TIGblogs - allan isfan's TIGBlog http://aisfan.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us 5 easy tips for social media http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/549335
To me social media means "people having conversations online".

It can range from writing and/or commenting on blogs, posting pictures to facebook, uploading youtube videos, micro-blogging on twitter, listening to or creating podcasts. The list goes on and on.

I've been toying around with social media for a while. I post on four blogs and even decided to start a company to create a new social video platform (favequest). I also produce amp; direct a fun on-line video show called the Nasty Hockey Show. This is a space I believe in.

Over the last few months, I have been asked to help with more complete social media campaigns and thought it might be worthwhile to share some tips I've come up with to kick off the discussion with you. Please correct me if you think I'm off base or am missing something major.

Here are my 5 tips:
1) ask why: ask yourself why you are considering social media

Social media is not for all situations. Are you looking to create buzz around a specific event or looking for a long term relationship with you customers? Are you trying to save money and want a bigger bang for the buck? Get some help and advice before you dive in. Many of us would do that for free.

2) be patient: success in social media is about providing value and building relations with people in various online communities .... not about interrupting and annoying people.

For example, I sometimes see people twittering with every other tweet being a pitch and link to their website or blog. Don't bother. It just makes you look bad.

3) be human: you or people close to you must be directly involved in the communities and be transparent

Most people don't like to interact with robots or faceless companies. It is critical to have an actual person get involved and connect with people. Hire a community manager, ideally one that is already involved in the communities that are relevant to you. Lot's of pretenders out there. (no, I'm not looking for a community manager position in case you're wondering but I know many good ones)

4) contribute: truly be part of the community without constantly pushing your agenda.

For example, if every other tweet on twitter is a link to your blog or website, people are not going to follow you. Help people, listen, provide advice and tips if you can.

5) not a silver bullet: social media initiatives don't replace traditional PR, advertising, interactive agencies, Search Engine Optimization and so on.

Social media can be part of the complete equation. Applied properly, it could make your customer engagement and even your major campaigns much more effective. And yes, you could even save some money as your champions carry your message on your behalf. Does Obama rings a bell?

I'm sure I'm missing some major points here so feel free to set me straight in the comments.

My next post will provide 5 key steps in any social media initiative and I will follow that up with some very specific details and examples. Be sure to register to my blog so that we don't miss an opportunity to connect and have a constructive discussion.

Cheers,

Allan Isfan
CEO, FaveQuest
blogs:
http://connecttheworld.wordpress.com/
http://nastyhockeyshow.wordpress.com
http://www.startupottawa.com/

twitter: @isfan]]> Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:12:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/549335 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 carleton students and favequest: win win win http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/525343
It is now time to create the same opportunity for a couple of very bright students. I am happy to announce that FaveQuest is collaborating with Carleton University and OCRI to place two students with FaveQuest starting this January. The lucky students will get to develop real products at the absolute bleeding edge of social networks, on-line video and mobile applications. On top of that, they get to be part of a real start-up that is just about to launch publicly with a large media partner. They'll get to truly experience and learn how it is done at a very early stage (and probably see some mistakes too). They'll even get to attend meetings with real customers! Wait ... it gets even better. The students will get paid and can work part-time (15-20 hrs/week). There could even be opportunities for summer work and even equity (i.e. shares). How often does a student get such an opportunity?

To be clear, I'm looking for a couple of very special individuals. They need strong software skills (idealy Java) who love writing code so much, they do it for fun! At least one applicant needs to have strong interest in the business side of things. You must also be a full time student at Carleton U or the Bachelor of IT program (in collaboration with Algonquin College) with preference given to students in 3rd or 4th year.

If you fit the bill, click on the following link to register for an event on November 17th at 4:00. Note that there is a limit of 20 people so don't wait. "You get one shot, one chance to play"

http://favequestandstudents.eventbrite.com/

I'm so excited to meet all of you and get your assitance in launching a great new Ottawa based company. C U soon.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/525343 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 prep for founders and funders http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/509197
Fellow Founders and Funders,

The Founders and Funders Ottawa event is entirely sold out! I'm so glad! Many thanks for James Smith (LaBarge Weinstein), Tim Hember (thinkRF, The Ottawa Network) and Ian Graham (CodeFactory) and a long list of sponsors (LaBarge Weinstein, Ramius, Acorn Partners, Verdexus, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Royal Bank). We took a real chance initially when we pulled the trigger on this, made it official and started taking registrations. There was always a fear that we'd get 20 people coming out and have them all be founders. A great night I'm sure but not exactly what I was looking for. So now to final preparations. If you're not registered already, I'm afraid it is too late.

I've written this blog to help entrepreneurs prepare for the event as it could change your life. Really. Rarely are so many investors and fellow founders together in one place ready to listen to YOU. Don't forget that each one of these individuals is likely very well connected to other investors, customers and partners so your personal network could literally explode in a significant way. You'll also have a few us floating around working hard to help you make connections. It is now up to you to make the best of this event so here are my ten pieces of advice for what its worth:

1) Be punctual: the event starts at 6pm and dinner is at 7pm.

The one hour before the dinner will be the best portion of the evening for working the room so don't be late.

