Lesson of the day: it is all about the beer and skittles.
Today was a sad day. It was a day filled with amazing meetings, but it was our last day in San Francisco before heading back to the snowy Midwest. In order to celebrate, we began by catching up on book reports. In fact, we got through most, except mine. Pyz talked about the Four Hour Work Week, Bryan discussed the Numerati (a way of predicting people’s behavior), and Aaron talked about the beginning of Facebook from the book, Accidental Billionaires. We reported on the books we read at Peet’s Coffee House. It was crowded, but we succeeded in getting a table and 10 chairs by standing awkwardly until people felt bad and let us have a place to sit.
Once again, the conversation drifted to social networking, which was appropriate as we were headed to Facebook. We met with Dave Fetterman at Facebook and he talked to us about his new position as engineering manager of the mobile Facebook. He talked about how the mobile application of Facebook is like a start-up company in size and the amount of work to do. The good thing about acting like a start-up is that there is energy and innovation along with a sense of purpose. The culture at Facebook is what surprised me the most. There are no cubicles, just one computer after another on long tables. The only belongings employees have are what are on the tiny desk space. The building is all open and I can’t imagine how anyone gets anything done with everyone so close, but somehow, they manage. As we were leaving, we got to add our nametags to the giant ball of old visitor nametags.
We then quickly grabbed some Chipotle before heading to Microsoft. We had no idea what to expect at Microsoft, but were led into a huge conference room equipped with in-table microphones and an array of goodies. We were sitting around when in walks Dan’l Lewin, Corporate VP of Microsoft and developer of Apple (I could go on and on about his credentials, but lets just say it is a long list and he is a very powerful businessman). We had a question and answer forum with Lewin where he answered our remaining questions about Silicon Valley and the entrepreneurial world. Lewin then left us in the capable hands of the tech developers and Justin showed us the demos of the research at Microsoft. It is amazing, and it should be. Microsoft spends $10 billion in research alone. Much of the research is never used in any Microsoft product.
I am quickly going to explain some of my favorite technologies that are either in process, in testing, or an idea for the future. There are technologies like instant translation, multiple points of touch screens, and a transparent computer screen with the ability to scan items onto the screen. I think the computer with multiple monitors but no keyboard would be really cool to own. You wouldn’t need a mouse because you use your touch in order to move the items on the screen. After watching a video and talking about all of the interesting new technology, we got to demo a touch screen that costs $10,000 let alone the software required to use the actual screen. The applications that can be used on the touch screen (it looks like a coffee table) are unique and varied and include a medical application along with plenty of games. We could have spent hours messing with everything but we had to move along to Intel.
After being amazed with everything happening at Microsoft, Intel was a little bit different for me. First, the culture was closed. The entire building was quiet with high cubicles and a sense of gloom hung in the air. Intel personnel have to be incredibly detail-oriented and their work is highly complex. A lot of the discussion with Neil MacAvoy went over my head, especially when getting into the detail about computer chips and such. I still had fun and took a lot away about how to keep innovative when working in such a big company. MacAvoy had a few words of description about start-up companies, their passion, innovation, and energy. According to him, start-ups are “all about the beer and skittles.”
Overall, my brain was saturated with all the information it had taken in during the past two weeks. Starting at Callspark who is in its infancy all the way to Intel, a company that pulled in a good chunk of change, I have learned and experienced so much that will help in my future endeavors. These experiences included trying a whole bunch of new food. My taste testing came to an end as we celebrated our final evening by getting dressed up (well some people did) and eating at the Italian restaurant, La Strada. All those who were legal, tried some wine (I stuck to water which was refilled every two seconds by the waiter). We started by sharing a couple of pizzas, followed by the main entrée of some pasta which I can’t pronounce or spell (I gave a valiant effort though) that consisted of lamb ragu and ricotta cheese, and ended with a chocolate soufflé that was to die for.
The night ended in no other way than us all writing our blogs, reminiscing about the trip, and packing for our return to the Midwest.
Kaitlin
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Disruptive Technology
Lesson of the day: it is not about what you do, it is about who you know.
Today can be described in one word, Google. It was an experience I will never soon forget. We meet our host for the day, Craig Cornelius, at his office and then walked over to the GooglePlex. For the next hour and a half we met with Googlers from different projects within Google. Our first meeting was with Davidson Young from University Relations who discussed recruiting for engineering and product management. Next, we met with Michael Braderman from Google Enterprise who focuses on selling Google Apps to businesses and other organizations to use for their intranet. Xuefu Wang from Google Books talked about the Google Books product and the copyright issues and the goals for the product. Google Maps was next on the list and Jessica Pfund opened discussion to include the maps product, the creation of your own maps, and the challenges in producing maps including localization and the fact that more than just text needs to be translated in order for the product to work. Our final meeting was with Rick Klau from the Blogger department. Rick discussed more than just the Blogger product, he discussed keeping one step ahead of innovation (so basically keeping up with themselves). He also discussed about how Google employees are encouraged to share any idea, no matter how silly or crazy, because it may spark another idea or revolutionize a product.
Something that Davidson Young talked about stayed with me for the rest of the day. He was talking about getting a job or an internship at Google and that the best way to become employeed is to have someone in the company recommend you. So basically, it is not all about what you know, but who you know within the company.
