Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Holiday Greetings to All

Where did the year go?

This is the festive time of year and it is particularly joyous for me. It is not just because of the holidays but due to the fact that this turned out to be a wonderful year for our companies (MediaNet and BSP Rewards) and for me personally.

As I have mentioned, we merged with the DubLi Companies and in the short aftermath, it has proven to be a real boon – technologically and economically, and brought together a whole new family of associates. Additionally, he stock market has acted very favorably with the announcement and our stock (MEDG) has been on an upswing – and I must admit that has been a nice year end benefit for our shareholders!

Right now I am feeling both nostalgic and excited with the oncoming of the New Year. Nostalgic because our little team has lived through a lot of growing pains over the years to help us reach this point- and as the company grows a little bit of the family community will naturally change. I am excited because of the opportunities that the future holds for the combined companies…. and I believe the cultures will blend harmoniously.

December 24th is the date of our annual Holiday party and if I know our team, and I do, it will be another fun filled event with everyone partaking in the games, gift giving and over indulgence of great food. James, our head technoid has not let us down yet!

My next blog will be in 2010 (where did the year go?). I wish all of you a wonderful new year! I am anticipating a great one, for both our old and new teams, and the company we will be building together.

Even more importantly, I wish my family, friends and associates the happiest, healthiest and most rewarding year ever!!

Until next time…..

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

My Job Just Got Easier

…In fact, it’s a CINCH

MediaNet, through one of our subsidiaries just completed the purchase of a unique software platform for database tracking, monitoring, statistic tools and the widget known as CINCH and Connect.

Our BSP division has been searching for some time to find a desk top widget that would enhance our BSP toolbar. The acquisition of the CINCH platform brings applications to us that were beyond our expectations.

CINCH is a desktop application and personalized shopping assistant. CINCH assists customers by delivering one-click ease and security for access to online shopping by providing a two-way communications channel for personalized content and customer feedback controlled by the customer and without using a browser.

In other words, it allows us to offer our BSP Mall clients and members access to relationship and comparison shopping right on their desktop. For instance, if they are looking for a particular TV the CINCH searches all merchants and shows the results and prices…neat! It also allows us to send special coupons, announcements and special communications to the directly instead of using a browser and email….even neater! CINCH for smart phones is under development and will provide mobile access to the same powerful tools…..super neat!

We have been building and enhancing our BSP Mall (the largest in the Galaxy) for many years. By combining our platform with DubLi and CINCH, we will now be able to offer amazing nuances that can be introduced at record speed.

ON-line reverse auctions, Mall shopping and product search and desktop communication – a power play that is just the beginning of what I believe is a most exciting opportunity. The combination is destined to start everyone talking and along with the viral aspect, is making my job a whole lot easier.

Until next time…..

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

It’s Official

It’s Official
MediaNet – BSP and DubLi are all one!


10/20/09… MEDG completes Merger Agreement

Our parent company; MediaNet Group Technologies (MEDG) completed the merger with CG Holdings, LTD, the parent of the DubLi Companies.

How does this reflect on our MediaNet/BSP Rewards business? Exciting positives all around!
For MEDG shareholders: DubLi adds financial strength, a state-of-the-art auction and trading platform and opportunity for the Company to expand world-wide. DubLi’s international expansion will add a new dimension to the DubLi/BSP combined programs around the world …and potentially bringing enhanced revenues and earnings to our Company – and ultimately building the value of our Company for our shareholders.

There are a multitude of synergies being explored that will establish DubLi Auctions and BSP Rewards Malls as truly unique, with competitors scrambling to try and play catch up.
The MediaNet combined DubLi/BSP offices are going to be headquartered in South Florida which will result is a smooth, day by day cohesive melding of operations.

We can see the rainbow and will be steadily moving toward that proverbial pot of gold that hopefully I believe will enrich all of our lives – socially, intellectually, technically and financially.
Today starts a new day…and I and the combined teams are excited!

Until next time…..

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Big Travel Month

9/22/09… The Travel Miles Are Piling Up

I haven’t unpacked my bag during most of late August and what now has continued into September.

