Lowering Testosterone Levels in the IT industry

Ever worked or visited an IT firm and found it packed with more girls than guys? Yea man, you there nodding your head, the female gender is truly a rarity in the IT world. Lets forget even about the gender bias displayed by Lawrence Summers. Discriminating females based on demographic profiles in the male-dominated industries are not true reflections of the former’s aptitude in the math and sciences. There’s always Marissa Mayer, Caterina Fake if you ask me.

But SEX always sells, more so with the democratized tools of distribution in the form of the internet. Since no one have print calendars these days, what better way to get the word out using wallpaper-friendly formats and provocative photo ops to get bloggers and mainstream media into a frenzy?

Yes, WOMEN IN IT, we heard ya msg loud and clear.

No way in hell do i think young impressionable females gonna be convinced to take up IT because they felt inspired by these “role models” portayed in icons of pop culture? Well, it might be fun for the girls in those photo shoots but I think the fun factor is way higher for their male counterparts in the testosterone-fuelled environs of research labs and IT firms around the world. Not to mention reinforcing the stereotypes.

In fact, it appears some immensely unhappy female hackers tried taking down the side, or maybe some feminist rights fanatics. SUch violent responses do indeed help in promoting this message further. IN fact thats how I got news of it from here. The site weathered 3.5 million hits and also came under a Denial-Of-Service attack over the past weekend without crashing. Now, the host of the site Sauce Software is all over the media for a good job done in keeping the site running. Nice idea for a viral marketing campaign, i say.

What happens when Microsoft markets iPod?

Click on image to watch the video makeover of a “Microsoft-ed” iPod. Its a parody created by not Apple, but Microsoft workers.

Bebo for $550 Million, Anyone?

And the frenzy among the old media dinosaurs continues in the aftermath of NewsCorp’s $580M purchase of that “shiny” MySpace universe of teeny-boppers, spammers and porn star wannabes.

I tried Bebo before and it truly isn’t anything to shout about. No innovation there, its all about the user base which we all know to be finicky once the novelty of a social network dies down as the teens grow up. I say, if anyone wants to build a sustainable social network today, please create some meaningful online activity besides just checking out each others’ profiles voyeuristically cos that will just generate attention of the teens during their teenage years. I.E. very short lifespan. Just how many Facebook-ers still devote even half the amount of time on Facebook after their graduation?

Different life priorities + Incongruent business models = Unsustainability.

On a different note, I think other social networks such as Linkedin.com, OpenBC that cater to the professional networks have greater appeal. I think professional networking services have greater use over the long run for their users although a revenue model that is dependent on online advertising might not hold weight for investors. And I am beginning to like blog-centric social networks such as MyBlogLog that actually foster greater online interaction tightly bonded around common interests and facilitating that reader-blogger conversation.

Here’s an excerpt from TechCrunch that I liked:

MySpace is apparently charging $0.10 CPM for banner ads. That’s horrible and indicates they have a massive supply of inventory that they can’t sell unless they practically give it away. There’s a lot of hype around the advertising potential on these sites, and I don’t disagree with the potential, but when you look at the silly “Congratulations! You’ve won our hourly prize” banner ads and Google text ads on these sites, you have to start questioning why none of the big agencies are advertising and paying the premiums that lots of people believe these sites should and will command.Incidentally, I have been involved in the operation of traditional message board sites in several very “sticky” verticals for the past 6 years. On paper, the demographics look incredible and the “stickiness” of the sites is mind-boggling. But getting top brands/advertisers and keeping them is extremely difficult. I’ve had candid conversations with some of our advertisers about this and the issues they have apply to the social networking sites:

Users on these sites are adept at mentally blocking out the ads. They are there to socialize, not to be marketed to. It doesn’t matter if you have the perfect audience and that users visit the site like it’s Mecca if they ignore the ads. Advertisers want ROI (or some proof of effective branding) and when they don’t get it, their willingness to pay a premium goes away or they drop their spend with you entirely.

User-created content is a risky proposition for most brands. The idea that their ad could be displayed alongside questionable content that they don’t want their brand associated with is a huge factor in their ad purchasing. On our message boards, we had to recruit a 24/7 moderation team and set up procedures to reduce abusive users from signing up in the first place. I read somewhere that MySpace has 220 full-time employees, most of which have customer support and moderation duties. The site has 80+ million people. You just can’t police it effectively with those numbers. Go on to any of these sites and you’ll find they’re filled with sleezy stuff (sexually explicit content, hate speech, glorification of vice, etc.). Then ask an ad buyer at a major brand whether he or she is going to want to advertise when there’s a very high probability their ad is going to be displayed alongside that stuff at least some of the time.

