photo.jpg, originally uploaded by evilai.

]]> http://brickyardannarbor.com/2008/08/19/proof-of-ed/feed/ http://brickyardannarbor.com/2008/08/18/oh-yeah/ http://brickyardannarbor.com/2008/08/18/oh-yeah/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:37:32 +0000 bkerr http://brickyardannarbor.com/2008/08/18/oh-yeah/ .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }

Oh Yeah! 1, originally uploaded by Grendel 72.

This image has alerted me to one of the dangers of working so close to bricks. We’ll be working away and — “oh yeah!”

, originally uploaded by evilai.

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

People can get too excited about bricks; I was sad to see a Tweet from @AnnArborNews announcing “Brick thief in handcuffs.”  While not everyone can lease their very own brickyard, both the public and private sector provide walls made of millions and millions of bricks for all to enjoy.  Walls you can touch, streets and paths you can pace over.  Access to bricks is one of the great achievements of the modern world.

Now that the supposed brick thief has been incarcerated we at The Brickyard can rest easy.  We hope for fair treatment for the incarcerated man and that, should he be guilty of stealing bricks, after paying his debt to society he is educated about the greatness of bricks and is given the tools to one day have bricks of his own.

Brick Thief @ the Ann Arbor News

is MIA with no recent blog posts. Maybe somebody should check his pulse…

is trying to meet professional women. It’s business, not personal. Jeez. Get your mind out of the gutter.

has some words of encouragement for consultants and freelance web professionals. Kinda makes me feel good.

lost his Photoshop while going above and beyond for a client. Likely story…

has a pretty sweet photo blog that you should check out. Welcome to The Brickyard family.

is an internet fisherman.

wrote about Startup Weekend Ann Arbor

is invisible

blogged about the importance of color as communication

blogged about Startup Weekend Ann Arbor and the MotorCityConnect Lunch in A2

asked “Are you aware of your company’s online reputation?”

recently wrote about a new site his company just launched for a client

I will stop John during next week’s delivery for a quick photo op and impromptu interview. Any questions you want him to answer? Leave a comment and we’ll make sure you get your fix, er, answers.

Check back for date/time of aforementioned beers. Happy Birthday Brian.

I never imagined that I would be working in a field related to the Internet, and in the few short months that I interned with Derek and Ross, I have learned so much and now am pursuing a career at an interactive agency! The following is a list of some things I learned during my experience…

1. Search Engine Optimization-
• SEO means using key tag words related to your product or service which, when searched on Google, appear at the top of the results page because there is little competition. SEO is part of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which includes various practices that ultimately increase awareness and drive more users to a site. This includes: online press releases, using key tag words, being a link on other web sites, or having bloggers talk about the product or service.

2. The overall importance of the Internet-
• Think about all the popular social media networks like Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, Twitter, and various blogs. The Internet is a good source for putting ideas out there, networking, gaining feedback, communicating ideas, keeping in touch, sharing and finding information about interests, passions, and current events. The Internet is not going to disappear, and it’s important to understand the changes happening right now in order to take advantage of the Internet’s ability to reach so many people.

3. Brand strategy-
• This describes the brand’s competition, what makes the brand unique, who their audience is, and other descriptive characteristics that give an overall image of what the brand is about and their future goals.

4. Connections and links-
• To increase awareness, web sites should become an external link on A-list blogs which are credible and read by many online users.

5. Much of the Internet is indefinite-
• The advice I learned is to jump in, research, and figure things out through experience. Sometimes you stumble upon helpful information, while other times you might search forever without the intended results. Either way, you have to live and experience it to learn and really understand the Internet.

6. Insight-
• Besides the obvious information available on sites, there is so much insight that can be found on blogs, Facebook groups, and other social network sites that provide key direction and a new perspective on brands.

7. What makes a good web site-
• Keep it visually simple, warm, inviting, and include pictures and testimonials that support the brand’s overall image. A more professional looking site is more likely to have more visitors and users.

8. Be proactive, take initiative, and figure things out on your own.
• However, don’t be afraid to ask questions or for suggestions from someone with more knowledge, experience, and a different perspective.

9. Put your ideas out there-
• No matter how bad I thought my ideas were, I learned to not be shy and give my opinions. No idea is a bad idea- if anything, it can spark ideas in others.

10. It’s all about awareness-
• Whether it’s a press release, Facebook group, getting a blogger to mention the brand, using key tag words related to your services, or being a link on a web site, it’s all related to advertising, getting your brand’s name out there, increasing awareness, and starting a conversation. The Internet provides the ability to create and build relationships between the brand and users.

NOTE: Jenna graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2008 and has since accepted a job at Digitas Chicago.

Side by side. No prize money. Just bragging rights. Two men. One sprinkler pipe.

Both competitors’ hands emerged dirty, but only one could be victorious. Andrew’s home pipe advantage put him “Over the Top“. Andrew says there is no truth in the allegations of Charlie’s side of the sprinkler pipe being greased before the competition.

Andrew’s only response after the effort was,

“Tell you the truth, the truck is, uh, you know, the most important thing for me. I… I don’t really… it doesn’t matter if I, uh, become the champion or anything. That’s, that’s not the most important… I… I need this truck.”

We still don’t know what that means or which truck he is talking about, but it sure sounds fitting.