Community of peers gives early feedback on marketing concepts

Original: Community of peers gives early feedback on marketing concepts

Much the way consumers can solicit feedback on their own appearance through checkyourimage.com, marketers can now get early thoughts on new designs and concepts through a community of peers at Concept Feedback.

Currently in beta, Concept Feedback is designed specifically for marketers, graphic designers and web developers to provide a simple tool for getting free, sincere feedback from like-minded professionals. Website designs, ads, logos, videos, presentations and more can all be uploaded to the site and submitted for review by other members; the person posting the material keeps all rights. Using a standard review template for consistency, professionals participating on the site can then offer their constructive advice, which gets automatically collected and archived for the submitting member. A system of reputation scores, meanwhile, keeps members honest and helps interpret their advice. The result, according to Concept Feedback, can be that any design problems are caught earlier, ensuring that only high-quality ideas make it into launch.

Andrew Follett, the company's founder and CEO, explains: "Most small business marketers and freelancers lack the budget and resources it requires to obtain useful feedback on marketing concepts. A third-party point of view can be critical to launching a website, advertising campaign or concept that is clear, concise and effective."

Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes, and in June Concept Feedback was already approaching 500 users. There's no doubt other professions could benefit from something similar—how about applying this to the industry of your choice? (Related: 'Open-mic nights' for business ideas — Professional feedback, instant and peer-to-peer.)

Website: www.conceptfeedback.com
Contact: www.conceptfeedback.com/contact

Spotted by: Stas Zlobinski

Wildcat Fire

Original: Wildcat Fire

Clever Way To Sell Yourself

Original: Clever Way To Sell Yourself

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2009-07-30 10:45.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Jason Sadler has been selling the upper part of his wardrobe ever day of 2009 to companies that want him to wear a t-shirt with the logo on it. His pricing structure is very interesting though. He's sold January 1st for $1 and is selling December 31st for $365. Every day in between goes for the price of it's day of the year. I wasn't to excited about that until I calculated (using Gauss's method) how m

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

четверг, 30 июля 2009 г.

Nike, Best Buy & others to openly share green product innovations

Original: Nike, Best Buy & others to openly share green product innovations

Remember the old proverb 'none of us is as smart as all of us'? It's something a small group of companies took to heart earlier this year, setting up GreenXchange for sharing of intellectual property for green product design. The initiative is hosted by Creative Commons, with Nike and Best Buy leading the way.

With GreenXchange, companies can not only share research, innovation and design amongst themselves, but can also make patents available to the public. Each contributor to the exchange commits to a non-assertion pledge, which allows the patent to be used in other research for green product design. GreenXchange recognises that green innovations can be shared across a variety of industries, often with a different purpose, and will not necessarily pose a threat in terms of competition. If a company is concerned about sharing product design with competitors, they can opt to designate selected patents to be made available for sustainability uses. GreenXchange also aspires to use technologies that support networking and knowledge sharing to promote open innovation in the 'digital commons'.

If it works, the concept could greatly accelerate the development of green innovation, helping some of the world's best brands work together toward the same goal, and start to think differently in terms of how they share ideas. (Related: Online library of green building materials.)

Contact: science@creativecommons.org
Website: www.sciencecommons.org/projects/greenxchange

Spotted by: Jenny Lau

Payment Platforms For Your Business

Original: Payment Platforms For Your Business


photo credit: bragadocchio

Starting an online business can have many headaches and stresses as you have to take control of so many things such as inventory, customer service, payments, orders and more.

You can remove at least one headache if you implement a simple and functional payment solution. There are a range of companies and platforms that allow your customers to send you payments via credit cards, bank transfers, or echecks.

Amazon Payments is very similar to that of Pay Pal. They are a little smaller than Pay Pal but they have more advantages that appeal to the customers. Customers can go through check out using their Amazon account so they don’t have to input any of their credit card information.

Yahoo Merchant Solutions is another great payment platform you could go with. They accept the traditional credit and debit card payments, but they also team up with Pay Pal to offer a wider range of payment options for your customers.

Authorize.net is the worlds largest gateway payment platform that you could choose for accepting echecks and credit card payments. The payments are accepted right on your website so that the customer does not have to leave your site to make their payment, recently listed on Open Forum.

