Bike Rides

Say what?

It works, cool!

Bike Rides

Poze Instagram, Flickr, Facebook

Hope it works! :)

Anyways, I’ve been playing around with Blogvio to make sure it runs smooth while hundreds of Private Beta users take it for a spin. So I created this, with some photos from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr – just to make a point about the continuous number of sources we add to Blogvio, where you can load your content from.

And if you read this far, here’s 3 Activation Keys you can use! Try each until they run out.

Activation Keys:
292662d126dfc3e290110863541adca0
29cbec3439ffcf0b1616d9828f31a5ed
74389f745396f69cfb040d3411e67caa

And allow me to embed the same widget again, just because I want to test it. ;-)

All you have to do is go to Blogvio, and use one of the key provied. If you’re the first one to use it, please post a comment so we know which is consumed. :-)

If you don’t see the Beta Page, it means you’re reading this post after we’ve launched to public, so you don’t need any key to join us. At any point, we appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Riding a bike is both healthy and fun! More so when you have the sea on the right and a long distance you can ride uninterrupted by cars or other obstacles.

At home, we have a Brompton bike we absolutely love. It’s small, it can be stored in a small place so we don’t have to keep it outside (hello to the tief that stole my previous bike), and it’s easy to ride both in the city and outside of it.

There’s a lot of misconceptions about pliable bikes, about the small wheels and the ease of speeding, but after owing one for almost a year, I definitely recommend it as an alternative transportation method. It’s easy to handle and easy to store. Plus the joy of riding is definitely there.

Si pentru Blogvio, am facut exact asta. Enjoy si va rog dati-mi feedback in comentarii!

Povestea e oarecum fun. Initial am avut un alt clip facut, insa am primit feedback ca nu era suficient de bun. Asta dupa doua ore de lucru si multe, multe incercari. Saracii actori – dubla 1, dubla 2, …, dubla 30.

Bun, am zis sa incerc si alta idee, si o vedeti mai sus. Insa nu a fost simplu, si aici au fost multe duble. :-) Fie ajungea liftul prea devreme la destinatie, fie il chema cineva inainte sa ma sui in el, fie mai suiau in lift si alte persoane, fie nu ma incadram intr-un minut fix, fie se auzeau zgomote in cladire. Aici tocmai incepusem din nou clipul din cauza ca am pierdut liftul. :-)

Au pus la punct un sistem simplu, pe baza de culori. Exista parcări publice, si parcări private (clădiri).

In toate zonele unde strada a putut fi retrasă pentru a crea noi locuri de parcare, s-a realizat acest lucru. Vei găsi parcări in orice spațiu folosibil, sub drumuri si poduri, in clădiri si alături, sub pământ, ori in parcări supraterane.

Sa le luam pe rând:

1. In blocuri
In orașele medii spre mari, in clădirile care nu sunt mai vechi de 15-20 de ani, spaniolii au rezolvat problema parcarilor pentru locatari având garajele la subsolul clădirilor. Astfel un bloc de 6 etaje poate avea încă 3-4 niveluri inferioare pentru parcări. De obicei câteva niveluri sunt subterane.

In felul asta spațiul de la suprafața este folosit pentru alte clădiri ori pentru parcuri, etc.

In fata fiecărui bloc, in dreptul intrarilor in garaj, bordura de acces este colorată in galben. La fel sunt colorate si bordurile intrarilor in garajele vilelor sau ale caselor.

Când bordura este galbena, nu ai voie sa parchezi in dreptul ei. Sunt zone de acces.

Unii locatari nu au mașini, si închiriază ori vând locurile de parcare din blocurile lor. In general costul lunar este in jur de 80 EUR.

2. In spațiile comerciale
De cele mai multe ori sunt parcări la subsolul clădirilor, din aceleași considerente ca mai sus. Altfel sunt ca la noi in România.

