If you ever doubt the power of people, you haven’t been to Philly. This weekend I attended the one-year anniversary bash of Indy Hall in cool “Old City” Philly, PA.

Ever-clever Indy Hall founder and coworking guru Alex Hillman convinced some fine folks to sponsor the food and booze. The drink tickets and apps were endless and no one was shy about digging in. It was a real treat for me to meet some of the folks that I’ve been connecting with online, particularly Alex, Tony “Be Goode” Bacigalupo of New Work City (among other things) and marketing soc-med “it” girl and bleach blond coworking soul sista Tara Hunt. The coworking crew vets have been a tremendous help for me and my partner with group88.

The party was a kicked back good time and it also totally kicked my creativity in the butt about a few projects that are cooking. I’m so jazzed to be a part of the coworking movement, however small my contribution. I’m also really psyched I could meet some killer smarties. We chilled, we laughed, we philosophized, we drank, we ate (who can go wrong with piles of chicken on a stick teepees?) we watched Alex break every glass in the joint, we drew phallic symbols, we gave up the woohoo shoutouts when called for, we snapped shots (some to be flickred, some not), we made bets of which I am sure to win, we got cool free T-shirts and we made plans to kill the corporate world with coworking.

I’m sure I’ll forget someone, and I apologize in advance, but I have to mention a few guys and gals that really made the night for me and have inspired me to get my arse in gear on a few things . . .

Alex: You kill when it comes to getting schnizit done and motivating others. I can’t wait to see what you can do. Just make sure you do it in a plastic cup because glass is just not your bag baby.

Tony: Do us all a favor and stop drawing phallic symbols. I don’t know what biology class you took but that teacher has some explaining to do. I can’t wait to hash out Indie Mentorship with you, Alex and the crew. Interning, schminterning!

Tara: Strength, beauty and vision. I cannot wait for your book release party!

Erica: You are the ultimate image connection girl. In just seconds you gave me tons to think about, and hopefully a great solution to our videoconferencing woes via Oovoo.

Bart: Careful with the Sniffy Sniff. You’re just a little toooo into it.

Jonathan: Your five bucks is in the mail. Dang it!

Mark: Tell your mom I said hi.

Geoff: I am still seriously impressed that you called up “group88″ as soon as I introduced myself. If you ever find yourself back in Stafford looking up your ancestry, give me a shout.

Carlos: Good ideas with the corporate training. We’ll chat soon for sure.

Kevin: At some point we’ll chat about our approaches to brand strategy for our clients. I would really like to be more of a wing it strategist, at least partly, and I’m sure we can swap ideas about adding a bit more structure to your process (or help you get a process if needbe).

Blake: You’re sure to make a name for yourself and Anthillz is a great start.

Rachel: Keep on spreading that energy girl, hot pink hair and all.

There were tons more folks that I’m not mentioning but to all of you at the Indy Hall bash, I just want to say thanks for welcoming me with such open arms. This event has encouraged me to increase my travel budget. Connecting online is great for every day mojo. Connecting face to face is the only way to take my creative mojo up to the next notch.

When I first started going to Web Innovators Group, it had the feel of an underground happy hour of geeks on parade. We were about 200-300 strong. Last night I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the door to the hotel’s ballroom in Cambridge and found 800+ people inside! Holy cannoli! This is no longer the little event that could.

Let’s get right to the recap:

The Vibe: Anxious. Very little could be heard during the three main presentations due to chatting and poor audio from the front stage. Most of us spent time looking around the room to see who we wanted to talk to when the demos were over. My biggest feedback for host David Beisel is this: time to switch up the format. A bunch of attendees I chatted with said they’d be just as happy with 10-15 side dishes versus any presentation or demo. I typically ask for a quick demo at the booth anyways to see what I missed in the presentation. More one-on-ones would allow us to have more conversations and give us time to meet with more folks.

The Parade: Curious. My prediction pre-event was that the start-ups would be hyperlocal focused. The hyper part is dead on but hyperlocal is not the only way tech is improving. I typically use “hyperlocal” when I refer to sites like Zeer (one of the features at WIG) or MarksGuide. These sites connect people online to offline activities such as grocery shopping or a business seminar. The value of good hyperlocal is an improved experience — both online and offline.

