Biznik Blog

A couple weeks ago I was working on a project that required me to design a fairly complicated database. Usually I use an application call OmniGraffle to do this, which lets me create a graphical representation of what I’m doing. But as I got started, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a tool that let me design the tables visually, create the relationships, table types, all that stuff, and then when I was done, it would export out the code that actually created the tables?” Figuring that if I thought of it, some bright developer had already thought of it and written it, I headed to my favorite place to find Mac software, VersionTracker.com. And pretty soon I found a couple of products that looked like they had potential. I downloaded them both.

The first one I installed was called Data Architect. After installing it I was immediately presented with a bewildering array of options, tabs and tools. After trying to figure it out for a few minutes I gave up, and installed the second one, SQLEditor. Bingo. The interface was beautiful in its simplicity. I simply started using it, and it did exactly what I imagined, without fanfare or fuss — and without giving more options than I needed or wanted. I liked the software so much, in fact, that I immediately paid the developer, Angus Hardie (who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland), the $69 bucks he was asking (even though the price is about twice what I’m used to paying for simple apps of this kind). And I invited him to join Biznik. He did, and he took some time recently to answer my questions about his platform of choice, the Macintosh, his approach to software development, and his city, Edinburgh.

Q: How and where did you learn to write software?

I’ve been using computers for years and years and I think the programming developed out of that. I think the first program I ever wrote was in Logo, which is a kind of educational language where you draw shapes, I think it was supposed to teach geometry. There was also a robot that schools sometimes had, although I don’t think our school had one, which was obviously devastating at the time.

I took various classes in school and did programming on various computers that I had access to, first in Basic and Pascal, later C, C++ and Java. Not to mention Hypercard,

Academically I have a degree in computer science from Edinburgh university, which has a great computer science and software engineering program. I learnt a great deal there, probably more than I realized at the time.

I did some web development for a while, I originally thought of doing it as the main activity of my company, but I quickly realized that I enjoyed writing software much more and went in that direction instead.

Q: I’ve always thought of Edinburgh as a place full of culture, incredible architecture and history. Is it also a great place to be a software developer?

It’s a great place to be, there are regular meetings of the BCS (British Computer Society) and other professional bodies and there are always things going on. Later this year the World Wide Web Conference is being held here.

Unfortunately wireless access is still very expensive, so I couldn’t work in a coffee shop as the people at Delicious Monster are said to do.

Edinburgh is also a great place to be because in a really short time you can be completely away from everything, there is a lot of open country around here which is nice to get away from the computers sometimes. Though I guess I should reassure my customers that I don’t spend all that much time away from them.

Q: Your product, SQL Editor, is a example of a trend in software these days - a simple, elegant solution that does one thing well. And, I should add, is priced reasonably. Do you think this is a trend in software development, and if so, why?

Thank you! I think especially on the Mac that there has been a tendency to follow Apple, iPhoto, iWeb, Pages. They all do a few things well, rather than trying to be the kitchen sink and I think that indie mac developers have tended to follow that style.

There is also a practical aspect to it as well, writing an application that does one thing is easier and faster than writing an application that does three things, which in turn is faster and easier than writing an application that does 10 things. It’s also easier to explain to potential customers what exactly the application actually does, which means that people can slot it neatly into a mental category. Having to think up a new category, or worse, having something that could fit into several categories tends to lead to confusion.

Q: Do you focus solely on developing for the Macintosh? If so, why - aren’t you cutting yourself out of 95 percent of the market?

At the moment almost all of my development effort is on Mac OS X. I do a bit of web development work occasionally, my company website is getting a redesign at the moment for example, but this isn’t really a major thing.

The main reason is that I like the Mac platform. I was thinking about this today and I realized that I’ve been a Mac user for nearly 14 years. I first got access to a mac in 1992 when my grandfather bought one. At the time it was totally different, previously I’d been using 8 bit computers that ran Basic and the change to the graphical user interface was revolutionary. Today I still use a Mac as my main computer, and although it sits on my desk next to a windows machine, the windows machine hardly gets switched on at all.

One of the great things about the Macintosh is the online community, it’s really amazingly strong. There are dozens of websites and the whole tone is different from the linux and windows sites. That’s not to say that those are worse, but the Macintosh way just seems better to me.

Again there are also practical advantages: the number of configurations of Macintosh hardware is smaller and there is more standardization of software and drivers. Developing for windows can be more complicated, there are many more combinations that ideally you need to test against which is more difficult for a small company.

Q: Tell me a bit how you juggle running your own business with writing software. Is it just you, or do you have other people working with you? And how can a business networking group be useful to you?

At the moment it’s just me, and I try to spend most of my working time writing software, which means that business networking is really, really important. If I need something done that I can’t do then I need to find someone I trust to do it for me and I think networking groups are the way to find people to trust. I’d feel much happier going to George the graphic designer I meet regularly at the business networking group than somebody from an ad, like “G Smith - Graphic Designer - All work considered”.

Payment processing is done by a company called SWREG which deals with accepting customer payments and then sends me a payment each month, having removed VAT or sales tax. The icon for SQLEditor was designed by a great designer called Johan Basberg. And friends and family have tried early versions of the software and helped me proof read the manual. Lots of people downloaded the beta versions of SQLEditor and sent in feedback which was really amazing. Many of the suggestions have been brilliant and improved it all considerably. Without this network of people SQLEditor wouldn’t be where it is today.

I think software development is an ideas led business: the more ideas, the more business. And I tend to get ideas by talking to people. Someone may say “I wish there was something that does this”. Which generates an idea, or someone may complain about some deficiency in an existing product. It all comes together and if I can create a piece of software that meets that need, we get a mutual benefit, which is what we all want in the end.

Angus’s website is www.malcolmhardie.com

Since I started blogging last November, I’ve discovered that the hardest posts to write are the ones about people I really like. So I’ve been staring at the cursor for about an hour trying to figure out how to introduce Daniel Doubrovkine, whom I’ve simply known as dB ever since we went to Burning Man together a few years ago with the Space Virgins. At the time, I had no idea what he did for a living. But it was impossible not to notice him for his wry humor, his height (he must be at least 6′4″), and for his squirt gun (which he packed on the Playa loaded with Vodka). Turns out he’s a brilliant software engineer, good enough to be a development lead at Microsoft in his mid 20s. He quit that place (as creative types tend to do sooner or later) and left Seattle for New York two years ago, and I didn’t hear much from him until one day last fall he emailed me an invitation to join FoodCandy, a social networking site for foodies that he created. Lara and I’d just launched Biznik at virtually the same time. I’ve been wanting to interview him about what he’s up to ever since, and guess what? Today’s the day…

Q: Tell us the dB story - how did a nice Russian boy like you end up in New York?

Dan, living in New York has been a dream of mine since 1989. I was then 12 years old and member of the Samantha Smith peace organization. Samantha Smith became famous when she wrote to the Communist Party General Secretary Yuri Andropov, congratulating him on his new job and expressing her concern about the upcoming nuclear war. I made a trip to the United States with this group of Soviet kids and spent three days in New York City. It was virtually impossible for a poor Jew from Moscow to be part of that experience and was the result of partly a miracle, partly some shady connections. In any case, Manhattan marked me for life. That’s when I made a decision to, one day, live here.
 
Shortly thereafter we immigrated to Europe and I got my first computer geek job in the United States in 1999 in Seattle, to finally move to New York, just over a year ago.
 
Q: What’s the story behind FoodCandy? What’s your ultimate vision for the site?

