Making Money Online With

SportsWatch: Can a successful football player also be a sucessful web cartoonist? John Williams is making that play…

The junior, who returned to the field last Saturday against Miami and will play Saturday at Virginia Tech, has been finishing new strips every couple of weeks, drawing inspiration from coaches, teammates and his experiences on the field.

JobWatch: Does MTVGeek need a new editor already?

ThiefWatch: Have you seen these $125 copies of Kramer’s Ergot #7, both stolen at APE?

GalleryWatch: Michael Golden has an exhibition of work opening today at the Mosely Gallery at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore until December.

SigningWatch1: Californian signings for the new Fantagraphics book RIP M.D.  with creator Mitch Schauer, inker Mike Vosburg and color artists Michael Lessa and Justin Yamaguchi are happening tonight from 6-7.30pm at Borders Glendale  tomorrow at 1.30pm at Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica.

SigningWatch2: Tomorrow Jill Thomson will be signing her new Halloween HC Scary Godmother collection from 2pm to 5pm at Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray.

This is The Bleeding Cool ComicChron Robot speaking. I come for your women. But for now I merely collate comic-related bits and pieces online. One day I will rule. Until that day, read on.

Exclusive: First look at ‘The Walking Dead’ issue 81

Though many of the book’s fearful elements have come from its still-human participants, with issue No. 81, due in January 2011, there’s no mistaking the book’s real stars: the zombies. (No offense to Glenn, at left, and Heath, but they seem to have their hands full.)

Legion of Super-Heroes: Election

Computo will tally the votes between the polling period of OCTOBER 20 and NOVEMBER 10.

@Cully_Hamner and @KurtBusiek Debate the Constitution

And that it constitutional meaning can’t be hung upon specific, individual words. Sheesh!

DC Comics Hero, Superman, Gets Own Slot At Online Casinos

CryptoLogic has signed a deal with DC Comics that will allow the software provider to develop games based on some of the most popular comic book figures of all-time. The Superman slot is one that online players have been waiting for since the deal was struck. The game features Superman, of course, but has much more detail than what one would expect. First off, the game has fifty pay lines. This comes at a time when the slot games are becoming more advanced, and increased pay line slots are becoming the norm at online casinos. Superman also comes with an optional bonus bet in which players can take the chance to win additional money on their wins. The bonus is similar to what casinos have done with blackjack in the past couple of years.

Hellboy Action Hero Gets Slot At Virgin Games

Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company — Virgin Games, has today announced the launch of Hellboy, a brand new slot from leading online game developer, Microgaming. Hailing from Mike Mignola”s most coveted imaginative comic action hero of the nineties, ”Hellboy”, this latest game is a featured slot with 5 reels and 20 playlines. Licensed from Dark Horse Comics, the slot features many of the iconic characters from the original comic book, such as Prof. Trevor Bruttenholm, Johann Krause, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman and all the others, led by the stone-fisted and de-horned red demon-for-good himself.

We see you out there — the future musicians of the world, pouring coffee, mixing drinks, designing websites for shifty moving companies, all the while dreaming of making it big: signing to a label, cutting a record, reaping the benefits that only a throng of gaping groupies can herald.

While not all of you will make the proverbial “Big Time” — we can’t all be Lady Gaga, nor should we strive to be — that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap some monetary benefits for your musical labor.

Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, recently wrote on the company blog: “More musicians are making money off their music now at any point in history… Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decision that they are not allowed ‘in.’”

We would tend to agree (with the caveat that such openness has also led to a more crowded music scene, with more bands fighting for the public’s attention — but that’s a post for another day).

If you want to start seeing some payback for all your hard work, you don’t have to wait around for a label exec to catch your jazz flute set at the local coffee shop and catapult you to stardom. There are a ton of services out there that can help you make some cash, while also gaining exposure and experience.

class='blippr-nobr'>Mashableclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable spoke with folks from a quartet of such services in order to help you, the artist, devote more time to your lute than those lattes.

Note that none of the below are get-rich-quick schemes, so it might be wise to hang onto your day job — even if it is designing graphic tees for tiny dogs.

Go Into Show Business

Service: Jingle Punks

We know, we know, the moment a song makes it into the commercial, it’s an immediate sign that a band has “sold out.” But, c’mon, guys — do you really want your favorite drummer/banjo player/keytarist working in a taco trunk in order to survive? Yeah, thin may be in when it comes to the indie scene, but musicians need to eat, after all.

That’s why services like Jingle Punks can really be a boon to bands. Jingle Punks — which is basically the Pandoraclass="blippr-nobr">Pandora of music licensing services — focuses on providing filmmakers, TV networks, media companies and ad companies with music from up-and-coming bands. Band and Punks split the earnings 50/50.

“We work in a very smart but unsexy part of the music business,” says co-founder Jared Gutstadt. “Most artists tend to spend their time focusing on the old standards of how to ‘make it.’ They’re still thinking about record deals, pub deals, merch, touring. To really stand out and compete with this type of competition you need to be thinking about launching a music career in a much more unique way.”

Why Use This Service?

According to Gutstadt, “Music in film and television is a great way for artists to get the word out there. More importantly, you can generate money to help fund the growth of a band’s musical endeavors.”

In addition, the service makes use of the democratic nature of the web to get your music into the right hands. “In the past, the way people used to pitch music for media placements is that they would mail CDs off to as many music supes or producers they could,” Gutstadt says. “We have removed the giant pile of CDs on peoples’ desks and aggregated them into a user-friendly database organized in a dynamic way.”

What’s the ROI?

According to Gutstadt, money made runs the gamut. “It can be anywhere from $250 for a web placement all the way up to $30,000 for getting music in a commercial or motion picture,” he says. “, you make money over time through royalties paid out by BMI and ASCAP, who are able to track usage. I always tell artists its not a get-rich-quick scheme as much as it is a way to make some money over time off your hard work.”  

So Who has Succeeded?

“We work with an artist named Mike Del Rio (see above) and his music was used in a rebranding effort by the History Channel.  The channel has really embraced Mike and Jingle Punks and has a couple things in the pipeline that could do great things to really help launch Mike Del Rio’s career on a more mainstream level.  

“We also work with a really great band called I Love Monsters, and their music was placed in the season premiere of Entourage. This type of exposure can be great for an up-and-coming band.”

Collaborate

Service: Indaba Music

We’ve seen instances of bands forming partnerships through Twitter and the like, but wouldn’t it be easier for y’all to have everything in one place?

I mean, it’s enough of a hassle to get all your gear into a single taxi (can’t afford two) before a gig, why add 50 social media tools into the mix? That’s where services like Indaba Music — which is like the class='blippr-nobr'>LinkedInclass="blippr-nobr">LinkedIn of music — come in.

Indaba is a platform — boasting more than 500,000 musicians — that provides musically inclined folks with a place to build a profile, promote their tunes and collaborate with other musicians from around the world.

Why Use This Service?

According to co-founder Dan Zaccagnino, “There are many ways for musicians to make money using Indaba Music. The core of the platform is about collaboration, which can be just for fun, but can also generate income for musicians through work-for-hire sessions (where a musician is paid for his/her tracks) or collaborations where songwriters share in the ownership of the song.”

In addition, Indaba features a ton of contests that “give both amateur and professional musicians a chance to collaborate with world-famous artists and in the process win cash or possibly participate in future royalties if the winners’ material is released,” Zaccagnino says.

What’s the ROI?

“There are incredible opportunities to gain experience on Indaba because the community is full of everyone from amateurs eager to learn, to music educators, to Grammy Award winners,” Zaccagnino says.

“Members learn from one another through contacting and communicating with people online, having music peer reviewed in sessions and contests, learning from master-artists through our Artist-in-Residence programs, taking online video lessons, and much more.

“Education is a big priority for us and it’s been amazing to see that organically happen because musicians are interested in helping one another.”

So Who has Succeeded?

Zaccagnino cites the following examples:

Linkin Park + NoBrain (see above)

Indaba member NoBrain’s mix was included on Linkin Park’s album A Thousand Suns and got the opportunity to collaborate directly with Linkin Park front man, Mike Shinoda, through Indaba Music.

Rivers Cuomo Producer Sessions

Rivers Cuomo of Weezer started a few sessions on IndabaMusic.com and began working with members to produce rough demos that he had written with his wife.  Rivers used Indaba’s session platform to work collaboratively, utilizing the commenting system to engage musicians and achieve exactly what he envisioned.  The producers were also paid for their work.

David Minnick/PBS The Music Instinct

PBS ran a contest to source music for an upcoming show about music and the brain. It found the winner, David Minnick, to be so talented that it hired him to arrange music for another show.

Toshi Osawa and Pikes Peak Ringers – Yo-Yo Ma Collaboration Winners

Yo-Yo Ma was so impressed by the quality of musical collaborations that he picked two winners, an 18-piece hand bell choir from Denver and a speed-Metal guitarist from Canada. Yo-Yo invited them into the studio to record with him in a truly unique collaboration — both tracks were later released as bonus tracks to Yo-Yo Ma’s holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace.

Partner Up

Service: YouTube’s Musicians Wanted Program

At last year’s SXSW, YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube launched a partner program for up-and-coming musicians, and, just recently, the program went from U.S.-only to international.

If you have a YouTube channel, and you’re pumping out the music vids like an A-V nerd on a sugar high, you should apply for this program post haste. Basically, it allows you to make some extra cash by adding ads to your videos and garners you more exposure from YouTube with prime placement.

Why Use This Service?

It’s all about getting your name out there, and getting your music heard, right? So go where the people are. Every day, YouTube racks up more than 2 billion video views. That’s a lot of eyes. Still, every minute, the site sees 24 hours of video uploaded, which means your genius work could get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the partner program is a must — you get the YouTube stamp of approval, which brings more attention to your work.

