As you go through the life-cycle of starting a company, there are some things you realize that you didn't quite realize when you started out. The "unknown, unknowns" that Donald Rumsfeld is so famous for. When you come across these "unknown, unknowns", we all hope that we can handle them better than Rumsfeld handles his press conferences.
The missing two years
I was talking to a friend of mine today and she verified a strange thing that we'd noticed. Whenever you read the biographies of famous people, leaders who have made a difference - they hardly mention anything about their time at business school.
I remember one day, before starting at business school, spending an hour or two in the biographies section of a bookstore. I flicked through some biographies. I sought out the point in the story of these great leaders where they went to business school. What happened to them? What did they do? I barely found any biographies that documented what these people did during business school.
What happened to these great leaders during business school? Did it not make a substantial impact on who they are today? Was it not the 'transformative' experience that some schools try to sell you on?
My own perspective is that there is too much going on - from classes and extra-curricular activities, to social and other things. It's all so much of a blur, it's difficult to figure out what happened. I can hardly remember what I was doing this time last year...
I remember one day, before starting at business school, spending an hour or two in the biographies section of a bookstore. I flicked through some biographies. I sought out the point in the story of these great leaders where they went to business school. What happened to them? What did they do? I barely found any biographies that documented what these people did during business school.
What happened to these great leaders during business school? Did it not make a substantial impact on who they are today? Was it not the 'transformative' experience that some schools try to sell you on?
My own perspective is that there is too much going on - from classes and extra-curricular activities, to social and other things. It's all so much of a blur, it's difficult to figure out what happened. I can hardly remember what I was doing this time last year...
Neither swift nor easy
"I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy."
-- Marie Curie, Physicist
The last quarter
I'm finding it hard to believe, but we're at the beginning of the end. Our last quarter at Kellogg kicks off today. In just eleven weeks, Graduation Week will be upon us. Shortly afterwards, everyone will go their separate ways.
Particularly in my second year at business school, I've been quite single-minded about my priority: getting the business off the ground. Whereas in the first year I dabbled more with other things, such as taking charge of the school newspaper and even participating in random activities such as MIT's sales competition, this year my focus has been on the startup.
In this, our last quarter, I'd like to do more. I'd like to take all the classes that I want to, to learn all the things I want. I want to go to all the parties that everyone will be at, to catch up with people for the last time. I feel the urge to do all those student things, such as take part in club activities and competitions. But, in reality I'm not sure how much I can devote to any of this.
There is still much that needs to be done to get the business off the ground. If the past is any indication of the future, there will not be much time for anything and we'll be forced to choose our priorities. In that inevitable scenario, I know what my priority is and will be.
Particularly in my second year at business school, I've been quite single-minded about my priority: getting the business off the ground. Whereas in the first year I dabbled more with other things, such as taking charge of the school newspaper and even participating in random activities such as MIT's sales competition, this year my focus has been on the startup.
In this, our last quarter, I'd like to do more. I'd like to take all the classes that I want to, to learn all the things I want. I want to go to all the parties that everyone will be at, to catch up with people for the last time. I feel the urge to do all those student things, such as take part in club activities and competitions. But, in reality I'm not sure how much I can devote to any of this.
There is still much that needs to be done to get the business off the ground. If the past is any indication of the future, there will not be much time for anything and we'll be forced to choose our priorities. In that inevitable scenario, I know what my priority is and will be.
The legend of DHH
Image courtesy of The Guardian.
Talking to a few people in the Chicago tech community as an outsider, you can't help but notice a few themes. One of them is the talk, gossip and respect that surrounds DHH, as the folk here call David Heinemeier Hansson. DHH is the creator of Ruby-on-Rails, a much revered web framework, as well as a partner at 37 Signals, a crazy successful company based in Chicago.
For example, some remark that the only thing they can get DHH to respond to on Twitter is against comments about fast cars. Last year, he commissioned and bought a one of a kind supercar, the Zonda HH. With respect to 37 Signals, there is crazy speculation about how much money the company must make. It is a role-model for Chicago startups; because of it there is an expectation that your startup will make money quickly. The company is known for advocating against taking venture funding, and instead bootstrapping your enterprise.
Whatever you make of it all, there is no doubt that these stories play form a large part of the startup culture around Chicago.
