Escalate Media

ContractorTalk Launches Niche Social Network

Building on the success of Contractor Talk’s forum with over 74,000 members, is Contractor Talk 2.0 — an enhanced niche social network.

“We have created a niche social network platform that will offer product reviews, customizable toolboxes, an area for showcasing projects, and many other engaging tools. With all of the new tools made available to our already engaged membership, we will see continued growth and expansion in the B2B sector, serving professional contractors,” says Wingate.

The new site launched Tuesday, April 26th 2011at:http://www.contractortalk.com

Features include:
Forums – to discuss business and get advice from other professionals
Blogs – to share stories and experiences
Projects – to show off completed projects with photos
Reviews – to find and rate tools of the trade
Customizable Toolbox –show off your toolbox and see what other contractors are using
Roofing contractors, landscaping contractors, plumbers, electricians, and even solar energy contractors can find and share valuable information in this online community.
Take the tour here: http://www.contractortalk.com/community/tour

Check Out the Full Press Release Click Here.

Escalate Media Acquires LumberJocks, HomeRefurbers, and GardenTenders

2011 is off to a great start with LumberJocks, HomeRefurbers, and GardenTenders becoming part of the Escalate Media network of sites. The acquisition maintains the original team behind these websites but incorporates Escalate Media’s resources for the best approach towards future growth and development. Staying true to the original vision while meeting the needs of these ever-growing communities led to this win-win decision.

Expanding our Home & Garden Vertical is an exciting development that increases opportunities for both advertisers and community members. We are looking forward to working with the team behind these websites to further the presence and outreach among home and garden audiences on the web. We also look forward to being an integral part of these communities, in addition to already being longtime fans of these websites.

Welcome LumberJocks, HomeRefurbers, and GardenTenders to the Escalate Media family!

Escalate Media’s Communities Going Mobile

Escalate Media has recently launched their mobile platform for 8 of the network’s sites including: Contractor Talk, Electrician Talk, Paint Talk, Plumbing Zone, Woodworking Talk, DIY Chatroom, A   Full Cup, and Sprint Users.  Within days there were multiple thousands of app downloads on both the iPhone and Android platforms. The new platform allows for push notifications, efficient forum browsing and posting, the uploading of photos, private messaging, an more. Escalate Media plans to launch other communities within the network over the coming weeks. This has definitely been a much anticipated enhancement to the various online communities. The user feedback has been fantastic and the growth in community participation via a mobile devices will only continue to accelerate.

 

Escalate Media Merges with The Building Network

We are very excited at Escalate Media to announce a major business move that will start 2010 off with a blast. Effective January 1, 2010, The Building Network will become a part of the Escalate Media family of sites. This is something that has been in the works for many months now and has finally come to fruition. The Building Network’s founder will become a part of the Escalate Media team of partners and in a single day, Escalate Media adds a new vertical to the family.

The Building Network features fantastic communities such as Contractor Talk, DIY Chatroom, Paint Talk, and many many more. This is a growing network of sites for professional contractors and also a few sites geared towards the do it yourself crowd. With the addition of multiple strong trafficed and niche oriented sites, Escalate Media now has even more to offer its advertisers and its amazing community membership.

The Escalate Media team is looking forward to a very successful and exciting 2010 and we wish everyone much success!

How Escalate Media was Born

It came to pass in the summer of 2006 that Lee Dodd sat in session at the Affiliate Summit conference working on his laptop rather than listening to the panel of speakers.  While working that day he stopped by one of his latest successes in the forum world, EarnersForum.com.  As he browsed through the community he came upon a thread discussing what these web entreprenuers did with the money they made in terms of giving back to society.  He saw a user, XboxUndone, posting about how he always gives the first part of his income to his local church.  The aroused Lee’s curiousity that day enough to reach out to this user and thus the relationship between Lee Dodd and David Adams was born.

Over the following months these two guys communicated about their work and further strengthened a friendship that would blossom into much more, but that time had not yet come.  Finally, in December of 2006 the Elite Retreat Conference was born which was led by Lee Dodd and Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker.  David Adams was one of the 20 or so attendees at that conference and this was the first occassion where the Dodd and Adams families got to meet in person.  The fellowship was good and the friendship further strengthened.

Within the next 4-6 months the affiliate marketing business really began to grow for David Adams.  That was his specialty and concentration for Adams Media LLC.  Lee Dodd’s forum empire was also growing and things were going well for both parties.  It was then, in the early summer of 2007, that David Adams approached Lee Dodd with the idea of a partnership and the merger of their two companies, Adams Media and Zydeca Media Group.  At first glance, it was very interesting to both sides.  Combining the powers of a high level affiliate marketer and a high level community builder could really work.  Combining the two companies web site holdings under one umbrella would create a powerful network.  Over the following 2-3 months the two of them met in person and spent much time in planning and discussion.  The end result was that both Lee and David felt that it really made sense.  Their families, desires, goals, beliefs, and lifestyles were so inline that the process was smooth and easy.

The most difficult brainstorming took place when the two of them were attempting to come up with the new company’s name.  The final list of possible names included (and you wonder why the final decision was so tough):

• Orange Cone Media
• Twin Giants Media (they both stand 6’5″ tall)
• Escalate Media

After plenty of meetings with CPAs and attorneys, the relationship officially became a partnership on September 1, 2007.  That was the birthday of Escalate Media LP and the beginning of what has been an extremely fun and fast-paced ride!