A Closer Look at ideablob
Company Name: ideablob
Site:http://www.ideablob.com
Mashable Coverage:Here
Funded by: ADVANTA (Ideablob.com is a service mark owned by Advanta Bank Corp)
What is ideablob? Well, here’s what they say in their FAQ:
ideablob.com is Advanta’s newest website where aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners (aka “Blobbersâ€) can share and compare their business ideas – and have a chance to win $10,000!
So ideablob is basically a socially-judged contest for new business ideas with a monthly prize of ten grand. It’s a simple idea, and its aim is to start a community of people who are looking to get feedback and mentoring on their business idea all while promoting Advanta’s banking/lending services to the small business community.
After yesterday’s social media breakfast conversation, I was thinking a lot about the notion of Marketing to the Social Web (and yes, I started reading Larry Weber’s book last night), and how companies can stay honest and authentic while still promoting their business to their target market.
This morning I took another look at ideablob and said “Well, there’s a pretty good example.”
Pros:
For Blobbers- Advanta has created a place for aspiring entrepreneurs to talk through their business ideas, get feedback, and maybe even put 10K into their pockets.
For Advanta- A captive audience all wanting $$ to start their business. Perfect.
Cons: Since the winners of the 10K are based on the voting of the community, there’s the potential that the blobber that entered “Mechanical Bull Riding Karaoke” could win. But hey, maybe that’s the point. Maybe Advanta is banking on the fact (I swear, I wasn’t trying to make a pun there) that there will be jokers putting in their fake ideas. In fact, that’s a good reason for people to visit the site: to see insane and funny ideas.
Their DEMO:
Filed under: DEMO, social media