Entreprecurious » Entreprenurial/Societal

Google as we knew it is over…and i think it’s a good thing (i think)

Jesse — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:50:52 +0000

Google, as we once knew it, is over. The Google+ project is just about 1 month old, and at an estimated 20 million users already, it could be here to stay. To me, at a high-level, Google+ indicates a potentially massive tectonic shift in Google’s overall strategy that will directly affect pretty much all facets of the company. Google’s search technology has always (loosely) been about an algorithm interpreting your search and spitting back the results it thinks are most relevant to you. This old search and find process was only the beginning of search technology, and Google is making a bold bet that the real future of this technology looks a whole lot more social than this.

Google has long acknowledged the need to evolve into the social networking space, but has been 0/2 on attempts thus far with both its Google Buzz and Google Wave products. But as great companies and people often do, Google is learning from its mistakes, and is storming back into the social media arena with a vengeance. And this time, they ain’t fuckin’ around.

Google+ is pretty nifty

With an estimated 20 million users just weeks after a private beta launch, Google+ is almost certainly the fastest social network of all time to reach this figure. Right now, Google+ just early-adopters (read: tech geeks), but I think it’ll be a household name before long. If you’ve used Google+ already, then you know it’s pretty slick–so slick, in fact, that it really almost looks like an Apple product. And if you haven’t used Google+ yet, then trust me–it’s pretty slick. But the purpose of this blog post is not to run over the tech specs of Google+–you can familiarize yourself here if need be. Rather, these are just some ramblings on some things I find noteworthy about Google+ and some thoughts about the future.

The ‘folding in’ of Google’s software products

A major piece of this whole Google+ frenzy is the fact that Google is going to fold all of its current software products under the same Google+ roof. That is, services like Blogger, Google News, Adwords, Analytics, Picasa, Youtube, and Google Docs, etc. are all going to be accessed from within Google+, as opposed to existing as standalone products. By bringing all of it’s services under one roof, Google is making the following statement: “The web is too spread out. It’s time to consolidate and simplify everything.” I have to say I agree with this. Hopefully the days of having contacts, web apps, and news sources spread out across a million different places will soon be behind us. The “next era” of consumer web is all about consolidation. The ways I receive and share information on the Internet will all be wrapped together under fewer and fewer roofs.

The sharing strategy behind Google+

The million dollar question these days seems to be: is there room for Google+ in the already crowded social media space? That is, with the likes of Facbeook, Twitter, and Email so heavily ingrained into our daily routines, is there even room for Google+ as yet another content sharing and discovery source in our daily lives? I recently read this brilliant article by Jonathan Allan of SearchEngineWatch.com which goes into great detail on this subject from a network theorist perspective.

One particularly interesting conclusion from the article was that Google+ very well could exploit a currently gaping hole in online communication: the one-to-few level of communication. The article goes on to explain how email has essentially mastered the art of 1-to-1 communication, Facebook & Twitter have mastered the art of one-to-many communication (aka broadcasting or ‘over-sharing’), but nobody has mastered the art of one-to-few communication. Facebook hasn’t been able to succeed at this mainly because of its confusing sharing and privacy settings. (Does anyone actually use Facebook lists anyway?). But Google+ is all about this idea of leading the user to make a conscious decision about who particular information is shared with instead of just making it as easy as possible to broadcast to as many people as possible.

The profile psychology behind Google+

Christian Oestlien is Google’s product manager behind this whole Google+ shindig, so I was excited to find and follow him on Google+. I was reading his wall one day and stumbled upon a very interesting quote. See below.

Facebook is about who you are, and Google+ is about who you want to be.

I have no idea who ‘OH’ is in this post, but I do know that Christian makes a bold and curious statement here, and I’m a bit surprised that it wasn’t picked up and written about because it’s such a bold distinction he makes here and it really sheds some light on the long-term vision behind Google+. It also makes a bold statement about the whole psychological approach Google is taking when it comes to its users’ Google+ profiles. To me, this is Google saying they want to be the “most authentic” version of you on the web that exists. They want to put your creativity and personality on exposé as well as your professional status and whereabouts. (And they’ll achieve this by bundling all of the Google software products under the Google+ roof so your profile can boast more robust versions of your photos, writings, music, links, etc. than Facebook can).

