SXSW Interactive 2013 - Party List RSVP Info

SXSW Interactive 2013 is going to be big this year, so don't miss out! Here is a SXSWi party list with brief details of the event and RSVP information. Find out which parties will fit into your schedule and come get the full SXSWi experience.

Rackspace

SXSW Startup Crawl 2013

3/7/2013

4PM

Capital Factory - 701 Brazos Street 

16th Floor

signup via eventbrite

https://sxswstartupcrawl.eventbrite.com/

free

Free booze galore with shuttles running to all the startups

                                                                                                                                                        

Austin Technology Council

Gateway Party

3/7/2013

6PM

ACL Live at the Moody theatre

Signup via ATC Website

http://austintechnologycouncil.org/sxsw-2013/gateway_party/

Must be ATC Member- or a guest of an ATC member

Not any free drinks, but free shows and probably good acts to showcase

                                                                                                                                                        

Spiceworks, Equitable Commercial Realty, Acton MBA

6th Annual Austin Tech Happy Hour SXSW Kickoff

3/7/2013

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Molotov - 719 West 6th Street

link

http://athhmar2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=21
This is traditionally one of the biggest happy hours of the year, every person that attends receives two free drink tickets. 

                                                                                                                                                        

It Works

Austin, Tx One Team One Mission: Don't Stop the Party!

3/7/2013

6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Double Tree by Hilton- University Area - 1617 IH-35 North

link

http://iwgotomaustin2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=40

This is your opportunity to bring your business to a whole 'notha level in 2013 y learning new It Works! business strategies, networking and even getting your wrap on! 

                                                                                                                                                        

SXSW Baby!

SXSW Baby! Pub Crawl

3/7/2013

5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Bungalow - 92 Rainey St.

no RSVP

http://sxswbaby.eventbrite.com/?ref=garysguide

free

You do not need a ticket or an RSVP, just swing by! Downloading the app will be helpful on the crawl.

                                                                                                                                                        

Spreadfast

SXSpreadfast Bash

3/8/2013

6PM

Speakeasy - 412 Congress Ave., 1st Floor

sign up via link

http://sxsw.spredfast.com/kickoff-party/

Must manage social for your brand
3 floors of bars, networking with the biggest brands in social, bowling and a special guest DJ.

                                                                                                                                                        

Cafe Press

CafePress SXSW Shindig

3/8/2013

4-7PM

Bourbon Girl - 212 East 6th Street

eventbrite signup

http://cafepressshindig2013.eventbrite.com/#

Full for now but you can still get on the wait list

                                                                                                                                                        

Jeff Pulver

State of NOW (#140conf) SXSW Cocktail Party 2013

3/8/2013

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lanai - 422 Congress Ave

link

http://140confatsxsw13-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=4

Full on free passes but you can purchase VIP for $30

                                                                                                                                                        

AGLCC

BigGay Kickoff Party

3/8/2013

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Oilcan Harry's - 211 W 4th St

link

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5495912422/es2002/?rank=6

Celebrate the start of SXSW 2013 with your LGBT friends and family! RSVP in the link to ensure your free drinks and one of a kind Very Important Gay badge! 

                                                                                                                                                        

The Appy Awards

Appy Cocktail Party + Awards

3/8/2013

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

AT&T Conference Center - 1900 University Ave (at W 20th St)

no RSVP

http://www.garysguide.com/sxsw/ay5xhfc/Appy-Cocktail-Party-Awards

free

The cocktail party celebrates winning work of year and the growing App industry.

                                                                                                                                                        

SXSW

The Interactive Mix at Six

3/8/2013

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Haven - 409 Colorado St (at W 5th St)

link

http://sxsw.com/interactive/parties/lounges

The premier networking mixer of the Interactive Festival, the Mix at Six never disappoints. Come enjoy food, drink and new connections. You just may meet your next big idea!

