WidgetLaboratory

A bit of marketing wisdom from Seth Godin's blog:

 

The panhandler's secret

We are often posting to Twitter or sharing links here on SocialGO. If the URL is too long, it can distract the reader or get truncated when copying/pasting. Using TinyURL is always a great solution, but sometimes having to go through the three extra steps of generating a TinyURL from a web browser is a hassle.

Enter Snurlit. This is an Adobe Air application, runs on any OS, and does just one thing... creates your choice of short URL using Snurl, Snipr, or TinyURL (our favorite) with a single step.

Click on the image below to go to publisher's site and install it today... leave it running on your desktop whenever you are browsing forums or posting new blog entries.

VIDEO BELOW:

We have been laying low for a bit while we work on our first round of applications to be released on SocialGO and Zocku. As all of you know, there have been several significant milestones reached this past few weeks on the road to Nirvana... the 3rd party widget store and drag & drop layout manager.

What is it that will distinguish SocialGO/Zocku from all other social network platforms? It is the ability to extend the capabilities of one's social network with just a few clicks. Unlike other platforms that are closed to all development and expansion beyond Open Social gadgets... SocialGO / Zocku sites will not be limited to generic capabilities.

Open means the ability to build valuable and functional sites that utilize your member data to replace traditional stand-alone applications

 

The members and data that you collect on your social network are extremely valuable. So WHY should this data and meta data be all locked-up inside of your "generic" social network? Instead, we believe that the data can be utilized in NEW and INNOVATIVE ways. For example:

Imagine being able to create your own Linked-In application on your site just by dropping-in a widget from WidgetLaboratory? What about a market place or auction function like Ebay? How about a way to sell your photo/video data like StockXchng? Or what about a stand-alone financial or customer management product such as those used on E-Trade? Since SocialGO has EMBRACED the idea of openness, WidgetLaboratory is free to create any number of incredibly powerful and NATIVE applications that utilze all of your social network data and metadata.

So what does WidgetLaboratory have in store for you?

In the immediate future, we are releasing our MyLaboratory admin dashboard system, and two fundamental applications:

MyLaboratory - This is the engine that will drive all of our widgets and applications. MyLaboratory will operate from your desktop, rather than any browser, and will provide you with a simple yet powerful way to obtain, install, and manage all WidgetLaboratory products. Those of you who were familiar with our Admin Dashboard from Ning will appreciate the convenience of being able to handle all administrative tasks without the hassle of any browser or OS compatibility issues.

LabSlide - An elegant yet dynamic way to create music-video style slideshows. You can utilize the multimedia from your own SocialGO or Zocku data store to create Animoto style presentations and then embed them on your site, post them elsewhere, or share them with friends or clients.

Ad Manager - One of the most important applications for any site! This Ad Manager uses a stand-alone destop interface to provide easy creation of ad and banner rotation campaigns. All media is stored within your SocialGO or Zocku network allotment, so it is easy to track storage and bandwidth usage. This application will also allow you to create campaigns that can be used on your Ning or other sites that you operate, and thereby expand the value proposition you can offer to your paying advertisers.

In conjunction with our Easy-Token system, you will be able to quickly and easily sell space on your site to interested advertisers, without having to learn the complexities of OpenAds.

We have a wealth of other widgets and applications in the cue, including:

- Easy Token System for buying/selling/trading value of media or services between members
- Standalone network messenger (similar to yahoo IM but for social network)
- Chat room with public and private chat and video
- Business Directory Builder (Simple CRM)
- Web card creator(Visual/Audio Post Card)
- Simple multiplayer games for network members (compete and play online while chatting)
- Avatar builder (Manga Avatar creator with network logo for viral brand distribution)

Those of you who were previously our clients will remember that there was a similar ramp-up period back in 2007 while Ning was perfecting their platform. During that time it seemed like there was a great deal of delay, and then "poof" the dam broke and our products came rushing forward. In just a few months, we released fifteen products and had more than a million active users on more than 5000 networks.

In the same way, we have been patiently waiting along with you while SocialGO makes the necessary improvements to their platform as will allow us to move forward. We are like the guys who sell hot-dogs at the football stadium. Until the stadium is finished, and the fans come in for the first big game... we have no way to sell hot dogs. Since SocialGO and Zocku are truly 'OPEN' platforms... once that first game day comes, and the gates open... LOOK OUT!

 

We are very excited about the success of our latest experiment called "CherryPicker". The purpose of our experiment was to demonstrate two things:

1. That multimedia content from your social network can be distributed to the same core group of users, but in a different format;
2. That the distribution method can be the "value" that is purchased by your members, rather than the content contained therein.

