Friday, December 04, 2009

Do you have a favorite local non-profit that needs a Website overhaul?

Tis’ the season! We want to give away a $20K website redesign (or new site or related web strategy) to a local (St. Louis) non-profit charity. We’re looking for an organization that we can help by giving them a web presence and online tools that allow them to be more effective, more efficient, and ultimately do even more good in our community. But we need some help deciding who we should help. We’re accepting nominations now at http://www.facebook.com/roundedcube?v=app_4949752878. We want to know the organization’s vision for the web so we can figure out which one we can make the biggest positive impact for. No strings attached… we just want to do our part in giving this Christmas season. If the chosen organization wants to do more than what $20K will cover, then we’ll simply consider that amount a credit on the project. Check out the full story about what we’re trying to do at http://www.roundedcube.com/whats-new/2009/2009120401.aspx. We’re excited to learn about the charities we can help and plan to make this an annual event.

This summer we also helped another great local charity, PHL, Inc. by revamping their site and implementing a CMS. Check it out at www.phlinc.org. Their needs were pretty basic so we’re looking to up the ante with this next pro-bono project.

*EDIT October 28, 2010. We have moved our blog to http://blog.roundedcube.com and you can now comment on this specific post at http://www.roundedcube.com//WhatsNew/Blog/do-you-have-a-favorite-local-non-profit-that-needs-a-website-overhaul

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

What a Release! Our powerful Issue Management tool is now available for commercial purchase

We’re all proud to announce that we’ve released our first commercially available product, RC On-Track Issue Management 2009. It is an upgrade to a tool that we’ve been using for years internally to streamline the QA phase of the web development of our clients’ projects. It came in very handy for enhancing communication between our team members and those involved in the project on the client side as we ironed out problems with the site. Over the years, we’ve seen the demand for the product grow with our own clients wanting to have their own instance for internal use.

But it wasn’t just about bug tracking, although On-Track did a bang up job of that, but it was about issue management, just like the name says. Meaning, all sorts of issues were managed, including not only technical glitches but questions, enhancements, suggestions, you name it, any sort of issue you can think about that might come up during a web development project, we could track it in On-Track. It also serves as a helpdesk ticket system too. This tool became essential to these projects, especially during testing, but also sometimes throughout the entire process. It’s important to note that, even though it’s typically used for software and/or web development – or IT support – it can easily be used for other industries as well. The bottom line is, any project anywhere that can possibly have issues, On-Track can be used to manage them more effectively!

Now RC On-Track Issue Management, still a vital tool for us internally, has matured into a powerful tool that can fit the needs of any company or organization to improve their quality assurance or support processes. We are very proud of the product that we’ve made and that it is now available for purchase. We are also looking forward to the future of On-Track as we are planning future releases to involve mobile application, widget add-ons, and maybe an SaaS (Software as a Service) model to complement the current install model.

The following is a run-down of new features included in this release:


  • Unlimited number of projects

  • Unlimited # of users

  • Multiple security roles

  • Customizable issue categories

  • File attachments

  • Notes and activity auditing

  • Multiple layers of notifications

  • Improved performance



Want more information? Just check out www.rcontrack.com. Oh and by the way, if you’re interested in purchasing RC On-Track, if you hurry, there still might be time to get in on the special introductory deal, 50% off the price for the first 50 customers! If money is an issue for you, then manage it by buying On-Track now!

*EDIT October 28, 2010. We have moved our blog to http://blog.roundedcube.com and you can now comment on this specific post at http://www.roundedcube.com//WhatsNew/Blog/what-a-release-our-powerful-issue-management-tool-is-now-available-for-commercial-purchase

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Can't Make It to Mix'09

I really like Mix because it combines both design and technology. That's essentially our business. I remember the days when companies tried to figure out who should manage their Web site. Actually some companies still struggles with this. It's amazing the way companies classified the Corporate (customer-facing) site as a Marketing department responsibility while the Intranet is by the IT department. Aren't both essentially a Web site?

Nowadays, it is clearer that Websites are a different type of corporate asset. We know corporate sites are more marketing heavy and Intranets are functional/integration heavy. Well, for most part. Now you see e-commerce and social community sites...now aren't those both? And those are the way of the future...the so-called Web 2.0 (actually Web 3.0 is around the corner...what could that be?). And to have a successful Web 2.0 site, you'll need both design and technology.

Here comes Mix. This year, Mix is in Las Vegas and I can't go (already on vacation). Their audience is both designers and developers. Now, that's a conference for the Web professionals (which are basically both of them...just different specialty). Then, you need to mix in the project managers and executives that help coordinate and direct them, respectively. At Roundedcube, we've understood this for a while now. We house all these roles so our clients (and hopefully you) can experience a "synergized" team that tends to make projects go smoother and more effective.

So why do I even mention Mix 09? It's because I think it's a great venue to see this synergy between the creatives and technologists. There's no more grey line. Both sides affect each other and you'll see this in Mix. Technologies such as Silverlight drives more powerful and imaginative user-experiences that designers need to know in order to apply them. While the technical folks need to keep up with the designers' creativity which pushes the technology. So, it's a win-win combination when Mix-ing is encouraged.

so, if you can get to Mix 09, go there (did I mention it's in the lavish world of The Venetian in Las Vegas). If you're looking for a team that culminated and established from this ideology, then come visit Roundedcube's Web site to find out more about us. Then, hopefully you'll contact us for potential projects.

*EDIT October 28, 2010. We have moved our blog to http://blog.roundedcube.com and you can now comment on this specific post at httpp://www.roundedcube.com//WhatsNew/Blog/cant-make-it-to-mix-09