Joe McCarthy on the practicalities, peril and promise of RFID
If you like your technology with a side of art (and simply owning an iPod isn’t enough), then you might want to catch Biznik member Joe McCarthy’s presentation this Wednesday on the future of individual identity. He and several other speakers (one of whom has a chip embedded in his body) will explore the technical, social and, yes, artistic implications of RFID. Huh? Stay with me — Joe gives us a sneak peek into the mysteries of RFID in a brief interview, below. But first the details: Wednesday’s event is presented by Dorkbot, a Seattle based group that stages a monthly meeting of “artists, designers, engineers, students and other interested parties … who are involved in the creation of electronic art (in the broadest sense of the term.)”
On WEDNESDAY, 1ST MARCH at 7:00 PM at CoCA, see the future of individual identity, with presentations and demonstrations on RFID technology. If RFID really gets under your skin, then you need to see this exciting dorkbot. We will have JOE MCCARTHY speaking on The Practicalities, Peril and Promise of RFID. Also, SCOTT DAVID will speak on the legal, social, and political issues surrounding RFID. We will also have AMAL GRAAFSTRA speaking about Embedded RFID, and doing a very exciting must-see demonstration…
OK, back to Joe, who’s got some explaining to do…
Q: So, what is RFID, and why should I care?
The most succinct definition I’ve found for radio frequency identification (RFID) is “a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves” (from RFID Journal). There will be approximately 1.3 billion RFID chips sold in 2006, and that number is expected to increase 450-fold in 10 years. Many of the current applications focus on supply chain management — tracking cases and pallets of goods from the factory to the warehouse to the retail store — but as costs decrease, they are showing up in more and more individual consumer items, such as airline baggage tags, passports and prescription bottles of Viagra. Along with the increased breadth — and depth — of applications, comes a number of privacy and security concerns: who has access of the information, how is it controlled and protected, and what kinds of laws and policies are required to ensure that this technology is used for good, or at least explicitly stated, purposes.
I’ll be saying a lot more about the range of applications during my presentation at the March 1 Dorkbot meeting; we also have an attorney, Scott David, who will be addressing some of the legal implications of the technology (and its applications), and then Amal Graafstra, who has implanted RFID chips in each of his hands, will be talking about his very personal experience of RFID, as well as entirely new dimensions of social implications.
Q: How come so many people are doing creative things with RFID now?
The costs are coming down for many of the components. High-performance readers and antennas that can detect tags from distances that range in meters are still thousands of dollars, but the most popular “passive” tags (no battery) can be purchased for under $1 each (and considerably less than that, in large quantities), and shorter range readers are available for a few hundred dollars. For the home enthusiast, a company named PhidgetsUSA offers a starter kit with three types of tags, a reader, and a circuit board, for $70. Also, the whole concept of having an environment — or things in an environment — sense and respond automagically to [other] things fires the imagination (and, in fact, has been firing imaginations for quite some time, at least in the realm of science fiction … when I tell people about our proactive display technology, I’m often asked if I’ve seen the movie “Minority Report”).
Q: Are you going to have your Proactive displays up and running at this event?
First, I’d like to offer a brief description: our proactive display application uses a large computer display to show elements from a person’s online profile when he or she is detected nearby, creating new opportunities for learning about each other and starting conversations. We associate RFID tags with online profiles and insert them into name badges, so that the displays can respond “proactively” to people’s presence by giving each person, in effect, 5 seconds of fame (or more, if people hang around the display for a while). We see our technology as bringing the best of online communities into the physical spaces we share with others.
And yes, we will have a proactive display running there, and people who will be attending the event are encouraged to create a profile beforehand at http://interrelativity.com/dorkbot. We will also have a couple of kiosk computers on-site for creating and modifying profiles. We’ve created a special “samples” page to give people a flavor for what these profiles might look like: http://interrelativity.com/dorkbot/samples.
As you know, deploying a proactive display at a Biznik event is something I’ve wanted to do — and something we’ve discussed — but the times and spaces have not been conducive thus far. Given that Biznik is about radical self-promotion, a proactive display provides an interesting (and hopefully useful) platform for that kind of activity, so I would love to have Bizniks come check it out — and provide feedback on their experiences!
Q: What is Dorkbot?
Dorkbot’s mantra is “people doing strange things with electricity.” I’ve only attended one event in the past, but it was an eye-opening experience, with an incredibly interesting group of people doing incredibly interesting things … much as I imagine what Burning Man is like.
Q: Does it cost anything to attend?
There is no charge (”free to all ages and species”), but they do accept donations, and they appreciate RSVPs (dorkbot at dorkbotsea dot org). BTW, as Interrelativity is not charging anything for this deployment, we’d appreciate it if people return their name badges – or at least their RFID tags – at the end of the event.
0 Comments Kate Basart: “I love designing books”
If you’re one of those people who judges a book by its cover, you may already own a bunch of the ones Kate Basart has designed over the past decade. From Northwest Best Places guidebooks, to books by Nancy Pearl and Timothy Eagan and lavish coffee-table books photographed by Art Wolf, she’s designed or art directed an entire spectrum of Northwest literary gems.
Kate and I worked together at Sasquatch Books in Seattle for a couple of years in the late 90s, and now both of us are doing our own thing, and loving it. Kate started freelancing full time about a year ago, and was one of the first members of this business networking group. Now she’s so busy that Kate sightings have become a rare occurrence. Not too many designers get the luxury of staying busy creating books all day, but Kate’s one of them. How did she get there? Well, let’s ask her…
Q: So, who’s Kate Basart?
I grew up in Berkeley, California, in a brown-shingle house with murals painted on all the walls. After about 25 years in the Bay Area, I started to move around because I was a professional modern dancer and I wanted to see what it would be like to dance in Paris and New York…then I decided I didn’t want to see those big cities up that close any more…so headed for Seattle where it was so much easier to find nature. (I had trouble locating it in NYC). Lots of things interest me, but having time for them is a challenge while working full time and raising a 4-1/2 year old. If I had time they would include: gardening, rock-climbing, yoga, pilates, building things (badly), going to hear lots of music, seeing movies, going to the desert…
Q: How’d you get started designing books?
While trying to be a dancer in NYC, I got a job at the Village Voice and learned ad design. That led to a job in Seattle at the Seattle Weekly–which at the time owned Sasquatch Books, and eventually (after 7 years at the Weekly) I got a job at Sasquatch Books as a designer. I worked at Sasquatch for 8 years and most recently was their art director. I love designing books. I don’t relate to typical advertising or marketing, but I like books. They are slow and tactile and 3-dimensional…
Q: What are some upcoming projects you’re excited about?
Well, I am going to get to work on a book illustrated by Nikki McClure, and I am a big fan of her work so I can hardly wait to get started on it.
Q: What made you want to do something crazy like quit your day job and start doing this on your own?
A fine question. My uncle tells me you’re either a “company man” or you’re not. I most definitely fall into the latter category. I like to set my own schedule, have my office the way I like it, and swimming at lunch and see my son and my partner in the middle of the day. I like to eat lunch in the sun on the porch and pull weeds while I’m talking on the phone. And I love the people I am contracting with.
Q: How’s it going so far? Are you glad you went indy?
It’s going GREAT. Far better than I had expected. It is a joy! (Note: I haven’t done my taxes yet).
Q: What’s it like juggling being a mommy and running your own business?
Not so much different from being a mommy and having a full time job that you have to commute to, except I see more of my son more often and lunch is easier to make.
Q: What value do you see in being part of a progressive business networking group?
I love being part of this group even though I have decided I can’t make meetings very often. I use it as a resource for finding people I might need to hire as well as receiving referrals through the biznik network. I feel like it is a cool place to go where I can find people I can trust to do the work I need done and be cool and interesting at the same time. (Or to send other people to). I still can’t figure out how you and Lara find the time to work on it…it’s really evolved into something wonderful.
Kate’s website is www.unionpageworks.com
1 CommentJoin us in Biz Talk - business conversation is now easy to follow
If you’ve posted anything to Biz Talk, you’ve probably noticed how great it is to be able to ask and answer questions to the group. However, you might have also noticed that it was difficult to figure out whether anyone had replied to your post after a little while. No longer. You’ve now got two new ways to stay on top of the conversation, and both of them come to you:
1. Email notification. When you post a new topic or comment in Biz Talk, you now have an option to receive email notification when anyone responds to your post.
