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Coffee Shop Insights from Dups

July 22, 2011 By 5 Comments

"Dups" Duleepa WijayawardhanaAre you familiar with Empire Avenue? I met with co-founder and CEO Dups (aka Duleepa Wijawardhana) for coffee this past Wednesday in San Mateo, CA. Dups is one of a team of 5 that built and operate the Social Stock Market Empire Avenue. In all the pictures I’ve seen of Dups he is always smiling and he is no different in person, though he does blame his persistent smile on his 3 hours of sleep per night that has become typical for him. After chatting for about an hour with Dups, I had a much better grasp on what Empire Avenue is really about and felt grateful for time well spent.

(Please note all quotes in this post are paraphrased, I was not recording or taking notes, Dups if I got something wrong let me know.)

Value is relative and Virtual Currency.

While discussing virtual currency and the possibilities it represents, Dups was quick to point out to me that value is a very relative thing. We all see value in different things, it’s not always cash in hand. Sometimes it is virtual currency or even a Castle upgrade for your personal empire on Empire Avenue. The fact is people will trade resources for almost anything, and if I understood Dups bullish position on virtual currency it seems he has a strong belief that virtual currency can in fact drive profits and opportunity for a tech start up.

Good questions make good conversations.

You’ve probably heard that you can learn a lot about someone by the questions they ask.

Dups: “What do you hate most about Empire Avenue?”

Me: “I can’t really think of anything.”

Dups: “What would you change if you could change one thing?”

The follow up prompted a long explanation about how I was not a heavy user of the site and eventually I did come up with the fact that I had asked fellow EAV member Laurie DesAutels a few questions about how some things worked.

Dups: “Yes, you need more information about how the site works. We know that, we can do better there.”

Putting the Social in Social Media

One of the topics we covered in our discussion was social interaction. When I was queried about why I had reached out and invited Dups to connect while he was in town it led us to discuss the “in person” versus “online” connections. It’s definitely clear that you can establish meaningful relationships online. The best example I know of this is Shonali Burke, she met her husband online and he flew half way around the world to marry her without ever meeting in person. Online relationships and friendships are great but at some point human beings will want to communicate directly with each other. We need and crave this connection.

Influence

Many people have observed that as EAV supports a broader range of services than Klout. EAV also does activity based scoring and one’s share price may be an alternative to a Klout score. Dups did not think that Klout considered them competition and he indicated also that EAV does not consider Klout competition. He was very clear though that he does not believe you can fashion an algorithm to truly analyze influence. In fact he went so far as to say:

Dups – “Show me any algorithm designed to measure influence, and I will show you where it is flawed.”

The most convincing supporting argument that Dups mentioned was the fact that different cultures measure influence differently. Think about that for a minute and you will see why any algorithm designed to measure influence is flawed. There are simply too many variables that cannot be included that will prevent the results from being accurate.

Robert Scoble vs Joe Hackman (Influence Part 2)

One interesting point that Dups brought forth to further his position on influence was when he asked me:

Dups – “How many Twitter followers do you have?”

Me – “Just under 3,000″

Dups – “Ok, well you may have under 3,000 followers and Robert Scoble might have a whole lot more but I’ve met you and you have the same influence over me as Scoble.”

What a great explanation. So I’ve long been planning a podcast about measuring online influence and now I have a must be present candidate in mind. Clearly Dups has put a lot of thought into the subject.

Check out EAV

So I am going to give Empire Avenue a little plug here. I think they have some pretty interesting things going on, it wouldn’t hurt you to create a profile and link up your social networks. You may not have time to “play” the stock trading game but consider it a hedge against some kind of explosive growth in the future. If Dups is right about virtual currency you might just find some value that you might be missing out on.

Filed Under: Business, Empire Avenue, Interviews, Networking, New Media, News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

4 Reasons why Amplify is my Third Tribe

October 8, 2010 By 6 Comments

From my tribe I take nothing, I am the maker of my own fortune. – Tecumseh

Earlier this year I joined Third Tribe out of interest generated by Chris Brogan. He was passionate about it and I was convinced that I needed to be a part of it. So I joined and listened to some podcasts and posted on the forums and ultimately did not feel connected to this new Tribe. A few months later I was letting my subscription expire and I emailed Chris. He was very cordial and cool, he did not try to convince me that I should stick around. He explained to me that he felt the value was really in the forums specifically people getting business questions answered. So essentially I went on about my business for a while and I pinged Chris back recently and something occurred to me. Perhaps the reason that I didn’t see the value of Third Tribe, I already had one – Amplify.com.

