Valleywag: Poll

Finding the worst-entry level job in tech: Round Two

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:00:00 PDT

We're on to Round Two in our worst-tech-job contest. We've whittled down 10 terrible gigs down to five:

Follow the link for each job to see a picture of their locations, a list of key responsibilities, first hand accounts of why each job is so bad and how much they pay. Then, come back here and vote, below.

(Photo of Arrington and Scoble by Brian Caldwell)

Pick your career poison: temporary Google database admin vs. IODA intern

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:40:00 PDT

The last matchup in this round of our worst-job tournament: temporary database administrator for Google, contracted through WorkforceLogic, vs. content acquisition intern, IODA. Given the compensation disparity between these jobs — IODA doesn't pay its interns, while WorkforceLogic reportedly pay database admins as much as $70,000 — it seems like a no-brainer. Remember, though, just because WorkforceLogic will deploy you to the Googleplex, that doesn't mean you'll ever be a real Googler. Not to the Stanford and Harvard grads munching on their Bacon Krispy Kreme burgers. At least at IODA, you'll deserve the scorn heaped on you by the paid wage slaves. Pick the worse fate, below.

Some Facebook employees consider themselves so underpaid that they resort to cheating the company, but by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, readers think it's better to work there than MySpace, according to our last matchup.

Yahoo proxy ballots are out; early results are here

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:00:00 PDT

Enough with the letters. It's time to vote. On Monday, Yahoo mailed out ballots for its upcoming board election, for which corporate raider Carl Icahn has proposed an alternative slate — one that will do his bidding and attempt to resuscitate merger talks with Microsoft. Yahoo also said it plans to spend $12 million campaigning for its board. Anyone who has owned Yahoo shares since before June 3 is eligible to vote online, via toll-free number or by snail mail. Yahoo will announce the results on August 1 at its annual shareholder meeting. By why wait till then? Review the pros and cons for each side and then vote your Valleywag proxy below.

Those voting for Icahn's slate should be aware that:

Icahn is after a quick buck. He has no real Internet vision.
Icahn wants to sack Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang.
Icahn doesn't have public assurance that Microsoft even wants a merger still.
Icahn has his own 30 percent of the company. So maybe they don't need your help, anyway.
Icahn probably does have private assurances that if it can get the dirty work done, Microsoft will buy Yahoo, but shareholders probably won't see the original 62 percent premium.

Those voting for Yahoo's current slate need to remember that:

Their poor management and oversight got Yahoo into this problem in the first place.
These mokes keep high-fiving Jerry Yang in CEO role, for now.
They support management's plan to be a "must buy" for advertisers. Unless advertisers want to buy from Google.

(Photos by AP/ Mark Lennihan and Paul Sakuma)

Pick your career poison: Facebook user operations analyst vs. MySpace customer support specialist

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:40:00 PDT

He won't sell, but can Mark Zuckerberg successfully carry Facebook through to an IPO? That's what the latest matchup in our tournament to find tech's worst entry-level job comes down to. Otherwise, the key responsibilities for Facebook's user operations analysts and MySpace customer support specialists are very similar. Even the pay is roughly the same. A tipster tells us Facebook pays its customer service reps $34,500 per year — though that number might be higher now that Facebook stopped handing $600/mo. housing subsidies. Readers figure MySpace pays $37,000. So what's it going to be? The slightly lower-paying job at the risky startup with higher upside or a gig at News Corp.'s shiniest Web toy? Vote in our poll below.

In our last match, 70 percent of you said you'd prefer to assist Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore in all his needs than assemble linkdumps for Jason Calacanis as a Mahalo part-time guide.

Pick your career poison: Part-time Mahalo guide vs. Pete Cashmore's personal assistant

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:20:00 PDT

The class of 2008 has already begun to realize the tragedy of actually having to work for a living. Cheer up, kiddos; it could be worse. You could be employed, part-time, cutting and pasting Google search results for Jason Calacanis's Mahalo. Or you could serve as Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore's personal assistant — the entry-level gigs facing off in our third matchup to determine the worst job in tech. Vote below.

