We had a relatively small footprint: 4 offices (2..3 desks each), a conference room + projector, 10 dedicated desks, plus some shared space for up to 10 more people. I wanted to focus on tech startups, so we also had a small datacenter on premises, VPN, and everything was wired with subnets etc. I also made accelerator deals with Google, Microsoft, and Amazon so we could award cloud credits to those who needed it. Additionally, we got some lawyers to provide legal advice to members for free. We wanted to provide a good environment for building and launching an MVP (and beyond) [1].
What actually happened:
* we did attract a few startups, and we helped them launch
* many people were so early in the process, they had no use for cloud credits (or on-site infrastructure)
* we did a series of free events (with pizza and beer), and those attracted a lot of people - but did not convert to memberships
* we were hoping to get some interest and support from the state (CT) at least in terms of visibility and potential grants for members - but that didn't happen, as the State only wanted to invest in their official incubator in Stamford (which they sank a lot of money into, and ended up evicting the people who ran it [2])
* most trials didn't convert
* several more coworking spaces opened in the area, so people began hopping around
* attracted a few dreamers, who were constantly in pitching mode - and had no desire to actually sit down and build something (also usually the ones with money problems)
I think you've misunderstood his point: he's saying that that the audience would rather see pictures of the story than a picture of the author.
In Andy's original article, his mockup featured photos of the authors next to some headlines. But of course, a photo of the story is far more useful than a photo of the correspondent.
I'm from the UK, so I often forget that:
a) cell phones have area codes (unlike the UK),
b) area codes do not change when cell phones move, and
c) there's no way to tell a cell number from a land line number (again, unlike the UK).
Put those three factors together and you're right - the tool becomes far less useful for cell phone numbers.
I'll do a bit more investigation and see if there's a way to improve this situation. Thanks for the input!
Domainr has been a fantastic tool for a long time, and this will certainly be handy for those furious coding moments when you need a name and don't want to mess around.
My only enhancement request (for Domainr really, though it could be implemented in the script) is to flag those TLDs which require local citizenship or other hoop-jumping in order to make a purchase.
This is my one of my first weekend (it actually took more like a week) side projects.
My aim was to create a tool that I'd find useful while learning something new. In this case, I rediscovered Java, learned about servlets and JSON, and I tried out the Google App Engine as a hosting platform.
Feedback, advice or criticism for an aspiring micropreneur?
I'd be most interested in feedback on the design and execution: what could I do to make this simpler, more intuitive, easier to use?