2) Have your elevator pitch nailed solid

If you don't have it down to less than 30 seconds, then I suggest you get practicing with your wife, your dog, the mirror and get people to give you honest feedback.

Here is mine for what it's worth:
FaveQuest is a young start-up that has created a social video platform to help media companies reach out to people in social networks like Facebook and MySpace. We take content they already have access to and make it available through special video portals integrated into the social networks of their choice. The viewers get access to great content but more importantly, they get to create their own channels based on their interests and share videos and channels with their friends. We're launching with a major media company at the end of the year and have several more major ones in the pipeline.

Investors reading this, feel free to provide advice on the elevator pitch above and in general (I'm now devoid of ego ... just want to make it better).

3) Bring decent business cards

In my opinion, the flimsy print at home ones suck. Some people may disagree but when I get a crappy biz card, it takes my opinion of the person down a notch. If you don't have a proper card, it isn't too late. Clean it up and get it printed in low volume at a local print shop. I use http://www.jiffyonline.com/ . They are a small shop in the west end (near Hazeldean amp; Eagleson) and have been absolutely fantastic to deal with. I send them a jpeg or pdf and they get stuff printed often the next day. I usually get about 30 cards printed at a time. Basically, there's no excuse for a crappy card.

4) Come prepared

You will be getting a list of all attendees and should do some research on each and every investor in attendance. If you want to get a BRIEF note to one of them ahead of time, feel free to do so directly or through me. It is much better to come to the meeting with a well planned mission and if they know your name ahead of time, even better.

Note: the list you'll be receiving is private and for your use only. Please do not publish it or email it to others. I will hunt you down if you do.

5) don't get drunk, at least not until much later in the night when you're by yourself

The open bar at a similar event I went a while back got a bit abused and wasn't good for anyone. For that reason (and the budget), I decided to not have an wide open bar. You'll be getting two drink tickets for the bar and wine with dinner.

I hope the evening works out for you and that you make the connections you hope to make. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.

Lastly, if you agree, disagree or want to add to this blog, please fee free to leave a comment.

Cheers,

Allan Isfan]]> Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:10:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/509197 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 why I brought Founders and Funders to Ottawa http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/509199
With all of that going on, I decided to organize a major event taking place next week. Crazy!. Here is why.

There's a lot of complaining on both sides of the funding table and way to much negativity. Lots of bitching about lack of support from government. Constant chatter that Canadian VCs have had poor returns. While some of this may be true ... there's also another possibility which is this:

"there are many investors who are looking to place money and numerous high quality, fundable start-ups looking for investment. "

Funders and Founders need each other and an event that brings these two groups together may very well unlock the apparent frozen state of start-up investment in Canada. The Founders and Funders Dinner is a grass roots by invitation only event that brings these two groups together for an evening of hard-core networking. No presentations, no demos. This initiative was started by Austin Hill (who is coming to Ottawa for our event) and Patrick Lauzon in Montreal and similar events have sold out across the country with support from David Crow amp; Jevon MacDonald.

After attending the Toronto Famp;F last spring following an invitation from David Crow, I decided it was time to bring the event to Ottawa. With the tireless assistance of James Smith (LaBarge Weinstein), Tim Hember (thinkRF, The Ottawa Network) and Ian Graham (CodeFactory) and a long list of sponsors (LaBarge Weinstein, Ramius, Acorn Partners, Verdexus, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Royal Bank).

Within barely a week of registration, the Ottawa event being held on October 29th nearly sold out as of now (and will sell out). It is especially encouraging that roughly one third of the Ottawa registered attendees are investors (VCs, Angels, government funds, working capital ...). We have some founders and investors coming from Montreal and Toronto and many well known and new local investors will be in attendance.

This is a story about people taking action at the grass roots to make things happen while everyone else is worried and complaining about the economy.

Cheers,

Allan
BTW, if you are interested, shoot me an email at allan.isfan at favequest.com]]> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/509199 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 "cute kitten!" approach to business http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/500603
With all the talk of financial meltdown, it is easy for entrepreneurs to panic. Here is my advice inspired by the addition of a kitten to our family:

1) find paying customers ASAP

This is not the time to worry about ramping users while putting yourself in the hole for the sake of demonstrating traction. This is a bad time to look for investors and acquisition valuations aren't going to be very high so forget about trying to impress others. It is time to focus on revenue, plain and simple. That has led me to prune the list a potential clients to those that can pay and are highly motivated.

2) cut overhead to the bone

We gave up on office space last spring and any and all frills. Anything that doesn't get us paying customers is simply not pursued. Everyone continues to work for sweat equity, we're partnering with a local university to get students to work with us while getting paid through a University program. Essentially, we're building this company on less than a shoestring and we're still getting traction!

The fact that nobody in the company gets paid anything until we get revenue keeps us extremely hungry and focused. Much easier to have a false sense of security with a few million in the bank from a recent round. Raising money is not a sign of success and it could be your undoing if not handled properly. Our lack of money will make our company stronger ... I'm convinced of it.

3) Apply the "cute kitten!" sales approach

My kids are very good at sales. I have been against getting a cat for as far as I can remember. Today, one of our neighbours was giving away some kittens and the kids brought one of them in to show us. Darn thing was so cute and was cuddling and purring right away next to my wife. A quick trip to the pet store for supplies and we now officially have a four week old kitten.

