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It’s All in the Name Posted by Fred Imparatta on October 13th, 2008
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YouTube: a great name
You site’s name and URL are a huge part of how other people see you. You can’t just name your site with whatever you think sounds right, because chances are you’ll get made fun of.
The first time I heard about Google, I though it was a terminal disease, but it grew on me (and everyone else). YouTube is the greatest name I have seen by far. Buy what about sites that didn’t get their names right? Are some things just not supposed to be successful? Name your site like you would name your kid. You don’t want people making fun of your kid because you named him “Moon-Unit”, and you don’t want people making fun of your site because you name it something similarly stupid.
We all know a good site name when we see it. Twitter.com, YouTube.com, Google.com, Del.icio.us, etc. So let’s dwell on the negative side. Here’s a list of domain names that no one should have ever bought. I’ve decided to split them into two.
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Surviving Outside of Silicon Valley: Is It Possible? Posted by Matt Goldberg on October 13th, 2008
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Andy McLoughlin
Having a startup in Silicon Valley is probably the coolest thing you can do. But not everyone is cool, and many startups aren’t located in Silicon Valley. Whether you started your company in a New York basement, or you’re making a site sitting in a Caribbean beach, being outside the valley can sometimes be harmful.
Micheal Galpert
At last week’s Future Of Web Apps expo, Michael Galpert of Aviary and Andy McLoughlin of Huddle presented these slides as the backbone for their presentation “How to survive outside Silicon Valley”.
The presentation is 62 slides of fun, sarcastic, and highly useful content, so you should take your time to go through it.
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Stuck on Social Media? Learn More on How To Use It To Your Startup’s Advantage Posted by Ben Campbell on October 13th, 2008
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Yes, social media can change the way your site is looked upon by its many users. If you’re looking for the way to introduce your site to the wonderful world of social media, then you’re going to love the Executing Social Media event, to be held on October 15-16 in the great city of Atlanta.
In the conference, you’ll be able to learn about the many social media tools you can use to immerse yourself in the world of social networking. We’ve discusses the importance of social media in the world of startups, and now you have a chance to learn from seasoned professionals (check out the list of speakers).
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Startup Advice: Don’t Take It Literally Posted by Leah Kanapkis on October 13th, 2008
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Image via CrunchBase
What? A startup blog telling its readers not to take startup advice? Ridiculous! Not really. We can blog for days on end on “how to build your site” or “how to have the best freaking site in the world in 5 steps”, but any advice we give you is just that: advice.
Tony Wright, the co-founder of Rescue Time, just blogged about this, and I think he’s right. One great point he makes is this:
“The funny thing is that when you read/hear enough of this stuff, you start hearing brilliant and successful people presenting advice that directly conflicts with the advice from other brilliant and successful people.”
Simply put, the more you read on startup success, the more conflicting it gets. There is no one road to success, people who become successful can give you tips on how they did it, but they can’t plan your road to success. Take this advice and keep it in mind, but don’t set your expectations on achieving success following only those tips. Once you make your own way, you’ll start to see that achieving success is largely up to you, and the advice you read only served you as a basic guide.
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Ron Conway is Human Posted by Gaby Nario on October 13th, 2008
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We all know who Ron Conway is, what he does, and that they call him “The Godfather of Silicon Valley”. But besides that, what other things does he care about? In this video, Hooman, form Hooman.tv interviews Mr. Conway. Interesting fact: he listens to the Black Eyed Peas. It’s good to see someone so important to the world of startups showing a more human side.
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Pete Cashmore’s Take on The Economic Situation and Startups Posted by Matt Goldberg on October 13th, 2008
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Pete Cashmore
Pete Cashmore, the mastermind behind Mashable, recently blogged about what he thinks the current economic crisis is going to do for startups. If you don’t know who Pete Cashmore is, then read this brief bio taken from his LinkedIn profile:
“Working as a web technology consultant in mid 2005, Pete Cashmore founded Mashable from an unlikely location: a small town in the north of Scotland. Focusing on up-to-the-minute news on social networks and new websites, it rapidly grew to be one of the top 10 blogs in the world according to the blog ranking service Technorati.”
With that background information, you know that his opinion counts for something. If you’re looking for a bleak landscape of despair, then you’re not on the same page as Mr. Cashmore.
In his interesting posting, Mr. Cashmore arguments that the current economic landscape could affect startups positively. As there is less cash to go around, startups with a creative edge to them are going to thrive. Having a great idea isn’t everything it was this time last year. The real startup success stories are going to be those that are founded upon a great business plan, daring to be creative yet effective at the same time.
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6 Ways To Track Your Company’s Revenue Posted by Ben Campbell on October 13th, 2008
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“Can’t somebody else take care of that?” seems to be the question asked among many entrepreneurs who are brilliant when it comes to coming up with businesses, but might not be so clever when running them.
If you just started up, then you must know that in the long run, taking good care of your expenses and the money coming in is going to be a key part in keeping your business running. These are six great sites that will let you do that easily, so you can focus on the more enjoyable parts of your startup experience:
• LiteAccounting: this one is for invoices and tracking your payments. It’s an online application that gives you the tools you need (nothing else) to keep track of the money coming in and the funds going out of your company. It thrives on simplicity, as the site claims to be “sick of the sloppy programs that have too many features.” If you’re looking for something basic, this is it.
• Endeve: Another great invoicing tool, which also allows you to keep track of your costumers. One thing that stands out is the fact that your clients get an invoice copy in PDF file format, adding credibility and quality to your services.
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Robert White’s Team of 10,000 Fans, Part II Posted by Fred Imparatta on October 13th, 2008
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In the second part our interview (catch the first one here) with Robert Samuel White from PopStar.com, we go over some of the things that make his site unique.
He also has some interesting tips for any entrepreneur looking to get into the wide world we call the internet. Expect to hear more from this very motivated entrepreneur, as his project is sure to grow. In the meantime, enjoy the second and last part of our interview with him:
Where is your company located?
eNetwizard, Inc. is a Delaware corporation.
World Media Group, LLC is a New Jersey corporation.
Does your team work at the office with you or do they work from home?
In my case, it’s actually the reverse. World is located in New Jersey while I reside in Kentucky. As you can see, we also have contractors globally. I do extensive travelling in my Jeep Wrangler to explore our state and national parks so I can be found working from just about anywhere. Occasionally, I spend time in the offices in New Jersey among my colleagues as we hash out important details for future development projects or simply for the camaraderie; it’s always nice to return to the office and catch up with everyone.
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SNAP Your Startup Into Social Media Posted by Leah Kanapkis on October 10th, 2008
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The web is becoming a more social place everyday. But how do you use those social media tools to your advantage? I have no idea, but you might be able to get some answers at the upcoming SNAP Summit.
The list of speakers is impressive, including: Max Engel from MySpace, Mark Pincus the founder and CEO of Zynga, and the CEO of SocialMedia Seth Goldstein, amongst many more.
Seth Goldstein
The list of topics is also impressive. The topics that will be covered at the event are:
- Being a Founder Today
- What is Critical User Mass and How Do You Get There?
- How to Power Your Site with the Social Web
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Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start Posted by Gaby Nario on October 10th, 2008
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This guy is one of the most charismatic VCs around. In this video, Mr. Kawasaki discusses some of the best ways to get your startup off the ground. There’s a lot that can be learned from this guy, and this video shows that. At about 40 minutes of length, the video is a great excuse to take a break from your hectic work routine and learn something form one of the leading voices in the world of startups.