4 Reasons Amplify is my third tribe:

  1. I am directly connected with the founders/developers.
  2. I get business questions answered.
  3. I receive direct business benefits from being on the site.
  4. I am networking with quality people that I learn from.

Direct connection with the Founders/Developers

Eric Goldstein was one of the first people to respond to my post on Amplify.com and he is co-founder and CEO. I’ve since gotten to know Eric, Dave Grossman, Chris Parandin and exchanged some comments with Derek and Eric W. from time to time. I can say with honesty I truly enjoy communicating and supporting the Amplify guys, I consider myself a self-assigned community advocate for their site.  I’ve never received any financial support for my contributions and I don’t expect any.

Getting Business Questions Answered

Admittedly my best resource for business questions is offline – my network of friends, members of business groups, mentors, etc. There are two places I get answers to business questions “online”. One of them is LinkedIn Q & A and the other is Amplify.com. The most receptive and helpful responses come from the Amplify community. Many LinkedIn answers are self-serving, whereas the Amplify community tends to be much more “real” and honest.

Direct Business Benefits

I am a consumer in this regard; I have found more vendors and partners and fostered those relationships via Amplify. I love being the “buyer” and not the seller, because I hate selling. What I do enjoy is building relationships and helping people.  Building social capital is great fun and it suites me well. I would rather have my customers see what I am doing and come to me and ask for it. I know some people are reading this and shaking their heads. Don’t worry, when I see need that I can help with I sell, because I know I can help.

Networking with Quality People

I’ve met more quality people on Amplify than any other place in social media. I learn every day from my Amplify sources. These people have added so much value to my day to day learning I cannot thank them enough. What I have done is written about it and tried to recognize and share those people via my blog and Amplog. One meaningful example is my weekly recommendation of the week that I post on my Amplog. Another example is the article I wrote “Why Sources are more valuable than Followers” that shares some of my favorite amplify users with others.

Tim Southernwood Shonali Burke Ramon B. Nuez Jr. Paul Simbeck-Hampson Flavio Pic
Diane Rayfield Dave Yankowiak Dave Grossman Chris Parandian Ben Jackson Shevonne Polastre

Closing thoughts

So is Amplify my Third Tribe? I think it is. It may not have all the features that Third Tribe does but for practical purposes Amplify works in this capacity for me. It provides the value that Third Tribe offers, while also rewarding me by making my content public and contributing in a positive way to my social media footprint. One final thought about Chris Brogan, he is a classy guy. I will check out everything he does, I really enjoy his insights and this is meant by no means to minimize the great things that are happening on Third Tribe for many people.

Filed Under: Amplify, Blogging, Networking, New Media, Social Media Strategy Tagged With: , , , ,

Will this recipe inspire you to live a better life?

March 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Do you have two to three words to describe your purpose? I do today but I did not for most of my life. Recently I wrote about how I’ve become more social, but something else has also been brewing. I’ve also been finding more purpose and direction in my personal and professional life.

During my foray into a more engaged and social lifestyle these were some of the steps that I took that led me to become more inspired:

  1. Formed a business support group.
  2. Supported more groups making a difference.
  3. Encouraged connections between people.
  4. Opened my mind to inspiration and learning.

Business Support Group

With a number of my clients, friends and my own business facing big challenges in 2008 and 2009 I decided to do something to try to make a difference. The precursor was writing an article for my business website “Success in 2009 from your IT Guy’s Perspective”. Shortly after that was published I decided to form a group with the intention of providing support and encouraging interaction between the members. Eventually this group met and became what I would call a business support group called 1Degree. The One Degree was the number of degrees of separation between the members. Every member has a direct connection with one or more other members. The group provides a supportive structure for people to share ideas and encouragement. I’ve received a number of compliments from members how the support and positivity meant a lot to them during their most challenging time. Many of those challenges persist today but we’re still working together to move forward. This experience gave me more confidence in myself and my ability to make a positive difference in a challenging time. Recognizing that action was especially important when the cards were down.

