NextMedia360

Plugin Fun

2010-01-08T17:57:00Z

Screen Grab is a plug-in for Firefox (FREE!) that allows you to take a full page screen shot of a web page. It also has the options of visible portion, selection, or window.

Once you install it, you simply right click to get the menu...then you can save or copy. It's very easy to use.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1146

Another nice (FREE) plug-in is Colorzilla. Once installed you can very easily get the exact color code of anything on your screen. Very nice for graphic design.

http://www.colorzilla.com/firefox/

Intertech FAQ's

2009-12-29T16:46:00Z

I've been getting mostly positive feedback from those of you using the new Vortal 3. If you haven't yet been trained on Vortal 3, please let me know, and we'll get something set up for you.

For anyone needing box group management training, I'd be glad to set that up as well.

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding page layouts in Vortal 3. To find more helpful hints and video tutorials, visit Knowledge Base on the right hand side of Vortal 3.

Q.) When should I use Box Groups?

A.) Box Groups should be treated and considered like "mini" templates. Box Groups should only be used when content has to be repeated on many pages of your site. This would generally be the footer (where you contain your legal and EEO verbiage) and your header (which would contain your header images, banners, navigation, etc). Updates to Box Groups push out to all instances on your website instantly (Example: If you were to change your website's logo and it was in a box group on every page of your website, making the change to the specific box group would reflect on every page of your website.

Q.) What does a red bordered box on my customized page/template mean?

A.) A red bordered box means that Vortal 3 is expecting a default value in the box properties and nothing has yet been entered. Sometimes a box may be added to a page and then the web person may logout of Vortal 3 before assigning a default value to the box. This is easily fixed by clicking the box properties link of a red bordered box. When the lightwindow opens, you should see a blank field that requires a value to be entered. Fill in the necessary field and save the box.

Please Note- If a template has a red-bordered box on it, it will not be available to render pages off until all of the red boxes have been "cleared".

Q.) I made some updates to a template in Vortal 3 and requested a cache clear, but my pages are still not updated.

A.) Each box on the template has an option to choose if the box is customizable at the page level or not. ("Can Station Modify Above Information?" on the Styles tab and "Can Station Customize?" on the Box Properties tab). If any fields are selected as "No", changes or updates made to those fields on the Template level will push out the page level upon cache refresh. But when fields are selected as "YES" then updates need to be made on each page.

Plan when building/configuring the templates so you know which options needs to be set as customizable. Changing these options after the page has been rendered will not take affect until the page is reset from the template.

Q.) How do I create and set a Splash page in Vortal 3? Do I need to re-create my Homepage again when I take my Splash Page down?

A.) Setting up and removing a Splash Page in Vortal 3 is really simple.

Create a new Specialty Page using a template of your choice.
Once the design and structure is finalized, click Edit on the page and change the Topic Type from "General" to "HomePage".This will make the new page your Splash Page.
When the splash page needs to be taken down, there is no need to delete the page, just search for your previous Homepage in Vortal 3, click Edit and switch the Topic Type to "HomePage". Your previous homepage will now be live once again

Warning: Deleting the Splash page and not switching the Homepage topic type may cause Vortal to pick a random page as the Homepage.

Q.) I created a Template in Vortal 3 and I don't need it anymore, can I delete it?

A.) Yes you can! A new feature to Vortal3 is the ability for you to delete un-wanted or un-needed templates. As a safeguard against accidentally deleting templates, templates cannot be deleted if they have existing pages rendered from them. You will need to reset those pages from a new template or delete them before deleting the template they were rendered from.

Q.) Why do I get an error message when I click on the Detailed Forecast link or the Related Content Tags on my site?

A.) These links require Pages that must be set to the appropriate Topic Type to function properly. The Detailed Forecast displays on page that must be set to Topic Type "Weather." The Related Content tags link to a page that must be set to Topic Type "Related Content." Use Advanced Search to find the the corresponding page on your site, click Edit, and set the Topic Type to the appropriate selection.

