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It may now be possible to add digital data to a traditional cemetery marker, but that's not necessarily the same as creating a full-fledged online memorial. Aiming to enable the latter, 1000Memories provides a place for friends and family to gather and remember deceased loved ones. To create an online memorial, users of 1000Memories begin by customizing a homepage for the deceased, including a full-screen photo. They then invite family and friends to the site, where a dedicated page allows everyone to see all the activity there so far. Stories and memories about the deceased are easily shared on the site, as are photos from a variety of sources. An online guestbook, meanwhile, lets all visitors leave a brief note to share their thoughts and feelings. 1000Memories even allows users to start a project in someone's honour or direct donations to a favorite charitable cause. While the field of online memorial services is a crowded one, many of those sites were clearly created in the early days of the web. With its fresh design and more current feature set, 1000Memories sets itself apart and could attract a sizeable audience. Using 1000Memories is currently free, and it appears that's not likely to change: ultimately, San Francisco-based Hampshire St. Experiment—the startup behind the site—is considering creating and selling print books of the content on individual sites, according to a report on TechCrunch. Who will step up as partner to help make that happen...? (Related: From online baby blogs to printed baby books.) Website: www.1000memories.com Spotted by: Margarita Barry |
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“Buy one, give one” initiatives are increasingly common forms of corporate generosity, but it wasn't until recently that we began seeing them involving children. Much the way Happy Blankie lets recipients of its animal blankets help decide where the donated ones get sent, so Texas-based clothing maker Whitten Grey aims to let the girls who wear its dresses participate in donating similar ones to girls in far-off lands. Through Whitten Grey's Project Little Grey Dress, buyers of any eco-friendly dress from the company receive a unique code along with their purchase. When they enter that code online, they can then choose what country they'd like to donate a dress to—currently, the choices are Liberia, Guatemala, Malawi and Zimbabwe. After choosing the colour of the dress they'd like to send, girls can then enter a message they'd like to include for the girl who receives it. Generosity has become increasingly important to the Generation G masses, so it stands to reason they'd want their children to learn that virtue too. Purveyors of other kids' products, large and small: time to bring some charity-minded capabilities to your own pint-sized patrons...? (Related: Buy a onesie, donate one to a baby in need.) Website: www.whittengrey.com/give/ Spotted by: Inhabitots via Judy McRae |
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Forward-thinking manufacturers are working to decrease the amount of packaging used for their products. Some offer concentrated formulas, others sell refills in bags instead of containers. Now, a Canadian startup has come up with an innovative solution we hadn't yet spotted: refill cartridges that consumers dilute at home, with tap water. Developed by Planet People, the iQ line of household cleaning products features small cartridges of plant-based concentrate. Consumers fill a spray bottle with ordinary tap water and pop in a cartridge. The coloured concentrate visibly mixes with the water, and voila: a full bottle of cleaner. iQ comes in four varieties: glass, bathroom, floor and all-purpose cleaner. All made with non-toxic and environmentally sustainable ingredients. Besides reducing packaging and plastic waste, the system obviously cuts down on transportation, reducing fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. And—appealing to people's wallets as much as their conscience—iQ passes on packaging and transportation savings to its customers. iQ starter kits, which include a spray bottle full of solution and a first refill cartridge, retail for approximately CAD 6.49, while cartridges are approximately CAD 2.79. The products are currently available from natural food stores in Canada, and from Hannaford and Sweetbay in the US. If we weren't so busy reporting on new business ideas, we'd snap up international distribution rights ourselves ;-) Website: www.iqclean.com |
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Fashionistas love exclusivity, but usually it's all about who you know, or how much you're willing to spend. Creating a twist on limited editions is The Red Rail, a new Dutch fashion label that's only available to blood donors. The first Red Rail collection was presented at the Amsterdam Fashion Week last Friday, and consists of 20 unique outfits by 18 up-and-coming designers. Since the number of items is limited, The Red Rail will use a lottery to pick 20 winners. Over the next six months, people can select their favourite outfit, donate blood, and then send an email to theredrail@stichtingnobel.nl, listing their donor ID and the item they'd like to win. The lottery will take place in January 2011. Initiated by the Nobel Foundation and sponsored by the DOEN Foundation, the project was developed to enlist a new (younger) generation of blood donors, and to heighten awareness of the need to donate blood. According to Nivel, a Dutch research institute for health care, it's likely that the Netherlands will be facing a shortage of blood donors within three years. The Red Rail hopes to convey the message that a blood donation is a personal, altruistic gift, and one worth giving. Website: www.theredrail.com Spotted by: Yu-Lan van Alphen and Nicole Rietvelt |
