Same here... says my contacts are temporarily unavailable.
- Mark Jepsen
Google might be doing some sort of upgrade to the system...
- Jorge Escobar
I see "Gmail is temporarily unable to access your Contacts. You may experience issues while this persists." -- oooh, Google Wave maybe?
- Jorge Escobar
I have send/receive back but not access to contacts.
- shelisrael1
from email
No contacts, no access to archived emails. Can send email to self, but have not received new email for about 90 minutes. Most troubling: Can't save changes to a draft.
- Gary Burge
Wish I could come, Shel, but it's a ways from Berkeley, and I've got some deadlines. Have a wonderful time!:-) Twitterville is a terrific read.
- Cathryn Hrudicka
Thx catherine. I'm glad you like the book. Writer. Speaker. Nice guy By iPhone
- shelisrael1
from email
Thanks for the link. I will add it to my wish list on Amazon and check the delivery status with an online bookstore in Sweden called Adlibris.
- Martin Lindeskog
Whether the comment was intended to be funny or not... it is. :)
- Louis Gray
It was intended to be funny Louis. This time you got my humor the way it was intended.
- shelisrael1
from email
And I'm now outside the Prime 18-49 demographic, but I only watch CBS's coolest (relatively) shows "How I Met Your Mother", "Big Bang Theory" (I do my knitting while "2.5 Men" is on)
- The Web's Wendell Wittler
Retail usually has profits of about 5%. Which means out of a billion in sales, Zappos only kept $50,000,000, out of which they had to pay rent, employees, benefits, etc. So, when you see that the purchase price was about $900 million in stock, that makes sense considering the smaller $50 million in real revenue number.
- Robert Scoble
Duck hunt :P There's something I haven't thought of in a hundred years.
- Jason Hargrove
Anyway, the way to look at it is really this is a company with $50 million to $100 million in real revenues. That's why $900 million in stock makes sense.
- Robert Scoble
is the retail margin you posted, robert, for brick and mortar retail? or online retail?
- Tristan Walker
Tom: right, and Amazon gets a bunch of really great executives and a culture that NO ONE can match.
- Robert Scoble
Uh Robert, aren't profits usually calculated AFTER deducting rent, salaries, benefits, etc.? Perhaps you mean operating profit, in which case 5% is low for retail industry.
- Ritesh Lal
ya its not about revenue, its about annual net profit usually
- sean percival
Yeah, this deal was calculated as a multiple of EBITDA or PBT, not top line revs.
- Alan Chamberlain
Tristan: retail sucks unless you are Apple.
- Robert Scoble
Sean and Ritesh are right. My number is NOT net profit. That's even lower.
- Robert Scoble
Zappos has 1,500 employees and a huge warehouse, etc.
- Robert Scoble
Robert: have you heard of bonobos? those guys are pulling impressive margins because theyre direct to consumer, and how about companies like threadless?
- Tristan Walker
Tristan: I'd be shocked if they make that much profit percentage wise. They probably have a nice business, though. So does Zappos.
- Robert Scoble
The ones who are scared by this are the IT vendors who supply Zappos.
- Capn' One Eye - adrift
Does _web_ retail really have only 5% profits?
- Joel Bennett
I'd think Amazon can squeeze savings out of the distribution side too.
- Ryan
@Ryan I agree but there are fantastic opportunities in online retail that generate impressive margins. that being said, i understand why zappos would be MUCH lower...amazon will certainly help bump up those numbers through various synergies
- Tristan Walker
Amazons next buy will be Rackspace, Great culture and good company. ( I am just guessing based on common sense )
- Luis Borjas
Luis: don't scare me like that! :-) Jason: I can't, but helped manage retail stores for the first 10 years of my career.
- Robert Scoble
Quick look at Yahoo Finance says Robert's numbers are in the ballpark. Amazon, Walmart, both have operating profit 4-5%, and net about 1 point lower. Best is Target with 6.7% operating profit. Costco is terrible at 2.53%.
- Ritesh Lal
Robert, would love to chat with you about your experience there at some point. Interesting space
- Tristan Walker
Robert: Retail doesn't suck for Apple because they are vertically integrated. It's just another 5% to add to their bottom line.
- Ryan
Robert: fair enough. Hmm. A breakdown on web retailers would be awesome. I see a few links here already. Research task for the summer perhaps.
- Jason Hargrove
I assume by "retail" you mean that they don't also manufacture what they sell.
- You.
So will Amazon make all their employees go on Twitter? Imagine the horror although they could probably squeeze a bit more productivity out of them.
- Mark Littlewood
Jim: That works. ~sometimes. Hmm. Maybe 'rarely' is a better word. It's tough to acquire a brand culture unless you're prepared for full adoption. One (decade+ old) example is Canada's Telus (http://telus.com) that acquired a small mobile carrier called Clearnet, paving the way for Telus to become a mobile powerhouse. It was all about the Clearnet brand. I remember the CEO quoted as...
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- Jason Hargrove
I wondering if Zappos excellent customer service will be adopted by Amazon, or will it lose some of its well known service. (Hopefully not)
- Kim Landwehr
Mixing both companies will be a mistake, because they go with different strategies to achieve differentiation. Amazons focuses on efficiency and lowest cost, Zappos focuses on costumer happiness. I think they can both learn from one another and then keep serving their respective costumers with the strategies that have made them successful this far.
- Jorge
Robert, congrats on being a VC, but your 5% estimate for an online retailer seem lower than anything I have heard before. EVER.
- shelisrael1
shelisrael1: OK, so let's say it's 30%. Still is 300 million, not a billion like the number you used. I don't think Zappos is that high. If it were, they wouldn't have laid people off last fall.
- Robert Scoble
agree with robert...impossibkle their margins are in the 30% range
- Tristan Walker
I think we are seeing perhaps a mixing here that could work. With Zappos customer centric culture and Amazon's backend infrastructure. I think that was part of the reason for the layoff since it was mostly that par tof Zappos' company that felt the crunch.
- Jim Turner
Good reminder, people often look at the big figure and forget where it all goes.
- Andrew Nimick
Everyone seems to be high on Amazon - and if your order comes as expected they are good. But, if it doesn't, the customer service sucks.Example: Order with next day delivery (extra charge) but fulfillment slips from Thurs to Friday. No Sat. delivery, won't come till Monday. Call Amazon and they will redirect you to take it up with the carrier. Fail
- PXLated
Talked to some manufacturers reps that handle Amazon. Example-1: Amazon orders by the container load and reorders when down to xx units. Rep gets a new container order and was amazed they'd sold the last that fast. They hadn't, they still had a half container in the warehouse and didn't even know it.
- PXLated
Example-2: Customer orders a $2K product. Receives it with a broken part ($150 part). Instead of shipping part, Amazon ships a completely new unit. This happens three more times. And, the customer had to threaten to have the other (broken units) declared abandoned property to get Amazon to pick up the other four units.
- PXLated
Thanks guys checking it out, then passing out so I can start all over tomorrow AM. By the way the friendfeed API is pretty tricky to setup with netbeans. Still bumping into some probs I'll check back in the api room tomorrow, lots of help from the devs/friendfeed guys there.
- Mark Essel
Great backstory, looking forward to our blame helping beat Drew's cancer.
- Mark Essel
Mark, It is def. a neat idea. Haven't blamed anything on drews cancer yet though
- Holden Page
Glad to see #blamedrewscancer getting some groundswell - I mean, I've seen it posted through some other places not as close to home as you. Kind of spacing on where, though.
- anna sauce
Yeah realize this could be taken the wrong way- meant, I'm glad that folks are running with the theme, as it brings visibility to the issue. I'm really sad to hear about this re: Drew of course. I never knew him personally, just knew of him. I first heard about it from Louis way back when he flew out to see Drew. Anyways.
- anna sauce
That's where, for me, I had my first foocamp experience. Eating apples with the founders of ICQ, founders of Google, my son Patrick, and Tim O'Reilly are among the highlights of my life.
- Robert Scoble
i was asking qualitatively. Larry a highlight for me as well. Sergey, not so much. Note similarities to recent LeWeb Arrington vote. But just my own experience maybe. :-)
- michael silverton
Oh, I agree. If I had a chance I'd pick Larry over Sergey. Larry is easier to talk with and is more of a guy you'd like to have a beer with. Sergey is more difficult to get to know. Reminds me of Bill Gates in that regard.
- Robert Scoble
Funny thing. My son, Patrick, just could not care that he met the two founders of Google. I told him "in 20 years you will care." Now he says "I guess it's sort of cool" but he also admitted that he doesn't remember much of it. I love that he was so pure that he wasn't affected by celebrity or all that.
- Robert Scoble
Gates/Buffet ... Brin/Page ... hmmm ... guess I need to find me a Gates or Brin to come out the Good Guy. Always back to basics -- "compared to what." :-)
- michael silverton
The kitchen, what a good idea! This is an opportunity to meet (& meat?) some of the animals figuring on O'Reilly's book covers. Huh.. I'd recommend you to avoid the web in a nutshell ;)
- Thierry R. Andriamirado
I hope he provides you with some food for thought.
- shelisrael1
shel, you're so funny! Theirry: hmmm, I gotta figure out what my favorite cover is. Thanks for reminding me to check that out.
- Robert Scoble
Tim O'Reilly is one of my most admired tech leaders... what a fabulous opportunity to meet up with him (again). Tim is uber smart and has turned the geek juice up another level lately, as evidenced by his tweets which cover a broader range of topics now...very interesting shift. Congrats on the history with Tim, Google et al.... very cool for you indeed (cool career you have!)
- Susan Beebe
Robert - why the KITCHEN??? you like apples right? ;)
- Susan Beebe
Look forward to his continuing thoughts on Twitter ala Kawasaki
- Kevin OKeefe
Susan: the kitchen is where we started our foo camp experience. What did we find there? Some really bad pizza and a box of apples. So, all of us were eating apples that first evening.
- Robert Scoble
THIS CONTEST IS OVER. THE MONEY HAS ALREADY BEEN GIVEN AWAY. I'm giving away $4,500 of my money. The contest will be here in friendfeed between now and Tuesday afternoon. Ends 3 p.m. Austin, Texas Time. Winner will be picked live on http://www.ustream.tv/studio at 4 p.m. Austin Time. Two ways to win: First way to win ($1,000). Leave a comment here. We'll pick one winner out of a hat randomly. Second way to win (Two prizes of $1,750 each). Leave a comment about how you will use the money (use only one comment here). I'll pick my favorite two messages and announce a winner on Tuesday afternoon. Good luck!
- Robert Scoble
Lets be honest- there are few people who literally put their money where their mouth is. Mr. Scoble you continue to impress me. And I have said this before the contest.
- Alyx
I declare myself ineligible for the first way to win :)
- Douglas Gourlay
Do you have to be an American? Cause I could use a new laptop :) Plus the USD>AUD exchange rate is pretty good at the moment ($1000 USD = $1500 AUD)
- Bryce, Low in Sodium
OK, I'm changing my comment to go for one of the $1750 prizes. I will offer to donate all of it to a mutually acceptable charity in exchange for an appearance with you and Steve on the Gillmor Gang. If Jason can buy his way onto Twitter, maybe I can buy my way onto the Gillmor Gang!
- Kent
Are you still going to the XMPP meetup on tuesday?
- J Allen
I would use the money to 1. Donate and support our local Milwaukee tech community (events like web414.com, BarCampMilwaukee.com, and Bucketworks.org) and 2. purchase some more tech items (i.e. mac mini, video camera, webcam) to enhance and encourage more interaction with development and the tech community.
- Sam Dodge
$1000 for a random comment. I suspect we'll have a record number of comments. But what kind of hat will you be pulling the name out of? Austin Cowboy hat?
- Andrew Leyden
well, this is one way to get me to actually use my friend feed account =)
- Travis
I'm echoing the earlier comments, free money + your reach = most commented thread.
- Steven Cains
I could use it. Ill be out of a job in 2 weeks.
- Armando
Second way to win (Two prizes of $1,750 each). Leave a comment about how you will use the money (use only one comment here). I'll pick my favorite two messages and announce a winner on Tuesday afternoon. Good luck!
- Robert Scoble
Isn't this a nice way to test how scalable Friendfeed entries really are? :-)
- Yuval Atzmon
Will use it to buy Arrington a hairpiece after the TIME article.
- Mike
Please, no, you're better than Ben Stein (although that's not saying much) Are you trying for the most comments ever on a Friendfeed post? Because I can certainly see that coming.
- The Web's Wendell Wittler
Nicholas - would like to work with you at Rackspace, was a senior systems design engineer for Sony Broadband SW Development + Broadcast Integration Division(s) SW Systems Integration and testing, also senior technical project manager on Google's infrastructure upgrade + Verizon's FIOS fiber-to-the-premises nationwide. I also spent ten years in post-production in hollywood as a senior tech support engineer / consultant to the stars. I like bad food, long hours and the warm glow from completing projects.
