By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are The Globe and Mail, Read Write, Mark Evans, The Wall Street Journal, VentureBeat, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes.
Governing the web (and everything else)
The governance of the Internet ain’t broken, so don’t fix it, says Don Tapscott.
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By Alexandra Reid
This month saw a lot of action in the Canadian startup scene and we covered much of it here on our blog. Most notably, Startup Canada launched its much anticipated Startup Blueprints, an ambitious web platform that summarizes what the organisation heard this past summer, and sets out what needs to be done to turn those ideas and reflections into concrete action.
But that shouldn’t eclipse the wonderful work of Maple Leaf Angels and CanWit, two organisations that have fostered a partnership to create new investment opportunities for women-led startups in Canada. The National Angel Capital Organization also held its annual conference in Halifax, where important debates took place about the value of crowdfunding and how investment in this country could be improved.
Of course, those stories don’t even scratch the surface of our coverage this month. In case you missed any, here’s a handy roundup of our posts, ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers.
November 19: Lessons for entrepreneurs who wish to globalize their startups upon inception: Part 2 by Tony Bailetti
November 28: If Jack and Jill had worked together to engineer a well water system … by Leo Valiquette
November 20: Celebrating 25 years of community support by Alexandra Reid
November 29: A clarion call to make Canada an entrepreneurial economy by Francis Moran
November 6: CMI-MarketingProfs report reveals B2B content marketing confusion by Alexandra Reid
November 12: The CMO is dead by Dominique Turpin
November 27: Product management: Give the user the best possible mobile experience by Peter Hanschke
November 13: Hey, kid, I hear you want to be an entrepreneur by Leo Valiquette
November 26: Supporting investment in women-led startups by Alexandra Reid
November 7: Give capitalists the ball, let them run by Leo Valiquette
November 14: Lessons for entrepreneurs who wish to globalize their startups upon inception by Tony Bailetti
November 5: The neuroscience behind elections by Bob Bailly
November 8: Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes inspires hometown crowd: Video by Fiona Campbell
November 14: The subsistence diet of government — and some VC — funding by Francis Moran
November 21: Walking the digital tightrope: The perils of co-branded employees by Megan Totka
November 22: Startup Canada to call for urgent action to support Canadian entrepreneurs by Francis Moran
November 1: Even angels are going enterprise by Francis Moran
November 16: How to create brighter lives with content marketing by Alexandra Reid
Image: Oana Befort
By Alexandra Reid
As usual, we covered a lot of ground on our blog last month.
We explored why startups should focus on problems, not platforms, and why they shouldn’t outsource their core competencies. Francis explained why marketing involves much more than just creating a message and delivering that message with the tools of advertising and public relations. Mitch Joel supported that argument by stating that marketing is everything. Leo shared lots of great media relations advice, teaching us how to pitch to busy journalists without becoming a nuisance. Of course, these just scratch the surface of the topics we covered.
In case you missed any, here is a handy roundup of our posts last month, ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
October 16: Meet ..duo by Alexandra Reid
October 11: Montreal’s Notman House enters final funding stage by Francis Moran
October 10: Mitch Joel on why marketing is everything by Alexandra Reid
October 15: Social media gaffes: They can happen to anyone by Megan Totka
October 22: The plight of product managing myself by Peter Hanschke
October 24: ‘Put away the cozy image of the little old lady knitting a sweater for the grandkids’ by Alexandra Reid
October 9: Apple versus Samsung – Every patent owner’s dream by David French
October 2: Why I started learning code: a marketer’s perspective by Alexandra Reid
October 4: Marketing is about more than the colour of your new website by Francis Moran
October 23: Pitching to busy media figures in various media environments by Leo Valiquette
October 17: The thin line between being persistent and being a nuisance by Leo Valiquette
October 30: Make sure you’re barking up the right tree by Leo Valiquette
October 18: Canadian angel investors to gather in Halifax next week by Francis Moran
October 31: Pitch perfect: Startups should focus on problems, not platforms by Alexandra Reid
October 25: Communications planning: The principles by Caroline Kealey
October 3: Startups: Do not outsource your core competency by Leo Valiquette
October 29: The allure of building enterprise products by Jesse Rodgers
Image: 10Wallpaper.com
By Peter Hanschke
For many years now I’ve been writing blogs about all things product management. I’m not sure that there is a subject I haven’t talked about. I found that the majority of topics came from my interactions with software companies — large, small, new — as well as conversations with people who have ideas, but are not sure where to begin.
As a product manager, I routinely asked myself what gives me the right to advise companies and individuals on what they should do. It boils down to having been through so many product management experiences in the past 20+ years of being a product manager that there really isn’t anything I haven’t seen.
There is, however, one scenario that I have not experienced. That is, me advising me on building an app – a mobile app, to be exact. I’ve always advised others as they plan and build out their software applications. I’ve talked to some people who have an idea of what they want to do; some who have a full-fledged idea and are well on their way; and some who have been at it a while and need some help on their next product move.
But I have never advised myself as I go through the planning, building and commercialization of an idea for a mobile app. It kind of feels like I’ll be eating my own dog food!
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By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Forbes, Financial Post, iNova Capital, Inc., TechCrunch, MediaPost and Canadian Business.
Steve Blank’s most audacious guerilla marketing stunts
Author John Greathouse speaks with Steve Blank — professor, thought leader, author and leader within the Lean Startup Movement — to share his wily and creative feats as a creative marketing entrepreneur.
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By Alexandra Reid 
