Do you love intuitive and simplistic designs? Do you love playing or watching sports? Do you love short contract projects? And do you love working with fun people? Then we have the project for you…
We are currently looking for a talented designer to give us a much needed overhaul/re-skin of the site template we’re using for our website TeamPages.com. The task at hand, if you wish to take it, is to tweak our current design and turn it into a very polished, sporty, and energetic, parent friendly (looks REALLY easy to use), web 2.0 template for TeamPages that gives us a beautiful site that people will love to use and want to come back to. Pretty much we want our users to “Oooohhh…awww…wow, that’s cool!” and at the same time “I can’t believe how easy this is.”
This project will include:
Project start date: ASAP
Project deadline: December 30, 2008
If you’re up for the challenge, or just want to chat to guy who write this, send over your portfolio and resume to mike.tan@teampages.com.
TeamPages is an online social network and utility for amateur sports that makes it easier for coaches, team managers and players to: manage their... [more]
November 18, 2008 - Seattle
November Urban Leadership Series - Where Technology, Business, and City Meet
7:30am - 9:00am: World Trade Center, Suite 410
November 20, 2008 - Seattle
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Start-Up Tour
2:00pm - 7:00pm: Bell Harbor Conference Center
November 21, 2008 - Tacoma
South Sound Technology Conference 2008
1:00pm - 4:00pm: University of Washington, Tacoma
November 22, 2008 - November 23, 2008 - Seattle
Seattle Mindcamp 5.0
11:00am - 10:00am: Synapse
December 4, 2008 - Bellevue
TiE Funding Forum 2008
6:00pm - 9:00pm: Bellevue Downtown Courtyard by Marriott
December 5, 2008 - Bellevue
Angel Financing Seminar
9:00am - 5:00pm: Bellevue Courtyard by Marriott
December 10, 2008 - Seattle
WTIA Cocktails & Contributions - Holiday Networking
5:00pm - 8:00pm: ACT Theater - Bullitt Cabaret
Last fall, six computers were stolen from Workspace Cafe in Gastown, a popular Vancouver coworking space that hosts numerous community events. With nothing to go on except a low-res security cam video, it looked like the computers were lost, until an unexpected picture was uploaded to Workspace Flickr account. One of the iMacs was set up as a kiosk where folks could take pictures and upload them directly to Flickr. This picture quickly made the rounds on the web, hitting the top of Digg and getting covered by mainstream media. The man in the photo turns himself in (he was supposedly the second hand buyer, not the original thief) and the iMac is recovered.
If this sounds like a fun way to foil theft, you might be interested in MacTrak, from Portland-based GadgetTrak. MacTrak uses any Mac's iSight to take a picture every 30 minutes and upload it to Flickr (you can set these photos to private by default). It also uses WiFi-based location finding to attach the location to that photo. If a thief connects to the Internet at all, their picture and location will be revealed immediately. GadgetTrak also makes theft recovery and remote data wipe software for Windows PCs and mobile devices.
Based in Portland, Oregon, GadgetTrak provides theft recovery and loss prevention solutions for mobile devices. Through our unique and... [more]
As part of a series comparing startups with similar models, today we compare two online fundraising sites: GiveMeaning and DreamBank. Both are based out of Vancouver; DreamBank launched this last Summer 2008, GiveMeaning was started in 2004.
Interface: DreamBank keeps things simple and paired down. GiveMeaning's site feels a tad dated, though is more rich with information, including a map view.
Costs: DreamBank takes a 2.5% fee "to cover transaction costs", but also "gives 10% of its net transaction revenue to the charities". GiveMeaning doesn't charge any fees, but accepts donations and has some advertising on the site.
Tax Receipts: GiveMeaning can issue tax receipts if the project is eligible. DreamBank does not deal with tax receipts.
Intention: Though the sites both perform essentially the same technical function, they have differing approaches in what they host. GiveMeaning hosts charities and personal projects that pass a proposal voting process. DreamBank describes itself as an "alternative gift giving service" that reduces materialism and also helps various causes. Though browsing through the "dreams", one sees that many users are using DreamBank for social change projects.
