Prototyping Social Capital

A quick intro to Daily Endeavor

2010-09-28T12:44:27-04:00

More and more people have been asking about Daily Endeavor, so we created a super-short (1 min) intro for it.

As I described over at the Daily Endeavor blog, it's a free online guide to jobs to help people figure out what they want to do next professionally.

In short, if you're starting the job search, Daily Endeavor enables you to explore the universe of options even if you don't know a lot of people. Our goal is to democratize access to careers -- we want you to be able to learn about professions regardless of who you know.

Daily Endeavor is hiring

2010-05-12T09:55:05-04:00

We have a job opening for a rails developer. Know any folks who rock?

Recap from Startup Lessons Learned 2010

2010-04-24T15:06:40-04:00

Eric Ries' Startup Lessons Learned conference was billed ahead of time as the Woodstock for now (if you weren't there, you'd say you were). The expertise in the room and broadcast emanating more than lived up to the billing. I love seeing the learning practices shared far & wide. Eric, huge thanks for organizing. As an entrepreneur currently in NY, the live feed was an amazing gift.

As has become the start of a habit, I've organized a tweet archive, so sharing it. It's slightly more cleaned up than last time, but still raw-esque.

A ton of folks shared the gems that resonated with them. Special thanks to Dharmesh Shah, Cindy Alvarez and Ali Sohani for especially rocking it.

A few decks:

Eric Ries (@ericries) slides

Steve Blank (@sgblank) slides & stream

Hiten Shah (@hnshah) slides

Drew Houston (@drewhouston ) slides (dropbox)

Kent Beck (@kentbeck) slides & stream

JustinTV streams

---------------------------------
9:00 AM
Welcome and Opening
Eric Ries
Host, Startup Lessons Learned

"There has never been a better time in the history of the world to be an entrepreneur." #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

"You are all very strange early adopters of a new idea." @ericries at #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

"In #startups, the product & customer are unknown." #sllconf #leanstartup @ericries Test your hypothesis, be adaptive (via @alisohani)

"In lean transformation, Q#1 is which activies are value-creating and which ones are a waste @ericries

"Value = validated learning about customers" @ericries

Myth #1: "Lean means cheap". Lean startups is NOT about cost, its is about speed. #sllconf #LeanStartup @ericries (via @dharmesh)

There is no substitute for a #vision. Data/ #Metrics separates delusion from vision. #sllconf #LeanStartup @ericries (via @johnprendergast)

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BUILD – Agile, Continuous Deployment
9:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Build: Keynote – “To Agility, and Beyond”

Kent Beck
Three Rivers Institute

Those who yet don't get it, #LeanStartup is for #Startups to do #Agile #ProdMgmt & #CustDev, like #Evolution in nature. (via @alisohani)

The gist of #leanstartup is about adaptability. #sllconf (via @JoshNursing)

If your idea seems really plausible & true, then you don't really have a good startup idea. @kentbeck #sllconf #leanstartup (via @alisohani)

"Start with what you want to learn, and work backwards to the build" @kentbeck #sllconf #leanstartup (via @scottporad)

"Most startup failures are due to untested assumptions." #sllconf #leanstartup Challenge them, test #hypothesis (via @leonardkish)

How quickly can a startup expect to go from concept to product release? @kentbeck #sllconf #leanstartup (via @alisohani)

Product Dev gets in the way of customer learning. #ContinuousDeployment shortens the dev cycle. #sllconf #agile (via @BrainHuddle)

"A number of those failed startups of mine were building...carefully polished products that nobody ever actually bought" @kentbeck #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Optimize for your team as a whole, not for your own individual performance @kentbeck #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Turn your focus from optimizing what you're good at, to optimizing what the team wants to acheive. #sllconf (via @saintsal)

From very start focusing on a "good engineering" in #startups is "self serving" - @KentBeck #sllconf #leanstartup #custdev (via @alisohani)

Fix the code when you need to, from hackery to scale - @kentbeck From prototype to well finished quality. (via @alisohani)

'Your code is messy. get over it.' @kentbeck #sllconf Sooner you accept the reality, you're off to cure the real problem. (via @benrigby)

'The key thing is figuring out when to switch from hackery to scalability' - @kentbeck #sllconf #leanstartup (via @benrigby)

Build half a product, see if anyone wants it. Spending few months is better than a year to find that out. #sllconf (via @gabek)

'Is anyone going to click the buy button? Find out 1st before you code the #PaymentSystem.' - @kentbeck #sllconf (via @benrigby)

Removing bad features=good, not building them in the first place=PRICELESS #sllconf #LeanStartup (via @johnprendergast)

Having a paying customer is a better measure of progress in #startups; technical success doesn't mean jack #sllconf (via @alisohani)

"Collaborating with customers is much better than selling them software." - kent beck #sllconf #LeanStartup (via @benrigby)

Don't want the company to fail fast, want the bad ideas to fail fast & make room for the new #sllconf #LeanStartup (via @dcian)

#LeanStartup: @kentbeck revises the #Agile #Manifesto (for #startups) http://java-metrics.com/kentagileleanstartup #sllconf (via @alisohani)

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10:20 AM to 10:40 AM
Continuous Deployment Case Study: WiredReach

Ash Maurya
WiredReach

Don't focus on coolness of the feature, but whether it solves the consumers' problem. @ashmaurya #sllconf #leanstartup (via @jeantessier)

Before prod-market fit, hard to validate features quantitatively. We ask customers how new it helped. @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

When 3+ customers show pain, don't deploy features until previous ones are validated @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @DaveChurchville)

Features must be pulled, not pushed. They must be validated first. #sllconf #LeanStartup #CustDev #ProdMgmt (via @darrellbrogdon)

Working in small steps & actively monitoring allowed us to learn more frequently, & adjust course. @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @saintsal)

Customer-suggested feature - we pushed it out to JUST the requester & asked if it solved their prob. @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Continuous deployment is incremental & takes time to get good at (so start as early as possible) @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Release cycle time under 30mins (we did this by adding more QA boxes) - @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"Scariest thing for us [w/continuous deployment] was feeling of no safety net" @ashmaurya #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

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10:40 AM – 11:00 AM
Agile Development Case Study: Grockit

Farb Nivi
Grockit

If ppl are used to idea that 'tomorrow everything may be different', it's a lot easier when it's tomorrow & everything is different #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

#CustDev validates your intuition when data agrees w/ you & validates your wisdom when it doesn't - Nivi. #sllconf (via @adityatuli)

Describing work to developers in #narrative form produces fewer #bugs. #sllconf #leanstartup #UserStories Nivi (via @scottporad)

Build a narrative that tells the story of your users; don't use your tools as just a developer to-do list. #sllconf Farbood Nivi (via @kkoym)

Pair 70-80% of the time. Rest spent on spikes and chores. #sllconf Farbood Nivi

Interview for engineer at Grockit: a half day of pairing. "Do you want to continue pairing with the candidate?" #sllconf (via @mccloo)

Forgot to mention that we started and ended a deploy to production in the ten minutes before my Agile Software Dev presentation @sllconf :) (via @farbood)

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11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Case Study: “But Does It Scale?”

