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Even if you do not consider yourself "passionate" about tea, the Arbor tea website is more than just a product catalog, it is a tea experience.

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Filed under: Ann Arbor, MI | Arbor Teas | Jeremy and Aubrey Lopatin | Tea and Tea Products

Anyone out there who has a passion for tea must take a look at arborteas.com.  Arbor teas offers every variety of tea imaginable and a host of tea-related items including:  teapots, travel mugs, infusers, tea timers, books,  apparel, and more.  Arbor teas also offers some other great products.  They have tea samplers, gift sets, tea for children, and special blends to make iced tea.    For those interested in refining their tea palate, Arbor tea has a Tea of the Month Club, and a World Tour Club. 

Even if you do not consider yourself  "passionate" about tea, the Arbor tea website is more than just a product catalog, it is a tea experience.  Arbor teas offers informative descriptions and detailed photos of every type of tea they sell from Golden Yunnan Black Tea to White Velvet White Tea.    Each tea also has an expert review and customer rating.  For those of us who are far from tea connoisseurs, the information contained on the Arbor Teas website is quite informative.  I now know what Rooibos is and I've learned how to make Kombucha.  

The website offers some other great features.  The amount of information contained on the website is impressive.  The website explains the history of tea, the health benefits of tea, and how to properly store tea.  Arborteas.com teaches you how to host a proper tea party,  how to taste tea like a pro, and how to pair food and tea.  I could go on and on.  The website basically tells you everything you could possibly want to know about tea and more.  The website also has an active blog for tea lovers to share their tea experiences. 

The co-founders of Arbor Teas, Jeremy and Aubrey Lopatin, are a husband and wife team whose obvious passion for top quality tea has inspired them to create a great company which not only sells high-quality tea and tea products, but offers their customers the ability to make every sip of tea a special occasion.  Lucky for us here in southeast Michigan, Jeremy and Aubrey Lopatin are just as passionate about their home town, Ann Arbor, Michigan, as they are about tea.  These two are most importantly passionate about our environment.  All of Arbor Teas are organic.  Arbor Teas has partnered with CarbonFund.org to ensure that their teas are packaged in environmentally-friendly materials and to promote energy efficiency and reforestation. 

Redhedd.com was created by Steve Warrington when he discovered that the world's population of red heads is less than 2% and steadily decreasing. The mission of Redhedd.com is to "Save the Redheads."

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Filed under: Ann Arbor, MI | Redhedd.com | Social Media | Steve Warrington

Here is an unique innovation created specifically for red heads and those who have an appreciation for red heads.  Redhedd.com, "The only free social network for red heads," is similar to myspace.com where anyone with an affinity for red heads can create a profile, chat, and download photos.  Redhedd.com distinguishes itself by having more character and personality than mass social networks like myspace.com.  Redhedd.com also prides itself on being spam-free.

Redhedd.com was created by Steve Warrington when he discovered that the world's population of red heads was approximately 2% and steadily decreasing.  The mission of Redhedd.com is to "Save the Redheads." Redhedd.com is not just a social networking website, it also offers many additional features.  Redhedd.com provides its members with the ablilty to browse photos and profiles of other members for potential dating connections.  Redhedd.com offers products such as Redhedd.com apparel, posters, and bags.  At Redhedd.com, people can share music, videos, links to interest groups, and receive information regarding upcoming events.  

Redhedd.com's unique perspective has gained a lot of media attention since its creation in June  2007.  Redhedd.com, and its creator Steve Warrington, have been the subject of several web articles.  They have been featured on several television shows including MTV Canada, GM TV in the UK, and the St. Patrick's Day 2008 episode of the Today Show.  Although Redhedd.com targets a rather specific segment of the population, the website has shown impressive traffic and continues to gain popularity.  With approximately 3000 users, Redhedd.com has people logging-on from the United States, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Japan, and several other countries on the map.   

One impressive innovation created locally is called RentLinx. RentLinx is a web-based service that allows clients to list available rental housing on multiple websites for free.

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Filed under: Ann Arbor, MI | Jeremy Schneider | Property Rental | Rentlinx

One impressive innovation created locally is called RentLinx.  RentLinx is a web-based service that allows clients to list available rental housing on multiple websites for free.   RentLinx was created by president and founder Jeremy Schneider.  In 2003, while Jeremy Schneider was working on his master's degree in Engineering and Computer Science, at the University of Michigan, he discovered a need to index multiple rental housing units on the web.  In 2005, he created RentLinx which started by listing 200 properties and 500 units.  Currently RentLinx lists 16,000 properties and 400,000 units, located in 47 states.       

