The staff at Firebrand Media will be heading down south, Hammond, LA, to be exact, on a Disaster Relief trip.
In response to the devestation we all viewed in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina (and now Rita), I became a Yellow Hat, certified in Disaster Relief and joined the Potomac Highland WV Disaster Relief Team. We recently received our deployment orders to Hammond, LA (Google Map of our location). Hammond, LA is 58 miles NW of New Orleans.
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The exact nature of our trip is not exactly certain. While we are trained for 'Mud Out', a higly-technical term for clean up, we anticipate that once we are there, we may receive some in-the-field chainsaw training to help with the clean up process.
About Yellow Hat's
Yellow Hat training is provided by Southern Baptist Conventions througout the country. As a member of a Southern Baptist Church in Berkeley Springs, WV, the closest Disaster Relief Team is located in the Potomac Highlands Association (Map of WV Southern Baptist Associations).
Disaster relief teams respond to all sorts of local and national emergencies including; Residential fires, Floods, Airplane crashes, Snowstorms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Forest fires and Coal Mine Disasters.
The largest number of Yellow Hats in the Gulf Coast are currently serving hot meals to those affected by the disaster. So far, volunteers from 38 Southern Baptist Conventions have;
Prepared 4,896,3863 meals
Completed 8,571 Jobs
Provided 34,061 Showers
Done 6,627 Laundry Loads
Cared For 5,228 Children
Sent 2,305 Messages
(Source NAMB.net)
Here is a short list of the items that I'll be taking with me:
Sleeping Bag
Camp Towel
Ear Plugs (You know someone will snoar)
Journal
Motorola RAZR Phone
Apple iPod (it's a long trip)
Pedometer (Curiosity)
Bible
Toiletries
Latex Gloves (10 pair)
Work Boots
Work Clothes
Yellow Hat
Other misc. necessities that will seem like luxuries to those affected.
I will be journaling the entire trip and will post it here upon our return. Any and all prayers will be welcomed!
1 John 3:16 - 18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Want to know how you can help? Visit the North American Mission Board Website.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Disaster Relief Trip: Recap w/ Picts
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 10/12/2005 05:37:00 PM
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The disaster relief trip to Hammond, Louisiana is now complete and Firebrand Media is back in business.
The trip was a blessing in many ways, and provided a great opportunity to show the love of Christ to those who have endured so much. We were greeted by appreciative people at every home that we worked at.
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Here is a quick recap of the weeks events:
Friday [9/30]: Travel Day
Left Berkeley Springs, WV at 5:50am and met part of the Disaster Relief team at a rest area on the other side of Harrisonburg, VA. We continued on to Wytheville, VA and met the rest of our team at a Flying J's truck stop. While we waited, we watched the price of diesel fuel increase 13 cents. Luckily, we were using gasoline. At 5:45pm, we arrived at the camp that we would be staying at for the night just across the Georgia border. The accomodations were fairly sparse, but the rest was much needed so the air mattress and sleeping bag made a great bed.
Saturday [10/1]: Travel Day
We departed the camp at 6:30am and ate breakfast at a Shoney's. There's nothing like a breakfast buffet to get the day off on the right foot. The day was fairly uneventful with the only excitement coming when we went through Tuscaloosa, AL, where the Alabama Crimson Tide were playing the Florida Gators. For some reason my orange shirt didn't seem to endear me to the Alabama faithful. We arrived at the Living Waters Camp, near Hammond, LA at around 6pm. 
At that point, we signed in, found our beds and ate dinner. After dinner every night, there was a "Mandatory" Devotion / Debriefing for all of the teams in the main building (which looked like, or more accurately, was a huge warehouse full of pallets of canned and dried food in the center, with rooms on either side of the building - see image right).
Our "Blue Hat" (Team Leader) was Golden Shale, and he received our work orders for the next day.
Sunday [10/2]: Work Day #1
Our work day started with a church service in the main meeting area. The speaker would have received the award for coming the furthest (if there was such an award) because he was the Pastor of a church in Hawaii.
After the morning service, we were excited about finally getting to cut down some trees. We hopped in our vehicles and drove to our first job. Here we learned a valuable lesson that would be drilled into our brains by the end of the week. DON'T BE IN A HURRY. 
Due to the power of the winds that were associated with Hurrican Katrina, many of the road signs that we would need to navigate were removed or obstructed by debris. Being foreign to the area, this made finding our jobs problematic and frustrating (especially with 4 vehicles trying to follow each other through an area that had swelled by 150,000 people including those displaced by the storm and those trying to restore services to the area).
We finally reached our first job - and it was already done! Wow, we were good. Actually, that was a function of being 5 weeks removed from the storm. Some things have to be done immediately. If you have a tree on your roof and water is leaking in from the rain, then you have to find a way to get that done, whether you have the money or not!
We finally did reach our first, actual job. 
It was for a lady who rescued dogs (see picture above) who were ready (I'm sure the dogs weren't! but the county was) to be euthanized at the local dog shelter. Her driveway, which was very narrow because of trees anyway, was impassable due to a number of trees that had fallen on it.
Being our first job of the week, we were all full of energy and ready to go. This was a relatively small job (especially compared to what was ahead of us) and we completed it in a couple hours. She was very grateful and thanked us for our work. (See before and after images)
Our second job of the day was again a bust. The homeowner definitely needed some help. He had three trees that had fallen on his house and numerous others that had fallen throughout his yard and the swamp behind his house. Unfortunately he was fighting his insurance company, State Farm, over the matter because they only wanted to pay to remove the trees from on top of his house and not the others that were littering his yard. So, after much discussion and listening (sometimes that's all you can do is listen) to him complain about State Farm, we were off to find our next job.
The next job was daunting compared to the first job that we completed.
The situation, as it relates to FEMA removing downed trees and debris, in the region is that FEMA will not come into your yard to remove trees. They will only remove trees that are next to the road. So, if you wanted your trees removed you had to take carry them out to the side of the road where a crew would eventually collect them.
Our second job was for a young man, named Anthony and his father. Previously they had lived in a bad section of New Orleans, which was flooded by the storm. Luckily, they had left the city long ago.
This was the biggest job that we completed during the time that we worked in Louisiana and it took most of the afternoon and most of the next day to finish. Anthony and his father helped us clear the trees from their yard and provided snacks and soft drinks for the team as we worked.
This job also gave us ample opportunity to hear what locals thought of the devestation that had taken place in New Orleans. One of the theories is that the levy was blown to allow the water to run into the poorer areas of New Orleans lessening the likelihood that the water would do as much damage in the more tourist friendly areas (like the French Quarter). These theories are backed up by the fact that it is public record that this was done at some time in the past in New Orleans. 
At first thought, that seems unthinkable, but then again, we are talking about the most corrupt state in America. So, take it or leave it.
By the end of the first night, we weren't finished with the job at Anthony's but we were far enough along that we felt like we could go and feel good about what we had accomplished (plus we were all played out).
That evening we went back to camp, had a great dinner and during Devotions / Debriefing listened to Kevin from a New England team describe how he was able to help his team communicate with a homeowner who was deaf using the sign language he had learned in a church environment many years back. For Kevin, this verified why he was on the trip. Especially since he, admittedly, had no other discernable skills that would help his team perform their duties.
Recaps (and Pictures) from Days 4 - 6 in my next entry.
Thanks for reading and feel free to add your comments,
-G. Brad Hopkins (creative director, partner, Firebrand Media LLC)
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AUTHOR: william hopkins
EMAIL: ntchurch@earthlink.net
IP: 4.248.232.166
URL:
DATE: 10/24/2005 09:52:37 AM
Who says that Louisiania is the most corrupt state in America ?