3. Parcări subterane
Nu este valabil in toate orașele, insa aici unde locuim acum exista parcare subterana sub orice strada principala. Uneori se întind pe km întregi. Cu toate ca au oceanul alături, au construit niște parcări subterane largi si cu mult spațiu pentru parcări, de invidiat. :)

4. Parcări exterioare
După cum spuneam, aici au folosit culori pentru a indica ce tip de parcare este:

-galben: cale de acces, nu poți parca niciodată.
-albastru: parcare cu plata, liber la ora mesei între 14-16, iar sâmbăta liber după ora 14, duminica si de sărbători liber toată ziua
-verde: reprezintă parcări ale locuitorilor din zona. De exemplu in fata unui bloc pot fi 5-10 parcări verzi, paralele cu strada. Ca sa parchezi aici ai nevoie de un card special de la primărie. Îl obții doar dovedind ca locuiești intr-un bloc alăturat parcării respective, cu acte de proprietar ori chirias.
-alb: parcare liberă (daca nu este indicat altfel in indicatoarele rutiere)

In dreptul fiecărei zone albastre, exista un aparat încărcat solar, unde poți plăti pentru o perioada de timp. Apoi obții un bilet pe care îl pui in geam.

Daca nu exista acest bilet pus vizibil in parbriz in perioada mentionata, vei primi o amenda de 60 EUR. Insa nu este primită de la poliție, ci de la un serviciu special care se ocupa de aceste parcări albastre. Zilnic poți vedea acești oameni mergând in fiecare parcare albastra cu un dispozitiv de scris amenzi, pe care ți le lăsa in geam, in uniforme speciale.

Daca de exemplu parchezi intr-o zona galbena de acces, ori undeva unde indicatoarele îți indica interzis, exista un serviciu numit Grua care iti ridica mașina. La fel patesti si daca parchezi pe loc verde si nu ai tichet de locatar in parbriz.

Taxa pentru a iti lua mașina este 235 EUR. A pătit-o o prietena. :-)

In anumite parcări centrale au început sa apară si aici parcangiii. De obicei sunt nationalitati străine, oameni săraci care practica acest lucru. Încă nu este la nivelul de la noi, unde te amenință ca iti vor zgâria mașina. Defapt, nu sunt convins daca mai exista, pentru ca in 2 ani am văzut 2 parcangiii. E posibil sa fi fost rezolvati de poliție, nu știu.

In weekend este dificil de găsit loc de parcare chiar si in subteran, motiv pentru care se prefera ori plimbare la pas, ori taxi.

Spaniolii sunt foarte civilizati in trafic, si rar vei auzi claxoane, muzica la maxim, ori injuraturi. Daca treci pe verdele lor, opresc si iti dau prioritate. :)

Sunt lucruri care trebuiesc văzute, este incredibil cum se respecta si cum sunt foarte uniti si in trafic. Asta ajuta la fluidizarea traficului si a folosirii cu cap a spatiului disponibil pentru parcări. Nu vezi mașini parcate pe doua locuri de parcare, ca la noi.

Cam asta ar fi legat de parcări. Am sa revin cu poze când lansam Blogvio, pentru ca vreau sa descriu audio fiecare poza in parte.

Dacă mi-a scăpat ceva, întrebati. :)

The Why

So, you want to build a start-up. Why?

Do YOU have a problem now? Are you sure – and by that I mean, isn’t there an alternative, although not so trivial, but good enough?

Would YOU pay someone if they came up with a solution for this problem? Be honest about it. Most startups fail because of failing to answer this simple question: why? If it’s about making money, trust me, the reality is that you will loose money. If it’s about being independent, working for yourself, and the like, these are only buzz words – and an entire industry is being built around this type of false thinking (it’s called motivational speeches, drives people to suicide, or to question sanity when not being able to keep up). The truth is, you will be working many more hours than you’d expect, and earning much less than you would expect. So set your expectations right, because this thing can play with your mind, and it isn’t for everyone. Serendipity has an important role, and it’s the reason why most tech companies are still built in USA. And it’s the reason some startups that are built in Europe succeed.

The alternative is, for most people, the right way to go: being part of a team that works on something bigger than every individual in it. And if you can grow in the startup you’re involved in, doing what you love, that should be a great outcome for you.

