Lessons Learned

Matt and I have been in development of Zelixy for 15 years now...no joke...15 years. How you may ask? Well, story be told, Matt and I have been best friends now since we were two years old. We've been pretty much inseperable even though we have some very different perspectives on the world. But our differences are the glue to the relationship.

Back in high school, 1996, Matt began developing a website called "Space for Humankind"...still a novel idea that never really took off. It was basically a site that gave the power to the people to develop their own space missions without the governments backings...does this sound familiar google?

Next came our vision of helping the planet by collaborating with similar minded individuals...the website was called 1p1p.com (One People One Planet)...too bad we didn't hang onto that domain :) Through this site we were able to implement a cross cultural art exchange project between a high school in California and a high school in Oaxaca, Mexico. Next, we dabbled in graphic/web design with a company called Lucid Lotus.

Then came our previous project to Zelixy-one that I cannot mention at this time as it is still in development and a super cool idea. The point of this is that Matt and I have never given up. Sure, friends and even family have doubted our drive and critiqued our ideas. Some, telling us we would never succeed...some still saying we won't succeed.

But look at how far we have come. Sure, Zelixy isn't exactly on the map yet, but it is a great starting block that will help us in vocation...this isn't how we just want to make money...this is how we envision changing the world. So, to those that think we can't survive...to those that think that we'll have to settle for some standard, run of the mill job...well, go ahead and keep thinking it cause we don't.

Helpful Hosting/Blogging Tips from Blendworx

Matt and I have been connecting with various people all over the planet regarding Zelixy. We are very interested in talking with those who share similar views as we do. Since our introduction to Digg a few months ago, we have had the priviledge of communicating with very talented and passionate people. One of these individuals has been instrumental in pointing out helpful suggestions when it comes to hosting tips and blogging techniques. He has helped raise our SEO and taught us a thing or two about the blogging community.

Blendworx is a blog designed to give helpful pointers to people that wish to learn more about topics ranging from Wordpress, to blogging, to SEO, and even hosting. The articles are written in a very clear, concise manner that even the most novice user can understand. Logging in to read up on the newest techniques is a great way to get your blog or website up and running to its maximum efficiency. So check it and tell Justin that Ted and Matt sent you.

Just by Signing up Raises money for Charity on Zelixy

Zelixy.com is the Green Social Network.

We're a new breed of social networking sites that actually empower the user to do something positive in the world. We are giving a voice to the user to determine the direction of the company. The founders, Matt and Ted, are eagerly listening to the participants of the site. Through the innovative contest platform, designed to allow users to show off their talents and passions, Zelixy has given the users the ability to pick the sites name (Zelixy.com), the logo and even the slogan.

Zelixy is still in its infancy and one may find many glitches or odd features that come with the territory of being a beta. But the mentality of the founders is one of honesty, passion, and the desire to make a difference. Check it out.

Half of Zelixy’s advertising revenue goes toward a charity of the users choice. All participation on Zelixy helps...simply by watching a funny video, messaging with your friends, shopping, using our dating service, or pimping out your profile generates advertising revenue that will help a cause of your choice. So what are you waiting for?

Sign Up on Zelixy and start today...it’s your first step in making a difference on the Green Social Network!!!

BloggingZoom.com-"Digg 2.0"?

We have recently discovered a great new website tool for bloggers everywhere. Bloggingzoom.com is a similar platform to Digg.com but has a very unique spin geared toward the bloggers of the world who have original content (WOW! What an ORIGINAL idea).

Instead of all the Digg users spamming content that is not theirs on Digg (youtube, cnn, break), users on Bloggingzoom collaborate to promote their peers original blog works. Bloggingzoom finally is a place that gives the little guys an advantage over the big guys. We are very eager to watch the development of the site. With only 4 days under their belt, Bloggingzoom looks to impact the blogging community immediatly.

Zelixy.com will use bloggingzoom to our advantage to join in their growth and the future blogging. We love to see other grass roots companies and would love to collaborate in the near future.

New Zelixy Navigation Menu, Contests, and Homepage Coming Soon!!!

Thank you for all your feedback regarding Zelixy's functionality and look! Very soon Zelixy will release our new features. Way betta beta! A much better contest platform, a wide variety of contests, new uploader, contest focused homepage, and a navigation bar that actually makes sense. WOW!!!

We have been hard at work implementing all of your great ideas. One of the most frustrating things for us is the fact that we can't program as fast as we are all coming up with ideas. There is a whole lot going on behind the scenes concerning business and database development and we appreciate your patience and loyalty.

