Yay Strategic Hospitality Search!

We are really proud and happy to announce the awesome news that one of our clients, Strategic Hospitality Search, being honored by the Technology Center of Dupage. SHS has been recognized as 2010 Outstanding Business Partnership Award. Below is an except from Faith Jennetta, Matt Barker and Jim Mulyk:

2010 Outstanding Business Partnership Award
Joseph D’Alessandro, President, Strategic Hospitality Search
“As a member of our advisory board Joseph D’Alessandro has embraced both the Teechnology Center of DuPage (TCD) students and staff.  He has added real-life educational value through his numerous visits and presentations for the students.  He has become our resident expert on “how to get a job” by teaching them interviewing techniques and then participating in their mock interview experience.  He has also devoted a great amount of time to our ProStart Management Team in helping them create a restaurant concept.  Over the time that Joe has been involved in our program he has become part of our culture.  He is truly an extension of our program in the hospitality community.  On behalf of the students and staff we graciously share our successes with him.”
Faith Jennetta, Matt Barker and Jim Mulyk
Technology Center of DuPage
May 5, 2010

Congrats on your honor Joe and Staff!

Fun & Creative ways to Inconvenience your users LESS

Have you ever noticed when going to Twitter, you often times see failure notices on Twitter and on other sites. Yes, these pages, known as 404 error pages, tend to be SUPER ANNOYING somewhat inconvenient. What you should consider when dealing with your own website is how beneficial are you making your 404 error page? For many companies, having an informative and useful for the viewer. I stumbled upon the Designer Daily blog about some of the featured blogger’s favorite 404 error pages. Take a gander at our 404 page when I look up a non-existent “heather” page.

What not to do on Facebook

Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of receiving a call from a dirtbag gentleman asking me how to clear his search history. This person was signing into his wife’s facebook account and looking up his ex-girlfriend. He then became paranoid about his wife finding out that he was looking up this other woman. I tried to help him, but, as hopefully most of us know, Facebook isn’t a search engine. It doesn’t keep a history of the people you search. The guy insisted that he NEEDED to have this removed, “Every time I type in the letter ‘J’ she pops up in the search results!”. I proceeded to tell the man that it shouldn’t be that big of a deal if some ex-girlfriend randomly popped up in his wife’s search bar. He then volunteered the information that he had an affair with this woman ten years ago and his wife consistently asked him if he ever tried to look up the ex-girlfriend. I asked him why he felt the need to look this woman up now, after ten years of not being in contact with her. His response? “I wanted to see how she was doing.” He was willing to go as far as to drive to the Chicago Facebook headquarters to meet with someone who could help him. He was so desperate to cover his tracks that he would go to any length to “save” his marriage (even setting up a ‘dummy’ account to test his changes before applying them to his wife’s account).

Here is my tip, guy: If you don’t want to get caught or know what you’re doing is wrong, then DON’T DO IT! Of course I’m sure you knew cheating on your wife ten years ago was also a bad idea. Using your wife’s facebook account to cyber stalk an ex-mistress is even STUPID-ER! Next time you have an urge to look up an old flame, try resisting the urge for another ten years. Don’t call a company to help you cover your curiosity tracks.

And In Social Media News this Week…

Well, it looks like a lot of events happened this week. Flights across Europe disrupted, Mass Suicide Tax Day, Goldman Sachs getting sacked with fraud… The stories are endless. The top 12, however, are the ones that us social savvy people are really interested in. According to Mashable, the top twelve social media and tech stories for this week include: that of one Mr. Conan O’Brien pulling a Leno on George Lopez, when announcing this week that he will be moving to TBS to continue his late night show, Twitter purchasing Tweetie, now dubbed Twitter for iPhone and Norway utilizing the Apple’s newest addition, the iPad to run there government during the Icelandic Volcanic eruption fiasco. What would you say was the most important news of this week? It can be related to anything whether its social media, world news, technology or even business! “Inquiring minds want to know.“

WIB Gets more Cash!

Congrats to Where I’ve Been, who raised $750K from Lightbank, an investment fund created by Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, known for also investing in Groupon. Just so happens we designed and developed the Lightbank website (yes, we’re patting ourselves on the back too)! We’re really excited to see what WIB is up to next with new funding under their belt.

Known best for the interactive travel map on facebook where users can pin point places they have been, lived and want to visit, Where I’ve Been will be 3 years old in June. WIB is looking forward to utilizing the funds towards user acquisition efforts.

You can read more on Techcrunch.

The Few. The Proud. The New Facebook Preferred.

