The best way to keep updated on new RFP leads is to sign up for email alerts.  Make sure you take a look through each site, as some sites have multiple listing locations and/or filters for specific categories of work you’re looking for. Additionally, a few of the sites allow you to upload a generic qualifications resume.

1. Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) Portal
2. King County Procurement Portal
3. eCityGov Shared Procurement Portal
4. Washington State Department of Transportation
5. City of Seattle
6. Port of Seattle
7. Sound Transit
8. Washington Courts

Know of another resource?  Please let us know in the comments!

This first phase lays the foundation for an ever-expanding network of rich, personalized connections.  We’re proud to see Zealyst growing so quickly!

Above is the member profile page: a simple, easy user interface.  Below is a member’s Contacts page – an address book cataloguing contacts, email and social networking links, and personalized notes.

And the soon-to-be released Zealyst member blog.

Zealyst is planning many other upgrades over the coming months – we’re looking forward to it!  In the meantime, you can keep up with the latest at their current public-facing blog “Zebra Tales.”

About Zealyst

Zealyst is for individuals looking to establish unique, meaningful relationships with others who share similar interests and goals–both professional and personal.  Our networking service identifies these distinct interest combinations and acts as the liaison in matching individuals in small group event settings to provide the foundation for future relationship growth.

Unlike other networking services that rely heavily on members to organize and lead events, Zealyst manages all the details.  This takes the pressure off members and ensures consistently outstanding events.  While other services are focused on either professional or personal interests, Zealyst synchronizes interests from many facets of life, because we believe finding balance is essential to concrete networking and relationship building.

Zealyst promises the establishment of worthwhile connections through an invite-only membership structure that will strategically expand after building an initial foundation of hand- selected members.  Zealyst events offer members the opportunity to discover new collaborative potential, build meaningful relationships, and learn about new projects in an enjoyable social setting.

As a member myself, I can attest that Zealyst events are not your ordinary networking events.  Interesting in learning more?  You can sign up to become a member or contact Martina, Britta and Holly – I’m sure they’d be happy to chat.

Earlier we discussed our Top 5 in Time Tracking Software. But maybe those weren’t quite what you were looking for.  Here’s what didn’t make our Top 5 list – maybe this will help you find the right software….

Izepto

Notable features of Izepto:

• Free (up to 3 users); AUD$15/mo; AUD$65/mo (depending on # of users)

Tick

Notable features of Tick:

• Free; $9/mo; $19/mo; $39/mo; $79/mo (depending on # of projects – most consultants would be at $19)
• Good project-based time budgeting features
• Basecamp integration (with $19 and up plans)
• Web-based with iPhone app, does have an API

My Comments:  Nice clean interface, not bad. For the price, FreshBooks wins over Tick – it’s just more robust.

Freckle

Notable features of Freckle:

• $12/mo; $24/mo; $48/mo (depends on # of users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Time divided between billable and non-billable
• Nice tagging feature; analytics
• Download into Excel; has API

My Comments:  Comparable to Toggl with slightly better analytics. Their self-proclaimed differentiator is “good software is cheerful software.” If you’re into cheer, go here.  We’re not convinced it’s enough.

Bill4Time

Notable features of Bill4Time:

• Lite: $19.99/mo + $9.99/mo/user; Pro: $39.99/mo $19.99/mo/user (Free for 1 user & 5 projects)
• Some project management capabilities
• Exports to Quickbooks
• Has some industry-specific billing/tracking categories

My Comments:  Aside from the fact that the name sounds sleazy and the website homepage design doesn’t do anything to disprove that, it actually doesn’t look like a bad program. We like the desktop widget.  But definitely on the pricey side for what it does.

TimeXchange

Notable features of TimeXchange:

• 1 year subscription free; $39.99/yr/user afterward (anyone on a project is a user)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Web-based with iPhone & Blackberry apps

My Comments:  A lot like Toggl but feels more clunky and… outdated.  An ok program with no bells & whistles. Great price for the first year, but adds up in future years.

Blinksale

Notable features of Blinksale:

• $15/mo
• Mostly geared toward invoicing rather than time tracking
• Integrates with Basecamp and PayPal
• For an extra $9/mo you can accept credit cards from clients

My Comments:  Since we are looking mainly for a time tracking software at this point, this was too expensive and not focused on time tracking, this wasn’t right for us.

