Today marks a momentous day for me and the entire Wunderlist family. I am incredibly excited to share with you that we are joining Microsoft.
When we launched Wunderlist almost five years ago now, we set out on a mission to reinvent productivity software. Our goal was to build the most delightful, simple and elegant product to help people manage their daily personal and professional to-dos. Seeing Wunderlist grow to what it is today – 13+ million users, who have collectively created more than 1 billion to-dos – blows my mind.
Yet, it's only the beginning. Our aspirations are much bigger. Joining Microsoft gives us access to a massive wealth of expertise, technology and people that a small company like us could only dream of amassing on its own.
So what will change for you? Nothing right now. Our team in Berlin will continue to build and deliver you Wunderlist, Wunderlist Pro and Wunderlist for Business across all platforms–iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, Windows Phone, Windows and theWeb. I will continue to lead the team and product strategy, because that’s what I love the most–building great products that help individuals and businesses get stuff done in the simplest and most intuitive way possible.
Over the next few months as Wunderlist becomes a part of the Microsoft family, we’ll introduce a host of new features, continue growing the ecosystem of partner integrations and progress in delivering Wunderlist to billions of people. We are excited and can’t wait to share with you what we have been working on–watch this space!
On a personal note, I couldn’t be more proud of my team. I started this company with a dream. My team turned it into a reality. Together we have created an award winning beautiful and simple to-do list that is powered by a real-time sync architecture, unlike any other. We have scaled to new markets, won loyal fans (& awards) along the way and had a lot of fun. It’s been an incredible journey and has provided such a valuable learning experience for all of us. Thank you, team!
Also, I want to say a huge thanks to you–our users, supporters and investors. And thank you to Microsoft! We are beyond thrilled to be continuing our journey with you. To sign off this chapter in our history I've handpicked some photos that document our story from the very beginning to now, I hope you will enjoy. Here’s to the future of Wunderlist!
Do You Use Wunderlist? We would love to hear your thoughts.
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
When you spot a Pin with a blue price, you’ll know you can buy it right from the app. Searching for something specific? Use the price filter to hone in on just the right Pin.
You can also find the right color for you, within the Pin itself. See how you feel about the orange sleeping bag, or maybe the black one. Swipe through all your options and pick your favorite.
It’s simple and secure
When you’re ready to check out, tap Buy it and pay with Apple Pay or a credit card. Soon, you’ll be on your way and back to Pinning. Once you enter your personal info, we’ll store it so you don’t have to thumb it in again next time.
The fewer people who have access your credit card information, the better—and that includes us. That’s why we won’t store your credit card info ourselves. Instead, we’re working with payment processors who’ve been protecting people’s information for years. And when you pay with Apple Pay, it uses a device specific account number instead of your actual credit card number, so neither your device nor Apple Pay will send your actual card number to the seller.
We would love to hear your thoughts. Would You Use Pinterest To Buy A Product?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
Fivenson Studios had the chance to work with the amazing team at Prime Time Transport Inc on their logo. Thanks for letting us be apart of your business. We look forward to working with your team on future projects like the website and other marketing materials.
PrimeTime Transport Inc. is a TL/LTL asset-based carrier. conveniently located minutes away from the Detroit Metro Airport. We are a 48-state carrier that specializes in dedicated and expedited round-trip freight. Backed by more than 100 years of combined experience, our dedicated staff is committed to your shipment arriving on time in a safe, efficient, and professional manner. Our staff, equipment, and convenient location combine to assure that your freight is handled in the greatest way possible.
We would love to hear your thoughts.
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
Microsoft Microsoft announced today that Windows 10 will debut in 190 markets on July 29th, 2015.
As previously announced by Microsoft, Windows 10 is a free, automatic upgrade for anyone running Windows 7 or 8.
Windows 10 will actually give the Xbox One a significant feature that Sony. Sony can’t hope to replicate quickly, the ability to stream Xbox One gameplay from the console to a PC.
Essentially it’s an upgraded form of the Wii U’s offscreen play made possible by its gamepad, but instead, the Xbox One will be able to stream console gameplay to any device that runs Windows 10.
While that may be true, the ability to stream Xbox One gameplay to a Windows 10 device has the potential to solve a host of “living room battles” that tend to come into play when living with roommates, spouses or children.
A big new feature addition for Windows 10 is Cortana, so here’s a message the company prepared from its virtual assistant ant announcing the news.
Microsoft Edge: The successor to Internet Explorer, designed around minimalism and collaboration tools, plus with Cortana integration.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint built in.
Xbox Live and Xbox app for doing things like recording gameplay, interacting with your Xbox friends and also streaming Xbox games to the desktop.
Windows Continuum, which lets you smoothly jump between multiple Windows 10 devices, and which lets you use your phones like a PC with external input accessories.
