Website Awards

Transitioning Leadership at Stevie® Awards Winner, Moz

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Fri, Feb 28, 2014 @ 01:36 PM

Moz, a leading industry provider of search engine and social optimization software based in Seattle, Washington, USA won a Gold Stevie® Award for Best Web Writing/Content in the website awards categories of The 2013 American Business Awards, America's premier business awards program. (The entry deadline for The 2014 American Business Awards is March 26.  Get your entry kit here.) We looked at the refreshingly honest way Rand Fisher, the self-styled 'Wizard of Moz', announced a leadership transition at his company on his Stevie® Award-winning blog in December 2013.

 ————————————–

Picture for MozWhy am I posting this? Mostly, because I’d hate for the news to leak out some other way and have it make people on our team feel uncomfortable or put upon.

2013 was a really hard year for me. What made it so hard was partly attributable to the less-than-what-I’d-hoped-for results the business achieved, brought about by our artificially constrained acquisition funnel from June to October, between our re-brand (from SEOmoz to Moz) and the launch of Moz Analytics; but a greater portion was due to the challenges of scale.

Being a CEO at a 10-person startup, a 30-person startup, or even up to 75 people at Moz was a truly enjoyable experience. But the growth from 75 to around135 by 2013 was less fun for me. I’m still learning a tremendous amount, but I was being challenged to such a degree on issues like organizational development, HR, conflict resolution, process building, and morale that I felt out of my depth, and poorly suited—especially from an emotional-resiliency perspective—to meeting my obligations.

When these feelings started getting stronger, I talked with Sarah Bird about potentially taking over the CEO role one day, in order to let me focus more on my strengths and passions. At a Moz board meeting we had a more serious conversation on that topic, and last December, in an impromptu Allhands session at the Mozplex, we talked about it with the company as well.

Swapping Drivers on this Long Road Trip Together

Sarah likes to describe the last six years at Moz as a road trip. I’ve been driving and she’s been in the passenger seat, navigating. But while I really loved having the wheel for most of the journey, we’re getting into tougher terrain, and I really feel it might be time for Sarah and I to switch positions. She’s a different kind of driver and I’m a different kind of navigator, but we—the vehicle, and the passengers—will all be fine.

There’s a lot of nuance and complexity around a potential new CEO, but neither nuance nor complexity are how people interpret a leadership change. We human beings like simple stories, and this story isn’t simple. So, I’d like to share with you an email I sent to the Moz team at the time that helped to lay out where we were at:

————————————–
Hey gang,

Thanks so much for taking an hour out of what I know are very busy and important schedules. As promised, I wanted to follow up for those of you who couldn’t make the Allhands session in person—and for anyone who wants a refresher.

Quick Recap: For the last year, the board, eteam, Sarah, and I have been talking about changing my role/title and making Sarah our CEO. A lot of that stems from my personal passion around being an individual contributor more than a people manager, and in wanting to spend more time focusing on my strengths (marketing, product, evangelism, etc.) and less on my weaknesses (organizational development, financing, board/analyst management, etc.).

At the last board meeting, we chatted about potentially making that move as soon as January. There’s a board call to follow up on that topic next week. Nothing is set in stone, but given that I’ve written about this a bit in 15Five and talked about it on occasion with Mozzers, we wanted to have a more formal discussion with a chance for Q+A.

Questions that came up today and some answers to them:

A) When will this happen?

It’s still up in the air, but we’ll know more after the board call next week. Brad and I are also discussing this privately in a call on Wednesday morning.

B) What will Rand’s new role be?

My role will actually be very similar. I’ll likely be spending more time in the weeds with product design, marketing initiatives, and evangelism (blogging/speaking). I’ll continue to represent Moz externally quite a bit. But I won’t be doing much people managing, working on our finances and organizational development stuff, or the recruiting/hiring of senior staff. I’ve also promised to write a book next year on startup marketing.

I want to change my title to “individual contributor,” mostly because it reflects my belief that you don’t need to manage people in order to have influence. I love and want to promote the IC track/concept, and titles are kinda BS, so I will continue to be on the eteam and on the board of directors, representing internal shareholders like y’all.

C) Can we share this news?

NOTE FROM RAND: This was part of the original email to the team, but obviously (now that this post is published) is no longer applicable, but is preserved here for posterity.

No! Please don’t.

