New Hire: Kelly Van Eschen

Posted on December 27th, 2011 by kvaneschen

Hello there! My name is Kelly Van Eschen and I’ve been hired to fill the role of SEO / SEM Specialist. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for nearly 2 months already but you know what they say about time – it flies when you’re having fun! Joining the team during the thick of the holiday season has at times seemed like a cruel initiation but it’s kept me busy and forced me to get up to speed quickly which is well worth the craziness.

I come to First Scribe with over 7 years of experience working in E Commerce. I’ve studied and applied theories and best practice on Web Design and Usability, SEO, SEM, Social Networking and E Mail Marketing. I’ve enjoyed working in all of these areas but am thrilled that I’m able to focus my efforts solely on SEM and SEO here at First Scribe.

My time outside the office is spent with my wonderful husband of 10 years and our 3 adorable cats. Winters are spent attempting to snowboard and then knitting in the lodge when snowboarding isn’t quite working. I love to travel – especially to island destinations that allow me to log some dive time. Summers are spent in the normal Minnesota fashion – being outdoors as much as possible.

I am so happy to have been given an opportunity to work with the talented First Scribe team and look forward to the journey ahead!

 

NEW HIRE @ First Scribe: Nick Rau

Posted on December 7th, 2011 by Nick Rau

Scene 1: Wherein Nick Rau becomes employed at First Scribe

You may have seen in an earlier post that First Scribe was looking for a new SEO/SEM Specialist; I am that guy. The team here is incredible, and I now call them coworkers and friends.

A desk sits in front of me. This is the first job where I have a real desk. However small that may seem to someone else, this was a huge step forward for me. Coming up in the music scene, a desk and permanent office was the last thing I was thinking about when going into college. Sometimes when you lose your way, you find your path.

Even 3 months ago, this isn’t where my imagination had me placed. So much has happened in such a short period of time, and being able to adapt to that change is a challenge. But I want to turn opportunity into success. There is a time when you have to look life in the eyes. “I am ready for anything”. Small work, good luck, working without vision; leaving college was not easy. Stars aligning, the horseshoe factory being hit with a 4-leaf clover infestation, call it what you will.

I am here at First Scribe, and I have been given life. Now it’s my turn to give life to others. I am giving this opportunity all the success I can throw at it.

 

 

Google Maps Now Indoors

Posted on December 1st, 2011 by Zach Partyka

Google maps updated today and now you’re able to track your movements inside select malls, retailers and airports. If you’re interested, you can play with the application before you try it on your Android phone.

The new addition seems like it could be helpful, like finding bathrooms and navigating those congested airport terminals, but it is also a bit creepy. Personally, I don’t want Google knowing what places I’m shopping at or where I am traveling to. I understand Google is trying to make our lives simpler but I don’t want Google to know everything that I do.

Google recently started encrypting searches when you are logged in so marketers couldn’t see what keywords you were using to find certain sites, however, Google does allow you to see the keywords people use when they click on a paid search link. With that said, what’s stopping them from allowing companies to see what stores you are visiting or what places you are traveling to? On top of that, what’s stopping them from using that information to alter search results?

This all may be a bit alarmist but with Google’s history of privacy issues it makes you wonder where they will draw the line on what data they will collect and potentially use.

 

Google Music Officially Launched

Posted on November 16th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

Google Music has officially launched and I am interested to see what kind of competition it creates with Apple’s iTunes Match. I have been using the Google Music Beta since May and I have to say I’ve loved every minute of it. Critics are saying that Google entered the online music arena too late and I agree, but, they missed one point.

As we know, iTunes is by far the #1 choice for legally downloading music and has been for a while, however, Google has capitalized on a niche that nobody seemed to notice; storing and accessing your music in the cloud.

Google has created a solution that I feel will be very hard to beat because it’s simple to use, has options to share music with your friends and most importantly it’s free.

I believe making the program free to use was the greatest move Google could have made towards becoming a large player in the online music business because it allows them to quickly gain users which in turn can lead to sales in the store.

It will be interesting to see if Google Music can cut into iTunes’s business or if it will fizzle away like the buzz for Google+. My prediction is Google wins the battle for cloud music storage but iTunes remains the number one place to download your music.

 

 

New Entry Level SEO/SEM Specialist Position

Posted on November 8th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

Are you ready to start your career in the SEO field? If you have an ambition to learn from our experienced team of designers, developers and SEO specialists you could be the right fit. Review the information below and send your resume in.

