Crowdsourcing, "Carrotmobs" and Local Business
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-12-22/crowdsourcing-carrotmobs-and-local-business
"Mom and Pop" businesses can't necessarily beat prices at big box stores or national chains. So some local independent businesses are experimenting with new ways to engage customers and build loyalty. We explore how business owners, ethical consumers and labor activists are harnessing the power of online communities and crowd-sourcing to support the local economy.
Guests
Nikki Lewis
Coordinator, Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC (ROC-DC)
Neil Takemoto
Founder, CoolTown Beta Communities
Kim Weeks
Owner, Boundless Yoga Studios; Marketing Chair, Think Local First DC
Comments
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We encourage independent local businesses to accept the Potomac, our region's local currency that encourages support for the local economy as profits cannot leak away to someplace else but must remain in the community. Studies have shown that one unit of local currency circulates up to 5 times more than its dollar equivalent. Merchants who accept Potomacs indicate their identification with and commitment to their local community which in turn supports them. They also get additional marketing exposure by being included in our promotions. New customers may be drawn to their businesses who otherwise would not shop there.
Friend us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Potomac-Local-Currency/331720845556
This idea of Carrotmobs is just wonderful! There is also a wave of progress in rewarding good businesses on the legal/tax side of the equation: Social Businesses, including one form they can now be found in the US called a B Corporation status. I have highlighted this trend in my fourth episode of my Wiki World Order report, Social Business and Nu Capitalism:
http://wikiworldorder.com/2010/10/01/social-businesses-and-nu-capitalism/
Thanks for this show, and keep up the great work!