What to do after being laid off? For 26-year-old Alex Light, there was only one option: head down to the beach and get fit. After losing his job in Dubai real estate, he set up Bad Times Bootcamp to help unemployed people get fit and get to know each other. A qualified personal trainer, Light set up his free fitness classes to help others stay active and stay positive. The group had its first session in March 2009, bringing together people in new but similar situations to share experiences and find the support they need.

Light now hopes to spread the concept across the globe, welcoming the possibility of sponsorship in order to keep the classes free whilst supporting himself and his new social enterprise. And when the downturn ends, he hopes that his classes will offer the employed a more valuable way to network. (Related: Camp for laid-off professionals.)

Website: www.badtimesbootcamp.com
Contact: aja_light@yahoo.co.uk

Spotted by: Bebhinn Kelly

Much like the characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List, most people have a set of experiences they hope to have during their lifetime. We've already seen two websites aimed at helping consumers track and realize those dreams—Eons and 43things—and recently one of our spotters alerted us to Diddit, a similar but expanded version.

Diddit, which was recently launched into alpha by California-based Ludic Labs, allows users to discover new ideas for life experiences as well as track the ones they've already had. More than 300,000 experiences in 20 different interest areas are currently listed on the site—including movies to see, foods to eat, travel destinations and more—available for browsing and inspiration. To participate in the community, users sign up for free and list the experiences they've already had. They can then look through the site's list of other ideas and add the ones they like to their list of goals. As each one gets accomplished they check it off on their list, with the opportunity to network and share stories and photos along the way through Diddit, Facebook and Twitter. A video on Vimeo provides a short introduction to the site.

It's not yet clear what Diddit's business model will be, but we'd bet ad support will be involved. After all, whether it's baby boomers or twenty-somethings using them, sites like Diddit promise a highly directed way for advertisers to target specific groups of consumers with particular goals and interests in common. One to try out, partner with or localize for your neck of the activity-seeking woods...? (Related: A public incentive to stick to one's goals.)

Website: www.diddit.com
Contact: info@diddit.com

Spotted by: Todd E. Bryant

For people who think online dating questionnaires are just too much work, Montreal-based Radaroo offers something much, much simpler. Created by web entrepreneur Roberto Martínez, Radaroo is a free service that lets users send a tweet to create a dating profile in 140 characters or less.

Users sign up by sending a tweet to @radaroo, specifying their gender, the gender(s) they’re interested in, and which activities they’d like to participate in on a first date. People can find out if a fellow Twitterer is single by searching that person’s username, and can also search for all single members in their area by entering their zip code, or country code if outside the United States. Users have the option to keep their dating status private or announce that they’re currently on their first date, second date, third date, or getting married.

Simplicity is definitely the charm here, and it’s a fun example of how to use Twitter to forge new connections. The possibilities are endless: how about a similar service for finding a tennis partner, or fellow entrepreneurs interested in meeting up to brainstorm about new business ideas? ;-)

Website: www.radaroo.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

Fantasy sports league fans already have myriad websites to choose from, but nearly all of them focus on professional players. UK-based Fantastar, on the other hand, offers a grassroots alternative that lets sports clubs create sport leagues based on their own teams, players and results.

Fantastar enables sports clubs and schools to generate funds by setting up their own fantasy sport leagues and then charging friends, family and club members to register teams. Participants simply sign up with the site and then create their fantasy team by choosing from among players in their club or school. Scoring is designed to motivate and encourage players of all levels, helping them to develop their skills. Points are scored for performance and sportsmanship, for example, with rewards for those who play fair and penalties for those who don't. Fantastar currently supports hockey, football/soccer, cricket, rugby, basketball, ice hockey and handball, and is used by hundreds of clubs across 13 countries. The London Wayfarers Hockey Club, for example, recently managed to draw 170 fantasy team registrations and GBP 800 through its effort.

Fantastar cofounder Rob Tong explains: “To date fantasy leagues have only been associated with professional sports but our mission is to turn this on its head. By offering a similar service to schools and clubs, we can help them raise money for new kit, equipment and even training facilities. Through ploughing money back into amateur sport we hope to ensure that sport in this country has a bright future at all levels."

Indeed, Fantastar also hopes to help build interest in grassroots sports during the build-up to the 2012 Olympics. One to try out, partner with, or otherwise get involved in?

Website: www.fantastar.com
Contact: www.fantastar.com/General/uageContactUs.aspx

Hoping to unleash everyone's inner artist, Vancouver-based Raw Canvas is a creative hybrid: bustling café and full-service art studio.

Besides offering the usual café fare—organic coffee and tea, snacks, comfy couches and wifi, as well as wine, beer and tapas at night—Raw Canvas encourages customers to pick up painting. They can drop in at any time, buy a canvas and just get started in the open studio space that's connected to the café. Raw Canvas provides paints, brushes and all other supplies, and staff members and resident artists are on hand to offer encouragement and tips.

Inspired by popular art jams in Hong Kong, Raw Canvas aims to provide a low-threshold venue where people can come in for a few hours and explore their artistic impulses without committing time or money to a series of classes. With, of course, the added pleasure of a latte or glass of wine. Canvas pricing varies by size, ranging from CDN 40 to CDN 80. If you're a café owner looking to add a new source of revenue to your business, be inspired and get creative! (Related: A being space for learning English.)

Website: www.raw-canvas.com
Contact: paige@raw-canvas.com

Spotted by: Erin K.