Hammock Inc.

MyBusiness Is Ready for Election Day

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:29:49 -0600

Our client, NFIB, believes strongly that the decisions voters make on Election Day at the polls will have profound effects on their lives—and that the effect is even stronger for those who own or work for a small business. That's why we dedicated more than half of the pages of the October/November 2008 issue of MyBusiness, the magazine we publish for NFIB, to the election—specifically to the information small business voters should be armed with before making those important decisions on Nov. 4. For those still trying to make sense of the issues and where the candidates stand, we compiled the reader-friendly Voting for Small Business feature, which outlines the issues (think healthcare, taxes, energy and labor) affecting small business and both Sens. John McCain's and Barack Obama's positions on them.

Hammock Sites Garner WebAward Recognition

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:14:35 -0600

We were delighted to have two websites we created receive "Standard of Excellence" recognition in this year's WebAward competition. The Hammock.com site and the NFIB National Small Business Summit site both received this honor, announced last week by the Web Marketing Association, the WebAward sponsor. The Web Marketing Association is a long-term player in recognizing excellence online -- this year's competition was the 12th annual. Sites are judged against other sites in their industry, on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation and use of technology. We're proud of the honor!

Hammock.com Adds Video Profiles

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:08:23 -0600

Since our new site launched last December, each Hammock employee has had a "people page." On these pages you’ll find our individual contact information, bio, blog and photos. Today we have a fun new media addition to all of these people pages—video. Watch these short interviews of each of us for a lighthearted look at us, going beyond what we do here for our clients every day. Watch for more video to come on Hammock.com in the coming months. In the meantime, if you need a creative video solution for your organization, contact us.

Rethinking the Marine Rifle Squad

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:32:36 -0600

The basic building block - the DNA, if you will - of the United States Marine Corps as a fighting force is the rifle squad. And in an era of asymmetric warfare, the Corps is reshaping and re-equipping its squads to do more and do so with greater autonomy. As described in the latest issue of Semper Fi, the member magazine we publish for the Marine Corps League, "The Marine Corps is the only military service in the world that uses a 13-man infantry squad … The squad is the lowest element in the Marine Corps that can actually receive a mission." The new issue of Semper Fi explores how the Corps is modifying its DNA at a new facility called "The Gruntworks" aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. With the assistance of field-proven Marines, the Gruntworks crew is working to lighten, toughen and make more efficient every ounce of gear carried by today's Marines. That's a tall order - typical equipment loads can weigh 100 pounds or more. Elsewhere in this issue, we begin exploring the history of Camp Lejeune, NC, and the Marines presence in the Carolinas. The flat, sandy coastal beaches have seen innumerable practice assaults as the Corps developed and continues to perfect its signature amphibious attack methods. Semper Fi also revisits Beirut, Lebanon, where 25 years ago this Oct. 23, terrorists bombed the Marine peacekeeper barracks, killing 221 Marines as well as other military personnel. Many regard that as the first open shot in today's Global War on Terror. We also remember another iconic moment in Marine history - the 90th anniversary of the bloody, WWI battle of Belleau Wood, France, where tradition holds that the US Marines earned the nickname "Devil Dogs" as they ferociously defeated a larger German army and turned the tide of that war.

Jon Henshaw Notices Our Online Strategy. We Blush.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:45:16 -0600

Jon Henshaw, the SEO guru (among many other things) at the web-development firm Sitening, says some very nice things about the online strategy displayed on Hammock.com. Thanks, Jon. We feel like Sally Field receiving an Oscar.

Eating to Beat the Heat

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:27:30 -0600

We are a productive group here in Hammock Inc. We're creative and darn smart, and we rarely get distracted. But as we sat in a meeting last week talking about editorial ideas for an upcoming publication, discussion turned to a couple of ice cream festivals in the area. And we started reminiscing about our favorite summertime foods…

American Spirit Celebrates Legendary Trail and Folk Heroes

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:49:52 -0600

This time of year, it's nearly impossible to stay indoors all day long when it is so beautiful outside. So when the weekend rolls around, it isn’t unusual to find many of us hiking, camping, bicycling, canoeing, white-water rafting or savoring other outdoor activities. That's why we took particular pleasure in putting together the July/August issue of American Spirit, whose cover image of a serene wooded spot on the John Muir Trail beckons the nature lover in us all.

MyBusiness Goes High Tech With Latest Issue

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:45:27 -0600

When we started researching the cover feature for the August/September issue of MyBusiness—"The New Frontier: Top technologies to plan for in the coming years"—we weren't really sure what to include. What's cutting edge to some people might be old hat to others. That's how we picked the tech concepts we did: Each of them could speak to someone who's new to technology and the Internet (hard to believe that's possible, huh?) as well as to those people who have been online and plugged in for years. Through the small business owners who have embraced these technologies, we show how these various tools—from social networking to mobile technology—can help transform the way you run your business. This issue (like all issues of MyBusiness) is filled with ways to transform the way you do small business—from improving loyalty by keeping an open-door policy with clients to choosing the right direction in the midst of a turning point to keeping key employees from being wooed by your competition.

Hammock Helps NFIB and Sam's Club Launch e-Magazine for 1 Million Small Business Owners

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:10:06 -0600

Last week, Hammock launched a special multimedia e-magazine of MyBusiness for our client, the National Federation of Independent Business. The issue will reach over 1 million small business owners across the country. MyBusiness is a bimonthly magazine for the members of NFIB, the leading and most influential advocacy organization representing small and independent business. The special e-magazine focuses on the 2008 National Small Business Summit, held in Washington, D.C., in June and organized by NFIB and eBay. The biannual Summit is an event that brings together America’s most politically active entrepreneurs and key congressional, administrative and business leaders.