Otherwise, if you have a good answer for the why question, and you did a reality check, in couple of years – if you don’t fail – the team working on your startup will be doing exactly the same thing: building something bigger than everyone involved. But you’d be doing something different than what you are doing now as well. So I wanted to write some about that.

The What

So, you want to build a start-up. What should you learn?

I wanted to share a bit about SOME of the stuff one needs to learn when working on building a start-up. I’ll try to keep this list up to date. If you don’t like to read, and don’t spend at least 20 – 30 hours reading every week, you’ve got a long way to go, until you do spend that amount of time getting smart about your money and time. There’s no way around this.

The good news is that you can find the information you need on the Internet, and these resources are free. So your browser should look like this.

At any time, I have 40 to 60 tabs opened. I became so good at this that I’m skimming content and figuring out in the title of a story if there’s anything important related to our product. I’m usually spending months (or years) gathering materials, doing market research, analyzing competition, iterating on each idea, and so forth – to properly adapt and ready a concept, before being able to answer the Why?. See this post in 2009 about Blogvio. It’s 2013 now.  If I’m lucky, I figure out in time that an idea was dumb.

Assuming you have the money problem solved (tens of thousands at least), and the idea you plan to go with engraved in your head, I’ll cover some of this stuff. What will you do as a web entrepreneur?

1. First, you will read a lot. If you don’t read, you will fail. This doesn’t apply to serial entrepreneurs as much, cause they’ve got their base most probably already in place. But if it’s your first real startup, and you don’t know what net promoter, growth hacking, transactional emails, search strategy, user activation, user happiness, product roadmap, key performance indicators, churn rate, press release, product market fit, scrum, private beta, vc, angels, heatmaps, value proposition, sign-up funnel, conversion rates, web stack, product owner mean, than do your reading. You should also know Paul Graham, TechCrunch, and most of the guys here. I will not list everything you need to know, or everyone you need to know. But the list is quite long.
2. Engineering – I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to go in depth with technology, but when the awesome guys that are part of your team talk with you about your web stack, than you should be able to not only understand the subject, but have an informed opinion about the technologies used to build your product, and be able to work together with your team to find the best possible tools for the product you’re building. And this is true for mobile nowadays as well.
3. Design – again, you don’t necessarily have to do the design yourself. But if you have the vision for your product, it’s important to have an eye for design as well. And don’t think design means layout. It’s what your users see, experience and feel, when using your product.
4. Marketing – A lot to read about. Start here.
5. Research – know and use Evernote, Instapaper, Quora, LinkedIn, Twitter, a Feed Reader, Little Snapper, Screenr. I mean it, each of these tools is invaluable. These are for research alone. And when I say Feed Reader, I mean hundreds of blogs. You’ll figure them out by reading.
6. Sales / Business Development – you need to grow your startup.
7. Get fit – or better said, don’t be lazy. Your mind is really going through a roller coaster, as I’m sure you’ve read. Your body needs to help you be at your best. I’m swimming, running, cycling, going to the gym, sauna, fencing, working out in the morning (reps of 100 abs, 50 pushups), eating healthy. I wasn’t doing this before, but I can’t put 12 – 15 hours of work daily if I don’t do this now. Why is this something you need to learn? Because it’s a lot to read in order to do the right things. Calories isn’t everything.
8. Being a good communicator. You need to pitch your product, you need to communicate your vision, you need to work with people.
9. Being an editor – you will say yes and no a lot. To product features and to people as well. Be simple and direct.
10. Finance / Monetization. You are creating a business. You need to learn the ins and outs of it.
11. Copywriting – it’s important to choose your words wisely.
12. Networking – you need to connect with people outside of your comfort zone. Often.

The How

So, you want to build a start-up. How to start?

You’re probably wondering how to find the great idea that sticks, that is your destiny to build. My answer is I don’t know. It’s about living your life and being open to experiencing different things. This way you might encounter many problems, and someday, the problem that might be worth your time, years of your life, and money. At least that’s how I came up with all the products we’re working on. All of them are problems I encountered while living my life. If it doesn’t happen to you, it’s okay. Being part of a team that works on solving these problems isn’t much different than being part of a team that solves the problems you came across. Same thing, but a different you.

