Blondes I-REview: New Media Strategies' Relaunched Website

New Media Strategies, my current employer, has relaunched its website to commemorate 10 years as the industry leader in Word-of-Marketing and Online PR.

With the help of Jess3, the web design firm hired for this project, they have a very interesting and unique site that is a great example of how to do it "right." While there is a comprehensive press release about the relaunch, I wanted to point out a few features not often found on corporate websites:

• An interactive timeline focusing on major events in the 10 year history
• Profiles for all employees (check me out!)
• Recent & Relevant Case Studies
• A Blog with nearly all employees contributing
• A Photo Gallery hosted on Flickr, showing day-to-day office life of the employees
• Capabilities & Expertise

What do I like about this site? (Disclosure: Despite being an employee, this is the first time I have seen it, as it was just revealed today so these are my initial thoughts and reactions). What I think is most interesting about this site is how incredibly employee-focused it is. Clients don't often get to see the front lines, or for that matter, our team members who toil endlessly to produce high-quality deliverables. So much is done online and via email, these days, that the "human analysis" side of NMS (which makes us unique in the industry) is often lost in translation. Now, you can see each person, what their office space is like, and begin to envision what goes into the final product we deliver. As well, you can link to their own blogs or the blog entries they've written for the NMS blog. Through their own words, clients and others can begin to more fully understand how NMSers are thought-leaders in the industry and in their specific areas of expertise.

As a company, NMS is represented both in the written word as well as the visual manifestation of this new site as the sum of its parts (the people). There is a plethora of information on what NMS has delivered in its 10 year history - how its revolutionized the marketplace in offering services and expertise that others do not and cannot.

Overall, this site gets three out of four blondes from Blonde's I-View on how to do a corporate website right. I am biased, but never the less, it is a great example.

Georgetown Cupcake: A Blonde's I-REview REdux

So, just to follow up with you, my dear readers, about my opinions regarding Georgetown Cupcake. Recently, my co-worker, Claudia, after observing my disappointment in GC's red velvet cupcake baked her own version of red velvet mini-cupcakes - which, thankfully restored my faith in cupcakes - especially red velvet ones. Hers were not dry like GC's and had delicious vanilla icing with just the right amount of sweetness - and no tart taste like the one I had from GC. And delivered right to my desk - no waiting in an hour long line!

Apparently, this may have sparked an inside-NMS bake-off because today, James brought in red velvet cupcakes with white icing that were also quite spectacular. Incredibly moist, deliciously delectable, and made at home (2 dozen cupcakes!) for not much more than the cost of just 1 at Georgetown Cupcake.

Hmmm - I love capitalism so I applaud Georgetown Cupcake for getting the high prices they do for lousy cupcakes, but I will stick with the ones made a home.