After all of our meetings, we get to tour the GooglePlex and see all of the cool gadgets before eating for free in the Google cafeteria. (Sorry, no pictures of the gadgets since we were not allowed to take them in the GooglePlex). Let me just say that the Google cafeteria is ten times better than the Luther cafeteria. I wandered around before settling on a salad and a grilled chicken sandwich. We talked with Craig during lunch then headed to the Google store. Afterwards, we looked at the Android building, took some pictures with the big Android symbol, and then headed to the Computer History Museum.
We watched a demonstration of a Babbage, a computing device designed in 1849, but not actually produced until it was pointless because computers can do it the same function, but much easier and faster. It was still interesting to see the machine that Babbage thought up so long ago in action. We looked around and found out more about the history of computers before heading to drinks and snacks with Al Brutos, a Luther alum, at the Circus Club, his country club.
Again, Al reiterated the concept that in order to succeed in business, you need to surround yourself with good people that are good at managing others. It was fun to meet such a successful Luther alum and get to talk about the school that shaped his life and that is shaping our futures.
After our dinner meeting with Al, a few of us headed to Coldstone for ice cream, rich, delicious ice cream. It was fantastic!
Once again, we ended the evening blogging and getting ready for our final full day in Silicon Valley.
Until next time,
Kaitlin
Today can be described in one word, Google. It was an experience I will never soon forget. We meet our host for the day, Craig Cornelius, at his office and then walked over to the GooglePlex. For the next hour and a half we met with Googlers from different projects within Google. Our first meeting was with Davidson Young from University Relations who discussed recruiting for engineering and product management. Next, we met with Michael Braderman from Google Enterprise who focuses on selling Google Apps to businesses and other organizations to use for their intranet. Xuefu Wang from Google Books talked about the Google Books product and the copyright issues and the goals for the product. Google Maps was next on the list and Jessica Pfund opened discussion to include the maps product, the creation of your own maps, and the challenges in producing maps including localization and the fact that more than just text needs to be translated in order for the product to work. Our final meeting was with Rick Klau from the Blogger department. Rick discussed more than just the Blogger product, he discussed keeping one step ahead of innovation (so basically keeping up with themselves). He also discussed about how Google employees are encouraged to share any idea, no matter how silly or crazy, because it may spark another idea or revolutionize a product.
Something that Davidson Young talked about stayed with me for the rest of the day. He was talking about getting a job or an internship at Google and that the best way to become employeed is to have someone in the company recommend you. So basically, it is not all about what you know, but who you know within the company.
After all of our meetings, we get to tour the GooglePlex and see all of the cool gadgets before eating for free in the Google cafeteria. (Sorry, no pictures of the gadgets since we were not allowed to take them in the GooglePlex). Let me just say that the Google cafeteria is ten times better than the Luther cafeteria. I wandered around before settling on a salad and a grilled chicken sandwich. We talked with Craig during lunch then headed to the Google store. Afterwards, we looked at the Android building, took some pictures with the big Android symbol, and then headed to the Computer History Museum.
We watched a demonstration of a Babbage, a computing device designed in 1849, but not actually produced until it was pointless because computers can do it the same function, but much easier and faster. It was still interesting to see the machine that Babbage thought up so long ago in action. We looked around and found out more about the history of computers before heading to drinks and snacks with Al Brutos, a Luther alum, at the Circus Club, his country club.
Again, Al reiterated the concept that in order to succeed in business, you need to surround yourself with good people that are good at managing others. It was fun to meet such a successful Luther alum and get to talk about the school that shaped his life and that is shaping our futures.
After our dinner meeting with Al, a few of us headed to Coldstone for ice cream, rich, delicious ice cream. It was fantastic!
Once again, we ended the evening blogging and getting ready for our final full day in Silicon Valley.
Until next time,
Kaitlin
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Breaking Barriers
Lesson of the day: life should not be all about you.
The first meeting of the day was not until 11:30 so we took the morning to catch up on book reports that haven't been presented. We heard about the Tipping Point from Jeni, Social Media from Kiflu and the Art of the Start from Drew.
We got into a discussion about Twitter and the reasons why we were not a part of the Twitter community before the trip. Pyz made a good point when he said that the reason he didn't want to get an account was because he felt there was a stigma against people who have a big enough ego to always be updating what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I agree that I have had enough of status updates and the constant feed of what is going on in the lives of people I am not great friends with, but who I felt obligated to approve as friends. However, I believe that Twitter can be used for more than the people who think life is all about them, there is a great business side to the product and a way to share information to all of those people who are following you.
There is a great potential for things like discounts at stores, coupons for restaurants, and live updates for sports teams. The discussion about Twitter got me thinking about how your life should be more than simply all about you. Life should be about making a difference and educating others. I was still pondering this when we headed to Benetech, a non-profit organization whose multiple products include a reader for the blind and Book Share, a collection of books blind and dyslexic people can use without cost.
The main point the Benetech representative made was to make sure that no matter what we did, whether it be for-profit or non-profit, it should somehow manage to have some positive social impact. In other words, my life and career should not be all about me.
This attitude continued with our afternoon meeting at Sierra Ventures, a venture capital firm whose main area is in the “green” area technology companies. We arrived at Sierra Ventures after all splitting up and grabbing a quick lunch. The firm’s professional and expensive appearance was quickly explained as the firm manages 1.5 billion dollars and is currently investing with a $400 million fund.