RentLinx offers several different services based on the needs of its customers.  The AdLinx  feature  allows individuals and companies to list their rental properties one time with Rentlinx for free.  These listings are advertised by RentLinx on several different websites.  The WebLinx feature allows the rental property listings on a company's website to be powered by RentLinx.   This feature brings more traffic to a company's website and organizes the information allowing renters to easily search the website for rental properties by location, rent amount, availability and other factors.  DataLinx allows companies to automatically update their RentLinx accounts from their database.  PartnerLinx is a  free service available to organizations  who serve property  managers or renters.  CraigslistHelper is another free service provided by RentLinx where they assist individuals and companies organize and manage their rental housing advertisements in Craigslist.

RentLinx's impressive growth shows that there is a demand for the services they provide.  In the last year, their website traffic has increased 147.3 %.   Also impressive is the RentLinx website.  The website is quite informative and easy to navigate.  When you look at RentLinx's partner websites, it is obvious that RentLinx has had a great impact in making its clients' listings easy to navigate. 

As I take a look at RentLinx on the web, I see that this company has generated a lot of attention.  It is difficult for me to understand why this impressive company would offer many of these in-demand services for free.  Apparently RentLinx is on a mission to list every rental housing unit in the United States.  And in order to accomplish this ambitious goal, they are listing rental housing units for free.   Perhaps this clever strategy is just another example of why RentLinx has shown a great deal of success.   I think that RentLinx is quickly on its way to becoming the Google of rental housing listings. 

The partnership between Ingenex Digital Marketing and 3.7 Designs has created an all-inclusive package here in southeast Michigan.

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Filed under: 3.7 Designs | Ann Arbor, MI | Ingenex Digital Marketing | Pay Per Click Advertising

Effective online marketing is so much more than just creating a web page and hoping that divine intervention will bring customers.  Successful online marketing campaigns utilize search engine optimization, social media, web analytics, and web page design.   The partnership between Ingenex Digital Marketing and 3.7 Designs has created an all-inclusive package here in southeast Michigan.

Ingenex specializes in digital marketing which includes search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, social media, branding, and more.  3.7 Designs specializes in creating cutting edge web pages like this one they created for Kingsley Lane.  Combining the two creates a great advantage.  Having a company's web page designed in conjunction with their advertising strategy ensures that the various aspects of a company's online presence work in harmony to yield maximum results. 

Ingenex and 3.7 Designs demonstrate their expertise not only through their impressive client list, but also in the meaty content contained in their blogs.  3.7 Designs publishes a blog which focuses on web design issues.  I was quite impressed with the blog posts they published on CSS and font types.  The Ingenex and 3.7 Design masterminds work together to produce a compelling blog called The Digital Bus.  The combination of Ingenex and 3.7 Designs has not only created a force to be reckoned with locally, it has set a new standard for the online marketing industry as a whole.

Stone Interactive Group, a web development company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has taken the art of web page graphics to a whole new level. Stone's website is what I would call visual symmetry.

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Filed under: Ann Arbor, MI | Stone Interactive Group | Web Development

What is it about the internet that fascinates me so much?  I spend countless hours moving from website to website, looking for things to buy, information about the latest technology, various tidbits on the glamorous lives of celebrities.  Of course the internet provides me with a multitude of information, readily available with just a point and click.   But what attracts me to certain websites over others?  What catches my attention?  Emphatically the answer is good graphics. 

As I prepare to pursue a career in pay per click advertising, I become more and more aware of the importance effective graphics have on the overall impact of a company's website.  Developing webpages is a fairly easy process.  Even I was able to develop some basic web pages in my Web Development course at Eastern Michigan University, using basic HTML and CSS.  However, creating effective webpages is truly an art.  Developing webpage graphics that are professional, aesthetically pleasing, user friendly, and don't detract  from the website's purpose is not an easy proposition.  

Stone Interactive Group, a web development company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has taken the art of web page graphic design to a whole new level.  Stone's website is what I would call visual symmetry.  The graphics throughout their website are clean and purposeful.  The graphics do not overpower the website's content and they do not take too long to download.  Stone's website is well-organized and user friendly.  Stone's website caught my attention and made me want to find out more about what they have to offer.     

