"We are helping people figure out the skills they need for a new role, connecting them to disparate content via our partnerships and then in the backend integrating with those content providers to track your informal learning in one place so you can use it to apply for jobs."
Hmm, I think that means...
"We are helping people train for a new role..."
"We are helping people train for a new role with high-quality tutorials..."
"We are helping people train for a new role with high-quality tutorials and tracking their learning so they can use it to apply for jobs."
Ohhhhh, in other words... You help people train for a new job and give them something to put on their resume? Awesome! Why didn't you just say so? =)
I suppose people are more likely to say, "Oh.. oh. Hmm. Sounds impressive," if you say it the other way, though.
If they are very successful and generate a lot of buzz, it may actually work in your favor to be the next alternative in line. If there's a lot of hype, their company can only be purchased once, but many may want to.
Of course, it's better to be #1 yourself, if you can manage that. But I don't know how much I would worry about competition.
I started using Dvorak out of curiosity more than anything. I've been using it for close to 4 years now, and I haven't noticed any speed gains.
It's inconvenient to use other peoples' computers; although, this is offset a bit by the amusement value of watching others try to use my machine.
The claims about ergonomics may be valid. My hands move a lot less when using Dvorak, but I can't speak as to whether the chances of RSI are reduced in any way by this, or if it provides any kind of relief.
Programming-wise, I haven't had any problems. The biggest concern there is that you might not be able to type for the first week or two.
Unless you have some significant reason to do so, I don't think I would recommend switching myself. I didn't see any significant gains, but your mileage may vary.
You're right. I do occasionally visit the site, but I normally don't, because it's all in my reader.
Even so, you get these benefits:
> An expanded audience.
As a blogger, I think this is your most important asset. Vastly more important than any money you might get from it. An audience is actual power, and besides: It's not who you know--it's who knows you.
> Word of mouth, because of the first point.
Even if this portion of your audience isn't looking at your ads, if they like what you have to say, some of them are bound to tell other people. These are extra referrals you would not have had otherwise.
This is important because growth by word of mouth is naturally compounded. Over a few years, I bet the difference really builds up.
Now, I don't have any numbers to back this up, but my gut says this stuff will end up earning you more AdSense dollars in the long run than trying to maneuver your audience into captivity.
If I find a blog that seems interesting, the first thing I do is look for a feed. If there isn't one or it's just partial, I go somewhere else and I don't look back.
In today's information-overloaded web, the line between being worth my time and being a waste of my time is thinner than you might think.
Would you consider Slashdot to have "multi-dimensional" voting, given their Interesting, Insightful, Informative, Funny, and (of course) Troll ratings?
Anyway, even if they ARE utterly impossible to please, they're still telling you outright what you can improve. And an extreme view can sometimes help to put everything else in perspective.
Are you saying that if someone built a house with an inflatable mallet and someone else built one with a nail gun there would be no difference of quality in the resulting house, or that one wouldn't be completed sooner, or be more extensible?
(Yes, you can laugh at me.)
I agree with you that all languages are tools (I love working with all kinds, actually). But aren't some tools better at some things than others? Or what would we need so many for?
I'm not saying Lisp is the nail gun and everything else is an inflatable mallet, but I do think there is a difference.
What I got out of the article is that Lisp is a tool that worked pretty darn well in a couple cases. I feel that's a good thing, because I kind of like Lisp.
"If you're interested in startups, don't sit around waiting for the perfect opportunity, just go find one that sounds interesting [...] The startup will probably fail, but you will succeed because you have learned a lot more than you otherwise would have."
It's exactly what I've heard so many successful people say.
The startup path is a scary one for me, but spending my life as a "worker bee" is even more scary somehow...
Hmm, I think that means...
"We are helping people train for a new role..."
"We are helping people train for a new role with high-quality tutorials..."
"We are helping people train for a new role with high-quality tutorials and tracking their learning so they can use it to apply for jobs."
Ohhhhh, in other words... You help people train for a new job and give them something to put on their resume? Awesome! Why didn't you just say so? =)
I suppose people are more likely to say, "Oh.. oh. Hmm. Sounds impressive," if you say it the other way, though.