How to win at rock, paper, scissors every time (infographic)
This is genius.
A personal exchange with a Jason's list reader…
> 1) I loved the idea of a video network and you have a different take on
> things than Leo, so I think you should keep developing your network
Thanks!
I’ve put a CEO and Creative Director in charge of ThisWeekIn.com, and I raised a small angel round for it. They have a list of 30 shows to roll out, and we’ve done 17 of them. They have a run rate of about $1M right now (think just shy of $20k a week in advertising), and I think in year they will have 30 shows and $40k a week in revenue.
The team over there doesn’t need me on the day-to-day operations. They’re qualified enough to roll out the shows, keep the quality level high and innovate. My role is really to make sure that the plan is on target and that they have what they need.
> 2) No writer will be you. Not even the people you mention. And all of them
> would be diluting both their own brand and your brand by writing with you.
> Writing with someone else is NOT easy. Writing every two weeks by yourself
> is not that hard. Hire the intern/researcher and be done with it.
I respectfully disagree.
There are plenty of writers in the tech space who are as good as I am (Arrington, Om, Blodget, Kara), and there are a number I would say are better (Levy, Markoff, Mossberg). That might sound egotistical, but I’m fairly good at calibrating talent and being introspective. This is an important trait in my mind.
My vision for this is to have someone who is sharp, driven and focused, and who can take my writing and in ideas and help develop them. I would do the same with pieces they would originate. There is an opportunity to create a common voice, but it is difficult.
> 3)Do the membership only forum/network and let people discuss Big Ideas with
> each other rather than just giving you feedback.
They would network with each other, and the writers.
> 4) Don’t look for so many things to do. London will only be young once.
I agree, and the good news is I work from home every morning and spend tons of time with her. I’ve got an amazing President at Mahalo (Jason Rapp), and we’ve actually figured out a way to run the business while being able to take care of our families. He runs the show in the early hours, I run the show later in the day. When he’s on the road I’m in the office, and vica versa.
It’s a super cool system.
> 5) I have been following you since Silicon Alley Reporter. Long enough to
> know that you have said you weren’t going to do any more blogging, speaking,
> whatever, and sooner or later you come back to them. Don’t strain your cred
> by making grand pronouncements and then, oh whoops, reconsidering:-)
> I love you man. Stay as sweet as you are, and keep sending those long,
> thoughtful, impassioned pieces. Whenever the mood strikes you. But I think
> you are bored with Mahalo or something. You have to focus on something to
> build it, and you can’t multitask businesses. If you could, Kevin Rose would
> still have Pownce going.
Thank you for following my projects… that really means a lot. Whenever I meet a SAR reader/subscriber/fan I’m touched. That was a wonderful time wasn’t it?
I have ADHD and OCD–it’s true. 
However, I look at them like super hero powers and I own them. Yes, I can bounce from project to project and idea to idea, but my focus can also get absurdly laser like. I’ve stopped talking about Mahalo publicly right now because we’ve got a couple of things that are really working and i don’t want to tip my cards. However, when Mahalo 4.0 comes out this fall/winter, you’ll see me back in carnival barking mode. I’m not bored with Mahalo at all, I’m actually more excited about it than ever. We’ve got an amazing core of users, a killer team, real revenue and a killer road map leading up to the M4 launch.
My guess is next year Mahalo will be in the top 100 sites, and the year after the top 50. That’s my goal: get content site into the top 50 US trafficked site.
I posed this exchange on my blog (without your name).
best j
My "Jason’s List 2.0?" email
Seems my email server is in GMAIL/GOOGLE spam filter hell and only 10%
of my peeps are getting the newsletter. ugh… i think i need to move from listsrv to mailchimp.com or sendgrid.com best j ———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Jason Calacanis
Date: Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Subject: Jason’s List 2.0? Friends, Hope everyone is having an epic summer. I’ve been having the time of
my life with our daughter London, whom I’ve been taking swimming every
weekend. (photo of London I took today: http://jc.is/doTXju ). Swimming in the pool every weekend has given me time to think about
what I love doing, and the thing I love doing most is…. wait for
it… writing! The days after I send you guys an email are the most
exciting days of the month for me. I love your long responses,
challenges and the public debates that emanate from the list (even the
almost career-ending Facebook ones). It’s a rush. Writing is my drug and the send key is my needle–my true aspiration
is to be a junkie (aka full-time writer). Last month, I asked if you guys would take the time to answer a couple
of questions regarding the list and over 1,000 of you took the time to
do so. Wow. Crazy! *** Survey Results here: http://jc.is/9DFb8j *** We captured the results with the epic SurveyMonkey (which, at $200 a
year for the professional version, is an absurd deal). The company is
being run by one of my oldest friends in the industry, Dave Goldberg.