Clever Way To Sell Yourself

Original: Clever Way To Sell Yourself

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2009-07-30 10:45.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Jason Sadler has been selling the upper part of his wardrobe ever day of 2009 to companies that want him to wear a t-shirt with the logo on it. His pricing structure is very interesting though. He's sold January 1st for $1 and is selling December 31st for $365. Every day in between goes for the price of it's day of the year. I wasn't to excited about that until I calculated (using Gauss's method) how m

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

среда, 29 июля 2009 г.

9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Original: 9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2009-07-25 11:09.

Posted in: Crazy Money

We tend to hold inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries were the result of an accident or twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including the following surprise inventions.

1. Play-Doh

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed a year later by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret.

2. Fireworks

Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago, and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter - ag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags or cardboard containers and come in a variety of flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar.

4. Slinky

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued moving, and James got the idea for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the name, and when the Slinky made its debut in late 1945, James sold 400 of the bouncy toys in 90 minutes. Today, more than 250 million Slinkys hav />A Post-it note is a small pie

Matching platform for sports teams & sponsors

Original: Matching platform for sports teams & sponsors

Aiming to connect advertisers with local sports teams, Sport Driven has created a platform where sport clubs, agencies and individual athletes can list commercial opportunities and find financial backing.

For GBP 30 per year, teams and athletes can create a profile and list the individual sponsorship options they're offering, like 'match day', 'back of shirt' or 'calendar', along with basic terms like price and duration. A premium membership of GBP 99 a year gives access to a few more bells and whistles, such as uploading images and maintaining a larger contact database. Advertisers can search the database to find local or national opportunities that best align with their budgets and marketing plans.

Launched earlier this month, the British startup will have to sign up a significant number of teams and athletes before it becomes a one-stop-shop for advertisers and sponsors. If it does, it could be an indispensable tool for an industry that's constantly exchanging visibility for financial backing. One to bring to your local market?

Website: www.sportdriven.co.uk
Contact: www.sportdriven.co.uk/support.php

The Stock Exchange in the Stripmall

Original: The Stock Exchange in the Stripmall

вторник, 28 июля 2009 г.

9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Original: 9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2009-07-25 11:09.

Posted in: Crazy Money

We tend to hold inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries were the result of an accident or twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including the following surprise inventions.

1. Play-Doh

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed a year later by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret.

2. Fireworks

Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago, and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter - ag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags or cardboard containers and come in a variety of flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar.

4. Slinky

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued moving, and James got the idea for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the name, and when the Slinky made its debut in late 1945, James sold 400 of the bouncy toys in 90 minutes. Today, more than 250 million Slinkys hav />A Post-it note is a small pie

New Website Hopes To Tickle Your Sweet Tooth

Original: New Website Hopes To Tickle Your Sweet Tooth

More eco-friendly moving boxes

Original: More eco-friendly moving boxes

Back in 2007 we wrote about EarthFriendlyMoving's Recopack containers, which offer an alternative to traditional cardboard boxes for moving. Bringing the concept out of California comes Frogbox, a Canadian contender that currently serves the Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., areas.

Very similar to Recopacks, Frogboxes are green, industrial-strength plastic containers that are available in standard and wardrobe sizes. Consumers simply order the boxes they need, and Frogbox drops them off at their home using its biodiesel delivery truck. Pricing is by the week, and the company also picks the boxes up once the moving is all done. Moving dollies and packing paper are available as well. Frogboxes can be used hundreds of times before they get recycled, says the company, which thoroughly cleans them between uses. A one-bedroom bundle of 25 Frogboxes and one dolly is priced beginning at USD or CDN 79 for one week—the company charges in the customer's local currency—plus a delivery fee that ranges from USD or CDN 30 to 50, depending on the address. In much the manner of Save Your Logo, Frogbox donates one percent of its gross revenues to frog habitat restoration.

Cardboard and paper waste make up an estimated 18 percent to 26 percent of landfill material, Frogbox says, so it's nice to see the spread of reusable plastic alternatives. The company is planning an expansion across North America; time to introduce "frogs" to your neck of the woods...? ;-)

Website: www.frogbox.com
Contact: www.frogbox.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Murray Orange

понедельник, 27 июля 2009 г.

9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Original: 9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2009-07-25 11:09.

Posted in: Crazy Money

We tend to hold inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries were the result of an accident or twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including the following surprise inventions.

