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New here? See 10 ways KartMe helps you and your friends experience the best

Save on Cyber Monday

By : Shelby

Date: Sunday, November 29, 2009 - 21:44

Tags: All Posts, How Members Use KartMe

I love a great deal as much as the next girl, but you know what I also love? Letting others do it for me.

Fortunately, I don't need to bother with Walmart parking lots to find the best deals this season. I'm letting KartMe find the best deals for me!

KartMe is the web's best way to organize all of your shopping and wish lists and make sure you get the best prices this holiday season!

Here are just a few of the ways that KartMe users are simplifying their lives and saving money:

Track prices. KartMe takes all of the effort out of finding the best deals on electronics, books and toys. It's simple: with one click, you Kart the item you want to watch, and turn on KartMe's PriceTracking feature. Then KartMe gets to work, scouring the web to find the best deal on your item. Check your weekly update to see what kind of great deals KartMe has uncovered, or log in anytime to see the best price of the moment!

Manage gift ideas. Don't find yourself drawing a blank on what to buy for someone when it's crunch time. Keep all of your gift ideas organized in Karts! As you come across something on the web that would make a great gift, Kart It with a single click. And KartMe's note taking and comment features are perfect for making sure you've got all of the important information about your lucky recipients - sizes, color preferences, anything - in one place.

Keep shopping lists at your fingertips on your iPhone, Blackberry or Droid. Ditch that ratty piece of legal paper or collection of post-it notes and stop emailing yourself! With KartMe, all of your Karts, notes and comments are with you all of the time on your phone with the iPhone app or m.kartme.com. Perfect for when you find yourself overwhelmed in the toy aisle, wondering exactly what it was that little Johnie wanted again?

See how to create a wishlist in 100 seconds

Looking for gift ideas from real KartMe members? Check out these Karts.

Life simplifiers and Gifts for Dogs from Gesina
Cute design gifts from Mineko27
Books by cromansky
Holiday Gift Ideas by piperoverbaugh
Great Gadgets by Phil

Get started today at kartme.com

Happy shopping! (And of course, if you're interested in my wish list Kart, you can find it here. Just kidding. Kind of....)

Introducing Labels

By : Phil

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 11:56

Tags: All Posts, Product News

Want to organize your favorites along with your friends' or partners'?

Looking for a gift idea or restaurant?

Labels are a new KartMe innovation to help you organize your favorites and discover new ones. As you may know, Karts are lists of favorites easily created on a computer, that you can share or use on-the-go. Labels help you organize Karts by you and your friends. Labels also make finding your next favorite recipe, restaurant or movie easier.

Labels help you organize.

Any Kart, whether its your own or one you're watching, can be labeled. This is great when you want to group a few karts from you and friends for an upcoming trip. Or use labels to group Karts about restaurants in a city or movies to see. Labels appear in your navigation bar

Labels

Labels help you discover.

Need a recipe or gift suggestion? Just click your label and you'll see a feed of what's being kart'd in that label. You can even use filters to drill down to a particular neighborhood or cuisine type.

Adding labels is easy

You can add labels to Karts you created or are watching.

To add labels, Click "MANAGE" near your karts to get the "Manage Your Karts" option.

Manage Karts to Add Labels

Or, Add labels when viewing a Kart you created or watched.

Add and delete labels on a Kart

Labels make it easier to organize Karts and discover new favorites.

Got feedback? Email Phil at phil at kartme.com. We love hearing from you. Happy kart'n!

Free Money

By : Shelby

Date: Friday, November 20, 2009 - 14:56

Tags: All Posts, Company News

That's right - only ten days left to win a $50 Amazon gift card just for creating and sharing recipes! Got a recipe Kart? Here is what you need to do: Tell all of your friends to Watch your Kart. It will take them less than 30 seconds. Tell them to: - Sign up at www.kartme.com - Visit your page at www.kartme.com/YourUserName - Click on the "Watch Kart!" button next to your recipe Kart
First time on KartMe? Here is what you need to do: (1) Sign up at www.kartme.com/recipes (if you haven't already!) (2) Create a new recipe list at www.kartme.com/start/kart (3) Add your favorite recipes. It's easy - just click the +Save It For Later button at Epicurious.com, Allrecipes.com, Foodnetwork.com, your favorite food blog, or anywhere! Or add your own concoctions by clicking the "Take a Note" button on the top left corner of your page.

