There’s long been a raging debate going over HTML vs. Native Apps.  Just Googling the debate returns over 3.7 million results. I’m here to tell you, that’s the wrong way of thinking of things. It’s like debating whether oil or water will win when mixed.  You can’t get the right answer if you’re asking the wrong question.  While oil and water don’t mix well, they can co-exist in the same bottle,...

I recently moderated a panel on mobile marketing at the Mid Atlantic Marketing Summit, then rushed over to MoDevUX just up the street to do a presentation on Designing for Social Apps.  Props to the Washington, DC area for putting on some great events, and specifically to Pete Erickson for putting on a great MoDevUX event, and Paul Sherman for the fantastic Mid Atlantic Marketing Summit.  While I was at each event, I captured video of...

I moderated a panel at this year’s Mid Atlantic Marketing Summit at the Gannett headquarters in McLean, VA titled “Mobile Marketing: Beyond The Hype.” The panel discussed what’s working well in mobile marketing, what’s not working well, and what some of the most interesting trends on the horizon are, among many other things. Full speaker bios available here. Panelists were: Craig Etheridge, VP, Mobile...

I spoke this week at the fantastic MoDevUX conference about how Socialize has designed an API & SDK for app developers. The Socialize SDK has seen rapid uptake from developers, as detailed in this post. Here’s my...

Last July I visited a new startup hacker space called “StartupHouse” and I wrote a post up about it because I thought it looked really promising. My, how things can happen in the span of 9 months.  It’s been re-named “StartupHQ,” with StartupHouse becoming the hacker hostel next door (bunk beds or regular beds, cost around $30 to $50/night.) StartupHQ is not just promising — it’s looks...

I’m writing this post while on a flight — here’s my view (pic made with Cinemagram) Part of being a lifehacker means being an efficiency nut on the computer — I’ve previously written about playing a computer like an instrument, the massive value of CloudApp, and I have an ongoing GeekSpeed challenge for those who feel up to the challenge of quantifying their speed on a computer.  To put it simply:  If...

I received an email from the CEO of another SDK-based technology company asking how we’ve been so successful getting developers to adopt the Socialize SDK. I like to have conversations like these in public so that other entrepreneurs in the same position can benefit from what we’ve learned, and share their knowledge as well.  What he’s asking about is a very sensitive subject:  Mobile app developers are already...

Facebook announced this week that was acquiring Instagram, a hipster photo editing and sharing app, for $1 billion. Kevin Systrom, one of the founders of Instagram, credited Instagram’s early success and fast growth to “the community of users who commented on and liked one another’s photos.” This is huge validation for the power of the Interest Graph, and for Socialize, which lets any app drop in an...

I just sat down with Arte Merritt, who recently started a great new job at Turner Broadcasting (owner of many channels you know like CNN, TNT, TBS, CartoonNetwork, etc).  Arte’s job is to help Turner get closer to innovative startups, and he’s got cash to back it up. Turner is the creator of some very forward-thinking brands in media — back when CNN was launched, 24/7 news was a big departure from the standard...

I was recently approached by a friend in the venture capital industry who asked me to write about my experience as an entrepreneur and transplant to Silicon Valley.  Here’s the resulting transcript of our discussion.  I’m publishing it in the hopes that it helps other entrepreneurs, as well as those who haven’t yet taken the leap but want to. Can you tell me about the fundraising cycles your company has gone through? We...