Paying editors at Judy's Book

The city editors at Judy's Book do a great job. They really seem to be aligned behind making the site, and thus, the company successful. They're part of the secret sauce at JB. We do our best to acknowldege them and thank them for their time, effort and care -- we have a whole program designed to support our city editors and staff designated to that program. We don't take their efforts for granted as it appears many of the other (more successful at this point) community sites do like myspace, youtube, and digg.

Nick Carr's blog post today points out that web 2.0 companies  but users in charge of everything except profits. Definately worthwhile reading if you're interested in the topic.

Jason Calacanis' move to pay editors 1K per month for at least 150 submission at netscape raises the stakes and the profile in the debate around paying for user generated content. I tend to agree directionally with Jason's move. These users  are valuable and should be treated as such.  He correctly points out that there isn't yet a market for such high value users...so he's establishing one.  Very smart. We'll see how it works. At this point, we've decided not to be so direct. Our compensation system has tended toward indirect compensation -- gift certificates and in-kind payments and it's likely to continue in that manner. That said, it is compensation. We'll be watching Netscape and the debate of user generated compensation carefully ....and I'll be thinking about how best to place our own bets on user generated compensation going forward.

Annual retreat

Just got back from the Judy's Book second annual company retreat to the San Juans. This is something we started last year -- to provide people an opportunity to talk about the business and to relax around each other out of the office.  This year's trip was a raging success -- it was better than last years.  I think people had an excellent time together -- it was really a culture building experience. I've found that in early stage companies you really need to take the time create the personal bounds so that people feel connected.  This helps everyone work together upon return to the office. That's the theory at least -- and this year I think it was the reality.  The only downside to the event was that people were a bit hung over the next day....

Exit interviews are super valuable

It's always awkward when an employee decides to move on or when you decide it's time for an employee to move on. In either case, there's discomfort.  And often in the discomfort, managers and employees retreat into their shells. Yet, it's exactly at this transitional point in time when it's an excellent opportunity to reach out and to learn, to be personable and professional, and to conduct a thoughtful and complete exit interview.

These exit interviews can be enormously helpful to both employee and company. I've had the pleasure of having great exit interviews and learned a lot about what I need to be doing to make my company even more successful. 

Just want to encourage all those employees and managers to get out of their shell and take the opportunity to ask questions when you get the truth -- when you can really learn about yourself and your company.  It's only at the end of an employment relationship that people have little to lose and lots to gain.

Dear Crazy-As-Bat-Shit-Lady: The fridge doesn't come with a pedigree!

A craigslist post....too funny!

Date: 2006-06-25,  8:44AM PDT

Dear Crazy-As-Bat-Shit-Lady:

I am honored that you chose my ad for a mini fridge out of all the ads you could have chosen. It makes me feel good that my mini fridge will be supplying you with the ice cold beverages you've obviously become accustomed to.

Next time you answer one of my ads, please note the following:

1. I am not Home Depot. If you travel thirty minutes to pick up a bulky 40-pound object, please come prepared with the necessary items you'll need to secure it to your vehicle. Yes, I have rope. I have a lot of rope. I have many different colors and sizes of rope. No, you can not have my rope. The ad said I was selling a fridge, not a fridge with rope. Nor was I selling a fridge with padding so that the pleather seats on your piece of crap car don't get marked up.

2. What part of 'buyer must pick up' in the ad was confusing to you? Yes, I have a vehicle. No, I don't want to haul your fridge all the way to East BumbleFuck on the hottest day of the year. No, I'm really really sure I don't want to do that. No, really. I'm sure.

3. Please call me only once with ALL your questions. I left for the day, and had 5 messages on my answering machine, the last one was at 10:30 pm. Frankly lady, you were sounding a bit too crazy by the end of the day. It's a fridge. A small metal box that keeps shit cold. I don't have the fridge's family tree. For all I know the fridge's was conceived by a slutty young Maytag that graced some hillbilly's side porch. I don't know the exact age of the fridge. I bought it a few months ago, I used it for a couple of days, ok, I lied, I used it a whole week. The fact is, you're not buying a race horse, you're buying a used fridge.

