Exciting Business Opportunity!

I created the above poster from this iStockphoto.com photo. I own this image, so I am allowed to use and manipulate it for promotional purposes.

I developed the image in a 50's/60's style, but kept the computer for a bit of fun anachronism. Since I am not printing this poster, I used Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Every business is concerned about the economy and keeping the company going through this difficult time. This is not the time to "hunker down" and hope for the best. Don't hide from your customers. Let them know you are here today and will be here tomorrow! Maintaining a successful image gives your customers confidence in you and your products.

Contact Totem Media, L.C. and talk with our multimedia consultant. We can review your current marketing strategies and work with you to develop new ways of connecting with your customers and keeping your business in their minds.

You deserve to be seen and heard!

Happy New Year from Totem Media!

Totem Media, L.C. wishes you and your loved ones a safe, happy, and healthy New Year!

Here are a few quick tips to make 2009 a good one for your multimedia!

1. Dust your electronics - check the user manual for proper method and chemicals

2. Backup valuable computer files (photos, documents, databases)

3. Check power and audio-visual cables for wear, cuts, and loose wires

4. Review your website for necessary updates (calendars, events schedules, new personnel, upcoming sales, new products or services)

5. Label your discs, tapes, and photos

6. Plan to unplug all electronics while on vacation. You'll save money on your energy bill and save your electronics from potential power surges.



If you have any questions about proper care of multimedia electronics and media, contact Totem Media, L.C.. We'll be glad to help!

Who are You Watching? Who is Watching You?

How recently have you updated your website, business cards, letterhead, digital presentations, sales videos, and other marketing materials?

If it's been more than a year, now is a good time to do a top-down review with your graphic designer and marketing director.

Do your marketing materials stand out, yet fit in, with your industry's general look and style?

You may think going for something completely different will help you be more visible to your customers, but it is more likely to confuse your customers and make them think you don't offer what they want to buy.

For instance, if you sell sleek high-tech culinary ware, using soft pastel colors and pictures of fluffy kittens may not inspire confidence in your customers, and may even make them pass by your website because they think they've followed a wrong link!

When did you last explore multimedia marketing?

Prices have dropped on computers, software, cameras, video equipment, etc. This may make it easier for your company to explore self-produced videos, digital presentations, and audio files.

If media equipment/software is affordable, why do we need a professional multimedia consultant?

In a word: experience. At Totem Media, we have almost twenty years experience in video production, sixteen years in presentation development, and eleven years in multimedia marketing design. We know how to whip your presentation into shape, making it worthy of your most valued client or most critical Board of Directors.

We can offer our knowledge and advice to improve your multimedia assets from early conceptualizing through final production and distribution.

It's time to make your multimedia ready for the world to see, because You Deserve to be Seen and Heard...and you never know Who's Watching!


TOTEM'S RECENT PROJECTS

- Edit and Insert Video into a PowerPoint presentation

- Edit a PowerPoint design and layout

- Convert videos into Flash for web

- Web design

Texas Heat Causes a Potpourri of Sizzling Updates

It's hot outside! Highs in the mid 90s, with heat indices over 100! So I'm staying inside and updating you on the latest exciting news!

We got our final totals from the RushCon 8 Charity Auction, held July 9, 2008. We raised $3000 for the Daily Bread Food Bank of Toronto! :) This makes our eight-year total $48,750, all donated to charity!!

We are celebrating our fifth anniversary at Totem Media, L.C.! We've had a lot of fun producing videos, websites, promotional materials, conference booths, logos, digital presentations, and other multimedia marketing for our clients! If you haven't checked out our groovy anniversary video, take a minute (literally!) and visit our website home page, www.totem-media.com.

On the personal front, we continue to make our home a showcase of love and Texan practicality. The latest project is converting our old pantry to an elegant storage place for our pint glass collection. This 7'H x 2'W x 1'D built-in is too small for an effective pantry, but is perfect to display decorative glassware. Having just replaced our garage door, it's now time to repaint the outdoor trim and get the exterior ready for updated landscaping, coming this fall!

Take another few seconds and visit demonicottertoe.com. Decide if you are worthy (I hope you are!) and sign up for the D-O-T's newsletter. Demonic Otter Toe is our animation production company, so we're having a bit of fun. (Heck, how scary can a toe be? Especially an otter toe?!) D-O-T is a 'spam-free digit,' so we won't spam you, nor will we sell or give your info to a third-party.

We'll be posting introductory material for Demonic Otter Toe's first animation production as they are completed. It's animation combining several media styles - true multimedia! - which makes it unique. We'd appreciate your feedback!

Repair Your Ipod

Did you know you can repair a damaged iPod? Parts including the headphone jack, screen, and even the hard drive can be replaced - saving you money compared to buying an entirely new iPod.

NOTE: If your iPod is still under warranty, do not attempt to open or repair the unit! You will invalidate the warranty and will be responsible for any repair or replacement costs. Contact the appropriate Apple Support team and follow their directions for warranty repairs or replacements. Not sure if your iPod is under warranty or have other questions? Visit Apple iPod Service FAQ.

If your damaged iPod is no longer under warranty, decide whether you want and are able to make the repair yourself. Have you worked on computer components before? Do you understand how computers and consumer electronics work? Do you have the right tools and physical abilities to make delicate, fine repairs? If these repairs do not work, can you afford to replace your iPod entirely?

Apple will replace your broken iPod for a fee (see replacement cost table in the Apple iPod Service FAQ). Should you not want or are unable to use Apple to repair/replace your damaged iPod, there are third-party iPod repair companies available online. I haven't used any of these services, so check around and speak to other iPod users before choosing a repair company.