The brainies at WebInno (and beyond) are building tools and apps that take experience beyond the either/or activity of website or real life. They are giving us platforms to create “hyperactivity,” only not the kind that makes your little cousin Johnny ruin Thanksgiving dinner. Sharing stuff is mixing with selling stuff. Communicating ideas is mixing with experiencing ideas. Building cool tools is mixing with playing cool tools. And if you can’t take it on the road, it’ll get left behind.

For instance, I spent some time chatting with Jeff Cutler from 211me, a text ad mobile mashup site. I asked Jeff how 211me differs from my pal Rob Flynn’s venture Pulse Media (Rob is also a group88 partner). Jeff proceeded to show me a promo for the upcoming flick Eagle Eye where fans can mashup Shia LaBeouf’s head with their own pic and forward it to a radio station promo to enter to win a walk-on role on some other DreamWorks flick. As Jeff would say, “That’s hot, right?” Yes Jeff, it sure is.

Mobile apps and i-ing up is the focus of start-ups these days. Apparently we will all be iPodding eventually, or at least everyone born in the ’80s will have them surgically attached to their texting hand. It’s not enough to be interesting, have a cool interface or provide something that brings users back. If you’re not bringing the activity to users while they’re waiting in line at Six Flags or hanging out drinking beers right now, figure out how. And figure it out fast because tomorrow will be too late.

The Deals: ?. My buddy Matt (a very sharp Rails developer) commented that the climate has changed because the start-up crowd has very few pre-funded folks these days. A lot of the companies are off and running and looking for next wave funding or need to figure out how to bring in the ecomm dollars (the biggest question of the night). I didn’t get to chat with any investors which is too bad because I’d like to know where they stand these days. Considering the packed house, I’d say that the funds are there but my gut tells me that the ideas getting the most notice have business plans beyond ad revenue or social connection models.

There is one prediction that I completely blew. Unlike last time, no one cared that I came “all that way from Connecticut.” Well, okay, two people did. Mostly, people were too busy trying to connect with the best connections, yours truly included.

The ride back was quick as my companion, Robin Towle-Fecso from JumpStart Creative, and I had a lot to chat about. Next week is Tech Cocktail. I’m up for the drive all the way from Connecticut, ludicrous gas prices and all. Bring it on Boston.

My pals Sonny and Kara Parlin have launched Sparrow Lounge, a site to showcase their amazing photography. The below pic of yours truly was taken in Hartford by Sonny.

Along with a sharp eye for perspective and in-the-moment portraits, Sonny and Kara are doing some amazing post-processing work. The work showcased on Sparrow Lounge is phenomenal.

Equally as awesome as their work is the lightening speed awareness Sonny and Kara are receiving via flickr. Within one day of posting the “Dreaming of Infinity” pic, Sonny received a two-page list of comments. Some spammers were among them but quite a few were either “love it” comments or “can I post this on my site?” questions. Sonny also joined the CT Meetup for flickr so he could hang with other photophiles.

This is a great example of social media turning the corner. flickr is a soc media granddaddy, for sure, but for many it’s still an online photo album. But, while kids and moms are posting photos for the heck of it, photographers are getting discovered and connections are being made.

If you have been one of those folks wondering what usefulness social media would ever have beyond a water cooler chat, get yourself on flickr. For the mainstream, flickr and other soc media giants are finally beyond the honeymoon stage. One of the biggest reasons for this is volume. With typically 5,000+ uploads per minute, flickr’s flurry of activity is more than just photos and comments. It’s art, laughter, friendship, innovation, intensity, transparency, discovery, and, for some, opportunity.

Writers and business analysts are keen builders of community. They share their work online before taking the traditional print path and eagerly engage audiences in discussion.

Two clever Wired guys are taking that anti-vacuum approach with books scheduled for print in 2008 and 2009:

FREE: Why $0.00 Is The Future of Business: Remember when The New York Times tried to charge us for online content? Those were the days when business tried to reshape a traditional product model into ecommerce revenue. Not anymore. As Chris Anderson (of The Longtail fame) argues in FREE, giving it away is getting business. Anderson hopes to, you guessed it, give away the book for free or practically free. How?: hungry sponsors.