- Nicholas Chase
Hmmm, how do you post a comment on FF...??? :-)
- I Spy
I would use the money, to help buy a mac for the family. We are in need of a new one, and right now our current one (a powerbook) is starting to die out. I already have some money saved up, but not enough. Thanks for doing this Robert! :)
- Techno Todd
thanks for making friendfeed notifier go insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane
- Caio
I'll use the money to buy a laptop for my soon-to-college daughter, as well as to fund her scholarship searches& college visits this summer. She's leaning towards working in special education, continuing the volunteering she's done with her high school's Options Program (http://www.paulvi.net/academi...).
- Craig Eddy
My friend (14) and I (15) are working on a subscription web service that we want to launch this summer and some additional runway and start-up capital would really be helpful. We do have some experience with this stuff -- we did iJailBreak (www.ijailbreak.com) a year or so ago and had millions of hits and a million downloads and a lot of coverage (Gizmodo, TUAW, Digg front page multiple times).
- Ben Feldman
if i didnt know you, i would have un-friended you for a post like that. "i'm giving away money. details to come." Congrats on the new gig!
- fansnap
If I win, I'll spend it all on ale and whores. I'm in need of both.
- Onur Cengiz
$1,750? Ok, I'll give the half of it to a charity, that is: $875 — and the other half will be my contest's gift. My contest? The one who donates the most to that charity wins those $875. And yes, I'm serious :)
- directeur
I don't know about the tax consequences. I'll try to find out. Basically this money is money Cisco paid to me and I'm just shipping it back out. So, this money will be counted pre-tax, I'm sure, and you'll probably need to pay tax on it.
- Robert Scoble
First comment: Hope my comment gets chosen!
- Kevin Poirier
you can give away money in this economic times? ;)
- Simon
I'd be using the money to finance my freelance work and get a half-way decent video camera. I'm working with a friend of mine on tooloftheday.de (nothing to see there yet) to produce videos of popular tools, tips, tricks, howtos, etc...
- Holger Eilhard
Throwing my piece of paper into the hat. Crossing my fingers!
- Troy Malone
man, my feed is going crazy... stop it guys :)
- Ingo Di Bella
OK Robert, I'll bite and leave a comment here.
- Herne
Second comment...I will use the money to buy as many clever domain names that I can in hope that one day, when you are creating your "next big thing" that you will have to purchase the domain name from me realizing that you had in fact, through me, had purchased these domain names in the first place.
- Kevin Poirier
If I win: I will use the money to lend out some of it on Kiva.org, give my brother (12 years old) his own domain/hosting so he could start a wp-blog there and maybe buy Spotify premium =)
- Anton Johansson
I would buy a new macbook pro with it. I have the old one, and Was hoping to buy the current one. I would then give the old one to my brother and I would use the new one! :)
- TheHenry
I would use it for the prizes I'm giving out daily on my twitter game @I_spy_treasure. Robert, you can win it back... (and so can anyone else...)
- I Spy
I will use part 2 to donate to Kiva.org and match it with Cisco's matching gifts program
- Douglas Gourlay
I would donate it to my homeless shelters.
- imabonehead
I'm giving my winnings to congress to spend wisely : )
- Joseph
Congratulations to both you and Rocky on the new jobs.
- Ron Schott
Count me in! Could use the extra $$ to buy a mac and see what all the hype is about.
- Tim
I would create a company called One Laser Per Child.
- Lasse Johnsen
This is my comment. I would use the extra $1750 to pay for me and Lindsay's trip to Gnomedex this year. It would probably be enough for us to come up and stay a few extra days in Seattle.
- Internet's Tad
That'd put a dent in my taxes. Ugh, freelancing has its pains.
- Andrew
Is there a third way to win? I'd use the money to offset part of the costs of moving to Portland in the spring. Moving from New York with next to no connections to see what it's like living on the west coast for a while.
- Mark Trapp
Sadly, I'd use most of the money to pay bills, but in the spirit of ff, I'd take a smaller portion of it to play a similar game on my ff.
- Randall Rodakowski
What I'd do with $1000? Get them converted to Euros :) Would most likely be spend on "offline" needs, like a new bathroom
- dieck
I suppose spending it on crack and hookers wouldn't win the prize, would it?
- Ian Betteridge
Interesting; I'd give a bit more than the the money to an unemployed friend for necessities(car repair, rent, food, getting back her phone with Nana Lemon singing Nena's famous anti-balloon protest song) in cash and perhaps a small gift
- RAPatton
I would use the money to go biking in Tibet and give everything that's left to the Tibetians.
- Henrik Johansson
Robert why are you giving away money - not that I am complaining- but curious! :)
- Susan Beebe
I'd spend mine on women, booze and a Mac.
- Ed Hudson
I'd use it to stretch the time I can work for equity-only before our startup gets funded! (Why doesn't federal stimulus money go to something like this which actually creates jobs and innovation instead of banks and auto companies?)
- Dale Larson
I will use the money to go PyCon, learn new skills, network, mention how generous Robert Scoble is, and do a sprint to improve FriendFeed PyAPI--which, by the way, you should use to select the random winners from this thread. https://launchpad.net/friendf... Thanks in advance.
- Chris Lasher
Clever way to show the power of friendfeed!
- Emee Pumarega
For $1750: I would pay a portion of my wife's college tuition, buy my daughter a netbook, and my son a practice guitar amp.
- Mattb4rd
Great idea! Count me in. I think you should give your money away monthly.
- Grace Ciccone
I'm Here. Wow. I''ve thrown the laptop up on a 56" JVC LCD HD. Convergence! Just watched you on the Gillmor Gang. Feels like TV to me. It's great. Something's definitely happening.
- Stephen Pickering
I'd spend the money on a new display, I really need one
- Dobromir Hadzhiev
Not my first comment on a Scoble posting here, but first with a potential payoff.
- Tom Landini
I'm in. How I will use the money? will buy server for XdbE project
- Elmira Gazizova
With $1,000 I could buy all 57 Used & new "Naked Conversations" books from Amazon and still have enough to buy bottle service at the club.
- Andy Fields
would like to be able to try new technologies while still being a student and on a student's income = ($0)
- Shane Grant
Cool, count me in :-) I would use the money by buying 2 HTC Fuzes for me and my love.
- Sarah Peterman
Count me in! (for the first way I guess :P).
- Mauro Borione
What can I do to get your $$$ Robert? How about a virtual dance from my dogs?
- Jeff
get Diabla my pit bull puppy hip surgery sooner rather than later
- shayne catrett
I would use the money to help fund a small-scale electronics lab, which has been a dream of mine for some time. It would serve as the perfect place to plot and create the robotic army that will eventually take over the world! Also it would teach me lots that would make me very attractive to an employer, or capable of creating a business of my own.
- Daniel Bruce
It would be hard for me to decide how to spend the money. There is so much, yet so little, being given. Because I'm a crazy Linux-lover, I think I should take the selfless route and donate at least part of the money to various Linux/open-source programming projects. Though, I would have to be careful to make sure that the money is not wasted in the style that Jeff Atwood describes (http://www.codinghorror.com/blog...).
- Rishabh Mishra (p248)
<cold><oddsized><red>here's my comment</red></oddsized></cold>. I've made my comment colored and differently shaped because supposedly those will get drawn before all the other regular looking comments. It's cold too because that's how the Knicks got Ewing first in the draft.
- Todd Hoff
Well, I need a new kidney, and there just happens to be one available on Ebay for $1000. (The previous portion of this comment is an utter lie; both my kidneys are doing fine, I am gainfully employed, do not need the money as much as so many on this thread, but Mastercard would really love to have it.) Congrats and good luck with the new venture, Robert.
- Phil Essing
Hey as long as were giving away money - count me in ;)
- Rob Jones
sweet, a thousands eh? converted to $ JMD that's 90k, groceries for 2 months:P
- Gordon Swaby
i'd like to thank my good friends olasofia and tav for mentioning this opportunity to win $1000 randomly, and if gratitude to one's friends isn't enough, how about this: i will give the $1750 for the best answer to this question: now that there are 100,000 people paying attention, what single action can we all do next tuesday that has the greatest social impact globally?
- happyseaurchin
For either amount, I would look to pay down some of my pressing debts and apply the rest towards a rainy-day fund. The 10% paycut I took three months ago has not helped things.
- JA Castillo
I'm on spring break now and my school was nice enough to lend me a Canon 20D (a little old, but I'm still glad to have borrowed it). Usually, only people who are part of the after school photography club can take it out, and seeing that I'm not, I was quite lucky. They gave me a 28-135mm lens, which looked ok to me. It was the last lens they had available, so it was take it or leave it....
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- Michael Forian
hmmm just leave a comment for a $1,000 dollars, not sure what to say...
- Kevin Tunis
$1750 for a cheeky mobile app, any more would be telling
- Yant
I'm here. pick me :) How would I use? I'll buy a netbook and some books.
- Dogan Tuncer
Testing the mix, testing, testing, one two, one two, - is this thing on?
- Martha
I would use the money to do what I do with all of my money...support my wife through graduate school :p. Thanks for the opportunity, Robert.
- Neal Jansons
Give it to Michael Forian! He seems so well-meaning!
- RexEveryhting
Awesome. With $1,000, I'd use 50% to buy shares of F, GM, BAC, etc... and we'll have even more money to hand out. With the other 50%, we could also make 20 $25 loans at a Stanford MBA microfinance project, so the money recycles and has more impac (and have FFers decide which projects to support). Gumball Capital http://news.newamericamedia.org/news... or Kiva.org http://kiva.org Ideally we could even start a fund to support out-of-work FF'ers.
- Mitchell Tsai
@scobleizer - please give me your money. if you do i will use it wisely to help pay for a macbook & if i get more than the random $1000 prize i will use it in a philanthropic manner
- Chris Heath
I'm probably use the money for a new bed for son, and upgrade Shelly's computer
- jamar78
I'd have to use it all to put toward the $1,900 deposit due next month for the Friends school for which we got an acceptance letter, on behalf of our 10 yo, earlier today since my partner's reaction was that all I needed to do was to go out and get a job Monday! We've tried public schs (& their lotteries) in Boston & DC and have come to this... If that wasn't pressing, I'd use it to put...
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- Angela E. Taylor
updated to say - please give the money to someone in need. If I were to have the money to give away, my choice would be to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com.
- BEX
Wait, in this economy, you giving away money?!
- Adi Rabinovich
So...dear! Did you sign the cheque? Yes? Now send it to me! LOL
- Lora Lufark
It would be really cool if this money went to a charity in need, in increasingly tough times.
- jjprojects
I'd use it to buy myself some time to finish a volunteer project I'm doing for my alma mater - making a website that is an archaeological cataloger and academic discussion space all in one.
- Joey Brunelle
posting comment. crossing fingers. knocking on wood for good measure.
- Anita
I'd use the money as a donation for my favorite charity, www.4everhomes.org, helping orphans and foster children get adopted.
- Lynn Owens
I will use the cash to invest in a MacBook for my wife so she can be mobile and still do her school work and finish that degree finally!!!
- Geek Cowboy
Well after the football team I support (Nottingham Forest) lost 5 -0 today I would spend the money on buying myselft a place in the squad. I can't be any worse than the current goalkeeper
- Paul Bainbridge
Putting my entry in the hat. Hope this is truly random because I don't have anything interesting to add! :)
- Matt Baron
With $1750 I'd buy Canon PowerShot SX1IS 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8-inch LCD @ $600, a 2nd Gen Drobo populated with four 1TB Western Digital Green Drives @ $849 via TwipPhoto and a GigaPan Epic 100 as soon as its available (probably about $500). All of this will support my GigaPanning habit: http://www.gigapan.org/viewPro...
- Ron Schott
James (imabonehead) & Robert, $13,000/yr is allowed by gift tax limits,... so no tax if it's from Robert's personal money.
- Mitchell Tsai
I would use the $1750 to pay for the laptop that my daughter wants for her 11th birthday at the end of the month. She will be entering Jr. high next year and could use a faster more up to date computer than the 5+ year old hand me down desktop PC running Win2000 that she is presently using.
- Jeff P. Henderson
I'll use it to buy 2 new monitors. 1 for tweetdeck and 1 for Alert thingy
- Jeff (the メガマクダジ of FF)
Hi Robert. A noble venture to be sure. We would put the gift to use saving our art studio. The after effects of dealing with the Basin Complex Wildfire that burned Big Sur have left us in a precarious postiion. Truth be told, we'd rather have a big commission than the gift. Work is always better on so many levels. Perhaps we can bootstrap ourselves back to where we were and afford to offer the same gift to others in need one day not too far off--Pay it forward. Best wishes on Building 43 & thanks.
- B.E. (BJ) Johnson
me I'd take my wife out to dinner and then seriously consider buying a MacBook Pro :)
- Steven Hodson
I'm in for the $1,000 random drawing (because my $1750 answer would not be memorable - pay my bills).
- Laura Norvig
Give half to charity, then spend the other half on upgrading my skills (educational resources)
- Mo Kargas
I just caught up with what the other money is for. If it was awarded to me I would use it to help a couple I know get started in Aikido. Their kids are in our kid's class, and they had been trying to find the finances to join for almost a year and had just figured out how to start and then the husband got laid off... They're having a hard time making ends meet and I know that they would...
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- Her Lindsay-ness
What a cool contest, Robert. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
- Glen Campbell
I'll donate the entire $1,750 to Phoenix Children's Hospital if I win. Same goes for the $1,000 if I win that one.
