Do you have a Rental Property?

Do a Criminal Background check EVERY time. As a landlord or property manager, we know that a credit and employment check kept the bad renters and bounced checks away, but we often forgo the criminal background check. Let me tell you that I now know a reliable criminal screening can save you a world of trouble later on.

Luckily no one was injured or killed in this particular situation. And most of the neighbors had no idea an incident even occurred. The tenant moved on and we, with their security deposit in hand, are starting the repairs.

I'm in awe at the damage! Nine bullets left over 20 holes and tears in the windows, walls, doors, trim, curtains, blinds, mirrors, ceiling, light fixtures...

The police investigating the shooting were quick to tell me that this was drug related and that the victim had a criminal drug history. We won't make that mistake again.

Here are a few great online services if you too are a landlord,

1. www.tenantverification.com
2. www.intelius.com
3. www.e-renter.com

I've used Intelius in the past but now that were going to do the criminal check I've switched to E-Renter. Why? They offer a very comprehensive package. I'll let you know how it goes.

Where Have You Been?

As usual I got lost in a sea of Facebook Apps after lunch. Enjoyed this one enough to share with all of you. So, where have you been lately?

My Favorite places:

1. Monte-Carlo, Monaco


2. New York City, NY, USA


3. Miami Beach, FL, USA

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Visit TripAdvisor.com

Diaper Cakes are FUN!

Diaper Cakes by Angie, originally uploaded by GibbyClan.

I'm becoming really good at the baby shower diaper cake. This is the last one I made for my sister. She was invited to a baby shower for a co-worker. They're really easy.

Get a jumbo bag of baby diapers. I've raised two babies, a girl and a boy, and I recommend Huggies for newborns. Huggies just fit those tiny little bottoms better. Later on, I switched to pampers for my daughter. Two rolls of ribbon - pink, blue, yellow - whatever you like. I usually get the most compliments on the cake when I use a pink-and-brown or blue-and-brown combo.

The best part is that you can control how much you want to spend by the extras you add. I've created a small diaper cake (like the one pictured here) for $40 or spent as much as $150 by adding designer booties, rattles, bibs, onesies and a gift card attached to the top.

What My 9-5 Day Consists of Lately

General Viral Formula
X * Y = virality level / viral coefficient
10 people join your site * 15 invites per person sent * 10% of those people convert to new users =

15 new users to the site
15 new users / 10 original = 1.5 viral coefficient / virality level

Things you can do to improve the viral coefficient
1. improve x: figure out a way to get them to send more invites. Or return more times to be able to invite more often.
2. increase y: work on ways the recipient is more likely to accept an invite.
So, it got me to thinking, what are some ways to improve x and increase y?

Improve X
Why would someone send out invites to their friends? What are the factors?
- Utility, experience, network effect (”I sign up because all my friends are on it”), etc.
What are some mechanisms that a website can place to facilitate this?
- Clear explanation of benefits, simplicity in use, build the product with “viral hooks”

Increase Y
What would make someone accept an invite?
- Trust the person it’s sent from, they understand what the invite is for, etc.
What are some mechanisms to increase invite acceptions?
- Explanation of what they are signing up for in emails, a customizable page explaining benefits when they click on a link in the email,

And, of course, if you’ve got some viral ideas or would like to collaborate on viral apps, drop me a line: angiecgibson at gmail (or connect to me on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. the links are here ----> look to your right) Have a great weekend.

Vollee beta for SL

Download Vollee mobile access to World of Second Life

Welcome to the Vollee beta. You can now access Second Life whenever & wherever you want to.

• Works on over 40 handsets already (more being added), with a data plan
• Works on 3G or WiFi enabled handsets
• Fly or Teleport yourself anywhere in the world
• See when your friends are online and Chat or IM
• Completely free

Unfortunately at this time they do not support MY handset -- the HTC Touch phone. I have faith that it won't be long. PLEEEEZE.