Note [25/07/2012 - This Position has been filled.  Thank you everyone for your interest]

We are still looking for the right candidate for this position – if you have the qualifications and feel like you would fit into the team please apply at the email below.

Office Admin / Assistant / Bookkeeper

Overview

Are you a tamer of chaos? Discotoast Inc. is looking for a book keeper / administrative assistant.  The ideal candidate would be someone with strong organization and communication skills who can take initiative and once trained need little in terms of direction. Ideally as a younger company we are looking with someone who is flexible enough to learn and adapt to new challenges and can grow with the company and assume more responsibility as time goes on.

Responsibilities

Assistant to Operating Manager. The candidate will start with a number of these responsibilities and as experience and comfort level rise will be given additional tasks.

In general the Administrative Assistant is responsible for :
• all bookkeeping and data entry
• daily data entry of A/R and A/P
• manage daily cash flow and bank reconciliation
• payroll, HST and other tax returns
• month end and quarterly reporting to Operations Manager
• work with accountant to prepare year end
• create invoices and follow up to ensure prompt payment
• pay our monthly bills in timely manner
• prepare monthly and quarterly statements and report to Operations Manager
• checking mail
• answering calls (while in) and taking messages
• generally keeping everything organized and on track
• responsible for accounts payable and accounts receivable
• general office duties such as bank deposits, mail and answering general inquiry calls
• other miscellaneous administrative and organizational tasks

Qualifications

•  CRITICAL – must have bookkeeping certification or equivalent experience including
• experience with Quickbooks
• experience with Bank Reconciliation, Balancing, Payroll, HST and other tasks
• must have experience using office related software (word, excel, outlook)
• general internet savvy an asset
• patience and strong organizational skills required
• knowledge of Harvest Time Tracking a benefit

Preferences

• cheerful disposition
• energetic
• independent learner
• knowledge of the graphic / web design industry a bonus

The position will initially be part-time during training / probation while getting up to speed. The position will grow to full time as the candidate’s comfort with the position increases. Pay negotiable based on experience. If you think you are the perfect candidate for this job please email a resume and cover letter . Only candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted.

Interested Applicants please email careers@discotoast.com

Please note this position is no longer available. 

Position: Junior Developer [contract]
Location: Britain St. (Richmond and Sherbourne)
Required Availability: Full Time, 30-45 hrs/wk
Payment Terms: Salary

Discotoast Inc. is looking for a talented Junior Developer to meet the expanding demand of our small to medium sized business clientele.

This is an entry level position. IF however you prove yourself competent, reliable and are willing to learn, you will go places with us!
The position focuses mostly on coding within a WordPress environment but also extends to other web development including custom projects.
The contract term is 6 months, with a probationary term of 3 months and the option to expand to 12 months (and beyond!).

Must Have:

- Team Player
- Positive Attitude
- Student Mentality (willing to learn)
- Good Work Ethic
- You present solutions, not problems.
- Knowledge of WordPress
- PHP, HTML, CSS, jQuery
- comfortable working in a live CMS environment (working locally before deploying online)
- be reachable “on call” if requested by emergency client situation (rare but possible)
- The ability to multitask.
- A willingness to be agile and nimble as priorities shift between projects and tasks.
- Good communication skills, both written and oral.

Nice to have (especially if you are looking for growth):

- ASP, Flash, Photoshop
- an eye for aesthetics nice to have for growth
- creative talent!

How to apply:

Attention to simple instruction is a MAJOR factor in consideration for hire. Please provide the following:

1) Your resume;
2) Links to work samples with clear descriptions of YOUR specific role
3) 1 paragraph explaining why you feel this gig would be a good fit for you,

Interested Applicants please email careers@discotoast.com

Twitter has become a key way for people and businesses to communicate. It opens new avenues of rapport between peers within your industry, while also creating an interface with a target audience.  Twitter presents a great way to both inform and be informed, 140 characters at a time.

Here are a few tips we have drawn from our experience, let us know if you have anything to add to the conversation!

