The area is actually intriguing for me.Thank you!
My QNAP 410 (ARN) didn't come back after a restart the other night.
I ended up reverting the FW, then needed to run-through the "QNAP Setup Wizard" to regain access to the QNAP Web Console. I didn't realise at the time, but it appears the Setup process has stripped the RAID config from my array!!!! (I suspect it does this, to prepare any connected drives for a new setup)
I'm now stuck - trying to get assistance from QNAP Support. I hope someone can recover the RAID config (as I've come to the end of my Linux expertise).
Thanks for this article. Any further assistance/advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Internet Explorer haters, meet IE9: Microsoft’s biggest step into the world of the modern browser. IE9 has boosted Microsoft’s desktop browser share numbers to 54% according to today’s NetMarketShare statistics. Chrome’s lost share for the first time in months, and Redmond has reason to smile.
More importantly, Microsoft has made some bold moves to make sure Internet Explorer stays relevant. Here’s a few reasons why website owners and designers should take a spin with the new browser:
Digital media is reshaping PR with the growing importance of bloggers and explosion of social media. Now the iPad app is taking it one step further – proving to be an effective and powerful PR and communications tool. An iPad app created by Manning has won the Chicago PR community’s highest honor, the Golden Trumpet Award. The app, Chimps Should Be Chimps is a family iPad book created with the Lincoln Park Zoo as the centerpiece of a new campaign to raise awareness about the misuse of chimpanzees in entertainment. The app won the Publicity Club of Chicago’s highest honor because of its outstanding marketing success, strong creativity, execution, and return on investment.
Chimps, which was written, designed, illustrated, and developed by Manning, takes advantage of the iPad’s touchscreen interactivity to create a memorable, engaging experience for both children and adults. It’s a great example of how technology can be used to enhance and deliver a more effective message.
The iPad is a perfect publicity tool, with an instant worldwide distribution network and strong appeal to an influential target market. The app’s novel approach attracted the media and generated buzz, key elements for a successful campaign.
– Patrick Mouser, Manning Art Director
Chimps has received widespread critical acclaim from traditional media, bloggers and eBook reviewers, and has been downloaded thousands of times.
To learn more about the app’s role in the communications campaign, check out our case study or download Chimps Should Be Chimps in the App Store.
A digital brand has become an increasing important way for law firms and other professional service organizations (Accountants, Consultants, Architects, etc) to differentiate themselves from the competition. Yet many organizations fail to take advantage of their full digital potential. Instead, marketers often fall back on old strategies and conventional thinking that makes many websites look the same. The question is, how can a firm use a digital strategy to differentiate itself from the competition and attract new clients?
Manning recently partnered with one of nation’s leading litigation firms Girard Gibbs LLC, to re-launch the firm’s brand, strengthen its digital identity, and provide a stronger connection with potential clients.
The approach centered on minimizing the typical “legalize brochure speak” found on many law firm websites and avoiding a web information architecture based on the organizational structure of the firm. Instead, we embraced an identity defined by the way clients look at the legal profession, and the needs and interests of this audience.
Attracting New Clients
The new Girard Gibbs site launched in the spring of 2012 has already proven very effective at attracting new clients. One of the core benefits of Girard Gibbs’ client-centric digital strategy is its ability to generate client leads.
The web has become a firm’s most important tool for marketing communication and outreach. The Girard Gibbs’ site leverages the web by automatically aggregating content according to the viewer’s interests, providing a richer, more engaging experience. The site provides multiple channels to interact with the firm thus generating client/case leads. The end result is longer time on the site, additional page views, and most importantly, additional contact submissions.
Turbo-Charged Search Engine Organization (SEO)
This site structure also enhances the firm’s SEO, as each dynamic page can be a new “front door” for clients. Prospective clients can quickly find assistance for their legal problems no matter how they access the site. Content creation is a snap, as virtually anyone at the firm can update the site quickly and easily through a custom content management system (CMS). Just as importantly, the CMS gives each page an SEO boost by standardizing content into Google-friendly formats.
Digital Differentiation
The strong new digital brand has already proven to be effective for Girard Gibbs. While law firms have traditionally been slow to embrace change, those that understand the value and importance of an effective online strategy can profit from creating a strong digital brand that truly differentiates the firm from the competition in the eyes of clients.
Towards the end of my senior year in college, as we all anxiously awaited our imminent expulsion into the scary real world, our class received an assignment: “find your tribe.” That is, if you could have a group of people (still living or not) by your side as you go forward in your creative career – your heroes, you could say – who would they be?
Right off the bat, several artists in our “Inspiration Folders” immediately made the list, so that we could channel them as muses; successful illustrators and designers throughout history, for a good-luck charm in the harsh world of business and fame; artists who succeeded in the earlier stages of their post-graduate careers, for navigational skills.
But before you mentally assemble your own list, hold up a second. Those whose creations found in you an appreciative audience do not necessarily qualify for your tribe. And of course, while it is never a bad idea to surround yourself with successful, talented people, what outside of their having achieved renown really makes them your heroes?
