Disqus - Latest Comments for Anshu Sharma

Re: Of frogs and princes

Anshu Sharma — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:59:17 -0000

Dennis,
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. And I learn a lot from you and the gang.

Re: Prosper vs. Zopa: “Streamline” vs. “Rigor”

Anshu Sharma — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 07:43:22 -0000

From my perspective, Prosper is a true blue "Web 2.0 Business". There are many Web 2.0 sites and utilities being built today in the valley and elsewhere. However, there are very few new business models being tried out. Web 1.0 had Ebay, Amazon and other innovative businesses. So far, Prosper is a lead candidate for the Business 2.0. You can read more about this on my blog by clicking on my name.

Re: Dave Duffield’s return, Mobile YouTube, Visto’s bulldog & more

Anshu Sharma — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:22:25 -0000

As I said on my blog "Dear Workday, Citibank called!" --- read on at the blog by clicking the link above.

Re: louisgray.com: Face It: Facebook Needs A Facelift

Anshu Sharma — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:25:16 -0000

I wrote about the same issue in 2007 - the internet is the platform for identity & communications - not a single company.

Re: louisgray.com: You May Not Have 5,000 Facebook Friends, But You're Impacted Anyway

Anshu Sharma — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:04:14 -0000

I think the biggest problem is that Twitter lets you have more friends (as Guy Kawasaki will testify) - making it more suitable for marketers. But if marketers start using other services over Facebook, it looses high profile, well-connected, power users that may influence other's behavior. After all if I have to follow Guy Kawasaki (or Tom Friedman) on Twitter - because Facebook won't let us be friends - I end up using Twitter. (I guess that's why they built the "page" for famous people but its still not the same.)

Re: You’re So Money.

Anshu Sharma — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:52:59 -0000

Jake,
Thanks for the thumbs up.

I can conduct a valuation analysis for your blog (like what the Wall St guys do). I will charge a 0.5% fee which is very nominal. (0.5% of the trillions you will get valued at!)

Anshu

Re: The Foolproof Way of Making at least One 2008 Prediction Come Through

Anshu Sharma — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:04:29 -0000

I am *really* flattered. If only now we could come up with a way to make money on this. Wait, we can. By creating a market for Prediction-backed Securities (kinda like the Mortgage-Backed Securities and CDOs). I am sure Citi's new CEO is looking for 'innovation' to help get out of the current mess. ;)

Re: The Foolproof Way of Making at least One 2008 Prediction Come Through

Anshu Sharma — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:04:29 -0000

Re: Startups: Executive Hiring Challenges or Beware of the Suits

Anshu Sharma — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:21:27 -0000

Zoli, This is a very thought-provoking piece. I would agree with the theme. If you are considering hiring someone with a big company background, I would ask the following:
- What is motivating this person? Is it a quick buck or is she passionate about the technology/product/market?
- What does this person's life tell me? Has he had it easy working for the cash-cow of the big company or has he struggled on the smaller products (startup within an enterprise)? Has he seen products fail?
- Was he hands on? What was the last time he wrote code or even a whitepaper or such? How big was his empire?
- Has he gone out of his way to engage in entrepreneurship?

Yes, the big company culture can make people (especially in executive roles) assume infinite resources but I also believe that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of smart, hungry engineers and managers at large companies that have gained industry insight and are eager to go out in the real-world.

Disclaimer: I am biased. Worked for a Big Database Corp. in the recent past.

Re: Startups: Executive Hiring Challenges or Beware of the Suits

Anshu Sharma — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:21:27 -0000

Re: Help me name my next book?

Anshu Sharma — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:18:03 -0000

Bird Flu Marketing - the idea is that you want your idea to be spread like Bird Flu - fast and wide.

Good Spam. - the idea is to play on people's hate and strong cognition of the word Spam - a great referral is kinda like good spam. Can also be "Good Spam Marketing".

There will be Flood (to steal a line from There will be Blood).

