YouGottaCall.com pitch deck with system overview and benefits

BOLT: I'll compose a comprehensive article that covers all these aspects of YouGottaCall. The article will be written in a professional yet engaging style, suitable for both business and consumer audiences.

A Platform for Sharing Trusted, Word of Mouth Referrals

Industry Analysis

The local service provider market is undergoing a significant transformation. While traditional advertising and lead generation services continue to dominate, they often fall short in delivering quality customer connections. Studies show that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know over any other form of marketing, yet the service industry lacks effective tools to harness this powerful dynamic.

Referral marketing has proven to be 4x more effective than traditional advertising in converting prospects into customers. This effectiveness stems from the pre-established trust and personal validation that comes with word-of-mouth recommendations. However, tracking and rewarding these referrals has historically been challenging for service providers.

Trust networks, when properly leveraged, create powerful network effects. Each new member exponentially increases the network's value by contributing their trusted connections and experiences. This compounds the platform's effectiveness, as each successful referral strengthens existing relationships and spawns new ones.

In the local service economy, businesses thrive or fail based on reputation and relationships. The challenge lies in scaling these relationships while maintaining the authenticity and trust that make word-of-mouth recommendations so valuable.

Market Positioning

YouGottaCall (YGC) positions itself as the Connection Engine™ for trusted service recommendations. Unlike traditional lead generation platforms that sell unqualified leads, YGC facilitates authentic word-of-mouth referrals between trusted connections. This approach ensures higher quality leads and better conversion rates for service providers.

The platform's trust-based referral network is built on a patented system that propagates trust through verified connections. This creates a reliable ecosystem where recommendations carry real weight because they come from known, trusted sources within a user's extended network.

For service providers, YGC offers unprecedented growth opportunities through qualified referrals. Providers only pay for successful referrals, eliminating the waste associated with traditional lead buying. The platform's trust propagation system helps providers expand their reach through the trusted networks of satisfied customers.

Members benefit from both sides of the platform. They can easily find trusted service providers recommended by their network, and they earn rewards for sharing their positive experiences. This creates a virtuous cycle where good service is recognized and rewarded.

Business Model

At the heart of YGC's business model is its patented referral system (US Patent US7953644B2). This system tracks and validates referrals while ensuring fair compensation for all participants. The platform's revenue model is based on success fees, with no upfront costs for members or providers.

The commission structure is transparent and equitable:

• 20% platform fee for YGC
• 40% reward for the referring member
• 30% reward for the new customer
• 10% commission for the Affiliate Manager

Affiliate Managers play a crucial role in business development, managing territories and helping service providers maximize their success on the platform. This creates additional entrepreneurial opportunities within the YGC ecosystem.

Service providers can offer two tiers of service:

• Gold Tier: Premium service level with higher fees and priority placement
• Silver Tier: Standard service level with basic features and lower fees

Network Growth

The user experience is designed to facilitate natural network growth. Members build their trust networks by connecting with friends, family, and colleagues. The platform integrates seamlessly with mobile device contacts, making it easy to invite trusted connections and share referrals.

Provider onboarding is streamlined yet thorough, ensuring quality while minimizing friction. The process includes:

• Business profile creation
• Service area definition
• Pricing tier selection
• Verification and certification

The referral workflow supports both push and pull models:

• Push: Members actively recommend providers to their connections
• Pull: Members search for providers recommended by their network

Social integration features amplify the network effect, allowing members to share their experiences across platforms while maintaining the trust-based nature of the recommendations.

Technical Architecture

YGC's technical foundation is built on a sophisticated trust network implementation that tracks and validates connections up to three degrees of separation. This creates an expandable but controlled network that maintains recommendation quality.