Dave sold Launch.com to Yahoo back in the day and is a fantastic
entrepreneur–and a great card player as well. (now if only he could
help me get the domain Launch.com from Yahoo for my new conference!). Based on these results, I’m considering investing in a “supporting
cast” that would help me consistently publish pieces twice a month
(perhaps weekly some day). These pieces would have fact checking and
additional research with them–but maintain my voice. Imagine if I had
two people to work with me on the pieces about Apple, Facebook, and
Comscore, not to mention the service/how-to stuff. It would be killer in my mind. Imagine a forum for list members who wanted to privately discuss the
issues raised in the newsletter (as folks did when the list
inadvertently went into discussion mode)! Imagine further that the
community was private, moderated and limited in terms who could become
a member. Killer I know–I’m excited about this (and I’m a cynical
bastard when it comes to community). Big picture: I’m not looking to build a business, but rather refine
the editorial product I’m sending to you already. [ Side note: none of this 'expansion' or desire to become a full-time
writers means I'm leaving my post as CEO of Mahalo. ]
I want to provide you with more value, and give you a forum for you to
build more value for me (and other list members). The feedback I get
from the list is the reason I do it. You guys send me back 20x the
information and value I send back–but you can’t see it because it’s
in one-to-one emails. Here is my 1st draft of the list expansion plan–which is subject to
your approval and feedback dear reader! 1. Hire a full-time researcher/junior writer
======================
This person would do research, fact-check, proof and contribute to the
list. She would work with another vet so we could publish the list
more consistently (i.e. every two weeks). This person would also
moderate the Jason’s List Discussion Group (#3 below). This job would
pay $30-50,000 a year (with benefits starting in Month Three) and
would ideally require one to five years experience in some combination
of business or technology research, blogging, writing, fact-checking
and editing. Or they would just be brilliant and have no experience. This position would be located in Santa Monica, CA (non-negotiable),
and would need to be in the office every day. (Mahalo has a killer,
organic chef. You want to be in the office every day–trust me). If
you want this job and you’re willing to work absurdly hard with a
maniac like myself email me an epic cover letter/email of why you are
perfect for the job. Feel free to include links and a resume. Subject
line = research, email: jason@calacanis.com 2. Hire one of the top 25 analysts/writers in the tech/business world
======================
I’d love to have a partner in crime for the list. You know, a Shaq to
my Kobe, a Scottie Pippen to my Michael Jordan, or perhaps a LeBron to
my Dwayne Wade (wait, what?). This person would collaborate with me on
my pieces as well as writing pieces of their own (to which I could
contribute). The basic idea is to help me get the newsletter out every
two weeks (or about 20+ times a year). My ideal writer would be someone data-driven, hard-working,
old-school, with five to 20 years in the business. Someone who is
willing to share their opinion and–gasp!–actually have a point of
view. My dream team list would include folks who are not available, like the
killer Om Malik (no chance, entrepreneur), the disciplined Rafe
Needleman (CNET), the insightful Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch), the
savvy Declan McCullagh (WIRED), Rafat Ali, who worked for me at
Silicon Alley Reporter (no chance, entrepreneur), the legendary John
Markoff (NYT), the up-and-coming MG Siegler (TechCrunch), the brutal
and wonderful Kara Swisher (no chance, entrepreneur), the diligent
Peter Kafka (AllThingsD), the promising Jessica Vascellaro (WSJ),
VentureBeat’s prolific Dean Takahashi, and perhaps one of my all-time
favorites, Steven Levy (WIRED). I’ve left off 20 more writers, but you
know who you are. The chances of us landing any of those folks is, on average, less than
2%, I know. Long odds, however, are my specialty
(http://jc.is/9BYgJp). 2% would fall into these type of situations: a) their boss is a total a-hole who doesn’t appreciate them (let’s not
name names) and treats them like crap
b) they want to own a chunk of stock in something valuable
c) they’re tired of filing 20 times a week and would rather file once
every two weeks (from home in their underwear)
d) they’re tired of the very broken “fair and balanced” formula that
is eroding American journalism, and they want to speak the truth This gig would pay “what it takes,” which for the level of person I’m
talking about above would be $60-100k (or more) depending on the
equity mix (i.e. 5% on the low end, 10% on the high-end). Offering up to double-digit equity is exactly what I’ve done in the
past to take journalists from “rice-pickers to samurai” in the past.