1. Play-Doh

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed a year later by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret.

2. Fireworks

Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago, and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter - ag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags or cardboard containers and come in a variety of flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar.

4. Slinky

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued moving, and James got the idea for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the name, and when the Slinky made its debut in late 1945, James sold 400 of the bouncy toys in 90 minutes. Today, more than 250 million Slinkys hav />A Post-it note is a small pie

Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

Original: Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

Free rental cars in New Zealand

Original: Free rental cars in New Zealand

Rental cars need to be transported between offices. And travellers love freebies. Combine the two, and you get free rental cars, organized by Transfercar.

The New Zealand startup works with major car rental companies including Europcar, Apollo and Ace. Each rental company has a host of 'relocation cars' that need to transported to different branches. These are listed on Transfercar's website, along with the dates they're available, and interested customers can book online after registering with Transfercar. Drivers can also request to be notified by text message when cars are available for routes they'd like to travel. Most vehicles include basic insurance as well as ferry tickets between the North and South island, so no hidden fees. Rental companies often throw in a full tank of gas, too.

Although some rental companies already offer transfer cars at little or no cost, they rarely publicize the fact, and Transfercar is the first venture we've spotted that aggregates vehicles from a range of agencies, making the process far easier for consumers. Everybody wins: travellers with flexible schedules can drive for free, and rental agencies reduce their transfer costs. One to set up elsewhere? (Related: Car swapping for the holidays — Hertz subsidiary cuts frills and prices.)

Website: www.transfercar.co.nz
Contact: www.transfercar.co.nz/contact

Spotted by: P.J. Heta

воскресенье, 26 июля 2009 г.

Photo tarpaulins transform garage doors

Original: Photo tarpaulins transform garage doors

On even the most tastefully appointed of houses, garage doors tend to be drab and monochrome eyesores, designed apparently without even the smallest nod to aesthetics. A German company aims to change all that, however, with large-scale posters that transform the doors through highly realistic 3D images.

Style-your-garage.com's photo tarpaulins are available with a variety of motifs and images that are sure to cause neighbours, friends and passers-by to stop and stare. A photographic version of trompe l'oeil, some are designed to give the impression that unusual contents can be found in the garage, such as an airplane, race car or monster-sized kitty. Others aim to provide a glimpse of the world beyond the garage door, such as a Tuscan landscape or what seems to be the home's very own golf course. Another series, meanwhile, aims to give the garage door itself another look altogether, such as through a rustic wooden appearance. Consumers can also upload the digital image of their choice and have it turned into a customised photo tarpaulin. In fact, Style-your-garage.com invites consumers to submit idea

Coming soon from Munich-based Style-your-garage.com are Style-your-window.com and Style-your-door.com. One—or two, or three—to get in on early...? (Related: Parking garages transformed by large-scale ads — Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.style-your-garage.com
Contact: info@style-your-garage.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Original: 9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2009-07-25 11:09.

Posted in: Crazy Money

We tend to hold inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries were the result of an accident or twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including the following surprise inventions.

1. Play-Doh

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed a year later by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret.

2. Fireworks

Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago, and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter - ag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags or cardboard containers and come in a variety of flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar.

4. Slinky

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued moving, and James got the idea for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the name, and when the Slinky made its debut in late 1945, James sold 400 of the bouncy toys in 90 minutes. Today, more than 250 million Slinkys hav />A Post-it note is a small pie

Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

Original: Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

суббота, 25 июля 2009 г.

9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Original: 9 Famous Things Invented by Accident

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2009-07-25 11:09.

Posted in: Crazy Money

We tend to hold inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries were the result of an accident or twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including the following surprise inventions.

1. Play-Doh

One smell most people remember from childhood is the odor of Play-Doh, the brightly-colored, nontoxic modeling clay. Play-Doh was accidentally invented in 1955 by Joseph and Noah McVicker while trying to make a wallpaper cleaner. It was marketed a year later by toy manufacturer Rainbow Crafts. More than 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have sold since then, but the recipe remains a secret.

2. Fireworks

Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago, and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter - ag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags or cardboard containers and come in a variety of flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar.

