Netizen

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Fred Wilson's Blog: A Gift That Keeps Giving

Fred Wilson has an impressive track record as a VC. That is public knowledge. I have lost count of how many tech companies I got really, really excited about only to later learn it was a Fred Wilson portfolio company.

The dots I am trying to connect in this post is to propose the thesis that Fred Wilson's blog has been fundamental to his very impressive work as a VC. As in, the great work he has managed to do over the past decade he could not have done without his blog. He has a method about his comments section. That is where he goes fishing.

That thesis springs forth a few questions.

One, is it a required? As in should all VCs aspire to blog? I think yes. There are a lot of a A caliber VCs out there who don't blog daily (or ever) like Fred Wilson does. But what I am saying is if you are starting out as a VC today blogging daily is one of the things you can not afford to not do.

Two, other than fishing expeditions is blogging good for your mind? This is a huge yes. I think blogging is for everybody regardless of industry, regardless of what stage they are at in their careers. Blogging is working out for the mind. That is primarily why I blog, speaking just for myself. It also helps with meaningful networking. If Fred did not have a blog, and I did not have a blog, I doubt we would have met to date, I doubt we would have known each other.

Three, could this thesis be extended to tech entrepreneurs? That is a question up in the air. Because there is no A grade tech entrepreneur (or B grade) who blogs daily. Mark Cuban blogs weekly or every few weeks, but I think of him as a retired entrepreneur, he is more of an angel, and besides, his blog does not have Disqus.

I'd love to see some top tech entrepreneurs blog daily like Fred Wilson does. Is that possible? Advisable? I'd hope so. I wish some A grade people running for office did the same.

To Fred's credit he is a top blogger regardless of his track record as a VC. He goes toe to toe with people who are full time bloggers with nothing else going on on the side. I mean, I think Fred could earn a living simply through blogging. Talk about Plan B, not that he needs one.

Fred Wilson is my favorite solo blogger for a few different reasons. But there came a time when I did not read his blog for months. I felt like I was too sucked into it. I needed my space, I thought. But then my recent thought has been not that I should stay away, but that top entrepreneurs he is not invested in should also read his blog.

Fred Wilson, Mark Zuckerberg And Mobile

Once Fred paid tribute to Ben Horowitz on the other coast by saying he - Fred - simply writes checks. As in, Ben has been an entrepreneur. But in some ways simply writing checks has advantages. Away from action you can get better at vision and insight. Zuck struggles with mobile. Fred's blog talks often about mobile. I don't know of books delivering similar wisdom.

Fred Wilson's Impossible Inbox
Fred Wilson: A DJ
Meeting Fred Wilson In Person
A Surprising Blog Post From Fred Wilson
A Mind Blowing Party

Rediscovering Disqus

Image via CrunchBase

(Originally published at Michael Hazell' TechMans' World blog)

Rediscovering Disqus has been a pleasant experience for me. I had it. Then I walked out on it by default when I changed my blog's template. Now I have it again, and I am so glad I do.

Blogging is my favorite online activity. Makes for an active reader. And it is more than knowledge. You meet and get to know interesting people. The comments sections at blogs were an afterthought before Disqus came along.

And the new and improved Disqus beats the big dogs like Google and Facebook in the blog comments space. Both of them are innovative companies doing a lot but Disqus still beats them in the space. It is because Disqus' intensity of focus is greater. Disqus does one thing and one thing alone, and it does it very, very well.

Just like a ton of people who you could never convince to blog became happily active on Twitter, Disqus provides an outlet to people. You don't have to blog to comment. Commenting is legit. You don't lose track of your comments.

Like my new friend Michael Hazell, I met him through Disqus. Today he replied to a comment I had left at Fred Wilson's blog a few days back. It felt like randomly bumping into a friend. And, as of today, I don't even know what he looks like.

Adding Disqus To My Blog Was The Easiest Thing
Should I Get Disqus For My Blog?

Friday, August 03, 2012

Apps Are Where It's At

In 1996 everyone wanted a website. Today everyone wants an app.

Why a High-End Software Maker Pursues App Companies

selling expensive software to businesses, lucrative as it may be, is becoming a less reliable way of staying on top of trends in computing. As employees use tablets and smartphones both at home and work, and as desktop software moves to the Web, the lines between consumer and business customers are blurring.... Autodesk's consumer offerings are either free and supported by advertising, or they cost one or two dollars to purchase in app stores, while its typical software packages retail for thousands. ...... Historically, IT innovation started in big organizations, such as the military and large companies, and trickled its way down. But today, Bass argues, software trends are starting at the level of individual users ..... "I get more mail from people who have bought SketchBook and Pixlr for 99 cents than some of our $5,000 applications," he says. "The letter always starts: 'Dear Mr. Bass, I paid 99 cents for SketchBook and when I did, I expected it would have this filter or do this.' I rarely get that around our $5,000 professional products. For 99 cents, people feel very entitled."

Clouds: Sacred Earth

Mesmerizing video.

Via Sergey Brin

Visionary Sergey

Sergey looks quite the visionary in this picture, don't you think?

Augmented Reality Getting Closer

You don't need zombie goggles to experience augmented reality. In its stripped down form you experience augmented reality more often than you realize you do. If your smartphone is helping you better navigate your surroundings, you are already on.

Augmented Reality Is Finally Getting Real

As smartphones explode in popularity, augmented reality is starting to move from novelty to utility. ... helped by the massive popularity of smartphones and tablets, and their constantly improving processors and sensors, along with the growth of high-speed wireless data networks ..... The software uses a smartphone's GPS, accelerometer, and compass to determine a user's position and line of site; but also to triangulate with other phones using the same software to determine specifically what everyone in a cluster is looking at. The company's technology has been used in a number of apps, including one for a recent NASCAR race in which fans, who couldn't see the entire 2.5-mile track, could point their phones at distant turns and get photos and videos generated by others who were closer to the action. .... Project Glass draws attention to the idea of a digital layer on top of the physical world..... Swedish furniture maker Ikea's 2013 catalog, 211 million copies of which were shipped out Wednesday, includes additional content that readers can see with an Android or iOS app.

Augmented reality could also make possible intimate remote engagement. You could have participated in Tahrir Square action. I guess you already did through Twitter. See? Twitter is also augmented reality. It is a stretch to say that, but it is.

Privacy, Security And Consensus

There is more room for mischief in mobile. The average person is not aware how much they are already giving away.

Study Reveals a Confused View of Mobile Phone Privacy and Security

Smartphones store a wealth of valuable personal data—photos, videos, e-mail, texts, app data, GPS locations, and Web browsing habits—that is increasingly falling into the hands of advertisers, app makers, law enforcement, and crooks...... The majority of respondents also said they believed their mobile phone to be as private as their personal computer. .... millions of people already provide mobile data to marketers, business analysts, and law enforcement, often without their knowledge or consent