It’s a fair question. Steve Jobs is legendary. Steve Jobs was the man. Steve jobs helped transform Apple into what it is today. <Pause> Lest you worry that this is another worship-Apple blog entry, let me assuage your fears or crush your hopes (depending on which side of the digital fence you are on). While [...]]]>

It’s a fair question. Steve Jobs is legendary. Steve Jobs was the man. Steve jobs helped transform Apple into what it is today.

<Pause> Lest you worry that this is another worship-Apple blog entry, let me assuage your fears or crush your hopes (depending on which side of the digital fence you are on). While I do think Steve Jobs did a lot to transform Apple into a superpower of sorts, I think giving him all the credit is unfair to the thousands of Apple employees who work hard each day to keep Apple ahead of the curve.

<Play> Apple will be just fine.

If Apple falls apart in the coming years it will not be because Steve Jobs is missing from the helm. Apple has loads of cash, a brilliant creative team, established history of success, good supply chains, and an extremely loyal fan base to name a few reasons they will be around. There are plenty of companies that succeeded when their iconic founder(s) passed away. There are also plenty of companies that went under when their iconic leaders passed away.

I’m willing to bet that Steve left a phenomenal succession plan in place to make sure Apple was ready to go without him. He will be missed.

If the Apple does fall from the tree of glory because its incredible leader is gone then I put forward it wasn’t a very good company to begin with. For if a company hinges upon a single man (or woman) then that company is destined to fail.

What do 2 small children, 5 women, 5 men, 20+ trash bags, and a massive pile of debris have in common? You guessed it – HOG, err, Hands on Greenville that is. On April 30th some of the Worthwhile gang got together to form one of the 135 volunteer work teams that helped to clean [...]]]>

What do 2 small children, 5 women, 5 men, 20+ trash bags, and a massive pile of debris have in common? You guessed it – HOG, err, Hands on Greenville that is.

On April 30th some of the Worthwhile gang got together to form one of the 135 volunteer work teams that helped to clean up Greenville. We were 11 of the 6,817 volunteers that spread out all over Greenville. Our task — clean the yard of a Meals on Wheels customer.

Thanks to our fearless leader (Will), we met in a Bi-lo parking lot at 7:55am on a Saturday morning to get our mission briefing and then caravan to our volunteer site. Once we arrived we got busy raking leaves, mowing the yard, cleaning awnings, picking up sticks and debris, and making sure we turned the yard into “yard of the year.”

Here are just a few of the many lessons learned from that day:

1. Louisa will be late, but Chris Cloud will always be later.
2. Beth is superb with kids and adults alike – maybe there isn’t much of a difference between the two?
3. If I ever need my yard raked I will call upon Leslie and Nate…wow. Just because you code all day doesn’t mean you aren’t deft with a rake.

On a more serious note it was an awesome opportunity to work together as a team to help out a family in need. We worked hard, but we had a great time doing it!

Maybe you have some great volunteer stories or ways that Worthwhile can help out in the community? Let us know!

Our supervisors for the day.…

Special thanks to Amy Haynes for helping and taking the picture!

To see more pictures check out our Flickr feed here.

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Here at The Worthwhile Company we provide a variety of Internships to further the education and well-being of the next generation. From communications to software to design, Worthwhile offers a plethora of opportunities for interns to “get their feet wet” in the digital world. So to all our past interns, we salute you. Thank you [...]]]>

Here at The Worthwhile Company we provide a variety of Internships to further the education and well-being of the next generation. From communications to software to design, Worthwhile offers a plethora of opportunities for interns to “get their feet wet” in the digital world.

So to all our past interns, we salute you. Thank you for contributing to the marketplace of ideas and furthering the work here at Worthwhile. We hope you enjoyed your time and learned a lot.

And to our two most recent interns we say a hearty “thank you” and “a job well done.” Congrats Adam Vazquez (Communications Intern) and Daniel Elliott (Network Intern) on completing your internships!

Daniel Elliot receives his new iPad!