- Aviv
paypal address to follow ...... :) Good luck with the new gig Robert
- Charlie Anzman
With $1750 I would help that YouTube girl scout girl, Wild Freeborn, reach her goal of selling 12,000 boxes to send her whole scout troop to camp. Got to give the girl some credit for thinking outside of the box.
- Tyler Brownfield
_/\_ Namaste (greetings) from India. This is simply awesome Robert. Would be great to win a cool 1000 USD. That's a lot of money in India. ;-)
- Shinil Payamal
Here's my comment. I would use the money to fight against DRM
- Marcos Marado
from fftogo
My mother has been an avid Obama supporter doing a great deal of volunteer work before & after the election. She recently lost her job & wants to start something new. She will need an audience. Robert, I'd love to use your money to hire YOU to coach her on how to do that most effectively.
- Rob Michael (Atmos Trio)
If this comment gets chosen at random, I hereby refuse the money (always test the exception conditions of any algorithm). If I win one of the other chunks, I commit to donate the money to @eff (EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation - the leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world).
- LogEx
I would find 17 worthy people under the age of 16, who are helping their community through volunteerism or have started businesses and give them $100 each to help them reach their goals. IMO, helping young people is the most noble thing those of us above the age of 40 can do. And I'd spend $50 on take-out dinner with my wife.
- Scott Duffy
You win if you're last on the thread, Alex ;)
- Josh Haley
here and ready to spend the money for new ipod touch :)
- Nahnu
If I win the prize money will go on my school fees and the rest will help me to buy a netbook with a full-size Scoble sticker :D you crazy!
- İbrahim Uzun [ j ]
Money would help so much you have no idea. :)
- courto
I'll use the money to send 2 teachers in my school district (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) to a technology conference somewhere to learn about Web 2.0 technologies.
- Tim Cooper
If I win I'll use the money to buy a copy of Autodesk Maya 2009 Complete. Then build cool things. Thanks for the chance Robert.
- Andrew Smith
How will I use the money? With pleasure, thank you Robert.
- Tomi Itkonen
I will use the money to start my non profit and purchase educational/tech material for my son's school. Warm thanks Robert.
- Yanik Falardeau
And as for what I would do, I'd build a new desktop pc (and switching my current one over to act as my media/web pc), buy a true dSLR and donate some to charity. And if there is any left over, pay back some minor 'loans', which I guess I really should do first...
- Grant Bierman
Hi! İ m not speak english so not comment writing :D(ingilizce bu kadarmı berbat olur ya:II) Thx You Robert.
- Mehmet Alp
Hey Robert, If I were to win the money would go to a project myself and a few other early stage entrepreneurs are starting to help get people who have lost their jobs back to work in the startup community. I know it wouldn't go very far but it'd get it kicked off. Otherwise just give us some help (which would be better anyway) and give the money to the guys who have to pay school fees or rent or buy food for their families. Their need is greater. anton@udoogoo.com if anyones interested in helping
- Anton Mannering
Why am I giving away the money? Because last week we did a job for Cisco where they paid us to do some videos. I am giving away my cut because what Cisco is doing is important to pay attention to without you worrying about whether I am paid off to say so. Also, I'm very fortunate to be in the position where I can do it. I thought about paying Jason Calacanis to buy some of his tweets, but thought that money could help someone out of work more.
- Robert Scoble
I think you should give it all to Jason ;o)
- Ken Morley
Love being crazy. Let's be a bit. If i won the money, I'd make my ideas and projects real.
- Cem
I would use one of the $1,750 prizes this way. I'm currently photographing people that ask me for money. I give them $2 for their portrait. Instead of the two dollars. I will use the the money to add $50 to each $2 (total = $52) to the next 35 people that I photograph as part of this project. After I photograph them for the $2 I will give them the extra $50 and tell them that it is from Robert Scoble and will document each person's story, photo and reaction in a blog post.
- Thomas Hawk
i'd like to thank my mother, my father and all the people who helped me win this :p
- Sofia Bustamante
I couldn't tell you what I would do with $1750, but I do know I would give some away to good causes like my underfunded state school or the public school drama and music programs, and I would probably keep a little to save or update my home technology.
- Steve Lowe
This is my first comment : Gods of Randomness, choose me !
- Alemsah Ozturk
how many others have signed up for Friendfeed to try and win $1000? Scoble, you should be a Friendfeed spokesman... :)
- chelle
Best of luck with the new gig! Have fun at SXSW!
- Trevor Little
I wonder how many new FF accounts this thread has been responsible for? Many first-time posters here.
- Ken Morley
This is my second comment: I will gonna put your $1.750 to eBay tagged as “Robert Scoble's first FriendFeed Competition money“ and I'm gonna wait & see what happens :)
- Alemsah Ozturk
why not publish this on an indian and a turkish newspaper? this will def drive this post to records easily... and i am sure, i'll get the macbook pro this week with scoble's sponsorship... maybe i'll brand-name its alu-case with a thanksgiving note to scoble and his sponsor... time to start coding on textmate...
- Progresif Cem Gencer
My niece in Mexico is on a partial sports scholarship at the university she attends. She's been supported by her mother who worked at a liquor store to help pay my niece's way. My niece's mom recently lost her job and fears she cannot financially support her daughter's education. $1,750 would pay for six months of university studies. If I were to win, that's where it would go. Good luck everyone.
- Andrew
Thanks for the opportunity Robert. Good luck on your new gig!
- andy
What would I do with the money? Well I'd put some towards my debt and paying my Mum's house bills. But I think my family could do with a nice break or trip away somewhere - my Mum hasn't really gone out since the death of my Dad last January! Time away from the house would do her the World of good right now.
- Kol Tregaskes
Hi Robert; good luck at Rackspace! My $1,750 would go toward my Rackspace bill of course (well, that would cover it for a few months)!
- Binyamin Bauman
My second comment (for the 1K). This would go to the same niece...it's 3 more months of school.
- Andrew
i dont want it... { reverse psychology }
- Cem Öztürk
My wife has put up with a lot of sacrifice as I've worked on http://ourdoings.com/ and money's been tight so I haven't been able to make up for what she's done. I'd use the money to take her somewhere special, and of course I'd share a picture/map of where we went here on FriendFeed.
- Bruce Lewis
Oh for peats sake, it should at least be easier than winning the lotto. I'm in.
- Eric @ CS Techcast
I'll comment and be random...it's a good day to be giving away $$$ :) I would use any money won here to help my friends who are in such horrible need right now. (the story is on the blog and all over my FF stream). I may be unemployed, but I have a roof over my head, food on the table and can make some $$ freelancing. My friends are hanging on by less than a thread, already stretched way too far.
- Karoli
Hey man, I love money. Also, I have no job. Also, I will say some incitement here: LEO LAPORTE IS AN ALIEN
- Mike Nayyar
Make me your AIG! On the cheap no less.
- Tracy Viselli
Since my wife (school teacher) got laid off from her district on Friday, I'd use the $1,750 for tuition to help her get a Special Education certification, since districts are still hiring Special Ed. teachers. In turn, her continuing work will help pay for my son's tuition when he starts college in the Fall. My son wants to eventually become a lawyer so that he can influence policies that would ensure that people get a good education.
- Glen Campbell
Sounds like a plan. Let's see if FF has scalability issues with their comments.
- Michel Goldstein
This is my first year of trying to "make it" on my own, with a camera and no "real" job. Just trying to scrape by ... to be perfectly honest I'll use the money to help pay off some debt that I have acquired since I started, which has definitely been causing me headaches and frustration. My husband has been a gem, paying the majority of the bills since I make very little, and I want to be closer to breaking even with my debt so I can start to help him out. :)
- Nicole Young
Hope the hat is a big one, this thread is getting pretty full. :-) How the money would be spent? Pay off some student loan debt and put a chunk in our 5 year olds savings account...he (as well as his entire generation) is going to need it by the time he's an adult.
- cmiper
Wow! I've outgrown my entry camera and this price is just what I need to be able to fulfill my dream; a Nikon D300! Please make my dream come true, Robert!
- Graphfruit
Hit me, Fortuna. Papa needs a new MacBook.
- Will Parker
robert are you a photographer - Dixon Hamby
- Dixon Hamby
Geez, it's 2:10 am here in Berlin and you start just another interesting stunt. I will take the 1.750 US and pay a programmer to finish our "Virtual intelligent chatbot" project which offers affordable AI Avatars with personality for all kinds of virtual worlds like Second Life, Gaia, the web, Opensim etc. They'll be our 24/7 virtual workforce and a way to create immortal interactive portraits
- Gaby K. Slezák
I like this idea. I'm talking with some friends this evening about how they'd each allocate $1750 if they were given this much money today to do anything with--most would share with friends and acquaintances that are going through tough tmes. One would help a friend who just closed down his company and is in need of dental work. Another would help co-workers whose hours have been cut...
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- Loren Heiny
i will love you forever. and evah evah. money would be spent on a nice camera (i'm studying photography) and supplies. working with a 5 year old p&s is getting tiring. :)
- shannon
How can anyone NOT click 'like' or comment? I definitely 'pLike' (the p is silent - btw) this thread. :-D
- Sean Hanna
a stunt? sure, but I could use an extra $1k. count me in, scoble
- Seth Long
If I win the $1750 it will be applied to my son's tuition as he starts college this fall.
- Jess Gibson
Is this stimulus money??? If so I'll use it to build infrastructure. There's a giant pot hole in our alley. I'll buy bags of cement and repair it myself. The neighbors will love me.
- Greg
Wow, I'll take some money - I need hard drives for my Drobo. Seriously, I need to start up an emergency savings account.
- Bryan Villarin
A chance to get paid to comment? Love it!
- Ginger Kenney
First, here is the comment. Second, I would use $1,750 to travel back home to Russia where I have not been in five years with my toddler son so my grandmother who is very ill in her old age could see her only great grandson (who's 19 months old) before she goes, and so I could take a one dream portrait of them together. She's been a big influence in my life, and this would be the way to make the portrait and their meeting possible.
- Ivan Makarov
Could really use some money to help plant some seeds for the future
- Leonard Nelson
I'll buy an Iphone and with the rest put in my IRA to reduce my tax bill. Hey, helping economy and investing in business. Not bad.
- Stephen Pickering
This is my lucky day, an email today said I won the UK lottery.
- Bob Gannon
I'm going to buy half a Canon 5D Mark II. Or pay my bills.
- Andrew Trinh
If i win, i triple win , because i live in a third world country (Argentina) and for every dolar y get $3,60 on our local currency, which is a good ammount of money here, for example, i could eat for 1 year or more :D
- Ignacio Guerra
Ok. I would donate my winnings to the Bernie Madoff Defense Fund!@#$%^
- bcultral
I have dreadful luck when it comes to these kinds of things but I could really use this money. I have no car & desperately need to buy one.
- Mattie Kenny
from fftogo
Cool. And speaking of cool, PlanetHeidi.com is very cool.
- dunsany
between building a new house, a new baby and a new job, I am sure I can put it to go use, btw congrats Robert on your new venture, I shall be keeping an eye on it.
- Shane Wolsey
Cobble Sorter (anagram of Robert Scoble) = my random comment for the first part of the draw.
- Daniel Rowley
Wow, there's like a lot of comments here! Great idea for publicity, Robert. Carry on...
- Kevin Trotman
Watching Robert on Ustream right now.
- John Rubier
Thanks for sharing the wealth in more than one way
- Matt Penning
I could have an actual vacation and pay down some more debt.
- Todd Tripp
$1000 is mine! please? thanks Robert
- planetMitch
1. my comment for 1k, 2. $1750 would be split into 3 gifts of $250 a piece to encourage the best new open source projects, and the other 1000 I would invest and reinvest in http://kiva.org , selecting entrepreneurs in third world countries to invest several microloans in. Its' a gift that, over time, can be reinvested over and over to benefit many!
- David Silvernail
Take my hardworking wife on an overdue vacation - she supports me thru the IT bubbles. Thx hun!
- mal
Probably will give it back to you, winning could be cool enough
- Burcu Sarar
I'll take it if your giving....it will go towards the camera fund!
- Noelle Bell
I would use it to promote my tiny little super niche social news site http://HeavyAsHell.com The campaign would involve helping bands go DIY and avoid evil record companies.
- MarkCarras
What kind of sick social experiment is this? :)
- Oren Shomron
mmmmm, austin. i miss Trudy's, El Mercado, Magnolia, Wanfu, Kerbey, Chuys, Fonda San Miguel, Dog & Duck, Thundercloud, Waterloo, Amy's, Little City, Hut's, Green Mesquite. aw heck and Taco Cabana and Whataburger too! if i win, i'll spend it all on restaurants in Austin!
- poxaV
You can't win unless you play! Ok, I better start praying now.... :-P
- Brian
My father-in-law is laid off and his unemployment eligibility runs out in about 4 weeks. No place around here is hiring, and $1,750 would be the equivalent of extending his unemployment benefits another 5 weeks. Thanks for the chance, Robert.
- Civisi
Hello, giving away your money randomly? I can comment for that. Best of luck to all!
