File this under “rants“.

Big business has a herd mentality.  It seems all the financial institutions I use, and other large non-financial institutions I use, all use Epsilon.  I can’t see a reason for it except that they’re all acting like sheep.  Over the past two weeks, I’ve received three or four emails about Epsilon stealing my data. And I’m thinking, why is it that the big companies always screw us over, and then try to hide what’s been going on? (more…)

There’s a big problem with online competitions and challenges, they’re not doing it right!

Most of these challenges have quickly become a modern day cliche of cheap marketing and nearly all of them have dropped the ball with a very poorly misplaced focus.  Now that the big brands like Pepsi and GE have popularized “competitions” with the C-Level suites, everyone wants one for their organization, and like a virus, the bad versions are spreading. Even our U.S. government has gotten into the game, “by making prizes more attractive” for the Feds.

Bigger money, better competitions, that’s good, right?

Wrong.

(more…)

So why is this a big deal?

First some background for the uninitiated:  ”111 8th,” or 111 8th ave, Manhattan, NY, is one of the biggest office buildings in Manhattan, occupying an entire city block. It is also one of the biggest “carrier hotels” in the east coast.  A “carrier hotel” is an office building that tailors to network providers.  These buildings and data centers are where what make the Internet run: they’re were internet traffic changes hands from one provider to another.  So: why is this a big deal?

(more…)

I participated in #Blogchat this past Sunday and the morning after I saw this post by Allison Boyer from Blogworld, inspired by a Tweet I wrote, “Whatever you do, you can’t make everyone happy.  If you got a hater or two, you’re probably doing something right.”  Following is excerpt from her post:

Easy enough to say, but I also definitely understand why some people get upset when a hater starts leaving comments. We put a lot of work into our blogs, to the point where they feel like our children. If someone doesn’t like our child, that’s anger-inducing…but when someone makes fun of our child? Well, I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to lash out right back.

(more…)

Most of us in the technology world found out that Michael Arrington, editor and founder of TechCrunch, sold it for $40 million to AOL last week.  Sarah Lacy, a writer covering Silicon Valley wrote an interesting piece about how she feels that the second wave of technology has crashed.

Great, what took so long!?

If the crash is true, Lacy’s lament of a generalized malaise happening in Silicon Valley is not just her personal sadness for TechCrunch selling out, but rather a sentiment that’s spreading across many of the west coast startup companies.

Recessions have a way of doing that and thank goodness!

(more…)