There are jerks in every industry. Just gotta work hard and be glad you're not one of them.
I'd like to believe the industry attracts just as many people who are trying to make the world suck less... like every person who was just disgusted by this story.
Whenever I give a talk, I show up wearing fancy lingerie underneath my business clothes. That way I get the feeling that I know something absolutely nobody else in the room knows... and that little fact gives me confidence.
If you're a guy and/or not into wearing lingerie you can always wear a ridiculous shirt underneath your presentation clothes that has something outrageous on it. Or (if you're crazy enough) put a printout of something random, like a banana or a hamster or Oscar the Grouch in your pocket. Just thinking in the first ten seconds that you did something so nonsensical make you kind of wonder if you are losing your mind- in which case you may have a little chuckle to yourself, causing the tension to dissolve. Also, you will know something the audience absolutely doesn't.
I realize this is exceptionally unorthodox advice, but it works so don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Another tip is to pretend that you are talking to a room full of friends, that you have been accepted by all of the audience members already and they support you. Takes the edge off...
jsonne is absolutely right the lead up is always worse and after 10 to 20 seconds it starts to feel normal.
Hey! I've worked in business development for nearly a decade, as a consultant and in the corporate world. I've also started my own startup so I'd love to help in any way I can- I've learned a lot through the process.
In order to help you out, I need to know a little more about your business. What are you building and how have you determined demand?
(This will help me get a general idea of the path you need to take and how to get there)
In terms of books- I've never really read one that can replace experience. Unfortunately the times I've learned most have been times I've tried and failed.
What I highly recommend, though, is a business plan. Check out any old business plan template on the internet- I've written many and I recommend that you do a brief plan (1-10 pages) and focus on your financial statement. It will help you sniff out all the hidden costs you wouldn't typically think about (electricity, depreciation, office space- even if it's in your house) so that you can get a clear idea of how much you need to make in order see growth.
Feel free to get in touch on HN or email p@libertyfeminine.com and good luck!
You are not your mistakes, and there is a natural human margin of error. Mistakes make us human and it's what every single one of us has in common.
You seem to be a super bright guy who experienced a momentary lapse in judgement fuelled by emotion. We all do this, it's just not always public.
Also- I don't know how old you were at the time this story occurred but according to neuroscience, the frontal lobe doesn't develop until we are 25-27 years old (males develop later than females) and this is exactly the type of mistake the frontal lobe prevents us from making.
I hope you've recovered from this incident and have learned to not take these mistakes too personally...
I've been pretty open in that situations probably get exacerbated for me because I have a mental illness - anxiety, depression and adult ADD (I refuse to call it ADHD, I'm not hyperactive!). I manage these better now, but it still leaks into my life. I'm extremely lucky I have a supportive wife and two small children who keep my mind off things and let me focus on what's important :-)
>Adults with ADHD are often perceived by others as chaotic and disorganized, with a tendency to need high stimulation to be less distracted and function effectively. Additionally, many adults suffer from associated or "co-morbid" psychiatric conditions such as depression or anxiety.[13]
>Symptoms of ADHD can vary widely between individuals and throughout the lifetime of an individual. As the neurobiology of ADHD is becoming increasingly understood, it is becoming evident that difficulties exhibited by individuals with ADHD are due to problems with the parts of the brain responsible for executive functions (see below: Pathophysiology). These result in problems with sustaining attention, planning, organizing, prioritizing, and impulsive thinking/decision making.
Hope I'm being useful -- a close family member was in the same boat. I was able to help, because it was me who randomly saw someone talking about this on an HN comment and I dived further into the world of ADHD and found out that it may not be 'classical' depression, but depression caused by something else. Since then, there's been complete emotional stability, rational decision making and depression is controlled completely.
Lastly, Chris... what you did I think was not a bad judgement call at all. In my mind you were making something right, and fixing a wrong because that was the only tool available to you. Debating something just takes forever and some things need to be fixed there and then. What happened to you, is simply disgusting. I am sorry for that, and I hope you can look back on it as a good memory and not a bad memory (which is tough).
I ran a massive community as the real admin, but the same sort of thing happened to me as well. Been years since I left but it's still sore to think about.
Hey! I just downloaded your app and I love the design, I'm at work so I haven't had a chance to use it. I've recommended it to four other friends so hopefully we can get you some feedback.
One thing I've noticed immediately is that I can't import my podcasts from the podcast app... is this not a possibility?
Okay, so far the feedback I've heard is as follows, everything in quotations is from a friend:
What we love:
-Love the way podcasts play and the little circle on the bottom right hand corner for play/pause
-The flow of new podcasts for the week
-The general layout
-"I like the concept. The idea is great to see what new podcasts are there instead of just relying on iTunes top 10 list"
-"I like that you can fast forward or rewind the podcast with your finger instead of that 10 sec but they have on podcast"
-(Note: my friend preferred this, but I like the 10 second fwd/back)
What can use some improvement:
-"The app is very glitchy. I'm "following" you but you don't appear as one of my "friends" and I can't read what it says below your name (I'm assuming you connected through Twitter)"
-"It would also be nice to have a page where you could see a list of everyone who is following you and who you are following"
-"Also I can't go into your profile to see who you're following!"
-(Likewise, I was not notified that my friend had started following me. I don't know where to find my friends?)
-"I can't go into a podcast to see who liked it..."
-I'm not sure if I just can't find it but I typically prefer to download podcasts in order to save on data. They help me get through my 3hr commute.
-"I don't like how they make you sign up with connecting FB or Twitter
No other option to just sign up independently of the other apps"
(I agree with this)
Overall the consensus was that we can't wait to make this our number one podcasting app and are genuinely excited for how this all develops! I'm not sure if you've talked to the guys over at Gimlet about your app, or if they are hard to reach... I did notice you have Gimlet shows on the screens on your website, but you are both part of the podcast revolution.
My other two podcast friends are at a wedding for the weekend, but I will follow up with them when they get back.
Thank you for the great and extensive feedback! We will make sure to fix as many of the things you mentioned as possible in the next minor update to the app. Most are actually usability problem. It is in fact possible to access followers and who's following and so on. It's just not immediately obvious how I guess. Downloads for offline listening is available if you long-press on a story in the feed and then tap "Download". Not very user friendly. We're working on a better solution.
We've actually reached out to Gimlet to get their thoughts on the app. But haven't heard back from them yet.
Anything we can do to help, you guys have a great product! I'll be sure to utilize the downloads- maybe one of those brief tutorials when you download the app (like on Snapchat when you first download) could help to explain app features like long-pressing.
I just tweeted Gimlet to see if it encourages a response, but I'm nobody special on Twitter so don't get your hopes up. ;)