There’re many food-related publications. I starved for food reviews in Time Out Magazine and salivated over recipes in Food and Wine. Then, I hungrily consumed hundreds of wonderful food blogs from amateur and professional chefs. I gazed every personal review and experience about a new venue in New York city and jealously wished I had been first to write about it. I sought advise on public food groups and forums when it came to such serious decisions as what knife to buy. And I was joined by many good friends and we ate and talked. But it wasn’t enough. One day, I tried to eat my computer. I didn’t taste very good and so I decided to create FoodCandy.
 
More seriously, I worked for a very humorless social networking startup, Visible Path, for about a year and learned a great deal about SNA. Visible Path has recently raised 17 million dollars in funding, but I am no longer with the company. I got a chance to see the rise and demise of the many Friendsters on the net and to meet a number of movers and shakers in the world of six degrees of separation. I examined carefully what was successful and what not from the inside. I found that only the niche concepts work well (eg. MySpace with music, Biznik). Being “niche” is not a new concept and is well known from basic marketing lessons. I strongly recommend reading “Crossing the Chasm” on that matter. So I spent a month full time and built a social networking SDK and finally launched an implementation that is dear to my heart and stomach, FoodCandy.com.
 
FoodCandy is simply put, “Friendster for Foodies”. You won’t read about music or baseball here. It’s about the people on the subject of food and an opportunity to meet those who have similar tastes and interests. In the future I see the entire world talking about food and salivating over food photos. And it will be on FoodCandy.
 
Q: How are you spreading the word about FoodCandy? 

It’s entirely word of mouth. One can join FoodCandy and invite friends. I am not interested in advertising because this is part of a true social networking experiment rather than a marketing effort. I am working very hard on helping people getting the best of the network, implementing the features that they want. I try to avoid shameless advertising and ask my friends to do that in my place.

Q: How do you like New York, and what are you doing there for a living (and for fun) besides FoodCandy? 

New York is a tough green apple. You can close your doors and windows and nothing will happen around you. You will get an impression that everything has stopped. But when you walk out of the door and into a small gallery opening you might find yourself two hours later in a SOHO loft for a private concert of the Misfits reunited. The city will juice you as long as you can stand on your feet. Just in the last couple of weeks, I saw two plays: Brecht’s “Three Penny Opera” on Broadway with Alan Cumming and Cindi Lauper, and “Guardians” with the very pretty Katherine Moennig from the L Word. I went to at least ten different restaurants for either lunch or dinner, including some new favorites like Frankie’s 17 Spuntino. I easily drank a bottle of vodka in $17 martinis between Bar 89 and the tenth anniversary party at Pravda. I also saw the preview of the “Notorious Betty Page”, chatted with Kiki from Kiki & Herb sitting, no laying, on the gorgeous bed sheets bought from the Seattle-based Sin-in-Linen, and said hi to Gretchen Mol, although she surely doesn’t remember me. I also took about six hundred photos somewhere in between, a little hobby of mine and interviewed Heather Tierney from TimeOut magazine for FoodCandy.
 
Oh and yes, by day I work for a software company on 38th street, building security software. It’s complex, challenging and fun.
 
Q: What’s your take on the current crop of social networking apps (such as blogs, wikis, digg, myspace, social tagging, etc.) Anything you’re paying attention to that’s particularly innovative or useful? 

I would pay attention to two areas. The first is business social networking, particularly LinkedIn. With eleven thousand IBM employees alone on LinkedIn and growing, it’s only a matter of time till they figure out how to make the big bucks. Expect SNA business applications to popup like mushrooms. You’ll see integration into Microsoft Office and heavy use of the Messenger platform. Because when you connect all these things together and you have a business social network of an incredible value. Visible Path called it Relationship Capital.
 
The other is business blogging. It has becoming mainstream in corporations just like word processing did. Microsoft has already understood the shift and you will see an increasing number of companies that encourage employees to use blogs and communicate directly with customers trough very thin filters. I think Google has completely missed this point. Google is also a slow and disorganized follower in the social networking arena, in my opinion. It has aquired Dodgeball last year, but fails to leverage it to its true potential. I use Dodgeball every other day.
 
I also have to give lots of credit to Biznik, because this is a very fine idea and very well implemented. I think the human aspects of Biznik are right on. Well done!
 
Q: Thanks dB. I believe that a key factor fueling the growth of your site and mine is that we’re really focusing our efforts — in my case, on independent professionals who think outside of the box, and in your case, on foodies. We’re not trying to be everything to everybody. We’re not afraid to have a personality, and show it. It just astounds me how many business are terrified of doing that. Do you think that limits our potential for growth? 

It does not. Being terrified of narrowing down the niche is a common mistake. There’re four distinct groups of people that you should be focusing on, in order: the enthusiasts, the early adopters, the general population and finally the laggards. Between each group there’s a chasm. These businesses you are talking about are concerned about a very late stage of their affair before crossing the first gap. It’s a textbook mistake and a multitude of these companies typically fail. Now, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a story ready for the later stages and the late majority – but you should worry about that after you are successful with a handful of people. Gaining the respect and the support of these few enthusiasts is best done with strong statements that differentiate you from others. The Biznik manifesto is a wonderful example of such a well underlined signature and probably won the hearts of most members here at first glance while turning others away. It’s a good thing, those gone are not motivated by the value you have to offer them today and would be useless dead accounts. They will be back after the first million users on Biznik!

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in New York (besides McDonalds)? 

Finally we’re back on a lighter subject! Yes, the McDonalds ranks high on serious food review sites such as FoodCandy.
 
I think that I’ll have to give the honor of being my favorite place to Felix in SOHO. I loved eating there alone when visiting the city, watching the gorgeous euro-trash crowd. The food is consistently excellent, but the atmosphere is really what makes this place such a landmark in New York. My plan this morning includes walking to West Broadway with my camera to have a drink at the Felix bar. Want to join?

I’d love to, but I’ll settle for a picture this time. Thanks dB!

dB’s social networking site for foodies is FoodCandy.com. His vast personal blog is dblock.org.

dB recently interviewed a couple of Biznik members on FoodCandy:

• Heather Tierney - founder of Sorted NYC, New York’s first personalized dining concierge service
• Jeff Snodgrass - sushi chef at Liberty in Seattle

If I had to choose a few words to describe Biznik’s most prolific event host, Joe Shirley, I’d have to go with “steady, thoughtful, composed and calm.” Not words you’d typically associate with bipolar disorder. That’s because Joe has worked incredibly hard over the past 12 years to first understand what was happening inside himself, and then to develop a med-free method of dealing with his emotions. Along the way he picked up a BA in consciousness studies, then a Masters in whole systems design from Antioch University in Seattle. Now, he’s applying everything he’s learned into a comprehensive method, theory and practice that he calls 9Joys. I interviewed him recently to learn more about how he “turns bad moods into good ones.”

What is 9JOYS, and what inspired you to develop it?

As for inspiration, it was more a case of being strongly UN-inspired by what
passes for understanding about human nature and the workings of the mind.
C’mon - is this nutso world the best we can do??

Add to that a special motivation: at the age of 27, my life was a shambles
and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now, I could cave in and accept
the party line about my affliction being caused by a defective brain, the
only solution for which was to “manage” it with poisonous chemicals. Or I
could hold fast to an idealistic faith that the experts didn’t have the
answers, that there must be some other way out.

Fortunately, my bipolar disorder graced me with a certain unmitigated
grandiosity, and I did the second. It took me seven more years of thankless
suffering, but I eventually got very, very lucky and stumbled upon a simple
trick of the mind. I discovered that I could deliberately shift my mood by
translating it into imagery first, then manipulating the image.

