chaggle

Chaggle Enters St Louis Business Plan Competition

2010-03-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it's now official, Chaggle is now entered into the first ever St Louis Economic Council and Edward Jones Business Plan Competition!

We are very excited that the St Louis Economic Council and Edward Jones have put together this fantastic opportunity for small businesses. This is really a model of how government can help small businesses get the help they need to get off the ground.

We are looking forward to it!

Chaggle IPod Nano Giveaway

2010-02-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to announce that Chaggle is going to be giving away a brand new, 16 Gig IPod Nano to the user who signs up the most new Chaggle users before 1 April 2010.

"So, how do I get myself a brand new IPod Nano", you ask...well here's how:

1. Send a buddy the link to the Chaggle Account Creation Page.

2. Make sure you give them you Chaggle username so they can enter it in the "Referred By" box.

3. Make sure they get the client downloaded.

4. Have them jump onto any webpage and post at least 1 Chaggle message.

5. Repeat

6. Get your name announced on 1 April 2010 as the owner of a brand spankin new IPod Nano.

Chaggle Featured in St Louis Globe-Democrat

2010-01-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

Well Chaggle was in attendance at the recent announcement of the St Louis Regional Business Plan Competition organized St Louis Economic Council and Edward Jones. The 1st prize is $50K and 2nd and 3rd are $30 and $20K respectively, plus all of them come with a ton of hours from local law firms and top, local PR companies.

We are really looking forward to this event, it should be fun and we've already gotten to meet some great folks from all around St Louis.

So, while we were at the event, Jordan Lanham of St Louis' the online newspaper, the St Louis Globe-Democrat, was good enough to interview us and she wrote up a fantastic story:

Thanks Jordan, and thanks to St Louis Economic Council and Edward Jones for putting out this Business Plan competition for local St Louis businesses. That was a great idea!

Chaggle Links Your Tweets

2010-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

We are very happy to let everyone know that we have successfully integrated Twitter!

So now you can automatically configure you Chaggle account to post your Chaggle Shout Outs to Twitter. And what is even cooler is that each Tweet will be automatically tagged with a small hyperlink to the webpage you were viewing when you posted the message.

So you no longer have to go through the pain of copying and pasting links into your tweets...Chaggle will do that for you! And don't worry about going over the 141 characters, Chaggle will break your message into multiple messages if you go over the limit.

We are very interested in getting feedback on this new feature so all comments are welcome.

Clayton

Chaggle's New Look

2010-01-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

As many of you have noticed, we recently gave the Chaggle webpage a new look. So I wanted to walk though a couple of the updates really quick so that everyone knows what was added.

The first thing we did was to streamline the sign-up process. We had a few users who were getting lost while they were trying to get all signed up, so we made it easier for everyone. We removed a step or two and we bulked up the help that you get while your working through that process.

Also, we were lucky enough to work with Jenn Mathews (SEO expert of Classmates.com fame) and Jenn has made sure that the new Chaggle site was built to be as searchable as possible. The goal here is to get as many new Chagglers as we can to come join those of you who are already out there. We wante to send out a BIG thanks to Jenn for all of her help...and we look forward to her helping us out alot more in the future.

There are a ton of other upgrades that came with the website re-vamp that I'll talk about in my next few postings, but that's plenty for now.

Thanks again to all of the Chaggler's out there and we'll be chatting with you soon.

Laters,

Clayton

Chaggle for Firefox

2009-09-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, on 1 Sep 09 the Chaggle Add-on for Firefox first hit the street! And we could not be happier with the results. We are very excited about having the Firefox option since the number one question we got when we initially rolled out was, "When are you guys going to have one for Firefox?" :)

So thanks to everyone for the feedback! Chaggle is getting better and better by the day!

We have now started working with the folks over at Obvio.us folks (www.obvio.us.com) who are helping us put together a shiny, and very sleek new website design for Chaggle, so we're looking forward to that as well!

Thanks again to all of the Chagglers out there! Keep the feedback coming.