Duct Tape Referrals idea is excellent.

Re: Enterprise Software Foodfight

Anshu Sharma — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:48:00 -0000

You forgot my fiercest punch of the day - "Nick Carr doesn't understand Anything". I think its the most thoughtful piece on this topic. ;)

Re: What you all are missing about Google

Anshu Sharma — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:20:12 -0000

I agree with you that this is less about Google v Microsoft than it seems - or at least its not a direct fight for search and advertising only.

I encourage you to read my post and see if we *bloggers get it* or not before you call us all nuts.

From my view point, Microsoft is going after the new internets - this includes mobile but extends to your car, tv, living room (gaming) and more. These are the new internets and no one has a lock on it yet.

Re: Are Humans Genetically Disposed to Pray to the State?

Anshu Sharma — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 09:31:41 -0000

I see this all the time when I am with friends and family. Someone does not get a promotion and blames the 'company' for not taking care of their career. The fact is that there is NO entity ('the company') there.

Similarly, when I get charged a late fee by a credit card company my immediate reaction is to punish 'them' back by taking my business elsewhere even if it is inconvenient and my experience is unlikely to be any better. Yes, taking my business elsewhere - if 100s/1000s of others do the same, may result in improved behavior but it is very unlikely. However this innate genetic desire to conjure up a 'them' does make me think about moving my business.

This is also true for nationalistic pride we feel when our national team wins a game. "USA defeated Mexico". Or in war. We first imagine a them, then we imagine an us. It then leads us to pay taxes, raise an army and then go kill people.

Anthropomorphization is evil. Irony, anyone?

Re: War's Costs

Anshu Sharma — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 12:55:44 -0000

***Humans are flawed at evaluating long odds!***

*Examples: Lottery, Airline accidents and Military service*

Someone once remarked "Lottery is a tax on the mathematically challenged" and it certainly appears to be true. Similarly, people are way more concerned about death from lightening strikes and airline accidents than reality. But our evolutionary background taught us little on evaluating and perceiving differences between 1 in a million and 1 in a billion odds. Our ability to 'feel' or make sense of odds diminishes further when you add time dimension. So it is not surprising that many people sign up for a job that could potentially harm them or get them killed in the far off future if and when there is a war.

What is the premium for a similar job in the army vs. civilian sector? Is their a formula for calculating this risk premium? From market data, it appears to be in 5-20K per annum range.

Don is correct that volunteer army is not the problem but we need a mechanism that helps decision makers understand (or feel) and evaluate the cost element of a war.

In the airline industry, business leaders are forced to quantify their risks and losses due to money they have to pay to people that die in accidents plus litigation costs. This is markedly different than the army scenario where even though hiring takes place through 'free market', there is no corrective mechanisms in place to take increased risks into account when an intellectually challenged President decides to go to war on flimsy premises and without planning the post-war scenario. How is this different from an airline CEO deciding to fly an airplane without building a landing strip? In a free market the airline would be sued and CEO fired. What about the President?

So, the free market argument is not completely accurate in this scenario.

Re: Don't Be Sari

Anshu Sharma — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:26:01 -0000

Candle makers in USA are out of jobs too. Let's get rid of electricity. Some of this stuff is so self-evidently ridiculous that its hard to even argue with a straight face. My niece growing up in India today has 100 times more opportunities than my Dad or I ever had. If anything, Indians want more progress, better homes, more automobiles, more air conditioners, faster and cheaper. We can always set up a small park to teach future generations how Saris used to take 15 days of manual labor and cost 3 months salary.

Those who want the old India can always travel to some of our states (in India) that are lagging in progress with starving farmers, etc.

Re: Looking Forward to 2008

Anshu Sharma — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:53:30 -0000

Nishant - Thanks for the kind words. How about more progress in Identity as a Service (on-demand) and Security as a Service? I am also looking forward to seeing reputation systems become more viable and integrated with identity systems.
Keep on blogging!