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Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

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Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#31

Post by Tomis »

mittermayr wrote: post #15
Tomis wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Opera user I find it a bit annoying as well but I think it's just a silly warning that doesn't impact functionality.

it did for a while when we used the canvas I believe, we had some major issues - but there was one charting thing that just needed it and we couldn't get it to work on IE/Opera... so we tried to fix it, but got stuck.

I'm not a web developer but if you're willing to throw a few minutes at the problem I have a few suggestions.

1. Open your app in Opera (if there's a hard link to a page containing the offending issue then it's even better) and go to the main menu button - help - report a site problem, and you should fill all the relevant details. Hopefully you will get someone from Opera to assist you since they have an entire team dedicated to this sort of thing.

2. You can check the answers to this post (Opera IamA on reddit, 1 year ago)

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/dtbcz/hey_reddit_join_...

and you can try sending the Opera employees PM-s with your problem. I'm sure it will be sorted out in the end.

Cheers.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#32

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

currywurst wrote: post #10

I think this feeling is a staple of all involved in "longer-term" creative efforts that have to compete for the same mindshare. I'm sure PhD/grad students have the same horror when one of their Google alerts pops up with a conference paper abstract that reads just like what they've been slaving on for three months :o !!

They (we) do. Fortunately, no one appears to have scooped me yet. Its actually much worse in academia though, as someone could be winding their way through publication for a year while you're still collecting data, and by the time you're done, its too late. Contrast with startups where they tend to be promoted from day one, and it makes for a much scarier experience.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#33

Post by jacobquick »

The blog post is long-winded but the site is dumb: "I'm not going to tell you what my site does but please upload me your CV."

How about you make a fake result set so I can see what you're up to instead of being another useless "social tool" begging for my personal info?

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#34

Post by billpatrianakos »

I want to meet this guy. It's like I've got a clone of myself somewhere out in the world thinking, feeling, and saying exactly as I do.

It wasn't explicitly said but I got hints of the authors frustration with hype, the idea that successful startups only work in trendy SV, they all have the sexy cool factor, and the only investors worth getting funded by are the ones you read about on techcrunch.

To the author I'd say I feel your pain. There's a whole heap of us out here in the Midwest, the South, and just outside the major metro areas that seem to get all the press. We've had the same ideas as others and we see them surpassing us daily knowing that if we just had that extra something we could be them and deserve to be. We quit our day job, work alone in our living rooms, can't find skilled people where we live and even if we could don't have the cash to hire them. But it's okay because TechCrunch isn't real life and these investors and founders aren't real people. They're like characters from a movie. You want to be them and they seem so realistic that you sometimes believe you can. That's a mistake. It's like trying to become Hercules or some other mythical character. It's covered because its a rarity and the myth is sexier than the truth. Some of us will make it but we just have to keep jumping ponds. Become the biggest fish in your current pond before moving on to a pond with even larger fish.

Even though I generalized all the well known founders and investors and called them not real, I know they are. My point was to dissuade people from comparing themselves to people like that because it's often futile and results in more frustration than progress.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#35

Post by billpatrianakos »

grannyg00se wrote: post #25

Why so many mentions about TechCrunch? There was never any indication as to why it is such a focus aside from finding articles about people doing something similar. For example: "There’s a plethora of successful businesses, ideas, projects and products, all happening outside of TechCrunch" Yes this is obvious, but again why would you mention TechCrunch in this context as though there are millions of people who feel i…

    as though there are millions of people who feel it is the central business information repository online?
I think because there really are millions who feel that way. Getting featured on TC has become one of the must-accomplish tasks for startups and so many feel, maybe even rightly, that TechCrunch can make or break you. They've kind of become the decider of what's cool and what's crap and you'd be surprised how many people don't question it and take their word as truth.

