internet : Innovation + Job News

Baltimore music and lifestyle online magazine the Pen's Eye View is expanding its website videos and online interviews and plans to redevelop the website to make it more mobile friendly.

The company is also shopping a pilot to television producers for a series that focuses on musicians showing off their home towns during the day, then playing a live show that night. The magazine's newly revamped website should be ready late spring.

“We're so busy and so happy that we are,” says the Pen's Eye View President Richie Frieman. “Our site got revamped in late 2011 and we'll be doing another big redesign in 2012, focusing on mobile capabilities. Now we're deciding which platform to use.”

The award-winning magazine launched in 2007, and has featured more than 850 interviews with artists, musicians, and luminaries from around the world. A new interview is posted every 48 hours. The magazine has also been working on enhancing its Twitter presence by encouraging concert goers to send in tips by Twitter about live acts that they love.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Richie Frieman, the Pen's Eye View

Technology hiring in the greater Baltimore area is higher than the national average and projected to continue growing. That is according to data from  Hanover information technology staffing and managed services giant TEKsystems.

“Baltimore is one of the most active cities when it comes to people applying for open job postings when compared to other cities in the U.S. of similar size,” says TEKsystems Market Research Manager Jason Hayman.

The company's data shows that from 2010 to 2011, the Baltimore area saw a 20 percent increase in technology job openings. That figure is 5 percent higher than the national average. Baltimore's proximity to many federal agencies that are implementing cyber security and technology initiatives and the financial services, healthcare and insurance industries' demand for IT professionals results in a greater demand for technology jobs.

TEKsystems reports that demand is high for business analysts, Java developers and project managers. Hybrid professionals with both technical and business expertise are also in  demand.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Jason Hayman and Brendan Foerster, TEKsystems

Incite Creative Inc. has added new clients, expanded services and hired new staff as the company celebrates 12 years in business this year.


“We are reaching back out to those [clients] that are less active to evaluate what was done, what needs to be revisited or enhanced," says Dina Wasmer, president of Incite Creative. "We're also continuing to provide mentoring services to a variety of organizations and support entrepreneurs."

Incite Creative recently formed a new relationship with Baltimore artist Stephanie Levine and her company, PaintPrints by Stephanie. The organization's branding, logo design, marketing materials, social media and public relations are being handled by Incite Creative. Stephanie Levine was recently honored for her work as an artist and a person with disabilities at the Hadassah Medical Center’s 6^th annual CELL-A-BRATE event.

Incite has also expanded in two areas. Incite is now offering extended services in social media management and search engine optimization. Incite has added services in both areas to more accurately measure the effectiveness and consistency of clients' search engine rankings and social media outreach.

“Many companies and organizations are latching onto social media as a marketing tool but find that after they create their pages, they can't keep up with the posts," Wasmer says. "Consistency is king along with acquiring and engaging a following in order to establish and maintain a thought leadership positioning."

Incite Creative recently added three staff members, and is currently hiring freelance graphic designers and copywriters.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Dina Wasmer, Incite Creative Inc.

Baltimore based green home goods retailer WorkingWonders has made its name as an online retailer of sustainably sourced and green products for homes and families. The company is looking to do something unusual  – make the jump from online retail to traditional brick and mortar.

“WorkingWonders aims to be the first brand nationally recognized for sustainable home & lifestyle retail,” says WorkingWonders CEO BethAnn Lederer. ”In a nutshell, socially and environmentally savvy consumers have the 'Whole Foods' option, but the same does not exist for our homes.”

The company focuses on green products that are manufactured by small and medium sized companies, with the goal of keeping two-thirds of its retail products and production lines coming in from US companies. WorkingWonders is looking to open a flagship style retail location in Baltimore that fulfills this mission.

The WorkingWonders team is developing plans to attract investor interest in the proposed retail location. As they work on this plan for a brick and mortar store, WorkingWonders is continuing to add more sustainable home products to their mix. The company is also accepting applications for internships this year.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: BethAnn Lederer, Working Wonders

In this economy, it's been a challenge for Michelle Ingrodi of Charm City Animal Rescue to raise the funds that her charity needs to provide services for homeless animals in Baltimore.

