Is This You?

I caught an early flight out of LAX yesterday morning. I sat next to a woman who slept all the way to SF. I am always jealous of people who can do that. I don’t sleep much on planes.

When we landed in SF and were taxiing to our gate, she woke and checked her phone. She landed on my daily email, read the bit about flying to SF, and turned to me, showed me the AVC email, and said “is this you?” I replied “yes.”

It turns out she works for a startup and knows people who have worked for various USV portfolio companies. And she uses Foursquare.

We had a nice chat, I bought one of her company’s products, I am mulling over the idea of buying another one, and I pitched a BD partnership between her company and one of Gotham Gal’s portfolio companies.

Why am I telling this story? Because it’s good to have a calling card in business and this blog is mine. It pays off all the time. It widens my network constantly. 

I am not saying that everyone should blog. That’s not going to work for most people. But finding some way to connect to the people you should know is huge. It could be public speaking, it could be publishing research, it could be going to conferences all the time. Whatever it is, getting out there and networking and meeting people is the secret to building a big rolodex. And a big rolodex is an incredible asset to have.

#Uncategorized

Comments (Archived):

  1. Simone

    I have just listened to a Tim Ferris podcast with Luis von Ahn who has mentioned you and this blog a number of times, as one of his favourite blogs.

    1. fredwilson

      we are investors in Luis’ company, DuoLingo. Luis is a terrific entrepreneur.

      1. Simone

        Luis sounds like a terrific person and his business ideas reflect his background, which I found heart warming and I wish many more investors and entrepreneurs could see the world through his eyes. I didn’t know his story and the story of Duolingo, but after listening to the podcast, I just had to go and see his talks on youtube. It is no accident you invested in his ideas and that he mentioned you and this blog.

  2. Anne Libby

    I am not saying that everyone should blog. That’s not going to work for most people.Thank you.

  3. LIAD

    Network ==> Serendipity ==> Opportunities

  4. William Mougayar

    So true. Your own brand is so important. It provides a pull, and it opens doors.Yesterday, I went to a blockchain/FinTech event in SoHo, and was pleasantly surprised that several people recognized me and started chatting. One of them was the CTO of a top player in the space. Another was the VP at a large European bank in charge of their blockchain initiatives. It doesn’t get better than that in terms of connecting with the ecosystem.It felt like the prior work I had done was the most difficult (writing, publishing, sharing, speaking). Showing-up and connecting was the easy thing.

  5. Jim Peterson

    “I am not saying that everyone should blog. That’s not going to work for most people. But finding some way to connect to the people you should know is huge. It could be public speaking, it could be publishing research, it could be going to conferences all the time.”The nice thing about the blog is it is a great home base to send people to from your social network posts- along with people who come direct of course. And it’s a fantastic library of your thoughts that build over time.At gardendesign.com our growing network allows us to highlight great resources through social and site. When people say “you linked to me and our traffic was 10-20 fold of normal- you make friends fast- and the network grows even faster.Any AVC readers that would like a complimentary copy of our print magazine let me know today: email [email protected] with AVC in the title with your name/address in the body. US only right now.Offer applies to the first 500 responses.

    1. LE

      it could be going to conferences all the timeIn excess it makes you a conference whore:http://www.bothsidesoftheta

      1. Jess Bachman

        Woah woah woah there buddy. The correct term is “conference ho”.

        1. LE

          In goodfellas it was whore. Therefore it is whore.

      2. Richard

        Wow, good memory.

    2. JLM

      .There is something so Old School – New School – New Old School about a blog comment on someone else’s blog being used to drive traffic to a website which champions a print product.Well played!Knowing the history of your pub just makes it so much more delicious.Well played! << a very rare occurrence, indeed, a second Well Played!JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. Jim Peterson

        Thanks JLM. And it’s the print that champions the digital and live events, btw.

  6. Tom Labus

    Your avatar too. It’s you.

  7. Jordan Thaeler

    So she was flying first class working at a startup?

    1. Jess Bachman

      “Be the chair you want to seat in the world” – Startup Ghandi

      1. Vasudev Ram

        It’s spelled Gandhi.