Support for Groups making a difference

A few years ago I joined the Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary Club out of desire to give back. It was during a time of unprecedented prosperity in my business. Through this involvement I have kindled a deep passion for helping others. I also met a number of amazing people who work very hard to make a difference in this world and I have aimed to provide them with support in those endeavors. Some of my favorite causes include Asante Africa, The Wheelchair Foundation, Hayward Youth Academy, LN-4, and Trust in Education. I have made an effort to support these groups through Blog Talk Radio interviews, articles, sharing technical expertise and working strategically through Rotary to support their causes. It is incredibly satisfying for me to look back at what has been accomplished and to realize all the great things we can still do.

Encouraging Connections between People

Helping people and solving problems goes hand in hand. I often notice patterns that represent opportunities and try to provide the spark to have that opportunity ignite. This could be as simple as suggesting a website or article to someone but more importantly involves connecting people. This is something I realize in hindsight that I have watched and read about people doing over the years. It is incredibly satisfying to get a report back from two or more people that are benefiting from an introduction that I made. Helping people feels good, this is just another way to help.

Open Mind to Inspiration and Learning

Closing ourselves off is a defense mechanism. Traditionally this is something I quickly would do in a number of situations. For instance if a sales person called me on the phone, I would be annoyed that they were “wasting my time”. It is easy to watch the news and think that people in general are bad. It is hard to have conversations with a lot of people and not think people are good. It can be a challenge to keep an open mind but it is very important because it allows us to learn. Awareness is a powerful tool, being aware of our defense mechanisms allow us to consider new possibilities. One of the best examples I have of this is when a hip hop artist reached out to me on Facebook. He had seen something that I posted and thought it was interesting. He suggested I check out videos on YouTube that he had done. Most of them were not really my thing but one of his videos really connected with me. It involved the loss of someone he really cared about that had a lot of impact in the direct of his life. I experienced something similar in my past when I lost my mother to cancer. This story has repeated frequently since, strange connections leading to enlightenment and personal growth.

Guy Kawasaki and Chris Major

I have to thank Guy Kawasaki and Chris Major for their part in the forming of my personal mantra. Chris for noticing what I was doing and coming up with the actual words and Guy for planting the seed that a 2-3 word statement is much more powerful and important than big long winded business plans, manifesto’s and the like.

A Mantra Recipe

So the simplified version of my recipe, will this work for you?

  1. Start with some confidence and leadership building.
  2. Add several handfuls of causes bigger than yourself.
  3. Blend in some meaningful interpersonal connections.
  4. Add some inspiration and learning.
  5. Infuse the value of simplicity in a message.
  6. Introduce 2 simple words spoken at the right moment.
  7. Simmer for 2-3 days and serve.

My mantra is “Building Bridges”

My personal mantra was first spoken by Chris Major during a conversation at Leadership San Ramon Valley class of 2010 Education day in February 2010. We were having a conversation during one of the breaks from the session. Chris had recently been on my Blog Talk Radio show talking about Hayward Youth Academy. After the interview wheels were spinning for Chris. He recognized that what I do, what matters most to me is building bridges. Whether it is providing support for causes locally or around the world, connecting with unlikely new friends, teaching my son, or using technology to fill gaps in businesses – Chris was right, I am in the bridge building business. It had to simmer for a few days, but once it had it was ready for consumption.

I hope this helps you find inspiration, ideas or in some way live a better life.

I will close with the original You Tube video by Guy Kawasaki that talks about the importance of a Mantra vs a Business plan. I’ve in turn adapted this to the difference between a manifesto and a mantra in your personal life.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Leadership, Networking, Social Media Strategy, Technology Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why Joe “Went Social”

February 7, 2010 By 6 Comments

This past week I attended two different “networking” or social events. One was a chamber like event and the other was the Mashable/Social Media Week party Friday night in SF. Not long ago you would be hard pressed to find me at either of these events but I have really become more of a social being this last year or two. Why did this occur?

  1. The economy tanked and I had time to think about such things.
  2. I read a blog article by Guy Kawasaki about Schmoozing.
  3. I read a book called “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi.