- Ronald Paul Corbin
Will you next tell us its limited only to Americans? I hate contests on the Internet, or anything on the Internet, that says "limited to the USA". The Internet is borderless... so should its contests and prizes
- Colin Charles
from twhirl
Thanks. I would use the $1750 to help my grandparents. My grandfather is 73 and my grandmother is 72. They just lost their 15 year home to foreclosure and are pretty much starting over with not a whole lot of time left. They are both on fixed income of SS and are now renting a house and trying to survive with the help of friends and family. When he as younger and had more money he was always the first one there to offer money to friends or family to help, even if it meant he went without something.
- Jonathan Gotcher
Robert please consider partnering with (Facebook) Seattle's Seeds of Compassion 2.0: The Compassionate Action Network (Twitter: @SeedsCAN) -- this organization is building a supra global network of "Compassionate Action Networks" (a bunch of ex McCaw, Softies and CISCO) -- currently in the throws of leveraging Social Media and Seattle's creative communities (music, tech, film). Last...
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- dakini_3
I wanna buy a jet ski, that's my MONEY!
- sofarsoShawn
If I won, the money would go into putting insulation in my daughter's room & closet. Any leftovers would help buy a gas stove & fridge. :D
- Zulema ◕ ◡ ◕
My, there has been some very good comments about what people would do... And some very needy people out there.
- Grant Bierman
Like most, it would be an unemplyment extension for me. As mine ran out, no jobs in the area, and times are tough. But hey, BUCK UP not DOWN! the only obstacles that exist are in your mind.
- Ronald Paul Corbin
Crazy! Hope you are enjoying SXSW! I'm in Austin but can't attend it.
- Head Ov Metal
I'll put some of the $$$ into donorschoose.org for some local classroom requests and the rest to fix up my car.
- Pete Delucchi
I would take the $1750 and go and get myself a root canal, so I could finally get out of pain. And if there was any left, I'd donate it at www.kiva.org
- Bec Rowe @d0tski
Alright, I'm a sucker for free money so here goes... $1750 would be enough for me to buy an oven, sod my yard, and still be able to donate half to a charity.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Wow! Count me in! Sure could use that money to attend JavaOne this June.
- Rom Feria
$1750: Others need the money more than me, I'm sure of that. But ... that said I'd give $500 to a local library or literacy charity. $500 toward my home down payment fund. $150 to a kidney charity (my daughter only has one kidney). $100 for flowers for the wife. $100 for a bike for my daughter. $200 for a brake job. $200 to send at-risk kids to a Giants game.
- AJ Kohn
I would pay off our one remaining credit card and put some portion toward a down payment on a new car. In fact, I'd probably give a slice to the EFF as well. I haven't given to them regularly since my last layoff.
- Ha3rvey (Free hugs!)
why would you do that? It's a sort of social experiment?
- Niki Costantini
Will invest the money in my new unique microblogging startup :)
- X-Man
I wonder how many comments in this thread are their first on FF. Well I'm in. If I won money, some will go into savings and some will go to my favorite charities: Autism Speaks and Atlanta Boxer Rescue.
- Carmen
yay first comment ever, though I suppose I should be commenting more
- Wang Yip
Wow, a lot of people commented just while I was writing my own! For me, half the money would be for savings and health insurance while I'm still trying to get a job (recently graduated). The other half would be for the non-profit arts organization my friends and I just founded in our hometown, which has no supportive creative outlets for its youth. The money would help produce the tri-high school theatre competition we are currently planning and hope to put on soon. Great offer, Robert.
- Kelly
For $1750 I'll either blow it on more photo or computer equipment. Or sock it away in my kid's college fund since it'll probably cost more than half the organs in my body to pay for by the time he's of age. It's a tough choice.
- ronin
A percentage would undoubtedly go toward the health care fund, unfortunately. I'd allocate some for art and film supplies and give away the remainder. I've seen several comments here mentioning worthy projects and needs that are certainly deserving of attention and support. Thanks for sharing, Robert!
- Chris Weige
Circuit City lay off would use on BILLS, BILLS, and oh yeah BILLS
- Ron
Wow. This is kinda cool. If I were to win anything at all from this, I would ask that the money be instead given to fellow FF'er Anika Malone because it breaks my heart that her and her family are having to go without hot water, a dryer, their stove...due to their gas being turned off. Hard times have struck too many good people right now. :(
- tinypants - Hagitha of FF
400+ comments...wow! Guess 1000 bucks is motivation. I'd put the cash toward my photography efforts or go the boring route and invest it for now.
- Justin Korn
Why would you do that? Anyway, here's my comment.
- Saner Apaydın
The pure capitalist social media business model: simply pay users to come.
- Michael Krigsman
If I won the non-random cash prize, I'd use it for expenses while I was off work, recovering from my (upcoming) third brain surgery.
- Abbie Kendall
I would love to use the money to stimulate the economy by purchasing a new hot water heater. Our current one is in need of being replaced.
- Vaughn
Cool, this would help me stimulate the economy while I wait for my California state tax return.
- Stephen Ip
Question: Is it one comment per way to win or one comment in general? I've made one comment above that says how I'd spend the money. Now I'll just be random: PURPLE MONKEY DISHWASHER
- Bryce, Low in Sodium
Okay, I'll play. I would return your money to you with a "let's do something better than this" remark. I would then ask you to actually read (reread?) the email I sent you about helping me get in contact with NPO's re: starting an OLPC-esque SMS-device project for said devices to be delivered in care packages around the world (via Red Cross, etcetera, etcetera) so that the poverty stricken and people in disasters could actually communicate with the world in real time.
- trench
I am making this comment as the IT/Communications Director of FHL International, Inc.http://fhlinternational.org I want to feed babies of poor working and nonworking single mothers. I want to change the oil in their cars when they can't afford it or know how to. I want to feed their children good wholesome food. I want to give the refugees and the lost some hope for another day. If we spend it carefully and wisely we can make it stretch to cover a 3-4 outreaches and give you a write up.
- Melanie Reed
random random random. macro lens, macro lens, macro lens.
- Andrea Ewald
I would probably also tell you (via your infamous digits) why facebook sucks, why friendfeed pretty-much sucks, and why Twitter sucked but no longer sucks. And then I'd educate you on why we - yes, you and I (and Thomas?) - need to visit Turkey ( http://is.gd/7yQr ) and discuss these things further. Yes, k... logging back out now. Thanks. Make coat not war.
- trench
@Robert as the IT/Communications Director, I would invite you to one of our events to cover it, put you on one of our videos and underscore the digital divide and what we can do about it. I would invite you to our UB cafe for the best pancakes in the world and have you look over our IT training provided by the IndyChristianGeeks in Indianapolis, Indiana and meet Dr. Thomas Ho, former...
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- Melanie Reed
hah!! most no of comments on FF so far I guess....
- Satya
Would love some money of course! I plan on using at least 3/4 of it to fund a new project I'm working on involving the iPhone and a web service. It would most likely go directly toward the cost of the project (registration fees, hosting fees, learning materials, etc.)
- Brandon Titus
I'd use the money to get a new iPod Touch and maybe pay the rest to my medical bills. :P
- Mol, Time Warping
As far as how I would spend $1750: I'd love to say that I'm going to donate it all to a worthy cause like the EFF or the local mission, but I know I'll be selfish and just end up spending it in a blaze of glory at Fry's or during the next Woot-off. No point in trying to kid anyone here.
- Michael Molinar
from twhirl
Aargh too many comments to read them all
- dK
from Nambu
I would spend all the money for entertainment :)
- Sinem Co
$1,750 or $1,000? In any case it would be a good stimuli to open a startup in Belarus
- Aliaksandr
Wow, popular contest! I would use part of it to buy the Rosetta Stone package to help me learn French. I'm taking time off between my undergrad and graduate degree, and I figure learning a foreign language would be a great use of my time. I would use the rest to help pay rent when I get my own place, I'm going to be a Congressional Staffer in D.C. and the living is expensive while the pay sucks! Thanks Robert.
- Keenan
If i get the $1,750, i'd give the money as $100x10 and $50x15 AdWords Coupons to the people who searched for the website/blog on pageboss.com for promote their projects like sponsored by Scobleizer.. And if Scob gives me $1,000, i'd spend all of them with my sweetheart Sinem :D
- N.Onur ATAHAN
I would use the money to buy a laptop for my wife, a Kindle for myself and one year worth of school for two children that we know and support in Nepal :)
- Sam Grover
1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil." If that's the case Scoble bring on the EVIL! WHOOOOOO YEAAAAAHHAHH EVIL!!!
- sofarsoShawn
I will by my wife a flight home so she can go and see her parents who she misses lots. Which means i'll have sole access to my (our) laptop instead of having to share it. I could just use the money to buy a new laptop but then i wouldn't get teh good sofa and control of the remote as well!
- Jamie Vidamour
Let's see if I'm still the unlucky guy I used to be
- Boubacar Balde
from twhirl
I could be homeless soon, lost my job due to the economy, and getting unemployment that just doesnt cut it, I could really use the money to pay my rent, bills and feed my kitties, contact me via email Kyle.M.Weller+scoble@gmail.com or you could just hire me and I'll help you in any way possible, check my blogs, I could be useful. And I would return the favor 10 fold if I can, matter fact I'll search for 2 other people to help and blog about it/take photo's
- Kyle Weller
I would keep half of $1750 and give the other half to the author of the comment I liked most, but only if he/she promises to do exactly the same.
- stark
I`ll use 1000$ of the 1750$ to buy a lot of comments on FriendFeed :)
- Vlad
I thought these kind of things happened only countries like mine which the goverment tries to build a begging culture just to keep the hope alive and dependent to the authority at the same time. Each reply begging for money is adding another brick on the wall of shame. And Bob, couldn't you find another way to publicize this?
- M. Serdar Kuzuloglu
If I win I will invest it back for advertising! Just say my name 3 times on twitter like "Candyman".
- Los Angeles Dj
So what would I do with the money? Half of it would go to the good cause. I want to create value for people and who other than the less fortunate, handicapped and so on deserve this? Right. The other would go to a business I'm building. One for the people, on that will change our lives fundamentally and is here to stay.
- Kris
If I dont win this, i'll be happy to donate my time blogging or helping someone in any way right now, im jobless in Phoenix Arizona, I could do yard work or hook up pc's/fix pc's or help you with your website if I can
- Kyle Weller
I'd invest half of it in Google Stocks, then the rest I would pay my rent, get kittie food, and try and advertise www.phoenixstickers.com with adsense so my girlfriend makes some money with it, its new and not very popular right now ;\
- Kyle Weller
Here is my comment : the best way to talk about something is to let people talk about, and 4500$ is a pretty advertising investment. but it is really interesting :) now the question is ; is there any way to gauge the effectiveness of word of mouth? good luck.
- abdellah
Mmm....are u crazy Rob? :) Ok! I wanna a netbook give to me only 300$ ;)
- Dario Salvelli
I'd give the money to Comic Relief (http://www.rednoseday.com/) to buy 250 mosquito nets for Africa. Two hundred and fifty saved lives? Bargain.
- Robin Stacey
you are so generous robin you deserve to win :)
- abdellah
I don't need this money :) Because I'm still working. But you can donate to a charity organization if I win.
- Süleyman Sönmez
I will spend the money attending game design workshops in when in San Francisco, to improve my theory about the use of game design techniques in social web applications (playfuldesign.org).
- Kurai (ff)
@abdellah Hehe. Anything that stops someone from dying of Malaria is all right by me. Besides, it's simple economics. With $1750, no matter how I invest it, I can't do more that what 250 people could do with the rest of their lives.
- Robin Stacey
you are right, so let resume (generous, logic, awesome, and with a sens of humor), let ask the question differently Robin : who has no reason to win the money win the money ;) (it seams that all have at least one reason) human are really amazing creature. (ps: me too)
- abdellah
I agree, I'd buy a jet ski and have so much kick ass fun!
- sofarsoShawn
great idea, Robert! hope i'll win it.. i'll pay for my flight ticket, so i can finaly see you:)
- Martin
Dear Robert, sağa sola para saçmak yerine gidip bi türkçe kursuna kaydolsanda türkçe öğrensen olmazmı? Hem bu yorumu anlardın bak ne güzel. Paran çoksa işe yarar bişeyler yap canım.
- Ahmet Karaca
I'll take "I'm a Nigerian Prince" for $1000, Alex, err, Robert.!
- Kevin Leroux
I have some debts.... and I have 11 sons... 34 grandchildren... 22 dogs... 16 cats... and I am a liar... a neeedy liar :-(((((((:-D).... GIVE ME CASHSHSHSHSHSSH... Ah... Goodmorning Mr Scoble
- Daniel
I'd invest the money to my wife's startup that she starts next month. She'll be working around social media, blogs, photography etc. :)
- Jemm
if i win i will spend it for go usa this summer. absolutely i'll visit you also :)
- haluk
whee! I'd use it to open my deli :) I see free lunches in your future *laughing* hell, I'd even dedicate a booth to you.. with a cool plaque and everything!
- russa
This is going to be the longest thread ever
- Manuela
I hope the money goes to someone that really needs it
- Kyle Weller
Love to know your motivation for doing this Robert. Social experiment? See what people will do for money? You have a financial backing in Friendfeed & are aiming to stimulate usage? Either way, if I win, please donate the money to your favourite charity
- Lindsay Davies
if I win I'll make a gift to my girlfriend
- Ciccsoft
I would give it to a friend who is unemployed; buy a new computer, smart shirt and tie, give him his dignity & confidence back. It saddens me to see so many friends hurting right now.
