Archimedia Studios

Archimedia expands Mobile Web Support

Archimedia Studios announces expanded support for mobile devices in the company’s iCMS platform. “We have seen a huge increase in demands for mobile site design. The mobile web is becoming more like the PC web, and adaptations must be made ” , says Vince Spagnolo, President of Archimedia Studios.

A recent study showed that a dramatic increase in mobile web browsing came after the launch of the iPhone in 2008. The number of Smartphone users is increasing significantly each day with mobile browsers set to outnumber desktop browsers by 2012. Platforms such as iPhone, iPad, Android,BlackBerry and other Smartphones now offer very capable browsers. As a result, a considerable number of people visiting your website will be using their mobile phones. As a business or artist, you want to make it possible to anticipate those demands, and rise to the occasion. Mobile sites do just this by creating easier ways and more opportunities to convert traffic to sales.

If your website isn’t optimized for mobile use, you could be turning away these visitors. For example, if your site uses Adobe Flash, it won’t function properly on an iPhone. If your website is too busy and contains a lot of information, the mobile user may find it very frustrating to navigate through it.

Archimedia Studios iCMS platform now includes Smartphone and Mobile Platform Support for …

  • Android Devices
  • Apple iPad
  • Apple iPhone
  • Apple iPod, Touch
  • BlackBerry Device
  • LG Phones
  • Motorola Phones
  • Nintendo DS
  • Nintendo Wii
  • Nokia Phones
  • Opera Mini Devices
  • Palm Devices
  • Sony Ericson Phones
  • Samsung Phones
  • Sony Playstation Portable
  • Sony Playstation 3
  • Windows CE Device, Mobile IE

Archimedia Studio’s with it’s iCMS web platform and eMarketer product,  is the industry leader in providing a one vendor,turnkey  Total Media Solution that is guaranteed to make your brand more known, efficient and profitable.

“Success doesn’t just happen, it is planned”

Ten Laws of Social Media Marketing

Leveraging the power of content and social media marketing can help elevate your audience and customer base in a dramatic way. But getting started without any previous experience or insight could be challenging.

It’s vital that you understand social media marketing fundamentals. From maximizing quality to increasing your online entry points, abiding by these 10 laws will help build a foundation that will serve your customers, your brand and — perhaps most importantly — your bottom line.

1. The Law of Listening
Success with social media and content marketing requires more listening and less talking. Read your target audience’s online content and join discussions to learn what’s important to them. Only then can you create content and spark conversations that add value rather than clutter to their lives.

2. The Law of Focus
It’s better to specialize than to be a jack-of-all-trades. A highly-focused social media and content marketing strategy intended to build a strong brand has a better chance for success than a broad strategy that attempts to be all things to all people.

3. The Law of Quality
Quality trumps quantity. It’s better to have 1,000 online connections who read, share and talk about your content with their own audiences than 10,000 connections who disappear after connecting with you the first time.

4. The Law of Patience
Social media and content marketing success doesn’t happen overnight. While it’s possible to catch lightning in a bottle, it’s far more likely that you’ll need to commit to the long haul to achieve results.

5. The Law of Compounding
If you publish amazing, quality content and work to build your online audience of quality followers, they’ll share it with their own audiences on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, their own blogs and more.

This sharing and discussing of your content opens new entry points for search engines like Google to find it in keyword searches. Those entry points could grow to hundreds or thousands of more potential ways for people to find you online.

6. The Law of Influence
Spend time finding the online influencers in your market who have quality audiences and are likely to be interested in your products, services and business. Connect with those people and work to build relationships with them.

If you get on their radar as an authoritative, interesting source of useful information, they might share your content with their own followers, which could put you and your business in front of a huge new audience.

7. The Law of Value
If you spend all your time on the social Web directly promoting your products and services, people will stop listening. You must add value to the conversation. Focus less on conversions and more on creating amazing content and developing relationships with online influencers. In time, those people will become a powerful catalyst for word-of-mouth marketing for your business.

8. The Law of Acknowledgment
You wouldn’t ignore someone who reaches out to you in person so don’t ignore them online. Building relationships is one of the most important parts of social media marketing success, so always acknowledge every person who reaches out to you.

9. The Law of Accessibility
Don’t publish your content and then disappear. Be available to your audience. That means you need to consistently publish content and participate in conversations. Followers online can be fickle and they won’t hesitate to replace you if you disappear for weeks or months.

10. The Law of Reciprocity
You can’t expect others to share your content and talk about you if you don’t do the same for them. So, a portion of the time you spend on social media should be focused on sharing and talking about content published by others.