Ando Alerts

2009-12-29T15:47:00Z

Not getting missing copy reports or technical emails? Or...do you get technical emails when you shouldn't? Then it's time to sign in to http://andomedia.com.

Once you've signed in, look on the left-side panel. You'll notice "Change Password, Email Options etc" below your name. Click on this link, you can change your email preferences, as well as your password.

Nice Free Images

2009-12-10T15:49:00Z

Check out these links for some nice background and cut-out images that you can use for free!

http://www.dragonartz.net/

http://officialpsds.com/

Ando Updates

2009-12-03T13:54:00Z

The Ando team has been working hard on improvements to the system. Here's a copy of the eblast they just sent out, with all of the improvements listed.

We updated the calendar control in Webcast Metrics reports so that selecting dates is simpler. We have corrected Issues printing affidavits in firefox. We've spent a little time making things look nice and clean...you'll note some changes in the advanced menu, but definitely more to come there.

You asked us to be a little smarter when pulling an affidavit by campaign by auto populating the start and end dates with the campaign flight dates...done. You also asked us to make things a bit clearer in a couple areas...so you'll now see that when you are in the account settings screen opting into email alerts, we've clearly indicated that one of the traffic reports is a missing copy report. On that same front, we made it a little more clear when you are selecting the type of ad to go into a campaign, the option that should be chosen for podfusing.

We also made a change after a file has been uploaded, it now refreshes the duration of the element at time of upload. Its just refreshing to see a duration to ensure the success of the file upload, I know.

For those of you who have super admin access into the console, the user manager page now has a couple of options on searching for users, including by user type.

If you've been in the Ando labs recently, you might notice that we've made the charts a little cleaner. If you've been with us for a while, some of the information may have overcrowded the charts...so the interval may be different than before. But don't worry...we didn't take any information away...just made it a little easier for you to read.

Some of you already know that we are currently in the process of reworking the inventory availability reports, but for those of you currently seeing 0s in the gateway inventory availability report will be happy to know that we are now returning non zero values. Expect to hear changes from me on that front next time.

And as if that weren't a great list already, I saved the biggest change of all for last. We've modified how synced banners are working. There are several ways in which this affects you. First, you now have the option to remove a banner if needed. Secondly, the banners that you have synced to the ad are being tracked separately and are currently showing a total number of impressions for all banners combined for the ad, phase 2 of this will be reporting those banner numbers separately on screen and within affidavits. Exciting, right? So how about some icing for your cake? Want to upload a flash preroll file and have us calculate clicks on that for you? How about we go one better and track impressions and clicks for the banner you attached to that preroll too. No kidding!

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.

Modifying Your Player

2009-11-18T16:25:00Z

Modifying your player is quick and easy.

Just watch this short video that walks you through how to customize your streaming player: http://imgsrv.wccq.com/image/wccq2/UserFiles/Flash/PlayWebAdmin.swf

Statistics Tutorial

2009-11-18T15:55:00Z

See this short video for a brief overview of how to get statistics within Ando: http://imgsrv.wccq.com/image/wccq2/UserFiles/Flash/Stats_Final.swf

Note, for Sound Exchange reports...as well as station's monthly statistics...you will need to combine the numbers from Abacast's secure site, as well as Ando for the month that your station launched with Ando/Stream The World. For months following your launch, you will rely on numbers from Ando only.

*The tutorial mentions SESAC reports, however, we are no longer required to complete those.

Christmas 1/2 Price, Auction

2009-11-17T14:33:00Z

Here's a repost from last year...it's an old idea...but many markets across the country find great success with themes every year. Remember...this applies to your auction sites as well.

Consider themes and specials for your 50% off gift certificate program (Valentines, 4th of July, Christmas, etc).

For http://nmmb.nextmediadeals.com we changed our look and our header for the month of December to "Christmas Spectacular". We promoted the special on-air, as well as online. Not only did it look great, but our sales for the month of December are the best to-date from all year...doubling November's revenue.

