February 2012
7 posts
“New data from Nielsen shows that nearly one-third of U.S. smartphone owners (29...”
– iPhone owners ready to close the deal, 75% want to pay by phone | VentureBeat
4 tags
Zipcar Invests in Competitor?
From @danprimack awesome newsletter this morning comes the news …
Wheelz, a P2P car-sharing company targeting college campus communities, has raised $13.7 million in Series A funding. Zipcar Inc. led the round, and was joined by Fontinalis Partners. www.wheelz.com
I really like the concept of sharing excess capacity across consumers or what many are calling “collaborative...
“We have a Midwestern pragmatism about the balance of tech & human caputal”
– Andrew Mason @ Goldman Sachs Internet Conf
3 tags
January 2012
10 posts
3 tags
3 tags
Really @Rafer? "Google has no choice #spyw" →
Upfront, I should say that Scott Rafer is a guy who I really respect - probably as much as anyone in the tech community. He’s been a mentor / sounding board for me for years. However, I couldn’t disagree more with the argument that “Google has no choice.” rafer said:
I certainly sympathize with people’s angst about Google’s more explicit search partiality. However,...
4 tags
In Other News, Every Social Startup Pings Google...
Search Engine Land has a post up today in response to Google’s new “Search Plus Your World” (along with just about every other tech publisher.) One of the most interesting aspects is the response from Amit Singhal (the guy who oversees google search result rankings) about integrating other services. Here is the relevant quote from Search Engine Land’s post with a...
1 tag
Open Letter to Scott Thompson - Yahoo's New CEO
Hi Scott,
I want to first of all congratulate you on the new gig! The reaction among the Internet’s thought leaders today seems cautiously optimistic. Anyway, you clearly aren’t lacking for advice today, but I still figured I’d jump in with hopefully a unique perspective in this open letter.
First, we all want to see Yahoo succeed! It’s sort of like watching Meg...
BRYCE DOT VC: Data Data Everywhere and Not a Drop... →
brycedotvc:
As I tune in and out of the recent flurry of discussion around “big data” I can’t help but be reminded of the the old sailor poem:
Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.
If I had a nickel for every founder who told…
6 tags
How Brilliant Branding Amplifies Strategy
I shared a link here last week to a new 3 minute video that IBM did about “Smarter Commerce.” Over the last 6 months, I’ve been thinking a lot about how software is changing commerce. The video did a great job talking about this transformation in retail so I shared it.
However, even more than great content, I want to focus on how brilliant the IBM branding is for smarter...
“Let’s agree to make sure that we take the opportunity to either bring in...”
– ‘Social Media Agency’: Fad or Revolution? | ClickZ
“It’s rare to find bipartisan support for anything in Washington these...”
– Follow The Money To Figure Out Why Lawmakers Support SOPA
“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound...”
– Love this quote on top of General Assembly’s email!
December 2011
2 posts
2 tags
2 tags
“In past, we were defined by what we wore, owned, and controlled. Today its what...”
– Great advice as we all think through goals for 2012 (from @jseelybrown)
August 2011
5 posts
4 tags
2 tags
“we’ve seen this before, as companies moved from storefronts or 800 numbers to...”
– Commerce APIs: is Accepting Payments the Next Wave?
2 tags
“The algorithms used by movie rental site Netflix are now responsible for 60% of...”
– BBC News - When algorithms control the world
Finding New Investors, in 140 Characters or Less
This data strikes me as a bit contrived. If this is true, they got 2,000 new investors! Seems like an unmanageable cap table to me. Still interesting article and cool that Kraft Group found them through social media.
The New Orleans company says it has gotten about 8,000 investment inquiries in the past year and a half thanks to its online presence. Investors see the tweets—either on Twitter...
“The number of emotional words on Twitter could be used to predict daily moves in...”
– This Is How a Twitter-Based Hedge Fund Beat the Stock Market - Business - The Atlantic Wire
via @vkhosla
===
Supposedly they’ve only been trading with this algorithm for a month but this is AMAZING. BIG DATA FTW
(via msg)
July 2011
1 post
June 2011
3 posts
“With so many consumers equipped with a smartphone, the distinction between...”
– How Jack Abraham Is Reinventing EBay | Fast Company
April 2011
1 post
March 2011
1 post
Very honest from @hblodget →
Because, as many folks in business have learned the hard way—and I’m one of them—the “appearance of impropriety” in a case like this is just as important as whether there was actual impropriety.
January 2011
5 posts
The Ohours Blog: How to Have a 20 Minute Meeting →
This is definitely something I struggle with when meeting w/ folks, but good tips from Nate …
ohours:
Since launching Ohours, I’ve been enjoying hearing from hosts and attendees alike about their experiences.
It’s been nothing short of inspiring.
One of the areas in which I find people most having “issues” is figuring out what the right length of time is for their Ohours “slots.”
I’m a...
15 Web Services We Rely On Every Day (myGengo) →
Nice set of web services any start-up should look at to allow them to focus on their core competency & outsource the rest.
+1 for SendGrid, Get Satisfaction, Saleforce & Xero
Personally much prefer start-ups I advise to to use Mashery instead of Apigee (but I’m biased).
— Sean
Goldman to Offer Facebook Shares Only to Non-U.S.... →
Nice job SEC … way to “protect” all those US investors.
My Reading Plan for Jan & Feb 2011
Typically this time of year, I spend some time stepping back and coming up with goals for the year.
Rather then do that this year, I’ve decided to “chunk” them up into shorter-term goals that I revisit every couple months but directionally fall under four big themes for the year (Professional, Financial, Fitness & Spiritual)
As part of my professional theme in the next 2...
What Everyone Seems to Miss In Facebook's Private... →
Facebook is the greatest repository of data about people’s intentions, relationships, and utterances that ever has been created. Period. And a company that owns that much private data should be accountable to the public. The public should be able to review its practices, its financials, and question its intentions in a manner backed by our collective and legally codified will. That’s...
December 2010
1 post
October 2010
2 posts
“…if you’re sitting around dreaming about creating an innovative startup...”
– Skate Where the Puck is Going | Both Sides of the Table
“A surplus of ideas is as dangerous as a drought.”
– How to Overcome Idea-to-idea Syndrome - Business - GOOD
September 2010
2 posts
“Enter Angel Investors. They give money, usually their own from previous business...”
– How AngelGate Affects You…Yes, You
“What you really should be concerned about is who is in your deal—and who’s...”
– - This is going to be BIG! - Convertible? Equity? What kind of coin should you use to scratch off a lottery ticket?
August 2010
20 posts
iPad vs Kindle
After 2 weeks, I really do love my iPad. However, zero plans to stop using my Kindle. To me they are very different devices.
iPad:
Scan twitter
Scan email
Read a few stories on Flipboard
Use Keynote in coffee shop meetings
Kindle:
Read text based books
And I’ve tried to read a little on my iPad … the experience is no where near as enjoyable! It’s much more iPad +...
“You have to be very determined and accept that the early stages of launching any...”
– Richard Branson’s School of Hard Knocks : Innovation :: American Express OPEN Forum
“you become a notable social object by associating rich media & keyword text...”
– Resumes are for *Shit*. The 4 Things You Really Need: LinkedIn, Blog, Keywords, Social Media. - Master of 500 Hats
1 tag
“…But there is no such thing. We collectively choose the world that we...”
– What’s Wrong With “X Is Dead” - Science and Tech - The Atlantic
WatchMy Friend @richard_florida on Turning the Corner - CNBC.com
