April 2011
3 posts
Don't Listen to Twitter - Keep Building Apps →
Twitter has an obvious motivation to ask developers to stop making Twitter applications. It means more calls to their service which they’re paying for, and it takes users away from the official Twitter clients.
What made Twitter great was that the company listened to its users who had a better idea of what Twitter was than Twitter did. The @ mentions were invented by users and so were...
4 tags
A Growing Trend in Web Ad Buyer Negotiating
I’ve noticed a trend in business development and media buyers who want to advertise on my site lately. It’s an interesting tactic that I’ve become used to and have since developed a response for that may be of use to some other publishers. The tactic is pretty simple and it goes a little something like this:
1. Open the conversation up with a promise of a huge ad buy.
Example...
Counting Twitter Users? Don't Include Bots Either →
According to Josh Elman, Twitter’s product lead, a user doesn’t become an active user until he/she follows at least 30 accounts and 1/3 of them follow back.
BusinessInsider is reporting that according to those stats, Twitter has roughly 21 million users that are following 32 accounts and being followed by at least 10 accounts.
But this doesn’t necessarily begin to explain the...
March 2011
7 posts
Deleting Non-Trademarked Accounts for Inactivity...
Last I checked, Twitter had around 177M users but many of those are inactive accounts. Anyone who has tried to register multiple Twitter accounts knows that the username squatting is getting out of hand. Twitter announced a while ago that they would be considering canceling accounts with no activity over a 6 month period but they haven’t seemed to make good on that yet. Here is the...
5 tags
New York Times Paywall System is a Lot Like the... →
As you probably know, the NYT has implemented a paywall scheme where you get 20 articles per month from their site for free, and then after that you must pay. The catch, is that if you follow a link from another site or social outlet such as Twitter, you can read the article and it doesn’t count towards your 20. In response to this, many people have set up websites and Twitter accounts that...
Gamification of Household Chores with HighScore... →
Gamification is the idea that everyone can be motivated by basic game mechanics and HighScore House uses this to motivate family members in a household to get chores and tasks completed. From the site:
You and your children decide on a set of tasks, like walking the dog or mowing the lawn, and rewards, like an extra hour of TV time or a trip to Grandma’s. Then as your children complete...
Government of Canada Launches Open Data Site →
Open Data Pilot Project
The Open Data Pilot is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to open government, which is being pursued along three streams: open data, open information and open dialogue, and aims to drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians.
The Open Data Pilot seeks to improve the ability of the public to find, download and use Government of...
Great Canadian Appathon Does Not Let Developers... →
I’ve been checking out the Great Canadian Appathon and it doesn’t seem so great. The event is set up like most hackathons or hackdays, except it comes with some pretty lame terms and conditions.
First off, the event is for Windows 7 only. A hack event should let you develop for whatever platform you feel most comfortable coding for because it will let you create the best app in the...
Another Thing You Can Learn From Justice Beaver:... →
TC did an article recently talking about what entrepreneurs can learn from Justin Bieber. The most obvious point which they seemed to have passed on was timing.
Some of Bieber’s success comes from the perfect timing of which he entered into the lime light. He’s not too young that teens and even young adults can’t get into him, and he’s not too old that children don’t...
February 2011
7 posts
Pretzil to Present Its API at HackDays Ottawa →
This weekend, Ottawa is having its HackDays starting with a Meet and Greet on Friday, and the official hack day on Saturday.
What you need to know:
Date: Saturday February 26th, 2011
When: this is an all day event starting at 9 AM and ending at 6 PM
The Meet and Greet details are as follows:
When: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Mercury Grove Offices. Scott Annan, CEO of Mercury Grove and Network...
Why "Build Once, Deploy Everywhere" May Not Be... →
MoMinis, an Israeli company backed by Japanese giant Mitsui Ventures, has created a “build once, deploy everywhere” development platform for 2D mobile gaming. The company follows a growing trend in “build once, deploy everywhere” platforms, such as Pyxis Mobile’s MEAP, Antenna’s AMP and RhoMobile, which are focusing on the enterprise market.
In the mobile...
