RainStorm Consulting

Case Study: Making the MDIBL website look great on a mobile phone, for a fraction of the cost

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:17:41 -0400

The MDI Biological Laboratory communicates with students, partners, and the community via a fully-featured, modern website online at mdibl.org. When MDIBL recognized an ever-increasing list of website visitors arriving from mobile devices, they turned to RainStorm Consulting to build a mobile version of their site.

Rather than develop a completely separate version of their site -- at more cost to them, with more maintenance time and effort required -- we revised their existing website to automatically adapt itself when viewed on a mobile phone.

You don't even need a smartphone to view the results: Just go to mdibl.org, then re-size your browser window narrower and narrower. You'll notice the site design automatically adapts, re-organizing to adapt nicely for display on a smartphone.

This approach to serving mobile visitors, called responsive design, is an increasingly attractive option for site owners who recognize the need to serve their audience with mobile devices while also looking to keep their maintenance time and costs in check. Keep it in mind the next time you consider how many of your visitors are finding your site from their phones.

Design Trends: Where are we going in 2012?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:15:00 -0500

2011 is gone so it’s time to take a look back at what happened on the web. A combination of shifting design styles and increased browser flexibility ushered in a new class of trends. So what were the big trends of 2011? And what can they tell us about where we'll wind up in 2012? Let's take a look.

CSS3 & HTML5

The growing prevalence of CSS3 and HTML5 was huge in 2011. Developers incorporating CSS3 & HTML5 have opened the door to making sites dynamic in a whole new way. We can now achieve styling effects, increasingly dynamic typography, and even leaner code under the hood of a site. We're seeing designs move closer and closer to being imageless now. Sites are more flexible than ever. Technologies such as these are what promote the use of modern browsers by rewarding users who upgrade their browsers with a richer experience.

Typography

Dynamic, embeddable type faces are popping up a lot more frequently. A recurring trend that we're seeing online and discussing here is the idea of websites getting more and more image-less. Now that the practice of embedding more unique fonts is becoming common, sites have fewer images to load and are able to scale better. Not to mention, we have thousands of amazing fonts to choose thanks to resources such as Font Squirrel and Google Fonts.

Simple Is Beautiful

We see an increased presence of all things simple: everything from more basic color palettes to simple layouts. The web is getting crowded and this visual trend is certainly de-cluttering on-screen real estate. It’s more common to see one to two-tone color schemes and there seem to be no barriers for site structure. The traditional columned-layouts have made way for freeform, unique site structures.

Mobile & Responsiveness

In 2011, as in each previous year, we saw an increase in sites that served a mobile version for users. Even here at RainStorm, one of our highest-traffic clients saw mobile use increase double from 3.5% to 7% in 2011. Although we see an increase in mobile-specific sites and apps, we’re seeing an emerging alternative known as responsive web design. These responsive sites automatically adapt to display content optimized for the user’s screen size. Go ahead, visit some of your favorite sites on your mobile device and mobile or responsive web design is sure to make an appearance.

Graphics

Visuals are getting big, both in prominence and size. We’re seeing large, rich images serve as key design and structural elements on sites. Large background images and in-line images are being used to positively break up content and make layouts more appealing and readable. We’re seeing more graphical buttons as well. The days of the default browser buttons are gone and the reign of graphical, custom, multi-state buttons is beginning.

Where are we heading in 2012?

These trends are leading to a promising 2012 and beyond on the web. Our experiences on the web are becoming more compelling as the adoption of modern browsers increases. We’re expecting to see more responsive websites and a unifying of both desktop and mobile web experiences. The web is getting more artful and dynamic and we look forward to making the most of these techniques to create more beautiful, more interactive experiences for our clients and their visitors.

A "Mobile First" development process

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500

Mobile First by Luke Wroblewski is the fifth release in the A Book Apart series aimed at those in the web industry. Like the other books in the series, this is a compact book designed to get right to the core of a particular topic.

