Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Scott Contrarian Heiferman Does It Again

Scott HeifermanImage by jdlasica via Flickr
Scott blew it last night at the NY Tech MeetUp. There were some great demos for sure including one with a HTML 5 inkling: Thumbplay. And it was great to see Tikva Morawati's KnowMore.com up there. I told her last night I will be at Ignite NYC tonight, but I can't be: something came up that will have me tied to 10 PM. Nate showed up in formal attire last night: that was a letdown for me personally. His trademark jeans and shirt with the cut on the sides, the curve cuts look better, I think. But I am all for trying out new looks. Iterate.

So Scott Heiferman smashed Dawn Barber's iPad with a sledgehammer. I ran into Dawn later.

"Are you guys still friends?" I asked her.

Scott was offering the 2010 version of that famous 1984 ad, of course.




Scott presented MeetUp Everywhere.

And then he introduced ThePoint.com guy. Ends up that site did not take off. So they launched a side project that did take off: GroupOn.

"I started out wanting to change the world," he lamented." And I have been reduced to dealing with coupons."

Most startups fail, but the trick is to rise from the ashes.

At one point Scott called AVC.com "a stupid blog." Then he whispered, "I should not say that. He is one of my investors."

The Highlight Of My Internet Week
Not MeetUp
Women In Tech-Media Event At JP Morgan: Internet Week
Meeting Fred Wilson In Person
Internet Week: Going To Three Events So Far
The Biggest NY Tech MeetUp Ever?
Social Media Week: The Best NY Tech MeetUp Ever
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The Highlight Of My Internet Week

Image of Anu Shukla from FacebookImage of Anu Shukla
The highlight of my Internet Week has been my two hour lunch Monday with Anu Shukla at Tamarind. She is just this fun, cheerful person. And she has Sabeer Hotmail Bhatia stature in entrepreneurship. It feels great to be friends with her. She happened to be in town, and we had lunch we had been planning to have for months. The lunch had nothing to do with Internet Week, of course. It just happened to happen on the first day of Internet Week.

Anu Shukla Has Found The New Frontier In Advertising
I Just Became Friends With Anu Shukla

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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Not MeetUp



After Entry Level Jobs, An Internship
Lady Liberty Whispers
Entry Level Jobs
Job Search
Me @ BBC
Not Union Square Ventures

There is an old Indian school of philosophy - and old in India means thousands of years - called Neti, Neti, not this, not this.

Women In Tech-Media Event At JP Morgan: Internet Week


Internet Week: Going To Three Events So Far

Neha Chauhan is a great Moderator. This was my second Chauhan event, and it was just great. She has this ability to bring together a great group of panelists. And I like her emphasis on women. I am for a healthier male female ratio across the board. That has to be extra true for tech and media. New companies can not replicate the sexist social arrangements of old companies.

Mostly the panelists talked about their work, their challenges and dreams, and those are for the most part gender neutral. And the question answer session later was as robust as the first part of the program. I was mesmerized by the intellectual oomph of many of the things the panelists had to say. These were go getters. They were entrepreneurs. They might not always get it at first try, but get they will.

The final part was when you mingle. That is an important part. Time permitting I relish that part as I did with this event. That is a great time to ask the panelists a few more questions and meet some of the people in the audience. It was a house full event.

I was so glad I showed up. And I had the honor of sitting one seat in front of the moderator's mother who was skillfully handling three different cameras. I got to meet a panelist mother later who I told she looked like the Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz. Hello Jordan. Jordan Reid was also at the Social Media Week panel put together by Neha Chauhan back in February.

Social Media Week: The Best NY Tech MeetUp Ever

In my question from the floor I focused on one of the themes of the evening, that many, many more men are coders, and so they have an edge in tech. I don't believe that to be true. Being an entrepreneur is a higher level skill than being a coder. More than 99% of coders go work for someone else. They can be hired. The important part is can you put together a full team that also includes coders, that is the real challenge. A full team will have tech people, and marketing people, and designers, and what not, but the leader of the team has to bring all that together. And that leadership can be provided as well by women as men. If you need developers, and you have to hire male developers, hire them. There are plenty of those around. What we don't have enough of is people who start and build companies. We need more women entrepreneurs.

 

Event: Women in Tech-Media

Date: Monday, June 7, 2010 from 7-9pm

Location:
277 Park Avenue
2nd Floor
New York NY

Speaker bios:

Jennifer Hyman has been the Chief Executive Officer of Rent the Runway since the company's founding in November 2008. She is responsible for all areas of the business including technology, fashion, sales, marketing, operations, customer experience, and people management.