Clayton

Chaggle Featured in St Louis Post Dispatch

2009-07-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well it was as very good day for Chaggle, we were featured in an article on the front page of the St Louis' Post Dispatch newspaper.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/9F893E980EC42A55862575ED000A2DB0?OpenDocument

The article does a good job of laying out the current social networking landscape.....and I don't think that all of the newly started social medial sites are destined to be smashed against the establishment (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and that the game is essentially over since the market is saturated and content is free.

The reality is that you (customer/user/web junkie) are always looking for new and better ways to collaborate, and there is no such thing as an end to the competition....there is ALWAYS the next big thing. Like....oh, I don't know....maybe.....CHAGGLE!!

Backspace Issue While Using Chaggle with IE8

2009-06-28T18:39:00.001-07:00

We want to make everyone aware of an issue that we're working on right now in regards to how Chaggle works with Internet Explorer 8. The way in which the backspace key functions in the Explorer Bar (the area of the browser where Chaggle is displayed) in IE8 is different from how Microsoft handled it in IE7.

So, when Chaggle users running IE8 are hitting the backspace key while they are typing in a message (or just signing in), it is functioning like the "Back" button in their browser, taking them to a previous page. We do not have a workaround for this issue right now. Your patience is appreciated while we work through to a solution.

Thanks,

Clayton

National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Video Tutorial

2009-06-12T18:16:00.001-07:00

We just put together a new introductory video and posted it out on YouTube. We wanted to show what Chaggle can do for folks who are hot rod fans. Check it out it and let us know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3cVD_6JPFQ

Thanks!

Clayton

Chaggle is the WebSite of the Day

2009-05-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Chaggle was selected as the Website of the Day by St Louis' Channel 5!

Here's the link:

http://www.ksdk.com/life/programming/local/tisl/website/story.aspx?storyid=176136

Thanks to the folks over at KSDK for selecting Chaggle, and we hope we will all be seeing some more Chagglers out there as a result.

Thanks!

Clayton

Chaggle Client Now Available at Download.com

2009-05-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

Well it certainly is a big day for Chaggle today. We have been working for the last several weeks to get the Chaggle client posted on C-Net at Download.com and today the client was approved and posted for download! Here's the link:

http://download.cnet.com/Chaggle/3000-12512_4-10915113.html

This is a great step forward for us and we're hoping it will really help us get the word out! So everyone just keep on telling your friends and we'll keep expanding out our community, one Chaggler at a time!

Clayton

New Chaggle Intro Video

2009-05-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we've put together a video that gives a quick overview of what Chaggle is and what it can do. We hope this helps expain Chaggle to new folks that are seeing it for the first time. Check it out and let us know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ADMbHUG2yg

Thanks!

Clayton

Don't Worry About Chat Rooms, Chaggle Does That For You!

2009-05-12T03:01:00.000-07:00

One of my friends was saying on the Facebook Chaggle group that she had the plug-in working, but now if she could figure out these chat rooms! My sister-in-law Trish replied back that "you don't have to worry about chat rooms, just go to your favorite website and Chaggle does all that for you! I was thinking how true is that?

I use the example of nascar.com all of the time, mainly because NASCAR has such a fan base that I am sure would love Chaggle. There are thousands of people that will be at www.nascar.com at the very same moment, die hard Earnhardt fans, Tony Stewart fans, just pick a driver; with Chaggle they could all argue out the points of the last race or the up coming race. The beauty of Chaggle is almost beyond explanation. We know once we get the user base on board we will go "Viral" and spread like mad.

You name somthing that has a large fan base that communicates by forum a lot and we can show you how Chaggle can take that up to the next level. So, it can be NASCAR, it can be the St Louis Cardinals, it could be something like video gaming, it really does not matter. If people are gathering, Chaggle can be a vehicle for communication. I think you are just going to have to experience it, don't take my word for it!

My goal is to create a "Chaggle Nation"!

Who's in?

Gregman

Chaggle in the News!

2009-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Evening All,

Well today is a monumental day! Today, 11 May 2009...is the first day that Chaggle has shown up in the news!! How cool is that!

