No Snivelling

Many of the startups at Web 2.0 Expo seemed like they were built to be acquired. One of the speakers made a wise recommendation -- "If you're considering a startup, act like there's no acquiror out there."

That will force you to think about building something that can generate value for customers that, over time, will be something they'll be willing to pay for.

Labels: acquisition, startup, web2expo

There are a ton of websites trying to solicit user-generated content. I continue to wonder why people are so giving on sites like Wikipedia, and seem to be less willing to offer their expertise at places like CitySearch, Judy's Book and Yelp. It seems like these sites would be much more likely to generate meaningful input if they empowered users to directly ask their friends for recommendations, and then populate the database with the responses. For instance, if a neighbor asked me for a contractor that I recommend, I'd be happy to provide their name, phone number and website (if they have one), along with some description of why I recommend them. However, it would be even more useful if this information was then made available to others in my network. And, if I'm willing, it could be shared with the broader community.

I'm not sure if anyone does this, but I think there's an idea there.

I was reminded of this when reading Seth Godin's recent post on Rapport.

Labels: advice, personal recommendations, rapport, user generated content, web2expo, wikipedia

I attended a great talk by Fred von Lohmann, a Senior Intellectual Property Attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He gave a great introduction to the must-do's for any websites that solicit User Generated Content.

Obviously, you can do more research on these topics with Google, but I'm blogging this just for ease-of-finding for myself in the future. Enjoy.

Get On An Island
1 - Register a Copyright Agent (costs <$75)
2 - You must have Notice and Takedown rules
3 - Have an Infringer Termination Policy

Stay On The Island
1 - "Red Flag" knowledge
2 - Direct financial benefit + Control

Labels: copyright, copyright agent, eff, electronic frontier foundation, fred von lohmann, infringer termination policy, intellectual property, notice and takedown, ugc, user generated content, web2expo

I really enjoyed the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco earlier this week. Here are some messages that stuck with me from the 4 days of talks.

While walking around the expo (exhibitor booths), I was struck by how few of them bothered to make it easy for attendees to quickly get a sense for what problem they solved. Many not only didn't display their name, but they had no 5 word description of their value-add! Also, the popular companies were easy to find, because of the crowds around their booths (reminded me of P.T. Barnum's quote "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd").

This led to a few ideas for exhibitors:
* If you aren't a well-known brand, make sure you have a 5-word explanation for your company easily visible at your booth
* It's a little smarmy, but consider 'hiring a small crowd' to hang around you/your booth, to attract other visitors. As the crowd builds, they can wander off a bit, and then come back. This allows the actual visitors to get to your representatives.
* Obviously, have an easy handout for people -- a single half-sheet card that quickly lays out benefits, with URL to get freebie

Labels: booth, conference, exhibitor, expo, web2expo