From Dimes to Dollars

by Ben Lopez

That’s it.  Enable comments.  There are a multitude of reasons to do so, and not a single reason why you’d want to intentionally disable them, short of looking to explicitly avoid criticism.  I hope no one will take offense to this entry; none is intended, friends.  I’m saying this today because it’s something that needs to be said, and I have yet to hear another Tumblr blogger address this persisting issue.  Comments give bloggers an interactive incentive to their readers, and the readers are able to further contribute and share thanks when you provide useful, engaging content.

Before I joined Tumblr, I had never HEARD of a blog that didn’t have the option of commenting, at least not by default.  To be fair, I realize some Tumblr users are not aware that their comments are disabled, it took me a while to notice it myself.  When I started here on Tumblr, as much as I loved the community, I found it absolutely unbelievable that MANY themes intentionally exclude the ability to comment.  For the Tumblr staff not to set minimum functionality requirements that designers must include in their themes seems grossly irresponsible to me, and it is hurting the reputation of both Tumblr and its users.  Some blogs don’t even have a permalink button!  Can you imagine?  A non-Tumblr user visiting a Tumblr-powered blog and scratching their head, “Are you kidding me, I can’t leave a comment?  What’s the point of blogging like that?  It’s like you’re talking to yourself.”  Or what if one of your friends on Facebook suddenly did not allow for status update comments or wall posts?  Chances are you’re going to be visiting that friend’s page a heck of a lot less, if at all…why should it be any different for blogs?

I’m sure some of you are saying by now, “Oh, shut up, you!  I’ll run my blog how I please!”  And I get it.  I’m not fond of criticism any more than the next guy, but please trust me when I say you have everything to gain by enabling comments.  Why has social media become so successful?  Because it’s social.  Please do not interpret this entry as an act of spite or harsh criticism, this needs to be said for the greater good of the Tumblr community.  It’s fairly often I find a really great blog that I can’t comment on at all, which is a shame.  I’d love to be able to tell that person how much I enjoyed reading their work.

Take a look at some of the top blogs here on Tumblr.  You’ll see that most of them not only have comments enabled, but include a multitude of commenting options (Yahoo, Disqus, Twitter/Facebook Connect, etc) in addition to a standard form so that anyone can comment very easily.  They are some of the most-read blogs for good reason; that interactive element is a crucial incentive that gives birth to conversation beyond the original article and brings those hungry minds, those taking pleasure in quality conversation, coming back for more.

For bloggers without comments, did this article change your mind?  If not, let’s hear your views on why you still would like to restrict comments.  For those that agree with my rationale, I ask that you consider ReBlogging this entry to spread awareness.  

Bring forth your comments, questions, and criticisms.

I hate to be so disappointing with a lack of content this past week, I’ve just been incredibly busy trying to get my new project off the ground while still juggling my day-to-day tasks.  I elaborate a little on what’s been going on with my personal projects here if anyone has any interest (unlikely, but possible, I suppose).

This week’s highlights:

I shared some encouraging and insightful quotes from Steve Jobs and Tim O’Reily.  They lend a bit of advice for startups, and provide valuable wisdom on how to treat your peers.

 Google made a huge announcement this past week as they unveiled Google TV to the world.  I made it clear that in my opinion GTV will soon change the entire market, which I believe will lead to, at long last, custom channel packages.  I had some good discussion with other bloggers on this, and even had a brief interaction with Gary Vaynerchuk, who agreed on the custom channel packages.

 Twitter dominated the #1 spot in the iPhone App Store this past week.  It was dethroned after several days by a Farmville clone…which is pretty sad when you think of the implications on our society’s priorities.

 This week’s humour comes in the form of a very unique Twitter service, which I’ve sarcastically deemed “The most useful Twitter service in the history of mankind”.  No spoilers on what it is (little clue in the thumbnail), you’ll have to read the full entry and judge for yourself how useful it is.;)

Typically I put a small mention down here to recommend this blog if you find it useful.  However, I’m not going to do that this week because I don’t think I delivered the past 7 days.  In any case, I’d like to thank you all for continuing to read From Dimes To Dollars, I read every one of your comments and e-mails.