Robert Walker, who has an incredibly interesting background in physics and energy efficient lighting, explained that Sierra Ventures was focused on providing money for companies whose product fell into the areas of energy efficiency, energy storage, or hardware surrounding the “cleantech” ecosystem. The venture capital firm is interested in making a difference by being focused not on themselves, but on companies that know there is value to sustainability and having an eco-friendly company.
Let's just say that our conversation with Robert was not all about the ways in which we can save the environment. He had a good perspective on international business including legal implications and challenges that are faced when expanding across international borders. We also talked about emerging technologies like the puke saver where there is a certain frequency and wavelength that makes 30 percent of people vomit. Supposedly, the government is trying to develop this so that police can potentially use it for crowd control during riots. (Please do not ask me how we got on this topic because I am still at a loss for how this came up in the conversation.)
Needless to say, our meeting at Sierra Ventures was an interesting one. Afterwards, the group walked around Stanford University and spent the hour and a half break wandering around the campus and shopping in the bookstore (they have a coffee shop and an Apple store within the bookstore...I was impressed). We all split up to head to Darbar, the restaurant where we would be meeting Craig Cornelius for dinner.
The walk was a bit longer than we expected; however, Kiflu, Bryan, Megan, Pyz, and I did not get lost after we called a few people for directions. We ended up walking for two miles and one of my blisters ended up bursting during our speedwalk which caused me to have an extremely bloody foot, pant leg, and shoe during dinner. (I tried cleaning up in the bathroom, but I couldn't get it all). Other than the blister, dinner was fabulous.
We split samosas for an appetizer and I got chicken curry for an entree. The nan (a flatbread) was delicious and I was stuffed before I could finish my meal. However, we managed to order dessert and split a mango kulfi. After talking with Luther alum and current Google employee, Craig Cornelius, we now know what to expect when we go to Google tomorrow and got to know a little bit about what life is like for a Luther grad.
After parting with Craig for the night, we headed back to the hotel for blogging and a good night's sleep seeing as we have a full day at the Google campus. So in my next blog I will be able to tell you how good the Google food really is.
Unitl next time,
Kaitlin
The first meeting of the day was not until 11:30 so we took the morning to catch up on book reports that haven't been presented. We heard about the Tipping Point from Jeni, Social Media from Kiflu and the Art of the Start from Drew.
We got into a discussion about Twitter and the reasons why we were not a part of the Twitter community before the trip. Pyz made a good point when he said that the reason he didn't want to get an account was because he felt there was a stigma against people who have a big enough ego to always be updating what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I agree that I have had enough of status updates and the constant feed of what is going on in the lives of people I am not great friends with, but who I felt obligated to approve as friends. However, I believe that Twitter can be used for more than the people who think life is all about them, there is a great business side to the product and a way to share information to all of those people who are following you.
There is a great potential for things like discounts at stores, coupons for restaurants, and live updates for sports teams. The discussion about Twitter got me thinking about how your life should be more than simply all about you. Life should be about making a difference and educating others. I was still pondering this when we headed to Benetech, a non-profit organization whose multiple products include a reader for the blind and Book Share, a collection of books blind and dyslexic people can use without cost.
The main point the Benetech representative made was to make sure that no matter what we did, whether it be for-profit or non-profit, it should somehow manage to have some positive social impact. In other words, my life and career should not be all about me.
This attitude continued with our afternoon meeting at Sierra Ventures, a venture capital firm whose main area is in the “green” area technology companies. We arrived at Sierra Ventures after all splitting up and grabbing a quick lunch. The firm’s professional and expensive appearance was quickly explained as the firm manages 1.5 billion dollars and is currently investing with a $400 million fund.
Robert Walker, who has an incredibly interesting background in physics and energy efficient lighting, explained that Sierra Ventures was focused on providing money for companies whose product fell into the areas of energy efficiency, energy storage, or hardware surrounding the “cleantech” ecosystem. The venture capital firm is interested in making a difference by being focused not on themselves, but on companies that know there is value to sustainability and having an eco-friendly company.
Let's just say that our conversation with Robert was not all about the ways in which we can save the environment. He had a good perspective on international business including legal implications and challenges that are faced when expanding across international borders. We also talked about emerging technologies like the puke saver where there is a certain frequency and wavelength that makes 30 percent of people vomit. Supposedly, the government is trying to develop this so that police can potentially use it for crowd control during riots. (Please do not ask me how we got on this topic because I am still at a loss for how this came up in the conversation.)
Needless to say, our meeting at Sierra Ventures was an interesting one. Afterwards, the group walked around Stanford University and spent the hour and a half break wandering around the campus and shopping in the bookstore (they have a coffee shop and an Apple store within the bookstore...I was impressed). We all split up to head to Darbar, the restaurant where we would be meeting Craig Cornelius for dinner.
The walk was a bit longer than we expected; however, Kiflu, Bryan, Megan, Pyz, and I did not get lost after we called a few people for directions. We ended up walking for two miles and one of my blisters ended up bursting during our speedwalk which caused me to have an extremely bloody foot, pant leg, and shoe during dinner. (I tried cleaning up in the bathroom, but I couldn't get it all). Other than the blister, dinner was fabulous.