                                                                                                                                                        

Frog Design and Microsoft

SXSWi Official Opening Party

3/8/2013

8:00 - 11:00pm

Palmer Events Center - 900 Barton Springs Rd

link

http://www.main.is/sxsw-2013-official-opening-party

Free shuttles from the Convention Center

                                                                                                                                                        

Karaoke World Cup

TechKaraoke SXSWi 2013

3/8/2013

8:00 PM - 2:00 AM

The Stage on Sixth, 508 East 6th St.

link

http://www.main.is/TechKaraoke-SXSW-2013

To sign up to compete follow the link

                                                                                                                                                        

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting Happy Hour

3/8/2013

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The Ranch - 710 W 6th St

link

http://www.garysguide.com/events/t9cgs9g/GoToMeeting-Happy-Hour
Come "meet" up with fellow SXSW-goers and enjoy a happy hour 21+, badge needed

                                                                                                                                                        

Rackspace

The Open Cloud Experience

3/8/2013

6:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Champions - 300 E 4th St (betn Trinity St & San Jacinto Blvd)

link

http://www.garysguide.com/sxsw/oa2j5u2/RackSpaces-The-Open-Cloud-Experience

Join Rackspace for the Open Cloud Experience kick-off. Food & Drinks will be provided.

                                                                                                                                                        

Ignite Social Media and Expion Social Software

4th Annual Ignite Social Media Party

3/8/2013

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Molotov - 719 West 6th Street

link

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5496431976?ref=garysguide

Tasty BBQ sandwiches, drinks, and the first chance to gather in a low key environment with your friends. You must register in the link for PRIVATE ACCESS from 7:00p-10:00p (no SXSW badge required)

                                                                                                                                                        

Adobe, Microsoft, The Node Firm, Kendo UI

2013 Open Web SXSW Pool Party

3/9/2013

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Stay posted for location.

link

http://openwebsxsw.com/

Signup at the bottom of the page

Info and party information should be emailed later once the RSVP list is full

                                                                                                                                                        

Tech By Superwomen

Tech By Superwomen / SXSW

3/9/2013

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Empire - 606 E 7th St 

link

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5411469852/es2002/?rank=10

Women Only Event

                                                                                                                                                        

Tara-Nicholle Nelson CEO, RETHINK Multimedia

Beauty Bar X 2013

3/9/2013

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Vince Young Steakhouse - 301 San Jacinto Boulevard

link

http://bbx2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=3

Women Only Event

                                                                                                                                                        

Carnegie Mellon University

Innovation City

3/9/2013

9:00 PM

Meduse Lounge - 219 Congress Ave

link

http://innovationcityopen-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=6

Dj duo Tracksploitation, Free Drinks, Hors D' oeuvres and plenty of funtastic surprises!

                                                                                                                                                        

gdgt

gdgt live in Austin

3/9/2013

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The Hype Hotel - 301 Brazos Street

free

http://gdgtliveinaustin2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=5
No badge required, first few hundred folks get free t-shirt! Come have a drink and check out some of the hottest gear and services around. 

                                                                                                                                                        

Xceptional HR & Reputation Capital Management

Social Siesta 2013

3/9/2013

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Malverde - 400A West 2nd Street

link

http://socialsiesta13-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=12

Join wait list or buy ticket and kick back with a cocktail and light apps. 

                                                                                                                                                        

CEA, .CO

Tech Cocktail's SXSW Startup Celebration

3/9/2013

6:00 PM

The Stage on Sixth - 508 East 6th Street

link

http://techcocktailsxsw2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=1
Cocktails and celebrate some of the worlds hottest startups on the grand stage at SXSW. 

                                                                                                                                                        

CampaignTech

I'm Techie and I Know It Happy Hour

3/9/2013

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Bourbon Girl - 212 East 6th Street

link

http://techieandiknowit.eventbrite.com/?ref=garysguide

CampaignTech will provide the drinks, you bring the fun.

