Note: This article was originally published here by The Huffington Post. BostInnovation.com and The Huffington Post have a content partnership. Chase Garbarino, BostInnovation and Pinyadda founder & CEO, contributes to a weekly column on entrepreneurship for the Huffington Post.

On Christmas Day in 2005, during my junior year of college, my mother gave me a copy of the Small Business Opportunities magazine in my stocking. To this day, I can still remember the headline jumping out at me: “College Student Makes $300,000 In A Month.” After briefly skimming the article about the student setting up an affiliate shopping site, my mind was was made up – I was going to start an internet business.

The stack of resumes and cover letters prepped for internship opportunities at Lehman Brothers, Goldman and other financial companies never ended being mailed. Instead, a friend of mine and I created an internship position on several job recruiting sites calling for the nation’s top collegiate journalists and media makers to join “The New York Times of college publications.” That night, as I went to bed, it hit me like a ton of bricks: Did I seriously just bail out on applying for legitimate internships to start a national collegiate news site with absolutely no technical or media experience?

After several beers, a night of tossing and turning, and 24 hours of avoiding internet access, I finally checked my e-mail. We had received over 100 applications within a day and ended up receiving a total of over 300 by the time the listing expired after three days. The magazine headline that planted the seed for my interest in entrepreneurship quickly faded to the back of my mind. I was hell bent on giving students at the peak of their intellectual curiosity and development, a platform to share their new ideas and beliefs with the world, and CampusWord was born.

The next 18 months of my college career could be described as fearlessly trying to row the boat and plug the holes at the same time. I andCampusWord’s other co-founders, Greg Rogan and Kevin McCarthy, had little technical experience on our side, so running our website in the early days was always an adventure. With little to no money, we were forced to outsource our development efforts to countries like China, Vietnam and South America.

To give an example of what life in the tech fast-lane was like, at one point during the summer I was on my way to meet the parents of my then girlfriend for the first time. They knew little about me other than that I “ran a news website.” As I walked in the door ready to turn the charm on, the conversation quickly moved to CampusWord. I began giving my best speech about the importance of hosting an open platform for students across the country to share ideas and opinions. I was really on a roll. As we migrated over to their computer to view the site, I continued to ramble on as I typed in the domain. My gaze turned to the screen and rather than seeing a vibrant homepage of student contributed articles, there was simply a black screen with a picture of a masked man with a ticking time bomb and some questionable text in a different language. Needless to say my confident rambling quickly turned to broken and confused sentences as the grandmother’s face turned white. I assured them this wasn’t our site, I wasn’t a radical extremist of any sort and that we must have been hacked. Soon after, our hosting company confirmed a number of sites had been hacked and they corrected the problem. Regardless, the dinner conversation was stilted to say the least.

At its peak, CampusWord’s network included over 100 of the nation’s top collegiate journalists and media makers and drew an audience of over 100,000 unique visitors a month. Ultimately, though, CampusWord didn’t end up turning into a big, successful business and never made $300,000 in a month, as promised by the Christmas stocking magazine. This was mainly due to my lack of understanding of true marketing scale, and partly because of our team’s ideological desire to keep CampusWord in the hands of students — not to mention that we decided to pursue what we believed to be a bigger opportunity in creating a large-scale news aggregation technology that now powers our current properties, BostInnovation and Pinyadda. We are, however, proud of the fact that our staff of contributors from CampusWord have gone on to work for top media companies like Politico, CNN, Mashable, NY Daily News, TV Guide, The Onion and many others.

I consider an entrepreneur to be someone who creates something out of nothing. Good entrepreneurs create something of value out of nothing. While we certainly would have liked to have created more monetary value from CampusWord, we created value developing the foundation for our current business and in helping launch some very promising careers for others. When you see true value delivered to your users and customers from work your team has done with little to no resources, or your former employees enjoy success, there is no better feeling. And that is why I am an entrepreneur.

