If you know anything about the thunder::tech, then you know we LOVE Halloween!

We celebrated with our annual employee pumpkin carving contest, but this year we did it a little differently by having representatives from each department on every team. Team members worked alongside each other to create the best pumpkin carving in an hour. Afterward every team member voted on the best pumpkin creation.

As this year’s winner, Team 1, created a pumpkin that was ready for a rockin’ time equipped with a Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt, Journey concert tickets and a Zippo lighter. Team 2 took the Twitter craze to a new level by carving a thunder pumpkin with its own Twitter account. Team 3’s pumpkin depicts their interpretation of the swine flu, complete with a thermometer and scarf and Team 4 created the Kool-Aid pumpkin that can burst through brick walls.

Watch our video of this pumpkin seed-filled adventure below.


You can also view pictures of each pumpkin on Flickr. Which pumpkin is your favorite?

As the leaves turn brilliant shades of PMS 137 and PMS 116, the holiday season is once again sneaking up on us. While everyone is busy looking forward to roasting turkeys and making stuffing, at thunder::tech we're busy thinking up fresh and creative ways to spread our holiday cheer and goodwill to our friends and clients.

Not only are holiday touch points a great way to connect with your clients during a historically slow time of year, but they are also a great way to showcase your innovation and creativity. If you haven't started thinking about the message you want to send as the weather drops into the single digits, there's no time like the present (get it, present?).

The best seasonal ideas are relatable and create a lasting memory for your audience. The most common media for holiday correspondence is old-fashioned snail mail, however, a strong campaign might have printed material and an online component, such as an e-card or video, to reach a broader audience and encourage interaction.
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On Wednesday Oct. 22, Public Relations Manager Misty presented a seminar on using social networking to benefit your business at the 2009 COSE Small Business Conference.

Check out her slides from the presentation to learn more about how to use social media to develop your organization's online presence.
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“What is a search engine?”

This simple question is the most important question a person can ask when beginning the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) process and one that every client should ask their search engine specialist to ensure that their tactics are on target.

The image above provides a visual representation of a search engine. What we see is a user (the fisherman) looking at the Internet (the ocean) using a search engine (a fishing pole) to find a Web site it can use (a fish).Search engines sift through the endless sea of Web sites and information to provide the results you are seeking.

In this we find the connection between both search engines and SEO: both are working to provide the user with results (or a nice evening meal).

Knowing what a search engine is and how SEO works, I encourage you to go to your Web site, look around and ask yourself the following:
1. What are you doing to swim better than your competition?
2. What are you doing to be caught by that search engine?
3. If a user finds your site, are you really going to satiate their appetite or will they have to go fishing again?

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This Friday, Cleveland Beer Week is kicking off at 6 p.m. with a Ceremonial Keg Tapping at the Winking Lizard in Independence, Ohio. Cleveland Beer Week is a week-long celebration which supports local breweries and pubs. Local events will take place all week throughout Cuyahoga County.

Visit the Cleveland Beer Week Web site to see a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets.

Can’t decide on which event to attend? Check out Indigo Imp Brewery’s “It’s Firkin Alive!” tasting next Thursday, Oct. 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. To help Indigo Imp prepare for the tasting, we created postcards, tickets and a commemorative pint glass. We also created an online ad and Web copy for the brewery’s blog and Facebook Fan Page.

As a sponsor, thunder::tech’s design team created interactive ads for the celebration, which you can see on clevelandnights.com and clevelandbeerweek.org.