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| 06:02 Thu 20 Nov 2008 |
Tag: Business
These items have all been tagged with the tag "Business", You can see other tags in the Tag Cloud| A Smaller World |
| 2008-11-18 06:08:08 |
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If the first and second generations of social networking portals were about opening up the world, the third generation is about closing it again. Invitation only sites are popping up everywhere, creating exclusive, gated virtual communities that shut out the “masses.” A Small World helped kick off the “invitation-only” trend by restricting new membership to those invited by current members. But sometimes an invitation just isn’t enough. Gaining entry into this new generation of private online world can involve an intimidating process of review, such as career-orientated sites bluechipexpert.com and doostang.com, where aspiring members must submit their resumes to be considered for acceptance. Other sites are blatantly and proudly parochial, such as aprivateclub.com, which is only for New Yorkers in-the-know. If you were lucky enough to score an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival, you would also have gained access to the festival’s ‘private’ online portal, cannes2008.ning.com, created for attendees only. In Asia, well heeled society-types and business movers and shakers can network at dianefay.com, a members only online club where one has to be invited to gain entry. In Europe decayenne.com offers a similar exclusive club concept for invited members only. Wall Street types can commiserate the global financial meltdown with eachother in the privacy of cyberspace at bankersavenue.com, a members-only portal for bankers who must be invited to join. Global expats can catch up on local knowledge and network at internations.org. The members-only site is for diplomats, members of IGOs and NGOs, foreign correspondents and other expatriates employed by multinational companies and their family members. If you don't bat for the "straight" team you can connect with other successful 'power' gays and lesbians at cosmocircle.net . If bizarre beliefs are more your thing then you can try getting into the spacecollective.org invite-only community, where "forward thinking terrestrials exchange ideas and information about the state of the species, their planet and the universe." Sounds like a blast. Where do we sign up? American Express should jump into the fray here and create a network for people who use their “black” card. Are businesses missing out by not creating exclusive environments for their high end customers?- Laura Demasi Do you know of any other “private” networking portals like these? send us a tip pics via cobrasnake |
| The Cool Hunter Platinum Weekly Trend Briefings |
| 2008-11-04 02:20:35 |
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The Cool Hunter Platinum Trend Briefings Making other people's business your business so you stay in the know With close to a million readers each month, The Cool Hunter has become a global authority on cool and innovation. But what you see on the site is only a small sample of our research. We've been saving the rest for our professional readers who can now access this vast pool of knowledge for the very first time via our new Weekly Trend Briefings. Covering trends in product design, marketing, advertising, social trends and consumer thinking, The Cool Hunter Platinum Trend Briefings allows your business to stay ahead of the innovation eight-ball. In a globalized 24/7 world staying "in the know" is crucial. Consumers are educating themselves and influencing each other at break-neck speed. They know more and expect more, presenting a challenge to brands to come up with creative ways of attracting and holding their attention. Much of modern business is about staying ahead of this and keeping abreast of how the innovators are responding. Which is where The Cool Hunter Platinum Weekly Trend Briefings come in. Our briefings bring the best of The Cool Hunter to your business, so innovation doesn't just become part of your company's internal program - but part of its identity and culture. Supplied as a PDF, The Cool Hunter Platinum Weekly Trend Briefings are not meant to be hidden away on the desktops of a few select employees in marketing - they are designed to be printed as A3 sized posters and hung around your office so every employee can be inspired by innovation on a weekly basis as they go about their work. Our briefings are about creating and fostering a culture of innovation in your business - offering information as inspiration. The Cool Hunter Platinum Weekly Trend Briefings are about accessibility - print as many as you want and place them everywhere - from the mailroom to the CEO's boardroom because innovation and ideas inspire everybody in your business to create success. Annual subscriptions cost (US)$10,000 for 48 editions. To register your interest contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
| Myhab - Recyclable Tent For Music Festivals |
| 2008-05-08 19:50:08 |
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Camping out a music festival need no longer be a boggy, muddy affair thanks to this smart-as-a-whip innovation dubbed Myhab. Essentially it's a temporary, waterproof, completely recyclable tent made from durable recycled plastic and and waterproof cardboard. The tent is fixed on a raised platform to stop it from slipping into a muddy bog in the case of rain. Myhab was created by a student and there are plans to for "myhab" villages at all of the UK's major music festivals. by Lisa Evanns (via Springwise) |
| The Friendly Garage |
| 2008-02-08 18:40:54 |
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For many of us, taking our cars to the garage can be a daunting experience. Feeling anxious and uncertain over the price and duration over jobs, use of technical jargon and the like. This may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the launch of the major rebranding programme for car care network HiQ, starting with their new concept center opening in Nottingham, UK. The aim was to revolutionize the way fast fit car care is delivered and to develop a fresh retail concept that would set new standards in this sector. And it looks like they have come up with the goods. Designed by the London team at Fitch, the brand has been repositioned by using simple language, illustrations, and the center itself has clever features like glass walls that allow customers to see onto the garage floor for themselves. We have seen this uncomplicated, tell it like it is mentality popping up all over the place, especially as banks try to re-align themselves with their customers. It is now nice and refreshing to see this evolving into other touch points of consumers' lives. I wonder if this approach would make going to the dentist any better? By Brendan McKnight |
