I’m a big fan of location based networks. I’ve been using Foursquare since last July, but I have to admit that I’m getting a little bored of it. Facebook Places seems somewhat interesting, but it’s more because most of your friends already have accounts. If I’m going to be motivated to keep checking into places, I need an incentive. Foursquare occasionally gets me something for free, but the gaming element of the service seems like an afterthought. That’s why I was excited to check out SCVNGR when a reader recommended them as a company to feature. They’re based in Boston, MA, and their focus is on getting people to do challenges at specific places and share what they’ve done with friends. Their go to example is making tin-foil origami out of the wrapper from a burrito place and then uploading a picture of it, but I’ll bet that it can get way more interesting than that. For instance, anyone can build a set of challenges and treks with rewards on SCVNGR—I could take the Cornell Daily Sun’s list of 161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do and turn it into a SCVNGR trek. Maybe I could even team up with a sponsor to reward people who knock off certain items on the list. SCVNGR seems like a really fun way to learn about cool things to do and then share what you’re doing with friends. I can definitely see this taking off—maybe I’ll make a trek for getting an internship. Continue reading about SCVNGR…
While my dad was in college, he and a few of his friends started a café. More than 30 years later, that café is still thriving and was one of my favorite brunch spots when I was at Cornell. The restaurant industry usually chews people up and spits them out, so it’s pretty unusual to see any restaurants last that long, let alone one started by a bunch of amateurs. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more college town success stories like Café Dewitt come out of CoFed, which is a Berkeley, CA non-profit that is “empowering students to create ethically-sourced, community-run cafés on college campuses.” CoFed is all about the triple bottom line, as they not only want to start successful cafés that offer delicious food, but they want to do it in a humane and sustainable way. Continue reading about CoFed…
I’ve never done a live video event for job seekers, though I’ve seen a lot of others in the career space do them. I figure that the video content that Jason Seiden and I put together for Found Your Career is way better than anything that I can do on the spot. However, if you think that a live Q&A or something would be valuable, you should definitely let me know via e-mail at willy@onedayonejob.com. Since you’re probably going to bombard me with e-mails, I’ll probably have to sign up for Ustream, “the leading live interactive broadcast platform.” Ustream, which is based in San Francisco, was founded to enable soldiers stationed abroad to connect more efficiently with their families. The technology required for doing that has plenty of other capabilities, which is why Ustream can be used to broadcast nearly anything—from political debates to sporting events and from move premieres to interactive games. Shoot, Chad Ochocinco says, “Ustream is big for me. It allows me to have a voice.” And Continue reading about Ustream…
Over the weekend I was complaining about irresponsible government spending (most of which is the result of the generations that came before us). Now, our parents and grandparents may have left us with a nasty bill to pay, but we still owe them a lot. Which is why I encourage you to take care of your aging parents—much like I do by accompanying my Dad on all kinds of fishing vacations. I’m truly looking out for his best interest. Obviously, I’m being sarcastic, but the truth is that it won’t be that long before we do have to start taking care of our parents. It can be an uncomfortable and unfamiliar situation, which is why resources like Caring.com exist. Caring.com is based in San Mateo, CA and “is the leading online destination for those seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones.” Their tagline is “You’re there for them. We’re here for you.” Continue reading about Caring.com…
You know how I know that I’m cool? I saw the Bed Intruder Song video (if you haven’t seen it yet, watch the original version first) on YouTube before you and pretty much everyone else who saw it. Pop culture fluency used to be based on your generation, but now it seems that it has more to do with when you last signed online. If you want to be as cool as I am, you may want to start using BuzzFeed. It’s a website and New York City based company that publishes and tracks viral media. They won’t tell you what’s hot this year or this week, but what’s hot right now this second. It may not seem all that important now, but when you’re out with your friends and they’re referencing the latest YouTube craze, you don’t want to have to sneak away to the bathroom to watch on your phone. Continue reading about BuzzFeed…