You can contact Chase at chase at pinyadda dot com

“I use Pinyadda because it takes social interaction around current events to a new level.“

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Zach Cole, a Boston-native and student at Emerson College where he is finishing his degree in marketing communications. Passionate for understanding how consumers shape the world and what he describes as the “never-ending pursuit of innovation,” you’ll find Zach pinning articles on everything from social media strategy to Google’s latest moves. Here’s a quick glimpse into why you’ll find Zach on Pinyadda every day:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Before Pinyadda I used my Google Reader (which I still do to some extent), and I read random articles of interest that I happened to catch on Twitter.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

I use Pinyadda because it takes social interaction around current events to a new level. As opposed to my Google Reader (and no, I don’t use Buzz), Pinyadda encourages information sharing, and multiple-way dialogues between friends around certain articles.

What’s your favorite aspect of Pinyadda?

Reading comment chains around certain articles is the most engaging part of Pinyadda in my opinion. Rather than simply taking the article for whatever information it presents, I can gather external views from my friends who may have a new, interesting take on a given article or piece of information.

What’s the most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda?

The most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda is that it operates around the same golden rule as all other social media platforms: you will only get out what you put in!

How do you describe Pinyadda?

Pinyadda is a social news aggregator designed to encourage discussion around various articles and news pieces.

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Thanks Zach for all you bring to the Yadda community! I’d recommend you follow Zach on:

• Innovation
• Twitter
• Facebook

“I use Pinyadda because it serves me news that’s of interest to me in a much quicker and easier way. I was constantly sharing news and links with friends via email, but Pinyadda provides a much better forum and experience.”

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight a newer user, Ted Gott. Ted heard about Pinyadda from his friends, and since says he’s been “addicted.” Ted works in strategy and analytics for Digitas, the cutting edge digital advertising agency, but fancies himself, and I quote, “a Pinyadda renaissance man.” Read: you’ll find Ted pinning everything from cool science articles to business strategy articles to sports briefs to viral videos. Ted also wanted to let me know that Pinyadda has made him realize that National Public Radio actually produces articles (despite their, quote, “droning radio presence”), so expect to see him posting their articles, too! Here’s why Ted has become so addicted to Pinyadda:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Before Pinyadda I went mainly just to CNN.com. I became increasingly annoyed because I went to it as a “trusted news source” and ended up reading 50% celebrity gossip. Someone then told me the Drudge Report was a good source, but that site is sensationalist at it’s worst. I was being served what people wanted to serve me, not what I was interested in.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

I use Pinyadda because it serves me news that’s of interest to me in a much quicker and easier way. I was constantly sharing news and links with friends via email, but Pinyadda provides a much better forum and experience to discuss these articles.

Although I spend more time reading articles with Pinyadda (because I can find more of interest to me), overall I save time because I don’t have to dig and search so much. It’s a pretty safe bet that your friends will be interested in the same types of news that you are, so I can lean on them on Pinyadda for good articles by following their pins.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

My favorite part of Pinyadda is the sharing aspect. If I could only post articles, and not pin them directly to people I know who’ll be interested in them, a lot of the value would be lacking for me. I love having a message pop up that someone has pinned something to me. It means that a friend has posted something I’d be interested in, wants my take on an issue, or simply found a way to make fun of me. Either way, I’m interested!

What’s the most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda?

Follow sites and topics… and then actually follow them. While my favorite part of Pinyadda is seeing what my friends post, I can’t count on them for everything. When I first signed up I followed some sites and topics, but then only read the articles posted by my friends. Eventually I realized I was being served articles from the sites and topics I followed by clicking My Sites or My Topics feeds. Then, I could share articles from there with my friends even easier than bringing the link in from outside.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

Pinyadda is social networking around the news. Basically, you get served news you’re interested in, then can share them with friends easily. It’s an easy way to read and talk about news that’s interesting to you. But it’s much cooler than I make it sound, so check it out – I guarantee you’ll love it.

