Posts Tagged ‘Smibs Inc.’
Reaction to the Smibs Launch
Friday, December 5th, 2008This 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!
Smibs is Now in Full Public Beta!
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Today, Smibs has entered Full Public Beta mode for all of our applications. Essentially, this means anyone is free to sign-up and will have access to our software in seconds. Here at Smibs, we are excited for this release, as it is a natural progression toward our full launch planned for early in 2009.Â
For those who have been hesitant to sign-up for our prior invite-only beta modes, now is a perfect time to try our software and see how it can help you. Our software was designed for small businesses to handle customer relationships, sales activities and networking with other professionals. In addition to small business owners, we are seeing a large segment of our clients using our applications Doorbell and Personal Contacts to organize work schedules, school projects and personal activities. SmibsNet is quickly becoming an online source for employers to search and contact skilled professionals for employment.
For those of you already with SmibsNet accounts, we have added some cool features. SmibsNet is now live and available on Smibs.com. Â This means you can search and browse other profiles without logging in. Â As well, all profiles are now searchable by search engines, which means more exposure for you and your company.
We are constantly looking for improvements and suggestions from our end-users so don’t be shy to send us a comment or question to support@smibs.com. Thanks to all of our current users and supporters, see you on SmibsNet!
GOOD Magazine “For People who Give a Damnâ€
Thursday, November 27th, 2008
Here at Smibs, we are always on the look out for innovative new business practices, but what you don’t know is that we are also on the look out for generically named magazines spelled out entirely in capital letters. Enter: GOOD magazine, founded by Ben Goldhirsh. The surname may sound familiar because Ben is the son of Bernie Goldhirsh, the creator of the highly influential (and also generically named) Inc. magazine. Ben’s GOOD magazine focuses on socially conscious issues, sustainable living and politics.
What makes GOOD innovative or different? Well for starters, Ben gives away all the proceeds from the subscription-based magazine to a charitable organization of your choice. Since the 2006 launch, GOOD has yet to break even, let alone post a profit. The company has done a lot for charities and non-profits and to date has already given away over $850 000 to these institutions. GOOD’s website is also host to a rich variety of web-based content including a regular video newscast, an impressive community site and a decent library of current events based mini-documentaries.
GOOD has been criticized as being ‘too idealistic’ in their business model. I think they are quite savvy. Giving away their subscription base to charity could be considered a marketing strategy. They receive priceless public relations coverage from the media and the consumer feels like they have financially contributed to a worthy cause. This personifies GOOD magazine as selfless contributor to charities.  In reality, subscriptions account for very little income for most magazines where as most income comes from advertising dollars. So to recap, GOOD gains legitimacy as a philanthropist from both the media and the consumer while actually contributing a very small percentage of total income to charities. That being said, I feel that GOOD magazine should be recognized for what it is (i.e.: a very entertaining magazine with great web content) and not for what it wants to be (i.e.: Robin Hood).
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(Editors Note: Ben Goldhirsh was recently interviewed on CBC’s ‘The Hour’. Â Check out the interview here)
The $11 house
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
Recently, I received a forwarded email from a friend entitled “The $11.00 Houseâ€. I thought that maybe I would see a picture of some random homeless type with a cardboard box house. I clicked on it, expecting a cardboard structure, with a cardboard mailbox and a cardboard welcome mat. Instead, I see a beautifully renovated historic two-story house with an eleven-dollar price tag.
David Stockburger, a former lawyer, has decided to create a contest where a worthy recipient would get his recently restored house for the price tag of eleven dollars. In addition, the people who enter must also provide a reason why they should own the house. Based on a minimum of 25000 entries, the contest would net David and his wife Ester a reasonable market rate for the house. Here is the catch: David will close down the contest and refund all the entry fees unless the minimum of 25000 entries is reached by the December 31, 2008 closing date.
As of November 22, the contest has received a paltry 156 entries. I am not entirely sure why the contest has received so few submissions. The contest itself has also received good publicity with local coverage on radio and television new casts. I suspect the written submission may deter some people, as they deem themselves ‘unworthy’ of being given a home for such a low cost.
Sadly, I doubt that David and Ester will reach the minimum required entries. Personally, I love the idea of the contest and I think it shows a lot of innovation and nerve to have attempted it. I am somewhat reminded of another contest, where a man traded a paper clip for a house. I am not sure if you will see a new trend develop in this method of creatively selling property, but given the current housing market I wouldn’t be overly surprised.  Check out their website to find out more about the houses’ story.
We Have Successfully Launched into Public Beta!
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
It took a few late nights and more then a couple pots of coffee, be we have successfully launched SmibsNet and Doorbell into Public Beta. We definitely need to thank the tireless work from our programmers, designers and writers that helped to release the software. Our gratitude also goes out to Yellow Pencil and Toybox Media Inc. for technical and media support during our launch process.
We also would like to recognize all the great feedback we got from our users while in Private Beta. Your suggestions helped us to create a truly intuitive and interactive product.
We certainly appreciate all the press coverage we have been receiving so far from influential blogs like TechCrunch, TechVibes and Ryan A Graves. Here some of the things they have been saying so far:
“I created an account and found the entire process to be fairly painless. Setting up my personal profile and creating a company was simple – the interface is friendly and easy-to-understand.†Mack Male, TechVibes.com
“This is exactly the type of startup that will work and survive in this economic environment. They have a product that will help so many small business work more efficiently and provide value to these businesses.†Ryan A Graves, ryanagraves.com
If you get a chance, please check out our newly designed website and sign-up for an invitation to the Public-Beta release of SmibsNet and Doorbell!
