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Slide Deck For “Best Internet Practices For Business” Seminar

September 11th, 2009

The complete 35-slide deck from yesterdays seminar on “Best Internet Practices For Business” is now available for free download and online viewing on Slideshare via the link below. Please forward this on to those that were not able to attend the session. Thanks so much for being a great audience!

For professional implementation and consultation on these practices, check us out at http://openrain.com , email us at sales {at} openrain.com, or call us at (623) 691-7869. Thanks again and enjoy the slides.

http://www.slideshare.net/preston.lee/best-internet-practices-for-business-chandler-20090910
http://openrain.com
http://openrainapp.com
http://blog.openrain.com
http://twitter.com/openrain

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Best Internet Practices For Business Seminar, September 10th, 2009

September 3rd, 2009

chandler_chamber_logoOpenRain Founder and CEO Preston Lee is delivering a lunchtime seminar on “Best Internet Practices For Business” on September 10th at the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. Topics include an overview of Internet best-practices provided to OpenRain’s Online Business Platform customers:

  • Website necessities and common mistakes.
  • Email marketing and newsletters.
  • Pay-per-click advertising basics.
  • Tracking and analyzing website visitor traffic.
  • Content writing tips for search engine optimization.

Food will be provided. Seating is limited. $5 for members, $10 for non-members. Advance online registration is required.

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Rubyology #83: Ruby IDE/Editor Deathmatch

August 10th, 2009
Roundtable discussion on Ruby IDEs and text editors.
Runtime: 38:39 minutes.
Participants: Marc Chung, Preston Lee, Saul Mora, Benjamin Smith.
Episode Sponsor: http://openrain.com
Stream via the web from http://rubyology.com or subscribe via iTunes.
Direct download size: ~34MB M4A, ~74MB MP3
http://rubyology.s3.amazonaws.com/rubyology-83-high.m4a
ruby_logohttp://rubyology.s3.amazonaws.com/rubyology-83-high.mp3

ruby_logo

Roundtable discussion on Ruby IDEs and text editors. Four OpenRain developers debate the pros and cons of different IDE and editor tools for day-to-day Ruby application development.

Stream Rubyology via the web or subscribe via iTunes.

Runtime: 38:39 minutes, in stereo.
Participants: Marc Chung, Preston Lee, Saul Mora, Benjamin Smith.
Episode Sponsors: http://openrain.com, http://openrainapp.com
Direct Download: ~34MB M4A, ~74MB MP3
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Three Great OpenRain Client Testimonials

August 6th, 2009

happy_faceThe best new business leads are referrals from happy clients, so when we recently received these great testimonial blurbs from active OpenRain web products and services clients, we just had to share the love!

“The team at OpenRain was easy to work with, took time to explain the process, han-
dled our needs efficiently and gave us our own Project Manager…that went above and
beyond to make sure we were kept in the loop on their progress and responded to our
questions and additional requests with care and concern…If you’re looking for reliabil-
ity, ease of use, quality production, and great people to do business with, go to Open-
Rain.” -Al A., Business Owner, OpenRain Client
“OpenRain has been working with us on a major undertaking for the past year and a
half, on a high visibility Ruby on Rails application that interacts with the complex data
model…During this time, OpenRain has come to be seen as valued and respected
members of our website team who are fully integrated within the group of developers.
OpenRain has also provided consultation and recommendations on our server archi-
tecture and scalability and are actively engaged in process improvements. Throughout
OpenRain has been professional, knowledgeable, and an asset to our team…and come
highly recommended both as software engineers and architects and particularly as
Ruby on Rails developers.” -Kristen L., Business Manager, OpenRain Client
“…will go above the call of duty to make sure what they develop is what you are look-
ing for. I’m looking forward to the long term benefits from all their efforts and a contin-
ued relationship with their office as my business grows.” -Ryan O., Business Owner,
OpenRain Client

“The team at OpenRain was easy to work with, took time to explain the process, handled our needs efficiently and gave us our own Project Manager…that went above and beyond to make sure we were kept in the loop on their progress and responded to our questions and additional requests with care and concern…If you’re looking for reliability, ease of use, quality production, and great people to do business with, go to OpenRain.” -Al A., Business Owner, OpenRain Client

“OpenRain has been working with us on a major undertaking for the past year and a half, on a high visibility Ruby on Rails application that interacts with the complex data model…During this time, OpenRain has come to be seen as valued and respected members of our website team who are fully integrated within the group of developers. OpenRain has also provided consultation and recommendations on our server architecture and scalability and are actively engaged in process improvements. Throughout OpenRain has been professional, knowledgeable, and an asset to our team…and come highly recommended both as software engineers and architects and particularly as Ruby on Rails developers.” -Kristen L., Business Manager, OpenRain Client

“…will go above the call of duty to make sure what they develop is what you are looking for. I’m looking forward to the long term benefits from all their efforts and a continued relationship with their office as my business grows.” -Ryan O., Business Owner, OpenRain Client

It’s always great to see encouraging words about your work!
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preston.lee Business, General Announcements

Chandler Ribbon Cutting Wrap-Up

July 23rd, 2009

ribbon_cutting_3

OpenRain Software is smack dab in the middle of a rapid-fire marketing event campaign, hosting three separate ribbon-cutting parties for Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert businesses over the course of several weeks to promote our small business web presence product. Tempe was last week, Chandler this week, and Gilbert next week. That’s a whole lot of wine and networking! Here’s a quick video of our Chandler Chamber ribbon cutting this past Wednesday. Also check out some great pictures courtesy of @casademora!

