Finding Zuckerman - The Adventures of Adam P. Zuckerman

How Foster.ly Came To Be

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Although DC is known for being a transient city of 20-somethings, I was actually born locally -- and aside from a stint in the midwest for college and graduate school -- I’ve lived and worked here my whole life. The DMV (DC, Maryland, Virgina) area invested in me throughout my upbringing, and this is a community about which I care deeply.

From waiting tables to slinging coffee, working in finance to directing non-profits, I’ve been fortunate to have some great professional experiences. And despite having both an MBA and a law degree, my real passion is for something they do not teach (well, something they don’t teach *well*) in any classroom: entrepreneurship.

In early 2011, I left my job as Vice President and General Counsel for a local creative interactive agency and took some time to travel as I figured out what I wanted for myself professionally in the long run. As I was figuring out my next move, I couldn’t sit still and “just enjoy the time off” as others encouraged me to do.

In the Spring of 2011, partly out of my own selfish need to interact with people while I was on “sabbatical” and partly out of the fact that I have always loved helping people, I began holding “Office Hours,” a concept whereby I’d pick a local coffee shop, tweet out where and when I would be there, and anyone who wanted to could come hang out and get as much free advice/feedback/conversation as I could offer. If I could help you, I would. If I couldn’t, I would try to find someone that could.

At first, a few friends came just to see if I was really there. And then some people started coming by who heard about the free business and legal advice being handed out in coffee shops. Some days, nearly twenty people would show up -- some I knew; most I didn’t. Some people came by just so that, like me, they didn’t have to spend the day alone. It was great.

People would come early and stick around late. People would collaborate, help each other out, and everyone was better off for it. We learned to leverage the power of social media to create pop-up co-working spaces for entrepreneurs. Above all, we built community.

Soon, “Office Hours” began taking over local coffee shops (as evidenced by others having them as well), and we realized that there was a genuine need and local demand for co-working, collaborating, and fostering community for entrepreneurs. We wondered: What if local entrepreneurs from the District of Colombia, Virginia, and Maryland had an opportunity to co-work for an afternoon at no cost with no agenda other than helping each other out? That’s how “Study Hall” was born. (You can check out a fantastic video recap by Justin Gutwein/ShineOn Storytelling here: http://vimeo.com/28791098)

I identified three groups of individuals who were engaging in Study Hall: 1) people interested in entrepreneurship; 2) entrepreneurs interested in keeping tabs on what’s going on throughout the community; and 3) people who want to interact with the entrepreneurship community (e.g. government employees, accountants, and service providers, etc.) Despite an individual’s respective classification, the same questions were consistently asked: “Where are the funding sources?,” “where do people co-work?,” and “how do I find someone to help code my idea in to reality?”

One afternoon, I decided to start keeping track of the answers and created an online resource “A DC/MD/VA Entrepreneurship Primer.” In the Fall of 2011, I further developed this primer in Foster.ly, a more thorough listing to help people in the community find what they need. Today, after several iterations, many conversations, and the tireless help of some absolutely amazing local people who love this community as much as I do, I’m proud to announce that the next version of Foster.ly will launch in the next few weeks.

As a sneak preview, here is just an overview of what you can expect to see when Foster.ly goes live.

Directory: The Foster.ly directory will enable community members to meet and search for the best resources in our community: People, businesses, groups and events. For example, iFoster.ly can help you find a female graphic designer who lives in Virginia that is available for freelance.

News: By enabling community members to submit links to articles, press releases, blog posts and more, the news section will foster conversation among the community, drive traffic to websites in the community, and provide a venue for people to comment on the postings.

Events Calendar: Not only has finding the right event to go to become increasingly difficult as the entrepreneurship community becomes more active, but days are now frequently booked with several different events to choose from. The events calendar will allow you to easily sort and search events that might interest you and avoid planning events which might conflict with other events.

Study Hall: Formally Study Hall DC, we’ve merged Study Hall under the Foster.ly umbrella (1/19 is the next event, register here), and as such, Foster.ly will have an online and offline presence. We'll also share some exciting announcements in the upcoming weeks.

The Blog: Recognizing that all of the content on the existing Foster.ly site doesn’t fall in to one of the above categories, we’re going to throw the extra content in to a blog. As a community member and/or subject matter expert, you’ll be able to create content and post it to our blog. Eventually, we’ll launch a resource guide section of the site which aggregates all of the community created content.

What’s Next?

As it turns out, Silicon Valley is significantly larger in size as the DMV area, but our mid-Atlantic region actually fosters a series of robust entrepreneurship communities. One of the goals of Foster.ly is to help bridge the geographical and conceptual gap and elevate the entrepreneurial reputation of our region.

The above is only the beginning and there's a lot more in the works. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to help:

(1) Sign up on the Foster.ly website (it only takes a second) to stay up to date with our upcoming announcements. (We have some great things in store.)

