willheim

Thrill of a start-up but with the "security" of some serious investment and traction. It's the wild-west and they encourage experimenting by hiring the smartest people they can find. 15-20 years ago you might have asked the same thing about Microsoft.

I don't see any interactivity with it. That's the problem I see. Otherwise it's a scrolling animated movie.

When I see an interactive RIA so easily converted to HTML5 then I will be impressed.

Nice, but I don't shop enough to watch the prices and see if that 50% off is really a 10% up and 50% down. I wonder why there isn't a site even remotely comparable to kakaku.com. They monitor prices, show you where deals are, and track the trend. Take a look at this one, for example (just picked off the front page):

http://kakaku.com/item/K0000089891/

Notice all the retailers, retailer reviews, and prices along with the price trend graph at the bottom. Also, users submit reviews of the products. Sure, it's all in Japanese but you can get the gist (or run it through a translator). There are shopping sites here but none nearly as comprehensive as kakaku.

Excellent! One of the first tests we're taught is to try to explain your idea to people who are outside our circle. You've learned (and are continuing to learn) much about refining your "elevator pitch"... and it was all by serendipitous accident. Curious, now, what you're working on.

I'm not sure that what is described is an MVP at all. It's more of an A/B testing page. What's missing is a V and a P. Seems all they say is to strip everything out (since you'll toss it anyway) create a few mock-ups, and then put that on the web with a lead capture system. There is nothing viable about it and there is certainly no product. Just minimum.

Here's why I think that is going too far: Who wants to sign up for a screenshot that does nothing, shows not much, and is basically just a bunch of copy and hype? Unless TC or Mashable, or some other BIG site goes and promotes it few if any will actually divulge their info.

What I would suggest is at least an interactive prototype (if only a demo with pre-populated data). They use the example of Twitter... but who would have given their info to Twitter without seeing it in action first? And then, I wager, only the very earliest of adopters would.

The world is full of once over-hyped empty promises. Without a V and a P I think you're wasting your (and everyone else's) time.

Since the Geocities 1TB Reocities caught on here again the whole "Under Construction" meme got me thinking. It is kid of retro-cool. Really, is any other pre-launch page doing anything more? And isn't a "Beta" nothing more than an "Under Construction 2.0"?

Now, I wouldn't use any of those old graphics. I'd get something much more hip and modern. But the message could very well be the same. And toss in the lead capture and invite sign-ups to boot.

I think it depends on the individual situation/app. There are plenty who have startups on the side. That said, if your app is more heavily demanding user interaction/complicated then I think you are much more likely to find that customer service demands and/or technical issues post launch will exceed your part time availability.

An MVP tends to be just a small part of your vision. You test it out with some users and gather their feedback before progressing farther. If you cannot respond to them quickly I believe you will quickly find you have no users at all (good idea or not).

Just to add to this; Seems My____ (the site formerly known as MySpace) ripped off a stealth start-up called pintrist.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/27/myspace-pinterest/

This goes a bit beyond what you're talking about as it's not just checking it out but blatantly imitating. That said, the fallout is likely to come down on My_____, at least amongst the technorati.

YABCT: Yet another business card thingamajig.

There are several out there already. All of them require traction to become serious contenders. Bump is probably the best known. Yet, the greatest downfall to any is that each party must be a member of that app.

Paper cards still rule the roost (and with digitizers have become a lot easier to manage). Google App has a business card reader on it. Very cool.

Still, the best way I've seen and used so far is twitter. You meet, like, and trade twitter handles becoming followers right away. Then later, follow up for more info. This is not for the more serious connections where paper cards rule.

Just my opinion

I can't see how. You're not scraping, not stealing code, not doing anything. You're just checking them out (and they will likely check you out).

Auto companies tear down each others cars. Tech companies tear down each others products. Grocery stores check out each others prices.

and so and so on.

None of them steal. Just poke, prod, look, and learn. Then apply to their own if it's suitable.

