At Cloud[8]Sixteen, Inc., we take a moment every now and then to get together as a company for some bonding and team building time. It’s a great time to get to know people who we don’t usually work with directly, as we’re a growing company with many departments. Thanks to the warm weather here in Texas, we decided on field day festivities for this spring’s big event. Being the competitive people that we are, we split the company into teams and assigned points for each event. Four grueling events were decided on, including:

• Water Balloon Toss
• Egg Race
• Cracker Whistle (think chubby bunny, but with crackers)
• Sack Race

Needless to say, everyone had a lot of fun competing. What does your company do for team building? We think a cohesive team does the best work for our clients, so we’re always looking for creative ways to come together as a company.

Learn more about our team members today by reading our bios.

Today, Cloud[8]Sixteen, Inc. CEO Joe Devine will be speaking about legal marketing at the Trial Lawyer Marketing Roundtable in Phoenix, Arizona.  He will be discussing the use of live chat services like Ngage  to increase conversion and provide web visitors with elevated customer service. They’ll also speak about our legal app developers, Big Momma Apps, who develop a variety of apps for legal marketing purposes.

If you’d like to learn more about Ngage or Big Momma Apps, please follow the link to their sites.

We’re very excited to announce that, for the 3rd year in a row, Cloud[8]Sixteen, Inc., has been listed as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Texas. Each year, we ask our team members to complete the Best Companies Group’s two-part survey and employee questionnaire to review their experiences here at Cloud[8]Sixteen, Inc. The Best Companies Group then takes all of the surveys and ranks all participating companies according to the responses.

Several of our management team members attended the  awards luncheon, held by the Texas Association of Business, here in Austin on February 2, 2012. All 100 companies named on the list were recognized. We’re happy to celebrate being named on the list again this year and look forward to what 2012 holds in store for Cloud[8]Sixteen, Inc.

Learn more about us by reading some of our bios.

Superbowl viewers in Waco, Texas will see a commercial for Waco car accident attorney Vic Feazell’s mobile app, created by Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc.  The mobile application, is available for iPhone and Android users through the Apple App Store and the Android Market.

The app, created by Big Momma Apps ( a division of Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc.) provides immediate assistance for individuals who have been involved in an accident.  The application allows users to immediately record and send accident information, take and store photos of the accident, and record eyewitness statements.  Users can then send that information directly to an attorney at the Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C.

The 8-second spot will air during the Superbowl and will encourage viewers with iPhones or Android devices to download the app to make sure they are connected to an experienced attorney in the event of an accident.  For more information on mobile applications for attorneys, visit our website at http://www.bigmommaapps.com/.

Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. CEO Joe Devine was invited to speak at the Winter 2012 M & L Legal Forum in Palm Beach, Aruba.  Conference founders  J. Marshall Hughes and Lee Coleman have hosted the event since 1992, bringing in knowledgeable legal marketers to share ideas about advertising and marketing for law firms.

The Winter 2012 event was held from January 11th – 16th  in Palm Beach, Aruba.  The event was sponsored by Plaintiff Investment Funding, Innovative Legal Marketing, Lien Resolution Services, LLC., and other established marketing firms.  Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. was proud to be included in the seminar and everyone who attended had a great time. Our thanks go out to M & L Legal Marketing and Management for putting on such a great event, and we look forward to the next seminar in summer 2012!

Because the recent Bastrop and Steiner Ranch wildfires caused such severe damage to homes and businesses in the central Texas area, Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. team members decided to help those who lost their homes and possessions by donating non-perishable items to the Capitol Area Food Bank.  Items donated included bottled water, canned goods, baby food, diapers, and clothing.

Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. Human Resources manager Sarah Gerald delivered the donated items to the donation center located at 8212 South Congress Avenue.  The team at Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. hopes that our donations make a difference in the lives of those affected by the fires and our thoughts are with the individuals and families who lost so much.