    2. fredwilson

      how do you know where i sit on a plane?

      1. LE

        Not to mention perhaps if both of you were in 1st class it was a frequent flyer upgrade.

        1. Richard

          Why is it that first class seating on planes carries such a stigma? if you think about the price of a first class seat as a percentage of the total trip cost, it can make a a lot of sense for those who value the comfort.

          1. awaldstein

            i care not about stigma but first class cross country flights on short notice are a huge huge ticket.for anyone.we live in different worlds and it seems like i should fly in yors.

          2. Richard

            As for me, i look for deals. As for the uber wealthy as a percentage of their wealth it’s chump change.

          3. PhilipSugar

            You know what I love to see is how many people are angry my kids are up in First. (I have several million miles)

      2. FastEddie

        1) Cmon, don’t be ridiculous, we know where you sit (at least for flights over a couple hours)2) Bc I’ve been on a PS flight with you and guess who was in biz class?I didn’t say hi Bc I didn’t want to bother you. Would you have welcomed a hello? Not a pitch but a hello.

        1. LE

          I didn’t say hi Bc I didn’t want to bother you. Would you have welcomed a hello? Not a pitch but a hello.Let me answer that with a story. It’s about the guy who doesn’t want to go to a bar to meet someone. Because he thinks (in true “take your jack and shove it way”) he will never meet anyone. So he sits in his apartment watching TV (or listening to that Billy Joel song..your sister is out on a date an you just sit at home and…)Anyway the point is this. Why would you worry about bothering Fred? If you think like that there is 0 chance anything positive will happen. LIke the guy sitting home on Saturday night.On the other hand if you “bother” Fred (whose job it is to meet and connect with people by the way) you have perhaps laid the groundwork to do a follow up email that might lead to something. And if you do that 100 times with 100 different people something might come out of it.

        2. fredwilson

          yes, i always welcome a hello. on short flights, it really doesn’t matter where i sit

          1. FastEddie

            Cool!

          2. awaldstein

            agree. i care not on short hops. sf to la is one. ny to boston another.

      3. mikenolan99

        When I was flying to NYC weekly from Minnesota, I got into the habit of giving away my upgrades to soldiers or an elderly person. The flight crew often rewarded this behavior with free drinks, and I usually sat in an exit row. Not a big deal for a short flight, and really beefed up my Karma score.I’m flying out Sunday night to DC to meet with legislatures – on the Sunday Delta flight there is often a Representative or Senator – and they all fly coach. Even if they are awarded an upgrade they turn it down.Not sure if it is for Karma or perception, but it is notable…I did get to sit next to Franken last year, and talk about the SNL reunion while waiting for our flight.

    3. K_Berger

      A very successful entrepreneur friend of mine believes that it is always worth the money to sit in business/first class because you never know who you will meet and what will come of it. Granted that can happen in coach too, but your odds of sitting next to business people is greater up front.

    4. Ryan Frew

      Assumptions…you know the rest. Fred has talked about flying coach before. Not that it matters or was necessarily the case here.http://avc.com/2007/10/30-t

      1. Richard

        Once one reaches a certain critical wealth mass, the decision to fly first class or coach is no more relevant than the decision to fly a lower priced coach flight vs a higher priced (more conceivent) coach flight. It may be a message (to self) ssue but it’s not a price issue.

        1. Ryan Frew

          Not calling it a price issue at all. Just saying that it’s not a guarantee that Fred was in first class. Per the post that I linked to, it’s probably more of a mindset issue than anything else, in this case.

          1. Richard

            Yep.

  8. jason wright

    how were things before you blogged?

  9. ErikSchwartz

    I can sleep any where, any time.Part of it is back from my solo ocean racing days. I’d get 6 hours of sleep out of 24 almost all in 30 minute chunks.Part of it is that I have 4 kids so you grab it when you can get it.

    1. Kirsten Lambertsen

      I can sleep standing up in a construction zone ever since having my kids.

  10. kirklove

    You so baller it hurtz.

    1. LE

      Can you translate that hipster lingo I am confused.

      1. kirklove

        Ha, just teasing Buster.Few people will get turned to on a plane and asked “Is this you?”