(2) Follow us on Twitter and give us a shout out at @Foster_ly. (To make it easy on you, here's an example: "I'm part of the DC/MD/VA entrepreneurship community. Are you? Join me @ http://Foster.ly")

(3) Get involved. Foster.ly is for the community, by members of the community, and there is lots to do. (From coding to copy writing and things in between.)

If you want to get in touch, pop the Foster.ly team an email at info@foster.ly or StudyHall@foster.ly.

Lastly, to those of you who have contributed to the development, iteration, and success of Foster.ly and Study Hall to date, thank you. As you're likely already aware, we'll be highlighting your unique contributions when the site relaunches.

With a great deal of community based excitement,
Adam

Searching For Volunteer Work In DC

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Image From www.volunteerscreening.org

This morning I received an e-mail from a friend requesting help on how to assist her college aged son find some volunteer work in the DC/VA/MD area.

In addition to offering a few ideas of my own, I've decided to crowdsource an answer (as my friends are a heck of lot smarter than I am).

Please post ideas to the comments, and I'll create a post summarizing all the helpful tips in a day or two.

Here are the the two e-mails (names have been changed):

E-Mail:

"Michelle, thanks!

And hi, Adam! I spoke to Mark a little more about this yesterday..I'm not sure if he fully knows what he wants to do haha. I know he just signed up for Big Bros/Big Sisters for a year-long volunteer commitment.

So I know he may be looking for a job rather than volunteer opportunities after that..He graduates this Dec with a degree in Marketing/Business. Soo I don't know if he'd still be interested in volunteering, but if you know of any organizations that may be looking for volunteers or employees, that'd be awesome.

Are there any questions I should ask him? I feel like I'm being too vague about all this!

Thank you!

Jen"

Chat With X Prize Founder Peter Diamandis

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:50:00 +0000

WE. ARE. LIVE!

http://beta.omaze.co

___________________________________

This weekend, I'm spending my time at @Coloft in Santa Monica for Startup Weekend LA.

My team, tentatively named Omaze, is developing a platform that enables celebrities and luminaries to offer the chance to win once in a lifetime experiences in support of their desired charity.

For those of you who are fans of X-Prize, you're in for a treat.

Tomorrow, the Omaze team will launch a beta/proof of concept site enabling you to hone your next bold vision, in person, with the help of legendary entrepreneur Peter Diamandis.

That's right. You and a friend will have one on one coffee with Peter Diamandis, Founder and Chairman of the X Prize Foundation.

(X-Prize gives rich cash awards to the inventors and engineers who'll get us back to the moon, build a better car and explore the genome. Interested in Dr. Diamandis himself, here you go.)

I'll be tweeting from @AdamZ and will update this site with the link when the site goes live tomorrow. Want to help spread the word? (AKA: Please help us spread the word.)

Please retweet this: http://twitter.com/#!/AdamZ/statuses/105109843303604224

Your Agency Thinks You Are A Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:47:00 +0000

When you hire an expert, you hire them for their expertise, obviously and because hopefully, they a know a lot more than you do. Imagine a scenario where you have a need, such as a new website or mobile application, and you set a goal to seek out a design and development shop to code your dream to fruition.

You identify a boutique shop that has all the right credentials. It boasts an excellent portfolio, a smiling and attentive sales person, and a promise that your product is going to have the hands on attention your mother would be proud of. With a desire to launch as quickly as possible, you sign on the dotted line and believe your project is being coded on the other side of town.

It isn’t.

You see, your dream company booked your project despite knowing that it lacked the resources in house to complete your work and instead has plans to rely on its “distributed work model” - read, people all over the world - to bring the project to home.

The so called distributed work model, which used to be called subcontracting, isn’t necessarily a bad practice. Yet, room for abuse, fraud and questionable ethics do come in to play, especially when companies sell themselves as larger than they truly are or farm out your project without a client’s knowledge and consent.

In such a circumstance, the client may be kept in the dark for the entirety of the project. However, a worst case scenario can be devastating. Subcontractors may be unvetted, unscrupulous, and difficult to track down in the event your project takes a turn for the worse.

Deadlines may be missed, your brain-child of an idea may be stolen or sub-par in quality, and you may end up looking poorly in the eyes of your boss.

Fortunately, with a bit of diligence you can avoid this scenario from happening to you with a little bit of know-how and preparation.

Right or Wrong?

More prevalent in the design, development, advertising, and marketing industries than one might expect, arguments exist which support and lament the practice of subcontracting work.

At bottom, there is no “right” or “wrong” in a discussion of whether the practice should be permitted. In fact, many will argue subcontracting can reasonably be expected to happen in some form on most projects. Instead, the issue revolves around “informed vs uniformed”, “ethical vs unethical”, and are you “protected vs unprotected” in the event something goes amiss.

The following is not intended to prevent you from entering into relationships where subcontracting may occur, but rather, to provide you with a sufficient framework to make an educated decision whether such a particular shop makes sense for you.

