North Coast Media, LLC

GPS World unveils new look for magazine, website

GPS World‘s new logo

CLEVELAND, Ohio — November 19, 2015 — GPS World relaunched this week with a redesigned print magazine and website, GPSWorld.com. Both feature a new logo, new design and widened coverage.

The GPS World brand has repositioned itself with expanded technical coverage that includes all GNSS and Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT) solutions, trends and applications.

GPS World November 2015 — *GPS World* November 2015

“We celebrated GPS World’s 25th anniversary in 2014 by embarking on the brand’s most-comprehensive research project to date,” said Kevin Stoltman, president and CEO of Cleveland-based North Coast Media, GPS World’s parent company.

The GPS World team conducted a research project and used a rebranding/repositioning expert to help better serve its industry-leading family of readers and marketing partners for decades to come.

“After months of comprehensive focus groups and surveys, we discovered readers and advertisers across the globe are fiercely loyal to GPS World,” Stoltman adds. “They love what we do, the information we offer. They just crave more of it: They want us to cover all GNSS and PNT technologies, trends and applications — and that’s exactly what we’re doing now, across all media platforms: print, digital and events.”

gpsworld.com_redesign_snapshot — The new GPSWorld.com

The new GPS World publication also features a six-fold increase in segment-specific technical coverage — GNSS/PNT trends, obstacles and opportunities related to: Survey, Mapping, OEM, unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs), Defense, Mobile, Transportation and Machine Control. Those increase in segments also are reflected on GPSWorld.com.

“GNSS — and GPS as its leading element — remains at the core of all that we and the industry do,” said Alan Cameron, editor-in-chief and publisher of GPS World. “But it has become abundantly clear that to deliver the everywhere-everytime solution, GPS/GNSS require augmentation, back-up and alternatives. This is the promise of the future for UAVs, critical infrastructure, defense, machine control, surveying, construction and countless other fields: a consistent, highly accurate PNT solution at all times. Our new brand and expanded coverage represent our commitment to the industry in pursuit of this goal.”

The new website features a mobile-responsive design as well as new opportunities for website sponsorship with the Platinum Website Sponsorship option.

About GPS World

Founded in 1990, GPS World has an independently audited total unduplicated reach of 70,650 — delivering the largest audience in the industry. The B2B media brand publishes nine e-newsletters with a combined readership of more than 113,000, and conducts monthly technical webinars for engineers. Its website, GPSWorld.com, draws an industry-dominant 650,000 visitors and 1.5 million page views annually. (Source: June 2015 Verified Audit Circulation Annual Audit Report)

For more information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities with GPS World, please contact International Account Manager Michelle Mitchell at mmitchell@northcoastmedia.net or 216-363-7922.

GPS World is published by North Coast Media LLC, the largest B2B publishing company headquartered in Cleveland. NCM’s flagship brands include LP Gas, Pit & Quarry, GPS World, Pest Management Professional, Landscape Management and Golfdom. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf, Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations and a host of other leading industry reference books.

Utilizing Your Business Card

By Hillary Morgan | Digital Media Intern

Even in today’s digitally driven world, the business card remains the simplest, most powerful marketing tool you can use when meeting potential business connections in person.

According to Melissa Stanger of Business Insider, “your business card isn’t just a calling card, it’s a snapshot of your brand.” This makes business cards extremely important when making your first impression. It can be difficult to know what to include, what not to include, and how to make your card stand out. Sounds like a lot of pressure, huh? Here are a few helpful tips:

Make them unique: Create an interesting design, or use an eye-catching pattern. You can even play with textures, or shapes. However, depending on your field, it may be best to go for a more traditional card. According to Rieva Lesonsky of the U.S. Small Business Administration, you should be careful not to get carried away. She writes, “I still remember a metal business card someone gave me back in the 1980s. Why? Because I tossed it in my purse and one of the sharp corners tore a hole in the lining.”
Remember to connect online: Update your card by including not just the address of your business, but also any relevant social media pages, such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, where you’re likely to engage with people on a professional level.
Consider a QR code: Adding a QR code can be helpful for your connections, making it easier for them to connect with you, or your business, online.
Keep your card simple: Try not to clutter your card with information that’s not useful, such as a Pinterest account that you don’t really use. Also, make sure your text is easily readable.
Quality over quantity: Josh Spiro, of Inc.com, writes, “A snazzy business card is no good if you hand it out left and right.” He recommends only passing along your business card when you make a genuine connection. It’s not going to be helpful for you to hand them out to every single person you meet, as the people who aren’t actually interested will simply throw them out. Make your cards count by giving them to people who are actually interested in your business.

Following these tips will help you and your business card to make a valuable impression on potential clients, and give you a leg up when marketing yourself in person.

Terror is no match for information

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

Terror struck the world this weekend. It struck first in the form of bombings and shootings and, then in the unknown — the fear of what could be next.

But terror is no match for information.

In the midst of the attacks, those closest to it bore witness on Facebook and Twitter in real time, many of those in imminent danger alerted to it via second-by-second updates from international news media and individuals alike.

Social media proved what it could do when citizens became on-the-spot reporters working with professional journalists, how it could bring neighbors together through a hashtag and the world together through real-time coverage.

This was one of those days I was proud of what social media can do.

#NousSommesUnis, we are united on social media

Parisians welcomed strangers into their homes using #porteouverte and the English translation #opendoor. Families crowd-sourced searches for loved ones in media images using #rechercheParis. Survivors posted their whereabouts using Safety Check, the Facebook function typically reserved for natural disasters.

And those around the world showed their support with #prayforparis, with a blue-white-and-red filter on their Facebook profile pictures, with a simple sketch of a peace symbol ensconcing the Eiffel Tower.

