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| TweetStarGame a Modern Database for Modern Sports | | Friday, March 09, 2012 10:21 PM | Sam Laird |
|  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Quick Pitch: A one-stop, constantly updating database of social media's most influential athletes in different sports and leagues. Genius Idea: As social continues to permeate sports, brands, fans and players will want to quickly know who wields the most power online. Sports and social media are becoming more and more intertwined. Twitter has become central for fan conversation. Brands routinely use Facebook for sports-themed promotions. Teams are even beginning to pick up on Pinterest. And players are all over social networks. But there are few one-stop shops to quantify and analyze which athletes are working the social web best. TweetStarGame aims to fill that void. The site ranks players in different sports, leagues and divisions according to Klout score, and creates "starting lineups" based on whose numbers are highest. The site's 25-year-old founder Caleb Mezzy hopes it eventually becomes a go-to source for information on the intersection of sports and social. "Ultimately, we want to become similar to what ESPN is for player stats," he says. For now, TweetStarGame is very much in startup mode. Mezzy runs it with the help of two friends on top of his day job in social media, but the site has gained some attention recently in the world of sports blogging since launching in earnest just before the new year. Before the Super Bowl, Klout itself actually sourced the TweetStarGame's organized data for an infographic on which teams and players were best on Twitter. Mezzy also says TweetStarGame can provide value for companies looking for potential endorsers because "a brand can go in and see which players are most influential in their territory -- for example just the National League Central -- instead of having to search through each individual Klout score." Building the site's profile and influence are the main focus for now, Mezzy says, then revenue streams will become more of a priority. The site recently launched a store featuring t-shirts of players' Twitter handles -- a funny and appropriate take on the popular "shirsey" apparel genre that crosses t-shirts with jerseys. While it still has a ways to go before becoming a viable business, TweetStarGame is an interesting idea extremely appropriate for the modern sports zeitgeist. If players themselves buy in to its rankings and actually compete for high rankings, however, the site could become huge. Do you think TweetStarGame can become a success? Let us know in the comments. Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, LUGO |
| Domain Names 101: How to Avoid Dot-Com Disasters [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Friday, March 09, 2012 8:30 PM | Joann Pan |
|  The overflow of quick and witty reaction tweets to the new iPad name proves a name is never just a name. This applies for domain names, too. Here are tips to help you avoid these classic dot-com disasters -- poolife.com, therapistsfinder.com or IPallover.com. DomainNameSales.com, a name registration and web hosting company, created an infographic to teach brands domain name 101. The first tip is to invest in your domain name as you would secure a primary location for a storefront. "Donâ?Tt cut corners with your online identity," says Frank Schilling, founder of DomainNameSales.com and an Internet entrepreneur. "A better domain name will lower your lifetime marketing costs." A great example of this is Diapers.com, which gets an average of 106 million unique visitors. More than half of these visitors found the site by using "diapers" as a search term. It's the first thing that comes up on Google before a Wikipedia article about diapers, Walmart.com and Amazon.com. Short, generic, descriptive and memorable adjectives make great website domains. Skip dashes, long names, broken language and made-up terms. Many businesses make a mistake by quickly choosing to go with a name rather than weighing all the options, Schilling says. SEE ALSO: Tea Party Domain Name Could Fetch $1 Million Using a company name such as MagnoliasCupcake.com may be an obvious choice, but not the right one. Shorter, more memorable names like mycupcake.com and ilovecupcakes.com can make a difference. Schilling said you should ask, "What message does your domain send?" when considering a branded domain or generic domain. "Cupcakes.com may not be for everyone," he said. "But owning the bold, generic single word or multi-word phrase that describes your services sends a powerful message to competitors and industry." Just as Facebook has secured numerous anti-Facebook or common Facebook.com typos, Schilling said you should do secure domain names for your brand -- or someone you love. The domain guru registered a domain name 10 years ago for his 10-year-old nephew. "The 7 billionth person has just been born on this planet and, in 10 years, he too will want an email address," he says. "All these people will eventually aspire to own better names. The time to secure those better names is now." What crazy domain names have you seen on the Internet? Tell us in the comments. Thumbnail courtesy of Flickr, liquene |
| CardFlick Puts Your Instagram and Facebook Pictures On Virtual Business Cards | | Friday, March 09, 2012 8:10 PM | Emily Price |