Senomix

Notable features of Senomix:

• $120/user (one-time fee, but upgrades to new versions $20/ea time)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Integrates with Quickbooks and Blackberry (but not iPhone)

My Comments:  Doesn’t do enough for the price. We also don’t like that you have to pay to upgrade when a new version comes out.

CurdBee

Notable features of CurdBee:

• $149/year
• Timesheet time keeping only
• Tracks expenses; Generates estimates & invoices

My Comments:  No bells and whistles, no pizazz, no reason we can see to pay for the features it provides.

CloudSurfing

If you haven’t visited our friends at Cloudsurfing, do check them out.  They have more reviews and listings for time tracking and other tools. Plus they’re good guys doing good things!

Know Another One?

Please let us know – we’d love to hear about it!

Our Top 5…

Klok

Notable features of Klok:

• Free (most features are included); $15.99 one-time fee (Pro version – has a few more features)
• Timetracking. That’s what it does. It’s easy to use (drag & drop), exportable to Excel.
• Has some nice, simple reporting and data visualization.
• Desktop interface only.

My Comments:  I have used it for 2 years – I started using it with RVL, where we were able to keep track of 20 different people by collating all the Excel outputs by hand. (I wouldn’t recommend that unless you are a low-income startup!)

No project limit, no subproject limit (that we know of).  Honestly, it is good for a solo consultant, and the price is right, but it’s time to move onto something we can use together in one interface.

Toggl

Notable features of Toggl:

• Free (limited features); $5/mo; $12/mo; $19/mo; $39/mo; $79/mo (depends on # of users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping (we want the latter)
• Pro version includes invoice billing
• Integrates with Basecamp, Quickbooks, exportable to Excel, has API
• Web-based with desktop widgets, iPhone & Android apps, mobile-accessible

My Comments:  I have used Toggl (the free version) in the past for side consulting jobs. Since then, it has improved!  It’s basic, easy to use, low barrier to entry, with some nice data visualization. Toggl doesn’t try to be more than it is: a solid time tracking tool for individuals and teams.

FreshBooks

Notable features of FreshBooks:

• $19.95/mo; $29.95/mo; $39.95/mo (depending on # of users & clients)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Estimate & Invoice generation; Expense tracking
• API Integrates with 70 different programs, like MailChimp, Basecamp, Salesforce
• Web-based with iPhone app

My Comments:  Simple to use, nice interface, customizable, nice reporting features.  We’re hoping for something a little cheaper for the features it offers, but this was a close runner-up.

Harvest

Notable features of Harvest:

• $12/mo; $40/mo; $90/mo (based on # of users – all have unlimited clients & projects)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Online payment capability; multi-currency support
• Invoice & Estimate generation; Invoice tracking; Expense tracking
• Data exportable to and importable from Excel, Google docs, Quickbooks; with API for others
• Integrates with Basecamp, Quickbooks, Highrise, and more.
• Web-based with desktop widgets, iPhone app, mobile-accessible

My Comments:  Lots of customizable features on the client-facing side, decent reporting, nice invoice automation features. Seamless workflow from estimate to invoice. You can even take a photo of a receipt with your iPhone and send it to Harvest!

And you can track your time directly from your Google homepage – it has lots of great integration with Google apps.

And you can send an SMS from your phone or DM from Twitter to log time or expenses. Amazing. This one is the winner if you can afford it.

Invoicera

Notable features of Invoicera:

• $9.95/mo; $19.95/mo; $29.95/mo; $49.95/mo (depends on # of clients, profiles, and users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Includes invoicing & multiple modes of payment for your clients – a nice feature
• Expense logging, exportable reports, task lists
• Integrates with BaseCamp; many “payment gateways” like PayPal & Google Checkout; API
• Web-based only

My Comments:  The time tracking stopwatch is a little clunky, but seeing the time spent in calendar form is an added bonus. No iPhone or desktop capabilities is a minus – particularly because the stopwatch is not super accessible in the website.

But wow, the workflow from estimate generator > timetracker > invoice generator > payment receiving is pretty outstanding.

Our Winner Is….