Tip 1 – Ideal Introductions

Take PLENTY of time filling out your Bio! People hunting down new feeds will be more likely to hit “follow” if you have a good looking profile. Add a personal touch, a bit of industry humour, and link to your other online platforms. Integrating custom graphics can be fun and help you stand out as well. Speak to a local designer (like us!) if you want some creative design help. Personalize your Twitter page, and have it match your website and corporate branding for that “seamless” feel!

Tip 2 – Be a Fitting Followee

Developing a large number of followers will hinge drastically upon who you choose to follow yourself. Twitter has added many tools to assist in this, with their “Who to Follow” system, and the ability to import contact information from Linkedin, Gmail, Hotmail.. etc. (Still missing direct Facebook integration, but there areworkarounds.)

Power tools like Tweetdeck and Hootsuite can help you better understand who is following you, allowing you to react accordingly. They are definitely worth looking into, as they also offer great features to broadcast across platforms, schedule your Tweets, and to allow multiple users access to multiple accounts.

Feel free to give us reviews, or suggest other tools!

Tip 3 – Handy #Hashtag Hints

Hashtags allow you to highlight keywords in your tweets, to allow other users to find and follow topics that are relevant to them. Placing a # before any word creates that association, but beware, do not spam hashtags!Twitter suggests limiting yourself to 3 per post.

Sites like Hashtag.org can help you sort through trending tags. Taking the time to research the hashtag you intend on using will give you a better scope of the possible recipients.

Using what is called “Camel Casing” is also helpful when your keyword is actually more than one word; example #DigitalCreative. This ensures a complicated key-word phrase is easy to read!

#dontmakereallylonghashtagsanduseCamelCasingToMakeThemEasierToRead !! (maybe turn that into an image)

Tip 4 - T@rgetting Tweets

Engage specific users! Using “@username” (known as @mentioning) in the body of a Tweet will create a personal connection (that is tracked for you seperately) when replying/commenting on relevant issues. Re-tweets will be reciprocated, creating more buzz, and therefore spreading the reach of your Tweets!

Keep your voice consistent as well. A direct and approachable tone is important to keep followers listening.

Engage your users by including actionable information such as; Time sensitive promotions, Real-time news from current events, or Contests that call on them to pass on the message.

@DiscoToastInc to engage us in a conversation!

Tip 5 – Tidy Re-Tweeting

Re-tweeting refers to the forwarding of someone elses tweet to all of your followers. It automatically tries to add the text “RT @username” to provide a reference, which allows you to track the reach of that particular message.

140 characters is still the limit, so if you want your message to be re-tweeted with the proper @mention, make sure you leave enough characters to do so! This does mean that having a shorter user-name is an advantage! If you are setting up a new twitter account for your business or organization, keep that in mind when choosing your username.

Remind people to re-tweet. Add “RT!” to the end of particularly important messages, or make that the call to action of the tweet. It is easy for twitter to become a one-way street, so sometimes a little reminder helps!

Show your support, to your followers and to your stakeholders! Re-Tweet them!

Tip 6 – Alluring Links

Include links to multi-media, articles, and events. With the character limit you will have to use a URL shortener in many cases, but Twitter provides the service automatically. A power-user tip here is to use a 3^rdparty link shortener (such as bit.ly) that provides you with useful tracking metrics!

(NOTE: Twitter is now automatically shortening even pre-shortened links, however this should not affect the information gathered by services like Bit.ly)

In Conclusion

Twitter has certainly continued it’s steady climb to the forefront, but even still we see new leaps in the application of its power. Burberry, for example, just tweeted its entire new line! The feed was done in real time with pictures showing each piece just before the model hit the actual runway. These are the types of innovative applications that we can help you implement for you and yours. Feel free to discuss your ideas and let’s Power-Up your Tweet-scape.

written by Joanna Cwik

Customized Real Estate Solutions works with commercial real estate owners and tenants in the Houston area.  Their latest venture Lead 2 Green focuses on finding environmentally friendly “green space” for their growing clientelle who seek to become responsible to their environment.

