Melon Corporate Blog

JOB OPENING: Junior Digital Marketing Assistant - Part Time

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Jul 15, 2010

Junior digital marketing assistant - part time.

Job Description.

Attention punks and punkettes…

First - the list.

This is what we’re looking for - in order of requirements.

Tick more than 75% of these and you’ll earn yourself an interview.

Required:

• Currently studying a relevant subject (marketing, design, web)


• Available 3 x 1/2 days a week (flexible)


• Can make pretty things with Photoshop


• Know what HTML stands for (without Googling it)


• Know how to use CSS to make said HTML


• You are not a recruiter posing as a job hunter

Preferred:

• Socially capable (can answer phones)


• Like how marketing affects the general population


• Have a Twitter account (and use it)


• Facebook savvy (we will be checking your profile pic)


• Mad writing skillz a bonus


• Understand that there’s a place for tables on the web apart from on eBay


• Desire and determination to be awesome.


• Happy with $20 p/hour (the experience is priceless but we do have to offer at least minimum wage)

Second - the pitch.

So you’re a poor student.

We know what it’s like; living on two-minute noodles; holding down a menial job to survive; visiting your mum bi-weekly to get her to do your washing and hit her up for rent money.

All while dreaming that when you finish your course you’ll be magically snapped up into agency land and working on projects for rainbows and unicorns.

There’s a problem with this.

You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. It’s a vicious cycle.

Also, unicorns don’t actually exist. Sorry.

We’re here to help break that cycle.

Melon Media, or rather, me specifically, are looking for someone like you to fill the role of a part-time Junior Digital Marketing Assistant. Which basically means you have to do everything I tell you.

You’ll be working on real projects with real clients and real problems. Which means you’ll be gaining real experience - which will put you ahead of all the other slackers when you graduate.

First, you need to be smart (or clever - both are good) and a creative thinker.

“Sure”, you say. “I’m part of Gen Y, I’m freaking awesome! Didn’t you know?”

Well I feel I’m entitled to my false sense of entitlement - but that’s not going to pay for my addiction to energy drinks.

Second you need to be technically minded and can speak Bocce.

“Whoa hold up!” you exclaim. “Someone creative AND a coder? Those people don’t exist!”

To the contrary. They do. I’m one of them.

Realistically I’m looking for a mini-me. Who’s creative. And can code for web and email. And is not scared to do hard work. While working in a great office in the city. And be surrounded by awesome people who will help you learn and excel.  Oh, it helps if you can write too…

So you want in?

Again, in caps, so you understand: NO RECRUITERS

Melon Media is an email marketing and web design and development company located in Martin Place, Sydney.

Read More (0 comments)

JOB OPENING: Web Developer > PHP, JavaScript, CSS

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Jul 15, 2010

Melon Media is an established digital agency and web applications company based in Martin Place Sydney. We consult to many medium and large organisations with respect to their websites and online marketing.

In addition to providing specialist web consulting, design and development services we develop niche web applications.
Some of our current web applications include:

• spellr.us (2 awards, 2 TechCrunch articles)
• Tourcow
• Manageflitter (2 TechCrunch articles, significant daily usage)
• _spell

We are looking for a smart developer to join our team.

Essential:

• Experience with PHP, MYSQL, HTML & JavaScript: 18 months minimum
• Experience with backend and frontend web development.
• Effective communication skills.
• Initiative and ability to manage time efficiently.
• Ability to work within a team as well as autonomously.
• Professional work ethic.

Desirable:

• Project management experience.
• Experience with Drupal.
• Experience working with cloud based infrastructure.
• Experience with Agile development.
• User interface design aptitude and experience.
• Appropriate tertiary education.

Your role will include working with other team members in delivering web projects to our clients and assisting with some of our web products.

The culture at Melon Media is casual but hardworking. We encourage work life balance but often we get so passionate about our projects that we prefer to balance a little more work than life ...

You will also have the chance to spend between 10%-20% of your time working on a project of your choice. Manageflitter, _spell and Tourcow are products that were developed in 20% time.

We are a 100% privately and independently owned business and looking for someone to grow with us and share in our success.

-
No recruitment companies please. Managing our recruitment internally works best for us.

Read More (0 comments)

Have Twitter Got it Wrong?

Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Apr 13, 2010

We love Twitter ... a LOT!

So much so that we even built managetwitter.com - an application that has assisted 31 000 Twitters in the first month of launch manage their Twitter accounts.

But we think their approach to monetisation is VERY ordinary, VERY linear and doesn’t match up to the depth and breadth of the Twitter user’s experience. “Promoted Tweets” will in addition only be able to add value to the Twitter user’s experience in as much as advertising can ever add value.

Read More (0 comments)

3 steps to a better and safer browsing experience

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Mar 30, 2010

Why you should care about what browser you're using. Or, Death to IE6!

