Now a US phenomenon, Facebook enables 7.7 million members with a valid email address from a supported college, high school or company to create a profile to share information, photos, and interests with their friends. Sure, there are numerous sites like this, but opportunity, especially outside the US, remains: this is not friendsreunited.com: this is capturing a new generation in such a way that they will never need a reuniting website! More of an ongoing meeting space, Facebook actually ranks as the seventh-most trafficked site in the US.

Next? While Facebook is inviting college students, AND high school students AND companies, the inevitable nouveau niche-ification of everything reaching mass status has already lead to the success of more closely focused myyearbook.com, which has specifically targeted high school students. (The idea for the company was hatched out by two high school students during their 2005 Spring Break.) One million of them have already signed up, avidly adding their collections of videos, notes and photos in school-diary style.

Opportunities abound: in those countries where even the paper version of a yearbook isn't yet part of school culture, this is your chance to introduce a new tradition and do it web 2.0 style, with all the scaling advantages that virtual has over physical. Facebook started a few international sites, but not extensively. Partner or take the lead. After all, this needs a local touch!

Furthermore, for any brand directly or indirectly targeting students (and what brand isn't!), this is where your eyeballs are (whether Generation @ wants to interact with you is another matter; for some tips and examples, check out trendwatching.com's special on youniversal branding).

We invite you to add your own country's equivalents to Facebook and myyearbook.com if they exist: just click on the comments below. Quick, easy, and no strings attached.

Website: http://www.facebook.com
Contact: info@facebook.com

Website: http://www.myyearbook.com
Contact: http://www.myyearbook.com/support

Bacardi Bespoke is a service from Bacardi in the UK that brings bars to customers' homes or offices. The bars come complete with glasses, ice, equipment, expert cocktail mixologists, a portable bar and a DJ.

Naturally, the bartenders make everything with Bacardi, having created new versions of classic cocktails to incorporate Bacardi rum. Cocktail lists are personalised to a host's taste and a party's theme or vibe. In essence small-scale sponsored and branded events, Bespoke home parties are subsidised by Bacardi, so prices aren't as high as would be expected from a professional service (contact Bacardi Bespoke for details).

Spiked with a splash of tryvertising, Bacardi Bespoke is great example of what trendwatching.com has defined as the insperience trend: consumers' desire to bring top-level experiences into their domestic domain. Product seeding combined with something consumers want -- no reason why this wouldn't work equally well for other brands and other industries. Be inspired, and get the party started!

Website: http://www.bacardibespoke.com
Contact: info@bacardibespoke.com

In the San Francisco Bay area and Atlanta, two e-commerce companies are betting on the appeal of almost-instant delivery.

Back in the '90s, Kozmo offered speedy delivery of anything an urban dweller might want or need fast, without leaving their home or office. Pack of diapers or a bag of Cheetos - everything was delivered under an hour. No delivery fee, and no minimum order amount. Although they turned a profit in New York, Kozmo expanded to other cities too quickly, infamously burned through USD 280 million in venture capital, and went bust in 2001.

Kozmo's former CTO went on to launch MaxDelivery in 2005, which we featured earlier this year (along with Turkish After-9). We recently came across two more ventures that are giving the instant gratification model a try.

San Francisco-based LicketyShip is currently in beta, and delivers to select areas around the Bay (including San Francisco, Berkley, Oakland, San Jose, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Santa Clara, and Marin).

Besides what seems like a more prudent approach to spending VC dollars, LicketyShip delivers within two hours instead of one, and charges around USD 20 for delivery. Also, instead of holding inventory or employing a stable of bike couriers, LicketyShip works with local retailers and delivery companies. An extensive database continuously tracks product and courier availability. The company's database features over 20,000 articles, including lots of electronics and office supplies.

On the east coast, Zifty has been offering Atlantans fast delivery since 2004. Zifty delivers food, movies, magazines, snacks, and household goods in about an hour, and partners with restaurants to deliver meals. The company employs drivers, but keeps costs down by paying them per delivery. All orders have a delivery fee of USD 0.99, and an additional USD 2.99 is added for orders from restaurants. Orders with a subtotal over USD 50 get free delivery, and those placed more than 2 hours in advance get 50% off the fee. Minimum order size is USD 9.95.

Now that everyone's online, and consumers are willing to pay extra to save time and get instant gratification, similar uber-convenience concepts are popping up in cities around the world. One to copy to your neck of the woods!

Website: http://www.licketyship.com
Contact: -

Website: http://www.zifty.com
Contact: operations@zifty.com

School lunches are a hot topic across the world: from British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Feed Me Better campaign, to Two Angry Moms trying to improve school lunches in the US. Both are aiming to get junk food out, and bring whole foods in.

The situation is slightly different in The Netherlands, where children traditionally went home for lunch, and school cafeterias are an anomaly. These days, however, more and more Dutch children are 'staying over' for lunch at school. Soda and chips are gaining ground, and childhood obesity is on the rise.

Two entrepreneurs came up with their own solution to the lunch problem: Lunch4Kids. Packaged like a McDonald's Happy Meal, each lunchbox contains sandwiches, a drink (milk or juice), a piece of fruit and a snack (yoghurt, a cookie, a baby cucumber, etc).

Parents order online, specifying which foods their youngsters will leave untouched, and anything they're allergic to. The lunchboxes are delivered to participating schools every morning, and invoices are sent directly to parents. This keeps things simple for schools: nothing to administrate or refrigerate.

Besides the obvious advantages of balanced meals and healthy variety, there's also a high convenience aspect to Lunch4Kids. Parents don't have to worry about what to pack, or panic if they've run out of fresh bread or juice boxes. According to parents who participated in the trial-run, this alleviates morning stress and makes breakfast a time to enjoy with their families.

Lunch4Kids was soft-launched at five primary schools over the past few months, and parents and schools aren't the only ones that like the concept. Large food brands, including Unilever and Danone, are itching to get in on the action. We can't blame them -- this business idea incorporates some of the biggest and enduring trends around, from an obsession with health and craving convenience, to the power of design and customization/personalisation. Some yummie opportunities here!

Website: http://www.lunch4kids.com
Contact: http://www.lunch4kids.com/index.php?id=18

Like Wine Woot, which we featured not long ago, RadCru offers one wine a day, often at a good discount. Based in San Francisco, the online wine marketplace started its beta phase today. (During beta, the offering will be three wines per week; each wine selling for 24 hours or until the wine sells out, whichever comes first.)

But the key selling point isn't deep discounts. Rather, it's the access to boutique wineries that consumers might otherwise not be able to buy from. The majority of RadCru's featured wines will be hard to find, limited quantities or new releases: "small vines, rad wines."

RadCru is a prime example of nouveau niche, the Long Tail, or whatever you want to call the phenomenon whereby niche tastes are catered to, and individual consumers are offered greater choice than ever before. RadCru holds no inventory. Instead, wines are shipped directly from winery to consumer, minimizing costs of inventory storage and distribution. Producer, smart online middleman/curator, and consumer all benefit. And then there's the added sense of exclusivity and urgency created by offering a limited selection each day. RadCru Chile, RadCru Australia, RadCru France anyone?

Website: http://www.radcru.com
Contact: info@radcru.com