We split samosas for an appetizer and I got chicken curry for an entree. The nan (a flatbread) was delicious and I was stuffed before I could finish my meal. However, we managed to order dessert and split a mango kulfi. After talking with Luther alum and current Google employee, Craig Cornelius, we now know what to expect when we go to Google tomorrow and got to know a little bit about what life is like for a Luther grad.
After parting with Craig for the night, we headed back to the hotel for blogging and a good night's sleep seeing as we have a full day at the Google campus. So in my next blog I will be able to tell you how good the Google food really is.
Unitl next time,
Kaitlin
Monday, January 18, 2010
Changing Locations
Sunday, January 17
Lesson of the day: everyone fails eventually.
I woke up expecting great things to happen. Things like the Cowboys winning and the Jets losing. Unfortunately, neither one of those happened. It is something I have gathered from my first week here in Silicon Valley, everyone fails and it is okay to fail, in fact, failing is good for you. So, it is hopeful to know that eventually, the Vikings will fail and that there is always next season for Nate Kaeding to bounce back after a disappointing performance.
Good things did happen to me today, I got a lot accomplished as I quietly watched the Vikings beat the Cowboys (I was cheering against the Vikings and everyone else was from Minnesota), we safetly made it to our next location (Menlo Park), and I again had new experiences (I did laundry at the local Laundromat and I ate chicken shish kebab at a Turkish restaurant). Mostly I ordered the shish kebab just so I could say "shish kebab," but it ended up being an excellent meal.
After starting the day off by failure (both the NFL teams I was cheering for lost), it was only befitting to end the day with failure by losing both games of up and down the river by a large margin. Yet, I am fine with failure. I will grow from my experiences, learn from them, and next time we play up and down the river, I will dominate everyone with my skill!
Monday, January 18
Lesson of the day: always be prepared.
I had two memorable experiences today, one in which I was prepared, the other....not so much.
First, this is the second time I have written this post seeing as how when I went to publish the first one, my computer froze without saving it. This is the instance in which I was not prepared with a back-up which is why I am still writing about my day a few hours after I started it. But it is a lesson, always be prepared for anything. This time, I am saving a draft every two minutes, just in case.
My second experience was a lot better for me (minus the fact that I now have really wet shoes). We headed to Monterey Bay this morning and took a pit stop at a redwood forest. It was raining, which added to the beauty and also created one of my favorite things, puddles! Needless to say, I had to jump in one (it was a small one), but that didn't stop my shoes from getting soaked. However, I was prepared with flip flops waiting for me in the van so that I didn't have to have memories of being at Adventureland after getting off the Raging River.
Moving on, the forest was amazing. Imagine looking up and only being able to see the green of the 280 foot trees and raindrops falling so slowly that you can catch them. It was a sight to see and the mushy ground could not take away from the mystique of the forest. After taking a short loop, we piled back into the van and continued our trek to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The aquarium was another fun place where I got to touch a bat ray, starfish, and other sea creatures. My favorites were the jellyfish display and tank filled with Finding Nemo characters (there was Marlin/Nemo, Dory, Gill, and the Bubbles fish). Another highlight was sitting outside and watching the waves roll in (it was cold so I did not stay outside for very long).
The ride back to Menlo Park felt shorter, but maybe it was because I fell asleep! We headed to Applewood Pizza for dinner which consisted of pizza and beer (I had root beer). After good food and conversation, we headed back to the hotel to blog and to get ready for this week's big meetings. (Benetech and Sierra Ventures on Tuesday, Google on Wednesday, and Facebook, Microsoft, and Intel on Thursday).
Until next time,
Kaitlin
Lesson of the day: everyone fails eventually.
I woke up expecting great things to happen. Things like the Cowboys winning and the Jets losing. Unfortunately, neither one of those happened. It is something I have gathered from my first week here in Silicon Valley, everyone fails and it is okay to fail, in fact, failing is good for you. So, it is hopeful to know that eventually, the Vikings will fail and that there is always next season for Nate Kaeding to bounce back after a disappointing performance.
Good things did happen to me today, I got a lot accomplished as I quietly watched the Vikings beat the Cowboys (I was cheering against the Vikings and everyone else was from Minnesota), we safetly made it to our next location (Menlo Park), and I again had new experiences (I did laundry at the local Laundromat and I ate chicken shish kebab at a Turkish restaurant). Mostly I ordered the shish kebab just so I could say "shish kebab," but it ended up being an excellent meal.
After starting the day off by failure (both the NFL teams I was cheering for lost), it was only befitting to end the day with failure by losing both games of up and down the river by a large margin. Yet, I am fine with failure. I will grow from my experiences, learn from them, and next time we play up and down the river, I will dominate everyone with my skill!
Monday, January 18
Lesson of the day: always be prepared.
I had two memorable experiences today, one in which I was prepared, the other....not so much.
First, this is the second time I have written this post seeing as how when I went to publish the first one, my computer froze without saving it. This is the instance in which I was not prepared with a back-up which is why I am still writing about my day a few hours after I started it. But it is a lesson, always be prepared for anything. This time, I am saving a draft every two minutes, just in case.
My second experience was a lot better for me (minus the fact that I now have really wet shoes). We headed to Monterey Bay this morning and took a pit stop at a redwood forest. It was raining, which added to the beauty and also created one of my favorite things, puddles! Needless to say, I had to jump in one (it was a small one), but that didn't stop my shoes from getting soaked. However, I was prepared with flip flops waiting for me in the van so that I didn't have to have memories of being at Adventureland after getting off the Raging River.