Crowd Sourcing: Another Wired guy, Jeff P. Howe, is peddling his own book (publishing in July 2008) about the online phenomenon of crowds. The theory gives form to an underbelly, grassroots movement that has been successful in open source programming for years: the power of the masses trump the efforts of one. This, according to Howe, can be a powerful force in innovation, business and funding.

Both Anderson and Howe are tapping into more than just collaboration for the sake of collaboration or making the community feel warm and fuzzy. They are creating the ultimate marketing utopia of building a market with the product. How do you say no to purchasing or obtaining something you’ve participated in or donated to? It’s like bringing beef stew to the potluck but not having any. It’s not done.

You don’t have to be a book author to build a market with your product or service. Consider creating a Wiki to discuss your next business venture, marketing project or your take on industry trends. Too scary to open it up to the masses? Then don’t. Create a private Wiki for invite-only access to select clients and colleagues. Good or bad, we’d love to hear about your experiences or ideas so please post away.

According to singer Jill Sobule, there is no end to the superness of this week. Catching the Bryant Park Project today on Sirius, I had a good chuckle listening to Jill and her co-singer pal belt out a little diddy for Super Tuesday.

Even better than the diddy was the conversation that followed. Jill is currently raising money to produce her next album through this site: Jill’s Next Record. She’s not just asking for flat out cash. Givers receive too. Sponsorship levels range from $25 in exchange for a comp copy of the CD to $10,000 to join her on the record (cowbell provided).

This has to be the best idea I’ve come across all year, and that’s not just because it’s only February. We can all take some cues from Jill. Whether she knows it or not, she’s maxing out the convergence of ecomm, grassroots marketing and social networking.

In 2007, Radiohead channeled publicity for their latest album, In Rainbows, to a website where fans downloaded tracks at a self-chosen price. A statement against old school industriasts? Publicity stunt? Either way the tracks are no longer available as freebies. There’s no failure here. Radiohead’s approach got everyone talking and gobs of site-clogging traffic. The chatter was mostly aimed at the stunt versus the album itself which is a bit of a shame but either way we all should applaud Radiohead for connecting with their fans in a new way.

Jill’s path takes the fan connection and blows it up. She reverses the path by getting her fans to pay her. How great is that? Everyone talks about building a community online but Jill is really, actively, one-by-one, person-to-person, musician-to-fan drawing the circle. If I threw Jill some cash, which I am contemplating, you’ll bet I’ll be checking back at the site in a few weeks to see if she’s raised any more money. I’ll also tell my friends about it, maybe even blog about it again, and I might buy a few of her older tracks too. All of my actions along the way will contribute to Jill’s success and this is the key value of Jill’s idea: I’m giving just as much as I’m receiving. That is a true community experience.

If more people can Jillify the web, we can really advance this thing. Let’s get active. Connect with people online in ways that mimic real connections. Jill has me thinking about my own web presence. Since my talents are limited to playing the spoons and writing about other people’s talents, it will require some thought. I’ll get back to you on that. Until then, give Jill a visit.

Have you heard of any other weboneers paving the next wave of online experience? Chat us up and link away.

It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?”

This week I attended two girl power networking events, both discovered while rummaging through MeetUp.com. Although hosted in the organizer’s home, each event was very different. The first was The Professional Women’s Lunchtime Collaborative in Springfield, Mass., a small group of business indies who gather once a month with a purpose. Each month a member takes the wheel and presents a project or challenge for the group to nosh on. I like this approach. We bring our lunches, get to know each other in small bits and do our best to stay on topic.

The second event was a wine and chocolate half-social, half-networking evening. About 20 gals and one unsuspecting guy (don’t worry, we went easy on him) gathered in a very cozy fireplaced family room. The group is the Western Mass. sect of eWomenNetwork. This is atypical of their monthly meet ups which are usually a paid-speaker-dinner event. The flow of this event was possibly too casual, as discussions drifted here and there, but I didn’t mind. We kept topics to 90% business and the ideas flowed plenty regarding marketing, staying motivated and looking for new avenues to grow business.