What’s the ROI?

YouTube couldn’t tell us how much money you can earn from the program, but they did tell us that artists get the majority share of the revenue — not to mention access to those millions of viewers. You need to be consistent with your channel, though, and really focus on putting out lots of original content. So if you’re only down to make one vid, this might not be the option for you. In order to see ROI, you have to put in the time and effort.

So Who has Succeeded?

YouTube has helped launch the careers of score of performers — from Justin Bieber to Pomplamoose./> Kina Grannis is one such artist. “I joined YouTube three years ago when I was in a contest called Doritos Crash The Super Bowl,” Grannis told us. “I needed to get people to vote for me every day in order to get my music video played during the Super Bowl (which it did, woo!), so the hope was that by agreeing to post a new video every day, people, in exchange, would come back and vote daily. This run of putting up a video every day lasted about two months in total, and while it made me crazy and sleep deprived, it was also fun and exciting and very helpful in growing my viewers.

“Post with consistency if possible,” Grannis advises artists. “Be genuine, talk to your supporters, be grateful.”

If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them

Service: BitTorrent Featured Artist Program

OK, we know what you’re thinking — you hear the word “BitTorrent” and you’re about ready to rage, am I right? File sharing is the monster under the bed for many an artist. It connotes theft, basically. Still, the model — when used correctly — can really be a boon to lesser-known artists.

We spoke to Trent Reznor — who is well-known for having released his music via torrent sites in the past — who told us: “I felt furious when the record I’d worked on for a year, that my heart and soul’s gone into, . I’m pissed off at people that are listening to it. I’m mad that they’re snubbing me — by what? By being excited about hearing my music? And that’s wrong. I shouldn’t be mad at these people. I should be glad that people are interested.”

“Easy for you to say, Trent Reznor,” you might scoff, “You’re already famous.” Well — there’s the rub, right? You’re not famous. And you want to be. Or, at the very least, you want someone other than your roommate to come to your gig — and perhaps buy a T-shirt or two. And how do you do that? By getting the attention of the masses, of course.

Last month, BitTorrent launched a Featured Artist pilot program in an effort to give musicians more exposure. Some likened such an endeavor to getting in bed with the devil, but when you really think about it, what’s the difference between applying for the program and putting your music on class='blippr-nobr'>MySpaceclass="blippr-nobr">MySpace or SoundCloud or any other music-sharing site? Well, that would be BitTorrent’s 80 million users.

We’re not saying that file sharing is totally copacetic or anything (there are a lot of pirates in them waters), but it’s not like BitTorrent is out to ruin your career, either. “In many ways, Trent Reznor’s work inspired a lot of our work,” says CEO Eric Klinker. “We really do want to riff on a lot of what he’s done. He’s in an experimentation phase, as are we.”

Why Use This Service?

“The Featured Artists pilot program encourages musicians and filmmakers to submit creative works for the chance to be spotlighted to millions of BitTorrent users around the world,” Klinker says. “For a lot of artists it is about creating a sustainable business model that will allow them to continue their creative works. So, we are interested in working with artists to experiment with various business models that play to the strengths of the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet while allowing them to tune into the distribution potential of BitTorrent to reach millions of consumers.”

What’s the ROI?

“In today’s digital age, the traditional model does not serve artists in the same way it used to, and instead forces them all down the same funnel where only a select few ultimately receive distribution,” Klinker says. “With BitTorrent’s Featured Artist Pilot Program, artists can tap into online communities and reach millions of people who might otherwise be inaccessible. These communities are powerful and provide intrinsic value for emerging artists trying to build a fan base. In doing so, these are fans that will invariably attend shows, purchase merchandise and become invested in future works.”/>  /> So Who has Succeeded?

Since the service just launched last month, there aren’t any featured artists yet, but the site has seen some success with the musician PAZ (see above), who has been working with BitTorrent.

“Most recently, in August 2010, BitTorrent released PAZ’s debut mix tape, Young Broke and Fameless,” Klinker says. “On the first day alone the release saw over 100,000 downloads, and as a result has increased his fan base and following.”

More Social Music Resources from Mashable:

- Top 10 Twitter Tips for Bands, By Bands/> - 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood/> - 5 Free Ways to Identify that Song Stuck in Your Head/> - HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player/> - 10 Amazing Musical Instrument iPhone Apps

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, shulz

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Juan Williams: Fox <b>News</b> Lets &#39;Black Guy With A Hispanic Name&#39; Host <b>...</b>

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SportsWatch: Can a successful football player also be a sucessful web cartoonist? John Williams is making that play…

The junior, who returned to the field last Saturday against Miami and will play Saturday at Virginia Tech, has been finishing new strips every couple of weeks, drawing inspiration from coaches, teammates and his experiences on the field.

JobWatch: Does MTVGeek need a new editor already?

ThiefWatch: Have you seen these $125 copies of Kramer’s Ergot #7, both stolen at APE?

GalleryWatch: Michael Golden has an exhibition of work opening today at the Mosely Gallery at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore until December.

SigningWatch1: Californian signings for the new Fantagraphics book RIP M.D.  with creator Mitch Schauer, inker Mike Vosburg and color artists Michael Lessa and Justin Yamaguchi are happening tonight from 6-7.30pm at Borders Glendale  tomorrow at 1.30pm at Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica.

SigningWatch2: Tomorrow Jill Thomson will be signing her new Halloween HC Scary Godmother collection from 2pm to 5pm at Pittsburgh Comics in McMurray.

This is The Bleeding Cool ComicChron Robot speaking. I come for your women. But for now I merely collate comic-related bits and pieces online. One day I will rule. Until that day, read on.

Exclusive: First look at ‘The Walking Dead’ issue 81

Though many of the book’s fearful elements have come from its still-human participants, with issue No. 81, due in January 2011, there’s no mistaking the book’s real stars: the zombies. (No offense to Glenn, at left, and Heath, but they seem to have their hands full.)

Legion of Super-Heroes: Election

Computo will tally the votes between the polling period of OCTOBER 20 and NOVEMBER 10.

@Cully_Hamner and @KurtBusiek Debate the Constitution

And that it constitutional meaning can’t be hung upon specific, individual words. Sheesh!

DC Comics Hero, Superman, Gets Own Slot At Online Casinos

CryptoLogic has signed a deal with DC Comics that will allow the software provider to develop games based on some of the most popular comic book figures of all-time. The Superman slot is one that online players have been waiting for since the deal was struck. The game features Superman, of course, but has much more detail than what one would expect. First off, the game has fifty pay lines. This comes at a time when the slot games are becoming more advanced, and increased pay line slots are becoming the norm at online casinos. Superman also comes with an optional bonus bet in which players can take the chance to win additional money on their wins. The bonus is similar to what casinos have done with blackjack in the past couple of years.

Hellboy Action Hero Gets Slot At Virgin Games

Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company — Virgin Games, has today announced the launch of Hellboy, a brand new slot from leading online game developer, Microgaming. Hailing from Mike Mignola”s most coveted imaginative comic action hero of the nineties, ”Hellboy”, this latest game is a featured slot with 5 reels and 20 playlines. Licensed from Dark Horse Comics, the slot features many of the iconic characters from the original comic book, such as Prof. Trevor Bruttenholm, Johann Krause, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman and all the others, led by the stone-fisted and de-horned red demon-for-good himself.

We see you out there — the future musicians of the world, pouring coffee, mixing drinks, designing websites for shifty moving companies, all the while dreaming of making it big: signing to a label, cutting a record, reaping the benefits that only a throng of gaping groupies can herald.

While not all of you will make the proverbial “Big Time” — we can’t all be Lady Gaga, nor should we strive to be — that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap some monetary benefits for your musical labor.

Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, recently wrote on the company blog: “More musicians are making money off their music now at any point in history… Technology has made it possible for any artist to get distribution, to get discovered, to pursue his/her dreams with no company or person out there making the editorial decision that they are not allowed ‘in.’”

We would tend to agree (with the caveat that such openness has also led to a more crowded music scene, with more bands fighting for the public’s attention — but that’s a post for another day).

If you want to start seeing some payback for all your hard work, you don’t have to wait around for a label exec to catch your jazz flute set at the local coffee shop and catapult you to stardom. There are a ton of services out there that can help you make some cash, while also gaining exposure and experience.

class='blippr-nobr'>Mashableclass="blippr-nobr">Mashable spoke with folks from a quartet of such services in order to help you, the artist, devote more time to your lute than those lattes.

Note that none of the below are get-rich-quick schemes, so it might be wise to hang onto your day job — even if it is designing graphic tees for tiny dogs.

Go Into Show Business

Service: Jingle Punks

We know, we know, the moment a song makes it into the commercial, it’s an immediate sign that a band has “sold out.” But, c’mon, guys — do you really want your favorite drummer/banjo player/keytarist working in a taco trunk in order to survive? Yeah, thin may be in when it comes to the indie scene, but musicians need to eat, after all.

That’s why services like Jingle Punks can really be a boon to bands. Jingle Punks — which is basically the Pandoraclass="blippr-nobr">Pandora of music licensing services — focuses on providing filmmakers, TV networks, media companies and ad companies with music from up-and-coming bands. Band and Punks split the earnings 50/50.

“We work in a very smart but unsexy part of the music business,” says co-founder Jared Gutstadt. “Most artists tend to spend their time focusing on the old standards of how to ‘make it.’ They’re still thinking about record deals, pub deals, merch, touring. To really stand out and compete with this type of competition you need to be thinking about launching a music career in a much more unique way.”

Why Use This Service?

According to Gutstadt, “Music in film and television is a great way for artists to get the word out there. More importantly, you can generate money to help fund the growth of a band’s musical endeavors.”

