The difference between dreamers and doers

Have you ever noticed that great ideas & aspirations are everywhere? Yet, despite this, many viably good ideas don’t become reality and most of us do not accomplish what we want to achieve.

Why?

Because there are 2 types of people in this world: “dreamers” and “doers.”

Dreamers think of countless ideas of how to make the world a better place. They see opportunity, but do not seize it - because they are preoccupied with working out all the details first. They are afraid to share their brilliant ideas with others because they think someone might steal it, or they are afraid of failure. As a result they are not very productive.

Doers are dreamers who realize that the future actually has to be created - it does not build itself. Doers understand that not everyone is able to “do,” so while dreamers are worrying, doers are working. Doers prioritize & move quickly, and are not afraid to get their hands dirty. At the end of the day, they get stuff done.

Doers make dreams into realities.

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NOTE: If you are a dreamer who wants to become a doer, it’s not too late! I would recommend reading Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky. It gives great insight into what it takes to be extremely productive as a creative person.

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How to build a strong brand.

It isn’t enough to make a product that has cool features or start a business that solves hard problems. Developing a strong brand requires establishing a unique voice and building an emotional connection with your target audience.

How do you build this type of connection?

1. Don’t be boring. Be unforgettable.

Mailchimp does a great job of making email (typically boring) feel magical. Their monkey mascot delights me every time I login with quips & random links to funny videos.

2. Have a personality that resonates with your target audience’s values.

At YouNow, we have started to really let our personality shine through in our communication with our users. Our twitter stream is full of internet culture, humor and youthfulness. And it appeals to our audience.

See a few of our tweets and our users’ replies below:

This messaging has been very successful in helping us to define our brand and connect with our users. The tone we use reflects our values and tells our users that we understand them! 

3. Be consistent.

The final piece to establishing brand identity is to consistently portray the same voice. Just like in relationships, people want to feel like they know you intimately, and can trust you to be you.

Developing your own unique personality takes time - but when you find it stick with it. Your audience will love you for it!

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The Pursuit of Excellence

Each day I try to teach myself how to operate on a world class level
to be in the top 0.1%
to be excellent beyond measure
10x more productive than the next great person
but with that comes both the good and the bad…
the awesome, exciting visionary work
but also the boring dumb stuff 
so i find unique ways to motivate myself
and get the mundane done as quickly and effectively as possible
so i can get on to the awesome stuff.

How does one know if he is operating excellently?
if i examine myself and see room for improvement…
I know i’m not there yet
and it gives me motivation (if nothing else does)
to be even more excellent than I was the day before
and 10x more excellent than everyone else.

Excellence is not a destination -  it’s the journey.

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Train Yourself to be an Innovator

Have you ever wondered how you could become “more innovative?”

I strongly believe that self-improvement starts with building the right habits. In this case, “building the right habits” means training yourself to innovate. There’s no other way around it.

What does this look like in practice?

First, place yourself at the intersection of something “cutting edge” that excites you, and be disciplined about pursuing deeper knowledge in it. Having strong knowledge of the domain will allow you to identify opportunities for innovation.

If your job or school allows you to engage with something new and exciting, you should jump on it. If you aren’t so fortunate as to have something innovative as your daily focus, seek out innovation on the side. Find a field/topic that excites you, envelop yourself in it, and get involved. Go to meetups, hold informational interviews with nascent experts in the field, read books, blogs - whatever it takes.

Once you begin to establish domain knowledge, constantly ask yourself how can this be improved? What markets aren’t being properly catered to? What is deficient in this technology / product / system?

Think of it this way: you want to live in the future, and discover what is missing in the present.

And then make it happen.

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Give Yourself Time to Think

Giving yourself allotted time to think without distractions is essential for your own productivity and personal well being. This could take the form of sitting down with a pen and paper, or taking a long walk, or swimming -  it should be a planned time when your mind is not occupied with any complex task.

For me, I get this daily, for about an hour on the train going to and from work. And on Saturday mornings, I’ve recently taken to long walks throughout Brooklyn, after a morning run.

Having a clear mind allows you to make decisions with the proper perspective.

If you view yourself as an innovator, then this is essential - how can you navigate uncharted paths if you can’t clearly visualize your trajectory?

Give yourself time to think.

// See further discussion of this post on Hacker News.

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Tracing With Your Smartphone

One day after a run in Brooklyn, I wanted know how many miles I ran on my route. But I didn’t want to piece together a solution using Google Maps & mental math. I was mobile, and wanted something visual and simple. 

I said to myself:

“Self… I wish I had an app with a minimal map interface, where I could trace my finger on a map, in any combination of streets, and it would tell me the distance.”

This hypothetical app would use a free-form sketch technology where my traced path would snap to conform to the street lines on a map. This would allow the distance to be calculated because my sketch would correlate with an actual street route.

See wireframe below:

After I thought of this, I wondered “how else could this line “tracing” idea could be applied?”

For example: a Snapchat-like app where you can take an image & create a stylized version of it by drawing over it. Much like tracing paper… where you could sketch over a face in a photo, and the lines snap into place around the main forms in the photo. The final product is a traced line drawing that (kinda) looks like the subject.