|  Virtual business card company CardFlick is giving its products a new look with the introduction of InstaCards, a web-based feature that now allows you to create virtual business cards using your Facebook and Instagram photos. Cards created using the service can be shared -- or "flicked" -- to others who are using the app, as well as emailed to new or existing contacts. CardFlick has been downloaded more than 80,000 times, and according to founder Ketan Anjaria, the average InstaCard user shares those cards eight times a week versus the roughly two shares a traditional card built on the app sees. â?oDesign separates the best,â? Anjaria told Mashable, â?oWhen you meet people, your first impression is everything.â? CardFlick is part of a growing number of virtual business card apps. In November, LinkedIn announced CardMunch, an app that allows you to take a picture of a traditional paper business card you receive and then save the content of the card as a contact in your phone. The app also integrates information from a person's LinkedIn profile into the experience, so you can instantly see education and work experiences you might have in common with the person. SEE ALSO: Is It Time To Finally Ditch Your Paper Business Cards? If you're excited about the prospect of putting your Facebook pictures on cards but aren't ready to go virtual, the company Moo also started offering paper business cards this year designed to mimick your Facebook Timeline. There are also quite a few other unique traditional business card companies out there that can help you create memorable paper business cards. Do you think virtual business cards on on their way to replacing their paper counterparts? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. |
| 10 Innovative Uses of Facebook Timeline for Brands | | Friday, March 09, 2012 7:51 PM | Christine Erickson |
|  Now that brands have had a bit of time to familiarize themselves with Facebook Timeline, they've stepped up their game and gotten creative. Several companies have already hopped on the Timeline bandwagon -- some are making cool use of the cover photos -- but is that really all there is to Timeline? Of course not. There are tons of cool ways to make use of Timeline's new features, whether you're a large business or small. SEE ALSO: Facebook Timeline for Brands: The Complete Guide A lot of these options don't necessarily require a Facebook promotion either, although that's almost always a surefire way to interact with new followers. Rather, many brands are simply providing their fans with valuable and entertaining content. Have you switched over to Timeline? What ways are you utilizing the new features? Let us know in the comments. |
| Would You Subscribe To Your Own Cereal Creation? | | Friday, March 09, 2012 5:04 PM | Sarah Kessler |
|  Puffed quinoa? Mini cookies? Maybe throw in some blueberries, cinnamon or chia seeds? Whatever you want in your breakfast bowl, a newly hatched startup called Cerealize wants to sell you a subscription to it. The startup's eleven founders met at the start of an unusual hackathon called The Startup Bus on Tuesday. They've spent the past four days alongside other teams of entrepreneurs putting together a pilot site -- while in transit to South by Southwest in Austin. "We basically haven't slept in four days," says co-founder Falon Fatemi. "And we have been partying while launching a startup. It's a bonding experience." Why cereal? It's easy to mass customize and it sells for much more than it costs to make. Similar companies have been started for granola and soda for the same reasons. Cerealize plans to sell custom 16 ounce boxes for $8 each, and customers will be able to choose to have their favorite blends delivered regularly. Only four days from its inception, the idea is still far from a launch date. Co-founder Jonas Huckestein says the site might fulfill preorders made on the pilot side manually before it builds machines to do it automatically. But placing an order with a four-day-old startup is always less than a solid bet. If you happen to live in Germany, you could instead get your custom mail-order cereal fix from a similar company that's established there. But if you're in the U.S., you were out of luck -- until Cerealize. Huckestein says Cerealize (or at least a handful of its copious co-founders) now wants to bring that system stateside. Would you buy a cereal subscription? Let us know in the comments. |
| Fashion Advice App Fashism Dives Into Ecommerce, Launches on Android | | Friday, March 09, 2012 3:29 PM | Lauren Indvik |
|  Fashism, a website and mobile app that lets users solicit community feedback on style, is diving into ecommerce with the launch of an accessories shop. Now, when users are told to "add a belt" or "toss in some bangles" to spruce up their outfits, they can act immediately on that advice. Fashism co-founder and CEO Brooke Moreland says the move into retail was inspired by the community itself. Of the hundreds of thousands of comments left on users' outfits, many include recommendations to add a single accessory. Quirky pieces of jewelry and scarves, as well as nail decals, also tend to attract the most votes, she says. So Fashism decided to begin offering those items for purchase directly. Items were chosen with the site's young (mostly teenage), budget-conscious community in mind. Most accessories are priced in the $12 to $15 range. Nothing costs more than $30. Users will be able to access the shop on Fashism's website, Facebook and via Fashism's iPhone app. The shop is launching with an inventory of just 50 items, but Fashism is planning to expand into ready-to-wear clothing as well as low-priced designer collaborations. Well-known industry figures, including investor and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia, will help put together "curated collections" for the site. In addition, Fashism is rolling out its Android app Friday. The app allows users to post outfit photos and comment on others' looks on-the-go but does not include access to the shop. Fashism.com currently receives around 200,000 unique visitors per month. |
