Facebook, the worldwide social networking site invented by enterprising college roommates, boasts more than 300 million active users – and InventHelp is now one of them!

InventHelp and Gadget Girl are already active on Twitter and (of course) our blogs, so it was only natural to join Facebook to network with other invention lovers. Our Facebook page is a great way to keep up on the latest INPEX news (like our October booth special), plus read trade show updates, partnership announcements and new product releases.

Like something on the site? Have a question about an item on our page? We value your feedback and respond to your comments as soon as possible. Since we know your time online is valuable, we want to make our Facebook page a relevant, one-stop-shop for the invention community.

InventHelp’s Gadget Girl is sure that many of you are expert Facebook users, but do you know how Facebook came to be? Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. Initially, Facebook was restricted to Harvard students, then college and high school students, and finally to anyone 13 or older.

We’re sure glad that Facebook decided to let the rest of us into the club! If you love inventions and technology news, consider this your official invitation to join our friends list. See you on Facebook!

As regular InventHelp blog readers know, Gadget Girl loves commercials. Last year’s Super Bowl game featuring my hometown Pittsburgh Steelers and top-crop commercials was like hog heaven!

Naturally, some of my favorite commercials are from the clever marketing team here at InventHelp! Over the years, millions of viewers have watched InventHelp’s Caveman, our resident innovative mascot, make his way through life trials and tribulations – like discovering fire and inventing the wheel. All right, so Cavey’s life may not be too much like your average American, but he’s a hoot to watch!

Our newest InventHelp commercial features one of our favorite invention stories. Inventor client Bill Schafer stars along with his Splash Wash product, which was licensed to Wham-O Inc. Like many inventors out there, Bill drew from his everyday experiences to develop his idea. One hot summer afternoon, Bill was watching his children play when his idea struck. I’m sure there are plenty of you out there who can relate!

InventHelp is proud to say that Bill made a financial gain from his invention. While this experience is not typical of what most inventors should expect (very few inventions actually make money), it’s a great story worthy of your 60 seconds of attention if you happened to catch it the next time you’re flipping through the channels!

As a girl who grew up in the ’80s when “big hair” was all the rage, InventHelp’s Gadget Girl learned firsthand that curling irons and ears do not play nice. An InventHelp inventor decided that one burned ear was one too many and developed a solution.

Ear Cuffies are soft, flexible covers that prevent burns caused by curling irons, hot combs, hot rollers and other heated styling devices. Before styling, just slip the Ear Cuffies right over each ear. An elastic band keeps the ear-shaped cover firmly in place, protecting the ear from unfriendly appliances.

Ear Cuffies reached a national audience with a recent appearance on The Today Show’s segment, What’s Hot in Housewares. The hosts joked that their stylists would “never make mistakes,” but I imagine that even when working with beauty professionals, accidents are bound to happen! Ear Cuffies even made the rounds on Pittsburgh’s own KDKA Radio, during Shelley Duffy’s lifestyle segment.

InventHelp’s Gadget Girl could see this invention working well for young girls who are just learning to style their hair. It’s a little late for this invention diva, but not for the new generation of gals out there! Beauty schools could benefit from this idea, too.

If your ears have had enough curling iron abuse, you can order the Ear Cuffies for $4.95 a pair at InventHelpStore.com.

One thing that InventHelp’s Gadget Girl loved about growing up in Western Pennsylvania was playing in the woods, which naturally involved a lot of dirt. Fun for me – but not so fun for my mom, who was stuck with the task of washing and drying my canvas shoes nearly every other day. Even from my bedroom I could hear the “Bang! Bang!” of the shoes in the dryer around the clock.

Fast forward X number of years (you didn’t really think you’d get that number out of me, did you?), when I grew from Little Gadget Girl to InventHelp’s Gadget Girl. Imagine my surprise when I found an invention that would have saved poor Mom lots of headaches. The No-Bang, offered by InventHelp’s sister company Intromark, Inc., is an invention that keeps shoes from slamming around in the dryer.

Not only is the clanging of the shoes in the dryer annoying, but it can actually damage your dryer. The No-Bang’s easy-to-use system of suction cups and a strap holds the shoes to the dryer, preventing that noisy racket. And, it sure beats sitting the shoes out to dry for days.

Don’t take my word for it. WTAE-TV, a news station here in InventHelp’s hometown of Pittsburgh, recently put the No-Bang to the test on their segment Test It Tuesday. The invention earned a 4-star rating! To see the invention in action for yourself, check out WTAE-TV’s No-Bang video and read their No-Bang blog entry.

The No-Bang retails for $5.99 and is available through the InventHelp Store.

Looks like Gadget Girl is making a giant leap – from print to YouTube! The team here at InventHelp is always looking for new ways to generate interest in inventions, and what better place to start than InventHelp’s YouTube channel? This popular website is the world’s go-to place for video entertainment.

