Now in the App Store!

As one of the largest urban parks in the U.S., it only seemed fitting for Forest Park to have its own app devoted to its rich history, cultural significance, and beautifully natural surroundings.

Forest Park attracts nearly 12 million visitors each year, with its many roads and trails, an estimated 18,000 trees and numerous cultural institutions. This convenient and well-designed app makes spending a day in Forest Park, a literal walk in the park.  The interactive Forest Park map is a great guide for new and old visitors to:

• Locate and learn about park attractions.
• Navigate your way via streets, walkways and bike paths.
• Find the nearest public restroom, restaurant or information center.

Plus, 20% of app sale proceeds will be generously donated to Forest Park Forever, the organization leading the mission to “restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park.”

For the love of the Park, we encourage you to buy the app and help support Forest Park!

Follow Forest Park on Twitter

Join in the conversation on Facebook.

With the recent announcement of the iPhone 4 release this Friday, iPhone apps are continuing to grow in popularity. Our latest app, Saturate, was recently approved for distribution in the iTunes App store.

This free app is a color picker placing the world of color in your hands. Saturate opens the door to infinite color possibilities for everyone.

How exactly does it work?

• Use the sliders to pinpoint exact color values.
• Convert colors from RGB to CMYK to Hex color modes.
• Manage and organize your color palette with ease.
• Shake Saturate to create random color fun.

How will you use it?

• Choosing invitations, decorations, flowers, etc. for your next theme or holiday event.
• Finding the perfect hue to complement your rug while at the paint store.
• Trying to find an exact color match for an outfit.
• Creating business collateral for your friend’s side business.

However you choose to color your world with Saturate, this is the one color swatch you’ll never lose and it’s always readily available.

And best of all – it’s available in the iTunes App Store for free. Download it today!

This was Paradigm’s second consecutive year of hosting St. Martha’s Hall and their generous guests.  The evening raised the St. Louis charity nearly $20,000 that will go to support their much-needed programs for women.  The St. Martha’s Hall Executive Director, Michelle Schiller Baker, was delighted in sharing, “We’re thrilled with the success of the event and look forward to working with Paradigm again next year.”

Learn more about Saint Martha’s Hall and consider getting involved or supporting this good cause.

In an age where social media and Internet use continue to grow at blinding rates, many businesses are asking, “Should we start a blog?” It is no surprise that blogs have become more and more popular. In the last two years alone, RSS feed subscriptions have increased from 5% to 7%. (1). Not only that, but blogs are now used by 24% of Internet users, which is up from 13% in 2005, a number which is said to be continuously on the rise.

Prior to logging on and creating your business’ online journal, there are a few things to consider. This is especially true if you are looking to appeal to your customers and generate a good flow of online traffic. Here are some tips, blogging best practices, if you will, that will help you to create a strong foundation for your blog and build buzz for your business.

Be relevant:
Make sure the content ties into your business. The last thing anyone who follows your company wants to read about are topics that are unrelated to your business and its workings.

Find your voice/message:
Do not try and be someone you are not; use your personality, but remain professional. And, when choosing content, be brief and to the point, and include visuals when necessary.

Blog regularly:
In order to keep visitors coming back, it is important to blog regularly. That does not mean you need to blog everyday, which could become exhausting. Blog two to three times per week. An even better idea is to create a blogging schedule by blogging on the same days each week. Your blog’s update frequency will play a major role in the audience following.

Allow for comments:
Blogging is a conversation; it is meant to be two-sided. Be sure to enable comments on your blog. And, if you are worried about spam comments or negative ones, most blog platforms have built-in controls to help you to prevent spam and monitor your comments.

Optimize for search engines:
So, you want to increase traffic? Use relevant keywords in your post titles; link throughout the post when necessary; and write about what your target market will be searching for… use search-friendly keywords.

Get social:
Use social networks, when appropriate to market your blog. Sites like Twitter and Facebook can help to increase traffic flow. Also, link up with other blogs and sites in the same industry as your business. This helps to increase the credibility of your blog.

What’s the next step? Begin to research topics, join social networks and start blogging. The first step in marketing your blog is to start one.

