Trada is revolutionizing the way Agencies, Advertisers and PPC Experts build and manage PPC marketing campaigns. We’ve developed the first PPC marketplace that allows agencies and in-house advertisers to leverage the skills of hundreds of the best PPC experts in the world, who in turn earn money risk free by generating low-cost clicks and conversions for advertisers.

So Trada crowdsources PPC campaigns and pays based on performance.  Very interesting to see how sustainable their payouts are to the people doing the work on the ground.  At first I thought this was spec work, but as stated as far from it because they pay the majority of the participants, which leads to a sustainable model that spec is not.

I see PPC campaigns as horribly confusing and needing constant maintenance.  A tool I don’t use because I don’t want to spend my days sharpening it. As a company, they have shown that they have a personality to say the least.

They have raised 2.2 in venture funding. Well done on the launch, will be exciting to watch them grow.

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I love about the landing page:

• simplicity of the message (Your online portfolio)
• positive notes (unicorn and a giant “Yeah!”)
• Colors
• Lead gen (Sign-up! and Try the demo.)
• Call to free, personalization, and community

I like looking at examples, so I click on over to the 2nd thing on the nav (like you read my mind) and am taken to a much more professional and clean design with matching style and enthusiasm.

Clear message, still focus on driving sign ups but also saying our community is awesome (see the “Awesome” badge?).

It says what they do by category labels (photographer can see what other photographers are doing).  As well as a basic sampling. Tim Van Damme is listed, and has a fantastic portfolio to look at.

Their progress page is a fresh and fantastic push at transparency.  It is a blog of sorts talking about action and reality of their service.

A personal pet peeve of mine is the Kathy Sierra-esk ‘WTF’ button at the bottom, a giant help icon that takes you to a really well thought out FAQ.   I wish a feedback loop was a bit tighter, but that is just my perception.  In reality, would be highly surprised if Spencer wasn’t the first comment on this post.  They are on it as a company with their customers and fans.

It is a shining showcase of how to build a site for users, and how to evolve as a startup.  It has character, great design and shines with usability.  It doesn’t say ‘we kick ass’ it says ‘our community and you kick ass.’

Their old site was great, this is phenomenal.  Well done team, well done.

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Download and view a big version by clicking the image.

The basic story- a ton of Interactive participants from SXSW stay an extra day or two after the conference to see a bit of music.  They also see the rise of the hipster in Austin.  Most grumble, but this is your chance to fit in, the 2010 SXSW Hipsteroff (not associated with the great conference organizers).

What: Dress like a hipster and try to fit in on South Congress the day after SXSW interactive.  There will be music and beer.

RSVP here for more details.

Dress to regret and tell your friends.  Feel free to hipster up at a thrift shop on South Congress too.

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The list is just under two years old.  I read every single resume that comes through, and as a whole, people are pretty bad at getting a job at a startup.  Here are some tips.

1. Know your specialty.  If you are a marketer, developer or designer, list that at the top.  List it in the subject line even.  “Rails Developer Looking For Early Stage Startup” would be a great title.  I should be able to glance at your coverletter and know what you are looking to do.
2. Your resume should be named yourname.pdf (no word).
3. Be creative.  One of the best cover letters I’ve ever read said “I’m amazing at creating buzzwords, drinking beer and finding adventure.  I’m also a kick ass Rails Developer, just coming off a long term contract.  Early stage startups are a plus.”  This sure as hell beats ‘I’m looking for a challenging and engaging environment to develop my talents.’
4. In the history of startups, not a single ‘generalist’ has ever been hired.  They are called founders.
5. Really, if you can’t focus on something, at least in your introduction, you have a <0% chance of landing a job.  Specialize!  Customer support!  QA! Development! Marketing!  Intern!  Product Development!  Design!
6. Be a human.  The worst case scenario of getting a job is sending out a resume and getting no responses.  Be a human, ask questions that can be answered by friendly folks.  Keep the discussion going.
7. Be clear.  You are looking for a job.  Cut the buzzswords, what is the best fit?  Steady?  Fast paced?  Live in Boulder?  Just say it.  Cut the shit.
8. Ditch a resume.  You really don’t need one to work at a startup.  A simple email of ‘this is what I have done, I’m looking to join a team as a _________ to kick some ass’ is a great way to do it.  List specific projects and accomplishments.  Show that you can be on point, effective and humble.
9. Comment on their blogs!  Company blogs are largely lacking in comments!
10. Easy way to get into the CEO’s inbox is write a post about the company, saying how you admire / like them.  CEO’s look at the blogs, and if in your bio you are clear in what you are looking to do (Developer!) you might just get an expressway to an interview.
11. Email is a way to see if you are on it.  Reply almost immediately.  The more out of the usual workday, the more important.  Keep them concise.    “Hey Sue just got your email, quite late here but I would love to respond, a) b) c) d).  Feel free to call if you have any quesitons.
12. Have a personal blog.  Write posts about what you specialize in.  Get people to comment on it.  Stand out.   You control your personal brand, and if you don’t do this you are showing you don’t care.
13. Really, have a personal blog.  Today.  Now. Get. On. It.
14. Not caring is the #1 reason you won’t be hired at a startup.
15. Hack on stuff.  I like to think there are great fits for people and startups.  When you find that special company, do what you do for them.  “I know you have processes to do things like this, but I couldn’t help but see your PPC campaign is missing some pieces.  If I was there I would help by doing _______”  is a great way to do it.  Consider it the interview the others were to lazy to do.  When getting a job, standing out helps, a ton.  Don’t do this for every app, nor spend too much time on it.
16. Attend events.  Meet folks there.  Follow up from there.