I certainly wasn’t the first person to do this, but I may have been
the first to recognize the importance of this technique as a tool with which
to investigate exactly how feelings, moods, and emotions work. I spent the
next twelve years doing exactly that, and 9JOYS is the result. (And yes, I
succeeded in ending my mood swings - eleven years ago!)

As a technique, 9JOYS is more efficient and effective than the current
state-of-the-art in psychology, (and it is by definition not
psychology). For people with garden variety challenges involving unwanted
moods, thoughts and behaviors, it’s also more humane and safe than a
pharmaceutical cocktail. I’m making big claims here, but I get to do that
because I demonstrate it every day, with every one of my clients.

As a theory, 9JOYS has a lot to offer as well. To give a concrete example,
we tend to think of feelings as things. We try to “get rid of,” “control,”
or “let go of” our bad feelings. Or we try to “heal” them as if they were a
wound. In their place, we hope to “find” happiness. This strategy never
works all that well - you wind up simply burying the bad feeling, dividing
it against yourself and leaving it to wreak subtle sabotage.

9JOYS revises the concept of feelings as things. It demonstrates very
clearly, in terms everyone can experience directly, that bad feelings are
actually good ones in disguise. You’ve just got to remove the disguise,
(it takes about 15 minutes), and the essential gift of that part of you
becomes available. Which means no matter how dark, “bad,” or ugly any part
of you, at its core is light and goodness. In doing this process thousands
of times with hundreds of people, I have never encountered an exception.

Insights like this give me great hope in the potential of 9JOYS to grow into
a comprehensive theory and practice that might contribute to a new way of
inhabiting this planet. It’s going to take a lot more than just me to make
that happen, though. I’m looking for possible collaborators in every person
I talk to, and it feels like this is a very exciting time in the early
history of this work.

How’d you come up with the name 9JOYS?

The name has been through so many permutations it’s ridiculous. Some of the
abandoned ones include SourceWork, Jiva (Sanskrit for self or soul),
Emotional Field Technique, TOPOS (an acronym of Transformation Of
Psychosensory Object Systems), and at least half a dozen others. I was
jubilant when 9JOYS came to me, and after living with it for more than a
year I’m pretty sure it’s here to stay. Not to mention that 9JOYS.com is a
pretty cool URL.

The name is a literal description of the result of doing the work.
The experience of being you has a nine-part architecture, each part anchored
by a distinct feeling. When these nine parts are opened to their highest
truth, it’s like you have a coordinated team of nine different aspects of
joyful being within you — nine joys. It’s pretty awesome.

What is the most common personal challenge that your clients are trying to overcome?

Without exception, everyone who works with me is struggling to overcome
being divided against themselves. We all know the experience: one part of
you wants or believes one thing, but another part feels guilty or angry or
fearful as a result. When we’re acting out these inner conflicts (and you
can’t avoid acting them out in some form), life can get pretty
dissatisfying.

How do we get this way? It’s not because we’re damaged or broken. In fact,
it’s because we’re working perfectly. 9JOYS shows that human nature is to
be whole, congruent. We strive so much for this congruence that when we
are in a conflicted environment, especially as a child, we take on a reverse
imprint of that environment to preserve the congruence of the whole. For
example, a child is full of exuberance. When exuberance is punished in the
family, the child learns to close it down. As a strategy for preserving
wholeness, this works great as long as the child stays in the same
environment. The exuberance may be closed, but the child “fits,” belongs,
feels a part of the family. Change the environment, though, by going off to
college for example, and that imprint doesn’t “fit” any more. The result?
Distress.

Throughout evolutionary history, this imprinting process worked really well
to keep us in harmony with our natural environment and our community. When
the jaguar growls, you don’t want to have to figure out each time that the
thing to do is run. And when the clan elder speaks, by golly you better
listen with respect. Everybody’s chances of surviving and getting along with
each other are enhanced by imprinting.

But of course, all of my clients live in today’s world. Everything’s
changing all the time, and our job is new: How do we transcend our
imprintable nature and return again and again to being present in the
moment? 9JOYS helps with that.

If you could give one piece of advice to independent professionals from your own experience, what would it be?

It goes back to congruence. You owe it to your business, your customers,
your partners, and your self to make sure all parts of you are on the same
page. I guarantee you, if one part of you wants to succeed, and another
is doubting success, or fearing it, or just plain confused about it,
whatever success you do create will be dissatisfying. Take the time, make
the effort, to create a vision that’s so compelling to you that every cell
in your body reaches forward to make it happen.

I’m working on this with myself, too, using 9JOYS to resolve my own inner
conflicts. For example, I recently realized that I’ve been refraining from
creating my own clear visions of success because of a deep imprint that
said, “if you want it, by definition you can’t have it.” That’s the legacy
of growing up in a very controlling family. But in the space of about eight
hours of focused work, I left that imprint behind. For good. Now, I feel
this incredibly energizing drive, a pull forward from my solar plexus that
is hungry for opportunities to create what I want. Quite nice.

You’ve taught more classes in Biznik than any other member. What do you see as the value in teaching free classes?

I see two things, really. The first is just putting yourself out there. The
simple act of declaring you exist - not just your work or your skill, but
the you who does that work or has that skill - puts you in real relationship
to real other people. Building your business is all about creating
relationships and guiding the juicy ones until they become a part of what
makes your business sing.

The second benefit is something Chris Haddad blogged
about just this week: you get to learn. I offered my Getting Things
Done class exactly because I wanted to put a stake in the ground: by April
13 I wanted to have implemented GTD for myself, and know it well enough to
offer this class. It worked. And as a bonus, the dialogue in the class
helped me learn even more. A couple people critiqued the limitations of the
GTD system of contexts for organizing actions. I realized it wasn’t working
for me either, and have since designed a new way to organize actions that
works much better for me. Again, it’s all about relationship: when we
place ourselves in dialogue with peers, cool things always show up.
Always.

Joe’s website is 9joys.com

Defined simply, podcasting it is a technology that allows you to listen to audio (and video) when you want, where you want, and how you want. It is to audio and video what blogging is to writing: A simple technology with revolutionary implications for both producers and consumers of content. Got something to say, or a performance you’d like to share? Podcast it, and they will come.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project (research that is now a year old), 29 percent of Americans over the age of 18 who own MP3 players have listened to podcasts. The popularity of podcasting is being fueled in part by how easy it is to create a podcast (especially if you use a Mac). But as you might expect, there’s a lot more to creating a quality podcast than meets the eye. If you’re considering a leap into podcasting, who better than a seasoned broadcasting professional to help you navigate these waters? That’s exactly what Scott Bourne is building a business around with his Bourne Media Group, a company he founded in Gig Harbor, Washington.

As someone who had a big hand in the creation of Internet broadcasting back in the 90s, Scott is uniquely positioned to do this well. But I’ll get out of the way and let him tell the story himself…

How’d you get started in broadcasting?

I was always interested in radio and when other kids were dreaming of hitting home runs or playing in the Super Bowl, I was dreaming about being on the radio. I spent an entire summer hounding the folks at my favorite radio station for a job when I was 16. They finally relented and let me push a broom for $1.25 an hour. That was the start.

On your website, www.bournemediagroup.com, you state “we helped invent Internet audio.” Who do you mean by “we,” and can you tell me more about your role in that?

I founded NetRadio with Scot Combs, a Minneapolis radio producer and with the help of two venture capitalists, Terry Mahoney and Rob Griggs. I was the company CEO. You can read a little about that here at: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.03/scans.html

It was my idea. And it started after seeing Rob Glaser (The founder of Real Networks) demonstrate a beta version of Real Audio 1.0 That led me to believe it would be possible to start a radio station on the Internet.

