For Yahoo, these acquisitions weren't ways to experiment with new DNA, but simply roads to shore up orthodox sources of advantage. Yet, the more Yahoo focused on orthodox sources of advantage, the less it could focus on new DNA, which led to Yahoo's long, slow slide into profound strategy decay.
Now, in an irony worthy of the Daily Show, Microsoft's making exactly the same error. It’s hell-bent on acquiring Yahoo, and its premise is exactly the same as Yahoo's was: to attain orthodox sources of advantage. - Adam Kazwell
from the same article "Today, advantage is, to use an unintentionally ironic metaphor, in a company's operating system - not in its hardware. Advantage begins in the DNA. It's a function of the principles you use to organize and manage - not in what assets you own, what capabilities you have, or how many monopolies you had yesterday." ....This is exactly what makes Friendfeed such a compelling company to watch grow. If Google has/had good DNA, then FF has got DNA +1 - Adam Kazwell
"At the beginning of each interview, he warned the recruit that he couldn’t reveal details of the project he was working on. But he promised the opportunity, Ms. Dweck says, “to make mistakes and struggle, but eventually we may do something that we’ll remember the rest of our lives.”
Only people who immediately jumped at the challenge ended up on the team. “It was his intuition that he wanted people who valued stretching themselves over being king of their particular hill,” she says." - Adam Kazwell
the "he" in the above quote is Scott Forstall, senior vice president of Apple in charge of iPhone software - Adam Kazwell
hints?? who in particular are you keeping an eye on? - Adam Kazwell
@Adam There are several of us working on startups, most are still pre-launch, including ours. I'm sure you'll see them when they come out. The one I saw today was a great idea. - Ryan Kuder
"I've walked down Caniff holding a glass / Atlas root beer bottle in my hands / And I've entered closets of coney islands / early in the morning too." - Ginger Makela via Bookmarklet
Best Mix CD I have ever encountered. I don't say that lightly. This guy is ZTrip's daddy. Album is yours for whatever price you deem fair. I ponied up and still feel like I underpaid. (Thanks @aubs and many other for the frenzied links to this over the last 48/72 hours) - Sacca via Bookmarklet
yeah, i listened to this one quite a few times recently. good stuff. I also found some other good stuff by putting their name into last.fm. - Nate Koechley
I paid $20 because its just that good. Kudos to him and i hope the lawsuits don't break him. (Yep, they're already coming) - Erica Baker
Great album! Right now I'm listening to the beginning of track 9, where he mixes "Whoomp! There it is" and "Big Country." Impossibly catchy. - Wes Justice
too bad that it turns out speculation doesn't have any real effect on oil pricing..."The difficulty for Congress, of course, is that none of the problems that have driven up the price of oil lend themselves to a quick fix, and most, like the boom in global demand and the inaccessibility of certain oil fields, aren’t under our control at all. That’s what makes speculators a perfect target: by going after them, Congress can demonstrate to voters that it understands their pain, and at the same time avoid doing anything that might require real sacrifice from Americans." - Adam Kazwell
The "speculation has no effect on prices" meme is almost as unfounded as the "gas would be $2.50 if it weren't for speculation" meme. Nobody actually knows the structure of the market and people should stop pretending they do. - ⓞnor
Correct but hard solution: Use less oil. But you aren't going to have any politician suggesting something that requires actual sacrifice, however small, of their constituents. "Ask not what you can do for your country, but what tax breaks and bigger things your country can enable you to have!" - Adam Lasnik
""Six months ago, when the first trailer for Wall-E came out, we were only halfway done with the film, and we weren't exactly sure how we were going to get it done. We were exhausted. And then, one day, a movie showed up on YouTube showing a girl watching the trailer for Wall-E. And every time she watched it, she would cry on cue. When we saw that, we knew we were on the right track."" - Adam Kazwell via Bookmarklet
"Sneakerheads and sci-fi geeks, come together in rejoicing! After years of pestering by concerned fans, Nike has finally dropped the Marty McFly Hyperdunk. Hold on to your hoverboard, this is the shoe from Back to the Future 2 (more or less - no automatic lacing)" - Jason Chen via Bookmarklet
It's exactly what I've thought about before . definite illustration of my expriences - saee:Dsharif
interesting to see this in contrast to the web 2.0 school of thought of "only do what your customers want" - Adam Kazwell
true but there is a point where you need to remember how many people do not know how to give you that information but you need to translate their wanting. Also there is a difference between a movie and lets say an app or a service. - Nicole Simon
Same think for software products (Apple). See the results. - fbrunel
This works for the top 10 percent of the talent pool. Not so good for everybody else. - Jay Tannenbaum
"Jerry Levitan’s I Met The Walrus is an Oscar-nominated animated short that illustrates a conversation Levitan had with John Lennon when he was 14.
