This year, as part of our annual giving campaign, we hope to help free children from poverty through a variety of gifts that can provide long term relief and joy.

Check out what we did.

We’re are donating to Compassion International in honor of you, our family, friends and clients.

We hope these compassionate gifts outlive the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Going Interactive.

First, I had to decide that I wasn’t going to check into EVERY SINGLE LOCATION – only the high value locations.  What’s a high value location?  Locations that are significant (subjective, I know) and desirable (objectively determined by ongoing active competition for the Mayorship).

Second, I decided that I’d only rarely check into new significant locations, and only defend a handful of my existing Mayorships.

Finally, I decided to quit competing for Mayorships altogether.  I just check into significant locations that I’d want to share with my friends on Facebook and Twitter.  I probably only do that about once a week now.

As I venture forth, I no longer feel pressure to whip out my iPhone, and plant my Foursquare flag onto new shores.  I’m the wandering gypsy, rather than the campaigning conqueror.  And I feel much better now.

Going Interactive created an immersive online toy experience for Hasbro’s – The CribLife. Each doll comes with a unique code which unlocks a world of fun. The full experience offers videos, games, interactive comics, printables, design your own crib and more. Girls can engage with any of the personality filled dolls online. There’s 7 dolls and 7 awesome ways to get to know your doll even more. Check the toy shelves at stores like Toys-R-Us and Walmart. Now go get a doll and unlock the fun!

Here’s a quick highlight reel to wet the appetite.

Immersive Online Toy Experience from Going Interactive on Vimeo.

The games were developed to integrate into a much larger online experience and hook into a point-based reward system for registered users. A Doll code is required to play, so get to the store and pick one up!

They describe it as…

Adobe® Edge is a new web motion and interaction design tool that allows designers to bring animated content to websites, using web standards like HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3.

Edge will be updated regularly to add new functionality, stay ahead of evolving web standards, and incorporate user feedback to provide the best functionality and experience possible.

Check it out for yourself at the Adobe Edge site.

What’s your thought on the future of technology?

Superstar celebrity chef  Alton Brown just launched a new “temporary” AltonBrown.com launched a bit ago with Going Interactive’s help. We worked with his Atlanta based production company Be Squared on the project. The site serves not exactly as a “blog”, but as “note book” for AB to post his cool and interesting thoughts.

We’ll be working on much larger and interactive permanent site over the next few months.

Check it out now at http://altonbrown.com

Heres’a sample clip. We’ll post complete video a bit later when it’s officially out on the net.

The theme for this year’s campaign is “Help RCA Reach for the Sky!”. Everyday at the Ron Clark Academy they reach for the sky, dream big and transform children’s lives.  To get a great overview of how awesome the RCA is go to http://ronclarkacademy.com and click “Watch RCA in Action” video o the home screen.

To visit the GI designed and developed campaign page go to: http://greatamericanteachersclub.com/Summer_Campaign/

Do you think it will be as “big” as the iPhone and really change the way things are done?

It seems like some are jumping on the Apple bandwagon and buying it with no questions asked. Some people say it’s awesome and they love the way it’s freed them from small phone screens in watching media. For others, I hear them saying…”so what is it? is it a computer which can’t do what a computer does, or is it a phone that doesn’t really work like a phone at all, or is it a small video player?”.

Really, all of these are great questions to ask, which brings me to my point. How long should a consumer wait before they jump in and get the latest (and greatest) technology? I’m not sure there’s a correct answer here, but it is a valid thought.

For the Apple enthusiasts, it makes sense to go out and buy what they put out instantly, because rarely does Apple “mess up” a product (not counting the old Cube desktop unit of course . But others who aren’t comfortable spending the big bucks might decide that they still have to have it yet they’ll buy another brand, like Sony or Samsung, etc.

The big question is still…is it really worth buying the latest technology until it’s proven to be “worthy”. Obviously one could argue the concept of what is worthy until they are blue in the face, but for this purpose, let’s look at the product (iPad) as being worthy as a new and innovative piece of digital technology for society as a whole.

What’s the iPad to you?

Just another gadget which looks cool but doesn’t help you?

Or is it replacing your need for paper based books?

Or is it just a new version of the walkmen for movies and has a bonus of using wi-fi?

Or…is it just convenience for those of you who think laptops are still too big, but really only use them for email and Facebook?

In the end, we should continue to push big companies like Apple, Microsoft, Sony, etc. to push the boundaries of technology. We, as consumers, don’t need something that’s half this and half that but looks neat and is super glossy. We want things that are genuinely helpful and innovative. Devices that make us ask ourselves… “How did we live without that?”.

WEGENER uses the site as part of an integrate marketing plan that includes trade shows, e-mail campaigns and direct sales. We created the site with a combo of HTML 5 and the Drupal CMS system. This technical approach to a microsite is a great way to promote a B2B or B2C product online. The microsite