4. No, I will not knock $10 bucks off the price of the fridge because your anal retentive eyes picked up the ittiest, bittiest hairline scratch from across my driveway. I'm not making judgements on you, but I'm pretty damn sure Donald Trump didn't send you across the country to pick up a used fridge for Trump Towers. Though I'd wager the whole concept of the mini-fridge bar is a familar one to you.

5. Yes, you can unplug a fridge without any harm to the fridge. Believe me, the fridge is fine. The manufacturers have figured out a way to extend the life of a fridge that has been unplugged. Yes, I'm absolutely sure of that. No, you did not have to leave 2 messages about your concerns with the fridge being unplugged, and frankly it was a little embarrassing having the same conversation with you in my driveway where my neighbors could hear.

6. No, I don't have the operating instructions. I can write them down for you though: Plug fridge in. Open door. Put crap inside. Take crap out when it's cold. Eat or drink crap.

7. I am not a fridge pimp. I don't have any more fridges at that price. No, I don't know where you can get another fridge at that price. Yes, I know it's in great condition for the price, and I'm sure you'd like your other crazy-as-bat-shit-mini-fridge-buying-friends to have one just like it, but this is all I have. Here's a thought, there's this online classified ads website. Yeah, you may have heard of it, it's called CRAIGSLIST. I dunno, maybe, just maybe, in this great land of ours, there's another mini-fridge being advertised there.

8. Please remove my phone number from your address book. I think our relationship is over. Oh, and if you've added me to your AIM Buddy List, please delete me. Please. I beg you.

Yours truly,

The mini-fridge seller

Remodel Hell

is there anyone out there with a positive remodel story?

Whenever I tell someone that I'm in the midst of a remodel, their response is "oh....I'm sorry to hear that".

Unfortunately, based on the way things have been going with our remodel, I have a feeling I may say the same thing to the next person who tells me they're doing a remodel.

I'll try and take some pictures of the house-- it's actually coming out cool -- despite the painful process.

The green survivor -- A new Reality TV program

This post was originally titled Environmental despair or not.... but when I came up with the idea for a reality tv show on solving the environmental crisis for the globe I figured it I'd change the name of the program.

I was reading Ryan McInteries blog post about the movie an Inconvenient Truth. and it raised the question for me -- which is a bit descartean in nature -- to have despair about the environmental situation or not. Ryan's post is good. He talks about the little actions that one can take to help the situation. Like him, I'm a card carrying progressive lefty. I own a Toyota Camry Hybrid which I love. I seriously am thinking about buying solar power for my remodelled house. But I feel like I am sitting on a serious fence of despair about this topic.  If I'm not careful -- or even if I am -- I feel quite pessimistic about this topic because of posts like Fred Wilson's dad on the topic.  I'm curious about when we're going to have a reality TV show about really solving the environment issues in this country.  Wouldn't it be cool if there was a million dollars given to the person who comes up wit hthe simple consumer idea that gets us to cut greenhouse gases and this was broadcast by Simon Cowell or MTV?

Alternate endings to soccer games

I've found myself more interested in the world cup than I would have expected. My only complaint is the way games end when there's a tie. I think penalty shots is a lousy way to end a tie game in soccer (and hockey for that matter).

It seems like an arbitrary way of determining the best team.

I think they should come up with an alternate ending like:

  1. Reducing the number of players on the field by 2 players every minutes of OT play. First goal wins.
  2. Take all regular players off the field and requre alternates only to play. Limit numbers on the field to 6.
  3. Put a larger goal in for OT so people can shoot from further out. First goal wins.

I'm not sure any of these are practical solutions but the problem of how to effectively end a soccer match seems like one that people should be talking about as much if not more than how to effectively ref a soccer match (which seems to be getting lots of talk).

How much to listen to customers?

One item I've been perplexed with strategically lately is not whether to listen to current customers but rather how much to listen to current customers.   The reasons to listen to current cusomers are obvious. It's business 101. But the reasons to temper the amount one listens to current customes are:

  1. There may be business rationale (i.e. market size, competition, margin etc) for going in a direction that conflicts with what customers would say
  2. What customers say and do are often different things. Customers don't put their answers to survey questions into context for you....and vice versa.  Customer feedback typically comes in the form of interviews and surveys....and that's helpful, but isn't that useful in answering fundamental strategic questions.

Reading blogs

As part of my return to writing my blog, I've stepped up the time I use to reading blogs.    I'm really impressed with what people are putting into their publications.   