Real-time referral tracking ensures transparent and accurate reward distribution. The system monitors:

• Referral status changes
• Service completion
• Payment processing
• Reward distribution

Security and privacy are paramount, with features including:

• Row-level security for data access
• Encrypted communication
• Verified business credentials
• Secure payment processing

Geographic service area management ensures providers receive relevant referrals within their specified territories. The system supports:

• Base location definition
• Service radius configuration
• ZIP code validation
• Territory optimization

Benefits and Call to Action

For Members:

• Access to trusted service providers
• Earn rewards for helping others
• Build valuable connections
• Save time finding reliable services
• Free to join and use

For Trusted Service Providers:

• Receive pre-qualified referrals
• Pay only for successful conversions
• Set your own referral fees
• Build trust-based growth
• Expand through word-of-mouth
• Manage your online presence

Join YouGottaCall today and become part of the trusted referral revolution. Whether you're looking for reliable service providers or wanting to grow your business through word-of-mouth recommendations, YGC provides the platform, tools, and rewards to make it happen.

For members, signing up is free and puts the power of trusted recommendations at your fingertips. For service providers, YGC offers a risk-free way to grow your business through the most powerful form of marketing – word of mouth from satisfied customers.

Visit YouGottaCall.com to learn more and join the network that's transforming how people find and share trusted service providers.

 

Gemini: A Platform for Sharing Trusted, Word-of-Mouth Referrals: Introducing YGC

Industry Analysis: The Power of Trust in the Service Economy

The service provider market is a dynamic landscape driven by consumer demand for reliable and trustworthy professionals. However, traditional marketing channels often struggle to build the same level of trust as personal recommendations. This is where word-of-mouth referrals shine. Studies consistently demonstrate that consumers place a high value on recommendations from friends, family, and trusted acquaintances.

Referral Marketing Effectiveness: In an era saturated with online advertising and reviews, genuine referrals stand out. They carry the weight of personal experience and social proof, significantly increasing conversion rates and customer loyalty.

Trust Network Effects: The power of referrals lies in the network effect. As more individuals participate in a trust-based referral system, the value of the network increases exponentially. This creates a virtuous cycle where trust begets more trust, leading to a robust and reliable platform.

Local Service Economy Impact: Local service providers are the backbone of communities. They rely heavily on local reputation and word-of-mouth marketing. A platform that amplifies these organic referrals can significantly boost their business and contribute to a thriving local economy.

YGC's Market Positioning: Building a Trust-Based Referral Ecosystem

YGC, or YouGottaCall, is designed to harness the power of word-of-mouth referrals and create a trusted network for connecting consumers with reliable service providers.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing Engine: YGC is built on the fundamental principle that the best marketing comes from satisfied customers. We provide the tools and infrastructure to amplify these organic referrals, making it easy for members to share their positive experiences.

Trust-Based Referral Network: Trust is at the core of YGC. We foster a community where members feel confident in the recommendations they receive. By leveraging existing social connections and building a network of trusted individuals, we create a reliable platform for finding quality service providers.

Provider Growth Opportunities: YGC provides service providers (TSPs) with a powerful channel for acquiring new customers. By tapping into the existing networks of their satisfied customers, TSPs can significantly expand their reach and grow their business.

Member Benefits and Rewards: YGC offers members a convenient and trustworthy way to find quality service providers. Members can easily access recommendations from their network, saving time and reducing the risk of hiring unreliable professionals.

YGC's Business Model: A Patented System for Mutual Benefit

YGC's business model is built on a patented referral system that incentivizes both members and service providers.

Patented Referral System: Our patented system ensures that referrals are tracked and rewarded fairly and transparently. This creates a level playing field for all participants and fosters a culture of trust and reciprocity.

Commission Structure and Revenue Sharing: YGC operates on a revenue-sharing model, where a percentage of the referral fee is shared between the referring member, the Affiliate Manager (if applicable), and YGC itself. This creates a sustainable ecosystem where everyone benefits from the platform's success.

