Cincinnati

Cincy Digital Non Conference shakes things up

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Architecture + Design
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October 30, 2012

Advertisers, marketers and PR representatives gathered at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza hotel for the fifth annual Digital Non Conference. This year’s two-day conference featured six keynote speakers and numerous breakout sessions that focused on different aspects of the digital world.   AAF Cincinnati founded the Digital Non Conference in 2007 to bring together employees of the more than 400 package design, branding, advertising and marketing firms in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A few attendees were from firms in Cleveland and NYC, but most were local.    Bing evangelist for Microsoft Jason Dailey’s keynote address on Tuesday focused on innovations in technology. Lesley Fair, senior attorney for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, offered insights into legal rules for the digital age; David Payne, chief digital officer of the Gannett Co., talked about the importance of the "mobile first" mentality; and Dave Dorr, creative director and consultant of Epipheo Studios, shared lessons learned about getting your message across to consumers.   “Many of the things in today’s conference weren’t even imagined when the Digital Non Conference began in 2007,” says Lori Krafte, chair of the Digital Non Conference organizing committee.   It's true. Some of the technology featured in Dailey’s keynote won’t be made a reality for decades to come. The bare bones of the technology exist, but forward-thinkgin professionals know that it will take lots of testing before every household can have a refrigerator that provides recipes based on the ingredients inside.   The breakout sessions gave conference-goers the chance to learn about the digital world in social media, data measurement and related areas. Many sessions featured local entrepreneurs and digital gurus who spoke about their experience with new technology in Cincinnati.   By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter Caitlin is also an Associate Editor for Barefoot Proximity

Latest in Cincinnati
UC part of education collaboration with Iraqi universities
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Diversity
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October 30, 2012

A group of University of Cincinnati faculty and students will go to Iraq in November as part of a collaboration between U.S. and Iraq university to strengthen educational and economic opportunities in the Middle East county. Starting Nov. 2, representative from UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) and the UC Career Development Center (CDC) will go to Salahaddin University-Hawler in Erbil, Iraq. It's the latest in a series of trips between the two universities, which are in the third year of a U.S. State Department-sponsored linkages program geared toward undergraduate Iraqi students. Originally scheduled to end this year, the collaboration was given a six-month extension, says Laura Dell, academic director of distance learning for the UC School of Education. "I'm going to be teaching a two-week long seminar on education research. We'll also be observing teaching in classrooms and providing peer feedback," Dell says. The universities will also plan a joint spring conference. UC faculty will lead career development workshops, providing feedback on research courses, discussing literature and exploring future opportunities for post-doctoral students. Theresa Aberle, adjunct instructor and program coordinator for the UC Career Development Center, will help lead a conference on creating career centers. "I'll be there with four Iraqi universities and four U.S. universities. We'll be sharing information on how to set up career centers, how to do presentations and marketing, and all the different pieces of what a takes to get a career center working," Aberle says. As Iraq is transitioning into a more democratic government form, privates businesses are moving in and looking for a workforce. It's a cultural shift for the country that encompasses many important topics, including career development. "They've never had to have a career center before; it's a whole new venture for them," Aberle says. UC is among only five U.S. institutions picked to partner with five Iraqi universities. The partnership fits in with UC's 2019 strategic plan to expand international partnerships and overseas research collaborations. "It's part of the mission to help wherever we can," Dells says. Salahaddin University-Hawler is in the Kurdish region of Iraq, where many natives speak English as a second language, Dell says. That's made it much easier for each side to communicate and work together. Located in the Northern part of Iraq, it's also not as subject to ongoing violence. This is Dell's second trip there. "What we see of Iraq on the news is violence, and upheaval. It's been really nice to see the other side of the Middle East. People are excited to talk to Americans and very nice," she says. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

Nine-year-old twins’ love of reading sparks charity that gives books to kids
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Arts + Culture
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October 30, 2012