When I moved to Florida in 1959 I made a vow never to go north during the winter so I am cramming all of the trips in while warm weather abounds.

I had a wonderful visit to New Jersey to meet with our clients at Univers and USI. They are substantial companies in the insurance space and we are working on multiple Malls for them and their clients.

We (Stefanie and I) went to Lexington for the annual Fortune Fest where we got to meet and greet over 2400 of their reps. Stefanie got to step on the stage and make a full presentation to the entire audience…..and did an outstanding job! We announced the formal launch of their Canadian Mall. Now their reps can partake in both the USA and Canada.

Then, as we were closed Labor Day, I snuck off the Chicago and Michigan for a quick vacation with friends and family – and I thoroughly enjoyed the few days. Should I feel guilty that I am already looking forward to the next holiday?

Then it was off to Santa Barbara for CJ University. Commission Junction is one of our large affiliate programs and we had the opportunity to meet directly with many of the large merchants we have in the Mall. The education and relationship building was sensational.

This week we have visitors coming in from NY so I won’t be on a plane again until next week – Boston.

I am not complaining. Actually the travelling is kind of exciting as we are meeting with clients, prospective clients and suppliers – and getting ready for what could be a great holiday season!


Until next time…..

Monday, August 17, 2009

Good news for everyone involved with MediaNet and BSP Rewards

8/17/09… MEDG signs Merger Agreement

Last week the Company made a major announcement that could have a positive impact for MEDG shareholders and our BSP clients and Mall users.

Our parent company, MediaNet Group Technologies (MEDG) signed a merger agreement with CG Holdings, LTD, the parent of the DubLi Companies.

What does that all mean? A lot!

For the Mall users: The doors open for expanding the Mall platform with many additional and enhanced savings, benefits, games and technology.

For the Clients: The expansion of the Mall relative to Mall users should increase traffic and consumer benefits which would result in an enhanced value added proposition for you.

For MEDG shareholders: The present and future DubLi reverse auction visitors, clients,
Network of Business Associates and international expansion could add a new dimension to our BSP programs around the world potentially bringing enhanced revenues and earnings to our Company – and ultimately building the value of our Company for our shareholders.

The BSP Mall is continually growing (over 1075 merchants) as is our client and Member base. The business combination with DubLi offers us a multitude of benefits which will greatly add in our expansion.

I am excited with what looks to be a Win –Win for all parties.

Until next time…..

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Audiences Are Getting Bigger

6/25/09… Stefanie Speaks Up

Stefanie Kitzes, our dynamic Director of Business Development, went to the Fortune High Tech meeting in Charlotte as planned. What wasn’t planned was the overwhelming reception she received from the multitude of attendees.

The reports that I received basically let me know that from now on I could stay home and send her in my place. Fortune Fest, their Hollywood scale event is coming up over the Labor Day Weekend in Lexington, and guess what – I’m not staying home! I wouldn’t miss that event for anything (but I will undoubtedly allow Stefanie do most of the heavy lifting).

This week we launched our first Mall for the Spanish Market. I didn’t realize that there were so many derivations of the language and only our version one is up and running. Fortune was kind enough to open it to their Spanish speaking reps for review and we expect to be getting input and tweaks for weeks to come.

As far as business goes, I am happy to be able to say that Mall transactions continue to grow in spite of, or maybe because of this bad economy. More and more people are going to the web for their purchases and everyone is looking for discounts, rebates and coupons. Happily our BSP Rewards platform includes all of those desired features.

In my next blog I should be able to tell you about an exciting mall expansion (even greater and grander) and some very interesting new clients.

Until next time…..

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A Highly Successful Launch

5/26/09… The DUBLI Mall Is Off and Running

The DubLi Mall was introduced two weeks ago and has proven to be one the fastest growing launches we have ever had the pleasure of bringing to market.

DubLi is a reverse auction company that features auctions on name brand items from Gucci to Harley Davidson. It is a unique program where the prices of the items are reduced with every bid – the opposite of eBay.

DubLi has been operating in Europe with over 1.5 million users and they are now expanding into the US and Canada. We are more than thrilled that we have been chosen to launch their shopping malls for both countries. You can view the auction and mall at www.dubli.com.