Finals thoughts

There’s no doubt that Google+ has passed the initial ‘cool test.’ Twenty million users in like a month is absolutely nucking futs, even if they are geeky early adopters, is enough to classify this as a smashingly successful product launch. Google+ already officially occupies a permanent tab on my browser. And considering that until now, I only granted “permanent tab status” to email and calendar, this is an impressive feat in the world of Jesse Davis.

The big question is obviously whether or not they’ll continue to penetrate quickly into the next round of users–the casual user. I dunno, I don’t really see this happening in the traditional way. That is, I don’t think Google+ will just grow via the network effect like Facebook did. Instead, I predict Google+ will grow via the backdoor route–by forcing current Google product users to join Google+ if they wanna keep using the products. Case in point: my dad uses Facebook, Gmail, and Picasa. He has no intentions of signing up Google+ because from his perspective there’s no need–one social network is enough. He would, however, join Google+ if all of a sudden Google said “you are gonna have to create a Google+ account in order to keep using Picasa and Gmail.”

Last thought: Google is going to know everything about me. And ya know what? I’m fine with that. I’ve got nothing really to hide and to me, the value of their services outweighs the potential loss of personal identity. But what do you think?

Science Daily Update: altering our DNA & creating brain-like computers

Jesse — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:07:35 +0000

I just love me some Science Daily. Science Daily is awesome because it presents breaking science news at the level of the lab, which means that by reading it, you’ll be hearing about science breakthroughs at their most nascent phase. Typically, things that get talked about on Science Daily are years from being commercialized into household products and the likes. The best part about Science Daily is that the articles are written in such a way that even the most recreational science lovers can understand. For everything from astronomy to psychology to quantum physics, SD has become basically my only science news source (okay, okay, I read Pop Sci occasionally).

Without further adieu, I’d like to present two particularly interesting recent scientific breakthroughs that I found particularly curious…

________________________________________________

source: http://bit.ly/mvxJyV

We’ve made a huge step forward in being able to stop diseases like cancer and cystic fibrosis by literally altering our genetic code. All of us are the way we are because of the way our DNA instructs our bodies to make proteins. Playing a critical role in this whole process is messenger RNA, or mRNA, which take instructions from the DNA and actually direct the steps necessary to create the proteins. Now if there were some way to alter these instructions, we’d be able to make sure that certain disease-causing proteins never got made, effectively eliminating the disease before it starts…and this is just what researchers have successfully done at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The research team figured out a way to create “guide RNAs” that latch themselves onto specific mRNAs and alter their instructions (if you’re interested in reading about how the guide RNAs actually carry out this function, be sure to read the full article). Personally, I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a bigger deal made about this. I think this is a huge step forward in our eventual ability to re-code our DNA from the inside out, allowing us to both avoid diseases as well as improve our physical and mental attributes. Of course, the latter of the two is where ethics most clearly come into play. I mean, it’s one thing to alter our DNA as a means toward avoiding disease. It’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you start talking about altering our DNA to create a superior physical and mental human race. It might sound outlandish, but how could you see this technology going in any other direction? For realz.

________________________________________________

source: http://bit.ly/dJgudA

Since our brains are the most powerful and complex computers that exist, it makes sense that computer scientists have been on a quest to create computers that essentially mimic the human brain. To date, one of the biggest advantages our brains have over computers is the fact that our brains can both process and store memory simultaneously, while computers still have to separate the two functions, thus inefficiently consuming time and power.