A recent partnership with Groupon's nonprofit fundraising team -- called G-Team -- helped the animal rescue service find the funds it needs to keep the functioning. CCAR's Groupon event ran for three days and raised $2,060. The nonprofit sold 206 Groupons at $10 each, Ingrodi says.

“We aimed for $300, so this was really huge for us,” says CCAR founder Michelle Ingrodi.

The Groupon effort is just the first of this year's creative fundraising efforts for the animal rescue. CCAR will be raising funds through a tattooing benefit in March and a bull roast in April. The animal rescue also plans to continue the fundraising effort with a 1980's prom themed benefit, a “giant yard sale” benefit and New Year's Eve spay and neuter event.

“CCAR is funded only by donations. We don't have a facility yet, I don't even have a car, so both are very big on our list of items needed,” Ingrodi says.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Michelle Ingrodi, Charm City Animal Rescue

Maryland Live Casino will open a new recruitment center on-site mid-January.

Near Arundel Mills, the casino developed by Cordish Co. will hire 1,500 workers. The recruitment center will feature computers to allow job seekers to access the company's applications. Maryland Live recruiters will be on hand to answer questions.

The recruiting site currently features openings for several management positions. Listings for other positions in the new complex will be posted in the coming months. The company expects to offer positions in all areas of operations and all shifts. Casino positions will be available as well as positions in food and beverage, environmental services, security, retail, marketing, IT and finance. Interested job seekers are encouraged to register at the company's website now to speed up the applications process as more positions become available.

Opening in the summer, the complex will feature 4,750 slot machines and electronic table games, restaurants, retail stores and a live entertainment venue.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Carmen Gonzales, Maryland Live

Did you remember Small Business Saturday? Now in its second year, the program sponsored by American Express aims to draw attention to local businesses for post-Thanksgiving shopping.

“I did patronize a couple local businesses in my neighborhood Saturday for that reason, but truth be told, I tend to shop local for everything I can, including Christmas presents," says Zoe Saint-Paul, local blogger and founder of SlowMama.com

Neighborhood retailers were offered an advertising boost this year featuring politicians like U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin encouraging Marylanders to “Shop Small” this holiday season. Cardin, a Democrat who represents Maryland, recently co-sponsored a bill to give Small Business Saturday an official designation and date in 2011.

Alexa Webb, owner of Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry in Federal Hill, says sales from Small Business Saturday increased 480 percent this year compared with last year. Webb credits the advertising campaign in part.

According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 212 million shoppers spent $45 billion on consumer purchases during Thanksgiving weekend last year. Figures are not yet available for this year.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: National Retail Federation; Alexa Webb, Alexa Webb Artisan Jewelry; Zoe Saint-Paul, SlowMama.com; the Office of U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

Social media and application development company Mindgrub Technologies LLC could grow beyond Baltimore.

President Todd Marks says the company is considering an expansion to New York, Washington, D.C., Austin, Los Angeles or Las Vegas where it has clients.

The company recently tripled the size of its staff and moved into a new office in the historic First National Bank building in Catonsville.

“We were practically sitting on each other’s laps, so we had to make another move,” Todd Marks says. “Fortunately for us we lucked into one of the best buildings. The area we are in has some of the finest restaurants around, a skate park behind us and a very hip community."

Marks says he has dubbed his new basement “the Vault,” which will be its new wine cellar.

Mindgrub is still looking for help. The company is currently hiring a junior account manager, production manager, several mobile and software engineers and a quality assurance lead.

Mindgrub will be launching a new mobile app in Las Vegas this week.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Todd Marks, Mindgrub

GiveCorps is changing the way the non profits in Baltimore raise funds by offering charitable donors in the Baltimore area a sweet deal: give to something good, get something good.
 
“Our tag line is ‘Give Local. Get Local.’ The local aspect of GiveCorps is unlike other online giving platforms. For donors, GiveCorps provides an easy method to both support and learn about local nonprofits and get great discounts for merchants in return. We provide both on line and off line ways to engage in the community as well as great weekly newsletter GiveCorps Plugged In. GiveCorps offers non-profits a new vehicle for targeting younger donors, a new marketing platform and a vehicle to raise funds,” says GiveCorps founder and president Beth Falcone.
 