You can see the digital creative in our portfolio, or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilema

Lead 2 Green was looking to completely redesign their website to match their new company identity.  One of their goals was to reduce the existing content without de-valuing the end-user experience.  The goal was to create a more intuitive, better focused site with easy and fluid navigation.

The Creative Design Solution

After deciding that the new website should have WordPress as the foundation, we quickly realized that our first task would be to eliminate information overload on the homepage.  Our developers decided that a tabbed content area on the front page would allow more information to be displayed without overcrowding prime website real estate.

The next step was to guide Lead 2 Green through the process of culling their articles so that more focus could be placed on new content.  Using the power of WordPress posts, our client will now be able to organize all their articles and keep them easily accessible to the viewer.  The recent articles are listed on every page which keeps them available while still being neatly tucked away.

When a client asks us to overhaul their site, usually it requires an complete rebrading.  This was the case for Lead 2 Green.  They wanted a fresh, cohesive look from top to bottom, from the header and fonts right down to the social media icons!  We were thrilled at the opportunity to source out some eco-chic social media icons which completed the new site’s look.

Website Review

Lead 2 Green is impressed with their new site and with how much easier it is to manage content!  When coupled with a cleaner SEO methodology, the overhaul is resulting in qualified leads and measurable results.

adapted from original article draft written by Megan Shaw

With today’s global society, outsourcing internationally has become an easy fix for reducing overhead. The savings are very significant, so many companies try to outsource as many tasks as possible. While the cost savings cannot be denied, we must be careful not to overlook the more subtle implications of doing so. Media and marketing design is an especially sensitive area, so we will outline some drawbacks and weigh them against savings.

International Interpretations

Marketing IS the use of language and symbols to communicate with your target audience. It’s effectiveness, therefore, is tied to cultural and linguistic cues. Even a few words “lost in translation” can easily misdirect a design concept. Important value propositions might not find their target, reducing the effectiveness of the final product. Managers already deal with this in-house; employees from different corporate cultures, age demographics etc. Imagine now the potential hurdles once outsourced to another corner of the globe.

Zoned Out

Take care to consider the time zone of your potential supplier. Having to increase the flexibility of your staff’s working hours is not always feasible. Response time to crisis events can be affected. If your business day ends when theirs begins, consider the implications and plan accordingly. Larger companies may have enough staff to cover late evenings or early mornings, but many small businesses won’t be able to spare staff members for alternate time zone dealings.

Privacy and Security

Web design often involves handling sensitive internal or customer information. Privacy laws vary around the world, and often prosecuting offenders is impossible. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) states that “an organization is responsible for personal information in its possession or custody, including information that has been transferred to a third party for processing.” This puts the liability solely on your company’s shoulders in the case of misuse or theft.

Critical Compromise

With the cash savings of such a low cost solution, a habit of overlooking the finer details of quality control can manifest. This habit can linger and spread to other areas of your business, as the decrease in costs will initially be seen in a positive light. For overseas outsourcing, a long-term strategy to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the media produced is imperative.

A Slightly Biased Conclusion

Outsourcing locally is often the best compromise. Savings will still be had, with fewer possible hurdles. In unexpected ways, it pays for the difference in cost. From day one, having a design team that can identify with your target audience creates media that is more palatable, and therefore more effective. The building of stronger spheres of trust and influence develops from such things as face to face meetings and shared cultural experience. The fact is, local interactions are much more likely to inspire long-term collaboration, and develop networking opportunities.

Disco Who?

We here at Discotoast Inc. believe that we can be your vendor for digital creative projects, as well as traditional print design for the paper paraphenalia we still cling to. Outsource to your neighbours, call on us when it is convenient for you, and meet face-to-face as our relationship develops.

Discotoast is quickly becoming the go-to webdesign company for the commercial real estate market!  We are pleased to announce the launch of the Cherry & Associates website.  Cherry & Associates specializes in representing tenants. That means they deliver objective, unbiased advice and services that give you the best possible value for your real estate investment.

You can view the digital creative in our webdesign portfolio or by clicking on the image below.