Well, now researchers at the University of Exeter have successfully demonstrated simultaneous information storage and processing–a MAJOR leap forward in creating computers that function like our brain. This discovery is noteworthy for two reasons. First off, it marks a certain level of understanding of the way that our brains work. These researchers were able to accomplish this result by literally recreating the synapses and neurons found in our brains. Secondly, this breakthrough is the most obvious leap forward I’ve seen in creating a computer that mimics our brain, opening up a whole new world of computer function. If computers could work like our brains do, the power savings and computing abilities of computers would grow exponentially to a point where computers can accomplish scary levels of function beyond our wildest dreams. This is what Ray Kurzweil talks about when he forecasts a sentient computer than could can AIDS in under a second, or build blueprints for interstellar spaceships, for instance.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)

Jesse — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:06:24 +0000

When friend and fellow Madison entrepreneur Ryan Paugh suggested I submit my application for The Young Entreprenuer Council, I honestly just figured “why not? it’s never a bad idea to join another group” and decided to apply. What I certainly did not expect to get from the group was the most powerful personal branding/mentorship hybrid opportunity of my life.

I applied for the YEC in January of this year, and at the time, the group’s membership was small, but impressive, and the group itself was starting to get some significant press. The group had some 30-40 young entrepreneurs doing really interesting things, such as Jason Sadler, as well as impressively successful members like Aaron Patzer (founder of Mint, which sold to Intuit for like $80 million or something ungodly like that).

In the past few months, the group has grown immensley and has made some incredibly impressive moves. Behind YEC founder Scott Gerber, the group has become the most syndicated source of entrepreneurship advice blogging via content partnerships with Fortune, All Business, AOL, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, FOX Business, CNN, and more. And there are even rumors of a partnership with the White House…stay tuned!

What exactly do I do for the Council? Well, basically my responsibilities are two-fold: 1) I give my two cents on questions submitted by startup entrepreneurs looking for specific advice, and 2) I’ve started a blog series for the YEC called Enlightentened Entrepreneurship, which will hopefully offer some advice and tips to startuppers for bringing positive energy and calm, focused attention to the workplace.

Since I began answering entrepreneurs’ startup querstions a few weeks ago, my answers have been featured in a number of high-profile outlets:

My only question: what happens in 10 years when I’m not longer really a young entrepreneur? Haha. This group is awesome and is going to do some special things and most importantly, going to help a lot of people along the way. Cheers to Scott Gerber and Ryan Paugh

In a consumer Web filled with impersonable companies, OhSoWe’s personal touch goes a long way

Jesse — Sat, 21 May 2011 19:13:15 +0000

I recently heard about OhSoWe, a social network designed to bring residents living in the same neighborhoods together. The site, started by OpenTable co-founder Chuck Templeton, caught my attention and earned my loyalty before I ever even created my profile. How did they accomplish this? With a postcard. OhSoWe requires you to confirm your address before creating a profile, which you can either do immediately online with a credit card or via a postcard with a verification code snail-mailed to your door. I chose the latter. I was impressed when I received my postcard literally 48 hours later. But the fact that it was addressed by hand impressed me even more.

But it’s the small things that matter… As soon as I saw the handwriting on the postcard, I opened up a new tab in my browser, filled out my profile, started a group for my neighborhood, and invited 20 friends in my area to join my new group. It’s not hard to connect the dots:

-> Company does one small thing (handwriting this verification code)

–> I notice and get a positive feeling about the company

—-> I am intrigued to interact with the company

——> I sign up for their service

———> I engage with the product, forming OhSoWe’s first-ever Madison, WI neighborhood community

————> I tell 20 friends to use the company’s service and join my neighborhood community

—————-> I write a blog post telling the world (or realistically like 1,000 people) praising the company

in a world of distrusted companies.

