Hollywood-Flavored Brain Juice about Viral Marketing, Venture Capitalism, and Online Networking.
Day or night, it's always flowing, so put on your rain jacket and wait- Did you hear that? It was a crackle of thunder. We're gonna have a brain juice storm.
At the healthy age of 24, I have multiple, successful entrepreneurial ventures under my belt. My belt is so large I am forced to use the last notch. You know, the one that extremely weight-challenged people use.
By the way, EMAIL ME. I promise I'll respond. Boy scout's honor. (No, I wasn't technically a boy scout. But just trust me.)
Just arrived into San Jan airport for a much needed vacation. Cab drivers, protesting unfair labor conditions, are on strike and angrily beating on the patrol cars of policemen. Still, only twenty or so policemen are on the scene, and the cabbies number in the hundreds.
I’m off to my hotel - hopefully, the violence will end here soon.
Developing…
As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Bebo has been acquired by AOL for $850 million. Come again? Bebo, the #5 social news site for $850 million? Didn’t NewsCorp pay just $580 million for MySpace, the dominant #1 player.
Well yeah, but a lot has happened since that deal went down, and valuations for social networking sites are through the roof. In fact, $850 million is actually a pretty good deal considering the size and growth of Bebo. If anything, it makes Rupert Murdoch’s initial acquisition, MySpace, look exponentially sweeter. However, AOL, like NewsCorp and Microsoft, is getting a valuable partner in the social networking game. Bebo gives AOL (TimeWarner) a valued channel through which to market its content and extends its reach further across the globe. After all, Bebo’s real cult following is abroad, not stateside. For Bebo, the deal is equally sweet - it’s getting loads of cash and a mountain of resources/content to draw from in expanding its own operations.
As such, I can’t help but give this deal my whole-hearted stamp of approval. Boom. Stamped.
Action: Yahoo went looking for a “White Knight” to save them (all suitors listed below). They looked for a deal that would keep Yahoo in tact by either infusing cash or merging into a similar-sized company. They basically wanted a deal that didn’t involve Microsoft. However, after talks fizzled out for various reasons they decided to try and institute a defense plan. You’re probably asking yourself “how do you defend yourself from money?” Here’s the answer: by making yourself less valuable to potential suitors. So, they instituted a classic “Poison Pill” defense (a term used and coined by I-Bankers during the era of Wall Street raiders) by giving sizable pension boosts to employees and management in the case of a merger or acquisition. This essentially adds several billion to MSFTs costs if they want to proceed with the takeover.
The deal as it stands for MSFT:
Pros:
Cons
Throughout the past few days, I’ve heard plenty of people buzzing about what’s going on between MSFT and Yahoo, and it has made me realize what an insulated community I exist in. I take it for granted that everyone around me has the same nuanced understanding. So, I’ve broken down what;s going on - as I see it - for the layperson. Please take a gander.
Synopsis: Yahoo’s lagging stock price, and hot Internet properties have made them an attractive acquisition candidate for a long time. Unlike Google, Yahoo has long been in the “content” game and as such, has gained a huge - we’re talking mega-ginormous – following in many areas. For example, Yahoo Finance, is and has long been the #1 business website (in terms of traffic) on the Internet and Yahoo Fantasy Leagues have been the #1 destination for sports enthusiasts. Furthermore, Yahoo has made some surprisingly nimble acquisitions such as social bookmarking pioneer, del.icio.us, and the now ubiquitous photo-sharing platform Flickr. However, with so many eyeballs comes a huge sticker price, one that makes Yahoo a hard company to swallow. With Yahoo’s share price dipping below $20 and a large round of layoffs lowering cost concerns, Microsoft decided to crack open its always sizable war chest and bring an offer to the table. This was a chance for Microsoft to not only take out a competitor, but to get good R&D (Research and Development), a whole pipeline of products, and essentially, “buy” there way into a serious online presence that they’ve yet to achieve organically. Additionally, they’d save tons of money in operating costs with their new acquisition due to “synergies in operation” (ie. being able to fire everyone at Yahoo whose job already exists at Microsoft – management included).
