Semaphore, LLC News

Answer:  Abuelo’s in Rogers, AR

I haven’t blogged here in a while, and it’s because our little real estate tools creation engine, Tasman Labs, was acquired by GoPickle.com. Therefore, I haven’t been freelancing under the Semaphore, LLC banner for a few months now. Instead, Vanguide is now a part of the Webtown Media mix of small business websites, and I’ve been designing our next generation of online tools. Well, it’s finally time to journal what I’ve been up to, because it’s so darn cool.

Just two weeks ago, we took the wraps off of our new Local Business Directory, the new GoPickle.com. GoPickle.com has always served as a super-local yellow pages. But in addition to a completely revised backend, now, local businesses can upgrade their listings for themselves. Think of merchantcircle.com without the spam and social networking fluff.

So with the above in mind, we set out to design the best UI experience we could, both for searchers and business users. Our first thought: “Use a map!” it’s intuitive, it’s not too new, and it looks friggin cool.

We quickly ran into the problem of consistent-height headers, footers, info panes, and all the other data that makes a yellowpages website. Our solution: make it all movable! You can see how it works on a search results page for Restaurants in Rogers, Arkansas

With our design, we avoided the persistent-size problem because now you can scroll the extra stuff out of the way, and the map will stay put. Traditionally, either you have to sacrifice your details display OR you have to sacrifice your map size. We get the benefits of both.

The effect has a ton of benefits for our business customer. Compare our customer page:

• Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy

To what their page looks like on the competition out there. Notice how much room there is above for photos, description, etc; now notice how small and cramped the actual business information is on all the following pages:

• http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3709734355
• http://www.yellowbook.com/profile/abuelos-mexican-food-embassy_1493600708.html?addressId=0
• http://national.citysearch.com/profile/41371105/rogers_ar/abuelo_s_mexican_food_embassy.html
• http://local.yahoo.com/info-26852378-abuelo-s-mexican-food-embassy-rogers
• http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/139/913535/restaurant/Fayetteville/Abuelos-Mexican-Food-Embassy-Rogers
• http://www.superpages.com/bp/Rogers-AR/Abuelos-Mexican-Food-Embassy-L0112745362.htm

One more consideration: we’re future-proofing our design by making the layout get better as screen resolutions continue to get larger. When you get a new computer with a bigger monitor, you can still make your web browser full-screen and not be afraid of missing all the tiny details, surrounded by boxes and extremely large margins of unused space.

So that’s it. The above is live now, but there is still a lot more on the way.

Fast Lane Entertainment is creating 75,000 indoor square feet of fun for Northwest Arkansas. To promote the exciting new construction, the company has launched a new website powered by CADDIE from IFWORLD, Inc. and designed by Semaphore, LLC.

In 2008, the Fast Lane doors will open in Lowell, Arkansas. When complete, the site will feature cosmic bowling, go karts, a two-level laser tag arena, a gaming arcade, and more. Additionally, Fast Lane Entertainment will custom cater to all types, including team building reservations, birthday parties, and just fun for families and friends of all ages. More information on Fast Lane Entertainment in Lowell, Arkansas may be found at the Fast Lane website.

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The Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Competition is the premiere business plan competition for students. For 2008, the Governor’s Cup Competition has launched a fresh design. The site is powered by CADDIE from IFWORLD, Inc., and the fresh visage is designed by Semaphore, LLC.

With one of the largest cash prize pools in America, the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup undergraduate & graduate business plan competition is designed to encourage students in Arkansas, Nevada, and Oklahoma to act upon their ideas and talents in order to produce tomorrow’s businesses. More information on Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup may be found at DWRGovernorsCup.org

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IFWORLD, Inc. released ColicCare.com today for client Naturopathic Alternatives, LLC.

Naturopathic Alternatives, LLC is a company developed to produce safe, all natural, dietary supplements to treat various health conditions. During the past year, Naturopathic Alternatives has conducted significant research into developing its first product, Colic Care, a dietary supplement aimed at relieving the abdominal discomfort experienced by infants with colic. More information on Naturopathic Alternatives, LLC may be found at ColicCare.com

ColicCare.com is built on a fully-featured Content Management System (CMS), which allows Naturopathic Alternatives to edit and maintain their own pages and content. Semaphore, LLC worked with IFWORLD, Inc. to create the look and feel of ColicCare.com and customize ColicCare.com’s CMS application to deliver a customized brand image online.

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Tufco Flooring has just launched a new website to better service customers and sales representatives of their industry-leading industrial flooring products. The site is powered by CADDIE from IFWORLD, Inc., and the fresh visage is designed by Semaphore, LLC.

From the company’s new website: Tufco’s reputable products and ability to develop new concepts give unparalleled support to engineered environments. Tufco’s products are unsurpassed in performance and durability and provide a safe, productive, and aesthetic environment. More information on Tufco Industrial Flooring may be found at Tufco Flooring’s Official Website.

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