SUPERNOVA » Jon Malley

Week 9 @ Metrostar Systems

Jon Malley — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:50:17 +0000

Day One

As my two month internship here in Reston draws to a close, I have taken the time to reflect back on the time spent at MetroStar Systems. The experience has given me a window of perspective into life at one of the most personable, friendly and team-oriented companies I’ve ever had the pleasure to have known. The past nine weeks have provided me with so many minuscule tidbits of information and pieces of knowledge that will surely stay with me throughout my professional career. Some of the things, such as managing social media accounts via HootSuite and social bookmarking, were simple yet useful workplace tools that were unbeknownst to me until my arrival at MetroStar. Other tasks provided me with skills and the preparation for life in the real world of business. Sitting through and watching a business model presentation come together from scratch and watching it progress until just hours before it was to be presented was one of the most useful learning experiences I’ve ever had.

I have yet to take a class that could come close to emphasizing the value of implementing BMG and applying it to all aspects of a project/business/anything in life.

The month of July went by faster than I could have ever expected it to. The World Cup came to a close after a month of random outbursts of cheers, streaming games in minimized boxes in the corner of the screen, and a first WC win for La Furia Roja. Soon after the Cup ended, the marketing squad gained two new members: Monica Huie and Patricia Joo. After the new additions, the team moved forward at a previously unseen pace of speed and multitasking. New projects seemed to come in from all directions and it quickly became clear that this new formidable block would be more than capable of handling its workload.

As I near the end of my last task here at Metrostar Systems (this blog post), I can’t help but to smile when I try to think of any negative aspects of my experience. There was one thing that will always stand out and bug me about this place. Over the course of all of the FIFA 10 soccer matches played by the company B-Team, not ONE of the games ended in our favor. Oh well, I couldn’t have asked for a better duo to pair up with than Daniel and Ethan and I’m sure that one of these days (maybe years from now) we’ll pull it together and beat a football side a prominent as the KC Wizards or the Colorado Rapids

-Jon Malley

Mostafa Extends His Microsoft MVP Streak to Five Years in a Row

Jon Malley — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:30:09 +0000

Another year has passed here at MetroStar Systems and yet another Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Visual C# award has been bestowed upon our own Mostafa Elzoghbi. In what has seemingly become an annual occurrence, Elzoghbi secured a Visual C# MVP award for the fifth consecutive year. This exclusive award is given to those who survive the extensive review process that encompasses around 100 million technical community participants worldwide. Not only is this an outstanding personal achievement, but it helps everyone on the MetroStar Systems team by improving the overall reputation of the company as a Microsoft Gold Partner.

Ever since he had the innovative idea of establishing the first .NET community in Kuwait (known as DotNet Boom), the MVP status has been a yearly staple for Mostafa. Though, it’s hardly surprising when an accomplished professional such as himself has stated his intentions of winning the award each year as long as it’s being offered. Over the past year, Mostafa has traveled across the globe to speak at various SharePoint Saturday events, including New York City and the Arabian summit. Some of the projects he has worked on include War Gaming BPM for the Air Force and SharePoint ELearning for the USMC. He also has a resourceful blog where he advises on various .NET issues and problems.

Congratulations Mostafa!

Hottest DC Area Companies Award

Jon Malley — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:19:38 +0000

The summer of 2010 has been a hot one in the DC metro area with temperatures averaging in the 90′s for most of July. So it’s no surprise that MetroStar Systems was recently recognized as one of the “Hottest DC Area” Companies. Temperature was not really one of the requirements, it is really because of our growth over the past 3 years.

Lead411 started with a list of over 1,650 companies and narrowed it down to the top 81. This recognition required that the companies must be in either the Software, Wireless, Internet, or Media industry; be a privately held organization; and be within the districts/states of Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, and Virginia. Additionally, companies had to meet certain revenue, funding, or website traffic requirements.

You can visit http://www.lead411.com/dc-de-md-va-companies.html for more details about this award and to see the complete list of “Hottest DC Area Companies”.

Week 4.5 @ MetroStar Systems

Jon Malley — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:09:32 +0000

Oh, how the time flies. My first month at MetroStar Systems is nearing its end and I feel as though I was touring the premises for the first time only yesterday. To me, June has been a month of getting acclimated, making new acquaintances and easing in to the enriching experience of life in the corporate world. The marketing team saw its esteemed leader and colleague, Jenni Hubacher, depart from the MetroStar family. Her last couple of weeks was filled with what seemed to be an endless amount of interviews and the calculated preparation of designating her duties to other members on the team.

As the month went on, my tasks became increasingly relevant to the work being done by Daniel and Derek. One of the projects I worked on throughout June was related to a Google AdWords campaign for the Training and Education team. At first, I was inexperienced and knew nothing about the various strategies of search engine optimization. Over the course of a few weeks, I did a substantial amount of research and implemented different adjustments based on what I found. Needless to say, I feel no one should have to scour through the number of websites and tutorial videos pertaining to AdWords as I did. Therefore, I compiled a guide and uploaded it to the company portal if anyone has any desire to know more about the tedious, yet efficient advertising service from Google.

I feel as though I’m learning new skills everyday as I work alongside the marketing team. One day I’ll be working with Derek on WordPress, helping him update the blog. Another day would be spent using our SMART Service with Daniel in an effort to provide valuable research to various clients. Each week provides new opportunities and experiences with a value that will last me much longer than my stay here at the Reston office.

With June behind us, I can only imagine what kind of new projects and assignments July will have in store.

Week 1 @ MetroStar Systems

Jon Malley — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:24:19 +0000

My first week at MetroStar has been full of new and exciting experiences. Though I have no idea what I’ll be doing by this time next week, it’s been a great start so far. I started my internship here the Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend. The morning on my first day consisted of a lengthy, though standard, orientation session led by Mo Hessabi and Greg Citizen. Unlike my previous internship last summer in DC, I was immediately welcomed with the cool refreshing breeze of an adequate air conditioning system. The office itself is also much larger than the cramped, two-room space that was rented out on K Street. I received a brief tour of the premises and completed the necessary paperwork alongside the other new employees, Lynna Hall and Andrew Cisternino.

A quick lunch with Lynna and Greg was followed by a briefing by Mona Lutnes over our newly issued security cards (lanyard included). I then met Jenni Hubacher, the first of the three people that would be supervising me during my stay at MetroStar. The remaining hours of the workday were spent getting acclimated and setting up the desktop computer that I had been assigned.

Wednesday was my first true day of work and I soon met the second member of the Marketing team, Daniel Nguyen. Jenni introduced me to Google’s AdWords service and we began working on a campaign advertising 8570.1 certification training sessions at the Stafford office. Next, we moved on to Google Analytics to chart data pertaining to the MetroStar Systems (new and improved) website. My first real task was to complete a report on the data which included multiple graphs and analysis. On Thursday, I worked with Daniel and researched information about social media to get me up to speed with some of the current projects that are being put together. With the most unfortunate timing, I had to leave work early due to a terrible viral infection in my throat (at least that’s what I hope it is- No Mono please!) that left me unable to complete the full work day.

Nearing the end of my first week, Friday morning consisted of writing up my first MetroStar Systems blog entry on the future of social media. After lunch, I ran an inventory of all of the Marketing and HR collateral. The whole experience so far has been as enjoyable as I could have ever imagined. Everyone I’ve encountered has been friendly and helpful. With that in mind, I’m elated to have the opportunity to spend the rest of my summer here at MetroStar Systems.

P.S. If anyone wants to play a game of FIFA sometime, just shoot me an e-mail.

-Jon Malley