The Official SoCreative Blog

eBB Now Open!

2009-11-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

The day is finally here! eBargainBuddies has been re-released with the fresh new look and the "sales tag" Facebook function. Now consumers can spread the "sales tag" so their friends get the deals before they're gone. Let us know what you think about the new eBB! Check it out at http://www.eBargainBuddies.com/facebook

eBB 2.0 to be launched within 90 days

2009-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's very exciting times for us at SoCreative. eBargainBuddies, the world's first bargain shopping network that integrates deal sharing technology into Facebook's social graph, is releasing eBB 2.0 in the next couple of months. We've been working diligently all summer to bring you this release including a brand new look.

Essential to this release was the design of the Facebook "sales tag" function that we've been talking about for the last 6 months that lets friends recommend trusted sales to their peers. The tag works by allowing consumers to tag each other in deals and coupons to spread the word on sales, many of which they wouldn't otherwise know about. This allows people to make more informed shopping decisions and stay in-the-know of sales they can take advantage of. For us, the "sharing buzz" is the whole point of a Sale to begin with!

This sales tag gives each consumer a unique shopping experience because it provides them with sales only their buddies recommend to them. The same goes for the Facebook Newsfeed which gets transformed into a consumer's own personal Electronic Flyer of sales their friends are talking about and sharing.

We are currently exploring several avenues for businesses to get involved. If you're intrigued by how our sales distribution model can virally spread consumer awareness of your business's sales, reach our sales team at sales@ebargainbuddies.com or read more at http://www.ebargainbuddies.com. Create the buzz for your business with eBB 2.0.

Here's a sneak preview for you all with some eBB 2.0 screenshots. Tell us what you think about eBB 2.0 and our new logo! We'd love your feedback.

Homepage:

Deal Info Page:

Tag Function:

Tag Notification of a Friend-Recommended Deal:

Electronic Newsfeed Flyer:

If bargain shopping started today, what would it look like?

Major News Coming in the Next 7 Days

2009-08-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned.

Google Wave a Game-Changer?

2009-07-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Google Wave is a brand new species of communication applications as a cross between Email, Facebook and Twitter, but also has elements of Wiki. One thing is for certain, at their May developer event, Lars Rasmussen, Software Engineering Manager at Google, introduced Wave as an advanced email application when he said:

"[email] was invented more than 40 years ago before the Internet, before the web, and it was done without the experience of things like SMS, and instant messaging, and blogs, and wikis, and bulletin boards, and discussion groups, and social networks, and media sharing sites, and collaborative editors, and all these different kinds of communication that we take for granted today... when we started this project, we asked ourselves the question, what might email look like if it was invented today? ... [Wave] is our attempt."
-Lars Rasmussen, Google Software Engineering Manager

With that said, Wave really is whatever you want it to be. While email is a message passing between individuals, a wave is a shared resource to which users contribute.

There are so many applications, whether you're collaboratively taking notes in meetings, using advanced email or IM, you have a reason to use Google Wave. While it's difficult to hammer down how Google Wave will be used until it is released later in 2009, it definitely is a paradigm shift in how users will communicate and collaborate.

One thing is for certain - Google has definitely merged instant messaging and email (they've created a system where text is displayed as it is typed, to reduce the amount of time people spend just waiting for messages) to form a whole new communication form with Wave. Suddenly, instant messaging isn't as "instant".

The wave is Google's response to the Facebook "share" function and Twitter's @reply. Let's see how developers use Wave as an open-source protocol to develop applications.

Here's the 10 minute abridged version:

or, if you're interested, the full 1 hour 20 minute version:

Quick update...

2009-07-16T11:48:00.001-07:00

We've been going over some mock logos for a different approach that we're considering for eBargainBuddies. Stay tuned... it won't disappoint.

Version 2 is also almost ready for release! At this time, we're touching up a few things.

Stay alert and on Twitter to snag fast-moving travel deals

2009-06-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

From today's USA Today - the impact of Twitter on bargain hunting:

Last Tuesday evening, the travel Twitterverse was abuzz with news of what one industry pundit called the "sale of the decade": A slew of late summer and fall fares on Delta Air Lines from the U.S. to Europe for less than $250 round-trip, taxes included.