There's this whole group of us living outside the major startup capitals, looking in from the outside, and wondering how they can rocket to the center of the universe too. That group often feels frustrated when we see all these me-too startups while they're working on a labor of love for all the right reasons. Then when someone with their same idea gets into TC they fear being considered a me-too company as well despite having worked on whatever project for so long. It's not a jealousy thing, I think it's different. All in all they just feel like they're very deserving of some help from the players in Startupland but can't get it because they're an outsider.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#36

Post by billpatrianakos »

alanwells wrote: post #21

I think I'm going to send this one to my (also very sane) girlfriend so she understands better why I crawl into bed and then 30 minutes later get up again and go back to the computer. Thanks for putting words to that feeling that feeling that many of us know so well - if nothing else, it's nice to know that other people experience the same thing.

I'm there with you guys. To me this was my top story today. I couldn't have expressed it better myself. Does your same girlfriend get it though? I couldn't live without mine because she helps me escape the extreme stress but at the same time she often gives me hell about working all the time and never "having time for her" or "putting work first". It's like, hey, do you wanna eat or would you rather cuddle together in some back alley and starve to death because I couldn't make enough for us to survive? Yeah, a little extreme but I do think along those limes sometimes. Keeps me motivated.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#37

Post by billpatrianakos »

jacobquick wrote: post #33

The blog post is long-winded but the site is dumb: "I'm not going to tell you what my site does but please upload me your CV." How about you make a fake result set so I can see what you're up to instead of being another useless "social tool" begging for my personal info?

What are you talking about? Did you even follow the link to the site or read the whole post? Long doesn't mean long-winded. He's talking about stuff that really speaks to what a lot of us are going through. You may not have that in common with him but that doesn't mean it's dumb. What if I said "your comment is dumb. You made a short sarcastic quip and left no constructive criticism". It's cool not to like it but give a decent reason that isn't so unnecessarily condescending. Guy poured his heart out, give him a break.

Also, you can sign up right now and he even gives you access to a demo account. Plus the site itself explains what he's doing. I'm not trying to be a dick or anything but I really liked what he was talking about and I feel like I just can't let unfair criticism go unrefuted.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#38

Post by mittermayr »

billpatrianakos wrote: post #34

I want to meet this guy. It's like I've got a clone of myself somewhere out in the world thinking, feeling, and saying exactly as I do. It wasn't explicitly said but I got hints of the authors frustration with hype, the idea that successful startups only work in trendy SV, they all have the sexy cool factor, and the only investors worth getting funded by are the ones you read about on techcrunch. To the author I'd sa…

just wanted to say thanks for your comment, seems like we do share some things, couldn't have expressed it better. great comment. really appreciated. thanks for reading the post.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#39

Post by mittermayr »

billpatrianakos wrote: post #37
jacobquick wrote: post #33

The blog post is long-winded but the site is dumb: "I'm not going to tell you what my site does but please upload me your CV." How about you make a fake result set so I can see what you're up to instead of being another useless "social tool" begging for my personal info?

What are you talking about? Did you even follow the link to the site or read the whole post? Long doesn't mean long-winded. He's talking about stuff that really speaks to what a lot of us are going through. You may not have that in common with him but that doesn't mean it's dumb. What if I said "your comment is dumb. You made a short sarcastic quip and left no constructive criticism". It's cool not to like it but giv…

Bill, you make the internet a nicer place. Thanks for that. Really appreciated.

Re: Founder's Hell: Competitive Horror

#40

Post by jacques_chester »

billpatrianakos wrote: post #35
grannyg00se wrote: post #25

Why so many mentions about TechCrunch? There was never any indication as to why it is such a focus aside from finding articles about people doing something similar. For example: "There’s a plethora of successful businesses, ideas, projects and products, all happening outside of TechCrunch" Yes this is obvious, but again why would you mention TechCrunch in this context as though there are millions of people who feel i…

as though there are millions of people who feel it is the central business information repository online? I think because there really are millions who feel that way. Getting featured on TC has become one of the must-accomplish tasks for startups and so many feel, maybe even rightly, that TechCrunch can make or break you. They've kind of become the decider of what's cool and what's crap and you'd be surprised how man…

> wondering how they can rocket to the center of the universe too

Make lots of money. That's a traditional way to garner press.

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