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preston.lee Business, Content, Online Business Platform

Radio Ad

July 15th, 2009

We had a last-minute need to record a 60-second OpenRain radio ad for our small business web development/design/consulting product, and managed to coerce Flo Geck into the office this morning to record the voiceover. I’m sure you’ll agree that Flo has a wonderfully soothing voice, and the final product came out awesome! (Hopefully you’ll soon be hearing her on our phone system as well.) Flo handled the production process very professionally and had production completed in under 30 minutes. Here’s the final 60-second radio ad. Enjoy!

60 Second Ad – Final Cut

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Geek ‘n’ Eat XV: Deja Vu Edition

June 24th, 2009

gne_logo_clipWhat: Geek ‘n’ Eat XV: Deja Vu Edition
When: Friday, June 26th, Noon-1pm.
Where: Chino Bandito, Chandler
Who: All hungry geeks!

[Restaurant Website] [Google Street View Map] [Aerial View] [Google Group] [GnE Website]

As a part-time Asian living in Arizona, Chino’s holds a special place in my heart for successfully blending Americanized Eastern favorites with Mexican classics. (Jerk chicken quesadillas, egg fu yung burritos.. crazy delicious stuff.) Come get your geek on with some awesome unique eats! I’m sure we’ll find some give-a-ways, too.

Note that this is at the CHANDLER location, which happens to have the worst restaurant real estate ever. It’s on the Southeast corner of Chandler and Dobson *behind* the strip mall. (See aerial pic.)

Mark your calendar now. (I’ll wait.) No reservation required, but notes appreciated on the Geek ‘n’ Eat Google Group!

Chino Bandido Takee-Outee was founded in November 1990 by Frank and Eve Collins, husband and wife. The blend of Mexican and Asian cooking styles and flavors came about from Eve’s Chinese background and both Frank and Eve being native Arizonans. The original store was only 1000 square feet, seated 16, and was modeled after those “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants that Frank and Eve love. As soon as they realized that people wanted to stay in to eat, as opposed to taking it out, they expanded the restaurant year by year, until the restaurant grew to over 5,000 square feet, seating about 150.

In June 2005, we finally opened the Chandler location. It is tucked into the corner of San Marcos Square (behind the Walgreen’s) on the southeast corner of Dobson and Chandler Blvd. With 6,000 square feet and an outside patio, we have tried to create a spacious, comfortable dining area. Most of the parking is on the east side of the building, so be sure to drive around back for the closest entrance!

In the fall of 2005, New Times awarded Chino’s Best of Phoenix for “Local Eatery We Wish Were a Chain.” On January 29, 2007, AOL users voted Chino’s in First Place for Best of Phoenix “Cheap Eats” category.

Chino’s is also one of few restaurants that gives you a tutorial in how to place an order. Mark your calendar now. (I’ll wait.)

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preston.lee Community, Design, Events, Geek 'n' Eat, Technologies

Product Video Demo: Online Business Platform

June 15th, 2009

OpenRain silently launched the Online Business Platform at the beginning of 2009 to give small businesses a sophisticated web presence on a tight budget. The Online Business Platform takes custom web design, easy-to-use content management (CMS) capabilities and social media integration, and wraps the whole package in a fully managed, fixed-cost web presence complete with monthly consulting services and automatic software upgrades.

It’s the most valuable parts of web for your business: technology, online marketing, and business guidance boiled down to an easy to use website and predictable development process. Anyone with a web browser and small marketing budget can now build and maintain a 100% unique, professionally guided web presence that will be the center of both your online and offline marketing campaigns for years to come. This video highlights just some of the current features of OpenRain’s Online Business Platform technology.

See http://openrainapp.com for details on the Online Business Platform and to request a free custom quote!

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DesertCodeCamp: Saturday, June 13th, 2009

June 11th, 2009
Just a reminder that Desert Code Camp is this Saturday, June 13th, at the DeVry University Phoenix campus. It’s 100% free and has content for pretty much all your popular languages, so developers and students don’t have  much of an excuse not to go. You’ll want to register now and pick your sessions to make sure there’s enough space.
“Code Camps are about the developer community at large. They are meant to be a place for developers to come and learn from their peers. Topics are always based on community interest and never determined by anyone other than the community…Code Camps are always free for attendees…The success of the Code Camps is that they are based on community content. All content that is delivered is original. All presentation content must be provided completely (including code) without any restriction. If you have content you don’t want to share or provide to attendees then the Code Camp is not the place for you.”
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Introducing OpenRain Partner Programs

June 3rd, 2009

Mutually beneficial, win-win partnerships should be built to last. And to create all that good, predictable business mojo, you need to incentivize participation on both ends. We’ve done this in the past, but have not created a formal program… until now.

Today we’re officially introducing OpenRain Partner programs to all our clients, vendors and other affiliates to incentivize these lasting bonds. Clients and vendors with formal relationships established in over three month intervals will now receive discounts on our already competitive development rates. When qualified as a marketing partner, businesses complementary to OpenRain’s core market (such as vertical partners in the design, hosting and support spaces) are also eligible to receive  four-figure referral bonus as well as free co-branded marketing materials!

Good referrals from trusted sources to reputable businesses are the cornerstone of organic business development, so participation in all of these programs will be limited and provided only to other reputable firms and individuals. Contact us to discuss!

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