When we wrote up our list of tech's 10 worst entry-level jobs, we figured Cashmore will pay his assistant around $55,000 per year. But since, we've learned that number is well high of the mark. Readers figured Cashmore will pay $51,000 per year. We've heard Mahalo pays guides between $30,000 and $35,000 per year, but commenters on our original post told us we got it wrong. Wrote Richeem:

Figuring Mahalo's current pricing for the average page, wait time for acceptance, and any other factors a "good" ptg would be lucky to make $50/day. I highly doubt they are accepting more than 5 pages per day per ptg! Specially given the fact they have 120+ pages pending review.

Readers later guessed $32,000 per year.

In our last matchup, working as a Microsoft Windows support professional handily trounced the Yahoo finance internship in our last matchup, 59 percent to 41 percent.

Pick your career poison: Microsoft customer support vs. Yahoo finance intern

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:20:00 PDT

Its time for the second match in our single-elimination tournament to find the worst entry-level job in tech. In our first poll, the drudgery of working as a Google online sales and operations manager narrowly edged out the perils of being an Amazon.com support engineer, 53 percent to 47 percent. Today's contest: Getting paid by Microsoft to take angry calls from Vista users all day, vs. fetching coffee in Yahoo's finance operations. Making the contest even harder: If Carl Icahn has his way, both might soon find their paychecks signed by Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell. Vote below.

We estimated Microsoft pays its Windows support professionals $40,000 a year and readers guessed $38,000, but commenter nosaturn1 wrote of our estimate, "pay was alot better than that when i was an entry back in 2000. better by a whole lot more." We figured Yahoo pays its interns about $12/hour or $21,000 per year. Readers figured its a little higher — more like $25,000.

Check out the key responsibilities and read first-hand accounts of both the Yahoo and Microsoft jobs, and then come back here to vote.

Pick your career poison: Google online sales and operations manager vs. Amazon.com support engineer

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:00 PDT

We picked the ten worst entry-level jobs in tech. Now, in a single-elimination tournament, we're going to let you choose which gig is truly the worst. Round one begins with Amazon.com support engineers versus Google online sales and operations account managers. We'll let your fellow readers advise you before you choose:

Some commenters couldn't believe we included the Google job on our list. Wrote one particularly unsympatethic commenter, Elaine Chow:

WAAAH I WORK FOR GOOGLE BUT I'M ONLY A CSR PERSON BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THE DUMB ONES THAT COULDN'T GET A MORE 'CREATIVE' JOB WAAAH!

But another commenter, claiming to be a Google employee, explained exactly why we put the job on our list:

I'm [a Google customer service rep] and there's no opportunity for job growth. All you do all day long is customer service. In the beginning, the free food and perks prevented me from killing myself.
but now, the novelty of the cool perks is gone, and i'm left with the dismal realizationthat my job sucks. So yeah, WAHHHH I WORK AT GOOGLE AND ITS LIKE EVERY OTHER MIND NUMBING JOB OUT THERE. Plus, all the managers suck. I think more people complain about the fresh out of B-school managers — who all want to be all stars when really their only job is to make sure we're answering emails — than anything else.

No commenters defended the Amazon job. In fact, most echoed Dangster, who wrote:

These aren't valid reasons why this particular jobs sucks. I have a friend who works as a support engineer at Amazon, and his job sucks because he has to work nights, weekends, and holidays, in addition to his normal 40hr/week schedule.

Added another commenter, Edgewise: "As for the description, it doesn't quite evoke the drudgery."

We hear Google customer service reps get paid between $45,000 and $65,000. Readers guessed $57,000. As for the Amazon job, we guessed it paid $80,000; readers guessed $70,000, but a former employee who commented on the story said no one working as a support engineer at Amazon gets paid more than $60,000.

Check out both the Google and Amazon jobs, then come back here and let us know in the poll below: Which is the worse entry-level job in tech?

Guess how much tech's 10 worst jobs pay

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:00:00 PDT

To come up with the estimated pay for tech's 10 worst entry-level jobs we spoke to former and current employees, HR reps and friends of friends working these jobs. But still, some of our commenters expressed disbelief over the salary estimates. "80 grand for an entry level job? Time to apply and kick those whiney losers out! Let's see how they feel about their new job bagging groceries at the Safeway," wrote mwbeeler. Loakim said:

Boo fucking hoo. I clicked through about 4 of those and if they are representative, then getting paid 60-70K right out of college at an "entry" level job is nothing to complain about, regardless of the "tough" working conditions (ceiling too low? CSR work? no windows? cubicle? oh the torture!!). I spent half my life to get a Ph.D. and will barely be making that as an asst professor at a major research university.

