Monday, January 23, 2012

Paying to sample

Hey there - I'm back at it.  In case you were wondering, yes we did get into the potty-training community.  So far it looks pretty interesting.  I look forward to helping them out with product ideas.  My little girl may however be the easiest one of my three to potty train.  No I am not complaining, but I don't want to graduate out of this community too quickly.

My big topic of this post is Cravebox.  Perhaps you have heard of them.  This is a new program that started up in December. Its members buy a box of goodies for $10 a month.  I was invited to participate in the program during its first month, but chose to hold off the first month.  I am not much of an impulse shopper, and this seemed to be an impulse purchase decision.  Of course the boxes sold out, and people have been raving about them ever since.

From what I understand, you purchase a box of good stuff - not samples, but full size products.  The value of the box exceeds the $10 purchase price by several times.  You don't know what you are getting, but it arrives monthly at your doorstep - a monthly gift in a different form!  The catch - they want to know what you think of the products.  Easy, right?

I tried hard this month to get on the list for the box, but of course they sold out again.  Now I want one even more.  Why is it that something that is hard to get suddenly has more value?  Back to my college economics classes I guess.  I must say that I wrote an email to the Cravebox people, and they actually wrote me back - twice.  No box for me, so I will try again next month.  I think this is a sample box that will be worth spending a little money on.  I look forward to becoming one of the lucky ones.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Online Communities

It seems these are popping up everywhere.  I keep applying for them, and most don't get back to me.  This week I was invited to a community about online banking.  I am involved in this one for 2 weeks, and I look forward to learning about what my mystery bank company is hoping to unveil.

During the months of November and December, I was involved in a focus group for McDonalds with my 9 year-old son.  I was amazed at how this mega huge company cared about what we thought about the new Happy Meal.  I loved being involved in giving my thoughts, and Daniel loved our field trips to McDonalds!  In the end, they paid us $225 for 9 weeks of being on the panel, and I gained a whole new appreciation for this company.  I really look forward to seeing what other foods they decide to offer for our kids.

Last week I applied to be on a panel for Huggies Pull-Ups and potty training.  I have a 20-month old girl who is fascinated with the process.  It also helps that she is going through a naked phase right now.  She doesn't like wearing clothes, and has a great time removing them.  She actually sat on her potty chair last weekend and managed to stand up just as she was getting to the big event.  I think we are a perfect match for this study, and I am anxious to get the invitation in my inbox.

I have been in a Kleenex group for almost a year now.  The company is developing face wipes, and I loved testing them out for them.  I am really excited about these coming to market.  All-in-all I love online communities, and hope to get involved in more of them as the year goes on.  They are a great way to learn about new products, and I like helping companies create products that I want.  It is a win-win for all of us.

I will keep waiting for the Huggies people to get back to me.  If they don't there is always that vitamin group I applied to, or how about the energy drink panel I signed up for.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Monday, January 9, 2012

The New Crowdtap

I am waiting to see the changes in store for Crowdtap.  I must admit - I am addicted to this site.  I joined in September of 2011, and have really enjoyed coming up with some creative posts.  They are supposed to be coming out of Beta this week, so the whole site will change.  Anyone else a big fan of this site?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

New To Blogging

So nowadays it seems that everyone has a blog that they regularly post to.  I feel I am one of the minority when I don't have the magical blog address for people to click on in order to troll my innermost thoughts.  I have decided that this year I am going to do more in the land of the internet.  I really enjoyed becoming involved in different sites.  As a SAHM, I find I need to reach out to the land of the living, and I think this will be a fun way to do it.  Wish me luck!