Vishal Persaud

As we near the conclusion of my Web 2.0 memoir, we're now in the second half of 2011...and it's tough times for ReadWriteWeb. I worry about my relationship with Marshall, as I try to manage ructions within the writing team. It goes from bad to worse when several of our writers get poached by tech blog competitors. https://lnkd.in/eSXQbD2W #InternetHistory #Web20

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This is important for #communications pros and our subject matter experts to remember. An interview is a conversation not a rote question asked, prepared answer given. Using talking points rather than scripted answers is more effective for a SME and makes for a better interview. Unfortunately that path isn’t taken as often as it should be.

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Company Culture: baked in; not an afterthought When I founded Bizblip, one of my primary goals was to create a decentralized, virtual newsroom. This vision, born from my experiences in traditional media and early forays into digital journalism, has shaped our company culture from day one. Today, our team includes two remote employees in other countries and a local contractor. This distributed structure demands a culture built on clear communication, independence, and accountability. Our team members must be adept at reporting results, flagging problems, and seeking help when needed. Building this culture hasn't been without challenges. As I learned during my time at LocalBusiness.com, technology can sometimes be a hindrance rather than a help. However, with modern collaboration tools and reliable payment processing systems, we've been able to create a seamless virtual work environment. Our company culture emphasizes trust, flexibility, and results-oriented work. We've found that this approach not only increases productivity but also enhances job satisfaction and work-life balance for our team members. A crucial aspect of our culture is our commitment to journalistic integrity and accountability. To this end, we've taken the extraordinary step of contracting with an outside journalist and businessperson to serve as our ombudsman. This individual has the authority to override my editorial decisions in response to public complaints about any Bizblip news content. This safeguard protects the integrity of our news and information, even from actions at the highest level of the editorial decision-making process, while also ensuring we remain accountable to the public we serve. As we scale, maintaining this culture of transparency, integrity, and independence will be crucial. It's not just about having a distributed team, but about fostering an environment where everyone feels connected to our mission and empowered to contribute their best work, regardless of their location. In the end, our company culture is our competitive advantage. It allows us to attract top talent globally, adapt quickly to market changes, and deliver high-quality, niche news content to our audience, all while upholding the highest standards of journalistic ethics and public trust.

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I spent some time this weekend experimenting with Anthropic's newly released Claude 3.5 sonnet, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. To be honest, I've been considering giving up my Claude subscription in recent weeks, and I'm glad I didn't. Here are a few things I liked: ☑ EXCELLENT writing skills, probably the best out there for an LLM, based on my experience ☑ Finally, Claude has 'vision' capabilities (it can see and transcribe text even from low-quality images) ☑ Exceptional reasoning, skills, and what seems to be a very solid knowledge base ☑ It is lightning-fast, and its responses seem to show an excellent grasp of language nuances, along with a bit of personality and a sense of humour! ☑VERY good at processing complex multi-step prompts 'Mid' but with potential: Anthropic also introduced Artifacts, which lets you see what's being generated in a window beside your prompt. Unfortunately, it's still limited for a few things I was trying out, but I love the concept of a collaborative work environment, and it will get better and more user-friendly soon. Highly encourage you to give this latest version a try - the best way to learn how to use AI tools and what they are good at is to spend some time! https://lnkd.in/gvuVZPPK #Anthropic #AI #Claude #Sonnet

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You’ve gotta hand it to Zuckerberg: he’s never afraid to place big bets. This one might be the riskiest yet. Meta is officially pulling the plug on fact-checking for Facebook and Instagram. No filters, no warnings, just unregulated content flowing freely across billions of feeds. Supporters are already applauding this as a win for free speech. But let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: what happens when misinformation spreads unchecked? We’ve seen the damage false narratives can do: eroding trust, fueling division, even endangering lives. Fact-checking wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Without it, we’re left to navigate a content landscape where half-truths and outright lies can thrive. And yet, maybe this is Zuckerberg’s boldest experiment yet: a digital Wild West where users take full responsibility for what they believe and share. It’s an idealistic view, but is it realistic? This move raises bigger questions: Should platforms decide what’s true? Or is it up to us to figure it out? One thing’s for sur; this will test the limits of free speech and social responsibility like never before. What’s your take: bold leadership or reckless gamble?

