The "Mommy" Economy

There’s no getting around it times are tough. Unemployment numbers are reaching highs nobody thought we would approach again after the great depression. The real estate and banking industries are now at less than a crawl and people are hurting financially. Welcome to the mommy economy.

What’s the mommy economy you ask? It’s when those gifted women we love so much do more with less, keep everything together in the household and display incredible prowess at keeping the family going regardless of unexpected reductions in finances.

Let’s face it guys, women are born with God-given abilities we just don’t have. I have a hard time clipping a coupon properly, let alone organizing several into a family hunting expedition that results in savings and instant rebates of equaling discounts of more than 50%.

Here’s an actual example of a woman I know. During last weeks grocery shopping she made purchases of over $100. As a result of her watching ads, choosing wisely and maximizing brands and double coupons she walked out of the store paying only $47.02As a matter of fact, at the time of her trip the store was busy and the store manager picked up the slack by getting on a register. He commented, “It was fortunate for her that he was on the register because he had to override the register due to her saving more than she spent.”

Mind you, she was not buying just top ramen and mac and cheese. Her list included everything from meats, cheeses, produce and even snacks. This woman and the thousands of other talented and dedicated mom’s in this nation are truly what makes America and our ability to survive tough times happen.

Now imagine if we got all those and countless other mom’s together to create buying power on everything from groceries to cars and automobiles to clothing. What would these incredible women be capable of? In short, a lot!

Fortunately, fondalo.com has done just this. We have built a free community of consumers that bring not only savings but also power to the mom’s everywhere. By joining forces with others interested in the same products, brands and stores fondalo users can request offers and obtain the buying power of large corporations.

We take our hats off to the mom’s that are keeping this economy alive right now. No amount of stimulus or government investment could keep this many families afloat as you do. Thank you for what you do!

fondalo explained - Video - What is fondalo?

Enjoy this new fondalo video. It's short and sweet and gives you what you need to know to understand fondalo social buying and how it works.

FACEBOOK USERS GET BUYING POWER TO ADD TO THEIR SOCIAL NETWORK

fondalo launches facebook application that helps consumers build social buying power.

Portland, Oregon May 21, 2009 – fondalo, Inc. today announced it has released its facebook application designed to make social buying accessible to over two hundred million facebook users. The new application allows consumers to come together around brands, products and services they are interested in and request offers on those items. All offer requests created within the fondalo facebook application build buying power as other users join. Once certain critical mass levels are achieved, fondalo advocates go to work to get companies to make offers to the group.

“Our research shows that over three hundred and fifteen million consumers are using one or more social networks currently. More importantly, most didn’t want to join another, invite friends again and manage an additional site profile.”, said Robert M. Caruso, fondalo, Inc CEO. “This facebook application delivers fun and value to millions of users without the obstacles of joining yet another site.”

fondalo was built to be used as either a stand-alone website, or as an application within facebook. Users can decide how they want to run fondalo and connect with friends as well as other like-minded users around specific brands, products and services. All fondalo offer request content is completely controlled by users, allowing them to easily request offers and invite other users to join.

The new fondalo facebook application delivers significant benefits to business as well. Companies focused on either local, regional or national markets can now get in front of millions of facebook users at costs reasonable enough for even the smallest local business. This exposure capability, as well as the core fondalo value proposition of enabling companies to market directly to consumers that have already said they will buy from you is truly unique.

John Altes, the company’s vice president of business development commented, "What we have really established here is reverse marketing. We remove the demographic and geographic guesswork and expense and bring self-identified consumer purchasers together with the brands and products they are asking for. Nobody else has done that within facebook."

The company has launched its user-side system, allowing users to build their category, product and service interests, make their facebook and external friend connections, then start requesting and joining offers from companies.

Local, regional and national companies that desire to gain the exposure of the fondalo facebook application to directly reach their interested audience are now signing agreements with the company. The fondalo company side system provides many search and tracking tools that provide detailed anonymous data designed to better connect the consumer and the business.

About fondalo, Inc.

fondalo, the first social networking site designed to build buying power for consumers, is a start-up based out of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. fondalo is a user controlled social network that lets consumers decide what products and services they want and what kinds of offers they will accept from companies nationally, regionally and locally. Consumers can create offer requests for specific brands, products and services -or- join offer requests created by other users to build buying power and get the best deals.

