Disqus - Latest Comments for jennaclaw

Re: For People Who Can't Travel to Miami

jennaclaw — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:44:18 -0000

Thanks for all these comments. It looks like we will give everyone the opportunity to prepare a micro-pitch. You will be asked to describe your idea in 65 words or less and we will put all the descriptions on a slide that we will show to everyone at the conference. If someone is interested in your idea, we will give them your contact information. How does this sound?

Re: For People Who Can't Travel to Miami

jennaclaw — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:44:19 -0000

Kristen - I like your ideas.

We will definitely be able to put together a database or spread sheet that includes all of the ideas and can be sorted or searched.

When you mention a pitch, are you thinking about something written or something using video like a YouTube video?

Re: Finalists Are Being Notified

jennaclaw — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:39:12 -0000

I hope you received the email and have seen the list of finalists on the blog. We are now working to upload these lists onto the website itself.

Re: Finalists Are Being Notified

jennaclaw — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:38:31 -0000

Hi Brendon -

This is Jenna from Changemakers. I am extremely apologetic for our continued issues with your entry. I have followed up with our webmaster and we are trying to fix the issue. I know that this doesn't help but I do want you to know that we are working on it. But I also encourage anyone else out there who is still having difficulties to let me know. Thanks!

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - Okay, so this video is a little silly. But it...

jennaclaw — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:36:44 -0000

Great comment Michael. And congratulations on being selected as a Finalist!

I also really like this method of communication. There is already too much jargon and complicated language out there, especially when it comes to media and technology. Everyone understands ice cream. And now everyone can understand social media.

Re: Finalists Are Being Notified

jennaclaw — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:20:31 -0000

Thanks Bjoern-
This is Jenna from Changemakers. Thanks for your suggestion. We will be sure to put the Finalists on both sites once we have confirmed with them. I am hoping that we will be able to do this in the next day or so. I know that everyone wants to know.

Re: Update on the Deadline

jennaclaw — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:59:47 -0000

Thanks for your message. I have just sent you an email so we can get the right information from you. Sorry for all the difficulty.

Re: Update on the Deadline

jennaclaw — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:26:08 -0000

No worries about the disappearing entries. This is simply tech issues. All of the entries have been handed over to We Media. I double-checked on yours Susan . Everything looks good.

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - We all have big dreams for our new ventures. But the successful entrepreneurs figure out how to focus. Read more...

jennaclaw — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:22:45 -0000

Helene -
You raise some excellent points in this response. I agree that we need to take big risks to address the world's biggest problems. I also agree that we have too many small and fragmented efforts out there. The end result is that there is a great deal of duplication and redundancy. However, I don't think that this is simply because the world is more comfortable with small projects. It is just that it seems nearly impossible to scale non-profits, NGOs, and social enterprises. Yes, there are a few examples out there. But the vast majority seem to get stuck as small.
It will be interesting to see what happens with this challenge. The $25K may be enough to get the winner off the ground. But the harder part may be growing and scaling.

Re: Thanks for your patience

jennaclaw — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:15:25 -0000

Thanks Joan. I really appreciate everyone's patience - it was stressful all the way around.

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - We are just over a month away from the beginning...

jennaclaw — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:14:33 -0000

Thanks for your comment Elizabeth. I know that We Media is excited by the number of international entrants and they realize that they will have to figure out the logistics once they have selected finalists.

Re: Update on Analytics: The Sources of Our Traffic

jennaclaw — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:24 -0000

Thanks for the question Paula. The bounce rate this week for The Power of Us Main Page was 40.4%. The bounce rate for the main entry page was 35.74%. As you probably know, these are really good rates. And they are significantly lower than the general bounce rate for Changemakers. Any more questions?

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - I like newspapers, a lot. I subscribe to two...

jennaclaw — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:40:10 -0000

This is really interesting. I agree that paper media as we know it is
dying. But I still think that there is a niche space for paper media. For
me, the experience of reading something on paper is different from reading
something online. This is why I still subscribe to magazines. There is
also an element of nostalgia and deeper meaning involved. Think about the
greeting card industry. Even though you can get limitless free e-cards,
people still send paper cards. They just have more meaning. For me,
sitting at home, reading something on paper (magazine or newspaper) and
drinking coffee is an experience that I still treasure.

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - Quick Tips on Preparing Your Pitch

jennaclaw — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:30:27 -0000

Michael-

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I agree with you in that people should not overly focus on the 30 second pitch. I also agree that picking the people that you want to work with, including investors, is one of the most important tasks that an entrepreneur faces.

That said, as the costs of launching an idea get lower and lower, there are going to be that many more ideas out there. It is important that entrepreneurs figure out the story and message that will stick and stick out.

Re: The Power of Us: The $50K Media & Tech Challenge - This is Jay Aldous. He will be one of the judges...

jennaclaw — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:24:23 -0000

Jessica -

Thanks for your comment. Please note that I am unsure whether Jay will be reading this blog. But he will be reviewing many of entries in the challenge, including all of the finalists. Hopefully, you will be selected as finalist and then you can pitch him on your idea for a partnership.

Jay will also be in attendance at the We Media conference in Miami, February 24-26, 2009. For more on the conference, check out http://wemedia.com/miami/

-Jenna from Changemakers