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🚨 The former CFO of Dropbox, Sujay Jaswa oversees the investment and operating activities as a founding partner at WndrCo, alongside media vet Jeffrey Katzenberg. He joins us for VC Wednesdays.🚨 🖋️  You recently closed a $460 million VC fund. Where are you looking to deploy that? Everything we do is around the idea of the future of work and helping people optimize how they get work done. That’s why we're investors in companies like Airtable, Figma, Databricks, Deel, 1Password and others. That won’t change, but now, you'll see us really focus on the applications of AI that will meaningfully disrupt how work gets done, like in finance, HR and customer support. 🖋️  Why should founders work with WndrCo? One thing that we do that's different is starting one to two companies a year in areas that we think have the potential to yield big returns. So, when we talk to entrepreneurs, our operating experience stays current, and that angle on venture is fairly unique. The second is that each partner at WndrCo has built something, so we have the empathy that comes from that experience. Third, we do only five to seven deals a year, versus bigger firms that do hundreds. Because we have a smaller portfolio, entrepreneurs can get a hold of literally every partner within a couple of hours, 365 days a year. 🖋️ Which startup pitch sticks out the most in your memory over others and why? My favorite is one that’s not a household name yet, even though the business is absolutely on fire. It’s Aura, an all-in-one product to protect you and your family online. The idea is that unlike the physical world, you have no idea what your kids are doing on their phones and devices. Aura gives parents the tools to navigate raising a kid in our mobile-first and digital-first world. When the founder, Hari Ravichandran, walked me through how he would take it to market, it was love at first sight. He's an extraordinary entrepreneur and the best go-to-market person I've ever met when it comes to consumer products. 🖋️ What’s one investment you regret passing on and why? At the end of the day, this whole business is built on being part of monster companies as early as possible. One of the best enterprise companies of the last decade is Databricks. The founder and CEO, Ali Ghodsi, is a very good friend of mine, and for whatever reason, it never occurred to me in the early years to twist his arm to try and let him take our money. We invested in Databricks later than I’d have liked to. 🖋️  What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned working with Jeffrey Katzenberg? The biggest thing I've learned is that you can't be him, and it’s impossible to keep up with him. He's relentless, and I have never met someone who works harder than him. If he says he's going to do something, no matter how hard, if it's within his capabilities, he'll do it. He's a doer, and he just gets stuff done. I admire that so tremendously. #VCWednesdays #vc #venturecapital #startups #TechonLinkedIn

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Taking stock of Tempus on its first day of trading: What it means to the company and other Chicago tech startups, and how its debut performance compares to other local IPOs. https://lnkd.in/gMjn95-V

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A 5-minute litmus test to determine your company or protocol's North Star messaging. Ask your co-founders, CTO, CMO, etc. to dash off a three-sentence explanation of “what we do as a business what we hope to accomplish.” Ask them to give it no more than 1 minute of thought. Then, compare. The difference in answers might shock you. 

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My own tool turned against me 💀 Okay, not really. It just reminded me that writing for my own ear doesn't mean that others will have a positive experience with my copy. Like the Flowpoint team pointed out today, "good writing is easy for everyone to understand." You can test the reading comprehension level of your own writing using our newest free tool: https://lnkd.in/ead687S4

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My early takeaway from PRSA Oregon #CommCon2024 is that the public is facing a real trust issue when it comes to innovations like AI and other emerging tech (and in general). Which raises the question: how do we address the trust crisis in a way that is both authentic and effective? #communications #publicrelations

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New: Exclusive VC stakes and estimated returns on next year's IPO candidates, from Klarna to Chime (plus some like Databricks and Figma that may wait.) The TLDR: it helps to invest early. https://lnkd.in/gv9mNhGJ Via Natasha Mascarenhas with an assist from Cory Weinberg Sri Muppidi Anita Ramaswamy

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Things that no longer matter or add value to your startup: • Product Hunt Product of the Day Getting featured is just a popularity contest. You’re expected to rally your circle to upvote your product, and if your network is big enough (or you pay a high-karma PH user), you’ll make it onto the list. • Announcements on Morningstar.com or Yahoo Business These are just republished press releases from BusinessWire, where you pay for distribution. What to focus on instead: • Engage in industry-specific events and communities. • Build real relationships with journalists. • Invest in genuine content marketing that adds value to your audience.