Jennifer founded Rent the Runway with her Harvard Business School sectionmate Jennifer Fleiss. They received funding from Bain Capital in May 2009 and launched the site in early November 2009. Rent the Runway is a members-only fashion community that launched in November 2009 with the goal of building customer loyalty for designer brands by enabling a woman to rent a dress before a special occasion in her life for 4 days only.

As a "Netflix for fashion" Rent the Runway is trying to give women access to the "Carrie Bradshaw closet" and encourage them to experiment with new trends, colors and designers without the guilt of a dress she's only going to wear once. Rent the Runway's launch was met with accolades from the NYTimes, the fashion media and blogosphere and already has over 425K members.

Before Rent the Runway, Jennifer was the Director of Business Development at IMG where she focused on the creation of new media businesses for IMG's Fashion Division. She also ran an online advertising sales team at WeddingChannel.com and before that, she was an in-house entrepreneur at Starwood Hotels, creating new leisure business for the company, including a wedding business that was recognized on Oprah for its innovation.

Jennifer received her BA from Harvard University and MBA from Harvard Business School. She is on the Board of an all girls public school in Brooklyn. She currently resides in New York City where she enjoys the entrepreneurial lifestyle, neighborhood restaurants, socializing with friends and family and all things fashion!

Dorothy McGivney worked for almost six years at Google until a serious case of wanderlust sent her on a trip around the world. After spending the better part of a year visiting destinations like Patagonia, Nepal, and Japan, she decided to combine her background in online advertising with her passion for exploring to create Jauntsetter, a travel site and e-newsletter for New Yorkers.
 

Jordan Reid founded RamshackleGlam.com, a “Haphazard Guide to Happiness,” in March 2010, shortly after departing her position as the resident Lifestyle expert at NonSociety.com. At RamshackleGlam.com, Reid’s focus is on home décor, style, entertaining, cooking, and do-it-yourself projects, as well as advice for couples in committed relationships.

A 28-year-old Harvard grad, Reid has been a part of the social media world since August of 2009, when she decided to turn her love for creating an exceptional home environment into a full-time gig. Reid immediately developed a passionate fan base of over 70,000 readers per month, with whom she corresponds on a daily basis about everything from relationship troubles to cooking tips.

Reid self-produces a webcast, “Ramshackle Glam with Jordan Reid,” that can be seen on Vimeo, YouTube, TheGloss.com, and Reid’s own site. She is a writer for Cosmopolitan, TimeOut NY, TheGloss.com, and Styleite.com. Reid is also a regular Lifestyle correspondent for BetterTV, and has appeared on MSNBC, VH1, NBC’s New York NonStop, and Exclusiv, among other nationally and internationally syndicated lifestyle programs.

On Ramshackle Glam, Reid has conceptualized and executed successful ad campaigns for companies including TJ Maxx, Starbucks, Bloomingdale’s, KAO Brands, Rambler’s Way, Melrose Street Clothing, and Perfume.com.

Tammy Tibbetts created She’s the First, a global campaign that promotes the importance of educating girls in the developing world. With an education, every girl has a chance to break barriers and become “the First” to achieve her special goals. Shesthefirst.org leverages young women’s passions and networks offline and online via social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to fundraise for sponsorships that will send girls to school.

Tammy works for Hearst Magazines Digital Media, where she led the creation of DonateMyDress.org, the nonprofit site of Seventeen’s Teen Network. She has created multiplatform, interactive web experiences for teen girls, for which she's managed partnerships with music and retail companies, local schools, and dress drive organizations nationwide. She is also Director of Operations of the MacDella Cooper Foundation, which supports vulnerable children in Liberia, and serves on the Foundation Board of New York Women in Communications. She is a Phi Beta Kappa journalism graduate of The College of New Jersey.

Neha Chauhan (Moderator) is currently an investment banking analyst at JPMorgan, having joined the company after graduating from Harvard University in 2008. With a background in technology and web design, Neha plans to launch her own new media venture early next year. Outside of the new media sector, Neha’s prior work experience includes internships at DANNIJO Jewelry, Bank of America, 85 Broads, L’Oreal Paris, and the Office of Senator Hillary Clinton. In her free time, Neha works closely with the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, specifically on initiatives for young people. She is interested in social entrepreneurship, and most recently launched a microfinance pilot program in Panajachel, Guatemala. To combine her interests in technology and philanthropy, she developed My Social Impact, a website that uses social media to track social impact. Neha organized this year’s Women in Tech-Media event for Internet Week NY.
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Sunday, June 06, 2010

Zuckerberg Has Stature

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook SXSWi 2008 KeynoteImage by deneyterrio via Flickr
The Hoodie
D8 Conference Speakers

Mark Zuckerberg is the Steve Jobs for his generation. 10 years from now he is still going to be CEO of Facebook, and he is still going to be doing wonderful things. The Facebook of today is the Mac computer. He still has the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad in him somewhere.

