Nick questioned this after reading how Buffalo NY has a higher startup than Seattle and I thought it was a great question. He questioned whether Facebook, Craigslist or even Skype are considered start-ups (as they mentioned these companies in that article as being startups).

In my opinion, Skype and Craigslist are no longer startups, they are market leaders in their category and have ironed out their business models. Thus, Facebook could fall into that as well, but I don’t think Facebook has ironed out their business model yet — or rather maybe they have, but it hasn’t exploded yet as I someday expect (with the entire web having a Google AdSense alternative that will be Facebook AdSense ads).

Is a startup still a company without a revenue model figured out [i.e. Youtube back in the day, despite being the market leader, I would have considered them a startup still -- not sustainable on their own w/o outside financing], and I also question whether the amount of employees relative to what the company will likely be eventually, pulls them down to being considered a startup still.

In my opinion, Twitter is still a startup, despite being huge and a market leader. I don’t believe they have nailed down their business model, or grown their employees anywhere near the size that they will be someday.

What about Zynga? They have a business model, they have 1200 employees [just purchased office space to get to 2000 employees], and they have some games (products) that are their lifeline. The revenues they are pulling down could sustain them as a company.

Do you think Zynga is a startup still?

All,

In this album ‘Recovery’ he lets it all out. This verse sums it up:

Hit my bottom so hard I bounced twice,
This time around it’s different,
Them last 2 albums didn’t count,
Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushin’ ‘em out.

I know most of you probably don’t like him. You’re probably over him. You’re probably past your rap stage in life.

Well, whatever and where ever you are in life — this is one of the most solid rap albums you’ll ever hear in your entire life.

This is the album I have waited 4 years for. Big things have happened in this man’s life and yet his last album didn’t even seem to touch on them. The man’s best friend Proof gets shot outside of a nightclub in an altercation and dies. Then the man goes on to remarry his ex-wife that he’s had so many crazy/angry songs about, I can’t recollect how man — he then goes on to breakup with her after 3 months (they divorce a second time officially 11 months later).

The man has been on a pill-poppin spree for 3 years — and put on a bunch of weight.

Read these lyrics, the guy just lays it all out in this album:

I went away I guess to open up some lanes
But there was no one who even knew what I was going through- growing pains
Hatred was flowing through my veins
On the verge of going insane
I almost made a song dissin Lil Wayne
It’s like I was jealous of him cause the attention he was gettin’
I felt horrible about myself
He was spittin and I wasn’t
Anyone who was buzzin back then coulda got it
Almost went at Kanye too
God it feels like I’m goin’ psychotic
Thank god that I didn’t do it
I would of had my ass handed to me
And I knew it but proof wasn’t here to see me through it
I’m in the booth poppin another pill tryna talk myself into it
Are you stupid? You gon’ start dissin people for no reason?
Especially when you can’t even write a decent punchline even
You’re lying to yourself, you’re slowly dying, you’re denying
Your health is declinging with your self esteem, you’re crying out for help

Get this album. Now. It’s Eminem’s best yet.

-PoPo

If anyone is looking for some business/application ideas for using Twilio … I have had some SMS & VXML ideas in the past.

I think using SMS to send URLs to the user, so they can click and view things in their smartphone, is going to really come into play. Or calling a # in a job classified ad to hear a full description about the job & company [audio is more personal than text]. Ditto on calling a number on a product at a store that I’m looking at to walk me through the features.

http://www.stevepoland.com/app-startup-idea-132-parking-app-using-twilio-api/

http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-26c-job-postings-details-by-voicemail-message/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-26b-auto-details-and-photos-to-your-cell/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-42-audio-ads-network-provider/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-10-in-person-social-networking-eventbar-mingling-via-cell/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-12-e-cards-with-your-voice-and-bonus-ideas/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-17-audio-chatting-by-phone/ [a dating or chatroulette idea for the phone]
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-36-social-audio-video-recommendations/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-5-video-audio-ratings-of-transactions-businessesproductspeople/
http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-71-user-gen-opinionated-videos-photos-or-text-facebook-app/

Last week I was at the WNY Venture Association seminar on “Angel Investing in Western New York.” Not the sexiest market, in particular not for web technology. But some interesting tidbits came out of it — Ron Schreiber (Softbank Capital; Ingram-Micro co-founder) put some interesting nuggets out there. For VC firms, the 10-year annual return (avg) has been:

* 33%, June 2008
* 26%, January 2009
* 14%, June 2009

So why the huge discrepancy within a 1-year timeframe? Because the high returns of the late 90′s bubble drop-off the 10-year returns once 1999 kicked in.

The biggest take-away was him saying that if you’re going to be investing in start-ups, the plan should no longer be in selling the companies — that model is broken. He referenced the single-digit amount of IPO’s this year. He recommended the idea of ‘forced distributions’ as the new investing model — saying that there’s no reason why these companies can’t be funded and provide consistent returns, rather than waiting 5-10 years with your money tied up illiquid and then hoping for a return via merger/acquisition/IPO.