The conversation was mostly political, and mostly rambling. The animation is superb." - Adam Kazwell
I really want high-speed trains in California! SF to Palo Alto in 20 minutes, Stockton in 1.5 hours, and LA in 2.5 hours! - David Recordon
*think* sf to palo alto 20 minutes? that would be a regional train over here. not high speed train. *g* LA though was several hundred kilometers, right? that is several hours even in the land of high speed trains. ;) - Nicole Simon
558.68 km in 3 hours should be doable. and as LAX is my fav airport for entry with my current airline, may I add decent inclusion of the airports into that network as well? ;) - Nicole Simon
Is a high speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco a truly pressing need for our state, or is it the equivalent to another political movement mentioned in a Doonesbury cartoon - "free cheeseburgers for the elderly"? - Ontario Emperor via fftogo
While I can't talk about the full run from SF to LA, I do know that I'd ride it throughout the Bay Area and to Stockton. Traffic is horrible, gas is expensive, and modern trains are quite comfortable. Given how air travel is going I'd expect a slightly longer train ride between LA and SF would be pretty popular since it wouldn't mean stripping in an airport, you'd have internet, and even nice food. - David Recordon
The link above claims SF -> LA is 2.5 hrs. Yes, rail is a pressing need all over the US, not just California. - Andrew Talbot
german trains do 250 km/h tops, so that works out good if you can get the same technology. plus being on a train has the advantage of not having to go to the airport with checkin and everything - and usually trainstations are in the middle of the city. problem: the whole culture is build up on the car, then again you have to start somewhere. I know that I as a tourist traveller appreciate more public transportation, and be it just in CA. - Nicole Simon
& I'd even say it's a pressing need all over North America...I can't even get a passenger train from Winnipeg to Minneapolis. Best I can do is take a bus from Wpg to Fargo, then catch the Empire Builder coming through Fargo at 2am. Not surprisingly, I've never done that. - Trent Olson
Yes, you do have a longer way to go. ;) I did take a trainride from L.A. to San Diego once - it was not only the most amusing train drive ever because tht thing was as fast as our slowest regional trains are when they are coming out of the train station. usually I get so motion sick I cannot do anything while travelling - that thing was so slow I was even able to work. ;) - Nicole Simon
My parents live in LA, so I've driven down I5 from SF pretty often over the years. Given the amount of traffic I've seen and our current oil situation, I would say it's a pretty pressing need. Why wouldn't we want to have a far more fuel efficient means of travel available? - Chris White
There are some things we can learn from Europe on this one. Some of our cars are twice the size of a European car. And, yes, they have a lot more mass transit there. - David Risley
@Nicole, high-speed and regional are considered disjoint concepts? It this part of some special language spoken by European train bureaucrats? - j1m
That looks pretty sweet ... too bad I don't live in CA ... this would be a good excuse to get a place out there though! - Nick O'Neill
That *is* pretty sweet. The train is going to go walking distance to almost all the places I go in CA - SF. Sacto, Redwood City, Bakersfield, and University City (UCSD). Nice. - Gabe Wachob via twhirl
j1m different trains require different technology which in our case is existing and with history, but you would not need to redo that. for example the area I am living in is one of the last to receive over train electricity meaning that due to that my town is only since recently part of the very fast train network. imagine caltrain suddenly also having to run with high speed trains - you would need to vamp up not only the trains but so much more. :) - Nicole Simon
j1m but mainly because even the slowest of trains here are fast compared to whatever is Amtrak. ;) - Nicole Simon
I've not seen this done on FriendFeed yet (have you, Kevin?), and I'm surprised. It was one of the most popular threads I started on our own Google Webmaster Help Group, and before that, on a swing dance board I co-founded. - Adam Lasnik
