Customerstrapped

Alex's Tech Thoughts: Free Events, Fee Events: Alternative Idea

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:45:53 -0500

Alex's Tech Thoughts: Free Events, Fee Events: Alternative Idea:

I run a lot of events. Some are free, others come with a fee. It really depends on the demand of the event and controlling the space in tandem with that. I’m not looking to make a profit at this point, just looking to put together events that I would like to attend myself.

There are positives…

So happy for Amit. superamit: CBS Boston came by my hospital...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:06:01 -0500

So happy for Amit.

superamit:

CBS Boston came by my hospital room yesterday to do an interview about my story so far + the urgent need for more donors to register. Here’s the video!

(It’s about 2 and a half minutes.)

Path: We are sorry.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:06:19 -0500

Path: We are sorry.:

This is how an apology and subsequent fix is done.

thepersonalnetwork:

We made a mistake. Over the last couple of days users brought to light an issue concerning how we handle your personal information on Path, specifically the transmission and storage of your phone contacts.

As our mission is to build the world’s first personal network, a trusted place for you to…

haseman: Advice for Young Programmers: How to F*ck Up Like a...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:18:42 -0500

haseman:

Advice for Young Programmers: How to F*ck Up Like a Pro

If it hasn’t happened to you, it will. That moment when you’re looking at the production server and seeing something that emphatically should not be there. From the colossal to the minor, if you’re doing anything important, you will eventually f*ck up big. Really big. Holy-shit-I’m-going-to-get-fired big. What separates the pros from the amateurs, however, isn’t whether you make end-of-the-universe mistakes but in how you handle the aftermath. Juggled correctly, a catastrophic cock-up can have a positive impact on how your perceived by your peers. Here are a few helpful steps I’ve cone to rely on over the course of my own tremendous screw-ups.

Step 1 - Take a deep breath. You’re going to need to be clearheaded to handle the rest of this, so that gut wrenching fear needs to go on the back burner for a little bit. You can let it come back later, but for now, lock it down.

Step 2 - Don’t raise the alarm immediately. Verify that the thing you believe to be broken is actually broken. Everyone hates a false alarm. If, however, your mistake is grave, chances are everyone knows, if it isn’t, you’ve got a few minutes to think things through before you pull the fire alarm (there are exceptions to this obviously, use your judgement). Take a few seconds to determine just how bad the problem really is. If credit cards are getting stolen or something’s on fire, tell everyone immediately. Anything short of that, and you can take a little bit to collect yourself.

Step 3 - With this very small breathing space, determine the solution/fix for the problem. If you don’t have time to resolve the exact fix. (or the problem is complex) then come up with a few possible solutions to present. It’s important, when you do come clean, that you already have a solution ready. Also, before you accept your drubbing, think up at least one strategy or process that will keep this kind of mistake from happening ever again.

Step 4 - Own up. Tell those who need to know (if they don’t already) what’s going on and take full responsibility for your part in the cock-up. Explain, quickly, how you made the mistake but don’t dwell on it or make excuses. Trust me, no one cares how or why you f**ked up and whining about how your mistake was a perfectly reasonable one will only make things worse for you.

Step 5 - Explain, and this is the really important part, two things: First, how you’re planning on fixing the problem. If the powers-that-be don’t like your proposed solution, come up with a better one or ask for help. Second, tell everyone who’ll listen what you’ll be doing differently in the future to keep a mistake like this from happing. This is the piece that will set you apart from the amateurs. It tells everyone who’s listening that you’re more interested in making things right than covering your tail.

Step 6 - Panic. You’ve kept it together for this long, so make sure you give yourself time to freak the f**ck out. Go back to your desk, or find somewhere you can have a little privacy. If it’s bad enough you’ll get the shakes, if so, let it happen, your body needs to burn off the excess adrenaline.

Step 7 - Fix the problem, implement your prevention plan and, for gods sake, keep your head down. Most people aren’t fired for making one mistake unless its truly egregious, people are usually fired for making several mistakes in a row. It’s also a good idea to check in or write a postmortem about what happened after some time has passed.