(1) Ketchum and USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center

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With over 76% of web searchers using Google, everyone wants a #1 ranking. The reality is there are no guarantees for that top spot but there are many factors that you can control (free of charge) to optimize your site and set yourself up for success.

With the search engine landscape changing continually, the strategy for improving rankings is constantly in flux. Welcome to the beauty of organic search.

Let’s start by answering the basics.

Wikipedia provides a convenient definition for SEO as the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results.

An “optimized” site is when the content and HTML increase relevance to keywords and remove barriers to the indexing activities for engines. The site code is “SEO compliant” in order for the search engine crawlers to easily read the site, understand the most important content and rank you accordingly.

Here’s what you can do to “optimize” your site for positive search engine rankings.

Content – Update relevant content to build authority.
In the SEO realm, content reigns supreme and remains the number one factor to improving rankings. Fresh, original content helps to build authority and trust with the engines and proves that the site is legitimate and knowledgeable.

Meta Tags: Keywords & Descriptions – Put yourself in the searcher’s shoes.
Carefully consider the keywords and key phrases that users will search to find you. Hint: The average web user is not searching by industry jargon. Add these keywords in your site’s page content, meta tag descriptions, alt tags and page title tags.

Keywords and descriptions are implemented both site-wide and per page to help crawlers index the site. Recent research indicates that only the first 10-20 keywords are relevant, so keep it targeted.

Page Title Tags – Improve rankings one page at a time.
Page title tags appear at the very top of the browser window and provide the opportunity to introduce more keywords for crawlers to index. Analyze each page of your site to extract keywords specific to that page and create unique, page-specific title tags.

Bad Example: ESPN – home
Good Example: ESPN – World Leader in Sports

Linking: Internal & External – Link it and the crawlers will come.

Internal Lateral Links
Crawlers are attracted to sites with multiple lateral links. It’s best practice to have at least one link on every page of your site link to another page of the site. Always utilize descriptive words and phrases for links within content to better lead the reader and avoid cryptic conventions such as “click here”.

External Reciprocal Links
Crawlers quickly and easily index sites that have multiple external reciprocal links. The more legitimate sites you link to and have linking to you, the greater relevance you will have with site crawlers.

Alt Tags – Describe your media.
Crawlers cannot read media files. Thus, an alt tag provides a written description of the media on your site (i.e. – videos, documents, images, etc.). This is another way to implement keywords and phrases and enrich site content to improve rankings. Alt tags may also be employed to provide greater descriptions to site links (for buttons, menu items, content text, etc.)

Search Engine Friendly URLs – Keep it simple and logical.
According to Google, friendly URLs should be created with descriptive categories and filenames for the documents on the site in order to keep the site better organized and it could also lead to better crawling of your documents by search engines.

Social Linking & Social Bookmarking – Go social and get seen.
Social media is changing the SEO landscape with networking sites continually popping up in search results. Your presence on these sites strengthens your validity and drives traffic to your site.

Make it easy for users to share your site with their friends in their own way. With relevant content, social bookmarking your site will be a no-brainer.

XML Sitemap – Make your site an open book with no page unturned.
Implement an XML Sitemap in the code (behind the scenes) and allow crawlers to access every page of your site, especially pages that aren’t discoverable by automatically following links.

With a little bit of luck and these simple methods, you are on your way to site optimization. As search engine sites continue to evolve, we will continue to provide tips to get you closer to the coveted #1 ranking on Google.

Moving? Remodeling? Want to save money? According to the Green Energy Update at originalgreenenergy.com, natural gas homes are among the most energy efficient, which translates to saving for you as well as the environment.

Laclede Gas Company worked with Paradigm to build an online presence that offers the community energy saving ideas and information about the efficiency of natural gas appliances for homes and businesses. The new site launched by Paradigm for Laclede Gas serves as a valuable resource and explains how natural gas can save customers money through numerous rebate and saving programs.

Ever wonder about your carbon footprint? Visitors can calculate their own effect on the environment by measuring their emissions. From green building to home safety, learn more about the benefits of natural gas at originalgreenenergy.com.

Even if you live in an underground lair, you have at least heard of Facebook.  Not only are your favorite sports team and primetime show asking for a fan request, but so are your local grocer, your dentist and your financial advisor.  Whereas Facebook began as a way to connect students, Facebook is now literally connecting the world, with no industry stone left unturned.

