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Twitter Link Roundup #124 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account, I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design, web design, startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

The photo to the left shows one of the strangest houses that one can find around the world. I hope they have an elevator! More strange houses in the Other section below.

One Customer Doesn’t Make a Market – http://bit.ly/zdUkS6

crowdSPRING’s Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Milk & Media Studios – http://bit.ly/zLqWsH

Are You Building A Company, Or Just Your Credentials? – http://tcrn.ch/GJ2pl9

Are Women Better Leaders than Men? – http://bit.ly/wjM6ny

Looking to Get Creative? Skip SxSW – http://bit.ly/z8owbA

Silicon Valley’s Hottest VC Is a Rug Dealer – http://onforb.es/GTFFCZ

Are You Building A Company, Or Just Your Credentials? – http://tcrn.ch/GJ2pl9

One Customer Doesn’t Make a Market – http://bit.ly/zdUkS6

Marketing is the next big money sector in technology – http://bit.ly/GF6GLU

The Hunger Games: Using Social Media Marketing to Bring Fiction to Life – http://bit.ly/GF5FTY

A Short Lesson in Perspective – http://bit.ly/GR2m7W

Facebook’s New Business Pages Means Marketers Must Evolve – http://bit.ly/GF674I

Marketing is the next big money sector in technology – http://bit.ly/GF6GLU

Teens, Smartphones & Texting – http://bit.ly/GP4Gf1

50 Fresh and High Quality Adobe Photoshop Tutorials – http://bit.ly/Ac3sdH

A Collection of Western Fonts for your Designs – http://bit.ly/GONffd

30 Very Useful Photoshop Tutorials for Every Type of Designer – http://bit.ly/GONiHO

What’s Coming Up Next? Use Interactive Infographics To Stand Out! Why? – http://bit.ly/wzzU9U

(more…)

Tags: ads, advertising, copywriting, crowdsourcing, design, entrepreneur, facebook, industrial design, leadership, marketing, netrepreneurship, package design, pr, product design, public relations, small biz, small business, social media, startups, twitter, writing
Posted in Awesomeness, business, community, crowdsourcing, design, How To, inspiration, Interviews, marketing, Reviews, social media, start-up tips, Strategy, Technology, writing | No Comments »

12 Questions: Meet Catherine Faletanoai (New Zealand)

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.

We’re very proud to feature Catherine Faletanoai (crowdSPRING username: Catalyst) today. Catherine lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand

1. Please tell us about yourself.

Ok, sure, or should I say ‘surrrrre’… I grew up in Wyndham, Southland, New Zealand – and we Southlanders are know to roll our ‘rrrs’ I live at the other end of the country now, Auckland, New Zealand and often get asked with questioning looks… “where ARE you from??!” So apart from rolling rrrs Southland is a beautiful piece of New Zealand, perhaps the most beautiful….yes. I was raised on a sheep farm with my 3 sisters, Mum and Dad. Great times, great childhood. I completed high school at Menzies College with Dux in my final year and went on to study at Otago University. I completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Design with my main focus being on Design and Communication. Fast forward a few years of working for Woodworx Design Agency, Chipmunks NZ Ltd, Kiwi Mortgage Market…. and we arrive in Auckland. I moved to the other end of the country to be with my Prince (Dwaine) and we now live here with 2 young children, (Mia, 4 and Mason, 1). Oh yea – I nearly forgot – work now?…I don’t have a lot of time for a whole lot of designing – kids have that affect on us stay at home mums! But I wouldn’t have it any other way, love being home with the kids every day and fit my work around that – when they’re sleeping, glued to the TV (I mean books) and in the evenings with a tall glass of Coke to keep me awake!

2. How did you become interested in design?
I remember knowing logos – from a very young age I could remember a whole street of shop signage, logos, colours, fonts – I’m a very observant person by nature, and I see it in my daughter too. I’m also a visual person, and have always been interested in art and anything design. That’s why I love my job as I don’t really see it as a ‘job’, it’s more an outlet, a relaxing thing, entertainment for me. I look forward to evenings where I can sit down and just design, no pressing deadlines, just let the creativity happen. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, and I think that’s the key to a good designer is knowing when to stop and when to go for it when you’re on a roll!
I’ve learnt to trust my instincts – if something moves me, it must have value…so I strive to design with that in mind.