Adam Vazquez receives his new iPad!

There are a lot of applications out on the market right now no matter if you use an iPhone or an Android-based phone. Some are very helpful and some are just downright fun. As a new owner of a smartphone I have been combing the app market in search of tools that will help me [...]]]>

There are a lot of applications out on the market right now no matter if you use an iPhone or an Android-based phone. Some are very helpful and some are just downright fun. As a new owner of a smartphone I have been combing the app market in search of tools that will help me be more productive and occasionally just help pass the time while I wait in line somewhere.

Enter Google Voice. *Insert angelic choir singing “hallelujah!”

I love this app (the web based version is also very handy, but more on that later). For those of you who don’t know what Google Voice is you can read more about it here.

The app combined with the web-based version allows me to do a variety of things:

1. Have a phone number that I select (from Google’s list) that I can hand out to people without giving out my real phone number. That number in turn can be set to forward to my cell phone, my work phone, my home phone, or all of the above. This comes in handy as a teacher — I give all my students my Google Voice phone number.
2. Send text messages and make phone calls via Google Voice. I mainly use the texting feature because it allows me to store all of my texts on my phone and online. I can log into any computer in the world and pick right back up on my texting without ever even using my phone. This keeps my Google Voice texts separate from my Verizon texts (although I can combine them if I choose). The app even allows me to make calls through Google Voice instead of using my cell minutes.
3. Customize: I can block individual phone numbers. I can set personal greetings for each person who calls. I can tell my Google Voice number not to ring after a certain time (ie. so my students won’t be texting me after midnight). There are a ton of other cool features that I don’t have time to list.
4. Visual Voicemail: I can set it up to even work with my voicemail system that is on my phone through Verizon. When I get a voicemail Google Voice sends me a text and/or an email of the message left. It actually does a decent job transcribing assuming you speak clearly

All in all the app for my phone is great. It allows me to keep in touch with people but limit interactions to when I want them,  and to be more personal in my greetings. It also allows great flexibility in that I can use it on my phone or on a laptop or anywhere there is internet.

How about you? Any great apps you have run across that help you manage your phone calls and text messages? Maybe you’ve tried Google Voice and love or hate it. Let me know.

Blog writing is something new to me. I’m much more accustomed to writing research papers that require days of library study and countless spell checks and revisions (truth be told I probably wrote most of my papers the night before and hoped my teacher skimmed it when grading). So when I was asked to write [...]]]>

Blog writing is something new to me. I’m much more accustomed to writing research papers that require days of library study and countless spell checks and revisions (truth be told I probably wrote most of my papers the night before and hoped my teacher skimmed it when grading). So when I was asked to write for the blog I thought this would be a piece of cake. Just throw some random thoughts down on paper and type them into the computer = 30 minutes later a blog post. Simple. Done. WRONG.

Blog writing is much more difficult than I anticipated, but it is still doable. After an inspiring meeting with our Content Strategist at Worthwhile and some mishaps of my own, I have come up with a few lessons learned. Some of the more experienced bloggers may say DUH when you see these, but hopefully they are timeless principles that can help or remind any writer for the web.

1. Identify an audience — don’t just write to the stars. If you have a specific audience in mind it will help your post be more refined and encourage more discussion among those reading it — especially if they felt like the message was directed at them.
2. Take breaks — come back to your work. Don’t try to cram that post in 1 hour before it is due (preaching to myself here). Get your thoughts out and then change gears with your mind. Do something different and come back to your post. This will help you with a fresh perspective. How many of us have written a paper and gotten it back and said, “Oh yea, I would have done that differently looking back!” By coming back to your post after a somewhat lengthy period of time you get that chance to “look back” on your work and make it even better. Once again this assumes you started early and have the chance to go back.
3. Have someone else check your work. Get someone you can count on to run ideas through, check facts, or even just give simple feedback. If you don’t get someone friendly to check the post your readers will be sure to let you know you’re wrong (and not always in a nice way).
4. Engage your audience — make sure your post is something they’ll want to discuss and something they can discuss. Don’t just let their comments fill the string below your post. Respond to them and keep the post “alive.” Your readers can provide more valuable information than the post itself! This also gives you a chance to make corrections and add things to your post based off reader feedback.