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Both mobile warriors and casual travellers are all too familiar with the difficulty and expense that can be associated with getting an internet connection while travelling. A couple of years ago we covered RovAir's day-pass wireless mobile broadband service, and last month Finnish Zonga launched a like-minded alternative. Zonga's mobile wifi rental service uses a 3G wifi modem that's compatible with any wifi-enabled device. There's no need to install anything, and the battery-powered device allows up to 5 simultaneous connections to the mobile broadband data network. Pricing is EUR 9 per day including unlimited data and all costs. Zonga's “All You Can Internet” service is currently available only in Helsinki, with pick-up and drop-off locations at the airport and downtown hotels. Zonga aims to expand to other international airports over the course of next year, according to a report in Arctic Startup; one to partner with toward that end? Website: www.zonga.fi Spotted by: John Greene |
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Enabling customers to make the most of their time while their car is being serviced, independent Porsche dealership Autofarm recently began offering a complimentary travel service to and from a nearby luxury outlet mall. Rather than waiting out the four-hour car service at the garage, Autofarm will arrange for customers to be driven the four miles to and from Bicester Village to enjoy its outlet boutiques and restaurants. According to Autofarm, the service is designed to cater to the growing number of female Porsche owners, especially mothers. Autofarm’s Workshop Manager, Robin Bartholomew explains: “Getting the car serviced often falls to the lady of the house. Children understandably get bored waiting, but this provides an opportunity to go somewhere suitable, rather than being trapped in a car showroom or workshop waiting room.” It takes little tread off Autofarm's tires to offer the service, which provides a substantial value to their customers and is a great example of what our sister site would call a brand butler offering—something extended to consumers that helps make their lives easier and more enjoyable. How can your brand drive customers to new heights of satisfaction...? ;-) (Related: Hotel perks for Mercedes drivers – Fiat offers electric bikes as loaner vehicles — Volvo dealership loans bikes instead of cars.) Website: www.autofarm.co.uk |
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Stuffed animals and security blankets tend to be favourite sleeping companions among young children, but the Happy Blankie—one of the cutest innovations we've seen in some time—combines both into one. Not only that, but for each Happy Blankie sold another is donated, resulting in not just double but quadruple the comfort and quadruple the fun. Ohio-based Happy Blankie offers a line of four animal blankets made of luxurious plush “minky" fabric and silky charmeuse satin. Available in puppy, pig, frog and teddy bear versions, all feature an embroidered cheek-to-cheek smile and a plush embossed ribbon nose. Pricing ranges from USD 29 for an 18-by-18-inch size to USD 99 for a 48-by-56-inch version; personalization with a child's name is also available. Best of all, however, is that for every Happy Blankie sold, the company will donate another to a child in a hospital or orphanage. It even lets the buyer of the first blanket choose where the second one is given by following the instructions on the blanket's "giving is cool" tag. Who says there's no more room for innovation in the world of children's blankets and toys? Throw in a dash of buy-one/give-one generosity, and there will surely be sweet dreams all around! ;-) (Related: Personalized baby blankets, reborn — Bespoke baby blankets — Personalized books starring a child's favourite toy — Buy a onesie, donate one to a baby in need.) Website: www.happyblankie.com Spotted by: Sara Al Mulla
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For St. Louis's City Museum, salvaged garbage helps create a hyperlocal feel. For the Save the Beach Hotel, it's not just a building material but also a warning about the current state of Europe's beaches. Led by Mexican Corona Extra beer brand, the Save the Beach effort aims to recover at least one European beach per year from destruction by pollution and other human-caused damage. Last year it was Capocotta beach in Rome, and votes are currently being accepted online for this year's choice. To draw more attention to the challenge, the Save the Beach effort this summer built a hotel from garbage collected off Europe's beaches. Created by German artist HA Schult and installed next to Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, the Save the Beach Hotel was open from June 3 through 6. Some 12 tons of garbage collected from Europe's beaches—more than a million pieces—were used to build the two-story structure, which could accommodate up to 10 people. Its very first guest was former supermodel Helena Christensen. Schult explains: “The philosophy of this hotel is to expose the damage we are causing to the sea and the coastline. We live in the era of trash and we are running the risk of becoming trash ourselves. Do we really want this world?” If a picture is worth a thousand words, just imagine how many could be packed into a trash-based hotel—not just about the problem at hand but also about the Corona brand's eco-generosity. One to be inspired by! (Related: Pop-up cafe is a (straw) monument to sustainability.) Website: www.coronasavethebeach.org Spotted by: Martina Meng |