3. Which of your designs are your favorites and why?
It’s not a graphic piece – but it’s something I did in design school that I’m very proud of. A scale replica or Alvar Aalto’s 406 Armchair, made completely from paper (see picture). It’s about the size of a matchbox, and took me many painstaking hours to weave the paper and get it just right. It’s perfect and still sits by my computer and reminds me that anything can be done with a bit of persistence!

(more…)

Tags: 12 questions, blog, catalyst, Catherine Faletanoai, community, creative, creativity, crowdsourcing, crowdspring, design, designer, graphic design, graphics design, graphics designer, illustration, inspiration, interview, logo, logo design, logos, weekly glance of awesomeness
Posted in Awesomeness, community, crowdsourcing, design, inspiration, Interviews, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Twitter Link Roundup #123 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Friday, March 16th, 2012

The video above shows a mechanical device for opening and pouring a bottle of wine. It’s complicated, huge, loud and I love it!

How anyone can create a successful online business for next to nothing (Part III) – http://bit.ly/yyTI6X

Why Do Some People Learn Faster? – http://bit.ly/wFcigV

Why You Need Marketing Analytics, Not Web Analytics – http://bit.ly/zYurcM

Competitive Differentiation that Matters – http://perfor.ms/wzrk7a7 Rules for Bootstrapping a Business – http://bit.ly/A5uzm7

Repeat after me: business is always about the customer – http://bit.ly/zzdgnG

Women (Entrepreneurs) Who Go Their Own Way – http://bit.ly/wrBdYn

Twitter’s Secret History As the World’s Worst Tech or Media Business – http://gaw.kr/wH6hqq

Why I left Google – http://bit.ly/xDOns2

Competitive Differentiation that Matters – http://perfor.ms/wzrk7a

A Start-Up Ecosystem Forms in Chicago – http://on.wsj.com/y09pUa

How Y Combinator Started – http://bit.ly/yqjidP

Repeat after me: business is always about the customer – http://bit.ly/zzdgnG

Name dropping! Now what could go wrong with Silicon Valley – http://bit.ly/AvdwaV

Hiring of Kevin Rose by Google sends all the wrong signals to Silicon Valley – http://bit.ly/FORxBS

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time – http://bit.ly/wSMs9S

Secrets of the acquisition process from EA and Zynga – http://bit.ly/wv3Mv0

5 New Spots for Chicago Tech Entrepreneurs – http://on.wsj.com/yBMyce

Startup Recruiting 101: Strategies, Hacks & Don’ts – http://bit.ly/zOrH9P

Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas – http://bit.ly/zXgY76

Why Do Some People Learn Faster? – http://bit.ly/wFcigV

7 Rules for Bootstrapping a Business – http://bit.ly/A5uzm7

How I Changed My Life, In Four Lines – http://bit.ly/yh474X

Apple sold more iOS devices in 2011 than all the Macs it sold in 28 years – http://bit.ly/yJH8Di

A Big Idea: Y Combinator Now Lets Founders Apply Without… An Idea – http://tcrn.ch/yIN4yB

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann’s Lesson for Start-Ups: Go Your Own Way – http://bit.ly/wAReI6

Why are companies defecting from Google Maps? – http://bit.ly/xAXRxU

Why This 29-Year-Old’s Company is Worth $400 Million – http://bit.ly/xVSisb

MEMO TO EVERYONE: You Can’t Beat Apple By Trying To Be More Like Apple – http://read.bi/AmSLDw

U.S. Manufacturers Are Hurting Themselves by the Way They Hire – http://bit.ly/yD0ssP

Yahoo! Crosses The Line – http://bit.ly/zpjLxf

Why You Need Marketing Analytics, Not Web Analytics – http://bit.ly/zYurcM

How Three Germans Are Cloning the Web – http://buswk.co/y7mhHn

Twitter’s Ad Sales Are Booming, Says Gawker – http://bit.ly/yYnJNe

Why Marketers Never Learn From Others’ Social-Media Mistakes – http://bit.ly/zBXNci

Marketing the Viral Effect and Not-for-Profit Gold – http://bit.ly/zpLFbK

How This Man Made Dos Equis a Most Interesting Marketing Story – http://bit.ly/y5JtJm

Why You Need Marketing Analytics, Not Web Analytics – http://bit.ly/zYurcM

Honest ads that say what we’re all really thinking – http://bit.ly/wqvsZM

Trada Has Unlocked The Secret To Google And Facebook Ads That Work – http://bit.ly/zuAQ04