We are so happy to announce that we have been selected by Facebook as one of Facebook’s Preferred Developers in their second round draft! Our Social Media and division of Blueye, Always Be Social, is only one of 34 selected for this privilege. We are the only Chicago based development firm in Chicago to have this honor! What does this mean for you? Well, if you want to have a facebook fan page, application or any other optimized products or technologies made for Facebook, you may want to consider consultation and implementation from an expert or preferred vendor. You wouldn’t let just anyone help make your presence known on Facebook, would you?

The Facebook Preferred Consultant Directory was first introduced back in December of 2009 to help those looking for consultants make contact with the top companies in the space. We are joining these ranks along with the likes of Buddy Media, Sprout, and Wildfire.

Other companies selected include SocialAmp, Resource Interactive and T3 (The Think Tank). We are looking forward to this opportunity and having the chance to work with some new people and helping them with their Social Media strategies and Applications! Facebook not your thing? We forgive you. We happen to also specialize in Awesomeness, Augmented Reality, iphone and Android applications, oh and making a stellar pot of coffee.

View Press Release here

Shedding Some Light on the Midwest.

We are really excited about the new project that Eric Leftkofsky and Brad Keywell have launched recently with the help of our talented staff here at blueye.

In a story recently featured on Techcrunch and several other online news outlets, the two Chicago entrepreneurs announced Lightbank as an investment fund for early-stage start up companies. The goal of the fund is to invest up to $10 million annually and focus on the expanding number of brilliant tech minds in the Midwest, especially the Chicago area.

Leftkofsky and Keywell are certainly not newcomers to the tech entrepreneur arena, having their hands in a series of companies such as Groupon, InnerWorkings, MediaBank and Echo Global Logistics. With any luck, Lightbank, and the companies they invest in, will share the same success as their past endeavors and help to keep some of our homegrown tech talent right here in Chicago.

The Squeaky Wheel of Twitter

Kevin Smith & Southwest Air, Dave Carroll & United Airlines, countless Comcast customers – seems like social media outlets are the go-to place to post your gripe these days, but is it really worth it?

It’s becoming more and more common for social media fans, especially those on Twitter, to carry their mobile device like a gun on their hip just waiting for something to happen. In most cases, something bad. Then, when he or she is wronged or offended, the Twitter gun is fired. Now, I will admit that I have been guilty of this on an occasion or two, but I can honestly say that all it did was get a strange look from my wife and occupy a couple minutes of my time. That’s about all.

This most recent “issue” with director Kevin Smith being removed from a Southwest Air flight because he was too overweight to “comfortably fit” into an airplane seat really got me thinking. Shouldn’t we try to focus a bit more on the positive things these days? The economy is suffering. Unemployment rates are out of control. Why should I care if Kevin Smith is overweight? I’m still going to fly Southwest because the price is right and more often than not they are on time or even early to my destination.

Here’s a suggestion, if you experience something good, post it on Twitter and shout it from the rooftops. Rather than continuing to stifle our own economy by complaining about the bad decisions made by businesses, let’s put more emphasis on promoting the good ones and help everyone feel a little better about things.

Get Your Super Bowl Tickets Here!

Okay, so maybe not actually HERE per se, but YES! Blueye Creative just completed a mobile app for Ticketmaster to be used for Super Bowl XLIV so fans can check for available tickets for the Super Bowl in Miami, FL this year. Not, you can’t actually purchase the tickets from the app. However, you have three easy options on how to snag your tix!

How does it work? You have 4 Easy options:

Go to to NFLticketexchange.mobi and search for the tickets you want and click to buy.

Then either:

1. Call the NFL Ticket Exchange 800 number

2. Enter your email address to have a sales representative email you with information

3. Enter your phone number to have a Sales Representative call you

4. Use Google Maps to get directions to The Clevelander Hotel in South Beach and pick up your tickets there. *This option is available for mobile devices with Google’s map already enabled. Otherwise, you will see a map of the location for your reference in you phone browser.

Start Your Brainstorming Now!

Today on techcrunch.com, A post was made regarding the New York based, AppFund offering seed money and mentoring for starts up developers who are planning new apps for the iPad. If you haven’t already started thinking of ideas for the iPad, you better start now! Proposals must be submitted immediately, as the plan is to launch the first set of iPad applications this Summer! Depending on the complexity of the app, the seed money can range from $5,000 to $500,000. Other tablets shouldn’t feel left out though. AppFund is also offering funding for apps for other tablets out there! Just another reason to look forward to the weather warming up!