Posts Tagged ‘Amazon’

Nivi and Naval produce a blog called Venture Hacks. They also advise start-ups and have written a book or two. Their advice has been very helpful and I appreciate their responsiveness whenever I have personally reached out for advice.

They posted a suggestion today that I have taken as a personal challenge. They want to know if our company has an aspirational vision for the future. Nivi and Naval illustrated this vision statement process in a “What we aren’t VS what we could be” format.

They gave the example of the Google vision: Google isn’t a search engine. They “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Yes, AlbinoPhant the party game and PartyWeDo the online party developer have a vision… But until now I have not written it down for our readers to review.

I know that you have read our “Cause” in the past, but now we offer our VISION:

AlbinoPhant isn’t a social game, it is a gift distribution system for friends and families.

* A Gift Distribution System wrapped in a mimic of a traditional party game.
* A Gift Distribution System supported by eCommerce giants like Amazon.
* A Gift Distribution System designed for the distance separated gift shoppers.
* A Gift Distribution System positioned to support important life events among close family and friends.
* A Gift Distribution System hosted on the well connected Walls of Facebook.

While we are still in the process of putting all the technical pieces together to demonstrate traction for our party applications, we do see a day when family and friends will rely on us to pass out their gifts in a fun and social way.

I hope to get a bit of feedback on our VISION from our friends at Venture Hacks, and from you…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Valentine’s Day is a big gift giving holiday, with 2010 gift sales sitting at about $14 billion for the period, according to the National Retail Federation.

This is not nearly as big as Christmas, but plenty of volume to make every retailer take notice.

And it is not just gifts that sell for this season…. Valentine cards are sent at a rate of 152 million a year according Hallmark.

Like Christmas, the giving is shared widely between family and friends, with many gatherings scheduled to share in the experience.

Adding to the regular activities is the social networks who have really embraced the Valentine’s Day giving period this year. According to a report published by Allfacebook, the virtual world has been very active this February, sharing everything from a virtual Love-o-meter to Valentine’s Day Massacres within the games on Facebook.

What is interesting is that we have moved less than 50 days down the calendar since Christmas and we are still shopping for ways to support each other through gift giving.

There should be no question that gift retailing is one of the serious economic drivers in our economy and presents some great opportunities, both on and off line.

This year, we are witnessing how Valentine’s Day is a serious driver of the virtual economy on Facebook as well. FarmVille players have already sent more valentines in 18 hours than all the Hallmark V-day cards sent last year!

Retailers and game developers are moving to take advantage of our human desire to be generous with those whom we love. The sales numbers for gifts, cards and virtual fluff is just further proof that gift giving remains a strong social glue.

The question remains: Who will make the sweetheart deals and applications that will combine social networks with real gift sharing between family and friends?

Thanks to Style Grrl for the great image

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Steps to Hosting a Successful Online White Elephant Party…

white elephant party hosting tips –

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.

If you have learned anything from our blog, it is that we believe in REAL gifts,  and we see virtual-images only as a tool to facilitate real gift giving among family and friends.

This idea is rooted in the belief that the internet is a tool that runs without emotion. It is hardware and software, not warmth and compassion. The human element must be combined with these tools in order to create something that is of real value.

A virtual hug is a cheap disappointment, and we want to put human warmth into these social networks that are now connecting us. We want real hugs by real people, and we want REAL gifts not just virtual fluff…

This virtual mumbo jumbo started when developers decided that applications on Facebook and other networks should offer everything for free. They started allowing free virtual hugs and gifts as a replacement for the real thing. We don’t believe that this free stuff is worth a dime, and many are beginning to join our thinking.

Amber Nasland blogs at Altitude, and she added to the “free” discussion in a recent post when she said: “But just because free is everywhere doesn’t mean that free is a given. Nor does it mean that free is always better. (Though I will say I’m all about Free Hug )”

If you did not take the time to watch the video that she posted (I share it again here) then you may have thought that Amber was promoting “virtual-hugging”. But the “Free Hugs” displayed in this short clip involve real people embracing; there is not one virtual hug in the lot!

These real hugs required some investment in resources and emotion, by real people. They were “purchased” by personal effort, not by a quick click of a mouse. Likewise, real gifts speak warmth, thought and love. These can not be replaced by sending someone a silly virtual flower in Facebook…

Real hugs, even among strangers, leave a good impression and are appreciated more deeply because they are created by a human action.

Mitch Joel discussed the problem with not making a personal investment in things during a discussion he titled, The Problem with Free: “When you pay for something, you appreciate it more than when you get it for free”. Then he quoted motivational speaker Mike Lipkin’s favorite onstage line: “I would do this for free, but I am going to make you pay for it so that you appreciate what you’re getting.”

We again state that the only way that supportive gift giving on Facebook works is if a user can buy a REAL gift and then use the social tools to make the gift presentation memorable and engaging.

It is our believe that a virtual party can facilitate this process in a way that will make giving memorable and provide important feedback. It is this tradition of joining together in one purpose that has made real gift giving such a valuable part of personal support.