So thanks to the many readers who provide great feedback on the Worthwhile blog. I welcome any tips you have for an amateur blogger and even good topic suggestions for our blog. Maybe you have a lesson learned you can share. Your input is valuable.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you can get people riled up just with the mention of a few words. Take for example the word “Apple.” Let’s suppose I walk into a certain area (or areas) of the office here at Worthwhile and say “Apple.” Instantly I would have certain members of our [...]]]>

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you can get people riled up just with the mention of a few words. Take for example the word “Apple.” Let’s suppose I walk into a certain area (or areas) of the office here at Worthwhile and say “Apple.” Instantly I would have certain members of our team drooling with hunger and delight that would only make Pavlov proud. (Note: I am in no way comparing these people to Pavlovian dogs.) Maybe if I changed up the word to “Microsoft” I would hear giggles of glee coming from the developer side of the camp.

Apple – what is one thing you notice about Apple’s branding? Clean and crisp white space. Another thing you may notice is their use of younger and possibly “more hip” models for their billboards and commercials. Oftentimes it is a black outline of a younger person dancing with their iPod in hand. Even consider their TV ads featuring the younger and cooler kid with the older and nerdy looking PC guy. When I see Apple I think “cool.”

Microsoft – what is the one thing you notice about Microsoft’s branding? The one thing I have noticed is their use of the common person. Many Microsoft ads feature kids almost trying to humanize the corporation. A lot of their other ads feature people of all walks and all occupations in an attempt to be the computer for the common man or woman. When I see Microsoft I think “vulgar.” (Note: Vulgar meaning of the ordinary people not crude or coarse.)

What does all this mean for branding? For some of you reading this post you would NEVER put the word “cool” next to Apple. You would put maybe arrogant, annoying, wanna-be products, or something spiteful. Others of you would never put the word “vulgar” next to Microsoft unless you meant it to be nasty. So has Apple failed in their branding? Should Microsoft invest more money in fixing security holes and less in advertising with kids? No.

Just because all people haven’t bought into the brand you are pushing doesn’t mean you have failed. I would put forth it means you have succeeded. Think about it – why do Microsoft fans hate the Apple brand so much? Because they know in reality Apple’s message is dead on – they are cool. Why do Apple fans hate the Microsoft brand so much? Because they know Microsoft really is for the vast majority of people.

So as you brand your company and those haters start hating remember — truth often hurts the most.

Strong websites are a lot like a good truck. Bear with me because this isn’t going to turn into a bad country music song. Websites are put together and maintained in similar fashion to vehicles. 1. Websites are not a one person operation. It takes people and resources to put together a quality product that [...]]]>

Strong websites are a lot like a good truck. Bear with me because this isn’t going to turn into a bad country music song.

Websites are put together and maintained in similar fashion to vehicles.

1. Websites are not a one person operation. It takes people and resources to put together a quality product that will last. There are people that can build their own truck from a kit, but for the vast majority of people will have to go to the dealership to get the kind of truck they want. Websites are similar. It may seem easy to put together a quality site, but 9/10 times you’re better off going to the experts. Good thing Web Strategists don’t have the reputation of car salesmen!

2. Websites are systems oriented – there are multiple parts working together. What good is a great looking truck without the engine? What good is the engine without the fuel line or the ignition switch? Just like trucks rely on multiple parts and systems to work well, so do websites. What good is a website that looks good but does nothing? What good is a website that does everything but looks terrible? You need a balance of quality design, well-developed code, easy functionality, and great content. Don’t let your website be just another “car on the blocks” in a front yard.