2. Subscribe to a Biz Talk RSS feed. There are two of them: one for topics, and one for comments.
If you use a news reader, subscribing to the Biz Talk topics feeds is the easiest way to keep up with new topics of conversation, and subscribing to the Biz Talk comments feed is the easiest way to see at a glance the most recent comments. The most recent topic/comment always appears at the top of the list in your reader. (If your eyes glaze over when you see the word “RSS,” here’s a tutorial that will get your started.) So, what are you waiting for - join us and the conversation in Biz Talk.
Biznik is running really slow because of colo connection issues
No, it’s not just you - Biznik has been running like molasses in January because of serious routing problems at the colocation facility at the Canyon Park Business Center in Mill Creek, WA. We were offline for about 40 minutes yesterday because workmen accidentally pulled a chunk of fiber optic cable that routed to our server, and serious bandwidth issues are continuing today. They promise me they’re working to resolve the issues ASAP, but meanwhile, we just have to hang in there.
Help, I don’t want to eat at McDonalds…
My friend and fellow web developer dB, who lives and works in New York, started a great social networking site for food lovers called Foodcandy at about the same time Biznik did last year. Yesterday we discovered that we’re tied for members at 268 each. So we decided to throw down the gauntlet and have a race to see which one of us can attract 300 members first. There’s no prize, but there is a severe penalty for finishing last: The loser has to dine at McDonalds. OK, this is serious, people. I need your help - invite your friends, enemies (you should keep them closer than your friends anyway), your pet sitter, the guy who you’ve never talked to but always pass in the hallway when you’re leaving for work, and anyone else I haven’t thought of, and let’s go for 300! Click here to invite someone now
Derek Kirkham: “Life does not exist outside of this moment”
I typed the word “acupuncture” into the Biznik membership directory today, and four names popped up. Not quite enough to start our very own needle exchange, perhaps, but certainly enough to inspire me to find out a bit more about what acupuncture, and the related field of herbal medicine, is about. So I interviewed Derek Kirkham, who joined the business networking group earlier this month. Derek is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese medicine, who focuses on treating men’s health issues, among other things. He uses a blend of traditional herbal remedies, dietary adjustment and acupuncture to help his patients. He’s also a lifelong student of Asian philosophy who believes that traditional medicine can work hand in hand with Western methods to help his patients live healthier lives.
Q: How’d you get interested in herbal medicine and acupuncture?
A number of years before entering school I started studying Asian philosophy. I became fascinated by the culture and the religions of the region. I also started studying Tai Chi and Qi Gong during this time. On top of all that I wanted to be of service and help other people. With all of these things going on, it seemed natural and appropriate to start learning about Chinese medicine.
Q: What is it about Asian philosophy that fascinates you? How would you summarize Asian philosophy for someone who doesn’t know much about it?
Wow, that’s a big question. I can only speak to my personal experience, but from the moment I started learning about Taoism and Buddhism I felt like I was home. The key concepts for me are: living in the moment, and being mindful/awake to life right here and right now. Life does not exist outside of this moment. So, when you live in the past or in the future life slips away, almost like walking around dead. You’re just not aware of the life right in front of your eyes. Within these two practices I find the tools to be present and alive in my life. This is what rings true for me.
Q: How long have you been doing this, and what is it about your practice that makes you different from any other acupuncturist?
This is my first year of practice. My passion and knowledge about herbal medicine is what sets me apart from other practitioners in the field. Also, the focuses of my practice makes me different. They are headaches, men’s health, respiratory issues, and digestive problems.
Q: What’s your relationship to Glow Natural Health Center?
I’m an owner/partner of Glow.
Q: Tell me more about Glow. Who else works there, and what is the range of services offerred?
- Lindsey Lawson (also a Biznik member) is a practitioner of Chinese medicine, and a licensed acupuncturist
- Dr. Heather Bergfors is a chiropractic physician
- Dr. Lynn von Schnediau is a naturopathic physician
We other a full range of health care options. We a truly a center of wellness designed to give complete care to every patient.
Q: What is the need for Eastern medicine in the Western world?
It fills a gap that has been developing between patients and Western practitioners. Eastern medicine is designed for each individual patient and is not standardized; this is where its power and effectiveness comes from. Each person is completely different and should be treated as such. Eastern medicine is also highly effective in regards to preventive care. The best time to take care of a problem is before it happens.
Q: You mention in your profile that your brand of traditional medicine can dovetail nicely with Western methods. Can you explain how that works in practice?
As a practitioner I see Western methods as an ally in the care of my patients. We live in a culture that has many options, and I would never stand in the way of a patient getting the best care possible. And sometimes that means a patient might leave my care for another practitioner that better addresses their problems. The patient comes first, and they deserve the best care with the appropriate practitioner.
Q: What’s the most common type of injury or illness that you treat?
Internal complaints: allergies, digestive problems, and headaches
Q: Is there anything in particular that you’re hoping to get or give from your affiliation with Biznik?
I hope to create strong connections with the members of the group. I would like to generate a strong and helpful community. I would like to succeed in business and help others do the same.
Glow Natural Health Center’s website is www.glownaturalhealth.com
10 Marketing Mistakes that Small Businesses Make
For those of you who weren’t able to attend last night’s event, “Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Made by Small Businesses,” I’d like to post the bullet points that form an outline of the workshop, which was taught by Dominic Canterbury and Chris Haddad. Yes, it was as good as it sounds - two hours of straight-talking, no-bullshit education from two guys who know their subject inside and out. I wish we’d had thought to bring a recorder, so we could post a podcast of the event, but we didn’t even remember to bring a camera, so this’ll have to do. You can read some of the comments that members who attended are making about this class here.
1. Confusing advertising with marketing..
These days only 18% of advertising campaigns cover the cost of the campaign. Marketing is about making a promise and keeping it. Marketing is about delivering customer service. Confusing advertising with marketing goes hand in hand with ‘Focusing more on your product than on who your customer is.’ And this leads to number 2.
2. Trying to sell to everyone.
Target your audience not by demographic or geography but by community with a word-of-mouth network. Choose three targets and tailor your marketing campaigns and materials for each target. Create a niche and never compete on price. Many people don’t create a niche because of number 3.
3. Not knowing what you’re really selling.
Focus on the benefits over the features. A feature of a new computer is how fast it is. A benefit of a new computer that is faster is the ability to get your work done quicker and therefore have more time to spend with your family, etc. Benefits appeal to customer’s emotional reactions.
Emotions sell. Facts don’t.
4. Making customers work to hard.
Provide incentives for your customers. People don’t mind being bribed to try a service or product. What they mind is being manipulated. So give your customers a reason to bring your name up in conversation, then give your new potential customers a reason to call.
Example: “For each new person client I receive as a result of your referral, I will give a complimentary massage to each of you.”
5. Not having a strong visual brand.
A brand is a promise of a relationship. Your brand extends to your web site, your business cards and even the way you dress. Consider the consequences if your 14 year old nephew built your web site and your business cards were made on your ink jet printer.
6. Being timid.
The bolder and ambitious the plan, the easier it is to do. How many of us know competitors who’s service or product is ten times as inferior to ours but who have ten times as many customers or make ten times as much money?
7. Being an “Also Ran.”
What is the one thing about you that is different from all the others who provide a similar service. If you have a quirk, embrace that!
8. Ignoring or abusing the inter-web.
Do not spam your customers. Spam is unwanted email from someone you do not know. Email marketing (also known as “permission marketing”) is wanted email from someone you know. Know the difference and recognize the power of an electronic newsletter.
9. Do-it-yourself syndrome.
We all want to do it all ourselves, and we all complain about those who always do. The most valuable use of your energy is to delegate to others the things they do best like building web sites, designing marketing materials, and writing copy. Your energy is best spent doing what you market to others that you do best.
