Gripes and Grins

Email is about to be hot once again

I've spent the last 15 years working at the intersection of digital media and interpersonal communications.  Sometimes, I worked more on digital media -- PodShow and Gazillion.  Sometimes I worked more on communications -- Jangl and Stata Labs.  Sometimes, the two collide, as was the case with WebTV. 

What I'm fascinated by continuously is how digital media is shared and recommended by people.  Even the broadcast model fascinates me, but for the most part I'm very much focused on personal recommendations and media sharing. My co-workers past and present know this, because I get passionate about feature-functionality that enables people to publish, syndicate and aggregate referrals.  Examples of my pet features would be the RSS feed reader in Bloomba (now WordPerfect Mail), rich email and IRC in WebTV (now MSNTV), texting in Jangl and the Groups feature in Utterli.  Right now, I'm working hard on a facebook integration of SmartyCard (for moms). 

This month is shaping up to be an awesome month for my interests: Per the Alpha user group email I received this morning, Threadbox is launching in a matter of days, and KoiTunes just launched yesterday.  Both of these companies are focused on interpersonal communications, and they may seem dispirit from the outside view, but they're really quite similar looking from the inside out.  I'll post about KoiTunes and Threadbox after I've used them more. But, Threadbox is really interesting in terms of the hot-once-again email space. 

On the topic of email, here are two really interesting posts from MediaPost for people following digital media and interpersonal communications from the email angle. 

Laurie Sullivan has a great take on the rise of video email.  Chalk full of data points. Ten years ago, my first intro to video email was InBoxTV, a startup founded by Canesta's founder Jim Spare.  Thankfully Jim recongized it was too early for video-in-email, because he started building Canesta, which is trailblazing 3D-input into television in a market that is sometimes described as naturalUI or gesture-based UI.  Just think Minority Report...but, I digress.

In one of the most relevant topics of the day for marketers, Blaine Mathieu asks social or mobile?.

It seems like natural course of campaign development for most consumer and business services puts the web service first, and, inevitably, the marketing guy is asked to prioritize mobile or social next.  It's a different decision for each marketer, but Blaine's story helps frame the decision -- starting with "It depends".

A box of chocolates

While getting dressed this morning, I saw my first 2010 Valentines Day ad for chocolates.  It got me thinking: Startups are like a box of chocolates. 

I've been working at Gazillion as the vp of marketing for SmartyCard for well over a year now.  Before I took this position, I was involved in a quick succession of startups that fell victim to the fallout in venture financing.  I was leaving PodShow in 07, which was having no problem sourcing funding.  My departure was due in part to my mother's illness, but also because I didn't recognize the company after a nearly two years. The CEO held me up as an executive in outside meetings, but kept his own counsel on every aspect of the business.  I didn't need that kind of frustration with two babies, a very sick and difficult mom, and 40% of industry average salary etc., etc.

I joined Michael Cerda at Jangl, and we needed to raise almost immediately.  Jangl couldn't raise because our operating economics were upside down, our partners didn't know how to position our services, and our founders were at war with our board.  Even after we started to fix the operational issues and partnerships, the board forced us to pursue acquisitions, and a much-publicized deal fell apart just before the assets were swallowed up by other players in VOIP. 

At RPM/Utterli, I joined the company under a new product premise and the existing board liked the team.  But, when the markets fell out, investors couldn't meet the commitments to keep growing the business, and founders were effectively given their company back. Utterli's continued growth as a mobile life-stream publishing platform is a credit to the founders (the only people still working on that project), and I support those guys wherever I can. But it's a product, not a startup at this point. 

Last year, when I had a moment to reflect, I'd think about what I could have done different, better in 2008.  I can't help doing that.  Nor can I stop thinking about what would have happened if I'd pursued other offers and other opportunities.  Late last night I checked in on those other opportunities, and, in all honesty, I was expecting those other startups to be doing well without me. 

I was wrong.  The law of averages was plain for me to see last night. The other startups I might have joined struggled in 2009 with finding funding, missing the market, losing/firing founders and new execs and taking a beating for over-reaching promises to members of the media. That's life here in Silicon Valley.  From 96-2004 I was golden.  From 2005-2008, I lived through what most people experience -- frustration and failure.

It was great to learn from those experiences, even better to see that the times and frustration aren't simply my experience.  In startups, no one ever knows what they're going to get.

Back on a Mac... not dancing like some a-hole

MacBook Pro + iPhone... Santa is clearly a PC snob.  No, me and my silhouette aren't dancing like some spastic jack-ass.  No, I didn't sell off all of my Microsoft stock yet.  And, no, I'm not buying Apple stock.  But, if I had the time to pick stocks, the Amazon top-seller list would give me every reason to buy Apple stock.  The truth is, this is an elegant machine compared to the POS Dell that our previous CFO insisted I use.  It's odd to be using the Mac UI again... feels good though.  I never really wanted to stop using a Mac.  I managed to stay on  a G4 for two years after MSFT bought WebTV.  But, I got nailed in an interview... a NYTimes reporter casually mentioned that a spokesperson for Microsoft was using a Mac, and that's when they (IT) came for my Mac. 

