Category: technology

career, entrepreneurship, fear, technology

My Year of Hopefulness – Fear #8 of entrepreneurship

Christa Avampato

One last fear to conclude this series: “People will laugh at my idea.”

Acceptance. Appreciation. Someone who “gets it.” We all crave this. Erma Bombeck famously said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” And sharing our business ideas with others means sharing our dreams with them. It’s a scary proposition.

Consider this: About 10 years ago a couple of guys named Larry and Sergey wanted to start an Internet search company called “Google”. You think people didn’t laugh at that idea? The name, the proposition, the lack of business experience of the founders. While very smart guys, we had no reason to think that 10 years ago they would transform our lives to the extent that they have. Let’s consider each of the fears I’ve laid out over the last 8 days in turn as it relates to Google:

“I won’t make enough money.” Really? I’m sure Google started out small. Now, the founders are two of the wealthiest people on the planet.

“No one will want the product of service my company produces.” Today, Google is so widely used that it’s become a verb in the American lexicon.

“I’ll fail.” Perhaps, but look at the upside. The Google founders kicked around ideas, some successful, some not so successful, as they learned the tricks of the trade of entrepreneurship. You can, too.

“Someone will steal my idea.” Go right ahead. There are plenty of other search engines, email services, on-line cloud computing applications that existed before and were created after Google. No matter. Google is still at the top of their game, and improving all the time, even though other people stole their idea.

“I don’t have enough time.” Start small. Build up from zero. With each extra bit, you’ll leverage what you learn, and figure out how to work smarter. Googlers did, and still do.

“Everything that goes wrong will be my fault.” Google screws up all of the time. They invent some applications that don’t work so great. So they ditch them and try something else. Don’t let set-backs get you down. Use them to learn, grow, and move on.

“Starting my own business will be lonely.” The founders of Google can’t get people to leave them alone. I’m sure they’d do just about anything for a moment of peace and quiet. And I’m sure they won’t get one any time soon.

“People will laugh at my idea.” Can you imagine a funnier name for a company than “Google”? It reminds me of those weird little eye balls you find in craft stores. It wasn’t even a word 10 years ago. Now, you can’t go anywhere on the planet without people recognizing the name and fun, colorful logo. So let people laugh – just don’t let that laughter chase away your dream.

“Well,” you might say, “Google is an exception to the rule.” Maybe. But consider that Larry and Sergey weren’t in any better shape 10 or 15 years ago than you are today. They weren’t famous or fabulously wealthy. They were very smart, normal people in graduate school. They had an idea and they worked like heck to make it a reality. No magic. Just dedication to an idea and very hard work. They aren’t any different than you or I, except that they could put aside all of their fears and began. Let’s take their lead and do the same.

The image above can be found at: http://www.tmonews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/laughter.gif

business, career, entertainment, technology

Examiner.com: An interview about entrepreneurship with David Priemer of Rypple

Christa Avampato

A few months ago I came across an article on Rypple, a company that builds on-line collaboration tools. I was very impressed with the simplicity and elegance of their mission and interface. They identified that there was a hole in the market for a tool that could help people identify where and how they can improve their job performance. For those who are pro-active, believe in the process of continuous improvement, and dread performance review time, this tool is a godsend! For the full interview, click here.

books, business, career, entrepreneurship, Examiner, health, technology

My Year of Hopefulness – The Food Medic

Christa Avampato

Today I am thrilled to publish a recent interview with Gary Novosel, Founder of The Food Medic. The Food Medic is a website that provides information of good nutrition’s ability to combat disease. On the site, Gary provides information on the health properties of specific skills, what foods have great benefit to combat specific diseases, and delicious recipes that are easy to prepare.

All of the interviews I do for Examiner.com really motivate me to work on my own business ideas. Gary’s story is one with real heart, so much so that I even found myself tearing up when he talked about several life-changing experiences that prompted him to start The Food Medic. He’s also written a cookbook to capture many of his insights and delicious recipes, appropriately titled The Food Medic Cookbook.

Gary’s journey is a wonderful lesson in the power of kismet and following your passion! He also has great advice for people who are interested in starting their own businesses. Check out my interview with Gary on Examiner.com by clicking here.

design, innovation, nonprofit, philanthropy, technology

My Year of Hopefulness – Social Designer

Christa Avampato

“I feel illiterate,” my friend, Brian, said to me on Saturday night as we talked about how the age of design has emerged in a big way. Instead of studying business, we should have become designers. There are all kinds of amazing ways that design is changing our human experience for the better, and a lot of new ways that we can take part. One of my favorites is an organization called Social Designer.

With a tag line of “Goods for the Greater Good”, Social Designer sponsors design contests and then runs a e-store with the winning designs that supports a variety of nonprofit organizations. “Buy stuff, design stuff, vote on stuff and be an agent of change.” There are ways for all of us to take part in supporting Social Designer: create designs and enter them in the contests, vote on the submitted designs, purchase the finished goods with the winning designs, and tell other people about these efforts.

