Filed under Press Releases

The organizers of SouthEast LinuxFest have asked me to volunteer to organize free one day Drupalcamp to take place on day2 of the SouthEast LinuxFest.

WHEN: Sunday June 13th
WHERE: Spartanburg Marriott at the Renaissance
Spartanburg SC
TRAVEL: The hotel is 10 min away from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) which serves most air lines.
REGISTRATION: Registration is now open here

We could have as many as three tracks during this one day event. The response I get from potential presenters and attendees will aid in determining how many tracks we will have.

This is a group effort. Chime in and be a part of the 1st DrupalCamp in SC! You can monitor our activity and participate in the conversation here http://groups.drupal.org/drupalcamp-sc.

You can also visit http://dougvann.com/contact-doug-vann and leave me a message

I have a love/hate relationship with website awards.

Prevailing Hate
I hate awards for two reasons. First, aiming to win awards is a terrible incentive.  I mean, do you want your website developer to say, “We’re going to build you a website that will win you some really great awards!” Or would you rather they say, “We’re going to build you a website that is going to achieve your business objectives!”  Can you do both? Maybe.  But which fence is that web developer swinging for?  Your needs? Or more plaques on their wall? Why should there be any distraction from the obvious objective.

Second, most web award programs suck. Quite simply, they often reward pretty websites. Rarely is there any serious lifting of the hood to find out how robust the site is. Criteria such as interaction, information architecture, usability, content quality, search optimization, engagement,  goal and conversion orientation are rarely part of the evaluation. That’s because these essential requirements are also the hardest to judge. But everybody has an opinion about pretty.  Web awards often reward pretty junk.

Embraceable Love
I love website awards almost as passionately as I hate them. Usually so much effort goes into the creation of a good website that it’s wonderful to see these business solutions recognized. Moreover, the site development is generally driven by internal client staff who sweat bullets producing their online presence. When their site is recognized with an award, it’s just great seeing them and their organizations get the recognition they deserve

And don’t think those acrylic and lacquered wood awards don’t mean something. I closed an award winning computer business in 1993 and among the last things I tossed out – 16 years later – were some of the award plaques this business had won. Even after the business is toast, the awards validated a lot of the effort.

And the Winners Are……
Today, the Web Marketing Association announced their WebAwards for 2009. And I have no ambivalence in celebrating the winners.  Duo is one of a handful of companies worldwide that won 5 or more web awards. Our client sites that received recognition include:

• comScore- Marketing Standard of Excellence
• Youth Ready Chicago – Government Standard of Excellence
• American Library Association – Non-Profit Standard of Excellence
• Burnham Nationwide – Consulting Standard of Excellence
• Illinois Humanities Council – Non-Profit Standard of Excellence
• PricePlease, Inc. – Outstanding Website

A tip of the hat to these organizations. I want to believe that in all cases their business objectives were paramount on our development agenda and the sites are now meetings these performance objectives.

Of course, the award plaques won’t look too bad on our wall.

For the second year, Duo Consulting has been named to Inc. magazine’s ranking of the nation’s top 5000 fastest growing private companies. This year we are number 2148 (up from 2748 last year). Certainly, this gives us a horn to toot. So toot, toot. But I wanted to give this some thought and reflect on what this means beyond giving Duo a short term promotional angle.

First, in an otherwise tough economic environment, being a fast growing Internet-based company suggests that we are in a sector of the economy that remains vibrant.  Business managers should take note that even though marketing budgets are taking it on the chin, available marketing dollars are being diverted to an increasing number of Internet initiatives. So while gross marketing budgets may be depressed, Internet spending is being sustained. Check your budget allocation to insure you are moving in the same direction.

Second, I had to think about whether being a fast-growing company is a good thing.  When you grow quickly, client relationships might suffer, a growing employee head count might impact the existing intimate company culture, business infrastructure such as performance reporting or accounting may become stressed, and office facilities become tapped out.

