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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
 the3six5 is a story of the year 2010, told daily by a different person. It falls under the category of a crowdsourced piece. It is the mastermind of Daniel Honigman and Len Kendall, 2 people who work in social media and the Internet in Chicago with whom I have the honor to know.
Last Thursday, August 19, I contributed “my day” to the project. Below is what I submitted. If you are not following the3six5 I highly recommend you do. It is a unique perspective on the year told my a wide variety of people.
Taking my little girl to daycare every day allows me to somewhat recreate Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, where he plays out in his mind’s eye how his next moves will take place. Of course I say somewhat, for as much as I would like, the day of a Web consultant can sometimes be unpredictable. Then again, this is part of why I do what I do.
After I drop her off and watch her bounding into her class (and once again wondering how she does it without the 3 cups of coffee that didn’t allow me to keep up with her) I continue out my role as Holmes, but with a Patriots jersey on, as it’s a gameday. In between client calls, development and some blogging, my mind wanders back to the date – August 19.
When I chose this day to share my day with you, I knew it would fall on the date, 6 years later, when I arrived in the Windy City. I wasn’t quite sure if it would be a big day, or just another day, or where I would even be this day. I also wasn’t sure if I would be reminiscing about what’s transpired over the years. As it turns out, though there have been some lows, the highs have trumped them, and I am pretty positive about where I am right now. Ok, the photos of my family and pictures of some of the Web sites I have build which surround me may have some influence on that, not to mention not following the news today!
I am also looking ahead to the next few weeks – this weekend I was invited by Nokia to a beach house in Huntington Beach, CA to try out a new mobile device, which will be followed by some quality time-off with the family, followed by kicking off a great Web project. Some days the glass is half full and some days it isn’t half full, rather shattered on the floor and liquid splattered. Then again, I probably have followed the news too much those days.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/24/10 at 05:15 PM
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
 Sound the trumpets, as I wish to blow my own horn a little bit and pass along a few mentions I have received in the past few weeks in the Chicago media.
Newcity is a weekly print magazine with a great Web site covering additional aspects of the Windy City. Reporter Ella Christoph interviewed me about likemind Chicago, the monthly coffee meetup I co-host, as well as others who attend. It’s a great article highlighting this unique, morning gathering of tech, creative and agency folks.
Chicago Now is a blog powered by the Chicago Tribune, and reporter Lira Luis wrote about co-working and OfficePort CHI, the office space my Web consulting firm Dunkirk Systems, LLC inhabits most days and a few nights and weekends as well. Where I was not interviewed for the article, a picture of me hard at work is featured.
Thanks for the coverage, and if you are a reporter covering business or technology, I am more than glad to talk to you about an upcoming article!
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/21/10 at 03:59 AM
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
 Coming off the successful launch of the Spartan Charters Web site last week, my Web consulting firm Dunkirk Systems, LLC is proud to announce the launch of the redesigned Web site for Chicago artist Augustus V. M. “Gus” Higginson.
The Web site, at www.AugustusHigginson.com, is a showcase for his work and his career. The artwork section features a gallery of his most recent works as well as some of his past works. As an architectural historian, many of his works pay tribute to great buildings, including The Rookery in Chicago and the Chicago Cultural Center. His works are large-scale, and the site features detailed photos of his works as well as the entire pieces.
 Once again, Dunkirk collaborated with Visible Logic, Inc. and Emily Brackett for this project. Emily’s design not only serves as a great backdrop for Gus’ artwork but also captures the essence of the artist as well. Behind the scenes of the Web site is powered by ExpresionEngine, the great content management system which we at Dunkirk have been working with for years for many of our clients. This provides the ability for editing of all content on the Web site and provides an infrastructure for managing search engine optimization. Integrated in the home page is Gus’ Twitter stream, which you can follow and see photos of his current and past works in process.
On a personal note, it was a fun project, especially working with a local client. Most of my clients are not local, though despite this they progress very well, and many times I have met the client after the Web site was completed! It was great to sit at the table with Gus during each phase of the project.