Affiliate Manager Opportunities: YGC offers opportunities for individuals to become Affiliate Managers, playing a vital role in business development and expanding the network. Affiliate Managers earn commissions by onboarding new TSPs and supporting their growth on the platform.

TSP Tiered Reward System (Gold/Silver): YGC utilizes a tiered reward system for TSPs, recognizing and incentivizing high-performing providers. Gold and Silver tiers offer exclusive benefits, such as increased visibility and priority placement within the platform.

Network Growth: Fostering Engagement and Trust

YGC's network growth is driven by a user-friendly experience and strategic features that encourage participation.

User Experience: Member Trust Network Building: YGC simplifies the process of building and managing a trusted network. Members can easily connect with their existing contacts and invite new individuals to join the platform. Integration with device contacts streamlines this process.

TSP Provider Onboarding Process: YGC's onboarding process is designed to be seamless and efficient. TSPs can quickly create their profiles, showcase their services, and begin receiving referrals.

Referral Workflows (Push/Pull): YGC supports both push and pull referral workflows. Members can proactively recommend TSPs to their network (push) or search for recommendations within their network (pull).

Social Integration Features: YGC integrates with social media platforms, allowing members to easily share referrals and connect with their networks.

Technical Architecture: Security and Reliability

YGC's technical architecture is built on a foundation of security, reliability, and scalability.

Trust Network Implementation: Our trust network implementation utilizes advanced algorithms and data analysis to ensure the integrity and reliability of referrals.

Real-Time Referral Tracking: YGC provides real-time tracking of referrals, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Security and Data Privacy Features: YGC prioritizes security and data privacy, implementing robust measures to protect user information.

Geographic Service Area Management: YGC's platform allows for precise geographic service area management, ensuring that members are connected with relevant service providers in their local area.

Conclusion: Join the YGC Revolution

YGC is more than just a referral platform; it's a community built on trust and mutual benefit. For members, YGC offers a convenient and reliable way to find quality service providers. For TSPs, YGC provides a powerful channel for acquiring new customers and growing their business.

Join the YGC revolution and experience the power of trusted, word-of-mouth referrals. Together, we can build a stronger and more connected community.

 

Claude: A Platform for Sharing Trusted, Word of Mouth Referrals

Industry Analysis

Service Provider Market Dynamics

The home services industry represents a fragmented yet massive sector of the economy, valued at over $500 billion annually in the United States alone. Small to medium-sized businesses make up approximately 98% of this market, creating unique challenges and opportunities. These Trusted Service Providers (TSPs) operate in a highly competitive environment where customer acquisition remains their greatest challenge.

Traditional lead generation services typically charge $20-100 per lead regardless of conversion, while digital marketing platforms require substantial upfront investments with uncertain returns. The average service provider spends between 10-20% of their revenue on marketing, yet most report dissatisfaction with both the quality and cost-effectiveness of these solutions.

Referral Marketing Effectiveness

Research consistently demonstrates that word-of-mouth referrals outperform all other marketing channels:

• Referred customers have a 16% higher lifetime value than non-referred customers
• Conversion rates for qualified referrals range from 40-60%, compared to 5-15% for traditional lead sources
• The cost per acquisition through referrals is 50-75% lower than paid advertising channels
• Referred customers are 4x more likely to refer others, creating a powerful multiplier effect

Despite these compelling statistics, only 20% of service providers have formalized referral programs, and most rely on inconsistent, ad-hoc approaches to capturing this valuable channel.

Trust Network Effects

The foundational element of effective referrals is trust. When recommendations flow through established trust networks, they carry implicit verification that dramatically increases their value. These networks create powerful economic efficiencies:

• Reduced information asymmetry between providers and customers
• Lower transaction costs through streamlined decision-making
• Increased market transparency and service quality
• Self-reinforcing quality control mechanisms

As trust networks scale, their value increases exponentially – the classic network effect. Each successful transaction strengthens the network, making it more valuable for all participants.

