural glue. Every kiter is in love with a fellow kiter’s skills and his or her experiences.

For version 1 of Just Kite It dot com our goal is to provide kiters worldwide and those interested in the sport with as much information about kite education, kite spots around the world through editorially curated from user-generated stories. Version 1.5 will be wrapped around extreme entrepreneurship and technology events for the startup community. It is a known fact, there is a growing number of technologists and startup founders who kite. This could be attributed to the leadership of the Silicon Valley VC, Bill Tai who has been featured on Forbes.com. Version 2.0 of Just Kite It dot com will showcase a fully social web property with mobile applications for engagement in a global scale.

The average age of kiters range from 30-35 professionals with a slow, yet noticeable adaptation of the twenty-something and baby boomer demographics. There is also a growing number of women who are kiting, up 30% from 2008. Kiteboarding is a lifestyle sport and it is growing at a steady rate of 20% annually.

Jessica Valenzuela is also the Founder and Chief Principal of a New York based boutique digital branding agency, Mavin Digital, Inc. the creators of Just Kite It. Her co-founder Marek L. Biestek is the General and Managing Partner of a New York based hedge fund, MSMB Capital, LLC. Jessica and Marek are kiteboarders who met at a parking lot on Tobay Bay, New York after a kiting session.

About Just Kite It dot com (http://justkiteit.com)
Welcome to Just Kite It dot com, a content publisher and social community focused on kite education, sports tourism and connecting likeminded professionals of the sport.

Founded by two kiteboarding addikts, with backgrounds in media, digital branding, social media, finance management and startups, Just Kite It aims to provide a place for sharing information and knowledge kite education, kite spots around the world and connecting likeminded professionals of the sport.

You can find us on Twitter @jkiteit and on our Facebook Fan page.

Mission:
Just Kite It is your source for kite education, kite spot locations around the world, inspiring stories from pro-athletes and enthusiasts,  networking events and off-topic features that will offer insight and make you laugh at the same time.

Having empathy is a willingness to learn, unflawed by judgement and accusation. In design, it is a  complete acceptance and understanding of your end-user. It is a self-less approach that requires conscious effort and practice to completely put yourself in another person’s shoe and create a product that he or she will find useful and user-friendly.

Often my empathic first look almost always leads to a number of interesting ideas to explore for clients and personal friends. At times I am accused of already having figure things out…the truth is NOT! You’ve simply given me a wealth of material to work with by sharing whatever is on your mind about an idea, product, career, etc. Empathy gives me the insight to discover marketable nuggets in others capabilities, skills and ideas. The rest is about making a life choice based on comfort levels and then taking action. Having an empathic look at life and those around you is a great way to learn and discover a world and point of view apart from your own. It is the source of my relentless energy.

Here’s an insightful article from Wired on empathy about Steve Jobs and his family’s decision-making around a dishwasher back in 2005.

Do you have an empathetic mind? How has it helped your personal life, career and those around you?  Next time you find an opportunity, do it with grok.

Disruptive changes are good. It tests one’s capabilities to assess, focus and re-calibrate in many areas of your life. It is a character building experience – going above and beyond your comfort zone no matter what the odds are or how low you are feeling. More specifically, embracing the change without aggravating the other important factors of your life – not an easy feat. A dear friend reminded me in the early weeks  “Jess, you are still the Founder and Principal of Mavin Digital, Inc., you have your team, clients, friends and community.” That was a defining moment.

Lessons Learned: When Change Happens

As a new entrepreneur and startup owner it can be truly damaging when change happens unexpectedly. It is easy to shutdown, yet not the best solution when you are growing a business. Here’s what I learned from this experience:

1. Seek counsel from your trusted circle. The first life-line I called on (and continue to do so) are my friends. Friends I know who at any given point in time will offer a fair point of view, provide support and encouragement.
2. Honest assessment of the problem. A quiet self-evaluation of the change is always useful. I believe in the chemistry of cause and effect. Accept the flaws that occurred between point A and point B then ask the question: Are there defining solutions that could get you back on track? As someone who firmly believes in the power of the human spirit my answer is yes. Though, the realist in me says when your very best does not move mountains you simply have to let go. It is not an admittance of defeat nor a reflection on your abilities. It simply means you are human.
3. Admit in hurts. I’m pretty darn good at this. The simple act of admitting pain during any major changes in your life is soothing and I believe helps you heal.
4. Allow yourself to heal. This means you’re not taking the memory of that pain with you to point C. Get up and march forward like you were doing it for the first time.
5. Get back on track. Don’t lose sight of the other important factors in your life. I slowly reminded myself that as an entrepreneur I have a responsibility to my company, my team, my clients, my friends and my community. That is a lot of responsibility. Change is a poor excuse to under perform.