While we love to be transparent, this is a sensitive topic that requires a lot of input and care. It’s going to be hard to convey the transition correctly and not send the message that it is just because of a slowing growth rate this year (which isn’t the truth, though some of the emotional challenges I’m dealing with may have been accelerated). We also don’t yet have the full details on a plan, and it’s hard to capture the nuance effectively.

Sarah and I have talked about potentially having me write a blog post on this sooner rather than later to at least bring up the idea externally. We’d hate to have it leak.

D) Will Moz’s mission/vision/values change?

No. We’ve been aligned on that stuff for many years. TAGFEE is here to stay. Helping people do better marketing is here to stay. Powering the shift from interruption to inbound is here to stay.

Even when it comes to strategy, there will likely be very little difference to how we tackle initiatives. In fact, as Nicci and I were chatting today, I remarked that having the CEO title has, in my opinion, not helped me win any arguments with Sarah over the years. We’ve always needed to be on the same page or at least be comfortable with each other’s decisions to move forward—and I strongly suspect that will remain the case in the future.

What may change are some organizational elements. For example, as Sarah noted today, she’d like to have more regular company-wide town hall Q+A sessions where anyone/everyone on the team can ask questions to the eteam and expect a direct response.

E) Why does Rand want to be something other than CEO?

There are three big reasons (and lots of smaller ones):

#1 – As Moz has grown in numbers of people, I’ve often felt overwhelmed, out-of-my-depth, and emotionally challenged to handle the complexities of intra-team conflicts, morale, and organizational development issues. I want to do what I love and what I’m good at, and I believe I’ll be healthier and happier, and Moz will be better served, by me taking that role.

#2 – I don’t really want to be CEO of a public company, and someday we hope Moz can reach the metrics that would give us eligibility for a public offering. Given that, I’d eventually have wanted to step aside and let someone else take the reigns. Getting to do that now, years before an IPO, is a blessing: It gives us time to get comfortable and means that external investors won’t be shaken by a leadership change.

#3 – I believe Sarah will be a fantastic CEO. She’s stepped up to every challenge that ever come her way at Moz, and I believe this one will be no different. I honestly believe she can do this job better than I can, and that means good things for all of us and for the value of our shares, too.

(Plus I love the idea of Moz positively contributing to the awful inequality of women in leadership roles at technology startup companies.)

F) Does this mean Rand will leave in the near future?

Hell no. It’s impossible to describe how much of my personal identity and ego and heart are connected to this company. You’d have to push me out kicking and screaming. I plan to be here for a long time to come.

G) Is this because Moz’s performance in 2013 wasn’t as good as past years?

No.

The tough year we’ve had has weighed more heavily on me than it probably should have, and that’s part of the reason we’ve been thinking about doing this sooner rather than waiting a little longer. (We’d originally wanted to do some more hiring so Sarah would have fewer direct reports and sorted out some other issues first, but we may bias to action on this one). Even if we’d had the best year ever, we’d probably still be discussing this for some time in 2014.

H) What kind of CEO will Sarah be?
A great one—and probably a better one than me. In all seriousness, it’s hard to say for certain, but it will likely feel very familiar. Sarah is already doing a lot of CEO-type things today. I’ll let her tackle this question more, but she did so quite eloquently today at the Town Hall, talking about where her strengths lie (much more on the people/operations/financing/scaling side vs. my product/marketing/industry strengths).

I) What if things don’t go well with Sarah at the helm?

We’ll figure out a plan. We’re certainly aware of many times in a startup’s life when a CEO transitions out or back in. I’ve gotten to talk to a number of CEOs who’ve made this transition and we’re doing all we can to prepare. To be honest, I feel very confident as Sarah’s been much more like a co-CEO these past 6 years than most people know. If she weren’t a good fit, we’d have known a long time ago.

That said, the board will talk about it, and I will most certainly be here to help in whatever way needed, including filling back in should Moz need me in that role.

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Read the full transcript of this article at Rand’s blog; and about Moz, how to improve SEO, and the company’s progress at The Moz Blog.

About Rand Fishkin:

Rand Fishkin uses the ludicrous title Wizard of Moz. He co-authored/co-founded the Art of SEOInbound.org, and Moz because he likes doing stuff with other people. Rand is an addict of all things related to content, search, and social on the web, from his multiple blogs to TwitterGoogle+FacebookLinkedIn, and FourSquare. In his minuscule spare time, Rand enjoys the company of his amazing wife, whose serendipitous travel blog chronicles their journeys.