Our trust in companies has plummeted in recent years. In fact,

…the proportion of brands that consumers trust fell from 52% in 1997 to 22% in 2008, according to Y&R, an advertising agency – Economist May 21, 2011 issue

So if people really aren’t trusting brands all that much anymore, then those companies that we do trust are all the more powerful. And it might really just be the simple, seemingly mundane things that do matter the most. Come to think of it, I bought my car from this one particular dealership because they always offered me soda and a snack when I came in the door. And actually, I go to one particular gas station in town because they have hand sanitizer at all the pumps. Brilliant. It really is the small things…

The takeaway

The best part about this whole thing is that it realistically only took someone at OhSoWe 45 seconds to handwrite my address and verification code on the postcard. In return, OhSoWe acquired up to 20 new users, and at least one (me) loyal user with a vested interest in creating and growing the community. Sounds like a pretty solid ROI to me.

back of postcard

Enlightened Entrepreneur Profile: Jill Blakeway, The Yinova Center

Jesse — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:57:19 +0000

Together, Jill Blakeway and husband Noah Rubinstein run the Yinova Center, a truly special eastern medical center in downtown Manhattan. What started as a small office with Jill as a solo acupuncturist, has turned into a 12 room holistic care facility with over 9 employees. It makes me so happy to see evidence of the growing popularity of eastern medicine. Jill has also become somewhat of a fertility expert, teaming up with Dr. Sammy S. David to write a book on the subject. Be sure to check out her book, Making Babies, on Amazon, and also be sure to visit Yinova’s awesome blog! I recently had the special opportunity to e-interview Jill to learn a bit more about her and the Yinova Center:

How did you start the Yinova Center?

I started the center 10 years ago in a small office where I was the only acupuncturist and in fact did everything else too – from cleaning the office to answering the phone. I tried to incorporate my spiritual practice into my business by being really present and available with each patient and having an open heart whilst maintaining good boundaries. It was amazing how quickly things took off and within two years I’d extended my office doubling the space and had taken on an assistant. The practice continued to grow and I continued to receive recognition for my work which lead to a book deal with Little Brown. My book Making Babies (which I wrote with a doctor) was published last year and I’m currently under contract with Workman to write a book about libido. Last year we moved into a large space with 12 treatment rooms and my husband (who is also an acupuncturist) joined the company in a managerial role. I currently employ 8 acupuncturists and one massage therapist. Certainly as my business has grown so have the headaches and I’m grateful to have some skills that help me to take a pause before reacting.

How do you incorporate balance and spirituality in your life?

My husband Noah and I make a priority of creating balance in our lives. A small business can be all consuming but for us it is important that we don’t get swallowed up by it. In Chinese medicine much is made of balancing yin and yang and we apply this philosophy to our business. We divide our time between New York City and Upstate New York. When we are in the city we are very busy. We start work at 7.00am and are still in the office at 9.00pm however when we are in the country we slow down. We take walks, do a daily yoga practice, grow our own food and eat healthily. This refuels us and helps us keep up with the pace of our expanding business. I use the time in the country to write my books and my blog so my quiet time supports the business just as much as the more frenetic schedule I keep when in the city.

How’d you get into meditation?

I learned to meditate at the Insight Mediation Society in Barre, MA and, when I can, I still go there for a retreat. I’m busier these days and don’t have as much time to meditate but the ability to be still and go inside before making a decision is one that has positively impacted my business.

You know Neale Donald Walsch??

Neale Donald Walsch is a mentor of mine and his experience and advice are very helpful. Recently during a phone conversation with him I was bemoaning the fact that someone I had done business with was dishonest and had cheated me and that, even though it had turned out OK in the end, I was still angry that this man had got away with his dishonesty. Neale started to reframe the experience and pointed out that I had got everything I wanted – a thriving business, a second book deal and a wonderful happy staff. As he pointed out it was being being cheated and lied to that had been a catalyst for all this. An unpleasant situation had prompted me to think deeply about who in my life was not supportive and had precipitated a change of staff at the YinOva Center which made the business happier and much more successful. Neale said, ” I think you’re being ungrateful. God used this man to get you where you needed to be and instead of resenting him for his dishonesty you should thank him for the role he played in getting you what you wanted.” It completely changed the way I saw the situation and I immediately stopped holding on to residual resentment. I’m still working on the bit about being grateful to him for his dishonesty though:)

The Power of Adjectives

Jesse — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:38:48 +0000

I was in Mactaggart’s (home of Madison’s best sandwich) yesterday waiting for my food, when this soda can in the case caught my eye. “CREAMY” root beer?? I had to buy it. But the thing is, if you had asked me whether I was in the root beer market before seeing that one (powerful) adjective, I’d have said no. Well done, Hansen’s. Well done.

