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Test and learn and imagine at the beta site
For free, anyone can create and send puzzle cards, using the beta site at www.javapuzzlecards.com This gives you an opportunity to try and enjoy the creation and solving of these puzzles yourself, to experiment creatively with this new app, and to share your creations with colleagues and customers to get their reactions,
Please keep in mind that this is "beta" software. It works great from a PC, but not yet from a Macintosh; and it also will not work behind a firewall. Those limitations should be fixed soon.
Basic features
You can turn any digital image into an online jigsaw puzzle.
You can easily add text to the image, so you have to put the pieces together (by clicking and dragging -- very slick) to read the message.
You just drag the pieces to assemble then. You don't need to flip or reorient any pieces, hence the puzzles are doable in a reasonable period of time.
When two pieces are once joined, they remain joined and move together when dragged (for smooth and pleasurable solving).
Business opportunities
Companies can "rent" their own branded space on the javapuzzlecard site. Then they can brand their puzzle creation area and include advertising messages, if they like. When people create their own puzzles there, the email messages they send could be branded and include messages. And the puzzle asembly area could be branded and include messages and links.
These companies also could create their own puzzles with their own images and include associated links in messages they send out over their opt-in email lists. Assembling such puzzles is fun, and as you do so you naturally pay attention to the associated words, as clues to how to put them together, and the more pieces you put together the clearer the message becomes -- perhaps including a surprise twist of language or a joke. In this context, you are far more likely to remember the message, than if you just saw it in a banner ad.
For instance, you can promote sales of books with puzzles based on book covers, promote movies with puzzles based on posters and promo graphics, promote music CDs with puzzles based on the packaging, promote children's cartoons with puzzles based on cartoon characters and scenes, and promote video games with puzzles based on characters and screen shots.
Possible extensions
Also, note that the site is now set up so puzzles must be emailed. Depending on demand, that could easily be modified so you could solve the puzzles you create immediately at the Web site, without the email step, as well.
Likewise, a timer could be added a timer, so users see how fast they assemble puzzles. Such capability would make it possible to hold contests, keeping records and offering rewards.
Today, puzzles are stored temporarily (for a few weeks). The site could be set up with the optional ability for users to store puzzles longer term.
Today's capability
The beta site runs on a multi-CPU Pentium. In that configuration, over a thousand users could send puzzle cards at the same instant.
Licensing opportunities
At this point, javapuzzlecards is offered only as a hosted/branded solution. If there is sufficient demand, it could also be offered on a licensed basis to companies that wish to integrate it with their existing Web site. This offering could include the availability of a technical team to help with the integration.
Target companies:
Ecard companies -- an add-on to their existing email-based greeting card business
Photos storage sites -- something fun to do with the photos people are storing)
Online stores that sell gifts -- e.g., someone who buys a book as a gift could have the option to email the recipient a puzzle-card based on the cover image of the book plus text written by the gift-giver, as a fun alert that the gift is coming. Such a mechanism could help turn gift recipients into future customers.
Jigsaw puzzle companies (an online extension of their real-world business)
Educational sites and sites that sell educational products, such as toys and books -- puzzle cards could become part of an educational and addictive children's play space, with a variety of puzzles to choose from, for instance with images of animals or cartoon characters with related text; and also with sequences of puzzles tied to lessons to be learned. The images could be based on packaging, covers, and illustrations of related products.
Companies that offer opt-in email services or that regularly use opt-in e-mail -- in additon to or instead of plain text and banner ads could send puzzles made from photos from movies or of products or celebrities, with marketing text and emailed over opt-in email lists.
Web sites dedicated to people who enjoy games and puzzles could hold puzzle card contests (with the puzzles related to the products they sell or advertise), or instead of banner ads could ask their visitors to solve puzzles (with marketing messages) as a condition for getting to free and useful content (such as game guides and cheat codes).
Sites providing services for auction sellers could incorporate this capability in their offerings so their members could easily add puzzles to their auction descriptions.
For further information and to discuss possible partnerships and pricing please contact Scott Cramer, cramer@crouton.com Remember, this business is just starting. Creative ideas are welcome.
See related article, Banner ads are dead, long
live online advertising
See edited transcript of chat session about
Java Puzzle Cards
Please send your comments and related suggestions to seltzer@samizdat.com
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