Monday 7 April 2014

Over a 100 April Fools....

Last Tuesday we send out a 'Press Release' outlining a 'new multi million dollar deal with NASA' as over a hundred of you, have contacted us since to tell us they were well and truly fooled!

Many did not realise the date was Tuesday 1st April 2014!

You know who you are!, You are the ones who phone our skignz team congratulating them only to be politely asked to 'click the link' for the rest of the article because we were 'in meetings', 'driving', 'having a day off with the kids' etc....


You are the skignz team members who shared it with everyone you know, wondering why no one had mentioned something so incredible at work? 

You are the Head designer and a leading global fashion brand, you are the ex-head of a global luxury car maker and also you are the many family and friends of the skignz team who phoned, emailed and texted your congratulations!

You are the bankers, all sat in your beautiful offices sharing it around your colleagues and all wondering how skignz could work in space? 

Yes You know who you are... and so do we! LOL

For those of you wondering why we used a 'deal with NASA' showing an astronaut outside the International Space Station!


Well some of you will know that skignz uses GPRS/GPS, in order to locate the skignz and provide them in relevant places to what they are relevant for! Unfortunately the International Space Station is probably in an orbit further away from Planet Earth than those orbits of the satellites (We are sure someone will contact us to tell us if we are incorrect in our assumptions with this!).

It has been suggested by a 'gentleman who works for a global bank', who actually wondered if the deal skignz had struck involved, sending signals INTO space from the satellites! He's obviously no Space Scientist but to be fair to him, he is an awesome banker and one of the good guys!

Thank you to all those who took it in good spirit!  We at skignz feel companies should show their personalitites more and be a little more human! Humour is our way to show the less serious side of business and that we are enjoying developing skignz.... 

Who knows? One day skignz might work in space!

In the mean time, please download your copy of skignz and enjoy it ANYWHERE on Planet Earth!

Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download


Tuesday 1 April 2014

The Teams Work - Katherine Kui

I'm an undergraduate who’s studying Applied Accounting and Business Finance at final year right now and going to pursue graduate study of International Management next year at Teesside University. 

Previously I've studied at Shanghai Linxin University of Commerce which is just outside Shanghai in China, for three years before I came to the UK.

However I am originally from the Yunnan Province located in South West China where I was born and grew up with my family. 

Katherine
During my spare time, I like to go travelling and shopping. I've been to many places right across China.

I’m aiming to take some time to travel around some European countries in the near future, such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

I have loads of hobbies, including socialising, playing computer games, dancing, singing and listening to music.

Travelling around Europe
I was going to follow the original track of my life like my schoolmates did, going to a high ranked UK university to pursue my graduate studies. 

However, everything changed when I met skignz, Si provided me a very precious opportunity to work for skignz, which totally changed my future plan, potentially even my whole life. 

Because of skignz, I finally have a clear thought about my future, about what I want to do? and what I am going to do!

It was really an eye-opener when I knew about skignz at first time. I think skignz will be of great use helping students to fit in at ALL universities quickly and make new friends easily. 

Shanghai University (Baoshan Campus), China
ECNU Campus, China

Especially in China, a country with a very large population, a lot of University campuses spread all over the country and I'm sure skignz will have a significant role to play. 
IAE Jean Moulin University Lyon 3, China

Chinese Universities are spread across massive areas, so using skignz to orientate and navigate around would be incredible and very easy for students to pick up.


Using skignz on a chinese campus also helps the students find each other. They are vast landscaped open spaces, so finding friends can be difficult. 

Being able to find my friends is a great thing to have and all through my phone! I carry my phone everywhere and I rely on it for so many things - emails, social media, camera, other apps and now my new favourite - skignz lol

I feel honoured and privileged to be the one who introduces skignz to Chinese people by translating the main concept, videos and website of skignz to Chinese so that Chinese people can understand what skignz is and what skignz can do. 

I have already set up two social channels for skignz, which are the most popular social channels in China, namely RenRen and Weibo. 

skignz on RenRen
skignz on Weibo














They are the corresponding Facebook and Twitter in China, which play an important role among Chinese people. 

We are also currently translating a lot of our video footage to make it accessible in Chinese. This we will be uploaded to our new chinese video channel (equivalent of YouTube).

Katherine

The skignz website is in post production so it can be accessed by users in China in their own language.

I really appreciate that skignz provided me this valuable opportunity and the skignz crew are helping me with my internship patiently and kindly. 

I have to say: Thanks, skignz!



Have you ever got lost at a festival or concert?

The summer is rapidly approaching, the clocks have 'jumped forward' and we are now officially into 'British Summer Time' 2014.


The Famous Glastonbury Festival during the summer of 2013
You will hear the songs that define this year specifically for you, in your future memories. Years to come from now, you will hear a song/tune that will take you back to a specific time and place during the summer of 2014!

Many of you will get these memories from attending Festivals, Concerts, Live Events....

Let us set the scene....

You go to a festival this year and you have arrived after what for most is a long journey in a packed up the car/camper. You are shepherded into a farmers field to park your vehicle amongst the tens of thousands of others. 


Parking in farmers fields












Then comes the carrying of all of your kit, to where you pitch your tent or if your lucky enough a Yurt!


