Dull thoughts in a sharp world.

“I want to highlight two main problems with that old, tired, me-first approach. First, it distracts you from what’s truly important, and may lead you to compromise your values and your principles and commitments. Think about it. It’s in chasing titles and status — in worrying about the next election rather than the national interest and the interests of those who you’re supposed to represent — that politicians so often lose their ways in Washington. (Applause.) They spend time thinking about polls, but not about principle. It was in pursuit of gaudy short-term profits, and the bonuses that came with them, that so many folks lost their way on Wall Street, engaging in extraordinary risks with other people’s money.

In contrast, the leaders we revere, the businesses and institutions that last — they are not generally the result of a narrow pursuit of popularity or personal advancement, but of devotion to some bigger purpose — the preservation of the Union or the determination to lift a country out of a depression; the creation of a quality product, a commitment to your customers, your workers, your shareholders and your community.

…

That other stuff — that other stuff, the trappings of success may be a byproduct of this larger mission, but it can’t be the central thing. Just ask Bernie Madoff. That’s the first problem with the old attitude.

But the second problem with the old approach to success is that a relentless focus on the outward markers of success can lead to complacency. It can make you lazy. We too often let the external, the material things, serve as indicators that we’re doing well, even though something inside us tells us that we’re not doing our best; that we’re avoiding that which is hard, but also necessary; that we’re shrinking from, rather than rising to, the challenges of the age. And the thing is, in this new, hyper-competitive age, none of us — none of us — can afford to be complacent.

…

Many of our current challenges are unprecedented. There are no standard remedies, no go-to fixes this time around. And Class of 2009 that’s why we’re going to need your help. We need young people like you to step up. We need your daring, we need your enthusiasm and your energy, we need your imagination.

And let me be clear, when I say “young,” I’m not just referring to the date of your birth certificate. I’m talking about an approach to life — a quality of mind and quality of heart; a willingness to follow your passions, regardless of whether they lead to fortune and fame; a willingness to question conventional wisdom and rethink old dogmas; a lack of regard for all the traditional markers of status and prestige — and a commitment instead to doing what’s meaningful to you, what helps others, what makes a difference in this world.”

Text – Obama’s Commencement Address at Arizona State University – Text – NYTimes.com

For some reason, I always mentally note if an advertisement caught my eye and whether I clicked through.  Though I didn’t click through on this one, I thought this was a brilliant advertising campaign by Zeki’s.

1)  I went to the University of Arizona – background targeting

2)  I live in the same neighborhood of Zeki’s – location targeting

3)  I am male and enjoy basketball – this may be luck, but damn if that’s not spot on.

However, I’m going to Blue Light because the owner reached out to a prominent U of A alumn to organize an event.

Today, we launched a simple, but useful integration with Twitter. Goal… provide renters with additional tools = more transparency information when searching for a place to live.  Here is an example >>

So the question is, can you use Twitter to help you find a place to live?

Well…

Can you use twitter as a financial adviser? Answer: Stocktwits.com

Can you use twitter as a search engine? Answer: Search.twitter.com (Via Michael Arrington)

Can you use twitter as wholesaler? Answer: Dell makes $1 million in revenue on Twitter

Can you use twitter to find a job? Answer: Yes, I have two of my immediate friends get jobs on Twitter. And the WSJ agrees.

So before you jump on the naysayer bandwagon, consider that Twitter conversations give renters an idea of the local residents, social scene, and even specific reviews of the area. Furthermore, Twitter identifies who is a local, and provides an immediate and responsive way to ask that person a specific question. Or go all in and broadcast to 8+ million people asking for feedback or advice.

Twitter has evolved from the simple 140 character tool and is no longer limited to the question, “What are you doing?”. Our goal at RentWiki.com is to give people searching for a place to live real advice from renters living in that area. By integrating with Twitter, we are expanding the conversation beyond just our site and into the real-time social web.

We put a twitter feed on each neighborhood wiki. From the feeds, renters can glean the type of people that live in the area, listen-in on the conversation, and interact with locals by asking for advice. Though not all neighborhoods have discussions on Twitter, where there are conversations occurring, the content is very useful. Here is a current conversation on Cole Valley in San Francisco. You can see fellow residents moving into the area, view how much a properties cost, and get a sense for the nightlife.

Also, we gave users also have the ability to broadcast back to Twitter’s 8+ million users. With one click, renters can ask about the social scene, safety, and walkability of an area. Twitter seems to be hosting conversations that may prove to be very relevant to the rental search.

However, I understand there are restrictions, we’re still working on a few bugs, and not all the content is relevant. Just because people are going to dinner in XYZ neighborhood doesn’t mean I care. But it provides some subtle hints about the quality of the neighborhood, and at the very least, you’ve identified someone that lives in the area to connect with to ask for advice.

As usual line goes, we’re a startup and it’s a work in progress so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, we threw in a couple of other goodies such as Facebook Connect, Walk Score for Apartments, and Video/Widget uploading.

Via Portfolio.com’s Jeff Bercovici, “I had to sit on the floor because every seat was taken by a 30-ish guy in jeans with a Mac laptop. Most of them seemed to be Twittering the conference as they went, and following each other’s Twitter feeds. Surreal moment: At one point, the guy sitting closest to me was reading a blog post containing a photo of the guy sitting immediately behind him.”

