Couple of thoughts after Gnomedex 7.0

You know, from all of the blogsh*t I saw on the feeds this weekend after Jason's presentation of Mahalo and Dave's heckling, I am astounded at the controversy it caused. But then again, as most PR mavens know, any press is good press.

But, my take-aways are very different than I thought I would take. First off, it was a nice gathering of alternative and mainstream thinkers. Bloggers alike, Chris made sure that we knew that we were our blogs first, names second and job titles, if you got around to it.

My most engaging conversations were with some of the digerati and other folk just enjoying the breath of fresh air that Seattle afforded us. My favorite discussion came from a sit-down with Robert Scoble - just a chat about life in general, instead of what was the newest thingy, or who said what to whom. I have known Robert for some time, but only in that business-friends sort of fashion, where you rarely get a chance to chat about life in general. In our conversation, it harkened back to another experience back in Web 1.0 days.

In the summer of 1997, I was attending an event at Stanford where I watched John Doerr talk about the future of the dotcoms. At the end of the talk, people were streaming out to meet him and Jerry Yang, who happened to be there for another meeting. I watched as people surrounded them both and heard someone say, "There's one of the nicest guys in the Valley" as they were waiting to talk to Jerry.

Funny thing, I remember Jerry when we were grad students (plotting the changes that would help grad students get from under the thumb of the oppressive undergrads) and I assume his experiences in Yahoo! have given him a slightly harder edge after all of these years. But that phrase kept ringing in my ears as I talked with Robert toward the end of the first night of Gnomedex.

Robert, for all intents and purposes, has become a media sensation in his own right. From blogging at Microsoft, to PodTech and the experiences he gains just simply by chatting with some of the minds of today and the visionaries of tomorrow, he has every right to seem like his is the word that all should heed. But, when you chat with him about the experiences he has had, the people he has met, the ideas that come to him on changing the world - and the absolute fortunate happenstances he benefits from - you realize that Robert is one heck of a nice guy.

In explaining my interaction with him to another Gnomdexer (Tajee from Amino-Tajee), I said that he reminds me of that kid who is coming down the stairs on Christmas morning, all bright-eyes and enthusiastic to what Santa might have brung. Now that is not a description I would give to just anyone, but Robert and his enthusiasm - that was the most I could come close with a verbal feeling.

Funnily enough, Robert had a spiritual sympatico with Neil and Cali from GeekBrief.tv, another duo whom I met through my Goodnight Burbank travails, have that same sweetness and enthusiasm that can only be explained by having the chance to do something with their lives, and be given the freedom to do it. Neil, in his enthusiastic fashion, gushed over his wife Luria and how they (together) have made quite a life for themselves. To live freely and with their hearts in their work - that is where each of us should aspire to.

I wish all of these people in their pursuits - nothing but smooth sailing and good fortunes. I look forward to their further adventures.

Photo credit: kk+

Gnomedex: Cali and Neal from GeekBrief.tv

Cali starts off with an intro of warning them/us of how tough the Gnomedex crowd could be. Then she admits she is a "public speaking virgin". Then they intro their show "GeekBrief.tv" Neal joins in and tells the story of how they modeled themselves after Dawn & Drew.

"Creativity diarrhea" once they found the domain GeekBrief.tv - one idea: "Cali Lewis, International Gadget Spy". Real name for Cali: Luria Petruci - much more difficult to google search.

Pause as Cali gets her mic readjusted: Neal comments: "Better have strong tape, because she sweats."

Other amazing anecdotes:

• "I didn't own a camera until when I bought met her"
• "I bought a camera because I wanted to document [Cali]."
• "There is some that she does on video that is 'magic'.....and those videos are not online."
• "There is something that lights up about her on camera..."

Q/A: How important are the outtakes? Neal - I love them. Cali - we specifically place them after the credits. Neal - hard this about the bloopers, she is getting better and it is harder to get the bloopers.

How you will make money out of this? Cali - we knew we wanted to be with PodShow - they were the first trying to monetize. We got started on a basic level - after the fifth month, went full-time - PodShow is taking care of the business side of things.

Neal - early on, advertisers were not there - PodShow is fronted the money - now, great ad support.

Metrics - where are you currently with the audience? And what is the technology you started with and are using now.
Neal - numbers: not as clear as with pageview. We typically get at a minimum of 100K downloads per show, and sometimes get as much as 1MM. Average 400K downloads per show.

Cali - organization trying to create a standard for views and such for video.

Started with a Canon ($300) camera. Bought two Panasonic DEF cameras - software was VideoQue Pro. Now using FinalCut Pro finally (after owning the software for a year).
Now using a Canon XHJ1 - our first high def camera

Q/A from me: Neal - is this your first time public speaking? Yes. Doing great!

Photo Credit: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Gnomedex: Vanessa Fox

From Vanessa Fox Nude:

How do you take responsibility of what you have out in the Web?

Suggestions/feedback from audience:

Fight the Internet with the internet

How do you use the negative publicity to your advanage?
Some embrace the trolls, some fight it with other people.

When we put ourselves on the Web, we are a brand - the brand does not belong to you, it belongs to the people. If you put yourself out there, you totally give up ownership. Totally give up - as in the Cluetrain Manefesto.