You must feel like a bit like a proud parent watching the proliferation of Internet radio. What are you focused on doing with your company, Bourne Media Group, today?

Well I do get a chuckle now and then when people act like using push technology to deliver audio is a new thing. I did it ten years ago when NetRadio partnered with a now defunct company called Pointcast. While there was no RSS involved, it had most of the elements of what we now call podcasting.

With Bourne Media Group, I hope to help companies understand and navigate the podcasting landscape. While we do all sorts of audio production, it’s the podcasting that I personally find most interesting.

Looking at your website I see that you’re also interested in photography. How have you been able to combine your interest in photography with your skills in broadcasting?

I do two podcasts right now that focus on photo-related issues. One is just getting started call ApertureTricks and it’s all about a new piece of software from Apple called Aperture - which is a photo workflow tool. I do another podcast called Photofocus (www.photofocus.com) and it’s more general. I am about to launch a third podcast that will incorporate some photo elements as they relate to Apple’s iPhoto called the iLifeZone with Chris Breen the editor of MacWorld and Derrick Story, the co-author of iPhoto The Missing Manual.

Are you a big Mac user?

I am a Mac guy but I can use a PC if I have to. I just like that Macs work right out of the box. We use them to produce our podcasts and get quick and easy results. I also appreciate not having to spend half my day hunting down and deleting spyware. And by the way, I am using my MacBook Pro as my primary computer now and loving it.

Me too. I LOVE my MacBook Pro. And thanks to Apple releasing Boot Camp a couple days ago, it’s now a snap to boot into Windows natively on the same machine (something I’ll occasionally do for testing). But enough about that. I’ve heard some respectable people say that podcasting is a fad. What’s your take on it? Who/what is it well suited for?

Well I remember when people said the Internet was a fad too. Any new technology, particularly one that may disintermediate present-day business, is immediately discounted. But I think podcasting is here to stay. Here’s why. It’s not so much that you can listen to (or watch) shows on an iPod. While important, the two biggest things driving podcasting are the democratization of media and putting the audience in control. Those are the two points that make podcasting a really big deal. The fact that you can have a Tivo - like experience with a radio show is also a big deal. People are busy and they no longer want the content providers to be in control of the time and place a show is delivered.

I also think that you need to look at the numbers. As of January, Apple has sold 42 million iPods. Add to that the millions they have sold since plus all the third-party personal media players, Tivo boxes, PDAs and cell phones that are out there and you have an audience that starts to rival the size of network television. People are going to do business where the audience is and portable devices are where the audience wants to be.

I could go on here but it would start to get boring. There is a business case for podcasting for nearly any business. You can use podcasts as training tools, to spread the word about new products and services to your customers and prospects, to establish your brand with any community, to provide a community service, to communicate with your investors and vendors and to open channels of communication with your employees. I’d be glad to discuss it more at length with any interested party.

One of the things I’ve noticed about podcasts is that a lot of them are poorly recorded and mastered, which makes them difficult to listen to. How hard is it to produce a quality podcast? Perhaps you’d be interested in teaching a Biznik class on the subject? I bet you’d get a lot of takers…

Well of course I’d be willing to teach a class on recording and yes it is hard to do it properly without training. But even when you know what you’re doing the equipment gremlins can get you. It happened to me today when working with a new piece of gear in my studio. Stuff goes wrong and then you get to face the fun challenge of figuring out how to fix it!

What’s the value of a networking group like Biznik to a successful business owner like you?

Well Bourne Media Group is a new venture for me. I had some very onerous non-competes expire after long periods of time and I am ready to share my experience with interested companies. I need all the help I can get spreading the word about what I do. I also have found networking to be rewarding on a personal level. In the past, I have made strong friendships that lasted outside the business environment with people I met while networking. Most networkers have an entrepreneurial bent that I find attractive and I like hanging out with people who have a dream.

Now, if there’s one skill that everyone who’s ever tried to run a business could use, it’s a little “foresight.” That’s something that Biznik member Spookee seems to have a lot of. So much, in fact, that she’s making a name and a profession for herself by giving psychic readings at Seattle nightclubs such The Capitol Club, Contour, and The Chapel. I was bar tending at a fundraiser recently where she caught my eye, and since then I’ve been looking forward to interviewing her about how “no one ever really dies, everything is interconnected, and you are never alone.” Today’s the day!

Q: How’d you get the name Spookee?

All my life I’ve kept telling people things that I shouldn’t have known and making offhand remarks to people that were really prophetic. People would look at me and say I was spooky.

When I was 17 my high school boyfriend took pictures of me in a beautiful old cemetery. When he developed them, all of the pictures of me had clouds in front of me, and the ones of the monuments alone were perfectly clear. He teased me, “Hey, maybe you’re a medium,” “What’s that?” “You know, one of those women who wears a turban and does seances and talks to dead people.”

I laughed at him and shoved him. Joke was on me.

Most psychics choose a name based on mythology, and as a result you get 500 psychics with the same name. But I’m also a wiseass from the East Coast, so I decided to tell it like it is: I’m extremely empathic like Counselor Troy on Star Trek or Phoebe on Charmed. I also talk to spirits, so to some people I am Spooky. The email name spooky was taken so I became “Spookee” spookeelittlegirl@yahoo.com.

Q: Can you really see the future and spirits?

I see the future, present and the past actually, yes spirits too. I’m getting really good at guessing baby genders, too.

I was at a friend’s house and looked out of a window on the stairs I never look out of and noticed a branch about to fall on his car and told him to move it. “I’ll do it later”, he said. If only he had listened it wouldn’t have totaled it an hour later when it fell. Made a cool sound.

I say “I told you so” a lot, but people don’t mind.

I’ve told people looking for love about people they’d meet in the future. What they’d look like, their personality. I’ve told them enough that they wouldn’t just throw themselves at the first blonde woman they saw, so they would know when they met them.

Once I was talking to a mother and son who were thanking me for a reading I’d done for him. I suddenly saw a muddy field strewn with bodies in civil war uniforms rifles and crows and the word Gettysburg. The mother and son were having a nice time out together so I didn’t bring it up.

A few months later I asked if they’d had any ancestors who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, and they had. I’ve seen the Battle of Gettysburg like my own memory. War is bad.

My specialty is Grandmas. Maybe because I was so close to mine. When Grandma says she  looooooves you, believe her! When a ghost barges in to the conversation it’s almost always Grandma.

Q: Why Grandmas? Is there something about female energy that is more, what’s the word, “communicative” in that way?

Nope. Communication is as individual there as it is here. Everyone has their methods and specialties. Some transfer emotion, others spell words, or play pictionary with me, some people are gentle or pushy. It’s not gender specific. Grandma just loooooooooves you like no other. Grandma wants to see “her” baby, she’ll do whatever it takes. Once grandma comes she usually stays til the end of the reading — or longer. Grandpa’s come in second.

Q: Is this a skill you can teach, or are you pretty much born with it?

I don’t believe children have “imaginary friends.” I don’t believe in coincidence anymore, either.

Psychic ability is like musical ability: People have it to varying degrees, and they can learn it to varying degrees. I’ve taught people what their abilities are, so they could develop them.

Everyone has intuition, it’s part of survival instinct. In some cases people have it more, more than they’d even want to. Sometimes people who are skeptical are psychics themselves and just don’t want to deal with it — they’re psychic bashers.

Q: What’s the most common question you hear from your clients?

“When will I find my TRUE LOVE?! When?! Now?! Where?!”
I love love, I’m a romantic, I like that question. I’ll tell them who I see on the horizon.