Paying Apple's $505 premium
So, despite my whining that a MacBook Pro costs more than $500, comparative to a PC, I shelled out the cash and bought the Apple product. Why?
The thought of buying a Mac could not have been further from my mind even a few weeks ago. However, as I started exploring the tech community around Chicago something stark emerged: at all these meetings, the vast majority of software developers were using MacBooks. One even looked in horror at PC and remarked, "You're using Windows? But Rails does not work very well outside of Mac and Linux environments". I had been coding in Rails for about nine months on a PC, but that very same evening his prophecy proved correct: some of the libraries and programs we were using for the exercise that evening just did not want to work on my PC.
At business school, we learn about how Windows created a network effect: they developed an operating system that gained so many users that application developers wanted to develop for Windows rather than any other operating system. User consequently wanted to buy Windows, because there were so many applications being developed for it.
Strangely, the Apple fan-boys now seem to be creating their own network effect. The inventor and high-priest of Rails, David Heinemeier Hansson, is one of them. Now every Rails developer seems to be following in his footsteps. As the software developer who looked at my PC in horror continued, "Rails developers often don't even test their libraries on PCs, so you're never sure they're going to work... and whenever you watch screencasts of the Rails thought-leaders, they're always using Textmate [an Apple application]".
So there you have it. I'm not one for agonizing through pain in making Rails work on an environment it was not designed for. So I bought a Mac.
The thought of buying a Mac could not have been further from my mind even a few weeks ago. However, as I started exploring the tech community around Chicago something stark emerged: at all these meetings, the vast majority of software developers were using MacBooks. One even looked in horror at PC and remarked, "You're using Windows? But Rails does not work very well outside of Mac and Linux environments". I had been coding in Rails for about nine months on a PC, but that very same evening his prophecy proved correct: some of the libraries and programs we were using for the exercise that evening just did not want to work on my PC.
At business school, we learn about how Windows created a network effect: they developed an operating system that gained so many users that application developers wanted to develop for Windows rather than any other operating system. User consequently wanted to buy Windows, because there were so many applications being developed for it.
Strangely, the Apple fan-boys now seem to be creating their own network effect. The inventor and high-priest of Rails, David Heinemeier Hansson, is one of them. Now every Rails developer seems to be following in his footsteps. As the software developer who looked at my PC in horror continued, "Rails developers often don't even test their libraries on PCs, so you're never sure they're going to work... and whenever you watch screencasts of the Rails thought-leaders, they're always using Textmate [an Apple application]".
So there you have it. I'm not one for agonizing through pain in making Rails work on an environment it was not designed for. So I bought a Mac.
People buy things for more than just the practical benefits
Source: Kellogg Insights poster at Jacobs Center, Kellogg School.
Connecting code, rather than writing code
A software developer I met almost a year ago remarked, "These days, it's not about writing code per se. There is already a lot of code out there in open source. These days, it's all about joining different bits of code together to solve the problem that you're tackling". I couldn't agree more.
User registration, payments, catalogs, blog posts -- functionality such as this has been written and re-written so many times, there is simply no reason to write your own version of this. From Plone to Drupal, there are plenty of systems that provide all this. The proof is perhaps in that Groupon started as a Wordpress blog.
User registration, payments, catalogs, blog posts -- functionality such as this has been written and re-written so many times, there is simply no reason to write your own version of this. From Plone to Drupal, there are plenty of systems that provide all this. The proof is perhaps in that Groupon started as a Wordpress blog.
Wanted: A different kind of rocket scientist
There was once a time when it was cool and profitable to build sparkling new software algorithms. The classic example of this was a bespoke search engine that two Stanford PhD students created, Google. In 2004, Google IPO'd for a record $24.6Bn. Groupon is rumored to be readying to IPO for $25Bn, setting a new record. With little algorithmic wizardry behind it, Groupon perhaps proves that technologists the caliber of rocket scientists are no longer necessary to create hit startups.
Fundamental problems in using the Internet, such as search and payments, are perhaps 'solved' to at least a 'good enough' level. These were the the type of problems best suited for technologists. Groupon proves we now need people, and startups, that can solve higher level problems. Perhaps the type of rocket scientists we now need are those that truly understand the problems people are trying, yet struggling, to solve through the Internet - such as get group discounts to restaurants and other merchants.
