critical assumption: February 2009

2/12/2009

Springwise | Top Business Trends [right now]

Posted by amckinnis | tags..... Springwise, trends

Looking through the list - what first jumped out at me was the feeling that creativity does not stop, even in tough economic times. There are people trying out new ideas and concepts to either start their business, expand it or take it into a new directions. If nothing else, we are a resilient lot. I really like the fictional brand ball cap idea and am impressed with Sears venturing into a new way retail area. Enjoy!

Caps for fans of fictional brands
Fashion & beauty / Entertainment

Lucky Seven makes custom caps that bear the logos of fictional
companies featured in cult films and television shows, immediately
recognizable only to likeminded fans.

Hotel perks for Mercedes drivers
Automotive / Travel & tourism

Through Mercedes' Destinations program, Merc drivers are entitled
to exclusive benefits at partner hotels, including complimentary use
of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, welcome gifts and room upgrades.

Building green habits, one step at a time
Eco & sustainability / Lifehacks

Green Groove aims to help consumers create and stick to a plan to
eliminate their unsustainable ways and embrace new, greener
habits.

Pay-what-you-want hotel in Singapore
Travel & tourism / Marketing & advertising

The new Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen hotel just last week launched
a promotion that lets guests choose the rate they want to pay for a
night's stay.

Pre-cut decorations for IKEA furniture
Homes & housing

Sydney-based Grippiks sells adhesive sheets in a variety of bright
colours and patterns for use on the surfaces of many models of IKEA
furniture.

Group buying for new parents
Retail

Regular readers are already familiar with the benefits consumers
can enjoy when they team up and buy as a crowd. A new site brings
those advantages to buyers of baby and children's goods.

Tracking one's sex life online
Lifestyle & leisure

An entirely personal application, Bedpost is a way for consumers to
keep track of the sexual encounters they've had by logging in and
entering some key details after each one.

Hotel uses tech perks to draw youthful travellers
Travel & tourism

Technology-enabled hotels seem to be popping up all around the
globe, and recently one of our spotters alerted us to one in Germany
that's aimed specifically at budget-oriented youthful travellers.

Industry community for kids' products
Retail / Media & publishing

Based in New Zealand, Skout Trade Fair is an online community that
aims to help those in the children's products industry find each other
and connect.

Helping media buyers find sellers of alt advertising
Marketing & advertising

DOmedia bills itself as a matchmaking service for media buyers and
sellers. Listed in its database are opportunities to advertise on college
student notebooks, on phone kiosks, on golf carts and in restrooms.

Jackets and bags made to be handed down
Fashion & beauty / Eco & sustainability

Countering the forces of "fast fashion", British brand Howies is
focusing on the long-lasting quality of its newest clothing line,
appropriately named Hand-Me-Down.

Sears blends online & off in new retail experiments
Retail / Lifehacks

MyGofer is a new, warehouse-style retail concept that aims to offer
both the convenience and selection of an online store and the
immediacy and low prices of a discount retailer.

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2/07/2009

OpenZine | When a blog is just not enough

Posted by amckinnis | tags..... business, ideas, Online, user created content

The title for the post was inspired by a tweet I received from Humby Valdes one of the founder of OpenZine [btw, he started OpenZine with his brother Kiki] - when I asked what he meant, he replied with the following:

"think of a blog as a newspaper (what is new right now) and OpenZine is a magazine (360 view of what happened)"

Now, I've had this blog for awhile - don't remember exactly when I started it, but a while back. And I have played around with blogs since at least 2001 in various open source formats. The blog premise is primarily a steam of conscientiousness - a diary - or as the as the name implies, it's a "log" file. Blogs are not necessarily fancy [although they have gotten that way] and their basic function is to create a time-stamped entry. Few people that will dig through the archives of a blog, because as Humby stated "its about right now".

Magazines are different - people collect magazines. They are less about now and more about the experience - the beauty of something or the complexity of something. They are topical, informative and many have a shelf life of years. Does that translate to the internet? Can you truly make a magazine come alive online - or is it only defined by the tactal feeling of paper?

Here what they say about themselves...

OpenZine began as an idea in 1993 to create a publication that was open to ideas from different perspectives and multiple sources. As it grew, readers would send in letters, articles & pictures that were often included in issues. OpenZine would later become one of the most acclaimed Zine’s of it’s time.

Back then, the heart of OpenZine was heavily based on layout and graphics.
Aside from its initial success, OpenZine hit hard times. Then later Kiki went off to college. Humby fell into deep depression thinking his life’s passion was dead. All was lost! OpenZine would never publish another issue, so he thought…

Seven years later, on a drive up to Tallahassee to visit Humby’s daughter, lighting hit! Print is dead but OpenZine can live again! In 2008 that original idea from 1993 advanced to allow everyone to create their very own version of OpenZine. Giving users all the possible tools they'll need to discover, create and socially share information.

I like the concept and agree that blogs can take you only so far, but for a few, what's needed is more expression - and more beauty. Below are example magazines available through OpenZine...

