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One Of My Favorite New Blogs - SuckyStartups.com

When was the last time you looked at a new Web 2.0 startup and said to yourself, "I must be getting old, because I don't get this one at all!"

This morning? Yeah. Me too!

That's why I like SuckyStartups.com. It's a blog that aims to prove that sometimes the Web 2.0 ideas flying around the Internet that I "just don't get" are just really bad, poorly conceived ideas. Sometimes it's true that I can't understand a concept because I'm not 18 years old and don't live in that world. But a lot of the time it has nothing to do with my age! It's not that I just don't "get it" because I'm not part of Gen Y and don't have gangster rap blaring behind my MySpace profile! Sometimes I don't get them because they really don't make any sense!

Two examples from SuckyStartups.com:

MadKast.com: The headline from the August 17th post about this startup says it all... "MadKast helps you send links because emailing them is just too darn hard..." Good point. I get social bookmarking, but why do I need a site to help me send a link? (Yes, I did watch their video. I still don't get it.)
Twitter.com: SuckyStartups.com's post, Why Twitter Sucks, is more of a rant, but it gets at some of what I have felt all along. I wrote about Twitter on March 31, 2007. I said at that time, "Can I guarantee you'll get it? No. I'm not sure I do." Here I am almost 6 months later and I still don't get it. I know this throws me out of favor with all the cool geek kids, but it's true. In fact, I don't get it to the point that I'm not going to use it even more than I'm not using it now. I'm going to follow the advice I gave to NP Dodge Real Estate Agents and quit doing one thing that isn't bringing a return on my investment (time) and do something else instead.

I have not agreed with everything this writer has said about the sucky startups he writes about, but the logic he uses to address each startup helps me ask better questions myself. For that he gets a plug.

I don't really care if you start reading SuckyStartups.com. That's not the point of this post. In the end, this post is meant to encourage you to do two things:

Trust your gut. Sometimes when something doesn't make sense... it just doesn't make sense.
ALWAYS ask yourself the critical questions: How will this help me and my business? How much of my time will it occupy? What will be my ROI?

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Posted by Jeff Turner on 09/25/2007 06:03 PM

Comments (67)

internet, technology, advice

Originally posted at: Turner's Perspective: One Of My Favorite New Blogs - SuckyStartups.com

67 Comments on One Of My Favorite New Blogs - SuckyStartups.com

SEP

2007

Let these upstart start-ups start up.

I have full faith that you will review what they're selling and post about it. Then I'll work my butt off trying to use it, usually to discover that I need to just

go fishing.

Thank you ... thank you ... for not making me feel so old and stupid! I don't get Twitter either. Why do I want to let the world know what I'm doing every minute of my day? NOT!

Lenn... :)

Elaine... there are days that I feel like my twenty plus years of business experience is wiped away with one "Yeah, but Gen Y is different" comment. In some cases, that's a valid argument. In many, it's simply not.

I'm still scratchin' my head over Twitter as well. With SOOOO many social media 'start-ups' it's hard to weed through them all and determine which ones truly have value.

What are your thoughts on Second Life?

Rich... I've spent all of 10 minutes looking at Second Life. My first life gives me all the reality I can handle. :) It's on my list of "sites I should spend time looking at because 9 million people can't possibly be wrong." But it just hasn't worked it's way up to the top.

Oh gosh, I have looked and looked at twitter. It is definatley not for me. Why would I want everyone to know where I am. The important people in my life already know. Hey my kids freaked when I started on facebook. How ya doing with Rocky gone ?

So easy, Jeff, to get caught up in things we don't understand. Easier for us to become caught up in things we ONLY PARTIALLY THINK we understand. Pride is a powerful element of our personal and professional identities. I think I've finally reached what I call (and others have probably already called) The Age of Authenticity. I no longer have one second's hesitation to say, "I don't know what that means".

Good for you, and Cheers! from DC...