A photo posted by @jean_jullien on Nov 13, 2015 at 3:05pm PST

Sure there were the usual cases of confusion and ugliness that accompany any mass media event — people who mistakenly identified a British soccer star in danger, opportunists who used the devastation to advance tangentially related special interests, anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Those were the exception, not the rule.

For one day, a departure from the United Selfies of America

This weekend, the U.S.A. wasn’t an acronym for United Selfies of America. We identified with the images we saw doused in blood – of young people attending a rock concert, coworkers crowded at bars, college students studying at cafes, families enjoying a sporting event – and empathized with the people of Paris.

For one evening, we all rallied around Benjamin Cazenoves, the concert-goer who posted to Facebook from inside the Bataclan where he was wounded and watching people “cut down…one-by-one.” We breathed a sigh of relief when he reported he was safe.

This is the community social media was conceived to nurture, one where we engage with those we otherwise wouldn’t meet. This is the enlightenment social media can engender, when it informs us in a way that personalizes serious issues like global terrorism.

And, if this weekend is any indication, this is an outcome social media was perfectly designed to fulfill, combating ignorance, injustice and inhumanity with information.

Email Etiquette 101

By Hillary Morgan | Digital Media Intern

In a world full of emojis and abbreviations, it can be difficult to remember how to write a professional email. We spend so much time sending smiley faces to our friends that when it comes time to send an important email to the boss, it can be challenging to remember not to laugh out loud. Making mistakes like that, or accidentally forwarding a personal email to the entire department, can cause us to lose credibility in the workplace.

According to a study done by Kelton Global, over 90 percent of Americans spend 90 minutes on emails every day. When doing something that tends to take up that much of the typical workday, it’s important to get the technique down.

“Whether you like it or not, your emails reveal a lot about you to your colleagues and especially to your superiors,” writes Ravin Carr of mashable.com. “Think of the number of times we stereotype and react to people based on their ‘email behavior’: we run from the ‘ramblers,’ are exasperated by the ‘one-line repliers,’ hate the ‘always-keep-everybody-looped-in’ people and are irritated by the shoddy writers.”

With this in mind, it’s good to remember some tips for appropriate email etiquette.

Keep it simple. Don’t use bigger words in order to sound smart. It’s always more efficient and effective to get straight to the point.
Avoid forwarding emails without first briefly explaining what you want the recipient to see as important about the message.
Be professional. Typically, the use of emojis and slang will be frowned upon. It’s alright to be conversational, but you need to balance that with sounding informed.
Don’t structure emails like English papers. In business, it’s important to be efficient, and when your boss has to read a twenty-page dissertation before getting to your point, they’re not going to be happy. Always start with your point, and add backup points afterward.
Don’t bring emotions into your work emails. According to the Business Insider, it’s better to say: “Are you open to a brief telephone call to discuss this?” than to say, “I would be delighted to speak with you personally about this and would love to tell you more.” The former gets straight to the point. The latter seems as if they’re trying to sell you something. Also, don’t express “fake concern.” The recipient will know. As written by Geoffrey James of the Business Insider, “either get to the point immediately or make a statement that’s specific to the recipient.”
Always read back over what you’ve written. Double-checking your writing is going to help you ensure that your grammar and spelling are correct. Also, this gives you a chance to check the voice of the message and flow of your words. Most importantly, this gives you time to make sure that you haven’t marked “reply all.”

Staff App Review: Liftmaster MyQ App

By Steve Galperin | VP of Finance and Operations

Has this every happened to you? You pull out of your driveway and as you are halfway through your drive, you think to yourself did I remember to close the garage? Well problem solved with the Liftmaster MyQ App.
Now you can confirm you closed the garage by pulling up the app and visually verifying that it is closed. You can open or close your garage door from anywhere via your smartphone as well. Not to mention you can set notifications to alert you left the garage door open after x number of minutes.

Resume Font Choice: Does It Matter?

By Hillary Morgan | Digital Media Intern

Where you went to school. Past career experience. Volunteer work. These are all extremely important aspects of any good resume, but is font type just as important?

According to CreativeBloq, “a resume is a reflection of your disposition and persona, and the recipient will be scanning it, consciously or not, for elements that distinguish your resume from the other hundreds they have to wade through.” They suggest that font choice can be used to help define and express that sense of personality in a resume.

Brian Hoff, of Brian Hoff Design, in an article featured in Bloomberg Business, states that Times New Roman, a very popular resume font choice, is now old hat. “It’s telegraphing that you didn’t put any thought into the typeface that you selected,” Hoff said. “It’s like putting on sweatpants.” Not to mention that with it being so popular, the resume reviewer can feel overwhelmed by all of the Times New Roman. Kevin Cardell, an art director and letterer, says, “In a sea of resumes, it definitely suffocates.”

So, what should you use instead? Many business professionals suggest Helvetica. Hoff describes the font as “professional, lighthearted, honest” and “safe.” Maddie Crum of the Huffington Post agrees, citing Helvetica as “the top choice for a resume.”

However, some disagree. Joe Patrice, of AbovetheLaw.com, agreed with, and cited, an article by satire website, The Onion, which stated, “Nothing says ‘I’m currently unemployed’ like a painstakingly selected font.” He goes on to say that while some view Times New Roman as lazy, others view it as a safe option.

Is resume font choice really that important? The jury still seems to be out. However, it’s important to consider a few different things when deciding for yourself:

First, the point of a resume is to be read, so make sure that your resume font is easily scanned.
Second, think about the industry you are applying to. Are you a designer, or an artist? Maybe you should branch out a little bit. However, if you are a writer or a lawyer, you should probably stick to the classics.
Finally, don’t stress too much. Your Times New Roman resume is not going to deter employers if you have excellent credentials. The content of your resume is far more important to the employer than your typeface. Just don’t use Comic Sans.