Local Service Economy Impact

Small businesses form the backbone of local economies, generating approximately two-thirds of new jobs and keeping resources within communities. When local service providers thrive, communities benefit through:

• Increased local employment opportunities
• Greater tax revenue for community services
• Economic multiplier effects from local spending
• Enhanced community identity and cohesion

Effective word-of-mouth referral systems strengthen these local economic ecosystems by connecting quality providers with consumers seeking their services.

YouGottaCall's Market Positioning

Word-of-Mouth Marketing Engine

YouGottaCall (YGC) has positioned itself as the first purpose-built platform that systematically captures, rewards, and amplifies natural word-of-mouth referrals. Unlike review sites or lead generation services, YGC doesn't attempt to replace traditional word-of-mouth – it enhances it by:

• Facilitating trusted connections between consumers and service providers
• Providing structure to capture referrals that might otherwise be lost
• Rewarding participants for sharing valuable recommendations
• Creating a sustainable ecosystem that benefits all participants

This approach addresses the fundamental inefficiency in local service markets: the disconnect between high-quality providers and consumers needing their services.

Trust-Based Referral Network

At its core, YGC operates as a trust network that preserves the essential human element of recommendations. This positions the platform distinctly from:

• Review sites (where reviews can be manipulated)
• Lead generation services (which sell the same leads to multiple providers)
• Marketplace platforms (which focus on price competition)

YGC's trust network is built on verified connections between real people sharing genuine experiences with service providers they've actually used. This authentic approach maintains the integrity of recommendations while amplifying their reach.

Provider Growth Opportunities

For Trusted Service Providers, YGC offers multiple growth pathways:

• Access to pre-qualified customers through trusted referrals
• Reduced customer acquisition costs through performance-based payments
• Increased customer lifetime value through trusted relationships
• Opportunities to build a reputation-based business
• Protection from commoditization and price competition

Service providers can focus on delivering quality work rather than constant marketing, creating a virtuous cycle where excellent service generates more referrals.

Member Benefits and Rewards

YGC members (consumers) receive multiple benefits:

• Access to trusted service providers through their social connections
• Financial rewards for sharing valuable recommendations
• Discounts when using referred providers
• Simplified decision-making when selecting service providers
• Ongoing relationship management with quality providers

These benefits create a compelling reason for consumers to participate actively in the platform, generating the critical mass needed for network effects.

YouGottaCall's Business Model

Patented Referral System

YouGottaCall's business model centers on its patented dual-reward referral system. This innovative approach:

• Allows service providers to set their own referral fees
• Automatically splits rewards between referring members and new customers
• Tracks and verifies successful referrals
• Creates transparent accountability throughout the process

This system aligns incentives across all participants, ensuring that everyone benefits from successful connections.

Commission Structure and Revenue Sharing

The platform's economic engine works through a carefully balanced revenue-sharing model:

• TSPs determine their referral fee (typically 5-15% of job value)
• Referring members receive 40-50% of the fee
• New customers receive 30-40% of the fee
• YGC receives 20% of the fee for facilitating the transaction

This structure ensures providers pay only for successful new customer acquisitions while rewarding both referrers and new customers for participating.

Affiliate Business Development

YGC's growth strategy includes an innovative affiliate program that enables entrepreneurial individuals to:

• Recruit and onboard quality service providers
• Build local service networks within specific geographic areas
• Earn ongoing commissions from successful referrals
• Create sustainable business opportunities within their communities

Affiliates serve as Affiliate Managers who act as "trust ambassadors," vetting service providers and building local networks, thereby accelerating platform adoption across diverse markets.

Tiered Provider Rewards

Service providers can achieve Gold or Silver status based on:

• Customer satisfaction metrics
• Referral conversion rates
• Response time and reliability
• Longevity on the platform
• Volume of successful transactions

These tiers provide additional benefits including enhanced visibility, priority placement, and reduced platform fees, incentivizing continued quality service and platform engagement.

