Opening Up – Announcing the Public Beta

January 27, 2010

Last Wednesday, amid a sea of reporters and a blinding array of flash bulbs, we opened Pinyadda registration to the public. OK, so that’s not exactly how it went down. We did quietly open up registration last week and so far the results have been great. Thanks to everyone who’s signed up; we look forward [...]

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A Comparsion of the Kindle and the Nook

January 27, 2010

On the day of Apple’s Tablet announcement, I got to thinking: what current e-reader is more popular? Outside of sales, which would probably skew in the favor of Amazon’s Kindle because Barnes & Noble’s Nook was only released in November, I thought a good gauge of popularity would be to track online media mentions [...]

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Lean Startup Customer Discovery & the Value of First Impressions

January 25, 2010

After a couple weeks of learning lean startup methodologies, I’m left wondering about the value of comparing user first impressions to developed use (and doing so across customer archetypes) in order to discover and validate our customer base.
The business opportunity Pinyadda has recognized is the need for an information system that leverages an individual’s unique [...]

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Election Results or Media Buzz in Massachusetts? A Scott Brown Story

January 25, 2010

After one of the most exciting special elections in Massachusetts history, I couldn’t help but contemplate exactly how much the media had to do with the the results.  Martha Coakley, the favored Democrat, was simply waiting to dot the i’s and cross the t’s in a layup election when a rogue Republican entered the race [...]

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For Newspapers, Closed Access is an Open Invitation for Failure

January 22, 2010

Last February, The New York Times announced they’d be opening up their archives via an API. I was pumped. It was a really cool development that didn’t quite get the attention it deserved, and it made me believe that the Times “gets it,” something I often say about that institution when the newspaper industry comes [...]

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Palin vs. Conan vs. Cowell a media buzz showdown

January 15, 2010

As you may know this week was bustling with gossip and headlines surrounding a few big names. NBC pushed Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show back so Leno could have his old spot, which Conan subsequently walked away from. Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season. And the lovely Sarah Palin is [...]

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Content Evangelism, or, Why Big Media Should Pay Its Readers

January 13, 2010

Tonight I emailed someone I follow on an un-named social network. It felt a little bit creepy and a little bit exciting, much like friending a not-quite-mutual acquaintance on Facebook once felt. I have been following this person for over a year, and almost all of their posts resonated with me because we share a [...]

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How much has Yemen blown up in the press? (Hint: A lot!)

January 12, 2010

Jog your memory from before Christmas when Yemen landed on the terror radar — was it in there? Geography buffs knew it was a country in Southwest Asia, but the majority of us couldn’t have spit out any other facts about the place. Other than the obscure Friend’s reference when Chandler bought a plane [...]

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What Domino’s Could Learn From Sean Ellis

January 12, 2010

Dear Dominos,

Thanks for reiterating the critical feedback you received from customers in a $75mm ad campaign and subsequently not making the necessary changes to satisfy your customers taste buds. It’s a great example of how not to go about finding product market fit.
When I first saw Domino’s video ad (no, not the one from [...]

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Avatar vs. Titanic; An Epic World Wide Web Battle

January 11, 2010

Webatar (noun, adjective; web-a-tar): The enormous online presence surrounding the buzz of Avatar. Originally derived from Avatar, with roots in the World Wide Web.
There is no question James Cameron’s new movie will eventually outlast Titanic’s reign, and for one simple reason: the Internet. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for that [...]

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