For the right person, it will be life and career changing. Sadly, most
people are scared to leave the comforts of the paddy field. Question: Who do you think I should target? Confidential suggestions and introductions are appreciated: jason@calacanis.com 3. Create a members-only forum
======================
Services like Yammer, SocialCast, Google Groups, etc. would be perfect
for a web-based forum/social network for list members who want a
serious, private discussion forum. The comments on TechCrunch and
BusinessInsider are so anonymous, sad and pathetic that they’re
comical and depressing at once. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment for
Arrington and Blodget that their comments suck so badly. The losers
who live in thise co
mment sections are precisely the reason I moved to
email. Nothing important is discussed in public any more. In order to make this work, I’d need someone (perhaps two someones) in
the forum, curating it, every day. I’m going to see if Yammer,
SocialCast or another firm with solid software would sponsor the list
for $5,000 a month. (If they get one client, they would make their
money back–so I’m hopeful one of them will email me and say “deal”
when they read this). I’d also charge list members a nominal fee in order to reduce the
number of people in the forum ($25-100 a year). Of course, I’d give
VIP invites to the top 250 CEOs, angel investors and VCs, so the forum
had critical mass day one. So, that’s my plan: 1. Hire a researcher
2. Hire a superstar
3. Start a forum You can help with this by doing the following: 1. Email this to a killer researcher/writer in Los Angeles who wants
to work in our office.
2. Lobby one of the big name superstars in our industry to join my dream team.
3. Continued Feedback on how to make the email better. All the best, @Jason Join me at these amazing events at which I’m speaking!
====================
August 3rd: Speaking with Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX in the Valley
at Adeo’s wonderful Founders Showcase. http://foundershowcase.com August 14th: Speaking with the Mike Arrington puppet at Loren’s epic
(and affordable) Audience Conference in New York City.
http://www.theaudienceconference.com September 30th-October 3rd: WPP’s Stream Conference in Athens, Greece.
(private event, can’t bring you with me…. wish I could!). October 4th-6th: Speaking at Carson’s amazing Future of Web Apps in London
http://futureofwebapps.com/london-2010/ Unsubscribe/Subscribe at www.jasonnation.com
If you don’t want to login and unsubscribe just forward this to
unsubscribe@calacanis.com Sent with love from Santa Monica: Calacanis LLC
902 Colorado
Santa Monica, CA 90401
of my peeps are getting the newsletter. ugh… i think i need to move from listsrv to mailchimp.com or sendgrid.com best j ———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Jason Calacanis
Date: Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Subject: Jason’s List 2.0? Friends, Hope everyone is having an epic summer. I’ve been having the time of
my life with our daughter London, whom I’ve been taking swimming every
weekend. (photo of London I took today: http://jc.is/doTXju ). Swimming in the pool every weekend has given me time to think about
what I love doing, and the thing I love doing most is…. wait for
it… writing! The days after I send you guys an email are the most
exciting days of the month for me. I love your long responses,
challenges and the public debates that emanate from the list (even the
almost career-ending Facebook ones). It’s a rush. Writing is my drug and the send key is my needle–my true aspiration
is to be a junkie (aka full-time writer). Last month, I asked if you guys would take the time to answer a couple
of questions regarding the list and over 1,000 of you took the time to
do so. Wow. Crazy! *** Survey Results here: http://jc.is/9DFb8j *** We captured the results with the epic SurveyMonkey (which, at $200 a
year for the professional version, is an absurd deal). The company is
being run by one of my oldest friends in the industry, Dave Goldberg.
Dave sold Launch.com to Yahoo back in the day and is a fantastic
entrepreneur–and a great card player as well. (now if only he could
help me get the domain Launch.com from Yahoo for my new conference!). Based on these results, I’m considering investing in a “supporting
cast” that would help me consistently publish pieces twice a month
(perhaps weekly some day). These pieces would have fact checking and
additional research with them–but maintain my voice. Imagine if I had
two people to work with me on the pieces about Apple, Facebook, and
Comscore, not to mention the service/how-to stuff. It would be killer in my mind. Imagine a forum for list members who wanted to privately discuss the
issues raised in the newsletter (as folks did when the list
inadvertently went into discussion mode)! Imagine further that the
community was private, moderated and limited in terms who could become
a member. Killer I know–I’m excited about this (and I’m a cynical
bastard when it comes to community). Big picture: I’m not looking to build a business, but rather refine
the editorial product I’m sending to you already. [ Side note: none of this 'expansion' or desire to become a full-time
writers means I'm leaving my post as CEO of Mahalo.