This weekend is travel time for another of our clients. One of the top representatives of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing is hosting a meeting for about 2000 representatives. We have been invited to train new and old reps on the value of their private branded BSP Mall and how to get the most out of it for personal savings and as a valuable method of recruiting. Stefanie, our Director of Business Development, will be making the presentation and doing the training. We couldn’t have a better emissary!

Until next time…..

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Great Business in Lexington

4/28/09…I just returned from Lexington. The city and the people (our client Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing) were most hospitable.

We are in the midst of expanding our relationship and tweaking our mutual customer service departments to handle the increases in membership. We started with 15,000 Fortune members in our mall and the number has now increased to over 75,000.

Fortune representative enrollment is growing everyday and they are preparing for two more major launches- one for the Spanish market and opening of a Canadian division. BSP Rewards has built specific platforms for each and plans are in place for a May introduction.

Stefanie joined me on the trip and handled the customer service orientation beautifully. They now have an even more excited customer service department with a better understanding of the multi-faceted benefits of the Fortune Rewards Mall. We also discussed how we could improve and enhance our BSP customer service for them.

Additionally, they had Stefanie record an overview of the Mall to be given to all new representatives and I did a video to be offered to all their reps on the mall rebates and commissions. All in all it was a very productive visit and we look forward to presenting at Fortune Fest on Labor Day. They expect over 2,000 attendees – I better begin practicing the presentation right now.

Until next time…..

Monday, April 13, 2009

A Lot of MORE People

I just returned from Scottsdale for the kickoff of a new, exciting and multi-faceted client – DubLi. They are a reverse auction company that has over 1.5 million users in Europe and they are now coming to the U.S. and Canada in a big way.

After an opening performance by Jordin Sparks (of American Idol fame) I introduced the DubLi Shopping Mall (powered by BSP) to over 1000 of their reps and partners. The reception was overwhelming for Jordin and the excitement carried over for the mall (I am happy to say that it was almost to the same degree).

DubLi is a worldwide online trading firm. It is composed of two very unique and individual business models; DubLi.com - a “reverse” auction portal for high level branded merchandise and DubLi Network - the business opportunity where anyone can establish their own business.

The most striking feature of the DubLi.com’s auction portal is that it hosts only high quality inventory from the top-notch manufacturers around the world. DubLi.com developed a breakthrough concept from the traditional bidding and revolutionized the concept of the “reverse auction”’ in a big way. DubLi.com serves to be the best ’reverse auction’ site on the World Wide Web and is now bring it to the North American Continent.

The BSP Shopping Mall is a value added benefit for both the shoppers and the independent sales reps. It offers savings, rebates and coupon from over 800 of the Nation’s top merchants… and a whole lot more. The auction shoppers and sales reps will be offered these additional savings while the reps additionally are able to utilize the mall as an exciting recruitment tool for the business opportunity.

The program is set to launch in May and we are looking for it to be one of the fastest growing shopping malls we have ever launched. I will keep you informed.

Until next time…..

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A Lot of People

We just got back from a client’s meeting and it was an eye popping experience in beautiful San Antonio.

It was the Fortune Hi-Tech Spring Fling with over 1000 of their reps attending for a good time and training. Stefanie Kitzes, our Director of Business Development was with me and right in the thick of it. (This was the small meeting. A greater number of the reps will attend the Fortune Fest in August for which we have also been invited).

We were invited, along with a handful other high impact suppliers, to speak to the crowd of 1000+ (15 minutes - me) and to man a booth for 2 days to answer questions (mostly Stefanie). We were overwhelmed and thank God for Stefanie…she was fantastic!

By the way, they held a business opportunity meeting during this time and I am happy to say, they featured the Mall as one of their important value added benefits for the program. The reps told us that it is not only a great savings feature in this economy, but also a powerful recruiting tool for the business.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND. BSP Rewards developed a private banded Mall for Fortune which started with 15,000 rep members. It has now expanded to about 67,000 and is growing by leaps and bounds every month. Needless to say, practically all attendees were already Mall members and their word of mouth brought the uninitiated to our booth - anxious to sign in.