Props for Hammock.com in the Tennessean

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:29:43 -0600

We were delighted to see ourselves mentioned recently in a column in the Tennessean about companies using blogs well. David Bohan, CEO of Bohan Ideas, shares several tips for blogging well, corporately speaking. Thanks for the kind words!

American Spirit Wins 6th Apex Grand Award

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:32:41 -0600

For the sixth consecutive year, American Spirit, the magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution, has been honored with a Grand Award of Excellence from the APEX Awards organization. The Award was made for the May/June 2007 issue. The same issue also collected two Awards of Excellence:

Design & Layout: "A Model Collection"
Feature Writing: "She-Merchants" by Gin Phillips, Contributing Writer

Two other Hammock-published magazines also earned Awards of Excellence.

Spreads: "A Day in the Life,: MyBusiness Magazine June/July 2007 (published for the National Federation of Independent Business)
Magazine & Journal Writing: MyBusiness August/September 2007
Covers: Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League January/February 2008
Photography: "Warriors Weekend," Semper Fi January/February 2008 - Kevin Allen Photographer

American Spirit's Grand Award was one of only six made in the "For Profit" magazine sub-category. This year the Apex Awards judges evaluated 4,479 entries including 837 in the Magazines & Journals category. A total of 120 APEX Grand Awards were presented in 11 major categories and 1,393 APEX Awards of Excellence were presented in 110 individual categories.

How to Use Content to Recruit Younger Association Members

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:49:31 -0600

Hammock’s work with the Marine Corps League is featured in the latest issue of the Custom Publishing Council’s magazine Content. The article “Across a Crowded Room, ” focuses on how marketers and custom publishers are finding new ways to target specific audiences with custom content. In the case of our client the Marine Corps League, the association wanted to reposition its magazine for a number of reasons—one of which was to recruit younger Marines. Read the article from Content here to learn how we redesigned, refocused and repositioned Marine Corps League magazine (newly named Semper Fi) to accomplish the goals of the League. “In the two and a half years since the redesign,” says MCL executive director Mike Blum, “membership in the Marine Corps league has increased 25 percent. Between 15 and 20 percent of that increase can be attributed to the magazine.”

2008 DAR Congress Salutes a Special U.S. Citizen

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:00:52 -0600

Every year at its Continental Congress, the Daughters of the American Revolution awards its Americanism Medal to a naturalized U.S. citizen who has shown extraordinary qualities of leadership, trustworthiness, service and patriotism. And for the five years that I have been invited to the event, this is the award presentation that chokes me up—without fail. Last evening, during opening ceremonies of the 117th annual Congress, DAR awarded the 2008 medal to Rev. Luis León, a Cuban immigrant who is now pastor of St. John’s Episcopal in Washington, D.C., one of the country’s most prominent and historic churches. In 1961, the 12-year-old León came to the United States with his sister on one of the “Operation Peter Pan” flights. He arrived in Miami with $3 in cash and the promise of a foster home until his parents could join him. It has proved more than enough to propel him to a successful career and compassion-filled life. Baptized into the Episcopal Church in Guantanamo, Cuba, he went on to serve as rector of Trinity Church in Delaware and St. Paul’s Church in New Jersey, specializing in building inner city parishes. León has been rector of St. John’s and the “President’s Priest” since 1994, offering the invocation at the second inauguration of President Bush. In his remarks at last night's event, León joked that this wasn’t his first encounter with the DAR. When at Berry Academy in Rome, Ga., he won the DAR Good Citizen award—well before he had become a citizen. The lump in the throat moment started when he talked about his affection for his adopted country—once an unknown place, but now a known and loved world. Did you know? DAR members have long been noted for their devotion to new immigrants. In 1921, the National Society published the DAR Manual for Citizenship, which was distributed to American immigrants at Ellis Island and other ports of entry. To date, more than 10 million manuals have been distributed. Hammock salutes its client, the DAR, for all its important and ongoing service to the country. Best wishes for a successful Congress.

Summer Reads for All Seasons

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:54:14 -0600

Most of us at Hammock Inc. read voraciously. Recently some of us talked about our favorite books. Editor Megan Pacella is spending the summer with the classics:

…. I'm working on books that most people had to read in high school or college, but I never did. Right now I'm working my way through 1984. After that it's Catch-22, and then Walden.

IT Guy Patrick Ragsdale is undecided about summer reading, but he knows his favorite of all time, Isaac Asimov:

I haven't decided what to read during my summer vacation this year. Since I won't be vacation until September I still have some time to decide. I may choose something based on what people say here. My favorite all time books go way, way back to The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov. Not exactly Pulitzer Prize stock, but at age 12 this stuff really got me going. I've read the series several times since then. Actually led me to name my son Isaac. More recently I'd say that I'm prone to more technical reading. Books on system administration are pretty exciting. They're just like Guy Noir Private Eye pulp fiction.

American Spirit Revamp Recognized in Folio:

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:24:29 -0600

We enjoy our work here at Hammock Inc., and we get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that it's done well. But we won't lie and tell you we don't enjoy a pat on the back from time to time. So we've been grinning all day at our recent mention in Folio:, the magazine of the magazine industry. The article on Folio:'s website details our work in redesigning and repositioning American Spirit, the member magazine we publish for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Read on to see how we helped the DAR:

Position the magazine as a resource on American history
Reach younger readers
Improve circulation