Hollywood isn't the only industry making money off of 2012

Jesse — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:22:03 +0000

A Lesson in Customer Service From…Lil Wayne?

Jesse — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:19:53 +0000

You may think of Lil Wayne as just a rapper, but whether you–or he–know it, he’s a business man as well. As ‘Crush It!’ author Gary Vaynerchuck points out time and time again, being accessible and responsive to customers is at the heart of any company’s customer loyalty. This is something Lil Wayne seems to understand quite well. Lil Wayne is currently in jail, but that hasn’t kept the self-proclaimed “best rapper alive” from doing a silly job connecting with his fans. Wayne takes the time to read every single letter sent to him in jail and respond to the fans personally on WeezyThanxYou.com.

I’ve never seen fan communication like this before. It’s so personal and thorough, I almost don’t believe it’s him writing it…but then again, my gut says it really is him responding. For starters, he’s got plenty of time in jail to read and respond to letters. Also, his responses emit a very genuine aura. Check out last week’s fan feedback:

I would love to thank the following fans:

Julien Paul – You’re already where you need to be, school!

David Cash – I appreciate you as a fan and the fact I can inspire you. Keep working, cause I will.

Diane Johnson – That was motivating. Thank you.

Kai Rossbach – I’m thankful to be of an inspiration to you and I hope your dream comes true.

Dominique Vinson – Thanx for the love and I hope to see you in the NFL someday.

Sherron Jones – I think what you do is “remarkable” but thank you.

Ane K. – I thank you for the love from Lithuania. And the rhymes!

Maria Moore – God bless you and you made me miss that great Louisiana food. Crawfish and gumbo.

Keisha Belt – Thanx for the card and those boys are little rockstars!

June Thomas – Thanx for the card and judging from the pics, I like your style as well.

Shyniece Jackson – I thank you for the love. Stay cute.

Andre Young – That’s love. Respect!

Kianne Hill – Thanx for the sweet cars and all the hearts.

Aaron P. Taylor – Glad I can help.

Edri Lile – I love that you’re a fan. You are super cool to me. Tell sis I said “what up”.

Sade Bailey – I love you too! Thanx for supporting me.

Ashley Hill – “Team Wayne”… I like that. I hope you become exactly what you wanna be. You seem like an aspiring young woman.

Nina Sordillo – Thanx for the love and “Go Sox”!

Niles Hightower – I appreciate you! “Kid Bruce Wayne”

Tiara Richardson – I thank you for your prayers and for carrying my name with grace.

B. Baron – I appreciate the endless support and turn that shut up for Carter! Stay clean.

Louraine George – Thanx for the love. Libra love! That autograph story is classic.

Dave Scott – Thanx for that brotherly love and the encouragement. And I said a prayer for you and the church.

Maureen Annand – Thanx for the love and I said a prayer for you and your daughter.

James Shan – I thank you for supporting me, though it may be difficult to do so. I appreciate it.

Alicia Gatica – I simply loved your words and the card. I’d love to have that date.

Elizabeth Corporan – I thank you for the continuous support.

Sara Tworogal and Guisy Morotta – I sincerely thank you both for the love from Italy. I love that I make you proud. The prayer is perfect.

Ashley Hanrahan – I thank you for your heart, thoughts, and prayers, and for living it up for me while I’m in here. Thanx for the endless support.

Olivia Synejko – I thank you for the appreciation, love, and support from England. I’m glad that my voice can help you in any way. And no matter what anybody says, I think you’re great! Around the way girl.

Jesse Kenton Curry – Nice rhymes. Keep it up.

Elizabeth Ann – Thanx for the love mama. And your eyes are capturing.