I honestly can’t tell you when the last time that I picked up a newspaper was. It’s not that I’m sequestering myself from current events, it’s just that I do most of my media consumption online because it’s so easy. Obviously, attitudes like mine are causing a lot of distress in the newspaper industry, but I think there’s still a great business in delivering quality content. One area where online media kicks traditional media’s butt is in grabbing eyeballs. Sensationalism sells, and most newspapers still haven’t grasped that. However, tabloids, especially those based in New York, have always known how to get attention. That’s why there’s a good chance that I’ll pick up a copy of the New York Daily News if it’s sitting on a table at the coffee shop that my parents like to take me to back in Connecticut (where I’m headed this morning). It may not be the most reliable source for information or the most academic, but you have to love the fact that the New York Daily News understands the psychology of its readers and uses that knowledge to convince them to read. It doesn’t matter how great the writing is if nobody reads it. Continue reading about New York Daily News…
A company’s marketing is usually done by one of two groups—an internal marketing team or an integrated marketing agency that is hired by the company. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but most brands fall into one of those two buckets; however, marketing software is carving out a growing piece of marketing budgets. Automation is a wonderful thing, and as marketing becomes more analytics and results based, automation gets easier. Agencies and marketing teams aren’t anywhere near being replaced by computers (but I guess it’s possible in the future), but software can really change how brands approach their marketing. Aprimo is an Indianapolis, IN based company that provides integrated marketing software. They serve both B2B and B2C clients with software that aids in areas including “campaign management, lead management, brand management, e-mail marketing, event management, performance management, social marketing, spend management, and workflow & project management.” Continue reading about Aprimo…
I was considering writing about McDonnell Douglas after having my apartment building buzzed by F-18s all day yesterday (they’re practicing for the Chicago Air and Water Show), but I had a friend send me a link to a posting that was way too cool to pass up. It’s from the venture capital industry, which is notoriously hard to break into. Lowercase Capital is a new Angel Fund that was launched in June by Chris Sacca, who was formerly the Head of Special Initiatives at Google. I’ve spoken with a few venture capital companies who were interested in my business, and most seemed buttoned up (at least compared to the startups that they invest in). This is definitely not the case with Lowercase Capital, unless you mean buttoned up with a Bolo tie. Yes, Lowercase Capital has a Western theme, which is fitting because they’re located in Truckee, CA (I was in Truckee two days ago, and it’s awesome). It almost seems gimmicky, but the whole thing really speaks to how Chris is trying to change the way venture capital works with Lowercase. Continue reading about Lowercase Capital…
I don’t play Facebook games with one exception—a game that a friend built. I guess this makes me unusual (I do play iPhone games though) because the stats on Facebook games are crazy. It’s hard to believe that anybody gets work done these days. If only there was a Facebook game where winning meant you’d landed an internship. That’s not going to happen, so if you insist on Facebook gaming your way through the internship search, then you better be looking to work for a company like Lolapps. They’re based on San Francisco, and they make Facebook games. They actually started with a user-generated quiz business, then they moved on to building games for well-known brands. Now, they’re focused on becoming their own gaming brand. Their current products include games like Garden Life, Band of Heroes, Diva Life, Yakuza Lords, and a few more. I’m sure they’re working on plenty more as they try to grow their name in the ultra-competitive world of Facebook games. Continue reading about Lolapps…
Yesterday I was walking around in a variety/novelty/toy shop. It’s the typical vacation town toy store with all kinds of goofy stuff. As soon as I went through the door I regressed back to about 8 years old. I was picking up everything and playing with it—cap guns, balsa wood airplanes, and the avenging narwhal play set
When I was a little kid, my parents dressed me in shorts with suspenders and knee socks. I pretty much looked like a mini-version of Augustus Gloop from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. My parents also occasionally put me on a leash. I’ve been taking it out on them ever since. For parents who prefer to raise children who don’t have axes to grind, there’s Tea Collection. I’ve also seen them go by Tea Living, but most often they just refer to themselves as Tea. They’re a San Francisco based company that offers fashions for children, or as they put it “for little citizens of the world.” Tea got its start in 2002, and now your can find their clothes “in more than 400 stores including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Takashimaya, and the best boutiques throughout the US and abroad.” Tea’s clothing is certainly high-end, and on the expensive side when you consider it’s for kids under the age of 12, but just look at those pictures of kids looking like smaller versions of real people. Continue reading about Tea Collection…
