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The Big Day

Its already here! On the eve of the launch I am a little nervous and a little anxious to see how things get rolling. All of the hard work will not end with the launch tomorrow but it will atleast temporarily payoff. Months ago it was an idea that I couldn't stop telling my wife Becca about. Now in a matter of hours the idea will come to life. I am tired and feel like I haven't stopped for a second in the last two weeks. It is at this point that I leave my comfort zone. I unleash the beast and see what kind of potential it has. It was much safer as just an idea. Back then I could dream about it - speculate and hypothesize. Now I do all of that for the next release but in the meantime I worry about the little idea that could. Tomorrow will be the first time that more than a small group of everyday people begin to see it and use it. I am really curious about what they will think. I am for the first time feeling very vulnerable to outside opinion. Not that the ideas are completely original or autonomous. The greater social web movement should be thanked for their hand in this as well. The countless nights reading and searching and peering into creations of others who may have felt this way is why I am able to launch this thing. But I feel vulnerable to the poke and shake of the strangers who don't know every last detail of how I got from point to point. Those who look at the site with a virgin eye are the ones I am most curious about. Am I on track? I think so. But you don't know until you let go.

Glued to It

Week two is shaping up to be even busier than week one. As priorities get shifted up and down the endless to-do-list, I find it amusing that I am using web 2.0 products to do my job launching a web company. So I'm actually making Ta-Da-Lists from 37signals.com and I am bookmarking stuff that I want to come back to on Blue Dot (www.bluedot.us). Anyway we are implementing functionality on our test server this week. Our encode, transcode and upload features are working- which is a step in the right direction. We are tweaking design and user interface as we go and are making adjustments to the flash player to name a few. Overall there is a ton of work ahead, not to mention the tasks related to marketing, logo design and promotion. All of which need dire attention and are getting worked into the mix in answers (some) and questions (many). But overall even after my 13th hour on the laptop today - its very cool.

Week One: Free Dan

Free The Fan is a reality! What started as a little idea will now come to life. I left the security of my career behind for what I believe is a far more rewarding and courageous endeavor. Bottom Line: No more working for the man. Thanks to that little idea and some good people that trust in me as much as my opinions, we are off to the races to launch September 15th, 2006.

This is my first week as an unabashed entrepreneur. I am slinging emails from my luxurious home office. Getting used to it slowly but surely. Overall its an unbelievable opportunity. I am immersed in branding, site layout, design, guerilla marketing efforts and tailoring events for sponsorship opportunities. I could probably work 20 hours a day but then I wouldn't be working as smart as I could be. So I am trying to prioritize, delegate and push on. The clock feels like it ticks louder now but with that sound comes the greatest challenge I've ever faced.

I'm ready and willing.

Yahoo: What's Next?

Unlike Google, Yahoo has no shame in recognizing its presence as a media company. Many tech pundits have forecasted a future that includes Yahoo in the same breath as ABC (Disney) and NBC (GM). Yahoo C.E.O. Terry Semel spent 24 years at Warner Bros and is a more than logical choice for a tech company that is yearning to create content like they do in sunny SoCal. Recently Yahoo has left efforts to create exclusive online content with production companies however they are immersed in the Hollywood inner circle. Few have that V.I.P. pass, another reason why Semel and the Yahoo Entertainment offices are in LA. With the creative minds, hollywood handshakes and deep pockets its no mystery that they are positioned to be a big time player. But the question today might be what are they waiting for? Are they getting beat by the same moxy and innovation that Filo and Yang had when they started the internet portal in 1995?

The hollywood hubris has yet to lead to big dividends. Instead of acting like a nimble innovator that adapts with change, Semel's entertainment division is getting left in the dust. User-generated content has grown quickly in the so-called web 2.0 arena and YouTube, Grouper and Clipshack are leading the pack. Nimble companies that are navigating a marketplace driven by a participatory culture. But wait, Yahoo is not blind to the me mania. Flickr, arguably the best organized and cleanest designed photo-sharing site on the web was a Yahoo acqusition in March of 2005. Del.icio.us, the tag everything with keywords and organize bookmarks site was a Yahoo target in December 2005. Just last week Yahoo relaunched their video site to look less like Google video (a user interface nightmare) and more like its young competitors. Mostly Yahoo gets it. But when it comes time for Semel to shine his roots are as relevant as the old studio system.

The online video universe is rapidly expanding and as consumers take back more control of when, how and what they get then the more options that arise. But its a quantity not quality marketplace. Most of the content online is nauseating home video. If its relevant to you because its from friends or family then it carries value otherwise a small percentage is good because it quenches our morbid curiosity. Meanwhile the door remains open for a company to take charge and build an incredible brand by creating interactive and interesting content.

I am not suggesting that media companies create networks online. "Check your local listings" is a phrase that future generations will find as funny and as odd as black & white television. A linear format does not make any sense for an on-demand, always at your fingertips online experience to be had in my Tivo lifestyle. That said, the web is portable, interactive and personal because of the control we have as participants not just consumers. I don't want to just listen. I want to react, laugh, learn then shout, tell friends, get lost in the excitement, write, shake my head, figure out how that thing works, take it in then spit it out and do it all whenever I want.