TOMORROW:  I get opinionated in a big way, and publish an open letter to Tumblr users.  I won’t say what it’s regarding, but let’s just say not everyone is going to be happy about it.  Get your trigger finger ready to send that hate mail!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to make a quick post apologizing for the lack of unique content the last few days.  I’ve been hard at work finalizing my local entrepreneur group this past week in addition to my usual daily workload, so it’s been very tight.  

But I should be back in full swing again starting tomorrow.  I’d like to begin broadening the topic list a bit from the social media focus as of late with a few articles that relate more directly to all business men and women.  I’ll be going into the thought process behind making decisions and would really like to open it up for discussion.  As always, if there’s anything in particular you’d like to hear about, let me know in the comments, or with the Ask feature.

See you all Monday, cheers!

Ben

So I was thinking over this whole Tumblr Tuesday thing this week, and decided to make a change.  I looked at how everyone else was approaching Tuesdays here on Tumblr, and the basic gist I got was that essentially Tuesday is the day that it is socially acceptable to outright ask for recommendations.  So if I’m browsing for new blogs to follow on a Tuesday, I’m going to stumble across quite a few “recommend me, pls!!” blog entries.  Before long, I imagine they’re all going to start sounding the same, and generally speaking, you’re not contributing anything with that kind of blog entry.

That’s when I decided I’d do a weekly recap to share something useful on Tumblr Tuesday.  Will I still ask for recommendations at some point in the blog entry?  Sure.  What I won’t do is beat people over the head with the notion that they simply must recommend this blog.  

This week’s highlights:

Dimes2Dollars took a poll asking the question “Do you consider running an internet business ‘professional’?”  I did an update partway through the week and gathered responses from a few other sources as well.  There was a high level of participation, thanks everyone!  The results and a personal response will be posted this week.

A detailed review of Twittelator was published.  Twittelator is a 3rd-party Twitter app for iPhone.  I found it to be leaps and bounds better than the competition!  Streamlining frequently used functions, as well as a mind-boggling range of advanced features made it one I recommended heartily.

 Less than an hour after the news broke, I decided to do a little late-night reporting on Hugo Chavez and his highly unexpected decision regarding Twitter!

Easily my favourite entry for the week, we revisit a story that The Wall Street Journal published last year on an unlikely career switch.  A Wall Street businesswoman leaves a high-paying job to become a cyclist.  Talk about pursuing your passion!

Finally, just a few hours ago I was scouring and came across a great find by David Chouinard.  I added some commentary of my own and ReBlogged his entry, Customer Service Is Not A Department.

Please consider a recommendation if you found any of the above to be Inspiring, or otherwise useful to an Entrepreneur or Startup.

What do you think of this new Tumblr Tuesday approach?  Would you like to see the weekly reports tweaked differently?  Let me know in the comments below, or submit a reply!  

Last week, a friend directed me to this article from The Wall Street Journal he found incredibly inspiring.  It’s about Evelyn Stevens, a successful Wall Street businesswoman that bought a bicycle to keep in shape, and discovered she had a one in a million talent, and a passion that was growing rapidly.  Her tennis experience in the past has given her the natural instincts and endurance necessary to win high-profile races.  And she’s not stopping there.

Evelyn began entering tournaments regularly while still working in May of 2008, continuing to increase her training regimen and tournament entries steadily.  Last June, she finally did it: she quit her day job to pursue her passion and take on cycling full time.  How amazing is that?  She gave up a secure, high paying job on Wall Street to do what she loved.  According the the article, the top women cyclists only make around $30,000 annually, even less if you fall to the middle of the pack.  Experts told her she would need to improve her speed as much as 13% to become a top-tier cyclist.  But Evelyn isn’t worried about the money.  It’s clear from her response that she is enjoying life as she never has before.

