Kira Kroboth, Web Producer
Bio
As part of our Interactive team, Kira guides Web projects expertly from concept to launch for clients including The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy and the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. She brings extensive experience from her previous role at Capstrat as an account executive, where she worked with Google, the Raleigh Convention Center, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina Economic Developers Association.Articles
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Snowed in? Church from your couch.
We've all been snowed in the past few days, and pretty much all of the churches in the area canceled services today. But, I learned this morning that one local church decided to move their Sunday service online. I woke up, saw some information about their Facebook service on my news feed (from my aunt) and thought - this is genius. What an amazing use of social media!So, I just went to the church's fan page on Facebook (props to them for having a fan page and a blog!) and was inspired by what I saw. Surely, there was a service to read along with - complete with a link to a video for the hymn, prayer requests and participation from others via prayer requests, Amen's and comments. They even included the fellowship that usually follows a service (chit chat's in the parking lot, etc.) and people posted photos of their snow adventures and other celebrations.
(You may be wondering - how did this get on the news? Apparently, the pastor invited a friend who is communications director for the Methodist conference and he sent out a release. I think more media outlets should pick up this story!)
This makes me smile. I applaud the church's creativity and outreach. Today, many area residents were able to get in a little worship from their couch - safe and sound - and on Facebook! Perhaps we'll see more of this type of service in the future. I, for one, would be fan!
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Lunch comprised entirely of dip = Dip Club
Many lunches ago, a few of us at Capstrat came up with the idea of a lunch entirely of dip. (And how amazing that would be!)So, thus began the Capstrat Dip Club, complete with rules, regulations and its own home on our wiki. The Dip Club grows each month and it's pretty much my very favorite meal every month. (Seriously.)
Today, in the Raleigh News & Observer , the Dip Club was featured with prominence on the front page of the Life, etc. section! Read all about us here (and see some rather embarrassing photos of us eating).
And for all the dip lovers out there, here are a few more of the Dip Club's Recipes of Greatness!
Israeli Fondue Recipe (Virginia Ingram)
* 2 avocados, halved and stoned
* 3 tsp lemon juice
* 1 clove garlic, halved
* 6 fluid ounces dry white wine
* 12 ounced grated Edam cheese
* 2 tsp cornflour
* 5 Tbsp smetana or thick sour cream
* Cubes of sesame-coated French bread and red and green pepper (capsicum) for dippersInstructions: Scoop out flesh from avocados into a bowl and mash until smooth with lemon juice. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with cut clove of garlic. Pour in wine and heat until bubbling. Over a gentle heat, stir in cheese and cook until melted, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, blend cornflour smoothly with smetana or sour cream, then add to cheese mixture with mashed avocados. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes until thick and smooth, stirring frequently. Serve with cubes of bread and red and green pepper.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Fluffy Lemon Dip (Cameron Sheffield)
Ingredients:
* 1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used lowfat)
* 1 tub Crystal Lite lemonade mix
* 2 cups Cool Whip (I used fat free)Whisk together yogurt and Crystal Lite, then fold in Cool Whip. Done!
Cheesy (Philly) Spinach Artichoke Dip (Donna Jackson)
* 8 oz. softened cream cheese
* 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
* 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or monterey jack cheese (I prefer monterey jack)
* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
* 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheeseSpread cream cheese into bottom of microwaveable 9 inch pie dish. Combine spinach, artichoke hearts, monterey jack cheese and garlic powder and mix well; spread over cream cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Microwave on high for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve with mixed vegetables or crackers. Good and easy!
Pineapple of Cheese (Elizabeth Lane)
* 1 8oz container garden vegetable cream cheese
* 1 8oz container roasted garlic cream cheese
* 1 cup (4oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 3 green onions chopped (optional)
* 2 cups pecan halves toasted.(melt a little margarine in skillet and toast till a little browner)
* Fresh Rosemary sprigsStir together first 4 ingredients. Shape into an oval: chill 2 hours.
Arrange pecan halves over cheese oval in overlapping rows beginning at bottom and working upward. Arrange rosemary sprigs at top of pineapple. Serve with crackers.
Sometimes I can't find the roasted garlic, so I get chives and onion instead, which is what I used at the dip lunch.
