Saturday, January 9, 2010

How the Cathedral and the Bazaar Is Shaping the Future of Comics

graphicly_logo_jan10.jpgToday's startups, entrepreneurs and investors live and die by what seem like a series of holy proverbs. "Release early, release often" is perhaps one of the most poignant phrases when considering product launch and feature scope. On this cold Saturday, we're paying homage to the origins of the concept by recognizing one of the seminal works in programming philosophy, and looking at a recent startup that's taken it to heart.


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In the late nineties Eric S. Raymond presented The Cathedral and the Bazaar convincing Netscape to publish open source code. The work's premises "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow" and "release early, release often" were meant to justify early releases and crowdsourcing community feedback. While his work originally made a case for open source releases, it has gone on to inspire many outside of the open source realm.



Lead by Micah Baldwin, TechStars' comic platform Graphic.ly is launching its beta version under the "release early, release often" tenet. Said Baldwin in a recent blog post, "If we are truly going to get the community involved, we need them involved early and often. We need them now."



ReadWriteWeb first covered the mobile comic platform in November under its original name, TakeComics. Since then the company has rebranded as Graphic.ly, announced raising a little over a million dollars from Starz Media and appointed Baldwin as CEO.



As a serial entrepreneur, Baldwin rationalizes his company's early release saying, "So many young entrepreneurs get stuck in the 'What if' world and try to release the perfect app. At Graphic.ly, we just released our Baby Beta, which frankly sucked. Badly. But we are getting amazing feedback, and its clear that it will be such a better product in the long term."



hulk_graphicly.jpgBaldwin is using a combination of GetSatisfaction and Zendesk to manage early-stage feedback. Graphic.ly is also looking to adapt products like Google Moderator for proactive feedback in order to engage community members in the engineering and product discussions.



When asked about possible outcomes for the release, Baldwin replied, "The worst case scenario is that we don't engage our community properly and lose their trust. There is nothing more dire than lost trust. The best case is that everyone who uses Graphic.ly sees their fingerprints all over it and shows it to their friends proudly, saying 'I built that. That's something I did.'"



The service's first batch of invites got out tonight, to register for the service fill out the form here.


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ReadWriteWeb Events Guide, 9 January 2010

We've been in a globe-trotting mood for the past two weeks here at the ReadWriteWeb Events Guide, adding new conferences and seminars in London and Australia. As always, you can download the entire event calendar in iCal format or import it into your Google Calendar. You can also import individual events using the link beside each entry. We publish it every weekend, as good a time as any to review your conference plans. This events guide is a weekly feature here on ReadWriteWeb.



Know of an event taking place that should appear here? Let us know in the comments below or contact us.


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11 January 2010: Nashville, Tennessee



Social Fresh Nashville



This is the social media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one-day, case-study-rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Nashville will have 30-plus speakers, including Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer, Gavin Baker of Ruby Tuesday and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart).



ReadWriteWeb readers get a 15% discount with the code "RWW15".









14 January 2010: Palo Alto, California



The Founder Showcase



founder_showcase_logo.jpgThe Founder Showcase, by TheFunded.com, is an open startup pitch and networking event that highlights the newest cutting-edge businesses and helps innovators gain traction among the Silicon Valley elite. On Thursday, January 14th, 10 of the most promising early-stage companies, as selected by over 13,000 registered Founders and CEOs on TheFunded.com, will present to an audience of over 300 investors, founders, and members of the press. A panel of experts will critique the pitches, and an open ballot of those in attendance will determine the Founder Showcase Winner.



ReadWriteWeb readers receive a 10% discount when registering, just use discount code "RWW".









20 January 2010: London



New Digital Revenue Streams Seminar



events_madgex_0210.gifMadgex and Abacus e-Media are hosting a free seminar that will offer advice and case studies from media organisations that have successfully created a direct impact on profit margins. The event is supported by the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Haymarket-owned Brand Republic, and will feature speakers, including David Archer, CEO of Scottish Television.



The breakfast seminar takes place at the Council Chambers, Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London from 8.30-11 a.m. (registration and breakfast from 8.15 a.m.). To register, book here or email marleen.kinder@madgex.com.









26 January 2010: San Francisco, California



Catalyst Conference



Vator.tv, a leading platform for entrepreneurs and innovators to broadcast themselves, and provider of news and information through VatorNews, and Girls in Tech, a social network enterprise focused on education and empowerment of influential women in technology, are seeking five women-led startups across any stage to present at the Catalyst Conference on January 26, 2010 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. To be one of the five, join the Catalyst competition today and win the chance to present.









27 – 28 January 2010: Amsterdam, The Netherlands



Enterprise Social 2.0: Rip or ROI?



This senior executive event will bring together decision makers from the Top Fortune companies to discuss innovative strategies on how to maximise business performance through social media engagement. The event will include keynote speeches, best-practice presentations as well as interactive discussion sessions.



