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Atomkeep, Thanks for Including Mixergy
Olexiy Prokhorenko of atomkeep surprised me over the weekend by adding Mixergy to his site. Now, if you use atomkeep, you can sync your Mixergy profile with your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and a growing list of other sites.
I met Olexiy at a Mixergy event. When his site launched, he asked me for a few introduction, which I was happy to make because I like his site and new some people who should know about it. I’ve made these kind of connections for years without any expectations, which is why it was such a nice surprise to see Olexiy support my site.
Thanks.
New Event: How to Raise Venture Capital for Your Startup
Here’s your Mixergy online invitation to a free session about how to raise money and grow your startup. It’s being led by William Quigley, Managing Director at Clearstone Venture Partners.
This event came together by mutual request. Just about every time I talk with William he tells me that he wants to reach out to innovators and help startups grow. At the same time, because of the events I do, developers and entrepreneurs are asking me more and more questions about how to fund and grow their ideas.
I’m able to put this event together thanks to Stephen, Karen, Chris & Gary who sponsored it. (Want to help sponsor? Email me: mail-at-awarner.com)
New Event: Strut Your Startup
Mixergy is putting together a new event to help SoCal startups get feedback and exposure. If you’re working on a startup, apply below to join.
It’s called, “Strut Your Startup” and you can think of it as American Idol for startups.
If you have a working project, we’ll give you 5 minutes on stage to strut it. After you’re finished showing it off, you’ll get feedback from a panel of judges who are in the media and investment community. If they like your project, they’ll setup a followup meeting with you to learn more.
Also, since we’ll setup a twitter account for the night, the audience can twitter what they think and vote for their favorite startup.
Mike of Twiistup agreed to give the audience favorite priority consideration for a showoff slot @ Twiistup 5.
Francisco Dao of FastCompany.com agreed to be a judge. I’ll announce more judges soon.
There’s no fee. Costs will be covered by sponsors
Learning to Organize a Conference - Deborah Shadovitz interview
I met Deborah Shadovitz at a Mixergy event. When she told me about all the conferences that she worked on and that she organized MacGathering and MacDayLA, I asked her to get a call with me and teach me some of the basics.
My biggest takeaway from the call is that organizers need to prep their presenters. I was at a conference recently where the panelists weren’t prepped at all. One of them told a bad joke about Hillary Clinton and got a little laugh from the audience. He assumed that meant we all wanted to hear more of his humor, so he kept going. The other panelists couldn’t compete, so they clammed up.
It was a complete waste of everyone’s time. And it didn’t have to happen. If the panelists knew what they were going to say ahead of time, it would have kept them focused. They would have come across better and we in the audience would have gotten more value out our time.
Deborah told me how she prepped her speakers. We also talked about how she sells tickets, finds her venue and puts her events together.
Right-click here to download this podcast on organizing conference (53 minutes).
Social Media Conference Round-up (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love brands).
This is a guest post by Robert Richman, social media strategist. He can be reached at Robert(at)Richman.LA and you can follow his thoughts at http://twitter.com/richman17. Photo by m. Marc Salsberry
Let’s call it social media mania, shall we? Everyone is high at the thought of super-viral instant live video collaborative aggregation feeds (with an open social app on the side)…and I am no exception. I haven’t felt this excited about new technologies since AIM came out and I almost got fired. So what does a socially intoxicated new media maven do in this situation? That’s right - go to conferences.
Under the Radar - Social Media and Entertainment
First stop Mountain View. Dealmaker throws great events, so it was no surprise that it was $795. Thank God for blog contests. Debbie promised a free ticket for the best ideas on the Top 3 pain points for entrepreneurs, and apparently I know pain quite well.
With a set-up reminiscent of American Idol, the entrepreneurs pitched their wares while rotating sets of three digerati judges added their critique and the audience texted in their votes. Kara Swisher took the role of Simon, with her smart yet bemused skepticism. The Scobleizer was genuinely intrigued, though huddled in his sticker-tattoed non-Mac much of the time. And there were a cadre of google execs, bloggers, and VC’s, all led by Rafe Needleman playing the role of Ryan Seacrest (sans hair gel).
I felt a sense of wonderment as I saw the future of the medium evolving. The presenters were all well-selected, and the judges were supportive with a touch of snark. A few highlights:
- GumGum - monetizing online content
- MediaForge - branded widgets
- MovieSet - marketing movies before they’re even out
- Overlay.tv - the future of product placement in video
- Sometrics - monetizing apps
Crowdspring perfected the art of powerpoint with simple funny statements in white text on a black background “What’s our revenue model? People pay us.” Their presentation took the audience choice award.
