Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

If you enjoy making videos, uploading content to YouTube, or if you just have an interest in Ann Arbor then check out the A2 Fiber YouTube Contest being presented by LA2M. The contest is in support of A2 Fiber, the city of Ann Arbor’s initiative to be one of the few cities Google selects as pilot communities for its Google Fiber project. The contest kicks off tomorrow, Saint Patrick’s Day at 11:30 at Weber’s Ann Arbor. An Irish lunch buffet will be served and you will also have a chance to say why you think Google should choose Ann Arbor to receive a Google fiber-optic network. Winners of the contest have a chance to win a multitude of prizes including a Weber’s Ann Arbor Hotel and Dinner Package, gift certificates to Conor O’Neill’s, or even a chance to win an Apple iPad.

On February 10, Google announced that it plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of communities across the country. These lines will stream data at 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than most Americans get through their current cable and DSL providers. If Ann Arbor is picked as one of these communities it would be a major asset to the community. Not only would it improve the lives of residents but it would also lure high-tech companies to relocate to Ann Arbor.

LA2M is Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing. LA2M is open to client and agency side marketing professionals, and anyone else who wants to learn about marketing. It’s a chance to exchange ideas and get to know other professionals during lunch in a relaxed and friendly environment. They are known for giving free advice to businesses that attend our meetings. There is no membership fee. It was started in 2008 by Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing, an internet marketing firm in the Ann Arbor area, and a few friends.

For more information about the A2 Fiber YouTube Contest visit the contest’s website at http://www.la2m.org/a2fiber or check out the contest’s rules.

Since 1982 there is a magic place in Ann Arbor devoted to the children and their education: the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

Born from the work of Cynthia Yao and many other volunteers, who converted the old brick firehouse into what it is today, the Hands-On Museum is hosting more than 250 interactive exhibits for children. Each one of them has been built in order to teach kids about the world and its secrets, from science to physics, geology, math, music and more.

In their youngest age children are the smartest and the most longing to learn they will be in all their life, and it is our duty to feed them with the most interesting and useful knowledge which will turn them into bright young adults. This is the mission that enlights this museum’s work. By creating enjoyable ways of learning people in here are stimulating every day children’s minds: kids are not just spectators, they will have fun in becoming substantial parts of the exhibition, which make this experience much more impressive and the learned things absolutely unforgettable. And the adults bringing their children there can not help falling under the Hands-On Museum as well, the youngest part of them is coming out leading them to have more fun from exhibit to exhibit, and they will feel again that forgotten thirst for aknowledge!

It is in this background that the Hands-On Museum decided to go a little bit further, by organizing an event called Hands on Local Tech which will see as a protagonist not just the children, but their family and the local tech companies as well: the Hands-On Local Tech Event will gather them together on Saturday May 30 from 6 pm to enjoy a night of fun and growth. Children will be involved in educational and amusing games, the companies will describe their activities and teach people about that in extra-ordinary ways, and the parents will take advantage of this network oppurtunity or, which is my guess, will join the fun!

When amusement, knowledge, and sincere wish of staying together are meeting you can not prevent feeling enriched: occasions like this are what make our everyday life special.

I think we all need to thank the volunteers of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum for their work, which is contributing to render this small city of Michigan a great place for families to stay.

Marta Battiston

Ingenex Digital Marketing is looking for 5 or so quality interns for Summer 2009 Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship. This internship is a combination of networking, real life experience, face time in a professional office, and training on digital media. It rocks! And it won’t take too much of your time.

You come to Ann Arbor once a week to work for 2.5 hours. You learn about all forms of digital media. You work for real clients and non-profits. And you do the rest from the comfort of your apartment, library or coffee shop. It’s a low emission, kind internship for people who want to grow in the digital space.

If you have the goods – apply to this post. We will accept applications through April 15. The next class of interns will begin May 18. Please apply to the internship in a variety of ways. Make a comment on this blog post with why you feel your a good candidate. Connect w/ me on Linkedin and ask for an intersnhip. Be creative online and get our attention. It may just pay off for you.

Also, if you’re not looking for an internship consider taking the New Media Drivers License course at Michigan State University. It will rock your world.

The Digital Marketing Internship at Ingenex will run again Spring 2009 for Michigan State University students. This intersnhip meets for two hours at Ingenex headquarters in Ann Arbor each week. You will have 5-10 hours of work on your own. You will learn Digital Marketing techniques including: Online Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Blogging, Podcasting, Search Engine Marketing, and Google Tools.

I am looking for some talented students looking to start a career in digital marketing. This growing field is where the action is these days. This internship program has been growing since it began in Summer 2008. It has also evolved into a class at MSU – The New Media Drivers License. This two credit class begins on Saturday, January 10. I am taking less interns this semester as the class will take a lot of my time. However, I am looking for a few good men/women who want to learn and have some time this semester. This is non-paid, and can be done for credit.

If you’re a good candidate, respond quickly please. Submit in 200 words or less a comment on this blog why you are a good candidate for the Eco-Friendly Internship. Tell me your goals for the future. Why are you interested in this position. And a bit about yourself. I will pick 2-3 good candidates and you will know soon if you have been accepted. Ask some of our past interns their experience if you have questions.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Derek Mehraban – CEO Ingenex Digital Marketing

PS. Here are two interesting projects you will help on in Spring 2009. Social Harbor and Nudge Them.