This morning I read the NYT and then read about 6 bloggers last 3 posts via feed....I gotta say that the posts from the bloggers are more relevant to my life and thoughts than the NYT by far. It makes total sense (narrow casting) but nonetheless, today, I'm a bit in awe of the phenomena.

Stuff I learned about today on the blogosphere:
i) Market timing of start ups - Niel Robertson's blog
ii) How to package a board presentation -- Brad Feld's blog
iii) Dissaggregated media -- Fred Wilson's blog
iv) Agenda setting -- Seth Godin's blog
v) The suit between googla and kinderstart -- John Battelle's blog
vi) Email conversion rate tips -- Chris Baggot's blog

Senator Edwards at Gnomedex

Was at the seattle blog event on Friday and part of Saturday. Overall, enjoyed the event.  Senator Edwards was the key note speaker. I thought it was pretty smart of him to make an appearance. Show's someone on his staff is paying attention and thinking about influence in the future.  There were three noteable parts to his speech:

  1. Someone asked him if he could tell himself whether or not he was giving an honest answer and being a "human" being versus a plastic politicican talking in soundbites. Senator Edwards said he could tell the difference. But noted that it was hard not to fall into the land of automaton when reporters are coming at you with cameras rolling and they're asking questions and you know that if you aren't careful you'll be misquoted etc.  I thought it was an interesting glimpse into the life of the politician in 2006.
  2. Someone asked him why the democrats don't have any balls.  The senator then positioned himself as one of those democrats that isn't wish washy, miely mouthed.  Good positioning.
  3. Someone suggested that Edwards grant 1 democrat and 1 republican blogger complete access to his campaign bus. Good idea!

BTW, Edwards is better looking in person than on tv....
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Customer feedback makes my day

Came into the office this AM and saw this post about us and one of our competitors. It made my day.

The post (below) is a direct quote from one of our members:
I was a member of Insider Pages before coming over here to Judy's Book. I'll admit that I totally LOVE it here, and rarely visit Insider Pages any longer. I have always had great luck getting my rewards from them, but it's not a "community" like it is here.

Anyways, I was looking there earlier today, to see if there are any promotions going on (there isn't) and I noticed that I am ranked #1 at Insider Pages. If you are a member, what is your rank?!

It's all about winning customers over one at a time.
 

Star wars movie boycott

This was an email I received from a passionate person about the new star wars movie....

I beseech you to boycott the star wars movie. Our society has become a confluence of rampant reproduction, infinite commodification, pandemic denial, and unwarranted militarism. The only thing that has allowed this to become the way of things is the APATHY of the populace. Your efforts are stolen from you, then sold back to you in the form of merchandise you only desire because you are, from childhood, programmed to desire them. The commodification of your own worth extends as social pressure increases and conformity spreads in the guise of a virtuous mandate…the fear of oddity keeping everyone in line. To make matters worse, your ideals and memories are re-packaged and sold to you…but as apathy reigns, the beautification of these commodities becomes irrelevant: products are consumed because to NOT CONSUME THEM IS TO BE OUTCAST. Thus, George Lucas takes the ideals and memories of an entire generation, re packages them in an undeniably DISMAL product, and to even suggest NOT handing your money over warrants scornful gazes from even the most rational! Will one person’s statement of refusal change the world? No. there is only individual dignity and self-determination at stake…two devalued commodities in our growth-despite-consequences economy. I am not a star wars hater…quite the opposite…I grew up on star wars and have lived by its magic for many many years. The new movies, especially in their lame-duck conclusion, give a face to a problem so deep in our society that few dare even to admit it exists: the herd so fears uniqueness…so fears uncommodified ideals..that those who resist in the name of MAGNANIMITY are portrayed as party-crashers. Star wars is quite irrelevant…it is the reaction of the masses to it that is truly disturbing. Do your part to build a world where truth and depth are valued, and the plundering of childhood ideals is NOT a status quo for get-rich-quick! Many will throw their most disdainful gaze my way…as if I ask the impossible to not spend the 9$ to satisfy morbid curiosity. Is it such a high-minded ideal to just wait for the damn thing to be on tv? You’ll still get to see ads so you know what to buy when you get to the Sith rack at Albertsons… Keep hope alive…defy the obvious and dread not the scorn of the herd