]
I want to provide you with more value, and give you a forum for you to build more value for me (and other list members). The feedback I get
from the list is the reason I do it. You guys send me back 20x the
information and value I send back–but you can’t see it because it’s
in one-to-one emails. Here is my 1st draft of the list expansion plan–which is subject to
your approval and feedback dear reader! 1. Hire a full-time researcher/junior writer
======================
This person would do research, fact-check, proof and contribute to the
list. She would work with another vet so we could publish the list
more consistently (i.e. every two weeks). This person would also
moderate the Jason’s List Discussion Group (#3 below). This job would
pay $30-50,000 a year (with benefits starting in Month Three) and
would ideally require one to five years experience in some combination
of business or technology research, blogging, writing, fact-checking
and editing. Or they would just be brilliant and have no experience. This position would be located in Santa Monica, CA (non-negotiable),
and would need to be in the office every day. (Mahalo has a killer,
organic chef. You want to be in the office every day–trust me). If
you want this job and you’re willing to work absurdly hard with a
maniac like myself email me an epic cover letter/email of why you are
perfect for the job. Feel free to include links and a resume. Subject
line = research, email: jason@calacanis.com 2. Hire one of the top 25 analysts/writers in the tech/business world
======================
I’d love to have a partner in crime for the list. You know, a Shaq to
my Kobe, a Scottie Pippen to my Michael Jordan, or perhaps a LeBron to
my Dwayne Wade (wait, what?). This person would collaborate with me on
my pieces as well as writing pieces of their own (to which I could
contribute). The basic idea is to help me get the newsletter out every
two weeks (or about 20+ times a year). My ideal writer would be someone data-driven, hard-working,
old-school, with five to 20 years in the business. Someone who is
willing to share their opinion and–gasp!–actually have a point of
view. My dream team list would include folks who are not available, like the
killer Om Malik (no chance, entrepreneur), the disciplined Rafe
Needleman (CNET), the insightful Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch), the
savvy Declan McCullagh (WIRED), Rafat Ali, who worked for me at
Silicon Alley Reporter (no chance, entrepreneur), the legendary John
Markoff (NYT), the up-and-coming MG Siegler (TechCrunch), the brutal
and wonderful Kara Swisher (no chance, entrepreneur), the diligent
Peter Kafka (AllThingsD), the promising Jessica Vascellaro (WSJ),
VentureBeat’s prolific Dean Takahashi, and perhaps one of my all-time
favorites, Steven Levy (WIRED). I’ve left off 20 more writers, but you
know who you are. The chances of us landing any of those folks is, on average, less than
2%, I know. Long odds, however, are my specialty
(http://jc.is/9BYgJp). 2% would fall into these type of situations: a) their boss is a total a-hole who doesn’t appreciate them (let’s not
name names) and treats them like crap
b) they want to own a chunk of stock in something valuable
c) they’re tired of filing 20 times a week and would rather file once
every two weeks (from home in their underwear)
d) they’re tired of the very broken “fair and balanced” formula that
is eroding American journalism, and they want to speak the truth This gig would pay “what it takes,” which for the level of person I’m
talking about above would be $60-100k (or more) depending on the
equity mix (i.e. 5% on the low end, 10% on the high-end). Offering up to double-digit equity is exactly what I’ve done in the
past to take journalists from “rice-pickers to samurai” in the past.
