A Mad Vox

Ten Questions Not To Ask A Social Media Panel

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:14:24 -0700

Wednesday evening was the very first meeting of the Social Media Club, LA Chapter. Held at the Rubicon Project in Santa Monica, dozens of technologists, social media enthusiasts, technophiles, and PR attendees gathered over pizza and drinks to hash out the issue of what exactly defines social media. We had a live intro from Chris Heuer who also did a Q & A afterward. The agenda of the meeting group was to come with goals unique to LA and to address a way establishing standards with the other chapters.

I recently set up a Google alert for the term social media so I can keep better tabs on the subject as it appears in current media on the web. Here's an interesting link from MediaPost out of today's batch of links:

Online Spin » Blog Archive » Ten Questions Not To Ask A Social Media Panel

http://blogs.mediapost.com/spin/?p=1330

Ever go to one of those panels where most of the answers can be summed up as "it depends," "not sure," or "we're just not there yet"? On one hand, it's a great sign because it means you've stumbled on an honest bunch of panelists. On the other hand, it doesn't make for great sound bites, until a couple panelists talk about stomach ailments and the moderator quips about his fiancée.

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expanding the social net presence

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:53:08 -0700

1. Plurk - I have a feeling would be much better if I knew anyone else using it. I added one person I know on LJ who's using it but I don't know if she uses it much either. Until I have more people I can interact with my user experience is currently "meh". Purely for popularity reasons it'd still be more useful, socially speaking, to be on Twitter.

2. Threadless - About time I signed up for this as I love to browse various DIY design sites for inspiration/lolz. I signed up to vote for my friend's t-shirt design:

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My open mic, now closed

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:36:50 -0700

It's been a pleasure hosting Mikey Mondays, an open mic night event for the Santa Monica community. Due to circumstances beyond our control, it is with regret that I announce that all future Mikey Mondays at It's A Grind Coffeehouse, Santa Monica, are canceled, as the cozy coffeehouse on the corner of 6th street and Santa Monica Blvd. has been forced to go out of business.

Thank you to all who participated and showed your support over the last two months and of course, a big thanks to It's A Grind Coffeehouse who encouraged music and community in their Santa Monica neighborhood! You can still add myspace.com/itsagrindsantamonica to your friends and keep in touch with people you may have met here. Also visit openmikes.org to find other open mics, no matter where you are in North America.

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Startup School '08

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:23:22 -0700

Though I missed Startup School in Northern California last month (see video), I did attend Startup Camp held May 4-5th in downtown San Francisco. This unconference gave valuable insight into the world of tech startups and expectations that go with building them. Startup camp was part of CommunityOne which included the Sun Microsystems JavaOne Conference on May 5-7th(?). I just stayed through May 5th, but I floated between both events and what I saw was almost as interesting as the people I met. I have returned with five tips for starting up a startup of your own!

1. Have an idea
You already know this, but just having an idea is not enough. Did you know that successful startups pursue ideas that provide good solutions for real-world problems? Utilize your creativity to make a list of problems that you can feasibly solve. You can start by thinking of things that would make your life better (more convenient, efficient, cooler, etc.). Or think of existing companies with products you are passionate about using and figure out the problems they solved for you.

For example:
How could searching for things online become easier?
How could users quickly and simultaneously let their friends know what they are doing right now?
How could users easily share digital videos they've made?

Solutions to these problems were solved via companies that were once startups (A.k.a. Google, Twitter, and YouTube). You can tell that the founding entrepreneurs solved a problem they were passionate about.

2. Assemble a trustworthy team
You cannot do this alone (very well, anyway). When you have your idea and decide to execute it, first assemble a trustworthy team of smart people. Preferably smarter than you, because... well, I'll let you figure that one out. Find ones who are genuinely passionate about your idea.

3. Make a plan to execute your idea
Write this plan down. Really. People forget to do this and think it's fine to keep everything in their heads. When it comes to pitching time they may get a brain freeze not unlike the people on a game show who miss the super easy questions that they would normally be able to answer.

4. Get lucky
Failing to plan is planning to fail. It's funny how being prepared with a solid plan often brings good luck.

5. Heed expert advice
This video contains lots of great nuggets to keep in mind when trying to get your startup going.

Paul Graham at Startup School 08

http://omnisio.com/startupschool08/pa...

Paul Graham at Startup School 08 Paul Graham, founder of YCombinator, speaks at Startup School 08 about how to create a successful startup.

Bottom line: If you're not a problem solver, then building a successful startup is probably not in your future.

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Sharing Salary Figures on Facebook - New York Times

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:16:23 -0700

Sharing Salary Figures on Facebook - New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/fas...

ARIELLE GREEN, a publicist in Manhattan, knows what most of her friends earn, whether it is $28,000 a year or $100,000. And she does not seem particularly shy about disclosing her income ($30,000 a year, plus overtime).

How do you feel about sharing your salary information with your friends?

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Los Angeles CA locals: New open mic night to launch Mon. (4/28)

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:24:02 -0700

Calling all open mic aficionados, musically inclined locals, and visitors! It's A Grind Coffeehouse in Santa Monica is debuting their very own open mic night and you are invited to come participate!

If you plan to play get there by 7PM! Our show will begin at 7PM and go 'til 9PM.

Where is It's A Grind?
It's A Grind Coffeehouse is located on the southeast corner of 6th and Santa Monica Blvd.
602 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
Make It's A Grind your myspace friend:
myspace.com/itsagrindsantamonica

How much does this cost?
It's free (along with free nearby street parking after 6pm). There will be plenty of light food and tasty beverages for purchase.

Never done this before?
Neither have we. It's our very first open mic night here too. Let's make history together! Newbies are welcome here. This is a perfect venue to make your debut in a positive and supportive music community.

Early weeknight bonus!
Advantage of a Monday open mic is that you've got plenty of nights left in the week to head to other music hot spots in LA, Santa Monica, Hollywood, or the valley.

Feel free to pass this message along to anyone you think may be interested. See you Monday!

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QotD: Aw man! You got me!!

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:52:21 -0700

What's the best April Fools' Day prank you've ever had pulled on you?
Courtesy of Team Vox.

I am pretty sure that all this news of phasing out of the Vox QotD and the Vox Hunt is a top runner. :D

I wish that Google would offer custom time stamp for emails. That would be so awesome because it would make procrastinators all around the world have to work to find new ways to procrastinate. Custom time stamping would be like Tivo for real life! Or something.

Good ones, people. Keep it up.

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Cool business card designs | creativebits

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:49:35 -0700

Cool business card designs | creativebits

http://creativebits.org/cool_business...

Inspiration for designers who want to give their business cards that extra bit of flair.

I'm off to pick up some business cards in a few for a networking event tomorrow. I would have ordered moo mini-cards, but I didn't have the foresight to order them 2-3 weeks ago.

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People of the Web - High Wire Act

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:28:00 -0700

People of the Web - High Wire Act

http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/633...

71 year old MIT professor demonstrates conservation of energy... with his FACE. We need more science teachers like this!

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Sweet dreams

nobody@vox.com(madeline) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:12:37 -0800

SNL Digital short

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