So friends, be tough, ask yourself if you’re really doing something you have a genuine desire for.  If you’re not hungry for your current job, find out what it is that’s stifling your appetite, and take the next step toward your true passion and a happy, fulfilling life.

Read the full article HERE.

What are your initial thoughts when someone tells you that they run an internet business?   While the landscape is rapidly evolving, and making a living solely from online income has now eased into the mainstream, it’s hard to deny that the feelings still differ from those toward a traditional brick-and-mortar business for some people.

Which selection best describes your feelings on the subject?  Why?  

A.) I’m impressed.  This business owner is logically taking advantage of new technologies and applying them to emerging practices.  The potential for his internet business is equal to, if not greater than that of a traditional business model due to these new innovations.

B.) I do not take this person’s online business as seriously when compared to a traditional business model.  They do not have the same day-to-day responsibilities to uphold, and have somewhat limited potential.

C.) I believe a business man or woman has equal potential in either business model, and I do not think of them as significantly different.

D.) These answers are rubbish!  Here’s one of my own!

I don’t want to influence anyone, so I’ll refrain from comment until the discussion dies down enough to close the poll in a few days.  The results, which are being gathered from 7 sources, will be shared in a future post.  You can also e-mail me your response if you prefer (Lopez.M.Benjamin@gmail.com).  Let your voice be heard!  

Last night, I saw an article from the co-founder of Flickr, Caterina Fake, entitled “Want to be an entrepreneur?  Drop out of college.”  As you can imagine, it was viewed as a bit controversial, and not all of the feedback was exactly kind.  But is it really such outrageous advice?  After all, it’s exactly what I and many other entrepreneurs, both of today and historically have decided to do without regret.  I believe many of strongest opinions were coming from people that may have misinterpreted the post, or formed a very strong bias based solely on the title before they even read the article.

I won’t talk at length about it, but here is the reply I gave to the critics of the article:

“I think some of the readers are grossly misinterpreting this article. In no way is Caterina saying college is a waste of time, or that you should avoid it entirely. Her entire point is that once you’ve discovered your passion, if you are ready, you should take the plunge. I say get the groundwork of a few classes in your field until you feel comfortable with it, then take a semester off to focus on entrepreneurship. By the end of that semester you’ll know whether or not you’re ready. You can always go back, your life will not be irreparable. I had plans for 6 years of college and dropped out after a year and a half because schoolwork was eating so badly into the time I needed for my projects. It took me a few years to realize it, but it was the best decision I ever made in my life. If I hadn’t been decisive, all I’d have to look forward to right now is another 3 years of school, tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and the task of finding a job in a tough economy only to work for someone else starting from the bottom. I have absolutely no debt and get up every morning loving life so much I can’t even express such a feeling.

I’m sure Caterina wakes up every day thinking the same thing. I’ve met a lot of entrepreneurs the last few years, and most have one thing in common: they want to share the message with everyone. Why? Because we want people to know there is an alternative if you’re not happy with your present life. Shit, it’s hard hearing about others or seeing my friends working for years at jobs they hate, or graduating from college but not advancing at their company after years of service. I genuinely feel bad for them. That’s why I started an entrepreneurship blog, why I meet with people and stress this possibility with those who are disheartened. Now, whether you’re a college graduate or not, if you’re working for someone else and you love what you do, by all means, keep your job. What’s important is that you’re following your passion. But if you’re not, just know that becoming an entrepreneur gives anyone an opportunity to do exactly what they love, something to live for.

Entrepreneurship may not appeal to everyone, but it’s my goal to show others that it is always a viable option. In our current age of incredible technology and invaluable tools, many of which are completely free, the rate of success is at an all time high. I wish you all the best whichever route you choose.

Benjamin M. Lopez 
Author, From Dimes To Dollars”

I’d love to hear which side you fall on; sound off in the comments below!