To join the fondalo face book application, click here: http://apps.facebook.com/fondalo

To visit www.fondalo.com

CONSUMERS GET INCREASE IN BUYING POWER DURING TOUGH TIMES

fondalo launches Beta service that transforms social networks from time wasters to money savers.

Portland, Oregon May 7, 2009 – fondalo, Inc. today announced its formal user-side launch of the world’s first social networking site designed to build buying power for consumers. The new service allows consumers to leverage existing social connections with product and brand interests locally, regionally and nationally to request the best deals from small and large businesses for anything from groceries to automobiles.

“We wanted to find a way for consumers, not just big business, to benefit financially from social networks. As consumers feel more pinched by the realities of the economy, this is the perfect time for fondalo.”, said Robert M. Caruso, co-founder and CEO. “Our desire was to design a system that addressed two of the most significant trends, social networking and the economy, so we developed fondalo to save consumers money and utilized social networking to get there.”

fondalo, meaning “We found it” in Italian, is a first for social networking. Designed to be completely user controlled around content, it provides consumers the ability to tell companies what they want and what they will pay for it. At the same time, they can request offers for specific brands, products and services, and invite friends and other interested users to join that requested offer to build buying power. A new fondalo user recently described it best. “You have a hundred friends, they have a hundred friends, and so on. Imagine the buying power and the savings… That’s fondalo!”

Tony Schwartz, the company’s chief technology officer and co-founder commented, "We have built a system from the ground up that provides a deeper benefit to social networking for consumers. In the current economic climate, we thought it was time that consumers had the ability to pool together and achieve buying power previously reserved for big business and large affinity groups. Our system delivers that benefit!"

The company has launched its free user-side system, allowing users to build their profile category, product and service interests, build their friend connections and start requesting offers from companies. Early users are already building buying power in preparation for the full launch later this month on May 31st.

fondalo is signing local and national companies that see the benefit of going directly to consumers, rather than spending thousands on demographic and geographic guess work through online and major media outlets. The company intends to charge businesses for the ability to make responsive, special offers to these large user groups, as long as it is the best deal available.

About fondalo, Inc.
fondalo, the first social networking site designed to build buying power for consumers, is a start-up based out of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. fondalo is a user controlled social network that lets consumers decide what products and services they want and what kinds of offers they will accept from companies nationally, regionally and locally. Consumers can create offer requests for specific brands, products and services -or- join offer requests created by other users to build buying power and get the best deals.


Contact

503-764-1444
info - at - fondalo.com
www.fondalo.com
http://fondalo.blogspot.com

how does buying power work with social networking?

Buying power consists of like-minded individuals that join forces to obtain special pricing and/or discounts that might not otherwise be achieved on their own. We have all seen this play out in the brick and mortar world for centuries. Larger companies, affinity groups and clubs pulling their buying power together in order to get better pricing than you or I could obtain ourselves. Could we actually buy a computer monitor at the same price Microsoft can? If we each try on our own, it’s not likely. If we pool together, we will get close.

We know that the business world, affinity groups like AARP and other clubs can get discounts for things from clothing, services, insurance, hard goods and even automobiles. Heck, we have all been approached about Amway and their buying power. There are even special buying services and clubs you can join, Direct Buy for example, which requires you to pay to get access to the benefits they provide.

There are many reasons why companies selling their goods and services are willing to cut their price to these large groups. A few examples of these are:

1) Increased sales volume
2) Reduced marketing expense
3) Expansion to new markets

Social networking has become widely accepted and used by more than 315 million people worldwide. This large demographic lends itself to significant buying power. Until now, no internet service has focused on bringing buying power to this highly touted phenomena online.

Buying power works with social networking by bringing people together around brands, products, services and companies they are interested in. The groups can request a deal for these items they want and others can pile on and build the buying power more.

Uniquely, fondalo does not develop the content for our social networking system. Users are in control of what companies or products they wish to add or request a deal from. You say what the specific product, price or details should be when an offer request is put into the system. You can invite friends to the offer request, or even promote it to other fondalo users already interested in that specific company or product.

fondalo social networking, buying power works for anything. Restaurants, Cars, Software, Groceries, Music and more. Whatever you buy now, or are interested in, you can build buying power and save money and have a lot of fun.

fondalo launches user side beta

Late Monday afternoon, fondalo opened it's system to users. Reminds me of the famous movie quote... "if you build it they will come." Well, they came, they are using and are inviting others. Does that happen anymore with start-ups? Apparently it does when you build something the market has been unknowingly dying for.