It's slightly ironic that DreamBank uses a .org TLD that would normally be associated with non-profit organizations, but is a private company, whereas GiveMeaning (.com) is a non-profit. Both are good platforms, which is most ideal depends on your particular project. Smaller, more personal projects will probably find a better home on DreamBank. Bigger ideas may be better suited to GiveMeaning. The only clear winning advantage goes to GiveMeaning: no fees.
GiveMeaning exists to reduce the barriers separating people’s generosity from the problems that need attention, close to home and far away. [more]
DreamBank is the new model for gift giving that makes giving & receiving the perfect gift easy, and helps create positive change for the planet and... [more]
Some industries seem to wallow in the past when it comes to the web. Real estate search sites are notorious for their clunky interfaces and dodgy coding, and up until recently media sites were stuck in a Web 1.0 world (and some still are...are you listening, Globe and Mail?). But one of the most apathetic sectors of the web are nightclub sites, which boast the worst aspects of Myspace design and 1995-era coding, coupled with navigation that would make any power user weep with frustration.
Enter Nightbat.com, a new site geared towards selling tickets and updating nightlife lovers with the latest events and hottest venues. At the moment the site (in beta) is limited to Vancouver, but in terms of presentation and navigability, it's leagues beyond Clubvibes, Clubzone and other nightlife sites.
However, the site lacks Web 2.0 staples like an RSS feed and integration with other sites such as Flickr and Facebook. And there's a fair point...with social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook used in large part to keep up to date with events, concerts and parties, not to mention post sometimes embarrassing photos of party goers, are sites like Nightbat.com essentially a redundant service?
clubZone.com is a young, high energy, professional internet marketing company that specializes in helping nightclubs and event promoters generate... [more]
Nightbat Entertainment sells tickets for venues and events. We have a large directory of events available in British Columbia. Nightbat.com has... [more]
We provide customized nightclub information for our members, exposure of events for promoters, professional business services for nightclub owners,... [more]
One way to look at cloud computing is in layers. The lowest layer is the physical infrastructure, the computing power and Internet bandwidth that makes it all possible. An example of this layer is the 4WEB.ca data centre that I wrote about in September. Look one layer up, and you'll find the applications and services that add value to the infrastructure. An example of this layer is Edmonton's Nirix Technology.
Founded in 2001 by Steven and Stanford Hsu, Nirix provides IT utility services to other organizations. They make it possible for a business to completely outsource technology operations. The company has grown significantly since their runner-up finish at the VenturePrize business plan competition in 2007, and they’ve become a little more focused too. Their primary offerings are Managed Backup, which enables businesses to securely store their data on Nirix’s infrastructure, Managed Email (hosted Exchange), and Managed Office (hosted Microsoft Office).
Nirix is the only company in Edmonton providing this kind of service, so it's no surprise that most of their customers are shocked to find that they don't need to look across the border. About half of Nirix's customers are local, with the other half spread across Canada. When they started, Nirix spent a lot of time finding and educating customers. Now, customers increasingly come to Nirix. Steven told me that there are a number of advantages to being located in Edmonton; there's very little chance of natural disasters, but still good access to power and other services. Some organizations have policies that specify their data must be kept in Canada too.
Things have been going well for Nirix. The company is cash-flow positive and grew 40% in the last fiscal year. A few weeks ago, Nirix was named as a finalist in the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Owner of the Year Award for 2008.
Where does Nirix see this going? Steven says that ten years ago, a common question for businesses was “are you online?” but now, the question to ask is, “are you in the cloud?” Nirix thinks it can help businesses answer “yes” easily and cheaply. The company is looking to expand aggressively. They're looking for $2 million in funding to target specific markets and increase their staff from twelve employees to twenty. Nirix also intends to increase the capacity of their storage area network (SAN) to a whopping 800 TB. The SAN is a focus, Steven says, because “everything needs storage.” Isn’t that the truth!