4. Slinky

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued moving, and James got the idea for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the name, and when the Slinky made its debut in late 1945, James sold 400 of the bouncy toys in 90 minutes. Today, more than 250 million Slinkys hav />A Post-it note is a small pie

Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

Original: Things Invented or Discovered by Accident

Photo tarpaulins transform garage doors

Original: Photo tarpaulins transform garage doors

On even the most tastefully appointed of houses, garage doors tend to be drab and monochrome eyesores, designed apparently without even the smallest nod to aesthetics. A German company aims to change all that, however, with large-scale posters that transform the doors through highly realistic 3D images.

Style-your-garage.com's photo tarpaulins are available with a variety of motifs and images that are sure to cause neighbours, friends and passers-by to stop and stare. A photographic version of trompe l'oeil, some are designed to give the impression that unusual contents can be found in the garage, such as an airplane, race car or monster-sized kitty. Others aim to provide a glimpse of the world beyond the garage door, such as a Tuscan landscape or what seems to be the home's very own golf course. Another series, meanwhile, aims to give the garage door itself another look altogether, such as through a rustic wooden appearance. Consumers can also upload the digital image of their choice and have it turned into a customised photo tarpaulin. In fact, Style-your-garage.com invites consumers to submit idea

Coming soon from Munich-based Style-your-garage.com are Style-your-window.com and Style-your-door.com. One—or two, or three—to get in on early...? (Related: Parking garages transformed by large-scale ads — Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.style-your-garage.com
Contact: info@style-your-garage.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

пятница, 24 июля 2009 г.

Razor blades by subscription, delivered to the door

Original: Razor blades by subscription, delivered to the door

Razor blade refills are one of those purchases that tend to irk many consumers, primarily for the frequency with which they're needed and the relatively high prices at which they're often sold. Aiming to salve irritation on both points, Raz*War offers subscription plans for home delivery at prices beginning at EUR 27.50 per year.

Launched late last month by Brussels-based Growth Bridge, Raz*War sells blades by the box—priced at EUR 1 per blade—as well as a starter kit including razor, blades and travel bag. Its biggest savings, however, are to be found in its subscription plans, which range from a yearly price of EUR 27.50 for 30 blades over the course of the year to EUR 75 for 90 blades annually. Deliveries are made in installments every four months, and a starter kit with razor and travel bag is included in the first shipment.

Similar in many ways to Alice, which aims to take the pain out of shopping repeatedly for basic household necessities, Raz*War currently ships only within the EU. One to partner with or emulate for the shaving masses near you...?

Website: www.razwar.com
Contact: wecare@razwar.com

Virtual Graffiti

Original: Virtual Graffiti

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2009-07-21 11:34.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.yrwall.com/

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there's no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that's actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can's button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer's draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colours and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add s%26qid%3D1245749330%26sr%3D8-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

The Perfect Business


photo credit: respres

Incorporate these traits, or habits, into your twittering and you'll be sure to be a more popular Twitterer. For an all around better time Tweeting, be quick to follow users exhibiting these traits!

Small Biz Bee suggests promoting other users more than you promote yourself on Twitter. By promoting people other than yourself you create a larger sense of trust in the community you broadcast to.

Since Twitter revolves a lot around conversation, always make sure to join in on the conversation. Contribute to others posts with comments, reply to comments made on your posts, provide helpful tips and suggestions where needed.

Listen before speaking. This is almost like the “think before you speak” concept. Before you start plugging away at the posts and comments, listen to what others have to say first and then contribute where you can.

четверг, 23 июля 2009 г.

Modern wine paired with ancient Roman cuisine

Original: Modern wine paired with ancient Roman cuisine

Where the Amazing Food Wine Company, which we covered a few years ago, created its wines for pairing with commonly enjoyed contemporary American foods—pizza, pasta, etc—Madeinmilan Wines has taken the opposite approach, focusing instead on a historical meal. The Italian label includes three wines from northeast Italy: Brutus (Sangiovese di Romagna), Paparazzi (Lambrusco Grasparossa) and Romeo (Cagnina di Romagna), and for Brutus, it recently launched a campaign that includes pairing with a five-course ancient Roman meal. Olive caviar, sweet ham, Imperial Chicken, herbed cheese and honey dates make up the specially crafted menu for the Roman banquet Madeinmilan suggests, with complete recipes available for download from its site.

