Online forums and communities present a largely untapped opportunity for making money — at least according to Dan Gill, cofounder and chief executive of Huddler.
The San Francisco startup is officially launching today. It’s one of those weird launches where the company has actually been working with customers for more than a year, and is only now getting around to telling the media that it exists. Gill said he wanted to make sure the technology was solid before doing too much to publicize it and attract competition.
Community-building software is a broad category, but Huddler approaches the market with a specific audience and mission. It’s looking for popular, product-focused forums that are built on either vBulletin or phpBB technology. Huddler contacts the owner of the site, offering to modernize the forum and bring in more money too.
Gill gave me a long list of benefits that Huddler can offer over older platforms. It gives the sites a makeover, so they look a bit less old-fashioned, not to mention more advertising-friendly. It optimizes the pages for search engines, and also makes them easier to share through Facebook Connect. And all the software is hosted online, rather than installed on someone’s computer, which means there’s less hassle for whoever’s managing the site.
Financially, there’s not much risk to the forum owner, since the software is free. Huddler is only paid by through a percentage of the increased revenue that it brings to a site. That revenue boost comes in a number of ways, Gill said — since the sites are product-focused, Huddler creates a product page with a link where visitors can buy the item in question. It also allows companies selling related products to create their own pages on the forum and engage with the community. And of course the sites can run advertising.
The transition to Huddler can be a challenging one because of the technology issues, as well as the likelihood that change will upset some forum members. Gill didn’t offer any details, but he hinted that he has seen his share of angry comments from users who didn’t like a new forum. But Huddler has become more proficient at both moving content to a new site and preparing users for the change, he said.
There are now 24 sites using Huddler, adding up to a total of 9 million unique monthly visitors. The success stories include EpicSki, which saw a 70 percent increase in natural search traffic after switching to Huddler, and DenimBlog, which doubled pageviews in two months and is now bringing in three times the amount of revenue.
Huddler raised $5.5 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates last year. For now, the company is focusing on existing forums because they’ve already got the audience, but Gill said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to start your own Huddles in the future.”
[image via Flickr/Daniel Borman]
Next Story: Salesforce: Yes, Chatter really does improve productivity Previous Story: Otoy scores important deals for its server gaming technology
“What’s needed most right now is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed.”
“Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we’re spending [on anti-poverty programs] and let’s instead focus on results—whether we’re actually making improvements in people’s lives.”
Those quotes would certainly resonate with proponents of reform to America’s welfare system—a massive labyrinth of 70 different programs whose rolls of dependents have increased steadily throughout the past 50 years, even as they have failed to boost a small percentage of impoverished families to self-sufficiency.
The one exception to this trend was the successful reform incorporated in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996. Unlike the rest of the programs, TANF encouraged work and marriage and, as a result, put nearly 3 million families on a pathway to independence.
The quotes above would also be welcomed by grassroots leaders seeking a new paradigm for the remaining failed anti-poverty programs, which would involve personal responsibility, reciprocity, and an avenue to upward mobility following the model of the success accomplished through TANF.
Such reformers have been disappointed by recent policy changes under the Obama Administration that have even rolled back the TANF reform. The Obama policy changes have dictated that, once again, states should be rewarded for the size of their welfare rolls rather than their effectiveness in helping people rise from poverty.
But here’s the surprise: Those quotes are not the words of champions of welfare reform but are, in fact, comments made by President Obama during a recent U.N. forum discussing strategies for assistance to developing countries. If only the President would apply the sentiments he expresses on foreign aid to the poverty that exists in his own back yard!
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Online forums and communities present a largely untapped opportunity for making money — at least according to Dan Gill, cofounder and chief executive of Huddler.
The San Francisco startup is officially launching today. It’s one of those weird launches where the company has actually been working with customers for more than a year, and is only now getting around to telling the media that it exists. Gill said he wanted to make sure the technology was solid before doing too much to publicize it and attract competition.
