It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. It doesn’t even feel like weeks … its feeling more like months, but everything is moving so quickly. Not sure that makes any sense at all, but I am sure that there is probably someone out there that can relate! Please give me a shout-out! 
One of things I am most excited about for RUNmyERRAND is the UI overhaul we have got up our sleeves. We are working with a brilliant graphic designer, a self proclaimed "user advocate", named Eric Sagalyn. Super talented and works quickly, which is important for our situation. We got our first peak at the new design late last week and it is just so thrilling!! Finally, my true vision for the site is going to start shining through. As a software engineer, my expertise is in back end coding, algorithms, and feature development. I can do the UI, I’ve learned a lot of CSS, but I certainly am not a self-proclaimed "user advocate"! I did what I could while I was bootstrapping to get the first cut of the website launched, to prove the model, and now I can finally work with an expert to convey the magnificent beast that is in my head. So keep an eye out for an exciting new look and feel coming soon!
The other great feature that I believe is going to add a ton of value, is our new Blackberry Application. The code was merged late last night, so this is the first day it has been live. Take a peak … all feedback is welcome! We did a ton of testing on different simulators, but would love to hear how everything is looking on the real devices. We tried to just make everything really simple, not graphic heavy, so that it will load fast and be useful. Just like the iPhone you can: Login, Post an Errand, Run and Errand, Purchase Credits, and Mark Errand Complete. All the basic, most important functionality is there.
In the words of Finding Nemo … "just keep swimming" ….
Jeff Pulver hosted a fantastic event today, Social Media Jungle: Boston. I loved the format of 20 minute mini sessions, which emphasized interaction between the "speaker" and the audience. Dare I say, these mini session could be compared to tweets … short, sweet, interactive, and designed to add a ton of value. I even got to participate in Doug Levin’s panel on R-Commerce (relationship commerce) along with Jason Jacobs of RunKeeper. If I had to sum up the day, for me it was all about being aware of "the human element". Whether you are trying to drive a marketing strategy via Social Media, interacting with your users, or broadcasting your own messages, the important thread that connects us all is the human element. This thread connects us both on and offline, and blurring the lines between these communities is the type of innovation that is occurring right now in the Social Media space. It is absolutely part of RUNmyERRAND’s vision. Finally at this moment in time, we have the technology that we need to harness the power that has always existed but remains untapped in a community.
A few of my favorite tweets from the day ….
@bostonmarketer - Remember there ARE ppl behind tweets and you might want to talk to ppl behind the brand ~@jeffpulver #smjbos
@daveatkins – At #smjbos thinking…social media could be the answer to restore community by connecting people to each other in real life
@KenHerron – Live from #SMJBOS: "In all seriousness, social media has the power to humanize business processes from HR to Marketing." @MaThuRRell
I thoroughly enjoyed the event and all the community buzz that made it so special. My TweetDeck was going crazy all day, and even though I had to leave early, as not to miss a doctor’s appointment I had to book 8 months in advance (8 months!!!), as soon as I got back online, I felt like I was still there. Living all the great quotes, ideas, and innovations in real time. Thanks to Jeff Pulver who hosted the event, and thank you to Doug Levin for inviting me to share RUNmyERRAND with the community.
Now off to Web Innovators tonight … Boston has a *vibrant* web startup scene … I am loving every second of it!
RUNmyERRAND is tweeting away on Twitter and what fun we are having! I’ve started to update my labusque account more and more as well, and I think the more I use Twitter, the more I ‘get it’. Its just one of those things that is difficult to understand until you try it and once you begin to use it, it actually becomes quite addicting. Some may wonder what the difference between Facebook status updates and Twitter are, because at first glace Twitter just seems like a very small feature of the larger Facebook universe. Twitter is lean, agile, and apparently has a super top secret business model that will soon be unveiled. I am a fan.
RUNmyERRAND will be tweeting about all kinds of interesting things, for instance today we talked about the crazy snow storm that was suppose to dump 15+ inches of snow on Boston. We really only got about 5 to 8, but people still enjoyed being able to post their snow removal errands. Also, when our Runners are making trips to Ikea or Target, we’ll keep people updated in case they need things too. Plus its a great way to share our personality with the twitterverse!
Look for a real-time Twitter feed of all RUNmyERRAND’s tweets in the footer of every page on our site!