Facebook is not for young college students anymore as that signature blue box now shines light upon the faces of a much wider audience.  Today, Facebook is a powerful presence that provides marketing opportunities galore.  As the average age of the Facebook community continues to rise, so do the number of companies, both B2C and B2B, making Facebook an integral and newer element of their marketing plan.

And it is costing them, essentially nothing.  With the exception of pay-per-click and pay-per-impression ads, Facebook is friendly to sales and marketing budgets and requires only time, and perhaps a little bit of creativity and finesse.

So how do you cater for a party of 250 million Facebook users?  You don’t.  Instead, be smart in how you join the world of Facebook and make the right connections, seek out your appropriate audiences, and mingle.  Challenge.  Flirt.  Push.  Pull.  And join the conversation that may now be going on without you.

First, get started and create a Facebook Page.  It’s so easy a caveman can do it.

Your page will be the home base of your Facebook marketing presence.  Through it, Facebook users can become your fan.  When they do, your name and logo will appear on their profile page and you will be in their feed, visible to everyone in their networks.  You will be viral, in a good way.  Don’t fight it.

Then, explore other marketing uses of Facebook:

• Promote your events and occasions.  Facebook evites are a cake walk.  If you are a law firm, invite young law talent to your recruitment event…if you are a restaurant, promote your happy hour specials.

• Engage your audience with contests and polls.  Let your audiences interact with you.  Ask them questions, and listen to their responses.  Build a game for them to play with you online.  If they feel you are allowing them to impact your decisions as a company or organization, they will continue to share how they feel with you.

• Create Discussion Boards to solicit user feedback and generate brainstorms.

• Keep it exciting and new.  Make sure your Facebook page is equipped with fresh photos, videos and updates.  Would you go to CNN.com or STLToday.com if the information never changed?

• Sync up your Twitter updates with your Facebook account.  Take advantage of one data entry point so you still have time to stop and smell the flowers from time to time.  Need to learn more about Twitter?… read our article.

• Integrate Facebook with your web site.  Inspire your existing site visitors to become a fan of your organization on Facebook.  Perhaps let them see a different side or you, or simply use Facebook to push out information that they would otherwise have to seek out themselves on your site.  Add Facebook Share links on your site as well to help your fans talk to their friends about you.

• Implement the Fan Box widget on your website to gain more fans and share your Facebook updates.  This implementation requires pasting only 4 lines of code.

• Or add a Comment Box to your site, allowing Facebook users on your site to comment on your content, post those comments to their profiles, and share them with their friends on Facebook.  Kick up your feet and let your fans promote you.

• Try out paid social ads.  Target your ads to your audience.  Determine age, gender, geographic, interests, marital status, etc.  Cast your net as small, or as big as you would like and pay only for performance.

• Capture your vanity URL.  Make your Facebook page easily accessible: http://facebook.com/yourcompanynamehere.

• Set up Facebook Insights to track your fans and their activity on your page.  Understand who is in your Facebook network and how often they are checking out your page.  Explore metrics of gender & age, page views, weekly trending, etc.

• And be sure to talk.  That’s right, get out there.  Converse.  Give them something to talk about.  Be clever.  Be personable.  Be professional.  Spell everything right.

• Finally, reap search engine optimization (SEO) benefits.  Facebook pages have proven to rank very highly in Google search results, so enjoy the boost of your SEO rankings.

With that, you are off!  See you on Facebook. (Visit Paradigm’s fan page on Facebook!)

By 2020, the mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world.(1)   Therefore, it is our job to ask… Are you ready?

Ebay, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook are.  These brands, among others, have gone mobile, providing scaled-back, quickly loading versions of their web sites ideal for access on handheld devices and mobile phones. These web sites are smaller, single-screen and stripped of unnecessary graphics and other site elements (javascript, cookies), built with the functionality to accommodate the site visitor on the go.  Whether in the car, airport parking lot, produce department or on the beach, people are seeking and expecting… thoughtfully designed MOBILE SITES.