Bottom line: if you’re going to run a successful site and business that’s based on user-created content, it requires work. The sites I’m involved with are profitable, but they’re not the US mint. You need to actively manage and maintain community sites if you want to have any level of quality. I haven’t seen any evidence that you can do it profitably with tens of millions of users. Maybe MySpace, Bebo, and the rest of the herd will prove me wrong, but one look at the content on there now shows they have a lot of work to do.

The Day Zidane the Would-Be Football God Became Human

With the World Cup beckoning if he stayed on the pitch for another 20 plus minutes in the face of an ultra-defensive Italian side, Zidane lost it all. He decided to put self before nation, forsake his legacy and rightful position in the pantheon of footballing “gods” such as Pele, Maradona and Beckanbauer

Oh, how he will rue those fleeting moments of folly.

Video here.

Pushing the Envelope on Online Social Networks

GigaOm has an article on how “uncontrollable” user-generated content on individual profile pages might be monetized. This was spurred by FIM’s Ross Levinsohn on how MySpace intends to make its network more palatable to advertisers conscious about the unsavory content eroding their brand equity.

Ross:

“More mainstream marketing on MySpace will be kept to the “well-lit” areas of the site, like the Books, Comedy, Film, and Games sections rather than on individual profile pages, which have less strict content controls–something many advertisers have expressed concerns about.” “We want to make it easier for marketers to work with us,” Levinsohn said.

Obviously, many issues arose as this train of thought runs counter to what Robert Young, the writer of the article, calls the “government-citizen dilemma”, or rather the “social” responsibility of the corporate behemoth NewsCorp has in buying the online society of MySpace “netizens”. Hmm, really interesting analogy, i never thought of it that way but seems rather apt.

“In many ways, social networks today, at their current stage of evolution, are much like the currencies of underdeveloped nations… or countries that are politically unstable. In such circumstances, governments must do all they can to create and engender trust among its nation’s constituents and institutions. After all, what is money without the people’s trust… it’s just a devalued piece of worthless paper.”

Guy Kawasaki has more recommendations on must-reads for the topic of social networks here, here and here.

How to Schmooze with Flair

Ever had those moments when u simply run of BS to talk about when meeting strangers at networking functions? Noah’s compiled this awesome list you just gotta read to become a smoother talker or savvier networker.

Spread this along guys, I am sure all of us can be spared of some of the lame crap we hear all the time, I am spreading to lessen some of my occasional guilt… =)

Here’s a sampler, click on the blockquotes to get to the article:

3- Details. While the other person is asking questions always ask for details on questions. When people tell me they had dinner at a restaurant, I usually ask what kind, how was it, recommendations and all other details about the place. You may end up eating there one day.
4- The game. Spend the conversation trying to learn one new thing. Even though most people seem really boring I am sure they know or do one cool thing. Try to figure it out.
<5- Compliments. Someone emailed last week and said my writing is decent. I was completely flattered and realized complimenting people really makes a difference.

Reading More never Kills… Bad reads do..

I like what these guys are doing over at Mindpetals. Actually i am in a sharing mood today cos i got motivated by my blog stats that show a spike in pple reading my feed. =) So i will throw out more posts and do my little to enrich your reading.

Mind Petals was started to connect various intelligent, smart, and creative entrepreneurs from all over the world. It’s our goal to build the largest entrepreneur blog network on the net. It’s time to start sharing ideas, networking with like-minded entrepreneurs, and building lifelong partnerships – Mind Petals was built for exactly that reason!

The Mind Petals’ goal is to not only connect entrepreneurs, but to also produce amazing content through blogs, books, newsletters, conferences, and other various mediums of communication.

We want to educate the world on entrepreneurism and spark minds with inspirational content.

Changing the world little by little. I like the blogs by practising young entrepreneurs. Highly motivating to read and share by contributing.

We always read all the books written by self-professed gurus who we can hardly connect to cos they either write too academically, too professionally and detachedly, or just cant’t think properly and write coherently in a reading-friendly format. Where’s the entry level stuff that helps you ramp off your fledgling garage or dorm startup? Maybe this group of young entrepreneurs will help.

I particularly like this blog.

Ever seen VCs proud of their gross oversights?

Here’s something funny for those of you into VCs and entrepreneurs.

VCs love to list their portfolio companies as shining badges of honor, but how many dare to show off their closets of mistakes, oversights and horrendous ill judgment that led them to pass over great startups that went on to become mega-hits at Wall Street? Thanks to Noah for sifting through the web uncovering this gem of quirkiness from BVP.

So here’s what Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), arguably one of the oldest VC firm, invested in:

While, over the course of our history, we did invest in:

• a wig company
• a french-fry company
• the Lahaina, Ka’anapali & Pacific Railroad

Yes, french fries, I wonder how that business plan look like. But below is another list of “small fries” they decided to pass over for a multitude of reasons unbeknownst but now deeply regretted. Bracketed comments lifted from main site here.

