April 2008

The Archives

• 04.30.08
  Google to Launch Next Gen Blog Advertising Network?
  Business Models

  I’m sure such an announcement is imminent within the next year or two. Sure Google has Adwords and Adsense, but that's nothing compared to what they'll be ultimately be able to do. Anyone who has played around with the Trends feature in Google Reader knows what I'm talking about. As an RSS reader, Google Reader has an enormous portion of the market – and it’s growing. For example, at last check 38% of Andy Beard’s traffic was via Google Reader. For LeveragingIdeas it's more like 55%. As blogs become a more credible and socially accepted means of journalism, traffics to the ...
  
  
• 04.27.08
  Spending Money To Save Money
  Tech'nomics

  Apologies for the inconsistent posting. This week should allow me more time. All last week I was out in San Francisco for the Web 2.0 Expo sponsored by the great folks at O’Reilly Media. I really had a great time! The big theme of the last two weeks has been the economy. I have spent a lot of time thinking, reading, talking and listening to some of the greatest economic minds of our day. The picture painted by most suggests only one thing: we should all be worried. The economy has held up reasonably well as of late, propped up by the ...
  
  
• 04.17.08
  How to Win The Hearts of Women and Get Invited to Weddings
  Pop Culture

  My friend Adam was told in jest that he would “need to submit a video resume” before a particular young woman would ever consider taking him to an upcoming wedding as her date. This is what she received… [vimeo]900325[/vimeo]
  
  
• 04.13.08
  Twitter’s Branding Problem
  Brands and Marketing, Social Media

  I believe that Twitter has a major branding problem. As I have written before, Twitter’s biggest barrier to entry is its own branding. I have recently suggested to a number of my friends that they sign-up and join Twitter. Although they enthusiastically check it out, their use of Twitter generally lasts less than a week. During that time they typically make 10 posts. Do they not get it? Are they not cutting-edge enough? No and No. The reason they loose interest is because they follow the directions. They literally answer the question - just as Twitter requests - “What are ...
  
  
• 04.09.08
  Congestion Pricing and EdgeEconomy
  Tech'nomics

  The New York State Legislature has soundly defeated Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal for a city congestion pricing proposal. It’s not surprising because saying ‘no’ is the easy thing to do. It’s the safe thing to do. It’s also decidedly un-edgeeconomy. Unfortunately in business and in politics, operating on the edge (that space where innovation thrives) seems to me, too often correlated with personal gain. Take the sub-prime debacle as an example. ‘Innovative’ lenders were pushing the envelope, but only because they stood to gain massive returns. Hedge funds like LCTM pushed the innovation envelope but motivated by money. In the new movie ...
  
  
• 04.07.08
  Work Culture
  Workstreamr

  Over the last few months I have written a number of posts using the term “work culture.” I was using the term without even realizing that it doesn’t really yet exist in modern lexicon. Wikipedia has entries for organizational culture and corporate culture, the later dealing with traditional enterprises and their hierarchical structures. However, I feel that work culture is something very unique from either of the above. Work culture is the environment that empowers an individual(s) to produce and receive. Work culture is not – any longer – corporate. Consider the creative class and the folks operating in the edgeeconomy: ...
  
  
• 04.07.08
  Special Ops Media Sold to LBI: Interactive M&A Still Hot
  Brands and Marketing

  Acquisitions of creative agencies continue. This morning, LBI purchased Special Ops Media for up to $45M. Special Ops, a DUMBO Manhattan-based firm started by friends from Brown University, has found great success working with top-tier entertainment brands. However, the most valuable asset is its creative talent; an increasingly scarce resource in a high-demand market. Acquisitions of creative talent have been occurring at a frantic pace, though the deals have largely flown under-the-radar. Validating that the time is right to sell, a survey of buyers in 2007 showed 83% believing the time to buy for deal-makers in interactive is now. For LBI, ...
  
  
• 04.06.08
  Rethinking the Firm: The Era of Agile
  Tech'nomics, Workstreamr

  Thank you Umair Haque! I have been writing and talking about the fundamental shifts we are seeing in work culture for quite some time. A couple examples are here and here. I even have dedicated a category of this blog to the phenomenon I call “tech’nomics,” or the intersection/impact that technology has on the economy. So it is exciting to see well-known influencers in the space agreeing with Umair and adding to the conversation. It’s especially exciting since we’re building Workstreamr to be a player in this new world. AVC recently stated: What Umair is suggesting is that technology, particularly Internet technology, ...
  
  
• 04.04.08
  Target the Wanna Be’s
  Brands and Marketing

  It struck me today that the many of the most successful business models on the web are targeted at the wanna-be’s.  Consider, the success of Urban Daddy or aSmallWorld. Are these services really being used by the elite? Hardly. The elite are on a network you and I have never heard of -- if they are on one at all. Wanna-be’s on the other hand, have aspirations. They seek conduits providing them with potential. It’s the 90% striving to be the 10%. Targeting  the wanna-be’s is also largely industry neutral; whether a huge client like Disney, or brushing shoulders with the ...
  
  
• 04.03.08
  Thanks for Enriching My World
  My Experiences

    I wanted to thank the following bloggers for taking the time to consistently write thoughtful, intriguing posts. These posts routinely prompt me to do additional homework, lead to fun debate or dialogue and generally enrich my understanding of the world: Barry Ritholtz Paul Kedrosky Stowe Boyd Fred Wilson Nivi Babak You guys rock! Happy good people day!
  
  

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