The Author

For the last seven days I have been following Your Search Advisor’s corporate blog. The blog’s author, Andrew Miller, is the founder of Your Search Advisor, an Ann Arbor based company that offers SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services and is located, as Ingenex Digital Marketing, in the Brickyard. In addition to his entrepreneurial efforts with Your Search Advisor, Andrew is also the co-founder of RichmondWiki, a Wiki site about Richmond, VA, where he went to college at the University of Richmond, graduating with a double degree in Computer Science and Spanish.

The Blog

As an addition to corporate websites, corporate blogs have become a great tool for companies, not only to promote their business, but also to be closer to their customers. Andrew does both things very well, in his corporate blog; he has some very interesting SEO analysis, analyzes digital marketing news and trends, and also has time for some more personal posts. Examples of this are the different topics in his last posts, which are very broad; from the very recent challenges and opportunities of an in-house SEO to the Yahoo Mash failure, passing through the analysis of the current state of the mobile web or the more personal post of how his old laptop “went nuclear”.

I think Your Search Advisor’s blog is a very interesting and enjoyable read. It is not only entertaining and written using very clear language (you don’t have to be a digital marketing guru for understanding its articles), but also very informative about the latest digital marketing trends and SEO news. I will definitely be following this blog in the future, its feed has made it to my Google Reader and I look forward to reading the upcoming post on how to be a successful in-house SEO.

In order to be eco-friendly, a company has to perform its activities in ways that would inflict the minimal possible harm to the environment. So what can Ingenex do in order to be more eco-friendly? Being in Michigan, where it is COLD during winter and hot and humid during the summer, energy conservation is one of the biggest issues. Also trying to reduce the waste produced by the office activity (paper, office supplies) would be a good idea. The following are some tips that will help you and your company be more eco-friendly:

• Wherever there is a cold winter, and Michigan is especially cold, good insulation is essential. A properly insulated room facilitates temperature control, and  will make your heating bill less expensive and definitely more eco-friendly.

• Encourage the use of public transportation and alternative commuting options. In the case of Ann Arbor, it is possible for a company to get a go!pass for its employees for only $5 a month. Ann Arbor is a bike friendly city, and also very pedestrian friendly. You can provide a bike lock for your employees, so they park their bikes. There is plenty of information about commuting opportunities in Ann Arbor at getDowntown.

• Energy conservation is key. Energy efficient bulbs and motion sensor lighting controls are also a good idea and they will let you reduce your energy spending. By subscribing to programs like the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program you can save big money and also become more eco-friendly.

• Telecommuting is an option that can make your company more eco-friendly by avoiding unnecessary commutes. For some employees it may not be necessary to go to the office for doing their job, so if it is not a need the transportation cost saved can be a great way of reducing the environmental impact of our already crowded roads.

• The 3 R’s. Reduce – Reuse – Recycle is the way to go in the office. Again, you’ll benefit directly by reducing your costs in paper, office supplies, etc, while reducing the amount of waste your work produces and increasing your eco-friendliness. Make sure to check out Recycle Ann Arbor for great tips in how to recycle and in how to collaborate with your community, and don’t forget to bring your recyclables to the drop-off station.

For me to evaluate how a digital marketing company can operate on a more eco-friendly basis, it would be necessary for me to see how their actions are either directly or indirectly hurting the environment. Since I still know so little about the marketing industry, the best way for me to do that is to start with the basics. America is one of the highest carbon-emitting countries in the world partly because so many people commute to work via automobile. As far as I can tell, Ingenex Digital Marketing is a small company with employees living in (or at least near) Ann Arbor.

The next step would be to evaluate the office space. Is the lighting low-wattage (i.e. – curly fluorescent bulbs instead of regular ones)? Are employees actively recycling paper and containers, and buying recycled materials (from paper to scissors)? Is the building designed for efficient heating and cooling to minimize utility costs and related pollution? If not, can it be renovated? Is the company buying credits for wind and solar power, and donating to organizations that plant trees?

There are also alternative options for heating and cooling. If the office is a standalone building on a large property, it could be possible to install a heating and cooling system that runs fluid pipes through the ground to harness the earth’s temperature (which is warmer than the air in winter, and cooler than the air in summer).

As far as I can tell, a company like Ingenex Digital Marketing does most of its work online. That already implies that many operations that were once done on paper are now done electronically. Another option might be to provide pro bono work or discounted services for charitable groups or non-profit environmental organizations that need help with digital marketing. Some examples in the Ann Arbor area are the Great Lakes Commission, National Wildlife Foundation, and Greenway Collaborative.

Today the Fall 2008 Digital Marketing Intern class started their blogs. You can expect some great things from these new blogs. I will link to them here for reference.

Pedro Martin-Panadero Blog

Jennifer Harrison Blog

Amanda Marandola Blog

Nick Meador Blog

Katie Hyzy Blog

This is the site where the Ingenex Digital Marketing Eco-Friendly Internship will live and breath. This internship trains students and recent graduates in the skills of Digital Marketing. Our first class in the Summer 2008 has been doing some amazing things. Read about them here.