My favorite things about Social Designer is that it opens up the possibility of developing design to everyone. It’s not some torturous Request for Proposal process. You don’t need to send in your resume or portfolio. And you don’t need to be famous or have an agent. You just need to submit a good design that supports a good cause. It’s such a logical and simple process that I have to wonder why it took so long for it to be created – a sure sign that Social Designer is really onto something.
family, feelings, friendship, happiness, mood, personality, technology

My Year of Hopefulness – Get Out of a Rut

Christa Avampato

As I trudged to the subway this morning under the gray, dense skies, I considered my mood over the last week. I’ve been a little down lately. Could be the rainy weather, losing my aunt recently, worry about my mom’s total knee replacement, the state of the economy and our nation’s safety. It’s likely a mixture of all of this. And I’m wondering what I’m really doing with my life every day – am I making a difference, or at least as big a difference as I could make?

Some of my friends and family members have recently expressed the same concern about their own lives. On my subway ride to work, I thought of ideas that might help me and help others out of this little rut. Here are some I came up with. Would love to hear what’s worked for you when you need a little pick-me-up!

1.) Ice cream. There’s something really special to me about getting an ice cream cone and strolling around my neighborhood. It reminds me of being a kid and being a kid inspires me to be a little more wistful and hopeful.

2.) Send someone a present. My friend, Brooke, recently moved from New York City and I’ve had her going away present / new house warming present sitting on my table for about a month. I put it into a padded envelope and sent it off to her today. It helped my mood considerably to be sending her a surprise. Same goes for sending someone a card or doing something nice for someone.

3.) Yoga and running. Both get me moving and remind me of how lucky I am to be in good health. While exercising, I think about building strong bones and muscles, increasing my lung capacity, and solutions to tough situations I’m having at the moment.

4.) Clean my apartment. For me, cleaning is therapy. I don’t like doing it but I love the end result. And my world looks a little brighter from the vantage point of a sparkling apartment.

5.) Communicate with others. Call a friend, send an email, get brunch with someone, click around on Twitter and see what people are talking about today. Breaking out of our self-imposed isolation is a mood lifter in and of itself.

6.) Find someplace to get lost. For me those places are Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. Placing myself in the middle overwhelming beauty gives me a new perspective and make me feel connected to something much bigger than myself.

7.) Dive into a book. I’m always amazed at the way literature connects us to people across the world and across time. This reminder of common human experiences makes me feel less alone.

8.) Write. Yesterday I sat down to write a short story about a situation I witnessed on the street a few days ago. I put myself back in that exact situation, saw it all unfolding in my mind, and wrote it all out. When looking back at the story and reading work I was doing a few years ago, I realized how much progress I’ve made in my story telling by practicing every day. It was really gratifying to see myself improving a skill that I enjoy.

9.) Think about my ideal day and consider how I could live at least a little piece of that ideal day every day. Maybe it’s volunteering, thinking about what business I’d like to start, whipping up a really delicious meal with friends, or spending time with someone I love. Even on the worst days we have the ability to incorporate glimmers of happiness.

10.) Spend some time with an animal. Could be your own pup or kitten, a friend’s pet, or taking puppies at the local shelter on a walk. Animals have a natural inclination toward happiness and they take us right along with them.

There are countless ways to get ourselves into a healthier and happier frame of mind. All we need is intention, attention, and commitment to living a better day every day.

books, business, social media, technology, Twitter

The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein

Christa Avampato

When I read, appropriately enough on Twitter, that Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein had written The Twitter Book, I couldn’t wait to scoop up a copy. Literally. So I sent a message to the book’s Twitter account and asked if I could get an early copy to review. The book is so clear and concise, so necessary to the social media world, that I wondered why on Earth it has taken so long for this kind of book to be written. Tim and Sarah are the perfect people to publish this type of work, both experts in the tool itself and in the art of communication. We’re lucky to have them.

The Twitter Book is appropriate for people who’ve never heard of Twitter, who don’t understand it, who like the concept though aren’t sure how to use it, and for Twitter addicts like me. Whether you’re an individual looking to build your own personal brand on-line, someone who is considering starting a business, or part of a large company, the book is chock full of ideas, resources, and helpful advice.

I recommend getting a copy of this book and using it as a constant reference the same way you’d use any top-rate how-to guide. I also found that it was incredibly helpful to have my computer in front of me so I could actually experiment with the different tips and resources that Tim and Sarah suggest. Within the pages of the book I also found a few other great people to follow on Twitter.

