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"This post is part of Mashable\u2019s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.  The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.\nName: RateMyDrawings\nQuick Pitch: RateMyDrawings is making online art more social. The community at RateMyDrawings are using online tools to make art more collaborative through the real-time DrawChat and also by allowing artists to exchange files to collaborate.\nGenius Idea:  On the surface, RateMyDrawings seems like a lot of other sites that look to provide artists with a way to show off their work.  However, with one really cool and unique feature, the site gives users a reason to stick around, and creates a serious differentiator versus the competition.\nThe feature is called DrawChat, and it lets users collaborate on drawings, which can then be published to the site.  As the name suggests, it includes both a blank canvas where users can draw with Photoshop-like tools, and a chat room where they can discuss the creation.  There are multiple public chat rooms you can join in, or you can create one for just you and your friends.  Here\u2019s a demo of one of these drawings being created:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOn the canvas, you can also see the parts of the drawing that other users are working on.  When you\u2019re done, you can submit the creation to a gallery with all of collaborative works, which, currently features some really awesome digital artwork.\nOne clever twist on the feature \u2013 you can\u2019t use it until you\u2019ve actively started using the website in other ways, like creating drawings on your own.  This not only ensures the chat room doesn\u2019t get spammed, but also that users will start participating in the community.  It seems to be paying off \u2013 the site has more than 250,000 drawings, 30,000 artists, and more than 400 simultaneous users when I checked it out in the middle of the afternoon.  \nSponsored by BizSpark: Featured BizSpark Startup\nLeetchi ( Company Profile )Leetchi.com was founded by Celine Lazorthes, right after her graduation from a French Business School. The mission of the company is to provide a free-and-easy application for users to organize and buy a cool birthday gift all together. A problem we all face at least once !"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/02/12/ratemydrawings/>