Top Non-Destructive Photoshop Techniques – http://bit.ly/xiqLO1

“Be interested in being wrong.” An interview with Jonathan Ive, Apple’s designer – http://bit.ly/y9top2

PBS Mini Documentary About Typography – http://bit.ly/zBwjp5

(more…)

Tags: ads, advertising, copywriting, crowdsourcing, design, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, facebook, industrial design, leadership, marketing, package design, pr, product design, public relations, small biz, small business, social media, startups, twitter, writing
Posted in Awesomeness, business, community, crowdsourcing, design, How To, inspiration, Interviews, marketing, Reviews, social media, start-up tips, Strategy, Technology, writing | No Comments »

Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Milk & Media Studios

Friday, March 16th, 2012

What do Werner Herzog, the NBA, and The Dark Knight have in common? Well, besides being awesome: Milk & Media Studios!

The seeds for the film financing and production studio were planted when NBA star Elton Brand (yup, this guy) and film maker Harry Knapp worked together on a Werner Herzog movie, Rescue Dawn. If I’m to continue with this cheesy metaphor, the idea blossomed after they helped produce The Dark Knight with one another.

The two are self-professed web aficionados/addicts. Unlike many Hollywood media companies, Harry and Elton specifically aim to incorporate the web– as opposed to fighting it tooth and nail– into their business model. As of now, they are actively looking to invest in awesome web concepts. In fact, at one point, they even inquired about acquiring crowdSPRING.

Harry goes on to talk about breaking into the tough media business:

What made you use crowdSPRING?

As one of the first crowdSPRING users, we were intrigued by the crowdsourcing movement and instantly wanted to support it. In fact, we inquired with Ross about buying crowdSPRING at one point. Luckily we have enough Photoshop skills to articulate our vision and communicate with designers. However, even if you’re a total rookie, you will get plenty of great designs from crowdSPRING. It’s important to value your new venture against the award your offering. If you’re building a million dollar company, don’t offer $500 for a logo you will be using for the next 10 years.

What are some industry specific challenges you faced?

In the web business, one quickly learns that there are designers and there are programmers, most don’t do both well. Designer rarely think about algorithms and programmers rarely think about pretty things.

This is especially true if you plan to code your website overseas. Our experience has been mixed at best but one thing that seems universal is the disconnect on design. Users are interested in user experience; hire a designer who can articulate a vision and theory behind the work.

(more…)

Tags: film, interwebz, media, movie production, NBA, small biz, small business
Posted in Awesomeness, business, community, crowdsourcing, Interviews, Small biz spotlight | No Comments »

Twitter Link Roundup #122 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Friday, March 9th, 2012

The image to the left is a photo taken from inside a musical instrument. More interesting photos taken inside musical instruments in the Other section below.

Image credit: Brjoern Ewers

Small Business Tips: Foreign Payments, The Patriot Act, OFAC, and you. – http://bit.ly/xW82GP

This is a good resource for email subject lines: http://bit.ly/yMwZPL

The Importance of Brand in an Era of Digital Darwinism – http://bit.ly/wo6iYn

Selling or Funding A Startup? Tips On Surviving Technical Due Diligence – http://bit.ly/A8h315

I’m getting sick of the bullshit – http://bit.ly/ysF40u

Where Do Good Ideas Come From? – http://bit.ly/yyHVDA

How are VCs paid (and should entrepreneurs care)? – http://bit.ly/w2B2Cy

The safe career path in the future – skip college and start a company – http://bit.ly/wT6yZZ

Why entrepreneurs don’t sleep well – http://perfor.ms/zJPjIZ

Why Startups Should Curate Content – http://bit.ly/yXHwyP

The Importance of Brand in an Era of Digital Darwinism – http://bit.ly/wo6iYn

Google’s Rules of Acquisition: How to Be an Android, Not an Aardvark – http://bit.ly/wLVxma

Entrepreneurs must learn to listen and others must learn to give constructive feedback – http://bit.ly/y9Q9WD

Four Things Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Warren Buffett – http://bit.ly/xN4EUz

Ambient Social Location Apps Will be Consumer Duds – http://rww.to/we3laJ

Always Go Home with the Lady Who Brought you to the Dance (about startup fundraising) – http://bit.ly/w0OJnx