Juanita DeAngelo – I thank you again and your daughter is adorable. The poetry was fantastic and Happy B-Day!

Jason Whyte – I appreciate the London love my G.

Billy Ann Johnson – I thank you for the love ma.

Le Nourichel Lendy – I thank you for the French love. And the French lesson. God bless you and your family.

Catherine Anundsicas – I hope that you see this and thanx for the Norway love. Nice drawing.

Stacey Lubwika – Thanx fot the love and scriptures. And I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing. Say hi to lil man for me. Big beautiful eyes!

Karina Garcia – Thanx for the prayers… And you are pretty.

Mary Hall – Thanx for the prayers and the love. Tell the kids I say wudup.

Monique Williams – Thanx for the love. My Mississippi girl. Go Lakers!

Jasmie Hazelton – Thanx for enjoying the show. And I love you and your friends as well.

Kelsey Veert – I won’t forget you.

Brittany-Marie Augustus – Your words were motivating. I also appreciate you following me for so long. And the drawing is perfect.

Maheen Mustafa – I deeply appreciate you. Say hi to your family for me… And you’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.

Annie Francois – Thanx for the love and say hi to Derek for me. He’s lucky.

Csilla-Veronika – Thanx for the love all the way from Italy.

Kamryn Kurtcher – I really hope all is well. Keep love. And thanx for the letter. I loved the poems.

Marcus Pentz – I thank you for your appreciation and the picture. All I wanna be is a great father to my kids.

Karen Reis – Thanx for the love. Say hi to the boys for me and I’m waiting for my meal.

Vergie & Parris Spann – Thanx for the card and the love.

Kristin Metz – Thanx for the love, the drawings, and attending the show. Bob Dylan? Wow!

Chris Williams – I appreciate you… 10000058%

Marley Regan – I love your name. And thanx for doing the piece on me. Thank you.

Andrew Nunes – You have an amazing appreciation for me son, and I admire you for it. Thanx for the prayers. “Law is mind without reason”

Cameron Myers – Thanx for appreciating my music.

Lucy Garsner – Thanx for supporting me in the U.K.. Say hi to Lexie for me.

Tovarin D. Haymen – Thank you for respecting the music as you do.

Chad Cunningham – Thanx for the compliment, and for following so long. More Nino to come.

AJ Jacobs – Glad the music can be of such an impact. Thank you.

Lester Lindey – Thanks for the love and support. “Man I miss my dawg”

Sam Kiess – Thanx for the love and the card.

Sandra Freeman – I thank you for your love and especially your prayers.

Angela Akopyan – Thank you.

Vincent Fields – No motivation is better than self-motivation.

Alejandro Camacho – You’re a cutie. Nice tat and thanx for the love.

Sunny Cannon – Thanx for your love and prayers.

Tiffany Jones – When you have money, trouble finds you! I love my life.

Charissa Edwards – Thanx for the prayers and the letters. Say hi to the kids.

Daniel Caney – Thanx for the scriptures.

Jaime Pestefano – I simply applaud you and your schools effort. Thank you. God bless you all.

Miranda Donahue – I love you too.

Courtney Clapp – That was simply beautiful. I thank you.

Meagan Lafferty – Congrads on the graduation.

Neisha Beach – Thanx for the prayers and don’t worry, I didn’t receive that message you’re talking about.

Eric Mares – Thanx for the love and the prayers.

Bryce Lanckriet – You’re welcome. Thanx for allowing me to be an inspiration.

Nazisha Mirza – Thankful to have you as a fan. Great poem. Keep writing the poetry.

Liz Scrima – I love you too.

Elena Kniesel – Thanx for your love and prayers. Again.

Mary Claire Whitaker – Thanx, the picture was refreshing.

Matias Manriquez – Motivating.

Morgan Myrick – Thanx for the love and I hope Rio De Janeiro was fun as it looks.

John Parks – I respectively thank you.

Khrissy Flores – I thank you for the love and support and you are super cute. Go Lakers!