With so many competitors in the wine market already, focusing on ancient pairings is an innovative marketing angle that may well be attractive to consumers seeking new insperiences and maybe some status skills to boot. Which just goes to show, of course, that it's a rare product indeed that can't be upgraded, reconceived or repositioned in some novel way to make it new all over again in consumers' eyes. If that can be done for wine—surely one of the oldest products in the world—just imagine the possibilities for your product or brand! ;-)

Website: www.madeinmilanwine.com
Contact: info@madeinmilanwine.com

Virtual Graffiti

Original: Virtual Graffiti

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2009-07-21 11:34.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.yrwall.com/

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there's no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that's actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can's button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer's draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colours and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add s%26qid%3D1245749330%26sr%3D8-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

The Perfect Business

среда, 22 июля 2009 г.

The Dog Walking Biz Trotting

Original: The Dog Walking Biz Trotting

Virtual Graffiti

Original: Virtual Graffiti

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2009-07-21 11:34.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.yrwall.com/

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there's no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that's actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can's button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer's draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colours and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add s%26qid%3D1245749330%26sr%3D8-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

The Perfect Business

Hotels are an ideal setting for many tryvertising campaigns, approximating as they do consumers' domestic milieu. Much the way Starwood recently began giving its guests a free taste of Zinio's "digital newsstand," so Omni Hotels now offers patrons a free camcorder for the weekend.

Through the Omni Flips for Summer campaign, which runs through Sept. 6, families staying at any of the chain's hotels and resorts in North America can borrow a pocket-sized video camcorder for free and use it to record their most memorable moments. The camcorder provided is the new Flip Ultra video camcorder, launched this spring by Pure Digital, and it's available to guests who purchase any "Omni Flips for Summer" weekend package. Along with the simple-to-use camcorders, families can also start their holiday with a complimentary breakfast for four featuring "Flip-jacks" on their first day. A "Summer Fun Counselor" will also be on hand with advice on local attractions. When their weekend filming is complete, guests can upload their video memories to their own laptop or use the Omni Hotels Business Center at no charge to transfer the footage to a thumb

There's no substitute for trying before you buy, and what better time to let consumers try a camcorder than when they'd most likely use it in real life, such as on vacation? Take note, purveyors of holiday-minded goods! (Related: Hotel offers each guest a favourite book, on Kindle — Free car for the weekend, no strings attached — Hotel as retail space.)

Website: www.omnihotels.com/Home/SpecialsAndPackages/SpecialOffers/OmniFlips.aspx
Contact: www.omnihotels.com/ContactUs.aspx

Spotted by: HotelChatter via Raymond Kollau

вторник, 21 июля 2009 г.

LiveWire Keeps Their Distributors Buzzing

Original: LiveWire Keeps Their Distributors Buzzing

Virtual Graffiti

Original: Virtual Graffiti

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2009-07-21 11:34.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.yrwall.com/

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there's no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that's actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can's button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer's draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colours and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add s%26qid%3D1245749330%26sr%3D8-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

The Perfect Business

Childhood obesity may be a problem of epidemic proportions in many parts of the world, but several games are doing their part to help keep kids moving. We've already covered LocoMatrix, Swinxs and The Hidden Park, and now a new contender launched last month takes kids on a wifi-based treasure hunt outside.

Published by Aspyr Media, Treasure World is a game for the Nintendo DS that converts real-world wifi signals into online treasures. The story focuses on Starsweep, a space traveller who journeys through space in his ship called Haley. In the game, however, Haley has broken down and needs more stardust to get going again. A quirky robot named Wishfinder helps players find not just stardust but also treasure during their adventure by tapping the wealth of wifi hotspots available around the world. More than 2,500 in-game items and treasures such as trees, flowers, candy and clothes can be unlocked as players access the more than 200 million wifi treasure spots worldwide that are registered within the game, and those items can be used to decorate in-game environments. Some feature musical qual

Treasure World is not only another blow in the fight against obesity, it's also a nice illustration of what our sister site likes to call the OFF=ON trend, whereby the online and offline worlds are increasingly overlapping. Game developers around the world: keep the kids moving and the innovations coming!

Website: www.nintendo.com/games
Contact: www.nintendo.com/corp/contact.jsp

Spotted by: Emmeliek Preijde

воскресенье, 19 июля 2009 г.

