AVC to go every other day

Comments (Archived):

1. April’s fools!

   1. or possibly i woke up at 11:30am in paris and had nothing to say and a day full of fun ahead of me!

      1. Enjoy, we finally are getting some warmer weather back here. My hands aren’t going numb while typing outside

      2. that bit I do believe, the day of fun part anyway

2. Don’t think you will break with your mantra: “Showing up every day”.Nice try, though.Suggestion for tomorrow: “The Secret 11th Golden Rule for Successful Web Apps: Kittens”

   1. And the marketing strategy for that?Digital catnip.I likey.

      1. throw it on Youtube, should do the trick

   2. I was thinking puppies

      1. Ah, that’s a whole different debate 😉

         1. we just need to make sure we get enough cuteness out there, then we rule the world….

            1. Very cute.

3. well to kick off the off topicness, what happened to the startup visa bill?

   1. it’s still alive and well. some talk about working it into broader immigration reform which would be unfortunate

      1. They should take a focused approach and deal with issues 1 by 1 instead of trying to make everyone happy. Reminds of jack of all trades, master of none

         1. that’s my take as well

         2. Micro focused government. Just got to watch repercussions, some small decisions can have dramatic impact.

      2. Why would that be unfortunate? The startup visa bill so belongs with the broader immigration reform talk. I guess you are worried the larger, comprehensive bill might take too long to materialize, or might fail.

         1. we’re secretly classist, racist and slightly sexist. And I say this in a deadpan.

            1. Define we. 🙂

      3. It might be fortunate if it gets influential folks like you to advocate against them both. With 10% unemployment and a brand new entitlement program, a McCain-Kennedy style immigration reform (i.e., one that imports or amnesties more unskilled workers/net recipients of government resources) makes no economic sense.

4. I hear you completely. Unless commenting on a daily news item – and there is not always interesting news to comment about – it’s hard to have editorial content every day that does not after a while become repetitive. Now maybe you are again being a trendsetter, Fred: next up TechCrunch, Business Insider, et al… and then Fox, CNN, CNBC, and so on… before you know it, we’re back to the way things were before content lost every last penny of value.

   1. Fred gotcha Dan, check the date.

      1. How cruel. Like saying, content will soon have value again folks… not. Even on April Fool’s Day, this is going too far. But I exaggerate. The iPad can still save us.

      2. In his defense, I recall Fred mentioning elsewhere that it was getting hard to post every day (can’t remember where, a previous comment perhaps). Perhaps it was just a setup???

         1. Definitely. And the delayed posting Tuesday? Sheesh.I was working really hard to procrastinate on paperwork and couldn’t because the darn post wasn’t up yet.That 30-min video would’ve been just the ticket, if I’d gotten it on time. Need to be more sensitive to your audience, Fred.Glad to see the crusty baguettes and $8 diet cokes in ‘Paris, Rest Of World’ are still divine, though.

         2. What a way to prime people so you’re more believable later! 😛

5. Nice one! I have to admit: 1- I spent a little while thinking “What the hell?” and 2- I laughed out loud.

   1. I was laughing with you Pascal. You’d think after reading a half dozen April fools posts it would sink in, but there’s still a moment where I think- wtf 😉

      1. I’ve never done an april fools post. Figured it was overdue and honestly I wanted to get out and enjoy the day and this was fast, easy, and fun

         1. Damn it. I am a fool. I was thinking to myself how hard it must be to post every day.

         2. The abridged list for web service features:fast, easy & perhaps most importantly fun!

         3. Steal through the silence of the blue veiled half lightThe best of questions have no answersThe best of answers need no questionsBorn on the quest for a wave of half peaceHalf way to our half life- the strawbs————————–I’m disappointed! I though we were on our way to OFF TOPIC PARADISE.That format would, of course, destroy your brand of well focused discussion. Every once and a while when you really need to take a day off it could act like a discarnate cocktail mixer event that deepens the communities social connections. Then again it could be a formula for POLEMIC DISASTERS!

6. LOL nice try! I was highly amused at the Twitter reactions perpetuating the spoof.

7. 🙂 of course my wedding plans and our incorrigible banter needs to keep hitting Fred’s gmail account so Google is going to have add another datacenter, the real reason behind it’s Nuclear Power plant.