We have now moved to a simpler pitch and with the fortune of a few new team members joining us recently, we can pre-build a working mock-up before going into a customer pitch. "Look how cool this is, it already has your name on it and it is ready to go ... we can have this up and running tomorrow!" I now call this the "cute kitten sales approach". It just worked on me and I didn't even want the product!

4) Make it easy for customers to say yes

Customers are going to be thinking twice about putting money out right now, no matter who they are. There are three possibilities:

a) they add to their budget to get your product ... tough sell right now
b) they eliminate something to get your product ... again, tough ... they have to change their mind which is never easy
c) your product allows your customer to save money or make money and ideally both at no or very minimal risk. a revenue share can be a good way to go with the right type of customer

5) this financial chaos can be the best thing that has happened

Are your customers going to be able to achieve their goals while spending dramatically less using your product? In good times, people don't count their pennies as much and are not motivated to change. They are motivated now. Can you build something that capitalized on this uncertainty?

So in summary, focus on revenue, cut overhead to the bone, focus on specific customers and make them taste it using the "cute kitten" technique, make it easy for them to say yes and remember ... this financial mess may be the best thing for you.

So, what do you think? Am I full of it? Do you have any advice of your own? I would love to hear it.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:10:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/500603 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 tweak to blog and new posts on "connect the world" blog http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/489141
Hello Everyone,

I recently launched a new blog to focus on world changing socially oriented topics. You can find the blog here http://connecttheworld.wordpress.com . There is some pretty interesting stuff on there and I urge you to check it out.

I will continue to use this existing blog but will change the focus a bit and will become more active. I have many new thoughts, tips and links and am also looking to start discussions with other entrepreneurs. I may also touch on FaveQuest but there will be less focus on that as I will eventually write a blog specific to FaveQuest when we launch the full site.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:09:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/489141 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 face your fears - it feels great http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/458175
There are also other kinds of pain to be avoided ... the type that physically hurts. Breaking bones, cracking your head on rocks, drowning and such. You walk across a bridge over a raging waterfall, imagine falling in and get wobbly at the knees. I'm somewhat afraid of heights and not big a raging waters either ... so what do I do ... zip line across the waterfall in a harness !!!! Absolutely crazy but exhilarating!!

Facing your fears and punching through feels really good. Go ahead ... do it!

Check out this video of me and two of my girls zip lining across Ste Anne Canyon Falls just outside Quebec City.

Here is the link (for those getting this through email)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpM0HtSX51M

]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:08:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/458175 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 THEM = US can change the world http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443181 I have taken the THEM = US concept a little bit further and am kicking off a grassroots campaign of awareness for now, and action soon thereafter.

I have started a brand new blog focused on this world changing topic http://connecttheworld.wordpress.com

The presentation below tells you a bit about myself and my goals. I have entered it in SlideShare's "worlds best presentation" competition. Please register at slideshare to vote and help get the word out. The contest ends July 31, 2008 (really really soon) so please don't wait.

After you watch the slide show (you need to go to the actual blog page if you subscribe via email), if you think it is worthy, please click on the SlideShare icon at the bottom right of the player, register on the site and vote!!!!

Change the world one child at a time
]]> Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:07:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443181 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 is blogging dead? http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443183
Email is still very central to my activities. I have my email with me at all times and tie it in to my social activities. For example, I use it to register to blogs so that I get updates in my email (easier than rss reader). I get key facebook info, some twitter activities and so on. Email is still a radically untapped social utility and for many of us includes a huge number of contacts and most of our communications. You could easily build a social graph out of email by mapping out interactions and then organizing emails by importance rather than time. For example, an email from someone I interact with often is more important than newsletter I signed up to.

I am imagining a new breed of communication tools anchored around email but that aggregate all your activities both outbound and inbound. On the outbound side, you pick who and what receives your message. That could include emailing friends, facebook status, twitter, friendfeed and so on. On the inbound side, you get messagaes regarding all major social activities but they come in automatically segmented and organized so that you don't end up with a ridiculous stream of emails.My business stuff here, my social stuff there, my blogs stuff over there.

I could even interact with the originating service by replying to an email. For example, I get an email telling me a friend left me a facebook message. If I want to reply, I have to go to facebook, log in and punch in the reply. This a major annoyance, especially if you're on a mobile device. It would be much easier if I could just reply to the email and the new email S/W automatically generates a facebook reply message for me. Another example: you the loyal reader get one of my inspiring blogs in your email because you registered (if you haven't, look to the right and register your email). You want to leave a comment but would have to go to the actual blog, go to comments and so on. Why can't you just leave a comment by replying to the email? Very simple! What if all of you could blog your thoughts without having to register to an actual blog service and go through the learning curve. Someone could easily build an email based blogging system.