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AUTHOR: G. Brad Hopkins
EMAIL: bradhopkins@gmail.com
IP: 69.160.78.236
URL: http://www.gbradhopkins.com
DATE: 10/24/2005 10:01:09 AM
Oh yeah, I forgot about Mississippi.
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AUTHOR: David Hedden
EMAIL: highlandsbc@yahoo.com
IP: 70.156.89.7
URL:
DATE: 11/04/2005 04:31:27 AM
I'm not from the most corrupt state in America but I have pastored here for 12 years now. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your saga. I live in Bogalusa--northeast of where you were in Hammond--right in the toe of the LA boot. We have been blessed with disaster relief teams since the second day after the storm. We have a couple more short term clean up teams still scheduled to stay at our church---both from churches in western Louisana. I completed disaster relief chainsaw training earlier this year--and was just waiting for an assignment when Katrina showed up. Since then our DOM has asked me to put together a chainsaw team from our association so I was looking for info when I ran across your article. Please include me on any emails sent out about your team. You're a good writer! Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for demonstrating God's love in action to those of us in the path of the storm. (By the way, Louisiana has the highest per capita church attendance of any state in the union. Guess it takes a lot of faith to endure corruption and hurricanes.) God bless you and yours, David
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Disaster Relief Trip: Recap w/ Picts (Cont.)
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 10/19/2005 05:18:07 PM
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This is a continuation of my description of the events that took place during the disaster relief trip to Louisiana that we (Firebrand Media Staff) participated in.
Monday [10/3]: Work Day #2
Our second day of work began with a bit less zeal than the first, which I think is natural since you no longer have that rush of adrenaline pushing you, but we worked at a pretty good pace nonetheless.
We continued work at Anthony's house and, as I mentioned, it took us most of the day to clear the trees from the back yard. Toward the end of the job, we had fun watching Riccardo try to lasso a lim with a brick with a rope tied to it. By that point, we were all a little punchy from the heat (although the weather was very cooperative while we were there - mid 80's all week) and weren't planning on getting too much more done that day.
We went back to the camp where we were staying, arriving before most of the other teams, and took long relaxing showers (at least I did!). The rest of the night was like most other nights with dinner and debriefing/devotions.
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Flashback to Work Day #1: A funny thing happened on our way to our second job, we got lost. 
While this was not unusual for our team, it did provide us an opportunity that we would have missed had we not been directionally challenged. Oh where is Google Maps when you need it?
We were stopped at an intersection on a fairly lightly traveled country road when my dad decided to stop a car that was coming in the opposite direction to ask for directions. The lady in the car was pregnant (really pregnant - but she hid it well). In fact, she was having labor pains at the time and was due at the end of the week. Maybe not the best person to stop and ask for directions, but she obliged and helped us find our next job. We told her who we were, and what we were doing and she mentioned that she had some trees down in her yard as well. We gave her the number to call to get put on the job list.
Monday night we found out that she had called in to request work. So, we had our next job.
Tuesday [10/4]: Work Day #3
On Sunday night we told a friend of ours, who was on the Maryland/Delaware disaster relief team about the lady that was pregnant that we were going to be working for on Tuesday. He, in turn, told his team about her and they took up a collection and stopped at the Dollar General, the only store open in the area, and bought things like diapers, baby needs and a teddy bear which they gave to us to give to the lady. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the job, there was no-one there. We went ahead and did the job, which consisted of one BIG tree that had fallen away from the house, but on a water shed. We completed the job before lunch, and found another job in the same neighborhood.
This job was for an elderly lady 
who was now living in a camper in her yard because the storm had caused her roof to leak and the house, like many others in the region, was growing mold. She had two downed trees in her yard, which we cut up and piled in an area where it could be burned. She was very grateful of the work that had been done in her yard.
The highlight of this job (besides my dad's attempt at chainsaw art) was sitting around and eating MREs. Meals, Ready-to-Eat. If you are not familiar with MREs, they are self contained meals that are used in the military for soldiers who are unable to get a regular meal via standard facilities. They are between 1500 and 2000 calories per meal and contain everything you would ever need or want, and more. The meals were really more than most people could eat under normal circumstances.
The entrees contained in a meal in a pouch and included a heater unit with a 'stove' 
(basically a baggie that had some form of chemical pouch that when it came in contact with water it became hot, heating the entree after 10 - 15 minutes). These meals were very good. Not just good. Very good. Maybe it was in relation to the other meals that we were eating, or the fact that we had worked up an appetite, but they were surpisingly good. But I digress…
Once again, one job led to another, and we found our next job. At this point we had been given the ability to accept jobs on the spot without having to have the person call HQ to get on the list. A neighbor saw us working and stopped by to offer us food, gas and another job. The food and the gas we had, but we accepted the other job.
This job was to remove a large tree from a driveway. 
This job was not, what I would call, Mission Critical. The gentleman had rerouted his driveway through his yard, but it was an inconvenience. While part of the team worked on this job, the rest of the team went to an adjacent neighbor's house to begin another job.
The tree, or at least the portion that was obstructing the driveway, was removed rather quickly and we headed over to the neighbors house where the task was a bit more daunting.
This house had trees blocking the driveway and on a 
tractor trailer that was in the driveway. We removed the bulk of the trees blocking the driveway and by that time, we were pretty much wiped for the day (and it was getting close to quitting time).
As had become our routine, we headed back to the camp, showered, ate and had our devotional/debriefing time.
Wednesday [10/5]: Work Day #4
We headed back to the job that we had started yesterday, which was about a 40 minute ride from the camp, and before going to the job, we stopped at the house of the lady that was pregnant to drop off the gifts that had been bought by the Maryland/Delaware team. Luckily, she was home (we were worried that she may have gone into labor) and we gave her the gifts, met her other kids, talked and prayed with her. She was very happy (tears were flowing) and surprised with the kindness that complete strangers were showing her.
We left her house and headed to our job where we quickly got back to work removing other trees that were on the opposite side of the tractor trailer, near (and some on) the house. We worked most of the morning on this job and completed it by around 11. Once again, we spent some time with the owner of the house who had lost her husband to cancer and she expressed her joy at the work that she had received.
Our next job was in a town that was pretty far away from our previous jobs. We made it to the town and decided to stop at a local diner for lunch. I had the fish special. Not good. Not bad, but not what I needed. After lunch, which took a while, we headed off to the next job, which we found was already complete.
While we were at the job site we had a little birthday party for my Dad (it was his birthday). It was unexpected by him because they were joking with him about it but he had told them that he didn't want them to sing 'Happy Birthday To You' unless they had cake. Well, they found a Winn-Dixie that was open and had mini ice cream cakes. It was a nice break from thw work.
We had another job to do which we found was also done. At this point, it was mid-afternoon and we had been riding around in search of jobs only to find they had already been completed. In the midst of looking for other 'freelance' work to do, the team convoy was separated. Our part of the convoy decided that we had had enough driving around and made our way back to the camp. Along the way, we saw the rest of the team had the same idea and we all headed back to camp.
It was a fairly light day, with only one job completed, but it was rewarding and at this point we all needed a break.
Thursday [10/6]: Work Day #4 - Getaway-day
Thursday was our last day of work and our minds were already thinking about getting home. The disaster relief coordinators only recommend five days of work, and now we know why. Physically and mentally, you are exhausted by the end of your week. The team was going to be making their way back to WV on Friday but my Dad and I decided to get an early start and leave after working on Thursday.