This initial experiment with CherryPicker was limited to "archived" content from Ning sites, and as such was not a commercial success for most of the sites that participated in our trial, but it did prove the feasibility of the technology and delivery mechanism.

Likewise, we did not pursue any centralized promotion or indexing system for all of the networks that participated in our trial. This mean that any and all promotion was internal to those networks, rather than anyone being able to locate or obtain the content of the network via a high-profile index of similar content "channels".

With "new" content, and a centralized index of available niche "channels", we feel that CherryPicker offers an exciting option for social network creators on SocialGO and Zocku.

So, now that we've had a successful experiment... where do we go from here?

We are now preparing the CherryPicker technology for use as a native-widget on your SocialGO or Zocku sites!

In our new incarnation of the product, we envision site creators having the power to purchase CherryPicker as an accessory widget. This would be available for a small fee per month (say $4.99) and would enable a site creator to utilize their existing storage allotment at SocialGO or Zocku to "hold" the content that will appear within CherryPicker. This content store would be distinct from the general video and photo data store of a network, and thereby provide for specific benefits such as:

1. The ability to distribute specific content to members in a way that makes it available for optimal viewing and offline archiving (CherryPicker can deliver content to the subscribers desktop and hard-drive directly);
2. The ability to charge (or not) a micropayment for specific content on a site, while keeping this content distinct from anything that is available for public view. This might be useful in situations where one has a site that is Non-Graphical in nature and otherwise would be suitable for a SocialGO "Starter" site (@ $4.99 per month), but where one wants to allow members to subscribe to a private distribution of content that IS graphical in nature. With CherryPicker, one could have the best of all worlds by ensuring that only specific site members who have subscribed are able to obtain the content, and such content is only available to view from within CherryPicker;
3. The ability to have a universal token system for receiving any payments from members that uses PayPal as the main "engine", but disconnects the content of the site from the payment in order to avoid any potential TOS violations. This token system is then further available for use by members within other widgets from WidgetLaboratory/Crankstation such as PhotoBooth, or as a barter currency between members for services or content;
4. The ability to directly deliver a monthy combination of multimedia and (in the new version) instructional or information content. Besides the obvious use for photos and videos, imagine a scenario where instructional material and tutorials can be delivered alongside the multimedia in a way that allows for incremental payments for each lesson. For example: Piano Lessons, Homework Tutoring, Professional Advice or Training, Certification for Licensing, At Home Seminars, etc. In this way, CherryPicker becomes a "turn-key" solution to deliver a world of content to their social network members, and receive incrimental payment for the same, all without the use of advertising.

In order for you to get a better idea of how CherryPicker works, we are providing a couple of working samples here. The sample application below is free to try and uses data from Trikepilot.com, while the others are from some of our "mature" content customer sites and demonstrate how the token subscription system operates ($2 charge to access the content of each site NSFW site). Click the badge below to install or the link to get other examples:

 

For More "Mature Content" Examples of CherryPicker (NSFW), click HERE

Interesting story I read this morning about US Airways offering the survivors of Flight 1549 immediate $5000 credits for their luggage and one year of "Chairman's Preferred Status". The membership gives each passenger and a companion first-class domestic travel when seats are available, one upgrade to Europe or Hawaii, choice seats and priority check-in.

This offer was not contingent upon anyone waiving their legal rights or ability to sue the airline, nor did it require any further action to be taken in order to claim the benefits. It was completely "neutral" in structure.

What intrigued me was the fact that the passengers (and public) have had completely opposite reactions to US Airways' offer.

Most of the survivors themselves have had a NEGATIVE reaction, and feel that the benefits offered were "not enough" and thereby became more of an insult than a gesture of good-will. Most of the public who were not on the plane think that the offer was too generous and that the survivors should have been thankful that US Airways was smart (or lucky) enough to have hired such an outstanding flight crew! After all, it was a random flock of geese that allegedly brought down the airplane, not a lack of maintenance or pilot error.

This mixed-reaction presents a unique and interesting study into human psychology.

On the one hand, if you perceive yourself to be the "victim" of some wrongdoing by another... this establishes a potential feeling of entitlement or right to be made "whole" again by someone. Since the geese who were the proximate cause of this incident are no longer alive or capable of making any compensation offer themselves, there is no requirement for US Airways to have stepped-up to the plate to offer anything.

