Do companies ever launch BEFORE their target date? YES!

We have worked non-stop, day and night, over the last 7 months to build www.viewpoints.com. And now the big day is upon us. I cant believe it. I also cant believe we actually set the site live last night. What? Yes. We launched the site last night-- 2 days early!! Does that ever happen? Do technical teams ever blow away a deadline? No. Never. But our rockstar tech team proved it can be done.

This moment is pretty surreal actually. I have been talking blindly about a site for so long. I have made promises and built hopes. I have told people of a site I am helping to build that is focused on real peoples experiences-- with no pretense, a welcoming community and smart people/writers. And, today, the world gets to see it.

While its not perfect, it is pretty awesome to see it up and live. I am excited about today but even more excited about tomorrow, a month from now and 5 years from now. I think we built something great and differentiated that can truly stand the test of time. Oh, and it feels good to be there too!

So, the promises and hopes of a new and improved review experience still stand. Now, it is all about delivery!

If you havent checked us out yet, head to www.viewpoints.com. Ill meet you there! Im addicted.

Should anonymous comments be allowed? We say "no"

I wanted to share an interesting email that was sent out yesterday by NYT (in their Circuits email).

We have debated a lot internally about whether someone can come into our community and comment on reviews without revealing who they are. We landed quite simply at NO. You cant comment unless you become a member. While our writers will lose the opportunity of hearing a lot of potentially good feedback, we are taking this tiny step to guard them from what could be an offense. We thought the trade off was worth it.

Take a look at the email... a fun and telling story.

Thursday, April 26, 2007
THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS: Looking Perfect, One Pixel at a Time

Is It Time for An Online Code of Conduct?

When I was just out of college in the late 1980's, I made a lot of computer house calls in New York (all right, apartment calls). During those years, I learned an awful lot about people and the dichotomy between their public and private personalities.

One client in particular has never left my mind. She was a wealthy woman with an astonishingly huge apartment -- and an astonishingly sour personality.

Whenever menials like me were around, she played a game whose name, I now realize, was "You're Wrong."

It began the moment she answered the doorbell. "Well, don't just stand there like a mannequin. I'm not paying you $25 an hour to just stand there. Go inside."

So, mumbling apologies, I entered the apartment and set down my bag next to the computer desk.

"Not there, not there!" she shrieked. "You'll get dirt on the carpet! Put it out there in the pantry. Have some respect for people's things!"

If I then reached to turn on the computer, it was, "Don't do it yourself! How do you expect me to learn if you do everything for me? Don't treat me like I'm some kind of idiot!" But if, on the next visit, I invited her to turn on the machine herself, she shot back, "How should I know how to turn it on? If I knew how to use the computer already, I wouldn't be paying you $25 an hour, now would I?"

No matter what you said, on any subject, no matter how neutral, Mrs. Cronkwitz could find fault with it. (Yes, this was the same woman who berated me for suggesting that her daisy-wheel printer couldn't print graphics.) Her simple rule was: "If you can't say something negative, don't say it at all."

I think about Mrs. Cronkwitz's game every time I read the comments on any online forum that accepts anonymous postings, like Digg.com or YouTube. It's all a big contest to see who can spit with the most venom on any product, any idea, any topic.

Just once, I'd love to see how many products, ideas and topics these people come up with themselves. (Actually, I already know: None, because most of 'em are still in high school.)

Top Questions for Jolie over the last week

I know I have been MIA for about the last week. My apologies. I am back in action! Here are a few questions I have been asked lately from many of you....

Where is the writer of the week?

Allow me to introduce you to Laurie. She is a great contributor in the Viewpoints community. Laurie says she is budget conscious, a family traveler, in a rush, practical, a beach lover, mom of a 6 year old & 9 year old, allergic to flowerly scents and an animal lover. (Oh, and she still considers herself a kid!) You can get to know her more NEXT WEEK. That's right next week we open the doors!

So, how is start up life?
Are you really wondering what it is like to work in a start up with 7 people? Do you want to know what it is like to care about every last detail and every last person in the community? Well, my silence on my blog should tell you! It is time consuming. It is exhausting. It isnt a 9 to 5 job. Nor is it an 8 to 8 job. It is life style. And it is fulfilling and fun and addictive! And crazy :)

How was my sons birthday last week? (you are so nice to ask!)

My son turned 3 last week. He got a subscription to the National Wildlife Federation magazine for kids called Baby Animals. He loves it! And, he waits by the door for the mail. Speaking of bdays-- I got my inspiration for my husbands bday present from one of our readers. He suggested I buy MENTAL FLOSS the magazine. We just got our second issue and I LOVE that magazine too. An example article, "Chaos Theory: In your washing machine". There are a couple of other funny ones: How to fake your way through a conversation about evolution; Chaos Theory- Or, why the weatherman is always wrong.

What makes Viewpoints different?

We go way beyond simple product reviews to highlight the personalities of you - our reviewers! Our goal is to breathe life into reviews and foster connections between our readers and reviewers. Next time you’re looking to make a purchase, you not only get reviews, but get great information about who wrote that review.

What are attribute tags?
The key to our reviewer-centric site is a feature we call attribute tags. As you write your reviews we ask you to create “tags” that tell us about you as it relates to the item you are reviewing. For example, if you are writing a review of a ski-resort, you might include a Reviewer Trait like “black-diamond skier” or alternatively, “bunny-slope skier.” These attribute tags are then searchable, so readers can choose to filter reviews by people who they connect with on one or more of these levels. It also makes the site a whole lot more fun and personal! You can find people you have something in common with.

Okay, that's all for now. Im back in action.... and looking forward to launch next week.