Mobile sites are becoming more and more difficult to live without, as more and more people are accessing the Internet from their mobile devices.  In the mobile world, you must be present, be brief and be easy-to-use, or you will miss out on visitors that are on foot, motivated and plentiful.  Without a mobile site, the world can’t easily reach you outside their home or office.  In a highly mobile and interactive world, is that the inconvenient message you want to send?

Newer mobile phones and mobile providers have also grown smarter, and able to overcome many of the restrictions that initially came with the mobile territory: small screen size, absence of mouse-like cursor, slow speed and connectivity problems, etc.  Many of these phones have also become cheaper (BOOYAH! The iPhone is now $99), making them more accessible to a larger group of people that will be browsing the mobile world in no time.

So why go mobile?

1.    Provide access
2.    Demonstrate personal connectedness
3.    Endorse innovation
4.    Spend minimal marketing dollars
5.    Benefit from the web’s organic nature
6.    Calling 411 is so ten years ago

You don’t have to be Facebook or Orbitz to need a mobile site either.  For example, if a client is in route to your office and needs the address and directions, how will they find them?  If a prospect needs to access your contact info as they step off a plane to call you, how will they find your number?  Or if a customer needs to do a quick price check on an item as they stand in another store, how will they do so?

The answer is through a MOBILE SITE.  Whether you are Google or Joe’s Hardware, the future of the web is proving: the more (mobile), the merrier.

(1)Pew Internet & American Life Project

Paradigm did not hibernate this winter. In fact, we stayed client-focused and dedicated to our work throughout the winter in preparation for several site launches. Visit the following sites to see how Paradigm successfully launched into spring.

Enhanced Medical Services:
Sharp, professional design and tailored messaging set Enhanced Medical Services apart from the competition. The site is SEO poised with strategic copy writing and keyword integration. The site serves as an online resource allowing clients and potential clients to browse the product and service offerings of Enhanced Medical Services.

http://www.emseye.com/

Innovation Associates:
The 3-D design practically pops off the screen communicating the forward-thinking, progressive nature of Innovation Associates. The site is complete with three interactive forms and a fully manageable course registration component welcoming open communications with potential clients. A customized content management system allows Innovation Associates to display varying news and event information on any page. Paradigm not only created a site but a brand including logo and collateral design.

http://www.innoassoc.com/

St. Louis Equity Fund / Kansas City Equity Fund:
Both St. Louis and Kansas City Equity Fund underwent full site redevelopments to better serve their investors, partners and developers. The sites feature a custom built application to organize developments and display them on the site. The clean and sophisticated visual interface presents client resources in an intuitive manner.

http://www.slefi.com/
http://www.kcequityfund.com/

Hautly Cheese Company:
The Hautly Cheese Company site, stocked with recipes, nutritional information, product details and helpful tips, appeals to the cheese lover in all of us. The rich design and custom food photography makes this site a true extension of the Hautly brand because a little cheese goes a long way.

http://www.hautly.com/

Molly Irene:
The site is an introduction to the music of Nashville singer-songwriter, Molly Irene, while providing robust content for established fans. Complete with photo and video galleries, a blog and a music soundtrack, the media-rich site serves as a tool to promote Molly, her music and increase her exposure in the industry. Download songs and hear full tracks right from the site.

http://www.mollyirene.com/

Paradigm is gearing up for more success this summer and encourages you to check back to see what exciting projects we have in the works.

Trends are everywhere.  Whether it is in fashion, home décor, or the web… we are constantly confronted with decisions to follow trends or to ignore them.  In the same way that interior wood paneling and bellbottoms once just looked and felt right, we ask that you try on these web trends for size:

1.    Wide Open Spaces – Negative space that is. A less is more approach has dominated web design with apple.com leading the way. A lack of clutter increases site usability by creating more space between content areas, navigation and images to guide the tracking of a user’s eye across the screen. This makes for quick and easy navigation and, not to mention, happy site visitors.

Cleverly done:
http://www.thefruit-box.co.uk/
http://iclicker.com/dnn/
http://apple.com

2.    The Big Type – Bigger is better when conveying the right message and creating visual hierarchy. More predominantly, web designers are choosing one statement, tagline or word that embodies the site message and inflating the size… literally. Often eCommerce sites are prone to use big type when announcing a new product or special sale. Size is not all that matters, the perfect font plays an equally important role in targeted site messaging.