We like our estimates, but we're willing to bow to the wisdom of the crowd, or the madness thereof. Save for IODA's unpaid internship — no point in guessing there — we've created a poll for each job. Take your best guess.

By the way, if you actually work one of these jobs, create an anonymous Gmail account — or Yahoo Mail, if it's the Google job — and tell us the real number.

Review the job's key responsibilities, first-hand accounts, and how much we estimated it pays.
Is this your job? Let us know how much it actually pays.

(Photo by eston)

What should Max Levchin do with his forgotten $100,000?

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:20:00 PDT

Before PayPal and Slide founder Max Levchin moved from Illinois to Palo Alto in 1998, he'd started three companies and sold the last for $100,000 — not a tiny amount of money, especially for a young entrepreneur. But after selling PayPal to eBay for $1.54 billion, these days Levchin is worth around $100 million. Six figures no longer merit that much of his attention. It's such a paltry amount that in Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good, Sarah Lacy reports Levchin actually forgot about the money until 2006. "In just four years," Lacy writes, "$100,000 would go from being unfathomable riches to pocket change." Levchin is no longer interested in the purchasing power of money, but we are. So let the young multi-millionaire know how he should spend that $100,000 in "pocket change" in our poll.

Tech's worst workspace: Mozilla

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:20:00 PDT

What's so bad about Mozilla's Toronto workspace? Besides the fluorescent lighting, the colorless white walls and the folding tables, the worst thing about Mozilla's Toronto workspace is how we're sure management would improve it. With corporate graffiti, company logos and too many colors. That was management's trick at Facebook and look where readers ranked it in our poll on tech's ten worst workspaces — as tech's second-worst workspace, just after Mozilla. Check out the full list, below.

Last chance to vote for tech's worst digs

Owen Thomas — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:20:00 PDT

Don't miss your chance to vote for the worst workspace in tech. The poll closes at noon Pacific, at which point we'll announce a winner.

Rank tech's 10 worst workspaces

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT

After reviewing our post "The 10 worst workspaces in tech," commenter AdmNaismith described Facebook's office, pictured above, as "foggy, dank, dim, and utterly depressing." Commenter mothra1 hated Yahoo's New York offices more: "They suck! Lifeless and impersonal. Kinda like the douchebags who still actually work there." Meanwhile, Adobe apologist BlairHapjo told us we "clearly didn't get past Adobe's lobby," and the rest of the office features "Aeron chairs, real offices (with doors!), big picture windows." For us, the worst offices we found on Office Snapshots and elsewhere were the the ones that try too hard to seem Internet-hip, like Jajah and Google. Now it's time to settle the disputes. Below, vote for your least favorite and help us rank tech's 10 most dismal places to work:

Last chance to vote for tech's best digs

Owen Thomas — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:40:00 PDT

Be sure to vote for the best workspace in tech. The poll closes at noon Pacific, at which point we'll announce a winner, and then launch voting for the worst workspace in tech. Review the contenders now.

Google and the seven dwarfs

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:20:00 PDT

Google's collection of Web properties somtimes seem unconnected and disorganized. But there's a common thread between Print Ads, Audio Ads, TV Ads, Checkout, YouTube, Postini and DoubleClick. Can you guess what it is?

The answer:

All are described as "not material" to Google's bottom line in SEC filings.

Rank tech's 10 best workspaces

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 PDT

After reviewing our post "Tech's top 10 workspaces" commenter Dweezil complained that our choices were full of "to much modernism bullshit." Commenter Web2PointOhShit tore at everybody:

Six Apart's offices seem pretty ordinary to me. Their meeting space is *tiny*. Googleplex's niceties are all about enticing their workers to stay at work longer — yeah, that's real HAWT!. Valleywag offices look like a dump to me.

So, OK, not everybody goes for our taste in brick, exposed ceilings and Googley amenities. Let's find out who's in the minority. Below, vote for your favorites and help us rank tech's 10 best workspaces.

Click on each company name for its full galleries.

Our favorite Google-owned domain name is bayareaburritos.com -- what's yours?

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT

Google owns 9,984 domain names. Our favorite is bayareaburritos.com, but
mariolovespasta.com comes close. Typing out marissalovescupcakes.com is only wishful thinking. Royal Pingdom rounded up 50 or so of Google's "funny, strange and surprising" favorites. From that list, we've pared it down to ten. It's hard to imagine a sillier, or more profitable, domain name than Google.com. But try your best: Which domain name would you choose for Google's search engine?

Or, check out Royal Pingdom's list and write-in your entry, below. (Photo by Marshall Astor - Food Pornographer)

Comcast chickens out of FCC hearings at Stanford

Jackson West — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:20:00 PDT

Superlawyer Lawrence Lessig won't have Comcast to kick around at the FCC hearing on network neutrality — the principle that broadband providers can't discriminate against certain kinds of Internet traffic — being held at Stanford tomorrow. The event was only scheduled after Comcast paid chumps to fill chairs at an earlier hearing at Harvard in an obvious effort to squelch debate. With Comcast working with BitTorrent and just today joining with legal file-sharing startup Pando to work on a "bill of rights" for file sharers and ISPs, the company is trying to make voluntary moves in an effort to stave off involuntary regulation. I was planning on attending, if only because it promised to be an entertaining nerdfight — now, I'm not so sure. Since public hearings are supposedly democracy in action, you tell me if I should bother buying a Caltrain ticket.

(Illustration by Victor Agreda, Jr.)

Since Yang can't decide, we'll let you: Microhoo or YahOL?

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:40:00 PDT

Yesterday, at a luncheon with several dozen VP-level minions Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang hosted tried to explain the reasoning behind a potential deal with AOL and Time Warner. Didn't go over so well. But while many of these invitees were happy to later share their horror at the idea of merging AOL and Yahoo Web properties, none managed to grow a pair and tell Yang. Now is your chance people. Should Yahoo merge with Microsoft or take Time Warner's money? Tell us in our latest Valleywag poll.

Chadrick loves crowdsourcing his new look

Owen Thomas — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:40:00 PDT

Can you help Chadrick Baker, the Metaversatility biz-dev guy who recently became Valleywag's new mascot? He's shaved off the beard in this four-year-old profile pic, but hasn't settled on an icon that best captures his new, fresh-faced look. Chadrick has asked for suggestions on his blog, but we think Valleywag readers can best help him. Vote in our poll for your favorite window on Chadrick's soul:

Scoble text-message rampage leaves Twitter users numb

Jordan Golson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Robert Scoble went on a tear yesterday, posting more than 200 Twitter messages within the span of a few hours. The logorrheic explosion came as he had a "group conversation" with his Twitter followers. Not all were impressed. "Well, I've tormented Twitter enough today. About 200 people have unfollowed." Don't worry, Bobby. I'm sticking around — for now, anyway. Though I'm starting to think that woman at Whole Foods who found Twitter "boring" might have been right. See an excerpt of Scoble's Twitters below, and then share your opinion in our poll.

Rerank the geeks on the 100 Unsexiest Men list

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:40:00 PDT

Yahoo's new site for women, Shine, began life with a link to The Phoenix's 100 Unsexiest Men of The Year. OK, fine, we clicked. But then we were astounded to find the list contained only 4 percent geek. Further, the unattractiveness of those who made the list, such Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, was, frankly, insultingly underrated. Also, the whole list was out of order. Below, a poll where you can help us rerank both the geeks already on the list, and those who should have made it. Rachel Marsden, your assistance in this matter would be appreciated.

(Kevin Rose photo by Sara Morishige)

DoubleClickers let us know if they welcome their new Google overlords

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:40:00 PDT

We've laid out the reasons why DoubleClick employees should ditch Google — Google's Ivy League 'tude, its disdain for DoubleClick's accomplishments, its intentionally disorganized management, and its mediocre compensation. Now we want to know: With layoffs looming as a result of the Google-DoubleClick merger, do DoubleClick employees even want to work for Google? Let us know in our latest Valleywag poll.

Help Zuckerberg pick a new profile picture

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:20:00 PDT

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hasn't updated his profile picture in quite some time. Hey, he's been busy. Let's help him by choosing a new one. Since Facebook's privacy is so flimsy, we have plenty of options from photos Zuckerberg has already uploaded. To follow our advice, Mark, all you have to do is click on "Make Profile Picture."

Help Charles Forman decide whom to love

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:20:11 PDT

Charles Forman — the professional Tetris plagiarizer even Jason Calacanis finds insufferable — can't decide who he loves more: newly taciturn wantrepreneur Julia Allison, or David Karp, founder of angst-enabling blog site Tumblr. "Guess which one I'm dating," Forman writes on his blog. So do, and end his terrible dilemma in our latest poll.

Pay-for-play Yahoo Buzz "blows away" Digg -- but will users bite? Vote in our poll

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:20:38 PDT

Yahoo Buzz, the Digg competitor we uncovered last month, has Web publishers giddy over traffic binges. Us Weekly, Salon and Michael Arrington's TechCrunch all report that when Yahoo Buzz put links to their sites on Yahoo's homepage, they posted record traffic days. "It's clear that a link from Yahoo.com blows away anything Digg or any other competitor can offer," Arrington writes on TechCrunch. "That will keep the Buzz publishers, who must be invited into the service, paying attention." And paying for traffic, according to Yahoo's plan.

The payola is indirect. Yahoo's intention with Buzz is to lure publishers into its advertising network. Publishers will give up part of their ad inventory, as well as a cut of sales, to Yahoo. Yahoo's willing to turn on the traffic firehose, but only if publishers let it set up buckets at the other end. Great for Yahoo, great for publishers. But one wonders if anyone has thought about Yahoo's users in this whole pageview-padding scheme. Sure, they'll get to vote on stories — but only if they're on a site in bed with Yahoo.

What do you think? You don't have to join an ad network to vote in our poll:

Which Ballmer monkey dance scared Yang back to the table?

Nicholas Carlson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:00:39 PDT

Jerry Yang and the rest of Valleywag readers have had a week to study the 10 best Ballmer-goes-nuts videos. In this, our latest Valleywag poll, tell us which clip jolted Jerry Yang back to the negotiating table and into Ballmer's bear-hug embrace. For me? I'm a Gene Wilder fan.

Happy birthday, Julia Allison, we're finding a new man for you

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:30:38 PST

Geek-loving cover girl Julia Allison turns 27 soon and all she wants — other than a MacBook Air and whole long list of stuff — is a boy, "tied with a red bow, like a new car for graduation." Knowing Julia's taste for geeks like Kevin Rose and some guy who used to run some video site, we figured: Who better to help Julia land a new man than Valleywag readers? So help her out and vote in our latest poll.

Is Microsoft's offer too low?

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:56:36 PST

The timing of Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo couldn't be better. Yesterday's market close — $19.11 — marked a four-year low for Yahoo. And while Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo for $31 a share marks a 62 percent premium over that close, Yahoo share prices closed on a higher price, $31.11, as recently as November 2, 2007. Reporting earnings earlier this week, Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and president Susan Decker promised display advertising innovations would have the company turned around by 2009. Impatient investors tanked the stock on more promises of an eventual turnaround. But would taking Microsoft's lowball offer be too rash a move? Or is it getting out cheap? Let us know in this latest Valleywag poll.

Should Decker and Yang be layoff victims No. 1,001 and 1,002?

Nicholas Carlson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:00:09 PST

Yahoo will fire 1,000 employees soon, mostly from its Yahoo Network Division and offices in Europe, according to rumors. Meanwhile, CEO Jerry Yang and President Sue Decker said on this week's earnings call that investors and employees need to be patient. (Haven't they already?) By 2009 Yahoo's display advertising business will have finally turned around. But some are sick of waiting. Yang has been with the company from the start; Decker joined Yahoo as CFO in 2000. The two have had their chance, skeptics say. In this Valleywag poll, tell us: Is it time for this pair to go?

(Photo by code_martial)

Meghan and Julia: BFFs tag-teaming Silicon Valley

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:00:11 PST

In this video filmed last July, Julia Allison and BFF Meghan Asha announced their intentions to "find a tech guy boyfriend." In the six months since, one of two has been "connected" with names like Digg founder Kevin Rose and TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. You may protest, people, but the pair has conquered you. Rather easily.

While they conquer, we want you to divide. In our latest Valleywag poll, risk driving a wedge between the two forever, and let us know which you geeks really love (or love to hate).

What should go at Yahoo?