So I would like to send a big thanks out to Will Buss, the business reporter over at the Bellville Democrat newspaper, for interviewing our very own Greg Stephenson last week and writing a GREAT question and answer piece in today's Business section. Thanks Will!

Also, thanks to those sites that found the article interesting and decided to post it! We could not believe the number of sites that picked up the piece!

The article even ended up on Yahoo's NASCAR page thanks to Greg's referencing of NASCAR in his example of how Chaggle worked!!! Way to go Gregor!! ...how sweet is that!!?? :)

And BND.COM also picked up the article...here's the link (http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/763819.html).

So I can't wait to see how many new folks we get throgh this newest push....the Chaggle Nation is coming together...one step at a time!!

Thanks!

Clayton

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Fellow Chagglers!

Just wanted to say happy Mother's Day to whom it may apply :) and I wanted to say thanks to all for the great feedback we've been getting.

Those of you who have been out there on Chaggle a bunch in the last week will notice the tweaks. They're small tweaks, but they should make a big difference. So, please keep that feedback coming. And if you like Chaggle, pass it on to a friend!

Clayton

Working the Phones

2009-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

It has been just a few days now since we have take Chaggle beta live and, man has it been busy! We have been working to make sure that we get the word out as much as possible. We have sent out press releases and we now have accounts all fired up for Chaggle on Twitter and Facebook. So if you guys get a chance, take a look at us out there and jump on as a fan or a follower.

We're also working on a video that we will post on our website and out at YouTube that will walk you through some cool ways to Chaggle.

Well, please keep that feedback coming! We got some great comments and suggestions today!

Thanks Everyone!

Clayton

Welcome to Chaggle Go-Live Day

2009-05-01T03:02:00.001-07:00

Well, here we are....we made it to go-live day!!!!!!!!

Well, I just want to say thanks to the folks that have gotten us get here.

Greg, Wayne, Carrie, Steve, Peter....you guys (and gal) ROCK!!! Chaggle never would have made it this far without you help....so.

THANK YOU!!!

And welcome everyone to Chaggle Beta 1.12. We hope you enjoy it. And if you do...please let your friends know! Chaggle is only going to be as cool as the people that are out there, so please spread the word! Also, we're standing by to help you with any bumps in the road that you run into, so just let us know.

1 May 2009....Chaggle day 1.

Truly....Browsing just got a little less lonely... :)

Preparing for Rollout!

2009-04-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we are firing on all cylinders now getting everything together. We're making all of the final adjustments and getting ready to put the Chaggle Beta Client out for public download. Things have been coming right along and we should have all of the new artwork in place before the 1 May rollout.

So for all of the Chagglers-to-be out there who will be reading this posting, THANKS! And once you're out there, be sure and let us know how we can make it better.

Clayton

Chaggle's New Look

2009-04-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

We have been working for the past couple of weeks with Carrie and Steve from Mogi llc on the new artwork for the Chaggle side-bar and we cannot be happier with the work they have done! All of you test Chagglers should be able to see the new digs here in the next week.

The Mogi's have done an OUTSTANDING job of first understanding what Chaggle is all about and then putting together powerfully simplistic artwork to help us convey that. You can check these guys out at www.mogillc.com.

On behalf of all of the soon-to-be Chagglers who will be enjoying the shiny new interface after the 1 May 2009 rollout....Thank You Carrie and Steve!!!

Chaggle Moves to The Amazon EC2 "Cloud"

2009-04-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well we did not think the day would come, but Chaggle.com has moved over to the Amazon Cloud. Chaggle is a new entry into the "Chat" scene. We sometimes say social networking, but I think it will actually go beyond social networking. Mainly because the Chaggle technology just takes the Internet experience, which is currently flat in my opinion, and adds a 3rd dimension. So what I envision and really what we started off envisioning is that you will be able to just casually happen into people at the same website just as you do in regular store.

