gaWrilla - Latest Comments

Re: In Search of the Perfect NYC (Technical) Co-Founder

pruett — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:14:32 -0000

nate...thanks for the comment! first saw you with anyclip and have been following your success with ohours, nytm, etc.

i was able to find a part time dev that helped me build out this prototype while i did the design, ui, ux, features, functions, elements, etc. while this has proven somewhat successful in launching a demo product, i am still looking for a local (NYC-based) dev who I can work alongside when we build out the product.

by the way nate, would love to meetup via ohours and i'm itching to get started on "The "HoPE Manifesto". NoPE no longer!

Re: In Search of the Perfect NYC (Technical) Co-Founder

Nate Westheimer — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:03:51 -0000

Seems you were able to build something already... Why do you think you need help for the next phase?

Re: Youth Culture Breeds Innovation

Nicholas Scalice — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:53:10 -0000

What an amazing video! Thanks for sharing!

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

pruett — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:52:32 -0000

I couldn't agree more Nicholas. Super exciting time! I cannot wait to see how it unfolds. Thanks for checking out the blog.

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

Nicholas Scalice — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:46:54 -0000

I almost never watch long videos like this, but the concepts are just so interesting. We're approaching a very inspiring time period. Thanks for sharing!

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

pruett — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:33:34 -0000

thanks for the heads up john...i was really impressed with seth's talk. have you played scvngr? i feel that this social layer or as you put it "alternate reality" can really open up a lot of doors across many industries. i guess we'll have to wait and see

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

John Brodman — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:22:44 -0000

The Swiss developer, Gbanga, recently released a Mafia-themed location-based game called, Gbanga Famiglia. The game pretty-much sums up what Seth Priebatsch is describing. Worth checking out for those interested in alternative reality games: http://gbanga.com

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

pruett — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:11:28 -0000

i agree...impressive talk by seth. i think making sense of this data overflow is absolutely essential and we will most likely begin to see methods as you described in order to extract signals from the noise.

Re: The Gaming Layer: The Next Social Interaction Movement

Mike Howard — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:51:14 -0000

Great video by Seth about the game layer. I wonder how he will normalize all that data across the layer. I also think it would be great if links could be somehow "veted" based on people who have clicked through before, and how much value they received from those links/offers/shared content.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:05:10 -0000

this is terrific insight mackfreddie. it's unfortunate, but it's an extremely relevant personal experience that applies to this topic in a huge way. employers' and employees' personal interests are not always in alignment, so it's a matter of understanding this and acting upon it.

understanding the dynamics of business, i'm sure you grasp the need of downsizing sometimes. you cannot fault the company for making these executive decisions in times of desperation. however, as you point out, they cannot expect you to devote complete and unwavering trust if such a situation is likely to arise.

it has to be a balance. it's just not fair to expect 100% devotion from ANY side without an equal and opposite force coming from the other. the scale is out of balance when this occurs.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

mackfreddie — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:35:23 -0000

Here is my problem: A company takes me on as a contractor. They talk me up about "long term commitments", because that's what they want to know if I can commit to "long term". I was asked at in an interview, at a very well to do global financial firm, if I wanted to stay long term.

Before I sign this contract, I ask, "What are the odds of you taking me on board and then scrapping me" (not verbatim). The Vice President responded, "It costs to much to hire you and then suddenly sweep you out the door, which is why we need a long term commitment from you". I signed the contract based on this logic, and TRUST, and was laid off with 35 others, (one month after signing a long term CONTRACT), just in time for Christmas Day.

Being a Millennial, I am incensed by the idea that Millenials are job hoppers or people who cannot commit. I'm highly educated, I have years of working experience and am good at what I do. I'm so good at what I do I got hired at another company right after Christmas, and had a complete re-run of the same old junk.

Reconsider long term commitments if you wind up short changing the employee.
Keep your end of the deal. You are proving to the employee that you are not trustworthy. You cannot keep your word, so if we smell trouble, you can't blame us for wanting to split on the next bus to Memphis.

Re: Facebook versus….Everyone Else?

pruett — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:52:50 -0000

thanks brett. yeah...i guess we'll have to wait and see. its amazing to see how much money these guys from diaspora raised in such a short time. pretty crazy for a bunch of college students.