   1. so you are the reason they are energy trading…that is why you live so far out on the Island…devious I tell you….

      1. You’re a partner in crime for that email train as well Shana 😀

8. frankly i am impressed that you kept up this long.

   1. This guy fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.

9. Hi Fred, I like your columns and use them for a different field (life sciences) some times. However, I didn’t realize you posted everyday. Why not just post when you feel like you’ve got something to say, rather than a daily digest? Less may more and your writing style is of course excellent. Looking forward to more “irregular” posts 😉

   1. I write every day because it forces me to think every day

      1. Good point. Very true. It’s having a self-imposed deadline and stepping up to the mark, every day.Caveat: Apart from on fun days, in a Sunny, Springtime Paris ;-)Enjoy!

      2. I would favourite this comment if Disqus had a way to?

         1. Ditto.Suspect it’s part of the appeal of Twitter also, for many of us.

10. LOL – awesome.

11. This is an interesting problem. You’ve got MILLIONS of eyeballs banging your blog every day. How do you optimize the content on your off days? If the comments are completely free flowing and unstructured, you probably loose eyeballs. Too much structure and/or involvement on your part, and you’re back to where you were. Is there an automated way to let readers pick a hot topic? Just thinking out loud here…

12. I was a little freaked out until I realized it was April 1. You got me.

13. Why not just give us a one-liner jumping off point? I’ve been trying to start a “Wikipedia Reading Club” — a virtual “book club” built around Wikipedia entries — as a way to focus a conversation around a specific topic, but leave the conversation itself otherwise unbounded. See http://dlewis.net/2010/03/1…Why not just post something like “I’m reading <blank>; if you read it, let me know what you think.” every Thursday? It doesn’t have to be a Wikipedia article, obviously. It can be anything a person can reasonably read, digest, and comment on in a day.

    1. Another one bites the dust.

       1. Nah. If it’s true, I think I’m sharing a good idea. If it’s not, Istill think I’m sharing a good idea. Allowing your readers to expoundunbounded over a common topic is valuable.

          1. Your idea is great. But that’s not the point. The point is you fell for Fred’s April Fool joke. Please do not delete your original comment. 🙂

             1. I won’t delete it, don’t worry — but I didn’t really fall for it.More accurately, I didn’t care if it were a joke or honest. I figuredit could be real, and if it were, I shared an idea; if it weren’t, Istill wanted to share the idea 🙂

             2. You are being defensive. It’s okay to fall for an April Fool hook. Memories get made.

14. Poor Fred, I don’t know if it’s April Fool’s or not, but I think we’re just wearing him out. Such a demanding bunch of commenters.

15. On the days that you are struggling, just put iPad in the title of the post…that’s what everyone else is doing at the moment and probably will do for the next 6 months.

16. I totally fell for it! duh. LOL.In my moment of suspended animation I was ready to suggest, outsource MBA Mondays and have a “Ask Fred Friday” Happy Hour and you’re done.

    1. i fell for it too! glad i read the comments before posting on myself though…

17. man i hate april fool’s. it’s the worst. why don’t we just call it national lie day.this was more clever than most, i gotta admit that. subtle enough to be believable. did you notice mikey cheated and started a day early….pfft. once again boss you outperformed your archrival. congrats!and fred mentioned 9/11 truth!!!! no lie there!!!! everybody go visit http://www.patriotsquestion911.com and see all the honorable, non-kooks who have stood up for the truth that sets us free. dig deep, find your inner leader, and join them in being at the forefront of what is shaping up to be the most important movement in world history!thanks boss for mentioning 9/11 truth. once again, fred proves himself to be objectively superior to archrivals like mikey who lack the courage to even mention 9/11 truth!

18. Good one!I believed you when reading the 1st line (“oh no, if someone would survive the dip it would be fw…”).The open comment thread though made me wonder…

19. Is this is an April Fools Joke?

    1. 🙂

       1. I take the world really seriously. it took me a couple of minutes before realizing this might be an april fools joke….I mean this place would get totally crazy if there were open threads every day to those topics….

          1. Hey I fell for it too. No shame in that! It’s important to get a good laugh in every day. More important than exercise.

             1. Yes, and thank god I am laughing more every day.

             2. good! happy pesach btw. hope you’re enjoying.

