Okay, so this is a day of very short and sweet to the point posts.  It’s just been a long week, and for some reason I can’t write long analytical posts today.  Jason Calacanis, Peter Rojas, and Dave Winer are talking about building an affordable and small podcasting-centric device.  To say the least, I’m actually intrigued.  Right now, they’re just throwing ideas around, but it has my head churning.  I’m talking seriously churning.  I’m thinking of developing a psuedo BPlan or Executive Summary, probably the latter just due to time, and making it public to help develop the idea. Maybe I’ll make it a wiki and let everyone contribute to it. If they want to run with some of the ideas or something, be my guest.   These guys could be onto something very big.  One key word before I do some analysis over the weekend and compile my thoughts: Free. Here are some resources on the topic:

Jason Weighing in

Peter’s Thoughts

Dave’s Thoughts

Jupiter Research Weblog 

[tags] jason calacanis, dave winer, peter rojas, engadget, mp3 players, ipod, web 2.0, podcasting, digital devices, publictivity [/tags]

Remember in my Online OS as the holy grail post, I said that a lightweight framework, maybe based off the browser, needed to exist that would allow web based applications to live on the desktop. Well, Desktopize has done it. I havent been able to fully use the product, but from what I’m seeing, this is really amazing.  The program is developed by a design firm based out of Israel called 3d3r.  They’ve released a somewhat similar program called bubbles. Hats off to these guys.  Good chance that you’ll see Publictivity adopt desktopize at some point.  If anybody from their team reads this, please feel free to contact me (I may get to you first though).  If I were a VC, I’d be calling these guys ASAP.  any thoughts?  would you guys like to see this adopted by us down the road?

[tags] desktoptize, zoho, publictivity, web 2.0, online os [/tags]

Why can’t Google purchase a worthwhile competitor to Yahoo! answers?  The 30-50 million it would take to purchase the number one answer site would be a rounding error.Maybe this space just isn’t of interest to Google, but for some reason, I don’t think the answers business is something Google would pass up.  They’re basically, an answers company.  I ask their search engine to find me a term, and it gives me an answer.  Anyone have any thoughts on who a potential acquiror could be?   I still think Yahoo! would have a market lead, but it would definitely crash the Yahoo! morale boost party. I agree with Tech Crunch, that this is a big win for Yahoo’s Web 2.0 strategy… an immediate win. I also think that Mike’s right: Google’s model worked for 2002.  In 2006, an advertising model is what works.  Know who this gives a lot of morale too as well? AOL.  They just changed their entire financial model to Advertising. Just some thoughts.
PS- Today is going to be a light posting day, as I’m swamped.

[tags] yahoo, yahoo answers, google answers, web 2.0, publictivity, google, tech crunch, AOL, advertising [/tags]

Guy Kawasaki had an amazing post today, honestly one of the best posts all year regarding Venture Capital. It was entitled The Venture Capital Aptitude Test. Basically, it is a test to see how suited you might be for Venture Capital. He also goes into the fact that a good venture capitalist isn’t built upon an MBA or financial formulas, but an understanding of how a company works. Lastly, Venture Capital should be for those at the END of their career, not in the beginning. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but my goal in life is to exit a couple of startups, take time off to teach or contribute to society in a nonprofit manner, and then spend time as a VC to help young companies and the entrepreneurs behind them. Part III was the most interesting part of the test/ the one that was open ended. Here are my answers to the ones, I feel I have an answer for.

How do I introduce a product with no budget? (add 2 points)

Many ways to do this. If you’re talking about getting it funded from the getgo, get customers early on as funding. Sell them the product at a highly discounted rate, and get what you need from it. If you’re talking launching, there’s tons of ways. The first is to go and pick a niche to focus on. Find a small and select group to start your product off with. Find a group that you can work with hands on to build your initial critical mass with. Don’t go for everyone because you can’t afford it, and you won’t do it… trust me. Another way is through Public Relations. you don’t need an expensive firm at first. Do it yourself. Get your hands dirty. Put together a compelling story, and promote the story. More importantly, focus this with the first step. Target publications and bloggers that are focused on your niche. It’s much easier for niche publications to “get it”. Lastly, make the technology work for you. In consumer cases, allow it to have viral triggers that allow the content to be spread. If it’s for the commercial or business side, make it dead easy to use, and a piece of software that will force your customer to talk about it in a way that says “You need to try this software”. Let your customers be your sales force.