Please let me precursor this article with the disclaimer that this is not a rant about one web browser being better than another. It is the disclaimer that one web browser is worse than every other - and you are probably using it - and it is costing your company money. You can find out which browser you are using by reading on to the steps below.   So let's begin.   The internet browser is the application you use to access the internet. It's the window that gives you access to hotmail, facebook and pictures of cute cats with funny captions.   This browser also gives you access to your company website, information and web-based applications - of which there are an increasing number.   By default for many people, this browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you are in a corporate environment and your computer uses the Windows operating system (read: your computer isn't shiny and white and doesn't have a logo of an apple on it) then you will have this browser on your computer.   Moreover, if you work within a fairly large corporate environment the version of this browser may very well be Internet Explorer version 6. Version 6 is Microsofts most popular and most flawed browser.   To understand version numbers and why they are important it is perhaps easiest to compare them to the year models of cars.   The original Volkswagen Beetle was a very popular car, even a Hollywood legend, but that doesn't suggest that the newer model isn't faster, safer, prettier and just better. Not by a long shot.   If you were driving through a dangerous neighbourhood at night and it's raining, would you want to be in an old Herbie (likely to get a flat tire or break down at the wrong time), or the new bug (so you can scream out of there using your GPS and early warning system)?   That's what Internet Explorer version 6 is. An old bug. Popular, yes. Useful, mostly. Loveable, not so much. Unbreakable? Reliable? Safe? Not even close.   Metaphors aside, internet security is a big problem. Yours truly has even been affected by the odd virus, spyware and even a credit card skimming operation which saw $500 withdrawn from my bank account at a McDonalds in Toronto, Canada.   I'm serious.   Malicious technology is evolving. Hackers try ever smarter ways to collect your personal and private information. As a result, the technology we use has also evolved to outsmart those trying to break it. But many users don't take enough of an interest in online security.   These users are making the bad guys' jobs easier.   This is an issue because there are some very simple steps to take, which will ensure a safer online experience.   Read on to find out what they are...

Read More (0 comments)

Golden slap on the wrist.

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Feb 09, 2010

Are huge fines to legitimate companies fair, or are they just being made an example of?

On the 1st February, CommSec, the brokerage arm of the Commonwealth Bank, was handed down an AUD $55,000 fine for breaching the SpamAct compliance laws.

The erroneous emails failed to include an unsubscribe link.

There were three complaints from an estimated 6,000,000 emails sent over 12 months.
So a 0.0000005 complaint rate.

The ACMA investigated and then handed out the fine.

The question here is whether the amount was justified (CommSec has already agreed to a review of their internal mail practice) or whether it was an overly large sum to make an example of the bank because it is so difficult to catch and fine REAL spammers.

The SpamAct exists to prevent illegitimate, unrequested and unwanted mail from being delivered to us. Yes, the Commonwealth Bank failed to comply with the law by not including an unsubscribe function - but did it warrant such a slap on the wrist?

Original article: http://www.digital-media.net.au/article/CommSec-latest-to-fall-foul-of-SPAM-laws/510347.aspx

Read More (0 comments)

Twitter, Tools And Parties.

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Jan 28, 2010

Twitter. You've heard of it. You know, vaguely, what it's about. You've grown tired of having people recommend you join the Tweeps and Tweet your Twavels.
 
You may even have created an account, sent out a few bursts of 140 character wit - and then wondered, "What's the point?"
 
If so, you make up about 44% (source: Burson-Marsteller) of the accounts on the social network microblog cosmos.
 
The question is, do you really know what Twitter is used for?
 
Don't feel ignorant if you haven't worked that out yet. The majority of new users expect Twitter to DO something straight out of the box. This expectation comes from experiences with Facebook, Friendster and other social networking sites that have an apparent purpose.
 
It is fair then to understand many peoples confusion when trying to comprehend why Twitter is useful and why so many journalists, celebrities, marketers, bands, stay-at-home mums, big corporations and small trades-people have joined the flock.
 
Isn't it just a status update? Well, yes. And no. To understand let's first look at Facebook. When you first sign up to Facebook, it directs you to connect with people you actually know. This is instantly familiar, even to users with no online experience other than internet banking and the occasional group email.
 
"Oh, Joe and Flo are on Facebook, it's recommending I be friends with them."
 
You have made a familiar connection that you know will be valuable to you - all as part of the introductory sign-up process. You are guided in how to use the site. It's easy. It has a very direct purpose - connect with friends, share photos.
 
Twitter has no apparent purpose other than to post 140 character snippets of (useful or useless) information.
That's because (and this is the epiphany) Twitter isn't a site - Twitter is a tool.
 
A tool is designed to be good at one thing, applied to many different situations...

Read More (0 comments)

Email and social media: joining the dots

Kerry the plucky intern () - Jan 25, 2010

You’ve no doubt already dabbled with social media. But have your efforts been well integrated into existing marketing strategies?

One simple way to achieve this is to include “tweet this” or other social media links in your emails and articles. The skeptic will wonder if this has any real advantage over the “send to a friend” option that we’re all familiar with. Here’s some food for thought: 

Read More (0 comments)

Your website may have more power than you think.

Mariah Gillespie (Intern) - Sep 07, 2009

As the world turns increasingly towards the internet for almost any possible need–from grocery shopping to buying iPods to finding a soul mate–it’s important to keep in mind the vast quantities of content available on the world wide web. In January 2009, the average web-using American went online 62 times, visited 115 domains, viewed 2,580 web pages and spent nearly 75 hours online, according to data from Nielsen Online.

