Social networks evolve—fresh consumer attitudes emerge

Tots and parents shake their groove thing

Providence Center gives retail a healthy shot in the arm

Start-up insurer bets against the weather

Control freak homeowners can watch their every door and window

As seen on TV

Social networks evolve-fresh consumer attitudes emerge

Being "plugged in without a purpose" is becoming the de facto setting for Millennials and tech-forward Xers. Consumer notions of what it means to be connected have changed from an on-again/off-again relationship with MySpace or one's laptop to an Always On feed that makes more and more consumers feel good when they're on the network and anxious when they're off it. From MySpace to every space. Social networks are already on the move, as Mobile Social Software (or MoSoSo) like loopt, Socialight and Rave Wireless pops up. The latest wave of networks keeps Millennials connected via cellphone when they leave their laptops. Optimized for smaller cell screens and usually Torqued with location-based technology, the MoSoSo is becoming the MySpace for the Millennial who can't sit at his laptop long enough to add friends or upload pics. Meanwhile, fresh-sprung applications like Twitter and Jaiku facilitate instant communication and low-level networking online without all the MySpace back story. Twitter works like an IM status announcement for the entire Net, allowing users to tell the world (or just those in their network) what they're up to ("Eating dinner" or "Shopping") in only a couple of lines of text (yep, it's as simple as that). Jaiku offers similar services to mobile customers and they've thought up a pithy word for the ubiquitous, complexity-free, here-I-am communications: "presence streaming."

Community and new notions of connectivity are morphing to become more than about "who you know." They're about who you know on-network, right now, in real time. If they're not accessible, are they really very good friends? What's the shift in values mean? MySpace isn't dead yet, but light-infantry mobile alternatives—whether as simple as SMS or as complex as MoSoSos—play to our Always On desires. From SMS to friend-tracking apps, digitally enabled networking will continue to evolve toward the real-life communication MO: more short, transactional exchanges in greater frequency. The effects of an emerging Always On life cut both ways. Psychologists (including Rutgers profs who've studied the phenomenon) speak of BlackBerry addiction and hardcore surfers complain of anxiety when away from the keyboard or unable to check e-mail (DailyMail.co.uk 8.22.06).

Baby Loves Disco turns nightclubs into dayclubs: toddler-proof, family-friendly dance parties where "Barney is banned." Parents and preschoolers hit the floor as a DJ spins classic '70s and '80s dance tracks. Lights and bubble machines add an authentic discotheque effect with playful props like colorful scarves and hula hoops. Chill-out rooms with tents, books and puzzles give little ones a quiet place to cool down. Sippie cups of Red Bull? Not quite. A healthy snack spread keeps club kids going past nap time; grown-ups find sustenance at the all-afternoon open bar. Baby Loves Disco tickets sell out fast in 16 cities coast to coast sans advertising. Like a real rave, it's all word-of-mouth, baby. For Gen X and Millennial parents and their Mini-Me tots, hitting the dance floor hits the right notes: family time, fun, community, cool. Founder (and mom) Heather Murphy says BLD provides an alternative to the "prepackaged world of entertainment for young kids." True, there are only so many super-structured classes a kid—or their parents—can take. No-rules-just-fun events are exactly what the unstructured play trend is all about. Novelty? Not likely, as copycat clubs start to offer some competition

Mall shoppers know department store anchors are giving way to a variety of other merchants. But in Fullerton, California, developer Accretive Realty Advisors is building Providence Center, a mall where the anchor isn't even a retailer, but a medical center. With a $50 million price tag on the development, Accretive is betting all its chips on patients willing to get a shot and then shop (LATimes.com 1.12.07). To incite shopping, doctors' offices will have small waiting rooms and patients will be given pagers so they can peruse stores while waiting for appointments. Providence Center goes several steps beyond the eyeglass shops and dentists found at other malls, but such health shops may find Providence a convenient location. A dermatologist, for example, has already leased mall space for a clinic/medical spa. Who said shopping isn't healthy? Providence Center is pure convenience for consumers who want to check off several to-do items on one trip rather than waste time reading last year's Time in the traditional doc waiting room.

Forecasters keep trying, but weather prediction is just too unpredictable. That uncertainty is what WeatherBill counts on. The upstart sells Weather Contracts to businesses looking to offset any losses on days that are too rainy, dry, cold or hot. WeatherBill users tailor contracts to their specific needs, whether a merchant fears a December snowstorm will keep holiday shoppers at home or a ski lodge owner fears a January thaw will keep skiers off the slopes. Contract payout is based solely on the weather. If the temp climbs above the degrees set in the contract, for example, the business gets reimbursed. WeatherBill's bet is that unpredictable weather will generate profit by offsetting payouts. One businessperson may want rain on a given day, for instance, while another desires no rain on the same day. WeatherBill uses algorithms to devise its prices based on historical weather data with a little climate change thrown in. Rainy days can make some businesspeople very blue and put them in the red. Hedging risk by betting on the weather may prove a savvy option that keeps revenue from running down the drain, if they can just get the weather to cooperate.

AT&T takes consumers one step closer to the much ballyhooed "wired home" with a Remote Monitor service, manufactured by Xanboo, that enables owners to watch live video of their property, monitor temp, water and doors and remotely control lighting. The system includes a pan-and-tilt IP camera that homeowners can use to watch real-time footage of their abodes on their cells. Watchful worriers can also opt to receive alerts based on motion detection or temperature changes in their home and they can flick lights on and off remotely. A pair of simple power units network the home video cameras via standard electrical plug-ins. The service is optimized for AT&T broadband but will work for anyone with a high-speed connection. Many consumers crave the feeling of control they get from monitoring their home from their handheld—but not many homeowners want to worry about the geekitude necessary for most systems' install and upkeep.

Like those red Chuck Taylors Susan sported on Desperate Housewives? Or her neighbor Bree's Benjamin Moore Why the Blue walls? SeenOn.com sells thousands of products from popular TV shows pegged to characters and episodes. Fashion choices abound, but just about anything's for sale. Grey's Anatomy fans can purchase CDs played during the show and even spring for the Airstream trailer Dr. McDreamy calls home. Costume and production designers use handheld digital devices to feed the site info on products, which go up for sale right after an episode airs. Forget old-school promotional items like Friends coffee mugs. Why settle for an Ugly Betty T-shirt when you can have the real Trina Turk cami Wilhemina wore on the show? In the intimacy of the living room, TV characters become old friends consumers want to emulate.

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