In addition, the service makes use of the democratic nature of the web to get your music into the right hands. “In the past, the way people used to pitch music for media placements is that they would mail CDs off to as many music supes or producers they could,” Gutstadt says. “We have removed the giant pile of CDs on peoples’ desks and aggregated them into a user-friendly database organized in a dynamic way.”

What’s the ROI?

According to Gutstadt, money made runs the gamut. “It can be anywhere from $250 for a web placement all the way up to $30,000 for getting music in a commercial or motion picture,” he says. “, you make money over time through royalties paid out by BMI and ASCAP, who are able to track usage. I always tell artists its not a get-rich-quick scheme as much as it is a way to make some money over time off your hard work.”  

So Who has Succeeded?

“We work with an artist named Mike Del Rio (see above) and his music was used in a rebranding effort by the History Channel.  The channel has really embraced Mike and Jingle Punks and has a couple things in the pipeline that could do great things to really help launch Mike Del Rio’s career on a more mainstream level.  

“We also work with a really great band called I Love Monsters, and their music was placed in the season premiere of Entourage. This type of exposure can be great for an up-and-coming band.”

Collaborate

Service: Indaba Music

We’ve seen instances of bands forming partnerships through Twitter and the like, but wouldn’t it be easier for y’all to have everything in one place?

I mean, it’s enough of a hassle to get all your gear into a single taxi (can’t afford two) before a gig, why add 50 social media tools into the mix? That’s where services like Indaba Music — which is like the class='blippr-nobr'>LinkedInclass="blippr-nobr">LinkedIn of music — come in.

Indaba is a platform — boasting more than 500,000 musicians — that provides musically inclined folks with a place to build a profile, promote their tunes and collaborate with other musicians from around the world.

Why Use This Service?

According to co-founder Dan Zaccagnino, “There are many ways for musicians to make money using Indaba Music. The core of the platform is about collaboration, which can be just for fun, but can also generate income for musicians through work-for-hire sessions (where a musician is paid for his/her tracks) or collaborations where songwriters share in the ownership of the song.”

In addition, Indaba features a ton of contests that “give both amateur and professional musicians a chance to collaborate with world-famous artists and in the process win cash or possibly participate in future royalties if the winners’ material is released,” Zaccagnino says.

What’s the ROI?

“There are incredible opportunities to gain experience on Indaba because the community is full of everyone from amateurs eager to learn, to music educators, to Grammy Award winners,” Zaccagnino says.

“Members learn from one another through contacting and communicating with people online, having music peer reviewed in sessions and contests, learning from master-artists through our Artist-in-Residence programs, taking online video lessons, and much more.

“Education is a big priority for us and it’s been amazing to see that organically happen because musicians are interested in helping one another.”

So Who has Succeeded?

Zaccagnino cites the following examples:

Linkin Park + NoBrain (see above)

Indaba member NoBrain’s mix was included on Linkin Park’s album A Thousand Suns and got the opportunity to collaborate directly with Linkin Park front man, Mike Shinoda, through Indaba Music.

Rivers Cuomo Producer Sessions

Rivers Cuomo of Weezer started a few sessions on IndabaMusic.com and began working with members to produce rough demos that he had written with his wife.  Rivers used Indaba’s session platform to work collaboratively, utilizing the commenting system to engage musicians and achieve exactly what he envisioned.  The producers were also paid for their work.

David Minnick/PBS The Music Instinct

PBS ran a contest to source music for an upcoming show about music and the brain. It found the winner, David Minnick, to be so talented that it hired him to arrange music for another show.

Toshi Osawa and Pikes Peak Ringers – Yo-Yo Ma Collaboration Winners

Yo-Yo Ma was so impressed by the quality of musical collaborations that he picked two winners, an 18-piece hand bell choir from Denver and a speed-Metal guitarist from Canada. Yo-Yo invited them into the studio to record with him in a truly unique collaboration — both tracks were later released as bonus tracks to Yo-Yo Ma’s holiday album, Songs of Joy & Peace.

Partner Up

Service: YouTube’s Musicians Wanted Program

At last year’s SXSW, YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube launched a partner program for up-and-coming musicians, and, just recently, the program went from U.S.-only to international.

If you have a YouTube channel, and you’re pumping out the music vids like an A-V nerd on a sugar high, you should apply for this program post haste. Basically, it allows you to make some extra cash by adding ads to your videos and garners you more exposure from YouTube with prime placement.

Why Use This Service?

It’s all about getting your name out there, and getting your music heard, right? So go where the people are. Every day, YouTube racks up more than 2 billion video views. That’s a lot of eyes. Still, every minute, the site sees 24 hours of video uploaded, which means your genius work could get lost in the shuffle. That’s why the partner program is a must — you get the YouTube stamp of approval, which brings more attention to your work.

What’s the ROI?

YouTube couldn’t tell us how much money you can earn from the program, but they did tell us that artists get the majority share of the revenue — not to mention access to those millions of viewers. You need to be consistent with your channel, though, and really focus on putting out lots of original content. So if you’re only down to make one vid, this might not be the option for you. In order to see ROI, you have to put in the time and effort.

So Who has Succeeded?

YouTube has helped launch the careers of score of performers — from Justin Bieber to Pomplamoose./> Kina Grannis is one such artist. “I joined YouTube three years ago when I was in a contest called Doritos Crash The Super Bowl,” Grannis told us. “I needed to get people to vote for me every day in order to get my music video played during the Super Bowl (which it did, woo!), so the hope was that by agreeing to post a new video every day, people, in exchange, would come back and vote daily. This run of putting up a video every day lasted about two months in total, and while it made me crazy and sleep deprived, it was also fun and exciting and very helpful in growing my viewers.

“Post with consistency if possible,” Grannis advises artists. “Be genuine, talk to your supporters, be grateful.”

If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them

Service: BitTorrent Featured Artist Program

OK, we know what you’re thinking — you hear the word “BitTorrent” and you’re about ready to rage, am I right? File sharing is the monster under the bed for many an artist. It connotes theft, basically. Still, the model — when used correctly — can really be a boon to lesser-known artists.

We spoke to Trent Reznor — who is well-known for having released his music via torrent sites in the past — who told us: “I felt furious when the record I’d worked on for a year, that my heart and soul’s gone into, . I’m pissed off at people that are listening to it. I’m mad that they’re snubbing me — by what? By being excited about hearing my music? And that’s wrong. I shouldn’t be mad at these people. I should be glad that people are interested.”

“Easy for you to say, Trent Reznor,” you might scoff, “You’re already famous.” Well — there’s the rub, right? You’re not famous. And you want to be. Or, at the very least, you want someone other than your roommate to come to your gig — and perhaps buy a T-shirt or two. And how do you do that? By getting the attention of the masses, of course.

Last month, BitTorrent launched a Featured Artist pilot program in an effort to give musicians more exposure. Some likened such an endeavor to getting in bed with the devil, but when you really think about it, what’s the difference between applying for the program and putting your music on class='blippr-nobr'>MySpaceclass="blippr-nobr">MySpace or SoundCloud or any other music-sharing site? Well, that would be BitTorrent’s 80 million users.

We’re not saying that file sharing is totally copacetic or anything (there are a lot of pirates in them waters), but it’s not like BitTorrent is out to ruin your career, either. “In many ways, Trent Reznor’s work inspired a lot of our work,” says CEO Eric Klinker. “We really do want to riff on a lot of what he’s done. He’s in an experimentation phase, as are we.”

Why Use This Service?

“The Featured Artists pilot program encourages musicians and filmmakers to submit creative works for the chance to be spotlighted to millions of BitTorrent users around the world,” Klinker says. “For a lot of artists it is about creating a sustainable business model that will allow them to continue their creative works. So, we are interested in working with artists to experiment with various business models that play to the strengths of the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet while allowing them to tune into the distribution potential of BitTorrent to reach millions of consumers.”

What’s the ROI?

“In today’s digital age, the traditional model does not serve artists in the same way it used to, and instead forces them all down the same funnel where only a select few ultimately receive distribution,” Klinker says. “With BitTorrent’s Featured Artist Pilot Program, artists can tap into online communities and reach millions of people who might otherwise be inaccessible. These communities are powerful and provide intrinsic value for emerging artists trying to build a fan base. In doing so, these are fans that will invariably attend shows, purchase merchandise and become invested in future works.”/>  /> So Who has Succeeded?

Since the service just launched last month, there aren’t any featured artists yet, but the site has seen some success with the musician PAZ (see above), who has been working with BitTorrent.

“Most recently, in August 2010, BitTorrent released PAZ’s debut mix tape, Young Broke and Fameless,” Klinker says. “On the first day alone the release saw over 100,000 downloads, and as a result has increased his fan base and following.”

More Social Music Resources from Mashable:

- Top 10 Twitter Tips for Bands, By Bands/> - 5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood/> - 5 Free Ways to Identify that Song Stuck in Your Head/> - HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player/> - 10 Amazing Musical Instrument iPhone Apps

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, shulz

For more Entertainment coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Entertainmentclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Entertainment channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

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Moms Making Money

A reader writes:

The idea that this recession is over is a myth. A little more than two years ago, I left a pretty well-paying corporate job behind because it was making me miserable. I enrolled at the University of Wales, earned a Masters Degree, and returned home. Since then, I've held two jobs. The first, which I started a year ago, was a temp job doing pretty much what I'd been doing before I left, albeit for less money – but I took it because I needed money to start paying down my college loans. That job dried up in April.

