Editor’s Note: This is about Rainy Daze, but it’s also about the evolution of web 1.0 to web 2.0 and Rainy Daze is a useful conduit for this discussion.
Company: Rainy Daze
Why is Rainy Daze being Profiled on Techcrunch?
Rainy Daze is NOT web 2.0. It screams web 1.0.
But there is a reason why its here. I read an article today (referred from What’s Web 2.0?) that was written by Troy Angrinon called “Shifting paradigms: The mental evolutionary process of moving from web 1.0 to web 2.0 in 17 steps” (Link) (and who, I note, writes with Qumana (profile).
The article was originally an email to a friend, and Troy decided to post it to his blog. TechCrunch exists, partially, for similar reasons. We were being asked by friends about web 2.0 and the companies and products that define it, constantly, and so we decided to blog about them instead. Blogging about interesting stuff is just so much easier than having lots and lots of one-on-one conversations.
Troy’s article reminded me of a post from last year by Fred Wilson called Blogging 1.0. It is a must read for any friends that ask you why blogging is different from geocities. I wrote about the article in my personal blog, adding a few things that I thought were important (how blogging is possible because of better software (Troy talks about this) and how they leverage the network effect).
So why Rainy Daze? Last week Keith Teare and I were at Gnomedex, and staying up in town called Anacortes on an island north of Seattle. One evening at dinner we met a local couple (Keri and Jonathan) who were very nice and listened to us discuss the significance of that day’s Microsoft announcement of their support for RSS and how it was important, really important, to the evolution of the web. They were interested (really!?) and seemed to wanted to understand how all the new technology would affect them. And then they told us about Rainy Daze, a website they run from their home and where they sell hand made soaps and other bath stuff.
I believe that someday soon, sites like Rainy Daze will incorporate web 2.0 features, probably from companies we’ve profiled or will profile here at Techcrunch.
I also believe that it’s important to think about sites like these, because ultimately the stuff we are doing today will affect people’s lives.
What is it?
Rainy Daze has very cool stuff. In their own words, “Rainy Daze began with the idea of creating and enhancing all-natural skin care products with the wonderful scent of essential oils. Our products are a welcome change from commercially manufactured products because they are handcrafted using ingredients you can recognize, such as silk. Adding silk creates a soap rich in moisture, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth. We also add moisturizing oils such as jojoba, sweet almond, avocado, hemp seed and shea and cocoa butters creating an incredible hydrating effect. In keeping with our natural approach, we avoid unnecessary colors and additives. We choose only the finest ingredients and pride ourselves on providing you with a top-notch quality product.
In 1999 we began making soap as gifts for friends and family. Because of the requests for replacements, we envisioned an opportunity for growth and fine-tuned our process in order to turn our hobby into a business. Soap making is the creative outlet that has brought inspiration into our lives and given us the opportunity to work with our hands. We are excited about our product line and absolutely love what we do!”
I’ve bought some of their products (lots of their products actually) for my parents as a housewarming gift in their new home on the island. It’s awesome. I recommend you check it out. I imagine they will have a blog very soon to talk about what they are doing. I hope this post, and Troy’s essay linked above, will be helpful to them in doing so.
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Tags: ecommerce, advertising, web2.0, techcrunch