As for me... I'm Adam, a native S. Californian living in Mountain View (near San Francisco). I like traveling (mostly to see friends, not just sites!), social dancing (Lindy hop and Waltz primarily), eating, and geeking. Among other things :). I'm on Friendfeed, because I like having a place to vent, and I enjoy seeing others' points of views and the interesting tidbits they uncover. - Adam Lasnik
I'm Robert, a native of Washington, DC living in San Francisco (near Mountain View). I like hiking, sports, science, eating and geeking among other things. I'm on FriendFeed because I like having a way to vent too, but I also like being able to see what other people are interested about and reading and there are some very smart and thoughtful people here to discuss things with. - Robert Seidman
Since you ask :), I am an Indian living in the DC metro area. I love movies (almost all kinds), music (mainly Hindi Film Music and Ghazals), and pondering about how languages work. Web technologies, design, and usability issues interest me as much. FriendFeed to me is primarily a life-tracking mechanism. Lately, though, I have found its great potential for venting out as well. - Vinay
I am Paul from Oklahoma City near Tinker AFB. I have a wife of 19 years and two teenage sons. I love photography, amateur radio (K5GLH), and social networking. I spent 10 years in the Air Force in three countries and six states. - Paul L. McCord Jr.
I grew up outside of DC :), common thread here. I'm fond of politics, rock climbing, and painting. Friendfeed is like a link blog for me and it makes it easier to share and find new sources of information. - Michael
I'm Aaron Brazell, born in a hospital outside of Buffalo, NY and now a 19 year resident of Baltimore. With brief stints living throughout New York State and Africa, and travelling a bit in recent years I'm growing to hate Maryland more. :) I'm an amateur photographer trying to understand Thomas Hawk's photography and a blogger trying to make a living doing whatever I can on the web. - Aaron Brazell
I'm Kirk, I'm a native Illinoisan living near the space center in Houston. I like to run, read, hike, write. Lately, I've been trying to organize the debris of my digital life -- travels, photos, music, writing, etc. -- online and offline, so a fair amount of the things that show up in my feed aren't new. I'd be happy to find some other folks to follow here with similar interests; right now, I mostly follow the social media elite (which seems to be the vocal majority, understandably) - Kirk Kittell
I'm Vince from Louisville, KY - my life didn't start for me until I lived in Japan around 1999. There I met my wife and in 2003 we had our first and only child (girl), who is the absolute love of my life. By day I'm a manager of around 140 and IT's worst nightmare because I love to make my own apps in ASP.NET. The Internet and Social Networking are two things that are infinitely interesting to me - the things I've learned and the people I "meet" have given me a lifetime of knowledge. So, hello! - Vince DeGeorge
I'm Erica, 27, an Everywherian currently living in Brooklyn, NY (though soon to escape to Cali). I'm into taking pictures, playing Halo, computers, and reading. I am one of the 42 people in the world that hates cats (I know, I know). I'm a web nerd at heart but I have no coding skills so I appease the computer nerd in me by fixing computers (that's what I get paid to do anyhow). I likey the FriendFeed because I can passively discover interesting things. - Erica Baker
I'm Jordan, originally from Lincoln, NE, but now living north, in Fargo, ND. During the day, I write code for a living. The rest of the time I enjoy being with my wife, seeing what all of you are doing, taking pictures, writing more code, and many other things. I'm on FriendFeed because I get to follow interesting people and see interesting things. - Jordan Hofker
I am Mathew, but please call me Mati as my friends & family do, a native of St. Louis, Missouri. Did a prolonged stint in Nawlins as a Tulane undergraduate. Lived in a LA for a stint as an intern for Teach For America. Went into banking and then music club operations in NOLA. Returned to StL late in '90's to help home hospice grandmother and went to work in CMOS & Bond Operations for Edward Jones for 5 years. I have been in Hotel finance/accounting for the last 5 yrs or so. Hobbies are the outdoors, my friends & family, new experiences, kayaking (flat & ww), reading, photography, and living as much as I can. :) - Mathew A. Koeneker