Anyway, got some real kudos from a Doctor today.  I'm taking the time over the Holiday to better understand student uses for Jangl apps.  I'm meeting with teachers, students, administrators... the feedback has been really interesting.  I'm hoping that we don't disappoint the good Dr. Cooper in the future. http://maricopatech.blogspot.com/2007/12/best-web-20-applications-for-college.html

Up Next: Back to stone throwing.  Lexus and TVGuide are on my shortlist.

I met another stone thrower... and he is hilarious.

This guy is brilliant!
This is Ewan McLeod.  I talked with him this morning at the Bebo open platform launch, which was refreshingly modest and low-key.  Ewan is a huge fan of Jangl -- specifically, our SMS service addition.  We gave Ewan a demo of JanglME for Bebo, and he was very enthusiastic about the app's simplistic design and potential for adoption and usage within Bebo.  But that is not what I like about him... by his own description, he is the guy that likes to use everything and then stand up in the back of the press conference and scream "bullshit!".  In other words, he is a stone-thrower like me.  I'm both a fan and envious of Ewan because he quit his day job to become a full-time critic AND he has the luxury of focusing on his personal interest -- all things mobile.  Despite having a raging headache from working 6am-4am Tuesday, and having no morning coffee because my kitchen is in a remodel, Ewan got me laughing and kept me engaged until I could slug down a few cups of Bebo's complimentary coffee. 

So, what is this guy getting familiar with right now?!  US mobile carriers are going to cringe when Ewan produces his shopping reviews of Sprint, TMobile, AT&T.  I won't preview, because his rants on US handsets and carrier contracts were biting.

So, how was the Bebo event?  Surprisingly good.  I was totally wound up for a huge event, lots of Zuckerberg-like hyperbole, and plenty of smirking and confused dino-press.  But Bebo reminded me that they are the anti-Facebook, and too distant from MySpace to even describe.  I love these guys -- honest, self-deprecating, and confident at the same time.  And, I love their social media dogma.  They are doing so much of what we scoped or attempted at PodShow... I love them whilst being really jealous of their ability to execute.   

Liar!

The biggest lie in startup life is this: "I've got to go to New York for a day or so, you won't even miss me."    I work for Jangl.  I'm vp of marketing, so I can't really fuck things up here.  For the most part, my job was made easy when I hired two of the smartest guys I know: Matt Oliver and Chris Breshears.  But, still, after I get back from New York, it usually takes me a day or so to get back on routine, and therein lies the Truthiness of saying "you won't even miss me"   My  family knows it.  So do my coworkers.  The head of QA even asked if I'd enjoyed my vacation.  Telling, really. 

For a guy that has spent so many years on "outbound" marketing, New York is just now getting familiar.  I'm not talking about familiarity at the tourist level... I'm talking about knowing restaurants, bars, traffic patterns, etc.  Our CEO is still getting familiar with New York at the tourist level.  Together, last week we met with media (Fortune, BusinessWeek, etc.), potential partners, venture capitalists and creative agencies.  We did the 8-8 schedule and got it all done in two days.  One more day would have made one or the both of us ill. 

I'd gotten out of the work travel habit, somewhat, so no blogs were posted.  Frankly, work travel is not a habit I like to maintain: one of the reasons why I left PodShow was the travel to the UK, NY, etc.   I've got young kids, and a lot of travel is very hard on the family.  I don't know how  uber-travelers like Kris Jacob do it.  I've worked with him for over a decade -- he travels so much that he might as well have keys to the captains facilities at SFO.

Bottom line on the trip, it was very productive.  We met with key writers, editors and people that believe that we're doing the right thing with Jangl's free service.  The business end of it was very encouraging, and I found myself wondering aloud... "why haven't we come out here earlier".  We'll be back there again, probably next month on our way to London, so hit me up if you want to connect in NYC.

To the point of this blog -- brand experiences, if you will -- I was gob-smacked by the differences between the west coast and east coast; differences in people, business decorum, customer service etc.  However, these four things were just as I'd remembered them. 

1. The Paramount is a total shit hole.  I knew it before, and it was refreshing to experience it all over again.  When I worked at Microsoft, the travel group would often put me up there.  I made last minute travel arrangements this time, and I had to take the Paramount for it's location... if it weren't in the West 40s between 6th and 7th, it would be closed down. 
2. JetBlue kicks ass.  Enough said. 
3. Starbucks in NYC is a fraud.  No connectivity, even where advertised.  Specifically, in the locations in the east 40s between 3rd and Lexington Ave.  I tried to order my usual at  starbucks near a Mens Wearhouse on 3rd and they looked right past me like -- that's hard to  do as I'm 6'3", 250+lbs.  Not even an attempt to clarify... they just weren't even going to try.  Nice.
4. NYC restuarants are legit.  Good and expensive.  Specifically, Sushi by Geri on West 46th between 7th and 8th.  Outstanding spicy tuna roll. 