• Apple Computer (BVP had the opportunity to invest in pre-IPO secondary stock in Apple at a $60M valuation. BVP’s Neill Brownstein called it “outrageously expensive.”)
• eBay (“Stamps? Coins? Comic books? You’ve GOT to be kidding,” thought Cowan. “No-brainer pass.”)
• Federal Express (Incredibly, BVP passed on Federal Express seven times.)
• Google
  (Cowan’s college friend rented her garage to Sergey and Larry for their first year. In 1999 and 2000 she tried to introduce Cowan to “these two really smart Stanford students writing a search engine”. Students? A new search engine? In the most important moment ever for Bessemer’s anti-portfolio, Cowan asked her, “How can I get out of this house without going anywhere near your garage?”)

My point:

• VCs ain’t gods. Dun get disheartened to be rebuffed by a few. Maybe they dun and can’t get it.
• Small things can be big ideas. Whoever thought selling vases, stamps, coins and other crap could become a billion dollar company?
• Just dream. Sometimes, dreams come true. And dream big. There’s this weird truth in nature and society that favors the bold and fearless. You dun get wildly successful by doing the same crap everyone else is doing.
• Hence, celebrate the unorthodox. Some happen to call it innovation.

Look where being unorthodox got BVP. I actually have a good impression of them now. Kinda endearing and approachable now, don’t you think? I always believe learning to take yourself less seriously helps.

1 Million Dollars in 1 Month

July 16, 2006. This is the end-date of the Million Dollar Destiny Project.

It will also be the day we will know if the American Dream is still possible in our day and age. Remy Frazier, 27, had a personal conviction to prove if the dream was still possible in America today and he started on June 16 2006. Armed with only 1 cellphone, 1 digital camera and $100 in his pocket, he aims to make $1 million within one month.

Is the American Dream still alive? Can it be accelerated within 30 days? If you want to help, buy the Mantool, his flagship product Remy is pinning his hopes on either through sales or a corporate buyout and or simply, inking a book deal or movie deal and cash in on his idea.

Here’s what he has already achieved in 1 week,

By Day Seven, he had a team of 25, including a positioning consultant, business strategy analyst, business strategy consultant, a travel/social consultant, research consultant, project assistant, Web site developers, marketing and branding specialists, and film producers documenting the project.
On Day Eight, when BusinessWeek.com spoke with Frazier, he was focused, energetic, and highly optimistic about his project’s progress and prospects. He still had $65 of his original $100 in his pocket. The Mantool, he said, was in the phase of market research and product design refinement.

Source: BusinessWeek

More on Remy from his Youtube-hosted interview. There are a series of daily interviews or status reports if you like.

5 Shameful Facts of American Foreign Policy

America created the biggest and most dangerous terrorist organization—Al-Qaeda. Yes, America created Al-Qaeda. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan in the late 70s, Al-Qaeda emerged as an international Jihadi movement against the Soviets. It was funded directly by the Pakistanis and Saudis and indirectly by America, which channeled its military hardware and other logistics through the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate. For more details, read this Wikipedia article.

America created the Taliban. Again yes, America created the Taliban. Ahmad Rashid, a widely acclaimed Pakistani intellectual, writes in his book, Taliban, that: “The Taliban originated when the CIA with ISI recruited radical Muslims from around the world to fight with the Afghan mujahadeen against the Soviet Union.” Ahmed Rashid also estimates that after 1982 more than 100,000 Muslims from dozens of countries received political or military training in the CIA-backed camps of Pakistan and Afghanistan. For more details, read this Wikipedia article about Taliban.

America sold arms to Iraq and urged it to use WMDs against civilians in Iran. During Iraq’s war with Iran, many American policymakers, arms suppliers and makers benefited immensely by selling large amounts of weaponry to Iraq. These weapons included chemical agents like cyanide. In addition, America also encouraged Iraq to use chemical weapons against Iranian civilians and helped Iraq develop its chemical weapons arsenal. For more details, read Iraq and Chemical Weapons: the US Connection by Daniel E Boles.

America helped Iran to start its nuclear program. During the Shah’s period, America signed two agreements–the Atoms for Peace Program and the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Cooperation Agreement–with Iran to urge it to start its nuclear program. These two pacts, which would help Iran build up to 20 nuclear reactors, brought the US corporations as much as $6 billion in profits. However, after the Iranian revolution of 1979, America stopped backing Iran and its nuclear program. Resultantly, the program remained suspended for some time. Today, however, Iran is still trying to pursue what it calls a peaceful nuclear program. For more details read this Wikipedia article and this report written from an Iranian perspective.

America is the only country to have used WMDs against civilians. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki? American bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, killed 66 and 39,000 innocent civilians respectively. This Yale University website has a very good report.

Source: MyScribbles: WriteUp of an Afghan