It’s been a busy year here at Okeedoke Studios. We developed a completely original ecommerce site, a few other web sites, and now we’re introducing our first iPad App, "What Note is This."

Our 7-year-old daughter is about to start her third year of piano lessons, and so I’ll often find myself standing next to the piano asking her over and over, "what note is this?" Now, growing up, I had a stack of flashcards that I could practice with — you know, the ones with the gnomes with the pointy hats. Unfortunately, our dog ate that pack of flashcards. Instead of buying a brand new pack for upwards of $1.50, we decided to make an iPad app instead.

Now, she (and you) can learn notes the fun way, and our dog can’t eat the flashcards.

"What Note is This" is for beginners of all ages. Start by practicing through the deck — if you’re wrong, we’ll show you what note you actually played, so you can keep trying until you get it right. Switch between bass, treble or both clefs, and start with a limited range until you’re ready to practice a full four octaves with accidentals.

If you need to put the pressure on, take a quiz and see how you’re progressing. You can even earn digital stickers for achieving certain milestones, like identifying every note in treble clef during a quiz.

We truly believe you and/or your kids will love learning notes with this app. If you’ve got feedback, we’d love to hear it.

Try it in the iTunes App Store today! →

A lot of times I will hear something, read something, or do something and think ‘wow! That is an awesome subject to blog about.’ Of course when I am sitting in front of my computer with plenty of time to write, all of those good ideas are completely gone. So this time while I was sitting here thinking what should I blog about, it hit me. Why not blog about how to find and hold on to blogging topics?

5) Think outside the box. The more interesting a blog, the more likely that people are going to read it and share it with others. If you see something, hear something, or think of something, try and find a new approach with which to write.

4) Don’t discard a topic. If you start to blog about a topic and you can’t find the right words or it just doesn’t seem to fall into place, don’t just delete it. Save the draft, let it sit for a day or a week, then revisit it.

3) Brainstorming. Set aside 15 minutes everyday to blog. Even if you don’t know what to write, take that time to brainstorm. Just write down everything you think about. Questions are a really good starting point. So, no matter if it's when you first get to work, right after lunch or at the end of your day, it really gets the creative juice flowing.

2) Read other blogs. Writers get ideas from reading other writers' work. Same goes for bloggers. Nowadays there are blogs on every subject. Pick what interests you and read it. It will help you learn techniques on how a successful blog is written and give you ideas for topics.

1) Keep a blogging notebook. It might be old fashioned and simplistic, but it really is the best advice. Whether a legal pad, a spiral notebook, or an app on your smartphone, it is a good idea to keep something handy so that when you get those “WOW” moments you don’t lose them.

For years, companies have understood the value that having quality office space can add to their business. Not only does it help to distinguish your business, it also impresses potential clients and potential employees alike. However now-a-days there is a new trend in business. More and more times, client meetings are happening in public arenas, such as coffee shops and restaurants, and businesses are being run out of home offices. With these changes to traditional business practices, comes a shift in traditional office space.

A company’s website needs to be treated as a virtual store front. It is the primary place that potential clients as well as employees turn to get information and to form a first impression. Whether or not you have office space, the internet is now the entry way into any business. So why is it that even in this society, companies are willing to pay thousands of dollars a month for office space yet think that it is unheard of to pay more than a thousand dollars for a website? A lot of companies are still uneducated about what a website should be able to do for business and view their web design as no more than an electronic pamphlet.

A fully functional custom website can increase sales, raise public awareness, decrease time wasted reiterating information to potential clients, and increase time spent dealing with already interested parties. In other words it’s a salesman, a marketing tool, a valuable time saving device and a virtual office space. However in order for your website to be all of these things effectively it has to be well put together and backed with an easy to use editing system. Some web development companies charge $30,000 and up for this type of site. Hiring a full time web developer could cost upwards of $50,000/year. At Okeedoke Studios, we believe that every business should be able to afford a custom presence on the internet, which is why we have created our custom editing system that allows us to offer unique sites for a fraction of the big companies cost.

Let us help your company move in to a custom built virtual office today.