I love this new YouTube gig because I get to show off my acting chops (I didn’t take public speaking classes for nothing) while sharing my invention infatuation with web surfers everywhere. Check out the first in a series of InventHelp videos where yours truly discusses a new invention that helps keep umbrellas from making a mess in cars, homes and offices.

We at InventHelp will be working hard to keep YouTubers up to date on the latest invention happenings. And if you are interested in one of these products, no problem – they are available for purchase online. Be sure to visit the InventHelp Store, your source for products you’ve never seen. The site – presented by InventHelp and it sister company, Intromark Inc. – is a source for retailers, catalogs and affiliates to find new products in a range of categories.

Don’t worry, I’m sure that my new YouTube gig won’t stop me from keeping you up to date on the latest consumer trends, new inventions and technology updates here on the InventHelp website. Looking forward to seeing you on the blog and on YouTube!

InventHelp’s Gadget Girl isn’t afraid to admit one thing: I’m a total ham for the camera. I’ll happily pose for any photo shoot, and when I’m not in front of the camera, I love being behind the lens snapping candid shots of my fellow coworkers here at InventHelp.

My love for taking and sharing great photos is pretty universal. The folks at Flickr, an online photo management and sharing application, are almost rabid in their quest to develop and implement the latest sharing technology. That’s why InventHelp is excited to announce that you can now view our special InventHelp Family Photos right on Flickr!

I don’t want to brag, but I’ve even got my own album. Check out the photos of my recent trip to Cleveland’s Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School, where I got to share my love of inventions with the young, innovative minds of the future.

Afterward, be sure to spend some time taking a look at our INPEX 2007 album. INPEX, America’s Largest Invention Show, is a shutterbug’s paradise. Enthusiastic inventors paired with innovative prototypes make for great pictures. Plus, the constant action from our speakers, guests and panelists means that there’s never a dull moment. Although, after a week of nonstop running on our show floor, InventHelp’s Gadget Girl isn’t exactly picture perfect!

I’m sure this year’s INPEX (June 11-14 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh) will be our most photogenic year yet. Say cheese!

Before I head out for the weekend, Gadget Girl would like to let you all know that the Washington City Paper has posted an article on an InventHelp and INPEX client. Erik Roberts, an inventor from Bowie, Md., submitted his Animal Sounds Whistle invention to InventHelp in 2005. After working with an independent attorney via InventHelp’s patent referral program, he was granted a patent for the idea in April 2008.

Next up for Roberts is InventHelp’s INPEX invention trade show, where he will be exhibiting his product from June 11-14. The Animal Sounds Whistle replicates the calls made by various members of the animal kingdom, and it would be ideal for use by children and zoo visitors.

“I’ve been thinking about this one, the whistle…for the longest time,” said the inventor, who is a truck driver by trade. “I mean, ever since I was like 17 or 18, I’ve just been coming up with things.”

Before I became InventHelp’s Gadget Girl, I was just a gadget-loving diva fascinated by the InventHelp Caveman commercials. Over the years, I watched as these entrepreneurial cartoons showed the “inventions” of the wheel and wheelbarrow, and even a Neanderthal version of a unicycle.

But don’t let the loincloth and wooden club fool you – Cavey is a downright modern man! At the turn of the last century, Cavey even went 3D when computer animation became all the rage. But, it turns out that we liked Cavey just the way he was, and now he’s back to his two-dimensional self. For more on the evolution of our favorite caveman, check out our new page devoted the InventHelp Caveman.

Like all great inventors, Cavey sometimes struggles through the creative process. But with persistence, ingenuity and (of course) a little luck, he always perseveres in the face of adversity (although, his comical struggles put InventHelp’s Gadget Girl in stitches). And there are plenty more adventures to come!

These days, I get to see the InventHelp Caveman on a daily basis – in bobblehead form on my desk! When I’m having a challenging day, I just look at Cavey aimlessly bobbling about and realize that if he can make it through his trials and tribulations, then so can I.

InventHelp’s Gadget Girl thinks there’s a little Cavey spirit in every gadget guru, entrepreneur and innovator. To get your very own Cavey bobblehead as well as other cool InventHelp products and gear, visit www.InventHelpStore.com.

InventHelp’s Gadget Girl Blog is now listed in the Technorati index, enabling us to reach a wider audience and spread the spirit of innovation to thousands of additional Web surfers. Be sure to visit Technorati and tag your favorite InventHelp blog postings to get the word out about Gadget Girl.

You can view InventHelp’s Technorati profile here: Technorati Profile

For those of you who are into the whole social media thing, be sure to stop by the newly created InventHelp Squidoo lens! Although it’s pretty basic right now, we’ll be adding a lot of content over the next few weeks, from inventor help documents to amusing InventHelp Caveman videos – and much more!

On another note, Gadget Girl would like to apologize for her brief hiatus from blog postings – even technology divas have to take vacations sometime, you know! That said, I’m ready to get back on track with some blog-o-licious innovation bytes that I’ll be sending your way in the next few days. Stay tuned for fresh content from InventHelp and Gadget Girl!