5.21.2013
Serious Stuff

Community: Helping the Moore Tornado Victims

Published by Cindi Runyon under Serious Stuff

As Rotarians and business people, we care about our community. And we know you do too.

On Monday Moore, Oklahoma was hit by a massive tornado that ripped through two elementary schools, several neighborhoods and a hospital. Volunteers, business owners, and regular folks are coming together to help in any way they can.

How can I help?

Make sure your money goes as far as it can.

Rotary District Governor John Williams has coordinated all contributions for Rotary District 6110 into one place.
Medical Supplies Network, Inc., (MSNI), is to be the coordinating agency for disaster relief efforts in Oklahoma.

Can I donate online?

That’s what we like to do. All contributions are tax deductible.
Paypal and Credit Card donations accepted here. Look for the “Donate Now” button as seen here:

That website could use a bit of work.

True, it’s not pretty. But these guys don’t get paid to design websites. In fact they don’t get paid at all. They spend every dollar they get on medical equipment, emergency supplies, and disaster relief for people who need it most.

Can I send a check?

Yes, you can. Payable to MSNI-Disaster Relief, Oklahoma.
Medical Supplies Network
1123 South Erie
Tulsa, OK 74112

If you come home to a house that’s still standing, if you sleep in your own bed tonight, be thankful.

AP Photo Sue Ogrocki

5.17.2013
Serious Stuff

Jenks Chamber Luncheon Guest Speaker

Published by Joshua Lee under Serious Stuff

Bruce-Riggs

The Jenks Chamber of Commerce had a great luncheon this week about strategies for small business success. The speaker was Bruce Riggs, the president of the Sales Coaching Group and PerformONE Training Group.

His three main points for helping us be successful were:

Attitude: We should be servant leaders and have a noble purpose.
Trust: No matter what, we should be trustworthy in all our business practices.
Process: We should try to systematize as much as we can so we do not drop any balls.

Some other helpful tips:

Tactics without strategy is chaos.
We should nurture our clients, not forget about them. It is so much easier to sell to existing clients than beating the pavement trying to get new clients.
Always ask for referrals! If we do a great job, because our experience and expertise, our clients will be happy to refer us.

What are your strategies for small business success?

5.15.2013
SEO, Serious Stuff

Google Penguin: The Second Round

Published by Jessica Cox under SEO, Serious Stuff

Penguin is coming.

Google is always working on new ways to ~~take over the world~~ make our web-surfing experience better.

To do this, they research, reorganize, and update their methods for determining which website is best. They do this with fancy bits of code they call “algorithm updates.”

They like to name these search updates after friendly animals like “Panda” or “Penguin,” instead of more accurate names like “Piranha” or “T-Rex.”

Google is getting smarter. That’s a good thing. Just make sure you’re ready.

The first Panda update hit during 2011, and Google Penguin represents the latest march toward web excellence. The first Penguin launch took place April 2012, and more are on the way.

What does a search update have to do with penguins or pandas?
I have no idea. To make them sound less terrifying?

Here’s what I do know. Penguin is looking at:

Google Penguin uses Beak! It's super effective!

Penguin attack!

Link Quality: Do 50% or more of your links come from low-quality sites?

Anchor Text: Do 50% or more of your links use exact-match keywords?

Link Velocity: Did you magically go from 0 to 300-500 new links in one month?

If you answered “yes” then you may be at risk for Penguin attack.

Blast! How do I know if I have bad links?

SEOmoz created a great tool for investigating links to your site: Open Site Explorer

So what DOES help your search rankings?

Good content.
Links from trustworthy sites.
Careful use of keywords.
Video & images with your text.
Thinking about your visitors, not just search engines.

Need A Little Help?

Set up a website that will attract the right people – without getting on Google’s bad side.

Give us a call today at 918.518.6576 or contact us here.

We love to help good businesses up their game.

Want to Know More?

SEOmoz: Beginners Guide to SEO

Search Engine Land: SEO Periodic Table

Search Engine Journal: 7 Search Factors for 2013

SEOmoz: 2011 Search Ranking Factors

Local Search Ranking Factors

5.09.2013
Design Inspiration

Saul Bass – Design that Endures

Published by Cindi Runyon under Design Inspiration

Design is thinking made visual. – Saul Bass

Saul Bass – His impact on design has outlasted so many others. From movies to logos, his work still stands out from the crowd more than thirty years later.

Here, on what would have been his 93rd birthday, is Google’s tribute to his amazing gift for design and founding work in kinetic typography.

Are you in need of excellent design?
We are a tight team of creative people who aspire to excellence in our work. Contact Aqua Vita Creative today, and let us create a logo for your business that will, to quote Saul Bass, both “symbolize and summarize.”

Logos designed by Saul Bass from top left:

Bell System, AT&T, General Foods,

United Airlines, Avery International, Continental Airlines,

Celanese, United Way, Rockwell International,

Minolta, Girl Scouts of the USA, Lawry’s Foods,

Dixie, Quaker Oats, Frontier Airlines,

Alcoa, Warner Communications, and Fuller Paints

We’ll leave you with another thought from the great artist along with three of his greatest movie poster designs. Enjoy!

“My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film’s story, to express the story in some metaphorical way.

“I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it.” -Saul Bass

5.02.2013
Randomness

The Virtues of Coffee

Published by Cindi Runyon under Randomness

The virtues of coffee
Are truly extensive,
Especially of Javas
Whose price is expensive.

Brown is the color
Dark black, light with milk,
But guzzle it slowly
And it tastes like silk.

The way that it glides
O’er the lips ‘cross the tongue,
Can give me a pleasure
Whose praises I’ve sung.

So I’ll sing of my coffee
The beverage so hot,
Oh, it’s iced when you drink it?
With milk? Oh, why not?

The reasons we drink it
Are clear as the drink.
We drink it to work
And we drink it to think.

We drink it to smile
And to wave and to care.
If I make a pot now
We can sit down and share.

At Aqua Vita Creative, coffee and creativity often go hand in hand. Sitting down to write, draw or design something awesome just feels better with a good cup of Joe. We wrote this little poem to acknowledge our appreciation for the rich, caffeinated brew.

In fact, we’re brewing a pot right now, so grab a mug and join us to discuss the most delicious way to market your business. Mmmmmm, Java.