             3. I think I needed the Pesach break- I needed something more enforced. I generally like the seders- we have fabulous kosher wines, pretty good discussions, and toy frogs on the table which we try to get into elijah’s cup if you get too totally bored.Though I think I insulted someone by calling Elijah (the prophet, there was no one named Elijah at the table) an ass on the second night…And things like this make me feel like I am going to be a problem child when I need to join a synagogue (if I do) when I get older…I’m avoiding the thought right now….

             4. Just do your thing and don’t sweat it. I”m sure Elijah laughed his ass off.I still haven’t been to a seder even with a gazillion Jewish friends but look forward to it eventually happening.Don’t say “avoid”, it implies guilt. Who needs guilt. “Postpone” the decision til you need to. My suggestion is wait until you’re married, so it’ll be a joint decision and one isn’t dragging the other in.My husband and I are inter-faith. Or at least, he thinks we are. He was raised seriously Lutheran and I come from a centuries-old line of lapsed Catholics.When our older daughter was getting ready for Kindergarten we defined criteria important to us: (1) a compelling minister aligned with us intellectually and politically (like a great college professor), (2) a kick-ass choir/music program, and (3) a kick-ass children’s education program.The we started ‘shopping’, and found one which we’ve been really happy with, and has really welcomed us.It wasn’t a choice which would’ve been obvious without the pre-defined criteria.Like most important decisions (life and business), define and rank your decision criteria ahead of time, and then put the options in it. Helps you cut through the noise and be aligned on your decision. No sense sweating it.

             5. when I finally (if ever, this may take a while), I’ll invite you to my seder. I have no idea how to afford it. Also, a really cheap seder with a lot of young adults may not be your thing. and it is one of the few times of year where you can see the ridiculous amounts of Jewish education come out (JLM would have a party comparing catholic school with Yeshiva day- I sit there and start talking about the structure of the Haggadah and its development as a Mishna to Gemara Based Text….)I feel bad for being lapsed. It’s semi-illogical from a data point of view. I used to be very active in an Orthodox Minyan in college (student run). Granted we were a fairly liberal Orthodox Minyan, and kind of Tiny. If you take measurements- I should be doing and being active. I tend to hate most stuff aimed at people my age. And I tend to hate the vast majority of “being cool” stuff aimed at people my age. The last person I met who was Jewish who I got along with on a Jewish level had no Jewish education. He had read the bible a bunch of times in high school to become an atheist, and then argue with them about said subject. Problematically I want to give him Levinas. So there is that Gap in education that I don’t know what to do with. I don’t do well with most people on the subject.And the only reason I sweat it is:A) I’ve seen the numbers. My options seem heavily limited because Jewish people are something like .02% of the entire US population. (5.6 million total) And they do a terrible job of keeping themselves from organizing like sane people. I keep track. Frankly, I am surprised by the high inmarriage rate. And the high donation to jewish organization rate. That really should not be happening from a strict sociological stance…it’s too problematic, and I don’t know how long it will last.B) There has been discussion about this, but around 70% + of the girls of my high school class are married or engaged. Some with kids. Someone who went to yeshiva the same year I was in seminary is already divorced. I’m 23. I seem to be striking a radically different path and every once in a while I really don’t feel so good about it. I seem to be under some slight pressure from one parent every once in a while to conform whenever we hear a new person has bit the dust. Then again, I got a famous comment here that I should date someone who would keep my parents up slightly at night….C) You would feel guilty too if you knew that you should just resolve your issues and just contribute…It’s a waste of jewish education funds otherwise. If I had the comfort level, I could lead parts of a friday night service by myself. And I probably could be taught how to read from the torah no sweat (orthodox women generally don’t read). So why am I being lame?

             6. If my dear mother were alive, she’d say to you right now: “Shana, darlink, it’s beautiful outside. Stop being so serious. Go out and have some fun.”Do it!

             7. I am! Now I just need to find a place to buy a trench coat (I need to shed the winter coat for something girly, that will keep me warm in the cooler nights)…and shoes…and a skirt…ok…I haven’t really bought clothes in a while…

             8. Good girl!Make it cute in a neutral color and put a perky colored scarf on top. Will brighten you up and make you feel happy.Try TJ Maxx, Daffy’s or Loehmann’s. Those places are overrun with good deals right now. No need to spend alot of money.