Toggl for the short-term, due to its low cost and lovely simplicity.  And Harvest as we grow and need more features, due to its wide array of integration, ease of use, and great social features.

Know A Better One?

We’d love to hear about it!

Yikes, right?

But what happens if a company doesn’t do it? What happens if you don’t begin innovating with the crowds that care about your brand?

You risk being seen as old, antiquated.  Worse, you might be viewed as uncaring of your consumer.  And far, far worse: you risk becoming irrelevant.

Other companies in your industry will pass you by as they incorporate the many benefits of user innovation. That’s because user innovation is quicker, cheaper, wiser, and more sustainable and older models of innovation.

My said clients know this, they know that they can’t afford not to utilize user innovation within the current economic and technological world.  What about you – are you incorporating user innovation into your business model?

What is User Innovation?

User innovation is an important tool that can be very effective when utilized within larger, systemic innovation:

Crowdsourcing takes advantage of the talent and wisdom of the public to generate ideas.

User innovation cultivates and matures these crowdsourced ideas into business solutions.

Open innovation (aka distributed innovation) is the mechanism that opens your organization to these crowdsourced solutions, and combines them with your own internal assets, to drive sustainable growth.

Who Are Users?

Users can be anyone who is involved in your supply chain:

• Consumers
• Distributors
• Manufacturers
• Suppliers
• Employees
• Partner organizations
• Competitors

Mechanisms for incorporating each of these users are going to be quite different. It’s important to first define your goals, and then research the best users needed for your innovation outreach and engagement.

Why Do Companies Open Themselves Up to User Innovation?

Here are some of the potential benefits of user innovation:

1. Developing new products or services you know your consumers will want
2. Positive earned media
3. Potential first-mover advantage
4. Reduced risk
5. Shared rewards
6. Lower R&D costs
7. Quicker R&D development
8. Improved internal collaboration
9. Access to inexpensive talent
10. Stronger community
11. Customer (or supplier or distributor…) loyalty and satisfaction
12. Organic, sustainable growth

There will be even more benefits specific to your own company as you continue to open yourself up to user innovation.

Why Do Users Participate in User Innovation?

Why would you ever give up your ideas for free?

1. Satisfaction from contributing your ideas to a greater social good
2. Financial rewards (funding, prizes or business development)
3. Social rewards (prestige, support or networking)
4. Access (to information, systems or mentors)
5. Personal development (skills development, mutually beneficial collaboration)
6. New Opportunities (unknown but endless potential, particularly in the current economy)

Incidentally, I’m giving up my ideas right here in this blog article for some of the same reasons. Current technology has dispersed the power to each of us, giving us all new opportunities if we’re in the right place at the right time with the right ideas.

If you’re a user like me, or you’re like most corporations, you don’t really have a shortage of ideas. So there is no reason to hold onto your ideas if they have the potential to open up new opportunities. We all know that not every one of our ideas is going to hit the jack pot. But at the same time, we all hope that one of our ideas will.

Innovation Is a Two Way Street

You can’t take user ideas without given something in return. A lot of corporations forget this, and their crowdsourcing platforms suffer sometimes fatally for it.  You need a social and/or reward system, you need to build and sustain a complex community, and you need to provide and allow sharing of quality content.

Examples of User Innovation

There is a large variety of effective user innovation models out there, and they are growing quickly.  Here are just three examples of companies utilizing user innovation effectively:

1. MyStarbucksIdea.com: Starbucks built a simple idea platform to capture basic user-generated ideas. They offer users a leaderboard that shows high scores for the most implemented ideas, they track ideas in action, they offer a daily “question of the day”, and they feature some “Idea Partners” on the homepage.  Starbucks claims that “hundreds” of these user ideas have been implemented.
2. X Prize Foundation: One of my favorites, the X Prize offers challenge-driven philanthropy, “fostering innovation through incentivized competition.” The first X Prize was given in 2004. The goal of the prize is to “bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity, thereby inspiring the formation of new industries & the revitalization of markets that are currently stuck.” And to be clear, the X Prize is conducted largely offline – showing that user innovation isn’t just an online endeavor.
3. P&G’s Connect + Develop: Proctor and Gamble is one of the early adopters of user-generated innovation. C + D was developed out of a dire need to increase R&D productivity in 2000. Since then, they have built their user innovation models to the point where 50% of their innovations now include ideas from external sources, they have a 6% growth rate in an industry growing at 2-3%, and their R&D productivity has increased by 60%.

