Posts Tagged ‘AlbinoPhant’

Share

Maria T. Bailey makes her living by knowing what Moms want. Today she shared what the Mom Market will look like in the next 5-years.

It is exciting to witness the rapidly evolving mommy market first hand, and then to see experts validate some of the thoughts that Sarah and I have had as we prepare our online white elephant gift party concept we are calling AlbinoPhant.

Maria suggests that in next five years we will see Tupperware parties hosted online, using computers and social networking tools that virtually mimic the home party systems of the past. She sights evidence that this is beginning to happen on Twitter for baby showers.

We are demonstrating that the AlbinoPhant concept will add an even greater level of engagement into the online home party plans of the future.

These five year predictions also suggests that there will be Moms who will build loyalty in a family brand that will link generations together for many reasons. This is evident in our family even today.

Sarah remains the anchor of our family brand and is the most active in gathering the generations together on the internet. It was Sarah’s desire to connect that lead us to start sharing gifts as a family on the internet. This web activity lead to the creation of the AlbinoPhant party and ultimately to the business of PartyWeDo.

Maria should also take into account that millions of Moms will become empty-nesters within the next 5-years, just like Sarah is today. These women will be desperate to find ways to stay involved in the lives of many generations, all at the same time. These women will want to share gifts in a more exciting way, even when the family is dispersed around the country. A Mom’s giving nature will provide a great many marketing opportunities for e-Retailers in the future.

We are excited to be on the leading edge of these trends and thank forward thinking women for their efforts to keep family connections strong.  The AlbinoPhant white elephant gift giving online is just another way that women are move social networking toward real life experiences.

Thanks to azurehat.com for the image

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

Louis Gray shares cutting edge trends he finds on the internet. Today he shared a new feature from Brizzly.com that allows family and friend groups a chance to have private (or public) chats together, sort of like a traditional white elephant gift exchange.

Louis suggests that the result is “a fun free-flowing environment to chat with friends, family and colleagues without fear of the content going public”…

As I read of the features that are a part of the new Picnic system, I am struck by how similar this is to our Banter Box on the AlbinoPhant game play page.

From the Brizzly site:
“You can do what you’ve been doing on other social networks – sharing links, posting photos & videos, making jokes, having conversations – but with specific groups of people”. “You can also upload photos from your computer and take photos with your computer’s webcam. Link to a video from YouTube or Vimeo and we’ll embed it so it’s playable right inside the picnic”.

Brizzly’s Picnic and AlbinoPhant’s “Banter Box” have the same features that add to the conversation between close family and friends.

The online party process in AlbinoPhant and the Brizzly chat system approach groups from different directions. Brizzly is a reader that works with Twitter and Facebook. AlbinoPhant and other PartyWeDo events are gift distribution parties that use the banter and sharing features to enhance the white elephant gift giving experience for the group. Both systems enhance the networking potential of a specific group. Each service adds to the fun free-flowing chat that develops when people of a like mind get together.

We take our hat off to Brizzly for joining the party!

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

After reviewing some of the business models employed by the social networks, we are struck with the lack of self-sufficient concepts being employed.

Many are falling back on advertising or virtual transactions because recession has made it difficult to sustain a business without a solid model.

Just two years ago there was a effort to find and define the various business models for an internet business.

How about white elephant gifts?

I have included a few links to some of the business models lists:

From Fred Wilson comes a long-tail list.

From professor Michael Rappa who wrote, “In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself — that is, generate revenue. The business model spells-out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain”. (We will discuss how the Value Chain is important to selling in a minute.)

Dave McClure spent some time discussing Facebook’s need to find a good business model in early 08 when he suggested, “All they gotta do is figure out how to Show Me The Money“.

The big social platforms like Facebook and Twitter have relied on rapid growth to buy time, as they figured out a monetization model that could sustain. In the end, they have mostly fallen back on advertising sales to pay the bills.

Selling advertising is great. But Google and thousands of other sites are reaching into the pocket of advertisers all at the same time.

Yes, advertising is an important part of the process of selling, but it is not finding a great deal of success in social networks.

Selling things (real things) has been a part of the business value chain for generations. Selling goods can be adapted to the large internet networks as well, but the sales offer must fit the audience.

As we study the list of business models, we feel that the sustainable models for social spaces will begin in Affiliate sales and then move into full-on E-commerce. We believe that unique white elephant gifts could support the functions of an online white elephant gift exchange party.

Nothing happens of real value until someone sell something. Amazon sells real stuff, so does Ebay, Microsoft and Apple. Sustainable models work off from the proven components of cost-of-goods, capture-cost, mark-up and efficient distribution.