And the last most common marketing mistake made by small business owners is:
10. Not asking for a sale.
Provide a Call to Action. Many small business owners focus on getting customers to come to their web site, but fail to let them know what they need to do when they get there.
Scott Paul’s “high gloss industrial” design fetish
Scott Paul has a design fetish. The Seattle sex toy designer is making a name for himself with his striking metallic creations, which he makes from aluminum tubing, stainless steel and other industrial components. And after three years in business, his products don’t need the kinks worked out of them–just your kinks worked out with them, on them, or even in them.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started making sex toys.
It all started with a cage. I had been making my own toys as a hobby for many years. I would find odd materials and create toys out of them. A lot of us kinksters do this. Then I decided I wanted to build a cage. This turned out to be a big undertaking. In my search for suitable materials to create a cage I stumbled upon the basic materials of what is now the “Scott Paul” look. Friends liked my cage when it was done, so I built a better one, and then an even better one. Soon I was selling them. Then I started working with some ideas for simple toys. Soon I had a little line of toys and they were all taking on my own look. I then signed up to sell at a kinky vendor fair, where I had good sales and lots of compliments. At this point I decided to dive in all the way. I built a website, and created a line of unique toys that would all have the “Scott Paul” look. I’ve been building my business full time for three years.
I’ve almost always been an independent self-starter, living where I wanted too, and creating work for myself. I’ve done a bit of everything, but primarily I was a home builder and buyer and seller of fixer-uppers. I’ve lived in Washington state most of my adult life. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and moved to Seattle right after high school.
Q: Your website lists more than 50 items for sale. Do you make them all yourself?
For the most part yes. All items on my website are my own designs. I do all my own manufacturing at least for now. I’m not a leather worker myself, so I’ve been contracting with a skilled leather worker here in Seattle. We’ve collaborated for the past three years. I take my concepts for anything leather, like cuffs and gag straps, to him. We work together on repeated prototypes, until we get it right. He then supplies me with as many pieces as I need, so I can do my part. I do all the other manufacturing myself in my Ballard studio. I cut and mill all the aluminum tubing used in most of my pieces. Everything from cage frames, to spanker handles, and the Click-A-Cuff system. I have a huge inventory of parts that I use to assemble all the various products I sell. I keep it under control by having very specific instructions for every item, including a list of every little part and a step-by-step assembly procedure.
Q: Most of the items you make have a strikingly “designed” look. How would you describe your aesthetic? What kind of look/feel are you trying to create and hope that people remember?
I’m very proud of my recognizable design look. I think of it as “High gloss industrial.” In fact the “Scott Paul” look is one reason people choose to buy my product. I insist on three things before I put a new design on the market.
- Will it hold up under heavy use?
- Is it a toy that people will want to use?
- And (sometimes the hardest part) will it be easily recognized as a “Scott Paul” design?
I really love taking an idea that’s been made a thousand different ways and giving it a new twist. Take spankers for instance. Anything can make a fine spanker. Pick up any stick off the ground and, you’ve got a nice toy. And people have been building spankers forever. I love to use different material’s, and add adjustments so one toy has a few different feels, and put some artistic flare into a spanker. I want people to pick up my spanker first.
Q: What is it about a business network like Biznik that made you want to join and participate?
When my friend told me about Biznik I said “sounds great, but they will be uncomfortable with what I do.” She said “no way, you’ll fit right in.” So here I am. I’m also looking to make connections in areas that I’m not an expert. For example, I love expanding the “Scott Paul” look to other more mainstream areas. I have a line of jewelry and I’m not sure what to do with it. And I’m working on household furniture that will have the same style as my cages.
Q: Where do you see your business in the next 3-5 years? Any really cool projects you’re working on that you can talk about?
As any entrepreneur knows it takes at least three years to get your business rolling. That’s just were I’m at. I’m in my third year of full time (like 7 day’s a week) work and things are starting to click. In 3 to 5 years I see the name “Scott Paul” being recognized as a design style in many different areas. Possibly a “Scott Paul” storefront, with employees doing the actual manufacturing freeing up my time to focus on design work. I’d like to keep away from going “offshore” even though I’m already feeling the pressure. I have lots of cool projects I’m thinking about. It takes lots of discipline not to keep launching into new designs. My biggest problem is focusing on what I have and making some money, before I start too many new projects.
Scott’s website, where all of his products are for sale, is www.scottpaulpresents.com
Bootyland: Hip clothes for kids
Ellie Cassidy is one of the forces behind Bootyland, a retail store in Capitol Hill that’s a great place to find hip clothes for kids and alternative parenting supplies in the heart of Seattle. Bootyland specializes in locally made goods, hemp and organic fabrics, vintage clothing, wooden toys, and cloth diapering supplies. Sounds like the perfect place for just about any downtown kind of parent to do some shopping, hey? So let’s find out from Ellie a little more about what she and the crew at Bootyland are all about…
Q: How’d you come up with such a great name?
I wish I could take credit for the great name but I can’t. There used to be a vintage shop across the street and two of the flamboyant shop owners recommended the name to Kaytia (one of the original owners).
Q: Who is Bootyland - just you?
Bootyland has been many people over the years. There is a long story to all of that. Currently it is myself and two rock’n employees.
Q: And what’s your background - what led you from where you started to what you’re doing today?
That’s a loaded question. As far as the business goes, prior to owning Bootyland I had worked for small businesses for 9 years. Much of that being retail, specifically a little shop in Nevada that sold Native American jewelry and art. In college I focused on business and art classes. I suppose an accumulation of circumstance and desires lead me to where I am. I had my first daughter in 1999 and began working at Bootyland. I saw the need for it and it’s potential. The current owner wanted to sell it and travel. I assumed it with a few friends and the journey began. Over the years it has grown and changed. I have always been focused on encouraging local artists and the development on community.
Q: They say the best businesses grow out of a personal need that no one else is filling. Is that why you started Bootyland?
I think that Bootyland started to fill a need that wasn’t being filled. There wasn’t much for children’s clothes in this area and especially with a hip flare that Bootyland has continued to have over the years. Needs have changed over the years, and we are adjusting with them. We have always sought out the creative, hip, and unique fashion for kids — vintage, locally made, hemp and organic, recycled materials. As time goes by, the sizes we carry changes, too. Now I am noticing a need for adult organics that we will respond too.
Q: How is what you’re doing with Bootyland different from what other retailers are doing?
We have intensified our focus on sustainability and process that is realistic in attaining. We look at the materials (from organic and hemp to vintage and recycled) that are created by local artist and families, sweatshop-free, and supported by union labor. We to do research on the products we carry. And style — we try to find fun, creative, hip things for kids from tye-dye to all black. We try to pay attention to how these combine and their effect on the community. We encourage community connectivity through using our space for play groups, story time workshops and generally it’s a place to meet up with families in the neighborhood or those that are like minded.
Q: How is retailing for kids different from retailing for adults?
Retailing for kids is different. There is a lot of information needed to give out. From human development to organic fibers, baby wearing, diapering, stroller and toy designs and engineering. There is more of a practical approach to fashion as well function is a necessity
Q: What’s the most (and least) fun about running Bootyland?
The greatest part about being here is the community connection, working with artists of course, and connecting them. The least? Well, being social and creative in nature, I would say that data entry and bookkeeping are my least favorite.
Q: How has Burning Man influenced you?
I went to Burning Man in 1996, when I was living in Reno. I had heard about it for a few years and finally went. I’ve thought of returning, but have been busy with school, kids, and the business. It was an experience that allowed me to see large-scale collaborative art and organization in action. It was definitely great to see and be a part of free expression that is manifested in reality. Seeing it happen and being part of it seems to allow self expresion to happen more often, and in different parts of one’s life.
Q: What are you interested in getting out of your participation in the Biznik network?
I would like to connect with like minded business owners. Share ideas, learn a bit. And trading is always fun, too.