Jaynee

It seems like we are getting a case of infoformation overload in the web 2.0 world

Yep, I feel soooo much better now. Now I'm proud that I don't get it. I'm in good company.

Jeff - I agree it isn't always a generational thing. In my most recent scientific study of three Gen Y's none have heard of twitter. I have and I think it is just plain "sucky". One has heard of Second Life and was very excited about wanting to try it out. Of course the two that have never heard of it live and breath Sims2 so maybe I need to block the site :) I think some of these sites are a perfect example of "just because you can doesn't mean you should". I mean I can make a chicken talk to you on my site...

Missy... Rocky doesn't leave until Friday evening... so we're still surviving. And I KNOW my nephew wishes I weren't on MySpace! :)

Jaynee... it's important to take a step back and ask, "How will I use this?"

Michael... certainly.

Linda... :)

Ashley... but Chicken's don't have lips?

Sometimes it's a case of The Emperor's New Clothes - most followers won't admit that they didn't see any clothes!

Sharon... agreed. In the case of Twitter, I've found some nuggets at times, but it's so random that it's ineffective. I get more from Robert Scoble's blog than I'm ever going to get from his Twitter stream.

My web chicken will have lips otherwise it can't talk to you! Isn't that just scary? See what happens when you think what can I do next on my website? "Step away from the keyboard"

Ashley... your chicken couldn't be any sillier than my "I'm Blogging As Fast As I Can" image! :)

LOLOL Hi JT. The guy who posts about why he hates Twitter? OMG he must be Larry David in disguise what a riot.

Well your blogging image looks like you at least. I would hope I don't look like a talking chicken with lips!

Carole... indeed!

Ashley... no, you do not. :)

I thought I was a pretty smart guy but I could not move around Sim City. I bumped into everything and everyone. My second life was not good! I just went for all the money I read about, but I could not even find cool clothes. I decided then that everything I read about is not necessarily cool or a "must have". Thanks for the great post. David

David... are you saying I shouldn't waste my time with Second Life? :)

I'm pretty geeky with PC stuff and we subscribe to Maximum PC Magazine. But I haven't been reading them for the last few months. As a result, I decided to read one today, and I didn't have a clue what they were talking about! 6 months of slacking and I'm totally lost! So I guess I'm officially out of favor with the cool geek kids now too. Us old folks are gonna have to stick together.

I do not understand or even begin to understand the web 2.0 I asked a techie on AR about web 2.0 I just wanted to know in simple terms what it is and I got a long winded non answer about why its so great? Thanks for the post.

I see cool apps all of the time... and then there's Twitter. I joined... and spent a while asking "Just what is this and why are we all here?" I don't think I'll ever know.

2nd life... 1st profits for the developer, and I think that's about it. I spent a week looking at it, and I didn't get it. I think it might have been easier to actually accomplish something.

I still am not entirely sure what web 2.0 refers to!

That site reminds me a little of webpagesthatsuck.com

Well, sort of. lol

gee now I can't follow you on twitter. oh well I guess i still have my other twitter friends. Nice star by the way.

There is only so much Web 2.0 stuff that we can assimilate...and how much do we really need?

How will I know when you get off the Plane and heading to luggage? Or blogging on Justdugup? I am going to have so much free time on my hand not tracking your every move.

Jeff ~ I am with you on the Twitter thing. Using it causes me to think I must keep an open eye over my shoulder. Glad to see I'm not alone in my totally unhipness. :)

Second Life is very scary. I liked that you can open businesses and buy items. However the moral aspect is very troubling. Don't want to be in the alt universe called Second Life.

Twitter has no practical use for me. My clients are not on it. They are too busy earning a living coping with the big houses, families and playing golf. What are you going to do, text to Twitter when you are on the 9th hole and communicate with all your golf buddies who are on other courses?

Jeff, just reading your blog made me break out in an ice cold sweat! I don't have a clue to what you're talking about, but it seems I'm in good company. The only thing I know about Second Life is that you can fly around (like a bird).