Hi I'm Mona. I'm addicted to the internet and I take up a lot of pixels. FF gives me an outlet to vent FAR away from my real life. Avid 2.0er, full time SNSer, lover of all things with an on/off button. People think I'm a wild party chick but I'm just a nerd. edit: i forgot i like rubiks too... so not all things with an on/off button =\ - Mona N
I am Jason, native Texan currently residing in Jacksonville, FL. by way of Louisiana and Arizona. By day, I am a Landscape Architect. The rest of my time and interests lie in photography, design and my new found interest in social media. Trying to realize a way to merge all of these in a useful manner as my background has nothing to do with coding, social media or the like. Came across FF as a means to discover new and interesting things as well as interact with many I read about or follow. (edit) - coming up on 34 yrs. in August. Happily married to my high school sweetie and father of three. - JA Castillo
I am Robert, and I am a father to Michael (10) and Alex (8). I met their mother, my wife, in Washington DC in 1989 when we were 17. She was a year a head in school and went to Tulane, I attended the University of Chicago, but switched to The Ohio State University to get a degree in CIS. We dated long distance until she moved here after college. I have lived in Columbus, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Charlotte, DC and northern NJ. To pay the bills I am a systems architect who still gets his hands dirty and has an enthusiasm for making things go fast. My other enthusiasms include college football, reading, alternative music, the autumn, thunderstorms, travel, flickr and his family. I prefer to have a few good friends, instead of many and do not care for most social situations - RAPatton
Jack (Jeber) Carlson, born 54 years ago and raised in the same neighborhood I'm living in now. I've lived and worked in D.C. (ASA/NSA), Texas and Idaho. I blog insistently, am a mod/admin for several forums including Lockergnome's and Scot Finnie's forums. I've been a help desk jocky for Gateway and D-Link. I work as an office/production/general manager for a small cartridge remanufacturing shop and serve on the national IT committee for our parent company. I love pets, plants & 'puters. - Jack Carlson
I'm Phil Glockner, aka J. Phil, aka eng1ne. I am the creator of the website scribkin as well as a IT geek, systems admin, L3 extrodinaire and decent hack rated somewhere between 'blogger' and 'writer'. I have lived in or near Austin TX now for over 12 years. I am married now for 1 year, and I am dog daddy. - J. Phil
Great idea. I'm Ray Grieselhuber, born in Columbus, Ohio. Moved to Japan in college, met my wife there. We lived in San Diego for 5 years, taking a year off to travel around the world (best trip ever). Worked at a startup then I started my own this year. Moved to Japan in Feb of this year. One son, one baby on the way. :-) - Ray Grieselhuber
Nice work starting this thread! My name is also Adam and I grew up in Chicago. Started following the web scene in '96 by reading back issues of Wired found in my uncle's house. Moved out to Silicon Valley in '05 to work at Yahoo! after taking 6 months off to travel RTW. I love FF because it allows me to see what people I'm interested in find interesting...As for me, I like learning about emerging trends (particularly on the web), remix culture, travel, fitness, and avoiding the fluff of web 2.0 noisemakers. - Adam Kazwell
and I, like a lot of others, no longer work at the big Y! :) - Adam Kazwell
Great idea, though I dont see many ages in this threat, perhaps I'm the youngin' here. The name is Colby, twenty one year old male, grew up in Santa Cruz, moved to San Jose and have been here since. Started out on MS Bob as a child and moved up and around. Spent some ill used time in IRC channels, but now enjoy being active on the social networks and writing my own blog. My AFK hobbies include spending time with my girlfriend and family, reading, writing poetry, and eating. I also attend college at Foothill - Colby Olson
Born in So Calif. raised in Huntington Beach, CalPoly SLO (Comp Sci), UCLA Grad (Law), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Certified Project Manager (PMP). 15+ years in IT Management; started my own IT consulting firm in 1994 - still churns profitability to this day! Managed over 1,000 deployments; managed over 30 million in projects... Launching Data Center move tomorrow@ 7am.. stressed! but love my job!; married + cat! Now in Rochester, NY working for Nelnet, Inc. (CUnet.com/ Petersons.com) - Susan Beebe