Adriane Woods – I appreciate your prayers as I said one for you and your fam as well.

Savannah Ashley – Beautiful poems and happy belated.

Alicia Galvis – Thanx for staying loyal and no, didn’t cut my hair.

Servando Galvan – Stay positive.

Karen Okonwo – Thanx for the beautiful card.

Crystal Scott – Glad the music helps. “Lil Wayne hug”

Kassandra Barcelo – Thanx for the love and the hug and kiss.

Orzie Henderson – Love is good bro.

Iris Rivera – I thank you for the constant support and you and your daughters are very beautiful.

Josey Portillo – I appreciate you as a fan. I hope that your soccer dream comes true and say hi to mom for me.

Rachelle Offidani – Thanx for the love from the Poconos.

Alexander Graham – Thanx for what you do for the country. Congrats on the marriage and you have a beautiful wife.

Melecia Baysinger – Thanx for the love and Kindergarteners are cool! Yes I believe in true love.

Trona Hooper – I appreacite your love and most of all your prayers.

Robin Adams – I thank you for the letter and your son for turning you on to me. Your alien!

Mandie Roll – I’ll do my best as your idol.

Katie Angelle – Think hard on the decision and make the choice that you’ll be comfortable forever.

Cedric Sanders – I appreciate that.

Chelsey Larsen – Perfect is a strong word but I thank you.

Taylor Buud – Me and Miley? Different, but cool. Enjoy Utah.

Donna Hopkins – I love you too and I will never forget your words. You are a “great fan”.

Shaylia Laboone – Thanx again, for you are special as well. Nice envelope.

Nicole Borowski – I appreciate your love and respect.

Jas Ahillan – I appreacite you! You are a dear fan. Thanx for your heart, mind, and soul. I cherish it. Thanx for the prayers. Nice poem.

Kirsty Brereton – I sincerely thank you. You must be a great mother because you’re already a great friend.

Jody Arbaugh – Thanx for the love. Tell your daughter I love her too and great name for your son.

Cherisse White – I honor your support and I said a prayer for you. Love you too.

Natisha Gulston – Thanx for the Harlem love.

Dasmin Deriso – I thank you for following me and my music for so long. Say what up to your uncle for me.

Catherine Lantigua – Thanx for having hope in me. Nice B-Day.

Sandra Cyprian – Thanx for your wonderful words and your prayers. And you’re right, education is everything. And thanx for supporting me!

Margaret “Sam” Chimé – I thank you for your love and peace. I’m glad I can be an inspiration to such an intelligent woman. Thanx for the wonderful card.

Christina FL Barbie – Thank you sweetheart for the endless love.

Sunny Shah – That poem was highly intelligent and can never be duplicated.

Selma Yohanes – I thank you for the Dutch love and the positive energy.

Nancy McDermott – I love what you’re doing for the kids and I’m glad my words can be helpful.

Jennifer Henderson – I love you too! Hi Baily.

Jescina Ramsey – You are a true fan and I value you. Thanx, sincerely. Tell moms I said thanx.

Jamel Hawkins – You are a bright kid! I appreciate the fact that you’re a fan. Stick with the music, keep it positive.

Leeza Platt – Thanx for the love darling.

Kelsey Walters – I thank you for your love and most of all your prayers. Say hi to granny for me.

Selena Williams – Thanx for the love and support. Say hi to your cousin for me.

Jessie Hatton – Thanx for the support and I hope you make it to that show, and I hope your dream comes true someday.

Shanice Campbell – Love your letter!

Michael Pizer and Akilah Mickell – I appreciate the both of you. And don’t worry, I won’t stop.

Aaron Bentley – I thank you for your love, thoughts, and kind words.