Both events confirmed a gut feeling that I’ve had for several months now: women are itchy. Today’s professional women are energetic, smart and eager to suss out new opportunities. We’re competitive and supportive all at once. Business networking has really grown up and we all recognize the value in creating communities that have direct and indirect impact on our business.

I believe the focus for women succeeding in business is finally shifting from isolated big strides to a multitude of smaller but more effective leaps. In the early days of my career I worked with several women who were still living in the residuals of vigilante feminists. Don’t misunderstand me here – I am a huge proponent of competition and empowerment. I also believe competition is at its best when it coexists with mutual respect and support.

With the long-time career women I encountered in the 1990s, fear of not getting ahead was the driver and an expectation of suppression was a natural response. They were still “fighting the good fight” but their fight was not of 1970s and 1980s solidarity. Their fight had moved from “the man” to protecting their hard won territory against the younger women who were looking for mentorship and empowerment. It was a weird time. My views of this time were possibly skewed because I was green and new to office politics but I doubt this is the case since I see a definite change these days.

We are beyond the 1990s confusion of “every woman for herself while pretending to stick together.” Today, it’s not an either/or situation. In the U.S., it’s not about conquering territory and making a claim anymore. Now is the time for action where the focus is not reaction but impact.

The opportunities now open to everyone in business is causing an itch. I can literally see it in people at the networking events – they’re jumping out of their skins. The breadth of opportunity is immense. It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?” Moms take time off to hang with their kids and then they float into business whenever the opportunity strikes. I met a woman the other night who quit her job last summer and is just now thinking about getting another one, if the right one comes along. The organizer of the eWomenNetwork group home schools her six kids, yet finds time to help build a community of professionals who are focused on motivating and philanthropic business practice.

Man or woman in business, it’s time to scratch that itch. I want 2008 to be defined by action. Your actions should result in success for your business and for others in your community. Big or small, the actions we take to improve the business environment for others will always have great rewards for our own growth and success.

Predicting what 2008 will bring is tricky business. It’s an election year, housing is moving on from sellers-market denial, credit card debt continues to eat away at our economic stability, the U.S. dollar has seen better days, old media continues to fight the once-good fight while new media prepares for all-out infiltration and conglomerate air time is continually consumed by the Writer’s Guild strike and Britney Smears instead of our troops.

Armageddon? Not yet. As far as I can tell, turmoil breeds panic for the timid and intrigue for everyone else. The business climate, depending on the business, is at once volatile and filled with opportunity. I see the upcoming two years as less of an end to a decade than a precursor to the incredible shifts that will take place beginning in 2010. Virtual living and working will cause person-to-person business to make room for better online practices and philosophies. To be truly successful in the Web 2.whatever, businesses must synergize online and offline activities. Your business’ relationships, revenue and mojo depend on it. Enough about the decade, let’s just focus on 2008 for now.

Below are WallFly’s top three predictions for the upcoming year. I have to admit they are a mix of prediction and hope. Maybe I should have called them “Business-Fulfilling Prophecies” instead?

Recession Schmession

Smart companies will improve relationships, not business plans.

I’m not suggesting you avoid streamlining. We’re all making measured decisions with our cash flow. Just last week I considered not sending out a business mailer for the holiday season. Instead I opted to spend less money at Panera and wait until the new year to hit Staples.

Move your numbers around all you want but if you’re not taking time out to do the following, you are losing ground with clients: a) connecting with your clients on a regular basis (phone, mail, email or events) to increase opportunity for more interaction b) learning when, why and how your current clients interact with you, and applying that knowledge to improving your value and c) feeding your positioning with a menu of competitive activity, impending growth and your customer’s changing climate.

We all know that getting a client takes double the effort versus convincing a happy client to stay, so why do companies continue to neglect clients in the off-season of interaction? Think about your best personal relationships and what makes them tick. Making someone happy in a relationship 90% of the time requires improving their life every day (i.e., taking out the garbage) versus buying an expensive gift one day out of the year (i.e., buying an iPhone). Next time you consider dumping all of your marketing dollars into a big trade show, think about the low-budget things you can do to reach out to clients throughout the year: start a monthly newsletter, make quality control phone calls, talk about how other clients benefit from you, make in-person annual visits or even send out a short quarterly email that shares info on upcoming developments.

