There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.

Sounds like something from a recent article regarding copyrights? Not quite. It’s actually a quote by Robert A. Heinlein from his first published work Life-Line from 1939. Timely as ever.

Next challenge: get all those high quality video makers (like @ithakaaudio above) on board so I can flattr them.

It’s one of these partnerships that just happened because someone at Dailymotion was fan of Flattr, championed it inside the company and two month ago time was ripe to sign some papers, do the technical integration and then prep for the launch. Reminds me how Skype started growing as a business tool not because Skype had a large sales team but because people in these companies started using the product and convinced IT managers to make it an official tool. Best validation for your business model.

That does not mean work can stop. Quite the opposite. There’s plenty we need to clean up on our site, keep iterating on how our product works, make sure we can keep growing as we get beyond the tech savvy early adopter audience. Focus on our strengths. Focus. Focus. Something we haven’t been too great at :)

Co-founder and CEO of SEOmoz, Rand Fishkin, is a darn entertaining speaker, with great insight into why and how startups should use what they have – time and energy – for their marketing efforts, and not try to outspend the big boys.

As a side note, his reaction at 50:45 just cracks me up :) Keep watching from that point onwards and let Rand convince you that from marketing point of view Google+ is not dead but actually one darn powerful tool that impacts your company results in search result pages.

I’ve been a big fan of Vaiko Eplik’s music for years now but somehow never purchased any of his albums. Time to pay back and no easier way than flattring (what’s Flattr?) his tracks on Soundcloud.

Flattring stuff on Soundcloud is super easy – get the Chrome or Firefox add-on and hit Flattr logo on address bar.

Last couple of days have been really good for discovering new music, mainly thanks to mr.Purde’s hint about mixlr.com (How do you pronounce that? Wish they had an iPhone app.). Happened upon a few Japanese DJs spinning there, that lead me to Sakanaction.

Then today I noticed Joseph Noctum, a producer and DJ from Austin, Texas, join Flattr and checking out his Soundcloud stuff found his long sets that mix together glitch-hop, downtempo and godknows what. Moderat’s “Rusty Nails” was a lucky discovery from one of his mixes.

Getting desperate so throwing it out there, perhaps someone smarter than me has an idea what’s wrong with this picture…

* I have a goal set up (URL destination) and it’s working OK – conversions are showing up in Conversions > Goals > Overview. So far so good.

* We used phpA/B to set up a simple test and test shows up nicely at Demographics > Custom variables.

Click for larger view.

* What does not show up in the same graph is conversion info which would be the basis for deciding the winner in the A/B test.

* Of the other two goals that are measuring conversion one does show up, the other one not. Both are event type goals.

What the hell is going on?
What A/B testing tools do you use and recommend?

Is there anything more annoying than a proud father with a camera? :)

Reedeses päevalehes kirjutab Triin Tuulik ACTAst (Kui ohtlik või kasulik on ACTA?) ja lõpetab lausega “Kuigi elame juba ammu internetiajastus, on seadusandjad, ettevõtjad ja tarbijad alles nüüd hakanud aru saama, et uus ajastu vajab uusi reegleid”. Kahtlemata on nii selgele väitele keeruline vastu vaielda kuid vaadakem siiski, mis täpselt on muutunud, mida internet siis meie meelelahutustarbimisega teinud on. Kasutan järgnevas mõisteid “enne” ja “nüüd” tähistamaks ajaperioode enne lairibainterneti laialdaselt kättesaadavaks muutumist ja käesolevat aega.

Foto: Encel

Kardinaalselt on muutunud tarbimise akti majanduslik sisu. Enne oli tarbimine enamasti seotud kahte liiki kuludega: püsikulud mis tekkisid sisu kui sellise tootmisel ja muutuvkulud mis tekkisid konkreetse tarbitava ühiku – CD, DVD, kinoseanss – tootmiseks. Nüüd on viimane kuluartikkel kadunud ning jäänud on sisuliselt vaid tootmiskulud. Ehk, pärast seda kui lugu või film on saanud salvestet võib teda lõputult tarbida ilma, et sellega kaasneks kulusid tootjale. Meenutagem, et raadio ilmumine ja televisiooni levik olid sarnase mõjuga kuigi jätsid ruumi ka traditsioonilisele tarbimisele.