Tim Fitz
James Birchler
Brett G. Durrett
IMVU

Use (good) #metrics, #iterate quickly, accept failures, value everyone's work. #sllconf #imvu (via @troyangrignon)

Great #startups #culture: Accept failures, encourage experimentation, have a post-mortem, move on. #sllconf #agile (via @orchid8)

Passion for customer validation is great. Obsession for immediate validation can distract you. #sllconf #CustDev (via @jordanmuela)

"Don't ignore your customers, but don't expect them to design your product." #sllconf #leanstartup #custdev (via @freemarmoset)

Hack week: Anyone can work on anything, but at the end of week, "ship it or kill it" #sllconf #imvu (via @dharmesh)

You can release the code (get it out), but you don't have to release the feature. Run-time config is your friend. #sslconf #imvu (via @dharmesh)

"ah ha" moment is really "oh crap" moment. Who hasn't had those? "we hired smart people who can't change our code" #sllconf (via @cwodtke)

Continuous Deployment at IMVU: Doing the impossible fifty times a day. « Timothy Fitz http://bit.ly/at5Joo #sllconf (via @stewtopia)

@cwodtke: If you haven't read it, it's a must: Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule http://bit.ly/4cVJTA #sllconf

---------------------------------
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
But What About Design?

Andrew Chen
Siqi Chen
Laura Klein
Dave McClure
Rashmi Sinha

Great design is about storytelling more than about visual presentation or engineering - @davemcclure #leanstartup #sllconf (via @_iamfm)

"You should be optimizing for user happiness & business value" - @davemcclure #sllconf #leandesign (via @cindyalvarez)

"Make the user respond emotionally in a way that makes you money." @davemcclure #sllconf @dharmesh #leanstartup (via @alisohani)

"Hate is a better #signal than indifference. You can #iterate around hate better." - @davemcclure #sllconf #leandesign @techranch (via @alisohani)

Find a small group of lovers & haters and iterate around that. Indifference is the enemy. @davemcclure #sllconf #leandesign (via @wizard_71)

You can't create fun experiences by iterating based on data. Use data to confirm hypotheses -- not formulate them. #sllconf Siqi Chen (via @dharmesh)

"Initial hypothesis is creative, confirmation and validation of idea is analytic" #sllconf @davemcclure (via @asgrodd)

"Design is the way that you express your vision" @rashmi at #sslconf (via @dharmesh)

You need the designer to be part of the development team, not just hand-off the design -- @lauraklein #sllconf (via @ultrasaurus)

'Designers should be intimately familiar w/ biz objectives (#businessmodel) & #metrics goals' #sllconf #leandesign (via @benrigby)

Iterate around the marketing (Educating users, uplifting) as much as the product. #leandesign #sllconf #custdev (via @mainwilk)

"Mint.com product was late. Meanwhile, launched a blog first and created a bunch of content to drive visitors. @davemcclure #sllconf (LOVE IT) (via @dharmesh)

"Most people think great #design is about how things look. Great design is about how things work." - #SteveJobs #sllconf (via @alisohani)

Get it straight: Test/Work on the riskiest thing first! - @davemcclure #sllconf #leanstartup #leandesign #custdev (via @bigs)

"Spend time to #design 1st 5 mins #UX." it's user realizing quick whether "this is for me" #sllconf #leandesign Siqi Chen (via @adityatuli)

Do #Face2Face #UserTesting to get the customers impressions #sllconf #leandesign Laura Klein (via @BrainHuddle)

Minimum Viable Product (business model) vs. Minimum Desirable Product (Engagement, love) Andrew Chen #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

@jerepick: For example, an airplane? RT @alisohani: Build half a product, see if anyone wants it. @gabek #sllconf

@jerepick: Isn't this a formula for getting stuck in local maxima? How do you avoid that? RT @alisohani: 'dont push features. optimize existing ones

@alisohani: Point is not to build crappy product, but to iterate it fast w/ customers to achieve quality #MinimumViableProduct

Book @davemcclure mentioned - The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature http://amzn.to/bavx6Y #sllconf (via @stewtopia)

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MEASURE – Pivot, Minimum Viable Product
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Conversation: Getting to Plan B

Randy Komisar
KPCB

I want to invest in people that are irrationally committed to solving a really big problem. #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

@ericries: "Did you ever see a Plan A work?" Randy Komisar: "No" #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"The plan B process never ends. Paypal scored on plan G" - Randy Komisar #SLLconf #sllconfboi (via @alisohani)

"Is entrepreneurship a good way to make money? Statistically, no. It's a great way to live your life, though." #sllconf Komisar (via @codypo)

Entrepreneurship is a #lab; we don't know exactly what we're doing, we know why we care - Komisar #sllconf @mavenroger (via @alisohani)

Important for entrepreneurs: Know where you're going, but be fluid on how you gonna get there - Randy Komisar #sllconf (via @stempm)

By the time you decide to make a change, you're going to wish you had changed earlier. #sllconf (via@dharmesh)

"If it takes you 6 months to measure, you're measuring the wrong things" - Komisar #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"The problem you are solving points you to your customer" - Randy Komisar #sllconf (via @shyamster)

I want somebody who is going to use as little of my time and money to get to the right answer. - Randy Komisar, Kleiner Partner #sllconf (via @startupsrule)

"Keep three thing that might kill your business in your sight everyday" - Randy Komisar #sllconf (via @shyamster)

Data doesn't support the Deferred Lifeplan. Live your life to the fullest pursuing your passions & people you <3 - Randy Komisar #sllconf (via @alisohani)

