Wow - tigertails were the shit. What happened to 'em?
Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
11–20 of 29 posts
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#12Maybe this article is just highlighting one of the effects of the internet. Easier long-distance communication means more people are exposed to foreign language and ideas, especially between technologically literate English speakers. How long did it take for the phrase 'epic win' to spread across the globe? I'm not sure this guy understands how much of the English-speaking internet is produced by Americans, especiall…
>The Brits aren't faking it, they've adopted that language because they've heard it so often. //
I'd probably go so far as to say they've [we've] adopted that language becuase that's the culture we're living in. I live more in a culture that approximates US American culture, heavily skewed that way, by virtue of the internet, than I do in British culture.
Like you seem to intimate so long as we've been the poorer cousin WRT receiving media money this has been the case. We get a version of USA culture via movies and games and TV shows and books and the internet. If they amount to any substantial part of your life then you're living in that culture to some extent.
/ramble
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#13I've worked in Shoreditch for over 6 years. The startup people here don't dress like they do in Silicon Valley. And people in the UK use the word Awesome all the time. It might be an Americanisation but it's not on account of people trying to be like Twitter, it's because of the A Team and Knight Rider. If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing we…
>If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing well! What a ridiculously pointless thing to worry about. //
It's presentation. It doesn't want to be top on your list but if the majority of your market is en-US then it seems a little silly to write in en-GB. The voice of your prose and your online presence can be an important part of the confidence a user has with your proposal/product. Moreover US America still carries a "cool" factor in some places that Her Brittanic Majesties domain and subjects do not.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#14I think this commentary is relevant even within the U.S. It reminds me of companies like http://brainsonfire.com/ and http://bellstrike.com/ who have put the plug in for their state (South Carolina) when they present themselves nationally. Despite presenting nationally and working internationally, Geno Church is so totally South Carolina in his speech and presentation. It's distinct. Some other examples come to mind as well, like http://sproutbox.com/ and their pride of Bloomington, IN, etc.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#15The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry. It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
24 yo from London here. That language is completely standard to me. I've been saying awesome with a straight face for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure it's the best way to have made the point.
33 yo, and I can cope with using awesome too. I've even been known to use dude and on occasion, stoked. However, that is because I've always been into "extreme" sports (windsurfing, snowboarding, etc). In these sports, it is very much about small fairly close-knit communities who adopt common vocabularies made up of technical terms and also (normally) a bunch of "Americanisms" to express their feelings.
I see tremendous similarities between the startup culture and the extreme sports culture. Both tend to reject conventional methods of rewarding people with "status" (i.e. family background) and focus instead on meritocratic measures like ability / performance. Issues like nationality tend to also become less relevant as people travel around frequently. Thus it is not surprising and, is actually welcome, that a universal vocabulary has emerged to connect startup'ers wherever they might be based.
Of course, I accept that the author has a point about slavish imitation being a bad strategy. In extreme sports circles, no one likes the guy who turns up with all the kit and the lingo but without the skills, so the key lesson to UK startups is probably best summed up as: focus on walking the walk, before we start talking the talk.... ;)
(Separately, the Beatles might have emerged from Liverpool, but they were hugely influenced by a number of American acts, and indeed were involved in a virtual creative arms race against Brian Wilson at one point.)
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#16I've worked in Shoreditch for over 6 years. The startup people here don't dress like they do in Silicon Valley. And people in the UK use the word Awesome all the time. It might be an Americanisation but it's not on account of people trying to be like Twitter, it's because of the A Team and Knight Rider. If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing we…
OP is using the example of language to highlight a larger problem, not identifying it as a major problem in itself. That problem being aping US startups at the cost of an authentic, interesting local identity:
"To succeed UK tech companies must find the rich vein that defines the area that they are in or defines them as individuals. The thing that makes them interesting. It might be a genre, a technology, a specific problem that needs solving in their lives, a cultural phenomena (for ages SMSing was not popular in the US) or a style"
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#17I've worked in Shoreditch for over 6 years. The startup people here don't dress like they do in Silicon Valley. And people in the UK use the word Awesome all the time. It might be an Americanisation but it's not on account of people trying to be like Twitter, it's because of the A Team and Knight Rider. If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing we…
I can't agree enough. I'm British, and I wouldn't want to change that for the world. But growing up in the UK, ambitious young engineers dream of going to work for Microsoft or having a successful career within a big accountancy firm. Entrepreneurship is something that happens to other people - stereotypically, middle-aged men tinkering in their garages with clockwork radios.
I've somehow ended up in Silicon Valley, and the difference in aspirations is immense. To some extent, people dream of running companies far before they are capable of doing so - but this is what, over time, lets them build the fearlessness they need. By getting used to being out of your depth you can focus on making your enterprise a success, rather than how scary it all is.
The irony is, with private health insurance and a limited welfare system, the penalty for taking a risk and failing can be a lot worse in the US than the UK. There's just some key cultural difference. It's the same aspect of character that makes Americans less afraid to strike up conversation with strangers.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#18The underlying point which has nothing to do with nationality and merits ongoing consideration from every human being is that there's a fine line between learning from someone good and cargo culting.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#19I've worked in Shoreditch for over 6 years. The startup people here don't dress like they do in Silicon Valley. And people in the UK use the word Awesome all the time. It might be an Americanisation but it's not on account of people trying to be like Twitter, it's because of the A Team and Knight Rider. If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing we…
I'm inclined to agree here. I left the UK primarily because I felt the appetite for risk, and thus the potential for innovation, was significantly lower in the UK than SV. It's working out so far.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#20This does not just apply to the UK, it goes much farther, it applies to every place that is not Silicon Valley.