With an offer on the table, the Yahoo Board of Directors were forced to consider it, and in doing so, put the company “in play.”
I wrote this article earlier this week for FreelanceSwitch.com
A friend dropped me an email about a new site he was launching, StudentFreelance.com, and it got me thinking about my own freelancing experiences in college…
For my money, students comprise one of the most overlooked and underutilized freelance communities. Even though tons and tons of students are learning extremely valuable (and marketable skills) on a daily basis, we seldom think about college students as potential freelancers, particularly when it’s time to fill the next freelance gig.
Back in my own college days, when I wasn’t hitting the books or drinking eggplant juice (my older brother somehow convinced me it would help with hangovers – it turned out he was just messing with me), I was fortunate enough to freelance on a fairly consistent basis. While my java pressing compatriots earned their beer money concocting frappacinos at Starbuck’s, I was discovering amazing synergies between my studies and my work. Like the time I was able to use a class on VRML to impress a client who only wanted a “3D-looking” kiosk menu programmed in Director, with a real immerse/interactive 3-D world! (For those not fluent in “tech,” allow me to translate: I did something pretty awesome.) Not only was it rewarding for me to apply skills from the classroom to the real world, but I feel pretty confident that I was providing my clients with high-quality services.
Certainly, some old and grumpy types might stereotype college kids as too young to understand the responsibilities that come hand-in-hand with freelancing. (These are probably the same types that don’t appreciate re-runs of Seinfeld or a good “yo mamma” joke.) But for those of us with even a little bit of open-mindedness, college kids represent an incredibly useful, and underutilized, talent pool.
I may be going out on a limb, but I think most students understand that those work relationships they form while in school often lead to jobs (or at least referrals). With this understanding under their belts, you can bet student freelancers will likely go above and beyond their assigned tasks. But that’s only one of many benefits towards supporting student freelancing.
1. Cheap Labor. Students are notoriously strapped for cash. They might be attending an Ivy League school, on track for a six-figure salary, but until they receive their diplomas and leave behind the pearly gates, they’re just looking for enough money to buy the next keg.
2. Opportunity to Build Relationships. If you begin working with a talented freelancer when his/her career is still young, you’re in a position to form a long-term relationship that’s grounded in trust and loyalty. After all, if you give a fresh-faced freelancer his/her first big break, he/she is certain to be grateful and will remember your company years into the future — even if she/he has already become established in a given field. Wouldn’t it be great to have a freelancer whom you could consistently depend upon? Or better yet, wouldn’t it be great if you could hire that rockstar programmer straight out of college before any of your competitors got their mitts on him?!
3. A Known Quantity. When you work with a student freelancer, you know that he/she has at least minimal work ethic and ambition – otherwise, he/she wouldn’t be in school. Furthermore, you can gain a feeling for the freelancer’s general intelligence by the quality of his/her school, although this certainly isn’t always a reliable indicator: sometimes geniuses attend no-name community colleges, and dim-witted slackers, by some stroke of luck (or because they held an admission officer’s child for ransom), were accepted into the Harvards of the world.
4. Help out a youngster. You have a heart, don’t ya? We all remember what it was like, regardless of our field, waiting for our first big break. For a potential student freelancer, who studies all day and works the night shift at Starbuck’s, that break might be working on your next project.
1. Apply what you learn in the classroom. You’ve heard the adage “you learn by doing,” right? Well, guess what? It’s true. When you have the ability to apply the information you learn in the classroom to actual, real-world projects, I guarantee that you will not only appreciate that information a little bit more, but you will retain it with far greater ease and frequency. It’s one thing to complete a class project on 3D design, it’s another to complete the same project for a client, with real-world deadlines, consequences, and rewards. Plus, when you deal with clients, you’re not only learning about the technical side of things, but about the business: how to conduct yourself in a pragmatic and professional manner.
2. Make money. Green. Loot. Cold hard cash. You know what I’m talking about. If you can live without the endless supply frappacinos, the money is typically far better as a freelancer than as a barista.
