As we’ve made it easier for ideas to spread digitally, we’ve actually amplified the gap between free and paid. It turns out that there’s a huge cohort that’s just not going to pay for anything if they can possibly avoid it.
Seth Godin – The game theory of discovery and the birth of the free-gap
Fail Bigger Cheaper: A Three Word Manifesto. By insulating businesses, particularly the large ones, from failure we’re limiting our future opportunities. If we let things fail we can learn how to make them better.
A good factory is not necessarily the one that makes the most money, but the one that is most responsible for improving the quality of life for its workers and its customers. And the true function of politics is not to make people more affluent, safe, or powerful, but to let as many as possible enjoy an increasingly complex existence.
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
There was hubbub a couple of days ago when Zite, the new personalized magazine app for iPads, was sent a cease and desist letter by a who’s who of media companies.
Techdirt published a strongly worded condemnation, including this gem:
And, honestly, if creating an app that makes it easier to read your content is a threat to your business, you’re doing business wrong.[ref]via @ryanpitts[/ref]
Part of the problem for the media companies was that Zite was making content readable removing ads and, thus, cutting off a revenue stream for the content producers.
It’s too bad media companies viewed this as a reason to send a cease and desist letter. Instead they could have read it for what it was: a statement that people hate the ads on news sites. It could have given media some data for improving advertising. Oh well, opportunity lost.
News advertising should take a hint from software developers. Include ads that your users want enabled and will miss when they are gone.
Don’t think that possible? Check out the response when Tweetie/Twitter for Mac dropped Fusion ads last year.
Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: Coudal. 37signals talks with Jim Coudal about the founding, growing pains, and success of Coudal Partners. A wonderfully honest interview by Jim Coudal.
Instead of going into debt for a degree take that money and start a company. If that’s too scary, join an awesome team. You might find you learn more working on something than being in school, I have.
37signals on hiring. 37signals takes time to discuss their experience in hiring people recently. They make the point that getting a job is not a numbers game. If you’re taking the shotgun approach you’re doing it wrong.
Beginning. Shawn Blanc is turning his site into a full-time gig. A $3 monthly membership fee is part of how he’ll make the financial side of things work.
On the oversaturation of news sources. In other words, you aren’t going to create the innovative journalism company of the next 10 years by finding additional sources. You’ll do it through reinventing the consumption experience, finding new ways to engage readers users, and curating the really valuable content.
Hiring for a Boostrapped Company. When you’re running a bootstrapped company you should hire for the moment and look in your network for great people.