This Thursday, October 27th, Joe Devine (CEO of Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc.) will be speaking at the DuPont Legal Network Marketing and Referral Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Joe will be speaking on a panel with Jamie Rubin from Wildman Harrold and Vince Catanzaro from DuPont about “Using New Technologies to Market Your Firm”.   New technology like mobile apps for attorneys can help defense lawyers connect with current and potential clients and has proven to be a valuable tool for a population that is increasingly using their phones for web-surfing and connecting with legal professionals whose services they need.

The conference will be hosted by Lewis and Roca LLP, and there will be multiple sessions dedicated to showcasing the Dupont Legal Model for corporate defense and other relevant topics.  Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. is excited to participate in the conference and is looking forward to discussing new technologies with the participants.

A new internet domain extension (“.xxx”) has been created to provide the adult entertainment industry with a unique domain extension and to help the general public to easily identify and/or avoid adult content sites when searching the internet.   This release has caused quite a stir.

Some web companies have taken an alarmist position and are instructing people to take very aggressive measures to defend themselves.   And while the possibility does exist that your business name could be purchased by “squatters” and used to host an adult content website on a .xxx domain; our position is that the risk is not any greater now, than it has always been.   The addition of .xxx domains simply adds one more extension to the already long list of .com / .net / .biz / .info / .co / .me / .mobi / .tv / etc.

Even if you purchase your existing domain name with the .xxx extension – countless variations exist that utilize dashes or additional word combinations.  A few examples of this might include:

• www.yourfirmname.com / www.your-firm-name-office.com  / www.yourfirmname-office.com
• www.your-firmname.com / www.yourfirm-name.com / www.yourfirmnamelawyers.com
• www.yourfirmname-lawoffices.com etc.

There are hundreds if not thousands of combinations considering all the URL extensions and variations with hyphens.   It would be costly to fully protect against all variations.

That said, we want to inform you of this potential threat and spell out a few facts:

1. It is possible for someone other than you to register www.yourcompanyname.xxx without your knowledge.

2. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has installed a system to allow companies to block their company name if the name has been trademarked from becoming an .xxx domain before it goes on sale to the general public.  If you wish to take this protective measure, you can follow these steps:

•  If your business name has been trademarked you can block the equivalent .xxx domain from being registered during the very first registration called “Sunrise B”.  This early registration period is strictly limited to trademarked companies.  The deadline for application is October 28,^, 2011, and the processing fee is $199.99.  The registration process and additional information can be found at http://www.godaddy.com/tlds/xxx-domain.aspx
•  If you have not yet trademarked your firm or company’s name, you will still be able to apply for a defensive registration once the .xxx domains are opened to the public during the “General Availability” sessions which opens on December 6, 2011, and the fee is currently set to be $99.00.

We encourage you to consult with your own legal counsel on the legal, business, financial, and related aspects of securing a trademark to protect against any possible infringements.  If you have any questions or need assistance securing an .xxx or any other domains please contact us at 800-267-1704 to discuss this further.  Additional information about the program and registration requirements can be found here:  http://www.icmregistry.com.

Respectfully,

Joe Devine

President & CEO

Cloud [8] Sixteen, Inc.

Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. is proud to announce our inclusion as #5 on the Austin Business Journal’s Fast 50 fastest growing companies under $10 million list.  An awards ceremony was held on Thursday, October 13th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Each year, the Austin Business Journal awards companies based on three years worth of compounded annual average sales growth.  We at Cloud 8 Sixteen, Inc. are honored to be on the Fast 50 List and look forward to another successful year!

On Friday, September 30th, the team at Cloud [8] Sixteen, Inc. volunteered to help out at the Austin Special Olympics Bocce Ball tournament. In the morning, Cloud team members helped unload trucks and set up for the day’s events, and served as official scorekeepers and timers for the games. In the afternoon, team members continued to serve as scorekeepers and referees and helped event staff clean up at the end of the day. Big thanks to the Austin Special Olympics for putting on such a great event where athletes and volunteers alike had a fantastic time.