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Feb 05, 2010

Networking has always been a "marketing" strategy of Merge and we've realized some results from our networking efforts. Recently, two different small companies approached me and asked for my advice on networking. Here's the collective advice I provided on networking:

  1. Networking is not selling. I never go to a networking event looking to make a sale. Network to build relationships--whether it's a new or current relationship.
  2. Network with Purpose. Have a plan before you go and know what you want to come out of the event with (two new contacts, meet a specific person, etc.)
  3. All Networking Opportunities are Not Created Equal. Who are you trying to reach? There are definitely different levels of networking groups. Some are simply lead groups ("Hey, so and so would be good to call"), there are referral groups ("I'll send an introduction email for you") and then there are networking groups where the main purpose is not for leads or referrals, but nonetheless they happen. Think Rotary, the Chamber, etc. In my opinion, those are the best kind.
  4. Don't Network. Serve. I no longer go to Lead or Referral groups. To me, they tend to have a hint of desperation--sort of like a dating service. They are usually full of salespeople and not the level of person I would like to meet (no offense of course). However, they are a great forum for you to practice your elevator pitch and to get used to...
Five Things We Cant Wait For
Feb 01, 2010

So Merge is on the move.  We are leaving our downtown loft for one of Greenville's newest and coolest spaces, the Next Innovation Center.  As sad as we are to go, here are the top five things we are most excited about.

View from the Production Room

1.  New Neighbors:  Gnoso, NWN, Michelin Development, Northgate Labs, Promo Pipeline, SinglePoint, Next and UCAN.  See you all soon. 

2. New (more) Space:  In the last six months, Merge has almost doubled in size.  Our new space will not only provide great space for future growth, but also a great space for current and future clients to visit and meet.

Outside the Conference Room 3.  The War Room:...

Jan 29, 2010

It's that time of year when you're done assessing what's happened and you look forward to what needs to be done.

In the past eight years, Merge has seen a lot of change in the web industry. We've seen Front Page come and go (thank goodness), Inktomi was the hot search engine back in and around 2000, Yahoo! was serving up results by Google! (their original logo had an exclamation point), companies like Pet.com and WebVan.com promised the world and then left us empty-handed. The web eight years ago was a trial and error era--we were figuring it out as we went along.

With the crash of the dotcom days and the reality of unrealistic expectations, the over-exuberance of the web was self-corrected and for an 18 month period, the web was relatively quite and the world was resigned to having some convenient electronic brochure sites living on the internet. Then Web 2.0 came along. Big fonts and snazzy interactions. A new philosophy was attached and buzz words flew: "User-Generated Content" and "Social Networks" soon became the rage. Companies that couldn't spell their own name started popping up, like Flickr and Del.icio.us arrived on the scene. Myspace.com, known only to bands and teens at the time was building momentum, and a little company called Facebook.com, then restricted only to colleges was making its own headway. Blogging became mainstream, and in the election of 2004 "bloggers" began to get some traction and notoriety.

It seemed the web wasn't dead after all.

Soon, Murdock buys...