You can really make this into whatever shape you want, I just like the tropical thoughts a pineapple brings :).
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Blackouts: Raccoons, squirrels, birds and balloons?
When I heard of power outages, I always thought of the weather or maybe a vehicle accident as possible causes. The idea of a rambling raccoon, wandering squirrel, little bird or flyaway balloon causing an entire blackout seemed wacky. But it happens - a lot!Our client, Eaton, approached us about building a widget for their Web site to track blackouts across the nation. They were logging the blackout data - their causes, duration, people affected, etc. We were tasked with displaying this data in a smart, interactive way, convincing us all that we should be prepared for the unexpected.
Our team did a phenomenal job of working through the various options for displaying the data. The UX designers, designers, strategists and client thought through every tiny detail and circumstance. And the result is powerful (pun intended).
Check it out: Eaton Blackout Tracker
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Chrome: Shiny or in need of polish?
After a(n accidental) leak, earlier in thh day Chrome was unveiled to the world yesterday. I, for one, sat geekily at my desk waiting for the 2 p.m. launch, which then turned into somewhere around 2:16. But in the end, I have my Chrome.Boys and girls, I think I like it. The tabbing is excellent and feels so natural. The bookmarking has a me a little confused, and I ran into a few issues on Facebook last night. But I am in love with the Incognito mode - perfect for secret Christmas shopping adventures on a shared computer!
I did read the explanatory comic and most of that tech stuff was over my head, but it seems that Chrome is a shining example of where the browser world should be heading.
What do you think? Is it shiny or in need of polish?
(If this is all new news to you, go to http://www.google.com/chrome and download it!)
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Reflections of Web Content 2008: Musings of a web rookie
What's news to me may not be news to my super-smart coworkers in the Interactive department here at Capstrat. But what's news to me is likely news to my cohorts in the client services and government relations departments. (Not to mention definitely news to my friends who don't have a clue what it is we do here at Capstrat and barely grasp the concept of the web.)So, with that, I'm going to provide a snapshot of my favorite findings from the Web Content 2008 Conference in Chicago. (My format = Presentation title, Presenter, Best things I learned.) If you're interested in something particular and would like me to dive into further detail, give me a shout out. I'm happy to oblige.
The Next Content Wave: Hypersyndication by Dick Costolo of Google
• There's a new travel site out there, for addicted web travel researchers like me. Build your trip ideas from sites all across the web and publish them in one place, at www.offbeatguides.com . Dick tells us this site is still very early in their beta program, but that it's going to be a huge success. They'll mail you a pocket-sized guide of your destination - including your specific accommodations - or you can print to a PDF version. Either way, it would be a relief to hit the road with something other than my manila folder with a stack of print-outs from various sites. I've signed up for an invitation to the beta version. No luck yet.
• Interesting remark from Dick: Those who comment across the web (even without association with a company or personal Web site) will be their own brands. And not too far off in the future. Think about that before posting a rash reaction to your friend's latest round of uploaded party photos or worse, getting fired up in a string of comments on a highly publicized news story. Yep, your own brand. I kind of like that.
• One more thing: www.getsatisfaction.com is the future of customer service. Dick recommends a third party customer service organization as a means to participate in conversation with your customers. Whole Foods does it. Food for thought.
The Many-Armed Starfish: Today and Tomorrow in Social Media by Darren Barefoot of Capulet Communications (Voted most popular presenter in unofficial poll.)
• Your brand is what people say your brand is. Case in point - www.brandtags.net (I'm not sure why people would associate Disney with ‘evil', but hey, not everyone is a fan like me I suppose.) The idea of this site is that a brand only exists in our heads. I'd recommend checking out your clients on the site. Go contribute yourself. Could be an eye-opener. Maybe it will lend itself to an argument that they should relinquish control, embrace social media and it'll all be ok Depending on what you find, obviously, you may be doing damage control.
• Dogster . Catster . What about Hamsterer? A quick online hunt reveals Hamsterer really did exist, but does no longer. Shame.
• His five lessons:
- Relinquish control. Think about pulling your Google results as your bio.
- Users will help each other.
- Empower your most passionate customers, perhaps as advocates or private beta users.
- Think outside the page.
- Go where your customers are! Don't start your own social network. Try starting a broad discussion online and lightly sponsor it. Check out www.babycenter.com . (All my pregnant friends love it!)