From a personal brand building stand-point, I found dozens of great ideas in The Twitter Book. (For those interested in how The Twitter Book helps business brand building, please see my Business Strategies column on Examiner.com.) Here are three of my favorite ideas to give you a flavor of what awaits you in this book:

1.) Twitter gives you the opportunity have superhuman powers you’ve always wanted: you can read people’s minds and overhear conversations as if you’re a fly on the wall.

2.) The art of brevity and timing is priceless. Highest traffic days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, business hours in EST. That’s when the most links, ideas, and thoughts get replies (direct messages – dms – or @ messages) and passed around (“re-tweeted”). People need to see your message (“tweet”) within 5 minutes of you posting it or they likely won’t see it at all. And make it concise and interesting because you’ve only got 140 characters to get your point across.

3.) Jargon explained. I hate to be in acronym city. I think a lot of people use acronyms and catch-phrases to make themselves seem better informed than anyone else around. It annoys me. Twitter is no exception. A lot of people scratch their heads when they hear words like “tweet”, “tweeple”, and “tweetup”. I don’t blame them. I did the same thing and for a long while the jargon scared me off. I belonged to Twitter for a year and was mostly inactive before I figured out why it mattered and how it could be useful to me. The most valuable reason to pick up The Twitter Book is to have experts Tim and Sarah explain the jargon in very straight-forward terms, and then show you how the tool can be a very powerful part of your overall brand-building toolkit.

Before Tim and Sarah even get the discussion going in the book, they ask for suggestions to improve and enhance the content. The book has given me a lot of great ideas and I want to return the favor to them with a few ideas to consider for the next edition.

1.) For people brand new to Twitter, a glossary of terms would be very helpful.
2.) A set of easy to reference lists in the appendix would be handy. Common mistakes to avoid on Twitter, top companies using Twitter effectively, etc.
3.) An expanded section on how non-profits can use Twitter. It is briefly touched on in the book and I’d love to learn more from Tim and Sarah on new ideas that are particular to nonprofits that would help organizations increase awareness through Twitter.
4.) A resource directory, divided up into sections, in the appendix would be handy. For example, a list of third party programs, resources to help trim messages that are over 140 characters, etc.

An easy and endlessly helpful resource, The Twitter Book will accelerate the growth and power of Twitter. Generous and honest, Tim and Sarah skillfully help their readers take part in the conversation. The Twitter Book will be available in hard copy on May 26, 2009.
It is available in e-book format now at: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596802813/

career, Examiner, technology

NY Business Strategies Examiner: UpMo, an on-line tool to rev up your career

Christa Avampato

With the tough economy, a lot of companies are curbing their career development and continuing education programs. Everyone’s busy schedules grow busier everyday as they’re asked by their senior leaders to do more in every area with less of every resource. But you can’t allow your career, no matter track you’re on, to be brought to a halt. So who can help you help yourself? Meet UpMo


For the full article, please click here. 
business, entrepreneurship, Examiner, gaming, marketing, technology, video games

The Game Agency on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

This week I interviewed Steve Baer, Co-founder of The Game Agency. The Game Agency (TGA) creates games to integrate into corporate marketing programs to enhance brand value, increase customer loyalty, and drive innovation.


To read the full article on TGA, click here.
Examiner, gaming, technology

BreakAway Ltd. on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

There are a lot of video games out there that put the player right into the middle of energetic battles, guns a-blazin’, jets flying high and fast. It is a natural fit that video games could be used as simulations to train our military. Founded in 1998, Maryland-based BreakAway, Ltd. develops games to train our military though that’s only the beginning. They have also games to help train people in the areas of Homeland Security, Healthcare, Social Change, and Corporate Training. 


To read the article in full, please click here.
corporation, legal, technology

My Year of Hopefulness – LegalZoom

Christa Avampato

I’ve been doing some research on starting a company as I seriously begin to explore the world of entrepreneurship. What I’m finding is that it’s easier than ever to get your own business up and running. The paperwork, legalities, and payment systems used to be such a hassle that it would deter many interested in getting their own business going. Services like PayPal have made the payment conundrum a near non-issue. But those pesky legal issues persisted, until now.


Today, I saw a television ad for a company called LegalZoom. It is an internet-based company that claims to make filing legal paperwork such as LLC, 501(3)(c), trademarks, patents, copyright, etc. easy as filling out a simple questionnaire. I was skeptical but curious because the prices quoted on the commercial were so affordable. 

Well-organized and straight-forward, LegalZoom has everything a new entrepreneur needs to get going and keep going from a legal perspective. (They also have personal legal services as well such as will and trust set-up.) They also have an education center on-line and there are customer service reps on-hand as well, real live people you can call without worrying about billable hours. If I was a lawyer, I’d be worried. 

There will always be attorneys for complicated legal issues that require personal attention from an expert. If we’re just talking about moving paper, mostly of the boiler plate variety, the days of $500 an hour attorneys may be over.