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TechFold, Who Are You?

Posted on April 2, 2007 ·

Two-day-old blog TechFold appears to be focusing on technology, but it’s (anonymous) author knows a thing or two about marketing, too: write a good quality post about a company headed by a well-read A-list blogger, expect him to respond,  sit back and wait for the readers. smile_wink

So far it worked, I’m sure hundreds of readers follow Jeff Nolan’s response and his link to TechFold’s  inaugural post, 5 Suggestions to make Teqlo a Survivor.  Hats off to Jeff for the transparency in his response – he basically admits early strategic mistakes and outlines the course of correction:

“I’ll be very candid in saying I think we made a strategic error in trying to make the Builder an “everyman” platform that doesn’t have enough meat on the bone to appeal to the more technical audience who actually does care about it. In other words, we built the Builder for an audience that is largely not interested in using it, per the previous point, so now we’re in a position where we need to add more complex feature sets in order to make the Builder more appealing to the techie crowd, but in reality what this comes down to is exposing more of the complexity that we tried hard to cover up.”

It’s a good conversation, and if the inaugural post is any indication of the quality of the blog, it may very well be one worth subscribing to.  Except … I really, really don’t understand the anonymity. I’ve previously stated that Respect Must be Earned Even in the Blogosphere – but that was about a cowardly attack-blog.  TechFold appears to be decent, critical, but positively so.  Please, please, dear TechFold author, whoever you are, “come out” and continue writing your blog with your “shields up”.  Your About section is a decent mission statement. It just needs a name. ( a photo, perhaps?smile_shades )

 

 

Filed Under: Blogging, Marketing / PR, Software, Startups, Technology ·
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FuckedCrunch to Launch … Not a Good Sign

Posted on March 31, 2007 ·

 “FuckedCompany first went live in 2000, chronicling failing and troubled companies in its unique and abrasive style after the dot com bust. Within a year it had a massive audience and was getting serious mainstream press attention. As the startup economy became better in 2004, much of the attention the site received went away.”

The attention did not quite disappear: it just shifted to TechCrunch as the boom picked up.  Now they all come together: TechCrunch acquired FuckedCompany.   Seemingly logical: Editor Mike Arrington has for some time maintained a DeadPool.  While some considered it a cynical move, I always thought it was part of providing a full picture of startup-land. I suppose the DeadPool will soon be merged into FuckedCrunch.

The transaction itself, and Mike’s explanation are not exactly bullish signs for the startup world.  In fact it very much looks like Mike hedges the bets.

There’s another notable point “hidden” in today’s announcement: it was a 100% stock transaction.  Meaning: TechCrunch has *stocks*.  The only other reference I’ve noticed before was a few days ago, when Mike hinted he would offer stock options to bloggers-for-hire.  Add to this the recent hiring of M&A hotshot Heather Harde as CEO and it’s not that difficult to see that bubble or not, Mike Arrington is setting the stage for at least one more lucrative exit…smile_tongue

Update (3/31): Of course all if this may just be an April Fools’ joke, whether FC was actually acquired or not.   As a matter of fact, it may have started as a joke that will materialize anyway…

 

Filed Under: Blogging, Business, Marketing / PR, Software, Startups, Technology ·
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I Want Powercast Stock

Posted on March 31, 2007 ·

 Too bad I can’t buy it  – it’s a private company.  Powercast makes the old dream of wireless power true.

This is going to be huge. The company has agreements with 100 or so OEM partners, and the first one bringing products to the market is Electronics giant Philips.

Powercast owns the patents on their technology, it’s approved by the FCC – perhaps too good to be true?    Ben thinks it’s an April Fools’ joke come early.  Well, if it is, it started early, having won a CNET award at CES 2007. Watch the CNET video here.

My bet is on Powercast. Too bad I can’t invest in it.. one day this will be Powerstock. lightbulb

 

Filed Under: Business, Technology ·
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Panda is Baaaack

Posted on March 29, 2007 ·

And it’s an ugly one. For a second when I saw the Infoworld article, I thought it was Panda Software again.