                                                                                                                                                        

Copyblogger Media

Another Indelicate Diversion

3/9/2013

8:00 PM - 11:30 PM

Buffalo Billiards - 201 E 6th St

link

http://copybloggersxsw13-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=20

A free open bar will be held from 9pm - 10pm, and plenty of surprises throughout the night are going to keep things... interesting. Also, please note that our little parties usually grow a line that stretches around the block, so get there early if you want to join the fun. (no badge required)

                                                                                                                                                        

AltPress

Bonus Round Party

3/9/2013

7-10PM

Palmer Events Center

link

http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/announcing_frank_turner_and_the_sleeping_souls_driver_friendly_to_play_aps

A free, all ages event featuring performances by Frank Turner and his full band, The Sleeping Souls, and Hopeless Records newcomers Driver Friendly.

                                                                                                                                                        

Sennheiser and Paste Magazine

Sennheiser + Paste Interactive Studio & Lounge

3/10/2013

12-6PM

The Black Heart Bar- 86 rainey Street

link

http://www.pastemagazine.com/sennheiser

                                                                                                                                                        

Fashionext

Fashionext Lounge at SxSW

3/10/2013

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Fogo de Chao - 309 East 3rd Street

no RSVP

http://fashionext.eventbrite.com/

Check out all the latest in tech and fashion, while enjoying a bite to eat and a drink on us!

                                                                                                                                                        

Fandango

SXSW Interactive + Film Fusion Party

3/10/2013

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The Stage - 508 E 6th Street

link

http://sxsw.com/interactive/parties/lounges
Drinks with old friend and have fun making new ones!

                                                                                                                                                        

SapientNitro

SapientNitro SXSW Party

3/10/2013

9:00 PM - 11:00 PM

The Parish Austin - 214 E. 6th Street

link

http://sapientnitro-sxsw-2013-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=18

Badge Required, DJ Spider and FREE BOOZE

                                                                                                                                                        

3M and Yappem

Mashable MashBash

3/10/2013

9:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Speakeasy - 412 Congress Ave

link

http://mashbashsxswi.eventbrite.com/

Badge Required, good music, socializing and digital inspiration! 

                                                                                                                                                        

Aereo

Open Bar with Aereo

3/10/2013

4:00PM - 7:00PM

StubHub Live @ Old School - 401 E 6th St

no RSVP

http://schedule.sxsw.com/2013/events/event_OE02235

Join us for drinks and demos and find out why Aereo is the coolest thing to happen to television since the TV.

                                                                                                                                                        

Chevrolet

Allhat V: Cowboys & Cowgirls Gone Wild

3/10/2013

12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Guero's Taco Bar - 1412 Congress Ave

link

http://allhat5.eventbrite.com/?ref=garysguide

#Allhat5

                                                                                                                                                        

Wayin

Wayin Party SXSWi

3/10/2013

8:30PM

Haddingtons - 601 W 6th St (at Nueces St)

bd@wayin.com

http://www.wayin.com/info/about/contact-us

Use link to contact member of sales team for an official invite and we’ll get you on the list and insure you receive details once they are solidified.

                                                                                                                                                        

MoPub, Metamarkets, Prolific Interactive

SXSWi Party

3/10/2013

8:00 PM - 11:55 PM

Icenhaeurs - 83 Rainey St.

link

http://sxswparty.eventbrite.com/?ref=garysguide

Franklin BBQ to eat, great cocktails & a raffle!

                                                                                                                                                        

Livefyre

2013 SXSW Fyrebash

3/10/2013

8:00 PM - 11:30 PM

TenOak - 409 Colorado St

link

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4078986358?ref=garysguide

Rock out with fellow SXSW geeks and music lovers and be prepared to dance, drink (did we mention the open bar?) and be downright merry.

                                                                                                                                                        

Sennheiser and Paste Magazine

Sennheiser + Paste Interactive Studio & Lounge

3/11/2013

12-6PM

The Black Heart Bar- 86 rainey Street

link

http://www.pastemagazine.com/sennheiser

                                                                                                                                                        

Las Vegas Tech Community

VegasTech SXSW Party

3/11/2013

8PM

Red 7 - 611 E 7th St

link and eventbrite

http://vegastechsxsw2013party.eventbrite.com/

http://www.vegastechsxsw.com/

                                                                                                                                                        

Capital Factory

Epic Office Hours

3/11/2013

1-5PM

Omni Hotel 16th Floor - Capital Factory

eventbrite signup

http://epicofficehours-srch.eventbrite.com/

Learn startup skills.