Pretty cool visualization of a simple explanation of the credit crisis by Jonathan Jarvis… don’t forget the $7 trillion we have in commercial debt.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Taking a short break from social media, technology, and the internet, we all know that the cardinals are in the super bowl.  It is a miracle, a gift from God, and downright confusing.  I want to give my top 5 predictions for the super bowl:

5) Anquan Boldin breaks his neck in the 1st quarter but still wants to play.

4) Larry Fitzgerald catches 5 TD’s and donates each ball to a orphanage in Uganda.

3) Matt Leinart shows up the game not just late, but wasted from the FBR open.  And by wasted, I mean high.

2) In the third quarter, Kurt Warner dies of old age.

1) Cardinals Win, 28 to 24.  People in Arizona riot by flipping over their leased 3 series BMWs.  Next season, Cardinals win 2 games.

Seriously, I’m a believer.  The Arizona Cardinals have a chance to make history.   Go Cardinals!

In a recent story about RentWiki.com, I definitely think our message was misinterpreted.  Take a look at the comments.

Even with the smallest of starups, the common vision can have difficulties transcending all employers, managers, and partners.   In this case, in a press release crafted by our PR firm, and reviewed by myself and partners, we overlooked a subtle verbiage difference, but changed the fundamental question and problem we are trying to solve.

The SFgate.com article cited our assumption that the fundamental question asked by movers is, “Do people like me live here?”  When I set out on RentWiki, it was because I moved into two bad living situations and one average situation.

1)  North Phoenix – Though the neighborhood was safe, in a good school district, and up and coming, this was a 8 months of my life that I hated.  It was a suburb.  It was plain.  It had no close restaurants.

2)  Walnut Creek – Again, suburb.  Apparently I did not learn my lesson.  I even asked people if the commute was far, and I was told it would be okay.  I found myself heading into San Francisco everyday, sometime commuting more than 2 hours.

3) Russian Hill, San Francisco – Really nice, expensive, clean, filled with great restaurants, and friendly residents.  Lacked art, music, and the diversity I sought.

Point is, each time I was seeking a neighborhood with certain characteristics that fit my lifestyle and personality, not my ethnicity.  I felt personal pain and difficulties when I moved, and sought to solve that problem from happening to others.

How can we prevent our message from being misinterpreted?  How do we ensure that the vision trickles down from founders to hired ad agencies, PR firms, and every employee spreading our message?

I think it has to come from ensuring that all that levels understand the vision, and can relate to the pain.  I know that many startsup require 10% of everyone’s time to be used survey, talking with, and getting feedback with their users (or clients).  For everyone to understand the problem that is being solved, everyone needs to understand the consumer and business.  Developers should attempt a sales call with clients, sales should talk to consumers, etc.  I agree that this is a worthwhile use of time.

After working on RentWiki.com for about 9 months now, consumers have been responsive to the generally concept and vision of the project. It is nothing complicated, just compiling advice, reviews, and opinions about moving to a new city. Having moved 4 times in the past 2 years, I know the value of advice when trying to find a suitable rental. On the surface, seems very simple, useful, and a much needed service.

So why isn’t there a flood of competitors like all the other review sites. There are literally dozens of electronics and gadget review sites, hundreds of business review sites, book review sites, etc. So let’s start by listing some current direct competitors (neighborhood and rental reviews):

Yelp.com
ApartmentRatings.com
Neighboroo.com
RottenNeighbor.com
StreetAdvisor.com
SquidZipper.com
Realtor.com (Wikihoods)

And aside from ApartmentRatings.com, none of those sites have an Internet listing site/help users find rentals. Here is what I think is keeping social media sites to from flooding the Multi-family housing space.

1) Relationship driven industry – At every conference I go to, I feel like I am at a ABC High School reunion and I went to XYZ High. The sales people, marketing directors, VP’s, and even CEO’s all know each other from years of working together, and it is like a revolving door, with employees moving from company to company. So everyone knows each other and it makes it much easier to get a meeting with the decision makers of REITs or management groups if you’ve been buddies with them for years. Incumbents have a much easier time keeping sales contracts, and new-comers are left to have to take those away. No revenue = No company

2) Small Market Size – VC’s typically want at least a market of one billion. I’ve hear $500 million, but VC’s are looking for a 10 times return and you really have to have a strangle hold on the market to return 10 times in a small market. The total spend on online advertising in the multi-family housing space is $700 million. No funding = No company

3) The Stickiness Factor – Since people only move once every 18 months, creating a community and stickiness is a difficult obstacle to overcome. Unlike restaurants, news articles, or electronics, people only move once every 18 months. However, I think it is similar to TripAdvisor with reviewing major trips. No content = No company

4) The ApartmentRatings Factor - I call this the ApartmentRatings factor because the website ApartmentRatings.com was one of the first social media entrants to enter the Multi-family housing market. However, they set the stage for why the industry is so behind in dealing with social media. Inherently, most people are not satisfied with their apartment and satisfied with their location. So they used ApartmentRatings.com as a medium to voice their dissatisfaction with their property management groups and it left a sour taste with the Multi-family housing industry. Mention ApartmentRatings.com with a group property managers is like saying you’re voting for McCain in San Francisco. No support = No Company

I’m sure there are a dozen other reasons, but I am predicting a flood of new companies/existing companies switch their model to incorporate social media in the next 12 to 18 months. Moving is one of the most difficult things to do in life, and it doesn’t have to be.

*As an aside… how is it that there are three toilet review sites out there? SitorSquat.com, MizPee.com, and Diaroogle.com.