Sometimes, all you need is a MySpace profile and a dream. And a shopping cart. For casual Internet users who are all over the social web but don’t have the knowledge, resources, or desire to set up and market full online storefronts, there’s PutACart, which democratizes the long tail of e-commerce, allowing users to peddle their wares from a plethora of the most popular social destinations online.
The PutACart setup is simple. Pick the product type (shipped, affiliate, download, or subscription). Set up the product info, including text, link(s), and pics. Choose a site to display it on, and cut and paste the embed codes. There are step-by-step instructions and screenshots for how to place the codes in all kinds of social profiles, including Facebook. Users can begin shopping immediately. Take a look at the screencast demo, if you like. Here’s what the carts look like on Facebook, MySpace, and WordPress, respectively: Since this is for casual social-web users, Paypal is the only payment method for both buyers and sellers. And if a user makes changes to certain parts of his product list or account, he’ll also need to update the embed codes on his social sites.
