Discuss the Book Archive

Please, Allow Me to Gush, Part II

I am just stupidly giddy today. Like spacey, day dreaming, beaming, giddy. I don't think I've glowed quite this much since I met Mr. Lacy.

The latest is a rave review from Salon.com. I feel like so many of the reviews aren't just exciting because they are positive, but they talk about exactly the ideas I wanted to get across in the book. The reviewers seem to completely get the reason I wrote it. I can't imagine anything better as an author. (Also, check out this interview with David Eckoff)

An author!! I just wrote that without irony! Writing a book has been my dream for years and I can't believe it's here, and people are actually buying and reading and reviewing it. Not to mention my excitement that apparently 300 people are coming to help me celebrate tonight! Please bring $20 for your own autographed copy everyone! :) A few rounds of drinks and even some snacks are on the house, so just apply that to the cost of a book! Because it was short notice, I bought 150 to resell and would like to not owe Penguin thousands of dollars....

And if you do buy it, come back here for book forums and discussion. I'm going to regularly post questions and hopefully readers will comment. I can't wait to hear from all of you! Thanks to everyone who made this possible. I owe you all tremendously.

Even ValleyWag can't bring me down today!

At Some Point I Will Get Back to Blogging About Things Other Than My Book

That day is not today. And probably not tomorrow, since that's the day the book comes out. Friday? Yes, I pledge to you that Friday I will become less self-involved.

But while I'm indulging myself here are a few more videos and posts about the book to hopefully sway you into pre-orders. My editor tells me the bestseller list is soft right now so I am hoping and praying I am either lucky or good enough to squeeze onto it. (I'll take either!) I'd even be happy being the last on the list-- worked for Arrington and the Time 100! Who-- btw-- I owe a huge shout out to for the TechCrunch posts. Check out the comments on this one. I wish I could give them all free signed copies! Arrington is actually going to be interviewing me tonight at a smallish signing and he's going to Qik it. I'm a little scared...but it should be fun.

Speaking of signed copies, does anyone have an idea for how to get signed copies to someone easily? I am more than happy to sign them-- honestly writers cramp and carpal tunnel would be a great problem to have-- but shipping books is such a hassle. There should be some sort of technology-NetFlix like solution to this because publishers increasingly won't send authors on book tours.

Of course, anyone in San Francisco, can come buy one from me and get me to sign it tomorrow night at my book party at Otis, on Maiden Lane. Get there EARLY! because the RSVP list is about 100 people over capacity. If you can't get in wave a $20 bill and tell who ever is at the door you want a signed copy and I will personally run one out to you. Honestly. I am just that determined to make some sales here. Buying two books gets me to run outside faster. Three books and I might push someone out of the way. You get the picture. (Retail price is actually $26 but I am eating the $6 so you people can just worry about one bill.)

Now to recent mentions. I already noted TechCrunch, but get this: THE FAKE STEVE JOBS ACTUALLY SAID SOMETHING NICE ABOUT ME! pretty amazing. I love the guy he quotes who says people in my book are "unimportant." Yeah, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and Max Levchin = total bozos. I'm sure you've done more with your life. Groan.

Also, here's my interview on Loaded with Natali Del Conte. Not the sheer exhaustion. Tough when make up doesn't even help...

And last: here's my second video from Tech Ticker on a term I coin in the book: The Friendtor

Me on My Book: Or Why Doing Interviews Is Actually Hard

Two days until my book comes out! It's very exciting and sort of scary. Portfolio ran an interview with me on their blog and spelled my name wrong. I was sort of relieved, because I wasn't honestly thrilled with how it came out. I blame myself, not the reporter, but I was laughing as I was saying some things and instead it came out sort of snarky in print. I kept reading it thinking, "Aw, that's not what I meant!" Probably reporter karma because I've heard that from sources over the years! Anyway, I'm linking to it because invariably people will accuse me of being too easy on all these Web moguls and I think I come off kinda jerky. . .

For contrast, here is a segment from Tech Ticker yesterday about Max Levchin, where my general excitement about those sections of the book probably come off as too complimentary. My co-host, Aaron Task, figured since everyone else in NYC was interviewing me about the book this week, he should to. He read it all weekend-- even writing notes in the margin!-- and asked some great questions. A few segments will post later today too.

The Saving-Lives Effect of Web 2.0

Interesting news today both about the role that Twitter played in the Chinese earthquake. Twitter-a-holic Robert Scoble claims that Twitter had news before the United States Geological Survey, the body that doles out early warnings of such events. Not surprising the blogosphere is abuzz with the news and a lot of former doubters, now wonder if Twitter isn't as superficial as they once thought.

It's interesting how many times some life-saving or deeply human application of Web technology is the turning point in public opinion that it's mainstream. We saw this most recently with Facebook's role in communicating about the Virginia Tech killings and its role in organizing Columbian protests. I'm trying to think of other specific examples and it seems they have more to do with the Web or text messaging in general than specific companies, which could lend credence to the theory that social networking really is a new platform, or the new "operating system" of the Web. (Are there other examples I'm forgetting? Thinking there was probably a Skype version of this...)

But more than that, I think it underscores the real power of Web 2.0 sites. They're all about connection and communication. A big theme of my book is that this wave of Web companies won't produce as many large public companies as the 1990s did, but will produce far more socially transformative ones. I think these little examples are just the beginning, particularly outside the U.S. where rapid, mass communication isn't a matter of telling readers what Steve Jobs just said at MacWorld, but saving lives. Interesting fact I learned in Israel: The government uses SMS messages to alert people when bombs are launched, giving them crucial seconds to take cover.

You wonder if, in the future, it may done using Twitter. Of course, that puts far more pressure on Twitter to stay online than even the tech elite have been heaping on the company of late. (If that's possible!)

Happy Hour

Me on Happy Hour on Fox Business News. Despite the name you actually *don't* drink on the show! Enjoy!

Possible Solution to Broken Public Markets?

Could it be this easy? Marc Andreessen has a post on the benefits of dual class stock that you have to read. I know it's long, and you like short posts. So do I. Just pace yourself. Pack a snack. It's worth it.

Here's why:

We have a major, major problem in the U.S. capital markets that is hurting innovation, our economy and ultimately society. Yes, that sounds dramatic. Guess what? Things are dramatically bad for public companies. I'm not supposed to quote my book before May 15, but screw it. If you've been at a dinner where I've had a few glasses of wine, you've heard the rant anyway:

Why Andreessen Solves Facebook's Board Problem

Facebook has a board problem. Only it's a problem that any control-freak entrepreneur [ok, that's redundant] would love to have. As Kara and others have reported, the sum total of Facebook's board is Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel and Jim Breyer. What is less well known is that there are actually five seats, Mark just controls three of them.

This has been nothing but a positive for Mark, and so far, for Facebook. I'm not supposed to divulge much until my book comes out, but had this board arrangement been different, so many pivotal moments in the young company's history would have turned out drastically different. The News Feed debacle, turning down Yahoo's overtures, even -- arguably-- Mark's lock on the CEO slot. Mark knows this. Smart -- and previously burned-- people advised him well when he was starting Facebook. It's not an accident the company has this structure.

But Facebook is growing up and if it does intend to go public in a year or two, it needs to start structuring itself like a grown up company. Filling out the management team with a CFO like Gideon Yu and a sales, organization-scaling expert like Sheryl Sandberg are some of those moves. The board is another very necessary one. And one that Facebook has not taken lightly. After all, a fourth board member shifts the balance of power. Zuckerberg does not have automatic veto anymore.

IMHO, Andreessen is the perfect fit.

Discuss the Book

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