                                                                                                                                                        

PwC Advisory

Official SXSW 2013 Internet of Things Meetup - Man Meet Machine

3/11/2013

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Empire - 606 E 7th St

link

http://sxswiotmeetup-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=15

#IoTmeetup

                                                                                                                                                        

SageScape

Privacy & Innovation Meet Up at SXSW

3/11/2013

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Empire - 606 E 7th St

link

http://sxswprivacyinnovation-es2002.eventbrite.com/?rank=18

Refreshments, brainstorming and networking!

                                                                                                                                                        

Fashion's Collective, Projective Space, Fashion Digital Daily

Fashion Brain Bar

3/11/2013

10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

W Hotel Austin (on the terrace) - 200 Lavaca Street

link

http://fashionbrainbar.eventbrite.com/?ref=garysguide

The Fashion Brain Bar is for industry professionals only and extremely limited, so please RSVP early. If tickets are Sold Out, please add yourself to the waiting list. Once tickets become available, we will contact you to let you know you can finalize your RSVP. (no fee, no badge required)

                                                                                                                                                        

Covert Curiosity and Ender Productions

Covert Curiosity and Ender Productions Second Annual Kickoff Party

3/11/2013

2pm-2am

Hotel Vegas - 1500 E 6th St

link

http://do512.com/c/sx2013/event/2013/03/11/covert-curiosity-and-ender-productions-kickoff-party

Two stages inside and a silent disco party outside. Free booze and free food. Lineup to be announced.

                                                                                                                                                        

Townsquare Media

Townsquare Media Happy Hour

3/11/2013

7:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Moonshine Grill - 303 Red River St

link

http://www.garysguide.com/sxsw/qaqz758/Townsquare-Media-Happy-Hour

Kick off your night with free booze, free food and an exclusive DJ set by Dirty Projectors!

                                                                                                                                                        

Sennheiser and Paste Magazine

Sennheiser + Paste Interactive Studio & Lounge

3/12/2013

12-6pm

The Black Heart Bar- 86 rainey Street

link

http://www.pastemagazine.com/sennheiser

                                                                                                                                                        

Media Temple

Media Temple SXSWi Closing Party

3/12/2013

8:30PM-2AM

Stubb’s - 801 Red River St.

link

http://mediatemple.net/sxsw/

Sign up at website to try and snag a VIP pass!

                                                                                                                                                        

Bloomfire

The Interactive Awards Pre-Party and Ceremony

3/12/2013

6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Hilton Downtown - 500 E 4th St

link

http://sxsw.com/interactive/parties/lounges

Badge required, enjoy drinks and food while speculating on award winners. 

                                                                                                                                                        

theMIX agency + BUTROS

Body High Rooftop Party

3/12/2013

9:00 PM

Speakeasy Rooftop - 412 Congress Ave.

link

http://bodyhighsxsw13-eac2.eventbrite.com/

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Quality UI Design In Mobile Devices: Why is it important?

Having a good mobile-experience matters a lot to consumers. The importance of having a fully optimized mobile-interface is extremely beneficial when creating consistency in a brand across multiple platforms. 

User Interface, or UI as it’s commonly referred to, is a focus on the functionality and design of a website or application. These days most people are beginning to stray away from using their desktops as the main source of purchasing products and services online. More often than not consumers are on the go and using their smart phones to complete these transactions and do research on companies. With this increase in smartphone usage the importance of having a user friendly website or application is extremely significant. According to Smashing Magazine, “recent research has found that people are 67% more likely to make a purchase if a website they’ve reached is smartphone friendly.” This correlates into almost seven times out of ten that a consumer would practice a buying behavior after using a smartphone friendly website or application. 