Again, I don’t think startups are for everyone, and I don’t see it as a better alternative necessarily. It’s just happens, or it doesn’t. Remember, it’s almost impossible to fail at doing what you love, as part of a team, but failing is the highest possibility if you pick the start-up route.

Not once had I sent myself emails to different service providers, just to see how our customers would get them. The formatting, the phrasing, the typography must be right.

So.. when I discovered Mail was doing this monstrosity in Yahoo, Outlook, Gmail – I wanted to find a quick fix.

I found this cool plugin that helps you keep the font size the same when your email is sent. You can find a short video tutorial on installing/customising the plugin here.

But there is an issue. I want to also be able to add my name with bold characters, while keeping the remaining text in the signature in regular text. In order to fix this, you can edit the CSS code for the signature, following the tutorial here. So I simply added the bold attribute to the text I wanted:

And now, finally, my text should be properly formated when read by customers, no matter what email client they use.

Gmail:

Yahoo:

Hope Apple will fix this. Sending the link now. 3, 2, 1.. done.

Yes, this gives a lot of room for mistakes, and yes, there might be regrets, because you choose to do, you choose to take action. But without moving fast in the right direction, things can degrade. Things will degrade. A situation of good, a condition of happy, needs to be entertained, needs to be fed.

So if there’s one resolution that I’d like to set is make the impossible, possible. By doing.

Happy 2013 everyone!

After I spent the last 30 minutes finding solutions for all potential problems, I can say that you can easily:

• share your music collection through home sharing on iTunes, for playback on the iPad
• use Remote app from Apple to playback media on your Mac, but control it from the iPad (as a large touch remote)
• stream your movies/videos (so you don’t need to convert them to iTunes specific format) directly from the Mac using AirVideo.
• edit excel, word, powepoint, etc documents on the iPad, using CloudOn.
• download apps from the US Store (free, or using an iTunes Gift Card to load credit on your US Apple ID).

It’s been a breeze and everything above is free. The content lays on my Mac, and my fiance can now watch different stuff than I do, at the same time. Hope she will be content with the device for years to come. I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Astazi consider ca acesta este modul in care un copil trebuie dezvoltat, si ma intreb daca nu cumva jocurile pe calculator, pe telefoane ori tablete, au luat locul acestor activitati mult prea importante pentru anii de formare din viata fiecaruia. Mereu mi-am dorit ca atunci cand voi avea un copil, asemeni mie, sa il inscriu la un curs de scrima (ori balet), un spor elegant care iti creeaza reflexe si gandire spontana, care te organizeaza, te formeaza fizic si psihic, si iti permite sa lucrezi in echipa de la o varsta frageda. In echipa am fost campioni nationali, dar pentru fiecare dintre noi, premiul a fost la fel de important. Poate mai important decat realizarile individuale.

Ma intreb daca parintii de azi au energia necesara pentru a ii tine pe copii departe de activitati inutile, si reusesc sa ii indrume inspre activitati care ii vor forma pe viitor. Mi-as dori sa vad mai multi copii sportivi, mai multi copii avand expozitii, mai multi copii care sa renunte la jocurile pe calculator / telefon / tableta. Cred ca joaca are un rol important in viata copiilor, dar nu acel tip de joaca care te tine in fata unui ecran. Joaca asta va face parte din viata lor de adult.

Cred ca aceste activitati au o mare importanta pentru tara, pentru generatiile pe care le lasam in urma. Se pare ca jocurile pe calculator creeaza, in mari proportii, doar neabsolventi. Oameni pregatiti pentru nimic. Studenti ai pierderii de timp.