I had a little clash wit Panda, makers of anti-spam software over – would you guess? – spamming me unstoppably.  It was so bad that even after a PR manager from Panda contacted me and personally intervened the spam would not stop.

Eventually I find a solution: set up an autofilter to forward the Panda-spam to the manager in question (poor victim) and delete my own copy.  

Learning from this I came up with a creative way to fight at least some of the spam we all receive.  It only works with otherwise legitim products where you can identify not the spammer, but the company whose product or service is being pushed.  Find the email address of a company executive; send a polite email telling them from now on you will forward all their spam until they can stop it; then set up an autofilter to do just that: forward all spam to the individual’s email address, deleting the original from yours.

(Please note, I’ve only said it’s a creative way, as a theoretical approach,  I have no clue about legal ramifications, therefore am not recommending you follow this method)

This time around Panda is a different beast though: it’s a worm, the creator of which is now arrested in China. To make amends, he agreed to release the removal software.  Only problem is: it does not work.  I guess it easier to cause damage then fix it.

The “authority” that determined the worm-removal software is useless was none other but Anti-virus maker … Symantec.  Now, wouldn’t it be a nice way to make amends for “old crimes” if Panda Software came up with the way to kill the Panda Burning Incense worm? smile_speedy

Update (4/19): Now, a third kind of Panda is here, too. But this one is better 🙂 

Filed Under: Personal Productivity, Software, Technology ·
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SVASE VC Breakfast in San Francisco with Partech International

Posted on March 28, 2007 ·

I’ll be moderating another SVASE VC Breakfast Club meeting this Thursday, March 29th in San Francisco.  As usual, it’s an informal round-table where 10 entrepreneurs get to deliver a pitch, then answer questions and get critiqued by a VC Partner. We’ve had VC’s from Draper Fisher, Hummer Winblad, Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, Mohr Davidow, Emergence Capital …etc.

These sessions are a valuable opportunity for Entrepreneurs, most of whom would probably have a hard time getting through the door to VC Partners. Since I’ve been through quite a few of these sessions, both as Entrepreneur and Moderator, let me share a few thoughts:

  • It’s a pressure-free environment, with no Powerpoint presentations, Business Plans…etc, just casual conversation; but it does not mean you should come unprepared!
  • Follow a structure, don’t just roam about what you would like to do, or even worse, spend all your time describing the problem, without addressing what your solution is.
  • Don’t forget “small things” like the Team, Product, Market..etc.
  • It would not hurt to mention how much you are looking for, and how you would use the funds…
  • Write down and practice your pitch, and prepare to deliver a compelling story in 3 minutes. You will have about 5, but believe me, whatever your practice time was, when you are on the spot, you will likely take twice as long to deliver your story. The second half of your time-slot is Q&A with the VC.
  • Bring an Executive Summary; some VC’s like it, others don’t.
  • Last, but not least, please be on time! I am not kidding… some of you know why I even have to bring this up. (Arriving an hour late to a one-and-a-half-hour meeting is NOT acceptable.)

Thursday’s featured VC is Nicholas El Baze, General Partner at Partech International. For details and registration please see the SVASE site.

Here’s a participating Entrepreneur’s feedback about a previous event.

See you in San Francisco!

 

Filed Under: Bay Area, Business, Social Networking, Software, Startups, Technology ·
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"Windows Update Disables Firefox" Issue Resolved

Posted on March 26, 2007 ·

My Windows Update Disables Firefox as Default Browser post was read by over ten thousand readers just here on the blog, and I can’t even follow secondary sources, as it got reposted in several other blogs, hit the front page of reddit …etc.

Best of all though was a private email inquiry I received from Gary Schare,Director, Internet Explorer Product Management at Microsoft.   I gave him all the information I could, the MS team then tracked down the issue, and found that FireFox was still the default browser after the update, but it’s checking mechanism thought it wasn’t.  Apparently the fix was on Mozilla’s side, and Microsoft and Mozilla have worked together in resolving the issue.