Bootyland is located at 1317 E Pine St., in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Their website is www.bootylandkids.com
Working on echo blogs
I’d like to say thanks to the Biznik members who have been helping me beta test the “echo blog” feature on their profiles. It’s a feature that allows any member who has a blog to echo their blog’s headlines onto their Biznik profile page (much like the Biznik home page contains headlines that are echoed from the Biznik Blog). If you’ve been part of that, you may have noticed that your blog headlines have been temporarily removed. That’s because I’m making some structural changes behind the scenes to prepare for a version of the tool that will allow this to work with virtually any kind of blog (the previous version only worked with RSS2 feeds). I’m hoping to have this posted by the end of the week. If anyone else would like to participate in this test, just drop me an email to dan [at] biznik [dot] com.
Dominic Canterbury: “If you listen closely to mainstream marketing, you’ll hear its death rattle”
Big changes are sweeping through the marketing world, and Dominic Canterbury of DC-Strategic is one of the alert observers of his craft who is riding the wave, rather than getting buried by it. The dirty secret of the marketing world is that advertising doesn’t work like it used to, and Dominic, unlike a lot of marketing professionals, doesn’t try to hide the fact when clients come looking for advice. Because Dominic knows that in the media-saturated world we live in today, the most effective marketing is often the least expensive: word of mouth.
Let’s find out more about how that might apply to our businesses directly from his mouth…
Q: Where are you from, and what brought you to Seattle?
I was born in Tennessee on a Hippy commune, The Farm. My parents were founding members. We moved off when I was only a few years old so have no memories of it. We then came back to our ancestral home: Seattle. I’m a fourth-generation Seattleite. So that means, including my 2.5-year-old son, we’re going on five generations here.
Q: Tell us about your work background, and how you got into marketing.
I’ve loved marketing ever since I was a kid. Other kids liked comics; I liked ads. I could never bring myself to go into advertising, though, because the ad world is just so damn creepy and manipulative. So, when it came time to choose a college major, I chose neuroscience.
Neuroscience didn’t work out too well for me. I loved everything about it except for the part where I had to do cruel and unusual things to rats. So, I gave it all up and transferred from the UW to Oberlin College to get a degree in politics.
Towards the end of college, while searching for jobs, I discovered public affairs. For those who don’t know, public affairs is marketing and strategy for public issues. It was like an explosion in my head. Suddenly my path was clear.
After college I paid my dues as a cubicle dweller before landing a job as the campaign manager for the speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives — Frank Chopp. Following that campaign I landed a job in public affairs. We handled a wide array of major statewide issues. Most of our work was behind the scenes and the company that I worked for keeps a very low profile so I think they’d prefer that I not talk too much about our work.
Q: What inspired you to quit the corporate world and go indy?
As it turns out, I was never really cut out for the 9-to-5. And the public affairs job made that painfully clear. In all modesty, I am extraordinarily good at what I do. But, working for a company, I knew that I would never be given the latitude to actually do it the way I knew it should be done. I had to take control for myself.
Q: So, what’s wrong with mainstream marketing as we know it today?
If you listen closely to mainstream marketing, you’ll hear its death rattle. There was a time when the old model worked: Create a product, then force people to think about it whether they want to or not. Today, our environment is saturated with marketing. It’s so saturated that we’ve all become adept at ignoring it. So, Madison Avenue has responded by escalating the war for our attention. Did you hear about the recent Sony campaign that involved hiring graphitti artists to deface the urban areas with their Playstation characters? Now that’s desperation.
Q: You’re a big proponent of word-of-mouth marketing. Can you describe what that is?
Businesses live and die by word of mouth. The public no longer trust ads, but we all trust regular people. A company’s over-hyped claims mean nothing without the experience and word of mouth to support it. When Honda says that the new Civic will “reverse your thinking,” our first reaction is to discount the claim to match what we’ve seen and heard.
It works the same for small businesses. To get clients you have to get people talking about you. And to get people talking about you, you have to give them something to talk about. You have to be remarkable.
Any company can be remarkable. You just have to figure out what your target market wants and how to give it to them. But, you don’t stop there. You have to give them the tools and the incentives to promote you.
Q: Give me an example of a word-of-mouth campaign - how can small businesses use it effectively?
I’m working with a tech consultant. He installs and maintains computer networks for mid-sized businesses. For him, we’re doing two parallel strategies - one for his existing network, and one to expand into a highly desirable target market.
We began by refining his services so that what he offered and how he offered it — in terms of bundled services, pricing structure, guarantees, etc — was magnitudes better than his competition. Then we designed an email campaign for his existing clients. Basically, if you and/or your colleague signs up for the complementary — highly informative and useful — network analysis, we’ll send you a gift card.
This works because his clients are happy to refer him. We’re just providing a way for the subject to come up and a reason — the gift and the free service — for someone to act on the referral. And that’s all he needs. Once he gets in the door he can begin cultivating deeper and deeper client relationships, and additional word of mouth.
To strategically expand his network we’re targeting a specific (top-secret) profession. For them we’ve created a specialized program designed to meet a wide array of their needs. To design the program we researched the profession, brainstormed with selected professionals in the field, and field-tested the plan.
We’ve also identified the communications channels we need to target — newsletters, organizations, individuals, etc.
We’re now to the most exciting part — unleashing the plan. Once it’s out there we’ll be closely analyzing the results to identify ways to enhance and strengthen the campaign. There are always small modifications to make, but it’s usually those small changes that make all the difference.
Q: What’s the importance of a business network like Biznik to you?
I’ve tried a number of business networking groups. Couldn’t stand them. I felt like I was in elementary school. Everything was just so contrived and forced. And their fixation on referrals made no sense to me.
Biznik, on the other hand, fosters a legitimate community of business people. These are people I can confidently refer business to because I actually know them and know their work. The most important part for me, though, is the ability to work with other talented and driven indys on improving our business models and building stronger, more effective partnerships.
Dominic’s website is dc-strategic.com
Photos from Biznik happy hour at BalMar
Biznik happy hour at BalMar, in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Photo by Dina Johnson (who posted quite a few photos from the event).
Great to see everyone last night at Ballard’s swanky new BalMar. Nineteen members attended, including quite a few members who we’re glad to welcome into the active ranks. Which reminds me to plug a couple of things:
- To move yourself from the “web only” page into the “active” member category, you simply need to attend one event, like the one last night (we’ve got four upcoming events in the calendar, so plenty to choose from if you’re in Seattle - if you’re not in Seattle, why not drop us a line and host one yourself?)
- Ever wonder who those smug mugs are, rotating on the home page, and why your face isn’t one of them? Here’s the deal - that pool is automatically selected from among active members who have attended an event in the last 30 days. So, to get some face time on page one, just show up and you’re in the mix for a month. (You’re dad really wasn’t kidding when he told you that 90 percent of success in life is showing up.)
Emilia Kallock: “All art is an encouragement”
What do thumb tacks, bananas and duct tape have in common? They’ve all made solo appearances recently in sketches and paintings by Seattle artist Emilia Kallock, who’s currently embarked on a visual exploration of everyday things. But the works she creates from humble objects are anything but ordinary.
I met Emilia in 2002, when I moved into a studio next to hers in the 619 Western Building in Pioneer Square. One of the things that immediately struck me about her was the way she looks at things, at scenery, and at you. She kind of cocks her head to one side, hmmmm, as if she’s measuring you against some invisible yardstick, perhaps engaging in an inner dialogue about the color of your shirt, or deciding that you’re wasting her time, or that she’d like to paint you. But today we have the luxury of not having to guess what she’s thinking, because she’s going to come right out and say it right here, right now…
Q: How long have you been creating art, and what got you started?
I’ve been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember. As a little girl it seems like I was always given paints and paper for birthdays and Christmas, and it became a way for me to keep busy. I suppose it just stuck, and it has followed me through everything else I’ve done in life. I’ve now found that creating art is as essential as brushing your teeth.
Q: What would you say has been your biggest influence as an artist?
When it comes to painting, I think the best way too grasp technique and analyze composition is by looking at great paintings in real life. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some of the world’s best art museums, in particular when I studied art history in Spain for a year as part of the international politics degree I was taking at the George Washington University. I honestly would spend hours in Madrid’s major art museums: el Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, and la Reina Sofia, picking apart the ways in which the masterworks may have been executed. The dramatic works of El Greco made a huge impression on me because of their high contrast tones and thick, unique brushwork. As of late, I’ve been really admiring the raw confidence in artwork done by Antoni Tapies, Jean Dubufett and Milton Avery, all whose work strike me as particularly honest and gutsy. But all art is an encouragement just because it exists, even if it is the shallow, condo-art kind.
