We need Java developers familiar with systems engineering and deployment who thrive on the challenges of building and deploying distributed, scalable systems. You will manage, maintain, and support the build and deploy system and manage the web and app tier through monitoring and resource management. You will contribute to developing Java/Spring/Maven applications.

Responsibilities include:
- Java development (primarily back-end; JSP/HTML/CSS skills are a plus)
- Manage developer resources such as continuous integration and deployment systems
- Debug runtime problems
- Monitor and manage all environments
- Build, deploy and destroy servers

Required Skills:
- Java/Spring/Maven
- Cloud services (AWS, EC2)
- Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases
- Source control (Jira, SVN)
- Continuous integration and deployment (Jenkins, Hudson)
- Linux admin
- Agile development experience
- Experience with Solr is a plus

It’s my mobile carrier that’s doing this to me, and I hate it. Just this week I upgraded to the new iPhone with mobile hot spot (which means I can use my phone as a portable Internet connection for my tablets and laptops) but in order to do that, I had to sacrifice my unlimited data plan from AT&T.

And now that I’ve switched, I can never go back to an unlimited data plan. Not at any price. That ship has sailed. Now, instead of running my iPhone as an additional bandwidth solution for my online addiction, I now will spend a lot of time worrying about how much I’ve downloaded (or uploaded) and what it’s going to cost me.

Was it worth it to get a mobile hot spot?

*Sniff* I do need a mobile hot spot. Web professionals really can’t get through a day without a pervasive Internet connection. And I’ve limped along using patchy and unreliable Wi-Fi hotspots, which I find overwhelmingly disappointing solution.

I’ve found myself looking like an idiot in meetings a few too many times when the clients’ offices don’t have wireless service. All of my planned online demos go right out the window and I’m left trying to sketch out how software works on a notepad. These meetings don’t go very well.

It’s utterly un-cool to have to beg for a connection like a hapless Web junkie. Clients are hip to the trick of storing Web sites locally on your laptop. It’s just so… amateur. So yes, a hot spot is a must-have service.

Is it really that bad, or are am I overreacting?

 I tend to react strongly whenever my connection to the Internet is limited in any way, as you can see. However, the bandwidth limit for my new hotspot connection is 4Gigs per month. That’s actually kind of a lot of bandwidth.

When I heard about the new limits, I explored my historical usage on an unlimited plan. Guess what?  To date I’ve never exceeded 4Gigs.  I’d consider myself an extreme user, where I email graphic design files and let my son stream as many episodes of Wonder Pets as he wants to. And let’s not talk about how often I check in with Facebook…  So it real life a 4gig limit is not too bad.

My main concern is that I can’t really go desk-free with 4gigs. I’ll still need my office Internet connection and will need to go to the office a lot to function with a 4gig limit, because my actual 100% Internet usage is more like 30gigs/month.

That’s why I’m upset. My dream of working from the beach all day every day is delayed yet again. While it’s probably not even a realistic dream, I still want the freedom to be able to try it. But I know someday I’ll get there. Someday.

Bridgeline Digital is a developer of an award-winning web engagement management software suite and interactive business technology solutions that help customers leverage best in class web-based technologies to achieve their business objectives. The iAPPS Product Suite is an innovative SaaS solution that deeply unifies web Content Management, eCommerce, eMarketing, and web Analytics capabilities into the heart of websites, online stores, intranets, extranets or portals – enabling users to swiftly enhance and optimize the value of their web assets.

We have an immediate opening for a Director of Design who will work from our Columbia, MD office.  To learn more about Bridgeline Digital, please visit www.blinedigital.com

Job Description

In this Director of Design position at Bridgeline Digital you will lead the team in our Baltimore, MD office in the creative direction and creative development of our customers’ web properties.  You will implement the creative determined from user experience findings, user experience best practices, and customer style standards to produce high quality designs for related web applications.  We are looking for someone who is: ready to listen to our customers and wow them with beautiful and intuitive interactive designs; always thinking and learning about how to improve the user experience; thrives in a collaborative environment working closely with both the design and leadership teams; and aspires to mentor team members for creative excellence. You will be required to have strong communication skills (oral and written) with customer-ready presentation skills and be adept at pitching strategy and vision to customers. This position requires minimally a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent with at least 7 years of experience of designing high quality interfaces for web applications.