On the other hand, we have the observers rendering their own judgment as to whether these victims are even entitled to any compensation for what they endured. Most of the comments indicated that any offer by the airline at all was extraordinary, and that the survivors were being selfish and petty for trying to capitalize on their misfortune...while not being thankful for their survival.

So who is right? More importantly, what can we learn about this when it comes to customer service?

The lesson to be learned is that you need to be careful what you promise to your customers, even if it is intended as a gratuitous offering.

Human brains tend to associate "value" with whatever they had originally "expected" to receive. If they expected nothing, but you gave them something anyway... you potentially open yourself up to being judged against a higher-level of expectation than if you had simply done nothing at all. In the mind of the customer, there must be some "ulterior motive" for why you are giving them something for free under these circumstances. As such, they will then expect you to either reveal your motive or provide an entirely unrealistic level of benefits under the circumstances... in order to try to force you to reveal your motives.

If US Airways had decided instead to offer an annual college scholarship for a hundred young pilots to go to flight school to become as well trained as Capt. Sullenberger, would that have been viewed as a more altruistic motive and therefore without any hidden agenda? What about if they had offered to pay for the installation of wildlife protection equipment to keep the birds off the runway at that airport in order to help prevent such occurrences in the future? It is likely that the same amount of money offered to some third-party benefit (charity) would not have been viewed as having ulterior motives, and might have been viewed in a positive way by everyone.

Unfortunately, it is human nature to be suspicious of free gifts... especially in our litigious society. When and if you are dealing with compensating for an "intangible" loss such as the fear and trauma suffered from a flying accident, it is a slippery slope to try to match this with the benefit of first-class tickets for a finite time period. Compensating passengers who are held in the plane for 11 hours waiting for takeoff is the type of event that might be helped with free upgrades. But when it involves near loss of life with sizeable and likely litigation settlements... not such a good idea.

For those of you who will be charging for your social network sites, consider how YOU will compensate your customers for the glitches and issues that will likely show themselves despite all of your best efforts. Think twice BEFORE you offer compensation benefits. Perhaps a more suitable solution is to provide more HELP or ADVICE instead of refunds. This could be the difference between making your customers feel you CARE... or making them feel you have something to HIDE.

Feeling a little long in the tooth about how you are going to get going with your new social networking site? Don't think the prospects feel too groovy with all the "sky is falling" news you read every morning?

Rather than getting sucked into the vortex of negativity... here are THREE easy tips to help you float above it all and start taking action RIGHT NOW! While everyone else is moping around, you can get a serious head-start on building a kick-ass network:

1. Start reading Tim Ferriss. Tim is a "guru" at simplifying your life and work tasks so that you can gain mastery of the same in a much shorter time period than you ever imagined. Start with this great blog post and work your way back. My favorite part of this post was where Tim wrote:
   
   
   To bring in a wonderful 2009, I’d like to quote from an email I received today from a mentor of more than a decade:
   
   While many are wringing their hands, I recall the 1970s when we were suffering from an oil shock causing long lines at gas stations, rationing, and 55 MPH speed limits on Federal highways, a recession, very little venture capital ($50 million per year into VC firms), and, what President Jimmy Carter (wearing a sweater while addressing the Nation on TV because he had turned down the heat in the White House) called a “malaise”. It was during those times that two kids without any real college education, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, started companies that did pretty well. Opportunities abound in bad times as well as good times. In fact, the opportunities are often greater when the conventional wisdom is that everything is going into the toilet.

   
   Well…we’re nearing the end of another great year, and, despite what we read about the outlook for 2009, we can look forward to a New Year filled with opportunities as well as stimulating challenges.

    

2. Learn Basic CSS. Regardless of whether you want to become a proficient website designer, or just remain a business person, CSS is the heart and soul of all websites for the last few years. Having a working vocabulary of how Cascading Style Sheets work will enable you to quickly and easily dissect your SocialNetwork and make it start working for you... instead of the other way around. There are literally hundreds of online resources, but start with HTML Dog and work your way from there.

    

3. Budget 30 minutes per day to researching your Niche on the Internet and writing a blog post. Why would anyone want to come to your social network unless you are knowledgeable about the niche site that you have created? Do you HAVE an opinion? How could you unless you have read and thought about the same on a regular basis? The best thing about this exercise is that it will very quickly reveal to you whether you have the PASSION to build a popular site. If you get bored with reading about it daily in just 30 minutes... imagine how completely overwhelmed you will feel if you happen to get several hundred or thousands of people on your site as members and have to manage them each and every day to keep the site alive? If you LOVE what you are doing, then it will be easy...