Interesting article... I found some of the presuppositions annoying - they seem, for example, to assume that all startups are something web-based and depend on website visitors as customers; and there seems to be an assumption baked in this piece that "hackers" and "hustlers" are mutually exclusive.
But looking past that, there's a nugget or two of good stuff.
One actionable item I took away from this was from here:
There is no social proof on your website. Without testimonials, social media following numbers, “as-seen-in” PR credentials, association memberships or some kind of third-party evidence that you’re legitimate, you’re not building credibility.
Since we're very early-stage with little name recognition and no brand association to speak of, we should be leveraging any avenue we can to gain this "social proof". Off-hand, I could see having a page that mentions companies the founders worked for before Fogbeam (a list that would include IBM, Red Hat, Lulu.com, Redwood Software, UNC-CH, etc.), and a place to mention industry associations and other 3rd party groups that we are associated with. We (either as individual founders or as a company) are members of NCTA (North Carolina Technology Association), AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals), CED (Council for Entrepreneurial Development), AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence), ISA (International Society for Automation), EFF, IEEE, and the ACM. But none of that is on our website! D'oh.
So, speaking only for myself, I found at least one useful, actionable takeaway from this article.
But looking past that, there's a nugget or two of good stuff.
One actionable item I took away from this was from here:
There is no social proof on your website. Without testimonials, social media following numbers, “as-seen-in” PR credentials, association memberships or some kind of third-party evidence that you’re legitimate, you’re not building credibility.
Since we're very early-stage with little name recognition and no brand association to speak of, we should be leveraging any avenue we can to gain this "social proof". Off-hand, I could see having a page that mentions companies the founders worked for before Fogbeam (a list that would include IBM, Red Hat, Lulu.com, Redwood Software, UNC-CH, etc.), and a place to mention industry associations and other 3rd party groups that we are associated with. We (either as individual founders or as a company) are members of NCTA (North Carolina Technology Association), AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals), CED (Council for Entrepreneurial Development), AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence), ISA (International Society for Automation), EFF, IEEE, and the ACM. But none of that is on our website! D'oh.
So, speaking only for myself, I found at least one useful, actionable takeaway from this article.