Metro Station is the best band ever, so you are wonder what are there name well Trace Cyrus is Miley Cyrus brother and Mason Musso is Michal Musso brother Blake Healy and Anthony Improgo famous for his YouTube show AntCam, Trace Cyrus is 19 years old and from tennessee Mason Musso is 19 and from Texas Blake Healy is 27 and from michigan and Anthony Improgo is 19 and from Seattle, They only have one album called "Metro Station"

HumbyZine's Review...Business success using social media is the future of business. Joel Postman lays out a clear path to keeping your customers happy and talking about your brand.

The Art of ZARUM...I am an Artist with an understanding of what my Art is and where it's destiny lies. It is, like anything worthwhile in my life, a passion which must be satisfied. My work is for sale and select commissions are considered. In my art, I address everyone who dares to see beauty in creation, anyone who allows themselves to be inspired about freedom, all who believe in tenderness, In this publication I want to share my thoughts, expressions, art, and more about the Artist.

I think the web has evolved to the point where we need to be more creative - move beyond single "entries" and begin thinking about creating something lasting. OpenZine looks like a place to do that - to step beyond the moment of "now".

So if you believe you need something more than a blog, then why not a OpenZine? The implementation seems straight forward and what you can create something "more". Good luck to OpenZine - Humby and Kiki - we need something more than blogs and this is just the place to do it.

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2/05/2009

Springwise | This week's brightest new business ideas

Posted by amckinnis | tags..... business, ideas, Springwise

Looking through the list below, I decided that we do live in both scary and exciting times. It's scary because we now know just how fragile our financial world really is - but exciting because out of chaos there's opportunity. And if you're looking for ideas - either to purchase or start a business - this list is a great place to start. Enjoy!

Online practice dispenses self-help physio advice
Lifestyle & leisure

Patients can often self-manage their recovery with the help of some
expert advice. That's the premise behind a new physiotherapy practice
that focuses purely on dispensing self-help guidance online.

More low-impact branding from Curb: snow tagging
Marketing & advertising

Curb -- the media agency that specializes in campaigns using natural
materials -- called to let us know that they'd added another novel
medium to their offerings: snow tagging.

Restaurant lets patrons reserve a specific table
Food & beverage

Madrid restaurant chain Wagaboo is following the lead of airlines
and theatres, allowing customers to pick and reserve a specific table
online.

Mini loans in minutes
Financial services

Technology makes the world move ever faster, and a British startup
aims to bring that velocity to the world of financing: Wonga offers tiny,
instant loans through online-only applications.

Touch-screen Coke machine for interactive vending
Food & beverage / Marketing & advertising

Developed in conjunction with Sapient, Samsung's uVending touch-
screen technology brings a whole new level of consumer interaction
to automatic vending.

Tuning into a personalized radio tribute
Lifestyle & leisure / Entertainment

Launched in November 2008 by two British radio presenters,
Fauxshow creates personalized radio shows that put a recipient in the
spotlight.

Media agency focuses on low-impact advertising
Marketing & advertising / Eco & sustainability

Curb creates branded sand sculptures of all sizes; burns patterns and
logos into wood using magnifying glasses; and offers a 'logrow'
service to cut logos as big as 30m wide into turf.

High-five the panda to connect online
Lifestyle & leisure

After meeting and greeting in the real world, users who want to
connect online can whip out their Poken keyrings and 'high five' them
to exchange details by RFID.

Wind-energy mapping tool now covers the world
Eco & sustainability

When we last wrote about the FirstLook mapping tool for new-energy
entrepreneurs, it covered only the United States. Now, the wind-
mapping service has expanded to cover the whole world.

ING application for G1 phone points to nearest ATM
Financial services / Telecom & mobile

ING's Wegwijzer tool for finding ATMs is the (Google) phone equivalent
of asking a human for directions and having them point to what you're
looking for. No map-reading necessary.

Bixi brings urban bike-sharing to North America
Transportation

Bixi follows the standard bike sharing principles: users take a bike
from a stand, ride it to where they want to go, and drop it at another
stand when they're done.

Music by Groove Armada, distribution by Bacardi
Entertainment / Marketing & advertising

Six weeks before Groove Armada will release their new EP through
traditional download stores, the first track appeared Bacardi B-Live,
where registered users can download it for free.

Blogger helps connect consumers and brands
Media & publishing / Marketing & advertising

Partner manufacturers will send samples of their latest products to
Brand Girl, who will review them on her blog, getting readers involved
through contests, giveaways, etc.

Favour-granting site helps friends help each other
Life hacks

People seeking a babysitter, job referral or help moving a couch, to
name just a few examples, can all use FriendlyFavor to ask for help,
as can people with favours to offer.

The nutritional low-down on fast-food restaurants
Food & beverage / Telecom & mobile

For each of the fast-food restaurants on Fatburgr, the site lists the
calories, fat, carbs and fibre content for each menu item, and users
can sort the list by any of those criteria.