August 24th, 2011
Today Google announced that they are filling the gap between Google +1 and Google+. Users will finally be able to share the content they +1’ed with their Circles.
It is noteworthy that in the announcement Google proudly mentions the number of times the +1 button appeared on web sites (about 2 billion) but does not say a word about how many times it was actually clicked. I suspect they are too embarrassed to tell.
So now that Google realized the nonsense about the +1 and made the button actually useful, it remains to be seen how much of an effect this update will have in its usage. I will be watching it closely and blog about it if necessary.
Oh by the way…before I forget….I told you so…:-)
Yalim K. Gerger (@yalimgerger)
August 19th, 2011
I was going to throw out this little article because I thought I am just declaring the obvious. But just when I was about to delete it, the news came that HP threw in the towel and I found the audience for the post. This article is solely for the benefit of laptop manufacturers that are not called Apple.
PC makers are losing battles against Apple left and right. Even though consumers have it all figured out, they don’t seem to have understand at all why they keep getting their butt kicked. They are confused. They are in denial, and panic. They just keep executing the same business plan that worked ten years ago. Spend five minutes on Dell web site and attempt to buy a laptop and then compare the experience to the one on the Apple Online Store. You would think that the two sites are selling two separate products. Well…you know what…they are.
August 15th, 2011
My blog post -1 for Google +1, in which I argued that no one is using +1 because there is no benefit a user gets from +1’ing anything, generated a lot of comments here at this blog and at Hacker News. I would like to thank everyone who contributed. The comments really helped me to form a better opinion. In this post, I want to do a round up of the discussion we had. It seems to me that it all boils down to these three points:
There is indeed no personal benefit from +1’ing anything
As the Google video at the bottom explains, you +1 something for the benefit of others. There is no personal gratification whatsoever. It is like donating an organ to a complete stranger because even in giving an organ to someone you know, you get the personal benefit of spending more time with him. So in a sense, +1’ing a web page is morally a superior action than donating a kidney to your brother. It is a pure selfless act.
August 12th, 2011
While I was browsing through news stories at MSNBC.com, I could not help but notice the vast difference between the number of people recommended a story on Facebook and +1’ed it on Google. Here are some examples:
Perry to announce campaign for president: Facebook: 997 clicks Google +1: 6 clicks
Warrant singer Jani Lane found dead: Facebook: 330 clicks Google +1: 1 click
Chimp attack victim reveals her new face: Facebook: 7.000 clicks Google +1: 63 clicks
The numbers don’t look very encouraging for +1 to say the least. Oh heck, let’s be honest. +1 is failing.
August 12th, 2011
Is it just me who finds this kind of advertising tacky? I am not trying to make a political statement or anything. Just take it all at face value: “30 people got killed. Now that we opened your appetite, would you like some fish&chips at half price?”
Is this really the right placement for this ad? Must all stories have an ad running?
A small piece of software can prevent these errors, if someone cares enough to put it in place. It seems to me that MSNBC.com does not care at all.
Yalım K. Gerger
August 3rd, 2011
At Seedcamp there were several startups, that target other startups as their potential customers. This is not unusual. There are many people out there giving professional help to startups in many different ways. However, this got me thinking about questions I asked a little late in my life.
Do you like to interact with your customers?
One of the facts in life I realized a little late is that you get to hang out with your customers a lot. You talk to them all day. You exchange emails. You attend their meetings. You pitch to them. You explain your product. You teach how to use your product. You listen to their feedback. You listen to their complaints. You answer their stupid questions. You patiently wait until their rant is over. All this requires a lot of, A LOT OF interaction. Actual human talking and conversation.
July 20th, 2011
Entrio provides an event management platform with mobile tickets for organizers of small scale events.
Online, mobile ticket sales seems like a popular business area for startups these days. Recently, I ended up using two different startups myself, one to register for the Seedcamp event and one to buy a ticket for the wine tasting trip that came afterwards. This is actually good for Entrio. It is further proof that validates their idea.
During the session two concerns were raised from our mentor group.
July 18th, 2011
Last week I participated as a mentor at Seedcamp Ljubljana. For those who don’t know’ Seedcamp is an early stage micro seed investment fund and mentoring programme. They organize daily events across Europe where mentors and startups get together.
This was my first time at a Seedcamp event or any event regarding startups. I am literally blown away. The buzz around the place is incredible. Everybody is candid, supportive and unpretentious. They are willing to help and probably more importantly receive help.
The other incredible thing is that none of this buzz and excitement is about money. Yes, Seedcamp wants to invest in companies and eventually make money off of these investments but overall at a Seedcamp event, money takes a back seat to the culture of collaboration. The power of community, collaboration and willingness to receive help are the lessons I am taking home with me from Seedcamp Ljubljana.
