danberger

The conclusions the author draws are very similar to the conclusions the I/O Psychology community has proven scientifically. The best predictor of future performance is IQ and sample work product. Period.

Any thoughts on what this means for SproutCore?

It distinctly asks at the top "What do you want to learn today?" and then gives you three options: Web Design, Web Development, or iOS (btw, it should say iOS Development not just iOS). That's enough to make any user realize they're a site that helps you learn these things.

Based on this competition [1] it seems that their business model is different subscription packages. The Gold package, for example, is supposedly $588 per year.

[1] http://thinkvitamin.com/asides/guess-this-badge-and-win-a-fr...

Even though I see what MG is trying to do here, I don't agree that the botched release somehow reveals a bigger pattern at Google. It's a big company doing a lot of things and it's going to have flops along the way.

At least they're open and honest about their failures - I can respect that.

Thanks to 37 Signals publishing their split test results for Highrise's landing page, we learned that adding a picture of individuals will in fact increase conversions [1].

If you're interested in learning about the importance of personality in branding and marketing, check this book out - Personality Not Included [2]

[1] http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2991-behind-the-scenes-ab-tes...

[2] http://www.amazon.com/Personality-Not-Included-Companies-Aut...

Yeah but you should still at least respond to people. I mean, why not? It's a win-win. Candidates at least find out and you look good by showing you care enough to get back to them.

I know this is cliche... but start it yourself. I have found that potential partners are much more impressed with people taking an initiative and getting things done on their own. They want to work with go-getters and leaders, not people sitting on the sidelines and waiting.

A great question. The only thing I can think of is starting at a high price and then lowering it slowly. You definitely want to do some split testing to see which plan pages get you the highest conversions, too.

Instead of a dropdown, make it a radio menu that changes on click. It'll make it more usable!

agreed. I was honestly pretty disappointed in the quality of startups that went up. Most of those guys didn't really seem to be prepared or willing to seriously address the obvious issues they had.

At Social Tables - seating charts for events made easy - we picked a very early group of people to market to who could benefit from our app: brides. Today, we have over 1,000 users (we've been quiet for the past 1 month as we contemplate our future). Here's what worked:

1) Guerrilla Marketing - We found real life events that catered toward brides. For example, the Running of the Brides is an annual wedding dress sale hosted by Filene's Basement, so we showed up really early in the morning to talk to brides waiting in line.

Here's the write-up: http://blog.socialtables.com/post/6147037160/social-tables-f...

2) Social Media Targeting - We monitored specific keywords "wedding & seating chart" and "just got engaged" and replied to each of those users telling them there was an easier way to create seating charts. We also participated in Twitter chats (here's a list of chats: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhisaMy5TGiwcnV...) and people got intrigued. Finally, we actively tweeted using conference hashtags during conferences that had our target audience.

I hope these two out of the box approaches help!

Regarding the Google Flu trend, a Wired magazine article talked about how Google could identify the location of flu outbreaks before the CDC could solely because of search (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/06/ff_sergeys_search/all/...)

In epidemiology, this is known as syndromic surveillance, and it usually involves checking drugstores for purchases of cold medicines, doctor’s offices for diagnoses, and so forth. But because acquiring timely data can be difficult, syndromic surveillance has always worked better in theory than in practice. By looking at search queries, though, Google researchers were able to analyze data in near real time. Indeed, Flu Trends can point to a potential flu outbreak two weeks faster than the CDC’s conventional methods, with comparable accuracy.

Apart from just being able to search by drawing (cool concept in it of itself), the practical purpose would obviously be the reverse: looking at the graph of any search query. But obviously they will never release that :)

Social Tables (http://www.socialtables.com/), a DC/NYC- (I'm in dc but ready to move back to my hometown of nyc) based startup, is looking for a CTO. My co-founder had to leave because he couldn't quit his job (boooo). I went all in and quit mine a few months ago (freeeeeedommm!!).

Social Tables is a web-based seating chart designer for weddings and other events with assigned tables. We help event/wedding planners create floorplans and assign their guests seats. We're called Social Tables because we have a social feature that lets guests meet who they'll be sitting with beforehand. We have a tested product, over 1,000 users, brand awareness, and deep industry expertise. In other words, we know our stuff and people love our product (we save an event planner 4 hours per event). We've been self-funded to date and are currently talking to interested angels.

Like I said, I'm looking for a CTO (understanding of Rails is a must, love for SproutCore is a big plus). You should have that startup fire burning in your belly, ridiculous drive (e.g. you like some degree of risk), appreciation of test-based development, and passion for learning new things.

If you're at all interested or just want to shoot the shit, send me a quick note: dan@socialtables.com - I love meeting new people and helping others out.

I agree. Furthermore, offline google apps don't work if you use multiple sign-in

There are other budget options in the wireless space, including Cricket and Boost

I'm honestly interested into why you consider yourself a very happy T-Mobile customer. I'm in DC and have T-Mobile and they are god awful. Dropped calls, reception in my studio's living room but not in the kitchen, 3+ hours downtime after earthquake. Obviously the only thing they have going on for them is their low prices.

Favorite quote: "When you look at an inspiring gallery or attractive website, remember that what you’re seeing is merely the result, not the process."

Can't wait to apply to YC.

In the meantime, a shameless plug: if there are any devs out there in DC or NYC who want to join this startup as a technical co-founder let me know. The early version of the product has validated the idea, we have a nice userbase, an impressive following, and deep ties to our industry, contact me - dan at danjberger.com - i'd love to chat :)

Don't you think that some people would be hesitant to join a startup as a cofounder with a product already in development?

Lucy must be there :)

I would hope she took pictures for documentation purposes... even if her camera was stolen, she should have borrowed one or bought one for this purpose.

Just out of curiosity, why didn't the victim post any pictures of the damage?

Has anyone tried this on an iPad?

Thanks for sharing your story dude. I'm sure it wasn't easy.

Eric has done so much for the startup community..... and so much for me in helping me understand how to build a better startup. The least I can do is pre-order his book. Done.

A post on how to pick a backend dev (eg what questions to ask) would be just as, if not more, interesting :)

Amazing. I love the fact he referenced Myst!

No one has mentioned their business model (page 3 of the interview). Basically they expect venues to pay for the ability to know the names of their frequent customers so that they could be greeted... but I thought they don't collect personal info.