• Top 10 Reasons to Date an Entrepreneur
  (tags: myposts dating)
• Welcome to Destination ImagiNation!
  (tags: creativity education kids)

Link: Verbose Coma : Culture Gone to Brunch: The Bagel of my Discontent.

Hilarious...  Any ideas?   Personally, I think if you had a hose with hot water, you could flush it with water through the screen.  Eventually, it would thaw, then get really soggy and disintegrate.

Here's what I've just been listening to on last.fm

Create automatic posts like this one using fubnub.com

Hey Alex, I think there's a bug in our code, originally uploaded by ceonyc.

ew ew ew ew ew ew ew

Paul Graham recently wrote a piece about cities.  He puts forth Cambridge as a city of ideas, New York as a city that is all about money (where people doing startups are second class citizens) and the Valley as a place for startups. 

I’m not about to start comparing the Valley to New York City.  That’s just silly, because the Valley has a multi-generational head start on creating tech startup companies.  However, given that, it does make me wonder why Cambridge and the Boston Area is so far behind the Valley, because Route 128 has been a tech center since the late 1950’s.  I mean, “Harvard and MIT are practically adjacent by West Coast standards, and they're surrounded by about 20 other colleges and universities,” as Paul puts it.  Perhaps he should be explaining why his City of Ideas gets less than a third of the venture capital investment that the Valley does.

I think the fact that Cambridge is a city of ideas is exactly why you could say it’s questionable how great a place it is to do a startup.  In an environment dominated by academia—where you lack time pressure, a sense of immediacy—you’ve probably got just as much of a chance of creating an interesting intellectual exercise in burning cash as you do building anything that resembles a real company.  I mean, have you ever tried collaborating with an academic institution if you’re a business?  Your startup would run out of cash before they figured out the right academic chair to lead the effort and which pool of research money to allocate for you.  It’s no accident that startups need to be spun out of these institutions to be successful.  Plus, seen any hugely successful companies come out of university incubators lately?  (And no, Zuckerberg’s dorm room does not qualify as an incubator.)

Also, think about it another way.  What are the last 10 or 20 really novel "ideas" in the startup world?  Things that required a leap of thought...   We can debate it and certainly I'm up for creating a list, but when I think of good ideas, I think of del.icio.us, Skype, Wikipedia, Twitter, Bug Labs, Slingbox, Google (b/c of the biz model)...   Hardly seems like Cambridge has a lock on the idea generation market in the startup world.

Ideas today are a commodity.  Anyone can have an idea, so being the Capital of Ideas is pretty much equivelent to building your city of out of straw.  If I were a co-founder of 3PigsTech.com, I’d think about building somewhere whose choice of building material was more formidable. 

Which brings me back to New York City.  By saying that “New York tells you, above all: you should make more money,” Paul Graham is basically admitting that he’s never been north of Central Park, on the Lower East Side, or out into the Boroughs.  I grew up as a finance major in NYC and I made the same mistake that Paul makes.  It wasn’t until I finished school and got about three years into my career that I soon realized that there was a lot more going on in NYC than just Wall Street. 

When I think of ideas, I think of creativity, not just scholarly research and publication in academic journals.  An idea has no value unless it’s either a) new or b) executed.  If execution is a business phenomenon, I can’t imagine a better place to execute than NYC (or the Valley, if you’re a tech startup), but in terms of new ideas being generated from creative people, I wouldn’t exactly hold the ivory towers of Ivy League schools up against the creative culture of NYC.  New York City is a mecca for design, fashion, dance, art, film, theater, international relations—it’s not difficult to imagine that this stew of creativity rubs off on other industries. 

Hedge funds, for example, are a great example of creativity leaking into another industry.  The most forward thinking, creative investors break out of old institutions to play markets in out of the box ways at hedge funds.

We even solve creative engineering problems here.  Peter Semmehack from Bug Labs, an open source hardware company pushing the limits of creativity in the consumer electronics space, has always said that he has found the best and most creative engineering talent here in NYC.  Need to explore a completely unfamiliar environment millions of miles away?  That was the challenge for the Mars Rover, and it’s no accident that much of it was built here, by HoneyBee Robotics. 

