Founded on the premise that a group can relate the story of a shared experience better than a single person can, Group Story is a new photo book service that allows groups of consumers who attended the same event to pool their photographs and collaborate online to merge their memories and create multi-faceted, story-telling photo books.

Group Story co-founder George Junginger explains: “Current photo books are focused on photos, not the story, and they only have one editor. Group Story lets you pick and choose those pages from other people that are meaningful to you and that experience. Whether kids on a sports team, family reunions, group travel—anytime you have a group, you have a Group Story.”

Here’s how it works: group members upload and tag photos to a shared workspace. Each member then uses these pooled images to create pages of photos. Users can select single or multi-photo layouts, change the background colour and add text to their pages. Group members then pick and choose from other members' pages to assemble their own unique photo book. Online photo books can be created free of charge, and sharing will be available soon with Facebook integration for inviting group members. Printed photo books can be ordered for USD 12.99 for 20 pages in softcover format, and USD 24.99 for hardcover. Additional pages are 50 cents each.

Launched into public beta in March, Group Story currently only prints and ships within the US but is in the process of developing partnerships with printers in other countries to expand the service, and is open to partnership inquiries. (Related: Personal photo magazine made easy through boxed kit — Mini web-to-print photo albums — Free photo books for Facebook and Bebo users.)

Website: www.groupstory.com
Contact: george@groupstory.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

We love our pets. US consumers spent USD 45.5 billion on them in 2009, according to the American Pet Products Association. Increasingly, a good chunk of this money goes toward treating domestic animals in ways that reflect their owners' own lifestyle choices. Here are five products and services that reflect this anthropomorphic trend:

1. FIDO FACTOR — Fido Factor is a US directory of dog-friendly restaurants, venues, bookstores and other establishments. The site encourages user-generated content through its iPhone app, Facebook integration, and with the promise of a donation to San Francisco SPCA when new content gets added for that city.

2. COUNTRY DOGS — Country Dogs forms partnerships with farm owners near US cities to create boarding facilities for dogs in disused barns, stables or other outbuildings. Touting itself as a more stress-free alternative to urban kennels, the service emphasizes fresh air and exercise for customers' pets in a spacious, rural environment.

3. VET CARE EXPRESS — Vet Care Express provides emergency and non-emergency transport for sick and injured pets in the Florida area. They also provide a taxi service when pets need to be moved from A to B without their owners. Their 'animal ambulances' are fully equipped with appropriate cages, gurneys and first aid facilities.

4. VIYO — Prebiotic drinks such as Yakult and Actimel have become highly successful in recent years by combining some fairly sober medical rationale about immune systems with upbeat and positive lifestyle marketing. Inevitably, there's now a Belgian prebotic for pets. Viyo comes in a cat formula and a dog formula, with varieties for different ages. Like its equivalents for humans, the drink contains friendly bacteria plus nutrients, vitamins and other supplements.

5. PET SPEAKERS — Cats and dogs are sensitive to a much wider sound frequency range than their owners. Pet hearing specialists Pet Acoustics have created a music system designed to please man and beast alike: My Pet Speaker eliminates frequencies that go unnoticed by human listeners but could unsettle cats, dogs, and horses too. Plus the controls are all positioned so they can't be flicked by passing tails.

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann, Tom van Daele and Bill McMahon

By turning down the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit during the nighttime hours, consumers can save between 5 and 15 percent on their heating bills each year. With an eye toward helping to make that happen, Australian Lazypatch has created the Duvet Suit and other lounging gear aimed at keeping consumers warm while they reduce their energy usage at night.

With a drawstring waistband, large pockets for TV remotes and other essentials, a removable hood and a carrying bag that doubles as a pillowcase, the Duvet Suit is designed to keep wearers warm while they watch TV, take the dog for a bedtime walk, attend a sporting event or participate in any other occasion where cold can be a problem. Available in 12 different colours and patterns, the polyester-filled Duvet Suit is priced at AUD 130 for a full suit or AUD 65 for the pants or jacket alone. The AUD 170 Deluxe Down Suit, by contrast, features duck down and duck feather fill, also with a 100% cotton outer layer. Then there are Lazypatch's AUD 40.70 thermal boots with duck down filling and ultra soft leather/suede soles. Lazypatch is currently in discussions with a dyeing and printing company, meanwhile, to enable customized colours and patterns.

It may already be winter in Australia, but in the Northern Hemisphere there's still plenty of time before the cold weather sets in. Stockists in northerly climes: the timing could be just right for you!

