Our thoughts and analysis about all things independent.
—( ‘Do you love reading?’, with thanks to Fiduz )—Each week I put together a collection of a couple of articles, ideas and innovations that I've come across in my attempts to digest all of the information on the internet. These are some of the ones that really stood out.
I'm ever surprised by the useful applications of social media – when it's done right. Here's a taxi driver who became Chicago's most popular cabbie following a well put together campaign.
Apparently 1 in 4 items of clothing ends in the bin... so Marks and Spencer have decided to try and change that and do a bit for charity. Partnering with Oxfam they've taken to giving out vouchers in exchange for donations.
A follow up to one of the pieces I came across last week, you'll find an insightful look into the political side of support for small businesses.
Rob Hopkins is the driving force behind Transition, a world movement looking to wean the world off oil through a huge array of community-led on-the-ground initiatives. Here he is speaking at a recent TEDx event about, well, lots of things (but mainly Transition Totnes, which is the flagship city for the movement). Also: very funny.
An idea that initially struck me as very silly indeed, but one which has grown on me as I've found out more. Used right – pushing out local offers and tourist information for instance – the possibilities are both exciting and near endless.
A new concept being piloted in Japan is the virtual store: an online shop that you can 'walk' through. A replacement for an in-person visit? Probably not, but if it becomes simple to reproduce it could add a lot of value to shopping online.
// Pizza and Movie Night 2.0.
When treating yourself to an P&M night who in their right mind want to go to two shops!? Thank the heavens that's no longer strictly necessary.
Have you come across any links you'd like to share?