Whether you have an appreciation for architecture, history, or simply want to see a unique perspective on some great places, check out the new Web site for Augustus V. M. “Gus” Higginson.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/18/10 at 10:09 AM
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Saturday, August 14, 2010
 It is with a heavy heart that I write about Father Joseph McGlone, a retired Catholic priest from the Boston area, who passed away earlier this year. I just found about this news by chance when I was performing some Web searches. Allow me to take a diversion from my usual writing to remember a great man and leader.
Fr. Joe, as he was known to everyone, was the pastor of Corpus Christi Church in the village of Auburndale in Newton, Massachusetts. He was there for over 30 years, which is rare for a priest. I was fortunate to have been a member of Corpus Christi when I lived in the Boston area and was honored to have had him marry me and my lovely wife several years ago.
Fr. Joe had a unique appeal; unlike many priests this good Catholic boy had known over the years. He was very real and down to earth. He welcomed you into his church and made you feel at home. He prayed for the issues that many other priests would jam down your throat! As a result, Fr. Joe made Corpus Christi a truly welcoming church, and it certainly wasn’t a chore to go to his church every week. This is not to say Fr. Joe was not assertive or a leader. Even when he used his great sense of humor, he was making a point. There was a period of time I had not been regularly going to church. When I did finally start going back, one week I brought my family with me and he made sure I knew I hadn’t been there and how much I missed and how much I was missed. He jokingly let me had it, all the while welcoming me back.
As the sex abuse scandal was exposed in the Archdiocese of Boston, it took its toll on everyone, including Fr. Joe. When the Archdiocese announced that churches would be closed, he pointed this out one week in his sermon that church expenses weren’t being met my offerings and this was not a good sign for Corpus Christi. This must have been tough for him to say as he never asked for money. But the next week, offerings nearly doubled and maintained that level. I also remember asking Fr. Joe how he was doing throughout the scandal, especially as many of those priests were in surrounding towns. His response was, “I am a woodcutter.” When I asked him to explain, he said if anyone asked him what he did for a living, he would say he is a woodcutter and not a priest. That was on par with his style.
At the time of the almost heartless church closings taking place in the Archdiocese of Boston, Fr. Joe was asked to retire, to which he refused. Everyone was ecstatic he stood his ground! Here was a new archbishop coming in from out of town and wanting what was right about the church to leave? A few years later, after I had moved form the Boston area and Corpus Christi had merged with another church, he was asked again to retire and did. Though I cannot speak directly to the circumstances after I was away, I did hear he remained active in the church close to his hometown where he was a member after retirement, and I am sure they were fortunate to have him.
Right before I moved to Chicago, I lectured one last time at Corpus Christi and Fr. Joe was the presiding priest at the mass. At its conclusion he surprised me by announcing to the congregation that both my wife and I were leaving for a city where he had once studied once in his career at Loyola University. His thoughts were touching as he recalled our wedding and wished us well. That was one of the last times I saw Fr. Joe and a great memory of a great man, along with the many others I have of him from over the years.
Rest in peace, Fr. Joe.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/14/10 at 04:00 AM
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
 The next likemind will be Friday, August 20, 2010 in dozens of cities around the world.
In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more on likemind, read this great article on likemind Chicago from the Newcity and likemind from the New York Times.
No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/11/10 at 11:20 AM
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Monday, August 09, 2010
 At Dunkirk Systems, LLC we are proud to have brought many clients to the Web for the first time. With the launch of the Web site for charter fishing service Spartan Charters we continue along this great tradition.
Spartan Charters is a full service charter company servicing Cape Cod, the Islands, and Southeastern Massachusetts and is a complete fishing guide and charter service. With their fleet of great fishing vessels and 2 experienced captains, Spartan ensures you have a quality and great fishing experience. As they say, they target big fish.
For this project Dunkirk partnered once again with Visible Logic, Inc. to great a highly functional Web site with a great design. The home page design is compelling to draw users to the various sections within the Web site, plus all navigational links are stylized text links, rather than images. A custom-developed content management system (CMS) powers the Web site allowing the Spartan Charters team to modify all Web site content. They are also embracing social media with their Facebook page and Flickr account with a wide variety of photos from past trips and catches.
