Click here to make your own “Flickr ID” badge.
There’s a business idea lurching inside this customizable badge maker created by John Watsons.
John Watsons Flick ID badge maker is a “code generator” which enables users with no scripting experience to enter plain text information into a number of predefined fields, upload an image file, and then when they click “Submit” an paragraph of embedable code is made available. Users can copy & paste that code into any number of locations including their website, blog, or maybe just on their MySpace page. The end result is like the Flick ID image you see above.
As more and more folks create online identities and “spaces” (see Second Life for the newest iteration), they will often seek to customize these online proxies of themselves. Badges, as seen above, will perhaps be the method by which people can customize themselves. There are lots of possibilities on where this trend might lead. Such as:
How about requiring users to log-in with an assigned username and password before creating a custom badge.
What if you could create your very own Red Sox badge with you listed as a member of Red Sox nation? WEEI radio could offer this as a perk for creating an account online with them.
Maybe universities could issue exclusive badges for graduates obtainable through the alumni section of the school’s website.
What if Mad River Glen took a picture of you standing at the summit in all your gear and then loaded that photo onto badge obtainable when you got home and logged-in to their website. An incentive for permission marketing.
What if Tiffany’s had a badge maker for all bridal registrants? Brides to be could paste the Tiffany & Co. badge into a mass email or paste it onto their blogs, websites, MySpace page (or whatever social network eventually takes hold among adults).
These “affinity badges” really are infinite in their possibilities.
Talk about jump starting loyalty programs! How about special promotions?
You got any ideas?
PS: This type of badge is what I believe the social bookmarking websites like StyleFeeder and Wists should be “producing.” Each item one bookmarks should be able to be customized and displayed much like the Flick ID badge above. Each item in my StyleFeed should be available to distribute as a badge. That’s when the real fun would start.
What if Stylefeeder partnered with online retailers and offered them a tool to create these code generators which could then live on the retailer’s website?
