Mark Zuckerberg Loves Union Square Ventures

Union Square Ventures: You Love Me, You Love Me Not

Mark Zuckerberg saw Twitter and he liked it immensely. Today the news feed is central to the Facebook experience.

He saw FourSquare and he liked it immensely. The world got Facebook Places.

Now he has a crush over Disqus, it seems like.

Zynga has been a major money maker for Facebook.

All of these are Fred Wilson's portfolio companies.

Facebook Going After Disqus Now?

Facebook Going Into Blog Comments Is Huge

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeFacebook Going After Disqus Now?

I have said several times at this blog that if Google wants to "get" social, it needs to go into the blogosphere. But now looks like Facebook is about to beat Google there too. This is a really, really smart move on the part of Facebook.

Non Profit Microfinance Vs For Profit Microfinance: The Stupid Debate

Image via WikipediaThere has been a stupid debate going on for a few years now that has taken new life the past few months. There is a school of thought that says microfinance can be non profit and non profit alone.

There has been some serious abuse of microfinance. A lot of MFIs - microfinance institutions - have been messing up the last mile in serious ways. Charging ridiculously high rates is one of them. Some debt collection methods have been shady.

Facebook Going After Disqus Now?

Image by skidder via Flickr

Caroline McCarthy: Facebook's next big media move: Comments: Facebook is planning to launch a third-party commenting system in a matter of weeks ..... This new technology could see Facebook as the engine behind the comments system on many high-profile blogs and other digital publications very soon....... it's an obvious and direct competitor to start-ups that provide commenting technology, like Disqus and Echo. With Facebook Places adopting much of the "check-in" methodology that smaller competitors Foursquare and Loopt offer, and Facebook Questions operating in the same space as Quora

Facebook Places did not kill FourSquare. Actually the day Facebook Places launched, FourSquare had its biggest day to that date. I expect something similar to happen to Disqus.

On the other hand, I really like the idea of comments sections at blogs where people necessarily have to use their real names. I think that would enhance the quality of comments.

Three Syllables

Image via WikipediaThe name of my company is going to have three syllables. I'd have preferred two syllables, but some of the obviously best ones have long been taken.

The name has to be three syllables, and it has to not mean anything. It can't be an obvious word in any language. Of course you might end up with a scenario where you come up with a word which you think has no meaning, but it has meaning in some obscure language somewhere. That would be fine. But I am going to start with a word that is just some sound.

10,000 People In 10 Years

Image via WikipediaI am going to have at least 10,000 people work for me in less than 10 years. I am a large scale group dynamics guy. I like large numbers of people.

Many, many atoms go to make one cell. Some people are cellular biologists, I am like that. That is why I so love revolutions, like the one that is going on in Egypt. I am a large scale group dynamics guy. That is my number one strength.

Immensely Excited

Image via WikipediaI am so very immensely excited with my startup.

Some people complain of the work environment of a big corporation, start a company, and their behavior will tell you they long for the big corporation.

You have to be excited, you have to stay excited. You have to get excited when you hit a wall, you have to stay excited when you get over it. Why would you get excited when you hit a wall? Because, well, what were you expecting? If you did not expect to hit walls, you were not expecting right.

At this stage with my startup it feels like I am getting to watch the formation of the DNA. It is an amazing feeling. I have a small team. We are making steady progress.

Soon I expect to speed things up.

I am really liking it that we could launch for very little. I am really liking it that we will start generating revenues almost right away. I am really liking that. I am liking the immense human component of my business model. Suddenly I will get to party with a purpose. The more people you talk to, the better you get at it.