Along with creating the theme, we also introduced a deal a day for one-week...offering on-demand certificates so that our customers didn't have to wait for the certificates to be mailed. On-demand certificates are now offered by Neofill to all radio stations, as well as standard mailable certificates.

Questions, please email me or leave a comment!

Send Large Files for Free!

2009-11-17T14:28:00Z

Do you get tired of your large files being stripped?

Sick of zip's getting dumped?

Try http://yousendit.com where you can send files that are up to 100mb in size for free. Free? Yup, free!

Just sign up for a Lite account, and you'll receive notification once your file has been sent.

It's easy to use, and sign up only takes a second. Plus, you can download the You Send It express tool, to send right from your desktop...making it even easier.

Why Do I Have Spots In Flight With No Plays

2009-11-16T16:21:00Z

Weekdays Ando sends out a report listing spots that don't have a media attached, spots that are in flight but haven't played yet, and campaigns with no active spots. (If you don't receive this report, you may opt-in via your Ando account)

One of the items on the report seems to be the most confusing...those spots in flight with no plays. So...I've got some helpful tips for you to best determine what the issue is.

1st: Check to see if the spot has a duration listed, dayparts, a station assigned to it, and a spot uploaded

2nd: If it has all of that, make sure the spot and the campaign are activated

If all of the things above are set and look correct, then you should check the station in Injector Manager. If the station is showing a bunch of 0's in the Last Played 24 column - the station might not be receiving data from the automation system.

To check is, choose the Linear Log Audit from the main Menu on the left side of the screen. If nothing has played today, then the automation system is not sending data and you will need the local engineer to check the data feed between the automation system and the streaming pc.

Ando Tips

2009-10-09T20:11:00Z

Below are some of Ando's frequently asked questions and answers. Remember, we have 2 providers involved in our stream. Ando is our ad insertion software, and Stream the World is our streaming provider. Both companies work hand-in-hand.

If you have an Ando support issue, the support email is: support@andomedia.com

If you have a Stream The World support issue, the support email is: supportteam@streamtheworld.com

Title: Synced Banner Measurement Limitations
Link: http://andomedia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/33

Title: How to schedule TargetSpot ads
Link: http://andomedia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/29

Title: My station went to break and I heard silence, what is wrong?
Link: http://andomedia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9

Title: My banners stay displayed after the spot plays, can this be fixed?
Link: http://andomedia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/34

Title: How does the template work?
Link: http://andomedia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27

Streaming Launch Info

2009-09-22T14:18:00Z

Support materials for our streaming launch have been uploaded to the Virtual Office.

Visit the Virtual Office for:
*Specs for Ando
*Ad insertion training materials
*Specs for AirKast graphics

Also, see these training videos on our ad insertion software:

http://www.screencast.com/users/ljones3566/folders/Jing/media/fc312327-7e18-410b-9a61-1e3cceac4a4e

http://www.screencast.com/users/ljones3566/folders/Jing/media/0c44e92e-f8df-462c-a7d8-9c859f510e3e

See: https://www.officeroam.com//signup/index.asp?ID=59096 if you haven't yet registered for the Virtual Office.

ECO Ideas

2009-09-18T14:38:00Z

PD Fig from WGER recently shared some of the great things he's doing with both his loyalty club and on-air promotions...and agreed to let me share with you!

If you haven't yet signed up for our Virtual Office, sign up today to see one-sheets and additional details on some of his great ideas.

Promotions/Events

*$10,000 Chocolate Shoes & Jewelry Party – 5 week book promotion (see Virtual Office for details)

*All About Women Expo “5:30 Friday’s” – 8 week happy hour remote event (see Virtual Office for details)

*Dora The Explorer w/ Diego Milk & Cookies Party – remote register & win (see Virtual Office for details)

MIX VIP raffles

*My Office loves Rob Thomas – MIX VIP (see Virtual Office for details)

*O’Connor’s Carpet One $1,063 flooring giveaway (see Virtual Office for details)

