Comments on DONDEQUIERA: Web 2.0 meets Puerto Rico

Perhaps this might be relevant to the discussion: ...

2009-11-12T15:40:35.934-04:30

Perhaps this might be relevant to the discussion:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/28/sales-guy-vs-web-dude/

:)

So p.0.p - I have to play Devil's advocate her...

2009-11-12T13:24:28.075-04:30

So p.0.p - I have to play Devil's advocate here:

As a software developer, did you give up when you were met with objections? As an entrepreneur, knowing the landscape, did work on your pitch beforehand?

Knowing the situation, I can imagine their brain would compare your call against both the (a) "Oh my God - someone like me is out there", and (b) "Oh my God - someone wants to take me out". If the market were more mature, they would be able to examine it less skittishly.

In Silicon Valley, the call could mean either thing. Here's a MIL - make your stuff better. Or what can you tell me about your stuff before we annihilate you.

All in all, I say re-work your pitch and call them back. ;)

Remember - you have to make sure they'll actually help you and not hold you back. After all, a software developer is a software developer. :P

Your welcome p0p! Yes, I have seen and lived exac...

2009-11-12T11:19:00.390-04:30

Your welcome p0p!

Yes, I have seen and lived exactly those scenarios, and many more. I would point out that zero-sum shows it's ugly face in many more circumstances than just software development. I would even go so far as to say that it is everyone's "nature" by now.

I appreciate your kind words and your patronage. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Thanks for this post. I agree there is a zero su...

2009-11-12T09:38:21.848-04:30

Thanks for this post.

I agree there is a zero sum mentality in Puerto Rico. Let me share some examples.

I'm a software developer that uses a specific platform. There are few people in the island who develop with the same platform. And only a handful are truly specialized in it.

I recently contacted someone who specializes in the platform, a peer, with the idea of networking and possibly working on projects together. I asked her for her phone number so we could talk about the platform. She responded by asking how did I get her info, and if I knew other people in the island working with the same platform, and then she launched a marketing campaign.

We never talked on the phone.

I interpreted her mentality as "someone is smelling my pie, a competitor! could there be more of them? And his website is better than mine, I need to boost my image to compete!"

So here we have two sole proprietors, specialized in the same platform, working on their solo-projects. They have the potential to unite and venture to take on bigger clients, in and out of the island, to develop products, to attend conferences and represent their country, to make better profits, to train other people; to create a bigger pie for all.

But everything is wasted from the start because we fear to loose our pie, we fear to be entrepreneur.

Another example is when peers from the island contact me with questions about the platform. So far, each one starts by boasting how many years of experience they have in the IT field.

"I have 30 years of experience in IT, I started programming in COBOL" . In other words. "Hello, I've been this eating this pie longer than you, you can nibble on the crumbs but remember I'm the veteran here, now help me for free".

Zero sum mentality is real in Puerto Rico. I have experience it in the field of software development. But fortunately, there are many people who get it, and are willing to work for success that benefits all.

Thanks for your blog.

p0p

Insider, you're right. I've often thought that PR ...

2009-03-20T21:38:00.000-04:30

Insider, you're right. I've often thought that PR would eventually move through Web 1.0 and not stop at go nor collect $200.

But my friend specifically asked about getting companies blogging and creating communities, so that zooms things ahead to Web 2.0.

I'll get to the Facebook anomaly soon. But I'll have to give the credit to my partner for initially pointing out the difference. But I'm jumping ahead.

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

We need to get Puerto Rico to Web 1.0 first. Web 2...

2009-03-20T15:32:00.000-04:30

We need to get Puerto Rico to Web 1.0 first. Web 2.0 is a bit of a *mashup* of buzzwords, with different people defining it in different ways. Perhaps I might be more enthusiastic about it when I return from the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco at the end of this month (TBD). We'll see. Maybe not.

For now, many businesses and organizations (like schools for example) could benefit from something very *old* in the Internet time frame: email lists.

You win me as a customer and yet you have no direct ability to contact me, even though I've already given you some of my money.

I don't care if 3-4 weeks has past and you want to remind me it's time for a haircut, or you're liquidating electronics at Pitusa, or the church is having Bill Mayer as a guest speaker... If you have my email, then you can broadcast it.

Note: I received an email from the office of the governor of my home state last week, requesting all business owners to provide feedback on how the state can improve Information Technology to help support businesses. I doubt we're going to get anything from Fortuno's office here for a long time.

People here are certainly using email, and Facebook numbers seem to be reasonably high. I see a lot of Puerto Ricans actively using it as a social medium, despite a possible need to pay their electric bill at the bank. ;)

Yet - businesses, the ones who stand to gain the most in financial terms, lag behind to their own detriment.

How many of the *private* (aka special) schools even have a 1 page website up in the West here in Puerto Rico?

Web 2.0? Nah... Puerto Rico still needs 1993 technology when it comes to the Web.