Hi I'm Jon Dillon, born in the UK but raised in Hong Kong where I started working for Agence France-Presse. Recently moved to San Francisco for AFP after 7 years in Paris. I'm currently trying to figure out how to make news products more related to today's environment. Love cooking (Was a chef in a passed life), photography and wine but not necessarily in that order. Love FF too. - Jon Dillon
Hi, I'm Jason Toney. I live in Los Angeles, California, where I've spent most of my life. I am a senior producer for Disney Online. My team manages TV, music, games (console), and corporate websites. This works out well as I spend a lot of time with tv and music in my personal life and games on occasion (although I'm more of a casual than console gamer lately). I'm on Friend Feed far too much. I like posting non-tech stuff - music, movies, books, comic books, and quirky environmental things of late. - Jason Toney
Wow, great to read this about everyone. I'm Tricia, originally Australian, currently living in London and have spent the past few years living in Denmark. At the moment am trying to decide where my next jump will be to - thinking San Francisco but there are a couple of other possibilities out there. Discovered FriendFeed when Adam told me to. He did warn me it was horribly addictive - I should have listened! - Patricia Hanrahan
HI. I'm Charlie Anzman .... and you're not (Great thread Adam - Long Overdue. Everyone should bookmark it and come back) - Charlie Anzman
Great idea! I'm Kevin. Born and raised in Glendale/Ridgewood Queens NY. Have made my home in E Northport Long Island for 20 years. Married to my wife Connie for 21 years and have 2 kids Brian and Emily, 20 and 19. Have worked in IT Healthcare, currently in my 20th year at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Involved now in computer software coding and design, patient portal, web development, content management, streaming video, usability... you name it. My hobbies, movies, silent films, movie serials, B movies, Laurel and Hardy, Magic, Acting (Community Theater), Singing, Sci-Fi, Star Trek, Reading (Sherlock and Nero Wolfe), podcasts (listening), baseball (The Mets), football (The Jets), too much TV. - Kevin Shannon
Hello! I'm Ginger. I'm an INFP and a Pisces. I'm fascinated by the concept of fame, American culture, reinvention, identity creation, authenticity, ethics, privacy/publicity, social communities, and advertising, and I like media that talk about those things. Born and raised in Minnesota, now I live in Denver, CO with my husband. Most of all, I love great conversations while eating great food. And I like learning how to make things from scratch. - Ginger Makela
Good Job Adam! The name's Parr. Ben Parr. I'm a recent grad of Northwestern University in Chicago and now working as the Interactive Content Manager for a high-growth web health company. I'm first and foremost an Entrepreneur, then a blogger, fiction writer, social media master, thrill seeker, and Aspiring World Changer. I do everything from SEO to design to some coding. Personally I'm an ENTP, very outgoing and connecting (perfect for a TV show, hint hint). I'm very quirky, but girls seem to love it. :) - Ben Parr
Hello, I'm possible248. possible248 likes to refer to himself in third person. possible248 also does not capitalize his nickname, ever. possible248 is obsessed with Linux, KDE, and weird stuff. - possible248
Hi I'm Bee Ling, my close friends call me Bee. I'm a Malaysian, but have been living in Singapore for about 8 years now. Married and have a 18 months baby boy. Working in the IT services as a consultant, doing mostly customer supports, system developments/enhancements/maintenance. I love lindy hop, great food, photography, reading and travelling. Nowadays, facebook, friendfeed have got much of my online time. It's interesting and fun! - BeeLing Poh
Hi, I'm Ayse (pronounced Isha). I live in Durham, NC, w/ my partner of many years and edit an academic journal at UNC (Go, Heels!). I'm not at all tech-inclined, but v. happy to have stumbled upon social networking sites, which are perfect for those of us who are shy but friendly and naturally curious. Enjoyed reading about you all. Thx for starting the thread, Adam. :) - Ayşe E.