The job that we had on Thursday was very different than the others that we had done, not in what it entailed (still cutting trees), but where it was located.
This job was in an affluent neighborhood. This was a job that I didn't think we should be doing. It consisted of removing trees from the yard of a family that could probably afford to have them removed (although with the prices that were being charged maybe they couldn't). In fact, we were talking to a neighbor and he said that someone had given him a n estimate of $20,000 to remove the trees in his yard. His response, which made me (us) none to happy was 'For $20,000 I'll go buy a boat or take a vacation.' Obviously, the trees in his yard were not a priority to him, and not to me either. Luckily, he didn't sign the waiver to allow us to work in his yard.
Initially I wasn't planning on working (we were a disaster relief team , not a free labor team). But, I decided that it might be a good opportunity to get some OJT (on the job training) with the chainsaw. I am not certified to run a chainsaw, so I cleared it with the team, put on all of the gear (helmet, earplugs, facemask and chaps) and got a days worth of chainsaw experience. I'm still not Oficially certified in chainsaw, but I will be soon!
The job took all day and in the end it was a good experience because we were able to talk to and pray with the family that owned the house. They also worked beside us during most of the day which helped ease the reservations that we (I) had.
After that job, we all headed back to the camp. We all took showers and my Dad and I left with another part of the team that wanted to head back early as well. We stopped for dinner at a local restaurant (I guess you could call it that - although I don't know too many restaurants that allow people to walk in carrying beer!) and had some local fare which was pretty good, but awfully slow. You could tell that they had been closed and that some of the employees were new. They didn't even have any cocktail sauce! How can you serve shrimp without cocktail sauce?
We finished dinner at around 8pm and drove most of the night and next day. We stopped twice (at rest areas to sleep) for a total of three hours and took turns driving. We made the 1100 mile trip in around 22 hours arriving back in Berkeley Springs, WV at 5pm EST on Friday, October 6.
The trip was very tiring but well worth the time and effort. For more information on the disaster relief effort that is taking place in the Gulf Coast Region, visit NAMB.net.
Thanks for reading and feel free to add your comments,
-G. Brad Hopkins (creative director, partner, Firebrand Media LLC)
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Black Socks or Ponytail?
STATUS: Draft
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development
CATEGORY: Business Development
DATE: 10/23/2005 04:39:01 AM
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: How to Kill Your Web Business (In 1 Easy Step)
STATUS: Draft
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development
CATEGORY: Business Development
DATE: 10/24/2005 10:17:52 AM
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: When bad things happen to good websites…
STATUS: Publish
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development
CATEGORY: Business Development
DATE: 10/31/2005 05:03:46 PM
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What do you do when bad things happen to good websites?
Today was a stereotypical Monday here at Firebrand Media. Things just weren't going right all day. I guess that's what I get for starting work early!
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Here's a sampling of some of the things that went wrong today:
- A new client was unable to receive email from a particular sender.
- I prematurelty released a poorly coded template into the wild.
- I uploaded (replaced) an entire site with one line of code that was incorrect, thus causing errors on 90% of the site.
- MySQL Servers went down on all of my websites.
So what do you do when you have a day like this? When you are faced with challenge after challenge? Take a nap!
Actually, here is how I spent my day in the office and the lessons I (should have) learned today.
A new client was unable to receive email from a particular sender
We recently brought a new client on board that was transferring 12 email accounts from their previous email host. This has led to innumerable problems. More than I have had with any other client. EVER. The main problem has been that in addition to transferring the domain and email information, the clients old host / server has been overrun with server problems recently.
The best I could do, was set up a temporary email account on my server to allow the client to access while we worked out the problems. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from the client (or the old host who I contacted to verify that all DNS records have been removed from their server) this afternoon (never a good sign).
This brought up another question. How much information do you give the client when you are working on a problem? Especially when they are not computer savvy. I think it is best to give them an idea of what you are thinking the problem is (even if they don't understand it). What do you think (Post below)?
I prematurely released a poorly coded template into the wild
This was a real bonehead move on my part. I was working with one of the archive templates for my own site (actually, the exact template that you are using to view this post). I was adding the bullet points to the recently added posts, when I left out a some code from the template (copied and pasted over it). Unfortunately, when I viewed the page (that I thought had been updated) it looked good, so I added it to my other template. Now they both had the bad code, which basically destroyed the page.
I proceeded to spend the next hour and a half reworking the template to make it look what I thought it originally looked like. I still don't think the 'Post a Comment' section looks the same.
Lesson: MAKE BACKUPS prior to releasing. TEST, TEST, TEST before releasing.
I uploaded (replaced an entire site with one line of code that was incorrect
I'm not quite sure how this one happened. Adobe GoLive has an 'Upload Modified' button which allows you to upload all of the modified files within a site in one fell swoop. It's a good feature. Until one file is removed, thus causing one line of code in EVERY page in the site to start referencing the moved file which is not in the same location on the web server.
Somehow a .js file was moved to the trash. So, each page referenced a file in the site trash instead of its home folder. The result? None of the files could find the .js file. I actually caught and fixed this issue rather quickly, but by this point, it was all adding up.
Lesson: Check the files before uploading all at once. Make sure that they should really be uploaded!
MySQL Servers went down on all of my websites.
This was totaly out of my hands. I noticed that the pages on the WVCSB.org site with MySQL features built into them were not responding the way they should. At this point I was a bit gunshy, because this was the same site that had the .js code problem. So, I took a look at some of the files to make sure they were correct (and they seemed OK) and then I started checking other website that have MySQL features built into them and realized that none of them were working. While this was a bad thing overall, you never want down-time, it was a good thing for me because I didn't do it! I then stepped away from the computer, shut it down, and took a nap.
When I got up, the MySQL problem was fixed and all was right with the world.
Lesson: Sometimes you need to step away (although I know that if I had some control over the MySQL problem, I would have sat here trying to get it fixed).
Have you had a day like this? Let's hear about it. How did you handle it? Rant, vent, let it loose!
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director, Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: NWVCPS.com Website added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Website News
CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 10/31/2005 06:09:19 PM
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The Northern West Virginia Coal Preperation Society website has been added to the Firebrand Media, LLC website design portfolio. This job was completed in June 2005.
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Web Design Portfolio
NWVCPS.com Website
Look for this site to be featured later in a new column that we will call, Before and After. In the mean time, feel free to take a look at the new site and tell us what you think about it.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Visit Firebrand Media at WVCSB Convention
STATUS: Publish
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CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 11/02/2005 01:34:33 PM
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The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists, a new Firebrand Media client, has invited us to their annual meeting in Fairlea, WV. This meeting, held at a different location throughout the state of West Virginia each year, brings together people from different churches from around the state.
Firebrand Media will be displaying our services and the newly redesigned WVCSB.org. The conference runs from 11/3 through 11/5 and we will be offering FREE domain name registration with every order, and discount prices on complete web design packages.
If you are at the meeting and your church or organization needs a new website, or if you'd like a really cool FREE pen, stop by and say "hi!" and check out our display.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: WVCSB Convention Recap: Success? How to Judge?
STATUS: Publish
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CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 11/08/2005 08:36:28 PM
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How do you define a successful showing at a convention or trade show? As a small business owner, invariably you have to make decisions on how to best allocate resources. Attending a convention or any other event where you will be displaying your services requires a commitment of time and money. So, how do you judge whether or not your event was successful? Think about your goals. Then assess.
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Last weekend (Thursday, November 3 - Saturday, November 5) Firebrand Media set up at the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists Annual Meeting in Fairlea, WV.