Cherry & Associates needed a site that would “wow” their clients and keep a professional appearence.  As a member of ITRA, Cherry & Associates wanted a design which would include some of ITRA’s features and functionality.

Cherry & Associates also wanted to clean up their web-content, putting more emphasis on their services and on their achievements.

The Creative Design Solution

Cherry & Associates’ website redesign was a precursor to the complete overhaul we did for ITRA.  We created a custom map interface for Cherry & Associates which would provide for a slimmer version of the very versatile map we designed for ITRA.  The purpose of the interface was to show ITRA’s global offices, allowing potential clients to contact tenant representatives in any city around the world.  Using the WordPress CMS on the backend of Cherry & Associates’ new website allowed us to give our client control over the content while still giving us the ability to create a unique design.

In keeping with the dark cherry theme of Cherry & Associate’s brand, we chose a rich cherrywood texture for the background, creating a very elegant, professional look.  This gave the website a warm, classic feel while still looking modern and sophisticated.

In order to give Cherry and Associates a way to proudly show off their management team, we employed the classic technique of using a coloured image to indicate a selected item, and using a black & white image to indicate that an item was not in use.  Sometime the best web design techniques are not the newest ones, but rather the timeless techniques which still create impact!

As a final touch, we made sure that our client’s various social media outlets were clearly visible.  We gave added emphasis to Twitter with a slide-out panel that shows off Cherry & Associates’ latest tweets.

Website Review

Our client was so excited about their new website that as soon as they launched, they gave us a shout-out on Twitter!  Cherry & Associates now update their own content, add news, and use the site to generate great leads thanks to a better search engine visibility!

written by guest writer and beloved intern Joanna Cwik

Discotoast is excited to announce the launch of the new ITRA Global website!  ITRA Global is an organization of real estate professionals specializing in representing tenants and buyers in the leasing, acquisition and disposition of office, industrial and retail facilities.

You can see the digital creative in our portfolio or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilemma

ITRA Global’s former website grown too large for its conventional web design.  There were many articles, press releases, and consistent updates to office locations that were all over the place.  The ITRA Board of Directors wanted a clean interface for the end users to navigate through regional contacts and explore web content while still maintaining a very clean, professional look.  Additionally, they wanted to be able to update content frequently without needing to call a web designer or IT manager.

ITRA wanted digital creative which would reflect their current re-branding as well as the level of professionalism that has become the organization’s hallmark.  They knew that they needed a complete overhaul and felt that Discotoast could deliver the best solution on a budget.

The Creative Design Solution

We created a custom design for ITRA Global using the WordPress content management system.  ITRA Global wanted a clean interface for end users to access contact information for all of the offices, but the interface needed to draw the attention of the user without being overpowering and complicated.  We decided on a custom global map design which would allow users to choose an office by interacting directly with the map.

ITRA Global also wanted to proudly display their clients without using the traditional format of many logos bunched up on one page.  Discotoast was excited to have an opportunity to customize a clean, slick slider to display client successes.

All our clients receive training so that they can update and manage their content with complete autonomy.  ITRA Global’s training has allowed them to make frequent updates to their content, keeping their website, clean, fresh, and up-to-date.  Their content is now organized and easy to find, both from the perspective of the end user and from the perspective of the employees who manage the updates!  Overall the re-design of ITRA Global’s website has allowed the ITRA team to have complete control of their website.

Website Review

ITRA Global is excited about their redesign and has already begun updating their content.  With membership events coming up right around the corner, ITRA Global is updating event information on a daily basis so that they can keep their end users informed of changes!

You’ve probably heard it before – In the world of search engine optimization (SEO) content is king. So, if you want more people to find your website and rank higher with search engines, you need to be sure that you are writing great website content. Quality counts.

Website content includes all the written words on your website. Product descriptions, contact pages, blog posts, articles, FAQs, landing pages and anything else that you have taken the time to write, is actually rated by Google, and other search engines, to help give an overall impression of how relevant your site actually is for searchers. Consequently, it has never been more important that you are engaged in writing great website content. What does that entail? Well, here are a few things to consider.