Having a well formatted e-commerce UI for your consumer is a great way to insure optimum conversion rates on your website or application. When the consumer is comfortable with the ease and functionality of your e-commerce user interface they are much more likely to participate in a buying behavior. 

The numbers don’t lie, when designing a website or application taking into account UI design is critical for creating a quality mobile environment for your consumer. These websites and applications are a direct extension of a company’s brand, so this positive UI leads to a positive experience for the consumer and leaves a lasting impression that increases the chance of creating repeat customers. 

Here at Gennovacap, we specialize in enhancing your websites UI and take all the steps to ensure a quality interface for the consumer. Through our use of CS6, HTML5 and CSS3 we are able to offer mobile-optimization and create great mobile websites and applications that are as simple and efficient as possible. We love to design websites and apps that are built with impeccable structure and function to give the consumer a quality UI to navigate from. In addition to creating mobile-optimized personal or business websites, we also cover CMS websites and E-commerce websites. If you are interested in learning more about our services please contact Reza Piri or Aaron Barr to find out exactly what we can do for you. 

Austin Community Networking and Involvement

Last week was a very eventful week for us at Gennovacap; not only were we able to further expand into Austin’s small business network by attending the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s ChamberFest 2012 (which is described in more detail in our previous blog post) on Tuesday, but also by speaking amongst other Austin entrepreneurs at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday.

ChamberFest: Small Business Networking

The ChamberFest was a great networking event, with over 90 booths for representing companies and many more walking around with the intentions of expanding businesses and professional networks. A few notable companies Gennovacap was able to mingle with include Trophyology, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Rack Space, all of which are eminent in the Austin community. Also, Gennovacap would like to send out huge congratulations to Sarah Ruh Design for the excellent and constructive presentation on social media.

  

Entrepreneurship Panel: Experience, Community, and Education

Gennovacap’s very own Reza Piri was asked to participate in a Q&A panel about entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin. The hour-long panel was held on Wednesday evening at the University Teaching Center and had about 25 student attendees.  He spoke alongside Jeff Davidson from Camp Gladiator, Jimmy Doan from Doan Law Firm, Drew Fisher from Barton Springs Soda Company, and Lori Schneider from The Cupcake Bar. Reza’s discussion touched on Gennovacap’s business and the general field of mobile app design but mainly stressed the topic of failure – how to have a healthy relationship with failure and being able to embrace it.

ChamberFest 2012: Austin Networking

For the first time ever, the Austin Chamber of Commerce has put together a showcase, ChamberFest, to bring all of Austin’s small business network under one roof. ChamberFest is part of an ongoing initiative to serve the greater Austin area’s small business community, which actually encompasses more than 85% of the Austin Chamber’s membership organization. The event will include door prizes, giveaways, and discounts from select area restaurants, and the ChamberFest 2012 Exhibitors include the following companies:

ISM Services, Inc.

Atchley & Associates, LLP

Focus Embedded

Fastframe & The Prickly Pear Galleries

Q2ebanking

ContractGurus.com

Capitol Wireless

VanDeWalle Chiropractic

Gail Darling Staffing

CAM-I

Rockford Business Interiors

Holiday Inn Austin Midtown

Caesars Entertainment

Advanced Mobility Systems of Texas

Austin City Living

Mercury Communication Services of Austin

Infintech LLC

AlphaGraphics

Goodybag, Inc.

RE/MAX Austin Associates

Doc2e-file

Austin Business Journal

PubCrawler of Austin

Strategic Payment Systems

QuintEvents, LLC

Baylor University – Executive MBA Program | Austin

Extend Stay America Hotels

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More – South Austin

Longhorn Office Products, Inc.

Austin’s Park

Frost

Austin Energy

Upstream Investment Partners

City of Austin – Small Business Development Program

Community Impact Newspaper

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists – Loree Hart

Speedpro Imaging

Allstate Insurance Company

Burnett Specialists, Inc.