Fundamental problems in using the Internet, such as search and payments, are perhaps 'solved' to at least a 'good enough' level. These were the the type of problems best suited for technologists. Groupon proves we now need people, and startups, that can solve higher level problems. Perhaps the type of rocket scientists we now need are those that truly understand the problems people are trying, yet struggling, to solve through the Internet - such as get group discounts to restaurants and other merchants.
Do MBAs rub you up the wrong way?
MBAs have a terrible reputation in some circles. I got the first major whiff of this a few weeks ago, when we ran an experiment for one of our classes. The experiment tested a potential future direction for my startup project, PreScouter. We asked engineering Phd students to sign up for daily emails, for the period of a week, with each email posing a challenging technical question. The best responses would win $50 Amazon gift cards.
The experiment was generally successful, and we learned a lot from it. Nevertheless, afterwards we sent a survey to the participants to collect more information on how we could increase engagement. One of the survey responses was particularly eye-opening. Here are the highlights of what the respondent had put in the "any other comments" box:
Perhaps what is worse is that we can use social network analysis tools, taught in the very same MBA program that the PhD students have a distaste for, to identify our mistake. We attempted to broker into a closed clique (engineering PhD students) without having sufficient credibility to be accepted by the clique to do so. If we had instead portrayed the experiment as a joint effort between Kellogg and engineering PhD students (which it was), we would have been perceived differently - we would have been accepted by them and got a better response.
The experiment was generally successful, and we learned a lot from it. Nevertheless, afterwards we sent a survey to the participants to collect more information on how we could increase engagement. One of the survey responses was particularly eye-opening. Here are the highlights of what the respondent had put in the "any other comments" box:
This entire idea rubbed me the wrong way and seemed exploitative [...] I'm underpaid and asked to do all kinds of work for free as a PhD student [...] Kellogg students have a terrible reputation in my department for exploiting PhD students. You need to overcome that for me to want to help you. There was no way I was going to create a login (or even worse, link my facebook account) without you giving me a better impression that this was mutually beneficial, particularly in the long term, and not just another way for me to be exploited and asked to do work for free.Ouch! What we thought might be a fun experiment got interpreted in a bad way and seems to have reinforced some preconceptions that these PhD students have of MBAs.
Perhaps what is worse is that we can use social network analysis tools, taught in the very same MBA program that the PhD students have a distaste for, to identify our mistake. We attempted to broker into a closed clique (engineering PhD students) without having sufficient credibility to be accepted by the clique to do so. If we had instead portrayed the experiment as a joint effort between Kellogg and engineering PhD students (which it was), we would have been perceived differently - we would have been accepted by them and got a better response.
Apple charges a $505 premium
Since my laptop died, I've been struggling to determine what I should do to replace it. Should I switch from PC to Mac?
The basic Apple MacBook Pro is spec'd as follows: 13-inch screen, 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB 1333MHz memory, 320GB 5400rpm hard-disk, Built-in battery (7 hours).
It's possible to spec a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge similarly: 14- or 15-inch screen, 2.66GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB 1067MHz memory, 500GB 7200rpm hard-disk, 9 cell 2.8Ah battery (7.2hrs)
The MacBook Pro costs $1,199.00. The ThinkPad Edge costs $694.00. That's a $505 premium. Sure, I can get a regular MacBook for $999, but they use the older generation Intel processors and I want to future-proof my laptop for a little longer.
Beyond the $505 premium, there are other switching costs, such as buying a new copy of Office, $99 at student prices on the Mac, as well as a $29 adapter to be able to project the screen on a monitor. That brings the total up to $633.
Is it worth the switch?
The basic Apple MacBook Pro is spec'd as follows: 13-inch screen, 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB 1333MHz memory, 320GB 5400rpm hard-disk, Built-in battery (7 hours).
It's possible to spec a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge similarly: 14- or 15-inch screen, 2.66GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB 1067MHz memory, 500GB 7200rpm hard-disk, 9 cell 2.8Ah battery (7.2hrs)
The MacBook Pro costs $1,199.00. The ThinkPad Edge costs $694.00. That's a $505 premium. Sure, I can get a regular MacBook for $999, but they use the older generation Intel processors and I want to future-proof my laptop for a little longer.