3. Websites are customizable. Flowmasters? Hydraulics? Mega subwoofer? Long bed? Crew cab? Trucks come in all shapes and sizes and for good reason. One size doesn’t fit all. Trucks have multiple uses — plus wouldn’t life be boring if everyone drove a blue Toyota Tacoma? A good website is one that is customizable and customized to fit your needs. Template sites work (ie standard car), but you want to have a site that is unique to you. What if every website out there looked like CNN? Boring!

4. Websites require maintenance and upgrades. This is the part of the vehicle that everyone hates. Trucks require tune-ups, oil changes, gas to run, and sometimes new parts. Yes, eventually you’ll even have to just get a brand new vehicle. Websites are the same way. You want to make sure your site is hosted with a reliable provider that will make sure your site always has good bandwidth and stays running (ie gas for a truck). You also want to make sure you make changes and upgrades to your site. The same look you had in 1999 won’t cut it for 2010. Parts of your site grow old as newer technology emerges. By making small investments in your site along the way you’ll make your initial investment last longer.

5. Websites are tools to help you get the job done. Trucks help you get around town. They help you haul things. They can even tow! Good trucks make your life easier in a variety of ways. Websites should do the same thing. Make your site work for you not the other way around. Do your research and invest in a site wisely just like you would when buying a vehicle. Remember why you’re getting a website in the first place. You want it to serve a purpose whether that be sell a product, promote your business, provide a service, or all of the above. The possibilities are endless.

Ian Wagner, Software Developer at The Worthwhile Company, competed in the 6th Annual Mercer University Spring Programming Competition on February 27, 2010. Ian’s team took second place out of the 27 teams in the programming competition. Georgia Tech, Mercer, and Wofford were among the schools in attendance. Teams had 5 hours to build computer software [...]]]>

Ian Wagner, Software Developer at The Worthwhile Company, competed in the 6th Annual Mercer University Spring Programming Competition on February 27, 2010.

Ian’s team took second place out of the 27 teams in the programming competition. Georgia Tech, Mercer, and Wofford were among the schools in attendance.

Teams had 5 hours to build computer software in order to solve 11 complex problems.

Congratulations to Ian and his Bob Jones University team!

I had a rough childhood. I grew up in an era where you listened to cassette tapes in the car and waited 5 minutes for them to change sides (if you were lucky enough to have an automatic flipper). I also lived through the days of VHS rentals: “Please be sure and rewind.” Probably the [...]]]>

I had a rough childhood. I grew up in an era where you listened to cassette tapes in the car and waited 5 minutes for them to change sides (if you were lucky enough to have an automatic flipper). I also lived through the days of VHS rentals: “Please be sure and rewind.” Probably the most trying years were back when we had CRT monitors, TV’s the size of a recliner, and no HD Discovery channel!

I’ve come a long way. Now instead of a clunky Walkman I can pick me up a nifty iPod touch. Instead of a clunky bag phone I can sport my new Droid! Better yet I can surf the web via Google Chrome instead of IE6. Life is good.

But what about my future? It can’t be too bad if in my lifetime we have traded the Dewey Decimal System for Google! The Internet has probably been one of if not the most revolutionary inventions of my lifetime (no thanks to Al Gore). Even in my lifetime the Internet has progressed greatly. It seems to me the Internet is taking two routes. You have the Apple approach and the Google approach.

Apple Approach: use Apps to run on their Mac products. You simply download the free (or cheap) App to your device and you can interface with Facebook, Twitter, or compete against others in classic games like Paper Toss. You basically run software (App) on your device that interfaces with the internet so you don’t need a standard browser to use the Internet. You live in a world of Apps.

Google Approach: use their Chrome OS to run your whole computer. In other words do everything from the internet (cloud computing). When you turn on your computer it would basically load your web browser (Google Chrome of course) and you could do everything online. Your software turns into the Internet. You live in a web browser (although Apps are not mutually exclusive to the Google approach).

Which one is better? Which one will chart the course of human history? Who will have kids looking back and saying, “Remember when we had to use .…” Who knows — maybe a completely new way of using the Internet will come to use?

Until then I’m going to make me some instant Mac ‘n’ Cheese — bet you didn’t see that invention coming, did ya mom?