Wanted: A Well-Marketed, Location-Based Chat App... →
Success at SXSW depends on whether you can get people at the show Laid, Made or Paid. Location-based chat apps are going to be a killer app for the conference and the timing is just right. People are getting increasingly comfortable converting social network strangers to real-life acquaintances, and the “getting people laid” portion of the show will be much easier with location-based...
Ottawa Developers Show Incredible Promise for Open... →
The Apps4Ottawa contest is a great initiative that culminated in several helpful and innovative apps for the City and visitors. The winner, Ottawa Guide, lets you take a picture of landmarks, and it brings up data about that landmark such as what it is and its historical significance.
The event was backed by the City of Ottawa and was an attempt at showing how they’re on board with Open...
A Great Opportunity For Any Ottawa Mobile... →
Select Start is a cool company in Ottawa that’s making iPhone, iPad and smartphone apps for various clients such as the Government of Canada, FAVEQUEST, DNA 11, Cisco Bluesfest and more. The mobile market is red hot right now and the company is looking to hire a mobile marketing position. This is your chance to catch the wave and join a fast-paced industry.
Select Start is looking for a...
What Kind of Business Does Your City Culture... →
After reading about the differences in LA startups versus the ones that come out of Silicon Valley, one can’t help but wonder what effect Ottawa has on the business culture here.
This city used to be a major source of engineering talent with big tech firms like JDS Uniphase and Nortel, but has since moved to a large number of smaller firms. Here is a quick list of some of the businesses...
Ubermedia Buying Up Apps to Monetize But You Need... →
The recent acquisitions by Ubermedia are an attempt to own the conversation that is going on in Twitter. With acquisitions of UberTwitter, Echofon, Twitdroid and now TweetDeck, the company has access to 20% of total tweets. The idea is to monetize the discussion but the problem is that Ubermedia doesn’t own these users. They only own a channel and unless you can bring these users back to...
January 2011
17 posts
Facebook Ads Show Marketers More Interested in... →
I’ve ran Facebook ads before and haven’t seen much from the experience. It’s hard to expect anything as the ads don’t give you much room to work with, and even though they may be slightly targeted, it seems the ad and site design ruin the experience.
Recent research shows that Facebook ads get a CTR that’s half the web average. You would think this fact (which many...
Pretzil Makes the Ottawa Business Journal's... →
Pretzil has been “pivoting” quite a bit since when it first launched and the latest iteration is going to turn some heads. Users will be able to broadcast their favorite apps and earn points for being smartphone power users.
A Giant Infographic of Twitter-Based Services You... →
You know you’ve developed an incredible platform when your API is used in so many different ways. This infographic, created by Digital analyst Brian Solis and data visualization powerhouse JESS3, shows just how many new applications and services have been created in order to interact and piggyback on what Twitter has created.
The Smartphone Shuffle: Steve Jobs Steps Down and... →
Some interesting things are happening in the smartphone industry as Steve Jobs takes a medical leave of absence and Larry Page assumes the role of CEO.
I’m skeptical that this should have any effect on Apple, even though Wallstreet thinks otherwise. The products haven’t changed, revenues are still strong and Steve has others in the company that are keeping Apple relevant.
Still,...
Israel Has Set Back Iran's Nuclear Efforts Without... →
[This article is about politics but it’s more about the technology behind the scenes. Promise this blog won’t get too political on you.]
The Stuxnet virus is an incredible piece of software. Israel has managed to set the Iranian nuclear program back several years without dropping a single bomb or implicating themselves directly.
Through cyberwarfare, we’re holding back rogue...
35 Discussions at SxSW Interactive That Are... →
Reading through the SxSW schedule, there are a lot of events I think are relevant to my industry. I’ve been thinking a lot about the value-add for tech conferences lately and consumer electronics shows are near-worthless in my business. The best conferences are where you can meet influencers and people with innovative products. But most of all, it’s a conference where the panels...
TinEye Reverse Image Search Makes Idee Inc. a... →
TinEye is the world’s first large scale reverse image search engine. So what is reverse image search?