| 3 Tradeoffs Your Startup Should Consider Before Partnering | | Friday, March 09, 2012 1:34 PM | Omar Tellez |
|  Omar H. Téllez is founder/CEO of SCHEDit, a "hyper-social" events calendar that recently partnered with Boston.com to launch My Events. Called "Twitter for events" by Mashable, SCHEDit helps users connect with the right people, the right places at the right time. As entrepreneurs, we typically face more questions than answers. Then, we reach that first moment of glory: We confirm that a) our product does indeed work, and b) there is a demand for it. Surely, one of the most pressing questions is determining the optimal market path, and specifically, whether partnering with an established distribution platform, portal or brand can add transformative value to your company. Entrepreneurs don't think enough about this issue, but rather, can sometimes be consumed by the moment of glory. But in doing so, we limit the potential of our companies and our investors. Giving consideration to partnership is essential for success. Whichever avenue you choose, you, your company and your investors will be better for it. Since weâ?Tve seen plenty of partnership failures (i.e., Apple and Motorola (ROKR); Sprint and Clearwire, etc.), it's important to carefully consider your partnership options. While there is certainly no proven approach to answer the partnership question, Iâ?Tve identified three key tradeoffs to consider. 1. Visibility vs. Cost Will the increased awareness and visibility that partners can provide offset the costs or foregone revenue of the relationship? For instance, in signing a "free" (attribution only) licensing deal with CNN, Keyhole incurred the cost of supporting a demanding partner, but received a large goose egg in revenue for the effort. However, the visibility that came out of the relationship was essential to the success of Keyhole's product, and paved the way toward its Google acquisition. 2. Market Time vs. Revenue Path Acceleration Can you live with a longer time to market (add at least 3-6 months to your expectations) with the foresight that that waiting period will be offset by a revenue path acceleration? Remember that your partner is likely to have a large and hungry sales force and is willing to try new things in its sales kits, which will likely accelerate your revenue path. So, be ready to go on joint sales calls and buy lunch for your partner's customers. 3. Functionality vs. Elegance Can you swallow your pride and enable functionality, content or design that your partner asks of you, even when you believe it will take away from the elegance of the product? An established portal and/or brand can provide the technical gravitas and UX/UI depth that means the difference for a startup's performance and marketplace acceptance. Remember, however, to retain your independence while incorporating your partnerâ?Ts best feedback. It would be naïve to assume your potential partner doesnâ?Tt face tradeoff dilemmas of its own. In many ways, those tradeoffs may even be more complex. Surely, these are no easy tradeoffs, and your investors may even make the process more complex -- different investors have different expectations. But if you can look at your potential partner in the eye and come out ahead in at least two of the above mentioned tradeoffs, dig your heels deep and go for it as if there were no tomorrow. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, webphotographeer. |
| HowAboutWe's New Site Helps Couples Discover Outings | | Friday, March 09, 2012 12:59 PM | Sarah Kessler |
|  Online dating site HowAboutWe faces the same paradox as any matchmaker: "The better you do at your job," explains co-founder Brian Schechter, "the more likely that your customers will never come back to you." The startup announced Friday it will launch a new site targeted at committed couples that could help keep people engaged even after they're matched up. Only in the most boring of relationships does dating end with courtship, and HowAboutWe for Couples will help people in relationships find and plan interesting dates. HowAboutWe is particularly equipped to define interesting dates. Its singles site, which launched nationally about a year ago, matches people by dates instead of through explicit shared interests. Users find each other by either proposing dates (i.e. "How about we drink beer and play pinball") or searching for dates they'd like to go on. The startup has about 700,000 user-created dates in its database. Schechter says this database may play a role in the new date discovery site. Eventually there may also be a feature that matches couples up for double dates in a similar way to how HowAboutWe matches them for dates when they're single. In addition to helping plan dates, the new couples site will help with logistics such as hiring a babysitter and making reservations. "We always helped people find love," Schechter says, "now we want to help people sustain love." Image courtesy of iStockphoto, weareadventurers |