Then you share the sketch with your friends.

Would you find either of these apps useful or interesting? How else could this minimal sketching approach be used?

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Jump Into Your Television

Have you ever wanted to jump into the TV like that kid from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory?

Well get ready… it will be possible soon.

The TVs of our near future will have apps on them, and amateur video streams will also be consumed as entertainment. As a viewer. you will have direct influence over what you’re watching, via live voting/polling & chat.

Mark Suster of GRP Partners says that “TV of the future will not always have linear stories” and people will begin to play a greater role in controlling & participating in their own TV experiences - in real time. 

It’s true.

There are a few key trends that lead me to believe this:

1. consumers are increasingly addicted to real time connectivity
2. people are eager to participate in content creation around social memes (i.e. “Sh*t People Say”, Gangnam Style, “Harlem Shake” videos)
3. the second screen is becoming a standard for consumer entertainment experiences
4. ubiquitous wireless access & increasingly powerful mobile devices make video capture & transmission easier than ever before

… basically, the internet and TV will converge in many ways.

How will this look?

Successful players in this space will make an experience tailored to the consumer’s interests, creating a seamless personalized browsing experience, while allowing for discovery.

Live people/content will be organized around topics & interests, to make browsing & discovery easier.  TV will be a tactile, participatory experience. And browsing becomes not just looking for your favorite shows, but also finding new interesting people & relevant discussion.

At YouNow, a live video social network, we see this as a huge part of our product’s future.  Our users will be able jump into the television set through their mobile device or webcam, and get in front of an audience of real people all around the world to chat, meet others or entertain! 

A huge market is opening up for amateur content & real-time live video engagement. And YouNow plans to be at the center of it.

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Mark Suster has been talking about the future of television for years, and many of the trends he has foretold are coming into play now. If this interests you, I encourage you to read The Most Interesting Online Video Trend, and check out his Future of Television presentation.

What are your thoughts on the future of television?

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How a Simple Door Lock Works

Ever wondered how locks work?

A few months ago I came across a sturdy, abandoned door on the streets of Brooklyn. I ended up carrying it home, and using the door to make a painting. I removed the handle & lock on the door - finding a supporting structural cylinder. I liked it so much that I put it on a chain, and I’ve been wearing it around my neck for the past few weeks.

Since the door lock’s inner workings are simple, yet interesting, I thought I would take the opportunity to explain how a basic cylinder door lock works.

1. A key enters the lock shaft. If the key is the correct shape, and properly solves the “puzzle,” then the pins are properly aligned and turning the key also turns the cylinder. If the key is the wrong shape, the pins prevent the key from turning.

2. When the cylinder turns, it also turns a “cam” that is attached to the cylinder.  The cam pulls a bolt in laterally through a second cylinder, allowing the door to open. When the bolt is extended into the frame of the door, the door cannot be opened, and is locked.

I am fascinated by simple technology that solves everyday problems. Whenever I can, I like to take the opportunity to disassemble the components that fit together to solve a problem & figure out how they work.

 Let me know if you thought this was as cool as I did, and if there is anything else you’d like to see me dissect!

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The “Broken Window” Theory

An apartment with a single broken window deteriorates quickly because when tenants see it, they tend to think that the management doesn’t care. This results in neglecting care of the facilities and the building decays rapidly into disrepair.

A good example of this is New York City crime rates in the 1980s. The city’s inability to control even a small crime like graffiti was a signal to citizens that it would not be able to address more serious issues - so crime abounded. However, crime rates dramatically decreased when the city engaged in urban renewal efforts, which started with something as simple as cleaning the graffiti on subway cars.

It is important to fix “broken windows” in your product. Seemingly insignificant details can often have a disproportionately adverse effect on how your company is perceived - both internally and externally.

A “broken window” is a negative signal to both your users and your team. And you want them to know that you care. So don’t sacrifice excellence for agility - fix your broken windows.

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Why did Stickam fail?

After 7 years of operation, Stickam is shutting down. A pioneer in the live video space, Stickam paved the way for live video sites looking to be more than seedy hubs for pornography. They were the originators.

And now they are closing their doors. Why?  Well, I certainly don’t know the exact reasoning, but I can make a few educated guesses as to why Stickam is throwing in the towel. 

1. Competition

Many other players have entered the live video space over time. Ustream, blogTV, justin.tv, twitch.tv, YouTube Live, tinychat (and YouNow of course!). More competition with different experiences can appeal to niche consumers, thinning out the pool of potential dedicated users.

2. Low engagement

It’s hard to keep users engaged on live video sites. Engagement is driven by broadcasters, and so there must be an incentive for these users to go live. It’s a variation of the chicken & egg problem. No one wants to broadcast if nobody’s watching, and no one wants to watch if no one is broadcasting.

If the main traffic comes from external influencers, who are driven by financial incentives, then when marketing funds run out and influencers leave, you are left with no users.

My guess is the cost per user acquisition outweighed the lifetime revenue per user.

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The service that will be most successful in this space will create an experience that viewers and broadcasters can enjoy - even without high profile users. It will not be only about content, but about meeting people in a safe, fun & enjoyable way.

And if my team and I do our job right, that company will be YouNow.

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