        1. LE

          Damn it. I don’t like ghetto english.This raises an interesting point. Although Fred’s picture is all over the web it’s not on the head mastiff (just made that up don’t bother googling it) of this blog. He has that avatar. So in theory this would happen more if he replace the avatar logo with an actual picture of himself.Most likely the reason this woman slept on the short flight was that she was on a bender the night before. Perhaps that was also the reason she didn’t recognize Fred until the email hit her over the head.

          1. Richard

            I started flying alone at the age of 8. And as a kid I would ask people questions without hesitation. I learned early that it’s best to wait for the person to fall asleep (it’s normally) for 5-10 minutes during takeoff.

          2. LE

            Hmm and they answered after you woke them up? (Did you mean what you said?)I learned as a kid that when I wanted something from my Dad [1] I would wait until he was between stories he was reading in the newspaper and also he unwinded a bit. The timing was everything. As well as interpreting his emotions. [2] I found I had much better success than my sister who would just interrupt him and never learned that lesson.[1] You know back in the day things weren’t hand fed to us we had to ask and beg for it.[2] Don’t blow your load at the wrong time. Amazing how many people don’t pick this up or aren’t intuitive about it.

          3. Richard

            Ha! No, it was always a 5-10 minute power nap. They would wake up on their own relaxes and open to a brief hello.

          4. sigmaalgebra

            > my sister who would just interrupt him and never learned that lesson.Being a girl, it’s 99 44/100% probability that she would be much better at learning that social lesson of socialization than her brother, a boy, but, again because she is a girl, even higher probability that she didn’t have to!As in some recent research that confirms what most parents quickly discover, already in the crib the girls are paying attention to people and the boys, to things. The girls are communicating with facial expressions, eye contact, and tone of voice, and doing it well, long before words. In this way, they quickly elicit protective emotions from adults, especially men, especially their fathers.Soon the girl moves on and learns how to wrap her father around her little finger, to arrange with a single tear or not even a tear but just a frown or a facial expression that he can never tell her no. Girls quickly learn that at least before their fathers they are privileged persons.That’s just what Mother Nature has arranged. Darwin was right there as the socialization police, arranging that anything else was plucked from the gene pool.Our politically correct (that is, an accepted determination to avoid looking at what might be a less than perfect reality) wants the genders to be equal, maybe from the French Revolution where any difference, or at least any recognition of any difference, was regarded as a threat of tyranny. Still, the truth is that girls, e.g., by age 4, wrap Daddy around their little finger.So, they get early educations in manipulation. Then, 10, 20, …, years later they forget? Nope. They just get better.Boys, men, brothers, fathers, uncles, etc. all need to know this or get manipulated like dummies, learn the hard way and pay full tuition. There should be a better explanation in Girls 101 for Dummies — Boys.For a little more, important now this political season, girls learn that playing the cards cute, sweet, meek, demure, quiet, darling, adorable, precious, pretty, neat, clean, caring, sympathetic, empathetic, perceptive about the emotions of others, sugar and spice and everything nice can yield big gains, in the family, at school, in an office, etc. Then somehow boys and men are eager to assume that the females will also be honest, sincere, genuine, trustworthy, etc., that is, the males can be tempted to project on to the females what the males want. With such techniques, women can get elected to the Senate, get appointed Secretary of State, and run for POTUS, all with nothing but facial expressions and presumptions from projection that they are at all sincere, genuine, or honest.In particular, by age 4, they are really good little actresses, and from then on, as restaurant waitresses, medical nurses, airline stewardesses, retail clerks, secretaries, receptionists, etc. turn on their smiles, facial expressions, etc. at will and with significant effect.E.g., some recent AI software wanted voice response so imitated the voice of a young girl. No doubt it works.E.g., in many situations, one of the things the males want, but commonly don’t understand, maybe want most, is just to see a female smile. If that female is his wife or daughter, a smile can make his day, and a frown can ruin it. Powerful stuff.At least by age 5, the girls learn that if they are pretty, say, from a pretty dress, hat, shoes, hair style, etc., they can elicit smiles in their father. So, they smile, ask for pretty clothes, wear them, get smiles, ask for more pretty clothes, get more smiles, and, thus, set up a strong, positive feedback loop.. That’s much of why girls are so interested in pretty clothes.E.g., two days ago I went to both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club with a big shopping list, nearly filled my SUV. In Wal-Mart, after I got some 200 W and 150 W bulbs, I walked on the shortest path to the grocery section and, then, somehow on the way passed by some dresses, displayed so that they couldn’t be missed, for little girls. So, right, the dresses had skirts of layers of some gauze like fabric and decorated with sparkling flakes. So, right, pretty, delicate, and totally impractical — wear only once or at most just a few times.Zulily is making a business out of this: Somehow from somewhere they get a lot of pretty but very impractical dresses for girls. Maybe the grand parents or uncles buy them to see the girls smile. Then, sure, the girls wear the impractical clothes, and, due to the clothes, her brother is the one asked to carry out the trash instead of her.It doesn’t stop in childhood: One of the standard ways a man successful in business gets smiles is to have a pretty trophy wife and shower her with pretty clothes and jewelry — she’s pretty, he smiles, and she gets more clothes and jewelry, a winter vacation in Switzerland, etc.Men need to know these things.Of course your sister didn’t have to be careful about her timing! You did? Sure. She did? Nope!