The Pros And Cons Of Permitting Subcontracting

Pro: In Support of Subcontracting

Many boutique firms experience difficulty maintaining full time staff with diverse skill sets to meet the demand of clients whose project span the spectrum. By maintaining relationships with subcontractors, they are able to integrate fresh ideas and technologies that otherwise would not be available on a full time basis.
As the quality of the final product and subsequent reputation ultimately rests with the contracting entity, the subcontracting company has to have properly aligned interests to manage the project to success. Accordingly, clients should be able to rest assured that final product will be delivered as promised, and all problems will be rectified if they arise.
In the event that the scope of a project changes, subcontracting may provide the ability for a company to rapidly scale the size and scope of the project to meet the increased demand.

Con: In Opposition To Subcontracting

Subcontracting can complicate the process of ensuring that your intellectual property rights are maintained and protected. Specifically, due diligence which will highlight items of concern between the company you hire and their and their subcontractors may be problematic, and as such, you may be setting yourself up for problems down the road. Portfolio attribution, product promotion, and most importantly, ownership of the source final product, source files, and intellectual property are just the tip of the iceberg.
The further down the creative chain the project is from your lead contact, the greater the likelihood that your vision will be diluted. In a worst case scenario of subcontracting gone amiss, instead of hiring a contractor you’ve hired an unnecessary project manager at superfluous cost.
Oftentimes the act of subcontracting occurs after work is booked. At best, the subcontractor is on retainer, but oftentimes new contractors are identified at the last minute without proper vetting. This scramble will inevitably locate individuals available to work on the project, and those individuals may not be up to par. As such, your project may falter.
Without notice to the client, the practice is arguably unethical at best and fraudulent at worst.

How to Protect Yourself

Now that you understand the pros and cons, it’s time to make a decision on whether you would like to permit or deny subcontracting. As with much of life, the answer is not so cut and dry. The following sets forth four scenarios which you can utilize to assist in framing relationships. However, it is important to note that some shops may not entertain negotiation.

1. No protection.

Obviously the most risky of all potential scenarios and frequently the result of a lack of understanding of the process or an urgent need to begin the project, no protection can be established one of two ways. First, and most frequent, no protection can be established by omission. Second, a provision can be drafted to specifically set forth the framework. In doing so, the company performing the work is protected from further claims in the event something goes wrong.

2. Notification required.

A provision that sets forth that the company must notify you in the event that they subcontract out any portion of your project will help you keep tabs on the project as work is conducted. Note that such a provision does not prevent them from farming out your work, but instead, merely provides you with notice. This can be accomplished on a general basis (e.g.: “We are subcontracting out your work”) to a company and location level (e.g.: “We are subcontracting your work to Widgets, LLC in England”) to a named individual basis (e.g.: “We are subcontracting your work to Mr. Michael Smith of Widgets, LLC in England).

3. Notification required coupled w/ an advance right to refuse. (recommended)

This provision is designed to allow subcontracting to occur, but gives you the authority to approve or deny any potential distribution of your work. The company you hired may not favor this approach because it has the potential to slow the design and development process and provide insight into who they are working with thus enabling you to contract directly with that entity or individual in the future. But there are ways to avoid such a problem. At bottom, this option provides you with the most control and knowledge over the project but is more time consuming than the other options.

4. No subcontracting permitted.

Such a provision prevents subcontracting under any circumstance whatsoever. Although this may be warranted in certain circumstances (e.g.: Highly sensitive and timely projects), it prevents such a practice without an amendment to the originally executed agreement. Lastly, this highly restrictive provision may result in the elimination of some highly capable companies from consideration.

Where To Protect Yourself

Any reputable shop should have you enter in to some sort of contract or agreement for services. In doing so, you’re not only framing the scope of the engagement, but you’re protecting yourself in the event the relationship sours. There is a reason the legal community espouses that “you don’t execute contracts for good relationships, you execute them to protect you in the event something goes wrong”.

Whether your relationship is governed by a Master Services Agreement, a Statement of Work, or something else, you can easily address the issue by including appropriate language mirroring the intent of one of the aforementioned provisions.

Specifically, and most frequently, the language you should keep an eye out for is contained within an “assignment of work” provision.

Wrapping Up

Although there is no “right” or “wrong” in a discussion of whether the practice should be permitted, it is of the utmost importance that you understand the implications associated with the contracts you enter. Consider the potential repercussions, and don’t hesitate for a moment to have your legal counsel look out for your best interests.

Three Things That Would Help Entrepreneurship In The USA

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:44:00 +0000

Yesterday, I spent the day in Baltimore meeting with several people in the entrepreneurship/tech community. I saw the Beehive, listened to perspective on where the region has come from versus where it is today as well as where it may go toward the future, and met some really good people.

After reflecting on my conversations, here are three things I believe would help the nation's entrepreneurial community at large:

1. A Portal Enabling Entities With Vacant Meeting Space To Offer It Gratis To Entrepreneurs

For those of us who assist in planning or hosting events, one of the most difficult tasks is finding an appropriate location. However, there are countless conference rooms, roof decks, and commercial real estate offerings that sit vacant every day. There should be a mechanism which enables people to offer space for free.

