We've added a few new features this month that we hope you like.  We have added a sign-up to receive weekly featured stories.  So when your days get hectic you can always find a nice story waiting in your in box.  In addition, we now offer multiple options for bookmarking and sharing thanks-o-meter.com so we are never hard to find.

We've got merchandise!
We have opened an online store for you to buy your loved ones some great gifts with the Thanks-o-meter logo. Everything from magnets to bibs and even a gratitude journal to keep track of what you are thankful for. Visit us today at: www.cafepress.com/thanksometer

Just cut and paste the URL above into your browser.

Most of what we do at Thanks-o-meter.com is simply gather and share all of the nice things that people do for each other.  We thought it might be a good idea to offer some ideas on what you can do in 2009 to give others a reason to say "Thank You".  Maybe you'll be reading some familiar entries this year!

1. Volunteer your time to a charity
2. Donate items to Goodwill
3. Offer assistance to someone in need
4. Tell your parents/children you love them
5. Make eye contact, smile and say hello

Showing respect, sharing your time and being genuine in both will give you a greater appreciation for life and encourage others to recognize the goodness in the world.

We've added a blog to give our site visitors a chance to comment on our site. Do you have a question or suggestion?  Now you have a forum to communicate with our staff and other Thanks-o-meter.com account holders.  In addition, we will be using the blog to post the staff favorite "Thank You" posts.

 

Feel free to visit our blog and share your thoughts and ideas.

We've listened to your feedback and added a cool new feature to the site.  Now schools and their supporters can use Thanks-o-meter accounts as a fundraising platform.  The attachment offers details about the program, but it's fairly simple.  Let us know you want to use your account to fundraise and we'll turn the 5 sponsorship spots over to your control.  You can sell them for any amount you want.  We charge a $30 processing fee for each sponsorship placement, so just make sure you sell them for a profit : )


The more you can sell them for, the more money you'll raise for your school or organization.  Call us at (602)441-4557 to get started.

View Document: FUNDRAISING FOR SCHOOLS

If you have ever wanted to know the science behind what makes kids happy, a great place to start is at the Greater Good Science Center.  It is a non-profit organization based at the University of California, Berkley.  They have posted a wealth of information, including: Books, Videos, Blogs, and Podcasts on their website.  Their research findings are well-organized and insightful.  I encourage you to visit their website by clicking on the "Half Full" link in the left margin of our site.

November 7, 2007:  At Thanks-o-meter.com, we know kids don't always have access to the internet.  So we've created a coloring book of various scenes that depict people doing nice things.  Simply print the attached drawing files and your kids can color while they learn about the nice things that people do.  We add new drawings monthly, so check back often!

View Document: NEW COLORING PAGE

September 30, 2007 - The Thanks-o-meter.com story of the year for 2007:

Every day I have afternoon duty and today was just like all the others until a parent came by and made me feel so special. It was the usual 107° out; sweat was rolling down my back and saturating my waistband. When out of nowhere an angel (who happened to be a parent) gave me an ice-cold lemonade Gatorade. He had brought it just for me. He did not say much, just handed it to me and said “for you” but I heard “I appreciate you.” “Thank you for being out here.” I told him “thank you” and hoped he knew how special he made me feel.

Congratualtions to this contributor for capturing the essence of Thanks-o-meter.com in your story!  People do nice things everyday.  We're here to prove it!

September 4, 2007: If you go to the stories tab, you'll notice something new. It's called a "Tag Cloud". A "tag" is any word you associate to a story. It's a bit like a category, but more flexible.

 

For instance, a story about your vacation to Hawaii could have the tags "Vacation" and "Hawaii". A story about your dog could have the tag "Dog" or "Pet". The tags are then displayed in what we call a "cloud". The more common the tag, the larger its font will display.

 

So when you see a big HAPPY in the cloud, you know that there are more tags for Happy than for a tag in a smaller font.  Click on a tag and you'll see the stories with that tag associated to it. Hopefully this makes it easier finding stories of interest. Oh, and we added a next and previous button.  Now it's even easier to go from one story to the next.

August 1, 2007: Help us launch our new campaign.  It's time to get the word out! 

 

1) Add our tagline to your outgoing e-mails:

"What will you say thank you for?  Visit www.thanks-o-meter.com"

2) Display the file attachment in your home and office:

The attached file is a 3 x 5 card which we distribute to various organizations such as schools, churches, and charities.  If your organization does not yet have one on display, please print the attachment and post it.  Break rooms, refrigerators, and bulletin boards are all great places to display it.

 

People do nice things everyday.  We’re here to prove it!

View Document: MARKETING CAMPAIGN

July 9, 2007:  People do nice things everyday.

We offer visitors a place to post a 'Thank You', share feelings about their experiences with others, and enter a story about the nice things people do for them.  Spend a little bit of time browsing the stories and statistics on the site.  And before you leave, submit a thank you of your own.

People do nice things everyday.  We're here to prove it!

 

View Document: PRESS RELEASE

August 8, 2007:  At Thanks-o-meter.com, we know kids don't always have access to the internet.  So we've created a coloring book of various scenes that reflect the content of the site.  Simply print the attached drawings and your kids can color while they learn about the nice things that people do.  Our first one was titled "Opening doors".  Today we added the drawing titled: "Playing Nice".   We have 5 in the series and new pages are added monthly, so check back often!

View Document: KIDS COLORING BOOK

July 7, 2007: Thanks-o-meter.com is offering free accounts to all public elementary schools for the 2007-08 school year.  It's a great way to share all of the positive happenings in your school and community.  Simply send us a request for an account on school letterhead.  See attachment for more information.

View Document: FREE ACCOUNT INFO

Thanks-o-meter.com, an eagerly awaited portal blending social networking with vertical search, will launch its beta trial to select users on June 15th, 2007. The website will be released to the public this summer.

View Document: Thanks-o-meter Beta Launch