by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
My name is Kim and I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I yell at my new cell phone when I can’t figure out how to answer a phone call, then later gush in amazement when the digital photo I uploaded to Costco prints as a fabulous poster. Welcome to digital ditzy.
One of the main reasons I changed to an Android phone, besides the fact Blackberry was sinking, is I wanted to use the Square. www.square.com For those not in the know, the Square is this fabulous little white cube you plug into a smart phone or iPad. (Not a Blackberry) Square processes credit cards, charges you a small fee, then delivers money in your bank account the next day. Nirvana for those of us with BORS (back of room sales) for physical books.
I read business news to see what other digital developments might help make me more moola. An announcement that Starbucks will be taking mobile payments from Square at their 7,000 corporate-run stores in November perked me up. Pun intended. Starbucks invested $25 million in Square in August to adopt the technology and process all its credit and debit payments.As goes Starbucks, so go I. Learning from the best includes business advice as well as writing advice. Starbucks will be using Square’s Wallet app so you can pay with your phone, no cube needed. Square also launched their online directory last Wednesday so you can find which of the 200,000 vendors use Wallet app right now; it will even point you to the closest Starbucks. A necessity for all writers.
Square was founded in 2009 by CEO Jack Dorsey, the same guy who invented that other little app, Twitter. And next summer those using the Wallet app will be able to tip their barista. Another great idea.
So while I’m having fun thinking about being an author/publisher wallet app vendor in the future who can sell ebooks anywhere in the world, I’m also keeping my eye on Mark Cuban, the “Shark Tank” guy. Cuban invested $1 million in a Portland startup company here called Little Bird. www.getlittlebird.com
“Little Bird (as in “a little bird told me…”) helps find and reach online experts on any topic. It’s aimed at marketers and others seeking to reach and communicate with people who have influence in a given community,” said The Oregonian article by Mike Rogoway on Oct. 6. Another little Portland company also kicked in some bucks, our own Wieden+Kennedy ad firm.
What better place for an author to be than up close and in tight with a Little Bird and a Square? In the spirit of business, success and “putting a bird on it,” follow the money!
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