Hi, I'm Cianna. I know Adam through swing dancing & am finally reading my FF because he told me to. I have lived most of my life in the SF Bay Area & know that makes me a lucky person. My focus is on making documentaries, but I'm also often found doing PR & music videos, shorts films, & also some stuff that pays. I love gear, tech, climbing, diving, words & books printed on paper. - Cianna Stewart
Hi, I'm Dennis. I heard of Adam through Todd. I've been living in the SF Bay area since 1991. It's been so long, I consider it home now. Originally made in the Philippines, reared in the Chicago land area and spent a brief time experiencing life in Deutschland ( Germany). I enjoy all things design from software , gadgets, architecture, food. My interests range from being a great dad, cooking, riding a bike, surfing the web. My three wishes -- 1. world peace. 2. save our planet. 3. good health . - D 'gadget' Domingo
You know, I've seen a bunch of complaints that Friendfeed is all one-dimensional techgeeks, social media beggars. Yeah? Well, look through the list above! Love the diversity of interests, of life paths, of cities lived in, etc. Thanks, everyone, for chiming in here. Wish I could "pin" this topic, but I guess I can always come back and Stumbleupon it or something :-) - Adam Lasnik
Hi, I'm Rhea and I like long walks on the beach. I enjoy them so much I gave up a profitable job as a swing dancer to become a bum. Now I spend every waking (if drunken) moment ignoring the world wide web. Occasionally I bum wrestle a laptop from a yuppie, so I can stalk swing enthusiasts online and remember the good old days when the world was my stage, not my bed of newspapers. - Rhea Drysdale
Thing is, I'm not sure if it's laziness, stupidity, craven pandering, or all of the above. Personally, my vote is on craven pandering. Selling to the extremes, well, sells. - Adam Lasnik
Extreme headlines get read. Headlines that state the truth do not. - Robert Scoble
Would you prefer P send a shot over O's bow? - Erica Baker
Adam - we'll never get rid of these types of stories. Sometimes arguing the extremes crystallizes thinking in people. I personally like the nuances, because that's where future trends emerge. - Hutch Carpenter
Adam I think probably craven pandering plus high frustration level with Twitter. But Scoble is right. Jason's post will get wayyyy more views than my own honestly headlined one: http://tinyurl.com/honestheadl... - Robert Seidman
I think most of us thoughtful folks would really appreciate more nuanced reporting. But what's to be done about it? We're clearly in the minority. Fox News rakes in the dough, far more than, say, NPR. When people want to be pandered to rather than challenged, what's the solution for us (dare I say it) elite? :D How do we improve the discourse online, at least? How do we start? - Adam Lasnik
Fox News rakes in the dough even more than CNN. Interestingly though when there is "real huge news" (which doesn't happen often) people tune (en masse) to CNN, not Fox News. You ask good questions Adam. Hopefully FriendFeed is a good start to improving the discourse? - Robert Seidman
Thanks, Robert! And I do think Friendfeed is off to a great start. Lots of collegial give and take, lots of thoughtfulness. I have only blocked two people (for being extreme jerks), and that's not much given how much time I've spent on here and how many threads I've read :). And btw, excellent commentary on FriendFeed/Twitter! - Adam Lasnik
I vote for greed. Friction creates drama which creates viewers which creates advertising revenue. Manufactured partisanship sells more new and improved Clorox 2. - AJ Kohn
I recomment really to everyone the book by Gene Schwartz: "Breakthrough Advertising". The whole first chapter is about this kind of headlines. BUT, a sensational headline is generally not enough to catch attention. You need a promise - directeur via NoiseRiver
Okay, directeur: "10 Ways Friendfeed Gets You Better Sex Than Twitter, Guaranteed!" It's got everything. A number, a comparison, sex, and a promise/guarantee. Damn, I shoulda been a journalist :D. - Adam Lasnik