Community-building software is a broad category, but Huddler approaches the market with a specific audience and mission. It’s looking for popular, product-focused forums that are built on either vBulletin or phpBB technology. Huddler contacts the owner of the site, offering to modernize the forum and bring in more money too.
Gill gave me a long list of benefits that Huddler can offer over older platforms. It gives the sites a makeover, so they look a bit less old-fashioned, not to mention more advertising-friendly. It optimizes the pages for search engines, and also makes them easier to share through Facebook Connect. And all the software is hosted online, rather than installed on someone’s computer, which means there’s less hassle for whoever’s managing the site.
Financially, there’s not much risk to the forum owner, since the software is free. Huddler is only paid by through a percentage of the increased revenue that it brings to a site. That revenue boost comes in a number of ways, Gill said — since the sites are product-focused, Huddler creates a product page with a link where visitors can buy the item in question. It also allows companies selling related products to create their own pages on the forum and engage with the community. And of course the sites can run advertising.
The transition to Huddler can be a challenging one because of the technology issues, as well as the likelihood that change will upset some forum members. Gill didn’t offer any details, but he hinted that he has seen his share of angry comments from users who didn’t like a new forum. But Huddler has become more proficient at both moving content to a new site and preparing users for the change, he said.
There are now 24 sites using Huddler, adding up to a total of 9 million unique monthly visitors. The success stories include EpicSki, which saw a 70 percent increase in natural search traffic after switching to Huddler, and DenimBlog, which doubled pageviews in two months and is now bringing in three times the amount of revenue.
Huddler raised $5.5 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates last year. For now, the company is focusing on existing forums because they’ve already got the audience, but Gill said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to start your own Huddles in the future.”
[image via Flickr/Daniel Borman]
Next Story: Salesforce: Yes, Chatter really does improve productivity Previous Story: Otoy scores important deals for its server gaming technology
“What’s needed most right now is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed.”
“Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we’re spending [on anti-poverty programs] and let’s instead focus on results—whether we’re actually making improvements in people’s lives.”
Those quotes would certainly resonate with proponents of reform to America’s welfare system—a massive labyrinth of 70 different programs whose rolls of dependents have increased steadily throughout the past 50 years, even as they have failed to boost a small percentage of impoverished families to self-sufficiency.
The one exception to this trend was the successful reform incorporated in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996. Unlike the rest of the programs, TANF encouraged work and marriage and, as a result, put nearly 3 million families on a pathway to independence.
The quotes above would also be welcomed by grassroots leaders seeking a new paradigm for the remaining failed anti-poverty programs, which would involve personal responsibility, reciprocity, and an avenue to upward mobility following the model of the success accomplished through TANF.
Such reformers have been disappointed by recent policy changes under the Obama Administration that have even rolled back the TANF reform. The Obama policy changes have dictated that, once again, states should be rewarded for the size of their welfare rolls rather than their effectiveness in helping people rise from poverty.
But here’s the surprise: Those quotes are not the words of champions of welfare reform but are, in fact, comments made by President Obama during a recent U.N. forum discussing strategies for assistance to developing countries. If only the President would apply the sentiments he expresses on foreign aid to the poverty that exists in his own back yard!
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Online forums and communities present a largely untapped opportunity for making money — at least according to Dan Gill, cofounder and chief executive of Huddler.
The San Francisco startup is officially launching today. It’s one of those weird launches where the company has actually been working with customers for more than a year, and is only now getting around to telling the media that it exists. Gill said he wanted to make sure the technology was solid before doing too much to publicize it and attract competition.
Community-building software is a broad category, but Huddler approaches the market with a specific audience and mission. It’s looking for popular, product-focused forums that are built on either vBulletin or phpBB technology. Huddler contacts the owner of the site, offering to modernize the forum and bring in more money too.
