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Clients often ask me what technologies and platforms they should invest in when it comes to open information exchange, socialization of business functions and internal and external communication.

This question is a good thing.

1) It means they are thinking about it. It means that they are trying to understand what is important now, and what will be important in the future. They are thinking about the economics of purchase, implementation, training and meaningful use.

2) It means that they are aware of trends and modern web history.There are peaks and valleys when it comes to networks, platforms and technology. MySpace and Friendster were all the rage, and now Facebook and Twitter are top-of-mind (though keep a heads up for MySpace as they begin to evolve).

My advice is always simple: Invest in behavior. All generations (not just those entering the work force) have a thirst for information. Twitter and Facebook are where interaction is taking place right now, but we are seeing status updates, posts and information becoming more independent from these platforms. I can publish an update to Twitter, Facebook, my blog, my Tumblr and LinkedIn in one submission. The behaviors of status reporting, commenting, micro updates and content sharing are not going away. Can anyone really anticipate which network will be hot or what technology will be ‘in’ ? My answer is no. However, what most in the industry can and will agree on is behaviors of updating and expectations of access to real-time information and domain experts is only just beginning.

So, invest in it. Figure out how to foster a culture of information exchange coupled with productivity. Find out how your people work best and how the behaviors described above can positively impact their workflow. Utilize current technologies and platforms, but concentrate on how information and publication/consumption behaviors can be analyzed and perpetuated for the good of your people and your clients.

The technologies will live and die, but the behavior will only become more core to how we all interact with the information economy that is the undercurrent of society.

It’s time to upgrade, folks.

We’re not talking about signing up for Facebook or downloading the latest version of Tweetdeck for your iPhone. We’re not talking about pushing all of your data to the cloud (the city of Los Angeles only did for 30,000+ employees) or replacing your networked tower computer with an iPad.

When we say upgrade, we’re talking about moving into the current decade with the latest and greatest version of your browser.

You know how some people say eyes are the window to the soul? Well your browser is the window to the internet [read: world].

We [dynamIt] and our industry brethren who work days (and nights) to create and deliver efficient, usable, beautiful work to our clients and their clients politely ask [demand] that you upgrade. Now.

Your browser - be it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Chrome (current usage statistics) - is a tool. Its job is to interpret the code and design that we create and express them to you. In contemporary web, the expression of images and text is coupled with functionality and usability. When you mouse over something, it may move or change color. When you click, things happen. In progressive web applications you may see things happening without the entire page refreshing. Movement, images, video, data collection and distribution - all through cool and attractive interfaces. The capabilities of contemporary web truly are amazing. We [the people who think about and make things for the interwebz] very much want to continue delivering these tools and experiences to you.

However, WE NEED YOUR HELP. You see, the older versions of your browsers weren’t built to help us deliver the experiences we are capable of and that you expect. And, when we can finagle our code to make things work, it greatly increases development time (I’m talking hours and hours and hours to ensure compatibility across all of the different versions and types).

The biggest perp is Internet Explorer 6. Honestly, Microsoft will discontinue support for IE6 (commonly run in corporate and educational environments) in July. It was an Internet Explorer security hole that led to the most recent Google attacks. Google is no longer supporting IE 6 for some of it’s most important applications and websites. We all know and respect Google. Please, follow their lead.

So, please, help us out!

• Beg your IT department to upgrade the browsers on your network.
• Plead with your schools to give you the tools you need to experience and consume information the way it’s intended.
• Insist that your spouse concede to learning a slightly new position for the refresh and home buttons when you jump versions.
• And, contribute to the cause yourself. Fire up your laptop or desktop and (generally) click ‘Help’ in your top menu. Look for updates and download them.

The internet is a great place to interact with information and accomplish both professional and personal tasks. As more tools move to web, we’ll continue to to be sure they are working properly and are easily accessed. All you need to do is be sure you’re ready and able to put them to good use!

Tell us - what’s the reason you (or your company) haven’t upgraded yet?

We’re looking to add another developer to our team.

