651.430.0353 | About Rivertown

September 2006

Here we are, September already! We hope you had a great summer. We had a good one but were kept busy working on four major training development projects (an e-learning website, two training videos and a CD-ROM marketing system).

In this issue we have a couple of introductions to make – First, we’ve released our on-line survey tool and we’d like you introduce it to you. It’s a dual-scale, on-line, highly-adaptable survey tool that is excellent for multiple data collection tasks, from needs analysis to customer satisfaction surveys. To learn how it can help your organization, read “Compass Plus™ – The Right Direction”.

Next, we like to introduce you to our newest team member, Monty Rendón. Monty is a talented graphic designer who also does the bulk of our Spanish translation and narration. About 50% of our customers are now requesting a Spanish option on the training we develop and Monty is doing an excellent job on these projects. To learn more about Monty, take a look at “Meet Monty”.

Finally, we have put an evaluation package together to help you determine if your website is accessible. This package is available in September only and if this is of interest to you, check out “Get Accessible”.

Thanks for your time.

Robb Jacobs

Rivertown Communications, Inc.

Table of Contents

1. Compass Plus™ – The Right Direction

2. Get Accessible

3. Meet Monty

4. Digital Learning Forum meeting – TONIGHT

5. Rivertown Communications

1. Compass Plus™ – The Right Direction

Navigating the road to the future is not an easy task. There are so many unknowns. Past experience can provide clues, but with change being a constant, it doesn’t always provide a clear direction. In the working world, managing this process can be a tricky and costly proposition, unless, of course, you use the proper tool that can give you the right direction.

Compass Plus™ is a powerful web-based survey tool, that helps you get the data you need to move forward, and successfully navigate the road to your company’s future. Developed by Rivertown Communications, and Resource Connections, Compass Plus™ is an advanced survey system that provides you with precise, timely, and appropriate information to promote continued future growth.

Having the right information at the right time is crucial when planning or evaluating training programs, assessing management and employee effectiveness, measuring sales proficiency, and determining customer satisfaction. With its unique dual scale capabilities, Compass Plus™ provides the “right information” by simultaneously capturing two sets of data. One set shows how well a person is performing (ranking), and the other indicates how well they are performing against expectations (level of performance). Comparing the difference between these two scores, or what we call “gap analysis,” allows you to accurately measure employee performance, and establish priorities for improvement.

Compass Plus™ is fully customizable to collect the specific information you need, in the areas you need it most. Surveys can be designed to capture data in several different formats:

With Compass Plus™, you will know where staff improvement is needed, be able to measure the effectiveness of training, maximize profits, and successfully plan the future direction of your business. For more information, visit our website at:

http://www.surveyflash.com/index.htm

While there, take a look at the “Quicklearn” animations “The Power of Compass Plus” and “Why Dual Scale” to get a good understanding of the scope of this survey tool, and its effectiveness over single-scale survey tools. (Or access them directly at: http://www.surveyflash.com/QL_PowerOfCP.htm and http://www.surveyflash.com/QL_DualScale.htm) Also, check the FAQ (http://www.surveyflash.com/07FAQ.htm) section to get a complete overview of the Compass Plus™ system.

Compass Plus™. It will give you the right direction to successfully navigate the road to your company’s future.

2. Get Accessible

Opening the doors to your business is a commonsense practice to let customers in to buy the products and services you have to offer. And if your customers are the elderly or disabled, you find a way to reach this target market, and make it easy for them to access your products. But how can you “open the doors” to this market and reach them on the web?

It’s time to “get accessible” with Rivertown Communications. We have the technology and verification tools to evaluate your website, measure your online content, fix existing problems, and improve overall usability to help you reach the elderly and disabled.

In an effort to reach this market on a broader scale, we are offering a special accessibility promotion in conjunction with the 2006 Age and Disabilities Odyssey, taking place on October 4 and 5 at the Hyatt Minneapolis.

For only $250, we will:

• Conduct a 4-hour evaluation of your website, using assistive technology, and accessibility verification tools.
• Measure your online content against recognized industry standards, and legal guidelines for accessible web design.
• Create a detailed report of our findings, explaining what works, and how to fix existing problems.
• Provide a price quotation to incorporate accessibility fixes, and improve the overall usability of your site for the elderly and disabled.

This pre-conference promotion offers a savings of nearly 50%, and is available in September only. And if you register online for this special offer on or before September 15, 2006, you will automatically be entered in a drawing to win this amazing evaluation package for free. Enter at http://www.rivertown-inc.com/access-e.htm.

This is an incredible opportunity to “open the doors” to your business on the web, and reach your elderly and disabled target market. It’s time to “get accessible” with Rivertown Communications.

3. Meet Monty

Our newest team member is Monty Rendón from Cuernavaca, Mexico. Monty is an accomplished artist with a degree in computer graphics from La Salle University. She is excellent on Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere and Flash. More and more of our training projects are calling for Spanish subtitles or voice-overs, and Monty takes care of all the translation and narration. Monty is adding a new dimension to our services at Rivertown and we’re glad she’s here!

Video / Animations done for a current video training project

Original watercolor by Monty. This was used on a cover for a CD-ROM.	Original stills pulled from a Flash animation.

4. Digital Learning Forum meeting – TONIGHT

The Digital Learning Forum (DLF) is a group of professional trainers who use technology to deliver their training. In an effort to increase the value of training, the DLF group meets once a month to discuss topics of interest, and invite speakers to enlighten us with their experience.

The topic of tonight’s DLF meeting is: Increase the Percentage Spent on your Training Budget on Actual Training thru the Wise Utilization of IT Software Simulation Tools. The speakers are Wendy Passman and Patricia Goff from Kaplan IT Learning. They will discuss how trainers can spend more of their training dollars where it’s needed – on training – and how system simulation can help.

Monday, September 11, 2006

University of St. Thomas – St. Paul Campus

O' Shaughnessy Educational Center (OEC 454)

6:00-6:30 Networking/Refreshments

6:30-6:45 Business Meeting/Announcements

6:45-8:00 Presentation/Discussion

See map at www.stthomas.edu/maps/stpaul.htm

There is no charge for attending. I hope to see you there. For more information or directions call Sue Mehrkens at (763) 505-4131.

5. Rivertown Communications

Since 1991 Rivertown Communications, Inc. has been designing and developing custom e-learning systems and websites. Our clients range in size from small, single office organizations to global corporations. For more information on our services, click below:

E-learning systems Custom design and development, including learning management systems

Compass Plus™ Online survey tool to get the data you need

I-Card™ business-card CDs To deliver training or educational marketing messages

WebPresenter™ Internet presentation application

Websites Learning sites - accessible and Section 508 compliant

Video production To integrate into e-learning or stream from the web

If you are currently in the planning stages of a technology-based training or marketing program, call us. We would be glad to meet with you to explore how we might partner with you to help develop your program.

Initial meetings are always without cost or obligation and we genuinely enjoy getting to know new people and organizations.

Sincerely,

Robb Jacobs at 651.430.0353 ext. 111