Partea buna este ca ulterior, cand vei fi format, poti invata lucrurile pe care nu le-ai aprofundat cand erai mic, avand deja un curs in viata. Maine incep cursurile de inot. :)

Important de luat in considerare – este vorba despre trairile mele personale, asadar s-ar putea sa nu se potriveasca prea bine cu experienta altor romani din Spania. Cu toate astea, cred ca a impartasi aceste informatii, nu poate aduce decat bine, unora care se gandesc si ei sa faca pasul candva in viitor, spre meleaguri straine. Nu e mai bine, nu e mai rau. E diferit. Iar pe mine personal, castigul este ca ma va ajuta sa am subiecte reale de tratat, pentru a avea si pasiunea de a scrie pe blog, nu doar pentru a testa componentele Blogvio din punct de vedere functional, ci al unei necesitati reale. Nu insist, ma rog – exista beneficii de ambele parti, asta e ideea. :)

Subiecte pe care as dori sa le abordez, in nici o ordine:

1. costuri de viata
2. vestimentatie / moda
3. infrastructura
4. vreme (temperatura)
5. salarii
6. masini (si costuri asociate)
7. utilitati
8. mancare
9. politie
10. entertainment
11. weekenduri
12. greve
13. sarbatori
14. programe tv romanesti (sopcast)
15. romanii vazuti in Spania
16. strainii din spania
17. curatenie
18. ocean
19. locatii (top 10)
20. oameni
21. natura
22. baieti
23. fete
24. gay
25. siesta
26. cluburi
27. program lucru (duminica inchis)
28. acte
29. taxe
30. mancare
31. prieteni
32. sport
33. activitati extra
34. restaurante
35. produse
36. servicii
37. excursii
38. parcari
39. blocuri
40. fotbal
41. patriotism
42. internet
43. expati
44. vecini
45. supermarket

Hai sa facem impreuna o lista de subiecte de interes comun, si apoi le voi aborda intr-o ordine aleatorie. Ce sugestii aveti?

So.. we moved to Spain in March 2011, and it’s been 1.5 years since than. It’s an intermediary step, as we’re gonna eventually move to London. At least that is the plan. More on that when it happens. During this time, I accumulated pretty much experience about what living in Spain, for an expat, means. So this will be the topic of this category.

I think every citizen is experiencing Spain differently, based on the culture they grew with, hence my posts for this category alone will be mostly in Romanian. I believe it makes more sense to target my fellow compatriots, as they will understand my comparisons better, experiencing Romania daily.

De mult vroiam sa abordez acest subiect, si anume, cum stati la curent cu ce se întâmpla in mediul IT. Si aici ma refer la cel care conteaza, mediul internațional. Ce bloguri de tehbologie cititi? Cand? Cat de des?

Pe mine personal ma gadila intelectual orice legat de startupuri. Fie ca e vorba de un redesign, un site nou, ori o idee de business interesanta, mereu sunt ochi si urechi cu tot ce misca in lumea asta – atat timp cat apare online pe sutele de bloguri pe care, cu greu, le urmăresc.

O alta categorie de articole interesante, sunt cele de la YC (sau hacker news). In mod special sortate dupa 150 voturi in sus. Gasesti tot felul de experiente de viața, ori povesti, toate raportate la domeniul din care facem cu totii parte.

Tu ce preferinte ai ca si bloguri? Cum te informezi? Ce feed reader folosesti? Sunt curios. Poate voi impartasi ulterior si eu lista mea de bloguri la care sunt cititor fidel.

Nu știu cum de e posibil sa ajungi mai rapid decat pe autostrada – probabil ca tunelurile prin care trecem au fost facute sa păstreze directia cat mai dreapta – dar modul in care arta trenurile acestor oameni, e mai ceva ca interiorul avioanelor. :-)

Rar trec trenurile prin zone de oraș, iar cand o fac au protecția de perete tip sticla pentru sunet, folosita si la autostrazi – pentru cunoscatori. Si aici cred ca e ceva ce ar trebui sa refacem de la 0 – intreaga infrastructura feroviară, cu statii si trenuri de asemeni. Altfel ar fi doar o peticeala.

Pentru a evita zonele de oraș, fie merg prin zone de pădure / deal (cu privelniste minunata), fie au sapat santuri ori s-au ridicat pe stâlpi. E enorm de munca, clar. Dar rezultatul e excelent.

Cat timp mi-a luat sa scriu acest post, trenul a mers o distanță de peste 100 km. Undeva peste 20 minute. Uimitor, nu? :)

Noi am decis ca orice zbor facut din aeroportul SCQ sa fie precedat de o excursie de tren din Coruna. Mult mai comod drumul, de 2-3 ori mai rapid, si probabil si mai ieftin (6.85 EUR dus).

