Plan for my blog, what comes next?

This was my fifth month (realistically second) of blogging and its been an interesting experience to date.  My most popular post has clearly been the Twitter Valuation Model but other posts are slowly catching on.  I've introduced a biweekly review of news titled the Random Tangent while starting a new series on getting a tech position in NYC.  It's become a great resource for potential employers (I hope) and more importantly a place to synthesize my ideas (hence the title).

With experience under my belt, I've decided to attempt maintaining a schedule for my posts to encourage consistency and ultimately readership.  Tuesdays will be dedicated to business themed posts similar to last weeks So You're Similar to...or my Twitter Valuation Model post.  Wednesdays will feature the biweekly Random Tangent and business themed posts if the backlog starts to grow.  Thursdays will be dedicated to a series of posts with the inaugural series being How to Get a Nontechnical Job at a NYC Tech Company (I'd appreciate suggestions for a follow up series).  Fridays (with possibly the exception of this week) will be the home for a new style of posts I'll be creating which will feature three question interviews with Tech Founders, CEOs, Sales Executives, and anyone I meet on my trips to NYC.  I'm hoping to learn from the subjects while providing an opportunity for others to experience their passion for entrepreneurship and their startup projects.  This could be a very exciting addition to Thoughts but will require a new device as my Droid X can barely keep up with my email, twitter, and internet use...might be time to get a second phone.

That's the plan.  Now it's my responsibility to stick to it.

The Initial Search...where do I begin?

This is the first post in what will be a series on my recent (still ongoing) job search.  Hopefully each post will provide some perspective for people seeking a position at a New York City tech startup.  They'll be geared towards a recent graduate and NYC outsider but hopefully there will be something to learn for everyone reading about my experience.

Like a good VC, I'm hoping my insight will be useful if I'm successful or not.  If successful, read the series as a what to do.  If not, read it as a what not to do.

So you're similar to...fill in the blank.

My favorite question to ask entrepreneurs is the: so your company is similar to Ning?  Or the Khan Academy? Or Skillshare?  It's the question entrepreneurs hate the most but must be ready to answer immediately.  The answer demonstrates how they've positioned themselves which is critical to success in every aspect of starting a company.  It will lead your marketing campaign, impact your financing options, and set the direction for your product development.

We ask the question because having context helps us better understand a product or company.  It also helps us categorize the company which improves recall.  It's a necessary evil and one I love seeing a person answer as they tend to cringe or jump with excitement.  It really differentiates those who are prepared and know their market from those who still have plenty of work to do.

The reason they hate the question is because being compared to your competition (whether you see them as competition or not) sucks.  You end up living in their shadow if you don't demonstrate a clear difference in value or functionality which can become a tremendous barrier for future activity with the person asking the question.  Know why you're different, be ready to demonstrate it, and out execute your competition.

Hopefully I'll actually start my "How To Get a Job" series on Thursday.  Like the best consultants,  I'll be offering advice without my own successful outcome.  Only difference is I'm not getting paid for it.

Random Tangent Part 2

Here is the second edition of the Random Tangent which at this point will be a biweekly recurring post.  Hopefully the 5 people that read my last tangent (the Twitter valuation post is currently my most popular) found it interesting as I covered a new idea for Google+, The Groupon/Foursquare partnership (I still owe a full post), and thoughts on the Debt Crisis.  Be on the look out for a new series of posts on finding a job in the NYC Tech Scene to premier this Thursday (tomorrow) and will hopefully be posted weekly.  On to the news:

Google buys Motorola, S&P doesn't have a leg to stand on, and a surprisingly good GOP debate gets lost like dust in the wind.

Joyus SWOT Analysis and Market Opportunity

As promised in Tuesdays post here is my expansion on Dan Primack's article about Joyus, specifically his Pros and Cons, by creating a SWOT analysis and going through a simple Market Opportunity exercise.  For those that don't want to read his article, Joyus is a QVC (TV's home shopping network) meets eCommerce meets social experience in home shopping.  The startup will produce ~4 minute infomercials for women-focused consumer products and distribute them on their website where viewers can purchase the item.  Joyus expects to charge a fee for producing the videos and will earn a share of the revenue from sales.  Most of my information for this exercise is from Dan's article as well as the NY Times and Media Beat which all appear to be working off the same press release.  Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of using the platform myself after determining it wasn't worth registering for their Beta (Sorry Joyus not sure I'm in your demographic).  


The SWOT analysis is my interpretation of Dan's Pros and Cons as well as some additional comments I pulled from the article.  Embedding the full Doc was a mess (Not an HTML expert) so I decided to load an image while providing a link to the original Google Doc:  

A Random Tangent

Its been too long since my last post but a two week lack of motivation/inspiration has created a bottleneck of random thoughts.  I've decided to string together these thoughts similar to my June 15th post and my favorite daily column from Dan Primack's Term Sheet: "Random Ramblings."  Without infringing on Dan's IP here is my Random Tangent:

Kind of a long post about Google+, Groupon meet Foursquare, and the Debt Crisis Averted.  Hopefully worth the read.