How do I determine if there’s really market demand for my product? (add 1 point)

Well, I don’t know if this is a question that should be here. If a VC has an entrepreneur ask that, I think they’ve invested too early. When an entreprenuer starts, they need to do their own diligence. Talk to people within your market. See if this product really helps them or fits their needs. If it doesn’t, then find a way that it can. take every ounce of feedback you can get.

What do I do if customers hate our first product? (add 1 point)

In the step listed above, you’re usually going to talk to very small portion of customers. It may turn out that the rest of your market, sees it a different way. There’s a demand for your problem, but your solution needs to be made better. Stay focused, don’t change the problem you’re fixing. Change the solution you’ve built. Once again, take in feedback like a madman and apply it.
How do I get Walt Mossberg to return my call? (add 2 points)- Couldn’t tell you, sorry.

How do I get to the folks who run Demo? (add 1 point)

I’m lucky enough to know a couple of companies and CEOs that have presented at DEMO. If I didn’t, Id first try to network and find a way in. It’s a small world. If that doesn’t work, I’d then try to talk to Chris personally or someone on her team. If you can find a way to meet her in person, that helps so much better. Remember the focus of Demo, and that it is to show groundbreaking new technology. Highlight that, show her why it’s going to be demoworthy. Her job is to sell seats to that conference. Show her why your technology is going to be worth it to the people paying her big bucks. She will not put crap on stage. Show her why you’re better than the large percentage that gets rejected. There are also different “product categories” each year at demo. See if you fit into one perfectly.

How do I get a plug in TechCrunch? (add 1 point)

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, AND I REPEAT DO NOT PITCH MIKE LIKE A NORMAL REPORTER WITH BUZZ WORDS AND A PRESS RELEASE. Believe it or not, Mike is quite an accesible guy. He knows everyone, and there’s a good chance you can find a way to talk to him if you live out West. If not, try to catch his attention. Once you get your couple of minutes of Mike’s time, show him why you’re product rocks. Show why it is different, and how it can benefit his readers. It’s just like DEMO. Mike has pageviews to deliver, and a crappy product won’t deliver it. Also, if you can, give him the first scoop. He’s a fan of that, and honestly, it’s the best place to have the news break.

How do I get the folks at Fox Interactive to return my call? (add 1 point)- Couldn’t tell you specifically. Haven’t dealt with them. If it were Yahoo! or Google, I’d say network, network, network.

How do I dominate a segment when there are five other companies doing essentially the same thing? (add 2 points)

Start small, focus, and differentiate. Don’t go after the entire market. If you’re trying to compete against an 800 pound gorilla, don’t try to take out the entire gorilla. Go for his legs. Once you start small, focus on his legs and keep hammering away. If you take his legs out, he’ll fall. Lastly, differentiate. Don’t go after the gorilla with the same things he has. Guess what? He can hit you back with the same thing, and harder. Hit him in his legs from an angle he doesn’t understand. Provide something new and innovative, but for the same space.
How much time, energy, and money should I spend on patent protection? (add 1 point)

This could be an opinion question in some respects. I think it depends on the company. If you’re a biotech, well, then a lot. If you’re a consumer space product with social networking, don’t focus too hard or put too much money. Explore your options. Protect yourself, but don’t become a boy in a bubble.

We bet on the wrong architecture for our product, what do I do now? (add 2 points)- Not entirely too sure on this one.

What kind of people should I hire: young, old, unproven, proven, cheap, expensive, local, remote? (add 1 point)

So the first thing that matters is making sure someone gets it. Make sure they get your company, your mission, and passion. Set the older and proven individuals as guides and cleanup to the younger unproven guys. Make sure they keep them on track and away from mistakes. Let the younger and unproven guys more onto the creative side initially. Let them formulate the initial ideas, but let the older and proven guys make it perfect. Local or remote depends on the company. Weblogs Inc is mostly remote. A lot of development can be done remote, but make sure the developer is disciplined.