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Thanks Ted for all you bring to the Yadda community! I’d recommend you follow the Pinyadda renaissance man on:

• Food
  
• Running
• Advertising

“Pinyadda has become my go-to for news because everything feels so tailored to my interests and also because of the unique social aspect.”

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Caroline Cahill. Caroline discovered Pinyadda after someone she followed on Twitter pinned an article from Pinyadda there. She followed the link, discovered Pinyadda, and jumped right on into the community. You can find Caroline pinning on everything from new Nike sportswear to the best movie posters to great article finds like where old Nickelodeon game show hosts are now. Caroline was initially drawn to Pinyadda because of the ability to follow news and blog post across all her interests in one place — not just for her work, but across her hobbies, favorite sports team, cities, and all the other activities she’s involved in. The real-time reactions, insights, and perspectives from other people in the community she has been networking with since joining, is another reason Caroline uses Pinyadda:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Before Pinyadda I would bounce between various sites and would waste time sifting through the headlines for something of interest. I also subscribed to selected sites but would find the information dated by the time the email reached my inbox.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

Pinyadda has become my go-to for news because everything feels so tailored to my interests and also because of the unique social aspect. Without tons of free time to just browse news, I love being able to tap into specific sites or topics that interest me. Checking what others have pinned also seems to be one of the quickest ways to stay on top of what people are talking about. One thing I also enjoy is that through my profile I’m able to find articles that were of interest to me. Sometimes I’ll want to send an article to a person a few days later, it’s useful to be able to scroll through my profile and easily find the article.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

I enjoy being able to start conversations with people I know and have others I don’t know join in and offer their unique insights. Hearing another’s point of view is refreshing and eye-opening.

What’s the most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda?

Take advantage of the empty response space, don’t just pin without a comment. This is a forum for sharing news and your opinion about it. Your statement could be the one that inspires (or moves along) the conversation.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

Pinyadda is the best site to stay on top of news that’s of interest to you and your friends. A great way to start the conversation about what’s going on in the world.

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Thanks Caroline for all you bring to the Yadda community! I love the recipes you shared, and am always looking out for those great advertising pins! I’d recommend you follow Caroline on (she is a well-deserving Maven of all!):

• Food
  
• Running
• Advertising

“Pinyadda is not just an excellent news aggregator, it is a doorway to a community of people who care about the news as much as you do.”

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight John DiGilio. John is a professional researcher, writer, and educator who is well known in info-centric circles for his blog iBraryGuy (you can follow his great content on Pinyadda here). You will find John pinning news and blog posts on everything from books and libraries to technology to healthy living and spirituality. Since joining the Pinyadda community in July, he’s brought a wealth of knowledge (both from the articles he pins and the commentary he provides) and has already amassed a solid following.

A self-described newshound who is a magnet for both information and new technology, here’s why Pinyadda is such a large part of John’s news routine:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Before Pinyadda I used a cumbersome and complex conglomeration of RSS feeds (via various readers and aggregators) combined with constant surfing on the major news sites. Getting the news was like doing mental calisthenics several times a day. It sure was tiring!

Why do you use Pinyadda?

I use Pinyadda because not only can I get the news that matters to me, but I can combine it with a thoughtful network of similarly-minded news chasers. Sure, with other news sites and RSS comment feeds you can get a bit of a social aspect with your news, but have you seen the comments people are posting there? They range from the ridiculous to the absurd. I want real commentary from people who care about the news… people whose opinions I value on a topic. I get that kind of interaction only with Pinyadda.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

My favorite aspect of Pinyadda is the multi-platform “pinning”. It is brilliant! Not only can I share a news item with my Pinyadda contacts, but I can post it to my Twitter feed and Facebook wall. This saves me a great deal of work and, again, keeps me in meaningful conversations with my chosen audience. It has made my professional networking much easier.

What’s the most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda?