Beyond the $505 premium, there are other switching costs, such as buying a new copy of Office, $99 at student prices on the Mac, as well as a $29 adapter to be able to project the screen on a monitor. That brings the total up to $633.
Is it worth the switch?
Chicago
Caught up in the bubble of Evanston, sometimes we can forget that Chicago is close by. I've not been into the city often, but whenever I visit I'm exhilarated – I'm reminded of what it's like to live in a big city.
Photo Credit: Jim Richardson / National Geographic.
The New York Times' plan to charge for content.
There is a lot of buzz around the New York Times' plan to charge for content.
I think it is interesting to reflect back on Jeff Jarvis's original comments about this, when the New York Times announced first announced their plans last year.
Charging is an attempt to replicate an old business model in a profoundly changed media economy that is no longer built on scarcity—on publishers' control—now that everyone can publish. The new link economy rewards openness and collaboration.
...
The New York Times plans to charge its best customers—its most frequent readers—while enabling what Rupert Murdoch calls the worst customers—those who stop by once from a search engine or an aggregator—to get what they want for free. That might make sense if you are selling a scarce resource: those who drink the most wine pay the most. But online, content and news are not scarce. They are the magnets that draw readers to you so you can build a valuable relationship.
Don't play the "feature game"
"Apple doesn’t believe in playing the "feature game" with [its] product," says Sachin Agarwal [Former Apple engineer, founder of Posterous]. As in, the company focuses more on its goals for its own products, rather than comparing itself to competitors' and trying to outdo them on the same levels.Read more here.
That mission is "deeply engrained in the culture," he adds. Employees aren't focusing on what the competition is doing -- they're driven to innovate and come up with products that challenge the status quo.
A better Startup Visa
As Brad Feld, one of the chief campaigners for the Startup Visa, announced on his blog, a new version of the Startup Visa Act is preparing to do the rounds of the US legislature.
In particular, Feld notes that the new act offers:
In particular, Feld notes that the new act offers:
- Lowered, More Realistic Thresholds: The minimum investment has be lowered to $100,000. This is more in line with a larger number of startup companies.
- Broadened Qualifications to Include H-1B or Students with Advanced Degrees: Entrepreneurs already in the US on an unexpired H-1B or those who have completed a graduate level degree in science, technology, engineering, math, computer science are eligible to apply as long as they have either an annual income of $30,000 or assets of at least $60,000 and a qualified US investor has agreed to invest at least $20,000. This opens up the Startup Visa to students after they graduate, which is a huge thing.
- Entrepreneurs Who Want to Relocate: Entrepreneurs who’s companies are based outside the US can now relocate as long as their businesses have generated at least $100,000 in sales in the US.
When every company becomes a media company
Almost every business is finding that its relationship wdith the media is changing.
In the past, product and service companies would have to advertise in a media outlet to reach their audience. Perhaps Starbucks' target audience would be those watching the Friends tv show. So, Starbucks would buy advertising around the show.
These days, companies now have to contend with an Internet that provides infinite distractions. So perhaps it is no surprise that companies are themselves becoming media companies. LinkedIn, for example, has launched it own social newspaper.
LinkedIn's offering, aggregating content passed around its network, may not seem particularly ambitious as a media outlet. But it's worth considering that MTV started life as simply aggregating music videos.
In the past, product and service companies would have to advertise in a media outlet to reach their audience. Perhaps Starbucks' target audience would be those watching the Friends tv show. So, Starbucks would buy advertising around the show.
These days, companies now have to contend with an Internet that provides infinite distractions. So perhaps it is no surprise that companies are themselves becoming media companies. LinkedIn, for example, has launched it own social newspaper.
LinkedIn's offering, aggregating content passed around its network, may not seem particularly ambitious as a media outlet. But it's worth considering that MTV started life as simply aggregating music videos.
90 days
Yes, that's right. There are 90 days left between now and the end of our program at Kellogg on June 10th 2011. At one point, it seemed so far, far away. Now, it's just mere days.
Willing to work harder
While money is not he be-all and end-all of everything in life, wealth is an interesting indicator of many things.
In The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley and William Danko interviewed more than 500 self-made millionaires and surveyed more than 11,000. They asked them why they had been able to become millionaires when others not. 85 percent of them replied, "I didn't have a better education or more intelligence, but I was willing to work harder than anyone else."