What’s Your Experience with User Innovation?

Has it been tough for you to make the case for user innovation at your organization? Or, have you had any great innovation experiences with businesses?  We’d love to know!

—-

This article is based on content developed by Melinda Briana Epler and Gabriel Scheer at Re-Vision Labs.

A fanatic crowd was on hand to celebrate the opening of the new Edmonds Dick's Drive-In. (courtesy of Dick's Drive-In)

Ask the legion of fanatics of Dick’s Drive-In what they love about Dick’s and what you hear over and over, in addition to the food, is the generational experience served by the Seattle burger institution. As I learned last Thursday in Edmonds at the grand opening of the first Dick’s Drive-In in 37 years, Dick’s serves a whopping portion of feel-good nostalgia with every order and it treats its employees very, very well. I heard that story over and over, and that, in and of itself, makes it a very good storytelling story to share with other business owners no matter how big or small their businesses are.

I was on hand along with Melinda, who spent a good chunk of her childhood in the Seattle area and even confessed to having her first date and break up (only a week apart) at the Queen Anne Dick’s Drive-In.  We were there to document the event for Dick’s so they could post the festivities on their website and Facebook page, as well as have a short video for posterity’s sake.

The first person in line for the grand opening arrived at 3 a.m. – 12 ½ hours before the first burgers were served. Why? Because she went to Dick’s with her family every week back in the ’60s on “10 burgers for $1” night – it was such a big part of her childhood. Another woman shared she liked the burgers because they were reliable – “you always know what you’re going to get, and I like that.” Some folks came from as far as Bremerton and Puyallup — “wouldn’t have missed it for the world” because “I’ve been coming to Dick’s as far back as I can remember.” A mother shared she wanted her children to have memories about Dick’s, just like she had back in the ’90s – “that’s why we’re here.” By the time the official ceremony started, more than 500 fanatics were jammed shoulder-to-shoulder on a rainy day to get a glimpse of 88-year-old Dick Spady and gobble down some of his local-legend burgers. If you didn’t know any better – like me – you might have thought royalty was on hand.

I have to say, after spending the afternoon talking to fans, employees and members of the Spady family, I was convinced that Dick Spady is royalty, at least in this little corner of the world.

I grew up in the Connecticut ex-burbs of New York City and spent 23 years in South Florida before moving to Seattle in ’09, and I can’t recall any local institutions, restaurant or otherwise, that had such a loyal and fanatic fan base as Dick’s. There was The Ice Cream Shop (yes, that was the name) in Newtown, CT, that comes closest, but I don’t recall anyone straining through the crowd on opening day to touch the founder’s arm. Although the ice cream was good, the owners never reached the rock-star status I witnessed for Dick Spady.

Case in point, I was filming in the roped-off media area, which eventually became the media-and-everyone-else area moments before the ribbon-cutting ceremony because the crowd was getting antsy. And I was getting worried for Dick Spady’s safety – he was the only thing between the hungry throng and the service windows! The second after Dick cut the ribbon to officially open the new drive-in, the crowd surged forward and, instead of mayhem, adoration ensued. Dozens of people reached out to touch the burger patriarch as if he was a religious healer. As I looked at the teenage girl diving across my left arm in an attempt to touch the back of the elderly Spady’s jacket, she looked at me apologetically and said, “but it’s Dick Spady.”

When asked what he thought about the gathered crowd, all Dick Spady could say was "I'm overwhelmed." (Joshua Trujillo/SeattlePI.com)

Hours before the feeding frenzy, Melinda and I went behind the scenes and talked to employees as they readied their stations. Some had worked at Dick’s for several months, others for a handful of years, and others for a lifetime – and despite the harried atmosphere surrounding the day, each and every one of them said they loved working at Dick’s because Dick’s takes care of its employees. Great benefits. Scholarship opportunities. Positive work environment. They l-o-v-e working for the man, and the man is Dick Spady.