This book is unlike Responsive Web Design, which targeted developers and contained a significant amount of code. Mobile First makes it’s points by example, and as such, of the book consists of visual examples that show both good and bad practice. The content in this book is largely conceptual and visual in nature, rather than focusing on syntax.

Wroblewski begins by framing the mobile user as a different user than the desktop user, and shows some examples of how popular sites revise their layout to accommodate mobile users. He explains that mobiles users are typically only interested in a subset of a website’s functions, and condensing your menus to emphasize common functions is a great way to appeal to mobile users. Giving yourself these constraints can help you to create a simple and easy to use mobile design.

Mobile browsers do have some capabilities that desktop visitors don’t, and Wroblewski discusses some contexts where those capabilities can make using your website easier for mobile visitors. One example of those capabilities is GPS, and if your website involves any kind of location-based search (i.e. movie times), you can auto-fill location information for the user based on their current GPS location. This reduces the amount of input that they need to perform, and only requires confirmation.

The way you organize your page for mobile browsing can also have a significant impact on how easy it is to use. Wroblewski states that in most mobile browsing, once you have selected a task or page, the primary thing that you care about is either performing that task, or viewing content on the page. The standard layout of navigation and search up top, and content below is no longer a great organization strategy, as the user is already where they want to be. Instead, put those kinds of navigation items below the content area, and put the content or task action first.

Next, Wroblewski dives into design a little bit, focusing a fair bit on touch screen users. These concerns focus largely around target area size and location. Most visitors with a touch screen operate their phones one handed, so making sure that major functions are available within thumb’s reach is important. Wroblewski also notes that many sites rely on hover functionality to bring up content, and that touch browsing visitors will not have a good way to access that content. The best way to handle this is to find an alternate way to deliver that hover content on a mobile device.

One of the most challenging and time consuming tasks on a mobile device is to input information, and Wroblewski presents a whole chapter full of strategies to make input easier on a mobile device -- from using the correct input type to setting default values as often as possible.

Wroblewski wraps the book up with chapter on layout, which seems to be a quick summary of the previous book in the series, Responsive Web Design, that discusses ways to adapt the layout of page elements based on screen resolution. It’s a nice recap of ideas, but there’s not a whole lot of new information in this section. If you haven’t already read Marcotte's book, go back and read it -- it’s well worth the time.

If you’re new to designing for mobile browsers, Wroblewski’s Mobile First is an essential overview of the focal points.

Editor's note: This is part of an ongoing series of posts highlighting books on the craft of web design. If you know a great book we should review, tell us at contact@rainstormconsulting.com

Encore Leaders helps Maine people get fresh air while giving back

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500

Most of us have somebody in our lives looking to be more active, or who want to volunteer but aren't exactly sure how to go about it -- for those Mainers 50 years and up, Encore Leadership Corps is an organization helping people do just that, and they've got a great new website to ring in 2012.

Encore Leadership Corps works to connect elder adults in Maine with fun, rewarding, and active volunteer opportunities in Maine's local organizations, communities, and businesses. Encore Leaders volunteers might be found cleaning up local waterways; helping to groom cross country ski trails; or helping hand out clothing or food at a local community outrech center. Whatever the task, Encore Leadership Corps makes it easy for elder adults to connect with fun, safe activities right in their own neighborhoods.

The Encore Leadership Corps website makes it easy for adults to learn more about the types of activities available; includes an online application, and features a volunteer map showing the reach and impact of volunteering in Maine.

For the staff of Encore Leadership Corps, keeping the new website fresh is simple thanks to WordPress, web-based software for managing the website's content, news, and other features.

Tell a friend or neighbor about Encore Leadership Corps, and help them get out and about while making Maine an even better place to live!

O'Brien Medical invents new ways to combat diabetes

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500

More than 25 million American suffer from diabetes. Maine podiatrist and entrepreneur Dr. Todd O'Brien hopes to help fellow medical professionals treating the disease with his company's newest product, NeuroCheck. The product is featured prominently on the all-new O'Brien Medical website built by RainStorm Consulting.

