Official Schipul Blog Archives - Page 30 of 33 - Tendenci Blog

2009-06-15

Become a Schipul Facebook fan for a chance to win!

We love our Schipul Facebook fans and want to help them start the summer our right with a Schipul Fan Mania goodie giveaway!

On Tuesday, June 30th at 2pm CST we’ll be randomly selecting 3 fans from our Schipul page to win one of the following prizes:

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Laptop – Experience the Web without lugging around a giant laptop. You pick the color, we’ll ship it out to your place to keep you typing away even while you’re away from your desk sitting by the pool.
$100 Amazon gift card – It’s no secret that the Schipulites are book junkies, get your Amazon fix!
$100 iTunes gift card – In love with that new iPhone? Buy some apps and music on us!

All you have to do is become a Schipul Facebook fan – and if you already are one, you’re already eligible to win! Stay tuned to the Schipul Facebook page for other ongoing Schipul Fan Mania contests and prizes!

We’re HUGE fans of you – thanks for being part of our tribe. Hope your Summer is off to a snazzy start!

2009-06-12

Let the Countdown Begin…. Schipul has a Surprise

Keep your eye on the Blog Ladies & Gentlemen.

We’ve got an announcement this Tuesday at 10 am and you’ll hear it here it first.

Hint: What do an elephant, flamingo and Tendenci Software have in common?

2009-06-042014-11-02

Because your brain is hungry – June Events at Schipul!

Can you believe it’s already June? It seems like that New Year’s party was just days ago… There are lots of exciting things going on at Schipul this summer! To see all events in calendar view, visit the Schipul.com calendar!

Schipulite Aaron Long Speaking!

Aaron Long will be speaking as a part of the Association for Professional Researchers for Advancement – Greater Houston summer workshop series June 12 at 11:30 AM.

Aaron will share case studies of organizations and individuals that have made a splash in the online fundraising world with strong online strategy and a basic knowledge of powerful tools like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Digg.

More on Aaron | Aaron’s CV | Aaron on Twitter

Tendenci classes!

For Tendenci users – we have 5 classes this June, from Intro to Tendenci to advanced classes like Multimedia and specialized training for Administrators and Event Planners.

Oh yeah… and these classes are free!

Intro to Tendenci Software Training for Administrators and Event Planners In house June 4^th
Online Webinar – Intro to Tendenci Software Training for Administrators and Event Planners Online June 9^th
Webinar – Intro to Memberships Module Online June 11^th
Webinar – Content Management Using Tendenci Online June 17^th
Online Webinar – Using Multimedia with Tendenci Online June 22^nd

Social Media Training!

If you’re looking for information on Social Media, we have three webinars coming up! These classes are free for Schipul clients!

Webinar – Introduction to Social Media Online June 11^th
Blogging Etiquette – Online Webinar Online June 16^th
Online Webinar: Introduction to Social Media Online June 30^th

Follow Schipul on Twitter for the latest updates on any of these classes! Hope to see you soon!

2009-06-02

Happy Safety Month from Schipul!

The arrival of June kicks off National Safety Month and, if you live near the Gulf as we do, it also marks the first day of Hurricane Season. A pretty good combo if you ask us!

Given that our CEO, Ed Schipul, is an Eagle Scout and that we have a crazy culture of Security and preparedness, we’ve decided to make June our very own Schipul Month of Safety!!

Stick around for the next month as we feature some great guest Blog posts, great tips and tricks on safety, security and preparedness. Whether surfing on the Web, in your office or around your house we’ll be sharing useful tidbits to keep you and your’s safe and sound.

In the meantime, here are some handy safety-focused links to check out:

This 1st week of June is also CPR Awareness Week! You can brush on up your CPR skills for FREE here
Create your family’s emergency plan with this handy free site
Read up on hurricane preparedness

2009-05-27

Schipul Book Club: Win The Giving Tree + a Moleskine of Your Very Own

“Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy”

It’s that time again! Every month we give away a copy of one of our favorite Schipul books and since Schipulites LOVE Storytelling, that is this month’s theme!

What better book to Demonstrate “Story” than the Shel Silverstein classic The Giving Tree? Using very simple writing and line drawings, Silverstein proves a little can go a very long way in telling a powerful tale. We’ve got a copy with your name on it.**

Can’t wait? You can also watch an animated version of the book narrated by Silverstein himself!!

We’ve got a double whammy for you this month so that’s not all!!

Long before the netbook became the new notebook, legendary artists such as Van Gogh and Hemingway used the real deal made by French booksellers to capture their ideas and jot notes. These little books were called Moleskine’s. The last French bookseller that sold Moleskine’s closed it’s doors in 1986 but the little books and the genius they inspired was not gone forever!

In 1998 a tiny Milanese bookseller brought the books back and as happykatie so elqouently puts it “happiness is a fresh Moleskine” so we think you need one of your very own! Use it to draw your own pictures and flex those storytelling muscles!! Practice makes perfect right?

So how do you get your Giving Tree and your Moleskine? Comment below!! What organization do you think is awesome at telling its story? It can be anyone from the pizza place down your street to the biggest cell phone company. We want to know!

We’ll be picking winner this Friday (the 29th) at 3 pm so follow us on twitter to get the announcement!

**Oh and a word to the wise: If Hallmark Cards make you cry, you may want to read The Giving Tree behind closed doors. Especially if you’ve never read it before…. I know I’m a cheese ball but I tear up every time!

2009-05-222014-11-02

A Story about a furniture store: ‘The customer first, last, and always’

Gallery Furniture - not a client, just a company we think is pretty great! — Gallery Furniture - not a client, just a Community leader we think is pretty great!

