I’ve been working with Flash full-time at DDA for over a year now, and I’ve used it to accomplish so many different tasks. Being able to work on the various corporate, medical and in-house projects that have come along has been a great learning experience for me. I’d have to say that one of the most delightful things about working with Flash is its versatility.

It’s amazing that the same program that creates small web advertisements is the same program that is now used in big budget video games to animate cut scenes. It is the same program that helps create Interactive Training tools for corporate and medical training. It can be strictly used for animation, or for complicated interactives; it can create a simple point and click game, or an epic role-playing adventure. The broad spectrum of Flash capabilities helps DDA in creating diverse and helpful interactives, animations, and websites.

I am constantly amazed at the variety of products and markets which cross our paths at DDA. Each day we have a number of inquiries requesting proposals for various services DDA provides such as videos, website spokespersons, websites, animations, 3d or 2D characters, content writing, etc.

Yesterday we spoke with a potential client for the first time for almost an hour, discussing the unique product they are looking to promote. The product has many qualities benefiting a wide range of markets. They are interested in creating a tool with animations and diagrams to demystify and clarify the unique benefits of the product.

At DDA we don’t just concentrate on one specific market. With our Medical site, Corporate and Medical Training site, Video site and Corporate site, and extensive portfolios, we are ready to take on any marketing challenge for any industry.

If my dog is reading this (and she might be, she’s pretty smart and I left the laptop out), I’m sorry.

For the last year, my dog Abby and I have spent many mornings sleeping on the couch while the rest of the world (including Abby’s mom, Andrea) headed off to work. She and I would sleep, eat lunch, take a walk and watch bad daytime TV (lots of Food Network) until I headed to work around 4 p.m.

But that was the newspaper world, which involved nights, weekends and bizarre hours.

Monday was my first day at Dynamic Digital Advertising, and first day in the world of advertising, copywriting, and, as it turns out, blogging. So now that I have a small piece of the Internet at my disposal four days a week (more on that in a second), and hopefully a nifty caricature of myself coming soon, I’ll use it for all it’s worth. So some words of advance warning to my blog editor and whoever comes across this page:

• Most days, I will probably ramble on and make little or no sense.
• My favorite topics will be sports, movies, TV, music and my dog.
• Monday and Tuesday posts will talk about last weekend, and Wednesday and Thursday posts will discuss next weekend (weekends off are a new thing for me).
  • Because of that, I will often gloat about my three-day weekends.
• My posts will be on time (before 10 a.m.) for a little while. But I make no promises once things get busy.
• I use a lot of parentheses (probably because my mind goes off on crazy tangents).

As far as I can tell, I’m going to love being an advertising copywriter at DDA. In just 11 or so hours on the job, Laura and the other writers have taught me a lot about online copywriting, search engine optimization, project management and all the other responsibilities I’ll have here at DDA.

What I’ve been impressed with so far is the wide array of services we provide here, and everything we can do under one roof. When I walk downstairs for a coffee refill (planning on that in a few minutes), I’m quickly greeted by Indie (I think he smells Abby). But then I see the video studio, audio soundbooth and all the programmers hard at work making websites, animations, videos and anything else our clients can dream up.

I’m really looking forward to become a big part of the team here at DDA, and I’ll be even more useful once I get accustomed to this morning thing (I saw 6 a.m. yesterday for the first time in about a year). So while it’ll take me a while to get used to my new surroundings, Abby is probably already enjoying her reign over the house. Now she gets the whole couch to herself.

About 6 years ago, DDA, a search engine marketing company, created an online tracking system called the DDA-TRAC. TRAC stands for Time Resource and Accounting. This way, whether I am registering URLs, optimizing websites or purchasing images for print projects, every minute is accounted for.

In the beginning, there were many TRACs left running, time assigned to the wrong project, or TRACs that were not logged into. But as the years passed and after many reminders of “Are you logged in?,” the TRAC has become second nature. It is the first thing I do when I come into work and the last click before I leave for the day.

We use our online tracking system for each and every project that comes through the doors and emails of DDA. Whether it is website design, website improvements, graphic design projects, animations or any of the numerous services that we provide, everything is logged in and every minute is accounted for. Each TRAC for every project accompanies the invoice, so our clients know exactly what they are being billed for. They can also see that not a single minute is wasted time.

Every once in a while there is a new “TRAC tool” that our programmers have created. Opening the email describing the new way to use the TRAC is like opening a present! Okay, so maybe I get a little too excited over these new options. But hey, I have been using the TRAC since it was first built, and any improvement is an exciting one to me!

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.