For the right person, it will be life and career changing. Sadly, most
people are scared to leave the comforts of the paddy field. Question: Who do you think I should target? Confidential suggestions and introductions are appreciated: jason@calacanis.com 3. Create a members-only forum
======================
Services like Yammer, SocialCast, Google Groups, etc. would be perfect
for a web-based forum/social network for list members who want a
serious, private discussion forum. The comments on TechCrunch and
BusinessInsider are so anonymous, sad and pathetic that they’re
comical and depressing at once. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment for
Arrington and Blodget that their comments suck so badly. The losers
who live in thise co
mment sections are precisely the reason I moved to
email. Nothing important is discussed in public any more. In order to make this work, I’d need someone (perhaps two someones) in
the forum, curating it, every day. I’m going to see if Yammer,
SocialCast or another firm with solid software would sponsor the list
for $5,000 a month. (If they get one client, they would make their
money back–so I’m hopeful one of them will email me and say “deal”
when they read this). I’d also charge list members a nominal fee in order to reduce the
number of people in the forum ($25-100 a year). Of course, I’d give
VIP invites to the top 250 CEOs, angel investors and VCs, so the forum
had critical mass day one. So, that’s my plan: 1. Hire a researcher
2. Hire a superstar
3. Start a forum You can help with this by doing the following: 1. Email this to a killer researcher/writer in Los Angeles who wants
to work in our office.
2. Lobby one of the big name superstars in our industry to join my dream team.
3. Continued Feedback on how to make the email better. All the best, @Jason Join me at these amazing events at which I’m speaking!
====================
August 3rd: Speaking with Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX in the Valley
at Adeo’s wonderful Founders Showcase. http://foundershowcase.com August 14th: Speaking with the Mike Arrington puppet at Loren’s epic
(and affordable) Audience Conference in New York City.
http://www.theaudienceconference.com September 30th-October 3rd: WPP’s Stream Conference in Athens, Greece.
(private event, can’t bring you with me…. wish I could!). October 4th-6th: Speaking at Carson’s amazing Future of Web Apps in London
http://futureofwebapps.com/london-2010/ Unsubscribe/Subscribe at www.jasonnation.com
If you don’t want to login and unsubscribe just forward this to
unsubscribe@calacanis.com Sent with love from Santa Monica: Calacanis LLC
902 Colorado
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty Walkthrough
our team is building out this Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty
Walkthrough… please help them.
videos here: http://www.mahalo.com/starcraft-2-wings-of-liberty-walkthrough
Playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8D08ECD050DF6BC7
Walkthrough… please help them.
videos here: http://www.mahalo.com/starcraft-2-wings-of-liberty-walkthrough
Playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8D08ECD050DF6BC7Killer infographic: Burning Man History
This is total genius!
Infographic of the Day: The Starcraft Economy (genius!)
This infographic is epic… I can’t figure out who made it!
People making killer infographics… please put your url on the bottom
of your infographics.
of your infographics.
Mahalo seeks business development executive
We’re looking for someone to head up BD at Mahalo…. send a cover
letter and resume to bd@mahalo.com if you want to join the team!best j
letter and resume to bd@mahalo.com if you want to join the team!best j
Job Description
Mahalo.com seeks an innovative, entrepreneurial business development
executive to serve on its senior management team. The candidate must
be able to handle multiple projects concurrently and intuit business
development strategy both in terms of outreach and support of current
clients. The candidate will also be charged with sourcing, negotiating
and close multiple partnerships with advertisers, publishers and other
web properties. Precise responsibilities will vary depending upon
candidate experience and the current status of rapidly evolving
business needs.
Responsibilities Include
• Build partnerships with online publishers, from initial
outreach to closing deals
• Support existing partnerships by coordinating reporting and
technical assistance
• Identify, evaluate and prioritize new partnership
opportunities based on self-developed detailed criteria
• Develop and produce compelling presentation materials for
prospective partnerships and management and board of directors
meetings
• Provide guidance to partners through the partnership agreement
and technical integration process
• Collaborate with the President and senior leadership team to
refine priorities and strategy for near-term revenue generation and
long-term scaling
Requirements
• Deep understanding, knowledge, and experience in online
advertising, affiliate marketing, social media and SaaS
• Strong analytic aptitude with great attention to detail
• Ability to be highly productive with little oversight
• Strong PowerPoint, Excel skills and knowledge of CRM databases
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment with
early-stage company experience a plus
• Strategy and corporate development experience a plus
Compensation
• Salary commensurate with experience
• Options Package
• Health Insurance and full benefits
• Awesome lunches made by our in-house chef and on-site fitness
group sessions with trainer
Company Overview
At Mahalo, we’re focused on building services to help people find,
share and create trustworthy content. We do this with topic pages,
how-to articles, videos and our proprietary Q&A platform. Along the
way, we would like to create the best writing job on the planet for
hundreds of passionate contributors.
Our team comprises self-motivated leaders who work together in an
entrepreneurial environment. The flat organizational structure allows
everyone on the team to have an impact on the direction of the
company.
