Much like the build-your-own-magazine concept from HSBC that we covered last year, a brand-new initiative from Lexus, Time and American Express Publishing is giving consumers a new way to create their own personalised magazine.

Dubbed "mine," the free magazine invites readers to choose editorial content from five of eight select Time and American Express Publishing brands: Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, InStyle, Golf, and Travel + Leisure. Participants can choose to receive their magazine either in a limited-edition print format or online—some 31,000 copies of each print issue and 200,000 electronic copies are available, and readers receive a new issue every two weeks for 10 weeks. Each issue is 36 pages, with advertising tailored for each recipient based on geographic location and taste, as determined by their answers to four initial questions. Since Lexus's participation is to help mark the launch of its new Lexus 2010 RX, four single-page ads for the vehicle are included in each issue as well. Readers can also receive news and entertainment alerts through a customised widget or mobile application via RSS. The program ends June 15.

In addition to providing yet another illustration of the world's increasing customisability, such an offering could also prove to be an excellent perk to deliver to Lexus customers—as we noted in the HSBC case as well. It's good to give customers free love, but letting them choose what form that love takes is even better. Customisation and perkonomics—go forth and multiply! ;-) (Related: Personalised music mag.)

Website: www.timecmg.com/mine
Contact: www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html

Update: This New York Times article is worth reading for its background details on Mine's launch, including a few operational glitches. Some interesting data on uptake, too: "Through its website, Time Inc. made 200,000 digital versions and 31,000 print versions available. So far almost all the print editions have been claimed, while fewer than 30,000 digital versions have been ordered, Lexus said."

The deadline for the Best Job in the World may have passed weeks ago, but those looking for a contest-based change of career needn't fear: a new one was just announced that promises the chance to become an airplane pilot.

Malaysian airline AirAsia recently launched the "So You Wanna Be a Pilot?" contest, by which it's offering 10 people the chance to become a pilot. No experience or training is necessary; all contestants must do is submit a blog entry between 1 April and 15 May explaining why they deserve the opportunity. They must also meet a set of minimum requirements, such as being aged 18 to 28, having a good command of both English and Bahasa Malaysia, and having a minimum height of 163 cm. Ten winners will be selected, entitling them to attend the first round of selection for AirAsia's new pilot intake program and spend a day with a select group of pilots at AirAsia Academy. A place in the pilot training program is not guaranteed, but applicants will have a chance to dig further into the profession and maybe even have a go at computer pilot simulation series. "The road after this is yours and yours alone," the site explains. "We will pave the way but you have to do the running till the end."

Whereas the Best Job in the World was designed to focus attention on the Great Barrier Reef Islands, AirAsia's program is more of a fresh twist on the traditional recruitment process. And if that twist can work for hiring new pilots, what's to say it couldn't be used—with varying degrees of modification—to find your next blogger, marketing manager or sysadmin? Be inspired!

Website: http://blog.airasia.com/index.php/so-you-wanna-be-a-pilot
Contact: blogteam@airasia.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Dogs can wear a SNIF Tag to help their owners make new friends; now pet owners can return the favour by using Dogtree, a social networking site designed especially for dogs.

Australian Dogtree is a free service that aims to help dog owners find playmates and walking friends for their canine companions. To search for doggie friends, human users can simply enter their postal code; more advanced search options are also available, such as breed and size. Either way, the result is a list of other suitable canine members in their area. Once they find some that seem like a good match, dog owners can invite them through the site for a playdate or meeting. There are currently almost 600 members on Dogtree, and most elect to use their dog's photo and name as their username on the site.

Need we say more? Now that social networking has covered most of the developed world's human population, niche applications are coming fast and furious—and even extending to some of mankind's best friends. Cats may be less amenable to the social networking experience, we suspect, but how long before this comes to other sociable species? Advertisers of related products: get ready, or get involved!

Website: www.dogtree.com.au
Contact: www.dogtree.com.au/help_contact.php

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Billions of people may inhabit this planet, but when it comes right down to it, most of us are still primarily interested in what's going on in our own backyards. That's part of the premise behind The Printed Blog, which we covered back in January, and it's also the driving notion behind The Local, a new initiative from The New York Times.

Launched on Monday, The Local is a group of community news and information websites devoted to residents of five particular areas of New York and New Jersey—specifically, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, N.J. The sites will feature posts by both NYT journalists and community members alike about day-to-day life in their neighbourhoods, with topics including schools, restaurants, businesses and real estate, economic life, crime, government services, transportation, volunteer opportunities, outdoor activities, parenting issues and more. Features will include calls for citizen engagement, such as posts that mobilize users to resolve a local problem; blogs, Q&As and creative works by community members; neighbourhood calendars; and virtual "refrigerator" art by community children. For the Brooklyn sites, The Times is partnering with the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where students will collaborate in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene by both contributing and teaching residents about reporting and the use of interactive media.

Jim Schachter, the NYT's editor for digital initiatives, explains: “We’ll be reporting on the big concerns in these communities, from deer hunts to property taxes, crime to school budgets. And we’ll be striving to empower residents to report on their own communities, as well as to contribute their creativity and ideas.”

Combining both professional and citizen journalism with a strong element of (still) made here appeal, The Local has the potential to engage Generation C(ontent) in new ways—possibly providing a model for struggling newspapers everywhere. One to watch!

Website: www.nytimes.com/marketing/thelocal
Contact: www.nytimes.com/membercenter/formh.html

Although grabbing the set list from a favourite band's gig is like nabbing a trophy, not everyone can get their hands on that sweaty and smudged piece of paper. Which is why Setlist.fm was launched, a free wiki-site that allows users to upload and browse concert set lists.

The process is easy: users sign up, select an artist from the site's extensive database (or add in someone up-and-coming), input a venue, and then list the songs the artist played during that particular show. They're encouraged to add whatever they remember, relying on 'crowd memory' to fix errors and add missing songs. Once saved, a list is added to an archive of an artist's performances that also includes 'most played' statistics and links to live videos. Each user is given a personal page of the set lists they added or edited, as well as their comments and concert attendance statistics. Helping promote the site, a Setlist.fm widget is popular on music websites, and is also available for Facebook pages. Its pseudo-handwritten ink-on-paper format combines a sense of authenticity with the convenience of a digital database.

Launched in September 2008, Setlist.fm's current database consists mainly of recent concerts, although there's nothing to stop enthusiasts from listing shows dating back to Bruce Springsteen's glory days. Developed in tiny Liechtenstein (first time we've covered a Liechtenstein business), ad-supported Setlist.fm has potential, thanks to its niche focus, savvy execution and reliance on user participation. (Related: Video dictionary with a wiki touch.)

Website: www.setlist.fm
Contact: info@setlist.fm

Spotted by: Lea