I have to say I find Microsoft attention, as well as the two organizations collaboration exemplary.  The full story is best explained by quoting Gary verbatim – thanks for agreeing to it.

“Hi Zoli,

Thanks for providing the information on the updates you installed before experiencing the Firefox default browser prompt.  We did a thorough investigation and have tracked down the cause of the issue. Before I explain the actual cause, I do want to let you know that we also determined that at no time did Firefox ever stop being the default browser on the machine. It mistakenly thought it was no longer the default and prompted users, but every entry point that triggered the default browser would still launch Firefox.

This issue is actually the result of a change in Firefox (added in Firefox v 2.0.0.2) and how it responds to Office changing a Windows registry key during the updating process.  Whenever Office updates, it also verifies that many supporting registry keys are set to expected values (this is the same action that occurs when you use the “Detect and Repair” functionality in Office).  The modification of registry keys during updating has happened throughout the lifecycle of Office 2003, and the Outlook Junk Email Filter delivered via Microsoft Update this month triggered this issue simply because it was the first update of Office since Firefox 2.0.0.2 became available, not because this specific update did anything differently.

On the basis of your report, the Office team has worked with Mozilla and believe they’ve arrived at an answer that will address the issue.  The Mozilla folks have told us that the change will be in an upcoming version of Firefox, and it is tracked in this bug report on the Mozilla site.  Thanks again for bringing this to our attention. Your blog was the trigger of the investigation and we’re all glad we were able to find the solution so quickly.”

Nicely done.  Again, thanks for your attention and for fixing it.

 

Filed Under: Customer Service, Personal Productivity, Software, Technology ·
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Do We Need Another Web Meeting App?

Posted on March 22, 2007 ·

Does the World need yet another “webex-killer“?  The answer is probably no. Other then Webex, whose name became a synonym to web-conferencing, there is  GoToMeeting, Vyew, Teamslide, DimDim  1videoconference , Vyew, Live Meeting, Thinkature and probably quite a few more I forgot about.

So why on Earth has Zoho announced Zoho Meeting, entering such a crowded market?  One answer is that it’s a “software-making machine”, turning out new product regularly, so why not … but I think there’s more.

Zoho Meeting has a few unique features, and as usual, TechCrunch provides a good review, so I won’t even attempt to “compete” with them.

smile_wink  I’d rather lament on what this really means.

After a year of pumping out standalone products ( I think the count is at 15 for now) this year Zoho will start focusing on tying them together.  This means integrating them, as well as some external products, create workflows and use some “glue” products in the process.  Mail, Wiki are such glue products (both are going through enhancements), and to some extent so is Meeting, as well as Chat.  They will enhance collaboration in context, while you work on your document, spreadsheet, presentation..etc.  The video below shows how Meeting is embedded in Zoho Show:

 

If you watched the video you may have noticed a spreadsheet in the background, while Raju was talking about embedding Meeting in Chat, which in turn will become part of all other applications. While the integration of Chat into Zoho Writer was somewhat of a non-event, I can give you a sneak preview of how it will work in Zoho Sheet, where the consequences are far more significant.

 

What this means is that Zoho Sheet, which recently added the capability to plot 21 different types of charts now supports real-time collaboration with instant updates on the individual cell level – this has been Editgrid’s competitive advantage so far.

This is just the beginning – keep an eye for Meeting, Chat and other “glue” products making our online life easier.

Last, but not least, several of the companies mentioned here will present at the Under the Radar Conference tomorrow, so if you have a free Friday, you may want to register here – today is the last chance to get $100 off.

(Disclosure: I am an Advisor to Zoho) 

 

Filed Under: Bay Area, Business, Collaboration, Personal Productivity, SaaS, SMB / SME, Software, Startups, Technology ·
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Startup Epicenter in Mountain View, CA

Posted on March 20, 2007 ·

No, it’s not the Big One, not even an earthquake… for three days next week, Startup Epicenter by SF Bay Ventures becomes the place to be in Mountain View.  

