What it does

CentreSpread is social community revolving around magazines—the real, portable kind that you buy at your local grocery store or gas station. The concept is akin to social news sites, except in this case, users are sharing favorite magazines and discussing articles and even ads within the zine. There are ten categories in which you can classify your magazine—art and design, computers, home and garden, lifestyle, etc. Each are further organized by sub categories. In each section you’ll find a featured zine front and centre with a side bar displaying titles of the most popular magazines along with comments and tags. To submit a magazine, you’ll have to upload a photo of the cover along with a brief description of points which attracted you to your chosen publication.

In their own words

“Have a passion for architecture, fitness or tinkering with cars? If you do, then you may also enjoy flipping through the glossy pages of a magazine devoted to your interest. Magazines have always played a central role in our visual culture. A unique format, they represent a medium that combines a number of essential elements - portabliity, tactility, repetitiveness and a combination of text and images. Here at centrespread we only focus on consumer magazines (the ones you buy in your local shop The aim of the site is to be a central place where we can share our opinions on recent issues, the content, the advertisements that appear and our overall impression of that issue. It will be a great place to share comments with fellow readers that share the same interests. Now you can share your comments with them.”

Why it might be a killer

Centrespread does fill a niche which hasn’t been really explored up until now. Magazine readers don’t have a site where they can discuss the merits of articles and opine for/against stories. The site is well organized with a wide range of categories for magazine types. The design is minimalistic, giving more focus to the content.

Some questions

The site doesn’t seem to contain much interesting content for discussion. Users don’t upload particular articles, which means thoughtful comments or critiques really can’t be had. Will users be attracted to the setup such as it is?

Updates


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What it does

Skipping the grid requires few things: cash, clothes, tooth brush and camera to snap a gig or so full of memories. But then what to do with all those pictures? There’s the “I’ve just traveled to Angkor Wat, Vientiane, and Bangkok for good measure, so where do I go next route”, ie, the lazy, “I’ve done it, let’s move on” approach. Then there’s the flickr, twitter, Facebook, IGoUGo sharing method. For you crafty old skool types, there’s scrap booking and collaging and creating elaborate photo walls. Or you could just try a new approach: Planet Eye. Planet Eye is for those who have traveled to share their well worn pics of exotic locales and pretty cobbled streets. But it also works for those who want a peek at the world but either don’t have the funds to go or haven’t quite decided where to go. It’s a new kind of travel guide. The premise is simple—upload your pics to Planet Eye and type in the address and location. Congrats! You’ve officially added to the Planet Eye travel guide. All photos are geotagged. Local experts are available and fellow travelers add insight and can field any questions you may have. You can ‘clip’ articles and photos and put them into your own Travel Pack for future reference. Go ahead, explore the world.

In their own words

“PlanetEye is an online travel-planning destination for travellers looking to easily and quickly research, organize and share their trips.

Featuring geotagged photographs and extensive travel content, PlanetEye is where travelers can explore where to go and what to do. With local experts at your disposal and insight from other travelers, we provide valuable information so you can make smart travel-planning decisions.”

Why it might be a killer

Planet Eye is a nifty guide that utilizes locals and travelers along with some slick tools to help you decide where to go on your next vacation. It’s a great place to share your pics and have them be useful as well as entertaining. They have an extensive list of cities and sites around the world

Some questions

There are travel sites a plenty. How will Planet Eye stay afloat amid the masses? Will they attract enough users to maintain? Will users like this photo/map travel guide approach?

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What it does

Segway’s are becoming an increasingly popular device for transportation in urban areas. Perhaps not the fastest way from getting from A to B, but Segway users will tell you that they feel closer to their community while at the same time saving significant amounts thru reduced fuel consumption. Social.segway.com, a site developed by the makers of the Segway, is an online space where Segway riders can join and find others nearby to ride with or to chat and share tips with Segway riders around the world. Anyone can make a new group and allows others to join and there are also other tools available like a “green calculator” which allows you to calculate how much you save by switching forms of transportation from car to Segway. So, if you are a fan of this newest form of two-wheeled transportation, go to Social.segway and find other similar minded people.

In their own words

“Segway Social is the online gathering place for the worldwide Segway movement. Welcome to Segway Social. Segway isn't just a way of getting around, it's a way of life! So sign up and share the news, the experience and the Segway love!”

Why it might be a killer

The Segway is growing in popularity and this is the only site aimed directly at them. This site should become a useful tool for Segway riders to find each other and arrange group trips.

Some questions

Is the market big enough for such a specific site to take off of will the majority of Segway riders simply choose to start groups on other less-specific but more popular social networks?