In addition to featuring the NeuroCheck, the new O'Brien Medical website, online at www.obimed.com, includes production information and downloads on the company's other products, along with a blog where Dr. O'Brien shares his experiences as a business owner launching a new product. The site is easily maintained by Dr. O'Brien thanks to WordPress, the simple website management software keeping things running behind the scenes.

An experienced medical device inventor, Dr. O'Brien's innovative products are inspired by his years of experience treating diabetes and pre-diabetes patients at his medical practice. Now, with the development of NeuroCheck and his participation in Maine's TopGun business program, Dr. O'Brien plans to refine, launch, and promote NeuroCheck, helping doctors across the U.S. and the world better treat patients suffering from diabetes.

Making Maine library collections more accessible

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:08:56 -0500

In a digital age, libraries need simple systems to share their collections across geographic regions. With a national grant to improve Maine libraries' collection strategies, the Maine Shared Collection Strategy (MSCS) also needed a simple, professional website to report on the progress of their project to other Maine libraries and the public.

The Maine Shared Collections Strategy website does just that. With a friendly face, the website presents information and progress on the statewide project as it moves towards completion, including downloadable information and reports for the public. The website also includes news and events listings for the project's participants to keep updated and includes easy ways to subscribe to the news beyond the site.

MSCS staff have an easy system for managing the website pages, news, and file uploads thanks to WordPress, a web-based system for managing the website. With a customized WordPress theme and features, MSCS can promote their project to the public in a customized, professional way.

Moving forward with a "Responsive Web Design"

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0500

Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte is the fourth release in the A Book Apart series aimed at those in the web industry. Like the books before it in the series, the book is small and intensely focused, a tactic to get you oriented on a specific web development strategy in a jiffy.

This book is targeted at front-end developers, and as such, much of the book consists of code examples (CSS, HTML and Javascript). That doesn’t diminish the relevance of the core concept for anyone involved in producing a website (including the client).

Marcotte begins the book by examining how we build websites, and starts off my banishing the practice of using pixels in your stylesheet. He examines a number of different cases for calculating with percentages for position. Getting your layout built without the use of pixels is critical for a successful responsive layout.

The remainder of the book aims to show, by example, how you can take an existing website (built using percentages) and modify the layout to fit a progressively smaller or larger screen. The best way to do this is to find the display resolution “break points”, and change the layout at those intervals.

Once Marcotte has gone through the whole process of fixing a website for multiple display sizes, he drops the bomb. This isn’t the best way to build a responsive website. Rather than building a website for a standard resolution, then figuring out how to scale it down and up, that you instead build your website for the smallest resolution first, and then work your way up.

This is radically different than how most developers currently build their websites, but the strategy has merit in that you optimize for the lightest weight layout first, then bulk up the page if and only if the resolution warrants it. Beyond the technical coding and data weight advantages, Marcotte suggests that it’s a healthier philosophical approach to building a website, as it forces you to determine right up front what the most important content is, and what is extraneous.

These are important lessons to take for your upcoming web projects, and if you can manage to make your future websites built in a responsive manner, it will almost certainly increase their longevity. More and more website traffic is coming from non-desktop devices, and it’s our responsibility to recognize that trend and to prepare ourselves.

Responsive Web Design seems to end on a perfect segue to the 6th book in the A Book Apart series , Mobile First . I’m looking forward to seeing Luke Wroblewski’s take on this web development strategy.

Editor's note: This is part of an ongoing series of posts highlighting books on the craft of web design. If you know a great book we should review, tell us at contact@rainstormconsulting.com

'Designing for Emotion' helps people connect with your website

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0500

Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter is the fifth release in the A Book Apart series aimed at those in the web industry. Don’t let the small size fool you: Designing for Emotion is packed with a number of excellent points and examples for designers to reference when creating an interface.