Ecomm Grows Up

Utility will emerge from 80 gazillion social media apps.

I’ve seen some pretty useless Facebook applications - from starting a virtual snowball fight to getting hugged by a zombie. How do these strides in web development improve your business? They won’t. But they will change the way users interact with the web and that’s what you need notice. Once users start expecting things from the online world, they want it from everyone - a streamlined user experience, content that takes into account context and a site that understands the concept of easy.

The massive amount of activity taking place among developers for Facebook and now Google’s universal app platform will both increase the size of our kids’ behinds as they play less soccer (or play more virtual soccer) and generate technologies that users will want to see everywhere. If you have a website, start paying attention to the activities happening online. You don’t have to apply them all but you have to understand how it will affect your clients. I’ve advised some clients to skip blogging because it didn’t make sense for them. It’s not about jumping on the latest, new technology - it’s about understanding how all new technology is driving the way we do business.

Marketing Gets Stuck

New media will drive marketing. The stories that stick, win.

I was wondering when some smart marketing guy would take Chris Anderson’s Long Tail and extend it by applying it to branding. The smart marketing guy is Mohammed Iqbal and the essay is The Elongating Tail of Brand Communication, as found on ChangeThis.

One-hit wonders are not only increasingly rare in this climate of targeted success, aiming for them is the same as denying the tastes of various music fans. We are a culture of choice and highly personal demand. One size does not fit all and this philosophy applies to both your products or service and your brand position.

I recently discovered this in my research for finding a market for a Connecticut coworking space, Group88, that I will help manage in 2008. Some of the area professionals liked the idea of getting out of their home-based office to meet with other folks while others had no need for networking at all (I think there’s always a need for networking but I’m partial to the practice). You can’t be all things to all people so don’t even try. You can, however, choose the primary values of your positioning that appeals to your variety of customers. Using new media channels to test an idea and then kill it or expand it will yield higher results than picking one thing and crossing your fingers that it will stick. Don’t egg your basket - add crates and buckets and other things to put all your eggs into.

Yesterday I attended a Hasbro vendor fair at their Pawtucket, Rhode Island headquarters. If you think hanging out all day at the birthplace of Mr. Potato Head is all candy canes, pumpkin pie and green apple licorice . . . Yahtzee! You’re right.

The purpose of the fair is to connect freelancers (writers like me, product and package designers, molders, illustrators, photographers, etc.) with in-house Hasbroites. I have been doing some work with excellent copywriter Kara Parlin at the East Longmeadow, Mass. location and was really psyched to attend this one-day only event. I invited my graphic design co-hort, Amanda Bedard of Spielman Design. Amanda does incredible work and she’s a networking hound like me so it was a perfect fit.

First things first, I need to give some major props to our organizer, Susan Algeo. Susan has more energy than Spiderman on speed and could give lessons on how to keep an event ticking while dealing with 800 interruptions, competition with the buzz of daily life at headquarters and a four-hour window to ensure a productive day for 50+ folks who have traveled as far as Portland, Oregon. At one point, I caught Susan attempting to fill up a plate for lunch and told her that I had a question for her when she was done. Nonsense! We chatted while she tried to eat and then, of course, also took care of a few more interruptions along the way. Along with a catalog of all vendors, a fab hot lunch, an afternoon snack of kettle corn, access to the discounted Hasbro boutique (Christmas for my nephew is done!), we also received either Scrabble or Yahtzee! as a parting gift. It was better than spending the day in Candy Land.