Job Description:

A Search Engine Marketing (SEM) specialist plays an integral role in the optimization of our client marketing initiatives. The SEM Specialist will support SEM account managers across multiple accounts in organic SEO, Pay Per Click, Social Media, blogging, and website content manipulation. An SEM Specialist is a professional communicator with fantastic writing skills. Other attributes include a well-rounded knowledge of the Web, familiarity with search engines, and a willingness to learn.

We need someone who can learn quickly, communicate professionally, follow direction, and see the task through to the end.

Responsibilities:

  • Interact with account managers to understand objectives
  • Repurpose, edit and create site content
  • Create Paid Per Click ads
  • Write blog posts
  • Maintain social media initiatives
  • Create and maintain metatags
  • Maintain high standards of copywriting and exercise quality control on all copy

Requirements:

  • A degree or diploma in English, journalism, communications or a related field
  • Completion of an internship in a corporate marketing department or a marketing agency
  • Exceptional writing skills
  • A truly organized person
  • Ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines
  • Detail oriented

If you believe you fit these qualifications, we’d love to hear from you. LOCAL inquires only please.

Please send resume and cover letter to careers@firstscribe.com

 

Graphic Web Designer Position Open

Posted on November 8th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

First scribe has been creating and developing website for 17 years and is looking to expand its team of skilled graphic designer. If you were to join our team you would receive:

  • Salary Plus Full Medical and Dental Benefits
  • Paid Vacation
  • 401K and Life Insurance
  • Opportunity to work with a dynamic team of top web professionals
  • Challenging and rewarding career growth
  • Excellent working environment
  • Reports directly to the Creative Director
  • Qualifications/Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience
  • Three or more years’ experience in web interface and web page layout design
  • Strong graphic design, typography, and color theory background
  • Expert in Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or Fireworks
  • Experience optimizing designs for the web
  • Portfolio that displays an understanding of user-centered design (online portfolio preferred)
  • Willingness to work closely with copywriters, and developers
  • Attention to detail
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Self-motivated with positive attitude
  • Ability to manage multiple projects while meeting deadlines
  • Please send resume, portfolio and cover letter to HR@firstscribe.com

    Salary $45,000-$70,000 DOQ plus full benefits

     

    First Scribe Now On Google+

    Posted on November 7th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

    We are proud to announce our company has joined Google Plus. We encourage you to use this as another way to stay up to date with our news and projects.

    One thing to note, when you +1 First Scribe, it won’t allow you to see updates in your stream. To see updates, you must add us to one of your circles. With that said, we can’t wait for you to join and interact with us.

     

    Pour La Victoire’s Blog

    Posted on October 28th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

    We recently helped Pour La Victoire launch their new blog, Une Petite Victoire. Since Magento’s eCommerce platform isn’t the easiest to integrate with a blog we decided to move it to a sub-domain. We chose Tumblr because it allowed us to implement and track basic SEO while also keeping a similar design aesthetic. If you haven’t used Tumblr before it’s basically a user-friendly blogging tool with the ability to follow other blogs like Twitter.

    About the blog
    Instead of focusing on the brand’s shoe and bag line they have created a spot for fans to learn how to live stylishly.The blog posts about a variety of topics, including, recipes, culture and fashion. I feel it’s a great compliment to their online store and adds a warm touch to their brand.

     

    Circle Of Excellence

    Posted on October 26th, 2011 by Zach Partyka

    First Scribe has been accepted into MerchantCircle’s, Circle of Excellence, for 2011. To receive this award you must have 10 or more compliments in three of the following categories: Always on time, Best Bargins, Best of the Best, Cleanliness, Community Star, Environmentally Friendly, Friendly Staff, Knowledgeable, Quality Work, Stellar Service, Superb Selection, and Uniqueness.

    For our acceptance speech the First Scribe Team would like to thank the Internet, computers, Dreamweaver, Google AdWords, Magento eCommerce and all the people out there who believed in us.

    All kidding aside, we are proud to see our hard work has paid off. So, with much gratitude we say thank you to all our clients and we hope to receive another award next year.

     

    Hosting only crashes when you need it (Part 2)

    Posted on October 14th, 2011 by Ken Kralick

    It wasn’t all that long ago that we reported the ramp-up to Christmas was causing some hosting troubles.  So much so that it took Tommy Hilfiger down.

    Today we found another one. This is a smaller company so they will remain safely anonymous.  However, the story remains the same – Not enough.

    Image of website error

     

    Moral of the Story:

    Security, security, security…  Cheap hosting is cheap for a reason.

    This isn’t overloaded hosting during a big sale.  This is an every-day occurrence and you should plan accordingly to circumvent the activities of the hacker.