"Most of #SandHillRd now think themselves as investors, not as risk takers & company builders." #sllconf (via @mikemoir)

---------------------------------
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM
Minimum Viable Product Case Study: Aardvark

Damon Horowitz
Max Ventilla
Aardvark/Google

"Process: assume you are wrong (you'll be right about that, at least)" - Damon Horowitz #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Everyone thinks about a hockey stick in terms of user growth, try thinking about it in terms of engineering progress. @ventilla #sllconf (via @jordanmuela)

When "Goal is to minimize #risk of catastrophic fail" - only way is to maximize trials. - @ventilla #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Principles Aardvark used to create their product: Minimize risks, Maximize trials, Be Patient (via @BrainHuddle)

Aardvark used 6-12 user to try things out every week for 9 months #sllconf (via @BrainHuddle)

Aardvark did 'Wizard of Oz' testing where people pretended to be the product - result: a $7.5m round 9 months later #leanstartup #sllconf (via @sumitguha)

For 9 months, #Aardvark powered by humans, pretends to be a #RecSys #HCIR. Actual software took over very gradually. #sllconf (via @alisohani)

Part of your job as entrepreneur is to be barraged by ideas and opposing viewpoints: Aardvark #sllconf (via @martinertl)

People joining a startup should understand that they're getting on an already sinking ship . #sllconf Max Ventilla (via @dharmesh)

Startup is sinking ship from day 1, you WILL piss off some users. No way around it. Need thicker skin. #sllconf (via @jeantessier)

Turn away really good hires that don't believe in the vision #sllconf @ventilla (via @akumar)

Good to be in a startup: "people who are type A that want to be proven wrong" #sllconf (via @kkoym)

"The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Social Search Engine" @vark - http://bit.ly/9hTk9f (expand) (.pdf) #sllconf #sllconfboi (via @ericshaver)

"A dominant theme of entrepreneurship should be gratefulness. Be grateful for your advisors, users, your team, etc." #sllconf (via @codypo)

---------------------------------
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM
Pivot Case Study: Flowtown

Ethan Bloch
Dan Martell

You have to get real users in front of a prototype as early as possible. Ethan/Dan at #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

"This is such a good idea, how could you kill it?" "But you don't even use it!" - @ebloch #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Prototype fast, validate learning; when you pivot, pivot hard; keep iterating; keep validating problem (via @troyangrignon)

Get around the feedback loop as soon as possible #sllconf @flowtown (via @BrainHuddle)

Validating ideas gets you closer to the probability of success @flowtown (via @BrainHuddle)

"The 'bullshit bar' - if you don't hit this metric, something is wrong" - @ebloch #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

---------------------------------
2:40 PM – 3:00 PM
Pivot Case Study: KISSMetrics

Hiten Shah

"We wanted to target everyone... this ended up being a problem." @hnshah about early versions of KISSmetrics #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Start with customer pain; listen for truth; cut features; product can be crappier than you think. (via @troyangrignon)

100 features down to 25" .. Less really is more. Build the 20% that matters. @hnshah #sllconf (via @jaspanesar)

"If it's going to take you longer than a month to get your product into customer's hands, rethink it." @hnshah #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

True sign of great product design -- when people smile like babies (http://twitgoo.com/pabh4), using your product for the first time. :) @hnshah #sllconf (via @stempm)

Build metrics around people, not numbers #sllconf #KISSMetrics (via @AnuragMisra)

"If you're not tracking real people, you're not tracking actionable metrics." @hnshah #sllconf (via @robangarita)

"I recommend that you write shit down" -- @hnshah KISSmetrics #sllconf (via @ultrasaurus)

"Hunt for patterns. There's always patterns in customer feedback." @hnshah #sllconf (via @shyamster)

"Less time on features, more on understanding customer needs" - @hnshah #sllconf (via @robslifka)

"People who DIDN'T use our product actually the ones who gave us most valuable information" (to get to current KM pivot) @hnshah #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"Don't try and bias a customer into a solution. Let them guide you, don't guide them" @hnshah @kissmetrics #sllconf (via @benjaminm)

Did you know YouTube was once a dating site? Massive "customer needs" pivot. - @hnshah #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Turning products company into consulting company doesnt work and does not scale. (KissMetrics lessons learned @hnshah) #sllconf (via @stempm)

Customizability requires hand-holding. #sllconf @hnshah (via @dharmesh)

---------------------------------
LEARN – Customer Development
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
Customer Development 2.0

Steve Blank

"No business plan survives first contact with customers." @sgblank #sllconf (via @christianhobbs)

"At startups, you search and pivot. At companies, you execute." @sgblank #sllconf (via @GregOsuri)

Startups *search* for the business model. Companies are about *execution* of the business model. @sgblank #sllconf (via @m2jr)

Startups are about metrics, not accounting. #sllconf (via @jenbee)

"Startups are all about testing hypotheses" - @sgblank #sllconf #sllconfboi (via @ericshaver)

A Startup is a an organization designed to identify a scalable business model. Startups search, companies execute. (via @henretig)

"You fail if you remain a startup" #sllconf @sgblank (via @robangarita)

PM in startups vs established company. Hypothesis testing & pivoting vs MRD's & competitive analysis #sllconf #leanstartup (via @cwodtke)

If you're not showing your metrics to another adult, it's just brownian motion. #sllconf @sgblank (via @jeantessier)

Three stages: search for model, build model, grow model. Do this fast. E-school helps with stage 1. Let's build it. #sllconf Steve Blank. (via @troyangrignon)

"If all your board is asking about is balance sheet/cash flow/income, you've got the wrong board" @sgblank #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"While you are searching for a business model your company is WORTHLESS" -- Steve Blank #sllconf (via @rowansimpson)

$500K is the new $5M - @sgblank #sllconf (via @jimmurphy)

We need e-school -- not b-school. We need to teach entrepreneurial skills not business manager skills. #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

Why don't founders make it to the large company stage? Skills need to search are different than the skills needed to execute #sllconf   (via @BrainHuddle)

"The proliferation + success of accelerators should be an embarassment to univerisities everywhere." @sgblank at #sllconf (via @ericries)

There are 5.7 million small businesses in the U.S. with < 500 employees. 99.7% of ALL companies. @steveblank #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

@ultrasaurus: truth is pivot is not failing - pivoting and closing is failing :) #sllconf