Gallery Furniture is an iconic furniture store in Houston, TX – 100,000 square feet of furniture, mattresses and – most importantly – amazing customer experiences. Millions of Houstonians can easily recall owner ‘Mattress Mac’s’ (aka: Ian McIngvale) catchy (and often kitschy) ‘Saves you money TODAY!!!!’ commercials – truly a piece of Houston pop culture.

This is the kind of place that you look forward to shopping at. Drop your kiddos off at the supervised play area, have a (literally) free lunch, check out Elvis memorabilia and be taken care of to an incredible degree by customer service people that actually LOVE their jobs (which is to help make you happy, not to just sell you furniture).

Last night (Thursday, May 22nd), the store caught on fire, leaving no one harmed (phew!) but destroying $50 million worth of merchandise and bringing the once-bustling furniture center to its charred knees (see photos here).

What happened (and continues to happen) with their public relations and Social Media outreach is pretty rocking – we are mighty impressed their Communications and PR teams and hope that other companies can look to them for inspiration on dealing with difficult situations and putting the customers first:

Fast fast fast response time – Mattress Mack and team hit the ground running before the blaze had even been put out. Customers immediately knew that everyone was safe, where they could go to buy furniture tomorrow and how they could get in touch with Gallery Furniture.
- Quick Web site updates – the Gallery Furniture Web site was immediately updated with news of the fire and a link to Mattress Mack’s Twitter profile
- Community discussion – a forum was set up for customers and well wishers to express their sympathy. When you are so passionate about your customers, you want them to connect to you in good times and in bad. This is powerful.
- Stick with what you know – just hours after the blaze, Mattress Mack recorded a post-fire commercial/message (which he is well known for). It’s already showing up in various spots online, as people share it with friends and family. The branding and messaging remains the same – in good times and in bad.
Online response tools set up and ready to go – While some organizations wait until crisis time to set up their online communication vehicles (bad idea), Gallery Furniture had a handful of Social Media outlets already in use and ready to go to communicate with their audience:
- Twitter accounts already up and running – Mattress Mack (www.twitter.com/MattressMack) and marketing guy Gil (www.twitter.com/gilv) had already been using the tool and started building their own networks. Readymade as-it-happens communication channel! This will be perfect for their re-build.
- YouTube channel in place – While this hasn’t been upated yet, having a video-sharing mechanism ready to go will be great in continued post-fire outreach and provides a fun place for folks to see the old building in commercials from decades past: www.youtube.com/galleryfurnitureblog
- Mattress Mack’s Blog – If you take a look at Mack’s blog (www.mattressmack.com/macks_weblog), you’ll find it a pretty good representation of what the man and the company are all about. It’s not just a ‘yay, we have furniture and you should totally buy some’ kind of Blog, rather it’s a Community-focused and Story-driven tool. This will be the perfect place to share the experiences of re-building from a fire and growing a company stronger and more tight-knit before.
- Gallery Furniture on Facebook – they currently have a Page set up in Facebook (www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37886684658), while not super active it will serve as another ready-to-go spot to send updates on the re-build and to connect with customers in a place they feel comfortable

Amazing what being passionate about your customers and planning ahead to connect with them (even in the hardest of times) will do. We salute and whole heartedly support Gallery Furniture as they re-build and keep the city as well furnished and connected as ever.

Be sure to drop them a message on their forum and keep them in your thoughts – boy, suddenly we feel like doing some couch shopping this weekend!! (and to be sure we are super-clear, Gallery Furniture is NOT a client — but we just darn appreciate the role they play in our Houston Community and the smart Communication tactics they’ve made so far to support their Customers!)

2009-05-20

We Heart Photography and so does NPTA! Check out their Big Picture Contest

Calling all Pharmacy Technicians!! One of our clients, The National Pharmacy Technician Association wants to highlight YOU and all the cool things you do with their Big Picture Contest…. and give you a chance to win a Canon Powershot digital camera package in the process!!

Photos of, with or by Phamacy Technician Students, Educators or Trainers are eligible. The contest is all about you!

Head on over to NPTA’s Big Picture Page to get registered ro receive a copy of the rules.

Happy Shooting!!

2009-05-15

Friday Fun – Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act

We all need a chocolate fix every now and then and Mars has got your back! Mars has passed the “Mars Real Chocolate Reliefe Act” to give you and yours a chance to register for a FREE Mars Bar ever single Friday. This means you can get your Twix on and save money at the same time! Just be one of the first 250,000 people to register every Friday Morning.

I know I’ve got my alarm set….

2009-05-12

Fish City Grill hosts Team Teen Charity for the Day!

How does face painting and a fish entrÃ©e sound? Or how about a face painting of a fishâ€¦even better! Fish City Grill Vintage Park has chosen Team Teen for their Charity of the Day and quite frankly if I wasn’t writing this blog post, I would be lined up at the door right now with my bib around my neck ready to devour some sesame crusted salmon. But since I can’t be there, I guess it is only fair to fill you in on all the fantastic things that will be going on while Fish City Grill hosts Team Teen’s charity event for the day.

The event is being held today from 11 a.m. till 10 p.m. so work is not an excuse people! Whether you order lunch, dinner, or to-go, 15% of your bill will be donated to Team Teen and the first 100 guests will receive goodie bags! I don’t know about you, but a goodie bag has never steered me wrong. There will be balloons, free kid dinner with the purchase of an adult entrÃ©e, $2 off appetizers from 2 p.m-7 p.m. and did I mention face painting? Also, some stylin’ Team Teen/Fish City Grill event T-shirts will be handed out with every $10 donation.

So come out folks and let’s help Team Teen make their first event a huge success! Team Teen’s mission is to help high school students develop greater confidence and self-esteem through training for and participation in 5K races and sprint triathlons.