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

A one-stop-shop for those planning an event or party, EventNow connects consumers with pre-screened event vendors who compete for their business.

After registering with EventNow, consumers submit a form outlining their event requirements and budget. Within hours, they're contacted via email or phone by up to five event service providers that can fulfill their requests. Users can then browse those vendors' portfolio galleries, customer reviews and ratings. The service is free for consumers, and vendors pay a lead fee for each customer match. EventNow offers over 350 categories of event services ranging from caterers and equipment hire to ice sculptures and butterfly releases.

EventNow is another shining example of the intention economy at work: buyers stating a purchasing intention, and sellers competing for their business. The service affords event vendors laser-focused access to their target audience in purchasing mode, and offers event-planning consumers a more convenient and efficient marketplace. The New York-based startup launched in April with more than 445,000 vendors in its directory and plans to reach 1 million vendors by the end of the year. Time to start up something similar, or partner with EventNow to set up international versions? (Related: Ponoko ID lets shoppers and designers collaborate – Bank helps clients buy homes that aren’t for sale — Shipping marketplace capitalizes on intentions.)

Website: www.eventnow.com
Contact: customerservice@eventnow.com

Spotted by:  Cecilia Biemann

Just as summertime is the season for music festivals, so too has it become the time for an annual parade of innovative and eco-minded phone-charging initiatives to keep revelers' phones juiced. First up this year? Orange Power Wellies, which use the heat in festival-goers' feet to charge their mobile phones.

Created by Orange in collaboration with GotWind, Orange Power Wellies target Glastonbury Festival attendees with a power-generating sole that converts heat from the wearer's feet into an electrical current that can be used to charge a mobile phone. Twelve hours of frolicking at the festival in the thermoelectric boots provides enough power to charge a phone for one hour; for longer charging, festival-goers can head over to the dance tent for hotter feet and extra charge. Either way, at the end of the day users simply plug their phone into the power output at the top of the welly for charging. Orange will be showcasing the Orange Power Wellies prototype onsite at the festival, which takes place later this month. Also available at the festival will be Orange's Chill 'n' Charge tent with free charging.

We've now seen foot-pumped power, dance power and wind power used for festival phone-charging. Keep the eco-powered, festival-targeting innovations coming!

Website: www.gotwind.org/orange_power_wellies.htm
Contact: www.gotwind.org/contact.htm

Much the way TeachStreet helps consumers find nearby experts who can teach them something new, so Betterfly aims to connect them with teachers, tutors, coaches, trainers, stylists or anyone else who offers a service that can help them learn, look or feel better.

Now in beta, New York-based Betterfly deliberately excludes companies from its list of service providers, focusing instead on individuals with specific expertise. "When searching for someone to teach you Spanish, give you a massage or improve your yoga technique, it's more important to know who the best person is, rather than knowing just the name of a language school, spa or yoga studio," founder Joshua Schwadron explains. "Imagine if eHarmony.com told you that your future wife worked at Citigroup, but left it up to you to figure out who she is. Now what?" Such experts can create a free, highly customizable page on which they can promote their qualifications, services, locations, special offers and payment policies; display reviews from verified clients; upload resources like instructional videos and lesson plans; maintain real-time booking systems, complete with last-minute deals; and even create their own blogs. Users seeking an expert of some kind, meanwhile, can search for free based on more than 20 factors such as availability, friends' recommendations, verified reviews and value.

Ad-supported Betterfly is currently available only to U.S. users. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring self-improvers in your part of the world...?

Website: www.betterfly.com
Contact: www.betterfly.com/site/contactus

Back in 2008 we covered Plus 3 Network, the California-based site that lets fitness enthusiasts raise funds for charity with each workout. Picking up on a similar idea, Can Too is an Australian fitness club that provides professional training sessions and support in exchange for charitable fundraising.

Interested consumers begin by paying an AUD 100 joining fee to Cure Cancer Australia, the charity partner that benefits from the Can Too program. They then choose whether they want to focus their efforts on running or swimming, along with what type of event they'd like to train for. Options for runners are 10k, 21k and 42k events—involving training programs of 10, 14 and 20 weeks, respectively—while swimmers can choose from among 1 km, 2 km and 2.7 km ocean swims, with a 12-week training session. All skill levels are welcome to participate in the programs, which provide twice-weekly training sessions, daily guides, speakers and social events. In return for participation, members are responsible for fundraising for Cure Cancer Australia. Runners commit to raising AUD 800, AUD 1,250 or AUD 2,000, depending on which marathon they run, while swimmers must raise AUD 1,250 regardless of which ocean swim they participate in. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Macquarie Group Foundation, all raised funds go directly to Cure Cancer Australia; since 2005, nearly AUD 4 million has been raised.