Follow some semblance of the aforementioned steps and you should come out the other side with nothing more than a few battle scars. If your managers are good, they’ll recognize your calm under fire. If they’re bad, they’ll yell, stomp around, rage, make you feel bad about yourself, and then ignore you. Good bosses will want to know what you’re doing to keep this from ever happening again. Bad bosses will want to vent their frustration out on you. In many ways, a major mishap is as much a test for your manager as it is for you. Pay careful attention to their reaction and plan for the future accordingly.

TL:DR: If you’ve made a huge mistake, figure out a solution and a mitigation plan before you sound the alarm.

Great PR advice for startups

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:57:02 -0500

How to deal with tech media by @mikebutcher

View more presentations from mikebutcher

"So what would our mornings look like if we re-engineered them in the interest of maximizing our..."

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:48:08 -0500

“So what would our mornings look like if we re-engineered them in the interest of maximizing our creative problem-solving capacities? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead (with a pen and paper nearby to jot down any evanescent inspirations.) We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, dismissing task-oriented thoughts (“What will I say at that 9 a.m. meeting?”) in favor of a few more minutes of mental dilation. We’d take some deep breaths during our commute, instead of succumbing to road rage. And once in the office — after we get that cup of coffee — we’d direct our computer browser not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.”

- New neurosciences studies show most morning routines kill creativity, but there might be something we can do about it. (via curiositycounts)

This makes me feel a little better about how I spend my mornings.

(via garychou)

Interesting to note….. less than 20% of the fastest...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:35:11 -0500

Interesting to note….. less than 20% of the fastest growing companies in the US were VC backed.

Alex's Tech Thoughts: The Way I Look At Press

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:32:35 -0500

Alex's Tech Thoughts: The Way I Look At Press:

alexstechthoughts:

We don’t have a PR firm at Aviary and deal directly with the press ourselves. This may change down the road, but for now it works pretty well.

I wanted to share how we approach press at Aviary. This will hopefully help other startups in some best practices.

Before we launch anything we put…

Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: Become A Founder's Apprentice

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:47:08 -0500

Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: Become A Founder's Apprentice:

alexsrandomtechthoughts:

If you are thinking of joining a startup and have a few offers on the table, take the one where you will be able to work directly under the founder. This is becoming a founder’s apprentice.

It can be an unofficial role, but should be spoken about with the founder before you accept the offer.

Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: Everything You Need To Know About Venues For Startup Events In NYC

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:27:08 -0400

Alex's Random Tech Thoughts: Everything You Need To Know About Venues For Startup Events In NYC:

alexsrandomtechthoughts:

People always email me asking about securing venues for events they are organizing. This post will include all the potential locations in NYC for events, how many people they can hold, the point people there, and the general feeling of what type of events make sense there.

The venues I cover…

Lean Startups and more on StartupRemarkable.com

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:20:17 -0400

Lean Startups and more on StartupRemarkable.com:

Howard Kingston was nice enough to interview me for his blog, StartupRemarkable.com.

In just under 40 minutes, we riffed on:

What is a tribe and why are they important?
The critical importance…

Entrepreneurship, ideas and shipping on NY Brand Lab Radio

Thu, 19 May 2011 22:37:04 -0400

Entrepreneurship, ideas and shipping on NY Brand Lab Radio:

Last Wednesday, Mary Van de Weil was nice enough to have me back on her wonderful NY Brand Lab Radio show.

Mary is brilliant. I was her first ever repeat guest and I hope to be on…

HEALTH | TECH | FOOD open innovation

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:46:13 -0500

HEALTH | TECH | FOOD open innovation:

On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, I was lucky enough to help facilitate the Health | Tech | Food event that Luminary Labs put on for Social Media Week. 125 people gathered to openly innovate…

Seth Godin, Live on Twitter for Poke the Box

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:13:29 -0500

Seth Godin, Live on Twitter for Poke the Box:

Normally Seth Godin doesn’t tweet.

Seth certainly understands the power of the medium for both good (engaging and leading a tribe) and evil (acting as crack cocaine for The Resistance, distraction…

hughmcguire: Show me a picture of a nice book case, and I...

