WebKnowHow Monday, January 22, 2007; 04:49 AM
iTaggit.com, a new, free Web site that aims to change the way people
collect, organize, and enjoy their belongings, today announced that it
is opening its virtual doors for public beta-testing. Its diverse,
growing community, which has already exceeded 2,300 members, uses
iTaggit as a display case, as a secure, online storage vault, and as a
set of tools to organize and unlock value in the things they own.
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iTaggit provides an online environment for cataloging, managing, and
sharing collections of items, while preserving user and data privacy.
The site features community resources, where users can connect and
interact with friends, like-minded collectors, and knowledgeable
experts.
"We launched iTaggit to help people achieve more value and enjoyment
from every thing they own," said David Altounian, iTaggit's CEO and
co-founder. "People can bring the possessions they care about into a
secure, online environment, and then easily itemize, catalog, and share
the things they care about."
iTaggit's features available during the public beta-testing phase include:
• Organization. iTaggit provides a secure, central place to quickly
catalog items and share the information with those they trust. iTaggit
stores receipts, digital photos, audio and video files, and other
user-added information about possessions. Items and collections can be
tagged and grouped in a number of useful ways -- such as by year or
country-of-origin -- whatever criteria is important to the user.
• Tools to digitize and catalog valuables. iTaggit helps move
collections from the closet or garage to the Web. Its multi-add
function allows users to instantly and easily create a collection. Data
stored in spreadsheets or database format can be imported into iTaggit
without re-typing. Additionally, iTaggit can automatically generate a
number of reports about a collection to help users determine the value
of their things.
• Privacy and security. iTaggit users control what information is
shared with the iTaggit community. Each item's "Lockbox" keeps any
private information, receipts, records, or notes out of public view.
Everything on the system is protected by industry-standard secure
tools, including firewalls, virus scanning, and authentication services.
• Community resources. iTaggit users can share collections with the
public or with select family and friends. They can connect and interact
with like-minded collectors and knowledgeable experts through forums,
blogs, and user-created contact lists. Additionally, users can connect
with other iTaggit community members interested in trading items from
their collections.
• Research resources. iTaggit includes tools to research items through
automated Web searches. Additional one-click links carry users to
auction and shopping Web sites to facilitate selling, trading, and
purchasing of items.
"Cataloging my collection on iTaggit this year has breathed new life
into my collecting hobby," says Tim Stewart, an iTaggit beta-test
member and collector of vintage grammar books and Italian objets d'art.
"iTaggit makes it easy to store photos and notes for all my books and
art pieces. And since my collections are catalogued online, I finally
have a convenient way of sharing my collections with other people."
Stewart praises the simplicity of iTaggit, which can accommodate any
type of collection, unlike other collecting sites that are designed for
specific kinds of collectibles. "Now I only need one Web site and one
password to keep track of all my collections," he said.
In August, iTaggit Inc. announced the completion of a $1.04 million
Series A financing round. Altounian, an Austin business leader and
entrepreneur, co-founded iTaggit in 2006. Previously, he founded Motion
Computing, an Austin-based mobile technology company, and was an
instrumental member of the executive team that grew the company from
start-up to industry category leader.
Charles Zeller, Duncan Hopkins, and Sara Fox round out the founding
iTaggit executive team. Zeller was part of the founding group at
Motion. Hopkins was the principal and owner of BeyondBeyond, an Austin
Web design firm, and Fox previously was with IBM.
About iTaggit
iTaggit is a web-based item management information system that provides
"the place for every thing" by securely storing and organizing
information, enabling research, and building communities based on
individuals and collections of items. This essential online environment
allows our user community to maximize the value and enjoyment of their
stuff. iTaggit was founded in 2006 in Austin, Texas. For more
information visit itaggit.com.
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