Talking with the Hasbroites was really refreshing. These people love what they do. I talked with copywriter Danielle Slawsby who has great war stories from the dotcom days and is working on some cool web stuff for Hasbro, Joanna Kalafarski who manages packaging and product copy and was kind enough to let me bend her ear while I could tell she was swamped with work, Art Director Kathleen Murray who apparently loves pop culture more than me (although I think it might be a tie) and Design Director Melissa Mips who began with Hasbro at the East Longmeadow branch and seems to know just about everyone in Hasbro’s extensive network of past and current employees. I also met tons of designers like a kid (I think he was older than 12 but I’ll still call him a kid) who designs GI Joe and a guy who’s worked on Play-Doh for ions.

Equally cool was hanging with the other vendors. Here’s a list of my favs:

Fuszion - Killer design company located in Virginia. Rick and Jeff let me babble on about branding and marketing so I loved them even more. How can you go wrong with a name like Fuszion? These guys have awesome years ahead of them.

Smith Design - Mr. and Mrs. Smith are green-concerned packaging and product designers out of New Jersey. Their daughter Jenna, an ex-Silicon Valley girl, represented the fam and did a great job of showcasing their excellent work.

Gary Leveille, Berkshire Creative - Gary is a fellow writer who has quite an extensive list of experience in the biz. He had some great writer-to-writer advice for me which I will keep to myself.

Smartshape Design - Did you know Cleveland is really just an old ‘burb of Connecticut? These guys did - they know everything! Smartshape are innovative engineers who can also hook clients up with tooling and manufacturing. Smart.

Gary & Maggie Houston, A Printer’s Film Service, inc. - Gary and Maggie are a husband and wife duo who met in Providence, RI and worked for Hasbro “back in the day” and now live in North Carolina. Spunk doesn’t begin to describe them.

Philip Hatter, Thistledown Puppets - You have not seen puppets until you’ve met Philip and his puppet posse. His work is incredible and his love for puppet theater really shows in his designs. I kept meaning to ask him why he went with the name Thistledown versus a play on Mad Hatter. For another day.

Pumpkin Pie - Jennifer and Sheridan specialize in branding, logos and package design. They practice what they preach and have done some of the best branding for their own company that I’ve seen in a long time.

Adam Gillespie, Night Light Graphics - Adam is an extremely talented illustrator and graphic designer of cool other worlds. He has a very bright future ahead of him.

Floating Pear Productions - Digital animation experts, Floating Pear were our neighbors and Hasbro’s too since they are based out of Providence, RI. Co-founder Dee Boyd’s bubbly personality and their cool mug give-aways kept the traffic flowing our way. Thanks Dee!

And last but absolutely not least . . .

The Linnett Sisters - A long-forgotten ’50s pop band? Nope. Two creative New Hampshire gals, Katie and Patti, daughters of illustrator Charles Linnett (also an ex-Hasbroite) and owners of Linnett Studios. The Linnett Sisters are talented illustrators and innovative package and product designers.

All in all a great networking event. I’m sure Susan will be looking for feedback on how to make the day better and I really only have one suggestion:

The Catalog - The catalog of vendors was not distributed to Hasbroites unless they strolled down to the event. I would flip this entirely. Why not offer up an electronic catalog teaser to those groups (Design, Creative, etc.) one week ahead of time? In the teaser, I would allow the vendors a quick promo paragraph and also a chance for them to say which Hasbro projects (or types of projects) they’d like to work on.

Life gets in the way - meetings, sick days, unexpected work issues - if someone isn’t able to meet with the vendors on the day we’re there or from the 10-2 time frame, it’s possible that Hasbro staff might want to meet with vendors before or after the event. I say promote the folks who are traveling to Pawtucket, RI as much as possible. There was a lot of talent hanging out in that Hasbro hallway. Keeping us a secret is like telling kids about this great movie where funky fighting, car-morphing machines attempt to destroy the world versus showing them this.

Either way, I’ll be back again next year. To those vendors who declined to attend because they considered it a Trivial Pursuit: you’ll be Sorry! next year if you Boggle an opportunity to Connect Four hours with folks that could move you along in The Game of Life. And let’s not forget the kettle corn. That’s worth the trip to Pawtucket alone.

