This article is worth a read, but the outstanding point to me is that 100% of people tested preferred them (without knowing why).

A sticky nav is not always going to fit into a design, and there are a few can often be a few obstacles to overcome and a few cons to consider as you work through the design process, but I definitely recommend considering them on your next design or redesign. As a coder, they are fairly straightforward. And to really impress, go for the scroll-to nav, which get “stuck” once you’ve reached it in your vertical scroll. Just Google “waypoints jquery tutorial” for some help on how to develop them.

http://rt.com/art-and-culture/news/growing-google-facebook-million-536/

Mobile is growing, and everybody knows it. As creatives, we get excited about exploring newer realms. As businesses, we get excited about seeing our website on our latest smart phones and tablets. Sometimes this excitement can steer you in the wrong direction, causing us to overshoot our goals.

From a business standpoint, the most important thing to consider is ROI. While it is important for a business to stay current, consideration should be given to WHY we think we need a mobile app. While mobile web traffic has been on a steady rise, most people don’t realize that it still only accounts for approximately 7% of total web traffic. The cost of a “native” app (the kind you download and install on your device) can be much higher than you may realize. The development process is very different than a typical website. An app is, after all, software, and requires many more iterations of coding, user testing, etc… to complete. Once complete, a new operating system or a new device will hit the market creating an almost endless need for maintenance and updates to the app.

So why choose to develop a mobile app? For one thing, they can be extremely user friendly. Mobile apps typically display the bread and butter of your website. Think about it this way. A website tends to be more of a “before the event” marketing piece, where all kinds of information is displayed. Everything from last year’s photos, who is involved, who the event will be profiting, etc… is at the user’s fingertips so they can get the big picture. On the other hand, a mobile app can be thought of as an “at the event” tool, where the user will probably have very specific information they are looking for. They contain simplified navigation that allows the user to see the event’s schedule, times and locations of specific happenings, where to get food and merch, or perhaps a map of the event’s venue so people can find there way around all while looking at their mobile device. Obviously, not every app falls into the “event” category, however the desires of a user will usually follow this same kind of simplification.

For those businesses looking to go mobile, a great first step seems to be a “responsive” site. Responsive refers to the website’s ability to have multiple layouts for different devices, making it easier to navigate and see the information you want whether you’re on a smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. Responsive design will also allow you to scale text appropriately, and leave out, or hide, information that may not be desired by your mobile demographic. A responsive site will also be considerably cheaper than a native app, allowing your business to test the waters of the mobile world, before making the investment in a native app.

One thing is definitely clear, mobile is here to stay. Taking the time to consider your options, your needs, and your budget should help you strategize the best way to enter the mobile world with minimal risk, and ultimately, a more successful product.

To do this, you will:

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Start it up again.
3. While it is booting up, hold down the Option + Command + P + R.
4. The computer will make that familiar Apple start up sound two times.
5. You can then release those keys… and resume your day.

Hope this helps.

The long standing “waterfall” marketing practice is no longer an effective, or even plausible way of meeting your clients needs. Media is becoming more fragmented by the minute, businesses can no longer afford to work off a six-month marketing plan. Agile marketing principals revolve around shorter iterations, allowing you to adjust and respond to immediately needs, without affecting the bigger picture.

Some Reasons to switch to agile:

•  Speed – We are working in an increasingly social and real-time arena. Everything is moving faster, and traditional approaches to marketing just can’t keep up. By shortening the iteration cycle, you can get faster results and have the option to adjust immediately to the needs of the client.

•  Priority – We all know our clients priorities change. This is even more true with the speed of today’s media. Shorter cycles allow you to constantly reprioritize your workflow to ensure that at least most of the important items are achieved.

•  Engagement – There are two specific and different audiences to engage: Your clients, and their customers. The short “sprint” cycles of agile marketing allow you to engage with your clients more regularly, adjusting to fit their needs and goals. On the customer end, there are so many ways to engage in a two-way conversation: listening and telling stories. Many new outlets for customer engagement are also much more readily measurable, so you can augment your approach and maximize engagement immediately.

•  Relevance – If there has been a bad press release with one of your clients, they cannot afford to wait a week to respond in an article on the 5th page of the local Sunday paper. Relevant news requires an immediate response to capitalize on good news/events, and to mitigate damage caused by a jogger running into a stroller outside your local clothing store.

Unfortunately, the days of planning out your very strategic approach to a marketing campaign, and seeing it through step by step, are no longer an option. You have to be not only creative, but a problem solver as well. You have to react to change on a day to day basis, without throwing away your original plans. The measurability of agile marketing will allow you to, and usually require you to constantly evaluate, adjust, and readjust your plans to compete with the speed of today’s consumers. (Here is a great post by Frank Days on agile marketing) http://www.agilemarketingblog.com/2012/04/are-you-an-agile-marketer/

Anyway, here’s an article about it. Or watch the video!

What does this mean?

If you’ve taken time to set up a Google Places account for your business sometime during the past few years, the good news is that your labor has not been in vain. And if you haven’t set up a Google+ page for your business, now is the time.

Officially, the new service is called “Google+ Local.” It’s aimed at helping searchers find local businesses more easily. And there’s no denying that it should bolster the burgeoning social network by giving individuals and businesses another reason to use Google+ on a regular basis. The move does make an inquisitive sort wonder what kind of SEO (search engine optimization) ramifications having a Google+ Local page will have (presumably yielding more favorable results). And, it’s another reason, amongst a sea of others, to be a part of Google+.

So how do you sign up your business for Google+? First, create a Google account. Then, sign up for Google+. Then, customize the page (adding graphics and relevant business information, much like a Facebook business page). Then, share it with other Google users. And last, start using it regularly to post updates and status information. (For a more thorough snapshot, check out Hubspot’s blog post…)