social media for pet owners

The latest in the string of social networking offerings is a site for owners of pets called zootoo.com. Like most social media sites, it is driven by user content, and includes a pet services directory, journals, videos, targeted pet groups, pet radio with famed Pet Talk host Harrison Forbes, and a collection of useful forum-style questions and answers.



What makes this site a little different is the fact that they help pet shelters and rescue groups around the country in the form of shelter makeovers. So while other sites' profits fall entirely into the pockets of some large media mogul, in this case you can feel a little better about some of those profits going towards a cause that you believe in.

The site automatically finds your locale based on your IP, and you then have the option to find fellow pet owners by your pet type and breed. The website also has some fun photo comparison contests and an interesting section called "Pet Wars". Now before you go rushing off to PETA, this isn't a "battle" between pets in any way. Rather, it is, as they state on their site, the "first cuteness contest for ALL pets in America." Sounds like a real challenge...dogs versus cats...birds versus reptiles.

behold the elusive I.O.U.

I occasionally have a new client ask if they can pay me for my web design work once their website starts making them money. I often respond that I will start accepting I.O.U.'s as soon as my utility and mortgage companies start accepting them from me. Until then, it's a pay-as-you-go arrangement. And I assume that this is how most companies operate these days. Aside from large retailers with financing and layaway options, I can't see anyone accepting an I.O.U. from a new customer. It's just too risky...isn't it?

Well, believe it or not, I recently ran across a web-based business that still believes in the I.O.U. and offers it to all of their customers. The company in question sells dog in yard signs and their website clearly states that they ship the sign first and expect payment later. I have to admit that I was bowled over by this idea. I remember thinking that these folks must either be very naive or that the signs must be very inexpensive to manufacture - at least enough to cover the occasional non-payment. Or maybe I'm just too jaded.

But let's put our negativity aside for a moment and see this for what it is - a company that actually *trusts* its customers to do the right thing; a company that still has faith in the human race and spends more time trying to please their customers than trying to get paid up front. This is more than a novel idea - this is a radical idea. Does it work? Only time will tell, but it appears that business is thriving.

As for the product? Well, surprisingly enough, these aren't cheap stamped or grainy screen-printed tinfoil signs. They are well made of powder coated steel. The printing is sharp and crisp, and they have several colors to choose from. They even include your choice of mounting hardware (depending on your fence) - brass screws or zip-ties. Our backyard is actually too sloped for a fence, so we let our dog go out front to "do her business", but we also have a large circular driveway in the front yard. Every so often a stranger, delivery van, or one of our neighbors will use our circular drive to turn their car around, and we're always worried that they might hit our dog. So we've been trying to come up with a solution.



At first, we considered roping off the driveway with those fancy horsehead chain-busts. This presented two problems. For one thing, the horseheads are expensive. For another, we'd have to get out and remove the chains each time we needed to use our own driveway. So we nixed that idea. We thought about fencing the rest of the front yard, but our neighborhood covenant wouldn't allow it. We tried making our own sign, but cardboard doesn't last in the rain and my wife didn't like the G.I.Joe appearance of my stenciled letters on a wooden sign. (I'm not very crafty, so a fancy sculpted wood sign was not an option.) So this "dog in yard" sign was perfect for us. We opted for the blue background, so that it didn't blend into the landscaping too much. I'll be mounting it to a tree in the yard in a highly visible location fro the drive. Highly recommended!