Another dear friend reminded me and I firmly believe in “change is a gift.” Blessings and good fortune are waiting around the bend. Thank you friends for the support and encouragement.

Special thanks to my rockstar intern, Christopher for creating these lovely Twitter backgrounds! Enjoy!

When we were approached by the Goldmund Media Group to bring the Goldmund Media Room to life online we were giddy with excitement! This assignment marked our opportunity to showcase Mavin Digital’s full-service capabilities in storytelling, design, 3D creation and animation.

Our Challenge

Create a visually immersive online experience that showcases the fine, elegant and premier audio, visual and home theater experience of Goldmund Media Room.

The Goal

Make home theater aficionados want to own the Goldmund Media Room.

The Result

An ownable 3D environment of the Goldmund Media Room that is making their customers go “oooh…wow that is something!” Wait to till you hear it!

To help us visualize what we are about to create I was invited to the Los Angeles office by the company’s President and his local team to experience the Goldmund Media Room for real. The showroom’s main exhibit is the Room with ten theater seats and a huge theater screen. The walls are red with intricate gold cornices and million dollar speakers hidden beneath the walls. A statement of elegance, rich and fabulous. I was not sure what to expect  nor was I ready for the auditory immersion to the 130th decibel. Imagine that then you’ll believe it when I say “it was my best viewing of King Kong and Pearl Harbor ever – incredible and exquisite detail!”

Storytelling in 3D*

• Text storyboarding. What are the main points of the story that we would like the user to focus and learn about Goldmund Media Room? It took an afternoon of brainstorming by the pool with the client’s team. Note to self: brainstorm in luxury and indulge when you are thinking about a luxury brand. At the end of that session, we came up with four main story points: best seats in the house, Proteus modeling, our single source approach and Swiss made.
• Visual storyboarding. Now that we have an outline how do we tell the story visually? Once the outline is agreed upon by the client stakeholders, including their PR company we had to carefully illustrate each animation sequence with careful consideration to availability of assets and angles. Of course, assets were not available so we had to work directly from blueprints and engineering notes of the actual Room.
• 3D modeling. Is this the real thing? The Goldmund Media Room in 3D is an exact replica of the showroom in Los Angeles, CA. Long hours are allocated for each stage in the 3D modeling, layering and coloring to capture the finite details of the Room, the audio equipment and peripherals.
• Test animations. How many? Too many but it was well worth the effort. Once the rough 3D cuts of each sequence were complete we integrated the animations and experiment with lighting until the appropriate effects are reached.
• Final rendering. This is the final stage in the 3D process – no returns and exchanges unless you want to trash the months of previous work or pay change fees.

A video of all four 3D animation sequences will be on You Tube in a few weeks. When your story is ownable – that is good design.

So who is visiting you website or using your application? How much do you know about them and are you meeting their needs. The more you know about your users the better you can cater to their needs. If you don’t care about your users it’s going to show. Who needs that? What’s the point in building an application or website people use only once and never use again. One tool for better understanding your users is to create a persona. Personas can be used for a new website or application or when re-designing an existing site or application.

So what is a persona? Well it’s just a made up person that you breathe life into.

Personas are documents that describe typical users. They can be useful to your project team, stakeholders, and clients. With appropriate research and descriptions, personas can paint a very clear picture of who is using the site or application, and potentially even how they are using it – A Project Guide to UX Design

A persona is a made-up person you will write to. A real person may have several different goals in mind, but a persona is built around a single goal or main objective. Every time you spot a different goal, you create a new persona…Once you have a persona’s goal clearly defined, dress the character up. Assign a name, an age, an employer, a daily routine, and a car, but not just any car – a particular car with a dent on the front right bumper. The specificity is important because it helps you believe in your own creation. Hot Text – Web Writing That Works

The use of personas is a technique popularized by Alan Cooper in his 1999 book The Inmates are Running the Asylum

There are five methods for gathering the information to create personas.

• Contextual Interviews
• Individual Interviews
• Online Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Usability Testing

For the average person with a small budget I would recommend using online surveys. They are easy to develop and conduct. Ideally using more than one research method will yield more information to write your personas. You can create your surveys using Google Docs or Survey Monkey.