O sa incerc sa pun un film si cateva poze – sa auziti si voi cum se deplaseaza in liniște, si sa vedeti cum arata transportul in comun, la alti europeni.

Ar fi o lectie de imaginatie interesantă. O optiune ar fi sa alegi sa fii oricine cunoscut, despre care stii ca are o viața buna. Astfel ai trai o zi in pielea acelei persoane. Ai avea parte de tot ce si-a insusit prin munca, fara a depune si tu acelasi efort.

Cealalta optiune e sa alegi sa fii cineva necunoscut, o persoana pusă in fata unor probleme dificile, si sa profiti de experiența ta pentru a o ajuta.

Te-ai gândit vreodată ce alegere ai face? E un exercitiu de imaginatie pe care ti-l propun.

Eu personal as alege persoana cu probleme, si as incerca sa abordez problema din punctul meu de vedere. Partea buna e ca la finalul zilei, fie ca am reusit sau nu, as reveni in propria piele, unde ma simt cel mai bine. :)

Evident, ar fi excelent sa poti mereu alege in viata o directie, si a doua zi sa o poti lua de la capat fara consecinte. Astazi insa traiesti in pielea propriei persoane. Considera ca esti alt tu, si încearcă sa abordezi problemele tale diferit. Vei vedea cum noi solutii, la care nu te așteptai, se vor gasi pentru orice problema abordezi. ;)

Ca o gluma, mi-as dori sa fiu si logodnica mea, doar pentru a vedea daca eu ma pot suporta pe mine. :))

Am strabatut azi tara dintr-un capat in altul, catre aeroportul Otopeni, si fiecare oras prin care am trecut e mai urat ca celălalt, totul culminand cu Bucureștiul. Cred ca are efect demoralizator si structura abandonata, care te intampina in gara de nord. O frumusete.

Daca ar fi fost doar situația Iasului, lucrurile ar fi fost altfel. In schimb e la fel in fiecare oras – blocuri gri, carpite cu panouri colorate vesel in nuante se portocaliu, verde ori crem. Multe dintre ele, asemeni unui puzzle, sub a caror lipsa a pieselor se vede griul ramas din fatada anterioară, spre rusinea bietilor proprietari care nu au putut sa isi asume peticirea suprafetei alocate apartamentului lor; blocurile arata mai ciudat si colorat ca înainte. O idee proasta, executata prost.

Geamuri mici si structuri de tip cutie de chibrituri. Si praf, mult praf.

Pentru a completa peisajul sinistru, strazile intra in aceeasi armonie, carpite an de an (in cel mai bun caz) cu noi straturi – inutile – de asfalt, marginite de stalpi infipti ca niste mastodonti antici, ce sustin umbrele cablurilor ce apasa mult prea greu pe structura firava a acestora. Ori cum imi place mie sa zic – bine ai venit in Bucuresti unde e mereu noapte. :)

Este o vedere trista pentru un ochi cu proaspete amintiri de civilizatie. Si ma gândeam, cum am putea noi sa schimbam situația de fata?

Sa zicem ca putem ingropa cablurile (nu asa romaneste, ci gandind o structura moderna pe viitor, care sa permita si extinderea retelelor, dar si interventia ușoară). Ar fi un efort, pare-se pentru bucureșteni, prea mare. Dar nu imposibil.

Străzile? Si ele ar putea fi largite, schimbate, refacute ori imbunatatite. Autostrazile lipsesc, insa e doar o chestie de timp. Se vor rezolva in cateva zeci de ani.

Dar cu blocurile ce facem? Cine poate suporta costuri de milioane de euro pentru a rade cartiere întregi de locuințe? Cine poate proceda asemeni modului in care s-a procedat la Iasi pentru o prea mica suprafața din oras, cu Palas-ul?

Eu vad asta a fi singura solutie pentru a schimba imaginea, la propriu de data asta, a Romaniei. Ras totul, si construit de la 0, pe termen lung.

