Musings on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Tuesday, June 01, 2004Entrepreneurship and Social Networking Skills
[E]ntrepreneurs need social networking skills as much as business savvy to succeed.
[thesocialsoftwareweblog]
By definition, entrepreneurs are people who can get things done. To the extent that human and social capital represents an increasing proportion of the resources necessary to develop a successful business, then successful entrepreneurs are necessarily those who can cultivate and leverage social capital.
Sometimes the phrases "social networks" and "social capital" are used interchangeably. However, they aren't the same. A social network only conveys social capital to the extent that the ties that comprise the network are beneficial to the attainment of goals. Effective social networking isn't about passing around business cards while drinking wine out of a box. Skilled social networkers are adept at identifying, developing, and utilizing relationships in order to achieve goals.
Ad Hoc Conference Organization
The use of attendee backchannels at conferences...is part of a larger trend, towards ad hoc organization, or even ad hoc creation of value.
[Many2Many - Clay Shirky]
Shirky goes on to describe the emergence of democratically defined conference agendas.
Very interesting.
Out here on the frontier, it's tough to make an investment in a conference for the reasons Shirky describes in his essay. The idea of a conference that is more adapted to the wants and needs of the audience is intriguing.
The theme is familiar. It is similar to the assumptions I've made in launching the Free Range Conversation experiment.
Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance
The challenge facing VCs is to generate the value escalation in startup enterprises that results in achieving returns commensurate with the risks of investing in such businesses. Venture capitalists in Australia face all the usual challenges of fostering early-stage businesses through to sustained growth and must also contend with the Australian condition: the tyranny of distance. All too familiar to Australian and New Zealand businesses of all sizes, the dual...
[AlwaysOn Network]
Trevor Loy at Flywheel Ventures in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Mark Solon at Highway 12 Ventures in Boise, Idaho, among others, share the challenges and opportunities of investing off-the-beaten-path with their counterparts in New Zealand and Australia.