Freely giving of ones substance results in the same warmth and feeling as a real hug…

You are free to comment.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White elephant eCommerce on Facebook

There is a growing feeling that Facebook and other social properties will begin to join forces with online retailers to sell real products on their networks.
In fact when Catharine Taylor asked thought leaders to consider what is ahead for 2010, John Dudley, an editor at Hampden-Sydney College suggested that “At least one major retailer will develop an e-commerce Facebook app that will replace its entire “traditional” e-commerce Web site.

What does this really mean?
Can it mean that retailers will just increase their efforts by beefing up their fan page or throwing up some additional advertising on the walls?

No.. Mr Dudley is suggesting that e-commerce will move an actual sales channel into Facebook. This effort would require that a retailer build a storefront on the Facebook super highway. With a social network based store, users could stop and shop without leaving the Facebook system. They could use their regular profile, their recognized PayPal account and have UPS deliver the goods to their door. They would find shopping and sharing with distant family and friends a seamless experience.

What type of retailer would take that risk?
We suggest that gift merchants are the perfect group for the move toward an e-commerce/Facebook partnership, and here is why:

* Gift giving among family and friends sends about $115 Billion dollars into cash registers every year, in just the US alone.

* The concept of sharing gifts (virtual, at least) in Facebook is not a new concept, so selling real gifts through this space is not a giant leap.

* Facebook users have demonstrated that they want to stay connected and supportive to even the most distant contacts.

* Established affiliate sales systems provide the framework to track and administer the sales efforts.

Adding to this concept of e-commerce on social networks, a year end discussion on advertising trends suggest that; “Social media will provide a new sales channel for establishing product awareness and commercializing brands to better support traditional advertising or text-based ads”.
The keyword in this statement is the mention of a new sales channel, supported by advertising and other internet based tools. The integration of retail sales and online tools will provide the wise e-commerce pioneers with a head start into this emerging opportunity.

Which e-commerce retailer could take advantage of this emerging trend?
Amazon should be on the list, and so should Ebay. But Wal-Mart or Target could make a big move with this effort as well. Then there is Buy.com, Overstock.com and other 2nd tier online retailers, who might be looking for some differentiation from the big dogs in e-commerce.

It might be interesting to explore the possibility that an e-commerce retailer could use an engaging Facebook application to assist in gathering family and friends together to purchase gifts and share with each other.

We really like this idea…!!!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week I plan to be trampled by 14 little feet…
And, I will enjoy every minute of it!

For more than a year I have been working hard to build an online party application that will demonstrate the value of giving real gifts through social networks. We are still working on many bugs and finishing several projects so that it will perform as it should. I have many tasks that remain on the to-do list….

But this week all of my grandchildren will be in our home, and I plan to just lie on the floor and let them crawl all over me.
I will probably get drooled upon, find spit-up in my hair, and be exposed to a dirty diaper or two… Nevertheless, I have looked forward to these days since last summer, when we found that all of our five children and their families would be in Oregon for Christmas.

Even though I really want people to receive the benefits of giving real gifts online; and I know that I could move the process forward right now,  I will neglect, at least for a while, this start-up venture and fill my time with some of the true gifts in my life…

These little people are the best gifts from our great family relationships. The seven wiggling, giggling little people have become more precious to me than anything that the Amazon/AlbinoPhant market could ever display.

The happy faces and joyous sounds will push aside any frustrations that I might be experiencing with a development team who is moving slower than I want.

The happy trampling will remove from my thoughts the need to market this new niche for the internet.

These youngsters will be the focus of my time commitments for the end of week, so the business will have to wait. My gift to my 7 grandchildren will be TIME… (grandma has a tree full of regular presents for them)

Chris Brogan discussed his time commitment for this holiday period, and I respect his choice to put in some extra effort while the “iron is hot”. But for me, I will turn it all off and just lay down in the middle of the floor and enjoy some of the gifts that my life has given me.

This party application is an out-growth of our family relationships. It had its beginnings in a game that we have used to keep us closer; so in some ways my decision to spend time being trampled is demonstration of the importance of our party.

It has been five years since our last family gathering, so will take this time to bond with those I love and enjoy the trampling of 14 little feet…

Merry Christmas.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White Elephant Gift Exchange parties or Yankee Swaps are the most popular gift-giving parties during the holidays. Millions gather in family rooms and church cultural halls to share gifts, steal from one another and enjoy the social banter during this group game.

Today, AlbinoPhant launches on Facebook as the online mimic of this traditional favorite for family and friends. AlbinoPhant is a partnership between the computer mouse and a well known white elephant party game. This online game allows family and friends from anywhere in the country to party together without leaving home.

The game application combines the massive audience on social networks with the convenience of online shopping from Amazon, into a party atmosphere. Friends and family share gifts with each other while AlbinoPhant gives them a fun way to pass out the presents.