By late the next morning, Delta's pricing glitch (the airline had apparently neglected to add a $200 fuel surcharge) was fixed, and the eye-popping fares were history. But for nimble bargain hunters, the social media phenomenon known as Twitter had proven its worth as a way to snag a terrific travel deal.

...

Since airline fares and inventory change so rapidly, "being first to know about an airfare sale is very important. It may take people a few days to open e-mail, but Twitter is a great way to reach people in cellphone fashion," says FareCompare.com's CEO, Rick Seaney, who adds that his alerts highlighting the Europe sale resulted in about 450 bookings.

Read more at http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-06-19-twitter-deals_N.htm.

Social media will change bargain hunting. You know eBargainBuddies will be there!

Part II: Social Network Showdown - Twitter or Facebook?

2009-05-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday in Part I: Social Network Showdown - Twitter or Facebook?, we looked at the power of networking you, as a professional, on Twitter. We also discussed how Twitter and Facebook exist for different reasons, have their own strengths, and will likely exist in the future for different purposes - Twitter for networking and Facebook as a place for friends to hang out and interact. This week in Part II, we'll be discussing Facebook and Twitter from a business perspective. With this outlook, you'll be able to determine whether you should be networking your business on Facebook, Twitter, or both.

To be honest, the social network you select actually depends on the nature of your beast and the purpose of your business. We'll give you the example of our product, eBargainBuddies, to show you the thought process we used that lead to our decision of which social network to integrate our business into.

Why Did We Choose Both Facebook and Twitter for eBargainBuddies?

You see, with eBargainBuddies, we see two problems with bargain shopping. The first is that very few people actually know about sales from businesses, and secondly, that the word-of-mouth for deal sharing is significantly lacking; very few people talk about sales anymore. You see, several businesses like Future Shop, Best Buy or Air Canada address these problems themselves by making content more accessible online and have money to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on designing/printing/mailing paper flyers every two weeks, or buying ad space in newspapers, among other things. Other businesses like clothing stores such as Banana Republic ask consumers to join their emailing lists and send out sales information for upcoming sales electronically. Bargain shopping websites like flyerland.ca and RedFlagDeals.com in Canada keep a good repository of deals but lack the word-of-mouth to spread knowledge of their deals; consumers have to visit these sites at the right time to get the sale that they need, something we call a lack of logical deal sharing that we'll define more later. Obviously, smaller stores and retailers don't have the advertising budgets to match the big dogs, but they actually sometimes have greater sales so that they can compete with the big players. However, a lot of the time these sales go unnoticed because of what we mentioned earlier - a lack of word-of-mouth.

The problem here is that all consumers need sales on electronic necessities, sales on air fares, sales on clothes, etc. at one time or another, yet these current approaches of getting the word out for these businesses reach only a small percentage of consumers at any time. Likewise, sales promotions are meant to generate buzz about a business's products and services which relies on word-of-mouth advertising between consumers but how much are small businesses that don't have great advertising budgets really being helped? Consumers are more on-the-go now, checking emails via their phone, text messaging, or talking to friends in a time-insensitive fashion on social networks. With this evolution in communication, deal sharing has taken a back seat.

For our purpose then, eBargainBuddies has a clearly defined niche inside social circles of friends because people normally don't have the time to check all of these advertising streams before they hit the shops. We recognize that friends are now more reliant than ever on deals their friends tell them about because they share the same interests. This is what we call logical deal sharing because it relies on the trust between friends to keep friends in-the-know of the sales they shouldn't miss, and this is what we do with eBargainBuddies.

By integrating our bargain shopping database into the social circles of friends on Facebook, we make it easier for friends to share deals while they're already online; recall last week that we stated that 90% of people on Twitter are business professionals - the trust between friends that we want to use for deal sharing exists more on Facebook. So we've taken bargain shopping and deal sharing that have typically existed as two completely separate concepts and merged them into one sales distribution engine. We've developed a tag function that lets friends tag each other in sales that they feel those friends shouldn't miss out on, and that friend is sent a Facebook notification telling them about it. Not only does it keep people in-the-know, great sales can get viral. If 10 people each tell 10 people who each tell 10 people, that's already 1000 people who know about a sale. For a small business, attracting those type of numbers are huge. And it's logical because, like we said, friends trust sales their friends tell them about and are much more likely to respond to a sale if a friend now, as opposed to a business, informs them about it. Consumers are bombarded with so much advertising these days that they begin to get desensitized.