Paul also makes the point that someone creating a startup in NYC would feel like a second class citizen.  I have to be honest—I’ve felt that way several times, but mostly from people outside NYC.  Within the city, I’ve actually felt really supported.  Most of my 21 angel investors are not only in NYC, but they’re either NYC natives or have lived most of their lives here.  Among my large diverse group of friends (I grew up here, went to school here, never lived anywhere else, and know tons of people doing very different professions), I’ve received fantastic support.  No one ever asks me why I don’t just go into investment banking or trading. 

In fact, most of my friends aren’t even in finance at all.  Some of my closest friends are a magazine publisher, a lawyer, and a producer for televised mixed martial arts.  I play on a softball team with two PR folks, a clinical psychologist, a chocolate retailer, two IT guys, another lawyer, a teacher, a media buyer, and oh yeah, one guy in finance.  Most of the volunteers at the kayaking program I participate in don’t even have regular 9–5 jobs.  The other day, I was out on the dock with a guy that resells guitars and plays in a band, a former non-profit exec, a public health researcher, and another IT guy.   And these people don’t all live in big luxury apartment buildings in midtown.  They live with roommates in Astoria, in studios on the Lower East Side…  just scraping by but still loving every minute of it.  And we haven’t even mentioned all the actors and actresses.  Surely they’re not in it for the money, right?

So, the idea that NYC is just all about the money is just ridiculous…. just as ridiculous as this:

“One sign of a city's potential as a technology center is the number of restaurants that still require jackets for men. According to Zagat's there are none in San Francisco, LA, Boston, or Seattle, 4 in DC, 6 in Chicago, 8 in London, 13 in New York, and 20 in Paris.”

How about we make the list “number of restaurants that don’t require jackets for men”?  I have a feeling NYC would lead that list, seeing as the total number of restaurants in NYC minus 13 is probably more than SF and Boston combined.  Is this really how Paul thinks his YCombinator startups should make decisions on where to build their business?  By restaurants with jacket requirements?

But rather than argue about whose city is better, which is similar to the arugument about what language to code in, go with what you know.  Generalizations will get you nowhere.  It would have made no sense for me to build Path 101 anywhere else but NYC, because my network is here.  I found a great technical co-founder, two amazing developers whose experience could not be any more well-suited to their tasks, and a slew of supportive angels.  That doesn’t mean all this stuff comes in a box if you move your startup here, but if you can say the same thing about your neck of the woods, be it Louisville, Miami, the Valley or Cambridge, stay put, keep your head down, and build like the dickens.  Your city is what you make of it and how you build your network, not what the pundits tell you it is. 

Last week, when I posted my "Top 10 Reasons to Date an Entrepreneur" I got a response from someone who was actually interested in going on a date.

It's funny, because that wasn't the intended purpose of the post--it came out of a conversation I was having with someone about entrepreneurs and what working on a startup does to your personal life.  Then I realized, that in my 4+ years of blogging, that was the ONLY time I've ever been approached that way.  2,246 posts and, before that, not a single person has stepped forward and said, "Hey, you seem like the kinda guy I'd want to go out with."

Now, I suppose for half of that time, I've been seeing someone, but I don't think that's always been apparent.  Still, what about the other half??  Perhaps there's the fear of the spotlight--as if I blog all my dates here, which I obviously don't. 

The one thing I think I can say is that, while there's a lot of content here on this blog, it really does only present just a side of me.  I think a lot of blogs are like that--where the professional person comes off in such a way that might be different from the person you'd get to know if you knew them personally.   So, I thought it would be interesting to start a meme encouraging other bloggers to share a little something about who they are and what they want when it comes to their dating/relationship life.

So here are the rules:

Write 5 things about either a) what you value in a counterpart or b) what someone needs to know about your dating/relationship personality.

Then, link to 5 people of the OPPOSITE SEX that you want to see answer these questions (to ensure that it doesn't just look like a bunch of dudes trying to get a date.)  If you're already in a relationship, you can still answer of course.  This is more about getting to know a different side of you, or just getting to know you better.