Unlike other simple game applications on Facebook this party shares real gifts, not the virtual gifts that are so commonplace now. All players purchase a gift from special markets, and they virtually wrap their gift and get ready for the party. When all the players have their gifts purchased and wrapped, the game begins

All of the activities develop and are displayed on a common game-play page in the party. Players will find virtually wrapped gifts in the middle of the party room. They will see a display of the other players who are attending. There is a random player selection system and gift rating buttons. And of course, there is gift opening and gift stealing functions to build upon the fun.

Every good party is full of conversation, so the AlbinoPhant experience includes a comment box that allows many fun enhancement opportunities. In addition to the words that flow into the comment stream, there is the capability to include YouTube videos and images to assist players in creating a multimedia conversation.

The white elephant party ends when all the presents have been opened, stolen, rated and discussed. There are awards presented, and finally each gift is ordered and shipped to each of the player’s by conventional methods. There is no clean-up to do and everyone leaves with some great social memories.

This season you can combine your mouse with AlbinoPhant and bring your friends and family into one big party.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Black Friday is behind us and we are awaiting the numbers from the retailers. One thing that is certain, the online gift purchase is the “New Cool” in many households, and I think that I know why…

Sarah and I braved the crowds in one retailer yesterday for just two items. It was an experience that I can add to my been-there-done-that list! After a 3am start with the lines at the store and in the parking lot… I want to be one of the cool-kids who shop online.

That experience is why I agree with the Marketing Charts blog survey; that online gift shopping is cool.

The survey reports that “85% of web-shoppers say that the primary reason for shopping online is still time savings.” In fact, “last year was the first year that the web surpassed the store as the preferred way for multi-channel shoppers to purchase holiday gifts.”

As the gift purchasing public continues to shift toward the convenience and variety of the ecommerce world, the social networks will play a larger roll. Combining the “Cool” of the networks, like Facebook and Twitter with the trend of online shopping, should create great retail opportunities in the future.

The marketing study found that “social networking sites will influence shopping behavior for 37% of online shoppers vs. 24% last year.” These numbers would indicate that by adding the friend to friend influence of social networks and hot-links out to retailers, the cool-crowd of online shoppers will continue to expand.

As the trend toward online gift purchasing grows, so does the list of gift-selling facilitators. Entrepreneurs are building applications that allow social networking friends to influence others into the online buying experience. A growing group of links between Amazon, Facebook and PayPal are allowing developers to facilitate these purchasing interactions between friends.

The new mimics of traditional off-line activities like gift parties are providing ways for the network of friends to make shopping online even more fun.

So in 2009 the cool kids are moving the rest of us toward the convenience of online gift shopping. Combine this pressure, with the growing number of businesses that want to assist us to make the move, and 2010 looks hot for online gift sales.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

With the launch of AlbinoPhant only days away, we are starting to get in the artwork for the white elephant gift exchange on Facebook.

This application is a bit more complex than most of the simple social games that are found in Facebook. AlbinoPhant parties involve the sharing of real gifts in a long-term party and therefore integrate eCommerce shopping and secure payment systems into the process.

We want players to realize that after they purchase a gift in one of the AlbinoPhant markets, they wait while others do the same thing. So we felt that a cute and artistic message might make players feel at ease while they wait for the party to begin.

We hired a talented designer from Tuscon, Arizona by the name of Jay Pierstorff. He has created several creative and cleaver images to help players understand the steps in the game play process.

So when a player has used PayPal to purchase their selected gift for the party, and after they virtually wrapped it in some fancy or interesting box, the Armed-Elephant will store it safely in the AlbinoPhant Palace.
The virtual gift box and the image of the gift will be used on the gameplay page during the party. The real gift will actually remain in the control of Amazon, until we know who gets the gift after all the stealing and swapping are finished in the party.

The AlbinoPhant management system will see that all the gifts are sorted out and that all the players get the correct gifts delivered after the game ends.

At the end of the party another fun artistic message will be displayed to remind players that they should be looking for a shipping company to show up with the gift that they won in the party.

We know that family and friends will find AlbinoPhant a fun and easy way to connect and share real gifts together this holiday season.. These humorous images of elephants should assist in making the experience all the more fun.

Your are going to love this party!!!

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.

Unique and Fun White Elephant Gift Ideas
The best white elephant gift parties and Yankee Swaps, start with interesting or entertaining gifts.  We have worked with Amazon to provide you with some great gift markets in which to shop for your AlbinoPhant Party. You will find gifts in markets with level pricing, from $15 dollars to $50 dollars, spaced at $5 dollar increments.

Before you shop for your own party, take a look at some of the great gifts that we have put in the AlbinoPhant markets.  There are several hundred Amazon gifts to choose from,  for your own party adventure.

When you join a party you should select a gift that brings out the fun conversation in the online white elephant exchange…  So we  pulled out 17 gift ideas that we believe you could make some great conversation around.

What story could you start with a Hide-A-Squirrel?  Could you find a way to talk about a Backseat Organizer? What about posting a video about Pinocchio and telling lies…  Or, put someone in “Time-out” with a new Pad!

Read the rest of this entry »

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists