942 karma · joined July 18, 2011
Beyond that, it depends on what you value in life. The commenter probably doesn't care about being the richest guy in the cemetery while someone else may be obsessed with keeping score. Not saying one way is better than another - to each his own.
This is basically the same line that I use when I'm mocking targeted ads and joking around with friends about how thankful they should be for them. If your edit wasn't there I would have guessed this was a level aka fooling someone w/ sarcasm or non-serious remark.
Government can tax/fine/penalize you for not engaging in the behavior they want, whether that's forcing you to buy car insurance, or fining you for not complying with the speed limit or wearing a seat belt. As for your examples, one day those might be true. Maybe fifty years from now the government will provide a credit for solar panels and if they aren't installed you'll be fined (or taxed).
We had this. Remember hearing about death panels and socialism? That was the public debate. I hear what you're saying but Washington is so hyper partisan it's impossible to have a reasonable discussion about almost anything. Both parties realize that creating fear and stirring up anger leads to getting those critical ground troops necessary for get out the vote efforts and of course, more $$$ for their reelection coffers.
As for your taxing comments, if you feel this is "scary and dangerous", then you've read or heard something to cause that. I for one, haven't heard anything about the health care ruling opening the door to tax people for not buying government approved healthy foods, not using mass transportation, etc. But, I imagine we get our media from different sources. In any case, I understand those weren't meant to be literal examples. Point is, government uses the power to tax or assess penalties to drive the behavior it wants. This isn't new. But, for the party not in power trying to stir up fear and donations it's, "The end of freedom as we know it!"
I wonder what percentage of users are generally fake and how much some startups goose this number. Maybe adding in 5% worth of fake users increases an acquisition price. I'd imagine it varies by the type of app (CRM, social, etc) but that you'd probably have to get your next funding from the Salvation Army if/when you get caught.
If it were a dating site and the founders filled it with a bunch of fake profiles with pictures of models, then I would have an issue with it because I'd feel the user is being taken advantage of. If there's a fake profile submitting links to news stories, there isn't much of a victim.
These are social sites and subject to the same kind of first impression biases that we all face in person.
Imagine showing up at a party with 2 guys sitting on a couch talking to each other compared to a party with people out front talking, people inside dancing and a small group in the back yard sharing a laugh. Social proof matters & I'd hardly consider this cheating or slimy.
vendorvote.com: angie's list for b2b
mansworstenemy.com: dictators & oil spills
As suggested - hire a biz person/salesy engineer. Obviously, not someone who is just a slick sales guy but one who will fit in with the culture and enjoys what drains you & understands you're still CEO.
If I were you, I'd feel the same way - kinda down (I was just putting together a proposal myself...ugh). But, you should be thrilled. You've lined yourself up so you have the resources (team) to create and the connections (customers/others in same industry) to get early feedback/customers on any product.
Solution: Vacation, find a problem to solve, don't do the stuff at your own company that you don't enjoy.
I understand the point of the article though that you're missing out on the impact of big influencers as they're not likely to tweet to their thousands upon thousands of followers.
I sometimes wonder whether the people who talk about changing the world believe it or it's just become something people say.
And, it feels like the interests of firms aren't always tied to their clients. "Of course we have a guarantee...you're on the first page (of Ask.com)!"
So, I'm working on a quoting / billing structure where customer payments are dictated by the ranking improvements. Feedback so far is good, but of course, it's a challenge.