As the Director of Design, you will have a passion for design, as well as working directly with customers to assess overall user experience.  You will work on many new projects for a variety of clients across all different industries (Retail, Education, Financial, Etc.), to name a few, L’Oreal, The Marriott Hotels and AARP.  These projects are for public facing websites that our visited by thousands of users.  You will be in control of strategy, design and the user experience from beginning to end.  This is a highly visible position with approximately 25% travel to customer sites within MD, DC and VA.  You will also be attending a specific yearly industry conference with the rest of the UI/UX team.

Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis
• Must provide a web-based portfolio upon applying and be able to present your work in person
• User interface design to provide appropriate user experience and interface functionality
• Strong knowledge of best practices and mental models for desktop and mobile interfaces for interaction design
• Ability to prepare for and interview both stakeholders and users
• Ability to analyze stakeholder and user needs, and define strategies for meeting them
• Ability to prepare, conduct, analyze, and report on usability tests
• Strong client-facing skills; Strong presentation and negotiation skills
• An understanding of branding as it relates to user experience
• Strong conceptual design thinking
• Excellent overall design sense across multiple mediums and applications -composition, typography, color, etc.
• Strong leadership skills – responsible ownership of projects, mentorship of other team members
• Estimating costs, creating timelines, and generally helping contribute to a successful team

Technical Skills Include

• Requirements-gathering stakeholder and via user interviews and other user-centered design methods
• Experience in building information architecture, sitemaps and wireframes for a variety of multi-page, multi-function sites (e.g., Visio, OmniGraffle, InDesign, Axure)
• Integration of digital (web usage, research, data analysis, statistics, etc.) and content strategy in wireframe documentation
• Expertise in Adobe Creative programs
• Firm knowledge of the requirements of designing production-ready files for the web or other digital environments
• Understanding of the uses of different web development languages and technologies

Operating systems loyalists have created something akin to a religion about their favorite OS. They seem to be somehow defined personally by it.  They’ll shout at you, “I’m a Mac guy” or “I’m PC all the way.” For the lesser nerds out there, they lend some confusing ideas to the marketplace, because they make it sound like you need to be consistent between all of your devices. It’s as though your very soul is in peril if you stray from your OS.

The good news is that if you have a PC Operating System on your computer or office network, you don’t have to go with a Windows phone unless you want to. If you’re on a Mac, you don’t have to buy an iPhone. I use a PC with a Droid tablet and an iPhone…and I haven’t caused the apocalypse… yet.

Maybe that makes me a Unitarian technologist.

In Search of the OS Holy Grail

So now that we know we can mix devices with different operating systems, the question is should we? If you’re in charge of buying mobile devices for your company, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you actually should try to keep the OS consistent. Once users’ brains learn how to handle the menus and information storage on one device, it is pretty luxurious to keep the experience consistent though their entire string of devices.  But there are notable exceptions:

If you’re an ad agency you need iPhones

• There are too many marketing apps to check out for your clients and their competitors. Since most apps are still developed first for iPhones and then retrofitted for other devices, you’ll want to use iPhones.
• But if you don’t need to force everyone to use Macs in the office. Most software (graphic design software notably excepted) is built for PCs (still) so don’t be weird. Buy PCs.

If you worry about employees using too much bandwidth by downloading dumb apps

• Get Windows OS phones. The important stuff for business is retrofitted for this OS and there aren’t nearly as many games and time/bandwidth wasting apps for Windows phones

If your office relies on the Google Cloud for Email, file sharing, calendar sharing and so on

• Get Droid devices. The integration with Google apps is instant, seamless and TOTALLY AWESOME. It’s the single most impressive cloud integration I’ve ever seen.
• Non-Droid devices can’t do this Google cloud integration for you unless you integrate using Outlook and other such foolish programs.

But My Employees are all “Mac Heads”

The really good news here is that any mobile device OS can work in any Mac/PC OS context, so don’t worry. If your employees have fallen in love with the iPhone hype, you can still make them happy and have a productive workforce at the same time.  But you may want to throw a bucket of cold water on them all the same. That’s what they get for pledging their devotion to a phone.

But it illustrates to me misunderstanding that people have technology. For example, if robots were ever actually going to replace people in football, they wouldn’t run around a field knocking each other down like people do. Robots fight with data pulses, magnetic and electrical manipulation and other things that are only exciting to techies. To the humans, it looks simply like wires and circuit boards getting hot. (yawn)

Robots could be programmed to run a football play, but what’s the point? If a play isn’t driven by desire and morphed by experience, then it’s all just a show. The magnificent accidents and spectacular surprises are what make it exciting.