All these challenges loom. But being in business is just a constant source of problem solving. And I’d rather deal with those problems associated with growth rather than those of stagnation. So based on surveys we’ve conducted from our client base, we’ve doubled-down our focus on client relationship management.  We have also moved to new headquarters this year which are a bit roomy today but permit us the space we need to continue our measured growth. And we’ve adopted an open-book management style to more effectively embrace everyone who works at Duo and help them appreciate how the individual efforts of each person contribute to our success.

Growth is good. But it is only sustainable if we continue to support our clients who support us. And we can only do that if we continue to have the enthusiasm, energy and creativity of the people at Duo. It’s a balancing act I’ve managed at Duo for a decade and it’s great to have our achievement receive this national recognition from Inc. Magazine. Toot. Toot.

I really dislike website launch announcements. You know, “We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new, fancynewsite.whatever, blah, blah.” But last night’s launch of the new CouponCabin website is more than

Save with CouponCabin's Free Coupons

about a cool new site, which it is.  It is about having an effective internal process for running a project, the value of dedicated staff and the importance of having a functional partnership with the client.  This is what our project manager, Tara Vorhes, shared with our company in a launch announcement email.  I want to share it with you:

“As many of you (at Duo) know, this project was a huge challenge for the project team with an incredibly aggressive, not-flexible deadline that was of highest priority for the client.  The custom developed site went live this evening when just about 2 months ago the wireframes were being approved, designs kicking off, and estimates being completed.  The team pulled together to launch on time and in budget. Everyone brought their “A” game.

The team really did everything they could to make it happen and always with a smile.  Matt did a fantastic job as the tech lead for this project  (however he may be dreaming about data imports and caching for weeks to come), Tim was a huge help with so many pieces in addition to the user submitted content, and Jeff was invaluable for interaction design and build.  Many people played a role in the team and in our ability to meet this incredibly important launch date: Pooja, Jough, Scott, Brian, Rose, Sue, Dan, Tony, Phil, Graham, and Fred.  It was absolutely a team effort and everyone exemplified the Duo core values- whether through joining the team for the past month or in the last week for testing.”

Tara also added how valuable the CouponCabin contribution was by being positive, engaged and responsive, thereby permitting Duo to adjust and move efficiently through the project.

So there you have it. On time. On budget. Engaged client. Core company values. Successful launch. These are things we’re truly pleased to announce.

Download most current list of Tweeters attending the LMA Conference right here (will update document as names are added).

One (of the many) unscheduled activities at this year’s Legal Marketing Association 2009 Annual Conference is a TweetUp to be held Wednesday, April 1 at 5 PM EDT in the courtyard just outside the exhibition hall. As an exhibitor with access to the pre-conference attendee list, I promoted the TweetUp and offered to compile a list which I would distribute.  I wasn’t thinking beyond the paper the list might be printed on. I wasn’t thinking. But I’m glad others were.

The Power of Community

I didn’t propose the TweetUp.  I just had convenient access to the list. This good idea, which has already built great excitement which will carry over into the Conference, emanated from Lance Godard @lancegodard and @22twts and was given momentum by other Twitter users as they passed the word.

Lance then suggested that I make the list available sooner than later by posting it to our company blog. Duh. So here it is.  Thanks, Lance, for reminding me that information wants to be free (of its non-digital constraints).

At the moment I’m very wrapped up in tactical implementation. But if one takes a step back and reflects for a moment, there are a lot of cool things happening here.  Yes, the jury is out on Twitter. But, as we head into a marketing conference, a couple things are already being realized starting with the Twitter interface including:

• Creation of community – strangers become friends; warm intros
• Crowdsourcing good ideas – great ideas come from everyone
• Attendee value generation – interaction insures communication of new ideas
• Exhibitor promotion opportunity – help standing out in a crowded field

I suspect this is just a start. And I’m looking forward to exploring it with others who have already proven they have ideas better than my own.  Add yours below.