Hannah and Alex Laman can’t imagine living in a home without books. So the nine-year-old Loveland twins were stunned last fall as their parents discussed a newspaper article that outlined school funding cuts that would affect the ability of some inner-city kids to get books. “Our kids are avid readers and going to the library is a big part of their lives,’’ says Angela Laman. “They overhead us talking about that story and they were just dumbfounded that there are kids without access to books; that there are kids who can’t even get a ride to the library.” So the brother-sister duo came up with an idea: Let’s collect used books and give them away to kids who don’t have them. Just like that Adopt a Book was born. “Kids need to learn how to read because  there are words everywhere,’’ says Hannah, just a day after being named a Difference Maker at the Cincinnati Museum Center for the charity she and her brother created from that very simple idea. Her brother adds: “We wanted every kid to have the chance to read a book." “My goal is to give away 10 million books in the next three years,’’ Alex adds. The Laman twins were two of five people honored last week at the fifth annual Duke Energy / Children’s Museum Difference Maker Awards. The Dragonfly Foundation and Faces without Places were also honored. More than 50 individuals, businesses and agencies were nominated by their peers and members of the community for the inspiring work they do. Angela Laman says she and her husband, Brent, are incredibly proud of their fourth-graders, who have collected and distributed 8,783 books since the nonprofit was created less than a year ago. “We sat on the idea for several months, thinking it would go away,’’ she says. “But they were relentless.” The family brainstormed the idea, came up with the name, filed out the necessary paperwork to create the nonprofit and set up a Facebook account. Then they set out to collect the books, which fill their basement, spare bedroom and garage. The donations have come through friends, family, teachers and their church. The Lamans have distributed books to ProKids, Lighthouse Youth Services and to the YWCA, which shares the books for children in shelters and juvenile programs, she says. The twins catalogue the books as well as deliver them. “It’s all been through word of mouth really,’’ she says. “I thought we would get a few hundred books and I’ve been just amazed.” The books have to pass the Alex and Hannah test before they get donated: Each must to be in good shape, with no missing pages or writing in them. The twins will take books targeted at any age, but they particularly like getting chapter books.  “They don’t want to donate books that they wouldn’t want to get,” says mom, who tracks every book they receive in a simple spreadsheet. “It’s been a great learning experience for them. It’s just been wonderful.” So what’s next for the enterprising twins? Besides donating those 10 million books, Alex really wants Adopt a Book to have its own Web site where they can discuss the nonprofit and he’d like to eventually give away brand new “crisp” books. “New books would be really, really nice,’’ says Alex. “I’d like to give away new books.” Besides the glass awards the twins received, the Museum Center also presented the Laman family with a year membership. The twins are already talking about how they can have a book fair in the center’s rotunda. Do Good: • Like Adopt a Book on Facebook. • Donate gently used books via Facebook or email adoptabook@fuse.net. • Watch a video of the award ceremony. • Read about all the 2012 Difference Makers. By Chris Graves. Chris Graves is assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency.

Salvation Army-owned property in College Hill soon to be apartments for seniors
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Development News
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October 30, 2012

The undeveloped property at 6381 Center Hill Avenue in College Hill will soon become apartments for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The final plans for the development were approved Friday by the City Planning Commission.   The Salvation Army owns the Center Hill property, which will soon become 96 apartments available to residents 60 years of age and older who meet specific income requirements. There will be 95 one-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment for the resident manager. Plans also include a kitchen, dining room and recreation areas for residents.   “Dwellings for senior citizens are in high demand,” says Felix Bere, senior city planner for the City of Cincinnati. “These apartments will also cater to a segment of the population that needs a place to live.”   Construction on the property is expected to start in February 2013; completion is slated for the second quarter of 2014.   By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Sprout Insight hones in on multi-ethnic consumers
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Diversity
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October 30, 2012

“People always say, ‘Be careful working with your best friend,’ but we’ve never had those negative experiences. Our relationship and the way we know each other has been such a strength,” says Lisa Mills, a psychologist, and co-founder of research consultancy Sprout Insight, of her 22-year friendship with co-founder Kathy Burklow. Mills and Burklow became friends as graduate students in psychology, working together first at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In 2006, frustrated by the disconnect between scientific advancement and community engagement, they left Children’s to launch Harmony Garden, a nonprofit community research center focused on improving the health of Cincinnati girls. Building on the idea of helping community members be heard and understood, the duo pivoted last February, launching Sprout Insight, a market research and insight consultancy. These days, the leverage decades of clinical and research experience while work closely with companies, hospitals, nonprofits and branding firms that target African American, Latino and Asian shoppers. “Unless [companies] get better at collecting information about racial and ethnic minorities, they’re going to continue to miss opportunities in their industries,” Mills says. “There are a lot of consumer insight and market research companies, but very few are looking at consulting with businesses and corporations about gathering insights from racially and ethnically diverse populations.” Accordingly, the women help organizations identify what types of data they need and how to gather it, both quantitatively through customized surveys and qualitatively, often through focus groups that allow the pair to gain deeper insight into consumers. In practice, that might look like tweaking an existing survey to avoid leading questions or to gather more specific data. It could also mean setting up focus groups at a church or recreation center (rather than the typical observation room) to allow meaningful feedback and insight to flow. “Taking [people] out of their community, you may get answers, but they may not be relevant answers,” Mills says. And so Mills and Burklow keep bringing new voices to the conversation between companies and consumers, hoping for the same goal sparked their friendship decades ago. “Kathy and I are really about the bridging of the gaps,” Mills explains. “For our society to work together, everybody needs to be knowledgeable on some level so that they can sit at the table, and communicate.”    By Robin Donovan

