How To Reward A Million Dollar Idea
January 16, 2009
Two years ago, Noah Weiss, a young programmer who spent the summer working here at Fog Creek Software, came to me with a business idea. Noah, who was still in college, had noticed that a lot of smaller tech-related blogs were running classified ads for job listings. He suggested that we do the same thing on my company’s blog, Joel on Software. The site is read by thousands of programmers a month — the ones who are so good at programming they have spare time at work to read the self-absorbed drivel I publish there. read more
State Of The Blogosphere – Technorati
January 6, 2009
Yesterday I gave a high-level overview of Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere Report for 2008. Today I want to underscore a few more of the findings about blogging and brands, the growing credibility of blogs, and the active role of bloggers in other online activities. read more
Word-of-Mouth on Blogs and Other Sites Attracts Fans…and a Record Deal
January 6, 2009
In late 2006, Justin Vernon, a musician in Eau Claire, Wis., recorded nine songs while staying at his parents’ hunting cabin in northern Wisconsin after a breakup with a girlfriend and his long-time band. He used just a desktop computer with recording software, a three-piece drum set and a guitar.
A few months later, Mr. Vernon posted the songs on his MySpace page, hoping to get some listeners and feedback. He also printed 500 copies of a CD with those songs to sell to friends and fans and send to music bloggers for review.
He got that and much more. read more
Don Tapscott – Grown Up Digital
November 30, 2008
Don Tapscott is just another guy you NEED to know about. As one of the world’s leading authorities on business strategy, he opens discussion about the Net Generation, or NetGen. His main emphasis is on how information technology changes business, government and society. He is the author or co-author of 13 widely read books, including Wikinomics, which was the best selling management book in the United States in 2007 and is now translated into 22 languages. He is Chairman of nGenera Insight, a global business innovation company, headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Don directs several of nGenera Insight’s research and education programs, which serve a marquee list of Global 2000 customers. Tapscott is also an adjunct Professor at the J.L. Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.
Phew. (Lots of props to Tapscott’s website for all this info: GrownUpDigital.com)
About The Book: Poised to transform every social institution, the Net Generation is reshaping the form and functions of school, work, and even democracy. Simply put, the wave of youth, aged 12-30, the first truly global generation, is impacting all institutions. Particularly, employers, instructors, parents, marketers and political leaders are finding it necessary to adapt to the changing social fabric due to this generation’s unique characteristics. Within its comprehensive examination of the Net Generation, and based on a 4.5 million dollar study, Don Tapscott’s Grown Up Digital offers valuable insight and concrete takeaways for leaders across all social institutions.
Grown Up Digital explores:
- How the Net Generation can be the most innovative, collaborative, and productive cohort, if given the proper working environment. From company ethic to leadership style, Grown Up Digital examines, in-depth, what this new organization will look like.
- The benefits of a shift from a traditional, broadcast model of education to one that is customized, collaborative and interactive
- How the Net Generation’s ability to scrutinize and investigate is forcing a new model of democracy that will have to be transparent, collaborative and engaging
- How parents, teachers, and elder influencers can engage in open and informative discussions to ensure technology is properly used
- How marketers no longer control their brands and how to cope with this power shift that affords the advantage to the consumer