MerchantCircle Heads Down to Disney!

A couple weeks ago, Steamboat Ventures, an affiliate of The Walt Disney Company, hosted its annual Tech Expo at the Disney Studios in sunny Burbank, California. As one of Steamboat's portfolio companies, MerchantCircle was invited to participate in this year's festivities that included panel discussions on emerging technology and an all-day trade show to show-off new and upcoming products. We were happy to participate and share MerchantCircle's social network and new programs with investors, other Steamboat portfolio companies, and Disney employees.



We very much enjoyed our time with some of the other featured tech companies. But we did have some favorites…



We're an office of sports nuts, so of course, the team from ESPN just made us giddy! Disney Online had some noteworthy news and fantastic website to demonstrate. The Photobucket team was on hand to share some of their upcoming products and developments for the mobile space. (They were also quite entertaining!) The beautiful ladies of Scrapblog, another Bay Area based company, showed up with very cool custom business cards and an even cooler Facebook app! And ticketing service RazorGator was represented by former NBA superstar and Best Damn Sports Show host John Salley, one of the few pulling for the Celtics during the Game 7 networking event.

The two-day gathering was both informative and exciting. Steamboat Ventures continues to empower, connect and create great companies who are building the technology that shapes the way we work, play, and communicate. We're proud to be on their team!

New MerchantCircle Product Releases Include City "Mayor" Program and Dashboard Redesign

We have exciting product news this month!



We are very pleased to announce MerchantCircle “Mayor” program, designed to help you build your brand and increase your network!



The MerchantCircle member in each city with the most connections will be declared “Mayor”. And when you're the mayor, we'll make sure that people know!



As Mayor, you'll be promoted to the top of your city's leaderboard and made visible to all local consumers searching in your city – and best of all it’s FREE! You'll also score the coveted “Mayor” badge, located on the top of your personal listing page.

Learn more about the MerchantCircle “Mayor” program by viewing this video overview

 

In addition to the new MerchantCircle “Mayor” feature, we’ve made two significant changes to the network that we think you’re going to enjoy quite a bit. Both changes come from the feedback we’ve received from our most active members, so be sure to visit the MerchantCircle forum to let us know when you have an idea for how we might improve!

 



New and Improved Dashboard



Over the years, we’ve added a lot of features to the MerchantCircle platform to allow you to express yourself online. As the number of features has grown, we’ve struggled to fit everything into a dashboard that was designed five years ago! That’s why we’re introducing our new dashboard design that provides simpler navigation and a cleaner look and feel, all created to make it easier for you to promote your business online. All the current features are still available, but they’re now easier to find.



To get see the new dashboard in action, check out this short video we’ve created. We’d love to hear your feedback

 



Unlimited member connections



For all you social butterflies out there, we’re happy to report that we will be lifting the membership “cap” to allow you to connect with more members. So have fun! And remember inviting and connecting with new MerchantCircle members in your town will help get you elected “Mayor”!



Cheers,

Jeremy Kreitler, VP Product Management

MerchantCircle Announces Free New Tools and Product Improvements for Small Business Owners!

Drumroll please…



Several months ago, with our small business merchants in mind, the MC team hit the whiteboards – brainstorming how we could provide even better tools for easy online networking, increased productivity, and budget conscience marketing.



We've logged lots of late nights, ordered more take-out than anyone should reasonably ingest and our deeply committed engineering team had family members consider filing Missing Person's Reports...



And now, we're very excited to unveil the latest and greatest FREE MerchantCircle programs and improvements- designed just for you!



We've taken all of your feedback, product suggestions, and feature requests and created some pretty cool stuff. But you'll have to stay tuned to get all the info!



All this week we'll be posting blogs from different MerchantCircle team members detailing the bells and whistles of each new feature. And let me just tell you, these labors of love will make you happy!



Here's what to look for…



We went back to the drawing board to totally redesign our Dashboard page- making it faster and easier for you to connect to other merchants, create fantastic content, and engage your customers. Get excited! It will change the way you work. Keep an eye out for Jeremy's blog- he's gonna hook you up with serious specifics.



A new policy has been passed and the race is on. MerchantCircle Mayors is a new campaign that will keep you running to the polls. Win the office in your city and we'll make sure your constituents know. Elect to take advantage of this win-win program. (Here's a hint: Check your inbox for my Tuesday Tip!)



There's one more surprise up our MerchantCircle t-shirt sleeves. All I'm sayin' for now is that I know a few Community Leaders who will be VERY, very excited. (Yes guys, we're listening!) MerchantCircle staple, Mr.David Gwynn, will break this top-secret story later in the week!



See you in The Circle!



Robyn