Windows Hello, a new login method that uses face, iris or fingerprint recognition to log you in without a password, depending on hardware support.
Microsoft is doing everything it can to make the transition smooth, like ensuring it’ll work with your existing applications. Windows 8 was sort of an awkward generation, so here’s hoping the skipped numeral results in something that suits everyone’s needs.
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
Google has announced that, after 4.5 years, the PageSpeed Service team will be “refocusing their efforts” and PageSpeed services will be turned down as a result.
It’s important to note that if you’re currently using Google’s PageSpeed service, you will have to change your DNS by August 2015 otherwise your site will be completely unaccessible.
You can see detailed instructions on how to remove your site from PageSpeed Service here.
“We see much broader adoption of PageSpeed technology through our open-source products and have therefore decided to focus our efforts on improving those.”
These following alternatives are not affected by this announcement and will continue to be supported:
Provider Hosted PageSpeed: Many web hosting providers already integrate PageSpeed. If you are using such a web hosting provider, check your provider’s documentation.
Server side modules: If you run your own web server, you may have the option to install a PageSpeed module on it.
Apache: Google has developed the open-source Apache module mod_pagespeed.
Nginx: Google has also developed a plugin for Nginx. Due to the nature of Nginx.
IIS: The folks over at WeAmp have a commercial port of PageSpeed to Microsoft IIS.
Apache Traffic Server: WeAmp has ported PageSpeed to Apache Traffic server.
OpenLiteSpeed: OpenLiteSpeed supports a PageSpeed module that you can compile and load into your web server.
Cloud based alternatives: EdgeCast Edge Optimizer integrates Google PageSpeed with their CDN offering
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
Fivenson Studios had the amazing opportunity to work with Umbrella Catering on there Logo and we are in the process of finishing up their website. Stay tuned.
Umbrella Catering is a full service catering company, we offer amazing food with full body, character, and amazing flavor. Our company offers a unique service, with high quality products,
Everything is made fresh to order according to your needs and want’s, our staff is outgoing and exceptional.
From Weddings Christmas parties, dinner parties, and holiday parties to all business functions, our staff will take care of all your needs. We can assist you in coordinating all the services you need, from flowers, wedding cakes, photography, music, even a venue if you desire , we offer only the best at a lower cost than the competition let us know how Umbrella Catering can make your next event unforgettably amazing
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
It seems like every day there’s a new app, search engine update, or upgrade that marketers simply “must” incorporate into their marketing plan, often at the expense of other tactics.
Though paper flyers are an option for today’s marketer, technology has also made it possible for you to avail yourself of digital distribution options and opened the door for platforms like evite, where anyone with a computer can quickly draw up an event or occasion announcement and distribute it to thousands of email and social media contacts.
When it came to ROI in 1999, the bigger, brighter, and more noticeable your yellow pages’ ad was, the better.
(Yes, we know there was email marketing in 1999, but it was in its infancy.
Every day consumers see dozens – if not hundreds – of billboards as they drive to work, take their kids to soccer practice, head out for dinner, complete shopping errands, and so on.
Print catalogs worked in 1999, and they still work today.
As part of an omni-channel marketing strategy, catalogs (print or digital) can be used to drive brand awareness and impact consumers’ brand perception.
Full color newspaper and magazine ads, television ads, and radio spots took up a large chunk of the marketing budget for those that could afford them in 1999, and that hasn’t changed.
In 1999, business buyers had stacks of corporate brochures and folders on hand.
The corporate brochure can still be an effective tool today, but probably not in the 1999 format.
Given that consumers and B2B buyers alike nearly always begin the buying journey online, it’s critical for today’s marketers to recognize that today’s corporate brochure is their business website, and design it accordingly.
For organizations that reach farther afield, it could be a combination of local groups, tradeshows, conferences, and digital networking tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms that help them connect with buyers and marketing partners.
After all, these “old school” marketing tactics continue to provide new streams of revenue, holding their own as foundational elements of nearly any omni-channel marketing plan.
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
Memorial Day isn't just about honoring veterans, its honoring those who lost their lives. Veterans had the fortune of coming home. For us, that's a reminder of when we come home we still have a responsibility to serve. It's a continuation of service that honors our country and those who fell defending it. Pete Hegseth
Memorial Day History
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim To Be First Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.
Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.
Some States Have Confederate Observances Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.
Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.
The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”
To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
If you haven’t paid much attention to your company’s “About Us” page or, worse yet, you don’t have a page stating your company’s mission statement, leadership roles, and goals as a business, now is the time to get to work.
If your “About Us” page is either completely missing or seriously thin on information, you are losing money. Studies have shown that visitors to that page were 5 times more likely to make a purchase; and when they did, they were likely to spend more on that purchase. If the company had a well-written and attractive “About Us” page, those numbers went up again.