Foodie podcast highlights curbside cuisine

Original: Foodie podcast highlights curbside cuisine

Food trucks such as Kogi Korean BBQ and Coolhaus have been claiming an increasing proportion of our virtual ink lately, fueled not just by their use of social media like Twitter but also no doubt by economic conditions, which clearly favour low-cost fare. Now aiming to review, highlight and uncover the best of such curbside cuisine nationwide comes VendrTV, a video podcast that profiles a different street vendor each week.

Hosted by twenty-something foodie Daniel Delaney, VendrTV consists of episodes seven to 10 minutes long, each highlighting an individual vendor along with its food and locale. The premiere episode covered the Treats Truck in New York City, for example—a name regular Springwise readers may remember; others have included The Magic Carpet in Philadelphia, Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco and The Brunch Box in Portland, Oregon. Each episode airs on Wednesday, viewable both online and as an iTunes podcast. Ad-supported VendrTV also maintains a Facebook community and a presence on Twitter. Coming soon, according to the site, is an online "schwag shop" with apparel and "gear to help you eat the street." VendrTV also recently signed a deal with Next New Networks, which will di

Between curbside cuisine and "anti-restaurants" such as BookOfCooks and Charlie's Burgers, there's clearly growing demand for lower-priced (and more unusual) alternatives to the traditional, sit-down, full-service meal. Now it's time for the reviews, guides and profiles such as those that have been bringing transparency (and new patrons) to restaurants for years. VendrTV is ambitious to include the whole nation in its domain; one to adapt or emulate with a localized or niche approach?

Website: www.vendr.tv
Contact: tips@vendr.tv

America's Craziest Businesses.

Original: America's Craziest Businesses.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2009-07-15 10:34.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

1. http://cuddleparty.com/

Runs events at which adults "explore communication, boundaries, and affection" by donning pajamas and getting physical. Ix-nay on the naughty stuff.



4. http://pickydomains.com/

Get paid for picking domain names for other people



5. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15326

Drive-through strip joint.


photo credit: Jasmic

When writing a start up plan many people are very nervous about what to put in their plan, what not to put in their plan, in what order they should list aspects of their plan and so on. Below are some helpful tips on important points to consider when writing your start-up plan recently posted on Entrepreneur.com.

• Once you have your business picked out, make sure that there is actually a large market for that business idea of yours. There’s no sense in working on a business that doesn’t have much potential.
• Surprisingly there are a lot of people who choose not to even write a business plan. Always always write a business plan for any business idea.
• Go out and get your needed financing for your business idea.
• Spread the word about your new business idea.
• Adjust your business plan as needed, but be sure to not stray too far off of your original idea.

There are, of course, a lot of other lists around and other step-by-step guides; but this is another useful one. Particularly starting by choosing an expertise, and with planning.

суббота, 18 июля 2009 г.

Foodie podcast highlights curbside cuisine

Original: Foodie podcast highlights curbside cuisine

Food trucks such as Kogi Korean BBQ and Coolhaus have been claiming an increasing proportion of our virtual ink lately, fueled not just by their use of social media like Twitter but also no doubt by economic conditions, which clearly favour low-cost fare. Now aiming to review, highlight and uncover the best of such curbside cuisine nationwide comes VendrTV, a video podcast that profiles a different street vendor each week.

Hosted by twenty-something foodie Daniel Delaney, VendrTV consists of episodes seven to 10 minutes long, each highlighting an individual vendor along with its food and locale. The premiere episode covered the Treats Truck in New York City, for example—a name regular Springwise readers may remember; others have included The Magic Carpet in Philadelphia, Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco and The Brunch Box in Portland, Oregon. Each episode airs on Wednesday, viewable both online and as an iTunes podcast. Ad-supported VendrTV also maintains a Facebook community and a presence on Twitter. Coming soon, according to the site, is an online "schwag shop" with apparel and "gear to help you eat the street." VendrTV also recently signed a deal with Next New Networks, which will di

Between curbside cuisine and "anti-restaurants" such as BookOfCooks and Charlie's Burgers, there's clearly growing demand for lower-priced (and more unusual) alternatives to the traditional, sit-down, full-service meal. Now it's time for the reviews, guides and profiles such as those that have been bringing transparency (and new patrons) to restaurants for years. VendrTV is ambitious to include the whole nation in its domain; one to adapt or emulate with a localized or niche approach?