Steve Blank just said a high proportion of entrepreneurs come from dysfunctional families. Now its making sense...#sllconf (via @djsiry)

---------------------------------
4:15 PM – 4:35 PM
Is Customer Development Marketing? Food on the Table Case Study

Manuel Rosso

"If it takes you a month to get statistically significant sample, you need more traffic" @manuelrosso #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

"Conscious naivete" - perspective=let the customer guide you, don't think we have all the answers - @manuelrosso #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

Both Aardvark and Food on the Table used #tdd's "fake it, till you make it" w/ humans on backend before coding apps #leanstartup #sllconf (via @nickbarendt)

---------------------------------
4:35 PM – 4:55 PM
Customer Development Case Study: Dropbox

Drew Houston

"Not launching = painful, not learning = fatal" - @drewhouston at #sllconf -- think #growthmindset! (via @dlschweizer)

Build something you want, focus tight, bribe new customers, work on virality (via @troyangrignon)

If you don't think you've a problem, you aren't going to be searching for a solution. - @drewhouston #DropBox #sllconf @ultrasaurus (via @alisohani)

"We spent all of our energy and resources making the simplest, most elegant product we could make." @drewhouston #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

"Search is a way to harvest demand not create it." - @drewhouston #sllconf (via @SarahM)

Dropbox's initial customer acquisition attempt (being Traditional, using SEM) cost $233-$388/user #sllconf (via @dsldsl)

Users have sent 2.8 million invites to try DropBox. #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

Beta list for Dropbox waiting list jumped from 5,000 to 75,000 in one day #sllconf (via @MiA_Will)

Dropbox also saw an increase in signups of 60% when they added 2-way bonus for referrals (referrer and referee) #sllconf (via @dsldsl)

"Dropbox's MVP was a 3 minute screencast made in my apartment in cambridge." @drewhouston (#DropBox) #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

"Learn early. Learn often." - Drew Houston #sllconf (via @lauraklein)

VC: "There are 1M storage companies already!" @drewhouston: "Do you use any of them?" VC: "No" <--mkt oppty! #sllconf (@cindyalvarez)

Dropbox 100.000 to many millions of users and no advertising spend. #sllconf (via @vladstan)

---------------------------------
4:55 PM – 5:15 PM
Customer Development Case Study: PBWorks

David Weekly

"Humility about knowledge coupled with hubris about ability to learn #growthmindset! #sllconf (via @dlschweizer)

"I have no idea what the bloody hell I'm doing!" makes for a pretty good #entrepreneur @dweekly #sllconf (via @cindyalvarez)

You really want to talk to your users -- even if you think you know who they are and what they want. @dweekly #sllconf (via @dharmesh)

The only way to know what hypotheses to test is customer face time. @dweekly #sllconf (via @saintsal)

"Review user test videos with your team to inspire product improvements. - @dweekly #sllconf @jamesbirchler (via @alisohani)

PB Wiki: From $50/yr to $50K/yr per cust - orders of magnitude - by listening to cust. and using value based pricing (via @troyangrignon)

In an overpopulated keyword search world, old fashined word of a mouth is your best bet for generating converting leads. @dweekly #sllconf (via @stempm)

---------------------------------
5:15 PM – 6:00 PM
Customer Development Panel: “But Who Should Actually Get Out of the Building?”

Cindy Alvarez, KISSMetrics
David Binetti, Votizen
Brant Cooper, Market By Numbers
Sean Ellis, 12in6
Matt Johnson, Grockit

"If someone put a gun to your head, and said I need you to launch the product in a month. Could you do it?"- @dbinetti. I love #sllconf (via @AnuragMisra)

"Get out of your own way, pull the trigger & ride the bullet" - David Binetti #sllconf #leanstartup #custdev #prodmgmt (via @alisohani)

"If a product isn't a must have, it will be a struggle to market it" -- @SeanEllis #sllconf @ultrasaurus #LeanStartup (via @alisohani)

"Must have products make the marketer look good" - @seanellis #sllconf (via @shyamster)

"Just Ask: how are you doing it now? - you'll learn a lot about user pain" - @cindyalvarez #sllconf #custdev #leanstartup (via @alisohani)

"The way to get organic and sustainable growth is to have truly happy users where your product is solving their needs" @seanellis #sllconf (via @craigdaniel)

"One of the hardest things for entrepreneurs is to give up on opportunities to focus on a specific one." @seanellis #sllconf (via @williampietri)

Don't do PR until product validated by customers -@dbinetti -@seanellis; @brantcooper agrees, but asks what R your objectives #sllconf (via @mainwilk)

If you dont know what you are selling, dont do PR. Spend on research and user validation. #sllconf #marketing (via @stempm)

MiA_Will: Good point: Don't use PR too early as it does'nt help u find a sustainable business model, but do use when it matches ur objectives #sllconf

Don't worry about small markets. Once you dominate it, you can pivot to adjacent markets. @brantcooper #sllconf (via @saintsal)

@spkrause: impressed by the sheer variety of techniques used by practitioners to find mvp and prod-mkt fit. #sllconf

-------------------------------------
And a few other general tweets

@cindyalvarez: yay recursion! RT @asgrodd "product market fit" has achieved product market fit #sllconf

@dharmesh: Think about the second derivative. Are you accelerating your learning? #sllconf

Just because you can build something that scales doesn't make it valuable. #sllconf #leanstartup (via @startupsrule)

@jonesabi: Remember when you pivot you keep one foot on the ground. Otherwise thats called traveling. #sllconf

@alisohani: "Every feature is a #hypothesis, build logging for each feature w/ expected outcomes. #FeedbackLoop as fast as possible" #sllconf @benjaminm

@FakeErinMcKean: I love how the lean startup approach rewards humility & honesty over macho posturing & bluster. #sllconf

@dharmesh: "To test your idea, you can use a human to take the place of a product. You don't have to build it." #sllconf

@darrellbrogdon: Unexpected happiness translates into people telling their friends. #sllconf

@cwodtke: I think ppl skip customer discovery in established companies, which leads to overserving a shrinking market #sllconf

@guyhirsch: #custdev is like looking 4 a job: full of awkward moments & asking favors, but once u find 1 its scalable #sllconf

@stempm: innovative mkt research: Buy competitor sucks keywords + research why they suck. Use it to understand the market need. #sllconf

@isaachall: Nobody said this, yet my biggest take-away from #sllconf today is love & passion. Thanks @ericries!