          5. Lawrence Brass

            As men we should know this but we persevere in forgetting it again and again, or perhaps ignore it as we are at a disadvantage. As I was a father at a young age I got the unexpected privilige in recent years to become a grandfather of a lovely little girl. There is not any language to describe precisely the joy this unexpected event has brought to my life, and I must admit that it has everything to do with the fact that she is a girl instead of a boy.

          6. sigmaalgebra

            Sure, take a position in 100 cars of bellies. You win, she falls and sheds a tear, and you are miserable. You lose on the bellies, she smiles, and you still feel great. Yup.I wanted both boys and girls. Sure, the girl would wrap me around her little finger, but I would always know that I might not be able to teach her much and likely her life would depend heavily on her husband. For the boy, I’d be able to teach him nearly everything I thought was valuable and know that, really, he would be heavily in control of his own life. So, I’d be more involved with the boy.Ah, the girl I met said she didn’t want to have kids. I didn’t believe her. I was wrong. She was right. She didn’t want to have kids. And we didn’t.I had some opportunities to knock up some chicks, but had so much self control I didn’t. Bummer.Lesson: To have kids, don’t wait until you are ready because, then, you likely won’t.One of those girls, I should have knocked up.As I understand females more now, looking back I’m shocked at the number of girls who were astoundingly eager to jump into bed without planning, protection, etc. Likely that was the main way Mother Nature had in mind for me to have kids. Ah, self control and discipline can be overrated!

          7. Lawrence Brass

            You are right. I wonder how many of us 7 billion + were strategically planned. In my particular case it was all due to computing and calendar failures and well, mother nature too.

          8. creative group

            LE:We had to read through some of your posts to get an idea if you have posted any colloquial messages before addressing your disliking Ghetto English (Urban, black, anything not privileged). Why is there a need to code biases and contempt for anything non elite or entitled.

          9. LE

            Why is there a need to code biases and contempt for anything nonIf you want to finish that thought I can perhaps give you an answer.

        2. Lawrence Brass

          That is easy if you go along wearing a puppet mask – Who is this guy? πŸ™‚

      2. Vasudev Ram

        Ha ha, Google Translate should have a Hipsterese to English option. I’ll suggest it to my pal Larry.

        1. Vasudev Ram

          Oops. LE, forgot that your first name is Larry too. Obviously, I meant the _other_ Larry πŸ™‚

          1. jason wright

            the man who owns larry.com is the Larry

  11. Semil Shah

    I never started my blog with a plan to grow it. I enjoy doing it for me. Yet, one huge result of it, as you captured, is it widens opportunities and creates more moments for serendipity. I firmly believe if I didn’t have my blog (plus the new distribution networks like Twitter, Quora, etc.), I’d probably be living in my parent’s basement.