The internet already has proven Affiliate sales commissions and E-commerce both succeed online… The Web 2.0 world will eventually evolve into a place where it is common to buy something real by using an application that adds extra value to the purchase and delivery process.

Sell something like white elephant gifts!

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

It has been reported that Facebook continues to build strong engagement statistics . AllFacebook announced that the number one social network is now gathering an average of 143 pages viewed per user, every month. This represents a huge lead over other web properties.

Our family knows about engaging websites that draw us back time and time again. For the past 4-years we have gathered online to share gifts and conversation for a few days before Christmas.

We all live in different parts of the country so we can only get together on the internet. Our family game makes us feel closer when we can’t gather in real life.

Here are the statistics of this engaging party:
… 11 players participated for 19 days.
… 789 comment visits were made to the party page
… 67 pictures where gathered from Google images where linked to the party.
… 37 videos where gathered from YouTube into the activity.

It is not possible to know the actual page views that the game creates, but we each spent a great deal of effort and time to stay engaged.

It is a great blessing that the internet has provided us the opportunity become engaged with any of our family and friends, and the latest numbers from Facebook is just one more illustration that we all want to stay connected.

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

Marketing Trend reports continue to suggest that online retailers have a huge opportunity to use social networks as a sales channel.

Most of these internet retailers are attempting to use traditional advertising methods and static pages to reach out to the connected-groups on the web. This approach has yielded a mixed result, due to the unique nature of social network usage.

In one trend report the author suggested that…“A critical challenge remains the ability to effectively harness the marketing intelligence inherent in the way people communicate and interact with one another through the digital medium and make it actionable”.

Since most of the social web is built as a mimic of social interactions from the real world, we might find an actionable e-commerce solution the same way.

We know that people purchase things for each other desiring to ether give support or to build up a relationship. The act of delivering the item carries the non-verbal message that someone cares enough to sacrifice money, thought and time for someone else.

When this delivery is completed in person, the added verbal communication, facial expressions and physical contact reinforces the message. It is hard to beat going to Target, wrapping a gift and then showing up on the doorstep of someone you love.

The disconnected nature of e-commerce takes this physical interaction from the process, loosing some of the impact of the message.

Social networks and e-Retailers are trying to find solutions to this disconnect, and they will eventually find a good mimic.

The answer will come as we apply more of the product distribution activities we use in our real social life to the process.

Any great ideas?

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

The bell rings and you swing open the door to reveal the smiling UPS driver, holding an Amazon box… Your birthday present has arrived or maybe it is a white elephant gift surprise…

This same story plays out millions of times a year with little fanfare or personal impact, because UPS isn’t tasked to deliver personality, fun or Love. They only distribute the box, get a signature and then move on down the road.

The UPS distribution system is a marvel of good logistics and great efficiency, but they deliver boxes… not love.

Many of the items that the UPS driver handles are expressions of love, sent by family and friends to support important life events. UPS simply becomes the intermediary in a process that would have been more personal, if the parties had lived closer to each other.

When it comes time to give a birthday present to a distant friend, we shop with love and thought. We wrap the gift with bright paper, a bow and some ribbon. Then, because we must ship, the gift is placed in a plain box and given to UPS.

What would happen if we could insert some of our personality and love into the gift distribution process?

What if we could host an online party and then have the UPS driver be the deliver guy for the gifts from the event/ What if we could have a engaging white elephant gift party on the internet and then have the gifts delivered?

Maybe we could require that the UPS driver wear a party hat or sing a short birthday tune when the door opens?

When the day or event is special, we should find ways to deliver our love and our personality to support UPS in the package delivery. We could do better for those we love, and make the delivery a part of a memorable process.

What could we do to help UPS deliver the love?

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share Billions are spent every year to show Mom our appreciation.
This year Facebook games are adding to the support that Mother’s receive.

A report in the blog Inside Social Games from TrialPlay states that; “...in the days leading up to Mother’s Day, promotional offers dubbed “gifts for mom” generated around $1 million per day”. This revenue was mostly from the sales of flower deliveries for Mom’s around the world.

This action was a boost of 5 times the action usually received by game developers, as they capitalized on our love of Mom…

Two things are interesting about this information: First, it points to the value that we place on supporting each other with real gifts. And second, it demonstrates that we will use online tools to share in the giving process with each other.

And where do most real gifts get distributed within families? At parties and other social gatherings. In fact, there was almost $15 billion spent on real gifts this last Mother’s day and nearly 20% was spent online!