Stone Interactive Group has an impressive list of clients.  They have created websites for Mitsubishi, Kelly Services,  and Asahi to name a few.   As I look at Stone Interactive Group's portfolio, I notice that all of the websites they have developed for other organizations are unique in many ways but still have that same visual symmetry in common.   One of my  favorite examples is the website they created for the Law Offices of Sam Berntein.  Stone Interactive Group also provides other services such as pay per click management, search engine optimization, web analytics, blogs, and e-newsletters.  In today's world of information overload, finding a way to make your company stand out is key.  Stone Interactive Group has discovered the formula for giving websites the look and usefulness necessary in order to compete on the internet.  

I am certain that when an effective pay per click ad campaign is combined with web analytics, media planning, web development, and all of the other services Fluency Media provides, the success of that ad campaign must increase exponentially.

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Filed under: Ann Arbor, MI | Fluency Media | Pay Per Click Advertising

Perhaps you recognize the food reference in my blog title.  The 5 Meat Stack is a new Quiznos Sub sandwich that contains everything you could possibly want in a sub as well a few other delightful surprises.  In my quest to become a pay per click commodity here in southeast Michigan, I have been researching companies who specialize in online marketing.   My research has led me to some impressive companies here in southeast Michigan.  I was especially thrilled to find an Ann Arbor based company, called Fluency Media, whom I have deemed the 5 Meat Stack of online marketing.

Fluency Media, like the 5 Meat Stack sub, is everything you could possibly want in an online marketing firm and so much more.  They offer every service imaginable including, market research, pay per click, search engine optimization, website optimization, web development, email marketing, and web analytics.  Fluency Media provides a remarkable hosting service where clients can easily capture & store marketing data, track web traffic, manage & distribute web documents, and manage their press site.  Fluency Media also assists clients with online media planning and management.  

The array of services offered by Fluency Media seems remarkable to me.  At Eastern Michigan University, I had the opportunity to develop and maintain a pay per click advertising account for a local non-profit organization called Dawn Farm.  I was amazed at how an effective pay per click ad campaign can significantly impact an organization's web presence.  I am certain that when an effective pay per click ad campaign is combined with web analytics, media planning, web development, and all of the other services Fluency Media provides, the success of that ad campaign must increase exponentially.

Of course as my mother often says, "The proof is in the pudding," or in the case of Fluency Media, the proof is in the sub sandwich.  Evidence that Fluency Media's all-inclusive approach to online marketing is effective can be seen in their impressive list of clients.  Fluency Media works with a diverse group of organizations including Ramada Express, The American Bar Association, Travel Michigan, Maaco, The Tropicana Resort & Casino, and of course Quiznos Sub.  Fluency Media has raised the bar for me.  I now have very high expectations for any organization that I might work for in the future.  I am beginning to realize that successful online marketing is anything but "luck."  I want to be part of an organization that understands they best serve their clients by offering a solution which factors in every aspect of online marketing.

Now I am a college student preparing to enter Michigan's workforce. From a professional standpoint, southeast Michigan is unchartered territory for me. I have yet to find the place in Michigan's economy where I will best fit.

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Filed under: Brighton, MI | Marcell Morris | Pay Per Click Advertising

I am happy to say that I have recently moved back to Michigan after living in Los Angeles for 18 years.  I grew up in Brighton, Michigan and worked in Ann Arbor.  I have noticed a few changes since I returned.  I am pretty sure that Michigan's winters were not this cold when I was a kid.  The traffic on Michigan's freeways has become just as congested as the freeways in Los Angeles (okay maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration).    I think that somehow Michigan has become even more picturesque than I remember.  Ann Arbor has grown quite a bit and I will be mourning the loss of Jacobson's in downtown Ann Arbor.  Where will I go now to indulge my shoe obsession?

As I re-acclimate myself to this community, I am also discovering some aspects of it for the first time.  My prior experiences in Michigan were as a child and teenager.  Now I am a college student preparing to enter Michigan's workforce.   From a professional standpoint, southeast Michigan is unchartered territory for me.  I have yet to find the place in Michigan's economy where I will best fit. 

I have already solved the most difficult part of this self-discovery puzzle, I have decided to pursue a career in internet marketing, specifically pay per click advertising.  The next logical step would be to research local companies and see what is going on in my field of interest.  Of course the best way to find out about online marketing is to surf.  Surfing is one of my passions.  So I have thoroughly enjoyed researching local companies specializing in pay per click advertising, search engine optimization, web analytics, as well as several other aspects of internet marketing. 