After five months of being jobless (and unqualified for unemployment, since I hadn't held a permanent position), I recently started as an instructor at a junior college about fifty miles from where I live. It's a part-time job, and it doesn't pay much, but at least it's work. My financial situation is still in the toilet, but at least now I can see the top of the bowl. Thankfully, my parents have allowed me to stay at their house during this time, which has alleviated much of my financial burden. Unfortunately, that may not remain an option for very long.

My dad, who immigrated here from Ireland in the mid-'70s, is a butcher by trade, but, with my mom's help, he has run his own sausage-making business since I was born. A few years ago, he finally had enough clients to give up butchering and stake out his own claim as a wholesaler. He has about four or five times as many customers now as he did then, but their week-to-week orders are down, meaning he's having trouble making ends meet.

This morning, my dad, who will turn 63 next May and has problems walking thanks to some asshole who plowed into his car five years ago, told me that he's been applying for jobs as a courier or delivery man – the only things outside of butchering for which he's really qualified, since his only educational background is in some GED courses he took in the '70s. Meanwhile, to try to make ends meet, my mom, who turns 55 next week, has been desperately seeking her own second job. Because, aside from my dad's business, she hasn't held a full-time job since I was a baby, she is understandably filled with an immense amount of self-doubt. Three times this week, I've heard her quietly sobbing in front of the computer as she scours different websites, growing ever-more frustrated with the hoops through which many companies make candidates jump.

After the accident I mentioned, my dad's insurance company dropped them as clients. They have a different insurer now, but the premiums are astronomical – through no fault of their own, only through the fault of the afore-mentioned asshole. My little brother, who's finishing up his last year in college, has a crazy amount of food allergies, so they are completely paranoid about losing the health insurance for his sake. Had I the money, I'd help them out myself; but I barely have enough to meet my loan payments. Then this, which my mom just told me a few hours ago: For the first time in their lives, my folks are worried they're going to miss a mortgage payment because they simply don't have the money in the bank to pay it.

My parents aren't like those irresponsible people at which pseudo-libertarians point – the type who got in over their heads and now expect society's or the government's support. My dad worked for twenty years to build his business to a point at which it could be his last job; his hope was to sell the business in a few years in order to retire. But he's not even close to that; in fact, it seems like he's further away than ever. My parents have never been late on any bills. They work hard, pay their taxes, and are active members in the community. They've done everything that they were supposed to do. Similarly, I've done what I was supposed to do: gone to school, worked hard, gotten a good education, and decided to give back by teaching at a JC attended heavily by minorities. And yet, we're still drowning.

The recession isn't over; it's killing us. What's worse is that it appears to me that the American Dream isn't just, as punk rocker Ben Weasel put it, "an ugly fucking lie." The American Dream is nonexistent. When I see those who contribute nothing to society getting further and further ahead while my parents, whom I have seen work their asses off my whole life, drift further and further behind, I find that belief in the American Dream is like a belief in Santa Claus – a story told to kids to keep them in line.

The lady at the town hall last week spoke eloquently for everyone when wondered if she was returning to the days of beans and weenies. "Is this our new reality?" She asked President Obama to answer this most of all, and of course, he did not. Obama rambled diffusely about having two kids to put through college and how the government would make it easier for her and others to borrow money to achieve this goal. The problem in this answer is twofold: borrowing money and getting student loan grants for the government is yet another overreaching program spending money out of our very own thinning pockets. Secondly, this lady didn't stand up and ask President Obama for a handout. She wanted to know how she would be able to have control over her own destiny -- pocketbook -- again.

<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.

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A reader writes:

The idea that this recession is over is a myth. A little more than two years ago, I left a pretty well-paying corporate job behind because it was making me miserable. I enrolled at the University of Wales, earned a Masters Degree, and returned home. Since then, I've held two jobs. The first, which I started a year ago, was a temp job doing pretty much what I'd been doing before I left, albeit for less money – but I took it because I needed money to start paying down my college loans. That job dried up in April.

After five months of being jobless (and unqualified for unemployment, since I hadn't held a permanent position), I recently started as an instructor at a junior college about fifty miles from where I live. It's a part-time job, and it doesn't pay much, but at least it's work. My financial situation is still in the toilet, but at least now I can see the top of the bowl. Thankfully, my parents have allowed me to stay at their house during this time, which has alleviated much of my financial burden. Unfortunately, that may not remain an option for very long.

My dad, who immigrated here from Ireland in the mid-'70s, is a butcher by trade, but, with my mom's help, he has run his own sausage-making business since I was born. A few years ago, he finally had enough clients to give up butchering and stake out his own claim as a wholesaler. He has about four or five times as many customers now as he did then, but their week-to-week orders are down, meaning he's having trouble making ends meet.

This morning, my dad, who will turn 63 next May and has problems walking thanks to some asshole who plowed into his car five years ago, told me that he's been applying for jobs as a courier or delivery man – the only things outside of butchering for which he's really qualified, since his only educational background is in some GED courses he took in the '70s. Meanwhile, to try to make ends meet, my mom, who turns 55 next week, has been desperately seeking her own second job. Because, aside from my dad's business, she hasn't held a full-time job since I was a baby, she is understandably filled with an immense amount of self-doubt. Three times this week, I've heard her quietly sobbing in front of the computer as she scours different websites, growing ever-more frustrated with the hoops through which many companies make candidates jump.

After the accident I mentioned, my dad's insurance company dropped them as clients. They have a different insurer now, but the premiums are astronomical – through no fault of their own, only through the fault of the afore-mentioned asshole. My little brother, who's finishing up his last year in college, has a crazy amount of food allergies, so they are completely paranoid about losing the health insurance for his sake. Had I the money, I'd help them out myself; but I barely have enough to meet my loan payments. Then this, which my mom just told me a few hours ago: For the first time in their lives, my folks are worried they're going to miss a mortgage payment because they simply don't have the money in the bank to pay it.

My parents aren't like those irresponsible people at which pseudo-libertarians point – the type who got in over their heads and now expect society's or the government's support. My dad worked for twenty years to build his business to a point at which it could be his last job; his hope was to sell the business in a few years in order to retire. But he's not even close to that; in fact, it seems like he's further away than ever. My parents have never been late on any bills. They work hard, pay their taxes, and are active members in the community. They've done everything that they were supposed to do. Similarly, I've done what I was supposed to do: gone to school, worked hard, gotten a good education, and decided to give back by teaching at a JC attended heavily by minorities. And yet, we're still drowning.

The recession isn't over; it's killing us. What's worse is that it appears to me that the American Dream isn't just, as punk rocker Ben Weasel put it, "an ugly fucking lie." The American Dream is nonexistent. When I see those who contribute nothing to society getting further and further ahead while my parents, whom I have seen work their asses off my whole life, drift further and further behind, I find that belief in the American Dream is like a belief in Santa Claus – a story told to kids to keep them in line.

The lady at the town hall last week spoke eloquently for everyone when wondered if she was returning to the days of beans and weenies. "Is this our new reality?" She asked President Obama to answer this most of all, and of course, he did not. Obama rambled diffusely about having two kids to put through college and how the government would make it easier for her and others to borrow money to achieve this goal. The problem in this answer is twofold: borrowing money and getting student loan grants for the government is yet another overreaching program spending money out of our very own thinning pockets. Secondly, this lady didn't stand up and ask President Obama for a handout. She wanted to know how she would be able to have control over her own destiny -- pocketbook -- again.
bench craft company complaints

<b>News</b> Article “ « Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.

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web site promotion internet marketing

Luxury brands have added another elite product to their portfolio: social media marketing. Alongside perfectly stitched handbags and diamond watch bands comes a parade of innovative social media campaigns from the luxury sector – campaigns that offer up lessons to every brand about attracting customers in the online space. The Digital IQ Index ranked the social media campaigns of 72 luxury brands across a wide range of categories. We’ve gleaned five lessons of social media that every brand can learn from following the successes (and failures) of the luxury sector from this report. Want to know your Digital IQ?



Digital IQ is a measurement of how effective these luxury brands are at creating a web presence. It is a dynamic measurement of their online growth, and examines their brand’s website, digital marketing such as email newsletters and blogs, social media presence, influence and content, and mobile efforts.

This is the second year of the Digital IQ test, and a lot has changed in the who’s who of luxury social media leaders. Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren remain tied for second place in the top 10, but the other 8 spots are newcomers: Coach, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Swarovski (tied), and Tiffany.

Facebook pages are a must

If your brand doesn’t have a Facebook page, create one now. Don’t read any more of these tips until you’ve done it. The luxury brands in the top 10 ranked for Digital IQ have found success largely through Facebook: with over half a million fans and a Facebook page growth rate of over 200% year-over-year, it’s clear that Facebook is a significant part of their online strategy.

73% of the luxury brands surveyed listed Facebook as one of their top eight sources of traffic. The social networking giant is a giant boon to brand visibility.

Diversify your social media presence

Brands like Chopard, Rolex and Cartier have all sunk in their Digital IQ year-over-year in large part due to decreasing or failing to increase the number of social networks they use. Their Facebook communities lack engagement, none have a Twitter presence, and only Chopard uses YouTube.

The Digital IQ report reminds these brands – and yours – that social media is a network, not a single or static page:

“An estimated 78 percent of affluent Internet users are active on social networking sites, and 66 percent conduct research online before making a major purchase, suggesting that a limited digital presence could have a negative impact on offline sales.”

E-Commerce drives traffic, improves Digital IQ

Those luxury brands that implemented an e-commerce element to their online presence registered average traffic growth of 263 percent. As the brand that benefited most from this Fabergé saw 947% increase in traffic when it implemented e-commerce.

This lesson makes sense: if your customers can purchase your products directly from you, they’re more likely to visit your site. And, an added benefit of starting an e-commerce service is a deeper understanding of how web branding works. For luxury brands, having an e-commerce service translated to 33% higher Digital IQs than the average.

