In our latest release, PUBLIC CHALK takes on events. This is a decidedly different route/service than we had taken/provided in the past, but it just seems to make sense to use the technology that has been built to make PUBLIC CHALK work to use it for event planning.
The main reason is that we noticed that an event has a minimum lifespan of two weeks. The first week of an event happens when you or one of your friends or one of the companies with whom you do business decides to plan an event and you get the invite. The discussion begins almost immediately… What should I wear? Who will be there? Where is this event? There are probably some e-mails or phone calls between the prospective attendees who know each other and some valuable planning might even come out of those sessions such as, “Lets be prepared to discuss the NYC transit system since the head of the MTA will be there.” Or, more likely, “Kim said she is brining light beer so I’d better bring my own Guinness.”
Then, the event actually takes place and just like any other event in the world – there are going to be some great friends or acquaintances who simply will not be able to attend. They’ll have an array of lame excuses and you’ll want to counter those with stories, text messages, and pictures of what is going on as it is happening.
Finally, there is the aftermath of the event. The picture of Jim wearing the lampshade in place of his pants followed by the picture of Judy wearing Jim’s pants… on her head. Or, maybe it is just a really informative video about 21st century transportation options in NYC. Either way, it is priceless to share these stories/memories with friends.
So, You’ll see that PUBLIC CHALK will allow you to create an event, invite your friends, and start chatting about the event immediately. As usual, you can still share photos, links, and commentary, but now it will be surrounding a particular event. Oh, and, if you want to have a more private side conversation, go ahead and create a board and invite the appropriate people – that’s still available!
Happy Event Hosting!
ETJ
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Black Friday vs Cyber Monday
“It wouldn’t be the Christmas Shopping Season if the stores were any less Hotter than they are.” Yes, the quote by Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) from Christmas Vacation still rings true even in this “internet era”. Black Friday showed retail sales of about $41 Billion. Cyber Monday, by contrast, showed sales of about $850 Million illustrating that the internet is still very much in its infancy… at least when it comes to on-line shopping.
Not to say that we haven’t come a long way in the past 15 years. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, the internet was heard of by a handful of people in the US government, many college students, and a few businesses that had heard of this idea called e-mail.
In a span of about 5 years, that interest grew as on-line startup companies came out of the woodwork and started offering on-line solutions to real world problems. Some of those companies had great business models and were hugely successful and still exist today (Ebay, Yahoo!, Google, Amazon, etc…). Some had simply horrible business models and would have not been funded were it not for the frenzy to get any internet company to market and capitalize. And there were many that had solid business models that went by the wayside. Even on-line shopping was difficult in the mid-to-late 1990’s with most people suffering through dial-up connections on slow PCs.
Then the whole bubble burst! Interestingly, as the bubble was bursting, the bandwidth and faster PCs that make browsing, shopping, and generally using the internet a pleasant experience were being put into place.
Today, you can shop on-line at just about any large retailer and countless boutique retailers. We’ve also seen the use of the internet spread to letting people do tasks more simply on-line that used to take hours such as on-line banking and renewing your driver’s license or auto registration.
Beyond on-line shopping we’ve seen the internet grow into a way to connect people using social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn and mircoblogs like Twitter. We’ve also seen the popularity of growth in User Generated Content – now everyone can be heard on any topic.
And, talk about access! Not only can you access the internet quickly from your Laptop or PC at home or at the office. You can also use your iPhone, Blackberry, Treo, etc…
We believe that Public Chalk is a site that will be part of the next evolution of the internet. It is a place where User Generated Content meets social interaction. It is a place where activities and events such as a holiday party can be planned and discussed real-time before, during, and after the event. And it is a place that is accessible “traditionally” via any web site or via the iPhone (eventually going to include the Blackberry and others).
The next 15 years should be a heck of a ride!
ETJ
Not to say that we haven’t come a long way in the past 15 years. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, the internet was heard of by a handful of people in the US government, many college students, and a few businesses that had heard of this idea called e-mail.
In a span of about 5 years, that interest grew as on-line startup companies came out of the woodwork and started offering on-line solutions to real world problems. Some of those companies had great business models and were hugely successful and still exist today (Ebay, Yahoo!, Google, Amazon, etc…). Some had simply horrible business models and would have not been funded were it not for the frenzy to get any internet company to market and capitalize. And there were many that had solid business models that went by the wayside. Even on-line shopping was difficult in the mid-to-late 1990’s with most people suffering through dial-up connections on slow PCs.
Then the whole bubble burst! Interestingly, as the bubble was bursting, the bandwidth and faster PCs that make browsing, shopping, and generally using the internet a pleasant experience were being put into place.
Today, you can shop on-line at just about any large retailer and countless boutique retailers. We’ve also seen the use of the internet spread to letting people do tasks more simply on-line that used to take hours such as on-line banking and renewing your driver’s license or auto registration.
Beyond on-line shopping we’ve seen the internet grow into a way to connect people using social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn and mircoblogs like Twitter. We’ve also seen the popularity of growth in User Generated Content – now everyone can be heard on any topic.
And, talk about access! Not only can you access the internet quickly from your Laptop or PC at home or at the office. You can also use your iPhone, Blackberry, Treo, etc…
We believe that Public Chalk is a site that will be part of the next evolution of the internet. It is a place where User Generated Content meets social interaction. It is a place where activities and events such as a holiday party can be planned and discussed real-time before, during, and after the event. And it is a place that is accessible “traditionally” via any web site or via the iPhone (eventually going to include the Blackberry and others).
The next 15 years should be a heck of a ride!
ETJ
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