Joshua Saunders

After months of working on feature updates for Modzy.com, the photo editing beta has now launched.  Users can now upload their own images into a photo album where they could edit the photos.  Photos can also be uploaded and edited using the Scrapbook Design Studio.

The new tools allow users more flexibility in creating a great scrapbook.  Users can now not only add photos, stickers, embellishments, and text to their memory books, they can also manipulate the photos.  Some of the new tools, provided by Picnik, include:
- Photo Effects
- Adjust Contract and Colors
- Automatically remove red-eye
- Rotate, resize and crop

About Modzy:  Modzy.com is an online scrapbook design studio and retailer that let’s you design a scrapbook using your own digital photos and traditional scrapbook supplies.  The scrapbook can then be made for you and shipped in the mail or you can order the supplies to make it yourself.  The web-based software is easy and quick to use and does not require any downloads.  Modzy is also a retailer carrying thousands of scrapbook and crafts supplies.

My frustration is getting the better of me.  I spent my entire night last night helping our web developer upload and test new code.  Apparently her computer broke, AGAIN, and she had to email me the files so I could upload them to the server every 20 minutes.  I don’t understand how she was able to use her computer to fix the code and email them to me, but she couldn’t FTP or use Remote Desktop to get the files on the server.  Argg!

We have been through three web developers in the past eight months and all of them suck!  I am regretting getting rid of my first one, who was 5 months behind schedule (on a 4 month project), overbudget, and finished with code that had dozens of obvious bugs.  That was the good developer!  Since then, I have somehow managed to hire only incompetent people who know nothing about programming, web technology, and basic internet/server technical stuff.

So if you are reading this out there and are a GOOD web developer or know someone who is, help us out please.  This is for our scrapbook design studio at www.modzy.com.  We need assistance with some small bug fixes and implementing photo editing tools into the site.  It’s only a contract position for now, shouldn’t take much time to complete our project.

Modzy.com, my new startup scrapbook store and digital design studio has been listed on the killer startups website.  KillerStartups lists up to 30 new startups a day and users vote on which ones they like and can also vote on how successful they will be by choosing from the following options:
- Bomb
- Survive
- Be Bought
- Get VC $
- Go IPO

The website provides a forum for new startups to not only get ranked, but also connect VC’s and investors with new startups they like.  Paying subscribers have access detailed company information beyond what is shown to the public.  As a result, investors can browse hundreds of new startup listings a month.

 Please visit Killerstartups to vote for my website !

 In my previous blog (before everything was erased) I had several entries about my new business, Modzy Inc . The business is an online scrapbook retailer and online digital design studio to create scrapbooks.

We offer hundreds of scrapbooking products, including paper, albums, kits, embellishments, stickers, borders, die cuts, ribbons, idea books, and more. All of our prices are low and our customer service is excellent, but we are really competing on other nontraditional dimmensions. For example, we have the Modzy Rewards program which gives users points they can redeem for free stuff when they sign up for the newsletter, enter our scrapbook of the month contest, and make purchases.

In addition, we have the only web-based scrapbook design software. Other websites have software you have to download and is strictly digital. We bridge the gap by allowing users to create their scrapbooks online and then get the supplies to make the book. We also offer a service that will make the scrapbooks for our users for a nominal fee after they design it.

Where are we heading? Well, we have several things in place that we are hoping to leverage to build a loyal customer base and increase word of mouth advertising. We recently entered into a partnership with Delivery Agent to become the sole scrapbook supplier for iVillage, the most popular womens website on the internet. We are also teaming with Picnik to use their photo editing software in our design tool, so that users can have a wider array of tools to design their scrapbook. This tool will be rolled out on our website in the next few weeks.

Once we update our design tool with more features, we are going to try to have a media blitz and implement a PR campaign to gain recognition. Our market isn’t avid scrapper per se, it is women everywhere who love to save pictures and build memory books. We will be attending women’s expos around the country over the next year as well.

For now, we are taking it one step at a time. We have been dealing with difficulties relating to our IT, such as infrastructure and development holdups, but we hope these will be resolved in the near future. So, when you have a chance, visit our website www.modzy.com and make a scrapbook or buy something!

Finally, after 10 months of hard work my business has finally opened.

Modzy.com is an online store for scrapbook supplies as well as the first and only web-based design tool for designing scrapbooks. Using the online design tool, you can create your own scrapbook by using our supplies as well as uploading your own photos. If you don’t have the time or want some help, Modzy.com will compile your scrapbook for you.

Please take a look at the website and let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas. All of the features are not on the website yet and we have a lot of stuff coming that is being developed, but we launched with our first phase today.

More information coming in the future.