I have never seen a Non-compete clause in any TOS.

There's an opening if ever there was one:

What are the skill sets that YC companies are requiring? Are these people not to be found? In Vancouver it seems a lot tougher to find new members (unless very, very well funded so as to be able to compete with the very secured and well employed). What is the biggest challenge for your companies in hiring?

I don't know about that. One of the most depressing bits was an engineer who just took a job at Target for $9.50/hr.

There were also plenty of office managers and others whom I would assume could bring forth plenty of skills that a start-up (funded) could employ. Particularly in sales, one would think.

I have no encouragement to sign up. Why not? Because I can't see what kind of discussion is happening in the community. If I click on any of the communities I get a sign up pop up and no discussion. I'm not handing over my info till I see what kind of discussion is happening. I get frustrated and then I'm off to Motley Fooll CAPS or Stockhouse.

I think this is awesome! These guys produce a service that has traction, has a loyal following, and AFAIK has never had an issue. I use it, love it, and recommend it. The greatest thing about it is how they have it on all your devices (almost) and I find myself branching out into their "life memory" strategy by, for example, creating a recording of my 15 month old son laughing. That's on top of the business productivity applications I use it for.

My question, though, is this:

Evernote has traction. Evernote is growing. Evernote has subscribers. Evernote has partners developing plugins for it (Evernote Trunk)

What do they need $20m in funding for?

Is it that word of mouth adoption only goes so far? Is it to speed up adoption by buying installs on new computers?

What would you do with $20m if you were Evernote?

There's only one way that's been shared with me:

Talk to everyone you know about what you're doing and go to every event where mentors will be. Eventually you'll meet the right one, one that takes an interest in your idea and gets excited by it. If you hit it off they'll invite you to continue the conversation in a more private setting (not a conference/event but maybe their office/lunch). You'll get together informally and casually and should do so without any pretense. If things work out you'll find the relationship develop to the point where you might even wake up realizing that you have a mentor.

Yes, it does sound a lot like picking up singles at a bar. Yes, adult relationships are like that. Go see "I love you, Man" and realize it's really not that different.

It is virtually impossible to measure the size of the virtual market. The number of people joining Android on a daily basis is increasing but then along comes WP7 and that may change the rate of growth. Then you have out of those people on Android the percent who share an interest in what you are developing... but the only way to reach those people is by identifying who and where they are. In-app advertisements and forum postings have been mentioned but then even only the select few who may be interested in your subject will click/participate. Yes, you face a virtual impossibility.

In our start-up world you simply cannot predict success on the measuring the size of the market. It's impossible. Think back to 2007 and tell me: What is the size of the market for Fart apps? And it will cost $0.99? My guess? Very, very limited. Huh. Guess I missed the mark on that one. Now, think back to 2005. Tell me, what is the size of the market for people to blog in 140 characters or less? My guess, pretty small. I mean, Facebook can do that. Oops. Missed that one, too. OK, now that Twitter is HUGE what is the size of the market for people willing to pay for it? A ha! Studies show near zero.

So the size of the market willing to pay $0.99 for fart apps is far bigger than that of Twitter. Amazing, eh?

So here's what you do: Go build an MVP, identify some leading influencers who could be interested in it, beta test it out, and gather feedback. That's all you really can do.

So it comes down to ownership? The 60/40 split?

The design as it is now does not matter that it's all yours. You've gone through several iterations and the mock-up was his. The initial idea was his. You are a resource. A valuable resource but a resource nonetheless. The 60/40 tells me he thinks it is all his baby and that he can replace you. You confirm that thought. He doesn't want your code and will start from scratch which tells me he really doesn't like how things have developed.

Now, you say it could launch in a week? Is it a NDA or a non-compete that he wants you to sign? NDA means nothing at this point. You built it. Non-compete would mean everything as you could take the code and launch your own project if you believe in it.

