-
"One of these days, a company will figure out what that secret killer app is for this space, that makes it so just about anyone can easily understand and appreciate the value of being able to plug together an instant, useful, specialized app."
-
"Social software designers first need to decide whether homophily (hang out with people who are like " you) is a a feature or a bug... To break homophily, recommend something for reasons other than 'this meshes very tightly with your profile'... Doing th
-
"Flapjax is a new programming language designed around the demands of modern, client-based Web applications."
October 17, 2006
October 13, 2006
October 12, 2006
September 30, 2006
BarBar at Zeitgeist
I'm sorry to say we've decided to shut down the Collaboration SIG, barely a year after we kicked it off. While we had some amazing speakers, truly interactive sessions, and healthy turnouts, in the end producing and promoting a monthly event proved more than our collective schedules could handle.
So what to do now? When do we get to go out and shoot the shirt about collaboration?
Eugene and I were talking and and couldn't come up with the answer. But we did decide there was only one way to come up with something: go drinking and figure it out. So we're heading to Zeitgeist this Tuesday (10/3, 7:30p) to enjoy the outdoor patio, various refreshments, and maybe even ... talk about collaboration.
Come join us if you want to hang out and talk shop -- we'll be in the back at a picnic table.
Oh yeah, since we're fans of barcamps and the like, and we will be having an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment that involves drinking, we've decided to call our little activity a BarBar. (And no, we won't be playing the web 2.0 drinking game...)
Hope to see you there.
August 31, 2006
Fun Times with JotSpot's Solution Partner Program
I'm typically a heads-down, OCDish kind of guy, particularly when it comes to work. Not prone to too much distraction, I often get lost in what I'm doing.
That said, the last handful of months have actually been more heads-down than most. I've resorted to shutting off my aggregator, not going out much if it doesn't involve my family or close friends, and staying up way too late way too often.
So what's up you ask?
I've actually been working heads down with a bunch of awesome folks conceiving an growing the JotSpot Solution Partner program, and man has it been fun. It's been a deep dive in collaboration on all levels, and has me firing on just about every cylinder work-wise. Here's what I mean.
Having Your Cake and Eating it Too
The fun starts with the basic mission of the program:
Partner with 3rd party developers to create custom collaborative software that 1) fits the customer like a glove and 2) can proceed from concept to launch in handfuls of weeks.
The basic actors in this movie are:
- JotSpot, an amazing on-demand app platform based on the power of wiki. Jot lets you have your cake (a wiki) and eat it too (extensible dev platform).
- JotSpot customers of every variety. They bring their unique vision along w/enough need to justify paying honest dollars to make it happen.
- A growing set of JotSpot partners who enjoy the challenge and profit of rapidly turning these customer visions into production software.
Concentric Circles of Entrepreneurism
At my ripe old age I've figured out a few basic ingredients that get me going at work. I'm basically equal parts technology, business, and people, all wrapped up in a tendency to over commit and an unreasonable attraction to challenge.
What's so cool about growing this program is that all three are rocking and rolling full tilt. Everywhere I turn there are little cycles of entrepreneurism happening, and as the program grows they're reproducing and enveoping each other at a rapid rate.
- Tech: Jot's kick-booty technology feeds the inner geek by letting us create custom collaborative products from top to bottom, no IT plumbing required.
- Business: Every new partner and customer discussion is grounded in the bottom line. We're conceiving, justifying, building, and launching a new product within a 3-way partnerships (Jot + partner + customer), multiple times a month.
- People: It's awesome to work with so many different teams at such a fast pace. We go from initial meeting to deployed solution in handfuls of weeks. This dictates a fluid and high communication approach, which of course allows us to eat our own dog food coordinating each project in Jot (more feeding of the geek factor).
So I have to say that overall, the last 6 months have provided a major dose of inspiration, and I feel it growing. Touchy-feely sentiment aside, success is happening for all involved, which bodes well for the future. I really look forward to letting more and more folks in on our little secret.
July 24, 2006
June 30, 2006
April and May and June, Oh My!
I lived in San Diego from ‘88 through ‘02 — enduring 15 years of what San Diegans call, “June Gloom.” You know, that depressing month when the sun shines for only 75% of each day’s daylight hours… Sheesh, I never was so spoiled.
SF saw lots of sun and backyard beer drinking for me in June, so no gloom or any such complaints. I pretty much forget what was going on in April and May, but here are a few things I recollect…
Launched JotSpot’s Services and Solution Partner Program. JotSpot is an application wiki, which means it’s a wiki platform meant to be easily extended, customized, and tweaked. Jot customers are increasingly interested in taking advantage of this capability, but some would rather hire than doing it themselves. From this demand and 12 months of under the radar engagements, the professional services and solution partner programs were born.
Saw Sigur Ros. One of my all time favorite bands, Sigur Ros, played in Marin (why Marin?). Another lovely and inspiring show.
Went Camping in Big Basin. We spent a weekend amongst the redwoods with the other sf2020kids group families. Gotta love camping with a small army of kids 3 and under.
Mashpit II. Spent an afternoon at Mashpit II, brainstorming and working on a mockup of Walkapedia, a proposed community site for “user-contributed walking tours.”. My favorite idea from that day was actually the Lovendar project, which is a calendar specifically designed for helping families jive together.
Got acquired by Yahoo. Well, that was the rumor anyway.
JotSpot powers eBay’s wiki. It’s very gratifying to see your product chosen to help eBay help their 193 million strong community say more on the web. Congrats to Scott Johnston and team for a job well done bringing the eBay wiki to life.
BlogHer Collaboration SIG night. Attendees of June’s Collaboration SIG were treated to a great night of learning, open discussion and debate with BlogHer co-founders Elisa, Jory, and Lisa. These three are doing something wonderful with BlogHer, and I thank them for sharing their stories about building a business around a grassroots community of women bloggers. Eugene sums up the evening nicely, and the podcast is here.
Officiated a Wedding. My awesome friends Bart and Claudine had a beautiful wedding day in Big Sur. I was honored to be the officiant.
Planted a tree w/FUF. Who doesn’t love trees? We joined our neighbors and other Friends of the Urban Forest in the mission to bring more greenery to San Francisco. We planted a tree in front of our house and 4 others, contributing to a single day of 79 new street trees. FUF rocks!
Watched Anaconda. These people watched this movie at Jot’s movie night #2. I now see why people say Anaconda was one of the most underrated movies of 1997 — the pairing of a 50 foot snake with an aging Midnight Cowboy was a real winner 
Welcomed New Competitors. Competition notched up a bit as WetPaint launched their wiki service and DabbleDB launched their db-apps-on-the-web service. Both look like very nice products — JotSpot welcomes new competition and the visibility and innovation they bring.
Updated JotSpot Spreadsheet. Tracker, Jot’s collaborative spreadsheet app, saw version 2 ship with some killer new features, including improved forumla support and a slicker UI. Lots of spreadsheet on the web and spreadsheet-as-platform conversation lately.
Yep, time flies when you’re having fun. Speaking of San Diego, i’m looking forward to some R&R next week down south for our annual 4th of July family festivities.
June 23, 2006
March 31, 2006
Feeds & More Info
Last.fm
- Weekly Top 10
Picasa
Reading and Sharing
- Google Reader Shared Items