2. A Portal Enabling Comparison Of Business & Tax Implications Between States

As Donald Rumsfeld famously stated, "[T]here are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know."

Starting a business is a daunting task that is complicated by red tape, regulations, and a constant unknown about what you don't know. A resource enabling easy comparison between states (e.g.; Business formation costs, tax rates/incentives, etc) would be very helpful.

3. A Nationwide Shift In The Perception Of Failure

It's been said that failure is the stepping stone to success. However, tolerance on the West Coast of failure is much more acceptable than that on the East Coast. Failure means you tried, and should no longer be viewed as definitively indicative of future success.

People should go out on a limb more. After all, that's where the fruit is.

A DC/MD/VA Entrepreneurship Primer

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:40:00 +0000

The DC/MD/VA Entrepreneurship Guide Has Moved:

Visit http://Foster.ly

________________________________________________

It's undeniable that there is a lot going on in the DC/MD/VA entrepreneurship community right now. New startups are launching on a weekly basis, days are frequently triple booked with events to choose from, and a positive view of what's in store for the future exists.

However, as a busy entrepreneur, finding what you're looking for can be a bit overwhelming. To help, below is a primer to help you navigate places to work, communities to join, and events to attend.

The ultimate goal is to create a community driven crowd-sourced resource... this is phase one.

Best,

Adam

______________________________________________________________

Co-Working Spaces (for rent)

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Node

Location: 120 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD 21210

Beehive Baltimore

Location: 2400 Boston Street #308, Baltimore, MD 21224

Northern VA

Connect113

Location: 113 South Columbus Street, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314

WeSpace (VA)

Location: 1610 Washington Plaza N, Reston, VA 20190

Washington, DC

1410Q

Location: 1410 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

Affinity Lab

Location: 920 U Street NW, Washington DC 20001

District I/O

Location: 1140 19th Street, First Floor, Washington DC 20036

The Hive

Location: 2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20020

The Hub

Location: Opening summer '11

PlusSideDC

Location: Opening fall '11

Meetups/Events/Orgs

Aggregation/Listings:

Baltimore Tech Events

About: Baltimore and Maryland event listing aggregated by Ross Karchner.

DC Event Junkie

About: A leading tech and social events listing for the DC area, curated by DCEventJunkie.

DC Tech Events

About: DC area event listing aggregated by Ross Karchner.

Events By Sisarina

About: Event listings supported by Melanie Spring's Sisarina, Inc.

Events & Series:

Baltimore Washington Tech

About: Dedicated to discussing new trends in the Web 3.0.

BisNow Entrepreneur Series

About: Series intended to assist entrepreneurs or observers of the scene, pinpoint what's hot and what's not in new tech fields, what funders look for in deciding whether to back you, and how the best entrepreneurs prepare, survive, and succeed.

Bootstrap Maryland

About: A not-for-profit group that brings together young entrepreneurs and the necessary tools for running a lean and successful technology business. Aims to see Maryland, DC, and Virginia flourish with innovation.

DC Entrepreneurship Week

About: Designed for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, the multi-faceted symposium aims to answer pressing ‘real-world’ questions in an intimate setting from business leaders who have paved the way.

DC Startup Weekend

About: Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend.

DC TechCocktail Events

About: Event series highlighting emerging technology news, people, startups, products, and innovations for the true tech enthusiast.

Digital Capital (DC) Week

About: A festival in the US capital focused on bringing together designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and social innovators of all kinds.

DevHouseDC

About: A party for hackers and thinkers.

Ignite

About: Five minutes, 20 slides. What would you say? At every Ignite, 16 artists, technologists, thinkers, and personalities take the stage to answer this challenge. Our goal is to spark new conversations and collaborations across cultures and disciplines.

Innovate Baltimore

About: Asocial community for creative technology leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and enthusiasts in the Baltimore region.

Refresh

About: A community of web designers, developers, and other new media professionals working together to refresh the creative, technical, and professional aspects of their trades. The goal is to bring together the best and brightest new media professionals so that we may learn from one another. Our industry is too rich for any one person to “know it all.”

Social Matchbox

About: A trusted source of straight up information, news, and perspective related to the software and web product community on the East Coast.

Startup Baltimore

About: An emerging community of individuals who are actively interested in the startup space in Baltimore, Maryland.

Startup Breakfast (Baltimore)

About: A monthly breakfast club established to draw out individuals who are actively interested in the startup scene in Baltimore.