Tulenevalt eelmisest, on varguse mõiste oluliselt muutunud. Kui poeomanikul oli viis Lotte DVDd ja neist üks varastati siis jäi tal järgi neli Lotte DVDd. Varguse käigus kandis ta kõigepealt kulu mis oli seotud DVD kui füüsilise objekti hinnaga. Loomulikult kadus tal ka võimalus seda DVDd müüa mistõttu tema potentsiaalne tulu vähenes summa võrra mis võrdub korrutisega müügihinnast ja tõenäosusest et keegi selle DVD ka ära oleks ostnud.

Juhin tähelepanu, et sisu tootja oli varguse hetkeks oma raha juba kätte saanud ja kahju ei kandnud. Nüüd vargusega enam füüsilise objekti kaotsiminekut ei kaasne, tarbitava objekti muutuvkulud ju puuduvad. Ehk, kahju saadakse ainult potentsiaalse müügitulu vähenemise arvelt kuid nüüd ei korrutata hinnaga enam mitte üldist müügitõenäosust (varas võttis teistelt võimaluse konkreetset DVDd osta) vaid tõenäosusega, et varas ostu sooritab. See vahe on väike kuid oluline sest sarnase majandusliku sisuga on väga paljud tavapärased toimingud: mõnda pilli poes proovimas käia ja kaup ikkagi internetist tellida või kui minnes filmi reklaamipausi ajal kööki võileibu tegema.

Muutunud on ka tarbitava suhteline väärtus. Olen ka ise omandanud 90ndate keskel röögatu raha eest Jääääre CD sest see oli ainus võimalus kvaliteetselt tarbida mulle sobivat Eesti muusikat. Too plaat oli mulle väga oluline. Täna on sisuliselt kogu läänemaailmas kunagi salvestatud muusika ühel või teisel moel legaalselt saadaval. iTunes, Rdio, Spotify koos katavad ka nõudliku maitsega tarbija kõik vajadused. Sama kehtib ka filmide kohta. Ehk, Jääääre plaadi suhteline väärtus on oluliselt langenud: üks plaat kolmest kättesaadavast on tajutavalt suhteliselt vähemväärtuslik kui üks plaat kolmest miljonist.

Koos tarbitava objekti suhtelise väärtusega on muidugi vähenenud ka tarbija valmisolek sellesinase objekti omandamiseks vaeva näha ja raha kulutada. Veel 10 aastat tagasi oli plaadipoodi minek täiesti vältimatu ja loomulik samm, praegu peab tegemist olema tõesti ihaldatud kaubaga kui ma võtan ette rännaku plaadipoode pidi selle asemel et avada iTunes ja leida järjekordne suurepärane ja minu jaoks senitundmatu artist. Seetõttu omandab ka minu kolme aastane tütar jõudsalt ingliskeelset sõnavara: mikihiirte ja vedurilaste seiklused on lihtsasti saadaval, Lotte filmi omandamiseks pean kuhugi minema ja tooma koju järjekordse hapra andmekandja.

Tekkinud on tehnoloogiline barjäär. Kui enne oli enamasti inimestel selge, kuidas töötab pood ja neil oli suhteliselt selge mõttemudel majanduse üldise toimimise kohta siis nüüd ei kehti enam kumbki. Poode asendavad keerukat tehnosotsiaalsed süsteemid nagu Amazon ning internetist on suhteliselt vähestel adekvaatsem arusaam kui et see on “jada torusid”. Globaliseerunud majandusega ei ole lugu lihtsam. USAs toimunud PIPA arutelud näitasid seda selgesti: kogenud seadusandjad leidsid end äkki tegelemas asjadega, millest nad aru ei saanud. Millist fakti on igaühel raske endale ja veel vähem teistele tunnistada.