How do I get them to leave their current jobs without throwing a lot of money at them? (add 2 points)

You better be a damned good CEO. I’m talking top notch. You have to be able to sell the dream with your passion. Make these guys see what you see. Make them dream. Most importantly, they’re going to work for you. They’re going to work with you. Make them feel important and not just another number. Let them feel like there will be creative freedom and leadership available with them in the startup. Show them the potential of the company, and the rewards of taking a risk with a lower salary, but great options. This still scares a large amount of people after the first bubbles, but if you sell them the dream and show that the company has a plan, you can do it.

How do I tell my best friend that he can’t be chief technical officer just because he was a cofounder? (add 2 points)

A company isn’t about, you or him, it’s about the company. A cofounder should understand that decisions have to be made to better the company. Egos are checked at the door. Make your best friend understand, that he’s done an amazing job, and brought the company to where it was. Let him know, that someone else who is better equipped can take the company to the next level. Also let him know, that he will have tons of input, and still involved creatively. Don’t just cut him out.

How do I get to the buyer at BestBuy to return my call? (add 1 point)- Haven’t dealt with them personally.

How do I handle a customer who wants to send back his purchase for a full refund? (add 1 point)

Don’t pull a Vincent Ferrari. Find out the problem, and see if there is some insight you can provide, that they might not know. Also be willing to bend on pricing. a little bit of profit, is better than none. If worse comes to worse, let them go, and let it be easy. Your reputation is just as important. Their customer experience, even though they didn’t keep the product, will get around. Make sure it gets around in a great light.
How do I fire people? (add 2 points)

This part sucks, it sucks a lot. You need to not let it get personal. Take a step back, and understand this is the life and job you selected. Something happened, that has brought it to this point. Make sure you have exercised all other options before going here. Don’t fire someone off of emotion, and more importantly don’t keep someone off of emotion. If you do fire them, be straight forward, but also kind. Let them know the positives, but also let them clearly know why they were fired. Don’t let them go home without understanding the reasoning behind it. Also make sure any benefits, severance, or help possible can be offered. If you’re able to write a reference, note that you will.

How do I lay people off? (add 2 points)- I’ve had to fire people, close friends and cofounder, but never lay off. I have an idea, but not a correct answer.

So biff, taylor, tiffany, and sebastian, go become an entrepreneur. Forget most of the things you learned with your MBA or undergrad degree. If you need to calculate formulas, then it should be useful. Listen to your gut, not a textbook. Learn from your successes, but more importantly learn from your failures. You will fail. you will fail multiple times. It will be one of your greatest lessons. For no textbook or case study can ever teach you this. Go out, change the world, be an entrepreneur, and then maybe after that go become a VC. Just because you cranked out some numbers at JP Morgan over a summer internship, doesn’t qualify you as a venture guy or gal. Honestly, I think it hurts you. Hope this was helpful.

[tags] web 2.0, guy kawasaki, venture capital, venture capital aptitude test, publictivity, ceo, tech crunch, VC [/tags]

I was sitting down watching Nip/Tuck as usual last night, and I saw the trailer for an inspiring movie: The Pursuit of Happyness.  It stars Will Smith, as a father whose wife leaves him due to financial problems.  To make sure he can provide a great life for his son, he becomes determined to make something of himself and get a great job.  Turns out, he lands an internship with Dean Witter.  I don’t know too much about the plot, since it’s not out yet, but it seems inspiring.  It motivates me to see movies where the main character is driven to make something out of himself. Often it’s making something out of nothing.  I’ve included the trailer below. PS- It takes place in San Francisco.

[yt]ImOcIqGRJtU[/yt]

[tags] will smith, web 2.0, publictivity, the pursuit of happyness, movies, entrepreneurs, trailers, youtube, san francisco [/tags]

It’s always boggled my mind, literally perplexed me, why companies don’t give the customers what they want. It’s almost like they go out of the way to make a product as bad as possible. These are companies worth billions of dollars with tons of resources. Is it stubborn executives who think “they get it”? Is it just the desire to be mediocre? There are three recent examples that come to mind in regards to this topic.