Q: One of the things that always strikes me about your work is how happy it feels. Even when you’re tackling sober subjects, I always find lightheartedness and laughter just beneath the surface of your paintings. Is that something you’re conscious of? Where does it come from?
Uh, because we are living in the 21st century, and look what’s going on around us. Media and the Internet have altered normal conceptions of time and space, and is actually changing the way we define reality. Globalization is homogenizing the world’s ancient cultures, and we’re only kidding ourselves if we think there is anything less than a wholesale attack on Mother Earth. And now, postmodernism has shattered the legitimacy of any one authority in just about every field. How do we mentally deal with these things? If you want to forget about it all, you retreat into fabricated entertainment and admire condo-art. Fine. Or you portray the possible horror and apocalypse that is awaiting us all. But who really wants to stare at a disgusting nightmare like that when you come home? I may later on in life when I’m really jaded, but for now, I’m convinced we need uplifting cultural products. “Uplifting cultural products.” That’s what I repeat out loud when I paint. Just kidding. I admit, it is hard sometimes to stay upbeat with everything that’s going on but when it comes to choosing between distraction, despair or hope I’ll choose the latter. I guess that manifests itself in images that give me pleasure or make me smile, but don’t let me off that easy either.
Q: Are you making your living entirely as an artist? What have you done to make ends meet? What sort of things do you do want to accomplish as an artist?
I’ve been living la vida boheme, which means I’ve made it a requirement that the places I work and live must foster the creative process directly or indirectly. Upon moving back to Seattle from the East Coast I moved into a barely hospitable artist’s loft in a warehouse downtown. There I began to seriously pursue art daily. I had a hot pot for my cooking and shared a bathroom down the hall. It was always freezing and noisy from the viaduct out in front and the adjacent occupants playing loud music at all hours. I paid rent from the occasional sale of small sketches and the even less occasional sale of a large painting, and by working at a high-end flower shop, where I am still employed. The flower shop plays a part by providing a ton of creative inspiration, and more recently, by becoming the subject of a large, colorful children’s book I’ve illustrated.
Within the last few years, I’ve worked on just getting my stuff out there, exhibiting in cafes, boutiques, a salon, and a bookstore. In addition, along the way I’ve welcomed commissions of landscapes, portraits, and my favorite, paintings of animals. I feel comfortable in dividing my skills into activities that keep the creative juices flowing, and that for the moment are more commercially viable than my private artwork. But in the end, it’s all done to support painting. That is what matters.
Q: Has Burning Man influenced you personally and/or artistically?
Not any more than Fox News or my commute home. Burning Man is an extremely decadent gathering that affords me the much welcomed space to meet other non-conformists and free thinkers. At the same time, I continue to be blown away how the festival proves time and again that the creative faculty runs deep in ALL people and its different applications are endless. That is a wonderful thought!
Q: What kinds of things are you excited about painting right now, and why?
I don’t know if I really want to tell you. It might give away my formula. My progress can be seen on my website, www.kallock.com.
Q: How’s Biznik working out for you so far?
I’ve received a referral and I’ve found many business members whose services I will most likely use in the future. The great thing about Biznik is that the profiles and adjoining blogs expose a significant amount of information about what the members do and networking events provide a place to meet them. And now, through the interviews, we are learning that much more about each another, which I think is Biznik’s big strength. I am encouraged, as I hope other members are, to go out and invite in other people whose services or products are out there making a difference, but whom may not yet have an online presence.
To visit Emilia’s website is to take an extraordinary trip through her development as an artist. She’s posted hundreds of her paintings and sketches, organized chronologically from 2000 — 2006. You can also search by title and date for specific paintings. www.kallock.com
Biz Talk - Let the conversation begin
This afternoon I launched Biz Talk, a totally new feature of www.biznik.com that allows you to post topics of your choice to a discussion area. This is a great way for you to post a question to the group, or announce a special offer, or just rave about someone whose services you’ve used to the rest of us.
I’m officially calling this a beta for now, but it’s already pretty solid in my testing. If you run into any problems while using it, please email me at dan [at] biznik [dot] com. Likewise, if you’d like to make any suggestions about how Biz Talk works, either post them to Biz Talk, or email them to me. The thing to keep in mind about Biz Talk is that, unlike the email discussion lists that it replaces, pretty much anything goes! So log on today and start talking.
Tiberio Simone: beautiful food from the heart
To call Tiberio Simone a chef would be like calling the Space Needle a building. He’s a chef all right, but it’s everything else that he brings to the table that makes him–and his culinary genius–an unforgettable work of art. His business, La Figa Catering, is all about the creation of exotic culinary experiences.
If I had to describe him in a single word, I would probably choose “pizzazz: an attractive combination of vitality and glamor.” But one word could never do him justice. So I’ll get out of the way and let him use any many words as he wants to describe himself.
Q: Before I ask you what’s cooking, can you tell me something about where you’re from, and how you came to Seattle?
I lived almost my life in South of Italy near the city of Lecce (the Italian will describe Lecce as La Firenze of South Italy for the amazing architecture of the Barocco), in the village of Neviano. Situated on the heel of the boot of Southeast Italy across the Adriatic Sea, my life there was a real challenge full of abuse and work. I was forced to work in the farm for long hours and no free days except Christmas, Easter, the Day of the Mother Protective of Neviano, La Madonna delle Nevi (the Madonna of the Snow) and few other days. With my free time (night or siesta time) I would make trouble. Even so, I would get caught. I guess that was play time. Life went on with the challenge, escaping home as much as I could for the hate I had against everybody except my mother and my little sister. As a young boy one day I told my Mom, “If I have the chance one day I will be leaving as far as possible from home.” The story is way too long to continue, so I will skip a bunch.
I came to Seattle in 1990 when I was 21 year old, to visit this amazing woman I meet in Siena (Tuscany). We had a long-distance passionate love affair for almost three years. In Italy my life was super different at that time. I was part of special government military troops, which at that time was pretty amazing and painful at the same time. The amazing part was meeting my first love Rebecca who became my girl friend and I fell in love. I came to Seattle to spend the summer with my girlfriend after I quit the military job without saying anything to my parents, until one day they got a phone call from me saying “Mom, I am getting married.” I let you imagine how an Italian mother will react to that.
Q: When did you start learning too cook?
As a kid, very young, I would run away from home for few days. There was a women and my grandmother that would hide me at her house, but I could not go outside for not to be found. She thought my Dad would kill me. So instead my play time was cooking with them and the ingredients we had available. I will never forget how hard was kneading the dough for bread for long time with my little arms, and stirring with the big wooden spoon the marmalade in the copper pot over the fire in the big fireplace. Also I loved to help mom to feed the fire for the boiling water for the cooking of the pasta. I remember one day I had this amazing idea to help my mom as much as I could–specially in the winter time, when it was freezing out–that way I could skip picking olives in the farm.
Professionally I started cooking In Seattle. At that time when I got married, I really didn’t have much skill beside working in the farm, or being a warrior. So I meet the family who owns an Italian restaurant, which at that time was not open yet, I asked if could help on developing the place for free. Their mother Mamma Melina asked me if I will like to help on the cooking. So I accepted. In the process of learning professionally, many memories came to my mind from my cooking life in Italy. So I became a professional cook in less than a month. The place is called Mamma Melina Ristorante Italiano.
Q: How did you go from your first restaurant job to winning the culinary equivalent of an Oscar, The James Beard Award?
That is another long story but I will try to keep as short I can. My next job was working for the Westin Hotel for the fine dining restaurant, The Palm Court. At that time my shift was working at night and my ex-wife was working in the morning, so because I was bored I asked the pastry department if I could work for free in the morning for the sake of learning. I did that for over a year, for about 25-30 hours per week. I learn more that year than someone who was working full time for 8 years. Because every day I would do something different, rather than the routine that everyone would have to do for six month straight.