Hi Jeff! Thanks for the links! My daughter is familiar with suckystartups, but hadn't heard of madcast. We watched the presentation and still don't quite see the benefits. There seem to be far too many social network sites popping up everywhere. :)

Lisa... I feel you. I went on vacation for a month this summer and felt completely out of touch when I returned.

Rebecca & Ryan... Web 2.0 is more concept than thing. It's a term used to describe the difference between the "ole" internet, made up of lots of "static" web pages, and the "new" dynamic internet, which acts more like a true computing platform and allows for an exchange of information. So Web 2.0 is used to describe anything that provides a level of real time interaction between the viewer and the internet site they are visiting. So, it's broad.

And please, don't take this post to mean that I don't think the Web 2.0 movement is special. That would be incorrect. It's truly revolutionary. This post is just to say, not every idea thrown out with a Web 2.0 banner is a good idea just because the cool kids like it. :)

Lane... hilarious. "I see cool apps all the time... and then there's Twitter." I'm laughing out loud. Great comment!

The challenges for a single agent in implementing new technology are: every hour spent learning how to use it effectively is one less hour on revenue-producing activities; every dollar spent is one less for marketing. I know of one large team that has a dedicated Technology person, and they've achieved impressive ROI.

This post also inspired a question from a little different perspective. How much are we spending in time, money and brainpower on some of these horrible ideas, to the detriment of solving some of the basic societal issues of our time?

Karen... kind of, but not really. :)

Teresa... I guess you just have to stick to SMS smileys.

Tracey... we obviously need more, cause the pace at which they're coming out is not slowing.

Bob... if you'd like, I can send you this thing called a text message. I hear it is the latest thing. :) Don't spend all your free time in one place.

Kristal.. :) I'm right behind you.

Carolyn... I'm still going to go check out Second Life, even though you now have me very scared. Your golf analogy is cracking me up!

Lisa... in this case, ignorance my indeed be bliss.

Pamela... your daughter seems like one very cool young lady!

John Novak... you've actually hit on where I'm heading. There's just a lot of time and energy being wasted on things that will ultimately have no positive societal impact whatsoever. You and I will have much to talk about when the time comes. And it's coming.

Jeff - Thanks for reeling us back in. We can so easily get bogged down with trying every new-fangled thing someone mentions. We can't just try to implement everything and pray something works.

suckystartups sounds like a place I would have never discovered, now I have to go check it out just because you took the time to post about it. I probably won't get it either, but I'm off to find out! ;-) Thanks Jeff! B-)

(hope my blog's not on there...LOL!)

WOW! I thought I was at least intelligent enough to follow this stuff - but this went WAY over my head! More to learn I guess, and I'm much better at selling real estate!

Sucky start ups? Hmmmmm... Great points and excellent questions to ask ourselves. Thanks Jeff!

SEP

2007

Yes, we each need to decide if something is going to really benefit us or just be a waste of time.

Ilyce... I'm still going to try just about everything. It's what I do. They key is looking past the hype.

Brad... I checked, you're not on there. :)

Leigh... therein lies the point. You're supposed to be better at selling real estate. How will any of this help you do that? How much of your time will it take? What is the ROI? A site like Twitter that is getting all the hype in the world and growing like crazy may be cool, but it may not have one iota of positive impact on your business. Unfortunately, sometimes you can't know this until you live with it for a bit.

Irina... my pleasure.

Bob and Carolin... often it's hard to figure out on face value.

Im new to AR, I really enjoyed reading your blog, I dont remember 2.0. 5.0 maybe....anyway this group is great, keep up the great postings.

Janna... Web 5.0... now that scares the crap out of me. :)

lol.....I don't get many.....I guess I'm old!

I still don't even text. I'm selectively techie.

Sounds like something worth checking out. I'm already behind the 8-ball with alot of these sites, a filter is always welcome.

Jeff you have an iPhone and I have the Q... I am sure the iPhone is not backwards compatible.