Ok, here's mine:

1. Despite my strongly held opinions and outspoken nature, I'm actually quite openminded and really desire that in someone else.  I like new ideas and perspectives, and it is exactly this desire for feedback, pushback, etc. that helps me form such strong opinions--because I do feel like I do what I can to be surrounded by tire-kickers.
2. I'm much more of a 1 on 1 person than I am about big groups.  I'd rather get to know one person pretty deeply than meet 30 people and just get names and what they do for a living.
3. I want to meet someone who is passionate about something--anything.  It doesn't have to be their career (although if you're going to spend 8-12 hours a day at something, that might as well be it), but I just can't relate to people who can't get really really psyched about at least one thing in their lives.
4. I need someone with a calendar--someone who understands how to stick to some kind of schedule.  That's really different than someone who needs a routine.  Being spontaneous is fantastic, but I also can't deal with last minute cancelations or leaving things too up in the air.  I don't see my friends enough.  I don't see my family enough.  So, if you can't tell me whether or not you're free Saturday afternoon at least a few days in advance, don't expect me to cut out possible family time to leave it open for whenever you figure out where the wind will take you that day.
5. I take care of myself and find it difficult to date anyone who doesn't respect their own body.  I don't think I could date a smoker, and while you don't have to be a gym rat, getting some kind of exercise at least a couple of times a week shows that you care about yourself and your body--that you think enough of it to keep it up.   I do, however, love desert, so ice cream is a big exception to this--Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia... rrrrrggggg.

Ok, I'll tag Shri (even though she's married) , Rachel, Tik, Tara, and Whitney (although you can learn a lot about her here).   Funny, there were a couple of other women that I wanted to tag, but I knew they'd never repost this, because their blogs are solely professional.  I think that's very telling, because a lot of women don't even want to open that door at all and let all the crazies in.  :)

Let's just do some quick testing of header and footer things with these templates.

Wow it actually works!

Create automatic posts like this one using fubnub.com

Look...  Citizen journalism...oh yeah, and a fire across the street from me, too.  It was out pretty quickly...  No injuries.

Seth posted a great networking post that I could have written myself...    In fact, I pretty much did write all that in my failed attempt to write a book for college freshmen.  However, he's written it a lot more concisely worded (I tend to be overly verbose, if you haven't noticed) and tailored it to the VC world.

I'll add a few notes directly to his, and then I'd like to include a snippet from the book I was writing about what exactly you want to get accomplished when you sit down and have a networking meeting or call--the information you want to walk out with.

One thing I would add on to #5 and #6 is using Pubsub.  If you meet someone that you'd like to go the extra mile with in terms of staying in touch, create a Pubsub feed via RSS that includes their name, the name of their company, and their industry... perhaps even a competitor or two.  This way, you get relevent news that you can share with them up to the minute and comment on.  That will keep you current enough to be interesting.  There's nothing worse than sending stale articles to people in an effort to try and impress them.  (Well, I suppose there are lots of worse things, but its just an expression...)   

Ok, so here's what I wrote about what you should be talking about in a networking call or meeting, and its written to be relevent across industries. 

You might think that questions like "What do you do?" are too obvious and the kind of thing that you should have figured out before the interview, but to be honest, I don't think that outsiders really know what a firm does until someone inside explains it to them.  Now, obviously, you don't want to come to us and say, "What is Union Square Ventures?", but perhaps you could still ask stuff like, "So I researched about what your investment strategy was and I see that you invest in IT-enabled services, but can you give me a little more detail on what kinds of companies fit into that catagory as you define it?  How did you come to the conclusion that was the best place to invest?"

Ok, so its much wordier, but that's essentially the "What do you do?" question.  You just can't ask "What do you do" because you're supposed to have researched this beforehand.  Truth is, its really hard to research exactly what someone does unless you're a very experienced person in their industry, and since we're talking about networking as a younger person starting out, I don't think some improved verson of "What do you do?" is such a bad thing.

Ok, so here's the passage from my book that didn't go anywhere...

"Ok, so no coming out and asking for a job upfront. We’re just doing research at this point, right? So, what do we actually want to know from these people? The four most relevant questions a student can ask networking contacts are:

1. What do you do? The Old Standby. It’s the easiest question to ask and get answered. The key here is that when someone tells you that they are an astrophysicist, you need to make sure you know what that means. Some follow up questions to make sure you have the answers to make sure you understand exactly what someone is doing include:

a. Who do you do that for? (Are they self employed, work for the government, a firm, etc.?)

b. Why would they want that done? Why does it help them? (Of course, don’t ask if the answer is obvious. If someone is a firefighter, don’t ask why the city wants fires put out, lest you come off like a pyromaniac.)

c. Does everyone who does what you do work for the same type of company that you do? (Some lawyers work for law firms, others work for corporations, and because of that, their jobs are somewhat, but not entirely different.)