Or a Yurt? They all look the same!
Sea of tents! Which one is mine?
Skipping forward past putting up the tent and getting yourself settled in you grab a drink and go for a look around, find out what's going on and where?

You find a a stage with a artist playing you like and you settle in, relax with a drink to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the music.

Sound perfect? This to most is the usual journey each of the millions of people will make this summer to attend the wonderful festivals on offer.

Now you have sat and enjoyed this artist for a while and you fancy another drink or how about something to eat? 


Enjoying the music, the surroundings and the ambience!
Where are the refreshment stands? In fact where are the toilets as you don't fancy making two trips! As with the majority of people, finding the refreshments and toilets is one thing! But finding your way back to where your friends are! Now thats a whole new level of stress and hassle!

Going through your mind is no doubt a few or all of the following:

- How will you get back to where you where? 

- How do you find your friend(s)? The proverbial 'needle in a haystack'! 

Unless your friends are 9ft tall and everybody else is under 5ft tall, you are going to struggle! Add in the feeling you get after a couple of drinks and your orienteering skills are not the sharpest they have ever been!

Is there a solution? Other than carrying around a massive sign or a flag saying 'I am here!' 

What happens if everybody does the same thing, you are all right back to where you started, looking for a 'Needle in a Haystack' springs to mind.

The solutions has arrived and does not require you to carry anything more than what you walk around with in your pocket everyday - a smartphone or tablet.

Lets go back to the point where you're stood looking for the refreshments stand and toilets. Now open up your smartphone/tablet and click on the skignz App! 

Now 'Pan' your phone around as if you were videoing the crowd!

skignz: Increasing & Enghancing the Environment around you!
As you do this and as if by magic, little 'virtual signs' will appear above the toilets and the refreshment stand. Pan further to see who's coming on stage next? Use the pinch on your phone to Zoom in and out on each skign, press the skign on your screen, a short press activates some relevant content, a longer press reveals how far away that actual skign is located!

How about downloading a discounted album of the artist on stage right in that moment, press the 'album cover skign' above the stage and in one or two quick clicks and its delivered to your device - there and then!

So back to your little mission to get a drink and something to eat, visit the toilet while you are there. 

You have used skignz to find each of these locations. 

This type of skignz can been provided by the festivals producers or their sponsors to help you find your way around the festival and make your life easier, while enhancing the whole experience.

Where are my friends? Its like trying to find a 'Needle in a Haystack!'.
Now you have been to the toilet, bought your food and drink and you want to find your friends? 

This is where skignz really becomes your best buddy! 

Hold up the phone again and pan across the crowd and you will see 'skignz' above each of your friends heads! You will only see theres because like with other social media channels you are only linked to people you know or want linked to you!

Now if they have a great big skignz above their head - is that not the easiest way to find them EVER? Theirs and your personal skignz will have a picture of you, your name and a little comment - like a 'Tweet' or 'Facebook status update' on their skignz!


Not only can I find my friends, but also each one is personalised to them!

We at skignz though want to make finding ANYTHING! Easier...! 

So we have included in the free to download App, the ability to 'drop a skignz or arrow' over your car (remember the thing you arrived in and parked in a sea of cars in a farmers field a few hours earlier - you will need that to get home!).

Also your FREE account will let you drop another one over your tent/yurt etc... (remember a few hours ago, after parking the car and carrying your backpack and tent, the thing you then spent an hour trying to build that only has 3 poles and a few pieces of canvas, but its your 'home' for the next few days!).

So now, not only do you know where you parked (ready for quick exit to beat the traffic), where your tent is? (so you can find it, in the middle of the night amongst the ocean of other temporary canvas structures) where the toilets showers and whose playing on what stage and at what time... download their music at offer price, right to you handset, even where the charging points are so your phone does not go dead! 

How much of an improved festival experience is that?


Festivals, Concerts and Live events are the easiest place in the world to get lost & lose your friends!
You dont have to worry about getting lost, finding anywhere specific, losing your friends? skignz is not only helpful, insightful and interactive, is also great as a safety device. 

Getting lost is a horrible feeling, losing your friends and wandering around aimlessly for hours is no fun, after all you came with your mates to have a good time - mostly together, because an experience shared, is so much more than one you experience on your own!

So why not download the skignz app if you are going to a festival, concert or other live event? Even if the venue has not heard about skignz or got their event environment skignzed up! 


Why only see this?
Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download

You can do it yourselves between you and your friends! even if you only use it to find each other when you get lost, find your tent or car! 

Surely thats gotta be worth 10 secs of your time download a simple little app that could be the coolest thing on your phone this summer! It certainly will be for those people when they get lost and they will!


Enjoy this summer, enjoy the festivals, concerts and other live events, but enjoy it more, knowing you have a little app on your phone that can help you navigate around a strange place, find your friends and find your transport home, cos if you don't find that, you won't get to go to anymore events this summer!
When you can see & experience this...!

Bring on the summer of 2014 - When you hear the new Calvin Harris song 'Summer' and you and your friends have all downloaded skignz to see what its like?

We are sure from now on you will remember the summer of 2014 as the 1st year that you used skignz!

Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download

April fools