So U2R1 Media has been extremely busy for the past several months developing this online 100% Canadian Trivia Game called www.toquesandbeavers.ca Honestly I can't believe how little I know about my home and native land, it was definitely made apparent to me after going through all the trivia questions and getting stumped time and again.

I challenge all of you out there to test your wits on Canadian Trivia, I'm wondering who's going to be the first to finish the game and become our official Certified Canadian.

Oh did I mention that we give away $1000/month to the highest scorer?? Oh and did I also mention that if you opt in to compete for the Grand Prize not only do you become a Certified Canadian but you also win $2000!!

Wait there is more! The main purpose of this game is to give back to our amazing Canadian athletes who work so hard to compete and represent our truly amazing country.

These athletes do not get much support from our government and have to pay their own way in travel costs, equipment, food and board etc. Only the very famous ones get sponsorships from big corporations. So we partnered with Can Fund, an amazing non for profit organization who raises money for athletes and all the proceeds go directly to them!!

This is a great cause, we need to show our support and solidarity as Canadians, now that all eyes are on Canada in 2010. So please donate as you play, every small amount adds up, spread the word and the love and challenge everyone to match wits as you out smart other Canadians a like. Let's show the world that Canada really is a strong and unified country with amazing people.

follow us on Twitter for all the media updates on Toques and Beavers. https://twitter.com/CreativeCo_U2R1

or even play the game as a facebook application!
http://apps.facebook.com/toques_and_beavers/

keep in mind we are still in Beta so if you see any bugs please let us know so we can fix it up quickly to make this a smooth launch!

let the games begin!!

Sari

www.u2r1media.com

There is something to say about Spring cleaning, I find that spring is a time of rejuvenation as I'm sure most people do hence the terminology and the act of cleaning itself. Not only am i cleaning out the office but it seems to be manifesting into a mental cleanse as well.

As I look back over the 7 years of files which have just kept piling up, i've noticed which old clients have sustained their business and which have just evaporated into the background of life.

Everyone has dreams, unfortunately not everyone's dreams come to be. As I my garbage bags continue to expand, I reflect on where my company was 7 years ago, where we are today and the future that is before us.

In the next few years I plan on opening a branch in California. I know what I have to do to get there and it's a little overwhelming but very exciting. Up until now I guess you could say I've been winging it, you can write business plans and marketing plans but at the end of the day what really gets you to where you want to go?. I've been progressing on the graces of passion, determination and the attitude that failure is not an option. I'm proud of where we are, we have amazing clients and a very successful business in the prime of its growth.

Cleaning up and clearing out has allowed me to recharge the energy of my company and my mind. Moving forward with a very spotless slate I'm excited to see where the next 7 years will take us. Hopefully people will look at us, our clients, colleagues, readers and take note as to how anything is possible when you keep your eye on the goal and your mind on the task. Focus is the way to success and Doubt is the way to failure.

Welcoming the next 7 years! I'll keep you posted along the way and who knows what spring cleaning in that time will unravel! :)

Happy spring!

S.

www.u2r1media.com

Welcome Jeremy Lichtman our head developer posting his first blog post on our site!

If you're anything at all like me, you've got a whole bunch of different social media websites, in addition to a blog. Wouldn't it be nice if you could post something in one place and then have the information show up on all of them? The good news is that its now possible to do this.

The specific problem was getting info from our blog (what you're reading right now!) onto our Twitter and Facebook pages. The idea is to update our status with a link to any new blogs that we write.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Make sure you know the URL of the RSS feed of your blog. Most blogs have RSS feeds these days. You can often find it by looking for the orange RSS icon and clicking on it. A funny looking page will open up in your browser, with the headlines of your recent blog entries. Copy the URL at the top of the browser and paste it into a document for later on.

2. Go to http://ping.fm and sign up for an account. Once you are logged in, you can add in your social media profiles - i.e. you can plug in your Facebook profile information, and then from ping.fm you can update your Facebook status. Put in as many (or few) social media profiles as you want.

3. The last step is to make the information from your RSS feed send updates to ping.fm, so that it can update your status. To do this, go to http://twitterfeed.com and sign up for an account. Then add in an updater for ping.fm,using the URL of your RSS feed that you saved before (don't connect directly to Twitter here, unless you want duplicate copies of your blog to appear there, because you've probably already set up ping.fm to post to Twitter as well).

There are lots of options you can play with in all of those websites, and you may need to fiddle around with them to get them to do exactly what you want. Don't be alarmed if you post to your blog and you don't immediately see your Twitter or Facebook status change - each step along the way has a built-in delay, and it may be an hour or more before the change goes through.

Good luck! if you have any questions contact us at www.u2r1media.com

Jeremy

I often ponder what I'm going to blog about, I mean sometimes for me I would rather talk about life's challenges than just marketing, design and websites. Funny thing, I realize that most of what happens in our day to day lives also reflect our behaviours and practices in our business.

It occurred to me a few days ago that many people are so afraid of stepping out of the comfort zone and into the "unknown". What amazes me is that the fear becomes so apparent on their faces even when they aren't facing the situation themselves but just by them hearing it from someone else's life!

It saddens me, how society's definitions of normalcy really confines people to their boxes and cubby holes of comfort. Growth happens when people are uncomfortable, when you step into the challenge head on, when you dare to be different and be your own person.

I realize this a lot with clients I deal with. The fear to do something different, to not look "corporate" enough, or using a colour that's "too bold" although they want to stand out they still want to look the same as everyone else. Empowerment comes from the knowledge and actions that you are taking a stand and holding your own.