I have never been tempted to drag myself out of a post-Thanksgiving coma to mingle with the early morning freaks on Black Friday. But darn that Kohl’s if they didn’t have the best deal on digital photo frames. So, there I was, pulling into Kohl’s at 4:15 a.m., and under my droopy eyelids I suddenly notice not 1, 2 or 3 but like 8-10 women strolling out of the store with purchases in hand. The store had only been open for 15 minutes! These gals must have been camped out since 2 a.m. and, obviously, knew exactly what they wanted - my digital photo frame. Dang it!

I parked the car, in the second back lot since the first was a complete nightmare, and strolled into the store. After finding the empty shelf that was home to my digital photo frame and catching a glimpse of the frenzy throughout the store, I split. I then strolled over to Best Buy, which was opening at 5 a.m., and got in the line about 300 people deep. A guy in front of me told another guy that he’d need a ticket or he’d be forced to wait outside and, by the way, they weren’t giving out tickets anymore. Back to the car I went. I’ll spare you the details of the rest of my day, which I now call Black-Eye Friday, for the elbow-throwing crazies who will do anything to grab the biggest deal first.

Have we totally lost our minds? Retailers are pointing to high fuel prices (which are definitely a factor but not always a deal breaker) and the mortgage crunch for pre-blame commentary on how they will have a tough holiday season. Dozens of surveys and reports such as this one by U.S. News predict consumers will tighten their belts and spend less than we have in the past 5 years. Fooey! It’s not the holidays we should be worried about. Consumers won’t spend less between now and December 25. They’ll just jack up their plastic and then, starting January 1, try to figure out how to pay for it. And that’s when we’ll all be in trouble.

I don’t think we’ll have an all-out recession (plus, who am I to predict such things?), but I do think that businesses will be tightening up in every area: resources, marketing, advertising, overhead, employee benefits and anything that isn’t instantly reflective of the bottom line. You will see tons more businesses investing marketing dollars in online within the next two years. This isn’t difficult to predict based on the recent growth in trends and the Googlization of advertising, but I believe more businesses will be open to online for basic cost-saving factors. As long as they can be sure of the return and, with online, tracking the return is as easy as a few clicks and a scan of the data.

You can take all the surveys you want that will predict a slow in spending, and they might be true, but I’m less concerned with the economical effects of not buying Johnny an iPhone in Christmas 2007 versus the after-effects of a nervous economy that breeds less investing and ostrich-like spending in 2008 and beyond.

I’ve spent most of my career working for other people. Before I started WallFly, I had the everyday ritual of most Joe Workers: smack the alarm clock, drive to an office with other dutiful Joe Workers and then go home for a few hours before starting the process all over again.

I still smack the alarm clock but, depending on the previous night, it could be a 7 a.m. start time or maybe 10. How awesome is that? The freedom is the best perk. The solitariness, however, can make you feel really small. I wanted to find out who else was swimming about in the solo entrepreneur underbelly so I wrote Mavericks, an article for CT Slant. In my research, I talked with some really cool folks that ended up on the cutting room floor (1,000 words gets eaten up fast) so here are the Mavericks that didn’t make it into the piece:

Brightegg: www.brightegg.com

The Bright Idea: Smart websites for budget-smart professionals

How It Works: Brightegg has built an online platform for businesses who want to self-create, manage and market a website that is not cookie cutter and doesn’t break their bank. Their approach is unique. Designers from all over the world create themes for Brightegg and post them for purchase. Users can buy exclusive rights to a design (you’ll pay more) or choose a design that’s open to anyone (on the cheap). You can also hire Brightegg for a custom website. I know their work – you will not be disappointed. If you’ve ever tried to use free blogging software or set up a website yourself, you know the limitations with templates. Blech.

Start-up Life: Brightegg received funding for their gig and two of its partners are still juggling day jobs. Newly launched and in Beta, Brightegg has survived the funding and initial build phase and, according to co-partner Jim Kieffer, the next hurdle is traffic.

“The biggest challenge is getting the word out,” said Jim. “We offer companies something they can’t easily get anywhere else: a high-end, feature rich website, plus hosting and email, at an inexpensive price. We’ve got a great position in the marketplace but if the marketplace doesn’t know we exist, what’s the point?”

