"Interviews with the Intern" is a semi-regular feature where intern Christian Benson interviews the staff of Smibs Inc.

Christian: Hey Christian, do you have a couple of minutes for an interview with yourself?

Me: Absolutely man.  I can’t say no to you.

Anyway, what exactly do you do here at Smibs?

I am a marketing intern here at Smibs, although I usually call myself a marketing manager. When I am not producing self-indulgent blog posts like this one, I am usually busy copy writing for Smibs.  I produce press material and some of the new media material, as well as the odd bit of graphic design.

What sort of feeling do you hope to bring to the Smibs blog?

Well, I am a glad I asked that question. To the lay reader, I think it mostly looks like veiled stupidity. I have read a lot of different styles of blog posts, and I think most are written with a very serious tone.  I think that most people read blogs to be entertained or informed and I try to match that sentiment in my writing.

I don’t think you do a great job of that.

That’s because I am self deprecating.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work?

I try to play a lot of different types of sports to stay healthy and active. I read quite a bit and I love finding new music or artists. I like to enjoy the great Edmonton nightlife when I get a chance too.

Your job requires you to communicate with people about Smibs.com and Smibs’ products.  What do you think is the biggest obstacle you face in this?

To start off, I think that the Tech community in general is comprised of early adopters. They are quick to pick up innovations in technology and software, so communicating an idea like Smibs’ web-based business applications is quite easy to that demographic. I think the hardest part is to communicate to the majority of people who may be technologically savvy but not necessarily aware of the current trends in the ‘web 2.0’ world.

Maybe if you got better grades in University, it would be easier.

I suppose I could say the same thing to you handsome.

What are some of your favorite applications on the net right now?

I usually write about applications I really like. Obviously, I really believe in the Smibs applications. I am usually listening to Grooveshark non-stop. I also really like sites like Lymabean, Evernote and mainstays like Twitter and Facebook. 

Your highly popular and critically acclaimed blog series “Interviews with the Intern” is soon coming to an end, due to you interviewing everyone in the office. Do you have any other ideas, or are you a one trick pony?

I have a few ideas kicking around in my head.  I definitely like the idea of a weekly feature in a blog, but you are right in saying I need to come up with something new. Until then, I still have Peter Urban to interview and maybe I will interview myself again since this is clearly going so well.

I wish you luck sir, you are gonna need it.

Coming from you, I take that as a compliment in its highest form.

Currently on SmibsTV, you can watch an interview between Smibs founder Peter Urban and influential photographer Michael Reichmann. The interview took place in September in Toronto, ON and profiles both Reichmann and his company Luminious Landscape. The Luminous Landscape website is an excellent and highly trusted source for photographers. We rely heavily on Michael’s expertise when it comes to reviews and opinions for cameras and photography equipment. If you are a photography enthusiast, we definitely recommend Reichmann’s website (currently in its 10^th year of operation) for it’s articles and rich content.

We are very thankful to Michael for his participation in SmibsTV. If you get a chance, click on the SmibsTV link and watch this and prior episodes.

(Editors note: If you are wondering who produces and edits SmibsTV, it’s Smibs’ own New Media Intern Elisabeth Szabo.)

This has been an extremely busy week for Smibs with our launch into full public beta. The response has been epic, and we would like to thank all of the private beta users that have given us endless support and suggestions to get our applications to this point. As well, Smibs would like to formally welcome all the new members of SmibsNet and Doorbell users that have joined us over the week.

Finally, we would like the thank TechCrunch and contributor Jason Kincaid for all the positive coverage during this and prior launches. TechCrunch is considered a leader in news and technology websites and we would like to express our appreciation for their continued support of our Canadian start-up. See you on SmibsNet!

I recently discovered an amazing web-based application called Evernote. The application is compatible for both Mac and PCs, in addition there is a great mobile app. Basically, this tool helps you to keep track of ideas, lists, notes, thoughts, phone numbers - any detail in your life that just suddenly comes up that you want to remember.

Currently, I have Evernote on my computer and my iPhone as an app. When I’m connected to the web both applications automatically sync to my online account so I never have to worry about plugging in my iPhone to sync my apps. I find this feature extremely useful. 

I used the photo functionality to take pictures and store them as notes. Afterwards, I can tag these pictures so that they are searchable. Evernote can also read the text in your picture (such as a sign or handwritten note) which it then uses as a searching reference. To date, I have used Evernote for Christmas shopping, maps to the dog park, stealing a recipe from a overpriced book (evil grin) and for storing business cards.

Evernote is an example of a great web-based application with loads of real world practicality. For start-ups especially, it is essential to find an underserved market, find a solution to their problem and properly execute the solution.  Evernote has definitely capitalized on this notion and has produced one of my favorite web-based applications available.

For more information check out www.evernote.com or their tutorial at http://www.evernote.com/about/what_is_en/tour/

Corresponding with our launch into Public Beta, Smibs has sent the top venture capital firms a copy of our ‘Un-Business Plan’ for our application, Doorbell. This is a business plan like no other, in that we are not seeking investment or raising capital. Recently Smibs has been receiving some interest from investors to which we respectfully decline.  The ‘Un-Business Plan’ is our counter-offer, signifying our intention to remain independent and focused on helping small businesses rather then maximizing the bottom line for potential investors.

The Un-Business Plan

At Smibs, we are dedicated to the growth and development of small businesses. We take pride in the software we produce and we have seen the applications save our current users’ time and the frustration associated with routine business processes. We know that there are hundreds of business tools on the web, all vying for attention and your money and we hope that our ‘Un-Business Plan’ shows our commitment to the owners and employees of small business. 

Take a look at the ‘Un-Business Plan’ yourself and know why we truly believe in our motto, to help your business ‘Grow Smart’.