Someone sent a picture of them doing an impressive flip as an addition to their resume, which in Boulder, is the best cover letter I can think of. Checking to see if he got a job today

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This is a great way to give back!  From an email:

Join SnapCamp from Feb 19-21st in Boulder to help make volunteering ridiculously easy. We will update the power behind serve.gov (All for Good – collaboration of Google and Craigslist Foundation) using Scala/Lift and need skills from software developers to graphic design to marketing to fundraising. Can’t come for the whole weekend? No problem, come for part of it so you won’t miss out.

That is this weekend!  Get your free ticket here.

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They failed.  Money ran out.  The community’s passion did too.  A deadly combination.

They wrote one hell of a post describing everything they learned.  It is a must read.

They have class.

Something hit me last week, while FiltrBox was having their closing dinner (a tradition when you get acquired, use some of the money and buy one hell of a dinner with your investors, employees and friends).  We celebrate success (like FiltrBox, SocialThing and BrightKite) and thank class acts like Josh and Rob, but do we celebrate their effort?

I race triathlon.  If 1000 people are in the race, 1 person wins.  The people in the race don’t act like that though.  They don’t quit because they are a few minutes back on the swim.  They don’t stop in the bike because they hear the pros have already finished.  They don’t start walking in the run because their chance at prize money is gone.

They finish, and finish with pride.  They were in the race.  They were cheering on everyone that passed them, that they passed.  They helped the guy that crashed.  They bought a beer for the guy they finished with.  If the ecosystem was such that we just celebrated #1 and told the rest of the athletes they were failures, the sport would die.

I get a bit pissed when I hear people get down on any startup that isn’t working out.  In traditional ‘why don’t I just act on this and not just write’ I formed a plan and floated it by the guys.

Next week I’m taking Rob and Josh out for a ‘non acquisition’ dinner at the nicest place in town. I will be raising my glass with them, with some really nice wine.   Time to celebrate what these two did, tried to do, and will do in the future.

To Rob and Josh, I look up to you.  See you next race.

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On one hand real honest data is awesome, on the other hand, it is really hard to talk about your baby.  Ignite continues to grow and evolve.  Here are some thoughts:

• This was the best Ignite Boulder yet to me.
• Everyone has their take of the event, some love the social ones, some love the funny talks, and some just love the people.
• The organizing crew kicks so much ass.  Efficient, down to business, helpful and always happy.  Pinch me, they are too good.  Rande, sorry for you not being on the slide.
• The volunteers are amazing.  I like how we got everyone up on stage and thanked them!  Way to go Kath.
• The speakers were solid across the board.  I really like the focus on teaching something, then humor.  You can’t bring one without the other.
• 830 tickets sold.  Amazing.  Really humbled.
• The feedback has been really interesting, as always.  We really listen and make adjustments and you can see that in the event.  We leave out the comment fields of the public view, but there are many great suggestions.
• The change of introductions was fantastic!  The organizer that picked the speaker introduced them.  Made it more personal and interesting.
• Gender equality with speaking slots and crowd was great.  There was a line for the woman’s bathroom for the first time at an Ignite Boulder.  Our biggest critics of being a ‘dudefest’ are nowhere to be found to cheer us on.  Weird.  Our speaker slots are generally 50/50 and attendance 60/40.  Happy with our teams effort and focus on this.
• The live stream was quality this time and we has ~500 concurrent online views.
• Our sponsors were awesome, thanks Sticker Giant and Leeds School of Business!
• All that said, there is a ton we can do to make it even better.  Thanks for the feedback, support and being there.  It is really a special community we have here and I should take more time to just say thank you.
• Thank you.
• So happy to have all of you and this event in my life.  Ignite 9 is coming up quick!