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The failings of survey panels are nothing if not well-known to market-researchers and clients alike, but still they remain widely used—albeit expensive and slow—tools for collecting data. Aiming to provide higher-quality results at a lower price, Chicago-based Lab42 conducts its clients' surveys not in artificially assembled panels but in the social networks where target respondents naturally spend their time. Clients begin by telling Lab42 about their products and their target consumers. Lab42 then helps to craft a survey, with the option of focusing it based on gender, age, location, lifestyle and interests. Next, Lab42 takes the resulting survey to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and smaller niche social networks, using highly targeted incentives to garner attention and responses while consumers go about their day-to-day activities. Two packages are available from Lab42: a premium one for USD 500, with results in three days or less; and a preliminary one for USD 300, with results in 5 days or less. Custom arrangements are also possible. It's always refreshing to see services that have traditionally been performed slowly and expensively rethought and remade to reflect new technologies and new societal shifts. One to try out when researching your next big thing...? (Related: Advice from the crowds, with a market-research twist — Open polls gauge popular opinion in minutes — Brainstorming service uses Twitter to crowdsource ideas overnight.) Website: www.lab42.com Spotted by: Sara Robinson |
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The march of the hotel alternatives continues, this time with the arrival of a home-swapping service aimed squarely at the upper echelon of homes. Luxe Home Swap allows people with high-end dwellings to swap accommodation with others all over the world. “Luxe” homes don't necessarily have to be luxurious, UK-based Luxe Home Swap stresses; rather, they simply need an attractive location and home feel. Examples currently on the site include a 5-bedroom, 5-bath home in Sri Lanka, for example, as well as a 2-bedroom apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden. To use the service, homeowners simply pay a GBP 99 annual membership fee and begin browsing the homes listed on the site. Once they find one they'd like to swap with, they contact the owner to discuss the details via secure messaging and sign a digital contract. Members can make as many swaps as they'd like over the course of a year; Luxe Home Swap even offers a second year of membership free for those who didn't succeed to find a good swap in their first. Trust is a big part of the success of any home exchange, and we've seen that addressed by focusing on homeowners who work in the same industry or are connected on Facebook. By focusing on wealthier clients, Luxe Home Swap achieves a similar end. (Related: Holiday sublet service offers hotel style amenities — Cutting-edge architectural dwellings for holiday rent — Hotel rooms scattered across the city of Linz.) Website: www.luxehomeswap.com Spotted by: Sunday Times via Sara Al Mulla |
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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 |
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Not everyone has an eye for interior design—or the budget to hire a full-fledged, custom service. Enter California-based Avenue Interior Design, which recently launched an online offering that aims to give consumers a lower-cost way to get a professional look for their home. Consumers begin by choosing the room or rooms they want to make over. They then browse through Avenue's I Heart Design site, which offers nine very different looks chosen by its designers. Each is represented by a door with a corresponding style; when clicked, users can see inside for a closer look. Once they find a look they like, users tell I Heart Design about their goals for the room and any special considerations, such as pets with a penchant for muddy pawprints. Measuring the room comes next, followed by uploading a few photos including any furniture that will be reused. For a fee of USD 3.50 per square foot, I Heart Design will then send out a custom box including two space plan options for each room; a spec card for each piece of furniture the designers selected; a paint card with recommended colours; a window treatment card with recommended styles; and a tape measure and other small tools. I Heart Design chooses items from a mix of flea markets, national retailers and trade-specific vendors, according to a report on Daily Candy. Consumers can buy those they like directly from their personal online design board on the site. This fall, I Heart Design by Avenue will launch a similar offering aimed at hospitality providers. One to try out on your own hotel or restaurant—or emulate in another part of the world? (Related: 3-D tool helps students decorate (and shop for) dorm rooms — Home enhancement service focuses on senior citizens — Social shopping meets interior design.) Website: www.iheartdesignbyavenue.com Spotted by: Heidi Heifetz |