In The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley and William Danko interviewed more than 500 self-made millionaires and surveyed more than 11,000. They asked them why they had been able to become millionaires when others not. 85 percent of them replied, "I didn't have a better education or more intelligence, but I was willing to work harder than anyone else."
FU Money
I was talking to a professor today - one with a legal and investment background. We were discussing exit values of different startup opportunities. One was a lower risk, lower reward strategy. "Well," he said, "a four or five million dollar exit isn't going to whet an investor's appetite". He continued, "But it's enough to be FU money."
Definition from Urban Dictionary:
Definition from Urban Dictionary:
Any amount of money allowing infinite perpetuation of wealth necessary to maintain a desired lifestyle definition needing employment or assistance from anyone.
Bootstrapping a business requires a different mentality
Braintree's Bryan Johnson talks about bootstrapping a business, rather than accepting investment:
"Constraints are a beautiful thing because they force creativity and precision. We don't have the resources to throw after hit-or-miss hires or strategies. Bootstrapping a business requires a different mentality. It's taught us to be frugal, hire slowly, and exercise caution as we grew the business. While companies that take funding can do those things, people have a tendency to behave differently when it’s not their money on the line."
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.
Entrepreneurs: Why Mini MBA Programs are Worthy of Your Consideration
This is a guest post by Brian Jenkins, who writes about MBA programs, among other college degree programs, for BrainTrack.com.
Many companies operate using old business theories, and this can lead to a stagnant performance. Mini MBA programs provide valuable business administration skills, explore current business theory and practice, and provide an understanding of how a business works and how it sustains and increases profitability over time.
Mini MBA programs vary in length (from three days to three months) and in cost (from $1,000 to $10,000). Many business schools that are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) offer mini MBA programs. However, some of these school don't actually use the term "mini MBA".
It should be noted that a mini MBA is not an actual MBA. These programs consist of several continuing education courses that don't result in a degree. Students usually obtain continuing education credit for the courses, although some schools let students earn credit hours towards an actual degree. Also, mini MBA program applicants at some schools are not required to have a business degree or to take an admissions test.
Here are some of the benefits that entrepreneurs may receive from taking a mini MBA program:
- The opportunity to test ideas with instructors and peers.
- Improve in their weak areas.
- Find inspiration for new ideas for their businesses.
- Learn new marketing strategies.
- Networking opportunities. Expand their network of suppliers, vendors, and clients.
- Classes are often taught by instructors who have powerful connections in the business world.
- Learn alternative ways of running their business.
- Mentoring from faculty members.
- Learn to structure complex financing.
Primary Topics Covered
The programs provide a condensed overview of important subjects and concepts. Mini MBA programs cover topics like:
- Human resources
- Finance
- Accounting
- Management
- General business administration
- Economics
- Marketing
- Corporate strategy
Most Mini MBA programs include elective courses and workshops. Most schools let students tailor the program to meet their needs, and some let students create their own program from a la carte segments.
There are a few schools that offer a mini MBA-type program focused on entrepreneurship:
Rutgers Mini MBA Entrepreneurship program
The Mini MBA Entrepreneurship program is taught by Rutgers faculty members and experienced entrepreneurs. The program blends real-world entrepreneurial training with theory from traditional MBA programs.
Students learn how to evaluate new venture opportunities and create a comprehensive business plan. They benefit from nine months of advisory support and coaching after completing the classroom segment of the program.
Rutgers also offers a Mini MBA Global BioPharma Entrepreneurship program. It is designed for entrepreneurs looking to start a new business in biotech or in the pharmaceutical industry.
UCLA Anderson's Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Management Development for Entrepreneurs (MDE) program, a version of a mini MBA program, helps transform an entrepreneurial organization into a professionally managed company. The program is taught by the same faculty members who teach UCLA Anderson's MBA programs.
Students learn to attract investors and customers, market products, increase revenues, increase market impact, structure complex financing, and oversee operations. The Business Improvement Project is designed to address specific issues that the student's company is dealing with.
(It should be noted the author has no connection with these schools.)
Mini MBA programs provide a condensed overview of important topics and concepts and offer a variety of electives. They provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their businesses.