What does this have to do with Business

Since the introduction of computers and technology into the workplace, managers have expected humans to snap into line and never make any more mistakes. They’ve decided that people should act like computers. Conversely, businesspeople have also asked that computers create art and run illogical procedures like people do.

The point is that if we clearly sort out which tasks should be done by computers and which are human tasks, the workplace will run much more smoothly. And the output will be much more compelling – like a winning football team.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but we keep messing it up.

What are Computer Tasks

Just for the sake of clarification, this is what computers are really good at:

1)      Data Entry

2)      Moving data from one machine to another, or one software program to another

3)      Doing mathematical calculations

4)      Compiling vast amounts of data and returning correct data in response to data queries

5)      Running procedures on a predefined schedule (back up all the machines at 11pm)

6)      Displaying data or behaviors in response to user cues (think: video games)

Remember that computers are just big buckets that we fill with data and function scripts. You won’t ever get something out of a computer that you or your programmer didn’t put in there.

What are People Tasks

Creation, art, surprise are all jobs that people are uniquely positioned to accomplish. And the beauty of people in processes is that the process is imperfect. Think about this; we have the equipment today to play a perfect symphony using computerized instruments. But nobody is interested in listening to a robot orchestra.  It’s the blend of a variety of human skills and variations in sounds that create the majesty of music.

When running your teams and companies, remember that people are not instruments of perfection. It’s the combination of them all that creates the excitement and future of your company. Enjoy people for who they are. And leave the boring ‘perfect process’ stuff to the computers.

How Email works:

Email is actually a function of your Domain Name –so when you buy a Web address such as www.greatcompany.com the email address comes with two records – an “A” record and an “MX” record. The “A” record tells the Internet where your Web site is hosted, and the MX record tells the Internet where your mail is hosted. While you usually have just one vendor for your email and web address (the A and MX records), they are really two different things.

Once an email is sent to your email address – nancy@greatcompany.com, it is sorted by the MX record to an email server where it is stored until you retrieve it from a computer. Small companies often have their email hosted with the same vendor as their Web site hosting. Larger companies often have an email server vendor.

From the email server, it travels through your internet provider’s cables (think; cable or telephone company lines) until it reaches the office. Then the email is retrieved either through an email software like Outlook or through a web browser.

Where does email break?

As you can see, email has a lot of moving pieces that can all break.

However, in my experience, 99% of the time, email breaks at the desktop level. And most of the support calls come into the hosting company, which is the wrong vendor to call. The host company can’t help with your desktop email retrieval because that’s not really what they do.

Hosting support mostly deals with problems related to the Web site (the “A” record) – things like security certificates, server virus attacks, troubleshooting crashed Web sites, restarting servers, and other macro issues. They are responsible for the general health of the Web sites they host. The host will make sure the email is able to be created and stored on the server, but after that they are out of their range of expertise.

Who do I call to keep my email working?

Every business with more than five computers really should have a service agreement with a network services company. This kind of company works inside your office every so often, and their job is to tie all of your computers together onto a network with a server in order to share files. This vendor is also your lifeline or “phone a friend” service for any internal (inside the four walls of your office) technical issue. When your email goes down, this is who you call.

Why are tech people so territorial?

We’re not. Believe me when I say that if we could help you with everything, we would. I stay awake at night haunted by the desperation in the voices of some of my callers. Here’s the thing; if I start telling you to reset things on your desktop computer in order to pull email in, then the person who manages your office network won’t know how to fix it next time. And they’ll be mad at me because they’ll have to reconfigure your machine from scratch because you probably won’t be able to tell them what I changed.

And your network manager shouldn’t change your Web site hosting passwords,  or add software modules to your web site, because then I won’t know how to help bring your site live if it gets attacked or has a software failure.

We work in partnership. And we respect each others’ territory because we have to. It’s for the greater good, really. And if all goes well with your configurations, hopefully you won’t need to call anyone. Stay safe out there…

Then I realized it: Email isn’t that important anymore.

Then I wondered what is the killer communication app right now. And, after much consideration, I have to say that there isn’t one anymore. Why? Because everyone who needs to contact you has so many options for contacting you that they will find you whether or not you read your email or text message, or listen to the voicemail on your mobile phone, or read their post on your Facebook/LinkedIn wall, or  their direct message to you on Twitter. They can ‘poke’ one of your colleagues at work to deliver a message to you in person, or find your address on their GPS and come to your house if they REALLY need you.