We’re not interested in only what someone does for a career. Remember that we said our idea of success involves your whole life, and that who you are isn’t simply defined by what you get paid to do for a living. What does your contact do outside of work? Do they have a family, a hobby, or are they involved with a charity or volunteer work? It is important to get a sense of the whole person that you are talking to, not just one facet of their lives.

2. How did you get into that? This question will give you answers about their past, but may uncover some helpful clues that you could use for your future. How they got into what they are doing now basically outlines the steps you might need to take should you be interested in pursuing the field that they are in now. It is also important to understand whether or not they actually planned on getting where they got into, or whether they pretty much fell into it. What seems to happen a lot is that the actual job they do is unexpected, but it often stems from poking around in some related area. This is why the message behind this book is not to start planning, but just to start poking.

3. Where do you think it will lead you? Obviously, no one can predict the future, but most people at least have an idea of where they would like their jobs to lead, or at least whether or not they want it to lead somewhere else. Is this the last stop on the line, or just one of many?

4. Now that you have a sense of the present, past, and future of this person’s self navigation, you need to measure how genuine it is. Maybe this person is at a place in their life that is the exact opposite of where they actually want or intended to be. It is important for you to ask how ideal their situation is and what, if anything, they would change about it, besides the pay, of course.

5. Possibly the most important thing you can ask every contact you speak with is for a recommendation to speak with someone else. This will ensure that your network grows. Whether the recommendation comes from your indication of interest in a particular field, or just your contact’s idea of what you find interesting, trying to get each contact to lead to a new one is a great way to build up your network and increase your chances of coming across something great. Just ask the person if they know of anyone that they think you would be interested in talking to. Keep it open-ended.

Keep in mind that networking is a two way street as well. What you tell them is just as important as what they tell you. By telling people about your interests and your search to find out what it is that you want to do, you accomplish several things. First, you impress people that you are an ambitious, motivated person who is trying to be thoughtful about the direction they set themselves out in. Having people think well of you isn’t such a bad thing, of course. Second, it gets the word out about your interest. Every person you talk to then becomes a scout for you. In the back of their mind is now an alarm set to go off when an opportunity for you comes their way, and the more people you talk to, the wider you cast a net that might catch something that might prove interesting to you.

At this point, for the average freshmen, networking should be all about asking a ton of questions. Yet again, this requires us to throw away antiquated ideas about what’s cool and what isn’t. Remember how, in high school, two minutes before class ended, you’d get all annoyed about that one kid that had to ask just one more question. Well now, asking questions are a sign of intelligence. Smart people ask questions—they know what they don’t know. You’re at college to learn—not just in the classroom, but in every facet of your life. You should be out meeting new and different kinds of people, asking them about where they came from, what they want for themselves, what they value and who they want to be. When you are at the gym, you should ask people to show you new ways to fend off that freshman 15. When you walk by an open door in your dorm and someone has a great inflatable couch, ask them where they got it. Learning off of other people is a great skill to have, and all it takes is a little effort.

So how does this work? Do you just call up everyone in your newly created contact list and rattle off five questions? No, definitely not. First off, unlike a telemarketer, you want to have some consideration for trying not to catch the person at a bad time. Contacting the person beforehand to schedule a second conversation is the best way to go. In general, e-mail is a great icebreaker if you have their e-mail address. I find that when people drop me an e-mail, I can answer it on my own time, and an e-mail will never inconvenience anyone. With a phone call, you never know what they might already be up to when they pick up the phone. Everyone is different, though. You should try and judge it based on your knowledge of the person. Drop someone a call or e-mail just to see if they might be willing to answer a few questions about their career and when it might be convenient for them to talk. Never send anyone questions. You want to actually speak with these people, because that forms a better connection. When you have a good conversation with someone, as we said before, it builds a real relationship. When you e-mail questions, it becomes more of a one-way relationship about what they can get you.