My passion for dessert developed very rapidly when I got an offer to work as an assistant pastry chef, so I did that for a year. The Four Season’s Olympic Hotel offered me a job for less pay and I decided to take it. At the Olympic hotel there was a lot opportunity to grow because the higher quality and the higher budget on the food. One day I saw a flyer regarding a James Beard Award, at that time I really didn’t know much, so I entered for the competition. For two weeks I tried my different recipe, but none of that would satisfy my need. One day after so much frustration, I came up with something way too delicious made from three different chocolates, hazelnuts, burned short bread crumbs, Italian meringue, Khalua, Amaretto, Frangelico, hazelnut paste and other delicious ingredients. That was the birth of The Triple Decadent Crunch.
There were five competitions before the finale in New York. I couldn’t believe to what was going on. I kept winning and winning, until the big one. When I arrived to New York, I was very nervous and scared as hell. With my wife next to me, it made it a little bit easier. I remember how proud of me she was. At the competition there were so many different desserts from amazing chefs, mostly from New York. At that point I really did not care to win. I felt lucky enough to arrive to New York. The competition started and it lasted quite a while. After the judge tried the dessert, I noticed that they took my cake and put it on the side, so I thought I was the first one to be eliminated. When they introduced the winner I was outside, almost like embarrassed to be inside. Then they almost forced me to go in and they announced the first place: Tiberio Simone.
I couldn’t believe to my ears. My wife started to cry for the joy. I didn’t know what to think or what to do. I got so exited that I was feeding chocolate to everyone with my fingers and the executive telling me calm down. I didn’t care–I won! It felt like I was on the top of the world, it was incredible. The first price was a $10,000 trip to Bushant in France. And a 60-year-old Bushant Cognac which I still have (I may sell it. It worth about $8000.)
Q: I don’t know anyone who is as passionate about food, about life, and about women as you are. It’s totally infectious. Where does that come from?
I do not really know how to answer to this one, but I can try. Let’s see…
I believe that food is life. When I was a kid I would be looking forward to eat to feel something warm in me, every bite I would take I will say something such as “che buono” (is yummy) or “mmmmmmmmmmmm” or “mamma mia.” Part of that was because I knew that will bring a smile to the sad face of my mamma, which was the only pleasure she would get. I guess by doing that all the time it almost got tattooed in my heart, the love of felling good over something simple such as food.
One day I told my mom that I will be a cook, that way I wouldn’t have to go to work in the cold whether, but more than that, I would cook for all the people, especially all the women, of any age. Because I knew that somehow they would love me.
You know what is totally true? It is very sexy to cook beautiful food from the heart. People feel the love. But not all the people–the ones that have a heart, or at least a little. I am passionate about life because at one time I had a really shitty one. I love women because I respect them and the love for la mamma, my little sister Pia, my grandmother Nonna Lina, and her best friend, Carmela. I always will feel this way is the way life came to me. It’s almost like after every hurricane is always the day of sunshine, and I am shining at this time at my life. And I will like to avoid any more hurricanes.
Q: What are the things that matter most to you right now?
Wow, all this are very good question Dan. Are you going to ask me out after this intervew? The things that matter to me right now are few. The number one is to my friend (and fellow Biznik member) Barbara Crummins [who was diagnosed last week with cancer], that she will not die suffering from this terrible cancer and that all my good energy (included with the ones of the rest of her friends) her will help her. I also will like to fall in love, and I did in Italy in my last visit. I am pretty positive but the problem is one: we are 9000 miles away. So I do not know how that will work while I am here and be around to all this temptation of beautiful incredible yummy people. Somehow it is really hard for me to fall in love here. I have way too many wonderful people around so I get distracted very easy, and the thing is I love everybody that I see something beautiful in.
Let see… one more. My health and the health of my mamma. Oh I almost forgot, my business.
Q: How does someone like you, who knows half of Seattle, benefit from participation in a business networking group like Biznik? Isn’t your business network already well established?
In Biznik there are a kick ass super cool people, how I could stay away. Plus in business there is never enough contacts. That is the nature of continuing doing business. I always will be looking for new beautiful real people to enjoy my amazing beautiful food. If you know any, please let me meet them. I will behave, I promise, I will only kiss on the first date. HA HA (HEYY I am kidding!)
Q: You’ve been successfully self-employed for many years. Do you have any advice you would give to someone starting out in business for themselves?
Yes, I have an advice. The main thing is set yourself conformable in the financial way, when I used to work for the corporation America, I always saved money as much I could, for owning a house was very important because most of my life in Italy I was in the street, so I took care of that. Now I own my house so having a house mate is an income, having that part covered, it is much easier to work for yourself because one can relax more and not rush to any thing that comes, because that can lead to some mistake.
I also never believed in credit cards because those plastic things, they only put one behind and it is so hard to catch up. And that creates stress, especially if one is in a relationship, so I do not buy anything unless I have the money. A great way to save money is to learn to cook for yourself and to make lattes at home. Those things seem small, but it actually is very big. In the long run you will save a lot. Also to save money one doesen’t need to make a lot–just make sure to use those money wisely. Also is very important to create trust with the people you will do business with, and giving is another big one because in America the majority dosen’t give enough, and one does not to give a lot to be a giver. I hope I answered to the question.
I wish to every one to succeed in your ambition, I think if one believes to what they want to do, and they do it from the heart in combination of saving some money when is possible, and to be real and honest, with time it will work. The last thing: promise less and deliver more. Con affetto!
Tiberio’s catering firm is La Figa Catering
Photos from one of Tiberio’s cooking classes held at our house
Who’s the Person Behind the Profile?
Who’s the Person Behind the Profile?
With 202 members to date and only thirty or so appearing in the flesh at the Biznik Happy Hour events, how do you distinguish between two or more members who offer the same service? You can visit their web site and look at their creative portfolio if they have one. You can browse the members listed in their Referral Network (displayed at the bottom of their profile) and ask another member for a reference. And you can read the person’s blog.
Dan and I are huge advocates of blogging. One of the reasons I believe strongly in them, is that they give potential clients and business collaborators a glimpse of the person behind the service. Word-of-mouth marketing is an extremely effective way of getting business. About 90% of the business I get through Studio LEAF is through word-of-mouth referrals. Yellow pages are an article of the past. Most people who need a service like an acupuncturist or a computer networking guy, are going to ask their friends for a recommendation before they open the advertising section of a phone book or newspaper. Our intention in forming Biznik was to create a network of friends, and friends of friends where people could come if they were looking for a service.
If you’re a member of a fast-growing network like Biznik, you need to find a way to distinguish yourself and introduce yourself to the people who don’t know you. The best way to do this is through blogging about yourself, your service and topics that interest you.
If you don’t have a blog, don’t know how to set up a blog, or have questions about blogs, email Dan McComb. He’s willing to give any Biznik an hour of his time for free to help you get set up. This is a great opportunity that a lot of people have taken advantage of - if you’re not one of them, you should be. Also, you can mirror your existing blog headlines to your profile page if you have an RSS2 feed. Email dan if you’d like to set that up (a tool that will allow you to do it yourself is in the works).
DJML: “It’s like having sex with everyone in the room at once”
No, I’m not talking about a new designer drug. I’m talking about the way Seattle tech entrepreneur and DJ Mark Lacas feels when he’s working the turn tables at one of his gigs. And the way you’re likely to feel, too, should you be fortunate enough to be on the floor. Mark’s a man of many talents, but it’s his sizzling passion for whatever it is he’s doing right here, right now that sets him apart, in my view. Being wickedly intelligent doesn’t hurt, either. He’s succeeded in a lot of things - not least among them persuading Paul Allen to invest millions of dollars in a technology firm he co-founded, which is now called Singlestep Technology. And now, in addition to the software he’s working on, which is too secret for him to talk about, he’s lighting up dance floors from California to British Columbia with his mixes. Mark’s basically the kind of guy that if he decides he wants to do something, pretty soon you’ll be reading about it in a magazine somewhere, not just hearing about it from your friends.