It seems that most PR and Marketing firms are started by people who have been in the industry for years. They know their field well, but they may not fully understand the businesses of their clients. Upward Strategy is a little different. It is a New York City based digital strategy firm that helps “organizations chart and execute a powerful, results-driven product, communications and engagement strategy online.” Ok, that doesn’t sound all that unique. What’s different about Upward Strategy is that its ideas are born out of the entrepreneurial experience of the company’s founder and CEO, Rachel Sterne. She only graduated from NYU in 2005, but she’s already put together an impressive track record of entrepreneurship, and she’s even been named one of America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek. It’s hard to tell whether there are any other employees at Upward Strategy besides Rachel—I couldn’t find any on LinkedIn—however, that’s about to change. Continue reading about Upward Strategy…
Think back to your days in school. If there was one thing that you could get your hands on (besides the teacher’s edition of your textbook), what would it be? Your teacher’s gradebook, obviously. Not only could you change your own grades (which apparently can get you a felony charge if you do it on a computer), but you’d also have access to all of your friends’ grades. Fortunately, the gradebook with gridded paper that can be locked in a desk drawer is becoming an anachronism. Some teachers have been using computers for grade entry for years, but others stick to the old fashioned way. LearnBoost is a San Francisco, CA based startup that is trying to change the way that teachers manage their classes. They’re starting by offering teachers an easy to use online gradebook, but their aspirations are to offer a simple, fully featured suite of tools for teachers to manage relationships with both students and parents. Continue reading about LearnBoost…
This morning I sent out the following tweet: “I entered the Bonobos/Tucker Blair Wardrobe Giveaway! for a chance to win 5 pants/5 belts/5 polos: http://wfi.re/1sy9s.” (By the way, you can follow me @willyf.)I usually get annoyed when I see tweets like that, but every person who enters through my link gives me another entry, and I want to win. I also wanted to take it as an opportunity to learn a little bit more about Wildfire Interactive. They are a Palo Alto, CA based company that has built an amazing web-based software platform to enable “interactive promotions for brand marketing.” For a very affordable price, you can use Wildfire to run sweepstakes, contests, give-aways, incentive-based surveys, and more. I’ve struggled putting together online contests in the past, and Wildfire is exactly the kind of app that would have made my life a lot easier. They’re like a self-service, web 2.0 Don Jagoda Associates (and they shouldn’t be confused with WeTheCitizens which renamed itself to Wildfire Platform). Continue reading about Wildfire Interactive…
There aren’t a lot of things that I can do for 12 hours straight. I’m not even sure that I can sleep that long anymore unless I’m sick or completely sleep deprived. Yet for some people it’s a tradition to participate in or attend free twelve-hour music marathons. It all started in 1978 when a group of New Yorkers came “together to create their own performing arts center.” It became a movement and a non-profit organization called Symphony Space, which has been “embraced by its cultured and educated neighbors and become the centerpiece of the Upper West Side Renaissance.” Cultural institutions like community theaters can have wonderful effects on neighborhoods and their residents, so it should be no surprise that Symphony Space is still going strong and garnering tons of support 32 years later. Continue reading about Symphony Space…
Despite all of the buzz about social media, I’m still convinced that e-mail is the most effective way to communicate with people online. Unfortunately, e-mail can become a headache very quickly. I probably get somewhere between 50 and 100 messages a day, and I sometimes find it overwhelming (but feel free to add to it if you have a question – willy@onedayonejob.com). I don’t know how people who get way more e-mail than I do are able to deal with it. There are lots of e-mail productivity tools, but most of them don’t work for me. I was starting to get desperate for a better way to manage relationships through e-mail, and then I came across Etacts. They’re a really young startup based in San Francisco, CA, and they built an e-mail tool that is exactly what I always wanted. I even went through the hassle of moving all of my accounts to Gmail just so that I could use Etacts. Their web-based software goes into your e-mail archive and pulls out a ton of data, then it gives you a simple interface where you can see things like who your top contacts are, how many messages you’ve traded with them, how long it’s been since you contacted them, and a few more simple features. You can even tie in your AT&T phone bill, although I haven’t figured out how to make that functionality work yet. Continue reading about Etacts…