The management and corporate staff of Fortune could not have been more gracious or hospitable. It was by far the most organized and informative shows I have attended. It is a pleasure to be associated with such a professional, high quality organization that demonstrates continually how dedicated they are to their representative organization.

The phone hasn’t stopped ringing (again, Stefanie to the rescue). In fact she had a telephone presentation and training for 100 people on Saturday – one of many to come.

Next month we will be in Scottsdale for a new direct marketing client. Again they expect over a thousand people. I anticipate that they will be just as excited about the Mall as the people were at Fortune. That’s good news for BSP.

Until next time…..

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Making Lemonade...

I believe that we are going to get some sugar for the lemonade.

The year has started with a bang and it looks like there will be more to come. Don’t get me wrong, 2009 doesn’t look wonderful for the economy or the stock market – but it does hold great promise for BSP Rewards.

Three things are true in these times. Consumers want (1) inexpensive entertainment, (2) to save money and (3) to save money. Accordingly, (1) movie ticket sales are up (2) Internet shopping is up and (3) money saving web mall traffic up.

We don’t have much to do with (1) except that we sell discounted movie tickets and theater gift cards on our web malls. But we have a lot to do with (2) with our Internet virtual malls and (3) having the most robust rebate and discount mall on the web. As luck (?) would have it…we are in the right time at the right place.

To illustrate the point, we are starting off the year with a growing lemonade stand.
We just announced that we have expanded its footprint within the network marketing channel with the implementation of a new programs for FHTM Canada, the Canadian branch of the successful Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing program in the U.S. and Your Ultimate Plan, a new product launched and marketed by JMG Net-Worth, AND …. also announced we have built the private branded web mall for Capcom® Entertainment as part of the Capcom Unity Visa Card program. The mall is a value added feature in conjunction with the release of Street Fighter® IV.

Capcom Entertainment is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, and the first video game company in North America to offer a co-branded Visa rewards card program. The program offers accelerated rewards with retail and merchandise partners through the Capcom Rewards Mall, powered by BSP Rewards.

A pretty good start to the year, if we say so ourselves and the beauty of it is that there is more to come. Boy, I love lemonade.

Until next time…..

Monday, February 9, 2009

The Winding Road Through 2009

Everywhere I turn it’s the same message. “2009 will be a rocky road (and no one is referring to the ice cream). As far as BSP Rewards is concerned, we are well positioned to weather the storm.
We are starting off the year with a excellent backlog of business. The malls we hoped to launch in Q4 of ’08 were delayed, but not shelved. Assuming there is no further change of plans we should begin launching those private branded malls in the first and second quarter. I can’t guarantee results but can say that the new clients we are working with are substantially larger than those of the past.

We are expanding our platform to be more flexible and versatile. We have added functionality tailored to the needs of many our market channels. These include enhanced rewards, expanded loyalty and incentives and our load to debit card functionality. These new features are proving to be the door opener that attracts major clients.

In keeping with our new client base, we are developing a new expansion and innovative design for the malls. Some of the items we are working on include: an expanded merchant network, doubling of the discount merchandise catalog, a desktop widget, expansion of our instant print coupons and a special program that allows coupons to be redeemed at specific merchants. Exciting stuff!

Changes are happening on the personal side of our corporate life. Christina, our amazing head of customer service is getting married next week (to a really nice guy). Thankfully for us, she is only taking a one week honeymoon. Can it be that she loves her job so much that she can’t bear to be away any longer? (Not).

Bruce, one of our web site technoids, and our jack of all trades around the office, has moved to cold Connecticut. Move from Florida to Connecticut? Would make me wonder! But fret not - he is remaining A BSP man and will be telecommuting to his desk in Florida.

So the road looks a little rough for the economy, but we remain optimistic. These are times when online shopping (our space) is on the rise and consumers looking to save money every way they can (our space) and companies and non-profits looking to increase loyalty and bring forth new revenue streams (our space).

So, the dire economic forecast for 2009 offers a fantastic opportunity for companies in our space…..and we think we may be in the best position to take advantage that opening.

Until next time…..