             9. The best place in Manhattan though is the filene’s basement on the west side. For some reason I always do well there…

             10. I know that Filene’s. Perfect.

             11. Sometimes Filene’s gets in a handful of Missoni scarves, which are timeless and go with everything. Keep your eyes open. But do NOT put down the plastic unless it’s a perfect color for you.

             12. Some friends of mine are wtf about that filenes…

             13. I’ll explain that off line

             14. Oh and before I forget, a Happy easter (which is coming up)

    2. Read the thread and you decide

       1. I decided it is April Fools, that doesn’t for a moment I took it seriously. I could see you taking a break and seeing what happens, there are enough people to do an open thread occasionally as an experiment on internet community dynamics.

20. Sadly, you got me at first. Touché. Enjoying reading about Paris via Gotham Gal. The pic of you and Josh was too funny.

    1. Onw of my favorites of this trip. The mobile phone was made for shopping with wives and mothers

       1. Yeah, that photo is really something. This is my fifth comment on that photo. Long live the smartphone.

       2. Hmmm I posted something and it never went through. Disqus censorship? What I said was…They’re really good for long — and short — car rides, too.Also, a good way to keep Mommy from talking on the phone while driving. Hand it off to the 3-year old to play iPuppy.

       3. Holy crap that’s a great photo.There’s something just right about the timing, generational gap, the steps, the distance.That’s frame able big time

21. Not bad.You definitely got me. But then again, I’m still ingesting my daily caffeine! 🙂

22. But the idea has merit. April fools joke apart.I think Fred should add few more bloggers/writers to avc.com, similar to gigaom and Fred has the editorial control. And please remove the Verizon ad on the blog 🙂

    1. There’s been tea party and anti-obama ads on this blog over here in paris this week (default is google’s display network)I’d prefer verizon frankly

       1. I would like to see pictures of that, mostly because that’s interesting advertisements. Must be related to yesterdays content. I would love to do something to those….or keep them for inspiration….

    2. Bad idea. Keep it a solo blog. The comments sections are free for all, and that is enough of a “group blog.”

       1. Open threads don’t make it a “group blog”. It’s still his house. We’d just be talking amongst ourselves (assuming this isn’t an April Fool’s joke).

          1. My point being Disqus is half the weight at AVC.

       2. Bad or good idea is for Fred to decide!. …and solo blogging effects the quality of the posts..Om has showed that group blogging can add more value than solo

          1. Om is a blogger, that is what he does for a living. Fred is a VC, AVC, to be exact.

23. I’ll miss your posts on the days you’re off, but I have always been in awe of the fact that you’ve managed to post such high quality essays every day. I don’t know where you come up with the ideas, or how you write so quickly and so well. I’ve always thought of it as one of the freak phenomena of the Internet.That said, blogging shouldn’t be a grind. John Updike once observed that Nabokov writes the only way a writer truly should: ecstatically. I like the sense of discovery that comes out in your best posts.

24. Open thread topic.I have two little girls. Wondering when and how to give them exposure to programming. It seems like boys dive in and do it on their own. I wouldn’t know where to direct them, to begin.My girls are already spending lots of time online. It seems a natural extension. I want to give them some digital ‘nutrition’, and not just digital ‘candy’ (e.g. the Barbie and Disney websites).Are there any games/programs/reco’s to help a girl dip their toe in the water? What age?I don’t want to force it. Has to be fun….maybe something we can do together.

    1. Try http://scratch.mit.eduLet me know what they think of it

       1. They have a voter thing, but i would take a good look at the GUI, I also would add Ruby (ordinary ruby) with this book:http://www.amazon.com/Learn…I’m using it. It was originally developed for teenagers in an advanced class in mind. It has funny jokes in it. It’s laid back. it is not scary. It is what I wanted out of a programming book. I like it. I like it enough to buy the next level up ruby book when I finish this one. Which says a lot.