Clear Spirit Corporate Massage

Legend Dental

Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin

Rackspace Hosting

Texas DPS Credit Union

Westin Austin at the Domain

EQ Consultants Group, LLC

Texas State University – San Marcos

Austin Rare Coins & Bullion

American Diabetes Association

All Seasons Nursery

Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center

National American University

Imagecraft Exhibits

LDRK Media

Hilton Garden Inn

ScanSee

Come by The Marchesa Hall and Theatre on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 from 4:00 – 8:00 PM to mix, mingle and expand your network or just say hello to your favorite Gennovacap folks! 

Pattern Productions: WordPress Customization

Austin’s famed culture has been attributed mainly to its live music industry, but also to its support for creative filming. Pattern Productions is an Austin-based video production company that isn’t about just making films, but telling a story, transforming ideas, and ultimately evoking emotions. And that is exactly why they strive to do much more than meet their clients’ expectations.

Wordpress Customization

Pattern Productions requested a redesign for their WordPress blog and Gennovacap Technology Services delivered. As a video production company, they needed an interactive and engaging website that would both educate the viewer about the company as well as showcase their completed work. Gennovacap started by finding a layout design in WordPress that complimented Pattern Productions video production business. We then completely redesigned the web pages, portfolio, and blog. 

Results

Pattern Productions was finally able to connect with potential clients through an easily navigable website that presents and demonstrates their breadth of video-production services, including animation, commercial, education, interviews, and films, because of Gennovacap’s dedicated and efficient work with WordPress Customization.

Feel free to visit http://patternproductions.com/ to read more into Pattern Productions’ work, get in contact for a potential job, or just browse their finished productions. And for any comments or questions about Gennovacap’s work, please visit http://www.gennovacap.com/.

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Gennovacap Technology Services is a web development company based out of Austin, TX. It specializes in custom websites and SEO services, and also offers IT consulting, graphic design, application development, CMS development, and e-commerce development. Our mission is to provide quality custom web design and web development solutions for any business that needs a website regardless of a budget.

Weird Coupons: Web Development, Mobile Apps, & SEO

How much more communal and Austin-loving can a company get when its name celebrates Austin’s most recognized maxim: Keep Austin Weird. And that is exactly what Weird Coupons is about, serving only Austin-born businesses to preserve the culture that makes this city so special. Weird Coupons grants these local businesses an affordable way to attract customers through deals, discounts, and coupons.

Web Design and Web Development

Gennovacap Technology Services recently had the pleasure of helping Weird Coupons build their business by utilizing our in house development team to construct the mobile-optimized website and mobile applications. We added new designs, the ability to “Pay With A Tweet,” a sign-up form for prospective users to receive local deals directly via e-mail and the PayPal function for online purchasing through the website, as well as optimized the website for mobile devices and outfitted it for SEO. 

The Mobile Apps
Through the use of modern web and mobile frameworks, including jQuery Mobile, PhoneGap, and Less Framework 4, Gennovacap shaped the mobile channel through which Weird Coupons actually conducts their business. Through the use of the PhoneGap framework, the mobile applications were developed to have native functionality while cutting development time in half.  

SEO
In addition to web and mobile app development, Gennovacap outfitted the website with search engine optimization through hardcoding content, keywords, and meta data into the website itself. We were able to optimize Weird Coupons' website for search engines due to our professional experiences in organic SEO, content writing, and keyword research.

Results

Our success is driven by our clients’ successes, and what Gennovacap did here was not only deliver for Weird Coupons, but we also saved them money. We accomplished that by employing an easily scalable technology to rapidly develop the mobile apps. In a nutshell, we saved Weird Coupons both time and money while providing the best possible web and mobile services.

Don’t believe what I’m saying? Check it out and see for yourself! You can visit http://www.weirdcoupons.com/ or download the Weird Coupons application from either the iOS App Store or the Android App Market. If you’re a local business owner looking to attract customers, a potential client inquiring about technology services, or just a regular ole’ Austinite trying to hunt down good deal, don’t hesitate to contact us here or Weird Coupons!

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Gennovacap Technology Services is a web development company based out of Austin, TX. It specializes in custom websites and SEO services, and also offers IT consulting, graphic design, application development, CMS development, and e-commerce development. Our mission is to provide quality custom web design and web development solutions for any business that needs a website regardless of a budget.