I'm not going to build this ... Got enough cool things on my plate ... But I sure hope someone does. I suspect google is doing this or will eventually. They have all the right pieces (gmail, blogger, igoogle, google reader, orkut, opensocial and android to deal with mobile aspect). They have figured out how to make money from free email by including relevant sponsored links in gmail. Plus, their mission is to organize the world's information ... It would be great if they could start with mine.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:07:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443183 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 O'Canada, our home and native land http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443185
I feel more a citizen of the world than anything else so allegiance to one country is a bit strange. Nevertheless, this country has been incredibly good to me. I arrived as a skinny little immigrant and have built a great life here. I met my wife at Quebec High School many many years ago, became and engineer, have three wonderful kids, have had some success in business and generally enjoy this country tremendously. Never once did I not feel welcome here. So I wear this country's flag proudly, try to contribute as much as I can and will hopefully do something to pull the world a bit closer together.

In the meantime, please check out a beautiful song by my oldest daughter (she didn't write it btw).

]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:06:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443185 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 A big dream, a big mission: THEM = US http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443187
Many people are calling for entrepreneurs to start launching companies that solve real problems.

For example, Fred Wilson's "Am I Bored With “Web 2.0”? http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2008/06/am-i-bored-with.html

or

Umair Haque's multiple blogs at http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/haque/ .

So I'm going to share a dream that I've had that was in large part inspired by Pangea Day www.pangeaday.org, an event that took place on May 10th of this year, as well as my children as I watch them play on-line.

As some of you may know, I'm the co-founder of favequest, a company that is building a social video platform. We have a first stab at an app running in facebook http://apps.facebook.com/favequest/ and we're working on a branded one for a media company as part of revenue generation plan. Our platform is meant to create communities centered around video.

So what does this have to do with the big dream? My big dream is to use media (primarily video) to connect kids across the world to each other and their planet. I'm talking about creating a safe place for kids in the range of 6-12 where they can find content specifically for them and interact with other kids across the world. Ideally the content is created by other kids but it can also be professional content like National Geographic that kids can watch, share and talk about. The content itself doesn't matter as long as it is remarkable enough for kids to want to talk about it and learn about their world.

Why do I think this can make a big impact? Pangea Day was a good example of the use of film to connect people across the world. It was a day during which my family, friends and I learned about life in other parts of the world. Reacting to the story about a war child, one of my girls actually said ... I didn't know there was a war going on!! What better way for her to understand this than the media created by another kid living through this. Much more powerful than CNN.

The key point though is not the learning for the sake of knowledge ... it is the realization that people across the world all have the same needs and desires, whether you are a kid or an adult. It is a realization that we are all the same no matter what colour and where we live.

A realization that THEM = US leads to empathy and hopefully caring which can leads to action. If people don't care, nothing happens.

This realization can be incredibly powerful. It has caused things like "Combatants for Peace" http://www.pangeaday.org/filmDetail.php?id=73 . This incredible documentary was filmed by the organizer of Pangea Day about Israeli and Palestinian former soldiers that denounced violence and instead sit around the table to talk and seek an end to the conflict.

Without worrying too much right now about the details and many roadblocks ... imagine that our kids got engaged with each other across the world. Imagine having Pangea Day every day with our your kids at the center. Imagine what these kids would grow up to be and how they could impact our world?

I think this is a dream worth chasing ... and I can't do it alone. I've spoken to people like Tom Williams (CEO of GiveMeaning.com), the founder of Club Penguin, David Usher (the singer http://www.davidusher.com/) and many others. This will happen!

Please comment or email me, find me on facebook or twitter (@isfan) and tell me what you think about this and what you want to do to help.

Cheers,

Allan
PS. As I finish this blog, it is 6:14am and my eight year old walks in to the office and boots up the computer to go on webkinz ... ironic]]> Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:06:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443187 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 Success is about perseverance ... plain and simple http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443189
I really truly believe success is about perseverance. Sure you need some decent brains, a good team, being in the right place at the right time, some luck and so on. It clearly takes a lot to be successful as an individual or as a business.

But ultimately, it is about not giving up, believing in yourself and just continuing to push hard even in the face of adversity. My parents managed to get out of Romania even with two young kids in tow and not a penny to their name. They made a great life for their family eventually bringing us to Canada. My wife launched her own graphic design business straight out of school and has been running it very successfully for many years. You just have to decide you are going for it no matter how hard it is.

And now, my oldest daughter reminds us of this in spades. We were at her elementary graduation this morning. It was a beautiful affair in the brand new church in Stittsville and all the kids looked great. The place was packed with lots of proud family. They called up several kids for awards and although we were hoping she would get something, we knew the odds were not great.

She has struggled with ADHD every since she was little but we have refused to drug her. She has a beautiful sparkling personality and an amazing imagination that we don't want to snuff out. It is a gift even it makes school very difficult. So she has to work harder ... everything takes twice as long to do as her peers and she meets with a tutor every week on top of us staying on her case (especially her mother who doesn't let up thankfully ... just like my mother who would study with me late into the night). Her marks have steadily improved with all the hard work to such a degree that she won a medal for having the most improved scholastic achievement. It is a big deal and the lesson learned is even more important than anything else she may have learned in school ... don't give ... don't give up ... don't give up!

Cheers,

Allan]]> Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:06:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443189 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 favequest to take over the world http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443191
I promised a couple of blogs ago that I would tell you a bit more about where we are headed here at favequest. So why did I then get into twitter on my last post? I've realized that, although some people have heard the name, they don't know what it is and why they should care. This also goes for major brands and publishers (i.e. Media companies). There is just so much going on in the social space that it is nearly impossible to keep up. It is really wild out there to put it mildly. Twitter, friend feed, openid, data portability, friend connect, open social and on and on.

