Web Design and Development in Greenville, SC | Merge

About five or six years ago, I rang the death knell on Rock n' Roll.  Anything on local radio was pretty much trash in my estimation, and finding anything new by any other means just wasn't easy enough to draw me away from my CD collection.  Things didn't change overnight, but it almost seems that way. 

A long, long time ago, say 1999, if you wanted new music, you went to the music store.  Either an Earshot or a big box, buy the CD, and pop it in your car on the way home.  You probably bought the CD because you heard the band on the radio at some point, or saw them on MTV, when they used to play videos.  Essentially you had two (three if you read Rolling Stone or Spin) channels from which to hear about new music.  Things are a little different today.

I love The Black Keys.  You know how I heard about them?  An EA Sports game via Playstation 2 about 4 years ago.  A little embarrassed to admit that, but glad I found them.  How 'bout a band you've probably never heard of, Dirty Sweet.  They are from San Diego and get zero radio play. I found them through the iTunes store looking for new Black Keys stuff and stumbled upon them through the "Listeners also bought..."  One of my favorite bands now.  What about a band I'd never heard of until literally 2 minutes ago, Railroad Earth.  They just popped onto my Pandora station.

The web is making it increasingly easier for bands to get their music to the masses. Long gone are the days of buying a $30 "import" to hear your favorite band live.  Pearl Jam released 72 live CD's about eight years ago after a tour, all available online.  Even that seems tedious now.  I saw them in Columbia in 2008 and downloaded the show three days later.  The band that refused to use Ticketmaster a few years back now has an iPhone App. 

Artists have long been the best marketers, and bands like OK Go aren't waiting on their labels to help sell records these days.  Check out their recent op-ed on the topic.  Ben Harper (along with countless others) has his own YouTube channel.  Many an artist use Facebook to share songs and video with their fans, who in turn share it with their friends.

Bottom Line:  The web has made it very easy for music and artists to find you.  No more do you need to get in your car and drive to buy music, now you can just buy music while you happen to be in your car.

For our non-profit friends out there, here is a quick success story of a grassroots organization and their use of the web and social media to make a big splash from day one. 

Fall 2009 - The Red Shoe Society (RSS) Board is formed, comprised of eleven volunteers.  The goal from the outset is to be the sought after young professionals philanthropic organization in the Upstate while creating awareness and raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas.

November/December 2009 - Planning begins for the year, with the first introduction to the public to be held on February 10, 2010, the "Open Your Hearts for the Ronald McDonald House."

December 2009/January 2010 - The board secures Good Life Catering, the Next Innovation Center, Highland Brewing Company and West End Wine and Spirits to provide the space, food and drink for the event.  All of which donate in kind (a good portion of their costs, if not all their costs in most cases) for the event.  

January 2010 - The invitation process begins.  The goal is to get 150 people to the event, and be happy to get ten new paying members that night. 

• Invites are done via email and Facebook.  An event is created and then shared by the board members. 
• Based solely on Facebook friends of the board members, the Open Your Hearts event was seen by a minimum of 3,800 people.  This is assuming  it was only sent out once by each board member.  It was also pushed on twitter.

The event ends up raising $1,980 for the Ronald McDonald House in roughly 2 hours. 

• This covers the cost for just over 22 families to stay at the house for one night each. 
• Close to 200 people attend. 
• The total cost of the event is $77.74.
• The year end goal for membership is 100.  As it stands today, after only one event, membership is over 30 young professionals, not including the board. 

Bottom Line:  Good strategy + dedicated volunteers and/or staff + plus the power of the web can lead to great things for your organization. 

After only a year and a half at our location on W. North Street in Downtown Greenville, Merge is moving once again. Since moving in May of 2008, Merge has had the good fortune of experiencing growth and doubling it's amount of employees.

As a result of this growth we have run out of space and are expanding into the Next Innovation Center. Merge worked with Bo Garland Architecture, Debbie of Dailey and Associates and Mitchell Contractors to create a space that truly reflects Merge's culture and personality. We are ecstatic with the final results and are thrilled to be a part of the Next Innovation Center community. As we get settled into our space we will be posting pictures on our Facebook Fan page for all our out of town friends. Until then, you can check out the "before" pictures.

Please be sure to update our address in your contacts!

411 University Ridge, Suite 225
Greenville, SC 29601

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries into our Chill Corner Contest.  You made it a ton of fun and really difficult to judge.  At the end of the day though, a winner needed to be picked, and that person is Bryan Rees from Oobe.  We can't wait to hang out on the giant Fatboy beanbags, they are perfect for the new space. 

Merge officially begins work in the new space on Monday, feel free to drop by and check it out.  Our new address will be:

411 University Ridge, STE 225
Greenville, SC 29601

As you may know, Merge is moving.  We are leaving our cozy downtown loft for the spacious confines of the Next Innovation Center.  Amidst the chaos of moving, we realized one part of our space is still in need of some design work.  Dubbed the "Chill Corner," it's a place for us to collaborate, innovate, work and just chill.  So here is where you come in to play.  We want you to design this space.  Here's the deal, you have a $500 budget to work within, and all you have to do is send us the links to all the cool stuff you would like to see in the corner.  Time is of the essence however, the contest ends at midnight on Wednesday the 10th, and some great designs are already in.   The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to a Table 301 restaurant and an invite to our open house in March.  For more details and how to enter, check the link.