For this event I created a number of items to display. They included two banners w/ stands (~$150.00 each), pens (~$120) and various handout price sheets and samples which were printed in-house on our color laser printer. The setup also included two computers which I took from my personal collection of computers and business cards to give out.
In addition to the tangible items mentioned, we also created a video "commercial" that looped continuously on one of the computers. There were also miscellaneous expenses associated with setting up including, candy (to give away), a surge protector and display holders for the various documents and business cards.
There were no hotel or travel expenses to speak of on the trip.
Strictly from a cost perspective, it's fairly easy to see that I would need to generate about $500 worth of business to break even on the trip. But, often business is about more than dollars and cents. I believe that through the contacts that I made I will more than break even financially on the trip.
There are other factors to consider beyond financial. I now have the experience of setting up at a convention and know how or what I would do differently to maximize the potential to acquire business. Additionally, I have the resources which I created (a banner and stand rarely goes bad) so the next time the cost of setup will be less.
Finally, I made a customer more than happy because I went the extra mile to help promote their new site at the convention. Not only did this make them happy, but it also built an immense amount of credibility with potential customers that I spoke to at the convention. Firebrand Media should now be top-of-mind to all of those that need (or will need in the future) a new church website.
In conclusion, I believe that while there were no sales made or contracts signed, the event was a success.
Images of the Firebrand Media table.
Have you ever displayed your services at a convention or trade show? What was the experience like? Success? Failure? Let us know - post below.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: (RSS) Feed your customers
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CATEGORY: Business Development
DATE: 11/14/2005 04:12:24 PM
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media offers FREE Google Sitemap Inclusion
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CATEGORY: Business Development
CATEGORY: SEO
CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 11/14/2005 04:13:10 PM
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In an effort to over-deliver for all of our customers, Firebrand Media has now begun submitting sitemaps for all of our customers to Google. This is a free service that is available to all of our Web Design and Web Hosting customers.
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What are Google Sitemaps?
From the Google.com Sitemaps page. "Google Sitemaps is an easy way for you to help improve your coverage in the Google index. It's a collaborative crawling system that enables you to communicate directly with Google to keep us informed of all your web pages, and when you make changes to these pages.
With Google Sitemaps you get:
Better crawl coverage to help people find more of your web pages.
Fresher search results.
A smarter crawl because you can provide specific information about all your web pages, such as when a page was last modified or how frequently a page change." 
We believe that this will help our customers maximize their presence in the Google search engine. To find out which sites have had a sitemap submitted to Google, look for the Google Sitemap "sticker" on their page in the Web Design portfolio.
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TITLE: Google Sitemap Inclusion for Non-Firebrand Media Customers
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CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 11/17/2005 03:27:45 PM
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In response to requests from some website owners who maintain and host their own sites, Firebrand Media is now offering Google Sitemap development and submission for $10.00 per website.
Recently, we've begun submitting sites that we host and maintain to Google Sitemaps (full article with more information about Google Sitemaps "Firebrand Media offers FREE Google Sitemap Inclusion").
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Our $10.00 fee includes crawling of your site, development of a valid XML file (see sample XML file here) and submission to Google Sitemaps.
To order a Google Sitemap, click the Order Google Sitemap Submission button or contact us for more information.
About Google Sitemaps:
From the Google.com Sitemaps page. "Google Sitemaps is an easy way for you to help improve your coverage in the Google index. It's a collaborative crawling system that enables you to communicate directly with Google to keep us informed of all your web pages, and when you make changes to these pages.
With Google Sitemaps you get:
Better crawl coverage to help people find more of your web pages.
Fresher search results.
A smarter crawl because you can provide specific information about all your web pages, such as when a page was last modified or how frequently a page change."
About Google Sitemaps (Google.com)
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: WVCSB.org Website Added to Web Design Portfolio
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CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 11/22/2005 12:23:19 PM
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The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists website redesign project has been added to our Web Design porfolio.
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The design for this website began in mid-July 2005 and the site was launched on October 1, 2005. In the first month and a half the site has received over 1600 visits.
Web Design Portfolio
WVCSB.org Website
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Happy Thanksgiving!
STATUS: Publish
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DATE: 11/23/2005 09:06:42 PM
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Happy Thanksgiving to all Firebrand-Media.com visitors and customers. We will reopen on Monday (11/28). Remember, the turkey would eat you if the situation were reversed!
Just ask W.
Rememeber to give thanks for the wealth and freedom that you enjoy and to pray for those whose situation is not as good as your own.
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As a Thanksgiving bonus, feel free to preview our newest website, inthePanhandle.com (still in beta form).
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Ethics and Advertising. And never the two shall meet?
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DATE: 12/03/2005 10:55:26 AM
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Can you advertise your business ethically and still be successful? Or, do the ends justify the means in business and advertising?
----- EXTENDED BODY:I ask this question because of encounters that I've had with businesses recently. Both of these advertising methods (schemes) are, in my opinion, fraudulent and highly effective.
The first is something you may have encountered if you have done any Video Camera / Digital Camera price shopping online. This is a typical 'bait and switch' that I'm sure catches a lot of fish in the net.
Here is the scenario: You are shopping for a high end video camera or digital camera and you search Froogle or some other price comparison website and you get a substantial range of prices (Sony HDR-FX1 Froogle Price Comparisons). In the Sony HDR-FX1 example the prices range from $1550 - $8469 with a suggested MSRP of ~$4000. You think to yourself, "What gives? How could there be such a range in prices?" So, with your skeptics hat on, but still exceedingly happy because you've found the deal of the century on your next camera, you visit the site. There it is, in black and white pixels. The price as advertised. So, you place your order. The next thing that happens is one of two things. (1) You receive an email requesting you contact the business or (2) The business contacts you. Either way, it's no good. You speak with the salesman and he begins to ask you about accessories and warranty and batteries. All of which SHOULD come with the camera, right?
Unfortunately, you've now found out that the model that is displayed on the website is an International Version that does not come with any of the required equipment needed to make it run or a warranty that is good anywhere outside of Turkey. But, if you'd like, they would gladly sell you all of the equipment and a warrany, or better yet, upgrade you to the USA version (full MSRP).
It's a classic bait and switch and it happens a lot. Especially in the camera / video camera market. I've experienced it too many times to count and have finally learned my lesson after hours of searching, looking for the best price only to find that that sage old advice is true, "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."
The next scenario is, in my opinion, more fraudulent, and potentially more dangerous to the consumer (as if getting bilked out of a couple thousand dollars isn't dangerous enough).
This advertising method arrives in your mail box, so it's hard to avoid, and it happened to me recently. 
My wife and I bought a new car in Virginia (we live in West Virginia - a whole other state for those that are unfamiliar with the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States - and believe me, you're out there, I know). About a month later, we received an official looking envelope (see envelope below) with a return address: Office of Motor Vehicle Records, 14101 Sullfield Circle, Chantilly, VA 20151. I opened it afraid to find that some part of our title or registration was messed up and it would require a lot of time and effort that I wasn't interested in involving myself in.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) it was nothing more than an advertisement from an auto dealership in Virginia. I was glad it was nothing major but then I starting thinking about it and how misrepresenting yourself through the US Mail was a big deal. I mean, c'mon, don't we all remember the scene in The Firm where Tom Cruise explains how he extricates himself from the situation he is in at 'The Firm' by documenting mail fraud!
Maybe it's no big deal because it's just a car dealership, but someone had to sign off on that at the dealership and if it were my business, I wouldn't want to lose (or gain) a potential customer using shady tactics like that.
In closing, is there an intersection where ethics and advertising meet? Are they streets that run parallel, in opposite directions, and never intersect? As the owner of a small business these are the decisions you (and I) make every day.