We’re behaving badly.

Back in the olden days of the 1990s, if you needed someone to answer a question, you’d send a letter or leave a message with their secretary and you’d wait for a response. And it was acceptable for that person to reply to you in a day or two. In fact, if you were too aggressive it was considered rude.

Since the beginning of the New Year, I have had two instances when I received an email, text message, phone message on my personal mobile phone and a message on Facebook within an hour of each other about issues that were not really that pressing. It feels like the fictional “WUPH” from The Office TV show has come to life.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytc9-wGCHW0)

The politeness barrier — the willingness to wait any amount of time for an answer of any level of importance has been amputated from our mindset by our instant communication technology. This is a mistake.

We’re at the end of our rope.

Without exception, my colleagues have stated that their goal for the New Year is to unplug. Our friends, colleagues and families have become so impatient and rude that we now find ourselves actively hiding from each others’ electronic advances. Instead of technology making us more connected, it’s driving us apart.

One of my friends quoted the book The Four Hour Work Week to me just this afternoon as a rationale to read email only one time each week. A well-known restaurateurs in Federal Hill has thrown out his mobile phone altogether.  I took a two week cyber-vacation over Christmas. It’s happening everywhere.

Is there a technology solution?

So far the answer to our constant badgering by devices and electronic messages has been “well, try this device that does the work faster and in a more interesting way.” But I am starting to think that technology isn’t going to be able to save us from our rudeness any longer. We’ve got to get some manners, and fast.

The demise of email is a symptom of a larger problem. Email is taking the fall because it’s the oldest and most overused, but just wait, because I’ve already heard rumblings that Facebook and Twitter are headed down the same path.

It’s not the technology, it’s the people.

Do you remember back when we used to visit people at their houses, and after a couple of hours we’d slap our knees and say “Well, it’s time to head home” ? The reason we headed home was because we were tired of our friends and wanted to go home. With technology the way it is today, we never get to leave the party.

I think 2011 is the year when people start balancing out their lives and putting their digital conversations into perspective. The party was fun, but we’re all bored with each other, and we’re going home.

Take that Apple Corp and Mark Zuckerberg. We’re taking our lives back.

Now that we’re working from home or launching side businesses (because no one is sure they’ll have a job from week to week,) the need for free wi-fi and a place away from home to do work has brought out a new nerd work force.  More and more I see people wandering aimlessly through stores and restaurants with their eyes glued to their wireless tablets, watching to see where the store’s router is located so they can get a stronger signal.

Once the nerd customer finds a good, strong signal, the next hunt is for a power outlet so they can work without draining their battery. Every good nerd knows that batteries should be used mainly for running the device in the background between heavy computing times, but when actually “doing stuff” there really should be a power supply connected or at most, a power-cord-length away.

Are nerds good customers?

I know nerds can be a little off-putting as customers because we’re usually a thousand lines into code when waitresses ask us if we want any food. It takes a minute to remember where we are and switch into ‘social mode,’ which means we create a rather odd kind of customer experience. On behalf of all nerds, I apologize.

But most nerds have money, and (pardon the sweeping generalization here) we tend to drib and drab our earnings away one caffeinated beverage at a time.

We also really love food. Anything that can bring us out of our programming mode is appreciated, so really awesome stinky cheeses, super spicy food, or sweets that make our teeth curl are the order of the day, any day.

Serving your Nerds

Here are some quick tips that will ensure happy nerd customers, the old school ones like me, and the new breed of business people and students that can’t seem to put down their devices:

1)      Put up a sign up on the wall that tells us where your router is, or signs showing how any signal bars to expect in different spots in the store. This will indicate where the nerds gather so an unsuspecting Mommy group doesn’t impatient huffs from us as we look for another place to pull in a strong signal.

2)      In the areas with the strongest signal, install power outlets everywhere, or run a couple of extension cords for those tables or working areas that aren’t near outlets.

3)      Set up a prix fixe for nerds who are planning to stay for a while. Nerds forget that they are hungry, but we are. If a plate of raw veggies showed up after a half hour’, I’d be thrilled. Cheese and crackers in another 20 minutes? Awesome.

4)      Don’t put the routers by windows. The draft across our hands and wrists in the winter really hurts. And the sunshine makes our screens hard to read. We like warm, dim places to work.

5)      We are friendly but not often very chatty. That’s because we are doing a lot of things at once. We consider your establishment to be our office when we’re there, so forgive us if we are a little distracted and business-like in our conversation.

6)      Please test your wireless every morning–its as important as cleaning the bathroom. If the wireless is out, put a sign on the front door so we don’t spend time trying to connect to a dead router. We won’t come back.

The Nerd Trend

We’re coming, guys. Not one or two at a time anymore, I’m talking about droves of us. Nerd herds. As more of us are allowed and encouraged to work from home, and as our entertainment becomes portable, we’re out and about, wandering the streets just looking for a hotspot and a good place to stop. Will it be at your place? I hope so.

I remember the day clearly; I described a new social software to my biggest fan at the agency. “The software would be able to locate your body as you walk through town carrying your mobile phone,” I explained excitedly.  The poor fellow recoiled in horror and blurted out “I don’t want you to know where I am!”  It was a visceral reaction that I don’t think even he understood. But it brings up a good point these years later: Location aware software is creepy.

Why are we protective of our Personal Location

I think that your physical location is the final frontier of privacy. Once people know exactly where your body is (or the body that’s holding your phone, anyway) everyone loses a critical aspect of personal privacy; the ability to hide. Location aware software brings up concerns about personal safety, losing the ability to choose which friends become part of an evening, and the ability to be lost for a while if needed.

Imagine being out to dinner for your anniversary, when “out of the blue” the people in your network start barging in on your dinner because they saw you on their social map and stopped in to say hello. Depending on your friends, this could be good or… not good.

Is Location Aware software good for business?

Yes. When people are at work they are ready for interaction and customer questions because they are in their business persona.  So I see a great application of this software for retail, particularly restaurants.

Restaurants and retailers interface with customers in a way that’s “part inventory” and “part salesperson.” All loyal customers have their favorite barista, waitress, chef, or personal sales assistant in addition to their favorite food or inventory. With location aware software, customers can check the store to see if their favorite staffers are on the clock before leaving the house. Allowing this quick confirmation builds anticipation and generates positive feelings toward the store before customers even leave their homes.

I also see applications for location aware software at Trade Shows, where attendees can see clusters of people from their network forming in informational sessions, which could encourage the attendee to go to that session. It could also make attending the show more efficient if attendees could find the people they need to meet with on a real-time map instead of wandering aimlessly around the show floor, hoping to run into people they know.

Will People Adopt the Technology?

Maybe. It’s been a slow adoption curve so far, and one with a lot of attrition. It seems like people test the software and then either get freaked out by it or tired of it. Maybe we’re just waiting for a solid implementation that is useful, comfortable, and unobtrusive.  I don’t see it going away, and I am eager to see the first true killer app in this area.

This position will act as a coach in the development of an assigned international sales team to enable them with the tools necessary to maximize sales.

• Executes an effective strategic sales plan in support of organizational strategy and objectives; is accountable for meeting yearly sales growth goals.

• Provides regular and structured coaching and opportunity management to the sales staff in support of meeting sales growth goals.  Builds, develops and manages sales team capable of delivering needed sales and service initiatives.

• Serves as Strategic Account Manager for key international accounts.

• Manages relationships with assigned distributors and is responsible for meeting sales targets of these accounts

• Travels with the sales staff as needed up to 80% of time.

• Provides on-going sales training sessions for staff; utilizes outside resources as needed.

• Is responsible for the accuracy and maintenance of the team’s sales forecast.

• Communicates competitive sales information as appropriate and recommends actions pertaining to new product development, product improvement, marketing, pricing, and distribution

• Is responsible for the team’s management of the CRM database and the accuracy of the opportunity pipeline to include all sales related documentation within the total quality system.

• Stays abreast of current trends, market conditions, and technological advances through continued education.

• Develops and maintains communications in a cooperative and professional manner with all levels of staff and customers.

• Follows all company safety rules in performing job duties.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly supervises the international sales team. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Supervisory responsibilities include, but are not limited to, hiring and training employees, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Uses own initiative and exercises independent judgment.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Chemistry, Biology, Food Science or related field, required. M.B.A. preferred.10 years of international sales experience required (5 in an International Sales Management capacity) or equivalent combination of education and experience. Food Science experience and/or education preferred.

Company offers attractive compensation and benefits package including 401(k) and profit-sharing bonus programs. Send resume to: Human Resources, TIC Gums, Inc., 4609 Richlynn Drive, Belcamp, MD 21017 – or to hr@ticgums.com