SBIR Phase I: Method of Integrated Web-Based Tools to Enable a Collaborative Community of Professional Creatives

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目建议通过提供旨在提高他们的生产力和与同行和潜在客户互动的能力的网络工具，吸引和组织一个创收的、基于网络的、由独立的“创意人员”--作家、摄影师、动画师、视频制作人、平面艺术家、设计师、音乐家等--组成的合作社区。Artbox计划通过将基于网络的工具整合到一个高效的在线应用程序中来建立这个平台，为通常独自工作的人创建一个虚拟社区。这些自由职业者在创造性劳动力市场中所占的份额越来越大。他们需要一个由拥有不同技能的创造性人员组成的网络，以执行他们自己无法完成的多方面的多媒体项目。网络改变了几乎所有企业的经济现实，美国经济正处于转折点。以制造业和信息技术为基础的旧模式受到了海外廉价劳动力的极大影响。对这些趋势的观察人士已经确认，创新、想象力和集体智慧构成了全球市场竞争优势的新基础。在创新经济中，原创内容、概念和产品的创造者也是价值的创造者。Artbox.com汇聚了这股“创意力量”，将为企业和个人打造一个强大的网络和高效的人才寻源工具。如果成功，这个平台的商业影响将是巨大的。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to attract and organize a revenue-generating, web-based, collaborative community of independent "creatives" - writers, photographers, animators, video producers, graphic artists, designers, musicians, etc. by providing web tools designed to increase their productivity and ability to interact with peers and with potential clients. Artbox plans to build the platform by integrating web-based tools into an efficient online application, creating a virtual community for people who usually work alone. These free-lance workers are a growing portion of the creative labor market. They need a network of creative people with different skillsets to carry out multifaceted multimedia projects they could not do on their own. The net has changed the economic realities of almost every business, and the American economy is at a turning point. Old models based on manufacturing and information technology have been greatly affected by the availability of cheap labor overseas. Observers of these trends have identified that innovation and imagination and collective intelligence form the new basis for competitive advantage in the global marketplace. In an innovation economy, creators of original content, concepts and products are also the creators of value. By aggregating this "Creative Force", Artbox.com will build a powerful network and efficient talent-sourcing tool for businesses and individuals alike. If successful, the commercial impact of this platform promises to be significant.