You haven't been paid, haven't any signed agreements, and have done all the coding. Legally, without any documentation, it sounds like your partner would have a tougher time to prove ownership. What's in your emails?

So ultimately you got this: Partnership is dissolved. Nothing is signed.

Talk to a lawyer to straighten this out. Likely a mediation to determine ownership is required.

And learn your lesson for the future: Get it in writing.

Who cares? Google 1999 was not what Google 2010 is. Google 1999 was a slight improvement (yet to be seen) on what Excite had built search engine-wise but not what Excite was portal-wise. Look at their history: http://www.google.com/corporate/history.html

You can see this occurred before the $25m round of financing which Kleiner Perkins was a part of. So at the time it was a money losing PC-Magazine declared "search engine of choice" operating out of a garage competing in a space with Excite, Yahoo, Altavista, and many others. Google was not a business, really, until October 2000 with the launch of the incredibly successful adwords. Prior to that search was a money losing venture.

Depends on your app and how sticky it is, I'd say. If it's one of a thousand other services out there then you are probably better off after. If it's unique in any way then you may be better off after. If it requires the user to input a lot of data, not be able to migrate it out, and becomes indispensable to their work flow then you may consider after.

So when go with "before"? After you've launched, created a market of trust and are backed by many, many satisfied cheerleaders (clients). The word of mouth will lead to the easy overcoming of that trust barrier that leads people to reconsider handing over their CC#.

Agree but it's a long way away from that. Imagine if Ping was built in to the AppleTV as well, and additionally being able to be set automatically (like a scrobble) so that you can have conversations going with others while watching/listening/etc.

We've seen how Twitter peaks during major events (like the Olympics or during major TV episodes). I can see Apple eventually wanting to be the source for that info. Then again, they'd have to open it up a lot more and get it on other systems. Ping for PC, Ping for Android (GoogleTV?), Ping plugins, and so on. Which would all eventually lead to the iTunes store...

And what if they then struck marketing deals with a place like Amazon or Zappos? Ping "I like her shoes" and it recognizes that with a "buy" button linking to Zappos and the same shoes.

We've seen how Apple starts small and grows features much bigger than the original intention. We've also see how Apple has transformed themselves from Apple Computer Inc to just Apple (and all that that means).

While Ping certainly sucks now I believe they are committed... and they have a plan.

Totally depends on: a) what kind of product/service you are offering. b) who your target market is.

Some things I like to pay one-off for. Others I go monthly. I find the monthly services tend to update and add features more often than the one-offs. I also tend to see that the monthly subscription services provide ever increasing value to me. Maybe that is because they are "works in progress" in constant competition and know that should they fail they will start bleeding customers to the competition. Also, with one-offs I often find that the cost is high enough to make me seriously consider a purchase and I spend more time seeking out the competition.

Some examples: Microsoft Office vs OpenOffice or Google Docs. Outlook vs Thunderbird. Vimeo vs Youtube.

Oops... those examples all point towards free alternatives. Hope your product has some killer advantage that can overcome any existing competition that goes freemium. Else you better try the freemium model yourself. We live in an age where everyone wants everything for free.

Most interesting aspect of that article is the second update at the bottom linking to a post that so perfectly sumnmarizes Steve Jobs... written in 1997. http://www.scripting.com/davenet/stories/DocSearlsonSteveJob...

Oh, how I identify with everything you just said.

Read "Making Ideas Happen" by Scott Belsky. I am in the same position as you and have picked up some wonderful ideas from that book.

First: Nag, nag, nag! You say nudge, I say NAG! Nagging works as people just want to get you to shut it and they know the only way to do that is to get the task done.

Second: Are you absolutely clear in your goals and have you assembled a team which is aligned with those goals?

Third: There's the old adage of hire slow and fire fast. If you have done everything with one of the team members to get them on board and they still refuse to align with the team goals then you must let them go.

Neither.

I have a tablet PC(Lenovo) which is near perfect for ebook reading. Why?