The way it works is that you give TinEye your photography portfolio, and they scan the internet and print media for all instances of your work. The service will then let you bill everyone who used your material, allowing you to collect revenue you wouldn’t have otherwise collected.
...
Eating massive amounts of your own dog food →
Often times you’ll use a product and think “does anyone at the company actually use this?” This happens all the time with my BlackBerry. The Facebook app is nearly useless, constantly crashes and I can’t help but think that nobody at RIM even uses their own app.
Bing Gordon, former Chief Creative Officer of Electronic Arts and current partner at venture capital powerhouse...
How to Write Coca-Cola in 15 Different Languages
What's trending on Twitter in your hood? →
This article got me thinking about what’s trending locally. Using the TrendsMap site, it’s interesting to see that accounts trend primarily in Ottawa. The top 5 trends right now in Ottawa include: #ottawa, #cdnpoli, @maulermauler, @amorningottawa, #sens. People in Ottawa are more people-focused and use Twitter as a community.
In a bigger city, like New York, the top 5 trends include:...
Using a location-based game to create another... →
I recently had a look at Tourality, a scavenger hunt game with some cool features. The first thing that came to mind was that Pretzil could let players play this game style of game, by using ping to grab location, and a section of the mobile site dedicated to new game layers.
The game would begin with a Pretzil user broadcasting to their entourage that they’re looking to play a round of...
GetGlue and Showtime Collaborate on Checkin Deal →
An interesting partnership between GetGlue and Showtime, but why a partnership? This sort of page ownership should be built into GetGlue’s system and cut out the need to broker these sorts of deals. Ideally, Showtime would log on to GetGlue with a developer or company account, claim the Showtime page, prove their corporate identity, and begin giving out prizes to readers based on an API...
Zynga Buys Social Web Browser Flock →
A while back there were rumors that Zynga would be moving its focus away from the Facebook platform to something they had more control over. Facebook lacks in its ability to be ubiquitous, as it’s difficult to play Farmville on your mobile without an app that ties into the Facebook platform. With Flock, Zynga will be able to socialize the experience more outside of Facebook, and create its...
Neer Releases Private Location-Sharing App for... →
One of the biggest downsides to Foursquare is the amount of manual input required to checkin. If Foursquare could implement something like Neer, with automatic checkins, the service would see a surge in participation. Let’s face it, it’s a pain to checkin.
Twitter And Foursquare Explain Their SXSW... →
We’ve been considering a SXSW trip for @pretzilstatus and it’s looking like the perfect venue to meet early adopters and trend setters. Combining music, art and interactive means you get a more eclectic crowd who will likely “get it” when it comes to new and innovative services. I’m less impressed by CES, which seems to have a more bland vibe and a focus on consumer...
Is Facebook Worth $50 Billion? →
It looks like a significant number of Mashable readers believe Facebook’s $50bn valuation is far too high. This is surprising considering the audience and their propensity to drink the social media Kool-Aid.
Here is something to consider: other than a huge user base, what does Facebook provide? Being able to serve a great number of ad impressions is great, but the site’s layout...
Why Every Brand Needs an Open API for Developers →
This got me thinking about a Nike API. Through the Nike API, developers would be able to interact with Nike’s custom shoe database in order to create virtual goods and further customize avatars.
December 2010
8 posts
“Report from the app-development trenches: it’s gettin’ kinda crazy out there....”
– It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad App World
It’s true, working in this industry you can’t help but think we’re in another tech bubble.
Take The Red Pill: The Rise Of The Hybrid Startup →
Hybrid businesses straddle virtual and physical worlds and makes the business far more powerful than any company confined to one or the other. Examples include:
GoTime.com
The developers of use a Filipino call-center for contacting bars and restaurants across the country. They then post the deals on their site and app.
Groupon
Groupon is outpacing the revenues of local online guides because it...
Top 5 Keys to Shopify’s Success – an Interview... →
Shopify is an awesome company here in Ottawa, Canada and their CEO sat down with YearOneLabs to talk about keys to success.
What are the top 5 keys to Shopify’s success to-date?
Being our own customers – Building software that we use ourselves.