Technology pushes digital advances closer to daily life tasks
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Innovation News
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October 30, 2012

“Digital media is rapidly transforming,” says Jason Dailey, director of Bing evangelism for Microsoft. Dailey spoke at Cincinnati's Digital Non Conference last week about emerging digital technology. As the director of Bing evangelism, Dailey and his team build relationships with advertisers and agencies. They also drive traffic to adCenter  and Bing, and partner with Yahoo! for the Search Alliance. Advertising, marketing and PR have changed rapidly over the years thanks to technology. The first paid advertisement appeared in a newspaper in 1836; today, ads are everywhere, from TV and radio to the Internet. But who is driving change—technology or consumers? Dailey says that the need to complete daily tasks quickly and efficiently is what drives the changes in digital technology. The idea of what a computer is has changed drastically since its invention, and soon, everything will have a computer in it. Although they won’t be on the market for a decade or so, computers, smartphones and tablets will eventually have the ability to communicate seamlessly with each other. Refrigerators will also have computers in them and be able to provide recipes based on the ingredients inside. Microsoft also has the vision for facial recognition in digital devices. Today, Xbox Kinect is the closest thing on the market to facial recognition, but it requires you to stand within a certain distance of the console to play a game. One day in the near future, this won’t be needed. Currently, there are about nine billion devices connected to the Internet, but that number will soon grow as digital technology changes and grows. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter Caitlin is an Associate Editor for Barefoot Proximity

Canopi fashions new web channel for style bloggers
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Architecture + Design
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October 30, 2012

There literally are millions of blogs with hundreds of thousands created dailcy. As any avid blogger already knows, not all blogs are created equal. Some are as professional, well-written and relevant as any glossy magazine. Others are, well, not. Social media channels like Youtube, Facebook and Twitter can help somewhat cull the best content, but it's still not a great way to find good content about specific topics. A small group of Cincinnati entrepreneurs are working to do their part to make the fashion blogging space more manageable and efficient for bloggers, readers and brands. The Canopi startup is aimed at the fashion blogging community and billed as an "An All Access Pass to Top Blog Content." It's working to amass the best content, help readers and bloggers connect, and better match bloggers and brands. Erin Flynn, a blogger who lives in Columbia Tusculum, started Canopi in July 2011. Formerly known as Righting Style, Canopi is just launching the site in Beta, and seeking blogger content. The site will have a system that divides content by specific topics, and allows bloggers to use the platform to grow their influence. Readers can vote up their favorite content, and brands can tap into a system that sets pay rates for bloggers based on influence and content. Flynn, who has a background in marketing, started Canopi in response to problems she saw as a style blogger. She's the author of Reality Chic, devoted to real-world style tips for young women transitioning to work from college. "I graduated from college in 2009, and the economy crashed. I decided I wanted to do something for myself. I was passionate about fashion, and started a fashion blog. I was addicted," she says. But she saw problems. It was hard to cut through the blog noise to reach readers, and difficult for brands to quickly identify great bloggers to partner with. "I was finding brands were spending 25 hours per campaign looking for bloggers," she says. Canopi is in its early stages, but will soon be contacting brands. The company is also seeking angel investors, and Flynn's husband is leaving a job at Procter & Gamble to work full-time for the company. "We're open to all opportunities," Flynn says. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

UC study reveals two native plants suited for green roofs
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Environment + Sustainability
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October 30, 2012