  12. LE

    and I pitched a BD partnership between her company and one of Gotham Gal’s portfolio companiesIf this partnership happens it’s most likely because of one or all of the following things are true in no particular order:a) It’s her job to do partnershipsb) She is one of the founders (from what I can tell she is not..)c) You are Fred Wilson and she views you as important so she will go out of her way to please you.d) She happens to be friends with the person at her company who handles this type of thing so hey she will pass it along if she is so motivated.Otherwise trying to setup deals with people who aren’t decision makers when you are a regular non-celebrity person doesn’t typically fly. Corporate people don’t tend to be opportunists or connectors and I am not sure that people who work at startups are any different.Which leads back to a point about connections. Connections definitely don’t get you deals but they are very important in at least getting a prospect to listen to what you have to say and consider your product or service.

  13. jason wright

    Neil Young, After The Gold Rush.Don’t Let It Bring You DownBlind man running through the light of the nightWith an answer in his handCome on down to the river of sightAnd you can really understandRed lights flashing through the window in the rainCan you hear the sirens moan?White cane lying in a gutter in the laneIf you’re walking home aloneDon’t let it bring you downIt’s only castles burningFind someone who’s turningAnd you will come around

      1. awaldstein

        one of my most favorite people in the music business.such a talent. a hero of mine. a truly beautiful and much loved individual.

  14. awaldstein

    Great stuff.I’m a little fish is a medium sized pond.But my blogs through all my inconsistencies drive my businesses and my communities.Nothing is more freeing than to go offline, find mental quiet, write and push publish. One of life’s great loves for me.Safe travels.(After a career on the road, I can sleep anywhere. Air travel is a lullabye to me.)

    1. pointsnfigures

      It is hard for me because 99% of the time I am in coach……flew coach to Istanbul and Kenya last year.

      1. awaldstein

        i sleep in coach as well but internationally damn little.When I was running NA, Europe and had a monthly meeting in Singapore my message to my boss was, fly coach, see you 36 hours after I land for a full day meeting, Fly bus/1st I’ll go to work right now.For four years in spend literally 72 hour a month in Singapore. Crazy.

        1. pointsnfigures

          I flew from Newark to Singapore straight through. Singapore Air business class. 18 hours in a tube. was nice. I couldn’t imagine doing that coach at 6’5″. Flew to Hawaii in Economy Plus from Chicago and it was fine. I love the hawker stands in Singapore

      2. JLM

        .Dude, you may be “sitting” in coach but wherever you are is FIRST CLASS.Plus, the back of the plane arrives at almost the same time as the front.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  15. Stephen Bradley

    I swear by the Dubs product you bought. They’ve been a life saver at SXSW and other venues where great music is impeded by deafening sound. The dubs keep the music sounding true… but non-painful.

  16. Marissa_NYx

    Lucky for both of you! And yes, we all have to have a network and work our networks. I love how serendipity played out on this trip for both of you. Perhaps you could do a reality “game” with your flight schedules: let the community know your schedule, and with every person who sits next to you and says “Is this you?” and holds up your AVC blog post, a 1:1 contribution can be made to your favourite charity or coding school in exchange for the conversation. Sort of crowdfunding your time on the plane for both business and for social good. Should be fun.

  17. Gina Farish

    Fred, what is the best way to get an idea to you? If only I was sitting next to you on the flight – would have made it easy! πŸ™‚

    1. fredwilson

      email

      1. Gina Farish

        Ok cool, thanks! I sent a note on Tues to your USV email. Want to make sure it gets to you – really excited about the idea!

  18. mikenolan99

    I’ve met great entrepreneurs inside the Avc community. Andy Swan presented to my marketing class and Conor O’Phelan and I grab lunch monthly here in Minneapolis to talk about his cool startup. And the Big Red Car and I chat occasionally, just to keep HIS owner honest.

    1. JLM

      .Mike, Mike, Mike –“Her” — the Big Red Car is not a HER.The Big Red Car has balls as big as Argentina and can weave an Indian blanket with the hair on its chest.In addition, children have been fathered in that back seat and the Big Red Car sells testosterone in parking lots at gun stores.You are forgiven because everyone from Minnesota is so damn nice.BRCwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. mikenolan99

        I accept your forgiveness, and remain your humble, albeit exceedingly nice, friend.