A developer who works for dynamIt will be experienced with:

• XHTML & CSS: competence with a good deal of experience using CSS for layout (no table based layouts)
• JavaScript: A good working knowledge of JavaScript and the DOM. Experience with JS frameworks is a plus, but not required.
• PHP & SQL: experience building a wide-variety of data-driven web applications using PHP and SQL
• AJAX: Experience writing AJAX-based applications is recommended, but not an absolute necessity
• E-commerce experience is a plus, API/Web Service experience is a plus
• Good ability to learn and thirst for knowledge
• We’d rather have experience writing code than experience with jobs/in an agency, but it’s certainly a plus
• Experience is important, but personality is key. Our culture is what drives us, and we’re looking to build our team with someone who both fits and contributes to it.

The position is full time at our office in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio.

If you meet this description and are interested, please submit a resume along with portfolio to work@dynamit.us.

About dynamIt
dynamIt is a digital agency based in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We work with clients and brands on digital initiatives that include strategy, design, user experience and development. We influence communication and commerce.  Client work includes Charley’s Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC).

We’re looking to add another designer to our team:

A designer who works for dynamIt will:

• Be well versed with Adobe Creative Suite: Strong knowledge of PhotoShop, experience in Adobe Illustrator and knowledge of Indesign.
• Have a strong understanding of Usability & Web Trends: Experience with user interface design, knowledge of best practices & examples of this in a portfolio or live site/application design. They will also be up-to-date on web trends and design tactics with examples.
• Have Basic Programming Knowledge: We’re not looking for a developer, but the designer should have the ability to design for web with a knowledge of the boundaries and how to design for execution by a programmer.
• Have a Strong Portfolio: We’d like to see more web work than print.
• Be eager to learn, with a passion for design & the web. The designer should have a strong internal drive for industry knowledge and be committed to furthering the craft.
• Experience is important, but personality is key. Our culture is what drives us, and we’re looking to build our team with someone who both fits and contributes to it.

The position is full time at our office in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio.

If you meet this description and are interested, please submit a resume along with portfolio to work@dynamit.us.

About dynamIt
dynamIt is a digital agency based in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We work with clients and brands on digital initiatives that include strategy, design, user experience and development. We influence communication and commerce.  Client work includes Charley’s Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC).

dynamIt was featured in last Friday’s Columbus Business First in an article about the changing agency model.

Here’s a snippet of the article:

While some traditional agencies have cut employees or gone out of business altogether, small, local, nontraditional ad firms are growing. The key the upstarts say, is keeping rates and overhead low by offering just one service.

Check out the full article here.

There’s  a lot of conversation about agencies - Can digital agencies lead? Or will traditional firms continue to have that role? Who is best suited to handle emerging media? Where should budgets be devoted? Regardless of where it nets out, what we’ve learned over the past few years is that leading with strategy, executing for a reason and being a business partner that can wrap themselves around a client results in great work and sustained relationship.

Like the Business First article says, its about doing what you do really well and cutting the other fat - whether it be overhead, or unrelated services.

We work with some fantastic partners and clients. Their opportunities allow us to engage in some fascinating and meaningful work. Any time we have the opportunity to set the stage for even better results, we try to do that - whether it’s pre-project workshops, information sharing or this great blog post from Seth (a portion is below).

We like Seth’s blog, a lot. As always, everything should be taken in context. Give it a quick read!

How to be a great client

As a client, your job isn’t to be innovative. Your job is to foster innovation. Big difference.

Fostering innovation is a discipline, a profession in fact. It involves making difficult choices and causing important things to get shipped out the door. Here are a few thoughts to get you started.

• Before engaging with the innovator, foster discipline among yourself and your team. Be honest about what success looks like and what your resources actually are.
• If you can’t write down clear ground rules about which rules are firm and which can be broken on the path to a creative solution, how can you expect the innovator to figure it out?
• Simplify the problem relentlessly, and be prepared to accept an elegant solution that satisfies the simplest problem you can describe.
• After you write down the ground rules, revise them to eliminate constraints that are only on the list because they’ve always been on the list.
• Hire the right person. Don’t ask a mason to paint your house. Part of your job is to find someone who is already in the sweet spot you’re looking for, or someone who is eager and able to get there.

…. hop over to Seth’s blog and be sure to read the rest of his post. Great stuff: Original Source: Seth’s Blog