The summit will provide excellent opportunities for you to hear international experts discuss best practices on how to drive business performance using Web 2.0 and social media. Key issues to be discussed include:




  • How to integrate social media programs successfully into business strategies?

  • Building business momentum, visibility and market growth through social media

  • Measuring success and influence using metrics and analytics: what are the tools and techniques

  • Integrating viral marketing and social media into traditional marketing mix

  • Developing and activating audiences using social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs









1 – 5, February 2010: New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo



Social Media Week



The second annual Social Media Week conference will explore the profound impact that social media has on culture, business communications and society at large.



The conference is designed as a series of localized events, which city partners are responsible for organizing. Programs will span a variety of formats, ranging from talks and panel discussions, to interactive workshops, seminars and networking events. Registration will open in January 2010 and the majority of events will be free thanks to the global sponsors and event partners.



You can find more information at http://socialmediaweekny.com.









4 February 2010: San Francisco, California



Vator Splash



Vator.tv, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to broadcast themselves, is holding its inaugural Vator Splash event on February 4, 2010 at the Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. Catch onstage presenters: Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Smule CEO Jeff Smith, August Capital VC Howard Hartenbaum and Google Ventures VC Bill Maris. Ten promising startups will also get to present onstage. Enter the Vator Splash competition if you want to present.



ReadWriteWeb readers get a 25% discount on their tickets using the code VatorReadWriteWeb.









8 February 2010: Tampa, Florida



Social Fresh Tampa



This is the social media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one-day, case-study-rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Tampa will have 30+ speakers, including Chris Barger of GM, Maggie Fox of Social Media Group and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart).



ReadWriteWeb readers get a 15% discount with the code "RWW15".









10 February 2010: New York City



Online Community Unconference East



events_unconf_0210.jpgThe Online Community Unconference East is a gathering of online community professionals - managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors - to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners. The event runs from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Digital Sandbox.









11 February 2010: New York City



NYC Venture Capital and Angel Showcase



FundingPost is hosting a VC showcase where 20-plus VC funds and angel groups will be exhibiting their firms during a great cocktail party setting. Each fund will have their own table setup for the sole purpose of meeting great new companies.



Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The cost to participate in the workshop will be $400. This workshop includes the $125 ticket to the event, and a 1/4 page listing in the Venture Guide Magazine. This event is sponsored by Credit Suisse, and takes place at One Madison Avenue, from 6-9:15 p.m.









18 February 2010: Silicon Valley, California



Future of Funding



Active limited partners, top rated venture capitalists, and successful entrepreneurs are invited to Silicon Valley on February 18, 2010 to discuss the Future of Funding. The venture capital bubble has burst, and change is coming. Now is the time to have a constructive dialog about the future with all of the stakeholders at the table.



Don't miss the opportunity to partake in this exclusive event hosted by TheFunded. Please visit www.futureoffunding.com to see speaker and event details.



ReadWriteWeb readers use the code "RWW" and get 10% off.









15 – 16 March 2010: London, England



2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum — London



The 2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum takes place at the Olympia Conference Centre in London. The two-day event features four dedicated conference streams:



  1. Social Networking World Forum

  2. Enterprise social media

  3. Social TV World Forum

  4. Mobile Social Networking Forum


The event features key speakers from global brands, organizations, social networking publishers and developers, pioneering social media leaders, top agencies, content producers, and more.



  • Full workshop program within exhibition area

  • Evening networking reception

  • Pre-show online meeting planner for delegates

  • Free pass for exhibition only








7 – 9 April 2010: Sydney, Australia



ConnectNow



events_connectnow_0110.jpgConnectNow brings together international specialists and thought leaders in social media, emerging technologies and their intersection with business. Learn how the realtime web, location based services, augmented reality, ubiquitous computing and personalised services are changing marketing and communications. Understand the importance of trust in relationship marketing and what is "social currency". For more info email info@connectnow.net.au.









11 May 2010: San Francisco, California



FinovateSpring



events_finspring_0510.jpgFinovateSpring 2010 will again showcase the most cutting-edge financial and banking technology innovations to Silicon Valley and the world. With Finovate's signature mix of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) from handpicked companies and intimate networking time with their executives, this conference packs a ton of unique value into a single day.



Come see the cutting edge of banking and financial technology and network with hundreds of the leading financial executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers and fintech entrepreneurs. Early bird registration rates are available.









5 October 2010: New York City



FinovateFall



events_finfall_1010.jpgFinovateFall will return to Manhattan on Tuesday, October 5 to showcase dozens of the biggest and most innovative new ideas in financial and banking technology from established leaders and hot young companies. The Fall event is the original and largest Finovate and features a single day packed with our special blend of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) and intimate networking time with top executives from the innovative demoing companies.



FinovateFall is a unique chance to see the future of finance and banking before your competition and find the edge you need in today's market. Early bird registration rates are available.









Download this entire events calendar in iCal format.


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