Tõesti, olukord on oluliselt muutunud. Kuid on oluline aru saada, et muutus on toimunud mitte vähemas kui ühe tööstusharu majanduslikus sisus ning seda ümbritsevates olulistes mõistetes. Toimunud muutus on olemuselt identne muutusega mis viis hiljuti pankrotti Kodaki. Kodak oli harjunud müüma filmi odavalt ja kasseerima ilmutuskeemialt ja paberilt kuid digitaalfoto võttis vajaduse keemia järele kuigi film ja paber säilisid.

Juba on toodud külmutusseadmete näidet (Rick Falkvinge: Keegi ei nõudnud külmikumaksu): mitmel pool maailmas hävisid suured, tuhandetele inimestele tööd andnud tööstused kuna keegi kurikael nuputas välja külmiku. Seejuures oli tehnoloogia saadaval kõigile ja tänapäeval on külmkapitööstus oluliselt suurem kui kunagine jäätööstus. Miks hästikapitaliseeritud ja edukad ettevõtted ei suuda tehnoloogiliste muutustega kaasa minna, on omaette pika jutu teema kuid tolles jutus on inimeseks olemisel ja tervel mõistusel ehk suuremgi roll kui ahnusel ja kurjusel.

Siin ehk peitubki ACTALe vastuseisu võti. Üldiselt ei olda vastu uute reeglite kehtestamisele uues reaalsuses kuid ACTA, parandage, kui eksin, üritab kontrollimehhanismide muutmise asemel tagasi keerata reaalsuse muutust. On loomulik, et tolle reaalsuse asukad plaanist vaimustuses ei ole. Üritatakse ju sama raamlepingu raames võidelda nii Bafsi kassettide kui Lotefilmi laadijate vastu. Esimesel juhul kehtib jätkuvalt vana, teise puhul aga juba uus majandusmudel.

Ma ei ole positsioonis juriidiliselt hindama ACATAst tulenevat ohtu ja oma arvamust lugupeetud seadusandja osas avaldan ma järgmistel valimistel. Küll aga on selge, et kuni kõik osapooled ei anna endale täpselt aru toimunud muutuse sisust, miskit asjalikku arutelu uute reeglite kehtestamise osas toimuma ei saa. Sellest ka käesolev kirjutis, ehk sai mõni asi selgemaks.

Siim Teller: Kusjuures Andrese mõtted haagivad päris hästi hiljuti Flattri blogis ilmunud “Selling digital beer – not the economy as my grandad knew it” mõtetega, mille põhitees sama – digitaalse sisu eest ei saa raha kasseerida samadel alustel kui füüsilise kandja puhul.

The previous Saturday I finally got around sliding into lycra, memorizing some local routes and heading out for a somewhat longer weekend ride. It was a gorgeous sunny winter day with perhaps 0 degrees of cold/warmth, no wind, light traffic. 14 minutes, 25 seconds into the ride saw me going at a nice 26 km/h into a gentle corner. 5 seconds later saw me going at a not so nice 0 km/h with a bike that looked like this:

Patch of ice, panic, lost balance, hit a concrete traffic cone. Frame broken in half, not a scratch on me. I guess I should be thankful but being human I of course think – damn, that’s not cheap. Condor guys later double check the frame for prior micro fractures but come up with nothing which means that I am very strong, fast and hit the cone dead straight.

Anyway, most of the parts were salvaged, new frame was picked and today I pedaled home on this blue beauty.

It’s their Italia model, relaxed geometry so more of a commuter-weekend rider/racer. I do not plan to re-check the F=ma with it.

Campagnolo Veloce groupset, Veloce Compat 34/50 chainset, Deda bars and stem, Fizik Pave saddle (really comfy even with just jeans), Condor Pioggia carbon fork, their own breaks too. Most importantly – black bar tape :)

When the maître d’ pours a glass of sweet, crisp French white wine to go with the next offering, I ask him why he wears so many hats in a restaurant that could afford to take on more staff. “If I just manage this place but don’t serve dishes, then what’s the point?” he says. “I want to see exactly how each customer responds to what we put before them.”

When a company grows over a certain size its founders/CEOs tend to focus on the big – be if fundraising, partnerships, strategy – and let others in their company deal with the customers. Someone with more experience than me can comment if there ever is a point where a company is too big and it’s OK if CEO learns about customers via levels of filters but I doubt that.