Q: Let me guess the second most popular question: “When will I/how will I make money?”

It’s funny, questions seem to come in waves. Lately I’m not getting so many love questions as I am “what should I study in school?” “What profession should I pursue?” With that I address what their heart wants and what their pocketbook wants and I leave it to them which to choose, or how to combine the two. My visions have more to do with how they can work it out.

Q: Tell me a ghost story…

My Dad wanted to put a headstone on his mother’s grave. She died when he was a teenager, about ten years before I was born. He was too dazed to remember where she was buried. His dad was gone already and he was alone. He told me because of segregation she could be in one of three cemeteries. I saw a tree that copied itself and rotated so that it looked  like an arch. I told him which I thought it was. “Shady Grove.”

My father booked a hotel for four days and we flew to Florida. The day after we got there we went to the cemetery I’d told him about. I asked my Grandmother where she was buried and she indicated an area, and I said you have to be more specific or they won’t believe me. She said “OK.” The graveskeeper couldn’t find her on the computer, but found her in the old index cards. “Now we have to see where she’s buried,” he said. I pointed, “Over there.” He looked at me and then looked at the card and said, “You’re right she is, but we have to find the plot.”

We walked over and I saw two trees leaning in to each other like an arch. I stood between them and thought “What a nice place to rest.” My father and the graveskeeper were still referring to the card, so I walked away to look at the headstones. I didn’t feel my grandmother near me anymore. So I walked back to where my Father was in time to hear the graveskeeper say “Well, she’s at 22 and this is 33, so she’s one over and one back, between those two trees.” Exactly where I had been standing. I chose a headstone for her and we were done the first day.

That was how I told my father I was psychic. He’s a scientist I know he wouldn’t have believed me unless he saw it for himself.

Spookee has more ghost stories on her website at www.spookee.org/ghoststories.html

You can catch her at a Pure Cirkus event (lavishly beautiful website) or at Co-op Sundays at The Chapel Bar on Capitol Hill, where she is the house psychic.

Ever think running your own business might be a bit easier if you were 10 feet tall, could fly and throw lightning bolts? Thanks to Show Off Cards in Greensboro, North Carolina, super powers like those are just a reach for your business card away. I interviewed the Chief Show Off himself, who lights up the Biznik map from Greensboro, North Carolina, to learn more about his “be unforgettable” approach to making business cards.

Q: How’d you acquire the name Chief Show Officer? Do you ever reveal your real identity, or are you going to keep us guessing?

My title is one of those things that just happened. The beauty of running your own business is that you can use any title you want. I considered President or Owner but felt that they were too boring and pretentious. I then thought about Chief Executive Officer which morphed into Chief Show Officer or CSO (Get it? Chief ShowOff-icer).

As for my identity, nothing is a secret on the web so anyone inclined to do some snooping can find a picture of me but I work in a world of fantasy illustration so I think I’ll stick with that for now - at least until the statute of limitations expires.

Q: Creating business cards sounds like a pretty competitive field. How’d you get started, how long have you been at it, and how are you different from your competitors in the field (besides having a great job title)?

Competitive? It doesn’t get any more competitive than business cards. Heck, there are printers who will give you free cards if you don’t mind having their logo on the back. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 40 something years on this earth it’s that you can never win on price - someone is always willing to do it cheaper. So I didn’t get into the business card business to run in that rat race.

I got started in the middle of 2005 when my brother launched his own group benefits business and asked me to design a business card for him. I fired up the old computer and cranked out a traditional business card - and it was nice…nothing special…ok, it was kind of boring. Alright already, it was watching-paint-dry boring. Which reminded me of a quote by Seth Godin “Boring always fails. Winners are remarkable.” Wanting not to fail I set out to make a remarkable card. We decided to make an absolutely unforgettable card and went over the top with a muscled up version of him looming over his home city and Show Off Cards was born.

Show Off Cards are different from our competitors in a few ways.

1) First and foremost Show Off Cards are fun. There is not nearly enough fun in business these days. I mean isn’t that why entrepreneurs (see also: Bizniks) like us decide to hang out our shingle? So we can put the fun back in our work! (Please hold while I pull out my soapbox).

(Pulls out soapbox) If you are going to hand out a business card, and everybody does, why not hand out a fun card? a card that makes people smile? or laugh? or look at you as if to say “Are you for real?” For cryin’ out loud stop handing out “vanilla” business cards! (Puts soapbox away).

2) Show Off Cards are beautiful. Once you get your paws on one you will see that they are heavier and thicker than any business card you have likely ever received. The commissioned illustration is a work of art combining a facial caricature with a super hero body placed in a setting that tells an unforgettable story about the Show Off. The back of the card, in addition to traditional contact info, provides a few personal tidbits that help personalize you with the recipient and find a common point of interest.

3) They’re pricey. There I said it. Show Off Cards are more expensive than your average everyday business card. Why? Because they are not your average everyday business card (See items #1 and #2 above). Because we don’t simply stick your head on a stock superhero body, there is a lot of back and forth proofing on the customized illustration from concept through line art and finally colorization. We develop fully customized illustrations which take time and as we all know, time is money.

4) They make you unforgettable, which to quote MasterCard, is “Priceless.”

Q: Who is a good client for you?

Anyone who wants to be noticed. People tend to think that a Show Off Cards client has to be the classic type A “Hey look at me” type of person. Those type of people ARE great Show Off’s but I like to point out that the type B personality (and I am one - ask my type A wife) gets a much bigger bang for the buck from a Show Off Card.

If Jane, super sales person, hands out a Show Off Card it is definitely a show-stopper and gets a great reaction because the cards are so unique.

But stop for a minute and imagine the impact if the usually soft spoken buttoned-down bean counter hands out a Show Off Card that illustrates him leaping from behind his desk (visualize a secret service agent going into action) while reaching into his coat to pull a calculator from his shoulder holster! That guy just went from “Bill Who?” to “Bill (Packin’ Heat) Irvin”. He’ll be handing out cards at the next bored meeting like a rock star. More importantly, when there are hiring decisions to be made within or without his organization, and someone starts thinking CFO, Bill will be the image and name they recall.

In short, if you want to be noticed - Show Off.

Q: Your blog, http://showoffcards.blogspot.com/, is a really interesting read, and you share a lot of tidbits of information that go way beyond cards. Do you use the blog as a marketing tool, and if so, has it been successful?

I started the blog with no grand plan or expectations other than to give it a whirl. I hoped that it would be a fun way to put my thoughts and ideas out there for the greater good of the world…as well as the 4 people who might actually read my blog and I wanted to see what marketing effect it would have on ShowOffCards.com

Having been at it for several months I can say that it is fun and a good creative outlet. It has also been an effective marketing tool. As you mentioned, I go against the normal blog philosophy of being focused on one topic and tend to post whatever pops into my silly little head, because quite frankly there is only so much you can say about business cards. I write about things I find interesting - period. One day it might be about a unique business card or a marketing strategy that I find interesting but you also might find me posting about how to fold a fitted sheet or why I think taco bell hot sauce packets are great.

Based on my ShowoffCards.com access log, I get quite a few visitors to Show Off Cards through the blog and the blog obtains a lot of visitors through Technorati tags and search engine results. Nearly every professional in the world uses business cards so “un-targeted” traffic is fine for me.

Q: What’s the favorite card you’ve ever created?