3. Form Valuable Relationships. I already hit this point, but to quickly summarize: the relationships you form with employers while in school, if handled with tact and follow-through, can often lead to future jobs and referrals. Your career is like a skyscraper: the sooner you start building it, the sooner you will rise. Despite spending my last few years in college focusing solely on entrepreneurial endeavors, I had lots of former clients asking me if I wanted a job when my graduation date approached.
I know what you’re thinking. What about the downsides of student freelancing? Is everything student freelance related all roses and peanut butter cups? Well, no. From the employer side, student freelancers are already involved in a “full-time job,” college. When the student needs to decide between studying for finals and completing your project, what will he/she decide? Regardless of the individual’s answer, you’d probably prefer that he/she wasn’t asking himself/herself that question in the first place. Additionally, I confess, dealing with a young adult often raises concerns of maturity and responsibility. However, at the end of the day, the fact is that most freelancers are overburdened with work, stretched thin for time, and there’s never a way to tell in advance whether your freelancer is sufficiently mature/responsible.
From the student’s side… well, there’s really not much to lose. The money is good. The opportunity to “learn by doing” is exceptional. And unless you’re sticking with Starbuck’s because you want to become a store manager one day, freelancing is the perfect way to take steps forward with your budding career.
With all this information in mind, I’d like to encourage you guys to check out StudentFreelance, a new web 2.0 freelancing site that’s designed to connect businesses with college students who are eager to work and make some money. There aren’t really any other similar sites out there, so I’m interested to see what happens with it. Plus at the moment, it’s completely free — no membership fees, no project fees, totally gratis.
If you are or know of a college student who’s interested in Writing, Designing or Programming, you should definitely encourage them to freelance- whether it’s through craigslist, the school bulletin board, or my friend’s new website. And if you’re looking to hire a freelancer, I definitely support hiring a “professional,” but at the same time, perhaps you should also consider the benefits of the student route.
As I’m sure everybody reading this post has noticed, the Internet is becoming an increasingly popular place for creative folks to tell their stories. More and more money is being thrown at the Internet, from no name shmoes in North Dakota to slick-haired execs in Hollywood. But just when you think the tides are truly and definitively turning, a group of investors throw their support behind luxury movie theaters, betting that audiences will be down for paying $35.00 for a single ticket.
This week, Village Roadshow Ltd., Act III, Lambert Entertainment and the Retirement Systems of Alabama pension fund have partnered to bring the luxury cinema circuit Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas to the U.S. They’re planning to spend $200 million to build 50 theaters nationwide over the next five years. The first two theaters will be erected in some backwater suburbs of Chicago and Seattle, and others are planned for Fairview, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth, and Scottsdale, Ariz.
From what I understand, the theaters are going be pretty baller. They will include 40 reclining armchair seats with footrests, digital projection, and the capability to screen 2-D and 3-D movies, as well as a lounge and bar serving cocktails and appetizers, a concierge service, and valet parking.
Although this investment in luxury cinemas might seem counter-intuitive, in light of our economy’s looming recession, it certainly has precedent: when Hollywood encounters new and threatening mediums of entertainment, it typically responds with its own novel (and often dramatic) innovations. This dynamic is most clearly exemplified by the growth of television in the 1950s, to which Hollywood countered with mechanical chairs (think: subdued roller coaster ride) and odor effects (think: smells floating through the audience like powerful flatulence.)
The cinemas will also offer culinary offerings — made-to-order meals like sushi and quesadillas. The investors hope to attract 10 million “upscale and affluent” consumers, and each complex will typically house eight screens.
“It’s a new way to go to the movies,” said Graham Burke, managing director and CEO of Village Roadshow Ltd. “It’s… like flying first class in an airplane.”
Sounds good, Graham. Let’s hope we don’t have any turbulence.
backlink
Ever since I was a young teenager with a combined five hairs under my armpits, my friends and I have enjoyed a constant competition to create the funniest away message. Lately, I’ve been too busy to play an active role in this competition, but in the spirit of fun-loving web 2.0 and Facebook’s new instant messaging service, I’ve compiled a list of my ten favorite away messages. Thanks to my boy Josiah for generating half of these – the kid’s got a brain the size of a cantaloupe.
