2012 has arrived and we here at Plum Tree are positive that it’s going to be a great year. What makes us so sure? Well, you might say that it has to do with the people, talent, and culture that make Plum Tree so unique.
In the video above, we ask Chaves, Dan and Charlie what they think sets Plum Tree apart from other web agencies. We hope you’re as excited as we are about the new possibilities and opportunities that our unique culture has in store for 2012.
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In our latest segment of PT Bios, we ask Kevin and Michael what is the one tool that they simply couldn’t live without.
Kevin, a Web Developer at Plum Tree, mentions the Firebug add-on for Mozilla Firefox as one of his essential tools. Recently, Firefox announced that version 10 (to be released in early 2012) would feature it’s own developer tools, which could become a replacement to the popular Firebug plugin.
A closer look....
With Firebug, users can right-click on any web page element and hit “Inspect Element.” This brings up a console that allows them to view and edit the HTML, CSS and functionality of any element on the page. This functionality has already been replicated in Google Chrome as a standard function, so it’s only logical that Firefox would want to offer their own, native version. You can watch a preview of the new Firefox tools, or download the future of Firefox now (caution: this release is not stable yet).
Are you a Firefox user, or have you migrated to Chrome or another browser? Do you have a question for a future PT Bios video interview? Leave a comment on our Facebook Page or contact us on Twitter.
When it comes to the holiday season (or any season for that matter) it can be hard to not get consumed with your wants & client needs . But at some point, to maintain your productivity and sanity, you just need to get away from it all. The Plum Tree Solution? “PTGives”
PTGives is an exciting new internal initiative that gives our team members a chance to rest their eyes from their computers and “open” them wide to gain perspective and awareness of the world around.
This year's PTGives took place at the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago. 12 of our team members did their part to give back to the community.
There will be many more PTGives events in the near future! For more information, or to get involved, please email us at: info@plumtreegroup.net
Dan Fitzpatrick, a Project Manager at Plum Tree, recently sat down with us to answer some key questions about his work. His responses helped us to better understand how he approaches his work, as well as what direction he sees the project management industry going in the future.
"As a project manager, it’s not so much about new and exciting technologies that I use, it’s the new and exciting technologies that the client uses. My role is one of communications, which is really the basic things: one-on-one conversations, phone conversations, emails, keeping track of all the information, making sure the communication is clear."
"It’s not any single application, it’s how they are used that fascinates me. As we’ve seen mobile devices increase and become ubiquitous across society—you know there’s more of them now than there are laptops and desktops combined—we’ve seen a whole host of new uses, and we’re going to continue to see a whole host of new uses within companies, themselves. So it could be anything from internal communications to inventory taking to other organizational uses, and I think that there’s going to be an increasing market in that area."
"At Plum Tree, from the beginning of the company, we set out to create a culture of innovation. One of the ways that we’ve done that is, when we hire new people, we make sure that they’re skilled in their field, but also that they bring in outside experiences—be it, architecture or operations management at another organization—and we try to use the skills and practices from other areas and apply them to our internal development and we’ve had great results from that."
"The project that excites me is always the next project. Every project that you get, it’s like a newborn child or an undeveloped lot; it’s nothing but potential. And it’s your job to help the client fulfill the potential, get the most out of it, get what they want out of it, and get what they need, and that’s always exciting to me."
Do you have a project management question for Dan? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page or contact us on Twitter at @PlumTreeInc.
In our first-ever PT Employee Bio video, Blog Editor Charlie Thomason and Video Blog Editor Cháves Williams answer the question: "In the next 5 years, what do you think will be the most important skill for someone in your industry to have?" You can look forward to many more PT Bios and other great videos on our blog! Also, be sure to check out our YouTube and Vimeo channels.
Notice anything different? That’s right, Plum Tree’s Website and Blog have undergone a facelift!
With our newly redesigned Web presence, we wanted to create an experience that emphasizes our multidimensionality and unique talents. Plum Tree Design Director Eric Smith, offered some insight on his strategy behind the new site:
“Like all companies, ours is multidimensional. Our website interlinks content across people, services and projects allowing visitors to connect the who, what and how very easily.”
Here at Plum Tree, we’re looking forward to breathing new life into our Blog and hope you’ll bookmark us or subscribe to our RSS feed. We’ll be posting agency news, tips and tutorials, highlights of client work, interviews with Plum Tree rock stars, and more.
We’re also going to be posting some fun and informative videos, which will also be available on our new YouTube and Vimeo channels. Our web videos may include tours of the Plum Tree offices, Internet marketing and eCommerce secrets, and even demos of our products, such as e-Intelli.
Another new dimension to our website is a redesigned Web Portfolio. The new format allows users to either catch a glimpse of our complete repertoire, or dive in deeper to discover our strategy behind each project. "Our website seeks to handle both deep time and quick time for users," Eric Smith explains, "getting our message across at a quick glance, while layering additional information for those with more time to learn in depth."
Let us know what you think of the new Plum Tree look! Send us a comment on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll be expecting you…