One Year Later: How Google Panda Changed Our Business – http://tcrn.ch/wacRfO

Fred Wilson’s Latest Advice for Start-up Ninjas – http://bit.ly/wKhpMn

Customer Validation: What To Do Post Product/Market Fit – http://bit.ly/A5JiIo

How to Develop Your Fund Raising Strategy – http://bit.ly/xzXcEz

Have Arrington and Conway screwed up big time with their investment in Highlight? – http://scoble.it/ACh25Z

Most Web Design Agencies Suck – http://bit.ly/w5AI2f

The Importance of Brand in an Era of Digital Darwinism – http://bit.ly/wo6iYn

30+ Extreme and Controversial Ads – http://bit.ly/zdMkIP

Did Facebook Just Kill Earned Media? – http://bit.ly/w6mLYR

Have Facebook Stores Flopped? – http://bit.ly/z02X9a

One Year Later: How Google Panda Changed Our Business – http://tcrn.ch/wacRfO

American Express transforms Twitter hashtags into savings for cardholders – http://bit.ly/A0lI7h

This is a good resource for email subject lines: http://bit.ly/yMwZPL

Google Is About Failure — The Failure Of Brands – http://onforb.es/y8A00y

E-commerce calls to action: 10 best practice tips – http://bit.ly/zL87Ec

The Collapse of Print Advertising in 1 Graph – http://bit.ly/wEET3j

Who Decides What Gets Sold in the Bookstore? – http://bit.ly/zYiF3R

Connecting Nonprofits With Pro Bono Help – http://bit.ly/yhe3Dp

20 Free Sans-Serif Fonts Licensed for Font-Face – http://bit.ly/wqWkNa

[Freebie] 15 Photoshop Watercolor Brushes – http://bit.ly/xpu1AW

50+ Amazing & Clever Examples of Alternative Movie Poster Design – http://bit.ly/zdgKdp

(more…)

Twitter Link Roundup #121 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

The image to the left shows the Lord Howe stick insect, Dryocecelus australis, which was presumed extinct by 1960 but found again in 2001 on Ball’s Pyramid, the remains of an old volcano that emerged from the sea 7 million years ago.

How to Start Your Business on the Cheap–With Help From the Crowd – http://bit.ly/xszFer

What Small Businesses Can Learn From Jeremy Lin – http://bit.ly/ytKN38

9 Ways Google+ Can Help Your Business – http://bit.ly/wr1nmi

How to tell your customers that you screwed up? – http://perfor.ms/xpHWe9

Secrets to Select and Evaluate Innovative Business Ideas – http://t.co/nTduJ80M

Don’t try to game the system – provide awesome service instead (good reminder from Seth Godin) – http://bit.ly/ymBgLs

Why Cloud Is A Big Deal For Small Business [INFOGRAPHIC] – http://bit.ly/xViGUG

7 Things Your New Website Must Have – http://bit.ly/wdvXOj

How to Make the Move From Big-Business Employee to Small-Business Owner – http://bit.ly/xPdxOR

How to Start Your Business on the Cheap–With Help From the Crowd – http://bit.ly/xszFer

Once you take money, the clock starts ticking – http://bit.ly/AhLVVb

Secrets to Select and Evaluate Innovative Business Ideas – http://t.co/nTduJ80M

How To Choose A Co-Founder – http://bit.ly/AqQAV4

Twitter, the Startup That Wouldn’t Die – http://buswk.co/zUnqtF

A classic startup horror story: the M&A bait and switch – http://bit.ly/ABwzQd

Change Your Employees’ Minds, Change Your Business – http://bit.ly/A2JOUs

Paths to $5M for a startup founder – http://hub.am/z8oapS

Patience & Persistence – http://bit.ly/wuYlyi

“Is this a billion dollar business?:” The tension between market sizing and innovation – http://bit.ly/ygRE6u

How the bathroom can teach us a lesson about right vs. pragmatic – http://bit.ly/zlg2O9

Why Tech Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries Struggle to Raise Funds – http://bit.ly/z92G5s

3 things entrepreneurs need to know about patent law reform – http://bit.ly/ybR4ZK

Kickstart Your Lean Startup With Effective Feedback – http://bit.ly/wvzYrQ

Caterina Fake: Fast Growth for a New Social App Is a Very Bad Thing – http://bit.ly/zfMARM

Fun look at home and office desk/computer setups of the team 37signals – http://bit.ly/xUGFJD