Apps are a brand’s best friend

The luxury brands surveyed don’t have a unified mobile app strategy, but those that create e-commerce-enabled apps generally have higher Digital IQs than those who don’t. For instance, Gucci’s mobile commerce-enabled app – available for a variety of smartphones and the iPad – has reached 600,000 downloads. Consumers are hungry for shopping-on-the-go, and the first brands to jump on this market demand will surely reap the benefits.

Creativity with Foursquare can lead to brand awareness

Several luxury brands have produced innovative Foursquare campaigns, giving them top marks in Digital IQ. Marc Jacobs ran a promotion offering free tickets to a fashion show and a branded “Fashion Victim” badge; Jimmy Choo challenged Foursquare users to a scavenger hunt around London with the winners receiving free running shoes; Coach gave free cologne to those who checked in to its Men’s Store during the grand opening.

These campaigns are anecdotal evidence of the growing Foursquare trend: Louis Vuitton, the luxury brand Foursquare leader, has 25,000 Foursquare friends, almost 5,000 check-ins and nearly 3,000 unique visitors. Think about how these numbers could be leveraged to get more foot traffic in your brick-and-motor.

Luxury brands are turning to social media and their digital presence to retain and attract new customers. See how your Digital IQ stacks up against theirs by examining these five lessons and checking out the Digital IQ report.

Luxury brands have added another elite product to their portfolio: social media marketing. Alongside perfectly stitched handbags and diamond watch bands comes a parade of innovative social media campaigns from the luxury sector – campaigns that offer up lessons to every brand about attracting customers in the online space. The Digital IQ Index ranked the social media campaigns of 72 luxury brands across a wide range of categories. We’ve gleaned five lessons of social media that every brand can learn from following the successes (and failures) of the luxury sector from this report. Want to know your Digital IQ?



Digital IQ is a measurement of how effective these luxury brands are at creating a web presence. It is a dynamic measurement of their online growth, and examines their brand’s website, digital marketing such as email newsletters and blogs, social media presence, influence and content, and mobile efforts.

This is the second year of the Digital IQ test, and a lot has changed in the who’s who of luxury social media leaders. Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren remain tied for second place in the top 10, but the other 8 spots are newcomers: Coach, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Swarovski (tied), and Tiffany.

Facebook pages are a must

If your brand doesn’t have a Facebook page, create one now. Don’t read any more of these tips until you’ve done it. The luxury brands in the top 10 ranked for Digital IQ have found success largely through Facebook: with over half a million fans and a Facebook page growth rate of over 200% year-over-year, it’s clear that Facebook is a significant part of their online strategy.

73% of the luxury brands surveyed listed Facebook as one of their top eight sources of traffic. The social networking giant is a giant boon to brand visibility.

Diversify your social media presence

Brands like Chopard, Rolex and Cartier have all sunk in their Digital IQ year-over-year in large part due to decreasing or failing to increase the number of social networks they use. Their Facebook communities lack engagement, none have a Twitter presence, and only Chopard uses YouTube.

The Digital IQ report reminds these brands – and yours – that social media is a network, not a single or static page:

“An estimated 78 percent of affluent Internet users are active on social networking sites, and 66 percent conduct research online before making a major purchase, suggesting that a limited digital presence could have a negative impact on offline sales.”

E-Commerce drives traffic, improves Digital IQ

Those luxury brands that implemented an e-commerce element to their online presence registered average traffic growth of 263 percent. As the brand that benefited most from this Fabergé saw 947% increase in traffic when it implemented e-commerce.

This lesson makes sense: if your customers can purchase your products directly from you, they’re more likely to visit your site. And, an added benefit of starting an e-commerce service is a deeper understanding of how web branding works. For luxury brands, having an e-commerce service translated to 33% higher Digital IQs than the average.

Apps are a brand’s best friend

The luxury brands surveyed don’t have a unified mobile app strategy, but those that create e-commerce-enabled apps generally have higher Digital IQs than those who don’t. For instance, Gucci’s mobile commerce-enabled app – available for a variety of smartphones and the iPad – has reached 600,000 downloads. Consumers are hungry for shopping-on-the-go, and the first brands to jump on this market demand will surely reap the benefits.

Creativity with Foursquare can lead to brand awareness

Several luxury brands have produced innovative Foursquare campaigns, giving them top marks in Digital IQ. Marc Jacobs ran a promotion offering free tickets to a fashion show and a branded “Fashion Victim” badge; Jimmy Choo challenged Foursquare users to a scavenger hunt around London with the winners receiving free running shoes; Coach gave free cologne to those who checked in to its Men’s Store during the grand opening.

These campaigns are anecdotal evidence of the growing Foursquare trend: Louis Vuitton, the luxury brand Foursquare leader, has 25,000 Foursquare friends, almost 5,000 check-ins and nearly 3,000 unique visitors. Think about how these numbers could be leveraged to get more foot traffic in your brick-and-motor.

Luxury brands are turning to social media and their digital presence to retain and attract new customers. See how your Digital IQ stacks up against theirs by examining these five lessons and checking out the Digital IQ report.

Timothy Karr: Fox <b>News</b> Tries to Foreclose on Sesame Street

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bench craft company complaints
bench craft company complaints

Timothy Karr: Fox <b>News</b> Tries to Foreclose on Sesame Street

Every time PBS and NPR have come under attack, the American public has risen up in protest to defend -- not defund -- it. Whatever the rationale, Fox News' ongoing witch hunt tactic is a proven loser.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/26 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning! We have a full day of Kansas City Chiefs news. O-line love and praise for the running game and a shout out to DJ are ahead. There are also a few articles on the Buffalo offense and how productive they've been recently.

&quot;Xbox 2&quot; game WarDevil canned Xbox 360 <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Xbox 360 news of. ... "Xbox 2" game WarDevil canned Related content. Latest WarDevil: Unleash the Beast Within screenshots; News WarDevil trailer set for Tokyo ; News Digi-Guys shows off gorgeous Xbox 2 war game ...

bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints

Luxury brands have added another elite product to their portfolio: social media marketing. Alongside perfectly stitched handbags and diamond watch bands comes a parade of innovative social media campaigns from the luxury sector – campaigns that offer up lessons to every brand about attracting customers in the online space. The Digital IQ Index ranked the social media campaigns of 72 luxury brands across a wide range of categories. We’ve gleaned five lessons of social media that every brand can learn from following the successes (and failures) of the luxury sector from this report. Want to know your Digital IQ?



Digital IQ is a measurement of how effective these luxury brands are at creating a web presence. It is a dynamic measurement of their online growth, and examines their brand’s website, digital marketing such as email newsletters and blogs, social media presence, influence and content, and mobile efforts.

This is the second year of the Digital IQ test, and a lot has changed in the who’s who of luxury social media leaders. Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren remain tied for second place in the top 10, but the other 8 spots are newcomers: Coach, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Swarovski (tied), and Tiffany.

Facebook pages are a must

If your brand doesn’t have a Facebook page, create one now. Don’t read any more of these tips until you’ve done it. The luxury brands in the top 10 ranked for Digital IQ have found success largely through Facebook: with over half a million fans and a Facebook page growth rate of over 200% year-over-year, it’s clear that Facebook is a significant part of their online strategy.

73% of the luxury brands surveyed listed Facebook as one of their top eight sources of traffic. The social networking giant is a giant boon to brand visibility.

Diversify your social media presence

Brands like Chopard, Rolex and Cartier have all sunk in their Digital IQ year-over-year in large part due to decreasing or failing to increase the number of social networks they use. Their Facebook communities lack engagement, none have a Twitter presence, and only Chopard uses YouTube.

The Digital IQ report reminds these brands – and yours – that social media is a network, not a single or static page:

“An estimated 78 percent of affluent Internet users are active on social networking sites, and 66 percent conduct research online before making a major purchase, suggesting that a limited digital presence could have a negative impact on offline sales.”

E-Commerce drives traffic, improves Digital IQ

Those luxury brands that implemented an e-commerce element to their online presence registered average traffic growth of 263 percent. As the brand that benefited most from this Fabergé saw 947% increase in traffic when it implemented e-commerce.

This lesson makes sense: if your customers can purchase your products directly from you, they’re more likely to visit your site. And, an added benefit of starting an e-commerce service is a deeper understanding of how web branding works. For luxury brands, having an e-commerce service translated to 33% higher Digital IQs than the average.

Apps are a brand’s best friend

The luxury brands surveyed don’t have a unified mobile app strategy, but those that create e-commerce-enabled apps generally have higher Digital IQs than those who don’t. For instance, Gucci’s mobile commerce-enabled app – available for a variety of smartphones and the iPad – has reached 600,000 downloads. Consumers are hungry for shopping-on-the-go, and the first brands to jump on this market demand will surely reap the benefits.

Creativity with Foursquare can lead to brand awareness

Several luxury brands have produced innovative Foursquare campaigns, giving them top marks in Digital IQ. Marc Jacobs ran a promotion offering free tickets to a fashion show and a branded “Fashion Victim” badge; Jimmy Choo challenged Foursquare users to a scavenger hunt around London with the winners receiving free running shoes; Coach gave free cologne to those who checked in to its Men’s Store during the grand opening.

These campaigns are anecdotal evidence of the growing Foursquare trend: Louis Vuitton, the luxury brand Foursquare leader, has 25,000 Foursquare friends, almost 5,000 check-ins and nearly 3,000 unique visitors. Think about how these numbers could be leveraged to get more foot traffic in your brick-and-motor.

Luxury brands are turning to social media and their digital presence to retain and attract new customers. See how your Digital IQ stacks up against theirs by examining these five lessons and checking out the Digital IQ report.