STIRR'ing the pot

I used to work for this guy at PodShow, and he had a bunch of entertaining  sayings.  One of them was "Stirring the pot".  Ron would use the phrase to describe something controversial that he or Adam (Curry) said in order to provoke a reaction.  Sometimes the reaction would be something positive like Josh Jaffe describing PodShow as a potential billion dollar idea.  Other times, the reaction would look a little more like this.  The point being that the kind of reaction didn't matter, just that there was a reaction created.  Stirring the pot as a PR tactic isn't strategic, its blunt-instrument-warfare.  God help you if you mistake controversy for strategy. 

So, last week I'm at the SF Stirr event at The Mighty, and Michael Cerda, the co founder and CEO of Jangl said some things that can definitely be viewed as "stirring the pot".  Michael started off with a harmless question ("how many of you are founders?") and then declared that "you're all fucked" before launching into a cautionary tale that is perhaps the most useful lesson you can learn as an entrepreneur.  The gist of the talk was circle of trust type stuff... know the character of the people you're trusting with the care of your startup.   

Now, by way of disclosure, I admit that I have been known to stir the pot in order to create free publicity.  So, when I see things stir in front of me, I know what I'm looking at.  The Stirr room sure needed a blunt instrument that night, and , being an entertainer, Michael  gave the people what they wanted.  Feeling a little pumped after my CEO upstaged the headliners, I ordered up a few tequilas and sought to rescue him from the crowd around him.

Here is the downside of stirring the pot.  The back story on Michael's tale got screwed up in Valleywag and the pot continued to boil for awhile.  This is the downside risk of stirring the pot.  And, by the way, I don't blame Valleywag -- those guys are constantly screaming questions over a dull roar of people, music and general bar mayhem.  I can't imagine how they manage to get most things right on first post.

This brings me to my original point.  As a regular PR practice, stirring the pot is a dangerous thing....especially in the age of mindless pursuit of SEO and Alexa rankings.  It can be abused and it can go sideways, in a hurry.  But Stirring the pot has upside in that highly entertaining moments are created and rather standard events can become unusual.  For the individual stirrer, the act can distinguish you.  For a good example, check out Michael's "you're all fucked" moment on the Founder's Hack page at Stirr.  The content is a bit "inside baseball" if you're not inside Silicon Valley's TMZ, but the delivery is still pitch perfect. 

New blog, more drivel

I'm setting up a new shop.  Previous blogs at AO (bloomba guy) and PodShow (podpimp) went awry.  I took a bunch of heat for my posts on the Yahoo! acquisition of Stata Labs.  And, I think I'm done with the whole PodPimp schill identity provided by Adam Curry, et al.  Also, I'm done ghost writing for other execs.  I'll keep my shit right here for the time being.

I'm going to blog about product and marketing snafus -- something more punitive than what goes on at Media Guerilla.  I'll also share some nuggets on startup life, maybe I'll drop a few more names than what gets posted at Cerdafied. 

Here is my first punching bag: Starbucks. 

I'm an addict to caffeine. My coffee maker at home costs more than most people's cars.  FYI, I'm embarrassed about that -- not proud at all.  I've done some rough math and figured out that I spend some $3,000 a year in coffee shops.  Cafe Nero and the dollar-to-pound exchange is seriously inflating these figures, but I think you get the point.  I've tried every imaginable "Harbucks" drink and every imaginable permutation of "special request" for a drink. 99.99% of the time, the well-oiled machine that is Starbucks and their "partners" and baristas spits out my hit of caffeine with the cold efficiency of a Ray Bradburry short story.  I used to think that you couldn't mess with these guys.  I used to think Schultz and his generals could even improve upon the most precise legions, like the US Army.  That is until I discovered the drink combo that grinds any and every Starbucks to a halt....Ladies and gentlemen, here is Starbucks' Achilles heal, an order combo that is destined to unravel the juggernaut that is Starbucks (not really). 

"I'll have two vente iced coffees, one sweetened with room, one un-sweetened with soy milk". 

Say it slowly if you want to.  But make sure to have the camera running.  The quiet mayhem that ensues  is hilarious.  I've tried this in no less than 30 Starbucks locations across the US.  The order usually results in a huddle, followed by a managerial consultation, and finally a request to restate the order.  Restating the order multiple times is almost always required.  In one particular Starbucks in Palo Alto, I've had to restate the order six times.  Try it.  Regardless of your taste for the beverages, the confusion, the hand wringing, the shear exasperation is delightful. 

If you want a bonus delight, go ahead and ask the manager why this order is so hard to fulfill.  The explanations range from, "unsweetened iced coffee is technically an 'americano'..." to "Unsweetened with soy is usually served without ice". At any rate, the explanation usually trails off.  If you feel especially prickish, ask for the explanation to be repeated.  I did that once.  The poor cashier looked like she was about to cry -- total frustration and helplessness.  I felt bad, but only for a second. 

Let me know if you find any other mayhem-inducing order combinations at Starbucks or any other International blight, er, uh retail chain.   

You can always CallMe.