Meetups/Orgs:

Ad2DC (Young Professionals in Advertising)

URL: http://ad2dc.org

Baltimore Creatives

URL: http://www.bmorecreatives.com

Baltimore Hackathon

http://baltimorehackathon.com/

Baltimore NetSquared Meetup

URL: http://www.meetup.com/The-Baltimore-NetSquared-Meetup-Group

Baltimore Tech Breakfast

URL: http://www.meetup.com/Baltimore-TechBreakfast

BmoreSmart

http://www.bmoresmart.com/

CoFounders Wanted of DC Metro

URL: http://www.meetup.com/Co-founders-DC

DC Entreprenuers

URL: http://www.meetup.com/dc-smallbusiness

DC LeanStartup

URL: http://www.meetup.com/DC-Lean-Startup-Circle

DC PR Flacks

URL: http://www.meetup.com/DC-PR-Flacks

DC Netsquared

URL: http://www.meetup.com/net2dc

DC Social Media

URL: http://www.facebook.com/groups/dcsocialmedia

DCTech

URL: http://www.meetup.com/DC-Tech-Meetup

Entrepreneurs' Organization (DC Chapter)

URL: http://www.eo-dc.org

Internet Entrepreneur Near DC

URL: http://www.meetup.com/entrepreneur-1979

Norther Virginia Technology Council

URL: http://nvtc.org

Psuedo Techies

URL: http://www.meetup.com/pseudo-techies

Social Media Club Baltimore

URL: http://socialmediaclub.org/chapter/baltimore-md

Social Media Club DC

URL: http://socialmediaclub.org/chapter/washington-dc

Startup Rockstars

URL: http://www.meetup.com/socialweb

TedxBaltimore

http://tedxbaltimore.com/

TedxMidAtlantic

URL: http://tedxmidatlantic.com

Women In Tech

URL: http://www.womenintechnology.org

Coding/Language Meetups & Groups:

Arlington Ruby

URL: http://www.meetup.com/Arlington-Ruby

B'More on Rails

URL: http://www.meetup.com/bmore-on-rails

Baltimore/DC JavaScript Users Group

URL: http://www.meetup.com/baltimore-dc-javascript-users

Baltimore Mobile

URL: http://www.meetup.com/baltimoremobile

Baltimore Perl Mongers

http://baltimore.pm.org/

Baltimore PHP

URL: http://www.meetup.com/baltimorephp

Baltimore SharePoint User's Group

URL: http://www.baltimoresug.org

DC Drupal Training

http://www.meetup.com/dc-drupal-training

DC jQuery Users Group

URL: http://www.meetup.com/DC-jQuery-Users-Group

DC Python

URL: http://meetup.dcpython.org

DC Ruby

URL: http://www.meetup.com/dcruby

Django District

URL: http://www.meetup.com/django-district

MoDevDc - iPhone/Android/Windows/Smartphone Developers

URL: http://www.meetup.com/modevdc

National Capital Area Clojure Users Group

URL: http://www.meetup.com/Cap-Clug

NodeJS

URL http://nodejs.org/

Norther Virginia Drupal Group

URL: http://www.meetup.com/drupal-21

Scala DC -MD - NOVA

URL: http://www.meetup.com/dc-scala

Online Groups

“DC Tech” (on Facebook)

URL: http://www.facebook.com/groups/washdctech

“Baltimore Tech” (on Facebook)

URL: http://www.facebook.com/groups/baltimoretech

Techies For Good

URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Techies-4-Good/169881643059368

DC/MD/VA Entrepreneurship & Tech News

Potomac Tech Wire

URL: http://www.potomactechwire.com

The Startup Digest

URL: http://startupdigest.com

Washington Business Journal: Bill Flook Coverage

URL: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/search?q=Bill+Flook

The Washington Post: Steven Overly Coverage

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/steven-overly/2011/05/02/AGbUIOEH_page.html

Jobs/Employment

Baltimore Tech Jobs

URL: http://baltimoretech.net/jobs

"Baltimore Tech Jobs" (on Facebook)

URL: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_192873757429470

“DC Tech Jobs” (on Facebook)

URL: http://www.facebook.com/groups/176955908988724

DC Public Affairs and Communications Jobs

URL: http://publicaffairsjobs.blogspot.com

Startup Hire

URL: www.startuphire.com

Startup Listings

DC Tech Startup List Document on Facebook

URL: http://www.facebook.com/groups/washdctech?view=doc&id=146791872032921

ProudlyMadeInDC

URL: http://proudlymadeindc.com

Angel/VC Related

410Labs

URL: http://410labs.com

Angel Venture Forum

URL: http://www.angelventureforum.com

Baltimore Angels

URL: http://angelsoft.net/angel-group/baltimore-angels

CIT GAP Funds

URL: http://www.citgapfunds.org/

Fortify.VC

URL: http://fortify.vc

FounderCorps

URL: http://foundercorps.org

Grotech Ventures

URL: http://www.grotech.com

National Venture Capital Association

URL: http://nvca.org

Next Stage Development Group

URL: http://nextstagedevelopment.com

Paladin

URL: http://www.paladincapgroup.com

Revolution Capital

URL: http://www.revolution.com

My Shuttle Launch Perspective (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:31:00 +0000

Unknown to me, Tim Bailey shot a video of NASA's final shuttle launch from directly behind me.

This is that video.

Pics From NASA'S Final Shuttle Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:45:00 +0000

I was fortunate to be invited to the media area (at the countdown clock) to witness NASA's final shuttle launch, STS-135.

