I'm an iPhone, I'm a Blackberry!

If you are into Apple you may have easily come across the 'I'm a Mac, I'm a PC' ads. Well since Apple is moving into phones and mobiles, it has another rival...Blackberry!

Even tough I am more of the impression that Blackberry is a business device whilst iPhone is a fun smartphone, any brand wants a bigger share of the pie, even if technically it was never originally its own.

The below ad. is evidence of this and is doing very well virally speaking:

Work in progress

We're currently re-designing our web layout. Feel free to feedback. It's a totally transparent process!

The Valletta Waterfront’s new site goes live with ICON

VISET Malta plc’s Valletta Waterfront is loved by passengers, tourists and locals alike and offers state of the art sea passenger terminal facilities and is an ideal shopping, dining and entertainment location, in one of the most unique spots in the Mediterranean. The historical development, which dates back more than 250 years, is set overlooking the majestic Grand Harbour and the picturesque Three Cities.

What was once a derelict piece of land has been well and truly transformed into an area oozing appeal. With the help of web-development company, ICON, VISET Malta plc now has a website to reflect their forward-looking approach.

ICON is one of Malta’s leading web development companies known for their world-class sites that are both design-focused and feature-rich. This recently launched site is expansive and covers all facets of VISET’s varying focuses. It features an easy-to-use interface which walks visitors through the corporate section of the site offering detailed information about the company and the terminal facilities. It also boasts sections on the commercial parts of the Valletta Waterfront including a comprehensive list of restaurants, bars, clubs and offices. An exciting addition is the EarthCam which links directly to live images of the Grand Harbour 24 hours a day.

ICON company director Gege Gatt said: “VISET approached us with their creative ideas for their new site and we were happy to assist them every step of the way”.

Anna Maria Sciberras, Business Development Executive at the Valletta Waterfront commented, “Now launched, the site provides valuable information, to ensure that all visitors and people in the trade are updated and well-informed. Through the tailor-made tools provided by ICON, our personnel can easily update the information on the site as regularly as needed. Its technology benefits both the company and our esteemed clients.”

The site is now up and running at: www.vallettawaterfront.com.

Creative squares at 68th St. Lucy Str.

The original house which launched the Redprints exhibition some months ago will be soon hosting Square. The good news for all creatives is that Square will be hosting your 10 by 10 creative squares. Submission deadline is in a month's time.

Read it all online at:
http://redprintsblog.com/2009/02/12/square/

The art of 'collective'

I was recently reviewing the latest HBR Breakthrough Ideas for 2009 and stumbled upon a very interesting read about collective creativity at Pixar. If I may, the art of 'collective' is something we lack in creative circles locally. My perspective of a creative locally is either that of a cut-off artist or a creative business (wo)man who is too creative to share (her) his stuff. Obviously, exceptions do exist and this blog hopes to be a living proof of this!

Go to HBR article:
http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2008/09/how-pixar-fosters-collective-creativity/ar/1

EU 2.0

17 leading web firms have signed for the first time a European agreement to improve the safety of under 18's who use social networking sites. These include Arto, Bebo, Dailymotion, Facebook, Giovani.it, Google/YouTube, Hyves, Microsoft Europe, Myspace, Nasza-klaza.pl, Netlog, One.lt, Skyrock, StudiVZ, Sulake/Habbo Hotel, Yahoo!Europe, and Zap.lu.

Social networking sites are an emerging social and economic phenomenon, attracting 41.7 million regular users in Europe and changing the way we interact with each other on the Web. The use of social networks has grown over the past year by 35% in Europe and is expected to more than double to 107.4 million users by 2012.

To make sure that social networks continue to grow, young users need to feel safe when expanding their networks or sharing any personal information. The agreement signed in Luxembourg at the Safer Internet Day organised by the European Commission will empower teenagers to deal with potential risks they may face online, like cyberbullying or revealing personal information.

full article on gozonews.com:
http://gozonews.com/item/safer-internet-day-social-networking-sites-sign-eu-agreement/

A brand gone viral both offline and online

We've been saying all the way that online and offline are becoming one converged reality and so if a brand goes viral online, it would be happening like-wise offline. This article reinforces this stream of thought.

Obama mania hits the catwalks of Rome

An International Hit: ICON Launches inlingua’s New Web Portal

An international company with schools in over 300 spots worldwide needs to make a substantial splash in the cyber world too. And it was for that reason that inlingua’s local branch trusted ICON with the long-awaited revamp and re-launch of their web portal.

With users all over the world, ICON faced the challenge of creating an easy-to-use, technology savvy and information rich site that would prove successful wherever it was accessed. In fact, the site easily ties in with the company’s motto: ‘Learning English is fun and easy’, as it was designed around bright colours and an outwardly simple interface that has already been a hit with the school’s students, whatever their level of English.

As one of Malta’s leading web development companies, ICON is used to facing challenges and is keen to work to any specifications in order to develop a site which fits its users like a glove. Using their own, patented ICON.snap™ technology, the company has created a portal that can be updated constantly, ensuring it is ever-evolving throughout the seasons and semesters of the school calendar. The site also includes varied sections on accommodation, things to do while in Malta and what to expect while here.

ICON company director Gege Gatt said: “We set out to create a site that can be appreciated worldwide, which speaks volumes through its simplicity and which appeals to people whatever their current level of understanding in English. Should students prefer, they can also choose to view the information in their own language too as special care went into its multi-lingual translations.”

“The school would like to take their international marketing to the next level, and this site will help them to get there. Keeping cultural differences in mind we developed a web portal that is easy to surf and to understand. The site also sports full integration with many Web 2.0 tools such as FLICKR, Facebook, Skype, Blogspot and Twitter.”

The site is now LIVE and visitors are welcome to take a look at: http://www.inliguamalta.com/.

ICON gladly accepts invite to present FELTOM webportal

The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (FELTOM) has taken the lead in establishing quality assurance standards in the EFL industry on the island. Almost 70% of students choose FELTOM member schools when they visit Malta to improve their English Language skills. The member schools add up to a sum of 15 schools around Malta.

On the 20th of January FELTOM held its Annual General Meeting in which ICON was invited to launch the new FELTOM website and present strategies and ideas to assist FELTOM in maximising the potential of the Internet. In a presentation entitled ‘Making the web work for you’, Dr. Gege Gatt, Director for Strategy & Business Development at ICON, discussed the opportunity presented by new Social Network platforms and how these may be used to reach a growing spectrum of Internet users. Evidencing an unprecedented shift in media consumption from passive-viewing to personal-control by web-users, the Internet presents an audience of over a billion users worldwide who interact daily within communities.

A recent study by McCann shows that 57% of all Internet users worldwide are now members of some form of online Social Network. Such networks have evolved significantly in the past year as they morph into platforms that support a gamut of needs of their users. It is critical for EFL operators to embrace these new channels to reach an increasingly online and tech-savvy community of potential customers.

In presenting www.feltom.com Dr. Gatt overview three key technology modules which are deployed in the portal being: ICON.SNAP™ - an award winning web based content management system, allowing clients to keep their websites up to date; ICON.acces™ - an access-control system allowing access to restricted data to privileged users only and ICON.banner™ - a means of generating advertising revenue for the site-owner by ultising screen-real-estate for banner sales.

FELTOM site has already rapidly achieved traffic and statistical data reveals that both “time on site” as well as “bounce rate” data is already out-performing many other local sites.