Giving designers the ultimate power over the product, not sales or even developers.
When getting feature requests, saying no a lot more then saying...
Where Is Awarded The “Mother Of All Geofencing... →
Just as geo mobile services are taking off, the U.S. Patent Office has awarded an extremely broad patent on “Location-based services” to Where. Patent No. 7,848,765 covers 31 claims ranging from sending an alert to offering a coupon when somebody crosses a geofence with a mobile device. Where CEO Walter Doyle calls it the “mother of all geofencing patents.”
Q: Why Did Twitter AcqHire Fluther? A: “Search Is... →
People already ask a lot of questions on Twitter, but it is not designed as a structured social Q&A site like Quora. But that may change judging by a talent acquisition of the team at Fluther, a social Q&A service founded in 2007 that raised $600,000 from Ron Conway, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Naval Ravikant.
Complete List of Incubators and Accelerators (like... →
LAUNCH is doing a survey of incubators. We’d like to know which ones are hosting a new class, when the deadline is, etc.
100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events →
Conferences of interest
January 20-21, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The First Annual Gamification Summit
January 24-27, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The Emerging Media Conference
January 25-26, 2011, New York, NY: Information Industry Summit
January 27, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Macworld 2011
February 8-10, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Social Media Strategies Summit
February 14, 2011,...
June 2010
2 posts
Booyah Society: a life-based metagame →
In Booyah Society, the object of the game is to “level up in life.” Players create a Booyah account, customize a rather odd looking avatar and proceed to unlock game achievements by doing real life activities.
Loopt Star: A Digital Loyalty Card For Your iPhone →
Location-based social service Loopt is launching a new mobile rewards game called Loopt Star. Loopt Star will let users check in to different locales to not only compete with friends (a la Foursquare and Gowalla), but to also earn rewards from retailers and organizations. Loopt Star is basically a virtual loyalty card with a built-in social game.
May 2010
5 posts
Jack Dorsey: The 3 Keys to Twitter's Success →
Jack Dorsey outlines three core takeaways from his experiences building and launching Twitter – and more recently – Square, a simple payment utility. 1) Draw: get your idea out of your head and share it, 2) Luck: assess when the time (and the market) is right to execute your idea, 3) Iterate: take in the feedback, be a rigorous editor, and refine your idea.
The Relationship Between Facebook and Privacy:... →
The tension between Facebook and its users — and governments, and advocacy groups — over privacy is one of the biggest thorns in the company’s side right now, as it tries to balance the demands of the network (and of advertisers) with the desires of users, and with the law. And all of this is taking place in an environment where the very meaning of what is “private” and what is “public” is...
Zynga Files To Issue Shares At A ~$4 Billion... →
Zynga filed papers in Delaware two weeks ago authorizing the issuance of an additional 1.9 millions shares of Series B-2 Preferred Stock, at an issue price of $12.87 per share, implying a value of about $4 billion for the company based on our estimated 320 million shares outstanding.
Interview with PopCap Games: We Build Really... →
PopCap Games seems very distant from the Silicon Valley game development community sometimes. Because it’s based in Seattle, the company’s executives aren’t always in the limelight. But founder John Vechey and CEO David Roberts were in the area last week, so we sat down with them to hear their views on social gaming.
Inside Brazil’s Advertising Startup Boom →
Most big advertising companies have a creative bureau in Brazil for a reason: Brazilians are just good at advertising. They are creative: I went on a graffiti tour of Sao Paulo and saw some of the most amazing, detailed, expressive, wacky stuff I’ve ever seen, building-sized and most of it will be painted over and replaced by my next trip. (Photo above one of hundreds snapped on that tour.)...
April 2010
20 posts
More Startups. More Jobs. Startup Visa. →
StartupVisa.com was created by Eric Ries, Dave McClure, Shervin Pishevar, Brad Feld, Paul Kedrosky, Manu Kumar, & Fred Wilson to raise awareness and change policy re: the EB-5 visa, which enables investors from other countries to get a visa in exchange for starting a business in the US with $1M in capital (or $500K for economically targeted areas) & the creation of at least 10 US jobs.