Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

panikatak — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:56:00 -0000

Good but what would we do without your relentlessness, Scoble? I can't believe you made all those links, let alone visited them, let alone decided they all sucked.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Robert Scoble — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:51:41 -0000

Charles: compare this list of startups to the Gold Standard and you'll see a complete different quality level. http://scobleizer.com/2008/...

If you want to enter the marketplace that already exists and you want to have the potential of getting some attention you've gotta be better than what already exists, not worse.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Charles Himmer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:46:29 -0000

I just visited several of the sites and am confused by your definition of "suck." Yeah a COUPLE of them were an eye sore but MOST of the sites I checked out where clean, professional looking and I understood what they company did relatively quickly. Most had pretty easy to understand video explanation or online demos. What exactly where you hoping the website would do?

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Jeremy Anderson — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:35:25 -0000

This is a pretty dismal list of startups. True, there are a number still behind closed doors, but I'm feeling less than inspired by even the names being chosen. I haven't seen anything interesting in any of these, and certainly nothing new.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

ashish — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:53:42 -0000

Given all the dogfight between the two events, the ones who wiil certainly lose are the startups (look at the bitching going about the demo startups - am sure TC ones will also go thru' the same).
I mean what the heck do these guys (demo/tc) think of startups? Isn't this 'hold on the new site till we give a green signal' a sort of parade?

Startups - time to go back and execute on your plan.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

wones — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:40:32 -0000

Looking for Friends and Family via Social Networking Sites at DEMO!

PeopleSearches.com
http://www.PeopleSearches.com

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Taran Rampersad — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:37:09 -0000

Some sites aren't that great and some products are lackluster, but I'd hate to think that you'd misuse your own popularity to sink what could be good initiatives with constructive criticism instead of what you've done. Even when you appended 'I just visited every one of these companies. Boy do they almost all suck (at least their Web sites and if their sites suck, I can’t believe their products are going to do much better).', you really don't say too awful much... I mean... which ones did you think didn't suck, and why? And why lump them all together without differentiating?

You can do better than this - and you should.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Ryan Graves — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:49:01 -0000

I think that these companies are pre-launch and their company sites are of limited importance.
Lets take a little walk back to the first versions of Scobleizer.com, thinking about that how are you going to judge these site?
Come on Scoble, give'm a chance.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

dcod3r — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:25:29 -0000

Wow, couldn't agree more. Even for the sites that did fall under the "suckness" tag the services were lame; they sounded like bad TV pitch men: "Let me show YOU how to better handle your online media". Yawn.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Jeremy Toeman — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:00:47 -0000

I'm not taking sides between TC50 and DEMO, but before everyone gets all uppity at Shipley about revenue (probably too late), don't forget that TC50 has generated over FIVE MILLION DOLLARS of revenue so far, and that's not including sponsorships. You can cry foul about either business model, but make no mistake - they are both businesses.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Todd Cochrane — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:20:49 -0000

I visited all of their websites as well and I kept a notepad handy. I figured out what 5 of them were actually about and the product they were introducing but Robert your right they all pretty much sucked.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Robert Scoble — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:16:41 -0000

ep: I didn't release this list. The Demo Conference did. They shouldn't have released this list until everyone had their sites up. TC50 isn't releasing their list until Monday morning, so everyone can have their sites up first. But, even then, that's no excuse. You should realize that people might hear about your company before the list comes out. You should be prepared with at least a decent landing page that explains when you'll have more info, and a little bit about your company (which you can do without breaking the Demo rules).

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Engago Team — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:14:07 -0000

Although we responded to your inquiry blog post previously: Companies: has TechCrunch 50 or Demo spurned you?
You forgot ours:
Engago Technolgies, London, UK with LEADSExplorer

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

ep — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:11:38 -0000

How can you say they suck if many of them don't even have a website ope to the public yet?
Jesus.
The startup listed as "Best Buy" is obviously a mistake as it links to Giftag.
This "post" is ridiculous.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Kartik Agaram — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:56:09 -0000

Without agreeing with CNET, that's a pretty superficial analysis.

http://scrapbook.akkartik.n...

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Prokofy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:55:04 -0000

Good Lord, what would we do without your relentlessness, Scoble? I can't believe you *made* all those links, let alone visited them, let alone decided they all sucked. And you know what? I believe you lol.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

George Eberstadt — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:28:59 -0000

It may be a good thing for start-ups that there are more launch slots available, but it'd be better for us if the conferences were staggered so the press and VCs that don't have the capacity to cover both at once aren't forced to choose. There's still plenty of value to start-ups to launch at either one, just a bit less than if we weren't caught in the battle between the conferences.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Tom Hearn — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:19:02 -0000

Hey there Robert,

I hate how all of these companies get all of this press and most startups have to actually WORK for their startups to get going. I'm running 2 full time jobs right now to support the hosting for my new startup. I must say it is frustrating for me to see some of these sites which look like the creators really don't know what they're saying at all, and the sites don't help at explaining the process of what they're really trying to do.

Keep the posts going man, I've been following you for a long time, both here and on twitter!

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

francinehardaway — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:59:11 -0000

It looks ike money rules at Demo, no offense to Chris Shipley, who doesn't really own it, but runs it. Otherwise, why would Best Buy and Real Networks be chosen? Trust me, these aren't the startups I know and love.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Scott Rafer — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:13:18 -0000

@brianhoffman I've launched at DEMO before years ago and Mashery did very well buying a table at TC50 last year, but the truly bottoms up approach is better if you can do it. That's the approach we took at MyBlogLog and Lookery. It's ok so far.

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Robert Scoble — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:15:28 -0000

I just visited every Web site. Boy do they all suck: http://scobleizer.com/2008/...

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

markdykeman — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:55:15 -0000

Many of these start-ups have names that are similar to established companies. And, speaking of which:

Best Buy? As in the electronics retailer? Wha?

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Martin Palatnik — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:53:31 -0000

Nearly 60% are social oriented startups...

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

J.D. Meier — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:49:40 -0000

Actually yes - the ones with alliteration stick better (Best buy, Dial Directions, SitScape, SpinSpotter) ... as do the ones with a fun name (Intellius, Message Sling ... etc.)

As subtle as it may be, I wonder how important a sticky name is? (in today's info overloaded world)

Re: Let’s cry for the poor fragmented, underreported startups

Brian Hoffman — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:46:54 -0000

I think both conferences are bullshit. There used to be a day when just being mentioned on TechCrunch was enough to have you launched into everyone's consciousness. Now you have to apply to this and apply to that and keep your business under wraps until they feel you should be revealed. Or even better yet you have to join some incubator and sell your shares to them before you even release your product. I say grow a pair and become a true entrepreneur and just building something somebody wants to use. I didn't see 37Signals releasing TaDa at Techcrunch 150.