If you think there’s no place in the business world to “shake your body baby, do that conga,” then you clearly did not attend the MarketingSherpa Email Awards Gala Party this past March in Miami. Successful email marketers from around the globe gathered at Gloria Estefan’s downtown Miami restaurant, Bongos, to acknowledge email campaigns in categories such as best retail promotion, best email newsletter and best B-to-B campaign (to name a few). The mojitos flowed freely and everyone could feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger. Okay, I promise no more Gloria lyrics.

Don’t miss your opportunity to conga be honored at the 2008 awards. The deadline for submissions is January 11, 2008 and the campaign should be one you sent in 2007. All you need to do is submit a campaign you’re particularly proud of. Of course, proud is defined by amazing results - you sold a lot of stuff or got a ton of click throughs, for example. For more details on the criteria and to submit your campaign, hop over to the MarketingSherpa site. And ask us if you have questions or need a little help. We know there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of you Emma users out there with award-worthy campaigns. How ’bout a little recognition and a mojito (or two?). I know you can’t control yourself any longer.

Okay, sorry about that last one. I couldn’t resist.

Technorati Tags: marketingsherpa email summit, email marketing, email marketing awards, email newsletters, myemma.com

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This past Saturday, members of Nashville’s New Media community gathered at the Exit/In for 12 hours of speaker sessions, networking, drinking, and fun (presented in part by Emma). I could write a long summary, but I think breaking it down to the best quotes is the way to go. So, without further ado, here are our top ten favorite quotes about BarCamp Nashville (in no specific order):

1. “Barcamp Nashville is a bunch of folk guitarists that tend bar on the side who are going to sleep under the stars in their $300,000 RVs and sing cowboy songs around the propane log fire.” - Going Like 60
2. “The entire day had the trappings of a Nashville entertainment event right down to the venue. Each city’s barcamp needs to have its own flavor. And there was an unmistakable Nash-Vegas flavor at this one.” - Shotgun Concepts
3. “I really only caught the beginning and end, because, let’s face it - I have other things I’d rather do on a Saturday than hang out with a bunch of web nerds.” - Selling Albums in a Singles World
4. “I’d love to have my product on Oprah. I’m working on that now.” - Viva La Lesley
5. “A great coming together of minds and ideas.” - Super Wonder Bang
6. “Learned some cool stuff about Google… more than I probably wanted to know, but I’ll be sure taking advantage of Google a bit more.” - Gavoweb
7. “Good Stuff - Good People - Right here in Nashville!” - WonderDawg
8. “Man it is hot in here…” - Brian Bruijn
9. “The BarCamp Nashville conversation needs to continue into the afterlife of BarCamp.” - Music City Bloggers
10. “It just goes to show that for all the progress and connectivity of ‘web 2.0′ — people still want a personal connection.” - Shotgun Concepts

Technorati Tags: Going Like 60, Shotgun Concepts, Selling Albums in a Singles World, Viva La Lesley, Super Wonder Bang, Gavoweb, WonderDawg, Brian Bruijn, Music City Bloggers, BarCamp Nashville, barcampnashville, myemma.com

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Last week, we headed to Portland for the Open Source Convention, lovingly known as OSCON, where thousands of open source software developers, system administrators and technology lovers from around the globe came to bask in the glory of unadulterated geek-speak. Naturally we had to gather our laptops and pocket protectors to be front-and-center at this event, since the promotion and development of open source is a subject dear to our heart. For those new to the phrase, open source promotes community involvement when building products, believing that collaboration and openness to review leads to the highest quality and most flexibility. We heartily agree, making this event high on our must-do list in ‘07.

We spent a lot of time enjoying the information exchange and general company of core PostgreSQL and PHP developers (those two technologies comprising Emma’s database and the language her brain is written in, respectively). Erik Jones contributed his support by helping with the PostgreSQL table at the convention center - a booth that earned the unofficial distinction of having the most knowledgeable “army of nerds” in the exhibit hall (considering the crowd, that’s quite a compliment). The conference sessions were a delicious (yes, delicious) array of topics on exciting new tools and technologies, and we’ve already felt the benefit of bringing them back home to Emma.