TedxAshokaU: Prototype Your Work Life

2010-04-24T14:41:47-04:00

I had the pleasure of speaking at AshokaU's Tedx event at Google in DC a while back. Looks like the talk is up.

Recap from The Freemium Summit 2010

2010-03-27T13:06:48-04:00

Charles Hudson (@chudson) organized The Freemium Summit yesterday in San Francisco. The speakers brought their A-game, including sharing great details about what they've learned about their growth economics. Thanks to River Twitter, and especially the coverage by Marc Perramond (@perramond), Jeremy Nusser (@jnusser) and Cindy Alvarez (@cindyalvarez), it was hugely valuable even for those of us 3,000 miles away.

I pulled together some of the pithier bits (still raw tweets) as notes to use going forward. Sharing them here too for all. I was in and out all day, so it's not a full capture of all the goodness, but here's a sampling.

Presentations & Slides

Ranjith Kumaran, YouSendIt
@ranjithkumaran
Consumer Freemium vs. Enterprise Freemium

Lincoln Murphy, Sixteen Ventures
@lincolnmurphy
Freemium and the Enterprise - Proceed with Caution

Aaron Levie, Box.net
@levie
Audacity of Freemium

And here's Liz Gannes' GigaOm summary:
Case Studies in Freemium: Pandora, Dropbox, Evernote, Automattic and MailChimp

Pandora

Tom Conrad

@perramond Listening to Tom Conrad, CTO Pandora talk about journey from paid to free to freemium #freemiumsummit

@WebNewser Pandora's growth rate quadrupled "overnight" after switched from paid service to ad-supported (in 2005) #freemiumsummit

@WebNewser Tom Conrad, Pandora CTO: Also, Apple immed. called to ask for all ad inventory (after they switched to ad-supported in 2005) #freemiumsummit

@perramond 6 months in, Pandora moved from paid to free (ad supported) in under 3 days, "growth took off like a rocket" #freemiumsummit

@perramond Pandora launched free WITHOUT an ad server - hard coded ads at first (e.g. Apple bought all ad inventory) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Everytime Apple changed their creative, Pandora had to relaunch the site (no ad servers) - @tconrad @ #freemiumsummit

@tconrad talking abt pandora going from free to subscription 10hr free trial #freemiumsummit

@jnusser With no promotions or differentiation, original subscription offering on Pandora dipped to below 1% #freemiumsummit

@perramond From '05 to '09 Pandora grew to 18MM monthly uniques. Did not promote subscriptions, conversion dropped way below 1% #freemiumsummit

@shaig Tom Conrad at Pandora, indicated that Pandora has 20M uniques #freemiumsummit

@perramond Pandora's first freemium play focused on differentiated features (fewer limits, no ads). Subscription rates crept up #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Pandora - 1.5% - 1.6% of uniques are subscribers today #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Pandora subscribers make up 15% of overall revenue (300k subscribers total) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser 40hr / month cap impacted 4% of userbase at Pandora - 99% of people hit the cap turn into subscribers #freemiumsummit

@Jeff #freemiumsummit @tconrad on Pandora: 1.5% of m/u's subscribe (300K users), will be 15% of total 2010 revenues. Free trial is critical

@kir at #Freemiumsummit, @pandora's Tom Conrad: "we want the free version of Pandora to be an exceptional service". explains the brand loyalty.

@chest $50MM '09 rev, EBITDA profitable Q4, 1.6% of uniques are paid subs, 300K paying $36/year, 15% of '10 rev @tconrad #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Selling music is more altruistic / promotional for Pandora - not a driver of revenue (would barely cover delivery costs) #freemiumsummit

@WebNewser @tconrad: Tip jar worked for Pandora in early years, passionate early adopters who wanted to give back. Now not so much. #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Subscription base goal - low single digits (be delighted w/ 3%-4%) for Pandora One #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Pandora is just starting to reach out to annual subs - not sure what their renewal rate is or will be #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Revenue models / 3rd party distribution - no economic exchange w/ any of the consumer electronic mfgrs that Pandora is on #freemiumsummit

@perramond Good question about OEM / channels for Pandora - Now on 100+ consumer electronics but still no licensing or rev share deals #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Freemium is a numbers game and is all about doing a lot of little things right (not one big thing) #freemiumsummit

"Before Pandora I ran engineering at Pets.com so I just about single-handedly destroyed the US economy." @tconrad #freemiumsummit

DropBox

Drew Houston

@jnusser next up @drewhouston of DropBox at the #freemiumsummit - millions of active users w/in 1-2 yrs of launch

@perramond Drew Houston, CEO of DropBox now on stage. Launched in Sept 2008 "born freemium" - Free 2GB storage, upsell to 50GB @ $9.99

@cindyalvarez "For freemium to work, each paid user has to pay for cost of serving X free users as well as themselves" - @dropbox #freemiumsummit

@ralenda dropbox marketing plan: techcrunch, adwords, hire vp of marketing or pr firm. Hilarious, us marketing people are monkeys #freemiumsummit

@jnusser freemium doesn't work if cost of acquiring free users exceeds paid user profit margin (spread across supported free users) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser put another way, LTV must > than CAC @drewhouston at #freemiumsummit

@perramond The ad words CAC for @dropbox resulted in negative margins... "paying thousands of dollars to acquire $100/yr subscribers" #freemiumsummit

@perramond Big lesson for @dropbox stop all paid search! #freemiumsummit

@ddukes Drew Houston: Search keywords are great for harvesting demand, not creating it #freemiumsummit

@jnusser freemium means most of your marketing spend is supporting free users - doesn't leave much left over for SEM & affiliates #freemiumsummit

@perramond Shifting to SEO, big problem for DropBox was that nobody was searching for them #freemiumsummit

@@cindyalvarez Dropbox big prob: "no one was searching for us." new market, ppl don't realize they have that problem. #freemiumsummit

@perramond Despite search challenges (SEM and SEO), DropBox grew quickly via Word of Mouth #freemiumsummit

@ralenda 100k to 200k users in 10 days for dropbox via WOM. Nice #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez Users' inner monologue: "I didn't realize I needed this! ... It actually works!" (the Dropbox epiphany) #freemiumsummit