The future of video content on the web is not about making it more like television. In fact it will become less and less like traditional tv. Series like CSI, Desperate Housewives and Curb Your Enthusiasm may find the web to be a succesful additional revenue stream. But given the choice we all know we'd rather watch those shows on our big screens rather than our laptops. That's ok. If content is more "consumer" controlled then its a win win. I can see it if I want to download it and they can make money because I did. But this isn't a peek into the future of internet content. New shows can be added every week to existing distribution platforms or new channels and it really doesn't matter. Its something that should have happened already if not for studio execs controlling out of fear (that someone in some far away land would pirate copies to the rest of the world.)

So how does Semel get past the traditional model of the hollywood system to capitalize on the role of Yahoo as a media company?

The quality of content available on the internet is subpar. The internet is by nature a shared environment of far greater interactivity for its users than that of traditional forms of media. Innovation has come from those sharing their lives with one another online. The collective inteligence that is tapped in sites such as Flickr and del.icio.us can be further explored in how we not only interact with one another but the information we seek out.

The future of internet video is in non-linear programs that encompass more than just video. The next step is capitalizing on an interactive environment by creating meaningful experiences that extend far beyond the limitations of tv's talking heads. No longer does the channel need to be more important that the information or entertainment. Take tools such as IM, picture sharing, webcams, email, video downloads, blogs and tagging then apply them to the latest news headline or movie review or celebrity gossip.

Then you open up an arena of communication that allows us to not just see the same soundbyte over and over again. Instead we understand, learn or are entertained by how we navigate the content. An almost "choose your own adventure" way of exploring a topic. If you want to sit back and take it all in without public reaction you can do so just as easily as you can fire off votes for your favorite player, share your side of the story or comment on another's opinion.

Yahoo has the infrastructure in place to reach an enormous audience and change the way people relate and share information, again. Web 1.0 may have been about accessing information, this time around the internet may be used more for entertainment but it still isn't your big screen so it needs to adapt with the needs of its participants.

Organization is key to the experience. Yahoo has definitive categories from Entertainment to Finance to Music, News and Travel. These topics could immediately translate to users on a video site where the content was influenced by the participants. Where users not only consumed but created.

As for hollywood parties and melon martinis they may be mildly entertaining until the gate keepers realize that content for TV and the Internet aren't interchangeable. Until then expect more television classics in stunning mpeg4 320 x 180.

Still Waiting

Today I spoke with my potential investors. It's been just over two weeks since I presented them with my business plan and discussed start-up capital. Since that meeting I have sent a half a dozen emails, a couple text messages and a few phone calls to keep in touch. I am trying to be engaged without seeming overly anxious. A plan that seems to be failing with each day that passes. I know that deals for seed funding don't necessarily happen overnight but the anticipation is eating at me. I really don't know what the extent of their investment will look like until I see a term sheet or get a phone call. Today they said that they would have an answer for me by Thursday. A very long 3 day wait. That is if they are able to discuss details and come to a decision within the next 3 days. I feel like I need to get going. With each day that passes I feel like a potential competitor gains one more day to catch up... soon enough I'll be behind. First mover advantage only goes to one player in the marketplace. So for now I wait. Brainstorming has reached a lull. Ideas are counteracted by what ifs and Plan Bs. I want to jump in, and drive the company forward but over the past couple days I have been consumed with preparing for what may or may not happen. At this point I am probably better off assuming that the company will move forward. With that outlook I can focus on competitive advantages and once again approach the biz with the passion that guided me through the concept. So its back to the think tank.

Wrong Number

This morning as I copied and pasted html code into my new blog I got a call from a collegue. The unbelievable happened and I was immediately at a loss for words. Today I was told my friend Ryan Bennett, MMA and Boxing Broadcaster had died tragically in a car accident. As I write this, I am further saddened to reflect upon the brief time I knew a truly good human being. Ryan carried himself with integrity, he treated everyone with respect and without even trying he left a smile or a laugh with those he came into contact with. Tragedy carries many questions especially when it takes one of the good ones. Yet it also reminds us to do what Ryan did so effortlessly. My grief is insignificant compared to those who were closest to Ryan but I feel that mine is derived from the lost opportunity that Ryan represents. His influence that was so positive, his demeanor so easy. I am blessed to have known Ryan and in this time I am truly made aware of the impression he made upon me and I'm sure many others. I know that he would want us to share the same joy, subtle smirks and happy times with one another. Life is so precious. Sometimes as we learn about the people around us we begin to understand ourselves. I know that I don't want the opportunity to laugh, listen and love to pass by.

The Process

After a few months of writing, research and tweaking I finished my business plan. On May 1st the company officially became a registered LLC. What started out as a cool idea was quickly becoming a legitimate and marketable service. On the last weekend of May I flew to New York to meet with potential investors. Their initial impression was positive, they really thought the idea had legs. The potential of a partnership was obvious. I went after investors that would serve to immediately provide much more than a financial resource given that they currently run a tech company and are stacked with expertise and technical resources. After 3 hours the meeting ended. When it was all over I think we all left with high aspiration. The guys said that they would discuss what their stake would be for their key investment of capital and resources, and then get back to me. I left the conversation reeling! It was one of those feelings of disbelief but your mind speeds through potential realities so fast you can't even keep up with the combinations of day dreamed outcomes. I ran through a to-do list replacing priorities over and over. I was getting ahead of myself but after all of the work it was worth it to dream for a little bit. That night, I laid looking at the ceiling recalling the days events until almost 3AM. I am ready for the challenge - I feel like I have waited for this my whole life.