When I started One Day, One Internship, I expected a more active commenting community. I didn’t realize that most internship seekers don’t like talking publicly about their internship searches, and I also didn’t realize that most of you have nothing to say about a company that you’re hearing about for what may be the first time. When you add in the fact that most of you are reading via e-mail and not using the site, it makes sense that only a few of the posts get most of the comments. Most of the conversation surrounds controversial employers like The Landers Group (MLM scam) or Professional Sports Publications and special offers like those that accompanied the posts on Gilt Groupe, Bonobos, and Groupon. I find that it’s much easier to interact with you all through Twitter (follow me @willyf) and our Facebook page. BackType is a San Francisco, CA company that helps you follow online conversations. They started out by helping you track your blog comments across the web, but they’ve noticed the same thing that I have, so they have moved away from focusing on blog comments and towards real-time conversation tracking through sites like Twitter. They needed to build a business on top of their technology, so they decided to build “an analytics platform that helps companies understand their social impact” instead of building a hard to monetize business that serves people who comment on blogs. Continue reading about BackType…
Yesterday we talked about how regenerative medicine is making it more and more likely that you’ll be able to heal from a stupid Fourth of July injury. Today we’re going to talk about a company that makes it super simple to make an appointment for a doctor (or dentist) to check out that injury that you’re embarrassed to tell anyone about. The company is called ZocDoc, and they’re based in New York City. They’ll not only help you find a doctor or dentist who specializes in what you need, but they’ll also allow you to make an appointment with just a few clicks. You can even check up on reviews of the doctor before you book him or her, and once you’ve had your appointment, you can add a review. ZocDoc has only rolled out in a few areas so far, so you can’t find any kind of doctor in any city or town, but I’m sure that’s in the plans once the business model gets rolling. Continue reading about ZocDoc…
Yesterday I spoke on the phone with Keith Petri, a recent grad from Skidmore. Unlike most of the recent grads whom I interact with, he’s not worried about finding a job. He, much like me, is instead starting his own business to help other young people move forward their careers. His business is called eBranding Me, and it “informs students about online privacy and social responsibility through on-site lectures and a supporting website.” Basically, it helps you understand the ramifications of your social media use, so that you can make informed decisions. San Francisco based SocialShield is a startup that is focused on the same problem, but they’re taking a different approach with a slightly different market. SocialShield is a software as a service platform that allows parents to monitor and evaluate their children’s online social activity. Continue reading about SocialShield…
I’ve been fascinated by the Internet since I got my first modem when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I knew that I was dealing with something special, but I had no idea how big it would get. What amazes me most now is how effective digital marketing has become. The Internet has truly changed the way our economy works, and it has allowed people like me to build businesses with no physical assets. It’s been fun growing up with the Internet, and I imagine the people at Flightpath kind of feel the same way. They’re a New York City based Digital Agency that was founded in 1994, so they started doing business right around the time I first signed on to eWorld. Since then they’ve been delivering “superior, high-impact digital solutions that drive long-term success for brands and organizations.” Continue reading about Flightpath…
Early in the recession it seemed as though the video game industry would never be affected. Traditional game publishers were busy selling their wares to the unemployed and hiring to keep churning out games—so there were plenty of internships in video games. Things seem to have slowed down over the past year, but I think it’s more about a change in the games that people play than macroeconomic conditions. Facebook and the iPhone have created new markets for cheap and free (ad-supported) games to gain a lot of traction. There are a ton of gaming upstarts entering the market, and traditional publishers are changing the platforms that they develop on. One of the upstarts is Watercooler, a Redwood City, CA based social games developer that has already reached “over 25 million application installations.” The company started as a network of online fan communities focused on sports and TV, but they’ve switched focus and used their “social product expertise to create innovative and engaging social games.” Continue reading about Watercooler…
The most common question that I get asked is “Where do you find all of the companies that you write about?” There’s no simple response to that; however, I consume a ton of information every day, and it usually leads me to some interesting companies—and often those companies are hiring. It’s funny because I was terrible at finding companies when I was a job seeker, and now I do it every day. One of my favorite sources for new ideas is blogs, and specifically blogs of venture capitalists (since it’s their job to identify and fund exciting new companies). The ones that I read most often are Brad Feld’s blog and Fred Wilson’s blog. Yesterday I learned about BigDoor Media from Brad Feld’s blog since his firm just gave them $5 million. They’re a Seattle, WA based startup that allows web publishers to add game-like mechanics and virtual currencies to their websites to promote loyalty. Continue reading about BigDoor Media…