Manning’s found a new home! As of today, our office is one short block away from Oprah’s Harpo Studios. The loft space at 115 North Morgan is in the middle of the hot West Loop neighborhood, close to a whole host of trendy restaurants we’re anxious to try. The new digs have a custom build-out to enhance our collaborative work style and a roof deck that overlooks the Chicago skyline. Who could ask for anything more?
We’ll be back at full capacity on Tuesday, but in the meantime, here’s a few pictures of the space to tide you over.
Before
It’s that time of year: graduation season. Which means a whole new crop of young creatives is about venture forth and try to make it in what can be an unforgiving industry. I remember being there, and I remember thinking I had it all figured out, and then I remember the mistakes I made. If only someone had told me what it was really going to be like to transition from the classroom to the real world. So now that I’ve learned a few things, I’d like to pass on a few tips to the next generation of creatives.
Get Your Reps In
Malcolm Gladwell famously popularized the “10,000 Hour Rule” in his book, Outliers. In researching the commonalities among the world’s most successful people, Gladwell found any individual who had distinguished his/herself by becoming an expert in their field had accumulated at least 10,000 hours of practice. Regardless of whether the field was law, or music or even hockey, the truly great rose to the top through hours and hours of focused training.
So if you want to become a successful creative, you might as well accept that this applies to you as well. Let’s say you average 40 Hours per week for 50 weeks per year. That’s 2,000 hours per year. At that rate, you can expect to work five years before really establishing yourself. So my recommendation: do work.
Google Places is a service offered by Google to help businesses take ownership of their locations and improve their search identity. It enables businesses to come up in Google Maps searches, or as location results in standard Google searches. Google Places is especially important if you have a physical location that is relevant to users. An e-commerce site may not be concerned with a local client base, but a restaurant will.
Businesses can verify and claim their listing and then add information on that page. The more thorough and specific the content, the better your company will do in relevant search results. Google allows you to specify business categories, add pictures and add video. The service is free, easy to set up, and will allow users to quickly access relevant, local information about your business.
97 percent of consumers search for local businesses online. One of the goals of an online presence should be to create and share the most relevant, useful information possible for potential customers. According to data released by Google, 82% of online activity is related to local content. Businesses should vigilantly monitor search results to ensure that their contact and services information is up to date and accurate. Given that Google Places verifies all claimed locations, you easily keep reliable information at the top of search results.
As an added bonus, a good Places listing can actually help your website SEO by giving users an external source that offers them relevant information related to your website. If your SEO is set up well, the top search results should be your company page followed by a list of the top 3 relevant and nearby locations, so they know exactly where to go and who to call for more information.
I often get (and love) the opportunity to take a design all the way from its Photoshop comp stages through its front-end implementation. As a result, I’m always on the lookout for tricks and tools that help me unify and expedite the larger arc of the web design process. One of the spotlights today is on the 960 grid system, a grid paradigm that provides your mockups with a versatile and reliable grid ready for easy slicing and implementation with HTML and CSS. The second is on LessCSS, a more dynamic take on writing CSS that not only near-eliminates what makes CSS a comparatively-disjointed part of a design’s front-end implementation, but also teaches it a few new tricks.
In the last part of our three-part series, Claire explains the role of the client as a project nears completion.
Once you’re through design and development, the finish line for your site, app or video can be tantalizingly close. But before the project goes live, it’s time to look at it one time – very thoroughly.
It’s vital to go through and test your project with a fine-toothed comb. For most people, this part of the process is less fun than looking at designs. It’s the steamed vegetables you have to eat before you get dessert. The length of the testing stage varies depending on the scope of the project. But like every other point of feedback we’ve discussed in this blog series, proper communication can keep things moving forward. I find the best way to pick apart and address issues is to compile them into a clear, easy-to-read list.
Final testing and feedback is a tricky step, but it’s also, happily, the last one. Once you’re through, your project can be finalized and put forth for all the world to appreciate. And if a project has a strong foundation of communication, it’s sure to be a success for everyone involved.
I recently read a great quote in ESPN The Company: The Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports:
“Analysts talk in theory about cross-platform opportunities today, just as they used to talk about the ideal of synergy ten years ago. But ESPN is an unheralded case study that illustrates how such a strategy evolves organically while actually meeting customer needs and turning a profit.”
Turning a profit certainly isn’t hard when over six million people fill out a March Madness bracket on ESPN.com. That’s a solid base audience to start, but it’s even stronger when you realize each one of those fans is checking in daily via web or mobile app, and sharing their progress on social networks. Sports have become a necessity in our society, just as much important as eating and sleeping for fans. It’s water-cooler conversation – and ESPN’s cross-platform approach has made the company a big part of those discussions.
Every company wants to reach the biggest audience possible, and a lot are trying to reach them through multiple avenues. Unfortunately, the effort can’t stop after registering an account for Facebook. What makes ESPN so successful is that they use a ton of platforms and use each one very, very well. Whether it’s broadcast, website, or mobile, if you want the best sports coverage, you’re going to use an ESPN product – especially this month.
The benefit of having a strong presence on multiple platforms is that it’s difficult for people to stop tuning in at any given time. On a lunch break they can check updates on their phone; if they go on a computer they can watch videos there. Instead of accessing your content once a day through one platform, they can check in 15 times a day through multiple platforms. The key is providing the consumer with that access whenever and wherever they want it.