Network Growth Strategy

Member Trust Network Building

YouGottaCall's growth begins with enabling members to build their personal trust networks by:

• Importing contacts from existing digital address books
• Sending and accepting connection requests
• Identifying trusted service providers within their networks
• Seamlessly sharing recommendations with friends and family

The platform's design emphasizes ethical contact management, requiring opt-in consent and providing easy controls for privacy preferences.

Provider Onboarding Process

TSP onboarding follows a structured verification process:

• Business credential verification
• Insurance and licensing confirmation
• Service area definition
• Pricing and availability parameters
• Referral fee structure establishment
• Customer service standards agreement

This thorough process ensures that only legitimate, qualified service providers join the network, maintaining trust integrity.

Referral Workflows (Push/Pull)

YGC offers flexible referral workflows to accommodate natural recommendation patterns:

• Push referrals: Members proactively recommend providers to connections
• Pull referrals: Members request recommendations for specific services
• Hybrid interactions: Blended communication based on user preferences

These workflows mirror natural conversation patterns, making the platform intuitive for users accustomed to traditional word-of-mouth exchanges.

Social Integration Features

While maintaining privacy, YGC integrates with existing social structures:

• Contact import capabilities from phones and email
• Optional social network connectivity
• Group recommendation features for neighborhood or community use
• Public/private sharing controls for recommendations

These features balance privacy concerns with the social nature of recommendations, enabling natural network growth.

Technical Architecture

Trust Network Implementation

The platform's technical foundation is built on a sophisticated trust network architecture:

• Graph database for mapping relationship connections
• Verification algorithms for ensuring recommendation authenticity
• Trust scoring mechanisms to weight recommendations
• Machine learning systems to identify patterns and prevent abuse

This architecture supports the complex relationship mapping required for effective trust networks while maintaining scalability.

Real-Time Referral Tracking

YouGottaCall's tracking system monitors referrals throughout their lifecycle:

• Initial recommendation sharing
• Recipient engagement
• Provider communication
• Service scheduling
• Service completion
• Payment processing
• Reward distribution

This comprehensive tracking ensures transparency and accurate reward allocation.

Security and Data Privacy

The platform incorporates robust security measures:

• End-to-end encryption for sensitive communications
• GDPR and CCPA compliant data handling
• Granular privacy controls for users
• Secure payment processing
• Regular security audits and penetration testing

These measures protect user information while building confidence in the platform.

Geographic Service Area Management

YGC's geographic capabilities enable precise service area definition:

• Custom service boundaries for providers
• Location-based recommendation filtering
• Neighborhood-specific service discovery
• Proximity-based connection suggestions

These features ensure relevant matches between providers and customers based on actual service areas.

Conclusion

Benefits for Members

YouGottaCall transforms how consumers find and engage with trusted service providers:

• Access to pre-verified, quality service providers
• Financial rewards for sharing valuable recommendations
• Reduced risk when selecting providers
• Time savings through streamlined decision-making
• Ongoing quality service through trusted relationships

The platform eliminates the uncertainty and frustration typically associated with finding reliable service providers.

Benefits for Service Providers

For Trusted Service Providers, YouGottaCall delivers compelling advantages:

• Higher quality leads with greater conversion potential
• Reduced marketing costs through performance-based payment
• Insulation from price-based competition
• Reputation-based business growth
• Streamlined customer acquisition

These benefits allow providers to focus on delivering quality service rather than constant marketing efforts.

Join the Future of Word-of-Mouth

YouGottaCall represents the next evolution in word-of-mouth marketing – preserving its trusted essence while adding structure, incentives, and technology to amplify its effectiveness. By joining YouGottaCall, you become part of a movement to strengthen local economies, reward quality service, and rebuild community-based trust networks.

Whether you're a consumer looking for trusted service providers or a quality provider seeking pre-qualified customers, YouGottaCall offers a revolutionary platform that transforms how we share and benefit from trusted recommendations.

