BijanBlog

New blog location

I'm now blogging over at www.bijansabet.com

Please come by and say hello.

I'm now Tumbling

I met David Karp last year. He was helping out a number of folks create, design and develop their web properties. We started spending more time earlier this year when we made our investment in Next New Networks. David had been helping Fred Seibert for years At that time David also showed me his latest creation - Tumblr. And since then we've gotten to know each other and I started to really love what Tumblr was all about. Tumblr makes blogging super simple. And you can create a tumblelog just by linking & sharing in addition to a "traditional" blog posts like this one. If you have found blogging to exhausting but love the idea then give Tumblr a try. It's a lot of fun. Some great examples of tumblelogs powered by Tumblr include: -Jake Jarvis (jeff javis son and creator of very cool facebookapps)

-Jakob Lodwick (founder of Vimeo)
-Kevin Rose (founder of Digg)
-David Karp (founder of tumblr)
-Fred Wilson (general partner at Union Sq Ventures)
-Marco Arment (software genius behind Tumblr)

By early fall, David decided to create Tumblr Inc and spend his time building out the service. We recently invested in the company along with our friends at Union Square Ventures, John Borthwick, Fred Seibert, Jakob Lodwick and Albert Wenger.

David is gearing up for a new release of Tumblr on November 1st and the new stuff looks fantastic.

And I'm now tumbling as well. So this will most likely be my last post on typepad.

Please check out my new site at www.bijansabet.com from now on. And I hope to see you on Tumblr too.

(note: If you are subscribing to his feed then you don't have to make any changes to your reader. This feed will now grab my new site. Thanks to Brad Feld and David for the tip on how to do this. If you aren't reading this feed than subscribe now :)

New blog, new url coming

I hand my data off to web services every day. The ones that give me the best value in return I use most often. Simple. That's why i share my personal data with me.dium, last.fm, google, flickr etc.

The place that I probably give the most data to is actually Typepad. Typepad hosts this blog. All of my posts, comments, trackbacks, links, etc.

I'm in the process of moving this blog to a different service that I'm really excited about. So I need to migrate my data from typepad. I'd like to think that my data on typepad is actually mine but it doesn't feel that way as it's hard to make the move.

Since I started bloging, my url has been sabet.typepad.com. This weekend i bought the domain BijanBlog.com. So now if you goto www.bijanblog.com it will redirect you to this blog for now.

I need to figure out how to move my feedburner feed or most likely I will have to set up a new one. And I need to figure out what technorati will do with inbound links. I suspect I'll have to keep this typepad blog alive in parallel for months while I make the transition. Sigh.

And what to do about comments? I never liked typepad's commenting system. My friend David Karp from Davidville introduced me to Daniel Ha at Disqus several weeks ago. Now I have Disqus powering my comment system. Not only does Disqus provides a substantially better commenting system than typepad but the commenting data is portable.  I will be able to bring the service *and data* with me to my new blog. Daniel is a super cool guy and I want to thank him for all of his help. Daniel uses Tumblr and blogs at obscurelyfamous.com

Please let me know if anyone else has info or tips on typepad migration. I'm all ears.

How not to blog: see Microsoft Mac Unit blog

I subscribe to Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit blog.

Why? Because I'm anxiously awaiting the upcoming version of MS Office 2008. The current version of Entourage is ridiculous. It's old, crashes and it's the last major app to not run natively on Intel hardware.

The Mac BU has been forever trying to convince the Apple faithful that they care about Mac users. Read their posts. They publicly declare their love for all things Mac. And that is great.

But their blog is pathetic. All of their posts are either self congratulatory or they talk about features that people don't care about. Consistently in the comments for every post, customers (only) want to know if Entourage is going to fully support MS Exchange properly or not.

And with each blog post, the folks at the Mac BU at MSFT refuse to answer the question or even acknowledge the question. Here's a recent example of the continued frustration

They might as well just turn off comments at this point. Blogging is an opportunity for companies to talk directly, openly and honestly with their users (read: good, bad & ugly).

Microsoft's Mac blog is anything but.

The trouble with Trackbacks

Trackbacks and how they are implemented with todays blogging platforms are way more trouble than its worth. Its clunky to manage to say the least.