Without further ado, I present you with The Best 10 Away Messages Ever Written By Man, Woman, Or Asshole
10) I’m out like a fat kid in a game of dodgeball.
9) I am not available because I am playing a computer game that takes up a good portion of the screen. In fact, just enough to obscure your IM.
Just say: “I don’t know” to drugs.
7) Up, up, and away message.
6) Remember the time I told you you were cool? That was opposite day.
5) I’m out like Steven Hawking in a game of Twister. (I know… I’m going to hell.)
4) My other away message is a Cadillac.
3) Ask me about my away message.
2) I am not available because I am playing games with your mind. Think about that one.
1) I’m busy studying. Or as they say in the porn business, “looking at porn.”
Facebook announced a few days ago some news that’s sure to rock the socks of its users worldwide – the number two social networking site will be introducing an instant messaging service, in addition to new privacy options, within the next two weeks.
This announcement comes in the wake of a Facebook backlash, spurred by all the spamming that went along with their recent Beacon advertising model. Facebook is clearly looking for ways to win back their users – and it seems to me like they’re on the right track.
The instant messaging service will be a default application in every user’s account, enabling friends to check which of their friends are online. And of course, friends can chat with each other live, or more aptly, “instantly.” This service will be yet another step forward in Facebook’s effort to make their network more addictive than crack cocaine. New Facebook groups related to the IM service are already springing up, such as: “Facebook Introduces Instant Messaging: I’ll NEVER Be Productive Again!!!”
As for the new privacy options, users will now be able to limit the viewing of their profiles to friends and friends of friends. This is a similar scenario to LinkedIn, where information is only visible only to first degree, or second degree contacts. Essentially, Facebook is empowering users with a great ability to filter who can and who cannot access their information.
Keep up the good work, Facebook. We’ll be watching.
How much time do people really want to spend in front of their computers?
This is the golden question that will be answered in the coming weeks by Hulu.com, a video portal, backed by NBC and News Corp, that opened to the public yesterday - after several months of private beta. The site lets users view clips and full-length episodes from TV shows and movies. The videos are completely free, but advertisements are scattered throughout them.
Jason Kilar, chief executive at Hulu, said: “With full-length episodes of current and archived television shows, feature films, sports and news, we believe Hulu is a step forward in giving consumers entertainment on their terms. ” The site currently features about 250 TV shows and 100 feature films. TV shows include:
Hulu is the latest attempt by corporate Hollywood to catch onto youtube’s coat-tails. Currently, over 100 million views are recorded every day on youtube, accounting for 27% of the online video market. However, the vast majority of youtube videos are under five minutes - a nice compliment to the tiny attention span of the typical user. Hulu, on the other hand, is obviously featuring much longer content, but since it’s all professional produced, we can assume the content is, generally speaking, of superior quality (or at least superior production value).
So, what’s the fate of Hulu? Personally, I’m not sure, but I hear “The Big Lebowski” is already uploaded, so I’m eager to stop writing and visit the site. The dude abides.
In a sprawling interview on Sunday at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference and Festival, Facebook founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked about his company’s massive growth and future monetization strategies. The interviewer was a writer for BusinessWeek magazine, Sarah Lacy, and she got completely clowned by the audience for asking rambling, unsubstantial questions. At one point, after asking Zuckerberg whether he burned his notebooks (in which he routinely brainstormed ideas longhand), an audience member shouted, “Talk about something interesting!” Also, after one particularly non-direct, semi-question, Zuckerberg murmured, “You have to ask questions,” and he received wild cheers of agreement from the crowd.
A video of the most juicy moments can be found here.
The interview was filled with only a sprinkling of new, interesting information - like that Facebook is planning to launch in France this Sunday. But what’s the deal with Sarah Lacy? Why was her performance with Zuckerberg so sub-par? Beats me. Maybe she was distracted. Maybe she wanted to poke him.