@pkim "Reaching product/mkt fit cures all sins of management" - Drew Houston, Dropbox #freemiumsummit

@perramond Free users, despite low conversion rates, are valuable for referrals, network effects, mindshare, postpone conversion #freemiumsummit

@perramond DropBox went from unknown to leading in their space w/ millions of users in < 18 months #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez "Let's give people tools to make their natural Word of Mouth behaviors easier" - Dropbox #freemiumsummit

@perramond Summary of findings by Drew at DropBox. Bad: paid search & affiliates a "horrible failure". Good: 2-sided referral program #freemiumsummit

@perramond DropBox signup conversion rate went up 60% after introducing 2-sided referral! #freemiumsummit

@chest "Referral program w/ 2-sided incentive permanently increased signups by 60% (modeled after PayPal)" -@drewhouston #freemiumsummit

@ralenda "too much free, not enough -mium" @drewhouston pretty funny #freemiumsummit

@aihui Referral pgm works best for dropbox. Give free space as incentives - @drewhouston #freemiumsummit

@om Dropbox found referrals work much better that search marketing when it comes to freemium http://bit.ly/9awpPN #freemiumsummit

@nickchandler1 Big wins in conv/monetization from optimization; easier to undertake later, with a quality product/service at launch #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez Good: effective way to grab mkt share quickly, bad: easy to leave $ on table, ugly: free users consume lots of resources #freemiumsummit

@perramond @drewhouston at DropBox relying heavily @DaveMcClure's AARRR start-up metrics for CAC optimization - http://bit.ly/bvJsRf #freemiumsummit

@jnusser DropBox - 30% of engineering efforts are focused on retaining paid users - #freemiumsummit

@chest "Too much free, not enough mium. Unlimited undo history = 50% of hosting costs so we made it a paid feature." -@drewhouston #freemiumsummit

Evernote
Phil Libin

@ralenda Next up @plibin from #evernote #freemiumsummit

@perramond Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote on stage. Evernote aims to be "your external brain" and capture everything. #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote business model "free forever". They want their free users to LOVE their product. If you love it, consider upgrade. #freemiumsummit

@chest "We are not a social app. We don't care about ur friends nor what they're doing. We care about ur brain" -@plibin #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez @evernote - our free is always free, ppl can go back/forth btw free and paid w/o losing anything #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote - Subscriptions are $5/month or $45/year (interesting spread... renewal rates on monthlies low?) #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote - 2.7M free users, 50K premium users after 28 months (1.8% of total users, 6% of active users) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser RT @perramond: Evernote supports 6 languages - 60% users are US, 40% users are rest of world #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote - Premium users growing faster than free users. Month to month user growth is 10% but revenue growth is 18% #freemiumsummit

@shaig Evernote: 10% increase in users month over month, for the past 1.5 years, I love their service, they are killing it! #freemiumsummit

@chest "Multi-platform use is single biggest predictor of whether a user is going to convert." -@plibin #freemiumsummit http://twitpic.com/1b2ena

@perramond Evernote monthly cohort analysis shows loss of 65% to 75% in first 2-4 months, then it is totally flat. #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Tracking & grouping by subscriber cohort shows an initial drop-off, but levels out to "hard core" users #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote - as people keep using Evernote, they're more likely to convert so as cohorts age, they become more valuable #freemiumsummit

@shaig Evernote are obviously metric driven, their slides are very interesting and provide very granular data #freemiumsummit

@chudson If you want to understand cohort analysis, you should check out @plibin - awesome slides and insights. #evernote #freemiumsummit

@patrickmoran 77% of @evernote subs are annual. #freemiumsummit http://fuze.me/3OT

@jnusser Conversion rates by cohort age at Evernote - starts at less than 1% (first month), but jumps to 4% for users after 18mo #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez "Only 0.5% sign up & go premium w/in same month, but 4% of a cohort have gone premium by 16mos" - @plibin #freemiumsummit

@jcjohnson #freemiumsummit Evernote premium subscription driven more by 'tip enticement' than by need for premium features

@jnusser If users stay active - over 20% are converted at 2yr mark - Evernote - #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote conversion rates grow quickly as cohorts age (0.5% in month 1, 1% in month 6, 2% in month 12, 6-8% in month 24) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser monthly variable expenses / user drops dramatically over time - to about $0.09 after 1yr (hardware, electricity & salaries) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Evernote - making $.25 / active user at a cost of $.09 (per month) #freemiumsummit

@perramond Evernote aims for the "perceived value" of the product to grow quickly over time, to the point of being invaluable #freemiumsummit

@davemcclure Evernote key takeaways 1) Great long-term retention 2) Product incrsng value over time 3) Low variable costs #freemiumsummit rt @perramond

@om Evernote users increase in value over time> focused on making arpu bigger than its variable expenses. http://bit.ly/9awpPN #freemiumsummit

Making Freemium Work on Mobile Platforms
    * Clive Downie, ngmoco
    * Andrew Lacy, Tapulous
    * Jeff Smith, Smule

@perramond Now on stage for "Making Freemium Work on Mobile Platforms" panel: Charles Hudson, Andrew Lacy, Jeff Smith, Clive Downie) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Freemium on mobile panel - common to have altered their business model, Tapulous changed from ad-based to microtransaction #freemiumsummit

@perramond Tapulous evolving from free to freemium, enabled by things like micro-payments capability on Apple AppStore #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez "You don't always have to be in the top 25 if you can RETAIN customers" #freemiumsummit
...re App Store

@jnusser Need to either 1) be in top 25 on app store or 2) aggressively retain and engage your users: Andrew/Tapulous & Clive/Ngmoco #freemiumsummit

@perramond ngmoco realized they weren't going to be a "company of consequence" with paid app, so monetizing usage vs. up-front purchase #freemiumsummit

@jnusser You can make a good living at paid apps, but to reach & build relationships w/ large #s of consumers - freemium works #freemiumsummit

@perramond Smule's Jeff Smith: freemium not necessary for success on Apple AppStore - only 3 of top 100 highest grossing apps are free. #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Challenge w/ paid only model (mobile apps) - hit driven biz vs. scale driven - Andrew of @Tapulous #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Piracy is a big concern for paid mobile apps - 20% - 80% depending on app - not an issue for freemium #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez "When we changed biz model, we had to change the way we designed games" @clivemoco #freemiumsummit