Luxury brands have added another elite product to their portfolio: social media marketing. Alongside perfectly stitched handbags and diamond watch bands comes a parade of innovative social media campaigns from the luxury sector – campaigns that offer up lessons to every brand about attracting customers in the online space. The Digital IQ Index ranked the social media campaigns of 72 luxury brands across a wide range of categories. We’ve gleaned five lessons of social media that every brand can learn from following the successes (and failures) of the luxury sector from this report. Want to know your Digital IQ?



Digital IQ is a measurement of how effective these luxury brands are at creating a web presence. It is a dynamic measurement of their online growth, and examines their brand’s website, digital marketing such as email newsletters and blogs, social media presence, influence and content, and mobile efforts.

This is the second year of the Digital IQ test, and a lot has changed in the who’s who of luxury social media leaders. Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren remain tied for second place in the top 10, but the other 8 spots are newcomers: Coach, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Swarovski (tied), and Tiffany.

Facebook pages are a must

If your brand doesn’t have a Facebook page, create one now. Don’t read any more of these tips until you’ve done it. The luxury brands in the top 10 ranked for Digital IQ have found success largely through Facebook: with over half a million fans and a Facebook page growth rate of over 200% year-over-year, it’s clear that Facebook is a significant part of their online strategy.

73% of the luxury brands surveyed listed Facebook as one of their top eight sources of traffic. The social networking giant is a giant boon to brand visibility.

Diversify your social media presence

Brands like Chopard, Rolex and Cartier have all sunk in their Digital IQ year-over-year in large part due to decreasing or failing to increase the number of social networks they use. Their Facebook communities lack engagement, none have a Twitter presence, and only Chopard uses YouTube.

The Digital IQ report reminds these brands – and yours – that social media is a network, not a single or static page:

“An estimated 78 percent of affluent Internet users are active on social networking sites, and 66 percent conduct research online before making a major purchase, suggesting that a limited digital presence could have a negative impact on offline sales.”

E-Commerce drives traffic, improves Digital IQ

Those luxury brands that implemented an e-commerce element to their online presence registered average traffic growth of 263 percent. As the brand that benefited most from this Fabergé saw 947% increase in traffic when it implemented e-commerce.

This lesson makes sense: if your customers can purchase your products directly from you, they’re more likely to visit your site. And, an added benefit of starting an e-commerce service is a deeper understanding of how web branding works. For luxury brands, having an e-commerce service translated to 33% higher Digital IQs than the average.

Apps are a brand’s best friend

The luxury brands surveyed don’t have a unified mobile app strategy, but those that create e-commerce-enabled apps generally have higher Digital IQs than those who don’t. For instance, Gucci’s mobile commerce-enabled app – available for a variety of smartphones and the iPad – has reached 600,000 downloads. Consumers are hungry for shopping-on-the-go, and the first brands to jump on this market demand will surely reap the benefits.

Creativity with Foursquare can lead to brand awareness

Several luxury brands have produced innovative Foursquare campaigns, giving them top marks in Digital IQ. Marc Jacobs ran a promotion offering free tickets to a fashion show and a branded “Fashion Victim” badge; Jimmy Choo challenged Foursquare users to a scavenger hunt around London with the winners receiving free running shoes; Coach gave free cologne to those who checked in to its Men’s Store during the grand opening.

These campaigns are anecdotal evidence of the growing Foursquare trend: Louis Vuitton, the luxury brand Foursquare leader, has 25,000 Foursquare friends, almost 5,000 check-ins and nearly 3,000 unique visitors. Think about how these numbers could be leveraged to get more foot traffic in your brick-and-motor.

Luxury brands are turning to social media and their digital presence to retain and attract new customers. See how your Digital IQ stacks up against theirs by examining these five lessons and checking out the Digital IQ report.

bench craft company complaints

Timothy Karr: Fox <b>News</b> Tries to Foreclose on Sesame Street

Every time PBS and NPR have come under attack, the American public has risen up in protest to defend -- not defund -- it. Whatever the rationale, Fox News' ongoing witch hunt tactic is a proven loser.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/26 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning! We have a full day of Kansas City Chiefs news. O-line love and praise for the running game and a shout out to DJ are ahead. There are also a few articles on the Buffalo offense and how productive they've been recently.

&quot;Xbox 2&quot; game WarDevil canned Xbox 360 <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Xbox 360 news of. ... "Xbox 2" game WarDevil canned Related content. Latest WarDevil: Unleash the Beast Within screenshots; News WarDevil trailer set for Tokyo ; News Digi-Guys shows off gorgeous Xbox 2 war game ...

bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints

Timothy Karr: Fox <b>News</b> Tries to Foreclose on Sesame Street

Every time PBS and NPR have come under attack, the American public has risen up in protest to defend -- not defund -- it. Whatever the rationale, Fox News' ongoing witch hunt tactic is a proven loser.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/26 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning! We have a full day of Kansas City Chiefs news. O-line love and praise for the running game and a shout out to DJ are ahead. There are also a few articles on the Buffalo offense and how productive they've been recently.

&quot;Xbox 2&quot; game WarDevil canned Xbox 360 <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Xbox 360 news of. ... "Xbox 2" game WarDevil canned Related content. Latest WarDevil: Unleash the Beast Within screenshots; News WarDevil trailer set for Tokyo ; News Digi-Guys shows off gorgeous Xbox 2 war game ...

bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints

Timothy Karr: Fox <b>News</b> Tries to Foreclose on Sesame Street

Every time PBS and NPR have come under attack, the American public has risen up in protest to defend -- not defund -- it. Whatever the rationale, Fox News' ongoing witch hunt tactic is a proven loser.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/26 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning! We have a full day of Kansas City Chiefs news. O-line love and praise for the running game and a shout out to DJ are ahead. There are also a few articles on the Buffalo offense and how productive they've been recently.

&quot;Xbox 2&quot; game WarDevil canned Xbox 360 <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Xbox 360 news of. ... "Xbox 2" game WarDevil canned Related content. Latest WarDevil: Unleash the Beast Within screenshots; News WarDevil trailer set for Tokyo ; News Digi-Guys shows off gorgeous Xbox 2 war game ...

bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints

personal finance blog

If you walked into the average bookstore, you'd think that women rule the roost when it comes to personal finance. From Suze Orman's now-classic Women and Money to the more recent (and more colorfully titled) Bitches on a Budget, there's no shortage of do-it-yourself financial advice tailored to women.



Apparently, though, when women make the momentous move from self-help to seeking professional advice about investing and retirement, things go rapidly downhill. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that women perceived themselves as receiving wealth management services at a level of quality that is inferior to that received by their male counterparts.



According to the study, women are the key decision-makers when it comes to 27% of the wealth worldwide: that's $20 trillion! But despite the massive chunk of power they wield, 55% of the women surveyed in the study said they felt their wealth manager could do a better job of advising them. Almost a quarter of the respondents said private banks needed "significant improvement" in the services they offer to women.



"The dissatisfaction stems from the unshakable perception that men get more attention, better advice, and sometimes even better terms and deals," according to study co-author Peter Damisch. "We heard this sense of subordination time and time again in our interviews."



This perceived disparity in service arose from several key disconnects in the relationships and communications between women and their financial advisers. Manisha Thakor, Chartered Financial Analyst and women's financial literacy advocate, offers some steps savvy female investors can take to avoid being under-served by their wealth managers and investment advisers:



1. Find your adviser and get your financial education from women-run resources.



The financial services industry is dominated by males and therefore the "DNA is structured around the male experience," Thakor explains, adding that she sees many firms making an effort to change this. Most financial advisers are men, who may not inherently understand the whole-life nature of the average woman's financial plans and needs. They also may have very different communication styles than their women clients.



Thakor recommends women use women-created resources like LearnVest and DailyWorth to educate themselves in order to avoid the intimidation factor when talking about investment products with their advisers. She also encourages women to consult Garrett Planning Network, founded by Certified Financial Planner Sheryl Garrett, to locate a local certified financial planner who works on an hourly-fee-only basis. Taking these steps, Thakor explains, may alleviate the concern expressed by many women in the BCG study that they were not being taken seriously or talked to on the same level as male clients by their financial advisers.



2. Expressly state your ideal career trajectory, then ask how you should alter your investment plans accordingly.



In the BCG study, women stated that their investment advisers fundamentally misunderstood what was actually important to them, and recommended a too-narrow range of inappropriate investment vehicles as a result. Many said their advisers assumed they had a lower risk tolerance than they actually did, or that their advisers focused on short-term results and disregarded their long-term goals, which often included time out to care for a child or parent.



Thakor offers women a script of sorts to remedy this communication disconnect. "Go in and say: "I want to be a mom and I may take X amount of time out of the work force," she advises. Then ask, "How do we adjust how much I need to save and how I should invest to compensate for this?"



3. Start saving early.

The latest jobs report came out on Friday. Overall, another 95,000 jobs were lost in September. Maybe they should start calling it the no-jobs report. Ezra Klein crunches the numbers to explain why the addition of 64,000 private sector jobs is pitifully inadequate:

That's about 35,000 less than the 100,000 or so jobs needed to keep up with population growth. It's about 180,000 less than the number of jobs needed to get back to 5 percent unemployment in the next 10 years. It's about 257,000 less than the 320,000 jobs needed to get back to 5 percent unemployment in five years.

In other words, the economy is not bouncing back any time soon. Even worse, it's clear that Washington is not up to the task of creating the conditions for the job growth the country so desperately needs. And as we find ourselves in the silliest stretch of the electoral silly season, it doesn't inspire confidence that the government that emerges on November 2nd will do any better.

A deep-seated cynicism is not an unreasonable response. But I'm pleased to report that hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country are choosing to react by taking action. As a result, a parallel economy is being created by people who, finding there are no jobs, have decided to create their own.