So How Do You Know If Your Business Needs Facebook and/or Twitter Integration?

Based on what we discussed last week, regardless of your business's purpose, your business should be on Twitter to network with other entrepreneurs, find leads to interested parties who would use your service, as well as mentors and/or bloggers in your industry. A lot of information is posted that you will find useful. If you maintain your own blog, Twitter is also a great way to get word out of new blog postings.

Facebook, on the other hand, is a more passive social environment so you may not receive the response you're looking for (read more about this on PerkettPRsuasion - The PerkettPR Blog). So how do you know if you should use Facebook to market your business?

We've developed this simple process to help you:
1) Clearly define your mission statement. What is the single goal of your product? The goal of eBargainBuddies is to organize sales information from retailers on the web. It is very to-the-point and clearly defined.
2) Does that goal have a social benefit for friends sharing information? Notice I said "friends", not "users". If yes, you need Facebook integration.

That's it!

What Else Does Your Business Need To Do?

Once you've determined which social network(s) to use to market your business, if you've decided to use Facebook, you need to find the best way to integrate your business into the Facebook platform. Facebook has Fan Pages that you can create for your business and Facebook Groups so you can assemble interested consumers in one place. Facebook also has Facebook Applications if you have a product which is leveraged with a greater number of people sharing content.

The other thing your business needs to do is develop some cool widgets and/or features that generate intrigue and/or mystery surrounding your product to create some consumer attraction. Focus on ways to get your product viral. Something unexpected. We recommend reading Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath to improve the stickiness of your product.

In the Long-Term, Which Social Network will Survive, Twitter or Facebook?

That's the million dollar question. The million dollar answer is both.

Join us on Twitter @eBargainBuddies for real-time eBB updates.

NCR Allows Depositing Checks by Phone

2009-04-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Gizmodo this morning. Apparently, with any 2-megapixel camera on a data-enabled phone, you can now deposit checks directly from the palm of your hand. NCR's APTRA Passport uses advanced recognition and image quality technologies to validate the check and send the necessary information to your financial institution.

I hope they've handled all the possible problems! This could turn out to be great or a total bust. I wonder if they've talked to any banks yet and gotten any feedback.

Stayed tuned for some eBB updates in the next couple weeks!

Google releases Product Search for Apple iPhone

2009-04-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 23, 2009, Google released their Product Search for the Apple iPhone and Android-powered smartphones. Product Search allows bargain hunters to search for items that are gathered from a variety of different shopping sites. It also lets users read product reviews and get more information of something they're thinking about buying.

On Google's Mobile Blog, Rob Stacey, a Google mobile software engineer, states:

"Say you're in a store and having a hard time deciding between two products. Instead of waiting to go home to check the internet for ratings and reviews, you can now get all of this information right there on the spot. Just take out your phone, go to Google.com in your browser, and try out Google Product Search for mobile. From Google.com, type in a query and then tap on the "shopping" link that appears in the search results. Or, tap on the "more" tab and then "shopping" to get to Product Search directly."

Intuitive huh? We're really excited about this release for bargain hunters because it allows them to be more shrewd as shoppers by comparing prices and getting more information on things they're thinking about purchasing, while they're already out shopping.

If you have an iPhone, you should definitely check it out. Watch the release video below. You gotta love that background music!

Part I: Social Network Showdown - Twitter or Facebook?

2009-04-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Social networks have been around for years, but for many experts, they haven't even begun to hit their potential. Many technology gurus point to the dotcom boom in the 90s as the last time when there was so much hype surrounding "the next big thing". To us, social networks are that technology, and since the Apple iPhone was released in January 2007, access to these networks has never been easier nor more convenient. People are updating their Facebook and Twitter accounts on-the-go and sharing information on Loopt at an alarming rate. The information sharing age is here but it is still in its infancy.

Many perceive Twitter to be the next big social network giant, many state at the expense of Facebook. Questions have also been raised of which social networker will be the next Google. Remember, Twitter is still relatively new (in Canada, while Twitter has been mentioned, many still don't know what it does, where it came from, how it's used and what its benefits are). Users who I've talked to state that "I'm already on Facebook. I don't want to have to maintain yet another social network account." This blog post will help address those questions, from a personal and business networking perspective, and show that, if you find a need to be on Facebook, you need to be on Twitter, especially if you're a professional.