I admit to totally having missed out on the brouhaha surrounding him and his company the past few weeks. One reason might be because my privacy settings on Facebook have been set to Everyone for a long, long time. I have hundreds of friend requests from people I don't know. I did that for them. If you want to take a look at my pictures of New York City, be my guest. On the other hand I have one photo album that I have shared with only three people.

Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison's 1995 Network Computer Vision

Yesterday I added the Like button to my three blogs. I have been meaning to do that since the Facebook F8 Conference. I would like to see that Like button next to every article I read on the web. Before this button I had to bring articles of interest to me that I wanted to share into my stream using clumsy techniques. It felt like trying to blog on the Geocities platform. Having the Open Graph feels like having access to the Blogger platform, finally. I really like the Like button. Is there a button for that I can click on?

Why Will Facebook Itself Not Do Facebook Enterprise
Facebook And Twitter Suck When It Comes To Searching Their Own Sites
Time, Facebook Connect, And Comments
Tweets And Facebook Updates: The Mumbojumbo
The FriendFeed, Facebook Merger
Facebook Landgrab: A Friday Midnight Call
Facebook And Mashable: Social Media And Social Media Blog
Is Google Wave Social Enough To Challenge Facebook, Twitter?
Facebook's Ad Space Is Different
Facebook Faceoff Firefox
Fractals: Apple, Windows 95, Netscape, Google, Facebook, Twitter
What Should Facebook Do
TweetDeck, Power Twitter, Twitter Globe, Better Than Facebook
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Meeting Fred Wilson In Person

Chinese AmericanImage via Wikipedia
So I got to meet Fred Wilson in person for the first time. I showed up for the AVC MeetUp at 29 Union Square West around 3 PM. It took me a while to find the location. A Broadway or Park Avenue address would have been easier for me to find, and the MeetUp site had listed the address as 29 Union Square East. It was West.

I did 1,000 crunches before I showed up, and here was Fred Wilson trying to impress me and a few Indians with yoga talk. There is a Bruce Lee school of thought. Your tummy muscles are the most important. If you want to feel the strength, do your crunches.

I did my 1,000 crunches, had my lunch. I was sweating like Mark Zuckerberg by the time I headed towards the train station. Zuck has proven beyond doubt genius is 99% perspiration. (The Hoodie)

I thought I was running a little late. The place was downstairs, in the basement. It was dark. When Fred showed up half an hour later, he was like, "Ugh, this place is so dark, I needed to be here at 2 AM instead."

It took you about five minutes to get your eyes adjusted to the light. I caught both Fred Wilson and Scott Heiferman during their first minutes. I had the advantage of well adjusted to the dark eyes.

"Are you coming Tuesday"? Scott asked me.

"Of course I am coming. Absolutely," I said.

Internet Week: Going To Three Events So Far

I briefly talked about Reshma 2010: Reshma 2010, Square, And Pro.Act.Ly.

"The Scotts in the Bay Area are behind her," I said: Jack Dorsey, Randi Zuckerberg. "We need to get behind her here too."

Scott is one of the earliest people I got to know after I moved to New York City. Every time we meet, we meet like old friends, but I have never been able to get him to reply to my emails, most of which have been FYI emails anyways. I have long made peace with that as a productivity issue for him. The circle he maintains email communication with must be tied to his work. And I am glad. Look at the distance MeetUp.com has covered in five years. Scott in many ways is the original tech entrepreneur in town. The NY Tech MeetUp he launched has been a major platform. If no longer saying hello to me will mean MeetUp.com goes to ever newer heights, I will happily swallow that pill too. Scott is one of those people who can make it sound like "change the world" is not a cliche phrase.

This was a few years back. A friend told me Scott was number five on the list of the top people in tech in New York City, as put together by the Silicon Alley Insider. I was like, no way. But I know the guy!

Today I told Scott I had applied for a MeetUp.com job, but Greg told me it was an entry level position.

"It does not have to be," Scott said. "Good luck."

That is Scottspeak for MeetUp.com has a department that handles the hiring decisions, I hope they like your application. I liked the spirit in which it was said.

"Honored to be meeting you for the first time," I said to Fred. "I watched your debate online. You won easy. But you did have a hometown advantage."


disrupt on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

He was as gracious as possible before, during and after the debate. He has been the exact opposite of Mike Tyson after a victorious championship fight. He maintained that mode in his response.

"It was not much of a debate," he said. Talking to a group of Republicans about tax cuts is not hard, he has insisted.

He got hold of his name card as if anyone there needed to know what his name was or what he looked like, then he went to the bar to grab a soda, walked back to me and said, "Who put this together? Who organized this?"

He sounded puzzled as much as curious. I could have burst out laughing right there. I did not know. I took a guess and pointed at two important looking guys. Maybe them? Then I spotted Shana. I motioned her and asked her. She took him to the guy who had organized the MeetUp.

People got together in small groups. People moved around. Fred moved from group to group. I mostly wanted to listen to what he had to say. He was relaxed, and he was making insightful comments about some of his portfolio companies, and some of their founders.

The Gotham Gal did not show up because she was busy cooking for a party they are throwing Tuesday evening, Fred said. I have not visited her blog nearly as often as I have visited Fred's whose blog I visit almost daily, but when I have visited her blog I have learned a lot, perhaps more than from Fred's blog because she touches upon topics I know very little about, stuff like the local non profit scene, for example.

At one point I found myself with these three other Indians, two business partners, the leader of the team was married to this young woman who had made it to the interview phase of the two job openings at Fred's VC firm.

I got to meet the Columbus, Ohio, woman who is now in the Analyst position. Fred said one of the new hires is going to be bi-coastal, maintaining apartments in both the Bay Area and in New York.

So Fred walks over. He says he just wanted some water. I pass on the message. I get a glass of water in my hand, I pass it on to him. He sits down. A small crowd forms around him, about 10 people.

There is this discussion about the entrepreneurship scene in India. There is some frank talk. Some of the Indians volunteer to say things can get rough. The bureaucracy can be a nightmare sometimes. Society is more hierarchical. The culture is more sexist. The venture capital industry is not there yet. It can prove hard to pay your electric bill. They don't want your money. And if you don't pay, they cut off your electricity. But there are rewards to being able to navigate the culture. Labor is cheap and top quality. I said a high school friend of mine tried it in the US, that did not work, now he works his dot com based out of Kathmandu, and it has been working wonders, making him a lot of money. The guy gets on national television there, I said. That would be Kathmandu.

He talked at length about Twitter and David Karp of Tumblr. Twitter is set to do $100 million in revenue, but could they do a billion, he asked. He said Karp had that personality type that is the entrepreneur personality type. Every conversation he has with you he is trying to sell you something, either he wants you to invest in him, or he wants you to partner with him, or he wants to sell some idea.

He also pointed out New York is not there yet when it comes to the tech startup culture that the Bay Area has. Culture is really the word.

Fred said he was making an effort to get more software engineer graduates from the top schools to end up in New York City. That is another thing I really like about Fred. He loves this city. Look at the names of his current and former venture capital firms.

Then he walked over to the next group of people before he walked away. With that final group, there was a spirited discussion about "gold." I was feeling a little lost. Da what? Ends up Fred's blog post for the day that I had not yet read was about gold.

Fred Wilson: Gold Vs Real Assets

These were people who were fond of Fred Wilson. Fond is the word. It was a nice gathering. The gathering was proof a blog is a very real, social entity. It can bring together people. But if Fred had showed up at the San Francisco AVC MeetUp instead, the 100 plus RSVPs would not have been in New York, they would have been in San Francisco.

Fred has his standing in the tech community for work he has done, companies he has invested in. A few years back Geocities had been the best deal he ever did. By now it is between Twitter and Zynga, although the Twitter story is more compelling, and FourSquare could be doing really well in a few years. A Twitter IPO will get the Twitter story into the mainstream. Jack Dorsey talks about Fred Wilson every chance he gets.

I have a feeling after a Twitter IPO he and his firm might reach new heights.

Meeting Fred in person was not dramatic, as in, now I know what he looks like, what he sounds like. After months of reading his blog, I have a fairly good idea of his thought processes. I have watched hours of Fred Wilson videos on YouTube. So I had a fairly good idea of what he looks like, what he sounds like. But there is something about meeting in person. It feels real. Not that he ever felt unreal to me. He is down to earth, normal, pleasant, curious about things, passionate about his work. It is just that his accomplishments are outsize.