How to Run a Successful Intern Program

Jesse — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:11:06 +0000

Hi all! I’ve been busy this summer and haven’t been able to blog as much on here as I’d like to. I plan on getting back into the swing of things on Entreprecurious, but in the meantime, follow my posts on Entrustet’s Blog. I’m doing a summer-long blog series on how to set up a successful intern program. Check out the articles here

Here are some quick summaries of the posts I’ve made on the topic thus far:

Part 1: Intro of a good Intern Program and why every startup should have one. I talk about the massive benefits a well-oiled intern program can bring to any given startup company and lay out the general direction for the rest of the posts in the series.

Part 2: Setting up a Framework for an Intern Program. I talk about how to set up a basic framework for the program and figuring out how many interns to take on and how to use them effectively.

Part 3: Interviewing and Hiring. I go over the process for finding good, qualified local student talent and how to bring them in for interviews.

Part 4: Legalities of an Intern Program. First off, is your program legal? Secondly, what kind of legal relationship exists between you and your interns? I’ll explain in detail in this post. (Note: I also include a FREE sample contract between you and the interns).

Entrustet

Jesse — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:19:37 +0000

I’d like to welcome the world to Entrustet.com. Launching our Beta version last week was the culmination of some 21 months of work. But the thing is, it has never once felt like real work. Okay, maybe there have been a few times it felt like real work, but overall, I feel like a kid in a candy store of ideas.

Looking back on how Entrustet got started, I can’t help but feel almost overwhelmed by the mysterious, yet fateful and obvious way the Universe tends to unfold itself. Whether or not Entrustet ends up being a long-term financial success or not, nothing can deny the silly number of coincidences that have brought it to this point. First, I had to stumble upon that Ellsworth story in The World is Flat. Then, for some inexplicable reason, at the jovial age of 21 I decided to focus all my attention on death. I knew nothing about starting a tech company, and I knew nothing about estate law, but I did know there was a major thought gap in society’s mind: what happens to all our digital assets when we die? After months of Googling looking for someone or some service out there with a solution to this question, I was convinced it did not exist. But I was also convinced a solution was needed–wasn’t it obvious? I remember being kept up at night saying to myself, “this is SO obvious it hurts.”

I believe in fate. I believe that often the path of least effort actually allows the world to unfold in your benefit right before your eyes–that is, if fate is on your side. After losing in the finals of Northwestern University’s Entrepreneur Idol competition, I was THIS close to calling it all quits. I mean, after all, what the hell was I thinking trying to put together a company that basically went against all common thought and law at the time. Moreover, I had no partner, no advisors, no programming experience at all, and most of all, no cash.

But then fate came in. In the next 10 days, three people independently told me I had to meet this kid Nate Lustig. And meanwhile, three people independently told Nate he had to meet me. Needless to say, we met. From there, the pieces of the Entrustet puzzle have fallen together like dominos–all it took was that one initial push and they all followed suit. We found a top-notch programming firm and well-respected Madison law firm willing to partner in exchange for a slice of the Entrustet pie. Two hurdles cleared. Then we found a free advisory board to basically act as in-house consultants, answering emails whenever we needed and meeting in person once a month. Then a popular blog about the topic popped up, and news articles aplenty showed up all over the place. Then estate lawyers started blogging about the topic. People started wondering about the topic. Horror stories of reasons to protect your digital assets could be found strewn all across the Internet. Then we were asked to speak about the topic at South by Southwest. Then we raised more money than we ever expected to, and then the local government gave us a forgivable loan. It was all topped off by this ABA article and this NBC 15 video.

Whether or not you are a big believer in fate, it’d be hard to deny there is something more powerful moving this thing along than just Nate and me. Although I am a co-founder, I really cannot take all that much credit for Entrustet. This is the product of so many countless people’s hard work, that taking much credit for this company would just be silly. All I can do, and all I have been doing, is sit back, watch, and react as the whole thing continues to unfold right in front of my eyes.

I invite anyone out there reading this to check out Entrustet and let us know what you think. It is in Beta mode, so we’re still working out the kinks, but even in it’s testing state, I am confident you’ll see the value in it. From 18 year olds with 200 online accounts to 65 year-olds with just an email address, we’re all HIWIs.