Haven’t got a clue? Buy an idea on the Web
■Those students short
on cash should not hesitate
to log on to ldeaExchage.com
to sell an idea
By Beata Mostafavi
Oregon Daily Emerald
Clothes, books, accessories.
These are the types of items people
normally buy and sell on a daily
basis.
How about a marketplace for
ideas?
Online since August, IdeaEx
change.com offers a platform
where people can request, list, sell
and buy ideas on the Web. On
Sept. 25, the Web site launched
Campus Tour 2000, which targets
college students.
IdeaExchange representatives
will visit the University from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Fish
bowl Terrace in the EMU to talk
about the Web site and answer
questions.
Kristina Faraclas, IdeaExchange
representative, said College Tour
2000 aims to prove to students that
r
all ideas are significant and can
make a difference if pointed in the
right direction.
“We’re trying to teach students
that ideas have value, and if these
ideas are supported, they can turn
into something,” she said.
For a handful of lucky students
nationwide, the value could be a
full scholarship or a new car.
IdeaExchange has partnered
with Student Advantage, a media
marketing services company spe
cializing in the student market, to
give out College Creativity Awards.
Between Sept. 19 and Feb.28, Web
site users can earn points for buy
ing, selling, listing and requesting
ideas on the site. At the end of the
time period, points can be used to
ward a variety of awards, includ
ing a four-year scholarship and a
2000 Range Rover.
The site has two main categories
for ideas: a business section and a
humanitarian section. The busi
ness portion focuses on ideas that
users hope to sell and purchase,
which includes issues as simple as
“keeping bees away from a barbe
cue” to more complex innovations
such as “keeping your insurance
company from knowing about
you.” These ideas are automatical
ly copyrighted and can be posted
online for a fee of $2 a month, with
a three-month minimum commit
ment.
IdeaExchange collects 20 per
cent of the profits from each idea
sold.
The humanitarian section of the
site includes ideas that can benefit
the world globally, such as envi
ronmental issues. These innova
tions go into the “Ideas for a Better
World” portion of the site and are
divided into sub-categories that in
clude human rights, personal and
social responsibility, environmen
tal issues and poverty. These ideas
can be posted and viewed at no
charge.
David Whitby, college program
coordinator of IdeaExchange, said
college students are targeted be
cause of their overlooked place in
today’s market.
“College students are more apt
to hear our message and what
we’re all about because they were
raised with the Internet and tech
nology,” Whitby said. “College stu
dents have lots of valuable ideas.
Unfortunately, in our marketplace,
we look at the college market in a
cynical view because students
aren’t in the real world. This is a
program where students can not
only express ideas but get value
out of them.”
But some think the value of
ideas is the last thing the site pro
motes.
“This commodifies the creative
process and devalues thought,”
Survival Center coordinator Randy
Newnham said. “Creativity is such
a wonderful thing and by com
modifying it, you’re cheapening it.
Creativity is something priceless,
and some of the best ideas in the
world aren’t going to make a dime.
But in this society, every idea has
to have value that can be ex
pressed in dollars.”
However, students with a busi
ness interest in the site don’t seem
to mind that the site allows price
tags to be placed on ideas.
Freshman business major Jared
Dairy, who plans to post an idea on
IdeaExchange.com about an un
named feature for a television re
mote control, believes the site can
benefit many people.
“I always have random ideas, es
pecially about products that could
be made better,” he said. “But I
never know what to do with them.
This is a good place to try them
out.”
Calendar
Tuesday, Oct. 3
What: Campus Tour 2000. Represen
tatives from ldeaExchange.com are
visiting the University to answer
questions about the new Web site
that allows people to sell and buy
ideas online.
When: Tuesday, Oct.3
Where: EMU Fishbowl Terrace
Source: IdeaExchange.Com
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