There’s a sucker born every day..and today, it’s me after I bought into Mike Arrington’s post that TechCrunch had acquired Fuckedcompany.com! If you could see my face after falling for this day-early April Fool’s trick, it’s beet-red. At least I’m not alone – Dave Winer was fooled as well.
Is Facebook Going Mainstream?
I thought Facebook was used by college/university students but I’ve come across a growing number of people in the tech world who have set up Facebook profiles. Rather than giving you a business card or telling you to search for them on LinkedIn, they offer you a link to Facebook. What’s going on here? VentureBeat has noticed the same trend as has the Globe & Mail.
Is Google Too Powerful?
Hey, We’re Talking Tech
An interesting week in the world of tech, which gave Duncan Stewart and I lots of fodder for this week’s Talking Tech podcast. (Kevin was on a hardship assignment as he had to attend some conference in Orlando). Perhaps the strangest – and most troubling – story was Kathy Sierra’s blog post about the death and sexual threats she has been receiving. It raises a bunch of questions about the dark side of the Web and the ability for people to operate in anonymity.
Closer to home, BCE Inc. seems to be in play now amid reports Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has been talking to BCE about a $30-billion + takeover. If BCE’s on the block, you have to believe Telus is in play as well, right?
Finally, we touch upon the hot question of whether some bloggers are journalists. The latest round of discussion was spawned when The Application Delivery Network had a post that took issue with a post I did on whether bloggers should get media accreditation.
Why Web 2.0 Thrives
Whether or not you like the term Web 2.0, this is no doubt it has captured the imagination of the tech community for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the biggest is the barriers to entry are so low, especially compared with four or five years ago when dot-com companies burned through millions of dollars to create new businesses. Today, you can start, develop and market an online business with a modest investment. As a result, anyone with a nugget of an idea, passion and a few dollars can get into the game.
A good example is Venice Chronicles, a Toronto-based start-up that is creating a “online and real-world community where members indulge in a colorful Venetian masquerade”. Even after talking with three of its employees at a mesh meet-up earlier this week, I still have no idea what the company actually does BUT I’m really encouraged that young entrepreneurs are willing and able to launch a start-up based on the belief they have an idea that could work. They could be successful or they could fail but the fact they are taking a shot at being entrepreneurs is what’s really important.
There are lots of Venetian Chronicles out there – start-ups being run by young entrepreneurs who are gaining invaluable experience that will, hopefully, make them better entrepreneurs and businessmen/women down the road. Being successful would be great but even failure is good if you learn from it, and then try again.
Loren Feldman Coming to Mesh
We had to offer him a box of Timbits and a bucket of KFC but Loren Feldman has agreed to be a panelist at mesh. Needless to say, we’re stoked to have one of the world’s leading, opinionated and funniest video bloggers.