The Future of Advertising
But perhaps the most interesting part was the conversation at the end- a panel of advertising execs, both from new media and the old guard, who debated the future of Madison Avenue. The underlying tone from the audience was that old media just didn’t get it and when they did, they didn’t put the ad dollars behind it. But the panel responded back with a surprising rejoinder…
1. The risk of brand equity
It’s not that they don’t get it, or don’t want to spend the money. It’s the bona fide brand risk that their precious six-figure logo might appear by a scantily clad pre-teen, calling for the downfall of America (of course while sipping a venti-sized ice-blended).
2. Your blog sponsorship is our rounding error
The advertising firms would love to spend more money on social media, but the meat is such small fry that managing a vast portfolio of micro ads is like asking Sequoia capital for $100 for each of your 1000 start-up ideas. Not gonna happen (despite your mega-zillion dollar ROI).
OnHollywood 2008
This conference doubled the cost of Under the Radar, so I was once again fortuitous to receive a press pass from a friend at well-known web site. But when they asked, “What outlet are you from?” I stalled to ask Andrew if I could write a guest column for Mixergy. It worked.
The first panel I saw was the Future of Digital Entertainment. The overall vibe was hopeful confusion, although Quarterlife COO Melanie Hall seemed to have a lackluster tone, like she gave up on her own brand. “It is so competitive. Without a cable station or sponsor it’s hard to get out there and be seen.”
Sandy Grushow of Filmaka was much more excited, in classic pre-chasm start-up mode. “We have not yet figured out a way for big brands to spend their money online. We have to proactively figure out a way for these brands to spend their money on the web.”
I turned to my cohort, Heather Meeker, who had an interesting insight…”It’s simply going to take time. It will take a new generation of ad buyers who grew up with computers all their lives. We’re just not there yet.”
I didn’t realize how true that was till I saw the dazzling presentation by Spot runner. Get this…one agency alone can send upwards of 7000 faxes for and ad buy. Does it get anymore old school than that?
I was beginning to sense a theme so I decided to skip a few sessions and talk to people outside, including uber conversationalist, Cathy Brooks of Seesmic (you know you’re still a kid when the most exciting part of your $1500 conference is getting stickers and a t-shirt of a funny wide-eyed racoon). I find it equally exciting and terrifying that technologies like seesmic and twitter have created a business model based on A.D.D.
My notes from the rest of the conference seem utterly unvaluable except for my conversation with Quincy Jones III on how my brother should market his band.
The Future of Television
Surprisingly, the most insightful conference was a room of about 30 people at the Future of Online Content organized by Michael Liskin at BLANKSPACES. There was an all-star panel including Amanda Congdon (formerly of Rocketboom), Tim Street (French Maid TV), Hayden Black (Goodnight Burbank), and seven other players.
The entire conversation (start at the 23 minute mark) was fascinating. A few quick insights:
1. People won’t pay for content, but they’ll pay to participate
Deal or No Deal charges for SMS text votes, Goodnight Burbank will mention your name on the show if you sign-up for their newsletter. Consider giving an “Executive Producer” title to people who donate.
2. There is money to be made.
Ask a ninja is making $100,000 a month, through various revenue channels. Tim Street of French Maid TV said he is making enough “to earn a living if he were in his early 20’s.” We are at the very early stage of all of this.
3. Play to the medium
Tim silenced the room when he said that his hit show, like almost every other on the web, is playing to spectacle, but the big change will come when we see a storyline and format that maximizes all the interactive media that are out there.
Conclusions:
Okay, so what is the point to all this, or am I just wasting your time? Here are the conclusions I’ve come to that I believe will play out in the marketplace:
1. Content will take the lead
We’ve seen it before. When the technology becomes a commodity, it’s the aggregators and the content that win. But don’t get trapped in that word. Stretch your imagination for what that term (content) really means. It’s just what we use to fill a medium. What might that mean? What would the first crowdsourced movie look like?
2. Brands will be the new VC’s.
As the technologies become more ubiquitous and free we’ll see another shakeout (and more outfits like Ycombinator). As traditional media becomes more and more irrelevant, brands will seek new channels to reach new customers, while strengthening brand loyalty with the existing ones. So if you have something that can get attention, think about what brand is in alignment with those interests and values. Prove you have something that people will use or watch, and you may just have an investor.
3. People don’t like to pay money, but advertisers will.
Yes, it’s shockingly that simple. Go where the money is. People do not want to pay for content, and unless Paypal can streamline a one-click micropayment, we’re not going to see much change. So stop mining the miners and look at the big skyscrapers up-town. Nielsen is having a harder and harder time tracking ratings. You’ve got the razor’s edge. They want to bleed.
“Okay, I’ve read your whole post. Now would you please tell me how I can use all this to make money?”