(4) Tell all of your friends to Watch your Kart. It will take them less than 30 seconds. Tell them to: - Sign up at www.KartMe.com - Visit your page at www.kartme.com/YourUserName - Click on the "Watch Kart!" button to your recipe Kart That's it. So easy and quick! The Kart with the most watchers by November 30 will win $50 from Amazon! Second and third place will win $25. See full contest rules here. What are you waiting for?? Get Kart'n!

Bloggers: Gain new readers for free by helping your readers organize and share.

By : Phil

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 18:31

Tags: All Posts, Company News, Product News

We keep hearing that members want more ways to share KartMe. Now, bloggers can help their readers save restaurants, recipes, books or more to Karts.

Here are live sample buttons for a blog:

Save to iPhone Save to Wishlist with KartMe

First, these buttons are a great service to your readers. Wouldn't your readers like to easily access restaurants you reviewed on their iPhone or BlackBerry? Wouldn't they like a way to easily save a link to their mobile recipe box or a book to their reading list?

Second, sharing KartMe with your readers will increase your readership. You'll increase pageviews as:

Your readers will stay loyal. Before reading the book or visiting the restaurant, they'll likely visit your blog again. They will use your blog more often if they know it's easy to add books or restaurants to lists they can use anytime, anywhere.
You acquire new readers through word of mouth. As you may know, people like to share lists. Whenever a KartMe member shares a list including an item found on your blog, your link will be right there.
You quickly get many links from relevant pages on KartMe, increasing your organic traffic. You'll get 2 links for each member who saves the item and 1 link on the book or restaurant page to help your search engine optimization.
It's cool. Our technology connects computers with an iPhone or BlackBerry. That's cool and useful.

Getting started is free and easy

Join KartMe and sign-in
Search for a restaurant, book or recipe pages on KartMe
Visit the page about that item, scroll to the bottom, and click the link "Get your review on this page"
Copy and paste your favorite style link into your blog

You'll get links from KartMe automatically when the first reader clicks through and saves an item. For example, you could help readers share The 4-Hour Workweek on their KartMe reading list with html from here. The first time someone saves it from your blog to their reading list, you'll then get two links on The 4-Hour Workweek page.

See it in action. Green Taxi helps readers of book reviews with a "Save to Wishlist with KartMe" option.

Got question? Send us an email at phil {at} kartme.com

IMPROVED CONVERSIONS BY 25%. THANKS HN!

By : Phil

Date: Friday, November 6, 2009 - 13:59

Tags: All Posts, Company News

The Hacker News community unanimously said KartMe's homepage was confusing. And by following your suggestions, the conversion rate for a landing page dedicated to recipe organization improved by 25%! We've been testing conversions on this special page with our $5-a-day search engine budget.

The biggest homepage change we made to our main homepage: adding a big headline. Every expert seems to say you have less than 5 seconds to capture the attention of a visitor. Clearly a big headline grabs attention. We're currently testing this headline on the homepage:

Headlines I'll be testing once I get google website optimizer up are "All your lists in one place." and "All your favorites in lists." As nobody_nowhere suggested, it'd be nice to describe what we're doing and have a call to action in that headline. An emotional hook could help too.

The second biggest homepage change to our homepage: Defining a Kart. In the middle of the page, we say a Kart is a list in any topic.

Other homepage changes include removing the search box at the top, simplifying and broadening examples in the middle, and removing bold from the orange font.

We also made changes to members' pages, eliminating calls to action. As cedsav suggested, we hid calls to action "Watch All Karts", hid repeated Kart titles and toned down content in the right column. We also reduced the number of possible actions per item in a Kart down to 3-5, depending on the item. We're seeing much better time on a page stats on lists with lots of content, like these restaurants.

I'm still looking for ideas of how to better explain KartMe and how to simplify pages, whether of entrepreneurial markting blogs and books or favorite places in Boston. So, let me know what you think. It just takes 30 seconds to start a list :)

BEST Recipe Karts Win $100 in November!

By : Shelby

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 - 15:28

Tags: All Posts, Company News

As you make magic in the kitchen, why not let fellow chef's know about it? Help friends find your favorite recipes. Create a recipe Kart like Shelby's or Phil's.