New users should take some time to fully explore the sites and topics that Pinyadda makes available.  There are soooo many.  By thoughtfully suibscribing available sources and even adding new ones, you create the environment by which you will not only stay informed, but also meet like-minded users.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

Pinyadda is not just an excellent news aggregator, it is a doorway to a community of people who care about the news as much as you do. With Pinyadda, you can have your news and share it too – WITHOUT the crazy that makes commentary on news sites so unbearable.

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Thanks John for all you bring to the Yadda community — we love the great articles you pin as much as the value you add to them through your commentary! I’d recommend you follow John on (he’s a well-deserving Maven of all!):

• Blogging
• Books
  
• Tech (he’s a Maven!)

“You will soon abandon all other forms of news gathering. Pinyadda makes all other methods obsolete and it’s a lot of fun to use. You WILL become hooked.“

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Tom Nickerson. Tom is a grad student at the University of Minnesota, getting his PhD in Bioproducts and Biosystems Science, Engineering, and Management (um, holy moly!). While he is studying this, his pins tend to be an equal amount of funny articles (he is credited with introducing many Pinyadda members to the now religiously followed site, The Oatmeal!), Apple hate (kidding!), and  sports talk. Tom is the epitome of a Pinyadda community member, pinning articles to stay in touch with friends in other cities, to share inside jokes with his new wife Katie (CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE YADDA SQUAD!), as well as pinning to network with new people he discovers on Pinyadda. It’s no surprise that conversations are “hands down” his favorite aspect of  Pinyadda:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Before Pinyadda I scoured pages and pages on Digg and looked through countless traditional news sources. It was really a pain, especially when a lot of the sites like CNN and MSNBC have the same stories on them. Sometimes I wonder how I managed it all.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

I am an internet news junkie. Pinyadda allows me to find all the news I care about in one, easy to use platform. Also, Pinyadda allows me to converse with others who have interests in the same topics I do, and I can get insight on things I deal with at work and school. Finally, Pinyadda is a place where people can have a civil internet discussion, Godwin’s Law has yet to apply.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

My favorite aspect of Pinyadda is the social networking, hands down. I like knowing that interesting topics will be discussed, and that people who have knowledge on all sorts of topics can easily share that knowledge.

What’s the most important thing a new user should know about Pinyadda?

You will soon abandon all other forms of news gathering. Pinyadda makes all other methods obsolete and it’s a lot of fun to use. You WILL become hooked.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

Like Digg, but more easily customizable and much more interactive.

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Thanks Tom for all you bring to the Yadda community — we love the exchanges and fantastic pins you bring to Pinyadda! I’d recommend you follow Tom on (he’s a well-deserving Maven of all!):

• Humor
• Minnesota
• Gadgets

Chase is diligently working on getting our new Vizit up and running!

Kyle getting the breaking news on the Conduit/Zynga deal.

Cheryl hard at work across the office in the secluded corner…good thing for zoom!

Austin’s desk is lonely he is traveling back from Colorado today.

Kevin is not exactly thrilled with me, seeing as I am supposed to be testing new features and well, I am taking photos of the yadda squad instead.

AND last but certainly not least a caption contest for our wonderful readers. Please give us your best thoughts in the comments section.

“Pinyadda is a news platform that combines the efficiency of an RSS reader with the community of a social network.”

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Rob Nicewicz, who works at a private equity firm in Boston and has been on Pinyadda since we launched in open beta back in January. Reflected in his profile pic and pins, when he’s not crushing deals you’ll likely find him watching and reading about the Celtics and Bruins. Here’s why Rob’s on Pinyadda:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

My delivery of the news was previously somewhat limited. I really would only see the headlines that showed up in the CNN and Boston.com sections of my iGoogle homepage. I didn’t really want to devote any time in my day to searching for news.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

Pinyadda enables me to find articles and posts that are both interesting and informative. Pinyadda provides me with the latest news but also highlights articles that I’d be interested in based on my preferences and friends. This feature gives me access to information that I would have otherwise never found since I’m not willing to spend time searching around for news.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

I like the social networking aspect of Pinyadda such that users are able to quickly share their opinions on a given topic by pinning articles. I often find myself reading all the comments on an article before I ever follow the link to get everyone’s perspective. I also appreciate that Pinyadda is frequently my source of breaking news.  I’ve had several occasions where I first learned about a news development or Celtics transaction by visiting Pinyadda.

