Given how busy I have been with work and moving to Kansas, I have opted not to update my website for more than a year now. Given Hurox's recent launch, however, my time table is more free, and I find myself wanting to once again let everyone know what I am up to. So this week's update is focused on Hurox.com, a startup project I have been working on for 13 months.

So what is Hurox? Many would describe it as a next generation social network. The key, however, is that it merely utilizes the platform of a social network to deliver a resource to an untapped market: the ability for individuals everywhere to be able to buy and sell user-generated content. Things like e-books, amateur "garage band" music, icon packs, stock photography, how-to videos... whatever. A few of these media types have taken off already: MySpace became famous by toting the garage band banner. They failed, however, to actually let their artists truly sell music and reach a new audience. The vast majority of MySpace bands are completely unheard of and remain that way. Most of the music hosted there is discovered by the bands themselves promoting their web presence at their own concerts. We feel that is a failure: the website itself should have marketing tools available that allow these independent artists to reach the audience that would be interested in their music. We extend that same notion to all kinds of other digital media, as I mentioned previously.

Some of the tools we provide to facilitate this are: 1) Online Desktop (ability to store/organize/sell/access content in a proven, familiar interface), 2) Feed System & Intelligent Recommendations (keeps users aware of new products that have been uploaded from artists they care about), 3) Drag and Drop Web Toolkit (without having to know html/css, users can create any number of webpages to market their content or to just make their own web presence). We believe the culmination of these tools, done properly, creates a new market for content that previously could not be sold. Due to other companies (iTunes, AimeeStreet, Amazon, etc.) putting the floor *and* ceiling of online content at $0.99 cents, other companies have been unable to create a viable revenue stream off this market, as most of the content simply cannot be sold for that high of a price point. By having a built-in transaction system where users deposit money into Hurox Credits, we can allow our users to sell products for anywhere from $0.01 cent to anything you can imagine. Thus, that how-to knit a hat video that used to be free on youtube, can now be sold for 5 cents a view (with a free 30 second preview), for example.

Further, we also share advertisement revenue with all our users. This means, even content that CANNOT be sold (the next viral video, for example), can be profitable. By producing a video like Numa Numa and providing it on Hurox, users can profit everytime they get someone to watch the video (and even more if they click the ad, of course).

But enough with the marketing shpeel. We're currently looking for our 2nd round of funding through local angels and vc investors. We are actively opening any connections we can to achieve the funding we need to grow the site's user base. The product is done (and works, feel free to sign up - it's free!)... we just need money to invest into server infrastructure so we can ramp up our marketing.