During the event I felt a certain tension. I can't be a full fledged tech startup guy right now. That is a year or two away for me. But I advise one startup - PayCheckr - and am in talks to become a full timer with another: TeaSpiller. I am itching to get into the scene.

Larry Ellison's 1995 Network Computer Vision
Lady Liberty Whispers

After the event, around 5:30, I walked over to the Apple store on 14th and 9th. The iPad felt a little heavy in my hand. The virtual keyboard sucks. The thing had to heat up if held long enough. I think the world of Steve Jobs but I don't seem to relate to his products. It is as if he is a great president of a country on a planet I don't live on, or at least a country on a continent very, very far away. I found myself gravitating to a large screen Apple computer with a regular keyboard. I just wanted a browser, a big screen, and a physical keyboard. My fear is they might make the Chrome OS netbooks too small. Got to keep the screen big enough.

From there I walked over to the Chelsea Piers to take in the Hudson. There is something about that smell of water that can collapse time. That water can smell like some of the water from a long time ago.

I walked back to Union Square and went into the McDonald's there. I eat healthy for the most part. But I think it is important to eat one bad meal once in a while.
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Saturday, June 05, 2010

Naveen Selvadurai, Vin Vacanti

Lean Startup Meetup - 17 May 2010 - Pt.3 from Rose Tech on Vimeo.

Lean Startup Meetup - 17 May 2010 - Pt.2 from Rose Tech on Vimeo.

Lean Startup Meetup - 17 May 2010 - Pt.1 from Rose Tech on Vimeo.

Slow Gmail: Short Term Help

Image representing Gmail as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase
  • Disable all Gmail Labs features.
  • Disable Buzz.
  • Don't use add on features provided by outside parties, however attractive.
  • Stay within 10% of the free space Gmail gives you. There is no such thing as free lunch.
  • Learn to use keyboard shortcuts.
    • c compose
    • r reply
    • a reply all
    • f forward
    • ctrl s save draft
    • v move to
    • tab enter = send
    • g i = to inbox
    • ? all shortcut keys in one place
Slow Gmail
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Slow Gmail

Wikibooks-GmailImage via Wikipedia
And I have been quietly thinking, it can't be Google, it has to be me, maybe I need to buy me a new laptop. Ends up it is Google. Gmail has been slow.

Fred Wilson: Gmail Performance Issues
I thought my issues were my own...... I suffered in silence.
Gabriel Weinberg: Gmail Has Become Unusably Slow
Gmail has gotten slower and slower for me, and as of the last few weeks it has become unusably slow. Before you ask, yes, I've tried it across lots of browsers and computers. ...... Update 3: Google reached out to me and "fixed" my account. Here is what they said.
Gabriel Weinberg: My Gmail Is Fast Again
Hacker News
TechCrunch: For Power Users, Gmail Set To Get Up To Speed slowness is really only an issue for power users of the service — those with hundreds of thousands or even millions of messages.
I am also raising my hand for the treatment, but I am not optimistic about it. My post is not about to get picked up by the New York Times, I don't think so. But Fred Wilson might have better luck. He has a much wider readership.

I Talked To Google Through Twitter And It Worked Like Magic


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Friday, June 04, 2010

After Entry Level Jobs, An Internship

Steve Case, founder of AOL at Kinnernet in Isr...Image via Wikipedia
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Ed Carroll wrote:

Paramendra,

I haven't talked you in a little bit, so I am not sure what you are up to....but I came across something that might be perfectly suited to your talents:

http://ambassadoroflifestream.com/

I am curious to know what you think....

-ed








A guy called Ed who is a good friend of Alex Great Minds Think Alike Cybriwsky yesterday talked me into applying for an internship with AOL. The next person is going to ask me to apply for college: Back To The Future.

Lady Liberty Whispers
Entry Level Jobs
Job Search
Me @ BBC



Luxury apartment in SF; swank hotel in NYC?
VIP access to concerts & events?
Input on core product decisions?
Reporting to Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL?
Basically, the internship of a lifetime.
 
Job Overview

We're looking for one very savvy individual to fill an important position. It's an easy job because all you have to do is be yourself. There's not a job like this anywhere else...guaranteed. Intrigued? Read on...

A Little About You

You're the type of person we can see spending a lot of quality time with this summer. You have the perfect balance of charisma, insight and ambition. You might be thinking, "Sure, but what's in it for me?"

Frankly, a lot.

But we'll get to that later.

First, let's talk more about you.