        1. JLM

          .The niceness is rubbing off on me but then based on the theory of relative concentration, it had to, right?Be nice. I know Minnesotans can’t help themselves.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  19. feargallkenny

    Running meetup groups is not too shabby a way to do it either. Again, not for everyone. https://www.linkedin.com/pu

  20. Nidhi Mevada

    I hope it will happen with me also πŸ™‚ That’s why we are in networking domain and believe “Network worth more than money”

  21. Wyatt Brown

    DUBS and Here tech from Doppler labs looks amazing. I can’t wait to try Here! This is one of my favorite posts of yours, Fred. – and nice celebrity score on that SFO flight! πŸ™‚

  22. BillMcNeely

    When things were at there worst, blogging and commenting kept me relevant in the on demand market

  23. Kent Karlsen

    Great story. KLM (the airline) used to have an online check-in with an option to add business information like your name, title and company and make it available to other people that book the same flight. When you book your flight as an entrepreneur, you can then choose to sit beside Fred, because he allows other to see his name. I have not seen this function with the airlines I use. Is it available? This would be a supernice function (at least for unfamous entrepreneurs :). Business people would even pay to reserve a seat. When you travel like five hours, it would be nice to sit beside an interesting person. Every flight could generate lots of business. Like LinkedIn for airline x. Or maybe Facebook Flightmate.

  24. Salt Shaker

    “Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For”Couldn’t resist. The absolute cheesiest of the cheesy.https://m.youtube.com/watch

    1. Chimpwithcans

      ha ha ha!….Someone PLEASE approach Fred with this song on his next flight. I would but I’m in Africa so unlikely to find him πŸ™‚

  25. pointsnfigures

    I agree. By being on social media, and more importantly willing to expose myself to randomness, I have met some cool people. Of course, there is risk in doing this but without taking the risk there is no reward. When I was in Istanbul, a person hit me up on Twitter and we met for a beer. It was fun.I blog. I am a Midwesterner. Midwesterners are generally not “out there” people. I have been criticized for blogging. But, it has opened my mind, grown my network and allowed me to learn a lot. The more I blog, the more I read other blogs. I have made connections of of AVC that I would not have made if the blog didn’t exist-and people have connected to me via my blog.Sometimes blogs have influence, and sometimes they don’t. The best blogs are transparent, and true to who you are. My blog isn’t my brand. It’s me.

    1. Vasudev Ram

      Why were you criticized for blogging, if it’s not confidential?

      1. pointsnfigures

        In the Midwest, we tend to keep to ourselves. Be under the radar. If you toot your own horn, or you are too flashy, or too out there, you get criticized and even ostracized. Think of Midwesterners in varying shades of grey and blue. They aren’t peacocks. When they are, they attract a lot of detractors-and some supporters. Most Midwestern bloggers are pretty data driven, plain vanilla. There aren’t a lot of strong opinions in their blogs.In Chicago, the culture has always been to fly under the radar. Don’t attract attention because someone might steal your edge-especially if you have an edge because of a political favor. Public/private partnership has a whole new meaning here! Combine this cultural attitude with the fact that I am an out of the closet Libertarian/Conservative Republican and you can start to put the pieces together.

        1. Vasudev Ram

          Wow. Thanks. Wouldn’t have thought it would be like that.

        2. Donna Brewington White

          I’m a Midwesterner by birth and had to relearn this when doing some work in Chicago. It was shocking how under the radar some of these people fly. Really prominent people that you will find very little about online. Not even a LinkedIn profile. Some of it is generational as well — I felt a generational gap with people in my age range.

  26. creative group

    The majority of people we asked how do you sleep the entire flight. The magic is with them taking the sleeping pill. Duh!