As a first venture, along with co-partners Leo Pellerin and Ryan Rose, Kieffer said one thing they’ve learned is that the money “goes much quicker than you think.” More than figuring out how to get funding, Brightegg has had to learn the nuances of working with investors.

“You need to think big. We thought big and still could have asked for more in our first round of funding. Ask yourself if you truly believe in your idea, product and business plan. Investors want a confident management team more than a good idea or product,” said Kieffer.

Kieffer advises other start-ups that a good idea is only the beginning.

“Think simple and targeted. People need to instantly connect with your brand without having to think about it. Also, take advantage of the new world of social networking and outsourcing. If done right, it can be tremendously helpful and rewarding.”

Go Cross Campus: http://gocrosscampus.blogspot.com

Designs on Dorm Dwellars: Gaming meets happy hour

How It Works: GoCrossCampus, or “GXC,” creates online games that mimic real locations. Gamers play on custom maps of their campus or surrounding area while interacting socially with other gamers. The first game was done by the Yale College council and had over 50% of the undergrads participating. Each game is custom-created to last 4-6 weeks.

Start-up Life: Unlike Brightegg, GXC is taking on the give-it-away-now-sell-later model. The games are free and, according to co-founder and Yale student Brad Hargreaves, the social networking-casual gaming platform is hoping to build a community that will attract a big player buy.

“You have Facebook versus games that were surrounded by a stigma – think of the fat kid in his basement. We want to break down that stigma. We think GXC is a great way for people to interact.”

Hargreaves, with his Yale crew, found resistance with their YouTube-like philosophy of building a following and then monetizing later on. The group had to go out of the state for funding. Connecticut investors wanted to see a strong revenue model that wasn’t part of GXC’s philosophy.

According to Hargreaves, Yale has “really taken care of us” with space, connections to advisors and people who shared theGXC philosophy and asked for nothing in return. Next on the horizon for GXC is getting more developers on board, partnering up with schools to play the game in Beta form and building a Facebook app so gamers can put stats on their profile.

For the initial games, GXC spent nothing on marketing and spent their Angel and VC funding on the product build. Hargreaves said that his biggest challenge was not getting funding but finding talent.

“The West coast is competitive. It’s tough to get the people you need because you are pulling them away from Google and Yahoo. Here it’s finding the people you need from a limited pool because they’re headed to the West coast.”

Hargreaves’ advice? “Get your idea out there. You’re not working on the Manhattan Project. If you have the opportunity to speak to Yahoo, go do it. If you’re huddling around your idea, you won’t get very far.”

XLerant: www.xlerant.com

Good Sheet: Accounting software for non-accountants

How It Works: BudgetPak is a “budgeting agent,” similar to Turbo Tax for accounting. Xlerant found that the industry is limited by targeting only the people willing to invest time to learn financial software. According to XLerant, the people driving business don’t want to be involved in the budgeting and planning process, the core of a business, because every accounting software looks like Excel, a product bought by accountants.

Start-up Life: When President Larry Serven and XLerant’s Stamford-based co-founders first developed an idea for easy-to-use accounting software, they looked to Excel. Not as a model but as everything they didn’t want to be.

“Our vision is to redefine the industry. The standard for ease of use is not Excel. The standard is Apple, Amazon, and Expedia. When someone thinks of easy, they think of ordering a book on Amazon, but they reject a spreadsheet as being ‘easy,’” said Serven.

In 2005, XLerant began developing their application with their first customer and psuedo-investor. In exchange for funding the costs of development, XLerant’s first client received unlimited user license and perpetuity. The alternative would be to grab VC cash, build and then launch.

“As an entrepreneur, you’re not always looking for the money, you’re looking to build a solid working relationship with an investor. You’re looking for them to add value,” said Serven.

XLerant headed down this partner-investor path on the advice of CTInnovations. According to Serven, CTI has helped in revealing the product, map out marketing and positioning and determine the most effective way to spend their cash.

Next step for XLerant is building the sales and marketing force. The company plans to continue building BudgetPak and looking for new ways to fill a market need.

“Every entrepreneur has to evaluate each potential exit strategy or offer when the given time comes. For us, we’re focused on keeping our head down and doing the best in the industry and good things will follow.”