One thing is clear to me. The era of switching on the TV and flipping through the channels looking for something decent to watch is quickly coming to a close. This was first hinted at a couple years ago with the now shut down TV.com. Rather than being restricted to the some set number of television channels, you could search for almost any episode of almost any show and watch it whenever you felt like it. Unfortunately, the site did not last, but not for lack of a good idea. Today we have similar [legal] things like Hulu, not to mention network sites (Fox, CBS, etc) which also allow you to watch their shows on their relative sites.

Given the assumption that this is indeed the method of TV watching of the future, why does YouTube continue to restrict itself to mindless (albeit funny at times) videos uploaded by its users? I’m sure its advertisement space would become that much more valuable if it were to add content with actual “substance”, thereby attracting even more users than it already gets.

Do you agree that television sets are on their way out? If so, do you agree that YouTube should get it together, remove their self-imposed handicap, and show some real shows?

Twitter was created by Jack Dorsey. I’m going to have to put him in the category of evil genius. If you’re unaware (which is unlikely at this point), Twitter allows people to post messages which are visible to all of your “followers”. Also, anyone can become a follower of anyone else.

Dorsey brilliantly identified a major flaw in our society. It is extremely attention-seeking. From celebrities to high-school girls, our society is constantly screaming, “Look at me!!!” Whereas other impersonal social networking sites allow you to direct comments at specific “friends,” using Twitter one merely uploads a comment for anyone to read.

In a vacuum, I have no problem with Twitter. When you begin to examine what it says about society, it becomes disturbing. With both of those things said, however, from a business stand-point, I can’t help but give Mr. Dorsey much respect.

What are your thoughts? Does Twitter demonstrate a societal flaw? Even if you think so, was Dorsey justified in exploiting such a flaw?

So I was sitting in class today trying to figure out what I should write this blog about this week. I knew there would be plenty of day-dreaming time, because a guest speaker (two actually) was coming to speak to my computer science senior design class. Well guess what they were… internet entrepreneurs. They were the founders of a company called InspectTech. The details of the company are mostly irrelevant to this post. Suffice it to say the company creates software to aid in bridge inspection. What are relevant are some of the business tips they presented. None of these tips were things I hadn’t heard before. I had heard them all one or more times in various classes. The presentation today by real CEOs, however, was a real-life in-your-face success story, and therefore legitimized many of the things I had sat and half-listened to my professors telling me. Without further ado:

1. Find a niche.

It isn’t necessary for every aspiring internet entrepreneur to create the next Amazon, for example, that sells every item you could possibly think of. InspectTech creates software that aids bridge inspectors. My initial reaction to hearing this was, “How can something so specific make any money?” The truth is, they noticed the paperwork associated with bridge inspection was both time-consuming to write-up and time-consuming (if not impossible) to reference after the fact. Once they recognized this issue, they knew they could create something to make the process easier. That’s all it takes. Identify a problem and solve it. If you do this, your product will have value to somebody.

2. Work with something you care about.

Our speakers today did not have extensive training in bridge maintenance or even in bridges at all. They did note, however, that they love bridges. Don’t assume that without a specific degree in something that you are automatically locked out of working in that field. You can always learn about something on your own, and if it’s something that fascinates you, you’ll probably even enjoy learning about it.

3. Know what your customers want – assuming can get you into trouble.

This goes back to #1. After you’ve identified a problem, don’t just put your head down, bang out a solution to said problem, and expect your intended customer base to accept it with open arms. Instead, work with your customers before, during, and after the creation of your company. Always be open to feedback. Our speakers today discussed how many of their first customers had features that they suggested be added to the software. All the suggestions came together to create the final software.

4. “If you build it … they might not come!”

You’ve listened to your customers and put together a quality product. The next step is for the cash to start rolling in, right. Wrong. Once in a while a product is so beyond awesome that is sells itself, but usually this isn’t the case. This isn’t to imply that your product doesn’t have value. It’s just necessary to first get your name out there. People can’t buy something if they don’t know it exists. In conclusion, you can’t say enough about the importance of marketing.

I’ll finish by reiterating that this isn’t my advice. This advice also isn’t unique to the speakers I heard today. These are merely reminders that were legitimized to me today by real entrepreneurs.

Do you frequently have the overwhelming urge to purchase crap you don’t really need just because it’s on sale? If you answered ‘no’, you should avoid Woot.com. If you answered ‘yes’, you should DEFINITELY avoid Woot.com. If you’re unfamiliar with Woot, it’s a site that features a single item each day at a slightly to significantly reduced price. Never are the items anything that anyone needs. Rarely are they anything that anyone should even want. At the same time though, there is this unexplainable urge to purchase the items.

I can’t think of a more genius marketing strategy. I don’t know where they get their merchandise, and frankly, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Woot’s business model of “One Day, One Deal” has been adopted by hundreds on online retailers, because…it works.

In addition, accompanying each items description are sarcastic comments making fun of the item, the customers, the site itself, or some combination of the above. I can only imagine why this marketing style seems to further aid Woot’s popularity.

Why do you think Woot’s seemingly odd business model works so well that it has been imitated hundreds of times?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  And shortly after that, Mike Zuckerberg created Facebook.  Things were great for a while, but then corruption inevitably set in, and it’s been all down-hill ever since.

Facebook started off as a simple entity.  It was the site that myspace-using highschoolers graduated into when they finally received their college email address so they could passively keep in contact with old and new friends.  It still does this, but sadly, this basic functionality has become completely eclipsed by a bajillion other superfluous features.  In fact, it’s becoming the very thing that it was revered for NOT being in its early days.

But fear not, a savior is here.  A symbol of perfection in a sea of perversion.  Its name is Facebook Lite.

Let’s take a look at what you can do with each:

Some may be wondering if Facebook Lite requires you to create a whole new account and essentially start from scratch.  Nope.  Your account is completely intact.  Simply go to the link above, type in your usual login-in info, and you’ll be looking at the same profile you’re used to, but through a much more pleasing interface.  All the extras that you don’t really want anyway are gone.

Clearly, Zuckerberg has done it again.  Admittedly, the introduction of applications did allow Facebook to appeal to a larger demographic.  At the same time though, it alienated much of its original audience.  Facebook Lite is the perfect thing to reel those people back in.

Obviously I highly recommend Facebook Lite.  Try it out and let me know what you think.