What I learned during my seven hours among the Dick’s Drive-In faithful is the aura surrounding Dick’s and the reliable burgers was the emotional connection people have to Dick’s Drive-In.

I don’t know if effective storytelling was a “magic bullet” marketing technique for Dick Spady when he opened the first of his drive-in restaurants back in the ’50s. But his business has survived and thrived because the brand legacy is built on emotional storytelling and not slick marketing or advertising. A good portion of the new location’s launch was driven via social media — voting for the location, sharing clues for the Willy Wonka-esque Orange Ticket contest and construction updates for the Edmonds facility. Dick’s put the message out there and then let the people tell the story via their social media voices. Nothing is more telling than this one post from Tony Yi on Dick’s Facebook page regarding the opening: “At least it’s not snowing like back in Jan 54 at the opening in Wallingford.” Sounds like Tony was there … and remembers it … and is telling the story … via social media … for all to read.

It’s all about people telling stories – positive stories about what Dick’s Drive-In means to them. The masses are doing the marketing work, not the marketing department. That’s when you know you’ve got a good thing going.

Makes me wonder if other businesses out there have stories to tell that are as impactful and as emotionally driven as the one surrounding Dick’s. If they do, I sure hope their customers know about them, too. Makes for good business.

1.  It Just Takes One Person

At One Green Generation, I have an advocate who has brought me far.  That advocate just happens to be one of the top respected people on reddit.com.  That means every time he or she posts a link from my site, it has the potential to go up the reddit ratings very quickly.  On January 4, 2009, when many people were just starting to enact their “go green”new year’s resolutions, qgyh2 posted a link of mine, and my blog stats rose from 500 a day to nearly 3,000 in one day.

While most of those 2,500 new people did not stay and become regular readers or subscribers, a few did.  And, because there were so many people coming to the site, one or two of those reddit users also had a StumbleUpon account, and happened to have a lot of clout there.  The next day, reddit and StumbleUpon users together brought almost 5,000 people to the site.  Then more people Stumbled the post over the coming weeks and months, and still today I have at least 150 readers each day coming to read that one post.  And over those two days, my site surpassed its critical mass.

2.  It Just Takes One Post

Now don’t get me wrong, you can’t have a site full of crappy posts with one good one.  Yes, people will come and read that good one, but they won’t stick around.  Overall quality needs to be paramount.  It is important to occasionally spend quite a bit longer to write a well-researched, well-laid out article that people will pass on to their friends.  These longer, deeper articles are ALWAYS the ones that end up Stumbled, reddited, and bringing in hits long after I’ve posted the article.

But note that these posts will generate high traffic only if they come at the right time, and when you’ve already hit critical mass. Typical articles that work well in this category are:

• How-To or Top Ten articles.
• Articles that get to the heart of whatever field your blog plays within.
• Articles that list a lot of other bloggers and essentially bolster their egos.  Magazine and newspaper blogs do this often:  The Top 100 Bloggers of the Year, for example.

It’s rarely predictable when critical mass will happen, and when a post will go “viral.”  Don’t get disappointed if you spend 24 hours creating the best article you’ve ever written, and it doesn’t get any play at all.  Try again!

3.  It Takes The Right Day

“Viral” tends to happen on some days more than others.  Watch your site stats.  Watch your comments.  When is there the most activity on your site?  What time of day do your readers most like to read your posts?  Answer these questions, and then make sure your most important articles are posted during the peak times.

If your site is virtually dead on a Sunday, don’t post the article on Sunday.  If it peaks on Wednesday afternoon (many sites do), post on Wednesday morning so it’s there and waiting.

4.  Make Sure People Can Find You

The intricacies of SEO are for another post, but I encourage you to not take SEO lightly.  Some of my most loyal readers came to my blog via a recipe they found on Google, or a solution for how to get rid of ants sustainably on Yahoo.

Also pay attention to tags, categories, titles of your posts, the quality (and readability) of your content, the ability for people to quickly submit your posts to their favorite social media sites, and so on.  It’s all important.

5.  Follow Your Own Path

I want to conclude by recognizing the incredible human-ness of the internet and every social media site.  The internet is people, through and through.  People are not always predictable.  And people are not always good predictors.

So write good articles and posts that follow best practices, write them frequently, tell your friends and acquaintances about them, and have the infrastructure in place that allows for good strong engagement.

