Social networking takes a turn for the Oddpodz TAMPA, Fla. - It's creative. It's odd. It's definitely not MySpace.

    /24-7PressRelease/ - TAMPA, FL, January 27, 2007 - "After almost a year of planning and development we are thrilled to open the doors to The Muzeum, the first virtual building space for creatives to express themselves, showcase their work, market their work and socialize and collaborate with creatives from around the world," said Karen Post, CEO of Oddpodz.

The Muzeum takes the concept that pioneer online social networks like MySpace created for the mass market and carves out a place for a segmented group of like thinkers—the influential Creative Class. The term Creative Class was first coined by social scientist, Richard Florida who wrote the bestselling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, and studied this population and its impact on economies.

The market potential is huge. Florida estimates there are about 38 million "Creative Classers" in the U.S. and more than 150 million around the world. Additionally, his research showed the Creative Class represents 30% of all employed and nearly half of all salaries.

Post and her partner Jocelyn Ring raised $500,000 for the effort. The site has multiple revenue streams, including advertising, subscriptions and branded apparel.

The Muzeum is a user-friendly interface that provides citizens with a variety of ways to socialize, to vent and to do business. Admission and posting basic profiles are free. Citizenships are available starting at $39.00 annually or $3.25 a month, giving people more space to post their work, product discounts and cause-related contributions.

Beyond posting profiles, The Muzeum invites creative citizens to set up exhibits to show, market and sell their work, pads to journal, and calendars to post events. Exhibits currently focus on five creative mediums including: fashion, writing, digital expression, traditional work, audio visual.

Oddpodz already has attracted major sponsors for innovative sections at The Auditorium with three multimedia stages with three channels each of rotating content.

•Atlantic Records will provide music videos, artist interviews and emerging comedians on the Red Stage.
•The blue stage is sponsored by Create Magazine and showcases award winning work of creatives from around the US.
•The gold stage will be dedicated to the fashion scene with designer interviews, photography, and shows from branded lines along with emerging independent talent.
Sponsor details will be announce in the first quarter of 07.

Groups of creatives can hang out at The Pod Garden, whether they share geographic, artistic, or other interests, to chat, collaborate or meet new friends. Need some mental therapy? Tired of all the common psycho babble gurus? Check out the Triage Center for always entertaining advice for life's daily challenges. And, last, but not least, The Muzeum Basement is where you go for daily dirt, skeletons in the closet and content archives.

So why is this all so odd? And why all the Z's? "Odd is where all great ideas start. In the beginning, most truly innovative products are seen as unusual. The Creative Class is an influential group of change agents that lead these wonders. However, many times perceived by the common mass class as strange birds. Oddpodz is where they can come together and continue to contribute forward thinking to our society. The "Z" is part of our uncommon thinking and no rules language. There's no cardinal law that says an "S" is your only possibility." Post explained.

Oddpodz launched in July with limited content, a blog, a popular venting section, a brain food column by Mental Floss magazine, an ezine called Openeyez and an Oddteaz shirt line. And it attracted more than 10,000 people to sign up, send feedback or buy products, even with no significant promotion. "It was our intent to start building a base of creatives while the Muzeum was being developed," Post said. "The response has been incredible."

About Oddpodz, LLC
Oddpodz, LLC was founded in January 2006 by entrepreneurs Karen Post, a national branding expert, speaker and author of Brain Tattoos, creating unique brands that stick to customers' minds, and Jocelyn Ring, a former investment banker. The company is headquartered in Tampa, FL.

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