| Bike Dispensing Machines |
| 2007-08-22 18:04:42 |
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Here at TCH, we love riding bikes through the city. There's something immensely pleasing about sailing past scores of traffic with little more than a push of a pedal. And at the same time, you're burning the calories, and doing your bit to stay green. But there's one thing we hate about this simple mode of transport. People like nothing more than stealing them, damaging them, or driving buses into them. While your safe at work crunching the numbers, who's looking after your ride home? Cue the bike dispensing machine. Brought to you courtesy of bikedispenser.com, a small firm from Amsterdam, the idea is to help facilitate bike rentals in urban areas. Cyclists pay a small fee to hire a bike, and then they can take it where they please. Once they’ve finished, they can return it either to that machine, or another one across town. And because they’ve been fitted with RFID tags, they won’t all have been nicked before you can get one. Now, if only they can do something about those van drivers… By Matt Hussey |
| The Coolest Way To See Berlin |
| 2007-08-21 19:19:14 |
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Berlin is one of the world’s most creative cities and now you can get your way around a lot more easily. Don’t bother with the public transport system, rent your own cool buggie style go karts, which surprisingly, you are able to drive legally on the roads alongside real cars. The mini size makes them easy to maneuver and parking is a breeze. Not to mention the fun factor – it’s like one big game of dodgem cars for grown ups. Rent them at kart4you.de Tel. 0800 - 750 751 0 Meinekestrasse 12, 10719 Berlin. |
| Lilybug - The Safe Way Home |
| 2007-07-02 15:31:48 |
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The Hamptons's idyllic surroundings seem to attract the wealthy, the beautiful, and the inebriated. It's estimated on any given weekend evening that half of those driving on Hamptons's thoroughfares are legally drunk. To remedy this dangerous situation – without ruining anyone's good time – Englishman William Heath came up with an ingenious, schoolyard-inspired solution: scooter bikes. William Heath came up with the idea for Lilybug after the tragic death of his friend, Lily, after a collision with a drunk driver. Lilybug donates a percentage of their proceeds to Lilybug Foundation – which financially aids families hurt by drunk drivers – and MADD. The service (which currently only operates in Southampton, Hampton Bays, Shinnecock, North Sea, Watermill, Bridgehampton and East Hampton) rents scooter bikes to sloshed partygoers for $40 an hour. Lilybug also goes above and beyond a simply renting their wheels: The company provides on-the-spot chauffeuring assistance whereby Lilybug drivers scoot over to where you’re drunkenly carousing and bring you and your car safely home (they fold up their scooter in your trunk). The scooters can also be found outside hotspots at weekends including...Pink Elephant, Dune, Star Room, Nellos and Stereo by the Shore. Lilybug’s scooter bikes are DiBlasi R7Es that are said to fold up to a diminutive 30.7 x 14.5 x 24 inches. By L. Harper |
| Pimps & Pinups - London |
| 2007-03-14 20:20:42 |
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Everyone is a pimp or a pinup, according to Simon Charrison and his cousin James. Not content with the current trend of hair salons - emaciated stylists, pissed-off pundits and sound systems capable of melting your face – the two south Australians decided something had to be done. So they decided to open their own hair salon that prioritised service over grandiloquence right in the heart of London’s east-end. “Both I and Simon have an ‘old-school approach’. The stylists have a very close working relationship with the clients, old and new, and many of them come in just for a chat and a coffee. We offer a range of complementary refreshments in the salon and we even offer beer and wine, which is always well received, especially by the clients who have just finished work.” The styling and design take a similar approach. Vintage Japanese chairs decked in thick black leather mould to your body while the vaudeville décor offers a sense of theatre. Simon has been cutting hair for over twelve years and James has worked in customer service for a similar period. The sense of personal empowerment at the heart of Pimps & Pinups has attracted the likes of Green Day, not to mention local bands who regularly feature on the in house stereo. “The music we play is really important to the ambience. There’s a lot of indie rock, but Saturdays mainly just ends up being the ACDC day though,” muses James. By Matthew Hussey |
| MEGA-ZINE MACHINE | ||
| 2006-10-26 14:49:50 | ||
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| Hair Straightening Vending Machines |
| 2006-10-15 06:49:24 |
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It's Saturday night, the music is pumping and you are on a hot date . Everything is going down fine until the humidity in the club suddenly turns your hair from Cher to Macy Gray in about 7 seconds. Fear not, entrepreneurs, Richard Starrett and Neil Macka, have come to the rescue with their Hot Iron vending machine. With 500 units already placed in clubs/gyms throughout the U.K , the Beautiful Vending company provide coin operated hair straightening hot irons, for the quick and convenient use of club patrons who's hair has suddenly gone 'poof'. Using professional grad GHD tongs, the irons run for 2 minutes per use and cost $2.00. The idea is perfect for countries where the weather can be unpredictable and affect recently straightened hair. By Lisa Evans |