What is Twitter?

If you know what Twitter is, you can skip this section. Twitter is a message-sharing service that allows you to concisely send updates on a network-wide scale answering the question of "What are you doing?" From a quality of content perspective, Twitter has defined how to get great messages across with a 140-character limit. You can search for people who share similar interests to you, whether they include "social media", "network marketing", or "music", for example. One can then form their own circle consisting of people they want to follow. The power of conversations inside that circle then take on a much greater meaning when people with common interests contribute to a common topic. People can also search for conversations about any topic, so they can find out what people all over the world are saying instantly about any topic of interest.

Twitter and Facebook are Different Animals

The first major point we want to make is that Twitter and Facebook are two very different entities. They have their own niches and exist for two different reasons. That's why we were shocked when Facebook made yet another profile change in March 2009 to apparently give their response to Tweeting that has seemingly taken over the world. We ask, why did Facebook have to do this? If you know or have an idea, reply us @eBargainBuddies on Twitter.

In our opinion, Facebook never had to because they do something completely different from Twitter: they are a social framework where you can talk and communicate with your friends and family, and send messages to people inside your social circle. This is the pre-application age of Facebook that everyone loved. Then came the moment that enraged the majority of users when Facebook released the application platform which lead to thousands of applications being created. This not only cluttered people's Facebook profiles but then required a response from Facebook to make their first major profile layout change which angered users more. Don't get me wrong - at SoCreative, we're greatful that Facebook opened up their API because it allowed us to create our eBargainBuddies application, where thousands of people all over the world can share deal and sales information from retailers. But from a user's perspective, we can definitely see where their displeasure comes from. We're not concerned with the application backlash because we have a very clear purpose that is to save people money by letting their friends tell them What's On Sale while they're on Facebook. Ah, but, I digress.

Was Facebook's March 2009 Update Really Necessary?

Because Facebook and Twitter are different animals, they cater to different audiences. Facebook didn't realize that they are less of a networking tool than Twitter and more of a place for friends to just hang out. This is where their strength lies and they should stick to it. The second they opened up their API to Facebook applications, they moved away from their strength and, from the users' perspectives, made a change that was never necessary. Remember they began as a student-based network. This is why Facebook's "What's on your mind?" newsfeed change in March 2009 was never required. The Facebook status was already that.

Why is Twitter the Better Networking Tool?

Twitter and Facebook exist for very different purposes and, in our opinion, Facebook can never be as great a networking tool as Twitter. The reasons are the following:
1) The first major reason is personal information. How many times have you been reluctant to add somebody on Facebook that you didn't know? How about being asked by a friend how you know somebody who tried to add them as a friend? It's become instinctive: "How do I know this person?" and "Who do I know this person through?" There is a major reluctance there because you risk providing personal information to someone you don't know, or giving somebody access to your friend conversations. This severely hinders the power of networking on Facebook. On Twitter, if you see someone you want to follow, you follow them and, most of the time, if they're interested in what you have to say, they'll follow you back. And the willingness to network with other users starts from the personal information you provide when you sign up.

2) The second is the core market that Facebook attracts compared to Twitter. As Charlene Li presented, only 34% of Facebook's user-base is compromised of business professionals. As correctly pointed out by Tom Raftery, this is because Facebook started off as a student-based network. Twitter, on the other hand, has not and, as Tom has correctly noticed, at least 90% of Twitter's audience is made up of business professionals. So if you're a professional and want to network, get on Twitter immediately if you haven't done so already.

3) The third major reason is, regrettably, the Facebook application platform and the Facebook profile changes. Why, do you ask? With the backlash that Facebook faced, they opened the door to Twitter to grab positive media attention. More people see the benefits of Twitter, hence having a greater willingness to try out the service.

...

If you own a business, check back for Part II next Sunday, May 3, 2009, where we discuss whether your business should be networking on Facebook, Twitter or both, and why.

eBargainBuddies Re-Invented

2009-04-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

12:00am Here it is. The new eBargainBuddies logo presented by SoCreative Solutions Inc. We slimmed him down, made the text sharper, and changed the slogan. Tell us what you think?