Moving on, the forest was amazing. Imagine looking up and only being able to see the green of the 280 foot trees and raindrops falling so slowly that you can catch them. It was a sight to see and the mushy ground could not take away from the mystique of the forest. After taking a short loop, we piled back into the van and continued our trek to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The aquarium was another fun place where I got to touch a bat ray, starfish, and other sea creatures. My favorites were the jellyfish display and tank filled with Finding Nemo characters (there was Marlin/Nemo, Dory, Gill, and the Bubbles fish). Another highlight was sitting outside and watching the waves roll in (it was cold so I did not stay outside for very long).
The ride back to Menlo Park felt shorter, but maybe it was because I fell asleep! We headed to Applewood Pizza for dinner which consisted of pizza and beer (I had root beer). After good food and conversation, we headed back to the hotel to blog and to get ready for this week's big meetings. (Benetech and Sierra Ventures on Tuesday, Google on Wednesday, and Facebook, Microsoft, and Intel on Thursday).
Until next time,
Kaitlin
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Celebrities
Friday, January 15
Lesson of the day: you can have fun at work.
Today (well I guess it was yesterday since I am writing this late), we had the morning to relax and what better way is there to relax than running? Not much, so Jeni, Megan, and I ran along the boardwalk of Fisherman’s Wharf and ran into some affiliates of the Milwaukee Bucks (or at least we think we did…Megan is positive that they are two players). After grabbing a quick bite to eat and showering, the group headed off to Union Square for shopping, eating, and a spot on the radio (more on that later).
The first stop on our whirlwind adventure was to a shop were I got souvenirs (I can’t mention the name because then it wouldn’t be a surprise). Then we window shopped at stores with prices we couldn’t afford after finally deciding we wanted to go somewhere we could actually feel comfortable in. We settled on searching the seven stories of the Nike store. After a bit of shopping, we headed to the corner of Stockton and Geary to meet the rest of the group.
It was near the ice rink that Megan and I found our next step to stardom…the radio. We were minding our own business when two guys from Movin’ 99.7 asked us to say a few lines for some spots on the radio. Five minutes and a few “Movin’ plays the music I want to hear” later, we were on our way to the first meeting of the day at Porter Novelli.
Amazing does not even begin to describe Porter Novelli and the meeting with Karen. Just to give a little taste, the meeting started off with introductions which included our favorite cereal (Waffle Crisp) and ended with a brief tour that showed research for a video game by playing it in the middle of the office. The meeting simply instilled an even greater interest in the public relations field and sparked a curiosity about consideration of entering a PR agency.
Karen, who works with the social media team at Porter Novelli, highlighted the importance of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to all of their clients, not simply the tech-oriented ones. The fact that all products and services can be promoted cost effectively on-line showed me that using social media in PR will be the future for many clients.
Although our meeting was rushed, I greatly enjoyed it and am excited about my future prospects if and when I enter the PR world. The group hurriedly walked a few blocks until we reached Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that helps artists share their work by licensing specialized copyrights to pictures and/or documents that are on-line. Going to Creative Commons helped me realize that the world of the internet has restrictions, but that I can share my work with others. I had never thought about the legal side of business or entrepreneurship until that meeting and am glad that I had the opportunity to learn about it.
After heading back to Union Square, Megan, Kiflu, and I waited patiently while Pyz shopped in the Levi store before our stomachs started talking and we went in search of food. Again, I was trying new things and got the clam chowder in a bread bowl at Boudin Sourdough Bread. Let me just say, although there were clams, there was also potato and the bowl was delicious.
Dinner ended and the four of us headed back to the hotel to meet our other counterparts to begin a night of laughter and celebrity meetings. Megan, Pyz, Jeni, Aaron, Jacob, Drew, and I headed to Bus 30 to catch a ride to the Purple Onion, a famous comedy club. SFSketchFest was in town and we waited in line for about an hour before we were let in (it was standing room only). The wait wasn’t bad at all seeing as how Robin Williams walked past us to get right into the club.
Lesson of the day: you can have fun at work.
Today (well I guess it was yesterday since I am writing this late), we had the morning to relax and what better way is there to relax than running? Not much, so Jeni, Megan, and I ran along the boardwalk of Fisherman’s Wharf and ran into some affiliates of the Milwaukee Bucks (or at least we think we did…Megan is positive that they are two players). After grabbing a quick bite to eat and showering, the group headed off to Union Square for shopping, eating, and a spot on the radio (more on that later).
The first stop on our whirlwind adventure was to a shop were I got souvenirs (I can’t mention the name because then it wouldn’t be a surprise). Then we window shopped at stores with prices we couldn’t afford after finally deciding we wanted to go somewhere we could actually feel comfortable in. We settled on searching the seven stories of the Nike store. After a bit of shopping, we headed to the corner of Stockton and Geary to meet the rest of the group.
It was near the ice rink that Megan and I found our next step to stardom…the radio. We were minding our own business when two guys from Movin’ 99.7 asked us to say a few lines for some spots on the radio. Five minutes and a few “Movin’ plays the music I want to hear” later, we were on our way to the first meeting of the day at Porter Novelli.