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Looking for a great read that explains the interconnections between emerging technologies? Sick of lazy tech writers who ask which technologies will "win" without understanding that they're all connected? Want deep dives into the future of work and VR; how to think like an AI native; and the future of experiences and mobility, among many other topics? Check out the Fast Future Blur, a collection of collaborative essays written by the faculty of the The Fast Future Executive! Available now wherever books are sold. https://lnkd.in/e2YsEa2T

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Great #AI insights from Das & N2 Communications’ AI team on why human creatives are essential “to turn technological capabilities into real-world value.”

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Are you an AI company? Are you based in the SF/Bay Area? If so, why haven't you met with this editor at the Financial Times for ☕️? [see below] Do you want help with that intro? I got you. I deigned a PR program exclusively for AI companies called Amp-AI [see link below in comments]. Make sure you get to know your journalists in **advance** of your news so you've developed a relationship and they have some background on your story!

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INTERVIEWS OF 2024 SXSW PITCH WINNERS: Dhavel Patel of Lotus Every March in Austin, 50 of the world's most impactful startups showcase their talents at SXSW Pitch. Today we begin a series of short interviews with some of the category winners from the 2024 event. Founder and CEO Dhaval Patel has been growing Lotus for three years. At this year's SXSW Pitch, his San Jose based startup emerged as the winner of the "Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability" category. Patel's short answers to our questions are below. SXSW: What is Lotus?  Patel: A wearable ring that controls objects at home by pointing. See https://www.getlotus.com/ SXSW: What community does Lotus serve? Patel: Folks with limited mobility -- older adults, veteran soldiers, people with disabilities.  SXSW: Who is your all-time favorite entrepreneur? Patel: Warren Buffett. SXSW: Best startup-related advice you have received? Patel: Don't start building first, find the need first. SXSW: Current entrepreneurial trend that excites you the most? Patel: Desire for tech that is intuitive and simple. SXSW: Fail fast or perseverance? Patel: Persevere in failing fast repeatedly. SXSW: Favorite VC? Patel: Andreessen Horowitz. SXSW: Favorite gadget or device? Patel: Apple AirPods. SXSW: Government can best support startups by Patel: Moving faster. SXSW: Most over-hyped technology at present? Patel: AI. SXSW: Most under-hyped technology at present? Patel: Consumer hardware. SXSW: What did you enjoy most about your experience at SXSW? Patel: The people -- each person wanting to make the world a better place. SXSW: What is your best trait as an entrepreneur? Patel: Simplifying complex problems. SXSW: What is your best advice for other startups? Patel: Focus (say "no" to more). Learn more about Dhaval Patel of Lotus plus other 2024 SXSW Pitch winners by listening to the audio of their session at this year's event. See https://lnkd.in/gHtwQB8n Applications for SXSW Pitch 2025 will open in late summer. See https://lnkd.in/gE2hcVPK #sxsw, #sxsw2024, #startups, #founders, Chris Valentine, Dhaval Patel, SXSW, #venturecapital, #entrepreneur, #entrepreneurs, #startup, #founderstories, #sxswpitch, Lotus (Techstars'23), #techstars, #Austin, #ATX, #creativity, #innovation, #hardware, #consumerhardware, #pitch, #accessibility,

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I've been writing news articles in essentially the same style for about 30 years. My work has appeared online since 2001. Thousands of publicly available, easily scanned, examples of my writing are out there ripe for harvesting by A.I. operations to train their large language models. Now, I'm not saying that these organizations should be paying me (most of this was work for hire so I don't own the writing anyway) but it is creating a significant problem for me now as a freelance writer. You see, many places now accepting freelance work have a strict "No A.I." policy and use various A.I. detectors to enforce it. The problem for me is that since A.I. has learned from my example, my work now flags as A.I.-generated. A piece I wrote for a "lad mag" back in 2006 was estimated to be 65% A.I.-generated. A city council story from a local newspaper in 2003 was almost 60% A.I.-generated according to the detector. Any other writers running into issues like this? How are you dealing with it? (A.I. generated image used for irony)

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Had a great conversation with Jacquelyn Miller and Christina Farr on the ins and outs of the direct communication method for startups. They had lots of great advice, which you can check out at the blog. My big takeaway, personally, is that there's truly no substitute for authentic expertise: Founders eat, breathe, and sleep their startup's market, giving them the kind of nuanced, insightful perspective that nobody else can provide. You don't need to be a professional writer or a seasoned on-camera personality to shine; you just have to give your real thoughts on the topic.

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