Walter identifies that facilitating human-to-human communication is emotional design’s primary goal. When you consider human interaction, it’s important to remember that a positive personality fosters trust between people. Walter suggest a number of simple tactics relating to imagery, color, and interaction to mirror that real-life experience on the web.

Designing for Emotion makes the point that users will connect more with a brand when the website builds that trust. In my experience on the web, nothing seems to invalidate my trust in a brand more than identifying a website as a cookie-cutter template experience.

Another lesson from this book is that people want what they can’t have. Twitter chose to use this tactic when they launched their latest interface upgrade in the fall of 2010.

Leaking limited screenshots online followed by rolling out the upgrade to a handful of users at first used mystery and exclusivity as emotional tools to get people excited. Twitter’s redesign also utilized the Golden Ratio. Using this visual design principle we have come to subconsciously love and recognize, users felt pleased when navigating the new interface.

The Twitter redesign is just one of many examples from Designing for Emotion. From chapter to chapter you’ll discover many great examples of how to emotionally connect to humans, convey personality, engage the user, seek forgiveness and reward, and harness trust.

How have we here at RainStorm Consulting been using emotional design tactics? One example we launched earlier this month is an upgrade to the interface of the Maine Center on Aging. Utilizing relatable human imagery in the interface, as well as enjoyable interactive elements such as information sliders, we upgraded from their previous less-active interface. Brighter color palettes as well as uniquely displaying content makes the experience trustworthy, clear, and even fun!

It’s important to remember that certain emotional design aspects are not appropriate for all situations. The designer must identify how to instill trust and ease in the user for different scenarios. It takes time to refine designs and make them more emotional, something this book will be a strong reference guide for.

One impressive example Walter highlights is the case of Blue Sky Resumes. How did Blue Sky Resumes increase their conversion rates significantly just from an emotional website design? Pick up your copy today to find out!

Editor's note: This is part of an ongoing series of posts highlighting books on the craft of web design. If you know a great book we should review, tell us at contact@rainstormconsulting.com

Case study: Helping a graduate program stay connected

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:23:56 -0500

Helping organizations succeed online means more than building a great-looking website; often web-based software and services are the tools needed to help people connect easier and work smarter.

In the case of The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Maine, the more than 100 faculty members of GSBS spread out across six locations all over Maine needed a centralized, secure, and simple system to communicate, mentor students, and host a virtual community for a demanding, multi-disciplinary graduate program.

Our solution for GSBS involves extending their existing software platform to include two new custom tools designed from the ground up to facilitate easy, friendly, and secure exchange of student and faculty data, messages, and discussions.

In our most recent case study, we go in depth to identify the specific ways that GSBS needed to work smarter, and describe in detail our two custom-built software solutions designed to help GSBS faculty and staff stay connected and focused on their goals.

Read the case study

The Maine Center on Aging website offers a wealth of services for Maine's older adult community

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:08:00 -0400

Most of us have a close friend or family member in the elder adult community -- with one of the highest populations of elder adults in the US, Maine people recognize the importance of caring for and enriching the lives of our older citizens. That commitment is shared by the Maine Center on Aging, a program that offers a wide variety of services and programs for older adults in Maine.

To promote their mission and services, the Center on Aging now has a new website featuring in-depth information on the Center's offerings, easy to read news and events, and a email newsletter sign-up. The news & information on the website is wrapped within a simple, beautiful design that makes it easy for people of any age to find the Center on Aging services that might interest them.

It's easy for Center on Aging staff to maintain the website thanks to SiteTurbine, a web-based content management system that enables creating and publishing news items, events, and pages rich with graphics and downloadable information.

When you think about the elder adults in your life, keep in mind the Center on Aging and visit them out online at http://www.mainecenteronaging.org.

Should We Go Live Today? A friendly reminder for web developers everywhere

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:53:32 -0400

At web companies like ours, the "launch" of a project -- from a huge network of websites to a single, minor update -- is one of the best parts of the job. You've completed a bit of work, and if you liked it, it's your chance to show it to the world; if you didn't, you can finally move on to that more interesting task.