It would appear that not all native Ohioans dread the scorching summers typical in our region. In fact, members of UC’s biology department recently identified two plants that thrive under the same conditions that send humans running for air-conditioned shelter. A pilot study conducted by UC biology student Jill Bader and assistant professor of biology Ishi Buffam found that of four native Ohio plants tested, the nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) and a European sedum (Sedum acre) are particularly well suited for the vegetated roofs becoming increasingly common—and which the pair hope to help popularize even further—in local green building practices. Green roofs have been utilized in many cities to address environmental issues, from air pollution and street noise to excess stormwater runoff. According to Buffam, however, most of the plants currently used on green roofs are not native to the region. “We aim to help inform policy and details of green roof construction and implementation by increasing the knowledge base,” Buffam says. The results of the study, which Buffam and Bader presented earlier this month at the CitiesAlive 2012 conference in Chicago, confirm earlier studies which have found the nodding wild onion to be a successful green roof plant. “It was exciting to see everyone coming together to share research data, case studies and ideas for increasing green roof adoption as a solution for the environmental issues created by urbanization,” Bader says. “In order for green roof installations to become more widely adopted in the region, more guidance supported by research data is needed,” says Buffam. “Especially as it relates to the selection of green roof plants and the ecosystem services they provide. [Such research] is extremely important to the efforts of municipalities, businesses and environmental agencies who utilize green roofs in their efforts at reducing stormwater runoff and protecting the quality of our surface waters.” Buffam and Bader direct those interested in learning more about green roofs to the Civic Garden Center’s Green Learning Station, a roundup of  “…responsible methods to grow gardens anywhere and everywhere: yards, rooftops, walls, patios, driveways and parking lots.” By Hannah Purnell

Misfit quilt sparks an Etsy hit
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Arts + Culture
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October 30, 2012

Sarah DeMoss’ Etsy startup story is almost too simple. She created a quilt for her living room, but found that it didn’t quite fit her décor once it was sewn. Because so much work had gone into the piece, she couldn’t bear the thought of not using it, and decided to post it on Etsy. DeMoss Designs was born. The first quilt sold quickly, so DeMoss began creating new quilts and other items on request. Each time an item was requested, she’d add it to her store, figuring that what one customer wanted might please another, too. Two years later, DeMoss still sells lots of quilts, but you can also find flag banners (photographers love them for birthday photo shoots with kids), pacifier clips, headbands, coasters and onesies for infants. Quilts remain at the heart of the business, however. “Every time I make a quilt, it’s my favorite,” DeMoss says. “I have stacks of unfinished quilts. It seems like every time I list one, I sell it. DeMoss watches changes to the Etsy site closely, tracking forum conversations to keep up with changes that might influence when and where her products show up in site searches. The site frequently changes the way products are emphasized, she says. “Right now I’m selling a lot of quilts and pacifiers clips; six months ago I was selling a lot of baby lovies and headbands. I don’t know why it happens the way it happens. I think a lot of it has to do with Etsy and how they emphasize items … A lot of it has to do with search engine optimization and just keeping yourself relevant.” She also reports a fair amount of direct traffic, or site searches for her shop name as her wares become more well-known. And even her husband has jumped into the Etsy shop recently, pairing with her to sell woodworking items. By Robin Donovan

Sprout Insight hones in on multi-ethnic consumers
By
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Diversity
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October 30, 2012

“People always say, ‘Be careful working with your best friend,’ but we’ve never had those negative experiences. Our relationship and the way we know each other has been such a strength,” says Lisa Mills, a psychologist, and co-founder of research consultancy Sprout Insight, of her 22-year friendship with co-founder Kathy Burklow. Mills and Burklow became friends as graduate students in psychology, working together first at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In 2006, frustrated by the disconnect between scientific advancement and community engagement, they left Children’s to launch Harmony Garden, a nonprofit community research center focused on improving the health of Cincinnati girls. Building on the idea of helping community members be heard and understood, the duo pivoted last February, launching Sprout Insight, a market research and insight consultancy. These days, the leverage decades of clinical and research experience while work closely with companies, hospitals, nonprofits and branding firms that target African American, Latino and Asian shoppers. “Unless [companies] get better at collecting information about racial and ethnic minorities, they’re going to continue to miss opportunities in their industries,” Mills says. “There are a lot of consumer insight and market research companies, but very few are looking at consulting with businesses and corporations about gathering insights from racially and ethnically diverse populations.” Accordingly, the women help organizations identify what types of data they need and how to gather it, both quantitatively through customized surveys and qualitatively, often through focus groups that allow the pair to gain deeper insight into consumers. In practice, that might look like tweaking an existing survey to avoid leading questions or to gather more specific data. It could also mean setting up focus groups at a church or recreation center (rather than the typical observation room) to allow meaningful feedback and insight to flow. “Taking [people] out of their community, you may get answers, but they may not be relevant answers,” Mills says. And so Mills and Burklow keep bringing new voices to the conversation between companies and consumers, hoping for the same goal sparked their friendship decades ago. “Kathy and I are really about the bridging of the gaps,” Mills explains. “For our society to work together, everybody needs to be knowledgeable on some level so that they can sit at the table, and communicate.”    By Robin Donovan

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