If you do all of those things well, and have a little patience, you’ll probably do just fine!

From Viruses to Critical Mass

Diseases sometimes do spread across the world very quickly, however what is less discussed is that many conditions have to be put into place before a disease spread can occur. Diseases generally go viral only after a gestation period that can last many months to many years – the virus has to find the right host (aka audience), cultivate the right DNA (aka the message), and configure the right method for mass transference (aka the campaign).

Now that we’ve utilized that metaphor, let’s put viruses aside… Since viruses have a tendency to make people feel sick and are generally looked upon negatively, I choose to get to the essence of what’s happening and call this phenomenon “critical mass.”

There isn’t just one thing that brings your account to a critical mass. It has to do with the quality of your posts, your ability to understand and cater to your target audience, the focus, authenticity, and consistency of your outreach efforts… and truth be told, a bit of luck.

But when it happens, hitting critical mass is quick, unpredictable, and totally exciting! Once critical mass happens, the momentum soars – people will come to you. It is a glorious event that rewards your effort!

How Many Followers Are Needed For Critical Mass?

On LinkedIn, users get a special prize for having more than 500 connections. Is 500 the magic critical mass number? Do you only need 500 fans, 500 blog visitors per day, or 500 Twitter followers, before it takes on a life of its own?

I would say it depends on the quality of your posts as to whether your critical mass will be 500, 1,000 or 2,000. High quality posts, such as those on our client TisBest’s Facebook page, quickly allowed the company to reach 500 loyal fans. Once that happened, the Facebook fans took off on their own – telling their friends who in turn tell their friends – and quickly the TisBest fan base surpassed 1,000, and continues growing strong. And they don’t have to try anymore – they can focus on continued quality and timely engagement.

However, we have other clients who take longer to learn how to effectively engage their audience and turn fans into advocates. For them, it takes somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 fans before their accounts really take off unattended. It depends quite a bit on post quality and well-timed regularity, as well as developing the skills to truly engage.

Metcalfe’s & Zipf’s Laws, plus The Long Tail

If you’ll humor me for a moment, let’s check out three principles that are often spoken or written about in discussions of critical mass:

• In Metcalfe’s Law, the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users who are connected within that network. Fair enough: your network is only as powerful as its number of users*. (Bob Metcalfe is attributed to inventing the Ethernet, by the way.)

• Zipf’s Law is a law of scale, where the quantity of (whatever it is you’re studying) is inversely proportional to its rank within a group of (whatever it is you’re studying). So essentially the popularity of a word, website, or fan page follows a predictable distribution that is proportional to the popularity of all the words, websites, or fan pages.

Not terribly profound, but it does put things in perspective: if you are a microfinance site, you can only be as popular as microfinance sites are – a microfinance blog’s fan size and growth is proportional to other microfinance blogs, and will not be proportional to a social media blog, or example. Unless an unpredictable and large variable comes to play, social media blogs are just going to be more popular than microfinance blogs, so there is no reason to strive that high!

• The Long Tail is essentially a niche marketing strategy, coined by Clay Shirky and popularized by Chris Anderson in a 2004 Wired article and later a book by the same name. A free market generally follows a distribution that favors the most popular 20% of retail items.

Take movies, for example: Blockbuster or Wallmart would ever care about and stock the top 20% highest-selling movies, because that’s all that works with their market model. They can’t have a bunch of slow-selling items on their shelves for months at a time. But then along comes Netflix, who is making a killing on the other 80% of the titles! It costs next to nothing for Netflix to stock a whole lot of different titles due to their new kind of model. Thanks to Netflix, there are a whole lot of documentaries that are actually getting seen – and changing people’s minds – because someone believed in the long tail.

Personally, I don’t think any one of these principles stands on its own as a guide for how we should think about critical mass in social media. But together they do begin to paint a picture of the ways you can generate a successful social media presence.

Two other things to keep in mind:

1. The greatest factor of all is still the creation and maintenance of an infrastructure of true engagement.
2. All three principles fall flat if they aren’t effectively set up and maintained.

*Note: there is some argument that users do not equal Metcalfe’s original description of “compatibly communicating devices”, but we’re interpreting loosely here anyway.