To put things in to perspective, here's an image of where I was:

Here are a few of my favorite pictures. I'm still at a (near) loss of words.

Google+ Is Coming To Android

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Today, Google announced Google+, it's alleged non-social media non-Facebook competitor.

Although mobile is undoubtedly a primary component of the Google+ Project, it is now clear that the project's presence will live on an Android Application. Proof of this assertion can be found in the opening seconds of the "Huddle" video located on the bottom right of the Google+ Project Page.

Here's a screenshot with the app icon in the top left corner of the screen:

As such, two questions:

1. When will the app launch?
2. Will it make an appearance as an app for the iPhone?

The Little Things On Your Resume Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Human resource individuals who receive and review resumes must be viewed as gatekeepers with two objectives. First, they are tasked to identify and hire the best candidate for an available position. Second, they serve to reject all others who do not satisfy their first goal.

With unemployment hovering close to 9% in the United States, demand for many positions is near an all time high. For example, Google received ~75,000 applications in a single week earlier this year. With such competition, it’s even more important to make sure that your resume is flawless.

Put differently, focusing on a few of the little things may be the difference between a call back interview and a circular filing can.

Here are three of those frequently overlooked little things.

Little Thing #1: Ensure Dash/Hyphen/Colon Consistency

Word has a habit of changing “-” in to “–”. (Notice the size differential.) Make sure you choose one or the other and stick with it.
Do you have colons after some headings and not others? Choose one and go with it.

Little Thing #2: Check Your General Formatting

If you save from .doc to .pdf, check the .pdf before you send it. Saving can change things.
Make sure the alignment of paragraphs and bullets are consistent throughout the resume.
Ensure that you use periods consistently. Do some lines have them while others don't.

Little Thing #3: Ditch Hyperlink Underlines

If you are sending your resume in hard copy, remember to remove the underline from your e-mail address, blog URL, or any other website that you’ve included. After all, you can’t click on a piece of paper.

Help Arlington VA's Homeless In 15 Seconds

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In 15 Seconds, You Can Help Arlington Virginia's Street People's Assistance Network Get A Free Van Courtesy Of Toyota

VOTE HERE (your mom will approve): http://apps.facebook.com/carsforgood/

Note: Voting Ends Tonight, 6/22.

__________________________________________

Toyota wants to salute do-gooders by giving 100 cars over 100 days to nonprofits that could really use a new set of wheels. And voters like you help decide which one gets a new ride every day.

Today, A-Span, which provides life-sustaining services for Arlington’s street homeless is on the cusp of winning.

Please, take the 15 seconds to vote. They need your help.

About A-Span

Our mission is to secure permanent housing for one of Arlington’s most vulnerable populations through outreach and relationships built on trust and respect. A-SPAN provides supportive housing, eviction prevention, employment counseling, case management and medical care to over 1,800 people living on the streets. Our programs are located at Opportunity Place Drop-In Center, where clients can take a shower, get a meal, or do their laundry. However, A-SPAN’s services start on the streets, as outreach workers seek out people in the woods, parks, underpasses and abandoned buildings where they live.

How we would use a new Toyota:

The Street Outreach Program is the foundation of A-SPAN's services. A person living on the streets is at their most vulnerable, hungry, facing the elements, perhaps struggling with mental illness or poor health, and in dire need of help. For these people, A-SPAN's Outreach Program is the link from the streets to services. This connection happens every day as staff use outreach vehicles to locate people and hand out such critical items as blankets and clothing. As client numbers grow, so does the need to reach them. A new Toyota van would literally be the vehicle for finding clients and transporting them to Opportunity Place, where they begin to rebuild their lives.

A Legal Team With Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:12:00 +0000

If you like sports, ownership controversy, and lawyers witha sense of humor, you should read this filed brief (it's short) by Marc Cuban's legal team.

Read the Brief By Clicking Here

It's good.

Google Reminds You It Is Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:10:00 +0000

As you hopefully didn't forget, today (Sunday, June 19th) is Father's Day. Yet, for those forgetful types, Google has taken two steps to help you remember.

First, Google has changed their banner to reflect the ubiquitous tie gift.

Second, they've added a "Reminder: Call Dad" note below Google Chat's call feature.

With that, go call your dad. He'll appreciate it.

UPDATE: Shortly after posting this note, I stumbled upon a conversation about Google's "call dad" reminder on Namesake.com which notes that the reminder may be insensitive to many who have lost or have tumultuous relationships with their fathers'. (See http://nmsk.co/m56HiA) What do you think?

If you aren't on Namesake yet, here's an invite: http://nmsk.co/lAb4bt

Another Day Another AP Typo

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Yesterday I posted about the AP contradiction in its story about the Weinergate blogger.

Today, while reporting on Delta charges returning soldiers for extra bags -- an issue that is at the root of another PR nightmare for the company -- the AP let another error slip through its editing process.

The article's second paragraph reads:

"The video went online late Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon — nearly 200,000 views later — Delta had posted a blog message saying it had revised its bag fee policy for troops. The airline had been allowing troops traveling coach class three free bags, but was imposing a $200 fee on a fourth bag. Now the Delta — in a statement attributed to an anonymous customer representative — says fourth bags will be free."