Care va fi generatia care va suporta acest efort? Sigur nu noi.

So it’s been a service I kept in mind. Being able to rent a place anywhere, without going to a hotel, is a bless for random travellers like me. I was a bit sceptic before giving it a try. Stuff like.. what if host doesn’t meet me. Or what if I can’t trust them with my belongings.

Airbnb has some pretty nice securities put in place, such as reviews from previous travellers, and that’s good enough for me.

Another thing I liked about the website, is the ease of use – every place comes with the right information, not more. You can get a feeling of the location from the images and what others had to say. It’s a service I meant to use. So I did, this summer.

We had two days to find a host for a weekend trip to Bilbao, Spain, and San Sebastian the next day. It’s the kind of trips we take to find out more about the spirit of Spain, the kind of trips that help me put more of 16 hours/day, 7 days per week work at the company when I must.

Finding the right apartment, booking the right date and paying for it using PayPal was a breeze. The location put on GPS took us right in front of the building. We were greeted by a very nice guy, and the entire experience was amazing. Airbnb was out of the way, and that was really nice. All we had to do is enjoy our weekend.

Thought I should give kudos to their service, it’s the kind of startup I hope Vuzum will get out the door soon, and that I highly recommend.

What usually happens is that you lose focus, and then instead of moving forward as fast as you can, the progress becomes much slower. And it’s not because you don’t love your first idea, it’s because you love all the other ideas that come afterwards as well. So the same energy and enthusiasm is now split between all these little babies.

The good thing is that you don’t let a single idea stop you from thinking big. Most of the succesful companies do more than one thing good, and I think any company should try to pursue this goal. Focus on results, not on individuality. Results matter.

While some might consider them interruptions, we decided to build the best ideas as well – sure, we still filter them before putting any in production. So, while working at Blogvio in our free time, let’s see what else we did.

• we built our mobile division, and launched our first app (several in progress)
• we changed focus from a Flash based company, to a web company – basically we get flash stuff done
• we launched a marketplace, and we’re now working on a complete rebranding and redesign
• we’re wrapping up with our first SAAS start-up (a month’s worth of work to see how we do)
• we’re working on several new ideas, and rethinking Blogvio as well, since the demise of Flash on mobile/web
• we’ve got some cool clients :-)

So all in all, I think if we would have focused on Blogvio, it would have been launched as a Flash based start-up. And that would have killed it, because of the perception of people.

My general idea is that every project has it’s place and time. And it wasn’t Blogvio’s time before 2012. It is now.

This is not the first time it happens to us, and I believe it’s not going to be the last time either.

So the question is this – how can we, internet people, prevent people like Joe to be tricked by fake companies like CO? How can we make companies such as CO loose their reputation, so that they stop existing and make room for good companies?

I thought about this a bit, and I think a reputation based start-up, for freelancers and companies, would prevent this from happening.

It should:

• Be unique – connected to URL, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – so that you can’t simply change it if your bad reputation is following you.
• Allow potential customers to get a type of invite they can use once – if the project ends, or even before it starts.

This is the basic idea. There are many features I have in mind. It’s important for it to be global, so that any company can be listed.

If you are a good company, it will work as a testimonials page, and your good reputation will follow you, getting you more work.

If you are a bad company, well, you won’t get to trick anybody, and as long as potential customers will ask you for such an invite on this website before they work with you, I guess you’ll avoid being bad.

This invite should give your potential customers the power to publicly rate you. And you won’t be able to control this, other than by providing an excellent service, and being fair and honest, as you’re expected to be, from start to finish.

Sure, there should be ways in which bas intended “customers” can be prevented from rating a company bad, simply for bringing a company’s reputation down. This should be the job of third party arbitrators to study and act accordingly, through email and other proof available.

All in all, I think a system like this would work. How would you monetize to make funds to build it?

- get paid by customers that want to see a company’s reputation
- get paid to be listed as a company by a group
- paid arbitrators
- referrals system for highly rated companies ( more work )
- job board, advertising
- so many other ways :-)

I’d like to hear more ideas. Do you think something like this would work? Would it prevent thief? Does such a system exist?