But you can and should use these numbers to your advantage. Since people are already online, all you have to do is direct them to your site, and keep them there. And trust me, you want to.  Three of the top four marketing channels for generating quality leads are online: websites, e-mail marketing, and SEO (search engine optimisation).  According to a report done by the American Business Media and Forrester Research, 62% of business-to-business marketers said industry specific websites are effective at generating new leads.

Think of your website as a way of fishing for clients. Your bait has to be appealing enough to attract all sorts of fish, and luring them toward your hook is the first step to a successful catch.  Will the fish bite, or will he keep swimming along?

Websites are often the first point of contact for potential clients. You only get one shot at a first impression, so you need to make it a good one. The first thing to think about is the overall appearance of your site–is it eye-catching? Are there flashy colours?  Can you navigate around easily? Visually attractive websites form a positive impression in users’ minds, and this impression sticks–despite any successive negative experiences that may occur. Researchers from Carleton University have found that the brain makes a decision about any given webpage is just 1/20th of a second. You don’t have much time to impress, so drawing the customer in straight away is essential.

Read More (0 comments)

Internet Censorship in China

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Aug 14, 2009

Kevin talks to David Oldfield on 2GB in the (very) early hours of the morning about the hows and whys of China’s censorship laws and how they affect us here in Australia.

Click below to listen:

Read More (0 comments)

Broken Images = Broken Brand - the Importance of External Testing of Your Email Newsletter

Dain Saxon (Digital Producer) - Jul 09, 2009

Occasionally (but often enough to warrant a rant about) I receive an email that was obviously sent by somebody who didn’t know what they were doing.

Many (too many) people see email as a quick and efficient means to an end - rather than an effective brand empowering communication tool. It is from these people that I receive emails with broken images, typos and broken links.

I shouldn’t need to point out that sending an email with broken links and images in it undermines the point of sending it in the first place, and may end up doing more harm than good.

So I present here for you a problem and solution list for the more common issues that I see coming through my inbox…

1. The images and links are BROKEN.

Well. If things aren’t showing up or linking how they should, it’s most probably because the boffins who put the email together linked all of the images locally, rather than giving an absolute path.

You see, if you link to an image on your desktop or your local file server, only people on your local network will see them. Great if you want to test the email to everybody in your office. Not so great when the email leaves the nice little bubble you created it in and gets flung out into the big wide world.
Because people outside your network can’t see in. And so the image (and your reputation) breaks.

Email newsletters should be tested on multiple computers and in as many different browsers as possible.  A good way to check is to send to a Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo account.  Basically any webmail browser will show you pretty quickly if there are any issues with your links.  Do this BEFORE you press send - because once it’s gone, there ain’t no getting it back.

2. Blocked images tell me nothing.

If I don’t trust you (and let’s face it, I hardly know you) then chances are I haven’t added you to my safe list. If I haven’t added you to my safe list then all of the pretty images that make up your email will be invisible.  Therefore, if your very pretty email is made up entirely of images (and I’m sure you can tell from my tone that isn’t recommended), then I will see nothing. And if I see nothing, there is little to encourage me to click the ‘Show Images’ button instead of the delete button.

Never fear - not all is lost.

When you insert your image, make sure you put in “Alt” tags. No, alt tags are not some emo-hippy-goth accessory - they are the alternate settings applied when the images can not display. So if my email browser is preventing your images from displaying, I will still be able to read the alternate text to get the gist of what the email is about.

It is important to note that Gmail, Outlook 2007, Outlook 2003, AOL and Windows Live Mail all contain the default setting which initially blocks images in the inbox. However regardless of personal or default settings, Yahoo Mail, Windows Live Mail, Hotmail, Apple Mail and AOL do not render ALT Text, thereby leaving the recipient completely blind as to what that image is.

Try not to include any important information within the image because of these reasons. Having a plain text portion of your email with all the details in it is your best plan of attack.

3. Your email is broken, and you don’t want to hear about it.

Warning - personal pet peeve alert.

When your email arrives and I see it has come from “donotreply@wedontcareaboutyou.com.au” I get annoyed.  If I have decided to grace you with my personal email address so that you can grace me with your sales pitch, you can at least do me the honour of allowing me to contact you directly from the email.

This comes into play even further if something is broken in your email.

Earlier this year I received a promotion from Forbes.com which rendered terribly in Outlook 2007 and also had a the main link broken. This email also had a do-not-reply address, which meant I couldn’t just respond to let them know they had made a fairly major boo boo.

It is really not that difficult to set up a monitored email address for responses - and your receivers will appreciate it much more than having to hunt around for a contact us page on your site.

---

In conclusion, companies which continuously send emails with broken links and images will quickly loose subscribers/customers. It is easy to forget to test email newsletters or to assume that because it works on your computer it will work on the recipients’.

I’ll tell you now - DON’T ASSUME!

It reflects badly on the brand and makes subscribers/customers think the company is careless, untrustworthy, thoughtless or unprofessional.

15 minutes of testing could potentially save you from an unrecoverable disaster.

Read More (0 comments)