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March 19, 2008 11:46 AM PDT

Starbucks caters to digital crowd with social-networking site

by Elinor Mills
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You know social networking has jumped the shark when Starbucks gets into the act.

Starbucks has launched My Starbucks Idea, an electronic suggestion box where people can offer up their best ideas for making the already ubiquitous coffee retailer even more successful.

You could say the company is as aggressive with its Internet campaigns as it is with its prices. There is Wi-Fi in the stores, they let you log onto iTunes to see what song is playing in the store and download it, let you use text messaging to find the nearest store, and they gave away free digital songs for a month last year.

You can offer up ideas, vote on other peoples' ideas, and get feedback from Starbucks employees. The company says it will consider implementing the most popular ideas.

Suggestions range from offering weekly coffee specials and holding coffee classes to selling books and having "more coffee smells."

I've got one: charge less for soy milk!

At My Starbucks Idea site, you can make suggestions and vote on other people's ideas, which may or may not be used by the coffee retailer.

(Credit: Starbucks)
Originally posted at News Blog
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
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your wish....
by Jim with a Twist March 19, 2008 3:08 PM PDT
How about free soy milk? Have and use a Starbucks Card (starting in mid-April), and you can have your customized syrups and soy milk for free in most of the beverages: https://www.starbucks.com/card/default.asp
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by BLuMaGiK August 22, 2008 2:43 PM PDT
I've been a big fan of the mocha & vanilla frappucc!no's for a while now ...Both are awsome drinks....What i would really like to see is a mocha-vanilla frap. mmmmm
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by LuckyJoanna October 21, 2008 2:15 AM PDT
It's great to hear that "Starbucks has launched My Starbucks Idea". And I just thinking enjoy the service of Starbucks in my home and chat with my friends from all over the world! That's amazing! BTW, are you guys OK? My friends in livechat2go.com.
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by LuckyJoanna October 21, 2008 2:18 AM PDT
Where are you, TomBruce? Where are you, Marysoso?
I wanna buy you a cup in Starbucks next time we meet in http://www.livechat2go.com/
by peakae1 February 24, 2009 12:01 PM PST
I live in the North Shore area of Chicago, Il. and was amased when I found out you discontinued carrying the flax bread twist. I was hoping to have you carry it in the west palm beach area also-guess that's out of the question now. Would you share the reason why you disconntinued it?

Thanks
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