Calm Mediacentre

Service Network member Calm Asylum has been making changes to their organisation to ensure that they survive the current economic storm. Calm is not a word you usually see in the same sentence as the credit crunch but here at Service Network we know that staying calm and thinking differently might just be the best way forward.  Here’s ten things you didn’t know about them.

1. Calm Asylum is a creative agency with a digital backbone. Calm offers digital innovation, customer experience, design, marketing, strategy and customer insight.

2. Originally formed in December 1999 by Simon Brown, MD, the company rebranded to Calm Asylum in December 2003.

3. Calm Asylum is an adaptable company which should stand them in good stead in the current climate. Simon has recently made several changes to roles and work practices within the company to make it more effective and has developed online digital tools to help set it apart from competitors.

4. Calm has 11 employees and has recently welcomed Bianca Robinson, Creative Manager; Andrew McCarron, Digital Project Manager and Steph Every, Reception and Admin to strengthen the team.

5. Calm believes that Service Network is a great way to get closer to companies that have previously been competitors and explore working collaboratively for mutual business benefits. This is crucial if businesses like ours are to stand a chance in the global economy.

6. Calm knows the importance of relationship working closer clients and has a fantastic client list including Northgate Plc, Darlington College, Middlesbrough College, Business and Enterprise North East (Business Link), Newcastle University and Wolf Systems.

7. Calm Asylum was runner up in the NE Business Awards, Business and the Community category. This recognised its offer to charities that need effective brands and communications without an unrealistic investment.

8. MD, Simon Brown is on the board for charity The Main Project which supports families of and children with Autism. The company also works with Teesside Hospice.

9. To beat the housing slump, Simon and his wife Vicki are raffling their 6 bedroom, £650,000 home in Ingleby Barwick – tickets are £25 each see www.winfellowshall.com

10.  The name Calm Asylum is sometimes mistakenly called an oxymoron. In reality it refers to a safe haven and a space to think differently.

Anyone that knows a (good) website designer or website developer will have observed that we are a picky lot. Accessibility, usability and good old ‘doing things the right way’ are top priorities in our lives (yes thats BEFORE love and money).  This can be a difficult sometimes when you spend ages making sure your code meets W3C and WAI standards but knowing that there’s people out there that don’t care.

When I’m sat in Digital corner and I feel a little sad I like to read “19 Things NOT To Do When Building a Website” This article really makes me laugh because I agree with everything he says (although possibly not with so much anger) and everything on this list is very, very right.

Its well worth considering some of these points if you are getting a website or redeveloping one – so many times something that seems like a good idea and is attractive to you, can be very fustrating for your users and without users your website is a very expensive way to entertain yourself.

I was at a digital conference recently when a conversation broke out between a presenter and a member of the audience about accessing content from the websites they are interested in keeping up to date with.

The guy in question mentioned that he hadn’t physically visited some websites in over 18 months as he accesses the content he wants when he wants it through his RSS reader. It made me ask myself the question “is there a fundamental shift in the way people are accessing web content”…I guess I already know the answer to this just by looking at my own reading habits. It did however reinforce to me just how important really content is.

In my experience, from talking about websites in both a personal and a business context, many of the conversations (certainly with clients) are weighted towards the ‘look and feel’ – colours, navigation, and image style etc…basically the form, not the function. If the answer to my question is what I think it is, such a focus on form is becoming a dangerous game to play. Of course a website must be presented in a way that is relevant for its audience but looking good just isn’t enough anymore.

Don’t get me wrong I love using the web, experiencing all the good, bad and sometimes very indifferent ways some site authors present their information and allow users to interact with their websites. However, due to an increasing number of sites and decreasing available time, website owners should be aware that I, and many others, have been drawn in recent months to begin picking and choosing the sites that I actually physically visit.

In the same vein, this also applies to the barrage of content from email newsletters that I get sent each day promoting all manner of things, some of which I have chosen to receive, some of which I haven’t (I don’t have the money to invest in a Nigerian Mine, and I already have a watch so don’t need a new Ralex or Rolax). When I subscribe or sign up to something I am happy, and expect to, receive content from that source, but not from a raft of other content sources targeting me with ‘once in a lifetime opportunities’ or ‘extra special offers’…the stuff I didn’t sign up for!

So, although the conversation at the event initially seemed strange I asked myself how long it would be before I am just like ‘that guy’ accessing ALL my favourite content through selected, targeted, and incorruptible RSS feeds.  They provide me not only with text content, but now with accompanying links to other rich media such as related images and multimedia content. Just what I need….the content I want, when I want it.

The answer for me is not soon enough. Although, there are some sites that I like to visit that have not embraced RSS to allow its regular users to be updated when fresh content is available…come on guys catch up because chances are your users will be way ahead of you!…