But links, trackbacks and comments are a critical part of the blogging conversation. I use technorati a few times a week to see what people are saying about my posts. Unfortunately Technorati isn't used by everyone that reads this blog. So all of that conversation (other blog links) is missing from my blog posts.

We need a system that is smarter and easiser to use.

For example what if a service was built so that my comments section was automatically populated with related links and content. Just like how technorati does it but inside of my blog.

Or maybe some software that allows the reader/blogger to mouse over a blog post and see other blogs that reference this blog.

It could work the same way with comments too. 

(Blogging from my blackberry so excuse any typos)

Why I blog?

Scott Kirsner has an article in the Boston Globe today about venture capitalists that blog and don't blog.

I'm quoted in the piece along with other VC friends of mine. Scott also follows up his article with a post on his personal blog, Innovation Economy. In his follow up, he has a video with me and some other folks on the subject too.

First and foremost, I don't consider myself a "VC blogger". I don't talk about venture capital/business exclusively. Or even most of the time. Those that read/interact with this blog know that. This blog is about me. All of me - work, personal, family, everything.

My blog is about getting my thoughts, observations & interests down on digital ink. But this blog is also about the feedback from you all. The conversation is a big reason why I keep blogging. The feedback comes in so many different ways. Sometimes its a link from another blog. Sometimes it's when I meet someone in person that has read my blog. Or I'll get an IM or Twitter after a post. Mostly I get email feedback & less frequently I will get comments after a post. And I'm learning along the way.

The new friends I discovered thru blogging has been wonderful. Even better are the existing "offline" friendships that have deepened in a special way.

Why do I blog?

I blog because I love it.

Garmin on Wallstrip

My friends at Wallstrip do a much better review of the Garmin Forerunner than my previous review on the product. Howard blogs about Garmin as well and why it's the stock to own. I'm glad I own the product and the stock.

It's another great Wallstrip show. I love Lindsay's "punch in the face" question at the end. So funny.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

New layout

I'm adding a new widget to my blog on Monday. It's from one of our portfolio companies and it's very cool.

It encouraged me to think about my blog's layout given all of my various widgets and sidebar items & links.

I moved both sidebars to the right side. I think it's easier to read. At least it is for me.

What do you think?

Scott Kirsner's blog

Scott Kirsner wrote me a note this morning telling me about his new blog called Innovation Economy.

Scott is great and I'm looking forward to his insights and observations as he covers the Boston technology scene.

Welcome back.

Transparency vs Privacy

I've been thinking about this topic lately as it relates to blogging.

My blog is a personal journal for me that I like to share with others. It helps me learn, rant, share my kids lives with my friends and family, talk about startups and share ideas. Mostly it's fun or I wouldn't do it.

Sometimes I hold back on sharp issues as it relates mostly to startups or products. But I think that my openness is how I've met a bunch of people. Here on this blog and all of my various profiles around the web.

But I know there are lots of folks that don't like sharing their thoughts publicly or being part of the public conversation. I know my wife reads my blog but she has never posted a blog comment. I get them at home :) In fact, the vast vast majority of the feedback I receive from my posts come in email or offline chats.

It seems that this is happening all over the web. There is still a big difference in the number of public voices vs private voices. Think about reviews on tripadvisor or amazon. Clearly most people read vs write.

I wish that some of my close friends would start blogging. They have such a unique, intelligent perspective. But to date they have held off. And some have started but they haven't kept up. Maybe blogs  take up to much time. Fortunately there are new, easy options like Tumblr that should bring these folks online.

But privacy is important as well. I see it at home with my daughter Sophia (8). She keeps a diary that she writes in several times a week. It's extremely valuable to her and extremely private. She even hides it when she's not writing in it. It would be tragic if she lost it or if someone else read it. Lauren keeps a private journal as well.

I wonder how many private bloggers are out there. Folks that are active at blogging and linking but keep their posts behind a password. Their voice and content however valuable is comfortable under lock and key. And yet they wouldn't trade this privacy for anything.

In a world that is opening up faster than ever before, there will always be a place for privacy.

Sometimes its easy to overlook something so basic and so important.

MS People-Ready: People need to chill out

I was under a rock this weekend. I guess I stayed away from reading my favorite blogs. Weather was too nice.

But I'm now caught up on the MIcrosoft/FM Publishing brouhaha and I don't get the violent response.