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Web Content 2008: Adding Dynamite to Dynamic Web Content
When John Lovett of Jupiterresearch took the podium at the end of the first day of the conference, I thought, "This better be good." By 4pm, we were all on major information overload.Working on several Web projects that require dynamic content, I was curious to see what John was going to share with us. What perhaps stood out the most to me was his acknowledgment of the challenge of creating dynamic content for business-to-business sites. He also showed examples of dynamic content and reassured us that it could be as simple as adding an image gallery to introduce the concept to a nervous client.
My favorite example was Hotels.com going from a community of 'experts' who post their opinion of hotels to a community of hotel-goers like you and me. He had us raise our hand if we went online to check user reviews of our hotel for this trip, and most of us lifted a hand. It's perfect. Hotels.com has dynamic content, we're providing it for them (thus cutting back on their internal resources) and it's what we want to read anyway.
I take back hotels.com as my favorite example now. It had to be the Target example. Think of the last product search you did on their site - let's say for a blender. The actual content of the product information is maybe two or three paragraphs. The rest is star ratings from users, comments from purchasers, recommendations of other products bought by blender buyers, and the list goes on. Target has dynamic content nailed. At least for now.
The trick is business-to-business. Like John said, that's a tougher nut to crack. I will now (thanks to John) look at my online Target and travel experiences to come up with ideas to address my client's needs dynamically.
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Work That Matters, a Million Times Over
Yes, I said a million! And yes, I'm that enthusiastic about my latest project -a campaign Web site for Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC's Million Step March.
As of today, you can join the march at www.betterhealthnc.com. BCBSNC is encouraging North Carolinians to be physically active while their march team walks across the state - literally. Even more, you can join the Million Step Challenge online and track the number of steps you take throughout the campaign. There's even a nifty counter on the site to track the number of steps we take collectively, as a state.
I, for one, am proud to have worked on a project that will touch so many people in such a positive way. In fact, I may even get up and walk around the building right now!
Thanks to my teammates who made this site possible. And thanks to my client for enabling me to do work that matters.
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A unicorn balloon and a dragonfly, too?!
We, the Capstrat Web Producers, were greeted with a delightful surprise this morning.
The Capstrat Developers hosted us our own 'producer party' complete with a thoughtful (though quirky and some might say inappropriate) card, two bigger-than-life balloons, a cuddly, stuffed animal unicorn, a fist-sized Hershey Kiss and three dozen red roses. And these were not just any balloons - they were sparkly, shiny unicorn and dragonfly balloons!
All of this to show their love. And we try to do the same for them, by showering them with lunches and snacks and goodies. When the hours get long (as they have been lately), it's nice to know that the respect and adoration we have for the developers is mutual.
Thanks, guys, for being totally awesome! -
Chores: A dreaded duty or pleasant pastime?
Granted, we’re not five anymore. And true, no one gives me allowance for doing my daily or weekly chores. But, don’t you miss that little easy-to-accomplish responsibility? Don’t you miss the kudos from Mom and Dad (and the quarter they placed in your hand) after you dusted off all the shelves?
Sometimes, in the hectic daily schedule of meetings, strategies brainstorms and budgets, I want something mindless to do. I want a task that I can do with others, have simple conversation and step back and say, ‘Yep, I did that. And I did it well.’
So, friends and coworkers – I propose chores. Capstrat chores.
- You all break into teams, based on the number of chore categories.
- You name your team, because it’s fun and improves the experience.
- There’s a chore jar, or some means to ‘pick’ your team’s chore for the week.
- And then, imagine this, for 15 minutes on one day each week, you get your team together and do your chores. Ok, more like 5 minutes in some cases.
- You feel great. You stepped away from your desk and escaped the hustle and bustle. You chatted it up with your team, unfroze your brain and did something good.
- Lint brushing the conference room chairs. (It’s about time! Admit it - they can be kind of gross.)
- Transporting the white paper from around the office into the appropriate recycling bin.
- Unloading the dishwasher.
- Straightening the kitchen and media bar.
- Wiping down all the conference rooms tables with Lysol wipes.
- Passing out wipes to everyone to clean their desk areas. (Come on, you know we share germs far too often!)
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