DDA Video: Well Oiled Machine

Yesterday was quite a busy day down here at DDA Video.  A client had a last minute request for 3 different DVDs, 2 of which we received the footage for that morning.  Laurence and I scrambled around the office to have the DVDs prepared with enough time to set up for the shoot later that day.  Everything went smoothly as we got the DVDs to the client and then proceeded to shoot 5 different spokesperson videos with product demonstrations.  After the shoot we packed the studio up and prepared for a shoot in New York which is taking place today.

Laurence and Andrew are in New York today which gives me the opportunity to take a breather and process some of the footage from yesterday’s shoot.  Hopefully I can get through the bulk of it since I’m sure that I will be greeted with even more footage on Monday!

Entry by: Jake, Video Production | May 15th, 2008

Agree to disagree or I understand your point of view but…

The art of constructive criticism is a talent that you don’t find on anybody’s resume, but this specific skill is very useful where design work is involved and specifically design work with a multitude of parties each having the correct solution to the problem. Maybe Constructive criticism is not quite the right fit, more a doctorate in Spin, were you need to explain to a client that there idea is like looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

If you pull this off and everyone agrees on a solution, say for example that you need 5 categories in your website architecture for a particular product and then create a website design around this new menu and then hold everything…wait… now after seeing it they decide they need 8 categories and another whole section, because that is what xyzproducts.com is doing, “I saw their site over the weekend.” So now you have to explain to them how wrong “mistaken” they are all over again, subtly of course…. Unless by some freak event you yourself are wrong on this one??!??

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
Winston Churchill

Entry by: Mick, Search Engine Marketing | May 15th, 2008

We are different!

There is a poster boldly displayed on one wall of Dynamic Digital Advertising’s new digs that proclaims, “Don’t be afraid to be different.” I think that is the common thread that binds all who work here; we are each very different. Not weird different, but creatively, healthy, believe-in-ourselves different. 

A specific example would be our Programmers. David says our Lead Programmer,  Amy, can solve any problem to do with code.  She is also a whiz with an electric drill.  Tyler is our “Go To” guy for everything from small changes to clients’ websites to installing a complex phone system, while Reggie has become an expert at building gargantuan retail shopping carts, and Vinnie does a lot of action script work and helps with Coldfusion code issues and other language problems. If you put the four of them together, you would never mistake one for the other, and yet they are linked by this strange gene Programmers have for speaking little and spending hours solving problems. It is like there is a mind meld between them and their computers.  

Dynamic Digital, as an entity, is unusual too. There is no model we followed when David and I first started a decade+ ago. We grew organically, and David’s business instinct and vision helps shape what is our very complex organization today. But from those early days, we never lost the goal of providing marketing, promotional, and advertising services to businesses. Our old self-promotion brochures push digital photography, cd-rom development, graphic design, and print production among other things. We still do all that, but we just keep adding services. So many services that our Lead Designer, Carrie, wonders how she is going to showcase the new service. (P.S.-She always figures it out.)  Check out our website, the timeline graphically shows our growth, the changes, and the new services. And today, May 15th, 2008, I can promise you, there is real excitement planned for the coming year. Stay tuned. 

Entry by: Copywriting, Elizabeth | May 15th, 2008

Software Engineering

The principles of Software engineering consist of determining the feasible approach toward managing a software application. The normal processes of engineering software involve: the interviewing process, which is the research and studying of the problem domain; and the prototyping process, which refers to the understanding of the type of data needed for each level of the problem.

A good practice is to use Data Flow Diagrams to visually articulate how each process of the problem interacts with each other to solve the big problem. Using Data Dictionaries helps to define each data prototype and conceive the stability of managing each sub-unit of the problem domain. Each sub-routine that solves a specific problem should have its own specification.

If the software application utilized a database, the engineer is responsible for designing the Database, and designing the effective output and input. The final process is the software Documentation, which involves extensive testing to explain in detail the design and documentation technique, flowcharts, pseudo code, and procedures manual.

Entry by: Programming, Reggie | May 15th, 2008

Exciting Beginnings

This morning we held a kick-off meeting for a new site we will be developing. I have to say, I am very excited about this project as this is one of the rare opportunities that DDA can truly flex its creative muscle. Many times with projects, whether they be a tradeshow graphic, brochure, or custom corporate and medical video, our creative freedom is limited to the clients comfort zone. But with this particular company and product, we have received the green light to strive for innovative and ground-breaking site concepts, animations, and interactivity that will lead the way for future site development.

It is a joy to watch the imaginative wheels turn.  The new ideas brought to the table push the boundary of the norm and open opportunity for immense success. Site interactivity, that employs the user’s involvement, is the answer to effective websites that inform, engage, and entertain, and DDA’s website development service is continuing to reach for the best methods of application.

Videos, 2d and 3d animations, site navigational elements and more, combine to make a user experience unlike any other. Excited?  Yes, I am.

Entry by: Copywriting, Elise | May 15th, 2008

Trading Living Spaces

Recently I’ve been searching for a new apartment. Partly this is because I like a change of habitat every year or so, but with rising gas prices, I’m also looking to move closer to work.

The other day, I checked out a place that is literally only 10 minutes away. It is a really nice place, in a good neighborhood, and it has relatively cheap rent. Being 10 minutes away from DDA would dramatically increase my free-time during the week - I’d save 2 hours of commute every day. On the other hand, I’d have a roommate again, something that I wasn’t too fond of in the past.