Gnomedex: Guy Kawasaki - Art of Evangelism

Guy comments on how he loves seeing the many Apple logos in front of him - and clarifies that he was the SECOND evangelist for Apple, not the first. Honors Dave Winer about outlining which migrated to RSS - "changed the world"

Presents: Art of Evangelism: personifies the spirit of evangelism. As with Nike - efficacy and power

1. Make Meaning - make meaning instead of money
People who build companies for flip tend to build for failure.

2. Make Mantra - a mantra why you exist - two or three words
Mission Statement for Dummies - two day offsite - hotel near golf course. Take top 20-30 employees (Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay). Hire an outside coordinator/facilitator since the leaders can not. Usually tends to be a female named Moonbeam - lamaze instructor.
First day - cross functional teams - do team building exercises - build trust, kumbia. Next day - white magic marker. 50 in the audience - one word per person.

3. Roll to DICEE - Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Elegant, Emotive
Affiliated with something that was good. Deep: Fanning Reef sandal - has power. Intelligent: BF-104 Flashlight. Complete - the entire product, services, etcetera are part of the product offering: GS Hybrid (service and support). Elegant: intuitive to do what you know what to do. Emotive - either love it or hate it.

4. Niche Thyself
Two vectors: ability to provide unique product or service versus value to the customer

• High ability, Low value: Stupid
• Low ability, Low value: Dotcoms
• Low ability, High value: competing on Price
• High ability, High value: where we want to be - strong connection (Fandango)
  

Like our president, we can find success when we are "high and to the right"

5. Let a hundred flowers blossom
Weird flower: PageMaker - desktop publishing. Saved the day for Apple Computer
If not for PageMaker, your mobile phones would have keyboards. Batteries would be easy to replace. App would be a real app, not a Safari app. Existance for G-d is the only explanation for Apple's continued survival.

Why do companies not ask the customer that already purchased your product.

6. Make it Personal
Most describe their products in very "lofty" terms. "Next paradigm of personal computing" - bad. Mac is about making one person more creative. How does it help you?

7. Find the True Influencers
Always trying to find the CXO person - always trying to find the CXO. Guy's experience - higher you go, thinner the air, which means no intelligent life. Need to find the engineer, admin, sales person. What does it make you if you suck up to people who suck up?

8. Enable people to test drive your product
We assume you are smart - we want you to try the product - and then YOU decide. Much more powerful marketing piBlogger: Sanford Dickert, Social Engineer - Create Posttch.

9. Always look for agnostics, not atheists
Someone who had never used a personal computer was much easier than a person who had invested their money and career in MS-DOS.

10. Provide a very slippery slope
Making a show in a negative way is not a good act - make the act an easy one, not a wholesale change. Slippery slope so they fall into using the overall project.

11. Don't let the bozos grind you down
They will try to grind you down - if someone tells you you will fail, you will certainly fail. One bozo: dead cats in the refrigerator - the loser. The dangerous bozo: successful, rich and well-known - worst bozos to face.

Tells the story of being a "bozo" himself: "It's too far to drive, and I don't see how it can be a business." - on the offer to be CEO of Yahoo! from Mike Moritz. "Two billion here, two billion there, it all adds up."

Want copies of the presentation - send en email to gina@garage.com and his blog: blog.guykawasaki.com

Guy's Golden Touch: create amazing stuff. Never, ever let the bozos grind you down.

Q/A: I thought you said in "Art of the Start", ship and test. Now you said "complete". Help?
Don't worry, be crappy. Totality of what the product means - string of upgrades. Market will accept incomplete when it is revolutionary, with elements of crappiness within it (other than life sciences).

What has your blog meant to you?
Very late to blogging - five years later than most of you. Thought blogging was inherently arrogant - why would anyone else care? After being hounded - finally did this. Now he is creating new stuff, much harder. Makes $30-40K in advertising a year - part of the bigger picture, can be giving in helping others (product introductions). Personal mantra - empower entrepreneurs - what will I be known for?

Needs a backup plan for eternity: you find out that heaven is a 747 airplane. But there is coach (better than being in a car). Business class: seat reclines somewhat, meat like stuff. First class: Singapore First Class. Want to actualize his mantra is to empower entrepreneurs to help them make the world a better place - so he can be in first class for all of ternity.

What do you do now to avoid being a bozo again?
Are you on twitter? No - too old to be on twitter. As a VC, every time you say no, they are afraid of turning down the next YouTube. They are more afraid of saying no than saying yes. There is no upside in saying a solid no.

You can build a case on investing any stupid idea - because that tends to be good.

Gnomedex: Darren Barefoot - Doing good in the world

Came up with a currency for "doing good" - One Meal for One Person = One Stacy

• NABUUR - connect high performing volunteers in the developed world with projects in the developing world.
• icouldbe.org - mentoring kids into high school or college
• geekcorps.org - volunteer in Africa with my IT skills
• SecondChanceTrees - buy a virtual tree, get a virtual tree.
• SaveTheChildren.org - YahRanch/YakShak - L$ 1000 - sold 200 yaks
• NothingButNets - trained people to bundle fundraising efforts - minor fundraising efforts once again.
• GiveMeaning.org - launch a project on anything - most are International Development or -thons. Need to get to the front page (100 supporters) to get the project to happen. Causes a ready-made community for the project to start.
  