The next version is our most democratic attempt at satisfying our greater community's needs. We expect to see parts of the next version being phased in over the next several weeks. The screenshot you see here is just the rough draft and doesn't include additional features and rating systems.

Thank You ALL for being part of our beta... A much better, greener social platform around the corner!

Zelixy on Digg.com Frontpage Oct 12th

On October 12th, Zelixy.com made a major break through by having an entry be made popular and placed on the Digg.com homepage. We are very excited about being given such a large audience of users.

Here are a few initial numbers from our programmer:*The database held up great! *Zelixy got hit from all over the globe *Roughly 8000 hits alone on the Bobby Black video *39,711 hits on the 12th of October (a hit is a page load and could be any page) Thank you for all that came to visit Zelixy! We want to share with you the fact that half of the advertising revenue generated yesterday goes to charity. You have helped change the world just by watching Bobby Black.

We are looking for some more "Green" material to educate the public. Please tell your family and friends about the positive, Green Social Network site Zelixy.com! We are here to give you a voice...use it!

A Conversation Explaining Zelixy-The Green Social Network

The following is an excerpt from a recent email conversation between myself and a friend which spells out the key aspects of what Zelixy is and why someone would want to participate...

"Hi XXXXX,

I understand exactly what you are saying. Those types of issues (social) have always stuck with me since my time in Belize. The problem has been, and continues to be, that there is no system set up to raise awareness and donate funds...you are one voice in this cause...you need an army of followers. This is one of the many reasons we have built Zelixy.

Zelixy is a tool that we can use to help with this exact problem you are referring to. It's a place where we want our users to make a difference by creating innovative ways to promote various causes or topics. We want our grass roots system to be run by our users as a platform for them to really make some change. I know that we can create a unique contest or organization to help with a scholarship program in Belize...open users eyes to the divide to which you are referring. This isn't just a dream of mine any longer-it's turning into a reality as we get over this first hump of scraping by with very limited funds and little awareness. It's very difficult to pick up momentum for the site but we are slowly getting there. We are so close to showing how powerful it can be.

I've always thought about how we can make a system to make a difference in individuals lives in the world...thought able individuals making small contributions...the problem is that we are only reaching individuals...we need to reach a massive group...building the right platform to do so is the key in my mind. It must be honest and it must be mainstream (hip/trendy). Social networking is currently being used in the wrong ways...sure, places like facebook and myspace can re-unite people and they are places for people to have a good time playing games and spying on their friends...but what else are they doing? I hear of these large social networking giants attempting to rally their users to fight for global warming, etc but their systems were never built for those purposes. All the while the founders of such destinations like facebook are sitting pretty offering up their companies for $10 Billion to large corporate giants...did you know that Microsoft just offered the young 24 year old CEO of facebook $800 Million for 5% of the company making it worth over $10 Billion? What is Microsoft going to do for Facebook? Create new applications for advertising so they make money off of the users?

Youtube and Myspace are other examples-Youtube was bought by Google for $1.5 Billion whereas Myspace was bought by the FOX Group (Rupert Murdoch) for $550 Million 2 years ago...these corporations are trying to get a strangle hold on the youth of today...Murdoch wants to create a new following for FOX...Google...they want to run the world? These places are THE hotspot for the youth of America (the ones that will be in charge of the world in the very near future) but they aren't teaching the youth about the problems of the world...they aren't giving them a true education and voice. They are telling them how to interact on the web...listen to music, watch stupid videos, create a false second image and identity...the wrong message!

Why not give users the power to do something positive with their time for a change...we know social networking is a huge industry for the youth so I'm proposing to tap into it in a different way. These are the same ideas I have always talked about since after I went to Belize. I have always been one to try to get a larger voice out to the public and I think that I have finally found a way to do it...this system can be an awesome tool for us to accomplish that goal. I want to talk to you more about your scholarship program you want to implement. I think we can use Zelixy to accomplish your goals and want to set you up as the liason for the project. I think we can set up a great contest to educate the public here in the US and then have an ongoing program through the system for the scholarship foundation...I think if we can get something like that rolling we can gain a lot of momentum and publicity and thus seriously get the word out. Can you imagine if we can raise scholarship funds for these students and then have them on zelixy so they can be in constant contact with those that donated funds? They can post their own videos, share their school papers, share pictures of them and their friends...and all the while communicating back and forth. You have to start somewhere and I think Zelixy is a great start. You can see my obvious passion for this company I have started and the reason I started it has a lot to do with my time I spent abroad. It's time for some change. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in PG and look forward to hearing from you. Ted"

It's time to put action to words.