1) I can have Kindle for PC on it. 2) I can have Nook for PC on it. 3) I can read any PDF well 4) I can read all sorts of comics well. 5) I can continue reading on my iPhone (don't have an iPad but if I did then Kindle works great on that, too)

What it won't do well: 1) Battery life isn't as great but it's no trouble being plugged in when needed most times. 2) Can't get iBooks on PC and there are some titles that are iBooks exclusives.

And finally, what none of these do well and why paperbacks won't be squashed: 1) You can't take them to the beach or anywhere sand/grit/or water may get them.

So if you really, really, really want an ebook reader (which we're talking hardware alone) then go for the one that gives you the most freedom, a regular PC (ideally a tablet).

Asus makes a small 10.1" and a 8.9" one that is around $400 and is far better than an iPad and far more useful than a standalone ebook reader.

Yes, That is certainly a useful suggestion. Seems that taking away any barriers to entry to trial it out with pre-populated data would:

1) lower resistance to test the product/service. 2) Eliminate the need for a free trial period 3) Increase conversions.

Has anyone done this and what was your response rate?

So are we talking about an Octopussy like Github and a Fail Whale like Twitter? Cutesy personality stuff like that?

May work for some... and certainly throwing down a comical quirkiness to your failings helps to ease the pain of being down (Fail Whale, Blippy's rainbow 404 page - not site failing but still cute) but one must be careful with how they go about giving a personality. Too cute and missing the target market and I'd wager you'd be dismissed as amateur.

If what you mean by personality is "theme" then, yes. Every site, every business, every aspect needs a consistent theme. It doesn't matter if you're a SAAS or a coffeeshop, a manufacturer or a lawyer. Every business needs a theme that demonstrates their "why".

That still doesn't answer the question posed, though.

It's Apple returning to the Big Why. It worked. Apple at the time was in deep trouble having been the "other PC" for too long. They moved away from their "why" to a "what" and they had copied the "what" of every windows PC at the time to abysmal failure.

This speech could have been part of a film "How Apple got its Groove Back".

The iPod ads have nothing to do with this "Think Different" campaign. The iPod ads maintained the "why" as in "Why do we produce these things?" Answer: For fun! For expression! For freeing you from the shackles of a 60 minute CD. For choice.

They didn't go on about what the iPod was (and the iRiver H100 series at the time was a far better machine and the one I chose). They instead went for why it was. That resonated with their audience. They then took that theme and ran with it with every product since.

And yet, just being fun and frivolous doesn't work for everything. Take a look at the iPhone ads; all about function through the app store... and yet withthat function they declare "Fun!". Take a look at the words they use; magical this and magical that. Meanwhile their competition tries to tout function this and function that... and price. Even HP now recognizes what Apple did right and they tried to rip it off with designer notebooks. Too bad that while they have the product the ads still suck (does HP advertise?)

Apple has nailed down what works in marketing for now. They control the mobile space. They control the music space. They have far greater impact on web development than their products have reach. If Adobe/Microsoft/Google ever "get it", watch out. But maybe that is Steve Jobs greatest asset. He knows that they don't "get it".

Who cares? It sounds big and scary and really bad... especially to us start-up types but I'd bet that there is nothing that hasn't been patented or could be deemed to be covered by a patent that's been put out on the web.

Seriously, start looking through the patents filed on Google (I started with one of these Paul Allen ones, then moved on to others filed by others but which were cited) and came to the conclusion that this is all ridiculous.

Here we see that Apple could possibly sue anyone for invoking the "mouseover" or "hover" events: http://www.google.com/patents?id=mPYiAAAAEBAJ&printsec=a...

While I wholeheartedly agree with protecting IP, to me that is more of a copyright issue (not ripping off code) rather than ideas.

Ultimately what it means for us is: Go forth and code. Create whatever you want and ignore the patents out there. If you are successful, and a patent troll sues you, you can come to an agreement (license or otherwise). Really, no worries here.

Six by nine. Forty two.