Why not just ask me which of my kids I like most? Seriously, my favorite card is always the one I am currently working on. One of the reasons I enjoy running Show Off Cards is because I get to be creative. Often my clients have little or no idea about how to “super-hero” themselves - it is after all, not something people do on a regular basis. The fun for me is running through concepts in my head that incorporate the key features they requested until my creative light bulb lights up and I settle on a rough concept. I then develop a crude (And I really mean CRUDE) storyboard for the card front. Once the client Ok’s the concept I turn my illustrators loose and the magic happens. They take the grade school level concept art I develop and come back with illustrations that I couldn’t even imagine, let alone put down on paper.

The process is hard to explain so let me “pull back the curtain” and give you a behind-the-scenes look. One of my latest clients actually provided me with a pencil drawing (which is a “first” by the way). I tweaked his drawing, added some of his requested features and well, here’s the before and after.

Show Off Cards website: www.showoffcards.com
Chief’s blog: showoffcards.blogspot.com

I met Tino Buntic the way I’m meeting a lot of people these days - by discovering his blog. Turns out we have a lot in common. First of all, he lives in Toronto, which is where I spent a good chunk of my growing up years. Secondly, he’s building an online business network, TradPals, in his spare time. And thirdly, he’s having some fun in the process. Look no further than the logo he chose for TradePals: a couple of monkeys. It’s hard not to like an organization that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that isn’t afraid to put some personality into it’s profile. So let’s find out a bit more about what Tino’s up to.

Q: First, where are you from, and what are the highlights on the path from there to where you are today?

What is probably the easiest question for most people to answer is probably the most difficult for me. Most people can talk about themselves but I don’t like to. Anyhow, I’m from Toronto and lived here my whole life. It’s a great place to be in the summer but way to cold in the winter.

Q: How and when did you come up with the idea for TradePals? And those monkeys, what’s the story behind them?

I’m an insurance broker and I used to work at a firm that advocated cold calling. It was like a boiler room. Everybody had to do it. To them, there was no other way of generating new business (I don’t think they’d ever heard of advertising). But all of the brokers hated it. It was the main reason that employee turnover was so high there.

This got me thinking about the way some companies feel about cold calling. They promote it as if its the only way. But I think its useless in this day and age. Busy executives aren’t receptive to cold calls anymore. It’s interruption marketing just as spam email is. Nobody cares for it. Yet, employees are expected to generate sales leads through cold calls.

When I was working there, I thought that there must be something online that people can use to generate sales leads without cold calling. So I searched for it but I couldn’t find anything worthwhile. If you search for “sales leads” in the search engines you will, mainly, find sites like InfoUSA, which sells lists of executives’ name and phone numbers. That’s not what I was looking for.

I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I built what I was looking for. With TradePals, business professionals list what they do and why someone should contact them. Let’s say you created a TradePals profile and a person that is in need of their services finds you and completes the contact form. You will receive an email notifying you that someone is interested in your services. Now you can call or email that person. But, you know what? That phone call will not be a cold call because you are just returning their inquiry.

Oh, about the monkeys. People always tell me that a business site should not have cartoon monkeys in business suits, that it projects a childish image. I disagree. I think a logo should be memorable. What’s more memorable, monkeys in a logo or a standard business icon (like a briefcase, globe, or handshake)? People need to remember you somehow. When you think about jobs and looking for work, is the first thing that pops into your head “monsters?” Maybe, but definitely not ten years ago.

Q: Is it something you’re doing in your spare time? Are you having fun with it?

I am working on TradePals on my spare time. I will keep doing that until it generates enough revenue to work on it full time. It is fun but it also is time consuming to run a business. Anybody that has started a business can probably tell you that it takes a lot of work and persistence to get it going.

Q: What’s your vision of online business networking, and how does Trade Pals fit into that?

Online business networking, as it is now, doesn’t seem to work. With the main online business networking sites like Ryze and LinkedIn, people need to spend too much time emailing other members in order to make a name for themselves (it’s the online version of cold calling). Everybody’s trying to sell something but nobody’s buying.

TradePals is different and so is Biznik. With TradePals, you create your profile and that’s it! Most new TradePals profiles are indexed by Google within a week or two of being created. And, since Google has ranked Tradepals well, people searching for specific services can find you via Google and contact you directly through the site. That’s what you should aim for. Tell people what you do and let them find you (instaed of cold calling or emailing). For example, today someone went to Google and searched the following: Toyota salesperson. The number 1 result, out of 142,000 results, was a TradePals profile.

That’s why I also like Biznik. Biznik doesn’t rely on the old online business networking model. It is a hybrid of online and offline networking, including business workshops. For example, several Biznik members recently hosted a seminar about real estate investing. What a great way to build a bigger and better network for yourself than to offer workshops with free advice? There’s nothing like face- to-face interaction and you can’t get that online.

Great companies like Biznik and TradePals should promote each other to help each other grow!

Q: I totally agree - that’s why I’ve added Trade Pals to our resources page. Has blogging been a big part of how you’ve grown Trade Pals? Tell me more about why you blog, and what you choose to blog about, and why.

Blogging is just one way of promoting your business. When promoting a business you should take any and all approaches that you can. Blogging can bring a targeted audience. All you need to do is write about topics that your intended audience is interested in and you’ll get targeted visitors.

I think most bloggers make the mistake about talking only about themselves and their business. Nobody really cares if you think that you and your business is great.

I like to blog about anything that I am thinking about that day. But, I also blog about good websites and businesses that I happen to discover.

Tino’s site is www.trade-pals.com

I think it’s time for Biznik to have some awards for the most creative profiles. If we did, one would definitely go to Chief Show Off (who I’ve already interviewed for an upcoming blog post). But R Keith’s mugshot fairly pops off the page and has my attention for today’s blog post. Nice work. I think he should start a side business helping Biznik members create eye-catching profiles. (And this is a nudge to all of you out there who haven’t uploaded a photo yet - when we launch the mapping feature next week it will only display members who have uploaded a photo (so if you don’t want to be on the map, don’t upload a photo!).

Q: Do you go by R or is there a real name hiding behind that letter?

Ranier is my name.

Q: What is DunnBai Dezygn?

Say it with your eyes closed.

Q: What kind of work are you doing right now that you’re really excited about?

I am in the middle of brokering a partnership with a recording label CEO to
invest in buying enough camera equipment to start shooting music videos.
What excites me is that I will have complete access to the equipment. DId you check
out my flash movie Dual Duel?

Q: What do you think of the Biznik Manifesto?

It makes me glad to have joined. I got a couple of cats that I am going to invite.

Rainier’s website is www.ranierkeith.com

One of the things that grabs me (or not) as I’m browsing the membership directory is the job title that independent professionals take for themselves. It’s easy to forget you can take any title you like, isn’t it? Here are a few that stand out for me: “Chief Show Officer,” “Schmooze,” “Connector-in-Chief.” It’s also easy to forget you can be anything you like and do anything you like, and sometimes we need reminding of that. That’s where Elke Macartney comes in. She’s not only a wise woman of business, but she’s the woman Lara and I chose to marry us when we did the deed a year ago. The name she’s taken for herself is a real grabber: “Business shaman.” It isn’t a job title you’re likely to find inked on too many business cards. But it’s the kind of job title that raises a lot of questions. The first of which is…

Q: What’s a business shaman?

Heya, heya, heya hey! …Oh sorry, I was pounding on my drum when you asked me that question…what is a business shaman? Good question! Seriously, I have studied with a number of wisdom masters for about 28 years now, and I’ve been an entrepreneur for 22 of those years. Combining those two experiences, I  can tune into a business situation, and, instead of just assessing, quantifying, and figuring things out, find answers more rapidly on a need-to-know basis. In other words: a business shaman uses  a bit of “magic” to cut through the haze.