Gather the most Watchers for your Kart of recipes and voila - $$$ to spend at Amazon.com!

Contest Rules

* The Winning Kart gains the most new Watchers from November 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009.

* Winner receives a $50 gift card to Amazon; 1st and 2nd runners-up receive $25 gift cards to Amazon.

* To be eligible, the Kart must have at least 5 recipes. The member must have a profile picture. Entry is automatic.

* Multiple entries are allowed, though each member may only win 1 prize. KartMe affiliates are not eligible.

* Comments on recipes are not required, but they are encouraged as they'll help you connect with members!

Your winning Kart can meet any of your cooking needs or dreams. Some topics for recipe Karts we'd like to see include Date Night Recipes, Family Meal Favorites, Easy Party Appetizers and Desserts that ALWAYS work.

Tips for getting Watchers

* Email a friend to join KartMe at www.kartme.com. Friends can watch your karts at kartme.com/YourUserName

* Update Facebook or Twitter with a link to your Karts -- now you can do this from KartMe.com!

* Blog about how you use KartMe and your great recipe karts

Need help getting started? You can join KartMe at kartme.com/recipes. Still need help? Visit http://www.kartme.com/help or email phil at kartme.com.

KartMe is the best way to organize and share your favorite recipes from any website!

See you in the kitchen - and happy Kart'n!

10 Recipe Blogs to Feed You in the Post-Gourmet Era

By : Shelby

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 22:42

Tags: All Posts, How Members Use KartMe

My mom made a killer meatloaf. The recipe resided in just one place: on a battered, tomato-stained index card in a wooden box on top of the refrigerator. Right next to a small stack of dog-eared cooking books, magazines and newspaper clippings. Doesn't that seem so cute and antiquated?

**Cooking these days - as the recent death of Gourmet magazine so poignantly illustrates - is all about the internet. And the internet's latest culinarily darlings? Recipe bloggers.**

Packed with slick photography and witty prose, these foodies weave their own lives into the recipes they share, giving readers a tale along with the list of ingredients in each featured dish.

Here are 10 of our favorite recipe bloggers:

10) Joy the Baker - joythebaker.com. Joy dispenses baking tips, charming life stories, and decadent desserts from Los Angeles. Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies? DROOL.

9) Closet Cooking - closetcooking.blogspot.com. Canadian Kevin Lynch brings simple seasonal favorites to his blog. Americans may want to Kart some of his "Turkey Leftovers" recipes, like his Grilled Turkey and Brie Sandwich with Cranberry Chutney, as our own Turkey Day approaches.

8) 101 Cookbooks - 101cookbooks.com. Healthy veggie-friendly food has never looked as good as when photographed in the San Francisco kitchen of the talented Heidi Swanson. KartMe readers are especially fond of her Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad.

7) An Olive Tree Grows in Manhattan - anolivetreegrows.blogspot.com. New Yorker Laura Sampedro's thoughtful, locavore-friendly recipes make readers want to run to the nearest farmer's market. Her recent Spaghetti with Green Tomato Sauce is a KartMe fave!

6) Food Blogga - foodblogga.blogspot.com. Susan blogs from sunny San Diego, but her Italian/Rhode Island roots are prominent on both her recipes and her phonetically-appropriate blog title. Karters are patiently waiting for Thanksgiving to make her Olive Oil, Carmelized Onion and Sage Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

5) Vintage Victuals - vintagevictuals.com. Comfort food and traditional home-cookin' reign on Atlanta-based Ellie's blog. Try her Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Apples.

4) Cara's Cravings - carascravings.blogspot.com. Cara, from Boston, creates delicious concoctions that also happen to be quite healthy. Her creativity is evident in her Herby Chicken with Balsamic Figs and Shallots.

3) Homesick Texan - homesicktexan.blogspot.com. Lonestar native Lisa quips about life as a transplant to NYC and dishes up some favorites from her home state and her travels. Try her West Texas Stacked Enchilidas, y'all.

2) Annie's Eats - annies-eats.com. Annie's recent Guinness and Bailey's Cupcakes had Irish Car Bomb fans jonesing. Based in Indianapolis, she is loved by her readers for her precisely-written tips and willingness to help out commenters.

1) Brown Eyed Baker - browneyedbaker.com. Readers come to Michelle's blog for her delightful baked goodies - which range from classic to exotic - and stay for her insightful kitchen tips and fun giveaways. Her Peach Crumb Bars are easy and delicious!