- Sally Church
I'll use the money by not using it (well, except for that 4pt escape clause written down below in the yet-to-be written contract between me and Mr. Scoble about the prize)
- Daniele V.
This is the FriendFeed equivalent to leftover pizza in the breakroom. I could certainly use some $ right now.
- Phillip
I'd prefer *earning* that money rather than just typing in something non-sense to anyone besides me... (please exclude my comment from the lottery)
- Kaan Ertürk
if I win I'll make a gift to Lehman Brothers
- azael ماسيمو
I'd rather type in nonsense, can I have Kaan's spot?
- sofarsoShawn
awesome robert!! are you part of pres obama's stimulus package? LOL! hope i win the random $1000 contest =)
- Melissa Solito
So. this is my comment: I would use the money to buy a ticket to fly over to meet you and discuss if I could support you as some kind of correspondent over here in Europe (I'm in Germany).
- Till
In regards to the second prize, I'd like to use the money to buy my brother and sister their first macs. I grew up on encyclopedia britannica CDs on Windows 95, they deserve Wikipedia on a Mac.
- Armin Talic
@danslarue, "free money" these two word combined are more powerful then a TNT, if you can conceive or even think a second about a concept of "free money" then implicitly agree with the concept of "free work" and beside voluntary work they call it salvation .
- abdellah
I would use the $1750 in part to purchase some equipment for the part time photography business (about $500). The rest would go to 2 friends who are hurting right now with Flagler County, FL's unemployment rate at just over 14%.
- Jay Caruso
strange that no one, think to reverse the money to the 43 startup!! boys oh boys buy some action some part of this 43 startup may be it will be worth million :)
- abdellah
At first i thought i'd start a similar thread and give the money i win :-) but, here's the truth... I'd use the money to pay the next month of dev, working with a partner on our hope to be successful web service. I'm jobless 9 months now, 3 months since we started pushing the idea forward, all done @ home. Will use the most to pay my bills, with the rest i'll buy dinner for some of the homeless people i usually ignore.
- Majento
With this money, I am plannig to start a new company that develops social media applications. So if I win, I can give a job to you :))
- Aydın Kayacık
the entire amount of money will be used to help the local communities in eastern congo and sustain conservation of the virunga national park in congo. if you prefere, you can do it right away without giving me the money, visit www.gorilla.cd/blog for a one-time donation / all donation are tracked and transparent :)
- giulio
Brilliant idea and very noble of you, Scoble! (Sorry...I should leave the humor to my husband, who does a much better job!) LOL! I would use all the money to buy as many Radio Flyer kids wagons and send them out free to those that win a contest similar to this one! (I get them wholesale because I am an authorized dealer, so that would stretch the budget a bit more).
- Pat Graham Block
I'd spend the money for future trips: I have ever wanted to see the milky way from the earth or see the Northern lights. But maybe, I could put the money aside and spend it for a parabolic flight when I have enough money (that's another lifelong dream). I would also love to go on safari in Africa and see all the amazing animals in the savanna. But maybe I should rent a car and feel the American dream at Route 66? Ah Robert, your money lottery helped my thinking about all my dreams again. Thanks! :)
- Timo Heuer
I would use part of the money to donate to some podcasters or webcomic artists who are selling things on their website, like T-shirts, mugs and stuff like that. And buy a couple of domain names. Things I already do when tax return time comes, only this time more.
- Derek Coward
Each post you make will promote this thread more and more thus decreasing the expected value, with this rate a post made a few hours from now will probably have an expected value of a few cents. This will be a very nice data .
- Tuna
I would spend the money of webhosting running free-of-charge computing services for open drug development (using open source utilities), such as used in Open Notebook Science and sorts.
- Egon Willighagen
I think we will use the money to develop a desktop application for facebook very simple, actually, but that still does not exist in optimal form. I thought with a friend, but, since we are both students, we need a bit of $ $ $ to get technical advice from someone for some parts that relate to writing code (I study Marketing, and my friend is the final year of a degree in computer engineering).
- Tiziano Tassi
Okey I give in. Scoble, finally you made me signup for friendfeed
- shafiu
i'm in. also if this a psyco socialexperiment...
- FedericaB.
hahah interesting to see anyways .. how many comments on the one thread
- Terry O'Fee
Alright. This is my first entry. Chances are that I won't win....but it is exciting waiting to see if you do. :-)
- Thebluestbutterfly
1) I'll spend the money to end my fear for airplane: so I can travel again. 2) i will organize a free public movie show here in Milano, all people sits in the night to watch the screen in the spring air
- FedericaB.
@FedericaBellag, interesting :) and what if it is just a plain and simple contest? it may be more "word of mouth advertising" tracking experiment then psyco social one. (love the smile face)
- abdellah
I will use the money for paying up my college fees and taking up a course related to VOIP. People like Craig and Vincent of Grandcentral (which I use for 3 years almost), pat Phelan and more VOIP experts keep pushing me to do something great in that area. Also, great its open to any1 iin the world. Most competitions are US ONLY, which is something I HATE BIG TIME. I m in India Mr....
more...
- Hardeep Singh Dang
@samuel, no the question is are FF team ready to pay $1000 for any on who join!!!
- abdellah
@abdellah ok, let's be tracked then! that's my face at the office ;-)
- FedericaB.
I will save the money. I'm an italian student studying abroad (Master in Digital Library), and those money could just be useful. They could be also a way to go in Jerusalem, following my girlfriend. Anyway, goo viral Scoble ;-)
- Aubrey McFato
I bet half of the money, the prize goes to the 1000th commenter.
- funkyboy
from Posty
notice : the headline is "win my money" not "take my money", so we have to make effort, it is not a "free money" it is a make effort and win, so remember it is not "take my money" :)
- abdellah
It's so hard to see whole of the comments. 620 including me now. :)
- Meriç Dağlı
I would get an iron if I have been searching some water in the desert and I would be the ass part of the Voltran, when we have been arising it.... bacause I am so unfortunate
- Lokman Köroğlu
you wanna DDoS FriendFeed :). I will use the money for a ff-contest when i pay people for the best comment. obviusly you can partecipate and win back your money. :P
- enzo zadrima
I'll donate some charities with 750$ of it. Buy a macbook with 999$ it, and set up a " First commenters win the buck. " contest via friendfeed. :)
- Meriç Dağlı
It shouldn't be about the money? What kind of game is it? We still need to wait Is it somehow related to SXSW?
- Aziz
Hi, with that sum I would probably take a chance to stop and take time to smell the roses, at least for a while.
- ziomau
nice way to see if there's a limit on the number of comments a ff post could get..
- Nicola Maggi
I could qualify for the $1,000, but not the $1,750 as I have two jobs. The only basis I could see is for a complete donation to an organization helping out of work people. We have a food pantry here in Beverly Mass called Bootstraps and a women's shelter in Gloucester, Mass called Wellspring that both would know just where that money could be best used.
- Martha
I'll be practical when I win the money and invest it in the future....my childrens' education!
- Kevin Dugan
@Eyal no, you can't win a contest even if you give money :) money don't do anything ;)
- abdellah
@nicolas interesting question, and what do you think? does a thread have a comment limit or no? it all depend on the limitation, will this run eternally?no so there is a number of comment that people will post here it is a kind of buzz after the momentum there will be no comment let say there will be 50000 comment, FF are able to store such data.
- abdellah
So being completely unbiased, with little if any interest, if I were Robert Scoble, handsome fella, I'd give the money to whoever stated first they would buy a jet ski due to the fact they are super fun! Oh, who knew, that's me!
- sofarsoShawn
Great...I was juts talking over in TechCrunch that Robert does not need luck in his new venture "Building 43" and not it seems I am the one that needs luck to win the $1000 ....:) Thanks Robert Joao/TechFuga
- TechFuga
Well I started reading this thread, but I got a 1/4 way through & gave up, >650 comments, that's got to be some kind of record. What post does have the highest number of comments?
- Glenn Slaven
Interesting... I guess there's nothing to lose by trying
- Adi Sheleg
Ok, can't hurt to put one's name into the "hat"...p.s. good luck dude on the new gig... will be following closely... thinking cloud myself :)
- Michael Lehman
Commenting away in the Great Scoble Sweepstakes.
- Warner Crocker
With $1750 I would spend half to get to next years SXSW which I am missing this year :-(. and the other half I would spend on sponsoring a deluxe drop in-childcare at the Austin Convention Center for the parent bloggers.
- Emee Pumarega
I'm in too:) I would use the money for keeping an exhibition
- Nia
Comment! This is the Robert Scoble Stimulus Package
- Kreg Steppe
10% to charities of my choice, the rest to pay bills and allow me to keep working in the nonprofit sector. I'm at that level where I still need to do outside consulting to come out ahead at the end of each month, and $1600 would give me 4 months where I wouldn't need to get a consulting gig (yep, the budget is that tight)
- Jeff Stern
The 4 minihawks would like to donate to their california school district to help offset the 1.5mm cutbacks.
- Mrsth
I can upgrade to a macpro by winning :-P
- Richard A.
wow this is the most comments/likes i've seen!
- andy brudtkuhl
If I won either sum of money, I'd probably put it toward buying some camera gear, like a Nikon D90 and another lens. I have a couple family events that I'll be taking pictures at, and it'd be nice to have a D90 for them. :) I could go for a D700, but the D90 has video, so that's why I prefer it right now.
- Cheryl Jones
@Jason H - Whether or not either of us wins Robert's money, I have a timeshare near Disney that I haven't had the opportunity to use in the past few years. If you can get yourself airfare, a rental car and park tickets, I'll be happy to let you use the week, no charge to you. The dates are October 24-31, 2009.
- Sally Robinson
if i win the $1000 or $1750 i would donate it to charity:water or some other water based charity. clean water is the catalyst to healthier and smarter communities
- Damian Holmes
Congratulations to you and Rocky on the new gig.
- Aron Michalski
With $1750 I'd give money to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to help fund research for a cure and treatments so my mother and others with MS can have an improved quality of life. I'd also give money to the American Diabetes Association to help my father and others living with diabetes. I'd give some to @smallcanbebig to help needy families locally (Boston) and hope to have enough left over to take my son to visit his grandparents in FL. He's 6 mos. and they've only seen him once, at Christmas.
- Sally Robinson
Robert, I want your money. Do I have to work for it?
- Aidha
on that money is the side of the monte man. what's this it :) scoble iki dakka delikanlı ol lan paran fazlaysa git yardım kuruluşlarına, özürlüler, kimsesiz çocuklara ver mngoduum kapitalist pçleri.
- Volkan Yılmaz ٩(●̮̮̃•̃)۶
if you come to shanghai/China, we can have a dinner and go to bar :)
- 赛林(土耳其)
I enter not because I need the money (I'd give it away too) but because me entering slightly reduces all of the rest of your chances to win. MUAHAHAHAHA
- Nate True
My Scoble $1750 stimulus package spending plan: Give my son (the struggling Mac/iphone developer) $1,000 in "angel funding", get a Drobo ($500), and put $250 in my Grandson's (future Mac) savings account.
- Al Degutis
Pick me, pick me, pick me for the $1000 giveaway (if you don't pick me for the $1750 Scoble Stimulus).
- Al Degutis
more people should do this. Many people or businesses could afford to give $1,000
- Lady Lovely Heart
i would donate some of it maybe half to a local worthy charity, the rest would go into a fund that would be used to encourage this type of activity. Conversation building, with the right questions a lot of solutions can be found by crowds
- Tweet Feeds
My intent for the big prize would be to replace windows in my home with energy efficient ones. the ones in the house now are cracked from the house settling. they are the original 1959 windows, and they rattle every time a plane goes over the house. very distracting when we are trying to concentrate or stay warm
- Lady Lovely Heart
Big money. No whammies. STOP. | I would use the winnings towards upgrading my equipment (Mac Pro) since my current setup is pretty bad for video. I would sell my current MBP (2006 First Gen) and use the proceeds towards the new machine. I would pump out twice as much HD content with better equipment. Thanks for all you do Robert..I know whoever wins will make the best out of the cash.
- Bwana ☠
Take my husband to the Grand Canyon for that honeymoon we never had--that's what I'd do with some extra cash.
- joansjewels
I'd buy a laptop so that I don't have to wait for the missus to get off the ruddy computer and let me have my go on it!!!
- Andy
a nice way to test the limits of commenting feature on a bunch of real people just for US$1000.
- 9000
I will use the money to buy $1 stocks in companies that will re-bound or will be more successful in the next 2-5 years due to the ongoing financial crisis. My choice will be guided by those companies that care, share and have flare for others...a community stimulus...hope others will join and build what the "financiers" could not.
- Gordon Montgomery
1. Cool 2. Travel for VC meetings so I can finally provide some solutions for RSS that we argued/discussed 2 years ago (delivery of premium content possibly over open channels)
- Andy Beard
Yo Robert, did you give it away yet? Here's my chance to win! ;^)
- Michael Bailey
@manuela, but personally I want more comment from you.