Did you notice the improper "the" in the last sentence preceding the name of the airline?

AP, it's not difficult to hire quality editors. Try harder.

Maker’s Mark Hires Jimmy Fallon and #FAILS

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:12:00 +0000

Today I have a post on SpinSucks.com: Maker’s Mark Hires Jimmy Fallon and #FAILS

What do you think? Could or should Maker's Mark have written their script for new spokesperson Jimmy Fallon differently?

Enjoy!

Yet Another AP Contradiction: This One Involves Rep. Weiner

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:44:00 +0000

It's surprising that the AP has let so many glaring contradictions slip through the editing process lately. Mispelled words, ommisons, and homonyms abound.

Here's one I spotted today at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_weiner_breitbart.

The piece (below) is short, only three paragraphs long in its entirey. However, paragraph two clearly states the conservative blogger considers a lewd photo of Rep. Weiner in his possession to be an insurance policy, whereas the third paragraph asserts he does not.

AP, it's not difficult to be consistent. Try harder.

The Story:

Blogger says he has X-rated photo involving Weiner

– Tue Jun 7, 9:29 am ET

"WASHINGTON – The conservative blogger who reported that a photo of a man's crotch had been sent from Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter account to a woman college student says he has an X-rated picture he'll publicize if the New York Democrat attempts reprisals against him.

Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart of the website BigGovernment.com tells NBC's "Today" show he considers the image "an insurance policy" against attacks from Weiner, who on Monday admitted the crotch photo was of him. The married Weiner also acknowledged he had engaged in inappropriate contact with six women over three years through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and occasionally over the phone.

Breitbart told NBC Tuesday that if Weiner wants to open himself to further investigation, "there are a lot of women" who could come forward. Asked directly if he considered the purported unpublicized picture an insurance policy, Breitbart replied, "I don't like to think of it that way.""

New Post On SocialTimes.com: Interviewing the Namesake Founders

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Today, I have a post on SocialTimes.com: “Namesake” Is A Real Time Conversation Network — 9 Questions With The Founders

I was fortunate to have a Q&A session with Dan Gould and Brian Norgard, serial entrepreneurs and founders of a new conversation centric start-up, Namesake.

If you're an entrepreneurial, founder, creative or inquisitive I highly recommend checking it out. Need an invite? I've got you covered: http://nmsk.co/lAb4bt

Enjoy!

SMT Post: Twitter's New Follower Email Notification Content Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:24:00 +0000

Yesterday, I had a post go up on Social Media Today: Twitter's New Follower Email Notification Content Changes

It highlights the fact that while Twitter changed the format of its email notifications, it also changed their content.

Enjoy!

Beware of Levis' Pricing

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0000

In need of a new pair of jeans while shopping at Prime Outlet’s Hagerstown, Maryland over this past weekend, I noticed a window sign at Levis proclaiming denim was on sale for $29.99. With prices so low, I decided to go inside to look around.

A short time and two oddities later, I realized that Levis pricing practices may not be at the pinnacle of honesty.

Here’s why…

Oddity #1

The first pair of jeans I looked at, a black Levi’s Original Fit, had the original tag still on it with a “Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price” of $46.00. In standard outlet fashion, there was another sticker (clearly from the store itself) proclaiming that the “MSRP $58.00” and the “Outlet Price” was $39.99.

Although in the end the customer “wins” in that the purchase would result in a savings of either $18.01 or $6.01, respectively, it seemed a bit disingenuous for the store to artificially mark up the MSRP to make the sale price appear larger.

Oddity #2

I then found another pair of jeans I liked, tried them on, and purchased them without checking the tag too closely. After departing the store I double checked the receipt and price tag and was surprised to notice that the tag had an “Outlet Retail Price” listed at $39.99, but the individual store had placed a new sticker on top of it and charged me $5 more than the original “outlet retail price”, $44.99.

Out of curiosity I went back to the store to ask why the price was increased, and the response was “inflation.” I didn’t want to argue the point, but I seriously doubt inflation caused the cost of the jeans to increase 12.5%.

Note: The sales person cheerfully refunded the difference on the jeans.

Oddity #2

Final Thoughts

In the event that the first oddity occurred on its own, I would have written off the event as a strange happenstance. However, when the salesperson indicated that the increased price was due to “inflation”, I started to wonder whether there was something else going on.

In the end, I do have to give it to the sales person that cheerfully refunded me the difference of the two purchases, but I can help but wonder how many other establishments have made similar “mistakes”.

The Lesson

Check your receipts before you leave the store. You may some money.

Adding A GetSatisfaction Feedback Tab To Blogger In Three Easy Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:27:00 +0000

I recently decided to set up GetSatisfaction's Feedback Tab for FindingZuckerman.com (that's the attached "feedback" box on the left side of the page over <------ that way), but ran in to some trouble.