However, as a company we've learned from the continual reminders of our technical lead, Matt James, that the desire to go live should always be checked against what day it is - specifically, to quote Matt's mantra on the subject, don't go live on Fridays!

Any launch, no matter how carefully tested, may have surprises, and not much ruins a launch worse than spending the weekend trying to troubleshoot it from home, or worrying that it won't be fully resolved for at least 2-3 days.

That's why we take Matt's mantra seriously here at RainStorm, and to honor his commitment to successful launches, we're happy to announce ShouldWeGoLiveToday.com, a simple tool for other web developers to help remind them that today is a great day to launch your project -- as long as it's not Friday!

If you're a web developer, we hope that ShouldWeGoLiveToday.com will become a part of your pre-flight launch checklist. We'd also love to hear your feedback or Friday launch stories on our Facebook page. Thanks for reading - and happy launching!

Book Review: CSS3 For Web Designers

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:00:00 -0400

CSS3 for Web Designers by Dan Cederholm has been a very handy go-to for me this year. At RainStorm, we decided to begin practicing progressive enrichment at the beginning of 2011, which opened the door for some usage of CSS3.

The browser-specific property declarations are still not second nature to me, so I’ve really appreciated having this handy reference guide nearby. As an aside, buying the eBook version of these reference books make for even more handy reference, as in-PDF searching from an easy-to-open file makes using them even more convenient.

As most of you know, CSS3 properties are supported on your favorite browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), but not in Internet Explorer 7 and 8, which unfortunately still make up the majority of the users browsing the internet. Cederholm makes a compelling argument for enhancing the experience layer of your websites using CSS3, while ensuring that the function and content of your website are easily available to anyone visiting your website.

The book breaks down CSS3 functionality into several easy-to-digest sections – one on hover states, one on transforms, one on using multiple backgrounds, and one on form validation. Throughout each section, you’ll find other CSS3 goodies mentioned, such as transparency, text and box shadow, and gradients.

If you are still nervous about making the plunge into adopting CSS3 into your development, I’d highly recommend this book. You can read through it in a matter of an hour or two to orient yourself around what CSS3 has to offer, and it doubles as a handy reference guide as you get your feet wet.

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of posts highlighting books on the craft of web design. If you know a great book we should review, tell us at contact@rainstormconsulting.com.

Educational consultants Embracing Diversity re-launch with custom WordPress website

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:23:18 -0400

For Embracing Diversity, their name is their mission. The Maine-based educational consulting firm designs and presents workshops on diversity topics for college administrators, staff, and students across the US.

Angel and Eunice Loredo, co-owners of Embracing Diversity, knew that a simple, easy-to-manage website and newsletter tools would be keys to maintaining their marketing efforts amidst their busy schedules.

To meet their needs, RainStorm designed a custom theme for the company and built their new website on WordPress, the world's best open-source content management system. Using WordPress to manage their site, Angel and Eunice can easily post news, maintain their list of workshops, and add testimonials from happy clients.

To help Embracing Diversity keep in touch with the clients and reach new ones, RainStorm designed and configured an email newsletter closely matching the brand of their website. Powered by Campaign Monitor, the Embracing Diversity email newsletters are simple to maintain, write, and track -- even for busy professionals like Angel and Eunice.

We're happy to help organizations like Embracing Diversity go online with simple, powerful tools that make it easy for them to stand out.

Announcing CourseStorm, a vision for increasing access to adult education across the US

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:00:48 -0400

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for RainStorm Consulting, as we announce our plan to develop a new software product we believe will make a positive impact on education throughout the US. The product is CourseStorm, and we like to call it impossibly simple course registration software.

First, the news that makes this project possible: We’re happy to announce that we are recipients of a competitive funding round from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). With three other Maine companies, our funding comes in the form of an MTI Development Award, a vehicle for funding promising and innovative technologies.

