SOCIAL COMMERCE TREND:
GROUPON

The latest trend in social commerce is a new online shopping trend and a brilliant business concept. It’s a website called Groupon. 

The name is derived from the words group and coupon. It helps you save money on anything you could imagine. It is the fastest-growing company in Web history.

The company was recently valued at 1.35 billion!

If you haven't heard about it yet, here's what it is.

Discounts come via email for members. It's a free to sign up. A business offers a product or a service at an extreme discount and people sign up. As long as at least 100, sometimes its 500 people sign up - the deal takes place. The bigger the group, the bigger the savings. Once enough people have signed on, the discount coupon is emailed to you.

29-year-old Pittsburgh native and Chicago resident Andrew Mason is the CEO and the brains behind the concept. Andrew ranked recently 96th in the top 100 most creative people.

Business owners are loving it - it’s getting customers they would have never had at their door. Customers are loving it - they're getting huge discounts. It's a win-win for both parties.

Groupon now has more than a million and a half users.  It began with just three cities a year ago: Chicago, New York, Boston.  It will be in 100 cities by the end of the year in North America. It now has 230 employees, compared to 20-30 when they first started.

Talk about a success story!

HOT NEW WEBSITE:
THE SMOKING JACKET


There is a new website that Playboy has unveiled: thesmokingjacket.com

It's deemed the "safe for work" website - sexy and satirical and can make a boring workday a bit more interesting they say.

They say the site "provides guys with smart and sexy distractions throughout the day."

The humorous site, The Smoking Jacket also has stories on STDs, and featured articles included "How to Get Laid at Work.”

There are no nude pictorials. (Playboy.com is where you find the "other" stuff.)

It provides links to journalistic high brow coverage such as the 2010 Hooters Bikini Contest in Alabama.

HOT NEW WEBSITE:
BUZZFEED

BuzzFeed is a trend-tracking site that tracks and delivers content that's grabbing the most eyeballs on the Internet. What's different about BuzzFeed is that it doesn't rely on votes to determine the popularity of a video, blog, or photo.

The company blends click tracking with its own algorithm and human editors to figure out which piece of content is about to go viral.

It was founded by Jonah Peretti (who also cofounded The Huffington Post.) Eric Olson, partner in development at Google Inc. left Google to join BuzzFeed as V.P. Business Development.

Buzzfeed.com focuses on the kinds of things you'd want to pass along to friends, so its editors know a thing or two about must-see videos. 

The BuzzFeed iPhone app is best way to stay up to date with the latest viral videos, images, links, and buzz while on the go. 

TRAVEL SERVICE: ZERO BAGGAGE


Zerobaggage.com is a new startup that opens for business this November. Tired of paying for your bags now when you're flying? Zero Baggage provides you with clothes and other essentials at your final destination.

You just take a carry on with your essentials and no check-in bags because they get you what you need.

You simply fill in an online virtual suitcase - and the contents will be waiting in your hotel room when you arrive.

Items are previously used - but clean and well maintained but there is also the option of renting new items only. Feel good about doing this by knowing that you are borrowing local items and services that follow an ecological model. You also earn carbon credits for traveling lightly, thus lightening weight, which can be reimbursed for various services such as a spa trip or dinner.

If you become a member of Zero Baggage you are able to buy new items, or store personal effects at frequently visited places.

NEW CELEB WEBSITE: 'CELEBRITY BEEHIVE'


Celebrity Beehive is the premiere destination for all pop culture fanatics offering celebrity fantasy league games, free quick play games, hip and sassy bloggers and all the latest and greatest in celebrity gossip and social networking.

Entertainment addicts can put their knowledge of Hollywood news to the test in the Super Celeb Showdown, an eight-week celebrity fantasy league contest.

Players answer weekly trivia questions and pick a team of celebrities and earn points based on how much publicity they get in top entertainment magazines.