My eclectic reasons

I think among the list the economy tanking is the most self-explanatory.  As the owner of what had been a growing IT services business a sudden interruption in that growth led to more time on my hands. The Guy Kawasaki thing dates way back to a suggestion that came from my friend Patrick Lee, now CEO of Rotten Tomatoes YEARS ago. Patrick gave me some great suggestions of books I could read as the owner of a technology business. Among them was Guy Kawasaki’s book Rules for Revolutionaries. Of course it took one more catalyst, this happened to be from neighbor and friend JP McDermott who reminded me that Guy had a blog and that it was great – which is where I found and read the schmoozing article. Ok, so now you know how I found the article but why was it instrumental in making me more social? The answer is quite simple – because guy tells you to give and help others. This was something I could do, naturally, daily and consistently. Never Eat Alone was the nail in the coffin for my anti-social positions. One thing in particular, when Keith recounts the story of the guy getting choked up about everyone forgetting his birthday – except Keith, really struck a chord with me. You see I am that guy, the one that sees one person struggling and can’t help but reach out and offer at least a smile and a bit of encouragement. I was dead set on being more social and connecting with more people.

Why I wrote this article

Now on to the meat of the story, the real reason I wanted to write this article. I had interesting experiences at these events that I feel I have a unique perspective to share with the world. My hope is that people who are both part of the positive experiences I had and negative or just similar in their presence at these events will benefit. Most memorable among my experiences (actual names and specific details often omitted to protect the innocent and guilty):

  1. The over aggressive Bank Sales VP.
  2. The old acquaintance.
  3. The Gimmick Lady.
  4. The loner.
  5. The high energy dreamer.
  6. The over aggressive Social Media Tool person.

The Over Aggressive Bank Sales VP

So you’ve probably heard of “that guy”. You know the one you’re not supposed to be. Well this guy was “that guy”. The banking business is evidently extremely aggressive on the sales side of things. Don’t call me, I’ll call you. This guy approached me and my “old acquaintance” (see part 2) and could not wait to sell us his services. It was really bad, almost laughable, I could not believe it. It will be hard for me to take that company seriously again, he so poorly represented them. He was sure of himself, had no problem asking for the sale. Someone back at the bank loves him, but not me.

The old Acquaintance

This is one of the great things about any social event. I was able to reconnect and have a fine conversation with someone I knew briefly through Toastmasters. Very nice guy, quality conversation and I am happy to be back in touch. Class act and I hope we are able to maintain a connection.

The Gimmick Lady

She had a gimmick to give you a sample of her product and a business card. She also approached a group of us and executed the gimmick. While personally not my style I respect her courage and willingness to be out there, trying to make things happen. It wasn’t over the top by any means. I sent her a nice follow up email because I wanted to encourage her to keep doing what she is doing. It did not seem like the approach was by any means second nature to her.

The Loner (Loners?)

This was at the Mashable party Friday night. I had arrived maybe 5-10 minutes, was checking Twitter, etc, as that seemed like “the thing to do” at a Mashable event. Then I noticed another guy just hanging out by himself. He was, like me, at this event alone so we shared at least one thing in common. I approached him and we had a pretty decent conversation going. I think this guy will be an entrepreneur one day, and I hope to encourage him to pursue that dream so I will be following up periodically. That is when the high energy dreamer showed up.

The High Energy Dreamer

She was great, full of energy joined the conversation and really kicked things in to high gear. She had just learned about 20 minutes before she arrived that her dream of having a certain job at a certain company had been fulfilled. She was riding on a natural high and passing on that positive energy with many people. I checked out her blog and I find her story very inspiring and humorous. Definitely a great person to connect with and I will probably keep in touch because I love to hear about happy endings and people winning.

The Over Aggressive Media Tool Person

When you’re having a conversation with someone else and someone comes along with the business cards already in hand, brace yourselves. This was very similar to “that guy” but in this case it was “that girl”. Please don’t be that girl/guy. You are the reason I didn’t want to be at events like this until I realized there were other reasons to go and much better philosophies and ideas about how relationships work with human beings in business or personally.

What I took away from the experiences

  1. Pride – that my comfort zone is much broader.
  2. Joy – making connections with new friends.
  3. Inspiration – watching people try and do.
  4. Happiness – helping others.

So I am not sure how this article will resonate with readers, but I truly hope that it helps you find what I’ve found and perhaps get you to go outside your comfort zone. The Mashable party was a spur of the moment thing. I learned about it and decided to go very late Friday afternoon. Please let me know what you think.

Resources:

Filed Under: Inspiration, Networking Tagged With: , , , , , ,