Sometimes it's just baby steps. If you are working with designers then perhaps take the plunge and use a colour like RED, or PINK and make a statement with your company. Something that says NOTICE ME! Why do we want to assimilate with the rest of the same when we are trying so hard to get noticed? Decide which side of the coin you want to stand on and then take the actions to do so and put fear in the corner - you will see it will slowly disintegrate there as you realize the success in your risks and feel the exhilaration of being someone different, special, RELEVANT!

I won't be that one with the big white wedding and the white picket fence and the three kids... You'll see me with my bright yellow shoes, my feathered earrings, traveling around the world, career woman with a big smile on my face KNOWING I'm doing what I want and not what people expect me to be.

I dare you to try it. I dare you to be a little bit of you today.

S.

www.u2r1media.com

The most important element of brand development is designing a logo and concept that targets your target market audience. Too many times my clients get caught up in wanting to design a logo that depicts their personality or what they like visually. Unless you are your target market this is MISTAKE NUMBER ONE.

As much as you want to like and appreciate the brand that you develop a smart business owner knows that the main focus is what appeals to his/her clients.

Do yourself a favour and trust the professionals, the worst clients (and I mean clients who are their own worst enemy) are those who try to micro manage our job and our designs. The reason you are paying money for someone to design a logo and brand for you is not because you have an idea and can't do it yourself. (although that may be the initial thought it is a very dangerous way of thinking)

Everyone is a specialist in their own specific field and unless you are in the field of marketing or design, it is impossible for you to know the constant evolution in marketing and design trends.

The point of hiring a professional brand company is to get their experience and education as to what works and what doesn't. The most successful brands put their trust in the company's that know what they are doing. Those are the businesses who will really engage their clients and consumers.

The following are tips to consider when developing a brand for your company.

1. Who is your target audience? Do you really know your clients? knowing your service/product does not mean you know your clients emotional reactions. Try to get into the minds of your potential prospects and if you feel like you can't then this is something your branding company should be doing for you.

2. Design modern and clean. Logos that are ornate and overly designed do not capture the audiences 10 second attention span. Clean logos i.e. Apple, IBM, Nike, etc. are the ones that are remembered and can manifest into any design and brand campaign that you initiate in the future. Also simple designs are the logos that transcend time and become iconic and memorable.




3. Detach emotionally from your brand. If you become too emotionally involved with the development of your logo you will all of a sudden feel the need to manage the designers so that they develop a design that represents you and your characteristics and emotions which may very well be counter-active. The best way to choose a design is create a small focus group of your ideal clients, offer them a gift in return and let your target audience decide what attracts them visually and emotionally.

In a society saturated with brands fighting for your attention where do you want your brand to be? Follow these steps and you will be on the right track to an everlasting branding image.

Sari.

www.u2r1media.com

I was just talking to a friend of mine about this woman who works for a law firm that expects her to be at the office at 6am, stay till about 7pm and work weekends. The funny thing is the owner of this firm is finding a hard time getting employees and can't understand why!.

How do you find a company that will best suit your needs? Look at their employees, are they happy? overworked? passionate? All this will reflect on production and quality. I never believed in the notion of living for work, life is about enjoyment, sharing and fulfilling your talents and if you are lucky getting paid for what you love to do.

Employees who work around the clock and don't have time for their own lives will be resentful and open to the next bigger and better opportunity. IMHO the North American 40 hour work week regulations are absurd. Now I enjoy my career so working 40 hours a week is more like fun and excitement for me. However I can't imagine having to work at a job that I hate for that much of my lifespan. This is time we never get back! It's strange to see how people live their lives as if they will have the opportunity for a do over one day when they wake up to the reality of their lives. (now on a spiritual realm if you believe in reincarnation then perhaps that would be the case but it will never be the same life, so this is all you get for who you are today!)

It also says a lot about the owner of the company who respects their employees need for freedom and a social life, a life outside their job. A company is made up of the team that plays for them, yes employees are replaceable but the day will come that you will compromise your quality and service when you have alienated all of the people who realize that they will be appreciated somewhere else, that their are company's out there who do value the team players.

Of course that doesn't mean let your employees run amok and just do whatever they want. Unfortunately we are not living in Europe where 2-4 in the afternoon is siesta time. So we have to comply with mainstream society to be successful in this country. That being said though, it's in everyone's best interest to make the work environment enjoyable and fun!

So today, do something nice for the people who help your company grow and be the success it is today. Show them appreciation and it will go a long way towards the future of your business. PLUS it never hurts to make someone, anyone, smile.

Sari.

www.u2r1media.com

So this is my first blog that will be sent out to my facebook and Twitter accounts! How exciting! Technology just get's better and better! Don't be afraid to progress with the times, there are outlets everywhere that teach you ways to learn the basics in technology and once you get the hang of it, boy is it fun!

Just a quick tip for today's positive energy message.

It's spring! So if you have been following my blog for a while you know what that means to me, growth, rejuvenation and success!

Did you have a goal this year and you let the media get you down with all this recession talk? Take charge of your life! Post your goals around your house and manifest your reality. You decide how you want to live, make sure you are the master of your domain (domain being your body, soul, and existence) the only one who ultimately defines who you are and what you can do is YOU!

So go out there, take advantage of the generous banks and loans today and start your dream!

Make it a day full of Multi-Sensory Experiences!

Sari

www.u2r1media.com