  27. JLM

    .I have been blogging — The Musings of the Big Red Car — since Dec 2012 and it is all completely inspired by Fred Wilson. I resisted for years. Wm Mougayar also encouraged me.One of the all time high spots in my life was a dinner with Wm, Arnold, and Fred in Manhattan. Lots of fun.OTOH, there is no greater sense of insecurity and inadequacy than watching Fred grind it out 24/7/365 when the Big Red Car takes breaks for things like travel. And skiing. And the beach. And the mountains. And swimming. And holidays.Fred is just grinding it out at the beach, in the mountains, wintering over in Venice, holidays in the islands, European travel — which is good for us addicts.”Inspiration is for amateurs. Pros grind it out.”Fred is a pro. The Big Red Car is an amateur. The big difference is the grind.I have met so many people that it is, frankly, difficult for me to keep track of them all. And, I knew a lot of damn people before I got started.I get a lot of contacts for The Wisdom of the Campfire (CEO coaching) solely through AVC.com. So much so that for the first time in history, I have had to turn folks away. I hate doing that. The Wisdom of the Campfire has never done anything to market other than The Musings of the Big Red Car blog.The contacts from the AVC.com crowd are extraordinary. Very nice folk. Smart as a whip. Articulate and accomplished. It is the best screen in the business and know this — it is y’all and Fred.Even the ones that don’t agree are nice. The crowd is filled to overflowing with comity.Many I have met in person. I have eaten a lot of barbecue and TexMex though my beer consumption is lagging.This morning alone, I received two unsolicited contacts.So, yeah, that blogging thing may catch on. Who knows? The Big Red Car, he knows.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    1. LE

      Fred is just grinding it out at the beach, in the mountains, wintering over in Venice, holidays in the islands, European travel — which is good for us addicts.Regardless of why Fred started blogging, he has different goals and motives than you do which motivate him to continue blogging. You are retired or at least semi retired (right?) and Fred is not. Fred could be retired obviously but chooses to continue working. The blog is a part of that work. He also enjoys doing it and derives other benefits.About Tx barbecue, NY Times yesterday:http://www.nytimes.com/2016

      1. JLM

        .I am as busy as I ever have been. Getting up earlier and writing more. I have just gotten a few things accepted for publishing and it is a new thing.My problem is finding the right things to do. I am going to be setting up HQ in Wrightsville Beach in the next six months and downsizing all other real estate holdings. Cubs live in Savannah and Charlotte.As to Franklin BBQ — good cue to be sure but for the tourists not the locals.When I have someone in town who wants some, I use the “method.” I order the cue “to go” and walk to the to go window — past the shlubs on line — and get my cue and go down by the lake and eat it.My personal favorite is Green Mesquite BBQ to which I am headed today. I have been out of town so I have to get my blood right — bit of cue and some TexMex, no?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

        1. karen_e

          Finally, finally, I think I’ve got the Austin program sorted out when in town for work. Step One, get chair(s) at the Four Seasons lawn, right by the river and the kayaks. Step Two, go get Green Mesquite!

          1. JLM

            .Yes, of course, that is a different kind of Texas Two Step but it also works.My Perfect Daughter’s wedding was under those trees on the river bank. Splendor in the grass.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    2. Lawrence Brass

      I guess that blogging is a person going public just like a company goes public. It has to do with public relations, marketing and trust. It is so comfortable and safe to just be silent and read. Airing your thoughts and opinions openly for everyone to read and then stand the controversy your opinions might generate requires some special state of mind, and you do it so well.Sure there is the halo effect of this being Fred’s place but you and others at AVC that care to post regularly and post more than a few lines, as I have wrote before, are working here.For the few months I have been around I already have a CEO coach, a marketing expert and an internet name and strategy guru to call when the time comes. It works!

      1. JLM

        .Great insight. Part of the allure of AVC.com is the quality of the audience particularly as measured by intelligence, breadth of experience, geography, and comity.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  28. creative group

    We are New Yorkers. If we see Fred and recognize him we are chatting it up.Fred is human. Read his bio. He wasn’t born on third base maybe second. :-)The causes he is passionate about shows his moral foundation. Wouldn’t read or participate in this blog if he didn’t exhibit those qualities.