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:40:23 PST

Yahoo's "decision-makers" can't decide who to ax. The New York Times reports that a final plan and "perhaps a few alternative plans" could soon be submitted to the board. Maybe at its scheduled January 29 meeting. Maybe not. But don't be scared by all the uncertainty, little Yahoos. Valleywag wants the people, not Yahoo's board, to decide who should get the boot.

Which department or divisions should bleed at Yahoo? Current and former Yahoos, your votes are especially welcome.

Feel free to write in candidates for the cutting block below. And if you're writing up one of those plans for the board meeting? Let us know what you're thinking.

(Photo by txd)

Is Steve Jobs's keynote the most anticipated event of the year?

Tim Faulkner — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:00:46 PST

How does Steve Jobs's Macworld gadgetfest rank among other annual, can't-miss events? You decide in our poll. (Photo by acaben)

Viral video divides Valleywag

Jordan Golson — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:00:54 PST

Here's some brief insight into the inner workings of Valleywag. We got a tip about this video from Straight No Chaser, Indiana University's a capella group — the same people who brought us "Facebook Stalking." In this one, the group sings its very funny version of "The 12 Days of Christmas." A discussion ensued with my colleagues Tim Faulkner and Nicholas Carlson about whether a capella sucks. So what to do? Why, give you the high points of the discussion, the "Facebook" song, and a poll, of course!

Tim Faulkner:

I hate it because you couldn't walk under a single arch at Brown some nights without being assaulted by some douchy, white rendering of a Boyz II Men song.

Nicholas Carlson:

I hate them because they used to go to girls halls and croon and they'd swoon and GOD.

Got an opinion of your own? Here's a poll so you can share your feelings — and the group's tribute to Facebook.

The top 10 Genius Bar whale tail captions

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:40:13 PST

With over 160 entries at last count, we've given up trying to decide on a winning caption for this photo taken in Apple's new 14th Street store in New York. Instead, we narrowed it down to 10. Choose your favorite in our latest Valleywag poll. Feel free to write in candidates you think deserved to make the cut. (Photo by Meredith Scardino)

Is iPhone blogger Kristin Sloan the new Ellen Feiss?

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:41:53 PST

The New York Observer's profile on iPhone blogger Kristin Sloan got us thinking. Has she reached Ellen Feiss status in the minds of Apple fanboys — you know, the teen whose addled performance and green T-shirt won her Internet fame? Review the orginal Sloan and Feiss commercials and tell us which one is more likely to Jobs your Steve.

How big a raise should Forbes give Fake Steve Jobs?

Owen Thomas — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:04:04 PDT

On air yesterday, CNBC anchor Melissa Francis told Dan Lyons, the Forbes editor recently revealed as Fake Steve Jobs, that he deserved a raise. Lyons nervously concurred. Nervously, because he still hasn't concluded fraught negotiations with his employer on how much Forbes will pay to bring his blog, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, on board when Brad Stone of the New York Times outed him as the author. But no matter. "We've already established what you are, ma'am," I can imagine Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard telling Lyons. "Now we're just haggling over the price."

And what price? That's the question. Lyons's friends are already negotiating for him in public; curiously close chum David Churbuck says Fake Steve is worth $250,000 a year. So let's join in! Help Lyons and Karlgaard come to terms by voting in our poll! Just a couple things to keep in mind as you vote: Like most senior editors at big business magazines, Lyons already makes a six-figure salary. And his day job apparently didn't keep him busy enough to prevent him from moonlighting as Fake Steve.

Reader poll: Will YouTube be the first public flameout?

Nick Douglas — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:28:50 PDT

When a hot startup CEO goes to a retreat searching for a buyout and fails to bring one home, how does he spin it? Well, when YouTube's Chad Hurley didn't get a sweet enough offer from the heads of NBC, News Corp, and other guests at media mogul summer camp, he spun it by hinting that his company might go public.

Yep, YouTube, which is spending over $1 million a month on bandwidth alone, trying to ramp up from $0 to $1 million in monthly direct ad sales, and fighting a rising tide of competitors — YouTube, which isn't pulling in a profit, says Chad — is thinking about an IPO.

YouTube CEO: IPO would be 'exciting' [MarketWatch]
Earlier: Feature: Why YouTube is about to die

Are conference hags a plague or pleasure?

Nick Douglas — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 07:30:00 PDT

A reader just can't take it any more, seeing the same faces in the D Conference photo series as they saw in all the other conference shots.