Amazing does not even begin to describe Porter Novelli and the meeting with Karen. Just to give a little taste, the meeting started off with introductions which included our favorite cereal (Waffle Crisp) and ended with a brief tour that showed research for a video game by playing it in the middle of the office. The meeting simply instilled an even greater interest in the public relations field and sparked a curiosity about consideration of entering a PR agency.
Karen, who works with the social media team at Porter Novelli, highlighted the importance of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to all of their clients, not simply the tech-oriented ones. The fact that all products and services can be promoted cost effectively on-line showed me that using social media in PR will be the future for many clients.
Although our meeting was rushed, I greatly enjoyed it and am excited about my future prospects if and when I enter the PR world. The group hurriedly walked a few blocks until we reached Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that helps artists share their work by licensing specialized copyrights to pictures and/or documents that are on-line. Going to Creative Commons helped me realize that the world of the internet has restrictions, but that I can share my work with others. I had never thought about the legal side of business or entrepreneurship until that meeting and am glad that I had the opportunity to learn about it.
After heading back to Union Square, Megan, Kiflu, and I waited patiently while Pyz shopped in the Levi store before our stomachs started talking and we went in search of food. Again, I was trying new things and got the clam chowder in a bread bowl at Boudin Sourdough Bread. Let me just say, although there were clams, there was also potato and the bowl was delicious.
Dinner ended and the four of us headed back to the hotel to meet our other counterparts to begin a night of laughter and celebrity meetings. Megan, Pyz, Jeni, Aaron, Jacob, Drew, and I headed to Bus 30 to catch a ride to the Purple Onion, a famous comedy club. SFSketchFest was in town and we waited in line for about an hour before we were let in (it was standing room only). The wait wasn’t bad at all seeing as how Robin Williams walked past us to get right into the club.
The entire night was one laugh after another. We ended up staying for the next show, Joke e Oke, a sort of karaoke but with stand-up. Robin Williams also stayed for the show so in between we took pictures and chatted about our favorite acts of the night. The crowd was a lot smaller for the second show and we were able to sit directly behind the three celebrity judges for the night. The judges continually looked to us for opinions on whether or not their jokes were funny which they were. I can honestly say I have not laughed so much in one night.
The best of the night was the Chris Rock impersonation by the first contestant and eventual champion, Allie. Other highlights were Kazumi and the guy who didn’t read anything off the screen, but instead proceeded to attempt his own act which failed miserably (which was of course hilarious…especially the judges comments during his time slot). It was a blast including when Jacob offered to count one of the judges head rings (he was pretty old).
Since we got back to the hotel pretty late and we stayed up talking about all the fun we had, I didn’t get an opportunity to write about it that night. Yet, we were up the next morning perky and ready to ride.
Saturday, January 16
Lesson of the day: communication is always important (especially when riding a tandem bike).
The goal of Saturday was to ride across the Golden Gate bridge; however, I, being in my try-new-things attitude, decided to try something new and ride tandem with Megan. Let's just say, it was an experience. Our takeoffs were a little rusty at first, but by the time we got to the bridge, we were pros at riding tandem. I owe it all to Megan seeing as she was the one to steer and brake and shift gears (I seem to have trouble with bikes so I thought it best not to be responsible for another person while I am steering). The views were beautiful and we only got out of sync twice (which I am still impressed by). To top it off, we headed to a lighthouse in which it is straight up hill for the first part. After deciding to not continue, we talked to a local rider who was quite impressed that we even made it up the hill, let alone doing it on a tandem...we were pretty proud and decided to head back.
Jeni and I wanted to go to Sausalito, so Megan took Jeni's bike and I had a new partner. Once again, there were a few rough starts, but we kept communicating when to pedal and such that it worked out. Jeni shopped for a while and then we headed back under a press for time before we had to head to Alcatraz. We took a scenic detour on the way back and rushed to get ready but made it in time...once again very impressive.
Alcatraz was quite depressing on the night tour and creepy. The ferry out to the island was relaxing and then we started the climb up to the cellhouse for an audio tour. The views from the island were magnificent until it started raining which added to the gloom. I took a special tour about Al Capone and then headed back to the mainland where food awaited! I decided I had been adventurous enough that day and opted for a hamburger at Wipeout. After being fueled, we shopped around Pier 39 before heading back to the hotel to start Shawshank Redemption where we all fell asleep.
All in all, it was a great two days and I can't wait for more fun and explorations when we head to Menlo Park tomorrow.
Unitl next time,
Kaitlin
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Free
Today's lesson: you don't always have to pay
The first meeting of the day was with Netvibes, a company that creates personalized dashboards for both businesses and individuals. The customer can choose from a numerous amount of widgets (similar to applications) for their homepage in order to create a unique screen customized for his or her needs. This company was a first for our group. It was the first company who is international (the main office is in Paris) and the first company who only had to do one round of fundraising before being able to function off of their own revenue. Netvibes gained most of their revenue from licensing agreements; however, the most interesting fact is that they have grown without the use of any paid advertising. The traffic growth is strictly by word of mouth, public relation tactics, and social networking.
The fact that their advertsing and marketing is free and they are doing extremely well is impressive. This struck me because the first way that I always think of promoting a product is by traditional advertising, but then I began to wonder...is it because that is what I am most used to and comfortable with? And does the success of Netvibes' technological promotion have anything to do with the nature of their product? In other words, is Netvibes' marketing successful because they are promoting technology on technology? This will have to be a question for someone with more public relations background, a perfect question for tomorrow's visit to Porter Novelli.