There were some incredible comments and quotes over the first 24 hours. Lots of, I don't get its and several ah ha moments. I am going to share a few tid bits that were gleaned. A new term has emerged that is already being used in and out of the site. fondaloing... I guess it is a verb? Never the less we loved it! Still another comment we saw within the system as one user explained fondalo to a friend they invited. "Imagine that you have 100 friends and they have 100 friends and they have 100 friends. Within a few degree's of separation there are thousands and then millions of us. Now imagine the buying power of that group. That is fondalo!!!."

Could we have said it any better ourselves?

Still another person called me this morning and asked, "Are you telling me you built a facebook type network that lets people buy things cheaper?" Before I could answer, she continued, "OMG, this is incredible. I am going to finish signing up and invite all my friends."

We think people are getting it.

Here is what has been taken away from our first few days. First, the concept is sound. Consumers understand social networking and have a need to find a way to use it that benefits them beyond just posting where they are and what they are doing. Secondly, though a totally new concept of socially building buying power though an online user controlled environment, the economic drive is there. Consumers see a huge value in pooling communities, networks and connections to save money, get more for less and forge new relationships with retailers, brands and products.

What's next for fondalo? We have a mission to build the user base to critical mass levels, educate and facilitate effective use of the system and build sizeable groups of people around products, services and brands they are interested in. Finally, we will help fondalo users to leverage that mass to get great offers from local, regional and national companies.

happy, ummm fondaloing!

Social Networking and the Economy - Did they converge?

While doing research this last week in preparation for the beta user-side launch of fondalo on Monday, April 17th, I started thinking about the economy. To be more accurate, I was considering how economic down-turns and more specifically significant recessions effect consumer behaviors. We all know how bad things are. Just turn on the television or radio in the car and you will hear all about the sky falling on us.

Typically, negative economic times have tended to foster a back to basics mentality within the population. Friends, family and watching expenses start again playing a larger roll in the average persons life. Priorities begin to take on new meaning as a more simplified and cost effective way of life takes precedence over keeping up with the Jones'.

As I began to ponder this and thinking back to past economic times and how the above rang true for me personally growing up, I also compared it with my current situation. New 6 week old child, start-up getting ready to launch our beta system tomorrow. Things are really coming into perspective.

As my attention migrated back to my research I decided to check some of the most recent numbers related to social networking sites and how they coincided with the economic news we are all being bombarded with.

As this recent compete.com diagram of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter sessions per month seems to indicate, users are spending more time getting socially connected, and the trend seemingly increases as the conditions worsened.

Knowing that MySpace has a younger demographic then the other two, might be a reason for the less obvious upward curve, however clearly there seems to be a trend coinciding with the latest economic crisis. Whether this trend continues as the conditions continue to deteriorate or if more data showing possible connections to a higher percentage of people being out of work remains to be seen.

The point is, people do seem to be getting back to basics similarly to the great depression, where a high point of family and friend connections were very strong. Albeit, there was no internet back then, but the basic premise of family staying together, spending more time, socially integrating, certainly held true.

Using the information we just uncovered and processing it forward to other areas, we can potentially make some additional discoveries. I can't remember the last time I watched the news and did not see a story of a family that is having to change their buying habits, cut costs or go without. We all either know of or are experiencing these same scenarios being played out all around us. What does it mean and how will it effect social networking further?

Back to basics for consumers and businesses alike in this economy is making smart financial decisions. Buying things you need or want that have value and exceptional prices. In general, getting more for your money. That's where fondalo comes in.

fondalo combines the need for buying power that we all need right now with the ability to socially connect in the process. One of the foundations of fondalo is human nature. People hang around people like them. People relate to people like them. I know this is not an absolute statement, but you will find more similarities with your friends and family then you will with a perfect stranger on the street.

Therefore, leveraging your social networking with a collaborative environment controlled by users pulls together the two biggest news items of the day. The rise of social networking and the rapidly declining economy.