This is really about the Amazon EC2 platform and our experience moving over. I read so much about this thing they called the "Cloud" and of course the Amazon EC2. The more I read the more I thought I knew, but at the same time the more confused I became. I finally decided just to sign up for a Amazon EC2 account and see what I could figure out. I had already watched youtube videos of people launching instances and it just looked so easy I knew there was a catch somewhere. The reality of it all was that I spent $6.00 for my server time and a few nights launching instances and attaching the EBS volumes.

As far as the youtube videos making it seem so easy, well it really was. Amazon uses what they call Amazon Machine Images (AMI's) and I just went and picked out one of the public AMI's that was a close fit to what we needed and launched it. If you sign up for a EC2 account you can go to the control panel and see what I am talking about.

If you successfully log in and find a AMI that you like, you can make modifications to it and then you can bundle that image and store it in your S3 account for later use. You can also take a public AMI make changes to it rename your copy and make it a private AMI. If your instance fails it may be important to relaunch as quickly as possible. If you launch an AMI and make a lot of modifications to it while it's running and the instance terminates or fails, well if you did not bundle those changes and save them in S3 storage it's lost. If you did bundle your AMI and save it, then relaunching takes only a matter of minutes!

In our case we found a public AMI that matched our needs and we are still tweaking on it at the moment. Once everyone is finished up we will bundle again and be off and running using the Amazon EC2! I will continue to post some updates on our progress. At the moment the architecure is very simplistic. We are working toward a configuration that will scale up for us as user demand increases.

I will be back with more updates as we continue to progress and learn more about this animal they call the "Cloud". I am confident that between Clayton, Wayne and myself that we will figure it all out.

Talk to you guys on Chaggle,

Gregman
www.chaggle.com

Chaggle Chat #1

2009-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give a BIG Shout Out to all of you who showed up on Wednesday, 18 Feb, at seven o'clock PM to make the very first Chaggle Chat session a HUGE success.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

We got some great feedback, and we have some great lessons learned from all of the testing you did while you were trying out all of Chaggle's features. And from the sound of it, I think everyone had a good time doing it, which is the whole point after all.

It was so cool to see everyone out there, just chatting away...and you guys have already come up with new ways to use Chaggle that we had never even thought of!

So, if you have received an invite to check out Chaggle and you weren't able to be there at Chaggle Chat #1....Do not despair! Chaggle Chat #2 will be coming soon to a computer near you! (pardon the dramatics :)

And thanks again to everyone for your GREAT support and we'll be Chaggling with ya again soon!

Clayton

Welcome to the Chaggle Beta

2009-02-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say thanks to those who have downloaded the Chaggle Sidebar so far and let you know that we eagerly await any feedback you have as to how we can make Chaggle better.

Right now the idea is to let you guys check out the interface and let us know where we can make improvements.

So far, it's has just been Greg, Wayne and I testing all of the features to make sure they are easy to understand, but after we have looked at it for so long, we take certain things for granted and we almost get to close to the interface to be objective anymore.

So that's where you guys come in :)

We know there are going to be a whole lotta lessons learned here right from the get-go as you take a look at the interface for the first time and start getting an understanding of what Chaggle is and what it can do for you.

So please download away and let us know what you think and THANKS SO MUCH for taking part in the Chaggle Beta test!

chaggle

Chaggle Enters St Louis Business Plan Competition

Chaggle IPod Nano Giveaway

Chaggle Featured in St Louis Globe-Democrat

St. Louis entrepreneurs compete for prize money

Chaggle Links Your Tweets

Chaggle's New Look

Chaggle for Firefox

Chaggle Featured in St Louis Post Dispatch

Backspace Issue While Using Chaggle with IE8

National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Video Tutorial

Chaggle is the WebSite of the Day

Chaggle Client Now Available at Download.com

New Chaggle Intro Video

Don't Worry About Chat Rooms, Chaggle Does That For You!

Chaggle in the News!

Happy Mother's Day

Working the Phones

Welcome to Chaggle Go-Live Day

Preparing for Rollout!

Chaggle's New Look

Chaggle Moves to The Amazon EC2 "Cloud"

Chaggle Chat #1

Welcome to the Chaggle Beta