Re: Facebook versus….Everyone Else?

Brett Russell — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:19:06 -0000

It is an interesting POV from Calcanis. Facebook is becoming increasingly more powerful and does not seem to have much constraint, which allows FB to operate pretty much however they see fit for the growth of the company. And considering the amount of information it holds and the reach it has, it can become a bit scary. Diaspora is an intriguing idea, and will be an interesting one to follow to see if it can appeal to the ever-growing social community.

Re: Simon Sinek Is The Truth

pruett — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:13:16 -0000

having never met the man myself, i cannot attest for him personally. i do however really enjoy this 18 minute presentation.

Re: Simon Sinek Is The Truth

Rob — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:00:49 -0000

I had the good(?) fortune of meeting Mr. Sinek when he visited the offices of the last company I worked for. He was meeting with a few people and being interview for a local website, and I was able to sit in. First of all, I will lead by saying that I think most TED Talks are well done and this is no exception.

However, from personal experience, I feel that Simon Sinek is a bit of a hack. He comes off as a person who has a theory about success in business, but who has never experimented with it, tested it, used it, or perfected it. It's just another story to tell, something to us to sell your books or get you speaking gigs.

In my opinion, the guy is really good at selling his ideas, but not so good at coming up with ideas or applying them to real companies.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:37:45 -0000

that's definitely your right as an employer. 8...i agree, hopping 8 times likely defies natural statistics. not many would argue with you on that.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

irv — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:57:00 -0000

No, that's not the point. The point is that, as an employer, if I see that someone has worked for a string of "deadbeat organizations," I don't conclude they've had bad luck and they'll see that my company is really the place for them. I conclude that they're malcontents who aren't worth my time or my money.

Dump 1 bad job, that's no big deal. We've all had at least one rotten job. Dump 2, well, there are a lot of bad ones out there. Dump 8 - maybe it's not really the company that's the problem after all.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:58:48 -0000

the point is that it starts with the employers. building effective businesses starts with the top (or bottom, depending on how you look at the hierarchy). if you don't set a good tone for how the business is run, then it's selfish to ask your employees to care deeply about the firm themselves.
employers have a massive responsibility...and that's the point of this post. you cannot expect employees to stick around an organization that doesn't place merit on its internal value proposition. life is too short to waste with a deadbeat organization.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

irv — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:21:49 -0000

You explained why not to hire job hoppers in one sentence. This one: "We don’t give a shit."

When I'm looking to hire someone, I want evidence that they do give a shit -about the company, about the job, about the customers, about their co-workers, about SOMETHING that will help the company. Job hopping is evidence to the contrary. Not absolute proof, sure, but it's still evidence that I have to consider.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

My Next — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:56:20 -0000

Very true point about employers. Some people are frankly just unlucky and get a big string of bad managers and/or companies

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:17:08 -0000

It's the unfortunate truth. But it's those rare few that do express a sense of loyalty and employee cultivation that are more likely to succeed. Succeed not only on paper, but culturally, which is arguably just as important looking long term.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

SnoopDoug — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:12:25 -0000

Considering that most companies have absolutely no loyalty to their employees, I'm not sure why you think the converse should be true.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

Greene — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:29:44 -0000

I find that entitlement swings both ways. It sounds as though you have a bad case yourself.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:01:28 -0000

I like Calacanis. I just watched that episode last night. I actually think he's lighting a fire under Gen-Y's ass which is never a bad thing.

Re: Employers Influence Job Hopping

pruett — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:55:50 -0000

Thanks for the comments Stephan.

So I approached this post based on my current personal situation: a) that of a full-time employee, and b) that of a startup founder, since I am currently both of these.

I disagree that fulfilling employees needs is an entitlement issue. Employers need to take responsibility of their company and what they offer internally to their team. I fully expect that my co-founders and subsequent employees would expect that out of me and my company.

Similarly, as an employee, I expect that my employer provide a thriving environment where I can grow professionally. That does not equate to entitlement, quite the contrary. In fact, I would contest that any responsible employer would want their employees to fight for these self-fulfilling rights. It means they care about growing within the organization, contributing to its success, and attaining knowledge along the way.