Please do us all a favor and write an expose of the dreaded Conference Hags. There they were in your latest entry. Esther Dyson [pictured], Mitch Kapor. I'm sure Stewart Alsop was there as well.

A study of Flickr photos from conferences each week will reveal these knuckleheads as the Zeligs of the Web/Techie/CoolNewHipNow conference scene.

I don't go to that many conferences each year, but these three Conference Hags are ALWAYS there.

Do they have nothing better to do? Worse, they bust in on conversations and comment like they are the only ones that have a correct opinion. Shut up, already. And find something better to do.

But isn't it better to think of these "conference hags" as jetsetting cool-hunters whose presence validates a conference?

New Yahoo home page: What's your call?

Nick Douglas — Tue, 16 May 2006 07:00:00 PDT

Old and busted:

New hotness:

Screencaps stolen from: Yahoo launches new home page [TechCrunch]

Valleywag now, apparently, available on Mobileplay

ndouglas — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:29:14 PDT

Yay, a new way to read Valleywag! According to this press release a friend forwarded me (score one for internal communication), Mobileplay now offers Valleywag on a free subscription basis. It's "highly scalable" and "fast and easy" (except the bit where you register, opt out of alerts, and download an app).

But, um, I have no idea how good it is. It's not available for normal phones, or for my T-Mobile Sidekick. But those of you with Blackberries can try it out and report back — or petition for a real mobile version of Valleywag. Wait, actually —

Full press release after the jump.

Gossip Goes Mobile
Mobileplay Delivers Valleywag to the Small Screen

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. - April 18, 2006 — — Mobile content delivery pioneer Mobileplay today announced the addition of Valleywag to its growing list of Gawker Media mobile sites. With Mobileplay, Gawker fans enjoy easy access to pure, unfiltered gossip from five of Gawker Media's wildly popular blogs: Defamer, Gawker, Gizmodo, Wonkette and now Valleywag, from their handheld device.

From L.A. to D.C., Gawker Media sites have become compulsory reading for millions of people who enjoy keeping tabs on the activities of the boldfaced names in their industry. From pill popping habits of Hollywood heavyweights, to the petty peccadilloes of media titans, Gawker Media sites keep their readers in the loop. Valleywag gives readers the inside scoop on technology industry notables. Mobileplay's mobile application enables fans to enjoy Gawker Media no matter where they are. Gawker Media mobile users can also forward tantalizing tidbits to friends via their handheld device. The mobile application for all five Gawker Media sites is available at www.mobileplay.com.

"Gawker Media is pleased to make Valleywag content available to mobile device users," said Gaby Darbyshire, director of Gawker Media. "Gawker Media fans, and Valleywag readers in particular, are heavy users of the latest mobile devices and services so bringing our content onto the small screen was a key strategic decision for Gawker Media."

"Since 2002, Gawker Media blogs have set the standard in the bloggesphere," said James Ryan, Mobileplay founder and CEO. "By extending its brand and content to the small screen, Gawker Media continues to pioneer the new media frontier. With the addition of Valleywag to Mobileplay's service, Valley denizens can now download Valleywag content directly to their beloveld moblie devices for fast, easy access to the 411 on technorati sex, greed and hypocrisy, whether they're in bumper to bumper traffic on 101, lunching in South Park or sitting in a parking lot on Sand Hill Road."

Mobileplay is the first service of its kind bringing advertising-supported news, weather, stock updates, sports scores, blogs, games, trivia, movie and travel information to some 80 million smart mobile phone and PDA users. The company's highly-scalable content delivery platform creates an opportunity for content developers to quickly and cost-effectively generate advertising revenue while delivering content to an audience of sophisticated, tech savvy consumers.

About Mobileplay

Mobileplay is a free, ad-supported content delivery platform for smart mobile devices. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Mobileplay's turnkey mobile solution enables content developers to generate revenue from their news, reference, game and infotainment content. The proprietary solution includes targeted delivery, tracking and reporting. Mobileplay content partners include: USA TODAY, About.com, Astrology.com, AP Digital, BusinessWeek Online, CinemaSource, Fodors, Gawker Media, Nerve.com, Volvo, PC World, The Sporting News, Weather.com, Wired as well as game and application developers including Crimson Fire.