I remember when Niklas Zennström would every now and then read the tickets that Skype customers would send to our customer support. Skype must have been a 250 person company by time but he felt it important to stay in tune with what the customers are saying.

The Made Better In Japan describes people and companies where attention to detail is taken to extremes but that quote really rang with me – if you run a business you have to personally pay attention to what your customers think about what you do.

After we discuss the details of the dishes, I ask him about what the maître d’ told me. “I bought this restaurant myself just a few months ago from the group that owned it since it opened,” he says. “I did that for one reason: to cook how I want in a way that connects me to each customer. I refused to make this place any bigger. I need to personally taste every single dish that leaves my kitchen.”

Can you build a Facebook with this approach? Probably not. Can you build an excellent product with fans for customers? Hell yes.

Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Helsinki, we have a problem.

In the last 3-6 months we have seen a sudden explosion accelerators, “accelerators”, co-working spaces, support programs, “innovation awareness initiatives” etc in our region.

Going from North to South, we have serious attempts by Startup Sauna, Garage, Tehnopol, Startup Estonia, Techhub, Startup Highway, Startup Monthly, Gamma, probably I forgot somebody. On top of that, lots of also-runs and governments wasting their money.

Everybody is trying to do something in his corner but there is no critical mass (except maybe in Startup Sauna). What the Baltics needs is ONE strong pan-regional accelerator with strong financing and strong TEAM – 2-3 full-time people and 20-30 mentors who really have achieved something (having at least $100m worth of exits or $50m in annual revenues in their track record).

Only Startup Sauna (barely) fills those criteria at the moment.

The only point of having accelerators is to produce early-stage startups. Simple criteria of success here is number of startups who have exited the accelerator and raised funding (minimum 100k EUR per startup in 12 months). An accelerator shall be able to produce at least 10 such successes a year (let’s say in 2 batches). If the success rate is 30% then you need to pass 30 startups thru the accelerator per year and have pool of 300-500 good quality projects per year.

This is impossible to achieve in one country only. We need a pan-Baltic thing.

The problem is that if the accelerator will not gain this critical mass it will lose its credit of trust in about a year. Mentors will not come because it’s waste of time, investors will not come because there are no decent companies etc.

We need somebody to put together a Baltic accelerator, perhaps a Baltic-Finnish one.

It is definitely not a problem plaguing just The Baltic/Nordic region. Om Malik covered the exact same thing just a month ago in “What history teaches us about startup incubators” outlines the same basic problems across the pond in the US.

There’s now a separate thread of discussion continuing in Arctic Startup blog (they also published the same original text, the more exposure this topic gets the better).

There are probably few things you’d want to avoid. Things like:

• Deadline from announcement – 4 weeks. This includes getting commitment from a list of world class mentors and investors who put in the first seed money for startups that get accepted.
• Bid documents only in obscure language spoken by… let’s say 1 million people.
• Not announcing it on any public website plus making noise in news sites that focus on all things startup.
• Require minimum 3-person team where 2 of them have to have intimate knowledge of that obscure little language.
• Require the winner of the bid to have annual revenue of €500k for three years running

Unfortunately this is exactly how Enterprise Estonia is tackling this challenge. The way they announce it (or non-announce it) together with the language requirements pretty much ensures that no world class guy/gal/team will bother to take part.

Some local guys will “win” it and run it and that’s a hell of a long shot to hope they nail an amazing list of mentors willing to fly over long or often enough to inject world class quality into the whole accelerator. I seriously hope that EAS has been lobbying and networking this for months by now so all the right people are already in the know and prepared…

I’d link to the documents but the site hosting them is undergoing maintenance and down. Ironic.

For context: Startup Chile seems to be the closest to this model. Could anyone who’s participated in it (I’m looking at you Jens) offer a point of view on the factors that make it successful (or not) there?

Inspiration for this blog post came from something Toivo Annus (one of the original Skype engineers, now a partner at ASI and occasional angel investor) posted on Facebook.

Ma tean küll, et see on aasta vana, aga kuidagi on minust ringiga mööda läinud.