Lesson: build infrastructure for good to get the best impact.

Be the best ancestor you can be...

Gnomedex: Robert Steele

Got in late - 13 hour flight terror....uggh!

Robert Steele on various issues:

• Open Government: if you can not name your cabinet by November 2008, then you should not be in the running.
• Wants to blog "retrospective impeachment" - go deep, go back and go current.
• Suggests that the concept of "open money" was part of the reason for the assassination of Lincoln and Kennedy - since they were going to print money, rather than borrow from the banks which generate money without anything backing it
• Water is going to be the next big "war" thing - $9/gallon
• Energy: solutions available, bottom-up demand needed

Ten High-Level Threats from the UN:

• Poverty
• Infectious Disease
• Environmental Degredation
• Inter-State Conflict
• Civil War
• Genocide
• Other Atrocities
• Proliferation
• Terrorism
• Transnational Crime

Teaching Chinese free across the Third World and Argentina

MindWar: Strategic, Operational, Technical, Tactical - a race for the mind of man.
Need to provide free online, education - on-the-call - in any language - and we need to connect the world.

Our job in the next 15-20 years, distribute cell-phones, keep the bandwidth, use the DOD residual bandwidth

Pick up the presentation at: http://www.oss.net/GNOME and bear@oss.net for email

Questions:
With the permission given to the government on wiretapping, are we going to have to be totally transparent?
We need to own our information - I want a CISCO router with all of my information, CISCO AON rules-based approach for access to my information, whenever referenced?

Failure of Generalship in America - confusing loyalty with integrity

Rule by Secrecy - very good book - secret society were a very good thing to fight against oppressive monarchies. Great war game that uses secret societies. Absolutely believe central banks are fundamentally evil. Bildenberg Group - only the movers and shakers that think they are m&s.

Where do you stand on Internet radio?
First hackers were ham radio operators who were the "evil" of that time. You do not have to work within the established "bandwidth" or any demarked area. You can have neighborhood radio stations.

Opinion on FOIA and having it published
If you write anything, post it. Doctors no longer trust medical journals. Every statement needs to be on the web. Get the community of bloggers to edit and recombine.
FOIA is the way of keeping you "busy" - don't waste your time with the federal government - h anticipates virtual cessation in the government.

Salim: issues you raised are systemic - what are some small issues that we could tackle? Of which we could build upon?
Collapse of Complex Societies - work of genius - govts collapse when the efforts of micromanagement exceed the efficacy of management. Neighborhood management needs to be the key. Start at the neighborhood/village/municipal level - address the
Spike theory of change - when one states gets it right, it will spread like wildfire.

ConstantNow/AlwaysOn movement - is this big brother or?
Can be particularly liberating - blogging is becoming a means for always on.

Attraction Theory and Personal DNA

Zadi at The JetSet Show sent this along in her twitter post yesterday, which I thought was incredibly amusing:And then, read a twitter post from Aldon Hynes which lead me to the Personal DNA test - very insightful.

Coworking in New York City: cooperBricolage

So...someone asked me - what is it like to work in New York as a freelancer? And I said, tough.

Using wifi from the home, hanging about in Starbucks with kids and noise and all that stuff, not a very conducive atmosphere for making work happen. And then I learned about "coworking".

I found out about it through Tara Hunt and Chris Messina on their coworking blog and then learned more about what was happening here in New York City through Noneck Hidalgo and Amit Gupta, I saw what could be. But, I wanted something a little more stable - sort of what I was used to in London when I worked with Ian Jindal and my cofounders from Rawlings (Ameet Mehta and Rana Sarkar). We shared an office space in Ian's company and worked on various projects from there and often found serendipity occurring.

I found the same with A&N Design here on Wall Street, but it was not the same. And then I began teaching at Cooper Union and discovered the energy that came with "coworking". Which made me think, how could we replicate this in a space that others could us.

One evening, I was having dinner at my favorite restaurant on St. Marks (Cafe Fuego) and remembered they were closed during the day on the weekdays. With a space like Fuego's couldn't we have our own semi-permanent "coworking" space - coupled with the principles that Nate discussed about in his concept of Cafe Bricolage?

After a short set of questions with the manager and owner - cooperBricolage was formed a month later.

cooperBricolage - Coworking has a Bistro in New York City

First day at CooBric

Yes, it sounds funny - and the kudos goes to Tony B for his insight, but cooperBricolage is humming along nicely. We are having a steady stream of people coming in - and looking to expand our services beyond food, wifi and power. We are setting up a temporary conference space - so people can have semi-private meetings in the back and we are setting up our own iTunes server for community choice of music.

Interested in stopping by? We are soft-launched and will have a Grand Opening soon. The challenge will be - do you want to become a part of something here in New York City.

Check us out on the web at cooperBricolage and read our blog at CooBric. Come and join the fun - we welcome fellow travellers and creatives.