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• About to sell out!  700 people have their tickets!
• Going to be a ton of fun.

Don’t have a ticket yet?  Jump on your wagon and get one.

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What was interesting was the announcers.  Each one of the hall of fame athletes and coaches went off script to single out a specific coach, by name, that didn’t believe in him.

Here they were all wearing Super Bowl Rings, wildly successful and on national TV.

And they wanted to let you know that one guy that didn’t believe in them.  They were passionate about it.  “This guy said I could never play in the NFL *points to Super Bowl Champion Ring* yeah, I remember that.”

There is a level of intellectual honesty you have to have with startups.  People are going to say no to you a lot.  It isn’t your job to push through every rejection, it is your job to know which ones to be bummed about.

Today I Pick was rejected by the Open Angel Forum.  I really like what they are doing and would have loved to present, but I’m not 100% sure on raising money right now, which is what the forum is really for.  If you are not 100% sure you are raising money, you really are 0%.  They saw this.  Smart.  If I got in I would be taking a spot away from someone with a lead investor.  Part of me wants to be a pit bull about these things, part of me understands why.  I’m excited to watch the OAF grow, would love to help develop a program for those that don’t get in.

The SXSW Accelerator, of which I was critical of last year, sent a rejection to Pick today.  I’m pretty bummed about this, partially in the way it was done (100% form letter, no feedback, and I was charged to submit), but in what I think Pick is bringing is perfect for the SXSW crowd.   I really want to support this event (startups need more celebration at SXSW) and was trying to be the better change.  Still planning on launching at SXSW.

There is that chip on the shoulder that someone gets.  Bottled up rage.  I felt this way at Mile 25 of the NYC Marathon, and the last mile of the Half Ironman.  You could have hit me with a truck and I would have crawled to the finish line.

One of my heroes is the CU Cross Country program (coaches and athletes).  Long time coach Mark Wetmore has a great attitude about not talking about what you are going to do, but showing them the soles of your feet.  There is a quite humble pride in that.

It is time to prove some people wrong.

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For instance I can’t make a call while driving to Denver on AT&T without it being dropped. Seven times is the fewest I can do. AT&T is horrible, and no amount of brainwashing commercials can make them suck less. What can make them suck less is their stock price going down (or customers flat leaving) because of customer dissatisfaction.

What happens when Apple, kings of marketing products, get brought down by brandjacking and pop culture?

iPad

Photo by Danny Newman

Saturday Night Live announced the iPad as “apple released a thing that does stuff that their other things already do.”

As cool as we think this product is going to be, there is a underlying sense that if you use it, you will be lame.

We can call this the Segway Problem.  You can’t look cool and use a Segway, or a Zune for that matter (sorry).

This comes to an underlying theme of this blog, don’t be lame.  How does a product become lame?  By not listening to customers, abusing their power, being overpriced, being closed to innovation or repeating past mistakes.

Call that the Apple 2010 mantra.  The iPad didn’t listen to their customers, is abusing their power (flash anyone?), overpriced (not by much, but every app added they will get a 30% cut of), a closed operating system and sticking with AT&T (holy fail of all fails).

With the iPad Apple has started the process of being unbeatable brand leader to lame.

I see smaller groups being highly effective at brandjacking companies.  Danny’s example above is a very small example.

Remember the Chevy ad campaign from a few years ago that the community went a little wild with brandjacking?  The site is down, but SFWeekly caught a great clip:

When you think of Chevy and “I still live with my parents” you are far less likely to buy a Chevy.

With high unemployment and brands marketing to wealth and status, it really is inevitable.

Example here with the new iPhone 3GS, go to hell.

Will it cause change though?

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