Gill gave me a long list of benefits that Huddler can offer over older platforms. It gives the sites a makeover, so they look a bit less old-fashioned, not to mention more advertising-friendly. It optimizes the pages for search engines, and also makes them easier to share through Facebook Connect. And all the software is hosted online, rather than installed on someone’s computer, which means there’s less hassle for whoever’s managing the site.
Financially, there’s not much risk to the forum owner, since the software is free. Huddler is only paid by through a percentage of the increased revenue that it brings to a site. That revenue boost comes in a number of ways, Gill said — since the sites are product-focused, Huddler creates a product page with a link where visitors can buy the item in question. It also allows companies selling related products to create their own pages on the forum and engage with the community. And of course the sites can run advertising.
The transition to Huddler can be a challenging one because of the technology issues, as well as the likelihood that change will upset some forum members. Gill didn’t offer any details, but he hinted that he has seen his share of angry comments from users who didn’t like a new forum. But Huddler has become more proficient at both moving content to a new site and preparing users for the change, he said.
There are now 24 sites using Huddler, adding up to a total of 9 million unique monthly visitors. The success stories include EpicSki, which saw a 70 percent increase in natural search traffic after switching to Huddler, and DenimBlog, which doubled pageviews in two months and is now bringing in three times the amount of revenue.
Huddler raised $5.5 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates last year. For now, the company is focusing on existing forums because they’ve already got the audience, but Gill said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to start your own Huddles in the future.”
[image via Flickr/Daniel Borman]
Next Story: Salesforce: Yes, Chatter really does improve productivity Previous Story: Otoy scores important deals for its server gaming technology
“What’s needed most right now is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed.”
“Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we’re spending [on anti-poverty programs] and let’s instead focus on results—whether we’re actually making improvements in people’s lives.”
Those quotes would certainly resonate with proponents of reform to America’s welfare system—a massive labyrinth of 70 different programs whose rolls of dependents have increased steadily throughout the past 50 years, even as they have failed to boost a small percentage of impoverished families to self-sufficiency.
The one exception to this trend was the successful reform incorporated in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996. Unlike the rest of the programs, TANF encouraged work and marriage and, as a result, put nearly 3 million families on a pathway to independence.
The quotes above would also be welcomed by grassroots leaders seeking a new paradigm for the remaining failed anti-poverty programs, which would involve personal responsibility, reciprocity, and an avenue to upward mobility following the model of the success accomplished through TANF.
Such reformers have been disappointed by recent policy changes under the Obama Administration that have even rolled back the TANF reform. The Obama policy changes have dictated that, once again, states should be rewarded for the size of their welfare rolls rather than their effectiveness in helping people rise from poverty.
But here’s the surprise: Those quotes are not the words of champions of welfare reform but are, in fact, comments made by President Obama during a recent U.N. forum discussing strategies for assistance to developing countries. If only the President would apply the sentiments he expresses on foreign aid to the poverty that exists in his own back yard!
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Do you like to shop? Would you like to make a little money at the same time you're spending it? If this sounds interesting, and if you'd also like to help businesses do a better job of serving their customers, then mystery shopping may be for you.
What is mystery shopping, and why is it important?
Most businesses have standards about how their locations are supposed to operate. However, it can be hard for them to ensure that these standards are being met. Some have their own evaluators, but this can be expensive, because they have to hire, train, and pay these people, who are usually members of upper-level management. Plus, the stores usually know in advance when the evaluators are coming. This means they can prepare by cleaning up, stocking, and treating customers well-which may not be the way they usually operate.
Mystery shoppers, on the other hand, can't be prepared for. Store personnel usually don't even know they're being evaluated. Mystery shoppers go into the stores, interact with the staff, and buy something, all without saying anything about what they're really there for. They seem to be just "regular customers." The difference is that after they get home, mystery shoppers send a report about their experience to the mystery shopping company, who passes the information along to the business who owns the store. The business can then decide how to act on that information.