What would make the experience on Pinyadda better for you?

The only way I think Pinyadda would be better would be if more people used it and could leverage the functionality. This will ultimately occur over time as the network effect covers more and more users. The more people I know that use Pinyadda, the more people I can follow, and the more relevant information I’ll find.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

Pinyadda is a news platform that combines the efficiency of an RSS reader with the community of a social network.

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Thanks Rob for all your feedback over 2010 and the pins you bring to the Yadda community! I’d recommend you follow Rob on:

• Boston Celtics
• Boston Bruins
• Private Equity

“Pinyadda: A good place to get your creative juices flowing, a GREAT place to exchange ideas.“

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Greener Balikov.  Greener is an environmental consultant and naturalist photographer, and you’ll quickly begin to amass a ton of knowledge on green tech, the environment, and energy just by following his pins and soaking up all his insights. Aside from his green pins, you can find him sparking conversations with all sorts of people in the community on everything from who has the most regrettable sports contract to LinkedIn’s newest valuation. So, it’s no surprise the conversations are at the core of why Pinyadda is such a big part of Greener’s daily news routine:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

I received some newsletters and did my own trolling of key newspapers and magazine sites as well as reading hard copy.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

I like the interaction with bright and enthusiastic people.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

My favorite aspect is the civility of the exchange.

What would make the experience on Pinyadda better for you?

I just need more experience in using all that is available.  I have seen some improvements in the interface in the short time I have been involved and linking is now easier and most of the bugs seem gone.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

A good place to get your creative juices flowing; a GREAT place to exchange ideas.

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Thanks Greener for all you bring to the Yadda community — we love the knowledge and exchanges you bring to Pinyadda! I’d recommend you follow Greener on (he’s a well-deserving Maven of all!):

• Renewable Energy
• Green Tech
  
• Environment

“Pinyadda collects the news from the sources that I usually use and also brings me new sources that I did not know about.  It’s much faster and more efficient than stealing the paper from my boss.“

This week in no user left behind we’re happy to spotlight Sam Butcher. Contrary to Sam’s profile photo, he’s  not a Pinyadda Rookie by any stretch of the road; he’s been using Pinyadda since last fall, contributing to our growth and certainly the development of our community ever since. An environmental consultant, you’ll find Sam spreading his knowledge through pins on everything from China’s carbon emissions to new “peel and stick” solar panels. Here’s how and why Sam has been on Pinyadda all this time:

How did you get your news before using Pinyadda?

Magazine and paper subscriptions, TV and limited on-line outlets.

Why do you use Pinyadda?

Pinyadda collects the news from the sources that I usually use and also brings me new sources that I did not know about.  It’s much faster and more efficient than stealing the paper from my boss.

What’s your favorite aspect or part of Pinyadda?

My favorite aspects are being able to connect with others on topics of similar interest, being able to talk to other experts in the field about topics on which they may have unique insight, and getting involved in a thoughtful, civil conversation with intelligent people about a topic that I am interested in. And some of the people are damn funny.

What would make the experience on Pinyadda better for you?

Not sure – maybe being able to group people with respect to certian topics.

How do you describe Pinyadda to friends and colleagues?

“This wicked cool site you gatta check out.”  Actually, I describe Pinyadda as a site that aggregates news, information and opinion in an format that is easy for me to use and allows me to share it with other people who are intersting and might have similar interests.

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Thanks Sam — we love the pins and knowledge you bring to Pinyadda! I’d recommend you follow Sam on:

• Solar (he’s a Maven!)
• Cycling
• Environment (he’s a Maven!)