Whether you’re a seasoned fisherman or looking to entertain clients or guests with a fishing experience, Spartan Charters is the one to call… or contact through their new Web site.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 08/09/10 at 09:43 AM
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Friday, July 09, 2010
 It is with some sadness that I listened to the last ever episode of The M Show today. For over 5 years, my friend John Wall hosted a cutting-edge, concise, 10 minute podcast around marketing news and information, sprinkled with a little entertainment news. But like all good things, this one is coming to an end.
John is also the co-host with Christopher S. Penn of Marketing Over Coffee, a weekly podcast about marketing online and offline, which as a result covers all aspects of business. Recorded weekly at a Dunkin Donuts in Natick, Massachusetts, it is a very successful show with thousands of listeners/subscribers. With its success, John’s focus has changed, and thus The M Show has become a reality of that change.
The M Show set a standard for the perfect podcast. It had lively music, short in duration, informative, well-edited and human. Many podcasts out there sound like a never-ending monologue or duologue. This style has been carried over to Marketing Over Coffee, though it is about 30 minutes in duration, but is still packed with useful information.
If you never listened to The M Show, the feed remains live. His post on the end of the show on his blog Ronin Marketeer sums up the show well. I was honored to be a guest on a number of shows, and one was recorded in my home office a few years ago when John was here in the Windy City at a conference. He has said something new will be coming down the pike, so watch the feed as I am sure it will be great!
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 07/09/10 at 04:00 AM
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Thursday, July 08, 2010
The next likemind will be Friday, July 16, 2010 in dozens of cities around the world.
In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more information on likemind, you can read this great article on likemind from the New York Times.
No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 07/08/10 at 09:46 AM
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
 Do you know The State of Your Web Site?
From a client or prospect meeting to a summer picnic, I am involved in many conversations about Web sites. Some people brag about how much they love their Web sites. On the obvious flip-side, many say they hate their Web site. As the conversation flows to some depth, I often find in most cases people cannot quantify what it is they like or dislike about the Web site. By quantifying. I am referring to elements of a Web site which may be working or not working for the site owner, but no specific knowledge of which ones and their status.
In short, they do not know The State of Their Web Site.
To help add clarity and guide change to a Web site, my Web consulting firm Dunkirk Systems, LLC has developed The State of Your Web Site. It is a free, no obligation self-assessment checklist where a non-technical owner of a Web site can review the 34 questions on the checklist and move toward an objective answer to this question. You can download a PDF copy for free at TheStateOfYourWebSite.com.
Emphasis On The Non-Technical Owner
One goal of The State of Your Web Site is to help the non-technical owner of a Web site. Why? From our experience at Dunkirk, which includes my own personal experience with developing software for over 20 years, most “owners” of a Web site or any business application is they are not technical. They may understand technology, but they are most likely not programmers or technicians. Despite this, it doesn’t mean you cannot recognize issues or opportunities for improvements with your Web site. These questions are at a level where if the answer is not known or found to be at issue, a more thorough check by a technician can be made to gain its scope and make a recommendation.
Focus On Business, Content and Design
The checklist is broken into 3 categories – business, content and design – and each has specific questions related to these areas, and of course all can be answered from a non-technical aspect. The idea was where you could place this checklist in front of you, go through each question and navigate through your Web site to see whether you can check it off or not. These are not trick questions – they are presented in a straightforward, objective manner. That being said, someone may not know what a question is asking, which is another opportunity to learn.
Get Your Copy and Learn The State of Your Web Site
There is no obligation or any requirement of your name and personal information to get a free copy of The State of Your Web Site checklist. Feel free to pass along the link to your friends or colleagues, or simply send them a copy of the checklist! But once you use it, you may have questions on some or all questions presented, not to mention you may be ready to take the checklist to the next level and want an detailed Web site assessment. We do have a contact form on the checklist landing page where you can contact Dunkirk, or you can use the contact form on our Web site at DunkirkSystems.com.
In-Depth Converation On Each Question to Follow
Going forward, I will feature in-depth conversation on each question on the checklist here on The Hot Iron. I welcome your questions and comments on each. Together, we can all have a firm grasp on The State of Your Web Site.
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Tuesday, June 08, 2010
The next likemind will be Friday, June 18, 2010 in dozens of cities around the world.
In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more information on likemind, you can read this great article on likemind from the New York Times.
No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.
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Posted by Mike Maddaloni on 06/08/10 at 10:51 AM
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