Download official press release (82k, PDF)

As a company with more than a decade of experience bootstrapping our growth, it wasn’t an easy decision to seek outside funding, but we think CourseStorm is a transformative product that deserved the best possible shot at success.

What makes us so excited at the opportunities that CourseStorm presents for our company and our clients? The idea of giving adult education organizations a turnkey website isn’t a new one for us; in fact, it’s a concept we’ve been working on since as early as 2008, when we partnered with the Maine Adult Education Association (MAEA) to pioneer the concept right here in Maine with the award-winning Maine Adult Education Portal.

The Maine Adult Education Portal was born of a simple need: A large majority of Maine’s 75+ local adult education programs have low budgets and limited tech staff, but nonetheless need creative ways to modernize their marketing efforts, reach more students, and be found online if they want to compete with other options. With the guidance of the MAEA organization, we built a system that deployed professionally-designed, easy-to-manage websites for local programs, and then joined them together with a statewide course search and online registration system.

If you haven’t heard, the results in Maine have been tremendous: In just over two years, people have registered online for nearly 10,000 classes in job training, literacy, college prep, personal growth, and more. In August 2011, the websites will pass the $1 million revenue milestone, beating even the most optimistic expectations.

So that’s Maine- but what about the other 22,000 small adult education programs across the US? From our research and hands-on experiences, we’ve found that adult education programs nationwide face the same challenges: How to capitalize on the growth of the web despite limited budgets and mismatched software offerings that don’t meet their needs.

Enter CourseStorm: Following our research, planning, and with the help of funding from MTI, over the next few months we'll be hard at work designing, building, and promoting CourseStorm. Our plan is ready, and work has already begun. When it's ready to be used, it will be affordable for even the smallest programs, impossibly simple to publish courses and take online registrations, and designed from the ground-up to enable an adult education program to purchase, customize, and promote a great looking course catalog website in less than 10 minutes.

We’re just beginning this journey, but we couldn’t be more excited at the opportunities ahead.

Town of Orono website re-launches with an all-new design and expanded info for residents

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:26:16 -0500

For our first website launch of 2011, we're happy to announce the all-new Town of Orono website, online at orono.org.

Of course, all the websites we build are special, but this one is unique, as our offices are located in the middle of Orono Maine, and three of our six staff members live here. That means we came to the project with first-hand experience about what citizens of our town might hope for in a new website. We also spent time meeting and brainstorming with many of the town staff, who communicated their own ideas as well as the ideas of the residents they serve.

In the end, we're pleased with the finished product- a new Town of Orono website with a completely fresh, modern graphic design that captures the town's character as a small, but growing place to meet, play, or do business, and a wide range of online information and town services for residents.

If you're a resident of Orono- or a student or business owner thinking of re-locating here- please visit the new website- and as always, we appreciate your feedback!

Updated John Bapst website promotes new boarding program

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:15:47 -0500

We're pleased to announce a refreshed design and layout for the John Bapst website, online at http://www.johnbapst.org. The new site provides detailed information about the school's new boarding program, launching in fall 2011.

Behind the scenes, the new site is powered by SiteTurbine, web-based software for managing website content and more. With SiteTurbine, John Bapst staff can now use a secure, web-based admin area to manage the website pages, files, news, and contact forms.

RainStorm receives grant for new product development

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:31:39 -0500

RainStorm Consulting is pleased to announce the receipt of a Maine Technology Institute (MTI) Seed Grant, its third in as many years. The grant will help to fund market research and prototyping for a new software product RainStorm is developing for the educational market.

"Again, we gratefully acknowledge the Maine Technology Institute for their support of our work in awarding us this grant," said RainStorm CEO Brian Rahill. "With MTI support, we plan to conduct market research, customer surveys, testing, and prototype design on an exciting new software product for educational organizations. This preliminary work will help us to refine and improve what we hope will be a great product for small educational organizations to better reach students."