Utilizing the HTML/Javascript gadget in Blogger's design tab, the feedback window had layering problems in Internet Explorer (thought it loaded fine in Chrome) and loaded off toward the right side of the page (instead of where it was supposed to load, in the center of the page).

Fortunately, I figured out an an easy way to install the Tab without a problem. Here's how in three easy steps.

Step 1 : Sign Up For Your GetSatisfaction Account

Go to GetSatisfaction.com and create an account. There are several options to choose from with a variety of features, ranging in price from free to $99+ per month.

Step 2: Customize Your Widget

Go to GetSatisfaction's widget page, and customize the coloration for the "Feedback Tab".

Step 2

Step 3: Insert the Customized Code Directly In To Your Blogger Site's HTML

Go to Blogger's Design Tab, load the "Edit HTML" tab, and check the "Expand Widget Templates" code.
Search for "<header>" (without quotations) in the html via your browser's search/find feature.
Cut and paste the Feedback Tab html code obtained in step two directly below the "<header>" tag.
Click "Save Template"

Step 3

Voila! You have now added a functional GetSatisfaction Feedback Tab to your Blogger website.

8 Questions With Jaclyn Schiff, Managing Editor of The Brazen Life

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:25:00 +0000

It’s apparent that there are many changes going on at Brazen Careerist, the Gen-Y focused entrepreneurial startup operating in the networking and job search sector.

At the end of 2010 Brazen opened an office in the DC area, its staff has grown to more than ten strong, and the company continues to pursue innovation for the Gen-Y community at large.

Last Wednesday, Brazen announced a rebrand of its logo, website and blog, and it appears that the change has been met with open arms by its community. Alexa.com’s web traffic rankings reveal that Brazen’s website has leapfroged nearly 10,000 other sites in the US this past week, and should become a top 10,000 website in the United States within weeks.

Jaclyn Schiff, Managing Editor of Brazen’s blog (now dubbed “The Brazen Life”), spearheaded the revision and reintroduction of the blog.

As a guest author on Tech Cocktail, I asked Jaclyn a few questions about why the blog has changed, how if fits in to Brazen’s long-term strategy, and why anyone should care.

Read the article here.

FindingZuckerman joins Alltop.com!

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:05:00 +0000

It's with great pleasure that I'm able to announce that FindingZuckerman.com's feed will now appear in Alltop.com's Corporate Social Media area.

For those unfamiliar with Alltop.com, the website collects headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic. They then group the collections — “aggregations” — into individual web pages.

Extremely popular, Alexa.com ranks Alltop's traffic at 1,268 of all websites in the United States, and 3,138 globally.

Alltop topics range from adoption to zoology with photography, food, science, religion, celebrities, fashion, gaming, sports, politics, and hundreds of other subjects along the way.

Statistics Provided By Facebook Lack Context

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:16:00 +0000

The following article was originally posted on BusinessInsider.com on May 31, 2011.

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Imagining life without Facebook is horrifying for many of the more than 500 million users spread throughout the world.

Photos would need to be shared via Picasa, Flikr, e-mail, or printed, anniversaries and birthdays would need to be written down within calendars, and poking your co-worker would likely place any existing personal relationships in jeopardy.

It is an inarguable fact that Facebook has forever changed how we live our lives.

In an attempt to satiate the public’s desire for information, Facebook provides several bits of information about its user base via a statistics page.

Below are five of the nineteen statistics provided, as well as a few questions or notes raised by each.

Statistic 1: People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Response: At 500 million users, 700 billion minutes per month averages out to 1,400 minutes (or ~23 hours) per month, or ~45 minutes per day, per user. However, how did Facebook tally the 700 billion minutes? Does it include time on a mobile device?

Statistic 2: 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day.

Response: What defines an “active user”?

Statistic 3: More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each month.

Response: What defines a share or piece of content? Does the act of uploading a piece of content to Facebook constitute a share? Is a status update a piece of content? At 500 million users, 30 billion pieces of content equates to sixty per month, or two per day, per user.

Statistic 4: Average user creates 90 pieces of content each month.

Response: What constitutes a piece of content? Does a single user uploading a 500 picture photo album constitute 500 pieces of content?

Statistic 5: There are more than 250 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

Response: What qualifies as “access?” Surely reaching Facebook via a web browser or mobile app qualifies, but what if you receive a notification via e-mail?

Redesigning FindingZuckerman.com

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Image from BlogBloke.com

For a few months now I've been debating whether to switch FindingZuckerman.com over to Wordpress. However, despite Wordpress' alleged increased functionality, greater flexibility, and fantastic community I honestly don't want to take the time to learn a new blogging platform.

Instead, I dedicated to stick with Blogger and redesign the site. Although it's remains a work in progress, feel free to poke around and let me know what you think.

Suggestions/comments/criticisms are welcome!

-Adam

PS: Blogger experts, any ideas on this question of mine?

Twitter Does Privacy Right:The New Timeline Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:54:00 +0000

I have a new post today on Business Insider, Twitter Does Privacy Right:The New Timeline Feature.

Enjoy!