About Moz

Moz provides software to track all of a website's inbound marketing efforts on one platform, conduct SEO and social media research, and provide in-depth competitive analysis over time, with custom reporting. Dedicated to helping people do better marketing, Moz also creates free tools, tutorials, and educational resources for learning inbound marketing—and fosters the web’s most vibrant online marketing community. With offices in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon, Moz supports over 25,000 customers and 300,000 community members worldwide.

Topics: award winning websites, excellent websites, business awards, website awards, American business awards, blog awards, stevie awards, web awards

Website Awards: Four Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Jul 30, 2013 @ 10:38 AM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer business awards; we also like to highlight apps, blogs, and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Our latest "Blogs & Web Sites of Note" include:

  1. Stevie Awards RSS FeedFleksy      
    A Finalist in The American Business Awards, Fleksy, originally developed for the visually impaired, allows people to type text without having to look. Programmed with a powerful text prediction engine, Fleksy is available for free on the iPhone, iPad, and coming soon to the Android market.

  2. GoFundMe                        
    Brought to our attention by International Business Awards judge, Peter Bush, of Swansea, UK, GoFundMe allows individuals or organizations to create an online fund-raising website.

  3. Numbeo                             
    Ever wonder how much it really costs to live in your city? Find out with Numbeo, a website with contributed data on the cost of living in cities and countries worldwide.

  4. Wendell Potter, Health Care Watchdog                
    A blog on the ramifications of new U.S. health care legislation for businesses as well as individuals.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate it for one of our app awards, blog awards, or website awards in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. (The entry deadline for the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's premier awards for women executives, entrepreneurs, and the organizations they run, is August 28. Request an entry kit here.)

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, International business awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards

Website Awards: Four Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Apr 03, 2013 @ 10:25 AM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to emerging technology including apps, best websites, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more interesting and productive.  Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

Stevie Awards RSS FeedPaperBecause                  
Love the environment? Check out PaperBecause and learn about the sustainable use of paper in a digital world.

Puzzazz            
Keep your brain fit by downloading a new puzzle every day. Puzzazz is available for free on the iPhone, iPad, and Kindle.

American RedCrosswords                           
Another great app for keeping your brain active, American RedCrosswords allows you to download crossword puzzles to your iPhone and iPad while supporting a great cause.

Workshare                         
Workshare is a secure platform for sharing documents in a secure online environment. Create, share, and manage high-value content and ideas anywhere, on any device. Prices are based on demand.

Let us know about your favorite app, blog, or website! Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. April 24 is the last day that late entries will be accepted with payment of a late fee per entry. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Feb 20, 2013 @ 04:37 PM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer app awards, blog awards, and website awards; we also like to highlight apps, blogs, and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

Stevie Awards RSS FeedGasBuddy.com                
With fuel prices rising once again in North America, GasBuddy will find the best prices for motorists and businesses in your region.

LifeHacker                          
LifeHacker is an online blog that features tips and downloads for getting things done.

Trip Boss                             
Trip Boss is a must-have for travelers.  The all inclusive app keeps track of expenses, manages itineraries, calculates tips, converts currency, and more. You can download the app on the iPhone for $4.99.

Trip Journal        
Trip Journal is another go-to app for travelers. Track, record, document, and share your travel via your smartphone.  The app is available on the iPhone and Android markets for $2.99.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. The entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs is March 27, request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Websites, Blogs, and Apps of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Jan 03, 2013 @ 04:40 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to emerging technology including apps, best websites, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more interesting and productive.  Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

Stevie Awards RSS FeedFing                       
Fing is a Swiss army knife of networking utilities which can be used for troubleshooting and analyzing connection issues or to ferret out anything connected to your network that shouldn't be connected. Fling is available for free for Android, iPhone, iPad, and most platforms.

SeatGuru                            
For those who plan to travel in 2013, this app finds the best airline seats, in-flight amenities, and airline information.  You can download the app on your iPhone or Android for free.

WhatsUpGold                  
A business app that helps IT administrators identify the little problems before they become big ones by monitoring wired and wireless networks, systems, and applications. You can purchase the application starting from $2,195, but a free trial is also available.