Setting up a time to talk in the future also gives the person an opportunity to get mentally prepared for what they might talk to you about. Even if you don’t give them the questions beforehand, knowing that they will speak with you about what they do will probably cause them to do a little thinking about it beforehand.

No news yet...  Arnold the car guy asked me to come down and reorder my company vehicle, which is due for an update.  I'm avoiding him for the moment.

Hillary Clinton's colossal blunder simply the last straw

We have seen an X-ray of a very dark soul. One consumed by raw ambition to where the possible assassination of an opponent is something to ponder in a strategic way.

• Career Advice '08
  (tags: career advice)

• Smithsonian Magazine | Travel | You got a problem with that?
  (tags: nyc culture)

Lawsuits: Sxip mauling investors in Vancouver's Silicon Forest

Sxip Identity, a Vancouver-based startup that's built a tool for porting your Web identity across sites, may have hustled investors out of $370,000 by misrepresenting acquisition efforts by tech titans Google and Yahoo. Founder, CEO and president Dick Hardt (no joke) now says the company is insolvent, and has no plans to honor the convertible bridge notes which were to revert to cash or equity upon sale or additional investment in the company. Where did the money go?

Well, Sxip Identity apparently owes Sxip Networks, also founded by Hardt, $4.7 million — and owes Hardt $275,000. The angel investors have filed suit, alleging that Hardt never disclosed the existence of the other company, and that the arrangement puts Hardt in a position to recoup money from the company before other investors do.

Well, I guess now we know.

Thought Industry: It's 3:00 am And I Can't Sleep

Look, between you, me and Google, I would love nothing more than to unlock the doors to allow you a chance to learn how I really feel.

About emerging media.

About my coworkers.

My family.

My friends.

Myself.

The fact of the matter is I can be a coward. It's the same cowardice people discover when tasked with answering a survey question with a response that satisfies what they think people want to hear verses what they truly believe.

On January 29, 2007, a Fordham junior decided to start a blog.  It wasn't a career blog, like the ones I teach my classes about.  It was about college life--the gossip and campus micro-celebrity, micro-infamay, controversy...   The whole campus was reading, and so were many of the recent alumni.

The administration was reading, too...  probably not happily either.  Oh, it was never really anything that bad--but it was up for all to see.  The internet provided a window into the world campus administrators always knew existed, but never really got to read about in public on a daily basis. 

The popularity of the blog was unprecendented.  There wasn't a student on campus who didn't know about it.  It became part of the weekend routine to e-mail the blog with the latest tales of collegiate debauchery.  It's popularity even spread to young alumni...  and I'll admit, at least one faculty member.

Sixteen months and 423 posts later, a captivated campus--a community, rather, read FUrez Hilton's final post.  He graduated and decided to say goodbye.

I'll repost some of that message below, because it was really touching, but what I really want to bring up is the question of what a blog like this means for communication between students and administration.

I talked to a school administrator the other day about Facebook.  She said she had never been on it because she was concerned about potentially viewing illegal activities .  What would she do if she saw photos of students drinking?

So, acknowledging that students probably do post photos of themselves drinking, rather than accept the reality of college life--which no doubt she participated in when she was in school--or engage in conversation with the students about it in an open way, she chose not to engage at all.  She chose not participate in a medium of communication used by 95% of the students on the campus, because she might see some photos of kids drinking. 

This is why students don't visit counseling centers, they don't meet with their class deans, and they don't show up at the career office--because at the end of the day, most administrators go home to a life outside of campus and would rather pretend that the student's life on campus--in all its gory reality, didn't exist. 

Well, thanks to FUrez Hilton, it couldn't be escaped.  I applaud the author for being authentic and true to themselves the entire time, no matter what anyone thought. 

What I hope is that future Fordham voices that are magnified by social media, no matter how controversal, are engaged.  If I were some of the administrators spoken about on this blog, I'd start my own blog.  I'd give the student body some insight into the difficulties of my position, because, frankly, it's not an easy task.  Students at every college are going to feel like it's a case of "us vs. them".  That's only going to get worse when you only hear the voice of "us" and never from "them".   