Since you are still reading this, I assume you want some self-repair information. A good website/store for step-by-step repair information is ifixit.com. I used their Fixit Guide to replace the hard drive in my 5th generation (30GB video) iPod. I will be replacing the screen this weekend. Another place to buy iPod parts is welovemacs.com. I bought my iPod parts there and received fast service and reasonable prices.

Back up your iPod!

Expect you will lose everything stored on your iPod when making repairs, especially if you are replacing the battery or hard drive.

Be very careful when opening your iPod!

The reason I had to replace my screen is that I scratched the screen while opening the unit. Always start from the side or bottom.

Use the right tools.

Have a static-free mat to work on. Follow all directions to eliminate static electricity while making repairs on your iPod.

Buy a spudger or other appropriate non-metal computer repair tool.

Follow directions and take your time.

If you hurry the repairs or do not follow directions exactly, you could damage the delicate wires or parts of your iPod.



Note: Totem Media, its staff, and aveddy.com do not endorse or guarantee any repairs you do or have done on any of your personal computers or electronic equipment will work. We do not endorse or guarantee any repair or parts companies. Everything you do is at your own risk and we are not liable for any damages you may incur.

Organize Your Media for 2008!

Do you have a New Year’s resolution to organize your home or business? This is a great time to label, archive, and store your important photos, videos, audio recordings, digital presentations, and documents.

First, gather your items. Include printed photos, documents, music CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, video tapes, audio tapes, and file folders on your computer.

Sort your media. Separate them by media type, subject, date, or project.

Choose an organization and documentation system. You can use a written or typed list, spreadsheet, or database, depending upon the organizational complexity and quantity of your media. Whatever documentation style you choose, make it easy to update, as you add new items.

Delete or environmentally dispose of unneeded items. Fun ideas for old disks are suncatchers, bird repellents for fruit trees, clocks, or arranged in shadowboxes. If you have a large quantity of videotapes, contact a professional recycling company. They will securely delete the video recordings and recycle the tapes, keeping plastics and chemicals out of landfills.

Burn (Copy) your files onto CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, or external hard drive. Organize the files into folders, following your organizational system. Scan printed photos and documents and save them in the correct folders.

Label your media. Write directly on disks with a Sharpie marker, or print on printable disks. I recommend not using adhesive labels on CDs or DVDs, because the label could come off in the disk drive or player. Also, write on the media container, on the front and side that faces out from the shelf or box.

Rewind your tapes. Video and audio tapes must be stored completely rewound to prevent any slacking in the tape. Every year, go through your tapes and wind them forward (or back) completely, so they maintain their tension. Store your tapes standing up (on one of the short ends).

Store your media. A dry, cool, dark, dust free storage area is best for preserving your media.

Adaptation: Survival in the Business World

An employee must adapt to new people and rules to keep his job. Industry must adapt to new technologies and markets to stay viable. Businesses must adapt their communication strategies to take advantage of new tools and marketing trends.

How does one know if he has stayed at a job too long? When he is no longer willing or able to accept change in the workplace. If you find yourself saying, "I'm not going to change how I do Task X! This is how I've always done it," or "My old boss always let me ignore Rule Y. I don't need to listen to my new boss," it is probably time to look for a new position or employer.

"No changes are permanent, but change is."
--RUSH, Tom Sawyer

Being alive means seeing things change. It isn't always easy or fun, but to be successful, we need to learn from the new and apply it to the old. Another way to say it is to keep one foot in the past, one foot in the present, and our eyes on the future! We may occasionally stumble, it is the best way to keep our businesses growing.

I was looking at my clothes the other day and noticed on my jeans' button "Lee 1889." I don't know if Totem Media will be around in 117 years, but there are lessons to be learned from long-lived local and national brands. Many factors help or hinder companies as they move through the years, but adaptation has to play a role in their survival.

When updating communication and marketing strategies, business owners and marketing directors need to adapt their message for today's business environment. They must provide a consistent message from A (business cards) to Z (digital presentations). A professional, easily navigable website is necessary for every business--whether or not products are sold online. Catalogs, sales presentations, informational videos, etc--anything marketed via a CD-ROM or DVD--should have the same style and look as printed and web materials.

In addition to providing a consistent look across the communication spectrum, take advantage of the enormous amount of information that can be put on a website or in a digital presentation. Ideas include developing client-specific materials, utilizing integrated databases, and including more drawings, specifications, and details previously unaffordable in print media.

Multimedia communication materials are more affordable than ever. Explore the universe of ideas and options with a multimedia professional. She can navigate you through oceans of information to the right plan and equipment for you!

What is Multimedia? Part 2

2. Multimedia is a means of distributing information through a variety of formats, usually digital, between two or more people, through text, graphics, sound, images, animation, and video.

This is the distribution definition of multimedia. It is not the content (the message), but how that message is conveyed. The most common form of communication, besides speech, is the written word. Altering fonts, colors, sizes, margins, orientation (vertical or horizontal), etc. can clarify and enhance your message. If "a picture is worth a thousand words," then video is worth thirty thousand words! One reason is there are thirty frames (images) per second of video. The second reason is people love to watch moving pictures, whether they are on a television, movie screen, or Jumbotron at your local sporting arena. Concepts and impossible-to-shoot scenes (space, deep ocean, historical events, futuristic ideas) can literally be brought to life with animation. Every medium has its own advantages and disadvantages. Speak with a multimedia consultant to find the options best for you, your message, and your customers!

Welcome!

Welcome to AV eddy Blog!

This is the weblog for multimedia ideas, issues, and equipment. Our casual, yet professional style and varied subject matter will help anyone unfamiliar with multimedia better understand this exciting and interesting industry.