The contest is similar to fantasy football, but instead of drafting athletes, you pick celeb teams. You can even make swaps if your celebrity is a dud. Great prizes include fashion and beauty products, film collectibles, DVDs and movie tickets!

Celebrity Beehive also offers:

• Celebrity Fantasy Game: Play in one of the incredibly fun, free fantasy league games! Pick a team of celebrities and earn points based on how much publicity they get in top entertainment magazines during this four-week game!
• Quick Play Games: Players have access to their favorite interactive games with a celebrity twist! Games include solitaire, Sudoku and target shooting games - all starring your favorite celebrities!.
• Beehive Bloggers: Hilarious and insightful commentaries on pop culture news, celebrity gossip, TV show updates, movie reviews and more!.
• Gossip: The latest and hottest gossip all on one site..
• Social Networking: Fans can interact with one another to share news, sightings and more! Celebrity Beehive was conceived by former movie marketing veterans, and self-proclaimed entertainment fanatics, Katie Whittemore and Kasey Murphy. Prior to starting the company, Katie and Kasey headed up marketing and promotions for some of the biggest film releases of all time including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Hairspray, Wedding Crashers, Elf, and the Rush Hour and Austin Powers franchises.

For more information about Celebrity Beehive: visit www.celebritybeehive.com
Contact Katie Whittemore at katie@celebritybeehive.com
or Kasey Murphy at kasey@celebritybeehive.com.

NEW CELEB WEBSITE: 'CELEBRITY BEEHIVE'


Celebrity Beehive is the premiere destination for all pop culture fanatics offering celebrity fantasy league games, free quick play games, hip and sassy bloggers and all the latest and greatest in celebrity gossip and social networking.

Entertainment addicts can put their knowledge of Hollywood news to the test in the Super Celeb Showdown, an eight-week celebrity fantasy league contest.

Players answer weekly trivia questions and pick a team of celebrities and earn points based on how much publicity they get in top entertainment magazines.

The contest is similar to fantasy football, but instead of drafting athletes, you pick celeb teams. You can even make swaps if your celebrity is a dud. Great prizes include fashion and beauty products, film collectibles, DVDs and movie tickets!

Celebrity Beehive also offers:

• Celebrity Fantasy Game: Play in one of the incredibly fun, free fantasy league games! Pick a team of celebrities and earn points based on how much publicity they get in top entertainment magazines during this four-week game!
• Quick Play Games: Players have access to their favorite interactive games with a celebrity twist! Games include solitaire, Sudoku and target shooting games - all starring your favorite celebrities!
• Beehive Bloggers: Hilarious and insightful commentaries on pop culture news, celebrity gossip, TV show updates, movie reviews and more!
• Gossip: The latest and hottest gossip all on one site.
• Social Networking: Fans can interact with one another to share news, sightings and more!

Celebrity Beehive was conceived by former movie marketing veterans, and self-proclaimed entertainment fanatics, Katie Whittemore and Kasey Murphy. Prior to starting the company, Katie and Kasey headed up marketing and promotions for some of the biggest film releases of all time including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Hairspray, Wedding Crashers, Elf, and the Rush Hour and Austin Powers franchises.

For more information about Celebrity Beehive:
visit www.celebritybeehive.com
Contact Katie Whittemore at katie@celebritybeehive.com
or Kasey Murphy at kasey@celebritybeehive.com.

NEW HOT WEBSITE: RENT THE RUNAWAY.COM


Have you been tagged in Facebook photos wearing your favorite LBD…everywhere? Now stars aren't the only ones who have to worry about repeating outfits. Happily, we found an ingenious new site called renttherunway.com, a rental-based retailer that lets you dress like a star for prices starting for as low as $50. The site loans looks from designers like Herve Leger and DVF and has even secured capsule collections (think Proenza Schouler's greatest hits!) and flashy runway pieces that never made it to stores. Other rental perks include two size options of your order to ensure a perfect fit and same-day delivery in N.Y.C. (next-day everywhere else in the U.S.). And if you're concerned about mishaps while wearing your loaner, don't fret—each dress is expertly dry cleaned and insured for those of us with slippery fingers. To check it out, visit RentTheRunway.com

Upscale Fast Food: fancyfastfood.com


Now, to a website you might want to check out, FancyFastFood.com. It's got recipes and ideas on how to take fast food and make it fancier.
You can turn Domino's Pizza into chow mein, seriously, it's wild! Burger King's Croissan'wich can become a quiche, and more.