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In 30 minutes, SoCreative releases the new eBargainBuddies logo to our Twitter and Blog followers! Stay tuned...

Connect with us via Facebook

2009-04-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update for our readers. As we promised on Saturday, we're merging eBargainBuddies with your favorite social networking sites to make it easier for you to connect with us.

Last night we added Facebook Connect so you can now interact with us on our blog using your existing Facebook account and post your ideas, comments and feedback. Just click COMMENT[S] at the bottom of any blog post and click the blue Connect button like the one above.

Log-in and interact. Enjoy...

Merging the many facets of eBB...

2009-04-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

At SoCreative, we're working behind the scenes to bring you some really interesting features in the coming weeks. We recently added the Twitter widget to our blog so you can follow what we're working on to the second! You might even find out about some great deals while you're at it!

We're also going to be merging the many facets of eBB over the coming months so that you can keep track of us in any way you like to, including our:

Facebook Application
Facebook Group
Twitter

Now to the features! First and foremost, the tag function that we've been hyping up is almost ready to roll out. The extra surprise that we've promised you is almost ready as well. To the followers of our blog, we'll be giving you a small preview of our new look, eBB 2.0. Look for this in the coming weeks (notice a little change to our orange friend)!

The Shopping Summer is almost here! and we'll be ready to make sure you don't miss out on the coolest gadgets, fashions, travel deals and food trends. Remember, we exist so that your friends can share with you 'What's On Sale' when you're on Facebook. Get your friends on our eBargainBuddies Facebook application. Don't miss out on some genuinely great deals in Summer 2009.

...keep checking in to find out what we're working on!

New features coming soon... plus an added bonus!

2009-03-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay. We wanted to give you a small update to keep you in the loop of what's going on at eBB. We're working diligently to roll out the tag function for you! Screenshots coming soon! Plus, we're doing a little something special.

Stay tuned...

Follow Us with Google Friend Connect

2009-02-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

A quick update for you. SoCreative has added the Followers widget to our blog so now you can become a follower and stay up-to-date with news about eBargainBuddies. Become a follower and help us spread the word by extending the word to your friends. Everyone can use a few extra dollars by saving some money right? Help us help your social circle.

Tag function coming soon...

Re-defining the Facebook Tag

2009-02-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

We notice that a lot of the great deals that are put up on eBargainBuddies are limited time promotions such as airline seat sales or other one-day sales at your favourite retailers. So at SoCreative, we're always trying to find new and creative ways to help you save even more by helping your friends get the word out easier to you of great limited-time sales.

Right now on Facebook, you're able to tag your friends in pictures and tag your friends in notes that you want to share with them. So, we're looking into a way of playing with the Facebook tag function to help friends tag each other in deals and coupons that they like.

By tagging your friends in deals, users can spread the word of great sales to their friends who they think may also be interested. This gets the word out of great sales quickly to you and your friends so you can take advantage of them before they're gone.

Our tag function would let your friends tag you, and then you can tag your own friends to spread the word even more. Everybody can use a seat sale right? Heck, if 10 people each tell 10 people who each tell 10 people, the deal has already been told to 1000 people. And sometimes on Facebook, this process can happen in minutes.

For bargain shopping, this is what it's all about - to help consumers save money, while getting consumers talking and creating a buzz about businesses and products.

Screenshots coming soon. Stay tuned...

Welcome to A SoCreative World

2009-02-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The SoCreative Blog! Here we'll be telling you what's new and cool at SoCreative Solutions Inc.

Our first product, eBargainBuddies, was released in June 2008. eBargainBuddies is a social networking approach to bargain shopping where your friends tell you What's On Sale.

How often do we, as consumers, miss out on sales that we wish our friends had told us about? How often do we use paper flyers that are sent to our homes? If you said 20% or less, you're part of the majority! Why are businesses sending paper flyers to our homes when we only use them 20% of the time, at best?

Our eBargainBuddies Facebook application is our first step to helping improve the word-of-mouth for bargain shopping between friends and family members. Our response has been great and we received 1000 deals posted within 3 weeks of our launch date.

Stay tuned for some great updates about new features and ideas that we're working on. Thanks for checking in.