- abdellah
awesome idea. by the way, how goes life without diet coke?
- tracy
I'd use it to help an independent artist with their career. Rentals for video equip on shows and music videos with stories that would otherwise remain untold.
- Frank Jonen
Woah! So is this part of the Scoble Stimulus plan? Anyways, if by some chance I did win the money I would use either towards moving out of my parents house later this year or put it towards my student loans.
- Mathew™ one of a kind
@Akiva you also deserve to win., I insist please comment this thread please.
- abdellah
If I lay my hands on this prize, I'll spent a night playing blackjack surrounded by hookers. I'd also buy a new Palm that Robert recommended lately and spend the remaining amount for ScienceDirect and Jstore subscriptions.
- Alan Kodzasov
I would use the money to fix the economy.
- Andy Bakun
Andy: you get it right, please fix that economy.
- abdellah
Its enough to buy one toliet seat for the government :)
- Roberto Bonini
Robert could fund nails and shingles for building a small seminar facility in the Adirondack State Park.
- Jeff Archambeault
With $1750 I would buy a lot of toys for the baby we are waiting....
- roberto ferorelli
I count at least 6 references to "donate to kiva.org" so far. Pretty cool. That is what I was going to write, but looks like many other's beat me to it. But hell... If I got it, I would donate to Kiva.org. :) (make it 7 now).
- Shannon Bauman
Nothing special here, just want to pay some outstanding bills and get supplies for my 3mth old =)
- Mat Finch
Quickly put in a reply while thinking about a smug way of spending 1.750...
- Stefan Kolle
Yeah, I think I'll stick with the Kiva donation too. I'm pretty prolific there (a true believer), and have about that amount outstanding in loans, so the chance to double my Kiva loans in one go would be outstanding.
- Stefan Kolle
is this gonna have like 1000+ comments?
- Jorge Murillo
I'm bummed I couldn't get to SXSWi so I came to Robert's ATM machine instead. :)
- Laura Zickus
I'd love to say I'd do something altruistic with the money, but I'd invest it all in my startup (we're doing cool things with information and emotions online). In this economy every little helps :-)
- jennielees
with $1,750, I would I would set up 7 performance art / photoshoots uptown here in Charlotte in the center of Bank Town at lunch time, wordlessly demonstrating some of the problems (as I see them) with our current corporate culture. I have the first one of these ready to go but don't the cash to set up the others (yet). If I only got the free $1000, I would buy some more studio lighting equipment (much to the chagrin of my roomy).
- Shannon J Hager
sure, I'll play. as for how I'd use the money, I'd probably use it to help offset the cost of my lasik surgery.
- chrisofspades
I would use the money to fund my own open source development work (within the php symfony framework) as well as supplement my wife's pending maternity leave. Realtors don't get paid maternity leave... Thanks!
- Jon Issler
I would use the money to assist my parents in their move back home closer to the adult children. They are currently existing on 18k a year, their Medicare and Secondary insurance cost them 10k. It would help buy their medications.
- Janet
I'm sure that there are a lot of deserving people who need this money so best of luck to all. I would give this $ to my mother who had to sell her business after working so hard, cause she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now she has to work for someone part time cause still sick, husband laid off in Florida, trying to pay off house, med bills, prescrip, barely making it & gov't no help cause not appv'd for Medicare cause married, what? so considering divorce just to afford medical bills & mortgage. - M.E.
- monica Edwards
Here's my comment! I'll take my chances. I'm a poor college grad, I could sure use the cash.
- Jessica
I've blocked u, so if u wanna get back on my list....:)
- Koba Yaschi
This is really good. I'll buy a Nintendo Wii. :) Thx.
- marrup -serkan-
I hope people that REALLY need it win ,,, good luck on the Contest Rob ..
- johnpiercy
This has to be the most commented thread in FriendFeed.
- Nicholas James
Here's the rundown with what I'd do with $1750: I want to do a Power Rangers fan film. No joke. Stop laughing. No really, you can stop now. Power Rangers has been on the air for the past 17 seasons, and it's finally getting canceled. This has inspired me to shoot a film short inspired by the show I grew up with. The $1750 will be invested to bump it up to looking professional. Scoble can be the Executive Producer! Don't pass up on that chance. Ok, you can stop laughing now, lol.
- Lisa J
Tuition for 2010 Iowa Summer Writing Festival courses, at Iowa Writers' Workshop.
- Paola Bonomo
It would go into the funds I am raising to start a new print venture, tbnl, which will publish great, timeless stories (fiction & nonfiction) in a limited edition (subscriber only edition), a print-on-demand edition available for years and a digital ebook reader. Paying writers & artists on an ongoing, fair basis
- Shannon Clark
I'd love to have some Scoble Dollars. They'd help fund my exit from technology to academia.
- Tom Morris
Hi Robert, Congrats on new opportunity with bldg 43 Can I share your money with my 18 month old daughter AKA the Joy transmitter or perhaps I could drop it form the sky with my tandem paraglider over the Microsoft campus...
- John Clifford
It's impossible not to comment - although if it wasn't Scoble saying this, I wouldnt bother to be honest, as I'd suspect a con ...
- Ian
I'd use the money to buy crack. I mean books for children. Oh, wait, it's random...
- Jules Morgan
Wow! I think I would invest them for developing an iPhone application
- Nicholas
Hi Robert, my first comment on friendfeed, I couldn't resist the chance. You do know that Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day - I'll buy you a leprechaun hat from the parade in Dublin to celebrate!
- Niall Sisson
Leaving Comment here. Hope it finds a good home. I would use the money to start a shelter for lost comments.
- Joe K
I'm here! And I'd like to switch from PC to Mac... :D
- Giovy
Hi Robert, this is very generous of you, thank you! I've been unemployed since last April so I could use the money for rent, food, bills, etc. I wish I could buy a nice little netbook with the money but maybe once I'm back on my feet I can make that happen. In the meantime, thanks for being so considerate to your readers! Best of luck with the new venture too.
- Andy
Rackspace customer and big fan... Looking forward to this new venture!
- Charlie Nichols Browning
Surprised you have fallen as low as this Robert. Still, been there and done that before so best of luck and best wishes with Rackspace.
- Paul Fabretti
If I win, will post about the same in my blog and you'll be famous in India too (if you're not, that is). BTW your fan following can add upto 45 million Indian internet users (Smirk!). Now how about that Mr. Scoble? Game for it....Oh man, this is quirky fun! Keep up the good work Robert :)
- Sampad Swain
I would use the money to fix _my_ economy. And by my economy, I mean I'd blow it all on strippers and blow.
- Jon Ursenbach
The amount of comments in here is insane. What's the record for the FF entry with the most amount of comments ever? Because this one feels like a winner.
- Brad Butner
from twhirl
you lucky! in Italy we can's setup a contest like that one easily and free, we have to pay taxes :(
- Maurizio ㊍ Mazzanti
If I won $1000, it would go to my first Mac since a Mac+ !
- Steve Ellwood
am still undecided on your real motive...... but then again, pecunia non olet..... ;)
- denise
787 comments ?? wow!! Scoble u are the Brad Pitt of friendfeed... anyone else see the physical resemblence?
- Cody Heitschmidt
Um, no, I don't Cody. Sorry. Scoble is taller.
- Roberto Bonini
just leave a comment. well her's mine
- Rachel Clarke
well its not identical I know Scoble is a little taller, but other than that Anfgelina could easily confuse the 2.
- Cody Heitschmidt
That would be awesome, I could put the $$ towards my vacation to Kauai in August. Thanks Scoble, I promise to provide you photos from the vacation PF.
- Pentaxfan
I'm bending the corner of my comment so it sticks out
- Just Ken
You're not really going to write down all these names & pull them out of a hat are you?
- Mrsth
I'll need a credit card that got no limit-cuz we all just want to be rock stars
- Mrsth
Mrsth: I bet he'll find a script somewhere to pull all the usernames into a file, as only Scoble could do. :) Any amount of money would likely go towards my photography business, should I be chosen to win... it would be fun to put a portion of it towards prizes for the photowalks I'll be starting this summer in northern Vermont for area photographers and enthusiasts.
- Bob M. Montgomery
Are you trying to create "the most commented thread" on friendfeed? Here's my comment however: what will I do with my 1750$? Probably I'll use them as a "microfound" for a webapp I'm thinking to... :P
- Napolux
from twhirl
I like free money. Was it already given away?
- elroy
I'd like to say that I'd do something noble should I win but there's no nobility in ordering cases of wine and giving my liver a good workout. Plenty of enjoyment, though.
- Mark H
I would use it to not have an excuse for not recording my album. That is to say after 15 years of putting it off, I would stop procrastinating.
- Vicky
I'm in and I'd probably put the money towards building my deck (not super exciting but still...)
- Trevor
Starting to think I should post a reason why I want it...
- ralphsaunders
I'm in! And I would use the money to buy my mom a present. She just turned 52 :)
- Alex Kapranoff
I'm working on a funding for a research application for a semantic web project that I hope will become the next big thing (one of the next big things, anyway). If I succeed, you'll be the first person I ask to cover it!
- Sam Kuper
Money, money, money, money ... MONEY!
- Great Scott!
You guys do know that Scoble is essentially bribeing you to comment here? Large carrot and a small stick.
- Roberto Bonini
LOL. In my defense, I was performing a public service. *ducks*
- Roberto Bonini
Hey I'm in. Is this the most commented entry in the whole of FriendFeed? I'm guessing that it will be. Anyone know what the previous record was?
- Peter Kelley
I'd use the money to help get my wife's specialty dessert company off the ground: www.thesweettreatcompany.com
- Michael Listberger
Can't wait to win your money... I'd use it to pay for some much needed camera gear and the rest of it to plan a trip to a city I've never been before so I could photograph it. I would love to be able to do something with photography, but it's tough working full time and going to grad school at night, all on my own dime. I don't have it as rough some people, but I've had to earn everything I have so I make no apologies for it.
- Michael
Good luck sorting thru the 800+ comments :) If I won the money, I would repeat your experiment and give it all away (though I'm sure I would get no where near as many entrants as you) (P.S. It's not that I couldn't use the money, but I think it would feel good to help someone who needs it more than me). Good luck everyone!
- Helen Hoefele
He won't notice if I comment twice, right? ;) Nah, I don't do that. But, holy crap! This is a lot of comments!
- Mike Nayyar
now i'm not the only person on friendfeed who hasnt commented on this post!!!
- sam
from twhirl
now i'm not the only person on friendfeed who hasnt commented on this post!!!
- sam
from twhirl
I sure could use $1000. Would go straight to funding Taskerrific. $1750 would be even better, because I could get a new computer and a year's hosting, based on my current estimates.
- Chris, Taskerrific Guy
I would use the money to fund my plastic drumming addiction. Hellooo pro drum set hacked to play Rock Band!
- Chieze Okoye
So I wonder how many comments a FF post can handle?
- gfurry
I would use the money to pay my taxes so the needy executives will still be able to get their bonuses this year.
- gfurry
Hey Robert. Hard to say the best way to spend it without doing too much work to make it be most useful, but if it could be used to do something radical with what is going on with the Fed, I'm sure you know that Ron has a bill in Congress to Audit the Fed. Very soon things are gonna be way worse for us on this planet if things are not done to stop the insane people from making some really bad choices. So the money should go to someone willing to do something really radical to save our country from ending.
- mikehedge
I would donate all the money to UNICEF and Kiva.
- Jess Lee
Weird. I was just thinking about how I needed about $1750 in ones to sew together and waterproof in an effort to make myself an umbrella top to fix the one I ripped yesterday. So...yes, that's what I'll do with it. I'll even give you a free picture of it in exchange for your dollars! (Leftovers will be donated to credit card debt. :( )
- Brett
I would use the money to help pay for the permits I'll need to get a pet monkey for my internet video show.
- Davis Freeberg
I'd start a community for my career, regulatory compliance in biomedical research. Right now there is not an effective way for my counterparts at universities, biotechs, government labs, private labs to communicate quickly and effectively. The result of this is organizations world wide continually reinvent the wheel. I'd like to create an up to date community with high traffic, and the ability to share files, policies, forms, etc. The project will go foward w/o the money, just more slowly.
- Matthew DeVries
I'll put the money into microlending; a good social/economic ROI.
- Phil Wolff
I want to say something conservative like pay down my debt or put it in the kids college fund, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I would use the money to buy myself a bass guitar. Just something I've been wanting but don't have the discretionary income to afford it.
- Eugene Huo
850+ Comments? That has to be some sort of record for friendfeed in just over 24 hours.
- WiseYoda (aka Patrick)
If I won $4500, I would install central heat and air in my house. You would make my life so much happier!
- Auriette Lindsey
$1,750 would go to the nonprofit volunteer org I'm trying to get off the ground :P
- Shawn Farner
Diapers for Newborns. $1750 split evenly to the most socially active on http://bebepool.com (my free web service enabling expectant parents to run their own baby pool contest). Most active meaning the 10 pools with the most participant guess entries Jan-Feb. I will paypal $175 to each winner and blog the results inclusive of the funds origin & any statements from the families impacted. I've seen the bebepool community show their own generosity (http://burnurl.com/YvHNL0 ), so would love to full circle it.