@perramond Jeff Smith @ Smule key priorities for freemium on mobile: 1. customer acquisition scale, 2. usage #freemiumsummit [where usage = addiction]

@jnusser Design is key, will drive users to pay & engage #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Facebook is a platform, hard to get a "zynga-size" player on the iphone (much smaller reach) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser It's easy to buy something on the iphone, not the case on the web in general - Andrew of @tapulous #freemiumsummit

@perramond Andrew Lacy @ Tapulous - biggest challenge is the initial purchase hurdle (logistics and psychology), Apple handles it all #freemiumsummit

@jnusser last two @tapulous applications are $5 apps - experimenting with new models, plus contain music w/ licensing fees #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Jeff Smith - "We don't make strategic decisions, we make financial ones" re: developing on android vs iphone at #freemiumsummit

@jnusser ngmoco is a "mobile internet" company - which is iphone, ipod touch & ipad for now #freemiumsummit

@shaig Clive Downie of ngmoco "The only viable gaming devices for them is iPhone, iTouch and iPad" no love 4 Google or anyone else #freemiumSummit

@sumeet_jain #freemiumsummit jeff smith @smule, no plans for android this yr. Device HW platforms too diff to provide integrated immersive experience

@perramond Apple AppStore mechanics deep-dive in mobile panel is a good reminder that ANY market place can / will be gamed. #freemiumsummit

@jnusser "Don't believe the ECPMs that the ad networks tell you, shop around & be careful w/ the SDKs in your games" Clive of @ngmoco #freemiumsummit

@shaig Clive Downie of Ngmoco @clivemoco, indicated that 70% of crashes of mobile apps are due to ad related SDKs #freemiumsummit

@jnusser 2player tap tap revenge is not a significantly used feature, but it's how users share the application w/ their friends #freemiumsummit

@jnusser 2player tap tap revenge is not a significantly used feature, but it's how users share the application w/ their friends #freemiumsummit

@chest "B4 writing a line of code, we ask whats the experience that causes someone to show someone else in a bar?" @jeffreyniusmith #freemiumsummit

Zoosk
Shayan Zadeh

@perramond Have you heard of Zoosk? Me neither but impressive growth in what I assumed was an over-saturated dating app market #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk started as a Facebook app. Benefited from viral reach, efficient distribution, low barriers to customer acquistion #freemiumsummit

@perramond But Zoosk wanted to have a direct relationship with users, scale beyond Facebook ("only" 400M) and build a lasting brand - #freemiumsummit

@jcjohnson #freemiumsummit @Zoosk launched on FB then moved users onto their platform - removing dependency on FB

@cindyalvarez Zoosk asked for email even though it reduced conversion - so they weren't dependent on Facebook to talk w/their users #freemiumsummit

@shaig Zoosk: 50M users (most via Facebook Connect), but they make sure they own their customers by getting their email address #FreemiumSummit

@perramond Zoosk introduced email opt-in/validation in Jan 2008. Took a hit on sign-up % but they can now talk directly to users. #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk's pillars of success: 1) take advantage of what you can get #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk's pillars of success: 2) adapt to fast-changing environment (i.e. platform features, T&C, etc) #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk's pillars of success: 3) don't become dependent on short-term advantages #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk's pillars of success: 4) remember your advantages won't last #freemiumsummit

@perramond Zoosk's advice for open platforms - Establish a direct relationship with "your user" (e.g. get email & permission to email) #freemiumsummit

@jnusser know your economics - LTV & acquisition cost for freemium #freemiumsummit

@jnusser "if the math doesn't work, you won't last" - Shayayn Zadeh of Zoosk #freemiumsummit

@jnusser Experiment constantly - make them cheap and do a ton - Shayayn / Zoosk #freemiumsummit

@perramond Experiment, experiment, experiment - make them short and cheap, 9 out of 10 should fail, run a TON of them #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez When you go to Zoosk every single day, you're in a test group or you're in a control group. #freemiumsummit #measure

@perramond Zoosk has a complex monetization scheme that includes free, virtual currencies, regular subscriptions ($10-20/mo) #freemiumsummit

@perramond Wow, Zoosk now 2nd in unique monthly visitors in the online dating market #freemiumsummit

@perramond Interesting local market dynamic for online dating. Zoosk slower to reach critical mass in large countries like USA #freemiumsummit

Payments and Monetization for Freemium Businesses
    * Hill Ferguson, Zong
    * Isaac Hall, Recurly
    * Lance Walley, Chargify

@davemcclure #freemoney is the payments panel at #freemiumsummit (FIREHOSE ON)

@davemcclure i'm moderating #freemoney panel with @hillferguson (@Zong) @isaachall (@recurly), @lancewalley (@chargify) at #freemiumsummit

@davemcclure #freemoney in mobile world, carriers are taking anywhere from 10-40% (!) compared to typical credit card / paypal rates (2-3%)

@cindyalvarez: "Mobile payments - worse per-txn economics but 5x higher conversion 2 payments 4 digital content" @hillferguson #freemoney

@julesmaltz: Why do we need billing solutions if we're all going to use iPhones (& Apple does the billing)? #freemoney

@cindyalvarez: "Most of our merchants collect credit card numbers upfront but don't charge until after trial" (Chargify) #freemoney

@perramond: When to ask 4 payment? "Depends on what yr trying to optimize" (signup% vs. conv%) via @isaachall #freemoney #freemiumsummit

@julesmaltz when U outgrow your initial ecosystem / app store u need a billing solution external to ecosystem #freemoney #freemiumsummit

@perramond You should always ask for the cc# (maybe offer a shorter trial w/o) - look up WSJ example on marketingsherpa #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez Put yr 1-800 number (or URL) in yr credit card charge desc so consumers don't chargeback when they see it in CC statement #freemoney

@davemcclure Key question for accepting credit cards is PCI compliance #freemoney

@perramond Carriers have lowered their CC transaction rates in last 12 months BUT we're talking 20% instead of 40% [woof!] #freemoney #freemiumsummit

@perramond That said, conversion rates for mobile payments can be 4 to 5 X that of CC payments (did I get that right?!) #freemoney #freemiumsummit

Yammer
David Sacks

@perramond Yammer focused on increasing stickiness - e.g. private B2B microblogging networks inside & outside company #freemiumsummit

@cindyalvarez RT @perramond Recurring theme for B2B freemium co's is 2 channels - Yammer no exception: online self-service & direct sales #freemiumsummit

@umbertom RT @perramond: Avg. freemium conversion rates for B2B (3%) higher than B2C (1-2%) #freemiumsummit

@perramond Yammer results: 1000+ paying customers, 100,000 paying seats, 10-15% conversion rate on seats, project 8-figure ACV in 2010 #freemiumsummit

@carlacorkern yammer @davidsacks says organizations pay to control free users on their network "de risk the value prop #freemiumsummit

XPLANE's Spot-the-business-cliché Holiday Card

2009-12-21T10:39:55-05:00

If you need a little fun distraction while you're wrapping up the year, visual thinking firm XPLANE created an infographic full of business clichés -- like tow the company line (toe?) and herding cats. They'll publish the answers next month in their newsletter.