I must admit - I'm a fan of The Apprentice. I like to watch the tasks that the candidates are given and try to figure out how I would handle a similar assignment or situation. The show also provides excellent insight into what people will do for something that they want - in this case a prestigious job. That's why the finale (which aired live last night 12/15) was so interesting.
----- EXTENDED BODY:The final two candidates, Rebecca and Randal, proved to be worthy of the job by successfully leading their teams in their final task. Ultimately Donald Trump selected Randal, I would guess because of his education and experience as an entrepreneur. Then, after much celebrating, Trump called Randal back to the table and asked his advice on whether or not Rebecca would be a good hire for the organization. As unexpected as the solicitation of advice was, Randal's answer was all the more surprising. He said 'No' and gave some sorry reasoning about how the show is called "The Apprentice" and not "The Apprenti."
This was stunning to me. Actually, my first reaction was - "What a Jerk!" Why torpedo her when you've already got the job? Randal's character was always one of his strengths and then in one act of selfishness, he ruined his reputation. If you don't think that he ruined his reputation, go check out some of the thousands of blog posts about the Apprentice Finale.
As the owner of a small business, this should be a cautionary tale. Reputation is everything. Guard it with your life. Just like first impressions, once you've ruined your reputation, it is an uphill battle to repair it. The second piece of wisdom that we should glean from this situation is that you don't have to destroy others to get ahead. The reason Randal was put in a position to help make the decision to hire Rebecca was because of the respect that he had given and received from everyone he worked with.
Rarely, in the business world, do you compete on price. It's very hard to compete on price because there is always going to be someone who is cheaper. You have to compete based on your reputation and what you can deliver.
I don't know what the future holds for Randal. He's obviously well educated and has been successful up to this point but I can guarantee that the near future holds a lot of questions about that one decision he made.
What do you think about the decision? Good. Bad. Sound off!
Where There's Smoke… is a weekly blog about small business, Firebrand Media Services and anything else that seems applicable.
-G. Brad Hopkins (creative director, partner, Firebrand Media LLC)
The Christmas Story
Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Read the Christmas Story at BibleGateway.com
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During this hectic holiday season, the staff at Firebrand Media prays that we all take time to remember that the birth of Jesus is the reason for Christmas.
The World is FlatBook Discussion Blog
Last week I came home to a package from Amazon.com. My initial reaction was to ignore the package, assuming that it was one of the so-called "DO NOT OPEN" packages that actually contained a gift for me (since I had received all of the packages that I was expecting). My wife looked at it and gave it to me because it had my name on it. So, with some curiosity, I opened the package and read the packing slip which contained the folling message;
----- EXTENDED BODY:To: G. Brad, A prerequisite to a very interesting round-table discussion in Morgantown in early '06. Scott Rotruck pres. Morgantown COC (Chamber of Commerce), myself and loval web developers. From Rob Gatian.
My first reaction was "Wow, a free book!" and then I thought about the idea of reading a book and participating in a round table discussion about it with other local web developers. Sounds like fun. Later, I decided that it might be intersting to not only discuss the book in a literal sense but also in a virtual one as well and post entries to my blog after each chapter.
So, here we are. In this space I will post my thoughts and items that I find interesting from the book. You, the reader of this blog can follow along and post comments about the book or about my individual posts.
Ultimately, I hope this makes for a better discussion, on my end, at the meeting in early 2006.
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G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director
Firebrand Media, LLC
View complete details of the project (Youth Evangelism Conference Banners) in our Print Portfolio. Need banners and stands for an upcoming conference or expo? Let Firebrand Media design, print and ship the banners for you. Describe your project by filling out our Price Quote Request form and select Print Advertising.
----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: Link Reputation (Myth or Reality) STATUS: Draft ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: tinymce ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development CATEGORY: Business Development DATE: 01/19/2006 09:11:00 AM ----- BODY: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: http://www.sitepoint.com/article/whats-your-link-reputation ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: Proper Email Etiquette for Your Business and Employees STATUS: Draft ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: tinymce ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development CATEGORY: Business Development DATE: 01/19/2006 09:12:50 AM ----- BODY: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: http://www.emailreplies.com/ ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: Firebrand Media in Layers Magazine STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Website News CATEGORY: Portfolio CATEGORY: Website News DATE: 01/19/2006 09:14:41 AM ----- BODY:One of the magazines that we receive each month at our office is Layers Magazine (www.layersmagazine.com). Layers, published six times per year, is THE magazine for 'today's do-it-all creative pro' that includes tips, tutorials, articles and reviews from some of the most respected names in the world of design and photography.
In each issue, the editors select work that has been submitted by readers for display in their Readers Gallery. Firebrand Media has been honored by having a logo design displayed in the current (January/February 2006) issue of Layers Magazine.
NEW:Artwork (Logo and Postcard) added to the Layers Magazine Website.
The design that was selected is a logo for The Montis Wine Room. The Montis Wine Room is a wine shop located in Fairmont, WV that contracted Firebrand Media to develop a logo and website.
In addition to the logo and website (which is still under construction), we have also developed business cards, post cards and (credit-card-type) gift cards for the Montis Wine Room.
Need a logo for your business? Visit our Logo Design page for more information on Firebrand Media logo development or tell us about your project by submitting a quote request.
The Firebrand Media Blog (Where There's Smoke…) has been added to Technorati.com. Technorati is "a real-time search engine that keeps track of what is going on in the blogosphere — the world of weblogs."
----- EXTENDED BODY:More about Technorati (from the About Technorati page). "Technorati is the authority on what's going on in the world of weblogs…Technorati displays what's important in the blogosphere — 
which bloggers are commanding attention, what ideas are rising in prominence, and the speed at which these conversations are taking place. Technorati makes it possible for you to find out what people on the Internet are saying about you, your company, your products, your competitors, your politics, or other areas of interest — all in real-time. All this activity is monitored and indexed within minutes of posting. Technorati provides a live view of the global conversation of the web."
We have added the Firebrand Media blog to the Technorati databse in an effor to increase the number of readers of the blog and develop a greater userbase for the website in general. Each blog entry, on the right side of the page, beneath the Price Quote Request, includes a small Technorati logo along with links to our Profile in Technorati and Pages that Link Here.
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director / Partner
Firebrand Media LLC
Want to get more exposure for your business? Want to sound off on issues? Let Firebrand Media set up a blog for you. Submit a Price Quote Request (tell us you wnat a blog) and we'll help you get started!
----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Blog Technorati ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: Optimize with Caution (Don't Let this Happen to Your Website) STATUS: Draft ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: tinymce ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development CATEGORY: Business Development DATE: 02/08/2006 10:07:03 AM ----- BODY: http://news.com.com/Google+blacklists+BMW.de/2100-1024_3-6035412.html?tag=nefd.pop ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: The Future…and End of Email as we know it STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development CATEGORY: Business Development DATE: 02/10/2006 03:59:30 PM ----- BODY: AOL has recently announced that it will begin charging businesses to send commercial email to its users. What impact will this have on your (and my) small business and is this the future or the end of email as we know it?"America Online will begin charging businesses to send commercial e-mail to its users in the first wide-scale use of authenticated e-mail to reduce spam. But some marketers affected by the plan, set to start in several weeks, call it e-mail taxation designed to create a new stream of revenue for AOL.
The certified e-mail system would require advertisers to pay $2 to $3 per 1,000 messages. The plan is optional, though AOL and its tech partner, Goodmail Systems, cannot guarantee that all non-certified e-mail with Web links and images will be delivered."