By soliciting small gifts from potential donors instead of looking for money from the same small pool of donors, non-profit organizations are able to connect more easily with the people who support them but can only offer up a small donation. Their supporters donate money through the GiveCorps site, and in return they score deals at Baltimore merchants, restaurants and attractions.
 
“GiveCorps is built around the notion that small gifts matter and everyone can be a philanthropist. The idea was to create a broad network of $10- $25 dollar young philanthropists who regularly visit the site, the GiveCorps Facebook page or receive and respond to the daily e-mail,” continues Falcone
 
Response to the site has been strong. GiveCorps has raised over $36,000 for Baltimore's non-profits, with an average gift of $36. The company hopes to expand the concept into another city in 2012.
 
Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Beth Falcone, GiveCorps

https://givecorps.com/

If you're trying to beat the sniffles and sneezes of cold season, Sickweather is looking for you.
The new illness mapping social networking site offers users the opportunity to see maps of
local illness “hot spots” based on data collected from users, Facebook status updates and
Twitter streams.

“With Sickweather, we hope to offer a new and useful resource to help people stay healthy. It
really is baffling to me that people check the weather report every day before they leave the
house or before they go on a trip, but health related symptoms go ignored. If people prepare
for the weather by bringing their umbrella with them, why don't they do a similar thing by
drinking an extra glass of orange juice in the morning to boost their immune system?” asks
Sickweather COO James Sajor.

The Baltimore based start-up behind Sickweather is preparing to launch the social networking
site , which is currently in its final Beta testing phase. The brainchild of entrepreneur
Graham Dodge, formerly involved with Crime Map, and marketing expert James Sajor,
Sickweather aims to not only help healthy people avoid virulent spots, but also allow people
with compromised immune systems and their families a resource to help them avoid exposure
to a potentially life threatening germ.

“I had recently moved back to Baltimore to take care of my mother, who was diagnosed
with an advanced stage of cancer. She was going through a variety of treatments, and her
immune system was severely compromised. That meant that I could not get sick. It would
actually have been a life-and-death situation if I caught a common cold. I was extra careful
when I left the house. So when Graham approached me, I immediately saw the value in the
idea,” says Sajor.

In addition to the final beta testing of the site, Sickweather is also developing a mobile app
version for Android and iPhone.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: James Sajor, Sickweather

http://sickweather.com/

The Governor's office updated Marylanders on the progress of the One Maryland Broadband Network this week. The initiative is designed to provide a unified means of communication through all levels of government and improve broadband internet access for undeserved and rural portions of the state. The new broadband lines will increase access to high speed internet for more than 1,000 of what the state calls "anchor agencies" -- government agencies, community support centers,  hospitals, libraries, educational institutions, and police departments.

Initial funding for the One Maryland Broadband Network was established in late 2010. The project received more than $115 million in competitive federal grant funds through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, one of the largest broadband grants awarded in 2010. Additional funds were raised through state local and private contributions bringing the project total to $158 million.

To date, $16 million of this money has been spent on the initial field and design engineering phase of the project, which has created 241 jobs. Engineering is underway in every county in Maryland, with an estimated 63% of the engineering completed. Construction of the One Maryland Broadband network's new broadband lines has begun in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Howard, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, and Prince Georges Counties. The remaining Maryland counties are expected to begin construction by the end of 2011.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Office of the Governor of Maryland

Baltimore-based website SpotCrime has become the web's most visited online crime mapping site, with over 300,000 subscribers. The company estimates that over 6 million people interact with SpotCrime every month, including media partners and other websites.

The SpotCrime site aggregates nationwide crime data, and allows users to search by zip code to view a map with icons for crimes in that area. The site tracks local crimes from vandalism to shootings, and displays icons and addresses of the locations of crimes reported in that area. Data can be generated for most US areas. The data displayed is pulled from police reports and verified news sources.

Subscribers to SpotCrime can sign up to receive SMS text alerts when a crime is added in their area, or download the app for iPhone to receive and share crime information. SpotCrime also maintains a blog explaining crime data trends and updating subscribers on current mapping projects.

The website has partnered with real estate site Trulia to report crime data to potential home buyers in 50 metropolitan areas nationwide. SpotCrime is also available to Direct TV users. It is the second most popular app available through that service. 