I’ve known Mark longer than almost anyone else since I moved to Seattle in 1998, back when a gig for me meant loading trucks at UPS at 2 am. When I first met him at his old flat above the Bell Town Pub (supposedly the same place Tom Robbins used to live in), I counted no fewer than 15 Mac computers in the place. I liked him immediately. Not long afterward he hired me to do some design projects at his firm, and encouraged me (or perhaps “drove me” is a better term) to develop my programming skills. To the point where today, if I didn’t learn it in an O’Reilly book, I probably learned it (or of it) from Mark. So I’m delighted to have the opportunity to introduce him to you, too.
Q: Tell me a bit about yourself, and what brought you to Seattle.
I’m an entrepreneur, artist and technologist who likes to travel and sail. I live to make new things and to engage people.
I was coming to Seattle on a fairly regular basis to visit customers, and every time it was time to leave, I was disappointed that I wasn’t staying. That told me I shouldn’t have been leaving. I went back to Hermosa Beach, CA to my company, “Lone Wolf Technologies,” and called a full staff meeting. I asked the employees what they thought of the Pacific Northwest.
They all gave me this funny look and said, almost in unison, “Why”? A few months later there was a unanimous decision by all 20 people and their families, that they would move up with me. I moved the entire crew to Seattle. Some had never been away from the area where we had lived and worked, and they came anyway, because they all deeply believed in what we were doing.
Q: You’ve been successfully running companies for a long time. Any advice for small business people starting out on their own?
First of all use every cell in your body and soul to find a vision of what you should be doing. Spend the time to make your vision full and complete down to every detail. Don’t let your envisioning get in the way of doing, though. Start working toward your vision from the start and never stop. Figure out ways to self fund as much as possible. Devise a path that utilizes your talents and gets you paid for them as you go. Build that up and find ways to reinvent and diversify. Make sure you are doing something that makes people’s lives better in some way and that fulfills who you are. Don’t let failures stop you, they are simply teachers of what not to do next time. Learn from them and get stronger. Solicit everyone to help with your vision. Some will stay and many won’t. Build a critical mass and spread from that.
I have a bunch of mottos that I always keep in mind:
- “A winner never quits, a quitter never wins.”
- “Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgement.”
- “When all is said and done, more has been said than done.”
- “Don’t let your mouth write no checks that your tail can’t cash.”
- “Do, or do not, there is no try.”
Q: What kinds of technology are you excited about these days?
I’m excited by a number of technologies, but my main love will always be using computers to enhance the things that we do, that make us happy and satisfied.
Q: Among all of the things you’ve accomplished so far, which are you most proud of?
Winning the International Science Fair. Watching the Apollo blast off with the President. Being self employed (terminally unemployable) since 1983 when I went out on my own and never looked back. Becoming friends with all my customers (Herbie Hancock, INXS, Chick Corea, U2, Grateful Dead, Emerson Lake and Palmer, etc…) and having my designs and products being used on tour by them. Getting my patents. Giving a demo of my VNOS technology to Paul Allen at a lunch date in ‘92 and getting $5 million dollars investment from him, because he thought it was really cool. Hooking up with my beautiful wife and having a super sweet baby girl.
Q: How long have you been spinning records in Seattle, and what got you started with that? What excites you about mixing?
I’ve been DJing since 2002. I was going to parties and having a great time dancing and I thought, wouldn’t it be great to have my career in music change in a new and fun way. Went to Burning Man and got knocked off my feet. I thought that I had to try DJing so I could make other people as happy as I felt. Then one night at a Paul Van Dyke show at the Showbox it all came together. I saw my future wife while dancing to the most amazing set I had ever heard. The crowd was going more crazy than I had ever experienced. I knew I had to do that no matter what it took. That night transformed what my life was to be like. My lady, my music and my friends to be were all set in motion that night. That started what was to become two years of daily practice and devotion to the meme. Little did I know how many nuances there were to master.
Mixing for a crowded room is one of the greatest highs I have ever felt. I’ve been in lots of bands, played in the city symphony, jammed and hung with lots of great rock stars but none of that even compares with taking a room full of people and winding them up to an ecstatic frenzy with my mixes. When we get to the top and everyone is yelling and whistling and screaming…it’s like having sex with everyone in the room at once. Seeing the big smiles and happy looks, I know that its got to be one of the purest forms of happiness I can give to them. There is nothing like it.
Q: Tell me about the best gig you ever spun. What was it like?
That’s really a tough one. They are all special in some way. I guess it would have to be Luminous Flux, that’s the night finally I broke through with bringing my experiences in Europe to Seattle. Casey Ann and I went to Sonar in Barcelona and danced our asses off for 5 days and nights to the high energy mixes that only Europe can engender. I wanted to bring that energy back to Seattle but knew that I had to do it in a way that worked for the people who come to our parties here. At luminous Flux I decided to raise the bar and mix the sounds and styles I had been transformed by, in a way that Seattleites could appreciate and get caught up in. That roof went off that night and I new I was on to something and had to continue to pursue experimenting with that vibe and energy. I had discovered a way to mix many genres starting with what is accepted here, and then changing and ramping up the energy and evolving into forms that might not have gone over here, not unless one found the path that could cross the chasm of the known and accepted to that which takes you over the top.
Q: You were the person who introduced me on to the Burning Man community here in Seattle back in 2001, and it’s had a massive impact on me. How has your participation in that community affected you personally and professionally?
My life has been transformed in many ways by my participation in the Burning Man community. I found my new voice in music and my tribe family. That led to getting together and marrying my sweet wonderful Casey Ann, and giving life to my best new little friend Aleta. I can’t even imagine how it would be if I hadn’t joined up with the Space Virgins and gone to Burning Man that first year. The years where we grew the camp from a small crew of diverse individuals to the party powerhouse it is today were amazing to participate in.
Q: How are you progressive? (and I’m not talking music here).
I try to stay on top of the things that affect us beyond our local neighborhood. With that I work hard to bring information from all points of view and geographies together to share with and educate as many people as I can. I have been the custodian of a politics list that has grown far beyond anything that I had imagined when I started it. I feel that it is all of our responsibility to understand what is going on in our world and to do what we can to make it better. Knowledge is power, and providing a conduit for sharing ideas, news and views has proven to be very fulfilling. I only hope that by banding together and discussing, and taking action, we can have a positive impact on the future of our lives and the planet.
Mark’s website is www.djml.com
Finding the Prrrfect Valentine gift
I dropped by Biznik member Briar Bates‘ shop, Prrr, in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood this afternoon to check out her pre Valentine tea and shopping party. Briar hand makes jewelry and some vertigo-inducing lacy girly clothing, which turned out to be just the right combination to end my quest for a Valentine’s Day gift. I snapped a few pix of some of the jewelry and fashion accessories that she makes by hand in her shop, and thought I’d share ‘em with you all. I’ll be interviewing Briar for a lengthier post about her wearable art later this month.
Prrr is located at 1216 N 40th St. in Seattle, and is open by appointment. Call (206) 499-4474 to make sure the shop is open there before you drop in.
How to build a business networking group that doesn’t suck
In case you’re wondering what happened at the Biznik development meeting earlier this week on Tuesday, it was attended by (from left to right) Lara Feltin, Howard Gutknecht, Dominic Canterbury, Paul Sockwell, Peter Fosso, Chris Haddad, and Christopher Braxtan, and me (hiding behind the camera). The meeting was open to interested members to provide feedback and ideas for developing Biznik into a business networking group that sucks even less than it currently doesn’t suck. And let me tell you, we came away with some really interesting ideas and strategies. Thanks to everyone who participated, and we’ll be announcing some very cool stuff in the coming weeks.
One of the things that’s already visible on the website, partly as a result of the meeting, is the current surge in educational events in the calendar. Check it out - we’ve got three events already booked this month.
Daniel Talsky: “I want everyone who has something to say to be able to publish it”
A couple of days ago I built a tool that allows Biznik members to mirror their blog headlines onto their profile page, and part of what inspired me to do that was a day-long email correspondence with Seattle web developer Daniel Talsky, who recently joined Biznik. It turns out he has a lot more to say about emerging web technologies, social networking sites, and his business, Roboticat Communications, so without further introduction, let’s hear from Daniel…
Q: What got you started in this business, how long have you been at it, and how’d you come up with the name “Robotic Cat”?