Media companies,major brands, sports franchises are extremely busy doing what they do ... Create content, promotion and advertising. They often just don't have the time, resources and the background to keep up with all this stuff on a daily basis and then capitalize on it.

And yet, people are spending more and more of their time in social networks, communicating with each other, watching youtube, reading blogs and so on. People want to be in control of their time, what they consume and what they do with the content. This is extremely clear. I personally consume about ten times more media on my laptop or smartphone (which is what I'm using to write this blog) than tv or print.

Our mission at favequest is therefore to build a bridge between media companies and consumers. We will do this by giving the publishers the tools (essentially a new video platform) to reach consumers where they hang out. They hand us an RSS feed of all the content they want to make available and we do everything else. Consumers benefit because they can get at great relevant content on their terms, finally breaking down the walled garden. They will be able to create their own channels and shows which get filled automatically by our engine making their experience truly personal. They will even be able to embed the portal into their blogs. Imagine being able to create you own CNN news portal, or have a place to follow just the sports and teams you are interested in. That's the idea.

Because we'll be hanging out in all the major social networks and utilities, you'll be able to reach all of your friends on your terms. You want to share a channel you created with friends on MySpace, Facebook, the people that follow you on twitter, have it show up in Friend Feed and your Facebook news feed? Go right ahead ... a one click experience.

Ok ... so I have told you a bit more about the "why" and not that much about "how". That will come.

In the meantime, we're about to launch our latest facebook video app and we'll be making this one public. Let me know if you want to get in on the beta test list. We've also started working on a branded facebook app for a great media company in the sports space. More on that later.]]> Sun, 18 May 2008 10:05:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443191 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 why twitter is better than facebook http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443193
Twitter is like facebook status updates on steroids. Message are limited to 140 characters and allow you to very quickly send messages to a group of people that follow you. You can use it from a computer using many different programs. I use Twhirl which is a light desktop app based on Adobe Air. There's also a facebook app. When I send something on twitter, it shows up in my facebook status. You can also receive and send tweets from a mobile device.

If you've ever seen a friend's facebook status and would like to reply to it ... and can't ... well ... you can do that in twitter. You can even send pictures using twitpic.

What I find cool is the stuff that people are building on top of twitter (which is extremely open). For example, a venture capital guy in NYC called Fred Wilson kicked off "lyric of the day". When you hear a lyric that you like, you post a message with @lotd at the front and everyone that follows @lotd gets the lyric. Pretty cool but just an early example.

I follow a few people on twitter and I have found that it is a much better way to get to know people than facebook. If you are looking for a way to connect to others and have others connect with you, you might want to give twitter a try. Of course , the issue is that you have to get your friends on twitter first and right now it is mostly used by propeller heads but that will change. So go ahead ... sign up. I'm @isfan.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Sat, 17 May 2008 09:05:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443193 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 Pangea Day ... why such a big deal? http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443195
Hey Everyone,

As some of you may have heard, I'm hosting a major event at my place for Pangea Day this coming Saturday May 10 (pls arrive at 1:30 so we're ready for 2pm start). People sometimes look at me like I have a third eye. What the heck is Pangea Day? I try to explain and some get it while others go blank.

If you really want to get the lowdown, go to http://www.pangeaday.org/ and flip through the site to see what it is all about. Here is a quote from the site:

"The Pangea Day Mission Purpose

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.

Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film."

As an individual, I've always believed in people's equality and treat people as such, no matter what background, education level, skin color or gender. I also have a propensity to organize big parties to bring people together. I hope to connect with people individually and learn from them (a bit selfish), share stories and have fun. I also hope that people that come to these events connect with each other and Pangea Day is an especially good opportunity to do that since there will be lots to talk about.

I truly and deeply believe the world becomes a better place when people get to know and understand each other. This leads to compassion. From wikipedia:

"Compassion is an understanding of the emotional state of another or oneself. Not to be confused with empathy, compassion is often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another or to show special kindness to those who suffer. However, compassion may lead an individual to feel empathy with another person."

Compassion can lead to action because if you are truly compassionate, you do not have the choice but to act. Someone else's suffering is your own suffering.

What does this have to do with FaveQuest? Like the Pangea Day events and films, my secret dream and goal is for FaveQuest to connect people, have them share and collaborate and thereby make the world a smaller place. We will use the platform ourselves and make it available to others to achieve this. Of course, we're shooting to build a thriving business and I believe we will but there is something bigger in it for me.

I hope you come out to our event or catch Pangea Day elsewhere.

PS. I'll be twittering during our event. You can follow me on Twitter ... I'm @isfan.]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 09:05:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443195 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 social video http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443197
Favequest is playing in the 'social video' space and I thought it would be worthwhile to explain what that means to me. It might give you a sense for why we are building what we are building.