9 Ways Google+ Can Help Your Business – http://bit.ly/wr1nmi

MEET THE NEXT CEO OF MICROSOFT: Steven Sinofsky Is The Heir Apparent – http://read.bi/A13ZH9

How to tell your customers that you screwed up? – http://perfor.ms/xpHWe9

Four Traps That Suck Meaning Out Of Work – http://bit.ly/yvI4Q7

Raising funding as a first-time founder – http://zite.to/yw8vYP

Don’t try to game the system – provide awesome service instead (good reminder from Seth Godin) – http://bit.ly/ymBgLs

Ten Lessons I Learned from Shark Tank – http://tcrn.ch/AesPu2

Banksy on advertising – http://bit.ly/ygGWcg

The Illustrated Anatomy of a Viral Pinterest Scam – http://bit.ly/y11w3h

9 Ways Google+ Can Help Your Business – http://bit.ly/wr1nmi

Leveraging the Social Media: 5 Ideas For Your Job Search http://bit.ly/xASKKM

Creating a Blog using Collaborative Consumption Services – http://bit.ly/xLGeCQ

Caterina Fake: Fast Growth for a New Social App Is a Very Bad Thing – http://bit.ly/zfMARM

Shocking. People click on Facebook ads that show breasts – http://bit.ly/AkaBej

Why Google+ Doesn’t Care If You Never Come Back – http://tcrn.ch/xhPWXY

Illustrator Tutorials: 70+ Awesome Hot New Tips – http://t.co/KnCMr2kO

50 Astounding Adobe Illustrator Tutorials – http://bit.ly/yUseqg

A Showcase of Free To Download Russian Fonts – http://bit.ly/AyESdS

28 Fresh Illustrations to Inspire You – http://bit.ly/yaazsh

1500+ Awesome Multi Color Gradients – http://bit.ly/zE3NIN

The Psychology Behind Movie Poster Designs – http://bit.ly/waahKU

22 Free Elegant Fonts For Logo Design – http://bit.ly/xT0E76

28 Inspiring Typography Examples within Poster Artwork – http://bit.ly/yEqKSf

Beautiful Bokeh Textures For Your Next Project – http://bit.ly/yPFicx

Hey Designers: Do You Want Your Artwork Visible On Google Earth!? http://bit.ly/zLUkqu

Free Quality Photoshop Brushes for Your Design Arsenal – http://bit.ly/xuN7M2

Design before computers ruled the universe – http://bit.ly/yC3KxD

(more…)

Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Stack Exchange and Super User

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Got a technical, software or programming question like, “Is a function larger than an array [in Javascript]?” Or, do you just want to know when the first use of a secret identity in a comic book was? Either way, I’ve got your answer.

Well, I don’t, but Stack Exchange does. There’s a lot of user- generated question and answer sites out there, finding information you want isn’t necessarily difficult on the internet. What struck me when I was browsing through Stack Exchange was that the quality of the questions was far better than your average Yahoo! Answers. This is not a venue for “how du u kno wen ur in luv?” It’s smart people needing information from other smart people. The homepage is an endless scroll of questions, most of them interesting enough I found myself browsing the site. If you’re interested, the gent that founded Stack Exchange also founded Super User, a Q&A site that focuses only on technical questions.

Founder Jeff talks more below about creating a super exchange (see what I did there?):

How would you explain what you do to somebody’s grandmother?

If you have a technical question and type it in to Google, we want Stack Exchange (and Super User) be the page with the best answer!

What are some industry specific challenges you faced?

There are a lot of sites and forums that already offer technical answers to computer questions. Getting heard above the din takes time and effort, but our focus on simple, clean presentation and a relentless dedication to quality pays off, particularly on new topics where there aren’t as many web pages out there.

If you could go back, would you do anything differently? If so, what and why?

We kind of screwed up by not having a special “meta” site for community members to discuss Super User until very recently. If we’ve learned anything, it is that “the place where you discuss the place” is an essential ingredient in any community. I wrote about this on my blog:http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/02/listen-to-your-community-but-dont-let-them-tell-you-what-to-do.html but it finally exists now athttp://meta.superuser.com , although we should have had it from day one. (more…)

Tags: answers, information highway, questions, small biz, small business, technology company
Posted in Awesomeness, business, Interviews, Small biz spotlight, Technology | No Comments »

Twitter Link Roundup #120 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

The video above shows Australian Magician James Galea performing an unbelievable magic trick with a deck of cards. How does he do that?