The company estimates that continued growth at this pace will enable them to break the 500,000 subscriber mark by mid 2012.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: http://spotcrime.blogspot.com/, http://www.spotcrime.com

Nik Mody and his partners, Vinit Mody and Roshan Patel, are using their experience in the hospitality industry to launch a new online travel savings club. Based in Columbia, MD, Members Hotel Network aims to create an online travel booking site that benefits both guests and hoteliers.

Typically, bookings that come to hoteliers through an online travel agency cost the hotelier about 22% in commissions paid to the agency. Travelers booking through online travel brokers are often unaware that hotel franchisees are obligated to enforce a rate parity concept by their corporate parents that ensures that online brokers and the hotel's online site are providing the same rate. Booking travel through a broker also usually means that a traveler is unable to collect loyalty points for the booking.

"Our purpose is to serve the two most important entities in the process, the guest and the hotelier," says MHN founder Nik Mody.

The company launched the club's booking site in June. At the Members Hotel Network site, club members can book hotels and rental cars at a club discount around the country. Bookings through the site qualify for hotel and rental car company reward programs, as well as discounts from AARP and AAA. Club members also earn reward points from Members Hotel Network that can be redeemed through the site for cash back rewards.

"We continue to have good traction since our June launch with significant increases in membership registrations and reservations. The public is gaining a better understanding of what it means to have all of their perks back at no cost," says Mody

Members Hotel Network recently added staff at its Columbia office, and is looking at expanding further in the near future. The club is offering free membership through the end of September.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Nik Mody, Members Hotel Network

Go Long Wireless, part of a consortium of MVDDS spectrum holders and investors who partner with broadband service providers, has chosen Baltimore as the launchpad for its new MVDDS pilot. The program is designed to demonstrate that the wireless FTTH option can increase connectivity and options for business customers.

MVDDS, fixed wireless broadband technology, uses 500 MHz of licensed spectrum in the 12.2 -12.7 GHz band. MVDDS frequencies in this spectrum are the same as the frequencies used to provide satellite TV signals by companies like  DirecTV and Dish Network. However, while those companies use satellites to distribute their signal, Go Long Wireless's signal transmission and transfer stations are all on the ground. The signal for the Go Long Wireless MVDDS pilot in Baltimore uses a transmission antenna at the World Trade Center in the Inner Harbor. The receiving antenna for the signal is located at the Emerging Technology Center in Canton. The system is currently capable of delivering up to 50 Mbps in downstream broadband, 3+ Mbps in upstream broadband, multichannel 1080p HD video, and voice services.

One concern with the technology is that in order to receive a signal, an outdoor antenna is required. This may prevent some consumers from being able to access the service. Go Long Wireless is not entering the market as a service provider. The company plans to lease the technology and spectrum to existing wireless service companies.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Bruce Fox, Go Long Wireless

The National Healthcare Career Network has added several new partners to its job board alliance. The Hunt Valley-based company specializes in making connections between job seekers in the healthcare industry and recruiters looking for healthcare workers with specialized skills.

"By having intrinsic knowledge of the industry, we're able to develop solutions that address specific talent acquisition needs. We continuously gather feedback from employers to understand their challenges in order to create practical, cost-effective products and services," says Carol Barber, Managing Director at the National Healthcare Career Network.

First established in 2008, NHCN is an alliance of 267 healthcare professional association and trade group job boards. One of NHCN's founding partners was the American Hospital Association. The company recently announced that it has entered into new partnerships with three organizations. The Interamerican College of Physicians & Surgeons, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and The American Academy of Ophthalmologists joining the NHCN means that the company now has connections to 60 physician-based organizations with over half a million members.

"Healthcare is the only industry that has continually added jobs in this recession. That said, the openings tend to be very specialized and not at the entry-level. Like all industries, healthcare has felt the effects of the economy and must be very targeted and efficient in recruiting," Barber says.

The National Healthcare Career Network is also working to improve it's connections to healthcare workers with a new mobile app offering job seekers access to other things at NHCN besides just the jobs boards, including candidate screening tools and strategic counsel.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Carol Barber, National Healthcare Career Network