Last night, the Chicago Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association held their annual “Your Honor Awards” recognition dinner. Like every event the Chicago LMA Chapter conducts, this event, held at Scoozi in Chicago, was top flight. Megan McKeon of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP made organizing the well-produced awards presentations and dinner appear effortless. And the Wall Street Journal footed the bill for this private party whose bar never closed. I was there to confirm it.

Chicago LMA Awards Judges' Innovation Award to Valorem Law website

What really made the evening special for us was the recognition of our client, Valorem Law.  Valorem, a one-year-old firm, is comprised of expatriates (yes, I once spelled this ex-patriots) of BigLaw.  These thought leaders long ago recognized the sea change occurring in the legal industry and founded their firm on the premise of, among other innovative factors, the “billable hour is dead.”

Recognizing the firm’s innovative culture and business proposition, the LMA honored Valorem’s website with the Judges’ Innovation Award, unique recognition issued at the discretion of LMA. Innovation. It’s great to hear that term in the legal market. While we are thrilled to share in some of the glow cast by Valorem’s achievement, more importantly, this Innovation Award illuminates how lawyers who have worked hard to understand the Internet leveraged it in pursuit of their business.

The Valorem Law website has also been recognized by the Web Marketing Association with a 2008 Legal Standard of Excellence WebAward.

Well, Duo is moving its office one more time. But I can tell you it’s not because, as some have noted, that we’re tired of the restaurants around our office. Nor is it because we’re overdue for a nice friends, family and clients openhouse. Over our ten year history, we’ve enjoyed steady measured growth. Now, once again, we find ourselves a little cramped for space in our 7,500 sq. ft. and moving to 12,000 sq. ft.

But our move is not just about more space but, rather, different space. At Duo, we place a high value on collaboration. Our new location will provide us the additional rooms we need to meet with our clients in person as well as through webinars and phone conferences.  But the real advantage is that our project teams, what we call “studios,” will now have space dedicated to collaborating on projects.

Our new space will have permanent studio rooms where our teams of interaction designers, developers, online marketers and project managers can gather to share our skills and achieve some synergy as we execute client projects. Some may view our extra space as a luxury in a business environment where austerity is the watchword. But in truth, properly done, collaboration achieves a higher level of efficiency and a better product for our client. So if we can invest in a little extra space to produce a better client product more efficiently, I think it is worth it.

Everyone is on board with the plan. So on Friday, February 20, Duo will relocate to  20 W. Kinzie in the River North neighborhood in Chicago. I hear the restaurants are better over there.

The Christian Science Monitor, the first nationally circulated newspaper to shift to an online publication with a weekly print edition , has chosen Chicago-based web consulting firm Duo Consulting and Norway-based eZ Systems to implement its new Web-first strategy by Spring 2009. eZ Systems is the world’s largest Open Source web content management system software vendor while Duo Consulting is one of the world’s leading web development firms.

“One of the key reasons we selected Duo and eZ was because of the ease of use,” said John Yemma, editor of the Monitor. “Our reporters need to be able to quickly post stories online from around the world – and the combination of eZ Publish software with Duo’s implementation and hosting services is an important next step in our Web-first, multi-platform strategy.”

“The Monitor’s decision to use eZ Publish was based, in part, on our other successful media implementations, as well as our adaptable and proven open source software model” said eZ Systems co-founder Bård Farstad. Duo Consulting’s CTO Fred Salchli added, “With eZ Publish, the Monitor will have the capability to pre-plan content publication schedules, support revenue streams with advertising, and support rich multimedia content.”

eZ Publish and Duo Consulting were both founded ten years ago with a focus on creating scalable solutions that make it easy to create, manage and re-purpose content online. eZ has since become one of the most respected open-source software providers with more than 200 thousand installations and registered users in more than 130 countries, while Duo Consulting has become one of the leading interactive agencies in the content management field.