Post No Bills

2009-10-23T12:38:34-04:00

Ardenstreet continues the Bills meme, posts a good shot to the Torontoist flickr pool.

(thanks to jlaw and christy)

Right on: Rio de Janeiro wins the 2016 Olympics bid

2009-10-02T13:55:39-04:00

South America, and Brazil in particular, have made huge strides in economic development. Sure there's been 2 steps forward, and 1 step back (and Chavez is a whole other story), but that's the nature of becoming. It's great to see Brazil win the opportunity to shine even more on a global stage.

My thoughts go out to the Chicago team (and friends on it). You did a stand out job. The solace to take - it wasn't ours to win, but theirs to lose. In the world zeitgeist, now is the time for Brazil.

Flickr photo credit: ®oberto's

Shynola's Strawberry Swing Chalk Video

2009-07-20T15:12:56-04:00

Matt Gibb sent a beautiful clip over today. It's Shynola's animated video for Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing". First in chalk, then in stop-frame animation, he has Chris Martin in some amazingly clever visuals playing the superhero. Visually inventive, props to Shynola. Thanks, Matty.

Playing for Change

2009-05-06T11:44:05-04:00

Over the weekend I helped organize LaidOffCamp NY, an event where people rallied around "doing it ourselves", drawing expertise from all over and pooling it together. In ultra light conferences (and most others), the richest resource is the group of people attending. Expertise is everywhere. The trick is pulling it together.

NPR ran a story yesterday that shows how Mark Johnson tapped expertise from all over. Instead of bringing musicians to the studio, he brought the studio to musicians. From Roger Ridley who played on the streets of Santa Monica, to Grandpa Elliot on the streets of New Orleans, to a tribe of Zuni Indians, Johnson enabled them to collaborate on the same songs remotely, on-site, by bringing all of the tracks and tools to them.

The result is a collection that's stirring not only for the way music can bring people together, but also for how it was made -- connecting experts and their voices in ways they likely would never have done themselves.

Nudge: In crisis, opportunity

2009-03-18T08:27:17-04:00

What do conservative thinkers David Frum and David Brooks, and progressive thinkers Hendrik Hertzberg and Robert Reich have in common? They're thinking big picture about what opportunities for good the cratering economy may be able to bring us. In particular, they're wondering aloud whether there's a political opportunity to shift taxes away from adding friction to things we want (e.g. payroll tax friction on jobs), and adding it to things we want less of (e.g. taxes on emissions with large carrying-costs).

In his New Yorker article, Hertzberg reports on the idea of taking a payroll tax holiday as a way to provide a direct spending stimulus into the sagging economy (it would return ~15% of taxed income to employees). He then takes it a step further suggesting we redesign the tax structure to map it more closely to certain types of consumption. The political argument will naturally be in defining what "certain types" means. Nevertheless he's invoking the nudge thinking that Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein discuss in their great book of the same name.

Sunstein and Thaler talk about creating a choice architecture that allows people to make decisions beneficial to themselves without restricting their freedom of choice. If you've ever watched a parent in action getting a 4-year old ready to leave the house, you've seen choice architecture at work. A related example is the physical environment (no windows, oxygen, lighting, eye-level elements) that casinos use to maximize gaming play -- though this type of nudge is not to the benefit of the gamer, but given the odds, to the benefit of the house. A positive choice architecture takes outcomes that data show to be beneficial to the individual, and makes it easier for the individual to make up their own mind up toward selecting actions that lead to the positive outcomes. Crucially, the decisions are not forced on the person. Sometimes a Shack burger with bacon is exactly what you want, and you should be able to have it.

What's exciting for me is the prospect of even considering such a fundamental national change. Because of the entrenched partisan poison, on both sides of the aisle, that commonly favors the preservation or regaining of power over all else, these kinds of political portals do not come around often. But if Frum and Hertzberg can agree on something, and the economic upheaval makes enough people open to really trying something new, then we may be able to transform the crisis into a portkey that structurally puts us in a better place than when the collapse began. From carnage, renewal. It's not clear yet whether the tax shifting idea would indeed be the right call -- there's a lot of numbers to run. But bold moves? I like it.

Incidentally, choice architecture is in part what we're providing to Endeavor Prep customers. My goal is for people to make more creative, more informed decisions about their work life.

If you want to learn more about nudge, read this interview (scroll down) or check out this quick overview here from Ashoka's Changemakers:

U2 Way - Back in New York City

2009-03-04T11:21:57-05:00

The boys are back in town, this time with some good PR and love heaped on by Mayor Bloomberg from the city. For the week on 53rd and Broadway, the block has been re-christened U2 Way.

Welcome back. It's great to have you here.

Follow your Bliss

2009-02-08T21:33:21-05:00

Made a post over at Daily Endeavor about some Jonathan Harris projects, and in particular some follow your bliss advice he gave in a talk a few months back. I've included his summary below.

One of the main places people get tripped up (or sometimes forget to even examine): Once you have learned how to speak, what will you say?

Every Generation Refreshes the World

2009-02-05T14:07:43-05:00

Pepsi has a new commercial out that adds another twist on the phrase "may you stay forever young." My read: may you keep learning, growing and taking risks. They're all different descriptions of similar activity -- trying something new, then seeing how that goes.

I made a post on it over at Daily Endeavor.

Ahoy Young Professionals and College Students in NYC

2008-12-10T18:25:32-05:00

The first courses of 2009 are open over at Endeavor Prep.

If you're on the job search, recently laid off, or simply asking the question "What do I want to do?", it could be for you.