bastian

I know this is not 100% related to the topics we normally discuss here, but i like to find out how things work differently across the world and this is a great example. It is also a good reminder that the world is far more complex and diverse than we sometimes think it is.

I have to say this is pretty awesome. I just created a public wave with a question in regards to the Reuters Newswires pricing structure, and the first people already replied.

This is a very impressive list. I heard that previous events have all been great. I'm really excited to meet many of you.

I wonder how many of the Startup School attendees, like us, also apply for Y-Combinator this year?

This must be a scam, or at least a pyramid scheme, right?

Silly headline.

Same here. Will come along as well!

Let me put it this way. You will definitely get a mail if you get accepted. If you get no mail, you probably didn't get accepted. Also, the moment one of us get's an acceptance mail, you will probably see a post here.

Brian, i said "a "from AppName" link that goes directly to the store site", i should have added "instead of to the developers site". I'm fully aware of what the links do today.

In regards to the payment, i just meant that if oneforty offers the payment (presumably via Amazon or Paypal) the developer has less to worry about. I understand that this will only work if rates are not much higher than through those payment providers directly.

I do see potential here. Think about better statistics for developer, a "from AppName" link that goes directly to the store site (if they can prove better conversion rates), or a centralized payment mechanism for premium apps (hard to achieve but not impossible).

Also think about the potential of using the "via Tweetdeck" etc. links to directly point to the app store. I understand that developers like them to point to their site, so maybe developers could choose. It would be interesting to compare the conversion rates of both, a twitter owned app store (or oneforty for that matter) and a developers homepage.

oneforty is a great idea, well executed and Laura rocks! I wish them all the best. Also, if i were Twitter i would buy them now - great asset to have in the long run.

Yes, i know Alex and Andrew, they are both good friends. You did the new Rummble intro right? Amazing work!

I just realized that we both created our profile 573 days ago :)

This is a very good and interesting point. While a mediocre product might not necessarily become a success just because it was launched by a person with a strong personal brand, it might however give that person the advantage of better and more initial visibility, which might result in more feedback. A good Entrepreneur (regardless of a strong personal brand), is then able to listen and adjust to the true market needs.

I think one not necessarily has to do with the other. In this example Kevin simply used his existing network for the launch of Digg. I agree with you that Digg is a great product for the niche it is serving. That's why it is successful. Pownce on the other hand wasn't a good product and had limited success despite Kevin's efforts to push it.

It is interesting that not many people talk about this personal brand or reputation building when it comes to successful Entrepreneurs.

Kevin is a great Entrepreneur but it strikes me that we have heard this a million times before. There is some value for someone who is either very young and/or very inexperienced.

Steve Gillmore has an interesting and related point in his latest post, that can be found here:

http://www.techcrunchit.com/2009/10/02/for-your-eyes-only/

"Since Twitter went mainstream in the last year, micromessaging threads have become the main carrier of realtime news. Trending topics may seem the fundamental index, but information at the actionable level is carried in a smaller stream managed largely by retweets and overlapping follow clouds. A cascading series of Likes in the Friendfeed/Facebook nomenclature is far more efficient than other mechanisms, including email newsletters and RSS syndication.

This new brand of news is more CNBC than MSNBC. It’s based on a “what’s in it for me” dynamic, which prioritizes the flow based on business implications first, followed by political and social impact."

Talking about the "collection" part of the game and how addictive it is, Mattel has some augmented reality cards up it's sleeves:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/02/avatar-augmented-realit...

I personally would love to see more than just a simple animation. Think strategic missions, a decision engine etc.

On the other hand, this might also take away a lot of imagination and storytelling aspect of these toys. All you needed for D&D was a good Dungeon Master and a couple of dices. :)

Sachin,

thank you very much for this, you rock!

Bastian

Ivan,

feel free to drop me en email at: bastianlehmann@gmail.com We will apply with our startup for YCombinator this year. We are 3 founders and located in London.

Would be great to hear from you.

Bastian

Off course not!

If you really want to participate TC50, you should try everything else. Talk yourself into TC50, leave a comment on every TechCrunch article for the next 14 days and ask for a ticket or an invite, wait in front of 635 8th Street and pitch to angel's you recognize the day of the conference, dress like a Janitor with an old college ID and a van to get in.

Invent something but do not spend 3K just to be on the DemoPit. The area no one cares about that day anyway. Leave the 3K in your bank account and be happy to have more runway, or get a freelancer to do "that thing" that will make your product that much better.

Basti.

This is why you should get a Hairmat. JD says it best:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=shCEAYBC52Q

Basti.

You should checkout Spinvox @whatleydude on Twitter is their Chief Blogger, he can tell you everything about it.

Bastian

very good insight into the importance of engagement data from Gregor Hochmuth, whom i should meet next time i'm in Berlin.

Bastian

it is actually a very good book. i read it a while ago when it came out. It is great how it starts off giving you some very detailed background on the Dewey decimal system and then moves rapidly on with how information could be structured in the future.

You can´t have too much meta data :)

They are right though, it is a hell of a book.

Basti.

i love it. ;)