Website Development: Build it Yourself or Hire an Expert?

As technology grows ever more necessary for businesses to reach their audiences, technology companies try to offer solutions for non-technical people so that they can create their own websites.   Intuit's website building software or 1 & 1 My Website are the 2 most common sites that you may recognize.  For all of the advertising these companies spend to market and raise awareness for their website building solutions, the actual products fall short of graphical, structural, and functional design for most businesses.  The best example is my last client, Austin Simply Fit.  They began their website with one of these solutions and after they spent countless hours setting it up and then trying to design it within the software's construct they reached an unsatisfactory result.

A business website is the most effective piece of marketing material a business has to sell itself to its audience and keep them informed. Why go with and settle for a solution with an less than excellent result?    Companies like Intuit have a very strong brand name from products like Quickbooks and compared to the painstaking process of seeking out, vetting, and hiring a web designer  or web developer, the Intuit brand name persuades people to use their product.  Most of the time, these out-of-the-box type solutions yield a less than adequate means for a business to properly communicate ideas, services, and information to an audience.

When a web designer and web developer like myself encounter solutions like 1 & 1 My Website or Intuit Website Solutions they are a real let-down from a design, structural, and functional aspect.  Web technology and web programming has to be exact down to the very last punctation mark, yet at the same time it needs to be flexible enough because some pieces of code will conflict with other pieces of code and then you have to debug it to make it work together.  The problems with the out-of-the-box solutions, is that they DO NOT allow for flexibility in the layout code (CSS - Cascading Style Sheets) or functional code (programming) and therefore the user who is trying to design the layout will always end up with a bad graphical representation and a user who needs to add a functional database will not be able to do so.

If you are a small business owner and you want a website that will go the distance, the best option you have is to find a web designer  or web developer and let them guide you towards a viable solution for your business.  If websites consist of 3 moving parts: 1 part business, 1 part art, and 1 part technology- and you want your website to look good, work well, and convey the right information to your audience- you need to reconsider all your options and find a great technology expert, like Gennovacap Technology Services, to help you implement the best solution for your business.

Weird Coupons: Stay Weird Locals

“What if we really went local?” That’s the question Austinite Eric Knittel asked himself when he had the idea to start Weird Coupons, a new, local coupon and deal provider that’s available ONLY to locally-grown Austin businesses.

Weird Coupons was conceived as a companion to Austin’s unofficial slogan, "Keep Austin Weird," a concept originated by Red Wassenich who claims to have made the comment while pledging his support for a local radio station. Now symbolic for supporting Austin’s vibrant local business community, “weird” is an idea that Austin business owners have embraced as a way to differentiate themselves from national franchises moving in to capitalize on Austin’s growing economy.

Weird Coupons is seeking to be the first and foremost coupon company that supports the health and growth of locally-born and raised businesses. As Eric sees it, “Why go to a Starbucks when you’ve got Austin Java, Juan Pelotas, Mozarts, Progress, Joe’s, and on and on.” He goes on to say, “And think about the restaurants, clothing stores, movie theaters, entertainment, bars, bands and more. The Austin joints smoke the competition.”

According to the Austin Independent Business Alliance (The ibuyaustin.com folks), “For every $100 spent locally $45 stays in Austin. Opposed to just $13 when shopping at a national chain.” As Eric puts it, “I saw the big group couponers coming into Austin and making deals with local businesses that sounded great for consumers but ultimately were harmful to the Austin economy.” He goes on to explain, “When a business offers 50% off it’s product or service through a group couponer, they are really giving away 75% of their product. Because after all is said and done, the business has to split the price the consumer pays for the coupon (which is really a gift certificate). How many businesses do you think can survive by giving away 75% of their product?”

To add insult to injury, the money spent with the big discount programs goes to Chicago, D.C., etc. Eric says, “I saw this and thought to myself, this is silly. There has to be a way, using today’s technology, that Austin small businesses can attract more customers without losing their shirts.” 