RainStorm has previously been awarded Seed Grants by MTI for work on SiteTurbine, the company's flagship web-based software suite. In addition to funding Maine web and IT companies, MTI also funds Maine companies in other technology sectors including biotech and energy.

Maine Adult Education Portal honored as "Best Website" at annual LERN awards

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:16:51 -0500

The Maine Adult Education (MAEA) website, MaineAdultEducation.org, has been honored with the "Best Website" award at the recent LERN Conference awards ceremony held November 6-8, 2010. Maine's statewide network of adult educational program websites and their associated Portal was just one of two websites honored from a field of over 80 entries submitted worldwide, according to LERN, the professional development organization for adult education programs and professionals.

Each year at its annual conference attended by hundreds of adult education professional from across the US, LERN bestows awards to a select handful of websites and adult education programs.

According to the official press release announcing the award, "LERN’s primary criterion in selecting exemplary programs was the quality of being at the leading edge of the field of lifelong learning." Julie Coates, Vice President of information services for LERN, said that this year’s award nominees were among the highest quality ever submitted."

RainStorm Consulting partnered with the Maine Adult Education Association to conceive, build, and launch the statewide portal website in 2009. More than 70 of MAEA's member programs from across the state contribute to the success of the Portal by posting their classes online. 40 of the participating programs also offer online registration and checkout, giving wider access to literally thousands of adult education courses from all over Maine. To date, Maine citizens have visited the portal more than 600,00 times, registering for more than 4,000 courses and generated over $400,000 in revenue for small, local adult education organizations.

While this is the first national award given to the MAEA Portal, the site previously won the "Best of the Web Non-Profit Website" award, the top honor given by TechMaine, the state's top tech industry organization.

Refreshed bio management software empowers faculty to promote their research

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:29:45 -0400

With the launch of an all-new version of FacultyStorm, the leading web-based software for managing faculty biographic information, professors have even more powerful tools for promoting themselves and their research.

RainStorm re-engineered FacultyStorm from the ground-up to be simpler, faster, and easier to use. Research into user habits and feedback from the hundreds of faculty who use the tool drove this significant upgrade to the software.

Originally built for a university department that wanted an easy way for its faculty to manage their own profiles online, today FacultyStorm is a fully-featured web-based system used by faculty to promote and easily maintain their biographic info, research, and publications and add photos, CVs, links, text and graphics.

FacultyStorm also makes it easy for academic departments- and entire colleges- to enhance their websites with automated, fully-integrated faculty directories featuring images, search, full bios, and an increasingly-popular "find a mentor" tool designed to attract more qualified students.

"FacultyStorm 2 is a great step forward for those using our software- we've made it even easier for busy faculty members to keep their online identities updated," said Brian Rahill, CEO of RainStorm.

You can see how FacultyStorm powers academic websites by visiting the UMaine School of Marine Sciences website at http://www.umaine.edu/marine/people/directory. To learn more about how FacultyStorm 2 can benefit your faculty-- and your website-- contact RainStorm Consulting.

Special thanks to the Maine Technology Institute for awarding a seed grant which made this upgrade possible.

Leading literacy workshops now available for online registration

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:40:48 -0400

Today, finding and registering for Choice Literacy training workshops became easier with the launch of the Choice Literacy Workshops website. The website lists all of Choice Literacy's highly sought-after workshops, with innovative keyword or map-based search options, complete workshop details, and online registration.

The site is an expansion for Maine's own Choice Literacy, an organization offering a popular newsletter, training articles, DVDs, and literacy training workshops to educators all across the nation.

Supplementing its popular mail registration process, the Choice Literacy Workshops website provides an easy, secure way for educators to browse or search for courses by keyword or by map, read complete details on workshops, and register and pay securely online.

The Choice Literacy Workshops website is powered by SiteTurbine, web-based software for posting courses online, managing website content, and accepting student registrations and payments securely via the web.

RainStorm is proud to work with Choice Literacy to promote its literacy training events to educators nationwide.