Of course, there are hundreds of other amazing blogs out there - picking just ten was a major challenge! What are your favorite blogger recipes? KartMe is the easiest way to organize a universal recipe box for links to recipes from all your favorite recipe bloggers. So Kart 'em!

Boo!

By : Shelby

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 16:13

Tags: All Posts, How Members Use KartMe

Guess what's right around the corner?

Whether your idea of Halloween fun involves candy, costumes, or cocktails, keep everyone in the loop and organized with KartMe.

Dressing up? Save all of your best costume ideas, whether DIY or store bought, in a Kart. Share the Kart with a friend and see what they think.

And if you're ordering online, use KartMe's Price Track feature to ensure you get the best deal out there.

Throwing a Halloween bash? Use KartMe to collect all of your decorations, drink recipes, and menus in one place. And of course, if you're planning on whipping up some homemade goodies for the big night, KartMe keeps all of your favorite recipes organized. Event planning has never been easier!

Going out on the town? KartMe is the quickest and easiest way to find your friends' favorite restaurants and bars!

So put down the candy corn and get Kart'n!

Holy &$!#, there are a lot of restaurants in this city

By : Shelby

Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 12:37

Tags: All Posts, How Members Use KartMe

It's been almost two months now since I moved to NYC, and this thought still runs through my head on a daily basis. It is mind-boggling how many tempting dining options there are! Not a day goes by that I don't pass some adorable little bistro tucked in a corner or hear a friend describe the "New York's best [insert cuisine here]" and think: I've gotta remember to try that place.

But I'm kind of a scatterbrain when it comes to this stuff. Which is why I'm so happy that KartMe offers everything I need to keep all of my foodie thoughts and plans organized!

For instance, I keep all of the places I'm dying to try in my Restaurants to Try Kart. I update it at every time I see or hear of a place that sounds good - which is pretty much daily. And when my husband or friends ask where we should go for brunch/dinner/lunch/drinks/whatever, I just email them a link to my Kart, complete with my comments and filters, or links to a few restaurants. Reviews, maps, the phone number and links to OpenTable and Yelp are right at their fingertips - so they can decide and reserve!

KartMe is also an easy way to get your friends' recommendations without even having to ask. I know which of my friends have good taste in food (well, let's be honest, would I be friends with them if they didn't?) and I watch their Karts to see what their favorites are. Especially helpful if I'm headed to a particular neighborhood - I can find an individual Kart like Phil's Best of LES/East Village or use the filters to look across Phil's Karts for something in the West Village. I've even made Karts specifically for friends who are visiting my adopted hometown, Cleveland, or traveling to a place I know and love, like Las Vegas. Of course, online review sites can also be helpful for finding restaurants, but none can let me see my friends' favorites at a glance, along with their comments, in such a quick and easy way.

Are you always on the go? KartMe for iPhone (and coming soon for Blackberry!) allows you to see what's in your Karts on your phone, including key information such as address, phone number and map of cross streets. Pretty helpful when you screw up your subway directions and find yourself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with a growling tummy and it's way past lunch time and you just need a slice of pizza NOW before you absolutely LOSE IT. (Not that I've done this, personally. Nooooo way.)

Whether you're an hard-core foodie who's looking to share your restaurant-picking prowess with the world or a more casual diner who's just looking for an easy way to find a great dinner, KartMe is the simplest and most effective way to find and share the best restaurants out there. Use it in your hometown or when traveling for the weekend.

So what are YOUR favorites? Kart 'em!

From the Computer to your iPhone, Save Recipes and Restaurant Locations!

By : Phil

Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 10:20

Tags: All Posts, Product News

With KartMe on your iPhone, you can:

Save restaurant addresses to your phone from any website
Quickly find recipe ingredients in the store
Never forget the title of that book or movie
Avoid searching for previously visited websites

KartMe helps you save just the most important information from the internet to your iPhone. Now you'll never forget where to go, what to do, or even what to order. You'll never need to wait for search results or type in long search queries. You can save addresses and phone numbers from Boston.com, Yelp, TripAdvisor, nymag.com, or CitySearch to your iPhone with a click.

To get started, get your free account at http://www.kartme.com, then visit m.kartme.com on your iPhone or get the app at iTunes.