There is a wealth of potential budding shamans in the Biznik community, because of your entrepreneur’s spirit: you’re independent, self-directed, passionate about what you do. That’s a world a shaman can relate to: shamans are independent: traditionally, shamans live outside the village, and people come to them for answers; so, because they are  a few steps away from the situation, they can be objective. Shamans are self directed: we go wherever our “spirit leads us”, and we are passionate about what we do: I love nothing more than to see the idea lights turn on for people, or a sick situation healed, a broken connection fixed or re-rerouted, a foggy communication cleared up.

Q: What type of business (or person) would benefit most from the services you offer?

My clients are high-integrity people who need help from time to time with perspective,  new ideas, or sometimes just to run some things by a wise, understanding person. I’m a very quick read. For instance, I’ve been brought into offices that seem to have stuck energy in them, nothing seems to get done, or the place isn’t prospering, despite a person’s best  efforts. With my shamanic skills and tools, I can assess where the stuck energy is, and find a way to clear it. Other situations: If a person is in a major life transition, with unclear choices about their future, I love assisting them in seeing what choices are best for them. Mainly, people see me as a non-judgmental ally: I am here to encourage your path, your life’s contract.

Q: You have a life contract?

Yup, everyone does. I see it this way: For most of my life, I have seen auras…you know, colorful halos around people.  Auras have information about who a person is, how healthy they are, all sorts of information. In that halo, that aura, there is also information about what is your ultimate purpose for being here. The more closely aligned with that purpose your work is, the more gratified you’ll feel.

Q: Are your services similar to what a life coach does? How are they different?

Similar, but I go a little deeper: I am here to keep reminding you of who you actually are, and what you are here for (that contract thing again). Some good life coaches do that too, but I also teach you how to make good choices using your own intuition, and I teach practical shamanic tools that people may find helpful…In other words, I empower people to be their own shamans, for those times when they need a shaman and I’m not handy! *smiling*

Q: In the work you’ve done with business people, what’s the biggest problem you see people dealing with? Any hints on how to get past it?

Number one problem, bar none: Lack of trust in….drum roll please…your self! Oh yes, that is the  problem, the big obstacle, the main source of fear, poor decision making, unclarity, financial rack and ruin, and just pain in the butt poor thinking.
My advice to people? Oh, it’s almost too simplistic, but it is truth: Trust yourselves! Only you know what’s best for you and your business. Trust me…

Q: Any other advice for small business people?

Find allies, folks you can gather with and talk to…work things out with. Small businesses are sometimes businesses with only one or two people involved, it can get pretty lonely. If you can find at least one other person you can trust to run things by, that can be very helpful. Case in point: Today; I mentioned to my business ally  a couple of biz decisions I had just made…I was just sharing what was new in my life. Well, out of the conversation, she brought up some legal ramifications about one of those decisions, an ethical ramification of the other decision. I wasn’t even thinking about those possibilities!  We small business people are sometimes too close to the situation…run things  by people you trust, and then trust yourself to know what’s best.

Q: Who would you say have been the biggest influences in making you who you are today?

My one dozen shamanic teachers from around the world: who found me somehow, taught me stuff, and then wandered off. My teachers imparted wisdom that you don’t often find in our Westernized, compartmentalized culture. They saw something in me that could be tapped into and used for the benefit of good people everywhere. They trusted me, and I trusted them.

Also, I’ve been greatly influenced by the huge mistakes I’ve made. I have learned that when I did not follow my instincts, my knowing, it would often turn into disasters I had to then clean up….hopefully, that is no longer part of my contract!

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the class you’re teaching in Seattle on March 27th?

The Four Agreements, based on the book by wisdom teacher (shaman) don Miguel Ruiz, are agreements that I have used in my everyday life, and my business life, and they work! According  to don Miguel, these are agreements we can make to get us out of our personal hell. We can just as easily create a personal, and eventually, planetary heaven, you know.  Plus, I ve added a fifth agreement that is a clincher….The four agreements plus one are not always easy to achieve, but as often as I can remember them…they bring me success.

Aho! (Lakota for “it is so”.)

Elke’s website is inspirationu.com, which also links to her blog. And here’s more info and RSVP info about her upcoming class, The Four Agreements + one: for personal integrity and business success

There are few things I hate more than preamble, so let’s just cut to the chase: Dan McComb is a damned cool guy. He’s one of those guys all of us should theoretically hate. He’s smart. He’s passionate. He’s got a pretty, smart and pretty smart wife. If I woke up tomorrow and read on the news blogs that Dan had single handedly cured cancer, stopped poverty dead in its tracks and chucked the world’s nuclear arsenal right into the sun, I’d just let out a dry little chuckle, mumble “there he goes again” under my breath and, well, probably feel sort of bad about myself.

But anyway. Dan is half the reason we’re all here. He’s the guy who coded this site, and with his wife Lara has built this community out of sweat, bits and passion. Here’s what he has to say about himself:

Q: Dan, you and your lovely (and tall, can I mention that she’s tall?) wife Lara were the first ever members of Biznik. What drove you to give up all of your free time and try and build your own networking revolution?

Burning Man. I know, you’re thinking, what does a crazy party in the desert have to do with business networking? A lot, actually. I’ve been participating in that community for five years, and it’s taught me a lot about how people working together can create something incredible that’s much larger than the sum of its parts. For me, I discovered that if you have an idea, you can create it. Not only is there nothing stopping you, but there are a lot of people who will help you make it happen if you can articulate a vision and make it interesting. And it’s taught me that if genuine community can be built around something as, well, crazy as Burning Man, then it can be built around just about anything. Possibly even around the idea that business networking shouldn’t suck.

Q: Alright, kidoo, give us the Dan McComb history in 4 paragraphs or less. Where are you from? What have you done with yourself? How did you end up in Seattle? What made you decide to become an independent professional?

Born in Tennessee, where my Dad is from; raised in Canada, where my Mom is from. My dad was a preacher and kind of radical in his own way, a real take-no-prisoners kind of guy when it came to putting the devil in his place. After leaving home at 17 I lived in a teepee in the woods in Montana for a year with a Vietnam Veteran who would occasionally run screaming into the woods for no apparent reason.

I put myself through college at the University of Montana by smokejumping, a job in which you get paid to fall out of airplanes over burning trees in the howling wilderness. After breaking my back and my pelvis in two parachuting accidents (that’s the howling part), I graduated with a degree in journalism and decided it was time to find a real job while I could still walk.

I got one at The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, where I was hired as a photojournalist. On the second day of the OJ Simpson trial I was assaulted by the I-never-used-the-word-nigger cop when he objected to me taking his photo (it’s weird to be famous for being beaten up by somebody who’s famous). But that was nothing compared to having to deal with corporate media bullshit, which after four years led me to abandon the profession entirely and move to Seattle, where I found a great job loading UPS trucks at 2 am. If only I’d had Biznik back then! I tried freelance photography but I felt isolated and didn’t understand the importance of networking. Eventually I got a job doing publication design for a great book publisher, Sasquatch Books, and after a couple of years of that was able to launch my freelance career in web development.

Q: In your day job, you own and operate Visual Contact, a web development company. What attracted you to Web dev? What about internet tech gets you so damned excited? I mean really, every time I see you you’re buzzing about something.

I first got excited about the web when I worked at my newspaper job, because I saw it as a democratic form of publishing. Newspapers are a mass medium, which means they are speaking to everyone and no one. And the newspaper often didn’t publish my best work (or at least the work that I viewed as best) so I built a website and published it. That eventually got me into trouble. The newspapers, like most big corporations, really don’t like competition very much, especially from their own employees. I felt the promise of the early web was co-opted by big corporations, and instead of many voices having many conversations, you got huge portal sites where 90 percent of the traffic ended up.