The site only has a handful of recipes up so far, but they are amusing to look at. This guy definitely had too much time on his hands. I know it's odd but with some fancy plates and cutlery, the stuff looks, not absolutely un-eatable. Especially in our recession, this site may help you make a dinner party at a lower cost!

The latest recipe on this humorous food blog was ‘Franksgiving Dinner'. The site manager took Nathan's to a completely different level, giving the hot dogs, corn dogs and French fries a complete makeover, making it completely presentable and in fact nice!

To check it out, visit www.fancyfastfood.com.

NEW CELEBRITY WEBSITE: JIMCARREY.COM


Jim Carrey has a new website! His humor can now be shared daily with the launch of jimcarrey.com. Random thoughts, latest news with the actor and quirky topics will fill the pages of this funnyman's URL. Jim calls it a psychedelic landscape of how his brain works. The homepage gives you a very odd feeling, with eerie music, and very strange animations all with Jim's face on it. Not exactly what I expected from him but definitely something different!
To check it out, visit www.jimcarrey.com.

NEW WEBSITES OF INTEREST


Some hot new websites to tell you about... Makeovermatic can be found at IVILLAGE.com. You upload your photo - and you can check out different looks for yourself.  You can change your hair style, hair color, whiten your teeth, try different eyeshadows and lipsticks, try colored contacts, try on hats, sunglasses. and see how you'd look with different things. Then MARIECLAIRE.com lets you try mainly hair colors and highlights and decide how intense you would want them and WOWoWOW.com is a bunch of blogs from famous celebrities over the age of 40 - sort of like watching the second half of the today show and lades here's a great one for you - POPGADGET.net - its all about the tech world from a woman perspective.

MIAMIBOUTIQUEHOTELS.COM


When celebs in Hollywood want to get away - but don't want to leave the country- Miami is the hot destination...Considered the American Riviera...now you can go to a website and find out aobut all the new spots..

Miamiboutiquehotels.com

You can feel like you've traveled outside of the country's borders. That's because the culturally rich city has plenty of foreign influence, particularly Latin American and European, which adds to city's allure.

As snowbirds know, the shores of South Beach keep all eyes on the city.

Imagine an experience created to fit your every whim…where you become more than just a name on a register. Service isn't just a word.

These hotels are intimate, but have an energy that's so distinct....cool and chic. But it's how it makes you feel - sophisticated. You can almost feel the vibes of all the glamorous people - movie stars and trend-setters - that give Miami such a vibrant history.

I sat down with Noelle Stevenson of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau - She's Director of Boutique Hotel Program, Film, Fashion and Entertainment liason. We spoke about the boutique hotels website that's a division of the bureau - and it tells you all you need to know about the hottest small luxury hotels.

(for audio verison click listen Oct 4th, 2008 show)

miamiboutiquehotels.com

MIZPEE


So nature calls... you're in the middle of the street... you look left... you look right...Where the heck is the closest clean restroom?

Well fret no more... MIZPEE has come to the rescue. (Obviously someone has too much time on his hands to come up with this one but it can help out). It's a website that you dial up on your blackberry or Iphone and it guides you to the closest clean public restroom.

It ranks toilets with toilet paper rolls - called the HONOR roll. It's now available in 20 US cites, 6 European and one Canadian, Toronto.

Navigating the MIZPEE is easy. You enter the website and your intersection and a whole list pops up with the least smelly spot near you!

The website: www.mizpee.com