Wunderlist                         
If you are using several different devices throughout the day,  Wunderlist 2 will sync your to-do lists and reminders no matter how many different devices you are using. Lists will automatically be synchronized via Wunderlist’s Cloud Sync system. You can download Wunderlist 2 is for your iPhone, Android, Windows & Mac, all for free.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. The entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs is March 27, request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

How Website Awards Winner's Redesign Received Worldwide Recognition

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Dec 26, 2012 @ 09:32 AM

FINE Design Group, of San Francisco, California, U.S.A., won a Gold Stevie® Award in the website awards categories for Best Business Services Web Site in The 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A.  (March 27 is the entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.) Their redesign of T.Y. Lin International Group’s website has gone on to receive worldwide recognition;  here’s how they did it.

Josh Kelly, FINE Design GroupT.Y. Lin International Group’s projects are big. Really big. Like bridges, airports, and highways big. And the size of these projects is measured not just by their scale, but also by their influence on the world’s infrastructure. Their new web presence reflects the impact that T.Y. Lin International Group has as one of the world’s pre-eminent engineering services firms.

FINE Design was asked to create a new website that would convey the depth and breadth of T.Y. Lin International Group’s services and the magnitude of their projects. The resulting website design highlights hundreds of projects, spanning seven market sectors and 53 offices, in a filterable portfolio. Like all T.Y. Lin International Group projects, a glamorous exterior is supported by a solid foundation: a content management system robust enough to keep the site fresh in multiple languages. 

Background
The firm’s founder, T.Y. Lin, pioneered concrete techniques that have enabled the construction of giant infrastructure projects around the globe. Started by him in the 50′s, T.Y. Lin International Group today continues this pioneering work. The company has expanded steadily over the years and is now a worldwide firm with a strong presence in both Asia and the United States. Its completed projects, such as the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, are used every day by tens of millions of people.

Objectives
The aim of the re-designed website was to demonstrates how T.Y. Lin International Group has been unified behind their one global vision. The role of FINE Design in accomplishing this was to encompass all aspects of strategy, design, and technology applied to a long list of site features and benefits.

Launched in September 2011, the primary goal of the new T.Y. Lin International Group website was to convey the firm’s ‘One Global Vision’ message, as well as the full depth and breadth of the firm’s service offerings and the magnitude of its projects, to audiences in the U.S., China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and around the world.

General Statistics 
The re-designed website features156 projects; seven market sectors (with 45 project types); 11 services; two regions; and 53 offices. The site is in both English and Chinese. 

Home Page
The home page provides a dynamic gallery of “featured” projects from diverse market sectors and regions. These projects change positions with every new visit or refresh of the site, so a visitor will never see the same pictures displayed in the same spot. When visitors move their cursor over an image, a “hover” state displays the project and location; they can then click to go to that project. The homepage is fully customizable to feature any project on the site.

Market Sectors & Services
The site provides an overview of T.Y. Lin International Group’s lines of business, including what they do, their expertise, and key clients. It also showcases featured projects in an image gallery at the top. Visitors can use the arrow button to scroll to the right to view more. To view projects specific to that market sector, click on any of the links to the right (view all or by project type). To the left, there are links to the latest news specific to that market.

Projects
This is the heart of the website. The projects area provides a flexible and comprehensive tour of the T.Y. Lin International Group portfolio, with robust filtering capabilities. All featured projects appear when you first land, and the user can select either “by Market Sector,” “by Service,” or “by Region” to search accordingly, depending on their interests and intent. 

Regions
This area provides a description of the region—Americas or Asia Pacific—and links to featured regional projects in a gallery which can be customized and changed, together with a list of all projects based in that region (with thumbnails). It also features an expandable drawer, listing all of the offices and contacts, should a visitor want to get in touch directly with a particular office.

About Us
This section includes the history, mission, leadership, and people of T.Y. Lin International Group. There is a Careers-specific page with employee spotlights and a link to current openings. This section also includes a news section featuring company news, press releases, social media links, RSS feed, and more.

Contact Us 
The Contact Us page provides a robust and user-friendly way to navigate and view offices by region. By clicking on “Contact this Office”, a modal window opens prompting a user to type in their message to send to that particular office. 

Project Tours:
Custom “tours” of the website can be set up by staff for prospective clients.  This is a password-protected feature, which is accessible at the upper right corner of the page. 

Content Management Systems (CMS)
The CMS is extremely robust and extensible and is the primary engine behind the website. Not only can administrators readily add as many projects and people as they’d like, but they can add additional services and market sectors as the focus of the company evolves. Layered on top of it is a TMS (Translation Management System) that facilitates easy entry/edit of both English and Chinese. 