It is exciting to discover that in my very own community, there are several successful companies doing some pretty remarkable things in my field.  My research has given me a renewed faith.  There are still many possiblilites for an ambitious college student wishing to build a career in Michigan's struggling economy.  I can't wait to share with you some of the things I have discovered in my upcoming blog posts.  Please stay tuned.

I have somehow manged to attract my first great contact, Chris Lude. Chris represents an impressive company called Denver PPC. Denver PPC specializes in pay per click advertisement, the field I intend to pursue after graduation.

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Filed under: Chris Lude | Denver PPC

I have only been working as a Bullpen reporter for a few days and I am already reaping the benefits of this assignment.  I have somehow manged to attract my first great contact, Chris Lude.  Chris represents an impressive company called Denver PPC.  Denver PPC specializes in pay per click advertisement, the field I intend to pursue after graduation.  Chris was kind enough to send me some words of encouragement and also link me to Denver PPC's website.  WOW!!!  You have got to take a look!  I was like a kid in a candy store gobbling up all the information regarding pay per click advertising.

I am forever amazed at the power of the internet.  Somehow effortlessly I was able to connect with a great company thousands of miles away.  Divine intervention?  Psychic phenomena?  No, the long arm of the internet.  In one simple click of a mouse, I was able to make a valuable contact and gain a wealth of knowledge.  This is why I am pursuing a degree in Computer Information Systems.  There are so many applications and possiblities in cyberspace. 

I really believe that my father's company could greatly benefit from an effective pay per click advertisement campaign. My father's collectible items could be of interest to people all over the world.

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Filed under: Howell, MI | John Morris | Old Homestead Records

Perhaps you recognize my reference to a movie that came out a few years ago called "Pay It Forward."  The basic premise of the movie was that a young boy was given an assignment at school to think of a way that he could make the world a better place.  The boy, played by Haley Joel Osment, decided that he was going to make a difference by doing three good deeds for someone.  Instead of expecting the receiver to pay him back, the receiver would "pay it forward" by doing good deeds for a new recipient.

The reason I bring the movie up is I have decided to use my newly developed pay per click skills to help someone who means a great deal to me, my father.  My father, John Morris, is a small business owner in Howell, Michigan.  Like many small business owners, the economy has taken it's toll on his profitability and he is going to have to make some adjustments. 

My father's company is called Old Homestead Records.  He has a store in Howell where he sells bluegrass, old-time country, and gospel cds.  My father also collects and sells vintage 78's, Vinyl LPs, and 45 albums.  The majority of my father's customers are local.  He also has some out-of-state customers and a few overseas customers. 

I really believe that my father's company could greatly benefit from an effective pay per click advertisement campaign.  My father's collectible items could be of interest to people all over the world.  Since dad is an avid Amazon shopper and internet browser, he is excited about the prospect of advertising online.   So we have decided that the our first step will be making the website user-friendly and creating high quality landing pages.  This project is going to be what you might call a labor of love.  Wish me luck.  I will keep you posted as the project progresses. 

The primary objective of the Global IT Club is to connect students with IT professionals; allowing students to learn more about their desired professions, showcase their talents to potential employers, and develop relationships with business professionals.

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Filed under: Eastern Michigan University | Global IT Club

The Michigan Innovators website has been an inspiration to me this year.  There are a lot of really impressive people here in Michigan that have managed to find new and exciting ways to succeed in our ever-changing economy and they have also contributed toward improving our community as a whole. 

As a student, I get excited thinking about all the possiblities there are for me.  The world is my oyster and I have so many ideas about what I would like to accomplish professionally.  The problem is...Where do I start?  What do I need to do in order to find my place in corporate America?  What is it really like out there in the real world? 

I think that I have found a good place to start at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).  I am currently an officer with EMU's Global IT Club.  The primary objective of the Global IT Club is to connect students with IT professionals; allowing students to learn more about their desired professions, showcase their talents to potential employers, and develop relationships with business professionals.  As a Global IT Club officer, I help facilitate relationships between EMU and distinguished IT professionals who work locally.  I help coordinate field trips to companies such as Google and Pure Visibility and arrange for recruiters and guest speakers to come to EMU's College of Business. 

My work with the Global IT Club has given me a lot of insight regarding the current job market and helped develop my personal career aspirations. Organizations such as Michigan Innovators and EMU's Global IT Club are necessary links in the chain to connect students like me to companies that fit our career objectives and personalities.  Hopefully my involvement with Michigan Innovators and the Global IT Club will save me from the brutal experience of sending thousands of resumes to random companies online.