Blogging got me started in the web business. Or should I say, working a graveyard shift job with endless hours to entertain myself on the web got me into this business. I started the tinyblog, my personal weblog, and that just brought up so much curiosity about how I could customize it and make it do what I wanted. I took a bunch of programming classes at North Seattle Community College, and that was all I needed to be an above-average web programmer. Then I just sought out contract work.
Three years ago I met Ben Sodenkamp, who encouraged me not to try to land a tech job, but instead go into business with him. He was eventually successful at convincing me, but we lacked a credible business name. We thought about it for days but just couldn’t come up with the right thing. We had the state business paperwork and nothing to put on it.
Then, one day, Ben’s daughter and another friend’s young son were about to go to bed. We asked them to clean up after their mess and they started to cry and complain. So, knowing they liked both cats and robots, I told them they were Robotic Cats, and I was the Robot Master. Soon they were cleaning up and giggling about the whole thing. So, I looked up at Ben and said, “Hey, we can come up with a product name later, but how about Robotic Cat Communications for the name.” Later, our branding expert recommend we make it into the snappier and shorter Roboticat Communications.
Q: What sort of interesting projects have you been working on lately? Anything you guys particularly specialize in?
We…uhh…specialize in the web. Anything web. We specialize in information design. We specialize in leveraging open source tools. We specialize in functional, workhorse web applications, AKA “The Back End.”
Right now we’re working on a new Online Shopping Cart for Utilikilt, the people who make those funky kilts with snaps you see weirdos wearing on the streets in Seattle. We’re also working on extending the registration tool we wrote for the Stroum Jewish Community Center so that people can use it to sign up for sports teams.
Q: What’s your take on the whole social networking phenomenon (sites like Friendster, Tribe, MySpace)?
Well…it’s a good idea of course. I belong to several of them, and sign up for a lot of web services just to see how web services are evolving. It’s basically just a way for people to have a personal web page, a blog, messaging and a photo gallery in it’s basic form, but without knowing anything about hosting or file transfer. The power of this as a new way to approach the web is stunning, and I’m happy to see it taking hold. Power to the people!
I don’t know about Tribe, but I am active on Friendster and MySpace. I think Friendster’s ship has passed, honestly. They’ve made a heck of a lot of improvements lately, but I don’t think they’re going to catch up with the leader in “pure” social networking, MySpace. Plus, I’m sure Yahoo and Google are going to become reasonably serious players in this field, as well as the other value adds that their account services offer.
MySpace really caught the public imagination and has an unbelievably expansive user base. It is teaching people, bands and businesses how to do on line networking, and it is a pretty powerful tool. It is also popular because of how deeply you can customize it, but it’s customization is basically a hard-to-figure hack. When there is a service that allows this power of customization in an easier to understand way, I think it will really be powerful.
Not to be underestimated is LiveJournal, which is actually a powerful social networking tool of it’s own and has a huge community and a lot of customization options. If SixApart is really smart they’ll make TypePad into their “premium” blogging brand, and make LiveJournal into their social networking brand.
However, as far as how I view them as a developer? They’re just web applications, and if we had a client who wanted us to build them a social networking tool, we could do it. We’re always looking for clients with great ideas who just need the web development muscle to bring it to reality.
Q: One of the things that really excites me about the current “Web 2.0″ technologies is the potential for the radical democratization of information that Tim Berners Lee imagined when he created html back in the late 80s. Do you share the feeling that, this time around, it just might happen?
Hmm. I hate to disappoint you but I think the pinnacle of democratization was already reached. However, it blew the doors off any other equality-creating communication medium the world has ever known, and it’s very powerful.
I think Web 2.0 has higher production values, and a higher barrier to entry. So I do not think the technologies people call Web 2.0 are really going to help at all.
In addition, I predict lawmakers and global commercial entities will find ways to restrict and control the web to their own ends more and more as the technologies are understood. Already China is able to show it’s citizens a limited slice of the web, and even companies like Google and Yahoo are toeing the line for China, a tremendous financial powerhous. It’s like the wild west right now, and I predict it will certainly be tamed more than it is now.
However, the door will not be closed, and it takes a very small investment of money and expertise to publish your ideas on the web and have them indexed on google prominently for people looking for what you’re publishing. I really believe in this power of self- publishing and I put my money where my mouth is. I volunteer to teach web publishing classes in Seattle to absolute beginners, as a method of empowering people to use this amazing communication medium to their maximum benefit while it is still so potent. The fact is: the white house has a web site, Coca-Cola has a website, so does Biznik, and so do I. Type “miserable failure” into Google and you get the home page of George W. Bush. There’s still an amazing amount of freedom of expression. It’s a brave new world. Don’t underestimate what’s already happened.
Q: What’s a web technology that’s worth watching in the coming year?
I’m not sure how far it will go this year, but I’ve always been interested in SVG, or Scalable Vector Graphics. It’s an XML format for describing vector graphics. In the past, if you wanted vector graphics and animation you had to use Flash. Flash is cool, but in most cases it’s a little box in a web page and not really a part of the web page. Google can’t index the text in it and you can’t search for it on the page. Adobe has always been an advocate of this technology, but Macromedia, owner of Flash, was always hesitant to incorporate it. Well, Adobe just bought Macromedia this last year, and it will be exciting to see if they continue to push the technology. In addition, the new Firefox 1.5 actually supports some SVG by default. Before that you had to install a browser plug-in made by Adobe. So, we could start to see some very cool applications built with SVG in the coming year. Also, it’s getting some serious attention as a way to build rich applications on mobile devices, which is a fantastic idea. Here’s some resources if people are interested in learning more about it.
Adobe’s SVG Zone:
http://www.adobe.com/svg/main.html
Mozilla SVG Information:
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/svg/
Q: What’s the most common mistake that you see small businesses make most frequently when they tackle a web project?
Waiting until the last minute, and not setting aside a reasonable budget. We often have to be the bearer of bad news for people. Businesses so often give the important medium of the web their lowest priority slice of budget and attention until it’s a serious problem. That’s why we end up building bare-bones web applications a lot of times. With a little more planning and budgeting, they could have had what they wanted and built it feature by feature. Web development requires a lot of information, time and attention, and just like anything else worth doing, there’s really no shortcuts for doing it right. People underestimate the complexity of something that looks simple on the surface.
Here’s how to avoid the mistake: Get all your stakeholders together and think about your big web dreams. Make a written list. Well before you actually need any of these features, work with more than one web developer (one big flashy agency, one homespun smaller group like us, and one starving student) to get a quote and see how they come up with a proposal. Look at the price tags while you still have time to budget for it. Then, decide what features you can and can’t afford, and what you really want to invest in while it’s not an emergency.
Q: How do you help clients decide what they need (and what they can afford) when they get ready to build a website?
Well, this really hearkens back to the last questions. For me personally the interview process is all-important. First I talk to my initial contact and ask, “What do you need?” They tell me and I take notes. Then I go down the line and ask them about each thing, asking clarifying questions as I begin to mentally construct what they’re talking about. People want a lot of the same functionality so I’ve usually built something like what they’re talking about. If we get into serious sales-land, and we’re building a proper proposal, then I try to talk to everyone who’s going to be using the tool. I work to discover features so that I can build something people could really use. Finally we write a modular proposal, with estimates or prices for every component. We make it clear what’s a core component and what’s a bell or whistle. Most of the time when it enters the dollars and cents world, people tend to drop everything but the core components. We don’t mind, we’re happy to build just that. That way we never say: “You can’t afford all the things you want.” We let them make the decision.
Q: How are you progressive?
The question I’m asking myself is: How am I NOT progressive? I’m always researching how people are building the web today and what they’re doing with it. When new things are hot (like Ruby on Rails right now) we want to investigate it and see if it lets us do our job quicker and slicker.
We also believe strongly in right livelihood, and are really about ethical business to the core. That means sustainability and truthfulness in all we do and sell.
Lastly, I believe in the web, and I believe in doing my best to make it accessible to people. I teach web development for people who barely know how to write a text file. I want everyone who has something to say to be able to publish it.
Company website: Roboticat Communications
Company blog: Robokitties
Daniel’s personal blog: Tinyblog