Publish Quality Web Content

On a basic level, it needs to be well-written with good spelling and grammar, but it should also exude an air of authority. Your content should be trustworthy, factual and give an original analysis of a given topic. This makes it more relevant to visitors and therefore more relevant to search engines.

Try to make your content link-worthy. It doesn’t need to go viral, but if it is the kind of content that people will bookmark, share with their friends, or link to from other websites, then your site’s value is definitely increased. Strive to make your site the go-to place for reliable, up-to-date information on your industry niche and search engine success will quickly follow.

Avoid Low Quality Web Content

Where possible avoid duplicated content on your site. Consider linking between pages instead of copying and pasting the same content on several pages. You should also pass on copying content from other websites, because this makes your site look like a poor imitation of another. Be original!

Don’t make your articles too short. To search engines, excessive brevity is akin to under-researched or unsubstantial content, and you don’t want your site to garner a reputation like that.  Neither do you want to penalize yourself for excessive or badly placed ads. They shouldn’t take center stage over your well-written web content.

Go Forth and Conquer

So far we have discussed what SEO is, found out how to choose the right keywords, and highlighted the importance of Meta tags. When you add writing great website content to the mix, all that there is left for you to do is to go out there and make a name for yourself on the web. It won’t happen overnight, but with some patience, perseverance, and top tips like these, you are now equipped for success.

written by guest writer and beloved intern Joanna Cwik

Discotoast is excited to announce the launch of the new website for Canadian Home Healthcare!  Canadian Home Healthcare is a provider of affordable products and services for Sleep Apnea, Home Oxygen and Blood Pressure Monitoring.

You can see our digital creative in our portfolio or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilemma

Canadian Home Healthcare’s original website was in dire need of a complete creative and interactive redesign. The website by nature is content heavy and a primary objective for the redesign project was to reduce information clutter and focus on what mattered most.  As a national company it was important for the new design to project that identity.

The Creative Design Solution

With budget being a factor and a lot of ground to cover we offered up a custom design coded within the WordPress content management platform.  This was done to give the client control not only of the design budget but also the easy management of web pages, front slider and company blog.  Given the company’s national reach and branding the design draws heavily from themes intuitively recognizable to all Canadians.

We made extensive use of the WordPress CMS so although there is heavy customization updating is simple and intuitive.  One of our primary goals as a web company is to empower our clients to manage their own web content by making management as simple and intuitive as possible.

Website Review

Canadian Home Healthcare was very pleased with the final solution and enjoys having ultimate content control!

written by guest writer and beloved intern Joanna Cwik

Discotoast Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of liztorontorealestate.com, a custom website for real estate agent, Liz Bartliff!  Liz specializes in Toronto Real Estate, GTA Real Estate and has recently expanded into Bayfield’s Real Estate Market.

Have a look at our creative web design portfolio or by clicking on the image below.

Web Design Dilemma

Liz came to us for a much-needed makeover for her website.  She wanted a custom design that was easy to update with lots of value-added extras for her visitors.  Much like the properties she sells, the site needed to have a good foundation and an appealing design.  Most of all Liz wanted to be able to offer her client’s direct access to the Toronto MLS System for easy property searching without having to use the very user-unfriendly Realtor.ca.

The Creative Design Solution

We decided on a customized WordPress design in order to take advantage of the many plugins available for the functions we wanted to integrate into the site.  This allowed for the creatiion of a solution that would be tailored to the current and future needs of her business.

One of Liz’s main priorities was a page that pulled data from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  She wanted to give her clients and visitors a one-stop-shop for all their real-estate needs.

Using the API provided by MLS, our developers integrated an MLS search function and dynamic map into the site.

We also created a custom page template for Liz’s featured listings so that she could easily and quickly update her visitors about her newest properties.  Using the GoogleMaps API, we were able to integrate map functionality into the template.

Website Review

Liz is exceptionally pleased with her new site and is excited to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to adding and editing content!