It has been a tough year for me. I tried to sell my car to support my startup habit but the economy crashed and that didn't work out. Speaking of the startup, we missed just about every deadline we set. And, my dog of 14 and ½ years moved on to doggie heaven. But, truthfully, I kind of like the car anyway. And, the deadlines we missed were mostly because we changed up some functionality and have really made our product better. The dog… well, anyone who has ever had a pet die knows that it is just tough. Still, I have much for which to be thankful!
First, I would like to take a moment to thank some of the great people I've met this past year who have been extremely helpful in making Public Chalk a reality. There are all the great people at NextNY who host great events and support the NY Tech community. There are the folks over at Mashable who keep us informed as to what is going on in the world of Social Networking. And there are the guys at Center Networks who keep us up to date on just about everything.
Second, I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with Tobin Schwaiger-Hastanan from Cupid's Lab. Tobin has been instrumental in getting our iPhone application off the ground. And we got some great advice (and some inside information way back in May about who our next president was to be) from Marc at Celebrifantasy.
Third, I'm thankful for my business partners John and Matt. We don't always see eye-to-eye or even understand what each other are talking about. Sometimes John and I think Matt is crazy. Often, Matt and I think John is crazy. I cannot even imagine what they say about me when I'm not there… I hear enough when I am there. But, our individual strengths over the year have really moved Public Chalk forward.
Finally, I'm thankful to Claudia, Sara, and Paul… the "significant others"… for letting us get away with working so many evenings and weekends instead of spending more time with them. I know that all three of them often think that the three of us have lost our collective minds… especially when we get home from working all day on Saturday and make them look through all the new design changes and features before we eat dinner.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
ETJ
Showing posts with label startup company. Show all posts
Showing posts with label startup company. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dating Your Website
No, not putting a date on it or using graphics or logos that date it like the rings on a tree. I'm talking about actually dating your website. Taking it out for dinner and a movie and then deciding whether or not to call it the next day. I know it sounds a bit odd at first, but really, it is what we do. We all visited Facebook or Yahoo! or Google or any of the other thousands of sites on the internet and we make a decision as to whether or not we like the site enough to come back… after waiting 3 days, of course.
The problem with "dating" web sites isn't on the client side. I don't really care if a site I visit isn't attractive enough or smart enough. I just move on. And, unlike dating in the real world, the web site itself is just a bunch of code that somebody put out there. It is incapable of feeling and is therefore not "rejected" and won't devour a ½ gallon of ice cream while wondering why you never called if you never go back. But there is a parallel. Just like the teenage girl out there who is starting to date, the web site has creators (parents). And, just like the teenage girl, the creators of the web site want nothing but the best. A boyfriend (or users) who will call often, use the web site for its intended purposes, and love (maybe even worship) the web site… not only for its great looks but also because it is smart and adds something to that person's life. Of course, as creators of a web site, we are really interested in the dowry.
Much like dating… when you arrive at a web site (or see a potential mate), you must find something very attractive to make you want to stay and find out more about it. Without that initial attraction, you will probably pass right on by without looking any further. Now, once the entity is a bit more well-known you may be inclined to stop by for a visit even if it isn't the prettiest choice out there. For example, you might find out that, while it doesn't look the best, that it is really easy to use and you get a special prize at the end. But, suffice it to say… the old adage holds true, "Looks aren't everything, but they sure do help.".
Again, like dating… after you arrive and decide to stay for a while, you're going to start caring about much more than the looks. How well do we get along? Do they do everything I want to do? Can I live with the things that they don't do? Can I ask to have certain features added? Are they smart? Can I talk, be heard and understood, and get stimulating feedback? Or is it a one-way conversation.
In the world of building websites, this dual-need means that you need a great user interface and some great software that users will find intriguing and useful to back up your good looks. If you can manage this, you'll have plenty of dates… I mean users…
ETJ
The problem with "dating" web sites isn't on the client side. I don't really care if a site I visit isn't attractive enough or smart enough. I just move on. And, unlike dating in the real world, the web site itself is just a bunch of code that somebody put out there. It is incapable of feeling and is therefore not "rejected" and won't devour a ½ gallon of ice cream while wondering why you never called if you never go back. But there is a parallel. Just like the teenage girl out there who is starting to date, the web site has creators (parents). And, just like the teenage girl, the creators of the web site want nothing but the best. A boyfriend (or users) who will call often, use the web site for its intended purposes, and love (maybe even worship) the web site… not only for its great looks but also because it is smart and adds something to that person's life. Of course, as creators of a web site, we are really interested in the dowry.
Much like dating… when you arrive at a web site (or see a potential mate), you must find something very attractive to make you want to stay and find out more about it. Without that initial attraction, you will probably pass right on by without looking any further. Now, once the entity is a bit more well-known you may be inclined to stop by for a visit even if it isn't the prettiest choice out there. For example, you might find out that, while it doesn't look the best, that it is really easy to use and you get a special prize at the end. But, suffice it to say… the old adage holds true, "Looks aren't everything, but they sure do help.".
Again, like dating… after you arrive and decide to stay for a while, you're going to start caring about much more than the looks. How well do we get along? Do they do everything I want to do? Can I live with the things that they don't do? Can I ask to have certain features added? Are they smart? Can I talk, be heard and understood, and get stimulating feedback? Or is it a one-way conversation.
In the world of building websites, this dual-need means that you need a great user interface and some great software that users will find intriguing and useful to back up your good looks. If you can manage this, you'll have plenty of dates… I mean users…
ETJ
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