The day my laptop died
At Kellogg, it is sad predicament that my life revolves around my laptop. All my classwork - mostly in Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents - are done on my laptop. Since the OS4 update slammed my old iPhone's performance, I have also been writing all my emails on my laptop. Add to this that I prefer to keep all my classnotes (and work notes) in electonic format, and you can start to see that this damn thing is almost an extension of my body.
Yesterday my laptop died.
At first I felt I should be panicked, but I wasn't. In some ways, I had been waiting for this day since I first bought it, approximately two years ago. I'd set up live-backups of my most important directories to a could-based backup service, so the most recent versions are stored online as soon as they are stored on my hard disk. For my other documents, I have nightly backups set up to an offline harddisk. I've never tried recovering anything from the offline backup, so things may still all go horribly wrong. Even though I have two big presentations and a massive final paper due tomorrow, I'm finding my problems are simply ones of inconveniance rather than "show stoppers".
Perhaps the moral to the story is that, when you're prepared for failures - even a laptop failure - there is little downside.
Yesterday my laptop died.
At first I felt I should be panicked, but I wasn't. In some ways, I had been waiting for this day since I first bought it, approximately two years ago. I'd set up live-backups of my most important directories to a could-based backup service, so the most recent versions are stored online as soon as they are stored on my hard disk. For my other documents, I have nightly backups set up to an offline harddisk. I've never tried recovering anything from the offline backup, so things may still all go horribly wrong. Even though I have two big presentations and a massive final paper due tomorrow, I'm finding my problems are simply ones of inconveniance rather than "show stoppers".
Perhaps the moral to the story is that, when you're prepared for failures - even a laptop failure - there is little downside.
Men wanted for hazardous journey
Liberally borrowed from Steve Blank's post:
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."
-- Attributed to Ernest Shackleton
Rolling up the Internet
Do you remember when there were only a handful of terrestrial TV channels? In the UK, where I grew up, there were only 4. You were limited for choice. Those were the only channels you could watch. Cable and satellite television added more channels - adding more choice. Finally, the Internet makes every web address a possible "channel" for us to consume media from.
Given that we are now approaching an infinite number of choices, you would think that viewers would be more dispersed than ever before. A paradox that network theory brings to light is that - in a world where there are infinite channels - the masses flock to a small number channels: the usual suspects, such as Google and Facebook. These few channels have at least as much weight and "viewership" as those old terrestrial TV channels did in the early television era.
So, perhaps it makes sense that we are seeing companies starting to "roll-up" websites, so that they can become one of the few, flocked-to channels.
Given that we are now approaching an infinite number of choices, you would think that viewers would be more dispersed than ever before. A paradox that network theory brings to light is that - in a world where there are infinite channels - the masses flock to a small number channels: the usual suspects, such as Google and Facebook. These few channels have at least as much weight and "viewership" as those old terrestrial TV channels did in the early television era.
So, perhaps it makes sense that we are seeing companies starting to "roll-up" websites, so that they can become one of the few, flocked-to channels.
Can-do attitude
Sometimes your can-do attitude can become more than just your company culture; it can become your brand.
From this case:
From this case:
According to Nike company lore, one of the most famous and easily recognized slogans in advertising history was coined at a 1988 meeting of Nike’s ad agency Wieden and Kennedy and a group of Nike employees. Dan Weiden, speaking admiringly of Nike’s can-do attitude, reportedly said, "You Nike guys, you just do it." The rest, as they say, is (advertising) history.
With its "Just Do It" campaign and strong product, Nike was able to increase its share of the domestic sport-shoe business from 18 percent to 43 percent, from $877 million in worldwide sales to $9.2 billion in the ten years between 1988 and 1998.
Facebook's bid to build the Social Web
There is a lot of controversy over Facebook's roll-out of out a new commenting system for blogs and third-party sites. Can you imagine every comment you make on blog posts, discussion boards or any other place where you post messages being linked back to your Facebook account -- and then made available to other websites, so those websites can personalize your experience when you next visit them?
It seems like Mark Zuckerberg certainly can:
It seems like Mark Zuckerberg certainly can:
This next version of Facebook Platform puts people at the center of the web. It lets you shape your experiences online and makes them more social. For example, if you like a band on Pandora, that information can become part of the graph so that later if you visit a concert site, the site can tell you when the band you like is coming to your area. The power of the open graph is that it helps to create a smarter, personalized web that gets better with every action taken.
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