"This is all about protecting consumers from spam, phishing, viruses and fraud," says Richard Gingras, CEO of Goodmail. Excerpts from USA Today Article, 02/09/2006 (AOL to Charge Fee as Way to Cut Spam)
Email has become a critical tool that many small businesses and organizations (not to mention consumers) cannot live without. We have experienced the critical nature of email first hand as we helped a client transition from their old email server to our email server and had a few issues where mail was no longer being delivered properly. It paralyzed the organization until the transition was complete.
In spite of the value that email provides, it is a broken system. According to Postini (http://postini.com/stats/) 70 percent of all email is spam, with a majority (97.6%) of that being bulk mail sent out by spammers hoping to lure unsuspecting users into phishing schemes and/or place virus' (or malware) on users computers for future nefarious purposes. Not to mention the cost in decreased productivity and bandwidth that is used when retrieving email from the server.
What is the solution? Ultimately, some form of certified mail will have to be developed to ensure that all mail sent (and received) is legitimate. If not, the email system as we know it will cease to be a useless tool and will become nothing more than an abused technology that crumbled under the weight of pills, porn and virus'. The current systems (band-aids), some of which we are already paying for, are not working. These include blacklists, spam filters, anti-virus programs and other forms of software that regulate the flow of email into your in-box.
Is AOL's solution viable? Yes. And No. It's a slippery slope. I would gladly pay $2 - $3 dollars per 1000 messages that I sent to guarantee their delivery. The problem is that that only covers mail sent to AOL customers. What if Verizon, Earthlink, or MSN decide to enact similar fees to certify email? The bill slowly begins to rise, eventually getting to the point where the cost outweighs the benefits.
As a small business, Firebrand Media sent only around 70 messages in January. All of those were direct communications to clients in refernce to jobs that we were currently working on or for price quotes. That works out to about 3.2 per business day. As I said previously, I would gladly pay the minuscule amount to guarantee safe arrival of business email. Conversely, the costs involved would increase rapidly if we decided to implement some form of direct marketing via email. If that were the case, then I, like those referenced in the article would also be hopping mad about AOL's plan.
As the marketers argued in the article, it punishes the legitimate business and doesn't guarantee that the problems of spam will be solved. 'The plan is optional, though AOL and its tech partner, Goodmail Systems, cannot guarantee that all non-certified e-mail with Web links and images will be delivered.' If you read between the lines, they probably can't guarantee that all non-certified email that IS spam will be blocked either.
This ultimately looks and feels like a costly inconvenience that may be an indication that we are nearing the end of email as we know it. Technologies like Instant Messaging (which have their own inherent problems) may fill the void of email, or who knows, maybe we'll go back to the quaintness of the telephone. Oh wait, I forgot about the Do Not Call list. Nevermind. Fax me and I'll send you a smoke signal.
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director / Partner
Firebrand Media LLC
Have an opinion on the future of email or a solution that your business has found? Post your comments below.
----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Email Spam AOL ----- -------- AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins TITLE: 'Go it Alone' STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Business Development CATEGORY: Business Development DATE: 02/18/2006 10:58:13 AM ----- BODY: One of the goals of this blog is to provide and discuss resources that are avilable to help small businesses. A new resource which was recently pushed our way (gotta love RSS feeds!) is the book 'Go It Alone! The Secret to Building a Successful Business on Your Own'. This book, which retails for $10.17 on Amazon.com, is now freely available to read on the author's website (BruceJudson.com).'When asked, “Well, why don’t you start your own business?” people most often give reasons related to money. People stay at their jobs because they’re worried about not being able to meet existing financial commitments. They believe that they don’t have the financial resources required to successfully start their own businesses. These are certainly important and valid issues, but they no longer have to be the driving force in business life.
Today, the conventional wisdom about how to start a substantial business is just plain wrong. Now, you don’t need to raise a lot of money first, you don’t need a team of employees, and you don’t need limitless financial resources. This book details how in today’s business environment it is easier, and more possible, than ever to build a significant business on your own with no employees. An important related issue is the perception of extraordinary high risk generally associated with starting your own venture.
In all likelihood, almost all of the 56% of Americans (you or the person sitting next to you) who would like to be their own boss are aware of the high failure rate often cited for start-ups. The generally accepted rule of thumb is that 40% of new businesses die within the first year, and that over 80% of start-ups fail within the first five years. With widely reported odds like that, it’s no wonder that people with ongoing financial responsibilities stay put.
This book, however, is also about how to dramatically limit the risk of failure associated with any new venture. You can substantially limit that risk. You can both avoid the mistakes that frequently lead to rapid business destruction and learn the steps that successful entrepreneurs take to avoid failures.' - From the introduction to Go it Alone! The Secret to Building a Successful Business on Your Own
Editorial Review [Amazon.com]
From Publishers Weekly This engaging, if optimistic, primer insists that you don’t need much capital, or much risk-taking, to start a business. Indeed, according to Yale School of Management professor Judson, author of Netmarketing and himself the founder of several allegedly successful small firms, the time has never been better for startups. With the Internet now offering every business service under the sun through online companies, solo entrepreneurs can—and must—outsource almost every aspect of their business and concentrate on leveraging their "unique skills." Judson lays out a number of useful rules of thumb (chief among them: don’t give up your day job until your business is profitable) illustrated by case studies of successful businesses, from which readers can glean enlightening tips on marketing, fee structures and customer management. Less helpful are his recommendations for figuring out what an entrepreneur’s unique skills actually are, as he relies on fuzzy introspective koans like "Find Your Source of Personal Energy." Interspersed is much motivational material on taking the first step, finding a way around obstacles, following your passion and facing down your fear. The book is not a step-by-step how-to, and its assurance that readers can beat the daunting odds against small business start-up success by avoiding typical mistakes is rather rose-colored, but those determined to take the plunge will find a good deal of easily digestible food for thought. (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director / Partner
Firebrand Media LLC
Want more resources like this? Tell us what you'd like to see on this blog by contacting us via the comment form below.
I came across an interesting blog entry [Day2Day Activities Blog] that lists the names and meanings of many large companies.
It's interesting to see that some businesses are named after people (Cadillac- Cadillac was named after the 18th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe , sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan. Cadillac is a small town in the South of France.), some after locations (Fuji- from the highest Japanese mountain Mount Fuji.) and others are just odd (IKON - copier company name derived from I Know One Name).
Think about the identity of your business. Does it do your business justice?
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director / Partner
Firebrand Media, LLC
Due to recent increases in our web hosting business we have deployed a new web server which has allowed us to offer more competitive pricing (hosting plans start at $5 p/month) along with more robust features.
We now offer three "sizes" of web hosting (personal, standard and professional) each of which includes generous storage and transfer as well as user manageable control panels.
For more information on our new hosting plans and features, visit the Firebrand Media Web Hosting information page.
Not to sound too much like a salesman, but the pricing that we have available for full color business cards is the lowest that we've ever seen (or offered).
We are now offering 1000 4/1, 16 pt Card Stock, UV Coating on color side business cards for $53.00 (tax and shipping included). As quantities increase, so do the savings as we have 5000 4/1, 16 pt Card Stock, UV Coating on color side business cards for $116.60. 4/4 (Full color - both sides) business cards are roughly $10 more per quantity.
Visit our Print Pricing page for a complete listing of business card prices as well as downloadable templates. Want a free sample of our business cards? Fill out our business card sample request form. Also, stay tuned to our blog and print pricing page as we add more breakthrough prices on full color print products!