I think a big challenge for Nirix going forward will be convincing customers to choose them over similar services offered by Amazon, Microsoft, or Google. Certainly Nirix has the local advantage and can offer personalized service and support, but it’ll be hard to compete with the prices that the big players should eventually be able to offer. Nirix will have to continue to improve their service offerings, to give customers something they can’t find elsewhere.
You can learn more about Nirix and the services they offer at http://www.nirix.com.
Nirix Technology is the next generation IT utility company or Utility Service Provider (USP). Founded in 2001, located in the heart of Edmonton,... [more]
Vancouver's Moving Media Group announced today the launch of its advertising network of interactive touch-screens in Vancouver taxi cabs. The screens provide information on demand and are equipped with GPS and Bluetooth technology to enable backseat taxi passengers to locate stores and services on their route as well as download coupons and tickets to their cell phones.
Moving Media has commitments to install screens from Vancouver Taxi, MacLure’s Cabs, BlackTop and Checker Cabs, who collectively operate over 60% of the taxis in downtown Vancouver.
Nightlife portal ClubZone.com plans to take advantage of the rider search functionality on the network and build a mobile version of its nightclub directory for cab passengers. Club listings would redirect entertainment seekers who are heading out on the town to nightly hotspots and venues hosting special events.
Obviously the 2010 Olympic Games present a huge opportunity for Moving Media Group, especially if the City of Vancouver gets its way and increases the city's fleet.
It’s about time that this type of out-of-home advertising has made it into Vancouver’s cabs. Vancouver’s own Aiden Sullivan was unable to convince Vancouver’s cab community 8+ years ago and had to take his i–Level Media solution to China to find success. I-Level owns and operates one of the largest digital in-taxi advertising networks in the world and also licenses its technology and expertise to third parties seeking mobile digital media solutions. Through exclusive distribution agreements with China’s leading taxi operators, i-level puts advertisers’ messages in front of a highly sought-after captive audience.
Moving Media Group Inc. is a Canadian-based media company utilizing interactive digital media solutions for Out-of-Home advertising. MMG’s... [more]
Vancouver’s Social Media Direction specializes in helping companies save and make money using social media and next week they’re hosting the Beyond Technology Conference is do just that. Beyond Technology promises to answer the question - How does a real business make real money using the internet?
There's talk of Television ratings plummeting. People are whispering that Print Advertising revenue is drying up.
And at the same time, there's this internet "Social Media" thing, with websites like Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Linkedin, and so on which is growing explosively. More and more people are spending significant amounts of time online. And they are using the web for things they used to use other mediums for.
What does it all mean? And how can you find out without being bored, or embarrassed to ask questions which may be critically important to your business?
The Beyond Technology Afternoon Conference promises an intimate opportunity for you to learn from social media experts who have a proven track record of using the Internet to drive real revenue results. In addition, you'll be able to network with a small group (conference limited to 50 attendees) of business leaders who are eager to learn about and leverage social media trends. Social Media experts Alistair Croll and Mark Dowds will be on the panel and it promises to be a great learning experience.
Croll covers emerging web technologies, networking, and online applications. Prior to starting his new blog Bitcurrent, Croll co-founded Coradiant, a leader in online user monitoring, as well as research firm Networkshop. Croll contributes to industry events such as Interop and Web2Expo, and has written for a variety of online publications including GigaOm.
Dowds has a history of turning ideas into valuable companies and learned the basics of business by getting his hands dirty and taking risks.He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Brainpark, Inc., a software company dedicated to making the workplace more collaborative, transparent, and efficient and is an active investor/contributor within the technology community in North America.
Beyond Technology takes place on Thursday, November 20th from 1-4pm at the Pan Pacific Hotel in down town Vancouver. Tickets are $197 including refreshments and are available here.
Social Media Direction (SMD) specializes in helping companies save and make money using social media. SMD's Captive Audience Video Sharing Platform... [more]