Adam: I would have liked that story. :-) - Robert Scoble
Adam: A copywriter you meant ;-) And yes, this is the type of headlines :) - directeur via NoiseRiver
In SF, go to 6th and Howard and you'll see a building that is an art project call Defenestration created back in 1997 by 100 volunteers. Defenestration means "to throw out of a window". The building is a four story rundown apartment complex in a poor neighborhood. The project represents the harsh experience of that community. - Adam Kazwell
Awesome match! I thought Nadal would close him out early but Federer hung strong and now looks good. Not a tennis fan but this is AMAZING! - JMaultasch
no breaks of serve since the 2nd set - this could go on a long time - jon bradford
The quality of the hitting between Rafa and Roger is amazing, this is a classic match!! - Joe Dawson
Is there any service out there that lists other types of "you should hurry up and check this out before it's over"? Would think this would be a fun use for Twitter - Adam Kazwell
Computers programs lost something important when displaying a splash of color stopped being one line of code. As a kid, I remember being able to type “plot x,y” on the Apple II to throw up a phosphorescent splotch. When the simplicity of the one-line plotter went away, so did the delight at being so effortlessly generative — in a visual way — on the computer. ContextFree.js is a stab at making it easy again. It’s like a grown up version of Logo - Adam Kazwell
And if so, what are the best types of companies to start in the current economic environment? Is Web 2.0 overheated? What about phone software/services? - Chris White
I think it's a good time to start an advertising start-up for web 2.0 companies...the current forms of advertising (outside of google's search ads) are not providing anywhere near the value they should be. As for phone software - I'm looking forward to seeing what the first killer app for the iPhone will be (and who will make it). The iPhone software might be more fun to invent, but there's way more dollars on the table to fix web-based advertising. - Adam Kazwell
I agree with Adam. This might not be the -best- time to start a me-to web service, bit it is probably a great time to start a support company for pre-existing services. - Steve Spalding
It's almost always a good time to start a company with a sensible business model (this _must_ involve someone paying you for providing a service or product) rather than one of those fluffy web2.0 companies that are merely built to flip. If you have an idea that will take in more revenue than it spends then you should do it. This may seem painfully obvious but in the midst of a bubble people seem to lose track of this stuff. - Adewale Oshineye
It seems sort of backward to me when people start with wanting to found a company, then pick a space based on what's "hot" or "saturated", and then look for ideas in that space. But maybe it's not backward, maybe it's good to engage actively in some general area you think has a lot of potential, and then see what pops out. That was sort of the FF approach, I think? - ⓞnor
Chris: if the current economic environment will supply more challenges it will also demand more solutions? - Amund Tveit
@nor: it seems backwards to me, too, but perhaps it's just as important for people to create products to satisfy unmet needs as it is to create products and then use marketing to convince us that we have a new need. - Amit Patel
What Adewale said. Positive cashflow is what makes a company. No matter how bad the economy gets there will always be someone willing to spend money on whatever value-adding service or product you can provide them with. - Thomas Brox Røst
@nor: I started a company once to create products and services I was passionate about. Turns out the infrastructure to support those products and services was about 15 years too early. These days I spend more time thinking about when is the right time to work on things. Not saying it's right or wrong, just that I have a different perspective now. - Chris White
