Peter Thiel is the former cofounder of PayPal and a current VC. His high-profile endeavors have been extremely polarizing. In this short, 3 minute video, Thiel shares some great advice.
Do something uniquely well. Create value. Solve problems. Success is possible.
What do you do uniquely well? Tweet me @APompliano with your answer!
Beauty is everywhere. Many of us never take the time to realize the simple, amazing things that surround us. The things we take for granted are always missed greatly once they’re gone.
Sean Maroni, a good friend, recently sent me this video from The Moth – a storytelling event co-sponsored by the World Science Festival:
My support of wounded warriors is no secret. The detail of Dr. Kodi Azari’s storytelling intrigues me. He is able to describe the intricacies of the hand that illustrate purity and usefulness. It takes a special person to dream of one day doing hand transplants. It takes an even more dedicated individual to actually pull it off.
We need more people like Dr. Azari in this world. Not only would it be a better place, but the beauty of life would be obvious to so many more. Be thankful today for the things you normally take for granted. If so inclined, take it a step further and ask yourself “What will be my contribution to the betterment of the human race?”
I’d love for you to share your ideas and thoughts by tweeting me @APompliano.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve intentionally checked-in with at least 1 young entrepreneur daily. My goal has been to get an update from them, offer any help, and gauge their “kill or be killed” attitude. I’ve been extremely impressed.
By focusing on this feeling of giving, I naturally came across numerous other opportunities. Each one is fulfilled as possible. After providing an introduction for an entrepreneur to the organizer of a local networking event, I received an awesome email. While only 2 lines, it spoke volumes to me.
Here it is:
Thank you so much for all your help and the introductions. You have been a major help to me and my business; you have an open invitation for lunch on me anytime.
My response to this entrepreneur was that lunch wasn’t necessary. I just asked him to pay it forward. Find someone who could use a helping hand and provide it. Whether through mentorship, introductions, or just a sounding board. We all need a boost every now and then.
I don’t share this to blow my own horn or am I looking for a pat on the back. My wish is that more entrepreneurs begin paying it forward. Our communities, companies, and lives will be better for it. Nobody is as strong alone, as we are together.
Side note – He may have gotten me with the lunch if he offered pretzels from the mall 
Most people are oblivious to the emerging war being fought. This war isn’t in Iraq or Afghanistan. This war involves no guns. No tanks. No boots on the ground. The modern day war is being fought on the digital landscape.
In the last 7 days, numerous organizations and companies have had their Twitter accounts hacked. From @60minutes and @48hours to @AP, these entities are defenseless. Almost always, the attack is done for some sort of self-serving purpose. The 60 minutes account was hacked and began tweeting messages about the Syrian Electronic Army. The SEA, as they are known, also happens to be the organization that claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, the world got a glimpse of the vulnerabilities on the social frontier. The SEA hacked into the Associated Press’ account and tweeted a simple message:
Credit to Twitter
That’s right, there was no self-promotion. The hackers issued a false news report that immediately drew international attention on Twitter. Within minutes, word spread that the AP account had been hacked and the report was false. Crisis averted right?! The impact was large enough for the White House Press Secretary to comment that the President was “fine.”
Here is where things get very interesting. In the minutes immediately following the bogus tweet, check out what happened to the DOW:
Credit to Twitter
Within 1 minute, the DOW dropped over 100 points. In 2 minutes, it dropped nearly 150 points. Eventually, the market would recover the loses but the opportunity/vulnerability had already been highlighted. Want to hurt the finanicial health of the US? Tweet a bogus news report and sit back to watch the entertainment. It will be shocking if more attacks don’t occur.
So these social account attacks can be embarrassing but are they actually harmful? Yes. More harmful than most individuals are willing to acknowledge. Twitter is a platform where individuals go for trusted information on an organization. If a company tweets something, there is hell to pay if it is incorrect. Financial traders are paying attention. The public is paying attention. Shit, even employers are paying attention.
Within the next 18-24 months, Twitter accounts will become one of the most valuable assets on a company’s books. Remember I said that. Let me repeat it – Twitter accounts will become one of the most valuable assets on a company’s books. Engrain it in your head.
Not only is there risk potential, but more and more companies will begin to monetize their following. Why can’t Pepsi or Wrangler get “sponsors” to pay them to tweet marketing messages? Competitive products are out of the question obviously. What about complimentary ones? If North Face knew that a majority of their customers wore Wrangler jeans, why wouldn’t they be willing to run a promotion through the Wrangler Twitter account? The answer is that in the near future they will be.