Let this whole FUrez era be a lesson in communication--that one student was singlehandedly able to captivate a campus of thousands, to help build a sense of community--all with a dinky little Blogspot blog.  I hope that school administrations all over think hard about how they talk with (not to, or at) their students, and what they can learn from what they're hearing.  Why do the students complain?  What are they upset about?  What makes them happy?   If I were an administrator, I'd look at this blog like the best thing that could ever happen to my relationship with my students--because it would have given me the chance to understand, to participate.  I doubt it will be looked at that way, and that a collective sigh of relief will be breathed, and an opportunity will be missed.

And now, FUrez's last post...  Best of luck!

"This is the hardest thing I will ever have to do in my life. Scratch that, adopting an asian baby with Eric Stafstrom will be the hardest thing, and that's because there are damaging pictures of him on Facebook. This website started as a joke and a way for me to vent my frustrations with the silliness of this Univeristy. (hint: I havent gone to bed since parent appreciation dinner and there may be mispellings. i will correct them later. get off my nuts.)

To my babies in the underclasses: please behave next year, but not too much. Make sure you carry my legacy on and question authority. Please don't be afraid to be yourselves. My biggest regret at Fordham is that I didn't come out earlier. I know this isn't the case for everyone, because not EVERYONE is a homo, but it's an example of waiting too long to enjoy yourslef. The past two years have been teh most liberating of my life, because I finally realized that A) everyone knew I was a homo, and B) I was finally comfortable in my own skin. Dont let the small mindedness of Fordham's silly administration or ignorant classmates stop you from doing whatever is in your hearts. If you want to go to a bar in the city, GO. If you want to tell the girl of your dreams that she is the most beautiful girl on the face of the earth, GO. If you want to make out with a guy with a bad reputation, FUCKING GO. You have four years before you are held accountable for your actions. All I ask is that you take advantage of it. Please. Make FUrez proud.

Also, when you see lost freshmen next year, take them under your wings and show them the way. When I was a wee freshman, i was walking aimlessly in the bronx with a group of fifty (as you all do as freshmen) and a group of upper classmen shouted to us from their apt to come upstairs and they told us where to go and where to have fun. This resonated with me all four years of college. Look out for each other. God knows the administration isn't. Casino night? Come on.

To my seniors graduating with me: It's been a fucking honor attending this university with you for the past four years. Every single one of you has taught me something. Even the ones who hate me and think I am the cockiest piece of shit in the world. It's true. I am a cocky piece of shit, but it's you who have kept me grounded through my rise to the top. I can't believe I just wrote "rise to the top". Like i said, I am a god damn mess right now. To the people I didn't get a chance to meet: I wish you the best. To the people who were there for me through all of my ridiculous bullshit: THANK YOU. I have faith that the class of 2008 will do great things. Actually, I don't need faith, because I know that you are all fucking superstars. Every single one of you. Even if it's figuring out how to steal bottles of alcohol from drinking establishments; that alone has demonstrated your commitment to a good life and your inginuity. You are all fucking fabulous. JEsus christ it's 7:24 at the moment and I'm writing this.

To most of the administration and faculty: Thank you. The jesuits have kept it real all four years and shown dedication to their ministry and calling in life. You are all superstars as well. To the members of the administration who feel the need to compensate for their own issues throughout their lives via their positions of power: take a good look at your job descriptions and rethink what you're doing in your offices. Know that you are here for US. You are only employed because students attend this university. Try and work with us. I know the sections of administration that are viewed unfavorably by the Fordham community (this includes faculty) are those that cater directly to students. You wer eall up Dean Grey's ass at the JASPA Convention and were all consequently promoted to offices of high power. Use your power for GOOD. The students are totally willing to compromise, but you need to be too. You have a great amount of egg on your faces from numerous debacles this year. Included: SPRING WEEKEND, the counseling and health services here, and your general attitudes towards the people who pay your salaries. This University is not the one from Animal House. You don't need to act like Dean Vernon Warner. These kids just want to graduate and get an education and have fun doing it. Don't rain on their parade.

 

Addressing the issue of succession of this blog: I honestly feel that it was a great moment in time, and that it shoudl end here. I know my cunty fans will try and replicate it. I encourage that. Send me your efforts. If I feel someone is following the same path I did, I will post the link here. However, I'm a bitch and my ego is huge, and the odds of me thinking your humorous writings are worthy of the entire Fordham community (alumni included) are slim. Understand that I'm not ruling it out.