The Zappos Effect: 5 Great Customer Service Ideas – http://hub.am/yh0hLq

5 Ways to Use Social Media and Your Online Presence to Drive People Offline – http://bit.ly/wuUkMf

crowdSPRING’s Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Should I Get Married? – http://bit.ly/y3eS9q

Functions over Titles – http://awe.sm/5fI9Z

Agreeable Guys* Finish Last – http://bit.ly/zqA34S

10 Things Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Politicians – http://bit.ly/z68bxM

Ron Conway is a Silicon Valley startup’s best friend – http://bit.ly/xtt9L7

Zap your brain and get focused quickly. If it were only this easy – http://bit.ly/yl5kYS

The Three Things That Got Fab.com Two Million Users In Seven Months – http://read.bi/wdzAyR

Functions over Titles – http://awe.sm/5fI9Z

Does Startup Density Predict Success? – http://bit.ly/x8RfdY

Between failure and Facebook – http://bit.ly/wAE6BD

The Zappos Effect: 5 Great Customer Service Ideas – http://hub.am/yh0hLq

4 Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned From Self-Publishing My First Book – http://bit.ly/AmJBHT

Agreeable Guys* Finish Last – http://bit.ly/zqA34S

Hit men, click whores, and paid apologists: Welcome to the Silicon Cesspool – http://bit.ly/yGFips

We assume that brainstorming works pretty well to solve most problems. But does it really work? – http://nyr.kr/AbiEmG

The mad dash to remove something before the deadline – http://bit.ly/A94VTR

The Three Things That Got Fab.com Two Million Users In Seven Months – http://read.bi/wdzAyR

Is Bitcoin, once the next shiny thing, on its last breaths? – http://bit.ly/wf8fBR

50 Fresh High-Quality Free Fonts for Your Designs – http://bit.ly/wKvinq

20 Free Fonts Used In Iconic Movies – http://bit.ly/zQudPt

12 Things I Have Learned After 7 Years of Freelancing – http://bit.ly/xUtycT

50 Useful and Fresh Photoshop Tutorials – http://bit.ly/xhiFE2

(more…)

Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Should I Get Married?

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Valentine’s Day. Those words might send you into visions of long-stemmed roses and Michael Bolton or into a seizure of disgust and disillusion. Or a shrug of absolute disinterest. But it’s today, the day after Valentine’s, that is the most interesting. It’s the holiday I like to call: “WE’RE ENGAGED! NOW LOOK AT MY RING FROM EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE AND ON EVERY POSSIBLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM” Day. (Clearly catchy names are kind of my thing.)

For every heart-felt congratulations, there’s always that one couple that causes a Scooby-Doo “Errrwaahh?” And for the next year or however long their engagement is, you’re stuck wondering if you should say something or if you just have to forever hold your peace. Or, maybe you’re in the other boat: you want to get married, but you’re worried about being the couple that causes everyone a Scooby-Doo “Errrwaahh?”

Either way, Should I Get Married is here for you. What it does is allow potential fiances (or any long-term, committed couple– even if you can’t legally get married) to collect anonymous feedback from their friends and family. If you want the cold, hard truths about what those closest think about your relationship, all you have to do is go to the site and fill out an “Invite For Insight.” Proceed with this knowledge carefully.

Below, Travis talks more about creating Should I Get Married:

How would you explain what you do to somebody’s grandmother?

Our website offers a very unique tool to assist folks that are considering marriage to be sure they are truly making the best decision for themselves and their future. We hope to help our customers make sure this marriage will be their last. We want to help them ensure they are part of the 50% of people that will stay married and live happily ever after. So, with the help of tools from the digital age, we have created an “Invite for Insight” or IFI.

An IFI is completed by our customers on the website and allows them to gain specific insight about their relationship, from folks in their life whom they trust most for good advice. The IFI, allows them to learn the real unspoken perspective’s of these trusted folks, on a variety of topics concerning their relationship and their partner.

Shouldigetmarried.net sends and receives the IFI’s to keep the responses anonymous so folks are more likely to answer honestly without fear of hurting their personal relationship. When we compile the responses of the IFI the results are often very powerful. The IFI reveals the true positives and negatives of the relationship as it is perceived by people who have different relationships with the couple. One thing is for sure, the Invite for Insight offers truth, like never before. Essentially we are the virtual version, of speak now or forever hold your peace, less the drama. Truth that we believe can add strength and confidence in what ever decision they ultimately decide on. So if you know someone considering marriage, you can Gift them an IFI and we will send it on your behalf or anonymously.