G. Brad Hopkins
Creative Director, Partner
Firebrand Media, LLC
The World is FlatMy recent work schedule hasn't allowed me to make as much progress in reading The World is Flat, as I might have hoped (although I may have found a solution to this problem in Chapter 1, While I Was Sleeping - more on that later). In spite of my busy schedule, or maybe in an effort to escape my busy schedule, I've finally progressed enough to create an entry for this Book Discussion blog.
I will be out of the office this (incommunicado - wow, that's a word?) afternoon to attend opening day for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Feel free to leave a message on my cell (304) 839-9583, email or stop by the office and chat with Linda if you need something.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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TITLE: 1st Place Lawn Service Business Cards added to Portfolio
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DATE: 04/11/2007 10:20:16 AM
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We recently designed and printed business cards for 1st Place Lawn Service in Berkeley Springs, WV. This project has been added to our Printing portfolio.
The full color cards feature a "mower man", contact information and services provided. View this project in the graphic design portfolio.
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Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Linda Hopkins
TITLE: Promotional Products for your Grand Opening/Open House
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CATEGORY: Promotions
DATE: 04/12/2007 09:41:53 AM
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The goal of a Grand Opening or Open House is to give potential customers a promotional item that will not only be useful to them, but also place your name in their home as a reminder that you can fill a particular future need.
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The Grand Opening/Open House is a time for the customer to get to know you, your business and your employees personally and hopefully build a lasting relationship. Promotional items that may be useful to a customer include the following (link provided to view samples):
-coasters
-thermometers
-mugs
-wearables (T-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.)
-hats
-travel mugs
-pens
-key rings
-balloons
-magnets
-note pads
-indoor/outdoor games
For the "Best Buys" in promotional products which can be imprinted with your business name and logo visit http://www.kbbestbuys.com.
Linda Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media Joins Mainstreet Martinsburg
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 04/12/2007 01:50:58 PM
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On January 1, 2007 we opened our doors to the public in our new location at 118 East Martin St., Martinsburg, WV. This location is part of downtown Martinsburg. As a downtown business we feel it is important to be involved in helping to revitalize the downtown area to make it more attractive to not only visitors and local citizens but also to other businesses.
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To that end, we recently joined the Main Street Martinsburg organization. Main Street Martinsburg is a chapter of the larger Main Street program and "was officially designated a Main Street Program in August 1992. The purpose of the program is to assist the community in revitalizing the downtown commercial district through historic preservation."
We look forward to participating in upcoming "Main Street" events and would invite everyone to check out the businesses here in downtown Martinsburg.
In addition to Main Street Martinsburg, Firebrand Media is also a member of the Morgan County / Berkeley Springs and Berkeley County / Martinsburg Chamber of Commerce.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: WVCSB EC 2007 Materials Added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 04/13/2007 01:56:17 PM
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The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists hold an annual evangelism conference in which members from around the state gather to get training on evangelism techniques and to hear speakers discuss evangelism.
Last year, we printed the banners for the evangelism conference and this year we printed not only four, full color, 6' vinyl banners but also 500, 8.5 x 14" conference programs and 1000 1.5 x 6" bookmarks.
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View images from the entire WVCSB Evangelism Celebration 2007 project in our Print Portfolio.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: inthepanhandle.com Radio Ads Added to Marketing Portfolio
STATUS: Draft
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Marketing
CATEGORY: Marketing
DATE: 04/13/2007 03:32:08 PM
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Email Marketing Do's and Don'ts
STATUS: Draft
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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PRIMARY CATEGORY: Marketing
CATEGORY: Marketing
DATE: 04/13/2007 03:32:32 PM
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do: add this email address to your safelist
do: use a service like Intellicontact.com to track email marketing results.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Prettyman Broadcasting Poster Added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 04/16/2007 04:15:07 PM
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A poster that we developed for Prettyman Broadcasting and their local sports coverage has been added to our graphic design portfolio.
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View the project here.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media SEO Tools
STATUS: Draft
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: SEO
CATEGORY: SEO
DATE: 04/17/2007 10:25:29 AM
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http://www.firebrand-media.com/seo/seo-tools.php
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AUTHOR: Linda Hopkins
TITLE: Sales Calls – Gone, but not forgotten
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Promotions
CATEGORY: Promotions
DATE: 04/19/2007 03:18:22 PM
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Continuing our discussion from last week (read last week's discussion on how to use "Promotional Products for your Grand Opening/Open House"), when making sales calls think about what you can leave behind to keep the sales message alive and in front of the buyer long after the business card is out of sight, and out of mind?
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"Leave behind" items may include:
-Pens
-Block Note Pads/Scratch Pads
-Caps
-Coffee Mugs
-Measuring Tapes
-Letter Openers
-Key Rings
-Jar Opener
-Calendars
With a little bit of planning you can keep your name in front of your customers year around.
For the "Best Buys" in promotional products with your business name and logo imprint visit http://www.kbbestbuys.com.
Linda Hopkins
Firebrand Media
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Reduced Pricing on Short Run 16 PT Full Color Business Cards
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Website News
CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 05/02/2007 12:05:48 PM
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Firebrand Media is ecstatic (seriously, ecstatic) to announce new, lower pricing on full color, 16 PT (paper stock), short run business cards. Short run applies to any order of less than 1000. The new lower pricing applies to orders of 4/0, 4/1 and 4/4 business cards with a glossy UV coating.
New Pricing (includes shipping, excludes 6% WV state sales tax):
• 100 - 4/0, 4/1, 4/4 - $20
• 250 - 4/0, 4/1, 4/4 - $25
• 500 - 4/0, 4/1, 4/4 - $30
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What is 4/0, 4/1 and 4/4?
Printed materials are identified by the number of colors that will be used to print the image. Printers use a four color system when printing. A full color document (ie. an image) would be considered a 4 color print. An item that is made up of only black (or grayscale) would be considered a 1 color print. We indicate the number of colors available using this system: 4/0 = Full Color Front, Blank Back - 4/1 = Full Color Front, Black or Grayscale Back - 4/4 = Full Color Front, Full Color Back.
Download our complete price list (PDF) or view our partial list on our pricing page.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: London Olympic Logo Wins Lead Medal (As in 'goes over like lead balloon')
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Design
CATEGORY: Design
DATE: 06/04/2007 02:00:13 PM
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London unveiled their logo for the 2012 Olympic games, and boy is it bad. Gold medal bad.
From the BBC, "The logo for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics has been unveiled in a star-studded ceremony in London.
The jagged emblem, based on the date 2012, comes in a series of shades of pink, blue, green and orange and will evolve in the run-up to the Games.
The word London and the Olympic rings are included in the first two digits of the new logo.
"This is the vision at the very heart of our brand," said London 2012 organising committee chairman Seb Coe.
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"It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world.
"It is an invitation to take part and be involved.
"We will host a Games where everyone is invited to join in because they are inspired by the Games to either take part in the many sports, cultural, educational and community events leading up to 2012 or they will be inspired to achieve personal goals."
The new design, which cost £400,000, has received a mixed response, but Lord Coe was adamant it put across the image and message that he wanted the London Games to deliver to the world."
Logo design is very subjective - but most agree (according to the BBC poll running on the same page) that this one is a stinker. 84% of those voting gave the design a wooden spoon (there were four choices - gold, silver, bronze and wooden spoon). I would have given it a lead medal, as in, it went over like a lead balloon!
The design, which to me is reminiscent of a poster that would be found on the walls of Bayside High in Saved by the Bell, leaves a lot to be desired. Especially when compared to designs for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the proposed design (which had to be scrapped - read about that at Chicago Sun Times) for the 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid.