It’s the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer! (At least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere). The only bad thing about it is that from here on out the days are getting shorter. I don’t like that. Now, the only way that I can come up with to tie length of the days with digital word of mouth marketing is the thought that it’s probably easier to generate buzz in the summer because people get out more with the good weather. And that’s my segue into Fanscape, a Los Angeles based marketing agency. They know that word of mouth is the “#1 influencer of consumers when making a purchase or behavioral decision,” so they’ve decided to focus entirely on marketing that enhances word of mouth. You can’t just get people to talk about you (please do tell your friends about One Day, One Job—seriously go tell a friend today), but there are many ways that you can foster “targeted WOM conversations with the individuals, influencers and gatekeepers who inhabit the online social media landscape,” and Fanscape knows all about them. Continue reading about Fanscape…
Happy Flag Day! I don’t have a post on America’s biggest flag manufacturer or anything, but I’m sure that you’re ok with that. A big part of my job is staying up on the newest technology, trends, and turns of events. It’s not that I’m doing anything earth shattering, but if I want to be able to tell you where the most exciting internship opportunities are, I need to be one step ahead of the economy. I need to have a feel for where growth is going to come from before everyone else already knows about it. This keeps me interested, and it gives me a good excuse to be an early adopter of things like Twitter and Foursquare. As important as it is for me to be constantly aware of what’s new, it’s even more important for the folks at Altimeter Group, which is a San Mateo, CA based company that “provides thought leadership, research, and advisory on digital strategies, with a core focus on how companies can leverage disruptive technologies.” A lot of the top talent at Altimeter came from Forrester Research, so there are some similarities between the firms; however, Altimeter Group puts a much bigger focus on how companies should actually use technology (whereas Forrester issues reports about said technology). Continue reading about Altimeter Group…
One of my least favorite things about the “real world” is that summer doesn’t automatically mean vacation. Unless you’ve gone into teaching, you’re expected to keep showing up for work every day like it’s the middle of February—even if it’s totally beautiful out. The good thing is that “real world” summer usually lasts from May through early October (at least here in Chicago). Even though you have to keep going to work, your summer isn’t regimented by school’s start and end dates. This means that interning gives you the worst of both worlds. Anyway, we all know that summer is really all about vacation (not internships), and for many that means hitting up a resort like The Balsams in Dixville Notch, NH. In the summer you can play golf or tennis, go kayaking or mountain biking, take a hike, or just relax. In the winter there’s skiing, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, snow mobile races, and I’m sure fireplaces to warm up near. It’s an old school New England inn with modern luxuries and fine dining. I’ve never been there, but I know the style—and I like it. Continue reading about The Balsams…
Everybody acts like social media and social networking is a new development, but it really isn’t. Even 15 years ago there was a web service that enabled you to create profiles, connect with friends, engage with communities, and communicate instantly or asynchronously. It was called Aol, and there’s a good chance that you used it. I feel bad for Aol. They had it all. They were the behemoth of the social web before anyone knew what the social web was, but they were too big and not agile enough. They continued to act like an ISP, and their market share eroded as people transitioned to high-speed connections. Today most people think of Aol as irrelevant, but the NYC based company is doing their best to make a comeback. The good news is that they aren’t living in the past. They’re not trying to win at social networking or being an ISP—they’ve repositioned. They now describe themselves as “a leading-edge web services company, with an offering of premium and niche content sites, world-class tools and platforms.” The focus is on content, and in some ways that’s what Aol was always about—making great content easy to access for the masses. The tough thing for Aol is that they’re already a huge company, so they’re going to have to swing for the fences if they want their new business model to work. Continue reading about Aol…
Since we’re talking about social media today, why don’t you Like Us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter.