With unique functionality for magazine and newspaper publishers, eZ Publish has established a leading role in powering the online efforts for many of the world’s largest media groups. The combination of eZ Publish software and Duo Consulting’s interaction design and implementation provide a powerful platform for organizations that use content as a core strategic asset to their online efforts.

About The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor is renowned for its in-depth, comprehensive, and unbiased coverage of events and issues worldwide. During its 100 year history, the Monitor’s adherence to the highest standards of journalism has earned seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards. With 18 bureaus worldwide, the Monitor strives to cover both major news events and stories from every corner of the globe. In 1996, the Monitor launched its award-winning Web site, CSMonitor.com, featuring the complete contents of the print edition, video and audio interviews and stories, daily blogs, and electronic archives back to the first issue, and original material written for the site.

About Duo Consulting

Duo Consulting is one of the most reputable and established web development firms with Professional Service, Non-Profit, Government, and Business clients in the US and Canada. Duo Consulting is a trusted advisor to its clients on web strategy, interaction design, technology, and marketing. The firm is the originator of the Web Content Conferences (www.webcontentconferences.com)

About eZ Systems

eZ Systems, headquartered in Skien, Norway is the creator of award winning eZ Publish, With an enterprise Open Source business model, eZ Systems combines enterprise software with Open Source code and total product responsibility, providing the openness and sharing of the eZ philosophy with a sustainable business model.

Today, the Web Marketing Association announced the winners in its annual design and development competition. Duo congratulates 5 clients who are the recipients of this international website recognition:

• Chicago Public Library – Government Standard of Excellence
• Valorem Law – Legal Standard of Excellence
• Chicago Public Schools Alumni – School Standard of Excellence
• Bracewell Giuliani – Legal Standard of Excellence
• B.C. Ziegler – Financial Services Outstanding Website

The common thread among these projects and our clients is their engagement and active collaboration with us to manage their content so they would realize meaningful business objectives. Our clients put a lot of effort into their projects and, in addition to gaining organizational benefit it is wonderful to see them be publicly recognized for their achievement. Congratulations.

Winning a Web Marketing Association WebAward competition, now in its 12th year, is particularly noteworthy. A panel of international judges applies a 10-point scale to 7 criteria for evaluating websites, recognizing the interplay of multiple factors for determining what works online. These criteria are:

• Design
• Innovation
• Content
• Technology
• Interactivity
• Copywriting
• Ease of use

Additionally, judges offered constructive criticism and emotional context to overcome the limitations of their numeric judging scale. Noting the interaction design of the Ziegler website one judge wrote, “You have done a great job of anticipating your audience.” A tip of the hat was extended to the complex underlying technology of the Chicago Public Library site with, “”This is a strong interactive site. It allows the users to interact with the site provider, allowing them to save time by doing research online…”

Reaffirming what many of us have felt about Chicago Public Schools Alumni website, “”This site is fantastic. Really impressive interactivity. Excellent work!” Our content-rich law firm clients’ sites were singled out as well regarding the rich content of Bracewell Giuliani, “The content is compelling.” and the positioning of Valorem, “”Great copy and distinct style and messaging. Sets it apart from the others without undermining credibility.”

 This week Inc. ranked Duo Consulting number 2748 on its annual ranking of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5000 is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – independent entrepreneurs.

The 5000 companies that Inc. recognized reported aggregate revenue of $185 billion and median three-year growth of 147%.  Perhaps the statistic we are most pleased to be part of is the one that identifies the 826,033 jobs created since our collective group of companies was founded.

Receiving this placement recognizes Duo Consulting for its solid performance providing web content management and development services. For the past several years, Duo has experienced tremendous growth throughout the entire organization. This is due to our successful execution of complex projects and growing reputation among high visibility leading government and not-for-profit organizations, progressive businesses and professional services firms. In the end, it is our clients success that dictates our own.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies that can be sorted by industry and region can be found at www.inc5000.com.