I also can’t help but share my newfound love for Portland itself, and we explored the neighborhoods and parks using their excellent public transportation system until our cameras and feet simply couldn’t take any more. From the pearl district to the famous Rose Test Gardens, we were completely charmed by the city and its culture. Portland, if it were possible to deck you in medals of awesomeness, we would do it.

In summary - new friends, new inspiration, and more pictures of roses than we’ve ever taken in our lives.

Technorati Tags: oscon, oscon2007, portland, postgresql, php, myemma.com

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Earlier this month, our friends at MarketingProfs hosted a virtual conference. We’re big fans of all things ‘Profs - and admittedly a little intrigued when the word ‘avatar’ gets thrown around - so we decided to participate as a vendor and set up our own virtual booth. On the day of the conference, visitors could come by the booth to download tips for improving their email marketing efforts, chat with someone from Emma (Sara, the one from Nebraska, volunteered), and learn more about what we do. We also had the option of including a 60-second video greeting to welcome visitors to the booth. And what says “welcome to our virtual booth” like a video of an old-school conference booth? Go on, think felt tablecloth, fishbowl, and a big bowl of Werthers. You know what, don’t imagine it.
Just watch it here.

Technorati Tags: myemma.com, marketingprofs, virtual conference, virtual booth, myemma.com, emma, email marketing, email newsletters, enewsletters

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I just got back to Nashville from Podcasters Across Borders (PAB). A side project from Emma is my gig as producer and co-host of Two Boobs and a Baby +, a comedy parenting Internet radio show.

Last year I attended the first PAB conference in Kingston, Ontario. Each year members of the Canadian podcasting community and beyond meet to share stories, watch presentations, learn and drink. This year was no different than last year, only the group doubled in size.

If you’re a podcaster I definitely recommend you attend PAB2008. You can find out more from the link above. Also, if you are interested in listening to some of the sessions check out the Canadian Podcast Buffet. Hosts Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche also present the conference, so they podcast the presentations after the conference for those who couldn’t make it.

I also suggest you check out Neil Gorman’s presentation about podcaster burnout. I should note, this was his first time presenting (and definitely not his last - he rocked!).

Finally, I want to thank Emma for offering to allow me to buy my PAB friends drinks!

Cheers.

Technorati Tags: PAB2007, Podcasters Across Borders, podcasting, two boobs and a baby, neil gorman, bob goyetche, mark blevis myemma.com

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I just got back from design nirvana - but you might know it as the National AIGA Leadership Retreat. This year, 500+ designers convened in South Beach for three days to talk about everything design-related in our world. Since this was both my first year as co-president of the Nashville chapter and my first national retreat, I had no idea what to expect. I assumed there’d be a slew of designers in stylish glasses talking about the new new mint green shade that’s all the rage and frolicking in paper samples. Nope.

Starting bright and early at 7:30am (obviously the work of a non-designer) and going until 10pm (now we’re talkin’), each day was filled with presentations, workshops, breakout sessions and group lunches, all intended to get people out of their shell and away from their own chapter to trade stories and ideas about cool programming, governance challenges and growing membership.

The highlight for me was co-moderating one of these breakout sessions on “communications and Emma.” Shel Perkins and Katie English from the National board sat in with about twenty other members as Jessica Gore, my co-moderator from AIGA San Francisco, and I spoke about how our chapters use Emma to reach out to our members and design community at-large. Other members jumped in as well to add their own experiences to the mix and brainstorm more creative ideas. Among the great suggestions were things like spotlighting an outstanding volunteer, gathering programming feedback using surveys and getting the word out about member discounts and benefits. We also covered hot topics like designing HTML email, optimizing for mobile devices, using CSS the right way and how to conquer your fear of Outlook 2007 (don’t cry). Everyone, including people who had no previous web or email experience, walked out of this session like champs ready to get their chapters talking.

2008 retreat, here I come.

Technorati Tags: AIGA, design, CSS, Outlook 2007, AIGA National Leadership Retreat, myemma.com

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