YouTube/ Verizon

So this deal was announced today and is what prompted me to write this article. You’re telling me, I’d have to pay 15 dollars more on top of my data plan to get this. If I was that out of my mind, drunk, or brainwashed, I’d then only be able to watch a select few videos. This is ten steps backward. User Generated Content, or as the cool kids like to call it (UGC), is all about choice, freedom, and the luxury of consuming what you want. I hate to sound like a broken record, but walled gardens don’t work. Did youtube or verizon talk with anyone about this? bottom line: No one wants this. You messed up a big hit.  Don’t limit me, and make it cheaper/ included with my data plan. Maybe the other carriers will do this.
Amazon Unboxed

I love Amazon. I think they’re an amazing service and company. The Amazon Unboxed service is just a failure. Why didn’t they just use common knowledge, or at least look at what people dislike? No one wants layers of DRM, and tons of new software to install. Windows only, blah. Worst of all, it has some privacy issues to the software. Do they remember that whole RootKit thing, or? They COULD redeem themselves with the Tivo partnership. I would get a Tivo just for that. Know what that would require….? giving the customer what they want.

Zune, um yeah. WTF

Where do I begin? MSFT created some decent buzz. They had people listening. Do you know how many other people would kill for that attention? SanDisk or Creative would love for that hype- they come out with a million players a year, that are actually pretty damn cool. So Zune releases and what happens

• Doesn’t work with your new multibillion dollar operatinf system that is dropping in a month or so
• Install crashes and takes forever
• The sharing music capability is cool, except for that whole thing for usability called critical mass.
• Requiring everyone who used your play4sure format and spent lots of money on the media to purchase everything all over. You know what I do at that point? Fire up LimeWire Hardcore.
• No podcasting. Not a major problem, but just a little tweak that is needed to play in the space.

Maybe I’m over-reacting? Maybe I’m just too optimistic? Or maybe I’m just an entrepreneur and potential customer that doesn’t get it? Companies like Apple innovate and give the user what they want. I’m not playing fanboy here. It’s just true and the first thought that comes to mind. Please let me know your thoughts and comment who gives customers what they want and who doesnt give customers what they want.

[tags] zune, microsoft, amazon, unboxed, youtube, verizon, verizon youtube, web 2.0, publictivity, customer experience [/tags]

I’m a part of a couple entrepreneurship groups on Facebook. I’m listed along some pretty cool people like Sean Parker and Reid Hoffman on one, which is pretty damn cool. One question I saw on the discussion boards was: “How Do I Find A Great Developer?”. I’ve gone on the hunt for a developer, and found some great ones and some pretty terrible ones. Heres a deadly simple guide how to do it.
Have Everything Detailed To Perfection

Do NOT, I Repeat, Do NOT use: “Project requiring photos to be shared”. Okay, that’s lacking so many details. Try to include the following:

-Programming Language and Server Setup

-Details of the project. Its audience, its process, expected length of work, approximate budget.

-Have on hand illustrations whether CSS or just Photoshop

-Have DETAILED, DETAILED specifications that a candidate can read

Look Locally First

Teams can work from anywhere in the world, I know, but look for developers close by if it makes sense. Face to face interaction is priceless.

Divide Your Efforts Into Two Different Searches: Abroad and In the Country

Divide up the candidates you’re looking at, into two different groups. There’s a distinct benefit between each group. Time differences (ready to stay up until 6 am), language barriers, price differences, and whether the developer is independent or not.

Finally, Finally Pick Someone

The first characteristic, is to make sure you find someone who “gets it”. This is something I can’t describe, but you’ll know what to talk about. Next, work with people who have worked somewhat in the space you’re in before.  If you’re doing ecommerce don’t get an enterprise security cryptographer developer. Next, do background checks.  Try to get 5-10 references. Next, once you find a comfortable pool of people, negotiate.  See who can give you the best price and timeframe. Both are equally as  important. Try to get them to accept some form of equity.  People work harder when they are owners of the company.