As you can see, the Beijing and Chicago logos reflect the culture and values of the cities they represent. The London logo is devoid of any real meaning or representation.
While this logo may have missed the mark in aesthetics, it is successful at unifying diverse groups of people from various cultures, castes and classes. Unfortunately, they are in agreement that this logo fails on most levels.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: the english guy
EMAIL: richard@theenglishguy.co.uk
IP: 88.106.78.233
URL: http://www.richarddows.co.uk/
DATE: 06/04/2007 03:45:11 PM
And to think that that piece of trash cost £400,000 and took "years" to design. Nonsense. I'd do it for half the price and sketch one out on a napkin that'd be better.
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
EMAIL: gbrad@firebrand-media.com
IP: 71.176.157.166
URL: http://www.firebrand-media.com
DATE: 06/04/2007 04:30:31 PM
I failed to connect the dots which all point to the materialistic 80's. Empty, soulless design with an exorbitant price tag.
Time to put on my pastel colored shirt, white suit, and loafers with no socks and jam to Miami Sound Machine.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media - Unofficial Sponsor of Half-Marathoner Jacob Atchley
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
DATE: 06/04/2007 02:47:34 PM
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See what happens when you give a friend a shirt. Lot's of free advertising.
I gave a friend of mine, Jacob Atchley of The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists, a Firebrand Media T-Shirt (month's after he asked for it) and he wore it in the Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon that he ran.
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I must admit, it is a pretty sporty looking shirt.
The only problem is that I needed to give it to a slower runner as I'm sure that spectators were unable to read the web address as it zipped by!
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Macedonian Call Ministries Website Added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 06/05/2007 09:07:25 AM
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The website for Macedonian Call Ministries [acts169.org] has been added to our Web Design Portfolio.
The goal of this project was to create an information rich website that would not only provide pertinent and necessary information to those interested in participating in an international mission trip, but also to create a site that would be easily indexed by major search engines and provide more opportunities for a high search engine ranking.
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View images from the website along with a description of the project.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media Sponsors Morgan County Chamber Golf Outing
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 06/06/2007 06:07:55 AM
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Firebrand Media will be closed today (06/06/07) because we are sponsoring (and participating - DUCK!) in the Morgan County / Berkeley Springs Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing that will be held at Cacapon State Park.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of the day's events!
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Morgan County Chamber Golf Outing Recap
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
CATEGORY: Firebrand Media Events
DATE: 06/12/2007 02:15:27 PM
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What a beautiful day for golf! Actually, it was a beautiful day for anything outdoors and the fact that Firebrand Media was able to participate as a Gold Corporate Sponsor made it event better.
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We arrived at Cacapon State Park at 7:15 AM, registered, grabbed a bucket of range balls and began hacking away on the driving range.
The Firebrand Media foursome included myself (Brad Hopkins - the admittedly dead weight of the group), Chad Denton of Northwestern Mutual and Andrew Johnson and Chris (last name escapes me at the moment) of Home Team Realty in Martinsburg, WV.
The format of the tournament was best ball with our group starting on the 9th hole (playing behind a group that was in flight A - the better of the two flights).
I led of the hole with a shot in a tree to the left of the fairway that I thought I would be able to find. Unfortunately, that ball was lost and it looked like it was going to be a long day. Did I bring enough balls? I did manage to settle down by about the mid-way point of and even sank the final put of the day on #8.
The group played well, especially our ringer Chris and we managed to finish the day at 3 under par. It didn't put us in the top 5 but close.
All in all, it was a great event on a great course with perfect weather.
I would highly recommend this event as a good day for golf and a little bit of networking.
Brad Hopkins
Firerband Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Chamber Golf Outing Items Added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 06/12/2007 03:01:27 PM
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The Berkeley Springs, Morgan County Chamber of Commerce holds an annual golf outing to raise funds for a selected project - this year the money went to fund the purchase of a new visitor map of Morgan County.
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The Chamber selected Firebrand Media (a member of the Morgan County Chamber of Commerce) to design a promotional brochure and a water bottle and mini, golf bag.
In addition to providing design and printing (water bottle and golf bag printing), Firebrand Media was also a Gold Corporate sponsor at the 2007 event.
View images from the project along with a description of the project.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Print Templates Now Available
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Website News
CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 06/19/2007 10:53:39 AM
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To help all of our customers who like to "do it themselves" we've started to add templates for some of our more popular print products to our Pricing page and our new Print Templates page.
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Templates are available in EPS and PDF format and include guides and information to help ensure that your print job looks its best.
Our first batch of templates are for business cards (3.5" x 2") and stickers (3.5" x 2, 2" x 4" and 3.5" x 3.5"). In the coming weeks we will be expanding the number of templates that we have available for download.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Firebrand Media Participating in Regional Technology Gathering
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
DATE: 06/21/2007 08:14:40 AM
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Firebrand Media will be closed this afternoon [6/21/07] from 11:30 until 2:00 pm to participate in the WV Regional Technology Gathering that will be held in Martinsburg, WV.
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About the Regional Technology Gathering:
"On Thursday, June 21, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its third regional meeting for technology companies and interested groups. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the Gateway New Economy Technology Council and with local chambers from this region. The meeting will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will be held at the Martinsburg Holiday Inn, Martinsburg.
Technology companies are invited to attend this Eastern Panhandle meeting, and there is no cost to attend. Lunch will be provided. The purpose of these regional meeting is to bring together interested technology groups and individuals in an effort to share information, discuss issues of mutual interest and talk about the formation of a statewide technology network. Similar meetings have been held in Beckley for the southeastern region and in Fairmont for the northcentral region. Future meeting will be scheduled in other regions of the state."
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: WVCSB Party Trailer Added to Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 06/26/2007 01:44:41 PM
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In early 2007, the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists contracted Firebrand Media to create the graphics for a custom built "Party Trailer" that was to be used as an evangelistic outreach for WV churches.
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View images from the project along with a description of the project.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Love Evermore. Promotional DVDs Added to the Portfolio
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Portfolio
CATEGORY: Portfolio
DATE: 08/17/2007 10:56:32 AM
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One great (and scary) thing about this job is that you never know what a customer is going to ask you to do.
In early July, Carol Ambrose asked us to create an eye-catching DVD with production values that would cater to an up-scale clientèle. Of course we said "No Problem" and then began deconstructing the project into its various facets: Video Production, DVD Duplication, DVD Printing, Cover (Front, Back and Inside) Design and Printing.
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A week later we had a finished project that impressed not only the photographer, but also her clients.
Note: The DVDs were printed directly (no unreliable labels) and the DVD Inserts feature full bleed printing.
View images from the project along with a description of the project.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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AUTHOR: Brad Hopkins
TITLE: Updated Printing Price List Available
STATUS: Publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
CONVERT BREAKS: __default__
ALLOW PINGS: 0
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Website News
CATEGORY: Website News
DATE: 08/21/2007 01:34:07 PM
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The Firebrand Media Printing Price list is now available for download [download our printing price list].
The new price list, available in PDF format, features over 300 items available for order from Firebrand Media.
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Items include:
- Banners
- Bookmarks
- Flyers (Flat and Folded)
- Business Cards (4/1, 4/4, Foldover, Glossy, Matte Finish)
- Door Hangers
- Envelopes
- Brochures
- Letterhead
- Postcards
- Posters
- Presentation Folders
- Rack Cards
- Signs
- Stickers
All items are available in various sizes and quantities. Need something that you don't see on the list? Feel free to contact us and we will quote you a price on the item that you need.
Brad Hopkins
Firebrand Media, LLC
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