Like a bloodhound on the hunt, you've got an uncanny ability to sniff out new trends. You go with your gut. Like a sixth sense, it always leads the way.

Your enemy is the status quo. Status updates, however, are your friend. You judge others not only on the content of their character, but also on the content of their Tweets.

People listen to what you have to say, because they know that you know what's up. You’re a social-media butterfly with the wingspan of a jumbo jet—you don't flutter, you soar.

You're comfortable in your own shoes and your friends love that about you.

Why? Because you’re cool, that's why.

Like it's your job.

Which brings us to why we're here...

The Job

For two solid months you'll be an integral part of the Lifestream Team and have the opportunity to work directly with Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL. You'll sit in high-level meetings and speak your mind to our top product engineers, marketers and executives. You’ll tell them what you like and what you don't like about AOL products. We're depending on you to tell it like it is, and we know that you will.

Ok, we know. You’re still wondering what’s in it for you.

Here's The Deal

This is not your average summer internship. In fact, if we didn't know better, we'd think this was some sort of Employment rickroll.

You, friend, will not only receive a paycheck, but you'll also be living the bi-coastal lifestyle. A luxury apartment in San Francisco. A hip hotel in NYC.

Through AOL Lifestream, you'll be sharing all your experiences with your social networks via Facebook updates, Tweets, Flickr uploads, Foursquare check-ins and YouTube videos. Give your followers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes culture of AOL. Remember, your friends are our friends, too. And if our friends have something to say, we want to hear it.

We've been making a lot of changes around here and we're not afraid to take risks. To inform those risks, we're counting on you to bring us weekly dispatches from the frontlines of the latest pop culture trends. So throughout the summer, you'll have in your possession VIP access to events around the country—the hottest clubs and restaurants, the most coveted live concerts, sporting events and industry social gatherings. Your loyal followers will benefit too, all because they know you.

You'll get all this and more for allowing us to harness the awesome power that is you.

(Oh, and did we mention the expense account?)

Think you can handle it?

If so, please fill out the application.

We can't wait to start working with you this summer!

Key Dates:
June 8th: Last day to submit applications

June 9th: Finalists will be notified; in-person interview may be required this week

Week of June 14th: Videos of Top 3 candidates posted to this site; final winner is determined by an online vote

June 28th: First day on the job in San Francisco

Mid-August: End of internship








Social media, as opposed to broadcast/mass/old/traditional media, is going to drop that first word in a few years and simply become media. Social media is the way media should always have been. The talkers matter, but so do listeners. Thanks to social media we are now having two way conversations at small and large scales. It has become easier now to participate in family and social/political lives. It has become easier to stay in touch with friends. As for businesses, finally the dog has caught up with the car. Businesses have always wanted to have intimate conversations with customers, all customers, and now that is actually possible. This total feedback loop will only get more sophisticated over time. And customers will see through all aspects of businesses. They will be designing products and services. They will be participating in customer support. They will become small investors. Social media is about bringing democracy into our everyday lives. We are now constantly voting, every hour of the day.

This description totally speaks to me. I kid you not, but I put out this blog post this morning several hours before a friend emailed me the link to this opportunity: http://technbiz.blogspot.com/2010/06/top-web-properties.html AOL is still one of the top web properties in the world, but you don't have the buzz you had 10 years ago. It might not be possible to recapture that buzz, but I think Tim is walking down the right path in trying to turn AOL into a major content platform. Me, or anyone else who might fill this intern position, is not going to be your turn around artist. That is Tim. But you are looking for someone who will offer some brutal out of the box thinking in the ways you do business. You are looking for someone who gets visibly uncomfortable in formal clothes. Big, old corporations are yawn, yawn, they are scary. You are looking for a Maverick, like in Top Gun. That is me. I got the attitude. Not only that, I am deep into social media. My entire social media presence and more would be at your disposal. Whatever you pay me and spend on me, you are going to get back in all the marketing buzz I will create five times over, before the internship is even over.

And Steve Case follows me on Twitter. I have a Direct Message from him. That has to count for something.

http://technbiz.blogspot.com/2010/05/direct-messages-from-ann-curry-steve.html

What I am is a tech entrepreneur at heart, but I am a year away from getting my green card. Until then I need to go work for someone else. This allows me to postpone going to work for someone else for a few months. And if things work out, hey, I could be with AOL for that year before I get my green card and go launch my company. I would love to have Tim Armstrong as one of my angel investors. http://technbiz.blogspot.com/2010/06/larry-ellisons-1995-network-computer.html


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