Visit YouGottaCall.com today to join the word-of-mouth revolution.

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Response - or QR-Codes

This says it all. If your smart phone reads QR codes.

Quick Response Codes (QRCs) are like bar codes on steroids. They will grow in their application and usefulness. So get familiar with them.

For a basic understanding, Wikipedia is a good start.

There are free QRC generators, like:

QR-Code Generator: the site the created this image

What's next? 3D hologram QRCs?

Is YouGottaCall like AngiesList?

Shawn O'Brien Tweeted: "Is your stuff like angies list? Just saw commercial on TV." Here's a longer answer than I could fit on Twitter:

"Is YouGottaCall similar to Angie's List?"

We are aiming for the same goal – to connect consumers with trustworthy businesses. But our means of achieving this are as opposite as can be.

YouGottaCall.com is more similar to other recommendation social networks like GigPark, Yelp and LikeList. But we are designed to benefit charities and have a unique voluntary, intrinsic pay-for-performance model.

Here's how we stack up with AngiesList -

Fees: Angie's List collects fees from consumers. This is their primary revenue source. YouGottaCall.com is free to join and free to use for consumers and businesses.

Trusted relationships: AngiesList features written testimonials about the businesses. But the testimonials are written by strangers. The starting point for YouGottaCall is our members' trusted relationships. Recommendations are filtered by the members' social connections so they personally know the people recommending the business. Because we are integrated with Facebook our members can log-in using their Facebook ID. We plan to expand the integration with Facebook to achieve more referral and search utilization within Facebook.

Effectiveness: AngiesList does not guarantee consumer satisfaction in exchange for their subscription fee. In our model consumers are not charged a fee. Our revenue comes from our business members who select the amount they want to pay. For businesses, this is performance based. They choose to pay their fees for either 'referrals' or for 'new sales'.

Cause related: YouGottaCall.com enables members to select a not-for-profit organization their referrals will benefit. Eighty percent of all fees go to these charities.

My Take: Redbeacon’s Plans to Live Up to the Hype

(Excerpted from GigaOm article By Liz Gannes Aug. 16, 2010

Redbeacon is just a year and a half old, until recently was bootstrapped, and has deployed its local-services marketplace in only one region, but something about what it’s doing clearly makes people think the company’s on to something big. It’s won four separate startup competitions, including TechCrunch 50 and Silicon Alley Insider’s top prizes. People seem to really like the idea of using a website to find and negotiate with local service providers to clean their house or detail their car.

Redbeacon’s most recent valuation was its first outside funding: $7.4 million from Mayfield Fund and Venrock. So we invited co-founder and CEO Ethan Anderson over to our office to hear about what the company is doing to meet these lofty expectations.

Redbeacon is planning to use the funding to expand, said Anderson, by building up new regional markets and also through online distribution, via a publisher widget and formal partnerships with distributors like phone directories. He wants to build Redbeacon as a brand, while borrowing from the traditional classifieds business.

My Take:

RedBeacon seems like a LendingTree for contractors. Kind of Web 1.0 with some pasted-on testimonials. Not all that innovative.

Many players (AT&T - Buzz.com, Reach Local, Localeze, Google, Facebook, LikeList) are converging on the social-local space to leverage word-of-mouth referrals. Who will come up with a successful way to effectively tap the value of these trusted recommendations?

These two elements might be the keys:

1. a unique monetization model. There's so much value in the transaction itself - why not convert that to cash?

2. a unique way to benefit causes. The Web is famous for its ability to marshal the concern and financial support of people for good causes. With a creative model, the social capital of these transactions can benefit charities with a recurring source of donations.

Deriving Value From Social Networks - Open Door vs. Closed Door Approaches

Can Closed-Door Exclusive Social Networks Make Money?

