Newsletter #29 - March 16, 2010

ActiveCaptain Co-Ops - This is big...


In This Issue:

- Introducing Co-Ops...
- Larry's Remote Anchoring
- Nor'easter Magazine



Introducing Co-Ops...
==========================================
ActiveCaptain evolved from our own desire to share information and local knowledge with fellow boaters. Our goal was to create a tool that would facilitate this sharing. It has been a stunning success and a great joy to build, grow, and just watch mature. The site went live more than 3 years ago and thanks to the contributions of its users is a valuable resource for all cruisers. We receive hundreds of emails every month telling us how using ActiveCaptain has enhanced your cruising experience - too many testimonials to show in a page, it would take a whole new web site!

When we began creating ActiveCaptain we realized that if we were successful, the strength of tens of thousands of cruisers working together would create a significant economic force. The internet and its vast communications network provides new ideas for using this power. And we think we have a doozy of an idea - Co-Ops.

The marketing strategy behind ActiveCaptain is based on one idea - our captains are kings. You are our customer even if you never buy a thing. You pay us in other ways - with your updates, reviews, new markers, and suggestions. What you might not realize is that just by using the data, you're creating incredible buying power. We're now going to organize that power to provide something every cruiser wants - the ability to save money.

A Co-Op is a term we're borrowing from the advertising world. It's one of those under-the-covers ways that retailers and manufacturers share the cost of advertising. We're going to take that concept, add the internet, and create a totally new, innovative cooperation between you, marinas, and ActiveCaptain. However, there's nothing hidden about what we're going to do - we want you to know everything.

Here's how it works...

Starting now, marinas can create Co-Ops - special time sensitive offers to you. They might be good for a few days or just a few hours. It gives them the opportunity to use their resources to their fullest. For example, let's say you're a marina with 20 transient slips free at 2:00 in the afternoon on a weekday. You know from experience that 3-4 more boats will come in. But what if you had the ability to offer 40% off the slip price for just that afternoon? Don't you think there would be a fair number of boaters who might decide to pull in rather than anchor out - or maybe go to your marina instead of a nearby one? It's sort of like flying standby but with many more options.

Co-Ops can be offers like:
- Save $0.25/gallon for diesel on Wednesdays
- Save 30% for 4 or more boats coming in as a group
- Discounts for reservations 2 months in advance
- Free entrees at the marina restaurant for staying the night
- 50% off slips for first time visitors - especially marinas under new management

The ideas are endless. The results are the same - they allow you to use ActiveCaptain to find these offers, reserve them, and save money.

Financially, it costs the marina absolutely nothing to create the Co-Op. It costs them nothing to enable it for a particular time or to have it displayed in ActiveCaptain (or through any of the other products that use ActiveCaptain data). If, and only if you come in and use a Co-Op, the marina owes us $1.99 when the transaction is completed. That's it. That's the whole deal. Cruisers win because you can save money. Marinas win because they can offer deals to fill their slips or offer services when they need to. ActiveCaptain wins because we generate the revenue we need to keep improving our service and quite frankly, it would be nice to start breaking even on our expenses.

Today we're only introducing this concept to you. Marinas are creating Co-Ops for approval now. Before a Co-Op appears in ActiveCaptain, we make sure that it's a good deal for you. We'll allow marinas to start enabling their Co-Ops on April 12th, just in time for the northerly migration of snowbirds on the east coast. Co-Ops aren't going to be flashy - they'll be factual. They won't get in the way of the ActiveCaptain data and they won't take away from the screen space. We think you'll be seeking them out and we'll make it easy for you to find them - watch for the new Co-Op card on the Interactive Cruising Guidebook.

You're welcome to see the information that we're sharing with literally every marina in the world. Check out our 2 minute teaser video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdJwTpQvsMc

Then read the 2 page white paper for marinas at:
http://www.activecaptain.com/Co-Ops.pdf

Starting Monday, April 12th, 2010...

This is big...



Larry's Remote Anchoring
==========================================
Every once in a while you come across a really fine idea for cruising. Jeff was telling our friend Larry that when we beach our dinghy here in the Keys, it always ends up sideways on the beach and is very difficult to push back into the water. "You don't know how to use the trip line on the anchor to remotely anchor the dinghy?" Larry asks. Well, no, we don't.

So that became a blog entry with 2 videos showing the new technique we learned.

That got picked up by OceanLines (a fine site about passagemaking).

That got picked up by boats.com (one of the premier boating sites).

Larry's technique is now all over the internet. Watch it for yourself on TakingPaws:
http://tinyurl.com/LRA-TakingPaws

Or on OceanLines:
http://tinyurl.com/LRA-OceanLines

Or on boats.com:
http://tinyurl.com/LRA-Boats-com



Nor'easter Magazine
==========================================
Karen's first column in Nor'easter Magazine appeared this month. Find it online starting on page 10:
http://www.flashedition.com/publication/?i=31708&page=10

She's writing a monthly column about cruising from a woman's perspective. It's just a matter of time before Jeff finds out what he's doing wrong...



Our time in the Keys is almost over. We'll soon be turning north. Miami Beach, Vero Beach, Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine, and Fernandina Beach are all destinations in our horizon with plans to be at each one. Of course, Dyna and Dylan continue to enjoy their time onboard - see them at:
http://takingpaws.com

The days are getting longer and Spring is around the corner. Safe travels for everyone.


==================================
Karen and Jeffrey Siegel
aCappella
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
The Interactive Cruising Guidebook

2010-07-21	#35 - My Card, messaging, and more...
2010-06-29	#34 - New ActiveCaptain award...
2010-06-02	#33 - MaxSea Time Zero v1.9 Released
2010-05-18	#32 - ActiveCaptain loves the iPhone/iPad
2010-04-27	#31 - Coastal Explorer Now Available
2010-04-14	#30 - ActiveCaptain Loves Coastal Explorer
2010-03-16	#29 - ActiveCaptain Co-Ops - This is big...
2010-02-23	#28 - ActiveCaptain "X" is now live
2010-02-15	#27 - ActiveCaptain Loves MaxSea/Furuno
2010-01-19	#26 - ActiveCaptain 2010
2009-12-10	#25 - ActiveCaptain X goes beta
2009-11-17	#24 - Quick Lists
2009-10-20	#23 - A fresh look at the iPhone
2009-09-22	#22 - Are we the wave of the future?
2009-08-19	#21 - ActiveCaptain Sets Sail
2009-07-21	#20 - Rescue Tape for 150 Points
2009-07-14	#19 - ActiveCaptain Rocks!
2009-07-01	#18 - ActiveCaptain Gets a Facelift
2009-06-02	#17 - Another ActiveCaptain award!
2009-05-19	#16 - Hats off to you!
2009-05-06	#15 - Twitter, New PodCast, and more
2009-03-17	#14 - Using phones in the Bahamas
2009-03-03	#13 - The best fuel prices
2009-01-28	#12 - SAIL innovation award
2009-01-05	#11 - Power accessories article
2008-12-02	#10 - Bluetooth headsets article
2008-10-28	#9 - The next wave
2008-09-13	#8 - ActiveCaptain Mobile news
2008-06-15	#7 - Mad Mariner
2008-03-12	#6 - ActiveCaptain Mobile
2008-01-21	#5 - Inlets
2007-09-19	#4 - Boat ramps
2007-07-09	#3 - Local knowledge released
2007-04-14	#2 - Global support
2007-02-11	#1 - Anchorages released

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