Worldwide Recognition
This was a significant launch for a significant company. And just as T.Y. Lin International Group’s projects frequently garner awards, so has the website. Since its launch in September 2011, the T.Y. Lin International Group website has won the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) National Marketing Communications Award, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award, the Web Marketing Association WebAward, the Interactive Media Award (IMA), and the Zweig Marketing Excellence Award

The T.Y. Lin International Group website is a perfect example of how creating a company website is so often an act of defining the company itself in one all-encompassing space.

“Winning a Stevie Award means a lot to us, because it's an award judged by business professionals,” says Josh Kelly, managing partner at FINE.  “And the T.Y. Lin International Group website is a perfect example of how creating a company website is so often an act of defining not just a brand, but the company itself.”

About Josh Kelly:
Josh Kelly is managing partner of FINE Design Group, a digital branding agency with offices in California, Oregon, and Michigan. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in marketing on both the client and agency side, with a focus on new products and emerging technology. Kelly has worked with companies such as Visa, Symantec, Apple, CBS, T.Y. Lin International Group, Kimpton Hotels, and Anchor Brewing and is also an instructor of Integrated Marketing Communications for the University of California, Berkeley. 


About FINE Design:
FINE Design Group
is a digital branding agency with offices in San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and Traverse City, Michigan. FINE Design develops award-winning web, mobile, and social media destinations for world-class brands, with a focus on wine and spirits, architecture and engineering, hospitality, and consumer technology industries.

About T.Y. Lin International Group
T.Y. Lin International Group is a global, multi-disciplinary engineering services firm recognized for solving some of the most significant infrastructure challenges of our age.  For more information go to www.tylin.com.

Topics: business awards, website awards, American business awards, best website design, FINE Design Group, Josh Kelly, T.Y. Lin International Group, website of the year

3 Ways Website Awards Winner Increased Site Visits by 1 Million

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 @ 03:43 PM

Akavit, a full-service digital agency in Denver, Colorado, won the Gold Stevie® Award for Best Overall Web Design of a Specialty Web Site in The 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A.  (March 27 is the entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit today.) Here we looked at how Akavit’s work for Tervis helped to increase sales for this North Venice, Florida, company.

Rob Davis, CEO and Founder, AkavitLet’s take a little trip back in time. It’s 1946. Detroit. Engineers Frank Cotter and G. Howlett Davis hit on something big: they harness the natural insulating powers of air to create a permanently sealed, double-walled tumbler. Finally a way to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. Not to mention, it is virtually indestructible. This outstanding innovation changed the drink-ware industry forever. Talk about a game changer.

Combining the last three letters of each of their last names, Cotter and Davis dubbed their new cup brand “Tervis”. In the years to follow, they worked hard to refine and improve their designs. The original tall, cylindrical tumbler evolved into additional sizes and products. Today, Tervis offers six tumbler sizes, plus hundreds of customizable designs, emblems, and accessory combinations.

The Donelly family purchased the Tervis product rights in the 1950s and incorporated the Tervis Tumbler Company in 1967. To this day, all Tervis products are proudly made in North Venice, Florida, where over 700 people are employed through this family-owned-and-operated business.

In 2011, Tervis celebrated 65 years of making quality made-to-order tumblers and embarked upon a complete rebranding effort. They called upon website awards winner, Akavit, to create a new web design and build an ecommerce site to support their national sales growth and increase online sales by 30%.

Akavit revived the Tervis website with three approaches:

  1. Optimization;
  2. Customization, and
  3. Community.

Based upon sales numbers since the new website’s launch in November 2011, Tervis more than exceeded the forecasted 30% online sales in the first year. In addition, site visits shot up by nearly 1 million more compared to the same date range the year before, and 62% of the site hits were new visitors.

Said Rob Davis, CEO and founder of Akavit: "Winning a Stevie means a lot to us, because this is a business award, judged by business professionals. It's recognition that a website design with a clear online strategy can translate to increased sales for our customers."