For potential donors, traditional contributions to charity can often feel abstract and removed from the cause at hand. By tying those donations to personal fitness, there's bound to be a sense of increased involvement and gratification—not to mention a proportionately larger contribution at the other end. A model to emulate the world over!

Website: www.cantoo.org.au
Contact: info@cantoo.org.au

Spotted by: Emma Crameri

Back in October we covered SeatGeek, the free service that helps users find tickets to concerts and sporting events when they're at their lowest price. Recently the company launched a new feature aimed at season ticket holders that helps them price, sell and manage their entire ticket investment.

TicketPortfolio is a web-based application that allows season ticket holders to treat their tickets much like a portfolio of stocks. Specifically, the service leverages SeatGeek’s extensive database of historical transaction data, market-based pricing capabilities and forecasting technology to give ticket holders a real-time snapshot of their portfolio and a way to track its fluctuating value over the course of the season. With an intuitive online interface, users can easily manage and plan how they would like to use their tickets. Selling recommendations—powered by SeatGeek’s patent-pending forecasting algorithm—are available on a game-by-game basis and are accompanied by direct links to the top secondary markets, including StubHub, RazorGator and TicketsNow. New York-based SeatGeek offers a free, two-week trial on TicketPortfolio; thereafter, it's USD 15 per month.

Given the investment they represent, treating season tickets like assets in a portfolio makes good sense, particularly when combined with a fresh shot of pricing transparency. What other consumer investments could benefit from the centralized view of a portfolio approach...? (Related: Ticketing marketplace makes prices negotiable — Used cars & price transparency.)

Website: seatgeek.com/ticketportfolio
Contact: admin@seatgeek.com

Spotted by: Arie Abecassis

It's been a few years since we first came across the Linkle sewing café in Berlin, but recently one of our spotters alerted us to a like-minded establishment in France: Sweat Shop, conveniently located near Canal Saint-Martin in Paris.

Aiming to facilitate the DIY movement in the world of clothing, Sweat Shop offers 10 workstations equipped with Singer sewing machines as well as a central communal table. Amid a relaxed atmosphere featuring funky furniture, hot beverages and organic treats, sewing enthusiasts can come and go as they please, paying rates of EUR 6 per hour to rent a machine or EUR 25 for the day, including tee and coffee. A series of weekly workshops on sewing and knitting techniques are also available, ranging from EUR 20 to EUR 80 per class. American brand Singer sponsored the sewing machines; Sweat Shop also sells kits including everything necessary to create a particular item of clothing, according to a report in the New York Times, with prices ranging from EUR 30 to EUR 100.

Given the continuing interest in all things DIY, there are still plenty of opportunities to facilitate the customer made trend among crafters in other parts of the world. Time to offer—or sponsor—some “stitch & bitch” sessions in a cozy being space near you...? (Related: All-in-one kits for style-sensitive knitting novices — Retailer helps tweens make their own clothes — A being space for learning English.)

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

Spotted by: Lamia Aloui

Consumers may be able to design their own sleeping bags, but it's a safe bet that few would come up with a jacket, tent and sleeping bag in one. That, however, is just what Seattle-based JakPak has innovated, aimed primarily at outdoors and sports enthusiasts on the go.

JakPak bills itself as the world’s first all-in-one waterproof jacket, sleeping bag and tent, with the goal of “providing safety and comfort in an unpredictable world.” The patented JakPak design combines a waterproof sleeping bag, minimally structured tent and insect netting into a comfortable jacket, creating an instant dry habitat that is ideal for outdoor sports enthusiasts, people living in areas prone to natural disaster and anyone else on the go outdoors. Made from 3.1 oz., urethane-coated ripstop nylon polyester body fabric, the JakPak includes a detachable tent that provides shelter over the head, neck and shoulders. Attached “no-see-um” netting deters small insects, while an integrated sleeping bag folds in and out of the jacket for quick and easy access.

Due to be available later this spring in the U.S., the JakPak is priced at USD 249.99. Sports and outdoors retailers around the world: one to get in on early...?

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

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel