The other morning a thought struck me (my first, it HURT!). In the few months since I dound Xmarks, I have become acquainted with, and purchased products from, a number of small businesses and/or artisans I would never have encountered otherwise. In my case, I've only spent mumblety-mumble dollars on kilt accessories, but every bit counts.

So, given the size of our little online community, and the tendency for us all to post reviews and photos of our shiny new baubles, and the tendency of others to be inspired to purchases of their own, I have to wonder: precisely how much does a site like XMarks contribute to the economy in increased consumer spending?

I think this would be an excellent thesis for an economics grad student, though for the life of me, I have no idea how you'd obtain statistically valid data. That's what faculty advisors are for.

So...this is going to turn into a tremendous debate, or it will be one of the shortest threads ever. In any case, do with it what you will!