Updates


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What it does

You may remember Mobog, the mobile photo sharing site which grew popular a couple years back. Then it was rather infamous for its racy, NSFW content. Now it has been relaunched using the Flickr API. The photos have been toned down for the most part, and the site is aimed at anyone with a photo-enabled phone. Users can upload and caption their photos by sending an email to pics@mobog.com. You can comment and subscribe to any member’s photo stream. Besides that there are a number of basic community features including a lounge, feeds and profiles. There’s also a widgetwhich you can use to embed your photos on any social network or blog.

In their own words

“Mobog makes it easy to send pics from your mobile phone to the Internet.”

Why it might be a killer

Mobog’s latest incarnation is elementary but it works. Simplicity is often the best way to go. The interface is clean and clear, providing an ideal background to showcase user photos.

Some questions

Will users flock back to the toned down Mobog, especially with the rise of so many other mobile photo sharing services on the web? Does this work internationally?

Updates


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What it does

When companies think of creative campaigns, too often they plan one dimensionally (“we need a graphic designer”). CreativeIndex- indeed, creativity in and of itself- encourages you to think in multidimensional terms. For this reason, CreativeIndex provides a database of creative experts across a variety fields, from advertising to claymation to podcasting. Many of these professionals also engage in more than one type of activity (art direction, fashion, writing, and photography), and this forum allows them to showcase all of their talents. You simply search by name or creative trait, and a list of relevant experts show up. Every listing is linked to an external profile page that showcases their work, interests, and other information. CreativeIndex also lists job opportunities.

In their own words

“Creative Professionals showcase their work on hundreds of portfolio sites and millions of personal websites. Now, for the first time, there is one central location to search these sites and find the perfect talent for whatever it is you need.”

Why it might be a killer

CreativeIndex is a great search engine for people in the creative community, bringing together professionals from a handful of scattered sites.

Some questions

Is there a way to standardize the profile information? Some professionals link directly to blogs, which don’t necessarily highlight past accomplishments.

Updates


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What it does

The majority of small and medium sized businesses use Excel to handle their budgeting and financial planning requirements. This works fine when one person is in charge of the process but it is not ideal when multiple people are involved in the planning. Budket has been developed to address this requirement and it is currently available as a free trial that can be used for as long as you wish. Budket allows you to export your work to Excel and you can use your existing budget templates as well. The Cash flow analysis tool allows you to easily calculate cash flows over any period of time you choose by setting initial cash, effective days for each budget row, and then calculating the cash flow and allowing you to present it in chart form or spreadsheet.

In their own words

“Most SMB owners and executives want to spend their time on important issues like business planning. Budket is an easy, fun, and affordable financial planning application for budgeting and cash flow analysis.”

Why it might be a killer

This is a free solution that will appeal primarily to small businesses that want to be able to easily collaborate when partaking in financial planning. Simple to use and free of complicated bells and whistles, this could become a popular tool.

Some questions

What exactly do they mean by a free trial that does not expire? Other than the free nature, is the budket robust enough to compete with the plethora of competitors offering more complete solutions?

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What it does

It may be sad but true: our work defines us. And while there are thousands of blogs devoted to the “real” us- our inner chef, our suppressed literary critic- there are few devoted to where we spend the majority of time. I refer not to the office, per se, but to our physical desks. WhereWeDo WhatWeDo is a collection of user-uploaded workspaces that are strung together to form a project that is artistic, relatable, and strangely intimate. Some workspaces show tranquil gardens, other cubicles full of clutter, and one even shows a man passed out on the floor. What is clear is that the website has formed a supportive community, where members joke, comment, and critique “where we do, what we do.”

In their own words

“WHEREWEDOWHATWEDO is a community-built visual database of the spaces in which we spend our days, nights or both doing whatever it is we do. While it may not be the freshest idea in the attic, we thought it would be a fun project to work on during down time. As well as we wanted to give this interesting and slightly voyeuristic concept a place all its own. So... there you have it.”

Why it might be a killer

Right away, the site is visually very appealing. Beyond that, there is an active community that comments on nearly every photo and creates jokes among themselves. This ensures repeat visits to the site and the guarantee that members will view new photos. Finally, isn’t it always great to know that you don’t have the most depressing cubicle in the world?

Some questions

Can the viewing pane be switched? Now the photos are displayed in order from newest to oldest, but if you are a repeat visitor, or a new visitor that doesn’t want to go through all the pictures, it would be great to have a random photo display.