MIX VIP General

*7 Days a week we execute the MIX VIP artist of the day

*Weeknights at 9 MIX VIP Top 3 @ 9 – Correctly guess the top 3 songs on the MIX VIP trivia page and score 106 points and raffle to win 106 cd’s “MIX CD tower”

*Every remote we giveaway points AND raffle entry to at least one raffle item

*Every jock has personal bonus codes worth 106 points – to give peeps when out in about at non-station events

*I send E-blasts out every Wednesday afternoon (Thursday is diary day). I place in at least one MIX VIP code good for a small amount of points (10-50) and one entry into a raffle. Many times I use the “giant raffle” items to receive a local winner. Last week I created a “Back To School” bonus code: raffle for Amazon $50 gift card, Epson printer and Miley Cyrus tickets.

*95% of my CD product goes to the MIX VIP shopping page and I charge a boat load of points – people buy them and it looks like you have a TON of shizzle on your page.

*We get autographed posters at every backstage and raffle on web site, believe it or not people dig it. I also try to take at least one CD to backstage events and get artists/bands to sign then giveaway on raffle.

*I place up at least 12 survey’s/polls per month that benefit the programming/promotions staff. I noticed my competitor had a haunted house guide on the their site last week. My sales staff said “we don’t know a lot of these places, plus MIX listeners don’t care and the haunted houses don’t advertise”. I placed a survey on the MIX VIP survey page asking “do you attend haunted houses” and a open ended question: “name your favorite area haunted houses”. I had 65 answers and at least 30 usable sales leads for my sales team within 24 hours.

*We try to message daily on the MIX VIP home page, announcing ALL raffle winners.

*Once a week we place a Facebook code on our fan page. I try to do “Facebook Friday”. I always attached a raffle entry to the code.

*Also in the Virtual Office: MIX VIP stream promos showcasing artists and we have the artist give out an exclusive stream code

Tune Kast / Air Kast

2009-09-11T14:27:00Z

1.     Size Matters

Due to the fact that data bandwidths on mobile devices are still a fraction of the speeds we are accustomed to on desktop cable or DSL connections, it is important that all graphics are minimized to their smallest possible size. Most mobile devices only display the type of data connection the device is connected to and not the speed. For example, a 3G connection does not guarantee full 3G download speed and can range from 1kbps to max.

-        For PNG graphics please use this free tool optimization tool. This program does a great job at reducing PNG graphics to 30 – 50% of the original size without losing detail.

Download from: psydk.org/PngOptimizer

-        For JPEG graphics please use this free tool optimization tool. This program does a great job at reducing JPEG graphics by removing all the metadata without losing detail.

Download from: www.steelbytes.com/?mid=30

-        Please also provide the Photoshop PSD or Illustrator AI files for all submitted graphics. This allows us to make minor edits or enhancements without the need for you to resubmit the graphics.

2.      Please separate iPhone and BlackBerry graphics into separate zip files

3.      Please use the assigned station # for each saved file where designated, i.e. st_xx_hs_icon.png   should be saved as   st_378_hs_icon.png    for station # 378

4.      Please follow the file naming conventions, and graphics recommending white frames in the graphics specifications (attached for iPhone v2.3 and BlackBerry v2.3)

5.      Be aware of the default options for background graphics for both iPhone and BlackBerry

6.      For BlackBerry App World, please create a 480x480 PNG file with same graphic as st_xx_hs_icon_sel.png, ensuring the brightness or contrast is appropriate for the App World graphic

Don't Just Clip Coupons, Text!

2009-09-10T20:11:00Z

According to a recent study Text messaging and email are quickly emerging as ways to obtain coupons in the US, with 8.6 million (8%) of the country's households currently using one or both of these methods to receive money-saving offers, according to (pdf) an analysis from Scarborough Research that explores and ranks the ways households obtain coupons.

The top local market for text message and/or email coupon users is Providence, RI, in which 12% of households typically obtain coupons via text message or email. More than one in 10 (11%) of households in the cities of Washington DC, Atlanta, San Diego, Austin and Chicago also get coupons via this medium.

