Love & Gratitude

Love & Gratitude, a florist boutique in Golders Green, is harnessing the 50 Million Dollar QR Code to market their flower shop across London. The boutique is offering customers who mention the 'QR Code'  a 50 % discount on all floral arrangements who visit their shop on the high street.  

Popabroad is developing these voucher style mobile promotions for clients that want to increase foot traffic through their retail outlets and for generating traffic to online stores. As the 50 Million Dollar QR Code gets more popular so do the businesses and sites connected to it. 

The 50 Million Dollar QR Code ad campaign can work for almost any personal or business related product, service and event. For example, if you have an ebay store and would like to promote your items, Popabroad can design you a mobile page and link your seller's page to the 50 Million Dollar QR Code. 

Connecting your site to the code is just the beginning. The more popular the code becomes the more we will promote it both online and offline. Plus we provide you with your own QR Code that links to your newly created mobile page so anyone that scans it will land directly on your page. 

First Social Card with Memory

Tississippi offers the first of its kind social greeting card with the power to remember things. Each time a person interacts with the card it collects memory. You can expand the card's memory by adding stories, photos, videos, songs, and even tweets to it online and with your mobile phone.

The card can be purchased online at Zazzle where you can personalize it with your own photos and text. 

View Card.

Social Funds

Is your higher education worth the socialization?

Social networking sites are popping up everywhere on the web and due to the economic downturn many international students are chasing their dreams by creating profiles on social lending sites such as GreenNote, CollegeNet, Gradefund and Virgin Money.

There seems to be a slight shift taking place regarding an age old practicing question, "Can I borrow that." A number of these sites do nothing more than what students probably have tried before, asking family and friends for money. Catch phrases can be read as a community effort. Since when has education not been community based. Even online education facilities offer groups to join which are in one form or another a community. 

On the upside for creating a profile is your accessibility for gathering interest and or delivering the "Pitch" will be more convenient. Asking for the cash offers students a bit of wiggle room so they do not feel too needy. Not a bad idea, besides, a number of students do not have much to lose in the process because their way of life is embedded into this socialization of identity.

The problem I see with generating cash is the low level of disposable income source within the young demographic that these sites are targeting. The do it your self approach to the borrowing mechanism would be even better if the students could network within a future hiring organisation. For any individual or group wanting to invest in education this could be the next investment bubble. From an investors lens if a student turns out to be the next average paid employee your 6.5 percent or whatever you make on your investment could pay out  a solid return. To push the idea even further this social borrowing could foster a revolution of technology. 

Big ideas, like that catch phrase "think globally, act locally."

Umbrellas and Entrepreneurship

Is it interesting when current event articles raise awareness of the need for entrepreneurship?

There was an article written in the "Evening Standard" which I purchased for 50 pence because they were giving away rather nice umbrellas. Considering that I live in London and if you take a long walk you are sure to see some damaged; left for dead, umbrellas lying on a side walk. It looked like a good deal. The article, "Get real, Harriet, you've set out on the wrong road to social mobility," written by Anne McElvoy describes how people without connections may find it even harder to find a job after their higher education studies than those with social connections. This article appears to highlight a real element of pressure for schools and educators to integrate some practical work experience into the education system.

In my opinion, opportunity is not like a coloring book that educators have full control over the colors but rather can assist in its application, design and mandate programs that integrate theory with practicality. This middle ground between theory and application has been for a long period of time the work of entrepreneurs that invent, design and implement solutions. For example, universities like Brunel have developed a business center that works with local, regional and international organizations on research or practical design projects used in the market place. Entrepreneurship at this level is supported by providing students with an opportunity to present their career aims and a reward scheme for developing innovative solutions or potential new organizations. Students have to be very proactive and seek out the opportunity. In other words mobility has two sides: the student's ability that is highly dependent on motivation, and outlets for a practical working experience. These programs of opportunity can be placements, internships or implemented directly into the course curriculum. So who needs an umbrella when the chance for opportunity is about social mobility? I went to school to learn something which is different than going to school for a job.

Reference printed version, Wednesday 14, January 2009

www.standard.co.uk