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Success in Motion
by Jon Tzou on March 22nd, 2007
When it comes to giving insight into getting something started from scratch, we here at Talkmatic want to bring you only the best firsthand experiences from industry professionals who seemingly created value out of thin air. Why?
Because we believe you can do the same.
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But how do you get into the mindset of an innovator…an entrepreneur? Now that you have your idea, what is the best direction to take it? We don’t necessarily have all the answers to these questions, but we sure can point you in the right direction.
The following are a few online video streams to tap into when you need to remind yourself of what it means to be a mover and a shaker. If you envision yourself as a person who wants to affect change in this world, please continue on.
The best part? These videos are all very FREE and very useful.
- Inc.com - Providing interviews with the founder of World Poker Tour and the mastermind behind Zappos.com, Inc.com is a wonderful repository of both business-launching advice and firsthand experience.
- TED Talks - What many may consider the most diverse, yet interesting collection of speakers, TED Talks is an archive of presentations that come from all over the world to Monterey, CA to discuss their successes, stories, and predictions of the world. Just to name a few people who have spoken at TED: Al Gore, Will Wright, Bono, Steven Levitt (Freakonomics), and Ze Frank.
- Educators Corner - Run by Stanford students, Educators Corner provides important tidbits on precisely what entrepreneurship is and how to go about it from a practical perspective. This is a must-see for the more conservative entrepreneur.
Note: These are merely experiences of others who “made it.” Take what they say with a grain of salt and try not to blindly etch their words into your tablet of maxims without having tried anything on your own. Every person’s path to venture success is different, so think independently and keep an open mind when watching these videos.
Online Collaboration Done Right
by Jon Tzou on March 16th, 2007
It is almost certain, and historically proven, that success is not determined by a stellar individual, but rather a collection of collaborative efforts. If there is one thing I have learned in healthcare management and entrepreneurship, it is that financing (see interview with Seth Steinberg, co-founder of Meebo) and standout leaders are simply not enough to produce a successful business; a team of focused, passionate individuals is required for such an undertaking to stay afloat.
But what if half your dream team is on the other side of the globe…literally?
Here are a few of the online collaboration tools that I’ve found promising, most of which are not free but very worthwhile if you are serious about coordinating tasks, events, and goals at a distance:
Basecamp (37signals)
As the most established, well-developed collaboration tool out there, Basecamp embodies what the online collaboration experience should be. After users are invited to the group, work can officially begin as projects are created, modified, and organized in a logical, business-like fashion. Users can track the amount of time spent on tasks, make comments on other tasks at hand, and most importantly set milestones with estimated timelines for each. I personally love this feature because it helps keep people motivated, while the built-in live chat system (Campfire) ensures everyone is involved. BaseCamp is what I would call the leader in the online wiki/collaboration realm, but up-and-comers are innovating as well.
WorkSmart
If you are serious about launching a full-fledged business (and I mean dead serious), WorkSmart is for you. Streamlined specifically for departmental deployment, WorkSmart has tools for every subdivision imaginable: HR, Marketing and Sales, R&D, Finance and Management, etc. Within each department, there are a slew of features that are too long to list. Documentation is probably the strength of this web app, which keeps very close track of which user performed what function, keeping others in the group informed. The interface is rather Microsoft-esque in presentation, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is the most focused online collaboration tool out there to help launch a small to medium-sized business.
SocialText
SocialText is one of the cleaner-looking online collaboration sites in the bunch that boasts an impressive list of features, ranging from group-editable, private wikis and weblogs to IM integration and file storage. One feature that I particularly liked during my 30-day trial run is the categorization feature, where page creators can assign keywords to published pages, allowing other users to view all workspaces related to “research” or technology” on a single, blog-like view. Very cool.
JotSpot
JotSpot, a newly-acquired site by Google that is currently not in its public beta anymore, is a wiki-styled tool that I personally used, and enjoyed, while working at a startup. JotSpot does its job by organizing information in a nice, completely editable homepage where users can share/edit files, create different homepages, and comment on each others’ work. Different file formats are supported in JotSpot, which makes on-the-fly editing a breeze. The one feature that sets JotSpot apart from its competitors is the e-mail editing feature. Because each subpage within the JotSpot landing has its own e-mail address, users can e-mail modifications to that particular site’s e-mail address, invoking immediate changes and keeping everyone else up to speed. Keep an eye out for integration with Google Pages/Docs to complete the Google Apps package!
StikiPad
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Probably designed for a younger audience, StikiPad fuses online collaboration with customization to form what is the trendiest collaboration tool to date. Like the other applications mentioned above, StikiPad sports the conventional necessities: categorized “discussions,” page editing, attachments, and task lists.
The one unique feature I really like about StikiPad is the track changes view, which allows you to see who changed what when in a mode similar to that of ‘track changes’ in Microsoft word. Furthermore, the customizability of your group’s wiki comes into play when you want to add Google maps to your entries or change the look of your workspace through a collection of predesigned, yet modifiable templates. Though not quite as business-oriented as Basecamp, StikiPad really humanizes the collaborative experience better than its competition.
These tools were the standouts in my experience, but please offer commentary if worthy competitors were overlooked. So what are you waiting for? Get collaborating! Before hastily picking a service, however, here are some important things to consider:
- Does the service have all that you need to effectively run your business?
- How much are you willing to pay for the added internal communication? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
- Once settled with a service, exactly how do you want to leverage the given tools? Set guidelines for your employees on use and standards.
If you’ve already tried one of these services, please do not hesitate to share your success (or horror) stories with us!
Helpful hints:
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New Member on Talkmatic Team, Jon Tzou!
by Tony Chung on March 11th, 2007
So before today, it’s basically been Matt and I running the Talkmatic show. But I’m excited to inform you all that we have a new addition to our team!
Welcome Jon Tzou, otherwise known as ‘JT’! Jon was super passionate about Talkmatic and was not afraid to express this to me through AIM. Jon’s got some great ideas and will be doing a lot of writing for the site (no more one-post-every-two-weeks business :). Jon’s got some killer blogging skills, most notable at his business and technology blog, tzowie.com. He will be participating in future chats for Talkmatic as well.
Welcome Jon! (We’ll have an ‘About’ page up soon with our team member bios, stay tuned!)
Update: We’ve posted an ‘About’ section, come read about our team here!
Episode 4 - Blog Advice from the Source: Robert Scoble
by Tony Chung on March 8th, 2007
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I visited PodTech last week and chatted it up with Robert Scoble. Robert is an awesome sport and agreed to do a chat for Talkmatic right after his trip back from Europe. Included in this episode are Robert’s classic laugh, some geek pride, and guru-tastic blog advice from the author of one of the most read blogs on the internet, scobleizer.com. |
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Some entertaining points:
- Tablet PCs and Robert’s Microsoft gig
- Google Reader and crack addicts ;)
- What is ‘Scobleizer’ ??
- 2 keys to create a successful blog
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Basics: Robert Scoble was recruited by Microsoft in 2003 to become an envagelist for their products. At Microsoft, Robert became a celebrity to geeks worldwide with his widely viewed blog and video shows. He later co-wrote ‘Naked Conversations’ with Shel Israel (a book about how blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers). In 2006, Robert joined Podtech.net where he currently runs the ScobleShow. You can read Robert’s daily (or sometimes hourly) thoughts at his blog.
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