At www.weirdcoupons.com, consumers can download the [free] app for both iPhone and Android (www.weirdcoupons.com/getapp.php) and businesses can open a free account to create and push their coupons or deals to the smart phones of Austinites with the app. “We’ve designed Weird Coupons to be super easy for business owners to use, as well as consumers,” states Eric. For the business owner, Eric says, “All the control is in your hands. You decide the discount or deal, you set the terms, you determine how long the deal lasts, and you push it to the app. For customers, all you have to do is download the app. There’s no account to open, no password to remember, no big brother watching what you buy. Simply download the app, check it when you’re ready to eat, shop or have some fun, and look for the best deals. That’s it.”

Weird Coupons is a local business focused on growing the local economy. It’s aimed at helping Austinites discover all the incredible businesses we have in our city. Eric puts it this way, “I sometimes take for granted how blessed I am to live in Austin, Texas. As our city grows, Weird Coupons is going to help me remember how lucky I am that I live in a city that appreciates and supports the entrepreneurial spirt – the American spirit.”

As Weird Coupons ramps up, they are giving their service away for free to all Austin-born businesses. So if your business is born and bred in Austin, you’re eligible to run all the advertisements, offers, discounts or deals you want to. Simply go to www.weirdcoupons.com and signup, and as Eric says, “Start sending Austinites a little love.”

If you are interested in partnering with Weird Coupons to offer your deals exclusively through Weird Coupons please contant Eric at eric@weirdcoupons.com for assistance in setting this up.

Website Development with Search Engine Optimization and WordPress Graphic Design with SEO Plug-in Setup

This past month we added a couple of new projects and clients to our portfolio.  For our first client, Texas Shale Investments, we built a custom website and enhanced it with search engine optimization services.  For our second client, Pattern Productions, we helped to redesign the layout of their WordPress blog and setup the SEO Ultimate Plug-in.  Here is a glimpse of our clients, the process involved, and the technologies we used in each project.

Our first client, Texas Shale Investments, is an diversified group of companies working in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas.  They commissioned Gennovacap to design the layout for the website, create specific keywords for website written content, add stock photography, create a blog using Blogger, submit sitemaps to all the major search engines, and fine tune the websites for search engine optimization. Once we obtained the all of the website requirements from the client, it took us a less than week to develop the site and implement the search engine optimization services.

For Texas Shale Investments web design, we started off with a CSS3 template designed with a jQuery slider and jQuery Carousel for an animated user interface.  Next, we customized the webpage content and images to fit the services and interests of Texas Shale Investments as a company.  We had the client choose stock photography from iStock and then we integrated the written content for the website.  Once we had the layout designed, the images chosen, and the content written- we began the web development process.

After all the code is written, we uploaded the webpages, files, and images to the server and we began the search engine optimization.  For search engine optimization there are several steps involved to prepare the site.  The first step is to generate a sitemap which we submit to all the search engines so that they can begin to scour the webpages and begin indexing the website for queries, content, images, backlinks, and keywords.  After we setup the rest of the optimization through Google Webmasters service, the site is client ready.  Visit Texas Shale Investments to see the services they provide and the work we did for them.

In the one month since we launched the Texas Shale Investments website, there has been considerable movement in page rank for specific keywords relating to their business.  In the next few months we will work with Texas Shale Investments to further enhance their page rank through press releases, online marketing, and organic search engine optimization.

Our second client, Pattern Productions, is a video production company in Austin, TX.  Pattern Productions requested a redesign for their WordPress blog and Gennovacap delivered.  We were given a professional mockup and design to emulate on the web.  We started by inspecting the current WordPress theme and then we began tweaking the CSS3 design and working with the PHP a little to bring about an exact replica.  After a week, we had a proof for the client and we worked with them for about another week to iron out the nuances.  After the blog was redesigned, we rearranged the permalink structure (urls based on tags and blog titles instead of a trailing breadcrumb) and setup the SEO Ultimate Plugin.  Visit Pattern Productions to see our design work.