I’m curious what VC’s are currently thinking now, in 2009, when making their investments. Are they still investing with the idea of a merger/acquisition/IPO, or are they thinking of forced dividend returns by their portfolio companies? The number of VC firms is down, which is a reflection of the lack of returns.

Institutional investors backing these VC’s are generally looking for big returns off these high-risk investments, but given the lower VC portfolio returns now, I’d think the institutional investors would love the forced dividend returns to at least get their initial investments back. Maybe the better question is that if a VC were out raising a fund right now, would they still tout the merger/acquisition/IPO, despite the lack of those exits and the 14% 10-yr average return their industry has been providing?

Maybe Fred Wilson, Bijan Sabet, Brad Feld, or some other VCs will write a blog post with their thoughts on this.

You can read it, here. Enjoy!

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/15/twitter-facebook-amazon-affiliate-marketing/

I haven’t looked at the API, but I see crazy potential of apps being built on-top of FourSquare. The one thing I REALLY WANT [and have for years], is, when I go to a restaurant.. I want to see what everyone that’s ever been there rates as the best dishes; then what my friends rate as the best dishes; then what I’ve had there in the past [I was at a Thai place the other day, where I've been a lot, but there's 100 menu items, literally. I have no clue that last dish I had, which was AMAZING].

I detailed this idea out awhile ago — I think someone could make it happen with FourSquare: http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-76-the-greatest-menu-meals-fb-app-initially/

I’m in Buffalo, so I haven’t used FourSquare really at all, but I’d also love to see a “wall” for each bar/restaurant, where I could see everyone’s posts [within/at that bar/restaurant], or just my friend’s posts, or just my posts [w/replies of course]. It’d be another way for people to communicate and meet. If the music is way too loud, it could be said. If someone is puking in the 1st stall, it could be said. If a whif of reefer is going on, it could be said. If the blond in the red dress sitting at 7th seat at the bar is hot, it could be said.

I have some other ideas that I think could finally take off, if someone built them with FourSquare’s API…

This one is in regards to anyone at a sporting event, or concert, or happy hour, could post pics/videos from the event — and since everyone ‘checked in’ to foursquare is at same event, sending in a photo or video should be easy — something would check where you are, then it’d tag it for you without you worrying about it.

http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-39-vyous-aggregated-event-photosvideos-everyones-views/

Actually, the following post is basically what FourSquare became [feb 2007 I wrote this]:

http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-10-in-person-social-networking-eventbar-mingling-via-cell/

and

http://blog.stevepoland.com/idea-75-where-i-hang-out-facebook-app/

Someone just asked me, I responded with the following in less than 2 minutes [possibly 1 minute]. What would you tell someone that asked how to evaluate his/her startup ideas?

Evaluating ideas — talk to people; tell them your idea; what problem does it solve. Great if it solves a problem you personally have — because then you know a need exists [if you didn't find a solution already in all your research]. Start small and ugly. Don’t go into debt — 1 in 100 ideas that are executed actually become something. [I made that number up, but it's close enough -- don't gamble everything you have; the idea is to get other people involved so you have less risk... if others put money up, or will buy your thing, or use it, then you know you have something]. Stick away from pitching friends — they’ll likely nod their head, think you’re crazy, but won’t tell you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings or burn out your enthusiasm/passion that you obviously have for whatever you’re pitching them.

This is saying a lot. If you know me, you know I likely have attended, on average, 2 concerts per month for the last 12 years of my life. Thus, nearly 300 concerts — that doesn’t really consider the nearly 50 acts that I see at various concert festivals (SXSW).

I’ve seen the new face of rock ‘n roll, and I was sober. This band lit up The Independent in San Francisco, CA, which is close to their homebase of Los Angeles.

I have described it as “happy hippie rock ‘n roll”.

I love these songs-
Home
Come In Please
Om Nashi Me

Ok I mean, those were the best damn songs played live.

I clapped with the crowd, intensely for 3 songs straight. I didn’t even feel any pain, and just kept clapping harder. And harder. Jumping in place. Couldn’t stop moving. Didn’t want it to end.

Expect lots of 2nd hand weed smoke. I want to become a groupie and follow them. The one chick’s vocals blow your mind considering how petite (and high on drugs) she is.

If you get a chance to see this band, you don’t even need to listen to the music beforehand — I assure you I had no clue what I was expecting, I just knew that my buddy Jonathan Strauss (of Awe.sm) had talked them up to me so much that when I was in SF earlier this month and he was, and he told me they were — I said, done, I’m in.

This band couldn’t be talked up enough — your expectations could be higher than a kite and they’ll still blow you away.

I just bought 4 tickets for their show in Toronto on November 24, 2009. Here’s their schedule and some songs to listen to.

Prepare to have the most fun you’ve ever known.

Specifically I’m seeking a contract UX designer — someone that can go through our app and make the usability better. As a quick task to see if you have the chops, how can you make the following ‘reports/stats’ page more usable? [This page basically breaks down stats for any plugin that the Publisher is using in their Extendy toolbar on their website].

If you are this UX someone, or know of someone, please drop me a quick note.

I gave this presentation last night at our third BarCampBuffalo. Sorry there’s no audio (or some examples of my pencil mockups, or RFP spreadsheet):