          1. The daughter in question is 7 y.o., so I’ll bookmark that for later.Right now to engage her it needs to involve pinwheels, dragonflies, fairies, and sending secret notes or images to her “best friend”…

             1. Blog with her friends and somehow everyone gets to build custom CSS?

       2. Awesome, will give it a try and report back.I may drop it in their classroom too. It’s a cool little ‘tech award winning school’ but not as forward-thinking as they could/should be since the teachers are MEd’s, not hackers.Actually friend robin andrulevich’s son Sam is in the class too. Fred i think you know her from Etsy? They have a mutual crush, it’s hysterical. She and I are conspiring to juice up the school website, in our ‘free time’. Ha.

    2. Sooner, and do it in a girly way. My parents never did.And I found it strange, because up until say 9th, 10th grade, I was really good at math, and marginally into computers (I loved reading on the internet) Find out what else they like and make a tie in. For me, uhh, that was, sailor moon around 7th grade….

       1. Yeah. I took programming in a 4th grade after school ‘gifted program’ and liked it. Made psychedelic flowers and the like. Then again in maybe 9th. Total boyz class, got an A and never touched it again. My only friend in the class was a goof who many years later became the first US Cyber Czar. I was heavily steered toward humanities/writing/theater etc.When I was about 35 I bumped into my old HS Calc/computer programming teacher. He asked — did you every do anything with programming? You were so talented.Huh? WTF?Wish someone told me a little sooner.

25. Fred Wilson’s idea of an April Fool joke. 🙂

26. interesting/funny that most of the people here were ready to jump in and have ‘open comment’ days with no content from fred, just to talk amongst ourselves and read comments, before realizing this was a joke… i think if fred told us there was a great startup at the bottom of a bridge we’d all jump off trying to find it

27. Ahh, that sux..guess I’ll have to read your posts every other other day.

28. to sustain–or even increase–the quantity and quality of posts on AVC, why not open up to the great community that you’ve built? open threads bring in the community with comments at the bottom of the page . . . what about letting them post at the top of the page with thoughtful, full-length posts?the key is to have the right platform: blogs are made for one–or at most a few–contributors. please check out

29. Nice one, Fred. And I’m guessing your middle name is now “Topeka”…

30. “a lot of truth is said in jest” – Eminem

    1. Best comment of the day. There’s a reason this idea came to me todayVacations are particularly hard

       1. You can feed in Gotham Gal. She’s on a tear.

31. at least you didn’t rename the site after a city in Kansas. (man, was that a lame one!)

32. “AVC to go every other day” was an odd way to word this, btw– I actually read that to mean you’d release some mobile, portable “to go” product, published on alternate days. No joke.

    1. I see what you meanI dashed it off in a hurryThe cafe was calling me

    2. I agree, although that lack of clarity was part of why I fell for it. Also the softer language in general made it sound like Fred felt really guilty. I was feeling his pain. (suckah!!)If it were worded more strongly, (“AVC Limits Posts to Alternate Days”) it would have triggered more scepticism…for me, at least.

33. thats fine. as long as you don’t disappear and die off like my own blog did. LOL

34. Lol. Good one.

35. I’m still amazed at how you fit it all in 🙂 The beauty of RSS is that you can post as infrequently as you like and I still get all your posts!

36. Well, your blog was the first thing i turned to each morning as a post would already be there by the time I woke up. However, you have to do what you have to do, you are a busy person for sure!

37. I knew this day would come. Sad.

38. What about guest posts? Have people apply? I’d like to write one about creating community.

39. I didn’t believe a word of it. If you can write every day while on vacation in Paris and in between l’Ami Louis & Robuchon, then you can write every day period.

40. You make headlines even when you stop writing, sheesh. Your silence would have been deafening…:)

41. Please save the comedy for a trained professional as myself. You might get hurt.For a split second though I yelled out JUDAS!…but then reality set in.

42. Finally! I’ve been wondering how the hell you’ve kept up once-a-day posting. I now feel there is a chance you actually *are* human and limited by the same time pressures we all face! 🙂

    1. Arg! I fell for it! You are not human after all! 😉

    2. Bad news, Mike.Fred’s not human. And he’s not really in Paris.He’s in a secure, undisclosed remote mountain location somewhere.They needed to upgrade and tune his internal operating system.What we’re seeing are bot posts called “Fred”.Stay tuned for daily posts when his superhuman tune-up is complete and he’s back on American soil. Probably Monday.

43. marco.POLO!

44. Hmm.. I think you need at least 2 people to play that game… ;P