The roommate is nice enough. She is a 49-year old woman with a dog and not too much else. She doesn’t have Internet or a computer, but doesn’t mind if I bring mine so I can work on my personal portfolio of 3d animation, 2d animation, and web interactive projects, or play my video games. The apartment does seem a little small though for the two of us - while I would have my own bedroom, I don’t know how I would feel about sharing such a small living area at this point.

Sometimes we need to accept conditions we wouldn’t necessarily like, just to get by financially. It may only be a temporary thing. I am looking at other places too - there’s a place I’m checking out today that seems promising. Wherever I move, I’ll still be here at DDA doing the best video production, animation, and web design in the Philadelphia area!

Entry by: Rob, Video Production | May 15th, 2008

More than meets the eye

As I work in this beautiful site about jewelry, I am thoroughly entertained. I am not really a big fan of standard jewelry. Unlike most women, diamonds don’t do much for me. What really interests me is more along the lines of unique, maybe a little unusual without being tacky, like the charms on Chains-and-Charms.com and Pandora Jewelry. And as all jewelry does, it should have a meaning or memory. On every page of the charms section of the Chains-and-Charms site, there is an abundance of facts, some that i never knew! So many of these spark my memories and I am so fascinated by these little tidbits of information that I can’t wait to work on the next page so that I can read more. And each page is written with a bit of humor that makes me smile. I have to give so much credit to our copywriters. Not only do they manage to handle project coordinator duties, but they also consistently  produce creative copy that is entertaining and informative. And most don’t realize that all this is done with keywords designed into the content. These little invisible workers work to help Google help you find what you need. They handle every type of copywriting service, from advertising copywriting, web copywriting, direct mail copywriting,  and most important, SEO copywriting.  So, enjoy reading the fun bits of information on any website, but remember, there’s more than meets the eye here, and you just might learn something new.

Entry by: Debbie, Graphic Design | May 15th, 2008

Altering all tables in the database

So today I was doing some thinking about my next project, and I decided that I should not be deleting records willy nilly and instead using a flag for deletion.  I know, I’m a little behind the times, this is certainly basic database management, but you know how things are.  We do what we do because we learned our bad habits from programmers before us.  The bigger picture is, experience and reading peer materials (best practices blogs and websites) teach us how to think differently, and how to correct some of our bad habits.  As one who is always interested in correcting those bad habits, I came across a nifty solution.

Using the mysql Show Tables syntax in a ColdFusion cfquery, I am able to pull down a query result set of all of the tables within the database that I am working on.  Using that query is very simple then to loop over and conduct a new query that alters the tables, adding on the new column that I wanted.

<CFQUERY NAME=”test” datasource=”#dsn#” username=”#dbuser#” password=”#dbpass#”>    
  show tables;
</CFQUERY>

The query will output with a column named TABLES_IN_xxxxx where xxxxx is the name of your database.   Using this as my new variable, I can loop over the results and use the alter table to add my little ‘deleted’ switch.

<cfoutput query=”test”>
 <CFQUERY NAME=”testUpd” datasource=”#dsn#” username=”#dbuser#” password=”#dbpass#”>    
  ALTER TABLE #test.tables_in_xxxxx#
  ADD Deleted TINYINT(1) UNSIGNED NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
 </CFQUERY>
</cfoutput>

So there you have it.  A nice tidy way to make a mass update to all tables in the database.  This can be modified in all sorts of ways.  Say I wanted to change the datatype of one of my fields, and it has foreign key references all over the place.  Well, I can do the same thing with the CHANGE column syntax.  Of course, as always, be wary of housing this online anywhere where it could be accessible to those who would have some ill intent, having database permission to alter tables is a dangerous set of permissions to be floating around.

Entry by: Amy, Programming | May 15th, 2008

What Does Sitting At A Desk In Front Of A Computer Have To Do With Nature?

What makes people want to create art, design brochures, or study feng shui? I think we are compelled to recreate nature, because we’re part of it.

People find great beauty, peace, drama, and connection in nature. Everything on the earth is interconnected, literally by the earth itself, and it’s organized, just like our bodies are composed of organized, interconnected cells. The world and our bodies are full of form, color, pattern, and purpose. We recreate these qualities in music, on fabric, in poetry, and in writing, and we search for patterns to understand more about the world through science and astronomy.

Today feels pretty warm, and I might go outside in DDA’s back yard to sit on a bench and eat my lunch. It would be great if the wall to my office could slide open on a nice sunny day, or if I took more breaks to walk.

In some ways much of my home and work environment is artificial in the sense that it is man-made, but in a very real way, as I sit in my office at a computer creating brochures, I also feel connected to nature.

Entry by: Graphic Design, Judy | May 15th, 2008

Let’s Get Analytical, Let Me Hear Your Website Talk

Now I am thinking about multi-colored spandex and a black-tiled room full of overweight men working out… ah the 1980s… All Olivia Newton-John song references aside (although I am sure you are singing it in your head), Google Analytics is a free website analysis tool that generates detailed traffic reports for websites. These traffic reports “talk” to us in a sense, by listing important website statistics that are useful in many ways.

DDA, a search engine marketing company, uses Google Analytics on websites that we are not hosting, but are enrolled in the SureThing Optimization Program. By adding a piece of tracking code to each page, we are then able to track our progress of website optimization by viewing the improved traffic to the site.

We find that being able to view traffic reports is an important part of website optimization. We can see which keywords potential customers are using to search for a website’s services and can then point out which terms need focused optimization to improve rankings. This software can show how visitors find a website and how they interact with the website’s content.

Being a search engine optimization specialist, I find it important to be able to view a website’s visits and pageviews, new and returning visitors, and also which search engine the visitor is coming from.

Entry by: Jess, Search Engine Marketing | May 15th, 2008