I have to come to realize that I get a much bigger kick out of media when I have a chance to use that media to interact with others. I write this blog to interact with you, even if people don't leave comments. I run into many of you through my travels and the blog often comes up which helps connect us. Why does that matter? I think it matters because the only way for us to evolve is to understand each other and work together to achieve greater things. This is one reason I'm supporting Pangea day http://www.pangeaday.org/index.php in a big way (reminder about event at my place on May 10 at 1:30). We're all much too isolated and busy living our lives to care or worry about others and that simply must change.

Why did I start this train?

One way media like tv is feeling increasingly empty to me. I only watch it occasionally when I'm relaxing with my wife but would NEVER just sit down to watch anything on tv. It feels like having dinner alone in a strange town or traveling and seeing something exciting and having no one to share it with. It's like watching a hockey game alone in the basement vs being with friends and screaming together. Enough with the analogies, I hope you get the idea.

Just watching video on-line is also empty if all I can do is watch it in isolation. Let me share with others, tell them what I think, have them do the same and start a conversation (can't really do that on YouTube). Let me discover exciting topics and meet new people with whom I can exchange ideas and create action. Let me reconnect with my Romanian friends and family all over the world by collaborating and sharing on Romanian topics.

I'm willing to bet a lot of money (done) and my reputation (done) that there are many others like me. If I'm the only one, were kinda screwed ... But I don't think so.

So we are building a platform that is totally about social interaction around video. So you should ask .... why does this matter? What are you really trying to do? What's the big picture? If you know me, you know there's always a big picture even it doesn't seem like it.

Look for the next blog for answers to some of these questions.

Cheers,

Allan]]> Sun, 04 May 2008 08:05:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443197 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 the fans are the most powerful distribution points http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443199
People ... i.e. you and I, are increasingly powering the new economy. Some of the most successful and revolutionary things in recent years are powered by people in some way. People create and/or distribute content and messages on their own ... often with no clear incentive. Even google, though powered by complex algorithms, is ultimately powered by people they got the word out (ever see a google ad?)

Canvas Paint Brush
The internet has connected us and some smart people gave us canvas and paint brushes so we could create and/or share. MySpace started out as an empty canvas which allowed people to express themselves and feel important. Similarly for youtube, facebook, blogger, digg, hypemachine, flickr, texting, twitter ... heck ... even email, still the most powerful (and undervalued) social utility. There are so many ways for people to communicate and express themselves that this will lead to a new economy. It is not possible for it not to.

Word of Mouth
It used to be that a brand could reach millions of people and become successful purely through advertising on tv. No more. Even pure advertising online (banners ...), though easier to track, is ultimately doomed. I've never seen an add for google, or twitter or facebook. I heard about these from friends and others I respect. The beauty in all of this is that people are willing to carry your message ... you "just" need to create something worth talking about and give them the tools to get the message out(and some incentives like fun notoriety... don't hurt).

We Canadians have always been good at building things to help people communicate .... perhaps because the population is spread out. Basic communication is now ubiquitous and is increasingly moving to a more complex level which is pretty exciting and I'm so glad to be part of it.

Cheers,

Allan

PS. Check out Umair Haque's blogs at http://www.bubblegeneration.com/ and http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/haque/2008/03/the_future_is_goople.html for some much deeper and insightful discussion. I've had the good fortune to chat with Umair on a couple of occasions and rarely will you meet someone with such a deep insight.]]> Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:04:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443199 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 favequest at a turning point http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443201
I've run into a few of you here and there and you've been asking me wassup with the blog? You know, typical "really busy with three kids, launching a company, raising money, closing deals with customers, producing an online hockey show, trying to show up at the gym once in while ...". Other than that, pretty bored.

FaveQuest is now getting near an important turning point. We are now in advanced discussions with a great customer that I would love to work with. Ours to lose basically at this point and we're all very happy and excited. Must execute.

We're also in advanced discussion for some funding that would allow us to grow the team, execute on some important things that have had to stay on the back burner (opensocial, improved algorithms, some magical tools) and expand our customer base. One of the potential funders is in California so it is a long shot. I had to postpone our family Disney World vacation to fly out to Palo Alto ... kids weren't too impressed + it cost me $2000 to change all the flights. Hope it was worth it ... but hey ... if you don't play, you don't win. Check out the rental car (sweet talked lady at Budget to give me that one for the same prices as Nissan Altima!). Sweet ride.


All good stuff but this also changes the dynamic. We're going to lose a bit of freedom but we're on the right path. Tougher than I thought.]]> Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:04:00 EDT http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443201 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 favequest nasty hockey show -episode 1 http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443205
Episode 1 is now done and posted. You can watch it below or click on the link below to watch it on blip.tv where you can view it in full screen.

http://favequestnastyhockeyshow.blip.tv

Note that you may have to click

As one would expect with a first show, you run into a few hitches. First there was a UFC event that started at 3pm and ended at about 5:15 so we had to wait for that to finish. There were tons of kids there for the kickoff and the last fight got extremely bloody. It seems the forehead bleeds a lot. It reminds of the time my daughter cracked her eyebrow on the boards in our backyard hockey rink .... boy did that bleed. Couple of stitches later she was all good.

Then I had to sprint around Centrum mall to find the right firewire cable to record the video straight to my laptop to save time . None at Future Shop ... seems it was a popular item lately and they sold out ($*%!!!!) so I sprinted to Best Buy, found one and we were all good ... got it there in time to finish the setup before the end of the UFC blood bath.