After the meeting with Chris from Netvibes, we walked around the Port of San Francisco in search of lunch. The main question was: which is better: a Taylor burger or an In-and-Out burger? The group was divided with Aaron remaining faithful to In-and-Out with the rest swaying to Taylor's side. We headed out before the birds could attack our crumbs and got ready for the trek to Kiva.org which was a 40-minute bus ride.
Kiva.org was another first for us as they were a not-for-profit organization; however, they had the mentality of a start-up company in that the reason they were non-profit was because it would be a better business model for what they were trying to do (microlending). At Kiva, we met with customer relations, software engineers, the fellowship manager, an intern, and the company dog. The discussion was varied; however, the most prominent information I received was at the end of the visit during our tour. We saw this interesting and seemingly complex chart that showed the various routes to their website. The best part about it is that most of the traffic was direct which means that people are specifically looking for the website, not stumbling onto it.
This meant that most of Kiva's marketing is free. They do have some advertising, but that is donated by sites like Hulu and Google AdWords. It was the second time in one day where the company's main promotion was not advertising and where the company had not spent one cent on advertising their product. This concept struck me as important because it proved that a company can do things without needing a budget for advertising. It strongly resonated with me as successful public relations and anything that is free is good to me.
After the meeting, we were free to roam around the Port some more before meeting up for one of our group dinners (another free thing). We ended up eating at another seafood place and I again tried something new...lobster, lamb, and tiramasu. Let's just say the food got better with each course. The lobster was pretty fishy, the lamb was good...new for me...but good, and the tiramasu was excellent! (of course it is dessert and when have I met a dessert I didn't like?) The dinner was quite humourous with lots of jokes and me not being able to stop laughing.
As always, the night is ending with us sitting in the hotel lobby writing our daily blogs and researching for tomorrow's activities: meetings with Porter Novelli and Creative Commons, plus a comedy show at night!
Before signing off on the day, I would like to wish my Grandma and Grandpa a very happy anniversary!
Until next time,
Kaitlin
The first meeting of the day was with Netvibes, a company that creates personalized dashboards for both businesses and individuals. The customer can choose from a numerous amount of widgets (similar to applications) for their homepage in order to create a unique screen customized for his or her needs. This company was a first for our group. It was the first company who is international (the main office is in Paris) and the first company who only had to do one round of fundraising before being able to function off of their own revenue. Netvibes gained most of their revenue from licensing agreements; however, the most interesting fact is that they have grown without the use of any paid advertising. The traffic growth is strictly by word of mouth, public relation tactics, and social networking.
The fact that their advertsing and marketing is free and they are doing extremely well is impressive. This struck me because the first way that I always think of promoting a product is by traditional advertising, but then I began to wonder...is it because that is what I am most used to and comfortable with? And does the success of Netvibes' technological promotion have anything to do with the nature of their product? In other words, is Netvibes' marketing successful because they are promoting technology on technology? This will have to be a question for someone with more public relations background, a perfect question for tomorrow's visit to Porter Novelli.
After the meeting with Chris from Netvibes, we walked around the Port of San Francisco in search of lunch. The main question was: which is better: a Taylor burger or an In-and-Out burger? The group was divided with Aaron remaining faithful to In-and-Out with the rest swaying to Taylor's side. We headed out before the birds could attack our crumbs and got ready for the trek to Kiva.org which was a 40-minute bus ride.
Kiva.org was another first for us as they were a not-for-profit organization; however, they had the mentality of a start-up company in that the reason they were non-profit was because it would be a better business model for what they were trying to do (microlending). At Kiva, we met with customer relations, software engineers, the fellowship manager, an intern, and the company dog. The discussion was varied; however, the most prominent information I received was at the end of the visit during our tour. We saw this interesting and seemingly complex chart that showed the various routes to their website. The best part about it is that most of the traffic was direct which means that people are specifically looking for the website, not stumbling onto it.
This meant that most of Kiva's marketing is free. They do have some advertising, but that is donated by sites like Hulu and Google AdWords. It was the second time in one day where the company's main promotion was not advertising and where the company had not spent one cent on advertising their product. This concept struck me as important because it proved that a company can do things without needing a budget for advertising. It strongly resonated with me as successful public relations and anything that is free is good to me.
After the meeting, we were free to roam around the Port some more before meeting up for one of our group dinners (another free thing). We ended up eating at another seafood place and I again tried something new...lobster, lamb, and tiramasu. Let's just say the food got better with each course. The lobster was pretty fishy, the lamb was good...new for me...but good, and the tiramasu was excellent! (of course it is dessert and when have I met a dessert I didn't like?) The dinner was quite humourous with lots of jokes and me not being able to stop laughing.
As always, the night is ending with us sitting in the hotel lobby writing our daily blogs and researching for tomorrow's activities: meetings with Porter Novelli and Creative Commons, plus a comedy show at night!
Before signing off on the day, I would like to wish my Grandma and Grandpa a very happy anniversary!
Until next time,
Kaitlin
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wandering
Lesson of the day: you have to wander in the forest (or in downtown San Francisco) sometimes.
After yesterday's busy schedule, today began with a meeting and ended with some fun exploring time. We walked to Hummer Winblad Venture Partners where we met with Anne Winblad and another associate. Anne was the venture capitalist who invested in our professor's old company, NetPerceptions.