Updates


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What it does

Yes, you read the title correctly, Robotraff, a site based in Russia, has opened the first online stock exchange for buying and selling internet traffic. The internet is increasingly supported by advertising and advertisers like to put their money where the traffic is. Robotraff recognizes this and is offering to put the people who create artificial traffic together with the people who are too lazy or lack the talent to create a site that will generate traffic on its own merit. The site is badly translated so it is difficult to say exactly how this traffic will be generated but it seems safe to speculate that the traffic will be created by hackers who harness the power of thousands of hacked computers at once and direct them toward the site in question.

In their own words

“Robotraff is the first automated stock exchange of the traffic, here you can buy the traffic by criteria interesting you and also to sell - under the price favorable to you. Tasks of our resource include creations of comfortable conditions both for sellers and for buyers, maintenance of the account of the traffic, money resources, guarantees for buyers of receipt of the traffic, and for sellers of duly payment.”

Why it might be a killer

Lax regulations and a remarkably laissez-faire attitude should probably mean that Robotraff won’t be shut down by Russian authorities any time soon. Like it or not, if this site can clean up its appearance a bit, it could well become unstoppable.

Some questions

Can anyone stop Robotraff? This is a potentially dangerous precedent that if successful could spiral out of control and cause a change in the way that the internet is monetized.

Updates


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What it does

Still a work in progress, Giantrealm has already been able to raise $5.5 million in its first round of funding, making this male entertainment portal worth keeping an eye on. The site is divided into four main sections: Gaming, Film and TV, Music, and Gadgets. A look at the gaming section shows this site to be part gossipy news and part downloads. There is an option to search the entire site or to limit the search within each individual category. While the site is far from finished, it appears to be heavily focused on the 18-30 year-old male crowd that spend hours a day playing games and surfing the web.. Surprisingly, the site seems to be swaying away from the typical scantily-clad blonde and is more focused on providing guys with the other things they love in life like games, tunes, movies and an array of gadgets.

In their own words

“Giantrealm: Stuff that doesn’t suck. An entertainment portal for men including gaming, film, TV, Music, Gadgets and much more.”

Why it might be a killer

$5.5 million dollars can go a long way towards creating a successful website portal for young men. No doubt, this is an attractive segment of the population with no shortage of cash. Offering games, movies and gadgets in one place is a good way to start attracting this demographic but the lack of breasts is a bit of a surprise.

Some questions

The site is unfinished so it is unfair to tear it apart but it just doesn’t seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. Will they be including music, video and software downloads, forums and fan clubs? Where are the photos of sexy women?

Updates


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What it does

Marketing is a very key function to a company’s success the strength of a brand can carry a company. PopularMedia gives users a way to make their brand popular and therefore spur growth for the company. PopularMedia has many well known customers that use their marketing tools and software such as borders and Sephora. PopularMedia includes many tools which allow visitors on your site to engage with your brand and be interactive. Some of PopularMedia features include: personalization, social networking toolset, address book importers, referral tracking, email deliverability monitoring and management, email customization, and more. The technology behind PopularMedia is geared towards giving customers targeted results that will help increase brand awareness. Customers can choose their optimization goal and they can monitor the program performance from their dashboard. In order to use PopularMedia customers must subscribe to the software and contact PopularMedia to get details. Increase brand awareness and improve sales by using PopularMedia’s word of mouth marketing techniques.

In their own words

"Popular Media is the first company to offer a set of social media marketing solutions built on an advanced, patent-pending technology platform, PopCommerce, to help customers harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to drive brand awareness, list growth, sales, and marketing profitability.

The Social Media Marketing Suite is delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS), fully hosted and managed as microsites. Programs are designed to integrate seamlessly into your marketing mix, enabling you to motivate consumers, identify influencers, drive consistent, targeted marketing goals, and generate next-generation marketing databases. The program can be fully integrated into your existing website to leverage existing registration, or account creation processes to create a seamless user experience or can stand alone as required. With our solutions, marketers are creating and optimizing Word of Mouth marketing programs that drive real, sustainable business results."

Why it might be a killer

PopularMedia.com has an attractive interface. The site is well organized and easy to navigate. It is great that PopularMedia gives examples of companies that are customers and features their case studies, this is a great way to gain credibility. PopularMedia offers many marketing tools that help engage users which is the best way to promote a brand. The PopularMedia system integrates easily with customers websites so it is not a nightmare of the IT personnel.

Some questions

It would be nice if there was at least an outline of an estimated pricing range for the subscription. Instruction/introductory videos are a great addition to any website especially when there is software with many tools.

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