Sign A Great Contract… FOR BOTH PARTIES

Sign a contract that is great for both parties.  Make sure there are deliverables, payment that is spread across the project, non disclosures, source code ownership, copyright, termination,etc.  They need to feel just as comfortable as you.

Lastly, Make Sure Orientation is Setup and Easy

Once your developer is about to start… give them a starting point.  Make sure you have the server access codes ready and maybe even a first small task. Let them hit the ground running. Bam, you’re going.
That’s  my brief overview. I’ll do a series next about managing your development team.  This is much much harder. Here are some great places to look for developers:

• Crunch Board- Where we found our developer. Worth 200 dollars and more.
• 37 Signals Job Board- More focus on designers
  
• Craigs List
• ODesk
• Get a Free Lancer
• Guru
• Dice

[tags] web 2.0, publictivity, developers, overseas, odesk, crunchboard, tech crunch [/tags]

So I’ve been talking with Frederick over at Rackspace the past few days. Once again, these guys rock. I’m not even a customer…yet. I just respect the way they respect the customer. Frederick asked me, how will you ensure a great customer experience? Well, I’d like to share my response to that question publicly. Everything here isn’t final or will definitely be done all a once.

24/7 Support

Our software is going to run your business, and in turn help improve or maintain the image of your client. If you’re working at 2 AM, we should be there for you. If you need support, we’re going to provide it whenever it is needed. No cutting around the edges.

Town Hall and Community Feedback

We feel everyone should have a voice and be heard. We’re going to offer monthly town hall and feedback conversations in order to improve the software. We’re going to make sure everyone gets a voice from the smallest to the largest customer.

Treat Humans Like Humans

I grew up outside of NYC, and learned the value of hospitality. So many companies are stringent and “by the book”. Well, we’re going to be human and treat you like such. The least thing you need is stress or another “no”. You’re going to go home happy and get an answer. If you don’t, we’ve failed.
Open Office

We’re not going to seem like an unreachable company. Myself, Frank, and other executives are going to be publicly available. I’ll also opening my doors up for “office hours” similar to Wesabe’s CEO. I think this is an amazing move on Wesabe’s part.

Meet Your Needs

Our future product development isn’t going to be made around analytics, pro formas, and MBA formulas (we don’t have MBAs anyway). It’s going to be based around what you need. This company is based upon the misson of making your lives easier in the PR world with our software. We’re going to keep on doing that, more and more.

These are just some of the things we plan on doing. I’d like to open the floor to suggestions. Email me, call me, skype me,etc. If you’re in Miami, we can meet up. You, the customers are our boss. Tell me what you want.

[tags] publictivity, web 2.0, office 2.0, customer support, rackspace, wesabe, service, NYC [/tags]

Some of you know me, and where some of my inspiration comes from. One source of inspiration is from my brother, John Crowley (Technically half brother, my mom married my father after John’s father passed away). Ever since I was a young kid, John has been an inspiration. My niece and nephew, Megan and Patrick, are sadly diagnosed with a fatal disease, Pompe’s Disease. Their third child, John Jr., is fine, and quite the personality. John, with a never say die attitude formed Novazyme Pharmaceuticals in order to save them. It’s a story that’s forever changed our family, and is what has inspired me to become who I am today. The story is chronicled in a book that was recently published, The Cure. If you’re an entrepreneur, a VC, a father, mother, or just someone looking for inspiration, give the book a try. I’ve also noticed a few of the regulars on my feed reader read the book over the break and gave it a great review- Brad Feld from Mobius Venture Capital and The Gotham Gal . Thank You, as the story means a ton to myself and more importantly my family. All in all, entrepreneurs have a much larger duty than to “exit and make some money to buy yachts”. We have a duty to improve society and the lives of those that are less fortunate. Maybe our companies will do good, or maybe the success God blesses us with will allow us to good. Good Night and God Bless.
[tags] family, the cure, john crowley, pompe’s disease [/tags]