The meeting was enlightening as we got a different perspective of entreprenuership: the investor's view. Hummer Winblad listens to about 120 product pitches a month while sponsoring a small fraction of them. The stories of success and failure led to the discussion that the companies who were the most successful spent the first few years wandering with no direction or market for their business or product. It is in these times that you find out if the company has the stamina and passion to succeed. I learned that it is okay to not be entirely certain about the future, as long as I stick to what I believe in, it will all work itself out, whether it be good or bad.
Hearing all of the stories about companies that Hummer Winblad has funded made me realize how many start-up companies are actually out there. Hummer Winblad only funds software companies, let alone the tons of other companies interested in other genres of business. The company that interested me the most was Ace Metrix. It is a company whose product has the ability to assist advertisers by telling them which commercials are good and which would not be successful for a certain market. (If this works, companies could save a ton of money on advertising and we wouldn't have to sit through the bad commercials...either way, an intriguing product.)
So with thoughts of wandering through the forest and creating a product that would benefit and interest many, we headed off to lunch on Pier 39. After my stomach was full of crepes, we began wandering our way to the Exploratorium. We wandered for about an hour before coming up to it. Now an hour seems like a long time; however, it was filled with so many things to see (million dollar houses and the bay) and conversations with the group (business, soccer, and the definition of frolicking) that time flew.
I thought the journey was fun, but let me tell you the destination, the Exploratorium, was even better.
To give a brief description of our adventure at the Exploratorium: here we were 9 college students and a college professor fighting with 7 year olds over who was next on the bubble machine. (We definitely were the better bubble makers). It was a nice break from business meetings to get to run around and be a kid in a candy store again. There were so many things to do so I will only list my favorites: the gigantic bubbles, the basketball game that messed with your shot (after wearing these glasses your shot went to the left), the mind games (a drinking fountain that looks like you are drinking out of a toliet, trying to keep a poker face, and the spike in heightened emotions by answering questions), and the photograph where it takes a picture of your shadow on the wall.
After being kicked out of the Exploratorium at closing time, we wandered around outside looking at the architecture and taking pictures. After a while, we were hungry and instead of wandering around walking, we ventured onto the bus and managed to find our way back to the hotel without having to walk up any hills. So the conclusion I came to was that wandering is good for you. It gives you time to get to know yourself and who you are with (for me it was Brad, Megan, Brian, Kiflu, Aaron, Drew, Jacob, Jeni, and Adam (Pyz). The journey is the fun part; however, it always feels good to get to where you are going and start the next adventure that is waiting for you.
After yesterday's busy schedule, today began with a meeting and ended with some fun exploring time. We walked to Hummer Winblad Venture Partners where we met with Anne Winblad and another associate. Anne was the venture capitalist who invested in our professor's old company, NetPerceptions.
The meeting was enlightening as we got a different perspective of entreprenuership: the investor's view. Hummer Winblad listens to about 120 product pitches a month while sponsoring a small fraction of them. The stories of success and failure led to the discussion that the companies who were the most successful spent the first few years wandering with no direction or market for their business or product. It is in these times that you find out if the company has the stamina and passion to succeed. I learned that it is okay to not be entirely certain about the future, as long as I stick to what I believe in, it will all work itself out, whether it be good or bad.
Hearing all of the stories about companies that Hummer Winblad has funded made me realize how many start-up companies are actually out there. Hummer Winblad only funds software companies, let alone the tons of other companies interested in other genres of business. The company that interested me the most was Ace Metrix. It is a company whose product has the ability to assist advertisers by telling them which commercials are good and which would not be successful for a certain market. (If this works, companies could save a ton of money on advertising and we wouldn't have to sit through the bad commercials...either way, an intriguing product.)
So with thoughts of wandering through the forest and creating a product that would benefit and interest many, we headed off to lunch on Pier 39. After my stomach was full of crepes, we began wandering our way to the Exploratorium. We wandered for about an hour before coming up to it. Now an hour seems like a long time; however, it was filled with so many things to see (million dollar houses and the bay) and conversations with the group (business, soccer, and the definition of frolicking) that time flew.
I thought the journey was fun, but let me tell you the destination, the Exploratorium, was even better.
To give a brief description of our adventure at the Exploratorium: here we were 9 college students and a college professor fighting with 7 year olds over who was next on the bubble machine. (We definitely were the better bubble makers). It was a nice break from business meetings to get to run around and be a kid in a candy store again. There were so many things to do so I will only list my favorites: the gigantic bubbles, the basketball game that messed with your shot (after wearing these glasses your shot went to the left), the mind games (a drinking fountain that looks like you are drinking out of a toliet, trying to keep a poker face, and the spike in heightened emotions by answering questions), and the photograph where it takes a picture of your shadow on the wall.
After being kicked out of the Exploratorium at closing time, we wandered around outside looking at the architecture and taking pictures. After a while, we were hungry and instead of wandering around walking, we ventured onto the bus and managed to find our way back to the hotel without having to walk up any hills. So the conclusion I came to was that wandering is good for you. It gives you time to get to know yourself and who you are with (for me it was Brad, Megan, Brian, Kiflu, Aaron, Drew, Jacob, Jeni, and Adam (Pyz). The journey is the fun part; however, it always feels good to get to where you are going and start the next adventure that is waiting for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)