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:25:34 -0400

hughmcguire:

Show me a picture of a nice book case, and I cannot stop myself from reposting it.

Donating my birthday to charity: water

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:34:42 -0400

Donating my birthday to charity: water:

When is the last time you drank clean water? Probably today. Certainly within the last 24 hours. You showered and brushed your teeth with clean water this morning.

There are 1…

superamit: I picked up and read the new 37Signals book, Rework,...

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:20:24 -0400

superamit:

I picked up and read the new 37Signals book, Rework, on a whim yesterday. Many parts of their philosophy jive with how I already run my business, a handful don’t. Overall though, a quick read with good points crystalized from their blog.

I dog-eared 10 pages — some I agreed with and wanted to remind myself of them. Others, I think will be useful and want to explore.

In no particular order…

Draw a line in the sand
“Great businesses have a point of view… You need to know what you’re willing to fight for. And then you need to show the world. A strong stand is how you attract superfans. They point to you and defend you. And they spread the word further.” … “You’ll turn some people off” … “If no one’s upset by what you’re saying, you’re probably not pushing hard enough.”

Be a curator
“You don’t make a great museum by putting all the art in the world into a single room. That’s a warehouse. What makes a museum great is the stuff that’s not on the walls.”

Interruption is the enemy of productivity
“You should get in the alone zone. Long stretches of alone time are when you’re most productive.” … “During alone time, give up instant messages, phone calls, e-mail, and meetings.” … “Your day is under siege by interruptions. It’s on you to fight back.”

Quick wins
“Momentum fuels motivation” … “Being in the trenches for 9 months … just burns you out” .. “get in the habit of accomplishing small victories along the way.”

Build an audience
“All companies have customers. Lucky companies have fans. But the most fortunate companies have audiences.” … “An audience returns often — on its own — to see what you have to say.”

Go behind the scenes
“Give people a backstage pass and show them how your business works.” … “Think no one will care? Think again… People are curious about how things are made.” … ”Letting people behind the curtain changes your relationship with them. They’ll feel a bond with you…”

Marketing is not a department
“Marketing is something everyone in your company is doing 24/7/365. Every time you …. answer the phone … send an e-mail… Every time someone uses your product… every word on your website, every error message … is marketing.”

Resumes are ridiculous
“You want a specific candidate who cares specifically about your company, your products, your customers, and your job… Check their cover letter … you hear someone’s actual voice and are able to recognize if it’s in tune with you and your company. Trust your gut reaction.”

Hire managers of one
“Managers of one are people who come up with their own goals and execute them.”

Hire great writers
“If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer… Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking.”

As the above apply to my business, Photojojo…

(1) We think everyone should have fun taking photos, and it doesn’t matter if your’e using a fancy SLR or your cell phone.

(2) We’ve purposely been extremely selective in adding new products to our store. As we continue to grow our selection, we need to figure out how we decide which goodies have to go.

(3) If I had a hot tub time machine, I’d go back in time and prevent Growl from ever having been invented. I swear it.

(5) Our focus on content first has been a huge boon to our business.

(6) I wanna figure out a way to do this, but I’m not sure how.

(7) So true.

(8) Ditto. Without a great cover letter, we’re probably not going to interview you.

(9) Yup.

(10) Yes. I’d hire the great writer OR great designer… design is visual communication, and just as important on the web.

Your new competition

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:44:33 -0500

Your new competition:

Quick. Take 30 seconds and list your main competitors.

(don’t worry, I’ll wait)

Done?

Good.

Sorry, but your list is wrong.

Unless of course, you listed Zappos, JetBlue, Southwest…

That’s some strong cheddar

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:11:01 -0500

That’s some strong cheddar:

One video, two lessons.

1) Never give up. (Which is different than strategic quitting, as outlined in The Dip.)
2) If you’re going to make ads, don’t drone on about your features, low price or…

Speed and edges

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:48:52 -0500

Speed and edges:

When I first learned to snowboard, I fell. Often and hard. I fell on my wrists. I fell on my ass. I was black and blue and wet.

The second time, I got a little better.

The third time,…