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As bicycles grow in popularity, so do related opportunities for smart entrepreneurs and marketers. A concept we've increasingly spotted in bike-loving European cities—including on our own rides in Amsterdam—is bike seat advertising. Ads are printed on plastic bike seat covers, which are then placed over the seats of parked bicycles, keeping seats dry and leaving an unavoidable impression. By selecting specific locations or even certain types of bikes, advertisers can focus on an audience that's as narrow or wide as needed. Parked bikes near universities to reach students, for example, or schools and cargo bikes—the Amsterdam version of the minivan—to target parents. In Europe, the covers are sold by numerous companies, including Zadelhoesje, which addresses environmental concerns by selling seat covers made of recycled plastic. One to look into if you're in advertising or promo products. Or why not set up a standalone business, offering both printed covers and promotional teams to distribute them? Website: www.zadelhoesje.com |
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Thanks to GPS-enabled mobile technologies, neighbours are communicating as never before. Where BlockChalk facilitates geo-tagged messaging in general, Anttenna focuses on creating a new, location-aware alternative to the traditional classifieds. Using a free iPhone application, Anttenna enables real-time, location-based, person-to-person exchanges by turning traditional classified listings into geo-tagged, Twitter-sized “microlistings,” as it calls them. With a platform that's actually built on top of Twitter, Anttenna lets users quickly connect with people nearby to buy things, sell things or just reach out. Things for sale get posted to the site's “supply chain,” while wanted goods go to its demand side; either way, posting takes less than a minute, the company says. Listings can be sorted by keyword, category, location and proximity; examples might include finding a concert ticket on location at a music festival, helping a lost pet reunite with her owner, or finding a free sofa right down the street. Following pilot tests in San Diego, Seattle and Austin, Anttenna is now available in most major metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada. Marcus Wandell, Anttenna's cofounder and CEO, explains: “With the exception of posting ads online and making them searchable, classified ads really haven't evolved all that much since they were introduced 300 years ago. Anttenna fully leverages the smartphone platforms and new communications standards to give people a whole new way to use classified advertising. Anttenna delivers a constant stream of hyperlocal, real-time listings, always relevant given the moment and location in which they are seen.” For businesses, of course, the advertising potential is at least as compelling. Mobile-minded entrepreneurs: time to grease the location-based buying-and-selling wheels near you...? Website: www.anttenna.com Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann |
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We've already seen a variety of open education initiatives—including, recently, Betterfly and the University of the People—but we couldn't resist sharing news of one more. Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) is an online community of open study groups for short, university-level courses. Aiming to enable “learning for everyone, by everyone, about almost anything,” P2PU creates small groups of motivated learners and supports the design and facilitation of free courses. Currently, the project is in a pilot phase, and offers scheduled courses that run for six weeks and cover university-level topics. Each course package—organized by a volunteer—contains the syllabus, study materials and a schedule; learning takes place in small groups of between eight and 14 students. Peers in each course assess each other's work, and online certificates are granted upon completion of a course; P2PU is working towards gaining format credit as well. Ultimately, the goal is to become more of a platform so anyone can use P2PU to organize, design and offer courses. In the meantime, signup for the next round of courses will begin in September. P2PU is supported in part by the Hewlett Foundation, the Shuttleworth Foundation and the University of California at Irvine. Social entrepreneurs: another one to be inspired by! (Related: Platform lets anyone create and monetize an online school — Five new business ideas focused on education & learning.) Website: www.p2pu.org Spotted by: Diricia De Wet P.S. And be sure to check out the Khan Academy, too! Different set-up (one-man faculty), but also free and definitely worth sharing. |
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