With the late start we weren't able to edit the film in time to post the final cut before the 7pm game start so we decided to wait till today to do that. I think we'll likely do that form the next few shows since getting the video edited and encoded that quickly won't happen until we shorten the show and start editing as we are shooting ... basically recording live and shipping immediately.

I broke the video into three parts to make the encoding easier. I'll try to get the whole thing posted as well.

Intro to Show


Part I Of Live Discussion


Part II of Live Discussion
]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:01:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443205 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 announcing the FaveQuest Nasty Hockey Show http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443207
Check out the first taping of FaveQuest Nasty Hockey Show tonight at Philthy McNasty's in Kanata near the AMC theater at 4:30. Check back here at about 6pm for the edited version of the show.

Also go to www.favequest.com to see our facebook app and click the "try it" to add the app to your facebook profile.

]]> Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:01:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443207 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 seeing the world through Facebook colored glasses http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443209
Imagine if you could surf the entire web anonymously from within Facebook. Assuming new websites were developed with the right intelligence, they would look entirely different for every user.

Say I visit ESPN. It would know that I'm forty years old, live in Ottawa, Canada, I like hockey and skiing among other things. If I had been to the site in the past, it knew what videos and articles I liked. It could take whatever information I allow it to know and it will present me with content that I will probably like without showing me stuff that I have seen before. The more often I go back, the better the service gets.

Imagine that I go to Amazon.com. It would present me with a list of books based on books I said I like in my Facebook Profile (Tipping Point, Blink, Wikinomics, Innovator's Dilemma ... ) as well as deals for music based on my musical tastes with some new bands thrown in that I have never heard of before.

Imagine I go to YouTube and have it present me with videos about playing the guitar, skiing, just for laughs, comedy and so on based on who I am and what I like, while also sending some surprises my way.

Better yet, what if you could also reverse the direction and have me stay still in one place (say Facebook) and have relevant web stuff dropped on my lap. If this was possible it would provide me, the user, a huge benefit because the entire web would reshape itself around me to help me find what I'm looking for while discovering new things I didn't even know existed.

All this without me having to lift a finger and in complete anonymity ... I'm just a number hiding behind a wall and yet I am unique. No more frustrating hunting and pecking. Just me and my friends and the power of the entire internet servings us. A bit utopian perhaps, but many of us are starting to develop technology and services to move the yardsticks towards the intelligent web that serves us as individuals.

If you get any of this, you get what FaveQuest is about.

We took a small step a few days ago and launched a video app in Facebook called FaveQuest that starts down this path. It creates personal video channels for you based on your Facebook profile by pulling relevant videos from all over the web including YouTube, Metacafe, AOL, iFilm and dozens of others. Not only does our software find stuff for you but we also draft your friends into the cause ... just to serve you. Aren't you special. If you like you can very easily share and start conversations with your friends around topics you care about. I have already learned so much about my business partners and we have each helped each other discover many new things already. We figured we would share this with everyone and evolve the app with your assistance.

If you feel like trying it out, click on the link below. Please share your feedback and we'll do our best to make it better (BTW, we are working hard to speed it up .... takes a while to filter out the crap just for you, and to make the interface simpler .... stay tuned).

http://apps.facebook.com/favequest/

Allan Isfan
Co-founder, CEO
FaveQuest]]> Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:12:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443209 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 The three Ps I care about Passion, Permission, Personalization, http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443211
Passion:

Passion has always been the main driver behind anything I do and I look for that everywhere. I look for passion in myself, my team and our customers. People on my team have been spending countless months with no pay and it wears thin after a while. There is just no way to go on without passion when you are working this hard and sacrificing so much.

The products that we are building, naturally, are also about passion. It doesn't matter if your passion is knitting, mustangs, traveling, music, collecting mustard, butterflies, aliens, horror movies or anything else. Whatever the passion, people seem to become irrational when it comes to their passions. This is a good thing and we encourage it. People are also sometimes compelled to tell the world because their passions define who they are. This is also a good things and we encourage it. This is the energy that FaveQuest is tapping and it is a tough, but golden vein to find.

Permission:

Maybe I've been drinking too much Seth Godin kool-aid but I think permission is critical. One of our missions is to find stuff you will like (we like to call them faves ... very original). We could guess based on stuff you do while surfing normally but we find that creepy. It isn't for everyone but we prefer to ask you what you want and give you the chance to provide us feedback so we do better. It requires a tiny bit of effort but we think this is good for everyone. Some people won't want to bother ... and they won't be our customer. I told Pandora I like Pink Floyd and U2 and it rewarded me with great music. It was worth it.

Personalization:

This is where the world is going. Permit me to share an nice analogy one of my partners came up with. Imagine that you walk in to your local video store and the clerk asks you: you're a good customer and we would like to provide you with personal VIP service by assembling a video rack just for you every week. It would save you time and we could also bring in some rare movies you might like. You say yes (duh), let them know what movies you have enjoyed in the past, and next week you walk in to find a rack with the name "Allan's Videos". Some obvious titles that you definitely like but also a few surprises. You're in and out in 2 minutes and now you're walking out with two movies instead of one. When you return the movies, you tell the clerk what you thought of the movies. You are happy and the video store makes more money so they are happy. You never go anywhere else to get videos, you tell your friends and the video store is now renting more movies to more people.