About Rob Davis:
Rob Davis, Akavit’s CEO and founder, oversees the business foundations of the company and mobilizes resources for client success. Akavit is a leading digital marketing agency in Denver, Colorado. Akavit client industries span from technology to consumer, with clients including Anheuser-Busch, Camp Bow Wow, Borax, Denver Broncos Football Club, Newmont Mining, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Tervis Tumbler Company, Rio Tinto, U.S. Bank, and many more. Rob’s past endeavors include as executive-founder-principal of several businesses including Xylem CCI, Creation Chamber, Neoforte Solutions, and Romac Custom Staffing Solutions. He brings years of trench-time in client services, sales, team building, and business management. His previous clients include FinishLine, Quiznos, Qwest, DirecTV, Homespace.com, and IMA. Rob attended the Universities of Florida and South Florida, earning business degrees in marketing and economics.

About Akavit:
Akavit is a digital and mobile marketing agency dedicated to designing and engineering innovative solutions that maximize the effectiveness of a company’s online presence and social marketing campaigns. With expertise spanning from interactive strategy to enterprise level integrations, Akavit has helped brands such as U.S. Bank and Denver Broncos achieve their online goals. For more information go to: www.akavitgroup.com.

Topics: Akavit, Tervis, Rob Davis, business awards, website awards, American business awards, best website design

Website Awards: Four Websites, Blogs, and Apps of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Nov 27, 2012 @ 12:27 PM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer app awards, blog awards, and website awards; we also like to highlight apps, blogs, and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

RSS FeedAsana                   
This free mobile app provides a place to plan, organize, stay in sync, and share task lists with a team. You can download the free app on the iPhone and Android.

Enterasys Isaac
A Gold Stevie® Award-winning application in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, Isaac is a social media interface that connects IT networks with social networks.

Expensify                           
Expensify is a free app that helps you keep track of expenses by scanning your receipts from anywhere. The app also features tools to help you integrate Quickbooks and automatically track auto expense and GPS mileage.

KoolSpan TrustCall          
Easy to deploy and use, TrustCall transforms regular smartphones to "secure phones" within any organization. Thanks to the chip inside the smartphone, malicious third-party adversaries can't intercept or eavesdrop on voice calls and SMS messages. Available for the Android and Blackberry (iOS coming soon), you can download the app for $119.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A.  Request your entry kit here and submit by the December 12 second early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Websites, Apps, and Blogs of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Oct 30, 2012 @ 04:14 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to emerging technology including apps, best websites, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more interesting and productive.  Here are this month's recommendations:

  1. RSS FeedCareer Woman, Inc., Blog                            
    A Finalist in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, this blog offers timely insight on topics and problems that are relevant to everyday businesswomen.
  2. FiveThirtyEight                 
    FiveThirtyEight is a NY Times blog by Nate Silver, author of The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail but Some Don't. The blog provides an array of political insights for readers.
  3. MyCityWay                        
    Another 2012 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Finalist, MyCityWay is a personalized search engine providing instant access to everything that’s happening around you, in real-time. MyCityWay serves 70 global markets and connects both travelers and residents alike with their city. The search engine is free for all users on all platforms.
  4. Vemma Bod•e App                       
    This 2012 American Business Awards Gold Stevie Award-winning app makes it convenient and easy to track and mange the Vemma Bod•e plan on-the-go. The app incorporates features such as daily, weekly, and monthly program schedules, daily video tips, and weekly recipes and grocery lists.  The app also sends reminders throughout each day to keep participants motivated, engaged, and on track. Users can download the app for free on the iPhone and Android.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A.  Request your entry kit here and submit by the November 16 early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Websites, Apps, and Blogs of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Oct 03, 2012 @ 03:01 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to several best websites, apps, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more productive and enjoyable.  Here are this month's recommendations:Stevie Awards RSS Feed

  1. Bento                   
    A flexible organizational app that can get your business or your everyday life in order courtesy of 25 ready-to-use database templates. Bento is available for $4.99 on the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad.
  2. Turtle or Soup                  
    An International Business Awards Gold Stevie Award-winning mobile video game app for marketing pros, created by The Borenstein Group. Turtle or Soup is available on the iPhone, the iPad, and the Android. You can also find it Online.
  3. Voices.com                        
    An IBA Gold Stevie Award-winning online marketplace for voice-over talent and voice-over jobs.
  4. Wajam               
    Another IBA Gold Stevie Award winner, Wajam gives you search results based on what your friends share, on top of your normal search results, all for free. Wajam is TRUSTe and VeriSign certified.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards. The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., will begin accepting entries later this month. (Join the mailing list for the 2013 ABAs - you'll receive the entry kit when entries open.)

Topics: business awards, corporate awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, blog awards, stevie awards