Yes. In my next post, “Brand 3.0.”
Twitter’s Response Beats 911?
At about 10:00 last night, when a van swerved into the bike lane on the PCH where I was cycling, I decided to stop riding. I know how dangerous the PCH can be and didn’t want to end up another PCH casualty.
I called my girlfriend and we both called every Ventura cab company we could find. Most didn’t pick up. The ones that did promised to pick me up in 15 minutes, but they never came. When we called to check on them, they didn’t answer their phones.
So I called 911 and asked for help. 911 said they’d call me back.
I was cold and alone, so I twittered. It was a habit. I didn’t expect anything. But within minutes, @KenFeldman texted to see how I was doing. Then he called and offered to pick me up. Then Efrin of @TechZulu called me.
By then my girlfriend realized she’d have an easier time getting a cab in Santa Monica and taking the hour-long drive to get me. So she came to my rescue. But after hours of standing in the cold by myself, it felt great to talk with friends, to know there’s someone willing to help.
911 eventually called me a cab–they called the same company that left me hanging. They have more important things to do. I understand.
I just can’t believe how helpful twitter–a company that didn’t exist a few years ago–could be.
I know there’s a lot of doubt about the utility of recent startups, but I see every day how startups are improving lives and changing the world. That’s why I love helping new companies grow.
New Sponsor / Partner: Annenberg Program on Online Communities
My primary goal with the events that I organize on Mixergy.com is to give startups the connections that’ll help them leave their mark on the world.
I recently got some help with my mission from the Annenberg Program on Online Communities (APOC) @ the University of Southern California.
APOC is helping to pay for my events, and we’ll produce some events together.
If you’re entrepreneur, you’ll love how APOC works. They don’t just teach their students how to build online communities. They give them money to do it.
Here’s APOC’s Director, Karen North, describing the program and why she’s supporting Mixergy.
How to Build Buzz - with Dave Balter, CEO BzzAgent
Did you notice on Monday how many blogs talked about Dave Balter’s book, “The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II”? Godin, Kawasaki, Peters, and a bunch of others talked about it.
The guy really knows how to create buzz. (Which makes sense, since Dave Balter is also the CEO of BzzAgent, a word-of-mouth media network.) I wanted to find out how he does it, so I called him up.
You should listen to the call for yourself, but here are a few of my notes from the conversation:
Where’s Volume I?!
So this book is called “The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II,” but there’s no Volume I. Dave did that on purpose. If you want people to talk, you need to give them something to talk about.
You’re not trying to be the next Numa Numa Guy
Building word of mouth isn’t like creating a viral video. You’re trying to tell a series of stories that help you connect with your users. Think about how Apple creates buzz by building on the stories they’ve told us over the past 30+ years. A competitor might catch our attention for a minute with a hot new feature, but they’re not going to keep us talking the way Apple does.
Luck is for losers
You’re not hoping people will talk about you or your product. You’re leading the conversation. Dave didn’t put his book out and hope bloggers would write about it. He talked to each one and convinced them to write about his book on the same day.
BzzAgent has “Communications Developers” who talk to each one of its “Agents” and helps them spread the word.
Right click and download the podcast here (30 minutes)
Get a free copy of the book here.
Danny Scalisi is Showing You His Executive Summary
At the Mixergy Funding Forum, a few people asked to see a sample executive summary.
Danny Scalisi of MyLifeBrand.com offered to help. He’s letting you peak at his executive summary.
What makes this especially helpful is that it’s not the fake “Company XYZ” example that we see in business plan books. It’s a real example from a member of our startup community.
If you can’t see the doc below, read it on docstoc.
[Thank you Bob Bellano of cFour Partners for coming to the Forum and making this connection.]
Why & How to Build Social Capital Online - Tara Hunt Interview
Have you noticed this:
- Guy Kawasaki launches a site and on its first day his site gets 261,214 hits.
- Jason Calacanis asks for feedback on a design idea for his site and hundreds of people contribute thoughtful ideas.
I can think of a dozens of examples like that where an internet entrepreneur who has social capital uses it to build a better business than an internet nobody.
Tara Hunt noticed this. She wrote a book about it called The Whuffie Factor. Whuffie is the word she uses to describe the amount of social capital you have.
I called her up and recorded a 42-minute interview that you can use as a seminar on how to build your social capital. We went through a set of clear steps that you can follow and I made sure we clarified each one with a real-world example.
If you’re building an online business listen to this podcast. Then get the people you’re working with to come here and listen to it. Your competitors already know this stuff. You have some catching up to do.
Oh, and get the book, because my conversation with Tara is like a seminar, but it’s only an introductory seminar. The details are in the book.