It's like you lifted a weight off of my shoulder. I feel so overwhelmed trying to keep up with every 2.0 site out there and have been beating myself up for not being an expert or "getting" each one of them. I really appreciate your post!

Jeff: I love: ...quit doing one thing that isn't bringing a return on my investment (time) and do something else instead.

That's a quick spur to declutter time.

Oh yes~ underwear is in the mail.

Jeff, Well I'm not that old, but I can remember when using the word "sucks" would get my face slapped at home!

I must be really old because I don't get facebook and linkedin either. I joined (peer pressure lol) I guess I still value privacy. Technology or gimmick? I never got the "pet rock either.

Hi Jeff, sorry to just be responding. You may check out second life, just because I could not navigate does not mean you can't!! ; )

I just did not see a payoff for all the time it takes. And it takes more than my little Dell could dish out, very slow and I have cable.....good luck, my friend! David

Good reminders, there on the bottom of your post! Thanks :)

SEP

2007

To Mitchell's comment on LinkedIn, I don't get it either but have noticed it coming up in Google searches for my name. It has been a nice way to connect with my former corporate buddies. But it's business oriented, not a teeny-bopper's gizmo.

Do people still say "teeny-bopper"? I don't think they do, do they? Well, so I'm old ......................

You found that one two? I'm glad they exist- they offer an unintentional comedy goldmine.

Love this blog. Even though I am part of Gen Y or Maybe Gen X Im on the cusp anyways I still dont always get it either. I love Web 2.0 and how our future is evolving. Oh Elaine I still say teeny bopper only because my mom used to say it all the time when I was one. haha Keep the MAC tips coming too, Im a new user.

Love this blog!

Thanks Jeff.. I joined twitter but could never understand why someone wanted to know what I was doing all day everyday.. unless they were planing to rob my house.. As for a lot of the new stuff coming out every minute.. I've just decided to give most of it a pass.. I don't have the time to keep up with all these sites and work at my day job.. Fortunately I check out stuff on your site to decide if I want to investigate it further and if not no guilt..

Thanks for your lesson and very useful advice.

SEP

2007

I absolutely love Twitter. I started about a month I think, using Twitter, and I have receive 3 contacts asking about real estate. None have become solid buyers or sellers. I have met more people on Twitter than MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and any of the other social media sites. Yes, they are social media sites, and not specifically business networking sites, but we are in a business where we want to get leads from whatever source possible. Leads are leads. The end justifies the means, and Twitter is one of the means. The concept is simple. People identify what they are doing, but the answer can be so broad and open. I have found real estate agents stating that they are at an open house, showing a home to a buyer, completing a contract, and so forth. I also identify to the world what I am doing in real estate with the hopes of connecting with that one buyer looking for a home here in Tallahassee, or a seller who finds my statement to be interesting and decides to connect with me regarding her property. Twitter offers a constant pool of prospects, if by definition, a prospect is anyone with two legs, and has legal capacity. It may not produce for me, but i will give it some time. More and more people are going on Twitter.

SEP

2007

Ken... I spent many, many hours on Twitter over the last 6 months. I'm sure I'd be ashamed of the number if I could actually figure it out. I do feel there are some interesting potential uses for their technology and I'm also a believer that you need to go where the consumer is. But, for me, it just made no sense to continue. If you are seeing some results from your activity, then you should by all means give it more time. And let others know what brought you the success. For me, it just ended up being a time waster. I found a couple of interesting website as a result, but nothing I would not have eventually found elsewhere.

Jeff, I use a time honored method of dealing with any new idea. I don't do anything. If it is any good someone will tell me about it. Until then I'm blissfully ignorant of its existence.

Bill Roberts

P.S. which is probably why I joined AR a year after they started and you got in on the ground floor.

NOV

2007

Bill... should have responded to this sooner. I'm beginning to think your method will give you a longer life.

After leaving Twitter on 9/25, I decided to give it another try again this evening. I feel so... easy.

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