Learn about a totally unique and new texting program, the “menu text”.

http://nm360.cellit.us/hosted/index.php?pn=product_detail&fn=c_product->view&product_id=51222

ECO: Surveys and What They Mean To You

2009-09-10T20:11:00Z

With our new loyalty club (Eco) we can do listener surveys. This session highlights 3 or 4 trends we have noticed in our research. These slides will open your eyes to how our listeners view and use our product. It also shows you how to access these valuable slides and build them right into your presentation.

http://nm360.cellit.us/hosted/index.php?pn=product_detail&fn=c_product-%3Eview&product_id=51225

ECO: Giveaway Basics

2009-09-10T20:09:00Z

Here is a brief description of basic giveaways and raffles for the ECO club. See the different styles and why your clients will love them.

http://nm360.cellit.us/hosted/index.php?pn=product_detail&fn=c_product-%3Eview&product_id=51224

Virtual Office

2009-09-10T13:19:00Z

Register below for access to our Virtual Office space. Virtual office sign-in is located at office.officezilla.com. Please note, your registration must be approved before access is granted.

Please email April once you've registered.

NextMedia 360

User Name:
Password:



Lost Password?

Photo's

2009-09-01T19:36:00Z

Photoshop not in the budget? Struggling to make solid graphics online? Here are a few free options for you.

This site offers several options for you http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2008/10/02/how-to-open-psd-extension-files-without-installing-adobe-photoshop/

Kim Komando suggests this site, that looks very similar to Photoshop: http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

Tech Term No-No's

2009-09-01T19:27:00Z

12 Words You Can Never Say In The Office (Business Week)

by Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

If you're old enough to understand the reference in this headline -- George Carlin, anyone? -- then you're old enough to need a refresher course when it comes to talking about technology.

We've put together a list of outdated tech terms, phrases that you shouldn't be using at work anymore because they will make you seem old. This is especially true if you're looking for a new job. For example, on an interview, you should be talking about "cloud computing," not "ASPs" even though they are basically the same thing.

This list is useful for 20-somethings, too. Now when the senior person in the office uses one of these terms, you'll know what he's talking about.

1. Intranet

Popular in the mid-90s, the term "intranet" referred to a private network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP. So you can just use the term virtual private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.

2. Extranet

An "extranet" referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP and HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.

3. Web Surfing

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don't know what it means. To teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the same thing. So it's better to use the term "browsing" the Web if you want to be understood.

4. Push Technology

The debate over the merits of "push" versus "pull" technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast and other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)

During this decade, the term "Application Service Provider" evolved into "Software-as-a-Service." Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by "SaaS." Now it's cool to talk about "cloud computing."

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term "personal digital assistant" referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a "smartphone".

7. Internet Telephony

You need to purge the term "Internet telephony" from your vocabulary and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It's probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.

8. Weblog

A blog is a shortened version of "Weblog," a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as "blogger" and "blogosphere." Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are "microblogging," which is another word that's heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

9. Thin Client

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term "thin client" to refer to Oracle's alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to "virtual desktops" that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

10. Rboc

In 1984, the U.S. government forced AT&T to split up into seven Regional Bell Operating Companies [RBOCs] also known as Baby Bells. Customers bought local service from RBOCs and long-distance service from carriers such as AT&T. Telecom industry mergers over the last 15 years have formed integrated local- and long-distance carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Qwest. This makes not only the term RBOC obsolete, but also the terms ILEC for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., GTE] and CLEC for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., MFS].

11. Long-Distance Call

Thanks to flat-rate calling plans available from carriers for at least five years, nobody needs to distinguish between local and long-distance calls anymore. Similarly, you don't need to distinguish between terrestrial and wireless calls because so many people use only wireless services. Like pay phones, long-distance calls -- and their premium prices -- are relics of a past without national and unlimited calling plans.

12. World Wide Web

Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web" anymore, or the "Information Superhighway," for that matter. It's just the Internet. It's a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the "Worldwide Interweb." Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as "infobahn" or "electronic highway."