Website: www.vendr.tv
Contact: tips@vendr.tv

Important Points About Start-Up Plans

Original: Important Points About Start-Up Plans


photo credit: Jasmic

When writing a start up plan many people are very nervous about what to put in their plan, what not to put in their plan, in what order they should list aspects of their plan and so on. Below are some helpful tips on important points to consider when writing your start-up plan recently posted on Entrepreneur.com.

• Once you have your business picked out, make sure that there is actually a large market for that business idea of yours. There’s no sense in working on a business that doesn’t have much potential.
• Surprisingly there are a lot of people who choose not to even write a business plan. Always always write a business plan for any business idea.
• Go out and get your needed financing for your business idea.
• Spread the word about your new business idea.
• Adjust your business plan as needed, but be sure to not stray too far off of your original idea.

There are, of course, a lot of other lists around and other step-by-step guides; but this is another useful one. Particularly starting by choosing an expertise, and with planning.

America's Craziest Businesses.

Original: America's Craziest Businesses.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2009-07-15 10:34.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

1. http://cuddleparty.com/

Runs events at which adults "explore communication, boundaries, and affection" by donning pajamas and getting physical. Ix-nay on the naughty stuff.



4. http://pickydomains.com/

Get paid for picking domain names for other people



5. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15326

Drive-through strip joint.

пятница, 17 июля 2009 г.

House swapping & letting for creatives

Original: House swapping & letting for creatives

Launched earlier this month, Creative Caravan is a property listing service for people working in the creative industries, devised to help film directors, make-up artists, painters, photographers, etc find a place to (sub)let or swap.

The Australian service aims to make it easier for people who are constantly on the move find short-let properties at short notice, anywhere from Northamptonshire in the UK to Sydney in Australia. How it works? Registration is free for anyone wishing to browse or list a housing ad. No payment is made until the user has found a property they'd like to rent or swap with, at which time they pay a monthly membership fee of USD 35, or an annual fee of USD 70. Besides access to a property owner's contact details, membership also includes an RSS feed of suitable properties. Creative Caravan vets each member to ensure they are in fact a creative professional. However, as it is too resource-intensive to check every property, pictures and communication between members is greatly encouraged.

Will the niche service be able to compete with established behemoths like Craigslist? Creative Caravan feels there's a degree of trust in sub-letting to someone from the same industry, making both parties feel more comfortable with having a stranger inhabit their home. Network-building and a shared focus on aesthetics could be added benefits. One to set up for other groups or categories?

Website: www.creativecaravan.net
Contact: www.creativecaravan.net/contact

eBay: Five Free Listings a Month

Original: eBay: Five Free Listings a Month

America's Craziest Businesses.

Original: America's Craziest Businesses.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2009-07-15 10:34.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

1. http://cuddleparty.com/

Runs events at which adults "explore communication, boundaries, and affection" by donning pajamas and getting physical. Ix-nay on the naughty stuff.



4. http://pickydomains.com/

Get paid for picking domain names for other people



5. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15326

Drive-through strip joint.

четверг, 16 июля 2009 г.

All Natural Beauty Products That Pamper The Mom-To-Be

Original: All Natural Beauty Products That Pamper The Mom-To-Be

America's Craziest Businesses.

Original: America's Craziest Businesses.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2009-07-15 10:34.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

1. http://cuddleparty.com/

Runs events at which adults "explore communication, boundaries, and affection" by donning pajamas and getting physical. Ix-nay on the naughty stuff.



4. http://pickydomains.com/

Get paid for picking domain names for other people



5. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15326

Drive-through strip joint.

Few in the Western world have ever heard of yak down, a cashmere-like fiber that is hand-combed once a year from the rugged animals dwelling in the mountainous Himalayan regions of Western China. Yaks have provided a livelihood for generations of Tibetan herders, and now a new effort aims to preserve that tradition by creating a market for yak down in the rest of the world.

The brainchild of two Chinese women who were classmates at Harvard's JFK School of Government, Shokay is an initiative to address the poverty of Tibetan herders in China by creating new markets for the raw fiber they can produce. Conceived in 2006 as part of a Harvard business-plan competition—which it ultimately won, according to China International Business—the effort now works with some 2,600 herders from the Hei Ma He Village of Qinghai Province in Western China through a series of fiber cooperatives that provide a sustainable source of employment and income. A single village can generate 10 tons of fiber in a year, CIB reported. Once it's harvested, that fiber gets sent to Shokay's team of about 40 hand knitters in Chong Ming Island off of Shanghai, who then use it to produce Sh

Combining social entrepreneurship with product life stories and (still) made here appeal, Shokay reminds us of the efforts of Crop to Cup in the world of coffee and Naked Wines for small, independent vintners. Next, we wouldn't be surprised to see Shokay adding a digital element with some traceability to spread its stories further and in more detail, much the way those (and other) contenders have. A personalized nametag is a good start, but if www.shokay.com
Contact: info@shokay.com

Spotted by: Danielle Matsumoto

среда, 15 июля 2009 г.