With this new revenue source, companies will spend additional time building up their social following. The larger and more engaged the audience, the more valuable the account is. All of a sudden, companies won’t be looking at Twitter accounts as “that social media thing”, but instead as a valuable asset that must be protected at all costs. Welcome to the age of social warfare. Prepare yourself…
What do you think about the potential value a company may place on their own social assets? Do you tend to see security risks, possible revenue streams, or a lot of hype that will never come to fruition? Comment below or tweet me at @APompliano.
Not much needs to be said. Share your thoughts in the comments on whether you agree or disagree!
On February 12th, hundreds of like-minded individuals packed into the Bohemian National Hall in New York City to talk sports and technology. The day was dominated by speaker panels, rapid fire presentations, and a startup pitch contest. Speakers included big names like Bob Bowman (MLB Advanced Media), Tiki Barber (Former NFL player) and Sean Avery (Former NHL Player).
The sports business industry is a small, tight-knit community. Most people know each other and share common interests/values. With that being said, by watching the crowd, it was hard to tell if there was a conference going on or just old friends getting together to catch up. My kind of place!
This sounds better than most conferences already, huh? OnDeck wasn’t done yet. The amount of knowledge and best practices that was shared during the event was simply amazing. Topics like in-stadium connectivity, social media, fan experiences, and companion apps were the hot issues.
There are numerous innovative companies attacking many aspects of the sports industry. Over the next few days I will share some of them. The OnDeck Conference was chalk-full of information and excited me about the ever-changing improvements to the sporting event experience. Stay tuned because your grandfather’s game is a thing of the past!
It amazes me how many people tell me daily that they don’t know something. There are even more people who tell me that they don’t have certain skill sets. While I commend them on their honesty, I want to smack them upside the head.
Free access to information around the world.
Anyone over the age of 6 knows about Google and other search engines. If you don’t know something – Google it. If you don’t have a skill set – Google it. If you can’t find a specific resource – Google it. This one website (and it’s competitors) have revolutionized the way that we interact with information. You can explore the world from your living room.
Free access to information is changing the world. Those that learn to harness the “power of search” will reap the rewards. Those that ignore the paradigm shift are already being left behind. Forget formal education, forget your parent’s advice, stop the damn madness and go Google it!
Look around a coffee shop. Watch people drive. Go to the mall. All of these things have something in common – “Social” now means sitting behind a piece of technology to interact with each other. What happened to the days of meeting up in person with friends? Remember childhood play dates? They don’t have to be a thing of the past anymore.
Offline Media is a Durham, NC company that is changing the way we interact with each other. They have created a platform that leverages technology to organize people meeting in real life. Yes, I said real life. The life we all lead on “social networks” is as fake as Donald Trump’s hair!
So your next question is “But wait, what about Meetup and other services?” Yeah, they exist. They are great for their intended purpose, but here’s the main reason I am a loyal user of Offline – I hate the stuffy, traditional get-togethers and am ready to have some fun. Nobody said you can’t have fun networking, doing business, or meeting new people.
Offline allows individuals to create events, invite friends or strangers, and get together to do cool things. Recently, Offline users have went on bike rides, had a pumpkin carving party, and drank alcohol on a Trolley Pub as they pedaled around Raleigh. Sounds like you should get off those grandpa services and jump Offline, huh?
They only have 132 spots left for initial membership (It’s free!) after recently announcing their public launch. You snooze, you lose. Don’t get left in the dust by the people who are Offline having fun!
Lately I have been so busy starting a company and spending time on TripreneurTV.com that I haven’t written in awhile. An experience I had yesterday is worth sharing. All morning I spent training two older gentlemen (over the age of 60) on how to use Twitter. These guys came in and were reluctant at first to say the least.
One man told me that he had a cell phone for talking but “none of that texting or email stuff.” The other had a Twitter account from two years ago and it had two tweets posted (Someone else made it for him I think but not sure). Either way, they quickly overcame the hesitancy and began to learn.
As we progressed, I realized something important. These guys were fascinated with technology and the digital world. By the end of the morning, they both were excited about Twitter, following each other, and “making new friends on the computer.” This made me realize that technology doesn’t discriminate on age, sex, or creed. Seeing these men light up at the thought of their new knowledge was extremely rewarding.
I wish we could empower more people in our oldest generations. As a country we spend so much time thinking about our children (I am guilty as well) that we forget about our elders. I need to spend more time focused on educating them as well. They deserve the benefits of innovation just as much as the rest of us!
I would love to hear any suggestions on how I can reach out to this generation. Leave a comment below or tweet me @APompliano with ideas!
Amazing interview. Apple is in good hands. Sit back and enjoy!