The publishers quotes are fine. The ad is fine. And Michael Arrington is right in this post and then the follow up.

People need to chill out. Everything is fine. Really.

(in the spirit of disclosure: all of the ad revenue on this site go to charity at the end of each year. this policy is on my About page too)

My mug shot

Boy, I really don't like my photo on my various profiles

Every couple of months or so I change the photo but i still look dorky as ever.

One time, after I updated my photo, Howard even sent me an email telling me that he didn't like my newest photo. With friends like that... :)

I think I want an avatar instead. They look cool. I like Fred Seiberts , Charlie O'Donnell's, and Fred Wilsons just to name a few. The ones on GigaOm look pretty good too.

I'll play around this weekend and see if I can come up with something fun. Love to hear any suggestions.

Update: wow, a few minutes after I published this post, I saw Nabeel had an avatar blog post today as well. I like the double agent concept for avatars.

Seth is right about Steve Jobs

Seth Godin's post about Steve Jobs is spot on.

Blogging break

We are heading up to new hampshire tomorrow thru sunday.

So I'm going to take a break from blogging until monday

I'll still be twittering away though. Updates are on my new super sweet twitter badge (thanks ivan and fred) on the right sidebar. Or you can add me as a buddy on twitter.

(Pls excuse any typos or lack of links. Posted from my blackberry)

Holding back

Last week I was reviewing some old posts and realized that this blog is mostly upbeat, especially when it comes to startups.

Obviously I'm not super positive on all things I experience online. There are some sites/services that just don't work for me.

But I've avoided giving negative reviews here. Its probably because I don't want to offend the founders or the investors behind the company. And the one thing I really don't like about this vc business is the comfort I see some investors have freely pissing on other people's investments. Its way too easy and typically not very useful.

Yet, I'm not satisfied with a blog that is filled with proud posts about our portfolio companies or my friends companies or all the cool products and services I'm using these days.

I don't know the answer yet.

But I don't like holding back.

71Miles.com

A few months ago Biz Stone introduced me to Adam Rugel. Adam is the founder of 71Miles which is a network of travel sites focused on regional travel.

They started off focusing on Northern California. The content and user experience is fantastic. I've been recommending the site to friends and have been meaning to blog about it for awhile.

Big Sur is one of our very favorite getaways. It's a special place. Surprisingly I know a lot of bay area folks that have never been. Here is a taste of what 71Miles has to offer on Big Sur. Very nice local content and even a slide show with audio.

I hope Adam covers New England next :)

500 reasons to say thank you

There are a few web services that come a long every few months that grab you, take hold and won't let go.

One of those very web services is MyBlogLog. They are cool guys and I have enjoyed getting to know them since before the Yahoo acquisition. When I'm in SF and everyone's schedule lines up we have been grabbing coffee and keeping in touch. They are in my social network on Twitter as well so I always know when Eric is playing games, that Scott is now in Europe and Todd is hard at work.

I've had the MyBlogLog reader roll on the right sidebar since I met them. I actually added it the day I turned my blog from a family only place into a work/family/& 'everything else in between' blog. And it's been one of the best ways I've gotten to know folks that visit my blog. I met Howard through MyBlogLog and consider him a friend (we had great sushi yesterday in NYC).

Today I logged into my profile on MyBlogLog and was thrilled to see that now there are over 500 kind souls that have joined my blog's community. All I can say is thanks.

Jeff Jarvis' take on Andrew Keen

Jeff Jarvis has a fine, well written post on Andrew Keen today

It's much better than my semi literate rant.

New blogger in the family

My brother Amin is a doctor in Maryland

I've encouraged him to start blogging since he's super passionate about photography and other stuff.

He started today with 3 posts. I liked his review of a new lens he recently picked up.

If you are into photography and related gear than you should check out his blog and photos.

Andrew vs Justin

I was at the AlwaysOn conference in LA today. I was on a panel that was sparsely attended and not very organized. We didn't have a host/moderator. Bummer. And the panels were behind schedule so my friend Chris Fralic had to bail from our panel for his next one. Double bummer. I was feeling grumpy. Oh well.

But before my panel I saw Justin go head to head with/against Andrew Keen. Andrew has a book coming out called the Cult of the Amateur. He made the argument over and over and over again, that social media is killing our culture.