- Micah Wittman
If I won the money, I'd give all of it back to you. Of course, I'd charge 100% interest. :P
- Matthew Agra
wow. must be the post with the most comments i've seen on friendfeed so far.
- simonpure
With 1750 I'd do the ever boring "keep paying off the wife and I's credit cards"
- Steve Boerner
Any and all the money I win will go for building this charity app we are planning. Every cent spent will be accounted for and would be posted on a web site (TBD). Additionally, we will be spending our own money and time on this. @scobleizer, please ping me if you would like more details.
- Ashish Rangole
Tipjoy $1 each to the first 1,000 or 1,750 (depending on prize) commentors in this thread who have a Twitter account.
- Hao Chen
With $1750, I'd put up another "Win my money" post on FriendFeed, and see if people bite more or less than for your money. And then figure out why they liked your money more (social-networking experiment 2.0).
- Ivan Zuzak
Robert kardes kusura bakma Ingilizcem iyi degil. 1750 gaymeyi bana verirsen sirket acarken kullanacagim. toparlarsak : $1750 + 10 000tl = design company :)
- Uur
Emergency is an independent, neutral and non-political Italian organization, provides free, high quality medical and surgical treatment to the civilian victims of war, landmines and poverty. http://www.emergency.it/index...
- Cristian Conti
If i won the money, I will write a easy to use friendfeed app for iphone :)
- cem
$1750= Paying off my medical bills... no, not enough. Gas, food, rent... mmm, scratch that. Funding my craving for more, new camera equipment.... perfect. You, rightly feeling good for what you want to do,... priceless.
- Kate
I'm going to become father for the second time ! I'll use this money to search a new house whith more than 2 rooms !
- neurinux
mi piegherò al Dio denaro, ma almeno lo farò nella mia lingua madre :)
- Tambu
from twhirl
I will use the money to put towards a deposit on a flat. Currently I am living between my parents and my partner and daughters. I have two children from a previous relationship so will use the money for a deposit on a place which is central to both location
- Joe Dawson
I'll use the money for a much needed, long overdue, 2 month break and go to India to relax from this hectic world…
- Adi Sheleg
i'll use the money to get out of this place and start running my own business
- Claudia
I'll fund prototype of my p2p language learning startup
- Artyom
In case I win, I'll upgrade my networking status to "notworking" status. At least for a month. During that time, I'll have more time to make blog posts and enlighten self taught musicians and producers who are fighting to make music in their bedrooms. And I will buy some cookies for myself, in case I forget to eat
- ilter
Sei un chiattone, bob. Simpatico, però.
- jokerulez
Considering some people worrying about taxes, I'd just like to state that up here in Canada, lottery and contest winnings are not taxed. At all.
- Chris, Taskerrific Guy
Sorry, I don't want money, we've got too much !
- Benoit Bourdin
Benoit: I'd be happy to help you get rid of some of your surplus, if that's really the case. ;)
- Chris, Taskerrific Guy
In response to happyseaurchin's question above, I propose tiprojx http://tiprojx.wordpress.com/ ... If anyone reading this who has a twitter account tweets an idea for a (social change) project with one or more of the hashtags #tipme#tipshare#tiptodo#tipif ... a whole lot of new projects have the potential to 1. gain crowdsourced funding and 2. be collaboratively refined in the process. I'll split the money between my favourite tagged ideas posted before midday (GMT) next Tues 24 March.
- Hannah Lewis
If I won $1750, I'd use the money to hire a local (Austin) freelance UI/dev to help me finish my social sports service (commi.sh) and pay for hosting for a year while we grow it.
- Carter Rabasa
OMG. Robert Scoble jumps into "paid per comment". This is the end. My only friend, the end.
- Davide Pozzi
ok, this is definitely a test for building43.com. does friendfeed run on rackspace? Rob, you trying a massive test of comments or live commentary, or something like that. i can bet you're analyzing this data on rackspace. you're making the new friendfeed search of organized live conversations/streams.
- Reji
Another social experiment?!? Sure, I'm in for a little bailout money!!!!
- Ferwin
from Nambu
If I win I will hire someone to keep track of these little contests ppl like Scoble play from time to time.(since this kinda contests will be the newest #trend from now on)
- Manoj
Comment 909 and counting. New pool ~ When will Robert break his own record.
- Russellreno
Will Tomorrow be my Lucky Day? I will buy $1750 dollars of PowerBall tickets and then give 90% of the winnings to help feed children in Africa.
- David Clements
This money could really help me in my current situation. Unfortunately I recently had a tumour removed from my bladder, which has really turned my life upside down. Overall, this has resulted in me having to miss and therefore finance two extra years at University. I’m currently 21 and studying BA Hons Economics at Newcastle University, England. I’m pleased to say that my health seems...
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- Daniel Rowley
With $1,750 I would be able to afford the flight back to Austria and support my dad who has to undergo his 3rd surgery and eventually also the 4th.
- Verena Fuchs
I would sell it! =) honor would be enough for me...
- Goktug Gedik
I would use the money to purchase a head stone for my mothers grave.
- Ardail Smith
i would use the money for a long hot summer :)
- Samuel Kreuzer
I'd buy $1,750 worth of green energy stocks, most probably geothermal
- Fabio
Robert - I would use the money to buy good microphones to make an internet video series about Nerd Revolt. http://www.numeriklab.com/2009... I would then use them to document the 2009 Decibel Festival in September: http://dbfestival.com After that, who knows - but I promise to come up with something good! You can't document musicians without good sound :) Thank you, Erica
- Erica Toelle
I would use the money to pay my out-of-state tuition!
- Kevin Mohr
i would like it in a brief case... small unmarked bills please
- ray parisi
I'd use $1750 towards a down payment for a first home. My wife and I recently had a son, and our apartment is shrinking at an alarming rate.
- Chris Heald
i'll be a materialistic bastard. i'd pay my bills while still trying to search for a job in this life sucking, non-forgiving city. yup. that's what i would do. ramen noodles are no fun when you're not in college...
- ultimate_loser
if i win this money i'll use to buy some equipments for the university, but not only for me. i'll buy two computers, one printer, and so we can do our university newspaper. this money will be a contribute for the free press, in a nation like italy, where every voice is subdued to the power. give us a chance!
- Riccardo
Leave a comment here, and I can win. Ok, done. What's next? There's something about a second way to win, that looks like I need to state what I'd use the money for. Simple: to continue to make uplifting films, like I did this year for the 168 Project. Need to make a few payments still. The rest will go towards next year's film.
- Mike Shields
I'd put it towards a computer and software I need for my new small business I'm setting up after 4 years off work with a broken back
- Rob Bell
Mee Two :) , i'll use it for world Piece
- Chirag Chamoli
Mike: watch http://www.ustream.tv/studio at about 4 p.m. today (Austin Time, which is about 2 p.m. Pacific Time) and we'll pick the winners live on that show.
- Robert Scoble
I'd like to join this competition to make a chance for the money for my new developing start-up. Could use it for sure, development is costy these days!
- Coen Jacobs
I'd use the money to pay for an artist to help me out on a Palm Pre/Windows Mobile app that I'm working on.
- Alastair Maggs
If I won the money I would book one of those super cheap round trip tickets to Australia from LA (currently $598 RT) and then use my Flip camera to videotape people I met and ask them what they give thanks for (see http://givethanks.tv) I would also donate 5% of my winnings to my friend Hollis (http://friendsofhollis.com) who was in a bad accident last month. Her medical bills are mounting. Oh, and while I'm in Australia I'd ask people what they thought of Scoble.
- TanjaB
OK, first the 'leave a comment here' bit - here it is. As to what I'd do with the money, my wife has been made redundant and two days later someone crashed into my car while it was parked - so I guess I'd put it towards replacing the car and rebuilding our lives. Actually that sounds a little melodramatic, it's only a car, but it would be useful. Unless of course UK residents aren't eligible for this in which case I guess I'll just sit at home and sulk!
- Guy Clapperton
I'll switch SocialToo from Amazon EC2 to Rackspace if I win
- Jesse Stay
Win money? No, thanks. but I DO wanna earn your money :). Send details to onno@media44.nl or visit http://www.media44.nl
- MEDIAFORCE
$1750? My answer is simple. I would use it to help fund our movie. To purchase wanted equipment, better food for cast/crew, throw an awesome wrap party. Then, if we had any left over, we would use it towards our next movie. Also, you would get a free copy (format of your choice) and an Executive Producer credit. It'll be on IMDB and everything! This could be an awesome help for a trio of tired, driven, motivated filmmakers who want to change the game for movie-making.
- Anthony Thompson
I would spend $1,750 on a iPhone App using fbConnect for my financial services startup which I otherwise wouldn't allocate a budget for.
- Abhimanyu Chirimar
Gosh, there are a lot of comments. Is this a FF stress test?
- Morton Swimmer
I would use the money for development of gCaptain 2.0 with the goal of dethroning the oldest magazine in continuous print, Lloyds List, from the maritime news sphere of influence.
- gCaptain
I will hire a scholar to make my research few hours a day so I can follow your tweets!!! :D
- Jesús
I'm in, what would I do with the money? well, I'm a teenager from Cairo, Egypt, and I plan to start podcasting during my vacation "first video podcast in Egypt" and work on my blog, I don't have enough money to buy an HD camcorder so I would use the money to buy that and get a domain name for my blog and go pro, and if there is enough money I would buy an iPhone.
- Ahmed
I would give the money to this young man in his fight against hodgkins lymphoma. He is the nephew of my daughter's preschool teacher and I would do anything to help him out, but we don't have much. As a former soccer player, current coach and human being... my heart goes out to him and his family. Anything would help. http://tinyurl.com/cch2uy
- Jason
This is the most epic thread ever, i put off replying all weekend but i think its about time i joined in. I think if i won i'd propose to my girlfriend because id be able to afford a ring! Or, we'd go on a nice much needed holiday.
- Simon Wicks
I'd give the money to Daniel Rowley (comment above). Seems like he has a genuine need.
- Dustin Curtis
Interesting (and a few not so) comments. Most people are here for the easy money, leaving a random comment and then closing a tab. No blame here, since it's the rule of the game. Do you know that in order to permanently change the world you just need just a little bit compared to the big picture to get you over that hard to reach top? Well, that's what I would use it for, to get that jolt, break the barriers and climb over that first, impossible top.
- Lorand R. Minyo
hey! easy game Mr Scoble :) I'm here :D
- Guillaume
What a cool idea. I would definitely use the money towards taking another class. Assembly? Lernin is espensive.
- sarajchipps@gmail.com
I'm in too - Judging by the entrants, I'll have better odds on winning the lottery
- Shaf
I'll donate the money to AIG executives.
- Filipe Marques
I would use the money to bid on Gaius Baltar's Robes at the Battlestar Galactica Auction in May. Those costumes get pretty pricy! ~Matt http://BSGcast.com
- Matt
I'd use to money to stimulate the US economy by buying all your stuff
- Magnus
I'd pay the 4000 I owe in tuition. I've paid off all but this last bit, so it'd be my first move. Still looking for a job...
- Linda Margaret
I would use the money to buy a laptop. I bought one in December and was getting a friend from the US to bring it to me (I was in Dubai). The laptop was stolen from her luggage at JFK and I got no compensation. I was out 1500$, laptopless, and highly depressed because the euphoria of getting a new laptop was not realized.
- Bhavishya Kanjhan
If I win the money - its going straight to helping my startup - creately.com get to Public Beta. We're so close and every cent counts!
- Charanjit
Good way of generating a lot of comments :-) I'd use the money for reducing some debts...
- Diego Zamboni
Whoaaaa, there. $4,500? Really? Boy am I glad I follow you on Twitter. Since when does money grow on tweets? If I ever had the good fortune of being plucked out of a hat, I'd spend all of it on the tuition bills that have racked up in my family name (mother, brother y yo).
- amira
I would use the money to get my girlfriend @Tatty, who I met on Twitter, from Norway to the US so we can start living happily ever after. :)
- Foul Bastard
Pay off the credit card and get a return airfare to the USA from Sydney!
- Nathan Davies
I need 980 dollars to go to school to be a cheesemonger. So tired of waiting tables and am ready to pursue something I am passionate about.
- Miles Laird
I'd use the money to take some time off with my daughter...
- Fredrik Wennberg
from twhirl
I'm saving to buy my first house later this year and working to start my freelance design business.
- john
$1750...I would use them for a wonderful trip to San Francisco! Plane tickets from France and visit of the best web start-up / companies :) Enjoy!!
- Guillaume
I'd have to assume I'd use the money to buy a Nikon D90, then hunt you down to thank you and take your picture with it.
- Richard Finucane
I'll use it as a "Pay It Forward Ponzi Scheme" (In these crazy Maddoff days, it's about time we revert the wheel.)
- Vivian Cohen- Leisorek
Hi Robert! I would use the money to put into a bank account. I will become a daddy within the next weeks and this would a be a 'scolar fund' for my first kid!
- Bas van Breugel
Count me in. $1750 would go to the IWK Children's Hospital for Xboxes and Wiis.