Your “About Us” page is your “business card” to the world. It says who you are, what you do, and what you stand for as a company. Without one or with a poor version, visitors are less likely to stay on your website and in some cases might never return.
Sound like too much work? Never fear, here are some easy steps to optimize your “About Us” page, that can help make a first time visitor into a long time customer:
Logo and Tagline At the top of the page have your logo and a catchy tagline about your company. Make it easy to remember.
Introduction Write a short, 3 sentence paragraph describing what your company does. Keep it conversational and leave out the jargon. Also, don’t go straight into the sales pitch.
A Story Stories are a great way for your customer to relate to your company. Talk about your company’s principles and goals as a way of establishing trust with the potential customer. You could also relate a customer success story or another anecdote.
Photos and Videos Including photographs of yourself and your employees is a great way for the customer to see that they are dealing with real people. Make sure that they are professionally done photographs. Same goes for videos if they when included.
Testimonial Include a great testimonial from a long-time customer, but considering keeping it to one or two. No one wants to read 5 testimonials that all say the same thing.
Contact Information Be sure that the your contact information is on every page on your website, especially your “About Us” page. Don’t make your customers hunt for it, or they will just leave in favor of an easier-to-reach competitor.
If your About Us page is not the main page on the website, be sure to include a prominent link on the main page. In addition, optimize your page for SEO by using alt text and descriptive titles for your images and use keywords throughout the text.
Keep the layout simple and limit the amount of design features. Reducing page clutter makes it easy for the customer to zero in on the important information, which in turn helps them to make the decision to use your company. Lastly don’t forget a call to action button – like “request more information” or “schedule a consultation.” If your viewer likes what they see, they can find out more about your product or service.
Do you have any other tips for the “About Us” page? Anything we miss? Talk to us in the comments.
Mickie Kennedy is the author of the PR Fuel blog, and offers free PR eBooks and Whitepapers for small business owners and entrepreneurs of all kinds.
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
One of the biggest benefits of all trading options is financial leverage. When you take a leverage, you are actually driving your investments to work harder for you, maximizing the profit. What it means is that you are creating leverage for bigger gains through a smaller amount of capital invested. Let’s expand this concept and explain its mechanics.
Definition of Leverage
Financial leverage is based on investing other people’s money in order to maximize future profits. For example, mortgages can be used to invest in real estate, and businesses may borrow money to expand their production. Leverage draws its benefit from increased property value, or higher company revenue which in return increases the value of stockholder’s shares.
How Leveraging Works
Financial leverage is usually created by using other people’s money in an effort to maximize future profits. Mortgages are used to invest in real estate, and companies borrow money to expand operations. The benefit of the leverage comes from increased property value, or higher company revenue which raises the value of stockholders’ shares. On the investor’s part buying options is an ultimate financial leverage. You as an investor can own a huge number of shares for the same initial investment, then if you bought the shares themselves. And the best thing is that you didn’t have to borrow additional capital.
Example
Let’s take an example where you want to invest $2,000 so you buy 10 shares of a company X, which number $200 per share. On the other hand, the option contracts may be valued at $400 for lots of 200 shares ($2.00 for option). That means that you’re your investment capital of $2,000, you could buy five options contracts that would increase your financial leverage by placing you in control of 1,000 shares instead of 10. Now, if the value of those shares surges during the option contract period, you can buy the shares that you have the right to buy at the agreed price, which will at that time be significantly lower than their market value.
Finalizing the Leverage
At that point, you can resell those shares that at market value, capitalizing on a vastly larger number of shares that if you purchased them originally if you had bought those 10 shares for $2,000. Still, bear in mind that you will need a lot more capital at your disposal if you want to pull the trigger on this trade, so you can buy the shares that you are entitled to by your options. And, of course, there is always the risk that the market place can suddenly plummet before you had a chance to resell the shares. In order to pull smart trading decisions, you are going to need a smart tool. You can sign up here to try out a new EquityFeed trading toolbox.
Risks Involved
There were numerous cases of a devastating effect of financial leverage on solvency, when a company that borrowed too much money was brought to the edge of bankruptcy during a business downturn. On the other hand, a company that has taken less leverage has higher liquidity and is more bankruptcy-proof. Leverage has seen a lot of popular prejudice by the people who borrowed a lot of money for personal needs, like overuse of credit cards. On the other hand, it’s worth remembering that in finance businesses borrow money for purchasing an asset with a higher return than the debt interest. By borrowing, a company in fact creates value, while taking debt for personal use there is no value creating, nor leveraging.
If you decide to trade options, you need a good understanding of financial leverage, its benefits and risks. A sound trading strategy can incorporate leverage as a tool for maximizing your profit, while keeping the risk as low as possible.
We would love to hear your thoughts?
Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