| Self Magazine to Launch Facebook Diet Program and Social Game | | Friday, March 09, 2012 12:15 PM | Joann Pan |
|  Women's health and fitness magazine Self is upping its investment in Facebook. The publication is launching a social game and diet program on the social network next week. The "Self Workout in the Park Social Game" developed by the magazine's VP and publisher Laura McEwen is inspired by the exercise-themed events Self throws in major cities every year. The "Drop 10 Diet Together" is one of many diet programs the magazine has developed in conjunction with health and fitness experts over the years. Facebook is where Self readers are already connecting with each other, says editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger. "We created an app for Facebook, so you can create a micro-community where you and, let's say, five best friends who are going to be bridesmaids can drop weight," Danziger told Mashable. "By supporting each other you will lose more weight." The Drop 10 program will live on Facebook as an application. Customizable settings including team names, member invites and page privacy. Individuals are encouraged to try the diet and exercise plans designed to help users drop 10 pounds in ideally five weeks. Friends and family can send out invites to anyone on Facebook to share eating plans, card calendar, exercises and logs to track calories and daily meals. The full plan of eating plans and workouts will be available on the magazine's main page. Danziger, who has been Self's editor-in-chief for more than a decade, spoke of the importance of the web to the brand's future. "The old way of 'create a magazine once a month, put it out there and then you move on' is no longer valid," she said. "Now you have a 24/7 relationship with your readers who give you feedback on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest." The magazine believes it's time for the print publishers to engage with readers who are feverishly tweeting, pinning and liking. "The world of technology holds hands with print," she said. "When you are reading a story you enjoy the experience of reading. But when you go on line you are in a user head space -- you need tools interactive functionality." The magazine hopes to engage with old and new readers online. Those interested in the diet will need to like the Facebook Self page, create a group, invite members and choose to share progress on social networks -- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and Foursquare -- or choose to keep the group diet a secret. A weight loss goal is the sum of pounds each individual's goal. Personal weight ups and downs are always private. The weight loss app and the new social game targets women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, although anyone can install the app. The Facebook game will feature personalized avatars that tone up just as players would with regular exercise. There are virtual prizes and puzzles to keep Facebook gamers happy. Think Cityville or The Sims Social with yoga and Zumba. With these new Facebook initiatives, the company is hoping double their current 180,000-plus Facebook fanbase. SEE ALSO: Inside The Atlantic: How One Magazine Got Profitable by Going â?~Digital Firstâ?T "Obviously we want to serve reader well," Danziger said. "The biggest goal for me and for Self is to grow this brand magazine on every platform in every direction." The Drop 10 Facebook initiative will launch on March 13 along with the April issue. The Workout in the Park game on Facebook will launch on March 19. Image courtesy of Flickr, Edson Hong |
| Loopt Acquired for $43.4 Million | | Friday, March 09, 2012 10:31 AM | Todd Wasserman |
|  Loopt, one of the last of the pure play location-based-services companies, has been acquired by banking and payment services firm Green Dot Corp. for $43.4 million, the company announced on Friday. Green Dot is planning to integrate Loopt into its operations to improve customer acquisition and retention of its current prepaid debit cards. The company also hopes Loopt will help it drive adoption of new banking and payment products and give the company an edge in mobile payments. After the transaction closes, Looptâ?Ts current headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., will become the new Silicon Valley hub for Green Dotâ?Ts mobile technology and product development team, according to a press release from Green Dot. Founded in 2005, Loopt predated Foursquare, but was overshadowed by that service. Though Loopt hasn't released subscriber figures, Foursquare is said to have around 22 million subscribers. Loopt's other major competitor, Gowalla, was acquired by Facebook in December 2011. This past week, former Gowalla CEO Josh Williams emerged to promote a new Facebook initiative to integrate location-based data, among other enhancements, to Facebook apps. The Loopt buy caps off a tumultuous few months for location-based services. Even the current king of the category Foursquare has gone through many changes of late; earlier this week, co-founder Naveen Selvadurai announced he was leaving the company, shortly after it had moved into a larger office space. Image courtesy of Flickr, Roland |
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