CRUNCH!

For some that may mean it's workout time! For me, it means, CRUNCH MODE.

Sorry I have been remiss in my writing this week. It's crunch time here at Viewpoints. We are in our final development stages before we go live to the public.

We are working around the clock to put the finishing touches on the site. So, bear with me as I live with the dead for the next week or so. I am working hard to ensure your experiences at Viewpoints are as good as they can be when we fling the doors open. And, promise you will be nice to the 7 person start-up, knowing that we have many more great features in store for the future!

11 days until the doors fly open... but who is counting????

Meet Anne-- with an E! I think she is Exceptional.

Meet Anne. She is an incredibly dynamic and funny childrens book reviewer. (well, she has lots of other great things to say too!) I should also mention that she is an organic user, multi-cultural enthusiast and proud Mom of 2. In two weeks flat, you can check her out on our site! You will definitely love her reviews. Check out her photo. Dont you like her already?

Here is a brief description of Anne (courtesy, of Anne herself!)

I am a fairy godmother in training. I bestow kisses and dispense hugs to my two favorite elves, who work hard at being good and playing nice. I grant the occasional wish too, though I have to remind them I'm not the Money Wizard. I believe in hand-me-downs, whether toys or clothes. It's a value that's out of sync with our disposable society, I suppose, but I work my magic where I can.

I am paper trained. I put myself through grad school for journalism at that awkward in-between stage, when Woodward and Bernstein were ancient history, but the digital age hadn't yet dawned. I was almost alone in refusing to see newspapers as sacrosanct, but I absorbed their core values: to remain skeptical, do my own legwork, be my own best editor, and to pick words like wild mushrooms--the wrong ones can kill you.

The picture book reviews that I post here at Viewpoints come from my blog, Book Buds Kidlit Reviews (www.bookbuds.net). I'm so obsessed, I also co-founded a contest called the Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards (www.cybils.com). I hope you'll join me at either of those sites, or here at Viewpoints as we enter a new age of consumer advocacy.

Consumer Generated Travel Reviews Continue to Get Good Press!

Recently, there has been a lot of good press around the value of peer to peer reviews specifically in the travel space. I wanted to share a few excerpts that I thought were interesting...

Just how trustworthy is Travel 2.0? By Rob Lovitt, Travel writer, MSNBC
Thank you, rossbo1, alas1976 and the rest of you folks who have recently stayed at the Doubletree Hotel Santa Ana. Based on the information you generously shared online, I now know what to expect during my family’s upcoming stay: The beds are soft, but firm; the parking is free, yet ridiculously expensive; and the chain’s signature cookies are very good, no better than Mrs. Fields and hardly ever available.

Welcome to what some have dubbed Travel 2.0, that unfiltered, open-ended universe where anybody with an ISP can discuss their comings and goings and what they found (or hope to find) along the way. The dialogue continues to evolve...it shows no sign of dying down any time soon.


The Web Gives Hotel Guests the Last Word
"NEARLY every morning, over his second cup of coffee, Tom Brady, general manager at the Affinia Chicago, logs onto his computer and surfs over to TripAdvisor.com to see if there are any new postings about his hotel. "It’s an obsession," he said. If the review is positive he moves on. If it’s unfavorable — like the complaint posted in March from a guest who had received a $90 parking ticket because of a valet’s error — he’s on it immediately. In that case, he marched straight out to the valet to find out what had happened. After identifying the guest, he made sure that the company issued an apology and a reimbursement for the ticket. "This is all over the world," he said, describing his concern about any negative comment on TripAdvisor.

About a month of alpha and I am so impressed!

I continue to be impressed daily when I visit the alpha site. We have about 25 active testers and they are writing high quality reviews, a high volume of reviews, and so quickly finding their personal voice on the site! It is so great to see-- especially since that "voice" is the heart of our offering.

I also appreciate that as people find their voice, they decide what they want to write about and for how long. Everybody has a different style-- some short, some long. Some about Health and Beauty, some about Travel, some about Music, some about a local vendor. You very quickly see peoples passions and interests and personal style. Isn't that what reviews and recommendations are all about?

It is also a place where a writer can be the writer THEY WANT TO BE. People arent there to criticize or judge. Our community values difference and wants to help people make smart decisions.

Here is a sample of some of the reviews that you will see at Viewpoints. We are less than one month away from opening the doors-- and I am sure we are going to BLOW the doors off with our great community. In my opinion, we already have!

Top fitness products- by a personal trainer
Home office supplies for tall people- by a guy that is 6'7"
Best hotels in the Southwest- by our expert travel writer
Good technical tools for the hearing impaired- by our writer that is suffering from hearing loss
Anti-aging products- by our beauty writer
Beer reviews- by our beer connoisseur
Car reviews- by our car junkie
Best B&Bs- from our boutique hotel stayer

The list is endless.... we cant wait for everyone to get in and make their point!

Meet Brian Thomas-- Another Kung Fu Master!

Check out Brian-- which one is he??? Here is a hint-- he was inspired by one of these photos. Does this tell you something about him? He is a pretty funny guy!

His sister is pretty funny too. She tells us this photo is his best one since high school. :)

Seriously, Brian is one of our movie experts. You have to read his movie reviews-- they are really good. And, he is a kung fu master too. Well, he likes to write about it. Check out his book that was published on Asian Action and Cult Flicks. (here's a plug-- go buy it--support a fellow writer!) There, you can find all of his movie reviews on the topic! Brian's review content can also be found in major publications throughout the U.S. His reviews have even been featured in Playboy. (that is going to get me lots of hits!) Please join me in welcoming Brian to the community!