Of course, this burgeoning parallel economy doesn't mean the government is off the hook. But while millions of Americans are waiting for the government to do the right thing in terms of bold infrastructure spending, a payroll tax holiday, etc, etc, many have decided to stop waiting.

Through the creative use of technology, social media, and a focus on community, this new wave of small businesses is making its mark in a true convergence of left and right. At the moment, our government may be can't-do, but more and more of our citizens are solidly can-do -- and irrepressibly American.



To turn a spotlight on this nascent movement and encourage its continued growth, HuffPost is launching Small Business America, a new blog sponsored by FedEx where entrepreneurs can exchange ideas, get advice, and keep up with the latest small business news. Small Business America's contributors will run the gamut from CEOs to mom-and-pop business owners to policy-makers, business writers, professors, and social media experts.

Some of those we'll be featuring in our first week include:

• Aaron Patzer, founder of the online personal finance site Mint.
• 
  William Aulet, Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center.
• 
  Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
• 
  Tim Westergren, Founder of the online radio site Pandora.
• 
  Christopher Hytry Derrington, whose company helps firms outsource their work to rural America instead of overseas.

Small Business America will also feature the first-person accounts of people who have already jumped in and started their own business -- as well as those thinking of taking the leap.



One of those forced by circumstances into creating her own business is Brenda Carter, whose story is featured in Third World America. A grandmother living in Marietta, Georgia, Carter had worked as a manager of information systems at the same company for thirteen years. Then, in 2007, she was suddenly laid off. "Imagine getting up every day for 13 years and suddenly that part of your life just ceased," she wrote. "I cried and cried and cried. I just could not believe it."

She didn't know what she was going to do, but then had an idea. Her mother, to help pay the bills as a single mother in New Orleans, had sold pralines door-to-door. "People would knock on our doors at all times of night asking to purchase these pralines," she said. "So as I was sitting at home I thought 'Hey I can do this too! This is something I can do and am comfortable doing.'"

And now she's the proud operator of a growing praline operation -- except instead of selling door-to-door, she's doing it computer-to-computer. Her online store can be found here. "Times are changing and so must we," Carter says. "We need to be supporters of ourselves, otherwise we will not survive."



Americans have a lot of passion and ingenuity, and there is a clear market in helping bring them to market. Enter Etsy.com and Cafe Press, which have now grown large enough to have a multiplier effect rippling across the country.

Etsy was founded in 2005 by Robert Kalin. Then 25, he was an aspiring furniture designer feeling frustrated by his attempts to sell his work online. So he created a streamlined platform for handmade goods of all kinds, and launched it from his apartment.

The site's mission? "To enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice." Which is exactly what Etsy.com is doing. And along with creating jobs, this new economy is creating connections, and caring, and community. As Kalin said in a 2009 interview:

One of the most important things anyone can do right now is create jobs. What's important is to empower people to make a living, and I support renting and running a 9,000-square-foot workspace in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that provides other small businesses with affordable studio space. And we have big community dinners there once a week for networking and sharing our ideas.

Etsy's effect is being felt far beyond Brooklyn. Colleen Fields, 54, lives in a remote town in the mountains of North Carolina. Two years ago, she was laid off from her job as a newspaper subscriptions manager. "I must have sent out a thousand or more resumés and applications," she told The Huffington Post. "I applied for a job at a convenience store, and they said they had over 200 applicants. It's just crazy. There are no jobs around this area."

A friend suggested she look into Etsy. Not exactly computer literate, she nevertheless gave it a try. In December 2009 she opened her online store, Gemstones and Wire, selling necklaces, earrings and handmade clay vases. She wrote about how some women pay all their family bills with small businesses started through Etsy. "I'm just not one of them yet. I would love to be one of them," she added.

Several other successful sites have followed in Etsy's footsteps. Among them is Bonanza, which, with its "friendliest social community online," aims to put the human element back into e-commerce, "making people relevant again."

Then there is ArtFire, which started two years ago in Tucson, Arizona. It provides a platform for "handmade goods, fine art, vintage, designed items, supplies and media," and aims to "celebrate the unique individuality of artists and crafters around the globe."

Cafe Press was started in 1999. Based in San Mateo, California, the company provides on-demand printing for mugs, t-shirts and products designed by users, "uniting and rewarding self-expression." It now gets 11 million unique visits a month and, with its 6.5 million users, adds around 2,000 new, independent shops and 45,000 new products every day.

Another great example of making a business out of helping people make a business is Recession Wire. Begun in February 2009 by Sara Clemence and Laura Rich, who were laid off when Portfolio magazine folded, and partner Lynn Parramore, the site aims to "chronicle the 'upside of the downturn' through personal stories, helpful advice and reportage on the changes underway in these hard times."

In its small business section, the site features articles like: "How to Bootstrap Your New Business Wisely," "Don't Close Your Business, Change It," and "A Cool, Free Way to Figure Out a Business Idea's Potential."

At Inc.com, the website of Inc. Magazine, the editors aim to provide "advice, tools, and services, to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully." Its start-up section includes advice on writing a business plan, running a home-based business, naming a business, how to incorporate, and financing.

StartupNation bills itself as a "free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs." Headed by Jeff and Rich Sloan, two experienced entrepreneurs, who started the site to share their "years of in-the-trenches experience," the site features blogs, forums, advice, and networking tools.

Micro-financing, another entrepreneurship model greatly enhanced by the web, has been around for awhile. But the founders of InVenture Fund wanted to take the model to the next step. It was launched in October 2009 because, as the site says, "traditional microfinance models weren't doing enough to lift communities out of poverty." The problem was that the 75 million or so borrowers around the world were locked into loans they had to repay, sometimes at interest rates of 30 percent. InVenture finds microloan recipients who have good track records and gives them the financing to expand, with no fixed repayment schedule. "Give entrepreneurs an opportunity for real financial and social growth," the site says, "and they'll lift not just themselves but their communities out of poverty." A portion of the site's profits is then invested in responsible community programs, like clean water and education.

Indeed, one of the hallmarks of this entrepreneurial movement is community -- including an emphasis on local food, local agriculture, and sustainable business practices. One of the ironies of this new wave of small businesses is how the global reach of the web has been so pivotal in connecting people to their own communities.



Judy Wicks, the owner of the famed White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia, founded the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), which now has 80 local chapters in the U.S. and Canada. To spread the local food gospel of the White Dog, Wicks also founded Fair Food, which connects local family farms with city dwellers.

In Lexington, Kentucky, Fresh Stop is an attempt to bring the benefits of community-supported agriculture to those who couldn't normally afford it. Forming partnerships with churches, Fresh Stop asks those who can afford it to pay a bit more for what they buy, which subsidizes those for whom the fresh -- and healthy -- food would otherwise be out of reach.



Whether you're directly involved in a small business or not, I hope you'll check out Small Business America. After all, we're all affected by the well-being of the communities we live in. At least for the time being, real solutions are less likely to come from politicians than from the thousands of people in thousands of communities taking the initiative to connect, share, and create.

I love how human this movement is. It's fueled by technology, but at its core is a real person connecting to another real person. As Twitter founder Biz Stone said of his company: "Twitter is not a triumph of tech. It's a triumph of humanity."

Technology is what will allow this very American movement to scale up and begin to have a real impact. But it's in our backyards and basements that it begins. "To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections," wrote Edmund Burke. "It is the first link in the series by which we proceed towards a love to our country, and to mankind."



Click here to check out Small Business America... and let us know what you think.

Fox <b>News</b> Gives Juan Williams $2 Million Contract | 89.3 KPCC

NPR has been sharply criticized for terminating the contract of news analyst Juan Williams for remarks he made about Muslims. Williams appeared on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" Thursday night to respond to NPR's decision.

Lindsay Lohan Photos &amp; Pics | BREAKING <b>NEWS</b> - Lindsay Lohan Avoids <b>...</b>

Lindsay Lohan appeared before Judge Elden Fox at the Beverly Hills Courthouse this morning for her latest probation violation hearing, and it appears as though spending the last month at the Betty Ford Center helped convince the judge ...

Fashion, sports and magic: Moscow expats talk <b>news</b> over booze - RT

New Moscow Mayor, Russian Fashion Week and the Spartak – Chelsea match were among the most heavily discussed news items this week among Moscow expats.

eric seiger eric seiger

If you walked into the average bookstore, you'd think that women rule the roost when it comes to personal finance. From Suze Orman's now-classic Women and Money to the more recent (and more colorfully titled) Bitches on a Budget, there's no shortage of do-it-yourself financial advice tailored to women.



Apparently, though, when women make the momentous move from self-help to seeking professional advice about investing and retirement, things go rapidly downhill. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that women perceived themselves as receiving wealth management services at a level of quality that is inferior to that received by their male counterparts.



According to the study, women are the key decision-makers when it comes to 27% of the wealth worldwide: that's $20 trillion! But despite the massive chunk of power they wield, 55% of the women surveyed in the study said they felt their wealth manager could do a better job of advising them. Almost a quarter of the respondents said private banks needed "significant improvement" in the services they offer to women.



"The dissatisfaction stems from the unshakable perception that men get more attention, better advice, and sometimes even better terms and deals," according to study co-author Peter Damisch. "We heard this sense of subordination time and time again in our interviews."



This perceived disparity in service arose from several key disconnects in the relationships and communications between women and their financial advisers. Manisha Thakor, Chartered Financial Analyst and women's financial literacy advocate, offers some steps savvy female investors can take to avoid being under-served by their wealth managers and investment advisers:



1. Find your adviser and get your financial education from women-run resources.



The financial services industry is dominated by males and therefore the "DNA is structured around the male experience," Thakor explains, adding that she sees many firms making an effort to change this. Most financial advisers are men, who may not inherently understand the whole-life nature of the average woman's financial plans and needs. They also may have very different communication styles than their women clients.