- M Langille
Great idea-- and I'd use the money to create workshops to bring younger and older gay men together to discuss the history of the AIDS epidemic in Philly. http://gayhistory.wikispaces.com
- Chris Bartlett
What am I going to do with the $1750? I will reveal that secret in my second comment :)
- Bari Hossain
Great idea Robert. I'd do four things: I'd pay for a ESPN360 season and play-off pass to watch NHL games over here in Europe. Then I'd hire a graphics designer to redo http://www.speakingenglishpodcast.com to have it not only appeal to learners but also sponsors. Third, I'd take my wife out to dinner and fourth I'd give the rest back to you - I wouldn't need it all and you have a family, too.
- Sebastian Keil
First of all, thanks for the heads up on "Free Money" also thanks for being such a great conduit. So throw my name into the hat please. I know I usually push for giving to Cancer foundations and etc. But am going to change it up a bit.... If I would happen to win the money there is hugely talented Photographer on Twitter that needs only $6,000 to sustain his enrollment at some artsy Ivy...
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- SashaKane
Seriously? I'll start a "Mini-ITXs" fund to replace all the desktops in my home with Mini ITXs. Power saving ftw!
- Nimish Batra
I'd start a foundation dedicated to bringing the finance crooks to justice and redistributing the stolen funds from whence they came.
- Alistair Knock
hmm...I'll rather invest it in gold. That's the least volatile thing these days.
- Kunal Gangar
i would finally finish my thesis and rent a lot servers with mosso after that to incorporate a company dealing with enterprise mashups and cloud computing in germany
- tmetschke
Robert, I would probably spend the money in a relatively futile manner. Therefore, I'll let others who need it more have a chance at the $1,750 prizes. I'd be happy to be chosen randomly for the $1,000. Great initiative, by the way.
- Antonio Cangiano
This is just what we need in order to launch AllRise.com: hosting + legal expenses +company registration fees.
- Erez Eden
richard, by giving a way more money, are you ready?
- abdellah
I'll give YOU $500 and give $100 to twitter (since I heard about it there). The first should make it easier for you to part with the money. The twitter donation will conclusively prove that they have a viable business model :)
- Ebrahim Nalwala
Our band would use it to buy a PA system so that we could play anywhere/practice with proper sound. I`d treat this as a loan and donate the money in your name to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.
- Reuben Fortes
It would help me pay for my wedding in Ottawa in August, rather than having to borrow money! (PS nice way of getting people on FriendFeed!)
- Paul Lomax
Robert, please pick me. I need the USD1000 to get myself an iPhone 3G (cost HKD6200.00 from Apple Hong Kong) so I don't have to borrow my girlfriend's, and the rest of the money, I will use to pay for all the data usage I will be using when testing review copies of iPhone apps. How can I be borrowing an iPhone to write iPhone app reviews? That is just ironic.
- Vinko
I need to do something completely luxurious and pampered for a week. Oh, I would really like to take my brother along because it was his birthday two weeks ago and would like to surprise him. That's right, a very belated birthday present. Very much would be a surprise. How about a cruise out of Miami to the Caribbean or out of Los Angeles to Mexico? We need to see the water! Sure we have the Fountains at Bellagio but we would like to sail on an ocean. There it is. I have our bags packed and ready to go.
- Vegas Bill
If you pick me I promise to spend 10% of it on other people before giving the rest away ... then perhaps the person I pick has to spend 10% on other people and give the rest away - crowd-sourcing-chain-money-making-people-happy kinda way !
- Nigel Cooke
Buy a nice camera for making better videos for my blog & invite my family having a nice evening at a greek restaurant
- Wittkewitz News
I would develop an innovative iPhone app using the money and when sales pick up, return the amount to you so u can run another contest.
- iPhone Dev Guy
I am a poor student who really could use a new Laptop.. I will Ustream and take pictures of the unpacking so you know I didn't spend the money on beer ;) I could put SPONSORED BY SCOBLE stickers on the new machine. Please Scoble, I could really use this. Cheers, patrick.
- patrick detlefsen
a new laptop to replace the almost 6-year old one would be nice for a developer. give me the other prizes, too and i'll donate 'em to schooling a kid in a 3rd world country!
- moogs
*wonders* Do we have to leave two comments, one for the $1000 and one for one of the $1750?
- Linden A. Mueller
Ok, Scoble if i get this money somehow, give my money to this student (patrick detlefsen) - Thanks
- Junal Rahman
If you pick me, I will lend out the money via Kiwa.org
- Henning
Well let's turn the wheel of chance :)
- Fatih Arslan
So just in case, here's the second one. :) I would save it. We'll be making our second international move in two years in September, and this time, we'll be settling down. I would use it for part of our down payment on our first house.
- Linden A. Mueller
Right now $1750 is worth $2700 Aussie (sounds a lot better) I'd ask Robert to JV with me and share how to turn that $2.7k into $270k in 6 months. If we didn't like each other after that we needn't continue to turn it into $27M. Jim Beasley (Twitter: whoisJimBeasley)
- Jim Beasley
Would love to start an online business for my 7 yr old as a college fund!!!! Have the idea, just not the funds to start it!!!
- Charles Bovard
I could use the money to pay some of my student loans that I had to take to study the one true thing worth studying, the Internet!
- Shane Tilton
I would spend the money on bourbon and porn.
- Kari Holtz
I'll use to finance our new project of social publishing with Friendfeed. Thanks for the opportunity.
- Massimiliano Mancini
if I win: I'd give half of the money to Emergency (http://www.emergency.it/) to help their medical work in war areas.
- andrea
I'd love to use your money to send kids with disabilities to CampASCCA.org! With the $1750, 3 children would get to go to camp this summer. Or, it would send maybe a dozen to a weekend camp this spring! Either way, I'd love to see you help these kids out. In this kind of economic environment, places like Camp ASCCA are the first to be forgotten ... that means the kids are forgotten, too. Thanks, Robert!
- RD French
Before I reveal the secret of what I would do with $1750, I really need to know the secret - "Why are you giving away this money,Robert?"
- Bari Hossain
Will use it finally upgrade my powerbook to a MBP so I can write an iPhone app as part of my CS Degree Dissertation.
- Shaun Bohannon
$1175 to my all time favorite musician's (Diana Krall) chosen charity: Vancouver General Hospital's Leukemia Bone Marrow Transplant. Would use the rest to cover my tuition expense for a Nancy Duarte slide:ology seminar. Trying to figure out ways to tackle mindnumbing government PowerPoint decks. Happy St Patrick's Day!
- Bud
With our terrible exchange rate here in the UK, I'll probably buy myself a week's worth of groceries with the prize money! Seriously though, I may treat myself to a video camera, so that maybe one day, I can be like my favourite technology evangelist!
- David Swallow
I can't wait to read followup posts to your contest. I would invest the money in my children's college funds.
- Erick Tyack
I think I will buy some books on how to get my daughter to sleep past 4AM... Seriously, any advice? :-)
- James Marino
With the money I would invest in a Home Server to better provide for my familys digital needs ;-) The rest will be given to SOS childrens village - A good and worthy cause.
- Ken-Tore
I will use the money to spend it to bloggers in germany to promote the german blogos- and twittersphere! They arn't as big and importnat as in the us, but they have the mbition for it, serious and current content...
- Simon Rabente
The money will enable me to buy some much needed toys and gadgets that mortgage/wife/2kids/etc to not allow!
- Matt Groves
I was thinking on how to win the money and then I read comments by others. I realised there are more ppl who need the money more than me. So good luck to everyone! and Robert, pls make sure the winner really deserve it.
- Gerald Neo
If I won I would donate every cent to Red Nose Day (http://www.rednoseday.com/) to help children in the UK and Africa and I'll put up $200 of my own money (about 10% of my salary) into microloans through Kiva.
- Peter Curd
I doubt this would be a winner, but I need a new set of effin tires.
- Patrick Kay
I will use my winnings to purchase books to better understand how to use all the great social media tools out there and will also earmark a portion of the winnings to use to attend SXSW 2010.
- Promising Projects
I'll use the money to finance bailing out of my apartment in light of this recession and my current status of gainful underemployment. :)
- teleken
Cool! I'd love to spend it on a netbook and a good (web)cam and start using it to lifestream/share some nice events using kyte or qik. What's left after buying the gear, I would spend on tickets for events such as The Next Web Conference, Lifehacking Academy, etc. Btw: have fun at Rackspace!
- Alex Vermeule (@alexve)
it is really interesting to see how much "I" in this thread, ok if I (+1)
- abdellah
Cool. So 80% of the dough goes on a Twitter API developer as I have a great project in mind. And the other 20% provides a stake for the blackjack table, for when we launch. Combined earnings will be sent back your way, so you can do this all over again.
- Econsultancy
I'd put it towards my TED application fund! Made too many promises about speaking there one day soon...
- Oliver
First I would buy an engagement ring for my lady and take her out on a romantic evening and propose her. And of course 300$ would go for a Wii.
- Andy Gongea
Hi I have never won anything so i dont think i will win,but hope never dies so here i am..
- Dimi
Well I guess I'm another aussie hopeful for a random win. (@carljoseph)
- Carl Joseph
My boyfriend got made redundant a while ago so I'd use the money to take him on holiday to get away from it all for a bit and help him refocus.
- Katie
thats cool to hear...thanks for the competition.i will love to buy macbook...
- Mohammed Moyeen
I'd use the money start my own website, free is good, but paid produces profit. My strong-points are creativity and commitment. I have nine years till retirement and I want to use them well.
- Wallace
Hmmm... Give it to charity is the easy answer.. But I would find and elderly person who needs home renovations etc but cant afford it.. and then get someone down on their luck to do it and pay them.. Double the satisfaction and impact
- Christopher Blake
Comment for one of the $1750 prizes. I will offer to donate the money to bail out some more fat cats living high on the hog, and give them a bonus to boot.
- TJ Polczyn
Don't get pinched - wear green today! :)
- Ricci Neer
I am saving money to go out of my usual work to start a startup, so it will be helpful for me in my saving and allow me to come out of my daily job soon.
- Mohammed Moyeen
If I win I will twitter my followers and people in Seth Godin's tribe to find the most excting youth oriented project I can, then come back to you, Robert Scoble, and see how we can involve your followers in offering knowledge or connections to make the whole thing take off, good on you.
- Sarah Farrugia
I would put the money to good use and kick start the economy with it... should work...
- Alex Peshevski
wow! this is by far the longest thread i've ever seen! :)
- David Clifford
I'll use the money as a super lucky contribution to http://www.TweetLuck.org, an initiative of my startup nonprofit, http://www.EpicChange.org. Tweetluck is raising funds to build a technology lab and boarding facility/orphanage for a school with which we're partnered in Arusha, Tanzania. The locally-run school recently performed #1 out of 117 schools in their district on national exams, and I can only imagine what's possible if we get the children at the school web access ;)
- Stacey Monk
This is one way to get me to use friendfeed... I'd use the money to enter a poker tournament in vegas this week at MIX. (at least I'm being honest)
- Jason
Wedding Ring deposit, new mac, or broker's fee to get the hell out of this apartment. Probably one of those three. I'm a huge fan of Kari Holtz's answer of bourbon & porn, but my early thirties have got the better of me and must try for something vaguely more responsible.
- Travis
Hey, why about trying, great idea ! For the second part of the contest, i'd prefer to let more chances to people who really know how to make something really usefull and interesting with it ;) !
- Christophe Michau
I hope to be one of the lucky few. Happy St. Patricks Day!
- ian ross
I wish I could come up with something clever or generous but other needs are too pressing. I don't even want to think about it really. Health insurance, upgrade to CS4 (priorities, right?), art supplies, new shoes, vet visit for the cats, whatever else I could squeeze out of it. But I would put some portion toward charitable use, or else use it to create something that I could give, because generosity deserves to be honored in kind.
- Rebecca
I'll buy some of the gadgets Scoble is talking about...
- Alexander Benker
In Malaysia, I'll give the money to the women's aid organization to fight discrimination, women are first to go in a layoff.
- Carolyn Chan
#1 - love those comments who will equal a charity donation or repeat this experiment. Love the umbrella comment and the humor we geeks have (I am not in that camp). And am delighted to see all the marketing occurring.
- Gee
Great idea. I'd probably put the money towards a good camera for a live video project I'm working on.
- Alan Chamberlain
If I was lucky enough to win I would use the money to attend http://www.web09.org/. It would cover the cost of the airfare, accommodation, and registration fee. I would then be able to Tweet and blog about it so those who read me would get some benefit from me being there. Anything learned would be put to good use in the open source projects I contribute to. Unlike some of the others here, I can't be altruistic about this - I want to go to the conference and can't afford it! Charity begins at home after all
- Elpie
It will probably help me to keep one of my employee, until we bounce back in our feet
- Boubacar Balde
from twhirl
I'm definitely in and I'd use the $1750 to buy my first macbook.
- Robbin
I would use it as nice start for my first house loan ;-) A man has got to start somewhere doesn't he ;-)
- Pieter-Jan Adriaensens
get lasik after reading all of these #CCCCCC comments on friendfeed!
- Landon
What I would use the money for? Well, I have been eyeing up some netbooks and need to replace my aging television. So, this would pretty much go there in my lone attempt at reviving our moribund economy/ I'm doing my part to help us out of these troubled economic times!
- Jason J. Thomas