It’s a 3-day intensive workshop and startup demo event, opened by VC Legend Vinod Khosla‘s keynote on The Killer App vs. The Killer Capability, followed by workshops, panel discussions – see the agenda here.

Each day concludes by a VC/Angel panel judging the pre-approved startup company presentations.  To be selected to present, you’ll need at least 3 of the following:

  • 1-2 page executive summary
  • web page – secure view acceptable
  • link to product demo
  • blog link
  • video on YouTube,etc.
  • Customer Referral/Testimonial
  • 1-2 paragraph description (your 30-45 sec. pitch)
  • Financial Estimates
  • powerpoint funding pitch presentation

…but not a Business plan! 

Presenting startups receive e-mail consultation prior to and after the event.

The first day, March 27th will be a very full day; the 28th and 29th are afternoon sessions.  Participants can pick and chose or attend the full program.  Register here.

Update (3/24): Check out Stowe Boyd’s interview with Scott Lane, Event Organizer. 

Filed Under: Bay Area, Social Networking, Software, Startups, Technology ·
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Gmail Mail Fetcher Quietly Expands

Posted on March 19, 2007 ·

Without much fanfare Gmail’s Mail Fetcher service now appears to be available on Google Apps for Domain accounts.  Google also lifted the restriction of not allowing to fetch mail from other gmail accounts (although Help does not indicate it yet). 

This is pretty significant: if you’re like me, you may have opened several gmail accounts, and as the gmail service matured, you may have realized that with all the labels, search, etc. you really are better off consolidating all those into one (OK, twosmile_tongue) accounts.   Now it’s possible; in fact while I’m typing this, Mail Fetcher is happily consolidating my Gmail accounts.  Of course the beauty of the process that for the first time my PC isn’t brought to a death-crawl while doing such housekeeping chores: it’s all happening in the cloud!  

And a bonus: if you  – like me – had already created a gmail archive of all your past email using the Thunderbird redirect trick, you probably noticed that gmail displayed the forward date, not the original send date.  Mail fetcher now fixes all that – random checking now shows emails from 1997 in my archive.

Happy Fetching!

Update: Fetching is a slow process… at this rate it will be days or weeks. Apparently the more it fetches, the more remains (and I know the real number is in the thousands):

  • Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 5:27 PM  200 mails fetched.  267 mails remaining.
  • Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 4:27 PM  200 mails fetched.  235 mails remaining.
  • Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 3:26 PM 200 mails fetched.  225 mails remaining.
  • Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 1:53 PM 200 mails fetched.  155 mails remaining.
  • Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 12:29 PM 200 mails fetched.  123 mails remaining.

 

Filed Under: Personal Productivity, SaaS, Software, Technology ·
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Windows Update Follow-up | My New Policy on Microsoft

Posted on March 18, 2007 ·

My previous post on Windows Update disabling FireFox attracted over 10k readers and I guess it generated enough noise that Microsoft approached me for specifics.  Kudos to MS for that!  Clearly the issue wasn’t very widespread, but several users reported experiencing it on this reddit thread.

Then today I just had the inclination to check my blog in IE7.  For about two minutes I was staring at a black screen, while the little “Phishing filter is checking website” indicator was flashing at the bottom.  I thought turning the auto-check off would resolve the issue, but no – IE7 simply does not load my blog, while I can happily see it in FireFox.  This is the first time I’m experiencing this, and also the first time I started up IE7 after the update.

I’ve had enough.  I don’t work for Microsoft, but given the amount of time I spend fixing their products (and trying to keep my PC healthy) I feel they should pay me.  Time is money, even for me.  So I’m done here. I will not try to figure out what went wrong with IE, just like I won’t bother fixing the reoccurring archive problem that’s slowly killing my Outlook.  I simply can’t afford “working” for Microsoft.

My new Microsoft Policy: whatever dies, dies. I won’t bother fixing it, I will let MS Bugware slowly die, and move on to better alternatives.  Online, whenever possible.

 

Filed Under: Personal Productivity, Software, Technology ·
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