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semilshah

373 karma · joined March 9, 2010

GP @ Haystack; Venture Partner @ Lightspeed. More at: www.semilshah.com
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semilshah··on Show HN: Trunk – One linter to run them all
Insanely cool product from a killer team of builders.
semilshah··on Meeta.vc – Public calendar for investor appearances at events
I don't think investors would do it, but you can aggregate it from conferences/events.
semilshah··on [dead]
Ugh. Yeah. Tried to redo ;-)
semilshah··on I'd like to use the web my way, thank you very much Quora
I am a huge Quora fan and user but would have to agree with this assessment. Most of Quora's traffic "lurks" and this will be the search audience they need to get. What they're doing now is trying to make sure they have your account credentials to monitor what you "lurk" for. At some point, my guess is that they'll remove this tactic. I will say, however, that the web created "inside" Quora is some of the richest, most high-fidelity information on the entire web, and it may not exist elsewhere.
semilshah··on If SnapChat Is The Next Big Thing...
Interesting - right now, can a user set a picture to not expire?
semilshah··on If SnapChat Is The Next Big Thing...
For an app like SnapChat, at scale they "could" make money by inserting ads based on location, two friends "snapping," or ad-on features. But, would need to reach scale, which they may just do.
semilshah··on Being A "Product Person"
Hey Scott, this is a great point. Well said.
semilshah··on Tips On Tech Writing
Hi lutusp,

Thanks for pointing out the typo. Your advice is good, too. I wrote this because I am often asked this question.

semilshah··on The Harsh Realities of iOS App Distribution
Hi David, I definitely agree with you. But there have been a few occasions, at least, where I've seen a great product and they have initial downloads, but it's tough to keep sticky. Again, this isn't an apology, but I believe the burden rests solely on app makers in this case.
semilshah··on Quora Co-Founder Charlie Cheever Steps Back From Day-To-Day Role At The Company
It was Adam, not Charlie, that invested in the company.
semilshah··on Quora Gamifies: Credits And “Ask To Answer” Suggestions Live For Everyone
To me, Quora has been sort of a game since it started. It has a lot of hidden/clever game mechanics underlying the design. I think this is one way that the company can start helping create an economy to pay those that create and donate the content that makes the site go in the first place.
semilshah··on Why iOS5 Affects Battery Performance
Hi there. What device model are you on currently?
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
Good luck, would love to know what you end up doing.
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
Cool, there are also some iOS apps explicitly for "app discovery," but I still think it's impossible to break out. I read somewhere that 4% of app downloads account for about 3/4 of all app revenues.
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
Cool how would you do it, or design it?
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
Cool. Are there examples of folks using Zwapp to reach the same number of downloads as being featured by Apple, ro something close to it?
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
My two cents - it would take a strong/credible brand to come in, editorially decide on categories and then rank the apps based on a number of metrics or pure editorial voice. Assume the content can be gleaned in one way -- then how is it organized and presented to the user?
semilshah··on The iOS App Store: Needles in Haystacks
Hello, I'm afraid PR isn't the answer. Some folks can afford to hire big guns and/or get lucky, but it's not so easy to just plunk down cash for copy.
semilshah··on Facebook + Spotify do not own social music
Interesting. On Rexly, it's sort of less about "making friends," although that could happen, and more about getting social cues from friends about new music to discover. Those cues are likely to be strongest from those whom you trust, and those whom you trust are likely to be those whom you know well, unless they are liars.
semilshah··on Facebook + Spotify do not own social music
Exactly! Thanks for reading, Martin.
semilshah··on Facebook + Spotify do not own social music
Hi Tim. Everyone I know has an iPhone...but, yeah, it's on our roadmap. We are a bootstrapped startup so had to pick a platform to enter with, and like scores of others, for obvious reasons, chose iOS. Please don't kill us! FWIW, all services and platforms are on our roadmap, and you can still use Rexly on your laptop/desktop with similar functionality.
semilshah··on Facebook + Spotify do not own social music
Hi Jarin. The next version (in development) will certainly allow users to log in via Twitter, and today, you can test drive Rexly without logging into Facebook, if you don't want to. The reason we did it this way (to start) is to provide a social music discovery experience with your closest friends, which we believe are on Facebook, for the most part. I hope this helps explain, for now.
semilshah··on Why are there so many Quora haters?
Here are some common reasons people don't like Quora:

1. They don't like all the (perceived) hype, especially when they see it on TechCrunch.

2. They don't like the rules. Quora definitely challenges the rules of how we interact online, and who is an expert, and that scares people.

3. They think it's just another "Q&A website" and why would we need another one like that?

4. They don't trust mechanisms around voting and the use of anonymity to troll?

5. They don't like that its founders were able to raise Series A money at such an attractive valuation.

6. They don't like the sites plan to boost signal over noise as the user base grows, which includes vigilance among community members and ranking users.

I am a heavy Quora user and biased toward the site. I understand why some of these items above irk people, but I also believe that most of them, upon investigation, turn out to be mostly unfounded. Briefly -> TechCrunch and other tech outlets are in the business of writing about new technologies and trends, even if vocal parts of their audience hates it. The rules around Quora scares many people who already have carved out little pieces of land online, especially "experts." One of the biggest fallacies around Quora is that it's a "Q&A site" -- that is just the tip of the iceberg. I'll admit that there are ways to lurk anonymously on Twitter, but I'm pretty sure that people behind the scenes monitor for unsavory behavior and vandalism, and that those in charge would and will ban users for foul play. The Series A valuation now seems like a bargain, but what many don't realize is that the technology built under the hood at Quora is itself unique and very valuable, as well as the team and SEO juice. Finally, their most complex UX problem -- keeping signal high using humans and algorithms -- is a challenge that not many teams can tackle.