Thakor recommends women use women-created resources like LearnVest and DailyWorth to educate themselves in order to avoid the intimidation factor when talking about investment products with their advisers. She also encourages women to consult Garrett Planning Network, founded by Certified Financial Planner Sheryl Garrett, to locate a local certified financial planner who works on an hourly-fee-only basis. Taking these steps, Thakor explains, may alleviate the concern expressed by many women in the BCG study that they were not being taken seriously or talked to on the same level as male clients by their financial advisers.



2. Expressly state your ideal career trajectory, then ask how you should alter your investment plans accordingly.



In the BCG study, women stated that their investment advisers fundamentally misunderstood what was actually important to them, and recommended a too-narrow range of inappropriate investment vehicles as a result. Many said their advisers assumed they had a lower risk tolerance than they actually did, or that their advisers focused on short-term results and disregarded their long-term goals, which often included time out to care for a child or parent.



Thakor offers women a script of sorts to remedy this communication disconnect. "Go in and say: "I want to be a mom and I may take X amount of time out of the work force," she advises. Then ask, "How do we adjust how much I need to save and how I should invest to compensate for this?"



3. Start saving early.

The latest jobs report came out on Friday. Overall, another 95,000 jobs were lost in September. Maybe they should start calling it the no-jobs report. Ezra Klein crunches the numbers to explain why the addition of 64,000 private sector jobs is pitifully inadequate:

That's about 35,000 less than the 100,000 or so jobs needed to keep up with population growth. It's about 180,000 less than the number of jobs needed to get back to 5 percent unemployment in the next 10 years. It's about 257,000 less than the 320,000 jobs needed to get back to 5 percent unemployment in five years.

In other words, the economy is not bouncing back any time soon. Even worse, it's clear that Washington is not up to the task of creating the conditions for the job growth the country so desperately needs. And as we find ourselves in the silliest stretch of the electoral silly season, it doesn't inspire confidence that the government that emerges on November 2nd will do any better.

A deep-seated cynicism is not an unreasonable response. But I'm pleased to report that hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country are choosing to react by taking action. As a result, a parallel economy is being created by people who, finding there are no jobs, have decided to create their own.

Of course, this burgeoning parallel economy doesn't mean the government is off the hook. But while millions of Americans are waiting for the government to do the right thing in terms of bold infrastructure spending, a payroll tax holiday, etc, etc, many have decided to stop waiting.

Through the creative use of technology, social media, and a focus on community, this new wave of small businesses is making its mark in a true convergence of left and right. At the moment, our government may be can't-do, but more and more of our citizens are solidly can-do -- and irrepressibly American.



To turn a spotlight on this nascent movement and encourage its continued growth, HuffPost is launching Small Business America, a new blog sponsored by FedEx where entrepreneurs can exchange ideas, get advice, and keep up with the latest small business news. Small Business America's contributors will run the gamut from CEOs to mom-and-pop business owners to policy-makers, business writers, professors, and social media experts.

Some of those we'll be featuring in our first week include:

• Aaron Patzer, founder of the online personal finance site Mint.
• 
  William Aulet, Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center.
• 
  Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
• 
  Tim Westergren, Founder of the online radio site Pandora.
• 
  Christopher Hytry Derrington, whose company helps firms outsource their work to rural America instead of overseas.

Small Business America will also feature the first-person accounts of people who have already jumped in and started their own business -- as well as those thinking of taking the leap.



One of those forced by circumstances into creating her own business is Brenda Carter, whose story is featured in Third World America. A grandmother living in Marietta, Georgia, Carter had worked as a manager of information systems at the same company for thirteen years. Then, in 2007, she was suddenly laid off. "Imagine getting up every day for 13 years and suddenly that part of your life just ceased," she wrote. "I cried and cried and cried. I just could not believe it."

She didn't know what she was going to do, but then had an idea. Her mother, to help pay the bills as a single mother in New Orleans, had sold pralines door-to-door. "People would knock on our doors at all times of night asking to purchase these pralines," she said. "So as I was sitting at home I thought 'Hey I can do this too! This is something I can do and am comfortable doing.'"

And now she's the proud operator of a growing praline operation -- except instead of selling door-to-door, she's doing it computer-to-computer. Her online store can be found here. "Times are changing and so must we," Carter says. "We need to be supporters of ourselves, otherwise we will not survive."



Americans have a lot of passion and ingenuity, and there is a clear market in helping bring them to market. Enter Etsy.com and Cafe Press, which have now grown large enough to have a multiplier effect rippling across the country.

Etsy was founded in 2005 by Robert Kalin. Then 25, he was an aspiring furniture designer feeling frustrated by his attempts to sell his work online. So he created a streamlined platform for handmade goods of all kinds, and launched it from his apartment.

The site's mission? "To enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice." Which is exactly what Etsy.com is doing. And along with creating jobs, this new economy is creating connections, and caring, and community. As Kalin said in a 2009 interview:

One of the most important things anyone can do right now is create jobs. What's important is to empower people to make a living, and I support renting and running a 9,000-square-foot workspace in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that provides other small businesses with affordable studio space. And we have big community dinners there once a week for networking and sharing our ideas.

Etsy's effect is being felt far beyond Brooklyn. Colleen Fields, 54, lives in a remote town in the mountains of North Carolina. Two years ago, she was laid off from her job as a newspaper subscriptions manager. "I must have sent out a thousand or more resumés and applications," she told The Huffington Post. "I applied for a job at a convenience store, and they said they had over 200 applicants. It's just crazy. There are no jobs around this area."

A friend suggested she look into Etsy. Not exactly computer literate, she nevertheless gave it a try. In December 2009 she opened her online store, Gemstones and Wire, selling necklaces, earrings and handmade clay vases. She wrote about how some women pay all their family bills with small businesses started through Etsy. "I'm just not one of them yet. I would love to be one of them," she added.

Several other successful sites have followed in Etsy's footsteps. Among them is Bonanza, which, with its "friendliest social community online," aims to put the human element back into e-commerce, "making people relevant again."

Then there is ArtFire, which started two years ago in Tucson, Arizona. It provides a platform for "handmade goods, fine art, vintage, designed items, supplies and media," and aims to "celebrate the unique individuality of artists and crafters around the globe."

Cafe Press was started in 1999. Based in San Mateo, California, the company provides on-demand printing for mugs, t-shirts and products designed by users, "uniting and rewarding self-expression." It now gets 11 million unique visits a month and, with its 6.5 million users, adds around 2,000 new, independent shops and 45,000 new products every day.

Another great example of making a business out of helping people make a business is Recession Wire. Begun in February 2009 by Sara Clemence and Laura Rich, who were laid off when Portfolio magazine folded, and partner Lynn Parramore, the site aims to "chronicle the 'upside of the downturn' through personal stories, helpful advice and reportage on the changes underway in these hard times."

In its small business section, the site features articles like: "How to Bootstrap Your New Business Wisely," "Don't Close Your Business, Change It," and "A Cool, Free Way to Figure Out a Business Idea's Potential."

At Inc.com, the website of Inc. Magazine, the editors aim to provide "advice, tools, and services, to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully." Its start-up section includes advice on writing a business plan, running a home-based business, naming a business, how to incorporate, and financing.

StartupNation bills itself as a "free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs." Headed by Jeff and Rich Sloan, two experienced entrepreneurs, who started the site to share their "years of in-the-trenches experience," the site features blogs, forums, advice, and networking tools.

Micro-financing, another entrepreneurship model greatly enhanced by the web, has been around for awhile. But the founders of InVenture Fund wanted to take the model to the next step. It was launched in October 2009 because, as the site says, "traditional microfinance models weren't doing enough to lift communities out of poverty." The problem was that the 75 million or so borrowers around the world were locked into loans they had to repay, sometimes at interest rates of 30 percent. InVenture finds microloan recipients who have good track records and gives them the financing to expand, with no fixed repayment schedule. "Give entrepreneurs an opportunity for real financial and social growth," the site says, "and they'll lift not just themselves but their communities out of poverty." A portion of the site's profits is then invested in responsible community programs, like clean water and education.

Indeed, one of the hallmarks of this entrepreneurial movement is community -- including an emphasis on local food, local agriculture, and sustainable business practices. One of the ironies of this new wave of small businesses is how the global reach of the web has been so pivotal in connecting people to their own communities.



Judy Wicks, the owner of the famed White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia, founded the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), which now has 80 local chapters in the U.S. and Canada. To spread the local food gospel of the White Dog, Wicks also founded Fair Food, which connects local family farms with city dwellers.

In Lexington, Kentucky, Fresh Stop is an attempt to bring the benefits of community-supported agriculture to those who couldn't normally afford it. Forming partnerships with churches, Fresh Stop asks those who can afford it to pay a bit more for what they buy, which subsidizes those for whom the fresh -- and healthy -- food would otherwise be out of reach.



Whether you're directly involved in a small business or not, I hope you'll check out Small Business America. After all, we're all affected by the well-being of the communities we live in. At least for the time being, real solutions are less likely to come from politicians than from the thousands of people in thousands of communities taking the initiative to connect, share, and create.

I love how human this movement is. It's fueled by technology, but at its core is a real person connecting to another real person. As Twitter founder Biz Stone said of his company: "Twitter is not a triumph of tech. It's a triumph of humanity."

Technology is what will allow this very American movement to scale up and begin to have a real impact. But it's in our backyards and basements that it begins. "To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections," wrote Edmund Burke. "It is the first link in the series by which we proceed towards a love to our country, and to mankind."



Click here to check out Small Business America... and let us know what you think.

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