Sean Carton | August 16, 2010

Excerpted from Clickz

Overall, most of us have looked at social media as a marketing tool, a way of driving traffic, building awareness, or building brand loyalty. But what if we looked at it as a way of driving revenue through access?

Social media: we all know that it’s a great marketing tool. Maybe it’s now time to start thinking about how to turn it into a revenue generating tool by making it less accessible to your audiences, not more.

My Take:

Closed door seems uncreative and Web 1.0-ish. Especially considering that marketers have yet to tap the rich potential offered by the Social Web to attach an actual dollar value to a service provided in a social transaction.

This can be done in a very "Webby" way - i.e.

- it can be done as a voluntary payment

- it can be paid after the value of the social transaction has been recognized - so it's not a "pay me now for value you may or may not get down the road" model like traditional advertising

- it can be distributed via the Web (PayPal, etc.)

- it can take brand affiliation to a new level and support affiliation with a cause (e.g. generating donations for charities)

Academic Research: Word-of-Mouth is a Great Investment

Excerpt: "Study talks up word-of-mouth marketing programs"

According to a new study, "Referral Programs and Customer Value," to be published in the January issue of the American Marketing Association's Journal of Marketing, customer referral programs are indeed a financially attractive way for firms to acquire new customers.

"There's a lot of talk about word-of-mouth-marketing, and about making money out of social connections. Our first objective was to see if customer referral programs can indeed turn social capital into economic capital. Second, we wanted to come up with a methodology to assess the effectiveness of customer referral programs that was easy to implement with data and tools available to many managers."

The study tackled three questions:

•Do referred customers have higher margins than other customers?

•Do referred customers stay longer with the firm than other customers?

•Do referred customers have a higher customer lifetime value, the net present value of all the profits a customer generates over his or her entire association with the firm?

The answers, according to the study, are all positive. Referred customers were about 18 percent more likely to stay with the bank than other customers, and that gap did not fade over time.

The researchers also concluded that the difference in margin combined with the difference in customer retention amounted to a disparity in long-term customer value of 16 percent to 25 percent. "That's not only a sizable chunk of money," Van den Bulte says, "it also amounts to a 60 percent ROI over six years.

My Take:

While this study measures the profitability of word-of-mouth for large banks, the millions of small, locally-owned US businesses undoubtedly enjoy the same benefits. On top of this, most small business owners tell us that up to 80% of their new customers arrive via word-of-mouth.

Social media is poised to help these small business owners to harness word-of-mouth as a measurable and manageable part of their advertising mix. Traditional advertising media (newspaper, Yellow Pages, local broadcast) are in a tight spot. They currently receive most of small business ad budgets, yet only account for 20% of their new sales.

These traditional, local ad media will need to offer more social media functionality to remain competitive.

Our Cool, New UI is Thanks to Their Hard Work

June has been fast paced in the midst of rolling out the new YouGottaCall.com. user interface. Feedback has been thrilling - genuine enthusiasm for the design, the graphics and ease of use. Our recent growth says it all!

A lot of effort and sweat by the entire team has gone into it. So here's some deserved thanks. Ben and his development team at ForeSite are creative, thorough - and patient! Our "Super Members" Rich, Michele, Ed, Caitlin and Giulia - social media consultants who help in QA'ing the site, brainstorming and giving honest feedback - have been encouraging and inspiring.

The CT TweetCrawlers (#cttu, #pcct, #pcwm, #swct) - from Hartford & New Haven to Stonington and Stamford - are great to have in your corner. They are trusted local businesses with well-earned reputations. For them, word-of-mouth is not new. But they are using social media to share it in new ways. And they are generous with their ideas and critiques.

With this cool UI we are ready to take it to not-for-profits and businesses to demonstrate the power of word-of-mouth connecting. And that's our goal for the next several months.

We have tons of neat stuff planned - right, Ben? But for now, thanks to all of you, we hope to see lots more "Good referrals. Doing good."

- - Tim