The time invested up front to conduct user research will save time and money in the end. So if you can afford it spend the money on more than one user research method.

You should write at least three personas…yes three… not one or two…three. Some people write more than that so you’re getting off easy. Your persona should at a minimum have the following information:

• Photo
• Name
• Age
• Location
• Occupation
• Biography

You can also add the following information as well if relevant:

• Education
• Online activities
• Offline activities
• Salary
• Comfort with technology
• The list can go on and on…add whatever else you think might be important to make the persona as real as possible

Usability.gov, published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, has some examples of personas . The site also has examples of other documents for web design and usability guidelines.

Personas are a good way to get everyone working on a project out of their own heads and thinking about the people who will benefit from what they are working on. So stick them up on the wall after you create them and read them often so that you remember that “you are not your audience”.

Shelley-Ann West, Guest Blogger

Why do I like the Calvin Klein Beauty packaging? The packaging is sleek, minimal and contemporary yet presents itself with softness and allure. A pure lead in to its content ~ natural and soft-toned make-up for the urban woman. Designer Fabien Baron is the creator of this beauty and is quoted by CPC Packaging, “The packaging for ck Calvin Klein beauty is completely in line with the ck Calvin Klein brand aesthetic—pure, clean, and modern,” says Baron.

It showcases the brand and elevates the product. Calvin Klein Beauty’s packaging marries aesthetics with technology that preserves the product with the use of airless technology. Airless technology means fewer preservatives and long-lasting products. All GREAT for the consumer.

It is a winner! CPC Packaging selected Calvin Klein Beauty as their 2008 Editor’s Choice for Cosmetics.

It is always a plus when the product exudes expectations. Markwins, International the licensee of Calvin Klein Beauty was kind to have me try a few of their eyeshadows and luscious lip glosses ~ perfect companion for an urban and outdoor girl like me.

Tokidoki “Sometimes” in Japanese is the creation of Italian designer, Simone Leno. She will be in New York on March 7th for the grand opening of her Soho capsule store. Woot! So if you are into graphics as we are here at Mavin Digital you should check it out!

Recommended reading: Graphics Alive. It was published in March 2006, yet the composition continues to be relevant.  Graphic design transforms the ordinary of everyday into a visual extravaganza.

When the Creative and Product Development Director, Jeff Bauer of Forbes.com approached me with the project in late December 2007 I had to think 10x. We recently reconnected after a 30-day hiatus from an intense summer courtship. I questioned the idea of working with someone I dearly admire and share an intimate closeness with. On the other hand I wanted the bragging rights to a Forbes.com project while showcasing our capability to deliver top-notch quality in a rapid development environment. It was the holidays who in the right mind wants to work on this project? We enjoy the challenge. Towards the end of that phone conversation with the CD/PD and my boyfriend at Forbes.com, I said “you must be desperate to ask me to work on this project.” [Laughter ensued from both ends of the line]

I’ve delivered work for Forbes.com in the past while freelancing for a boutique agency, Murphy & Co. during my first six-months in New York City. I am aware that Forbes.com enjoys arm wrestling their vendors to a whimper in exchange for the prestige of saying “I’ve worked with Forbes.com.” You’ll be happy to know that we didn’t arm wrestle over this project and there was no whimpering involved. My team and I jumped in on the opportunity. I am glad we were chosen to work on the Forbes.com America’s Sinful Cities assignment. It offered viral press and opportunity to showcase Mavin Digital’s creativity in digital storytelling, technology, programming and our solution-centric approach.

When a third-party partner recognizes the value of your idea, your product and your service it makes a big difference in your project experience and the finished creation.

Over a year later, the assignment continues to receive a significant amount of traffic. It continues to draw people. We continue to be relevant. One thing I would improve are the social media capabilities which am sure without the time constraints at that time Forbes.com would have wanted reader interaction features. It would be interesting to visualize how these rankings changed over time considering the current economic conditions and new administration. Do you agree with the rankings and methodology used? Did the visual help make the article more interesting and entertaining?

Flowingdata, April 10, 2008

Suspect Device The Blog, March 28, 2008

Newstin, March 28, 2008

Yelp San Francisco, March 18, 2008

Neatorama, February 29, 2008

Democratic Underground, February 28, 2008

Yelp San Jose, CA, February 27, 2008

Albert Mohler, February 22, 2008

Free Public Focus, February 20, 2008

Belize Web, February 16, 2008

City Data, No date on posts and reader comments