What are some industry specific challenges you faced?

The biggest industry specific challenge we encountered was setting ourselves apart from what’s currently out there. We needed to make it clear that we are striving to differentiate ourselves in a sea of marriage sites that pretty much all look and feel the same; that we are not just offering the same-old, recycled advice that is not specific to any one’s particular relationship. We take into account all of the variables that someone may not even be aware of themselves, and help folks find the truth that’s relevant to them. (more…)

Tags: advice, forever hold your peace, getting married, small biz, small business, Valentine's Day
Posted in Awesomeness, Interviews, Small biz spotlight, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Twitter Link Roundup #119 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Friday, February 10th, 2012

The image to the left is a fun look at what a movie poster for an Oscar-nominated film would be like if it literally wanted to communicate what the movie was about. More fun posters in the Other section below.

8 Legal Steps for Starting Your Business – http://on.mash.to/AdW6Rn

Could Your Business Survive Without You? – http://bit.ly/ApHXux

Good tips on what to say when you fire someone (all biz owners must be comfortable doing this) – http://bit.ly/z1wLNw

Small Biz and Startup Tips: 5 Ideas to Prepare for an Economic Recovery – http://bit.ly/x64Zme

The Power of the Rule of Three in Marketing Your Small Business – http://bit.ly/wqmtu5

The Perpetually Vexing Problem of Hiring Programmers – http://bit.ly/w5QTm2

5 Reasons The Windy City is a Great Place for Startups – http://j.mp/zh4Zw8

How to build your startup without learning code – http://bit.ly/yPw6Vq

The Chicago FireStarter Venture Capital Fund – http://bit.ly/ytkmoa

The Perpetually Vexing Problem of Hiring Programmers – http://bit.ly/w5QTm2

SaaS: Change starts easy and then gets really hard – http://bit.ly/wZqTSt

Could Your Business Survive Without You? – http://bit.ly/ApHXux

8 Legal Steps for Starting Your Business – http://on.mash.to/AdW6Rn

This was the right response from Path – http://bit.ly/zNiKIi

Small Biz and Startup Tips: 5 Ideas to Prepare for an Economic Recovery – http://bit.ly/x64Zme

The Power of the Rule of Three in Marketing Your Small Business – http://bit.ly/wqmtu5

Good tips on what to say when you fire someone (all biz owners must be comfortable doing this) – http://bit.ly/z1wLNw

Pinterest is quietly generating revenue by modifying user submitted pins – http://bit.ly/xa9Aj5

When did advertising get so small? – http://bit.ly/xd0S8c

Good to see companies focus on real advertising metrics – http://bit.ly/xoHbOU

Silly to reach conclusions based on results of a study surveying 200 people (about twitter addiction) – http://bit.ly/yx4ssE

Is traffic from StumbleUpon just “noise”? – http://bit.ly/x6Sa9W

This was the right response from Path – http://bit.ly/zNiKIi

Yelp advertising is a rip-off for small advertisers – http://bit.ly/yraI9X

Only 1 “Top Brand” Has Created A Google+ Page In The Past Two Months, Report Says – http://bit.ly/yugLbG

Crowdsourcing has a longer-term payoff than originally thought: study – http://smrt.io/xCfZSm

Pinterest continues to impress with referral traffic – http://bit.ly/zHheNr

Those Millions on Facebook? Some May Not Actually Visit – http://nyti.ms/Af9DAG

Those Millions On Facebook? They Actually Visit, And It’s Not A Huge Deal Anyway. – http://tcrn.ch/yDQUPv

Rice University And OpenStax Announce First Open-Source Textbooks – http://tcrn.ch/ytEUYk

AT&T, Google Among The Biggest Online Advertisers — comScore – http://tcrn.ch/A2fKGT

70 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Tutorials – http://bit.ly/yZimmK

50 Illustrator Tutorials To Create High Quality Icons – http://bit.ly/wNiIP1

How to Stop Yourself from Stealing from Your Design Gurus – http://bit.ly/yhUJ8j

(more…)

Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

12 Questions: Meet Catherine Faletanoai (New Zealand)

Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Milk & Media Studios

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Small Business Spotlight of the Week: Should I Get Married?

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