This is a really useful service for the business because the evaluations are done secretly and by an unbiased person who is not on their payroll. They pay the shopping company for the service, and the shopping company pays the shopper.
What does mystery shopping involve?
If you decide you want to do mystery shopping, you register with one or more shopping companies. They will send you offers for "shops" in your area, providing just enough information for you to decide whether you're interested. If you are, you contact them and apply for the shop. If you're qualified for the shop, and no one else has been assigned (most shops are "first come, first served"), you'll get the assignment. Then the shopping company will send you the specifics, including the date and time of the shop, the name and address of the store, and what you must do while you're there.
Keep in mind that this is not a simple shopping trip. You won't be able to just walk in the door, browse for a while, pick up a few items, pay for them, and go. Mystery shopping is very detail-oriented work, and while you're shopping you may be required to make certain observations and interact with the staff in certain ways. Here are examples of what you may be asked to observe and report on:
- the date and exact time you arrived and left
- the condition of the floors, dressing rooms, and restrooms
- how prices were displayed
- how many cashiers were present when you arrived and when you left
- the names or descriptions of staff members you interacted with, possibly including exact conversations
Because these observations are so important to the evaluation process, you'll need to find a way to minimize distractions. This means you'll probably need to shop alone (unless the shopping company has requested otherwise) and refrain from talking on a cell phone when you're doing a shop. You also need to have a good memory, since you can't take notes during the shop; that might give you away.
Mystery shoppers can be used to evaluate all kinds of businesses. The most obvious ones are retail stores, but shoppers have also been sent to restaurants and car dealerships, and have even been used for vision and health screenings. (Unlike most others, car dealership shops don't require a purchase.)
How much does it pay?
The average is $10-$20 per shop; the pay may be higher if there are special circumstances involved.
Are there expenses involved?
Most mystery shoppers are required to make a purchase; the amount of the purchase is usually specified with the initial information. Some companies will reimburse for purchases, but often the shopper is expected to either keep them or return them later. There are also less tangible costs, like travel expenses and the shopper's time. And if you make more than a few hundred dollars a year, you'll have to pay self-employment taxes. Mystery shoppers are always contract workers, not directly employed by the companies they shop for.
In addition, it's useful to have a credit card. Some shopping companies, in fact, require that purchases be made that way.
What about career advancement?
Some people really enjoy mystery shopping, and do fairly well with it. If you decide to take this more seriously, there's a certification program through the Mystery Shopping Providers Association that will improve your credentials and make you more valuable to the shopping companies - which should get you better offers.
Where to get more information
The best site for mystery shopping information, including actual assignments, is Volition.com. This site also has a message board where you can get to know other mystery shoppers and find out about mystery shopping companies.
Mystery shopping scams
You may find online ads for services that will get you started with mystery shopping - for a fee. But actually, you don't have to pay to start doing this work. Mystery shopping companies don't charge you to register with them.
If the paid services do anything at all - and some of them are nothing more than scams - all they will do is put you in touch with the shopping companies. This is something you can do on your own, without paying for it. It can be hard to locate the shopping companies, even on a search, but the information is there; start with Volition, read some of the posts, and check out the links.
Final observations
Mystery shopping does have its drawbacks. It may not be a good choice if any of the following applies to you:
- You're not detail-oriented, or you're easily distracted.
- You don't want to make purchases you'll have to return later.
- You don't have a credit card.
- You're not comfortable with playing a role (some shops may require that you be a "difficult customer" to evaluate how the staff handles the situation).
If none of these applies to you, though, mystery shopping can be a good source of supplemental income, especially if you don't work outside your home. You can work as much - or as little - as you want, and in whatever locations you want. And if you find you don't like it, or if something more lucrative comes along, you can always cancel your accounts with the shopping companies; there's no need to give two weeks' notice.
If you need to make a little extra money, but also need work with flexible hours, check out mystery shopping. It may be just what you're looking for.
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