gdp's Comments

Feld Thoughts : Gearbox's Smart Ball

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:49:40 +0000

I was in the bunker this a.m. and saw them playing with it. It was fun to watch.

TechCrunch : Cloning Is Lame. Google Should Do It To Facebook Anyway.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:05:48 +0000

Deep pockets won't create a switching trigger. Don't underestimate the impact of the late majority. The mom's, dad's, etc was a big network to grab. I just posted more of my thoughts about it here: http://bit.ly/bGzHtA This is the wrong battle for Google to pick.

TechCrunch : Cloning Is Lame. Google Should Do It To Facebook Anyway.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:29:02 +0000

Disagree, it was crowded as measured by number of social network sites, not by users. Social Networking was still a growing industry. No one, had everyone. Mom's, Dad's, Grandma's, etc were still trying to figure it out. It can be argued the social networking is now in the mature business life-cycle. It's mainstream. There are few user groups left to go get, that could bring along others. It's all switching. FB benefitted, in a crowded space, from Myspaces mishaps. Adults, professionals, mom's, dad's aunts and uncles saw Myspace as too juvenile. When they decided to jump into social networking FB was the choice. If Google were to "copy" FB, consumer decision trigger isn't should I join Google or FB but rather do I leave FB. This is an entirely different decision. One we already know the answer to.

TechCrunch : Cloning Is Lame. Google Should Do It To Facebook Anyway.

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:15:27 +0000

New Social Networks are dead. Socail networks live on the network effect. People have settled into FB. Creating a me too FB will do nothing to get people to leave FB. Their friends, and family are all on Facebook. Leaving for another social network that does the something with out their friends offers no value. It's not about the features, the technology or the resources google has, it's about the network and Google can't control that.

VC Adventure : How I lost my 1K status

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:26:15 +0000

the only thing that could have made this better, is had it been on April Fools, or even better if they had convinced you to go to the Customer Service desk and filmed you ripping them a new ass!

PeteSearch : Andy Kessler's keynote at Defrag stunk

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:36:17 +0000

--Apple-Mail-38-567256902 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I think we agree here. I don't define productivity in terms of cheaper, I view them as doing the same job just as well or better, cheaper. You can't gain productivity out of the human element of a Dr's. perspective. You just can't automate certain things. Productivity must take into consideration of total output not just cost.

PeteSearch : Andy Kessler's keynote at Defrag stunk

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:15:20 +0000

What didn't you agree with? I'd love to hear a counter perspective. I think Andy took it a bit far with the programmer parasite comment, but I do agree with his underlying premise. Productivity w/o a doubt drives economic prosperity. productivity creates profit, profit creates capital, capital creates investment, investment creates jobs. productivity is key Creating NEW jobs requires getting rid of old jobs, unproductive jobs.

Feld Thoughts : Pretending You Are Luggage

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:34:46 +0000

It's a good life lesson. Keep expectations low. Let everyone surprise you. Half of life's disappointments comes from our own, unrealistic expectations of others. (expectation of ourselves should always be high, we control them) but for those outside of our control, keep em low.

Feld Thoughts : The Ether and the Scrum

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:30:38 +0000

It's like dating in college. One night you go out and every hot chick is all over you and your like, "I'm the man". The next week, your buddies dog won't even take a milkbone from you. I completely agree it is more art than science, and there are no guarantees when subjectivity and money play together.

Feld Thoughts : It’s Not My Company

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:56:21 +0000

Depending on the VC their choice of "my company" could shed some insight into how they see themselves and the role they play. Using "my company" suggests an inflated sense of self and the role they play. A VC not using "my company" like Fred and yourself suggest a real understanding of the eco-system and the roles of all the players. VC's are enablers. The founders are just that the founders, the innovators. It is a symbiotic relationship. Both are needed. When a VC. an enabler, calls it "my company" he is insinuating more ownership around the founder, and innovator component that in most cases is not theirs to claim. One of the negative perceptions of VC's is their inflated sense of importance and value in the start-up eco-system. VC's can certainly NOT be understated in this system, but they can't be overstated either. Excellent post Brad!

Feld Thoughts : It’s Not My Company

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:48:14 +0000

Nice point of view. I like how you added a different angle to the perspective.

Feld Thoughts : DailyBurn and Occipital Team Up to Create FoodScanner

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:28:44 +0000

Very cool, I have to believe there is good opportunity in the medical field as well, not just in fitness

StartupCFO : iLike - a case study in mistakes and lost potential

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:34:09 +0000

Why sell? What was the motive of the founders? Why would the investors break even if there was a future and they were profitable. Why not expand and look for adjacency's? Clearly there is more to this than is public. I'd be curious to hear the board discussions. It clearly wasn't a desirable exit.

George Benckenstein : Return On Influence - The Real ROI

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:29:46 +0000

Well said. This Return on Influence pays itself back in time in the form of a valuable asset. As our social graphs or online influence grows it becomes a real measurable asset. I see this asset being critical to the success of the next generation and those with out a well developed, well managed asset will suffer severely. I see an online presence or social graph being our most valuable asset being worth even more than our homes. I wrote about it here: Online Presence: Asset of the Future-Why our Social Graph Will be Worth More Than Our Homes. http://asalesguy.com/2009/05/14/online-presence-t...

Feld Thoughts : A VC’s Biggest Flaw: Arrogance

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:01:49 +0000

Great observation and self critique Tim. I have found asking leading questions helps the person I'm coaching/leading get their on their own. Questioning does three things, one it clarifies if my interpretation of their point is accurate, two it forces the person to think more deeply and possibly about things he/she didn't take into consideration and three, most importantly, I don't have to "tell" them anything. I can share to support the conclusions they come to on their own.

Feld Thoughts : A VC’s Biggest Flaw: Arrogance

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:49:32 +0000

Your post is spot on and can be applied across many industries, medicine and doctors, to education and researchers etc. Arrogance closes the door on learning and acceptance. Once that door is closed little good can happen. As a an entrepreneur and being in leadership positions, information like this challenges me to evaluate myself. It forces me to look to mitigate my blind spot(s) "Johari's Window" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window As a VC what do you think people would say about you?