Cleverly done:
http://www.bigomaha.com/
http://www.artist-in-design.de/

3.    Oversized Graphics – Large graphics and photos tell the story. Recently web designers utilize more space on the site with large, vibrant graphics and imagery to grab the attention of visitors and create a more memorable experience.  When prepping large graphics, don’t forget to compress images for optimal download.

Cleverly done:
http://baristaapp.com/
http://www.lacledegaskids.com/

4.    Layering with Transparency – Let it show through. Transparency in web design is used to gently separate one element from another without the harshness of an opaque shape. This style affect allows the interface to look more unified with a seamless integration of background images and content. It also provides dimension to the visual foreground / background relationship.  As browsers become more flexible, we expect to see this trend in wider use.

Cleverly done:
http://www.webdesigncompetition.com.au/
http://www.emseye.com/

5.    Presentation Carousels – Content in motion. It’s a great way to add a fresh, dynamic look to your site. But this trend has been around for a while. Now, carousels are the latest evolutionary step in motion content. Carousels rotate content vertically or horizontally triggered by two navigational arrows presenting more content, saving valuable screen real estate and avoiding unnecessary vertical scrolling. And it’s fun and interactive for your visitors.

Cleverly done:
http://www.purangy.com.br/#/home
http://www.kuhboom.com/
http://worldwide-classroom.com/

6.    Virtually Handmade – Add a personal touch to evoke that “made specially for you” feeling in site visitors. We are noticing an increased number of graphic approaches that bring a handmade and less synthetic feel to web design. Grunge, collage, scrapbook, retro, vintage and organic are common design elements that bring depth and texture to a site.

Cleverly done:
http://www.visitbritainrocks.ca/
http://www.bamboojuice.co.uk/

7.    Icons Galore – Small but effective. Tiny but direct. Icons can pack a powerful punch conveying a larger concept with one clean, concise graphic. Referred to as the “universal language,” icons are everywhere from street signs to your cell phone bridging the communication gap. And they are particularly useful on the web especially with the increased popularity of social media. These icons immediately broadcast your social networking presence to site visitors. (Learn more about Social Media in the “Modern Day ‘Prophet’- ability” article.)

Cleverly done:
http://ideafoundry.info/
http://mediatemple.com

8.    Light up the Foreground – Lightboxes are an effective design treatment typically used to focus the visitor’s attention on a particular content area. The beauty of a lightbox is that visitors remain on the same page, never leaving your site. The site recedes to the background while the lightbox pops-up over other page content allowing the visitor to maintain focus on your content / messaging. Lightboxes often feature their own navigational system creating elegance to browsing photo galleries or product details.

Cleverly done:
http://www.eurocort.ro/
http://www.target.com/

9.    Design with Usability in Mind – Site visitors often base what they consider “good” web design on how easy it is to find information. Effortless presentation of content can be a challenge but the emerging popularity of video allows designers to present detailed information in an attractive, engaging manner. Rich media is considered part of the design and it is seamlessly integrated into the interface. However, it is important to note that video is best used in moderation in order to make the biggest impact on site visitors. (Learn more about video in the “Video-Nation” article.)

Cleverly done:
http://www.hillwoodresidential.com/
http://squarefactor.com/

10.    Push the Limits – Don’t get boxed in. While there are effective ways to use conventional web design, let’s push it. Design is used to present information, convey a message and evoke emotion. The best designers are doing this in the most unexpected ways. The Web is a designer’s playground to experiment and showcase trends before they are ever considered trends.

Cleverly done:
http://www.roxaneonmeramec.com/
http://www.tekan.com.br/

Be a friend to trends!  Embracing trends that fit your business model can help you: get noticed, look smart and cutting edge and push you or your brand forward.  Trendspotting inspires innovation and allows others to test the waters for you.  There is no reason to always constantly get wet. You may choose to follow some trends, and for those you do not– you may even discover something new on your own path of resistance.

As well, being aware of the changing trends out there can inspire future trendsetting.  Why not be the first to try something new?   Whether it is with your web presence, or your corporate identity, thinking beyond the norm and experimenting with trends can provide opportunities to set your business apart.