The 50mm F1.4 lens a magic bullet for low light photography

Being able to effectively capture a scene in dimly lit situations (or at night altogether) is one of the toughest things to do in photography. Even if you have a flash, you have to be careful when firing it if you don’t want to simply blow everything out and ruin the “mood” and “feel” of a night shot. The most common problems with night images are : too much blur, too dark of a shot overall or too much noise in the shot. How do you solve those issues? It obviously depends on the camera and accessories you’re using, but one surefire way to make your existing DSLR entirely more capable at night is the purchase of one single lens. The 50mm F1.4 is as close to a magic bullet as there is in the photography world.
The 50mm F1.4 has a lot of things going for it. For one, it’s available for nearly every DSLR out there. You can find dedicated versions (either first-party such as Nikkor or third-party like Sigma) for Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus DSLRs, with plenty of aftermarket solutions out there for even more brands. Secondly, it’s incredibly small. Thirdly, it’s relatively cheap by FX (or full-frame) standards. And finally, the shots you can get from this lens are truly amazing.

This lens can “step down” to f/1.4, which is a fancy way of saying that it can allow a flood of light in compared to most lenses, which can only step down to f/3.5 or so. When you’re shooting with limited surrounding light, having the ability to let your lens pull more light in from practically nowhere is vital.

This allows your shots to be brighter, your shutter speed to be faster (which lessens the chance of unwanted blur) . The 50mm aspect is also important; this is not a zoom lens. It cannot be zoomed at all. If you aren’t familiar with “prime” lenses this will probably be strange to hear, but you literally have to walk forward and back while holding the camera to get closer / farther from your subject. 50mm, however, is a solid distance that’s useful in the vast majority of circumstances.

Using the 50mm F1.4 at night is pretty simple. Regardless of what DSLR body you have, try setting the aperture down to f/1.4 (using Aperture Priority or Manual Mode) and firing a few test shots. Compare that to shots with the aperture set at f/3.5 or higher, and you’ll notice an immediate impact. The flood of light that is allowed in by the F1.4 lens is really incredible, and in many cases, it allows a shot to be taken that would never be possible otherwise. Of course, all of this is assuming that you’re trying to avoid using a flash in order to retain the mood of your scene; lowering the aperture all the way to f/1.4 is simply an alternative to using a flash, and it’s one that natural light lovers greatly prefer.

Owning this lens most definitely isn’t the only way to take low-light shots. You could use a flash, purchase a new body with a higher ISO range  or move your shot into a place with more external light. But if you’re unable to move your shot , you aren’t willing to spend thousands on a new DSLR body and you aren’t fond of how a flash distorts the vibe of a night shot, there’s hardly a better and more affordable alternative than the 50mm F1.4. For Canon owners in particular, there’s a 50mm F1.2 that allows even more light in, but of course it’s over four times more expensive; the 50mm F1.4 for Canon bodies is around $350 on the open market, whereas the F1.2 version is over $1,600. It’s hard to justify that increase.

While the average 50mm F1.4 lens will cost around $350 – $400 regardless of what brand or body you’re buying for, there’s a bargain alternative even to that. Many companies also make a 50mm F1.8 lens, which allows nearly as much light in, but not quite as much. The good news is these are usually around half as expensive as the F1.4 variety, but in my experience, it’s definitely worth saving up and getting the F1.4. It’s a lens that’ll never leave your collection, and will likely follow you around for as long as you’re into DSLR photography. $350 or so is a low price to pay for the ability to take blur-free images in dimly-lit restaurants, at indoor sporting events and in concert venues, not to mention millions of other after-dark opportunities

Final Cut Shortcut Keys

Download a very nice Final Cut Keyboard Shortcut file HERE

Also, believe it or not, there is an iphone / iPod app for FInal Cut and Photoshop keyboard shortcuts ! Search the iTunes App Store for “iKeysToGo” .

Using Pacing in Video

A common misconception about editing is that it’s as easy as cutting and pasting clips together. In its most basic form, it is that simple. However, perfecting the art of editing takes time and dedication, as well as a firm grasp on techniques. One of these techniques is proper pacing.

Obtaining a good pace in your video is one way to keep your audience engaged in what you are presenting to them. To get the proper pacing for your video you should not only consider the type of video you’re making and the target audience, but the length, variety and rhythm of your shots, as well.

The length of each shot will lend itself to the overall feel of the video. Short, quick shots are great for high-energy videos, whereas longer shots will slow the pace down, and are more appropriate for reserved or dramatic videos. However, too many shots that are identical in length will bore your audience due to a lack of variety. Be sure to introduce a mix of shot lengths to keep things interesting. For example, if you have a string of long cuts, throw in the occasional quick cutaway. If you have a series of quick cuts, make the next one a bit longer in order to give the viewer a chance to catch up with the action.

Depending on the project you editing, the pacing will vary. Try to establish a rhythm when piecing together individual shots. This will allow your shots to be more cohesive, despite the changes in length and content. Rhythm in video is necessary, much like it is necessary in a catchy tune, and will keep the viewer intrigued and wanting more.

By practicing good pacing, and other advanced techniques, you’ll be able to create videos that are more compelling to watch. You’ll find that there is much more to editing than simply cutting and pasting. After all, one of the best parts of editing video is getting to see the pieces of your story come together in a way that enhances the moment you’re trying to capture.

Delivering Customer Experience Excellence

Let's give em' something to talk about!

Contact Us