I don't want this post to sound like an attack but I really couldn't believe it. Andrew believes that MySpace, bloggers, and others contributing to our social media revolution are not qualified to contribute to the conversation. His point was that Digg and MySpace were going to lead the downfall of the NYTimes and other traditional media sources.

I'm not kidding. He cited the usual complaints about Wikipedia as an example. He said it was appalling that Pamela Anderson Wikipedia entry was longer than some historical events.

Andrew believes that some of us are qualified to be part of the conversation and others aren't. I wonder if he has a list published in his book of those that can and can't. He even suggested that the government and the role of big media should maintain standards -  otherwise we will have an internet full of pornography and gambling. Huh? I was waiting for him to qualify who should and shouldn't vote based on intelligence.

Anyway, I'm sorry if this post feels like a rant. I don't know Andrew and I'm sure he's a good dude. Maybe he was just trying to be provocative to sell copies of his new book. I guess I'm used to being a little bored at these events so this one touched a nerve.

I think justin and justin.tv are interesting and fun (isn't fun okay too?). 

Do I want to watch Justin.tv? Not really. It's not for me.

But obviously I'm a fan of personal publishing. We are still in the early days of where this is all going. And it great. As a simple example, I would love to broadcast my kids ballet recital or soccer games to our family members and close friends all over the planet.

I think what Justin is doing is actually a big deal. I like that he's pushing the bounds. We should pay attention and learn something here.

Go Justin.

Jason is funny

I don't know him personally but I think Jason Calacanis is hilarious. This post and the follow up is so funny.

:)

Who am I

Lately i've noticed a trend. When my friends or business associates introduce me to new people they link to my blog. A year ago they probably would have just given a sentence or two about me or linking to my work bio on the Spark website or maybe my linkedin profile.

I agree that blogs are turning into the new resume. But they are so much more too.

On my blog folks know what kind of music I like, my political point of view, social causes, my work engagements, some of my family life, etc.

It started as a diary but it's now a two way, interactive experience. And that is the best part for me.

I've been tagged. 5 things you don't know about me.

Well Jeff Pulver started this [sick] game and now we are all playing. Fun and pretty geeky stuff.

Howard tagged me yesterday. Here are 5 things you probably don't know about me.

1. I was a brown belt in tae kwon do by my senior high year in high school. then i goofed off and never earned my black belt.

2. i played in a rock band in college. i played bass.

3. i have this man bag

4. Briefs .not boxers.

5. i voted for a republican president once.

I tag Santo, Nabeel, Brad,  Josh and Jason. Have fun guys :-)

My Top 10.

This year I opened up my blog's subject matter. It used to be exclusively about my kids and family life. But a few months ago, I decided to open up and start blogging about everything and anything. As a result I have met a bunch of new friends and people. It has also increased communication with people that I care about. It's been great and I'm so glad I made the move.

This was also a year that I started to read other people's blogs daily (or almost daily). The blogroll on the right column have become a small subset of all the blogs that now populate NetNewsWire on my Mac. And that doesn't include the new ones that I discover each week.

So my top 10 is a list of great blog posts from a variety of bloggers. They made my top 10 list because of their humor, insight, honesty or creativity.

Some are old friends, new friends and some I haven't met (yet). Enjoy.

10. How to solve social network invite fatigue. Nabeel Hyatt.

9. Death to User Generated Content. Derek Powazek

8. A Liberal's Pledge. Michael Moore.

7. Life Poster. Jason Yanowitz.

6. First Wallstrip. Wallstrip.

5. We need to open up the bidding for buying off US politicians. Mark Pincus.

4. Munching on your competitor's bones. Brad Feld.

3. 53,651. Josh Kopelman.

2. The End of the Page View. Fred Wilson.

1. The Art of Innovation. Guy Kawasaki

MyBlogLog. Give it a try.

Hey everyone.

I have just added a fun service from a company called MyBlogLog onto the right wide of this page. It's a way for readers of this blog to create and join a community around this blog. If you would like to be part of this then just go here and sign up.

You can see other readers on this widget on the right side.

Great web service

My friend Dan told me about Bloglines. Try it.  It's a free web service to manage your rss feeds from any browser. I really love it.