America's Craziest Businesses.

Original: America's Craziest Businesses.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2009-07-15 10:34.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

1. http://cuddleparty.com/

Runs events at which adults "explore communication, boundaries, and affection" by donning pajamas and getting physical. Ix-nay on the naughty stuff.



4. http://pickydomains.com/

Get paid for picking domain names for other people



5. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15326

Drive-through strip joint.

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there's no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that's actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can's button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer's draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colours and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add to their piece.

YrWall, which can be hired short- or long-term or installed bespoke, has already been quite a hit at events like the UK's Secret Garden Party. Adding to the concept's appeal and branding opportunities, people can receive a free digital copy of their art to share with friends, or can have their design printed on t-shirts and stickers right after they've finalized their piece.

While YrWall isn't going to eclipse the interest in genuine street art and good old spray-can graffiti, it's an appealing mix of physical and digital, and of performance and play. Which could make for an irresistible offering for event organizers and their novelty-seeking clients.

Website: www.yrwall.com
Contact: www.yrwall.com/contact.aspx

Spotted by: Frank Meeuwsen

вторник, 14 июля 2009 г.

A Guiding Hand From Big Biz To Small

Original: A Guiding Hand From Big Biz To Small

A new cupcake alternative: gourmet churros

Original: A new cupcake alternative: gourmet churros

Sweet-toothed consumers suffering from cupcake ennui can already try a taste of the South in the form of Tennessee T-Cakes, as we've noted before. Now from the West, however, comes yet another alternative: churros, also known as Spanish fritters.

In their native Spain and in Southern California, traditional churros are a familiar concept, having enjoyed widespread popularity for years on account of their sweet, crunchy, pastry goodness. Offering a fresh and upgraded take on the ages-old confection, however, Xooro now operates two stores—in Santa Monica and West Hollywood—with a gourmet line of the mouth-watering fritters. Some fifteen flavours currently grace the signature Xooro line—including distinctly modern interpretations such as Turkish Hazelnut, Mango, and Maple Bacon—all of them cooked in rice bran oil, which Xooro calls "the world's healthiest edible oil" for its vitamins, antioxidants and lack of trans fats. Prices begin at USD 3.69 each.

Xooro is already planning to expand, with locations coming soon to Orlando, San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Diego. In addition, it's currently completing FTC franchise documentation, with an eye toward licensing franchises as well. One to get in on early...?

Website: www.xooro.com
Contact: contact@xooro.com

Spotted by: Brent Cohler

Cupcake Success

Original: Cupcake Success

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2009-07-13 08:55.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.sprinkles.com/

Sometimes success can be found only after changing career directions.

Candace Nelson was a former investment banker who realized, after losing her job in the dot-com bust, that her life's passion is baking. Candace then traded her suits to a baker's uniform and found culinary success with her cupcakes.

Candace came from a long line of cooks. Her great grandmother was renowned in the 1930s for the distinctive desserts she created in her San Francisco restaurant. So she went to a pastry school to further her hone her skills.

After graduation, Candace decided to start a business creating show-stopping custom cakes from her kitchen. However, she r e Business]

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

понедельник, 13 июля 2009 г.

Cupcake Success

Original: Cupcake Success

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2009-07-13 08:55.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

http://www.sprinkles.com/

Sometimes success can be found only after changing career directions.

Candace Nelson was a former investment banker who realized, after losing her job in the dot-com bust, that her life's passion is baking. Candace then traded her suits to a baker's uniform and found culinary success with her cupcakes.

Candace came from a long line of cooks. Her great grandmother was renowned in the 1930s for the distinctive desserts she created in her San Francisco restaurant. So she went to a pastry school to further her hone her skills.

After graduation, Candace decided to start a business creating show-stopping custom cakes from her kitchen. However, she r e Business]

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash

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