I'm crying kind of because this is it. Please know that I love you all, and I will always be watching. Thank you for the words of encouragement and teh death threats. They all mean a lot ot me. The encouragement more than the death threats, yes, but I love you all. I approved a comment thanking me a few posts back saying they felt like they were included in a big inside joke, and that made my day, because all I've ever wanted is for everyone to feel like they are apart of the Fordham community. I have been listening to depressing friendship music all day and night and realized that Fordham University was the best decision I have ever made. Every memory I have from this place will be cherished, and I will never forget any of them. To any of you students who know how to party and go out on the nights when the Ram Van stops at 12: I have a swell apartment and you all have an open invitation to stay WHENEVER. I'm serious. My facebook sends all messages to my phone, so just let me know, and you can crash on my couch.

In the words of Eva Peron: My greatest fear in life is to be forgotten. Don't forget me. I will never forget you. I love and respect every single one of you.


xoxoxo,

FUREZ"

1) Our hours are really flexible. We can meet up anytime between 11PM and 8AM. Sleep can always be rescheduled.
2) We will never come home and complain about our boss.
3) We'll pay for all our dates the old fashioned way. (Old fashioned=Circa 1999...with worthless stock options)
4) You can tell all your friends that you're dating a CEO who runs their own company. You can leave out the fact that the CEO is also the secretary, the janitor, middle management, and a web design intern.
5) Some of us have millions of dollars in the bank. Of course, it belongs to our investors, but still...it's in the bank.
6) You get to be a beta tester of the next Google or Facebook.
7) We're good at teamwork. We have to be...not all of us can code.
8) We're not afraid of commitment. In fact, let's move in together... you know, economies of scale and all.
9) Your place is closer to my office and has more bandwidth. Do you mind if I just leave this server here? Really? Is it loud? I never really noticed.
10) Your parents will just love us... They're accredited investors, right?

Bonus: Passion: We haz it.

Dan Farber suggests that Twitter should just charge a subscription fee as a business model.

"Much of what gets sent via Twitter is a form of self-advertising. If you like Twitter so much, how about paying $5 a month for the privilege."

I think Dan's got it partially right.  Clearly there are people who use Twitter as self advertising.  The presidential campaigns, Gary Vee, Jason Calacanis...    with thousands of followers, many of whom are also influentials themselves with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of blog and social network eyeballs as a group, are clearly getting a lot more tangible value out of Twitter than someone who uses it to share with 6 friends.  I think it's important to have both sets of users.

The casual users with small networks of friends potentially contribute much more to Twitter, in aggregate, then they get back--so charging them the same fee that Jason Calacanis has to be doesn't make a lot of sense, and would put up an artificially high barrier to growth.  These users contribute a lot of good data--zietgiest data, brand information, or simply good local content that others might be able to leverage off of to create value themselves.  They're not pitching a candidate, product or book, so why charge them?

I think there should be tiered pricing.  What do you think Gary Vee would pay for Twitter if, like Dan suggests, it came with some SLA's and rebates for outages...or rather, what is Twitter worth to Gary?   Given his recent book sales, I'd say that he wouldn't blink at $50/month--or at least he shouldn't.  Neither should Jason, or Obama, CNN, or Zappos.  If you have 5000 followers, that's about a $10/CPM to your message across.  Given the number of Tweets to phones, the engagement level of the users, I'd say that's pretty cheap, actually.  Then we could scale it all the way down to like 300 followers or something at a few bucks a month. 

I just got this because I'm a Citibank cardholder:

Dear Charles Odonnell,

I want you to be among the first to know about the bold steps we are taking at Citi to be the premier, global, fully integrated financial services firm.

Our objective is to create for our customers an experience in which services are seamless, payments and transfers effortless, and distances meaningless. My commitment - and the commitment of everyone at Citi- is to work tirelessly around the world and around the clock to deliver outstanding value and service as we continue to earn your trust and that of every customer we serve.

We are proud of our enduring strength as a global financial institution, striving to successfully meet the needs of clients like you in more than 100 countries. As always, we look forward to continuing to serve you - wherever you are and wherever you need to be.

Sincerely,

Vikram Pandit
CEO, Citi

So, um, yeah...  thanks Vik.  That was really...  um... bold of you.