Archive for March, 2011

Posted on March 2, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

Google redesigns Google Profiles, getting ready for new social layer?

Is google finally getting ready to launch +1 aka their new social layer? It seems that way as Google Profiles just got a new face lift. Take a look

More about Google Profiles at the Google Operating System blog.

 
 
Google Profiles has a new user interface that emphasizes the profile photo, includes many new sections and uses encrypted connections. You can now click on a section of your profile to edit it, add “10 words that describe you best”, bragging rights, relationship information, structured information about your education and employment, a scrapbook with your favorite photos.

 

The new Google profile interface reminds me of a clean version of Facebook and freiendfeed with a little twitter. On your Google profile you can also choose to have your Google Buzz information shown.

Update from Google Social Web Blog

We think this new design helps highlight the information that’s most important to you, making it easier for people who visit your profile to get to know you. As the new layout gradually rolls out, current users of Google Profiles will notice that their existing profile will automatically update to the new style. To update and add to your profile, simply click on the new “Edit Profile” button.

Because Google Profiles are designed to be public pages on the web, used to help connect and find real people, we’ll be asking people to provide the name they are commonly referred to in the real world. We recently outlined how we think about the different modes of online interaction across our products.

While profiles work well for individuals, we’ll continue to work on new ways for businesses to engage with their customers, so stay tuned for updates.

What do you think about the new Google Profiles? Is Google about to launch their new social layer +1l?

Posted on March 2, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

How did the cofounders of yobongo come up with the name … yobongo!

Yobongo! If you’re lucky enough to be one of the early beta testers of the much anticipated location-based mobile startup then I’m sure you don’t mind yelling Yobongo out loud and you get it. For others waiting to beta test are posting tweets with a sense of frustration, jealousy, all with a nervous sense of anticipation to see if Yobongo is going to live up to the hype. If you don’t believe me just look a some of the tweets below.

Like many web/tech mobile startups, sometimes the hardest part of launching a startup after you come up with an idea is coming up with the name. This had me thinking about how did Caleb Elston and David Kasper the cofounders of yobongo come up with the name yobongo. It seems as though I wasn’t the only one as while we were “yobonging” one day someone asked Caleb the big question. How did you come up with the name yobongo? You can see the answer via a yobongo screenshot below.

There you have it, someone just yelled yobongo, then a domain registration and six months later yobongo is getting ready to take sxsw by storm. More on yobongo coming soon and you can sign up for a beta invite at yobongo.com

Does the name yobongo work for the startup that’s going to provide a new way for people to chat with others nearby?

Posted on March 1, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

How to pitch a startup – Be really good or really outrageous?

Going back to my startup weekend days, reading about Startup America and other conferences and groups trying to help launch the next big thing, I’ve been thinking about how to pitch a startup. Last week the Launch Conference was held in Santa Monica, CA as one of those events helping startups. It was organized by Jason Calacanis. While there was a lot of hype around the event and everyone waiting to see various startups pitching at the conference to an awesome group of investors one startup pitch stood out over the rest. That one startup pitch was by domo. You can watch the video below.

The domo startup pitch video reminds me of the GrocerEye winning pitch from the Founder Conference 2010. Take a look.

This brings me to the thought process about pitching a startup to investors. Earlier today Jason retweeted about how @GreenGoose raised $100K in 3 minutes while pitching at the Launch Conference. You can watch the GreenGoose video here. http://bit.ly/hGzG4z. Was the GreenGoose startup outrageous or over the top? No, but they had a really good demo and product.

What do you think? How to pitch a startup; should you be really good or really outrageous or both?