The reason I’m so excited about the web now is because with the development and popularization to tools like blogs, the web is finally delivering on its early promise, and it’s taking it a step further. Instead of being just a vehicle for democratic publishing, it’s becoming a vehicle for collaboration and creativity. And I’m excited about being part of that. The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, said in his first blog post that he it was his original intention for it to be that way, and that the existence of blogs and wikis means that “I wasn’t crazy to think people needed a creative space.” We’d be crazy not to use it that way.

Q: What’s the most important thing that small business people need to know about the web today?

Too bad there isn’t more room at the class I’m co-teaching with Daniel Talsky tonight (which is full) - we’ll be talking about that subject for two hours. But to distill it down to a couple of sentences, I would have to say that we need to stop thinking about the web as another form of printiing. Let’s get move beyond simply using the web as a way to publish press releases and product lists, and start thinking about it as a way of really communicating and collaborating. And that means using it to both talk and to listen, which is the essence of communication.

Q: Ahh, well there’s something we agree on. As a writer who works heavily on the web, I’m always having to explain the breadth of what you can do with just a computer and a few tools.

What’s your dream project? If you had a money bin as big as Scrooge McDuck’s what would you do with yourself?

Biznik is my dream project. And the cool thing is - I don’t need a money bin to make it happen. The tools we’re using are relatively lightweight and developing them isn’t too complicated. I’ve done all of this in my spare time. I would definitely say that if I had a bit more cash I’d be able to focus on this full-time. But if someone offered me 8 million dollars to develop this, I’d run the other way. With money comes expectations, and constraints, and deliverables and a small army of micro-managers, and I want to keep this organic and real and about the people.

Thanks to Dan both for his time, and for starting this whacky thing.

Check this out - Biznik now has members in 6 countries and 12 US states. Our first member from the UK, Anish Mohammed, joined the business network last week, and he’s also the first person I’ve ever heard of who is an Internet security expert AND a medical doctor. It’s not a career track I even knew existed, but it’s exactly the type of combination that we’re striving to promote in this business networking group: people who mix skills in ways that few others have thought of, to create something truly interesting and, well, brilliant (I just had to work the word “brilliant” into the first graf of a interview with someone from London).

Q: You’re our first member from the UK, so that’s kind of exciting for a group that started out in Seattle. So, how’d you find out about Biznik?
 
I found Biznik from a blog post on workhappy.net by Tim Houston, in response to a post on BNI.
 
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself - where are you from, and how’d you end up studying for a phd in internet security in London?
 
It’s a long story, to make it short. I am from southern part of India, from a state called Kerala. Life so far has taken me to a medical school (I am a qualified medical doctor), then I went on to work on some research projects on security in a research insitute (Indian Institute of Sciences Bangalore) in India. Later I joined Ericsson (Ericsson HP Telecomm) to work as a member of a security team for a payment system(the product was called Safetrader). The more I worked, the more I became aware of my lack of formal knowledge in security, hence on leaving my next job I decided that I should go back to some research institute again (this time it was the cryptology research centre at Indian Statistical Institute Kolkotta). Being with the folks there convinced me that I should do things formally (that is, get a PhD). Hence I joined up for an MSc (at Royal Holloway, Univeristy of London) in information security. After finishing that I continued on to a Phd in information security, which is what I’m doing now.
 
Q: Wow, I bet there aren’t too many medical doctors who are also experts in security. Sounds like you have a real passion for learning. Do you plan to integrate your medical experience into what you’re doing now, or have you just moved on from the medical field altogether?

Hmmm, I am not so sure I have a passion for learning. I haven’t combined my medical experience and my interest in information security so far. But I am hoping to do that soon once the e-health initiative picks up applying security to health/medical informatics.

Q: Can you give us an overview of the kind of work you’re doing in internet security?
 
My research focusses more on privacy issues, especially in wireless protocols. Maybe I should mention this, as Google might give you a wrong impression: I did a brief stint at Microsoft research (Cambridge), as an intern there, and I did some work on IPSec, in addition to working on wireless.
 
Q: What type of work do you plan on doing when you’re out of school?
 
I plan to find a job in the industry. Hoping that someone will offer me a job. I should be out of school by Sept 2006 (in the UK you have three years, so I would be completing 3 years by September). As you know with all graduate students, an offer of an interesting job might change the pace at which I am doing things. My ideal job would be one I work with interesting guys (smart and creative guys and girls) on startups (or relatively young companies) in areas which would considered challenging (and good economic returns). I would be interested in combining my various interests and training so that I could contribute uniquely.
 
Q: Do you do contract work? What is a typical project like that you work on, and what type of clients are you looking for?
 
I do a bit of contract work. My work is mostly doing application security architecture and review architecture of applications (mostly financial). I would love to work for clients who are open to suggestions and care about the security of their application.
 
Q: You list a few other interests on your website. One of them I’ve never heard of before: Pharamacogenomics. What exactly is that?
 
I should admit that I am a dreamer. I have a belief that some of the problems related to the dream of personalised delivery of drugs might be solved in the future (possibly due to developments in genomics and computation). This would result in better quality of life for the human race. The science (art) of achieving this is called Pharamacogenomics. I should say this is a very handwavy definition.

Q: Sounds fascinating. Can you give me an example of personalized delivery of drugs is all about? Is it drugs that are designed for the effect they have on you uniquely, as opposed to everyone taking the same drug and hoping they get the result intended?

Personalised delivery of drugs could be targeted delivery of drugs to cancerous cells. Assuming that you recognise a marker on the cell surface which is unique to you the person and you attach the pharmacologically active molecules to something that binds to the marker then we have achieved targeted delivery which is personalised. Taking it a bit further you could adjust the dosage in such a manner that the normal cells in your body would be least affected. Your genetic makeup could reveal information about the pharmacokinetics of a molecule.
 
Q: You also are interested in paranormal phenomena. Can you give me an example of a paranormal phenomena?
 
My interest in parnormal is that of a sceptic. An example of such a phenomenon would be “telepathy” (for example, you interviewing me without sending me this email).

Q: Well, I supposed I’d have to fall into the skeptic camp too, since I’ve never had much luck with that. But then, I’ve never really tried… So, let’s engage in a little scientific experiment, shall we? Without further ado, here’s my next question…

Mmm, I see u didn’t want to ask that question.

Q: Are you part of any other business networking organizations? How would you like Biznik to be useful to you?
 
I am so far not part of any business networking organization (except Biznik). In an age where anyone is measured by a fuction of his or her social network, I hope Biznik will improve my function in the positive direction.

Q: Do you have any privacy or security concerns about being part of a social network?

I do have concerns about privacy of individuals in any network. Given the fact that:

1) Personally identifiable information is stored by the network, the bigger the network more data hence more risk.
2) Increased possibility of social network analysis.
3) If the network charges the users for using the same, then there is an increased risk to financially relevant information.
4) The problem of “tragedy of commons” if someone in the social network does something bad, all the members of network would pay the price for that.
5) The problem of finding/eliminating predators within a social network, predatory individuals or organizations might be able to spoof your identity (identity theft).

These are the ones that I can think of right now, I am sure I have missed a few obvious ones

Anish has a website that is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about Internet security and crypto: www.symonds.net/~anish/

And he’s just started a blog with random thoughts on security, cryptography and medical/health informatics: Healthcare Security

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

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

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?

My dream is that people who have no interest in kinky sex will buy my designs and hang them on the wall. I’m also trying to convince the masses that it’s worth the extra cost to play with a toy that’s artistic and hand crafted in Seattle.

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

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
 

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

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

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

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

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