Imagine now that instead of a video store, we are talking about a website with media and your company makes money by having people come to your site and consume (duh ... that's nearly everyone ... a good thing). Personalization, done properly, has been proven to easily pay for itself.

You tap an irrational passion, get permission and fan the flames.

These are the three Ps we care about: Passion, Permission, Personalization

More on personalization and other subjects very soon.]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2007 09:12:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443211 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 thoughts from NewTeeVee conference http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443213
I attended the NewTeeVee 1 day conference in San Francisco last week. The conference was put on by Om Malik and his team. It was a very intense day that started at 7:30am and ended a little after 8pm with very few breaks. Although tired, it was great to squeeze this into one day.

First of all, hats off to Om for all the great guest speakers and panelists ... a pretty impressive list of people. These events are perfect for networking and I got in as much as I could in one day. It had a real grass roots feel to it that I hope is maintained through the years

The key things that becomes clear day in and day out working in this space is that online video is not TV. Anyone that tries to make it like TV is doomed to fail. The web continues to be a short form video snacking environment and will continue to be so for a while. What really hit me at the conference is the real emergence of high quality, edgy made for the internet type of content created by what may seem to be amateurs. Well ... these amateurs are really funny and they are getting support from many great new online media companies like www.blip.tv, www.revision3.com, www.crackle.com and many others. These companies are helping produce and distribute this new content while also helping these aspiring actors, writers and directors make money.

I already read way more blogs than newspaper articles and I stopped being interested in TV long ago. I don't really know if we are at a tipping point but we may not be far. I predict that this new "pro-am" movement will get significant momentum and will become a major force to be reckoned with. The writer's strike is going to add fuel to the fire by forcing many of the extremely funny pros that write for shows like The Daily Show to create their own online shows and many will eventually make this a full time gig. I also wouldn't be surprised if we begin to see some serious market consolidation in this space and a new media goliath starting to form challenging the major big guns like NBC.

Here is a picture of some of the stars of tomorrow at the end of the conference that was capped by the Web Video Celebrity Game Show. From left to right Lindsay Campbell (www.wallstrip.com), Veronica Belmont (daily.mahalo.com), Zadi Diaz (epicfu.com), Hayden Black (http://www.goodnightburbank.com//Abigail's x-rated teen diary), Casey McKinnon (http://www.galacticast.com/), Heather Gold (heathergold.com), Rober Scoble (http://www.podtech.net/scobleshow/), Kevin Rose (http://revision3.com/diggnation/), Yuri Baranovski (http://www.breakaleg.tv/), Eddie (not sure what show), Justin Kan (sittting down, justin.tv).

There are many more great online shows and can't list them all out here. For FaveQuest, this is great news because it provides us access to lots of great fresh content. All these guys syndicate their content in multiple places and we hope to be one of them. How exciting!

Tune in to the next blog for more predictions]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:11:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443213 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 girl power http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443215
My own mother was an Electrical Engineer and got head hunted often ... even causing us to move back to Europe for a while when I was 12. Meme si Paris was great at the time they didn't have flavored chips, sliced bread, toaster, peanut butter, cable and we had an 800cc mini austin. Fortunately, we ended up back in Canada.

While I'm sure it continues to be difficult for women in business, new media seems to be a place where women prosper. My wife started her own freelance graphic design business straight out of school and it has been doing very well with blue chip clients right from the start. While at the NewTeeVee conference, I had the chance to observe a few panels and the women pulled no punches ... very strong, knowledgeable and capable. Later in the week, I had to pitch to a major media company in Toronto. All the executives I had to present to were women.

It also struck me how the women I spoke to are more interested in their customers and the experience they have with their products than the techie wiz bang stuff. They don't seem to care how the stuff does what it does ... as long the end result is positive from a customer and business perspective. Pretty refreshing since that is ultimately what matters.

Check out the next blog on thoughts about the NewTeeVee conference.]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:11:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443215 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7 back in San Francisco http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443217 Back in San Francisco almost exactly a year after I posted from the exact same table overlooking the bay and alcatraz. A few people thought I had lost it ... Got a little poetic. No maniacs are rowing against the wind this time ... All is sunny and good and i'm sipping in some san pellegrino water ... Have a vc meeting this aft.

About a year ago, I was basically on my own but things quickly took off when I got back home. I now have some great partners and we are about to post the second version of our facebook ap that is getting better and better all the time. Our company name went from EarCandy to MyDYO and finally to FaveQuest which should stick for a while. We are also engaging with some real customers and hope to close on some trials in the coming weeks as we start beating the drum on the FaveQuest facebook ap.

Our biggest issue is funding. Self funding this puppy has been fine so far but we will end up having to wave goodbye to some important opportunities. It would really suck if we had to turn down business. Speaking of which ... gotta head out and get ready for the VC chat. Wish us luck. I'll be posting live from the NewTeeVee conference in San Fran. Here are some pics I took yesterday while in town for a VC meeting.

]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:11:00 EST http://aisfan.tigblog.org/post/443217 45.4166667 -75.745.4166667-75.7