    1. Richard

      Metspedes

      1. creative group

        RW:Mets can’t afford to lose Cespedes. Especially after Murphy’s exit.Who cares about the mets anyways.Go YANKEES!Luis SeverinoYankees future you never heard about until you read this (If they don’t trade them-Are you listening Cashman)Greg Bird (First base) Aaron Judge (RF) Rob Refsnyder (2nd)

  29. Beber

    i like her product. my wife received a few when she was doing work for the Outside Lands festival. only problem is it made me realize i turned into the guy that prefers to wear earplugs at concerts. at least the product is functional and looks cool.

  30. Kirsten Lambertsen

    If you act, as you think,the missing link.Synchronicity.https://open.spotify.com/tr…(sorry I couldn’t find it on soundcloud!)

  31. lisa hickey

    For those folks in the “synchronicity” crowd”, the best definition of synchronicity I have heard is “unexpected relevance”.When I first got on social media, way back when, the meme going around was “Social media accelerates synchronicity”. Whether you think of social media as blogging or tweeting or posting on FB or commenting on blogs—-or getting your idea out there so that other people would approach you for speaking engagements or in-person events—-the idea that you can accelerate the number of *relevant* connections is profound.We used to also talk about expanding Dunbar’s number—the idea that there is a “cognitive limit to the number of people you can maintain stable relationships with”, and that number is somewhere around 250, max. After that, the theory goes, you cease to know how you connected with someone in the first place, and how that person fits in with your current social circles.But the online world changes that too. A “Rolodex” couldn’t show you the way you are connected to others—but social networks can. “You don’t have to remember everything, you just need to remember where you put the information.” So blowing Dunbar’s number out of the water became a favorite goal of me and others.Technology has made it cognitively easier to have a huge amounts of relevant connections. That has been a game-changer.

  32. Dan Moore

    I can’t say I’ve had anyone recognize me from my blog (over a decade, yeah!) but I have definitely had positive effects from it (beyond increasing my writing ability and reminding me of events in the past that I’d forgotten).These include:* having friends mention that a post helped them out* being ‘blog stalked’ by interested employers about tech I’ve used* having an old post I wrote help me out in a different situation–found via google* showing dedication to possible employers and business partnersI can’t say all my best work is highlighted on my blog, but having a public facing ‘system of record’ has been very beneficial to me.

  33. george

    Connecting, sharing and venturing, fantastic story! I guess these are the true benefits of being more of a “Social VC.”I enjoy the west coast surf lifestyle and this community has often helped me extend into new ventures. At times, networking doesn’t really have to be all about business/work, often times just enjoying simple pleasures can subsidize your next lead or position you for opportunity.

  34. Kirsten Lambertsen

    Checked out those product links – a real cone of silence! I signed up for the waitlist on the here product. Buying the Dubs for both my son and myself (we’re both highly auditorily oriented). Thanks for those links!

  35. ShanaC

    hahahahaha. I’m sorry, but that’s just funny.

  36. Donna Brewington White

    One of my favorite moments was talking to a guy who had just relocated to LA from NYC and had worked at a USV portfolio company. Midway into the conversation he said “Wait, are you the same Donna White who is a prolific commenter on AVC?” I wasn’t sure how to take that but it was still nice to be recognized.

  37. The Sturgeon Group

    Fred – I recently became aware of you via Duke Long and I agree with you – everyone should have a calling card and I am a firm believer that your network can influence your Net Worth. Creating Value and Making a Difference in the lives of others can do some much for you as a person. For me Blogging happens sporadically and it’s only when I am truly inspired to write something or share something. But in the times that I do not blog I use a mobile app called Inigo as my Calling Card. It allows me to share my social links at the Point of Introduction and can be used by those I connect with to share my “Calling Card” with others if they so choose to refer me out. (www.inigoapp.com) I will send you my card so you can get a feel for it. Thanks for reminding us to have a way others can keep us front of mind and to build quality networks.

  38. Tess Meyer

    This was an awesome post. I have been blogging for three months now and it has already brought so many people in my life (readers in over 30 countries already!). FromBrownEyes.com if you would like to check it out. As I am pursuing my MBA, I will definitely keep this in mind, as my blog might serve as a great way to meet people that can help me with my future start up. Thank you for posting!