It wasn’t all that long ago when having a URL in a tv commercial was a big deal. Companies were slowly moving to the web, and they were even slower to invest money in advertising their web presences. Now we see companies investing big money on properties that they don’t really own like Facebook pages and Twitter profiles. Would you build a house on property that you didn’t own? Me neither. But what if that house was in your dream location and it wasn’t all that expensive to build. Would it be worth it then? Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites offer unparalleled access to potential customers, but they also come with a lot of uncertainty. That hasn’t stopped many popular brands from investing big time in social media, and if they’re going to do it right, they should probably hire New York City based Buddy Media, a company that “provides brands, advertising, public relations agencies with a scalable set of tools to easily control all of their social marketing efforts.” Continue reading about Buddy Media…
Today’s company is one of the stranger ones that I’ve come across recently, but I guess that makes sense considering that their name is Quirky. They’re a New York City based product development startup meets social network. That’s right—they’re doing for products what Threadless did for t-shirts. You submit an idea (at a cost, which is weird), and the community decides whether they produce it or not. Everybody has a product idea, but how many people actually take the initiative (and have the ability) to have their idea turned into a real product? Not many. Quirky will do the hard work for you, and they’ll only produce ideas that have been validated by enough pre-sales to make the project worthwhile. Continue reading about Quirky…
Guys, need something to wear to an interview? Check out Bonobos! They make the best pants that I’ve ever worn (I have something like 12 pairs) and they’ll give you $50 off your first order. Just e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com, and I’ll send you the coupon code.
Yesterday we talked about how search engines work, and today we’re kind of going to do it again (but I promise today’s internships aren’t nearly as technical). Ranking well in search engines, especially Google, is extremely important for marketing purposes. 75% of the people who visit this site every day come from a search engine, and about 80% of those people are brand new site. That means that Google is providing me with a constant stream of new users. Now, this wasn’t dumb luck. I’ve invested hundreds or maybe even thousands of hours on search engine optimization (SEO) to improve this site’s rankings. Obviously, I’m not the only one doing this. Anybody who is anybody in the world of online businesses has an SEO strategy, and that means that there are plenty of marketing firms out there that specialize in SEO. Reprise Media is one of those firms (they also focus on Social Media), and they’re based in San Francisco and New York City. Continue reading about Reprise Media…
See the comments at the bottom of the page to get an update on how Jumptap has repositioned itself.
I have mixed feelings about any company that decides to take on Google. In one sense I think that they must be extremely stupid, and in another sense, I love the ambition. What seems crazier is taking on Google in their core area of expertise: search. But that’s exactly what Jumptap is doing. Now, they’re not trying to build a new web search engine (that’d be really crazy), but they are aiming to be the name in mobile search. Jumptap is headquartered in Cambridge, MA (with regional offices in NYC and Tel Aviv, Israel), and they realize how much potential there is to make money selling advertising on top of mobile search results. The key difference between what Jumptap and Google are doing with mobile search is that Jumptap is building a unique search experience for mobile users, while Google’s mobile search delivers results that are generally the same as what you’d find when you’re sitting at home on computer. Continue reading about Jumptap…