The value of the new internet tools like Facebook, Amazon and PayPal is that we can use the web to share gifts with even the most distant loved ones. We can celebrate important events right from our computer.

These are the reasons that we have such a passion for online parties…

We see a day when everyone can use this platform for sharing real gifts on Mother’s Day and every other important holiday. We are happy to be on the leading edge of this effort.

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

We are on the hunt for a technical partner or co-founder for the PartyWeDo network.  We have reached out to a few individuals that we have met during the AlbinoPhant development process. They have been very helpful in pointing us to several resources. 

We have also sought the advice of various internet based experts as we refine what we are offering. These experts suggest a well crafted Elevator Pitch as the basic introduction to our plans. We appreciate the suggestions from the guys at Venture Hacks, who have written much on this subject.

We also stumbled upon a post from Dave McClure on pitching the problem and not the solution.

I don’t use the language that Mr. McClure often chooses to make his points, but his post on problems makes a great deal of sense. 

Dave’s suggestion is that the “problem” that needs the clearest definition,  as opposed to a discussion concerning building a solution.

So… Dave McClure… Here is a problem:

You don’t live close to all the people that you love and want to share gifts with. This distance causes you to miss personal gift delivery opportunities. You feel guilty that you can’t be there to offer your support at birthday parties, weddings, baby births, graduations and holiday gatherings.   Sure, you know how to shop and ship, but UPS doesn’t deliver your love and personality with the package.  It is sad that you can’t be in several places at the same time, because you will miss some of the great parties that are planned by those you love.

You, me, and millions of other people face this same problem, because we live to far away to really show our love and support in person.

While I am thinking about problems Dave, here is another one…

Facebook, and other social platforms are very dependent on advertising as a business model.  This model really has nothing other than eye-ball volume to sell. These networks must rely on limited advertising budgets to fund their business; and there are many advertising choices.

NOW FOR SOLUTIONS:

1. Give distant friends and family the opportunity to join in the party and share their personality and presents from wherever they reside.
2. Partner with a vast number of eCommerce companies to sell the gifts for the party and earn commissions to fund a socially-center business.

Mr. McClure I would appreciate your thoughts on these problems.  (Oh yes, if you could recommend a technical co-founder I would appreciate the lead)

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

We have a Christmas party, a birthday party and even a Cinco de Mayo party. But do we have a Mom Party?

Yes we all get something for Mom for her special day, but do we throw a party, like we do for Halloween?

I don’t remember getting an invitation to “Party with Mom” from any of my siblings. I know that we get together for a family dinner and pass her the cards and gifts, but it never has lifted to the level of a real party…

Retailers love this day… This year, they will see over $14.5 Billion dollars spent for Mom.

Between wife, daughters, daughter-in-laws, sisters and of course, Mom, there are many who need recognition and probably should receive a party!

I need to get myself together and plan a real party…. But it is way to late for this year!

I guess the dinner, cards and gifts will have to do again this time.

What do you do for Mom? Any Parties?

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

“The Internet has given us simple means to create businesses out of nothing. But to sustain them, we need solid models. What’s yours”?

This is the ending statement and final question in a post from Chris Brogan’s blog. I appreciate the idea of a simple explanation of the model.

So Chris, here is my attempt to define our business model:

DISTRIBUTION

Modeled after UPS…

Yes, this party game and the coming network of other party games are a Distribution system… Here is how:

Over time some of the people we care about become dispersed to other parts of the country. This dispersion creates a problem for moving items between these individuals in an efficient manner.

UPS recognized this problem and in the early 1900′s began delivering messages and packages to the dispersed businesses in Seattle, Washington. Over time they expanded to cover the world in distributing the important items of families, friends and businesses.

UPS has a business model built on serving the distribution needs of those who find delivering goods in person is not a viable option. They use conveyor belts, airplanes and brown trucks as their tools in building a very successful enterprise. Their service facilitates the movement of things from one spot to another in an efficient way; so UPS is a Model of Distribution.

Our model of distribution is built on the need to have gifts distributed to dispersed family and friends. The gifts that are needed to demonstrate support and love during very important life events. Gifts that would be delivered in person, if it was possible. UPS can deliver the box holding the gift, but they do not distribute the love…

Our tools include UPS, but also add in the services of Facebook, Amazon and PayPal. Our distribution model involves the extra services of connection and interaction which are lost when a gift is not delivered in person. Our distribution service facilitates the fun that can accompany the act of gift giving to someone who is close to our heart, but far from our person.

So Chris… There you have it….
We are in GIFT DISTRIBUTION

What do you think?

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists