When I hear march madness, I automatically think of college basketball. And although there has been some great upsets on the court, there has been a different kind of madness happening here in Fort Wayne, the weather. In the month of March, we’ve broken over 20 records.

Starting March 1, Fort Wayne tied the record high of 66°, which was set in 1976. On March 14, we beat the old record of 78° by one degree, making the high for the day 79°. This day marked the beginning of our 9-day record-breaking streak.

On March 21, there was a record high of 87°, which is the hottest temperature ever recorded in March. The previous record was 86° from all the way back in March of 1910.  This month has already seen 177 growing degree-days, which blows past the previous record of 126. Five days have hit at least 80° or hotter this March, which beats the previous record of four days back in 1910. Now that’s what I call March Madness.

The downtown area is really starting to bloom and people watching from my office is becoming more entertaining as the temperature rises. Any predictions for what April will bring, other than showers of course?

Want to impress your friends or coworkers at the next gathering? Tell them you’ve just finished taking a course from MIT on Thermodynamics & Kinetics.  ITunes U has now made continuing your education interesting, easy and best of all, free.

iTunes U offers classes from over 450 institutions, including Stanford, Yale, Oxford and UC Berkeley as well as other resources from The Museum of Modern Art and The New York Public Library. Anyone can browse and download over 500,000 free lectures, videos, books and notes on thousands of subjects.

iTunes U also offers these resources in a user friendly app that is very similar in looks to Apple’s Newsstand app. The application makes it easy to search for a particular subject, read reviews and have instant access to the content.

I recently downloaded a Marketing and Strategy course from Arizona State University via the iTunes app. This course has 26 audio lectures, which are each about 70 minutes long. I have decided to make continuing my education as easy and convenient as possible for my lifestyle. Instead of listening to music while I drive, I listen to lectures on marketing. This is one of the perks of having the content on my phone; I can listen anytime, anywhere.

This is not only a great tool for current students but also for those adults looking to continue their education. This is a great way to educate yourself on something that you do not already have a formal education on.

For your business, this might be a great opportunity for you to encourage employees to continue their education or expand their skill set to help you grow. Plus since it’s free, it keeps your continuing education costs low. Think about it! Want to talk about more ways to grow your business? Give Catalyst a call!

I’ve been walking past the Catalyst building for years, noticing the vibrant colors and visual appeal. In my opinion, it helps give downtown Fort Wayne a “big city” feel. Last November, I was on my way to a show at The Embassy and I took a couple minutes to peek in the windows. To my surprise, it was a marketing design company. I immediately went home and checked their website for any internship openings, but at that time, there were no available positions posted.

About a month later, a marketing internship became available and I sent my resume in right away. It was a week later when I got the call to interview; I was thrilled, but nervous at the same time. What would it feel like to interview for the internship of my dreams, yet not be the candidate chosen? The day of the interview was finally here and I did my best at putting together a trendy outfit to match the décor of Catalyst. I was given a tour of the building and met most of the staff that day. I left the interview feeling confident but that feeling can sometimes trick me. You know the feeling when you leave an exam thinking you aced it, only to find out later, you didn’t. Yeah that was the feeling.

I was lucky enough to receive the position and I started working at Catalyst on January 4. I felt an overwhelming sense of ease as I was entering the building on day one. My orientation process was fast but enjoyable. I was able to sit down one on one with all the members of the Catalyst family to learn what they do here. One of my favorite parts of the orientation process was taking a personality test and learning about everyone else’s results. It’s a great tool for small businesses because it really helps you understand why people do and say certain things.

I’ve heard horror stories of internships and all the silly errands they run on a daily basis because they are at the bottom of the food chain, but I am so blessed to be working for a company that values each member and their opinions.

I have been working here for about a month and have been busy every second. One of the first things I noticed about Catalyst is how well they research and do their homework to ensure the clients are receiving their best work. I have worked on three different research projects so far and they are much more enjoyable than the ones I have done in college. I have been included in more meetings than I can count and have learned so much in my first month.

I’m looking forward to spending more time in the office, building relationships with my coworkers and learning as much as I can about strategy and marketing. If you’re looking for a “big city” agency with small town values and service, we would love to talk with you. Even if you just need some homework done, I’d be happy to have a new project to work on!

By now everyone has seen and most likely scanned some sort of QR code. We have used them and often recommend them for clients’ campaigns when it fits with the strategy. The code can link to the client’s web site for more details, a custom web page with exclusive content, the client’s facebook page, or just deliver simple contact information. Of late there has been a lot of buzz about new branded QR codes that go way beyond the funky, digital squares. This is smart because customers or consumers associate the code with the brand, and it provides an additional way to position the company.

All the serious business uses of QR codes aside, there are some funny/funky/interesting things being done with QR codes. I’ve seen pictures of them mowed into fields and shot from the air, sand-castle-style on the beach, made out of pencil shavings, and even carved into wood. Here are just three that I found interesting…

Qkies – a cookie mix from a German company that includes edible QR codes that are baked right into the cookie. Useful for kids‘ birthday party invitations? Maybe, but they could also be a fun follow-up gift after a new business meeting.

QR code cookies

Cufflinks – sterling silver cuff links customized with your own QR code. Instead of carrying business cards in your tux at your next black tie affair, put on these babies. When you make a contact, have them scan your cufflinks!

Doggone it – even Fido can sport a QR code! The useful application for this is to provide scannable contact information in case your dog goes missing. Secondary use could be to get a date with that cute girl at the dog park.

What’s the most unique QR code you’ve seen? Have you used one for business? How has it worked for you? We’d love to talk all things QR with you!

Only released in beta version a little over a year ago, and already voted one of the “50 Best Websites of 2011,” Pinterest.com is a new social media phenomenon. It is a “mood board” style sharing site, where users create their own boards based on themes that interest them. Users “pin” URLs and photos to their theme boards, which are then shared with followers and other users. The site offers a “pin it” utility to allow users to quickly and easily pin something they see on any site on the web. Pins can be repinned, or liked, and allow other users to comment also.

To join Pinterest, you must be invited. You can get an invitation emailed to you from a current user, or go to Pinterest.com to request an invitation. When you are invited you can register through your facebook or twitter accounts.

I just started using Pinterest and I will say that the site has become a major source of inspiration and ideas for everything – cooking, fashion, home decor, art, design, technology, and much more. The search feature is useful when I’m curious about what’s been “pinned” on a particular topic. I started pinning favorite things of mine right away, and I also do a fair amount of “repinning” ideas that I see from other users that I want to save to my boards, too.

It will be interesting to see how companies and brands can promote products on the site. I’m sure many companies are already looking into how to incorporate Pinterest in a way that won’t alienate users – especially when their rules of etiquette are clearly opposed to overtly promotional activity on the site. As part of an overall social strategy, it appears that Pinterest is a site that should be considered, particularly if the brand can provide helpful, interesting, or inspiring information “pinners” would appreciate.

Have you started using Pinterest? Will it be part of your social media strategy?