Saturday, March 31, 2007
About FC
Fuckedcompany.com has found a new home! Details here.
Update: See my April Fools update, here!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Life in general
Pud,
I'm a journalism major and I'm getting bored with school, work, the party life, and life in general. I'm thinking about writing a book to help pass the time.
I've written the first chapter and told a couple friends about my idea. The majority of them think I'm crazy.
What should I do?
Thanks,
Erik
20 years old
Reno, NV Erik,
Sorry to be the one to break this to you... but as long as you're being creative, taking risks, and making things happen, people will always think you're crazy. It's human nature.
I've started 6 businesses, sold 2, raised millions, wrote a best-selling book, mastered the drums (omg), and have done a lot of other things I'm proud of -- many involving my penis.
And of course, I'm not exactly Bill Gates, and some of my businesses failed. But each of these things had one thing in common: people telling me "it's a stupid idea" and that I should give up.
And sometimes they were right. But most of the time they weren't.
There are two types of haters you'll encounter.
- People who are jealous of your drive and possible success, and make themselves feel better by beating you down.
- People who are so conservative and afraid to take risks, that they just can't understand your logic and figure there must be something wrong with you.
I'm not saying you should drop your friends, but you should try to surround yourself with like-minded peers -- people who will think what you're doing is awesome and will root for you.
I know that I'm rooting for you!
Pud
Friday, March 23, 2007
$150,000
Dear Pud,
I recently inherited $150,000. I'm not a big spender, and would like to invest it. Do I play conservative and go with safe mutual funds? Or do I put it all on red?
Please help,
Thomas
24 years old
Seattle, Wa
Thomas,
Remember what Wesley Snipes said in Passenger 57... "always bet on black."
But seriously... you're 24. You'll have plenty of time to be "safe" when you're old. And $150,000 isn't gonna make you rich sitting in mutual funds. And not that you were serious about putting it on the roulette wheel, but even that would just make you another $150,000.
Go for the big one! What are you good at? Use the dough to start a business and be self-sufficient for a year or two while you grow it. Or dump it into a high-risk investment... like an IPO you're into. If you lose the money, no big deal... you're 24 and you'll make it back. But on the other hand, it could make you a millionaire.
Of course, blow and hookers are a fine investment for a 24-year old, too.
Pud
4 months
Hi Pud,
I really like this kid named Luke. I went out with him for 4 months, but 3 days after my birthday party, he broke up with me. I still like him, and sometimes he acts like he likes me, but I'm not sure if he does.
Do you think he likes me???? Write me back ASAP please!
Brittanie
11 years old
Greenwood, IN Brittanie,
Firstly, I have no idea why Ask Pud is so popular with young kids. And I feel kind of creepy giving you relationship advice. But the part of me that says "if I only knew then what I know now..." wants to help.
That said, he likes you. But he's at a weird age... old enough to like girls, but not old enough to know why.
I'll leave it at that. Ask your parents for more information.
Pud
Pets
Pud,
I want to get a pet but not sure what kind. What's a pet that's pretty, low-maintenance and relatively inexpensive?
Maybe a fish?
Thanks,
Claire
16 years old
Claire,
Fish are pretty, cheap, and relatively low-maintenance. Unfortunately, a good fish tank isn't.
Get a guinea pig. He can live in your bedroom and your mom will clean up the poop.
Pud
Rebound
Hi Pud,
What's your personal opinion on "rebounds?"
Thanks,
Emily
18 years old
Highlands, NJ
Emily,
I assume you're not talking about basketball (I am an expert in everything except sports...see the side-bar on the right).
As for rebound relationships... After you end a serious relationship, there are exactly 3 months per year of rebound time. In other words, when you end a 2-year relationship, you will rebound for exactly 6 months.
What happens during your rebound depends on if you're male or female. As you may expect, both sexes seek physical intimacy during a rebound. But women will seek both physical as well as emotional intimacy, in an attempt to prove to herself that her ex "just didn't understand" her.
Have fun!
Pud
Friday, March 16, 2007
Brands
We're always working on new products at AdBrite. And of course at some point we ask ourselves, "what should we call this new product?" Specifically, should it be a sub-brand of the parent company (such as maps.google.com, or Google Maps), or should it have its own name (like Gmail).
Recently, we had this discussion about a new thing we're about to launch. Some people at AdBrite thought that we should launch it under the AdBrite brand. The advantage being that if this new product really takes off, it will lift the core AdBrite brand along with it.
Still others thought the brands should be separate. Specifically, AdBrite's co-founder (and poet), Gidon Wise, made the the point that sub-brands rarely take off in the first place.
Sure, there's a lot more to success than a good brand. But would Flickr have taken off if it were called Yahoo Photos? Would YouTube have taken off if it were called Google Video? What about if MySpace were called Fox New Space? I use Yahoo Finance and Yahoo News..but I gotta admit, I'd rather be typing Fool or Digg into my browser.
People like being part of a brand.
Sub-brands aren't strong. It's as if they can't stand on their own two feet. It's like saying, "hey, this product isn't that great, but at least it's part of something bigger."
And I think that if people aren't already users of the parent brand, they'll be apprehensive to try the sub-brand. For example, I don't use Yahoo's search engine, thus I feel awkward trying their other products.
Coca-cola's second best seller is called "Sprite," not "Lemon-lime coke." And Coke is the most well-known brand on the planet. But they ditched the brand, and it worked.
Google is fond of naming everything "Google this" and "Google that." And so far, none of their sub-brands have become market leaders (article here). And Gmail (which isn't a leader either) doesn't count, because they were late to the game & there's a lot of friction getting people to switch email. (and also they were invite-only until a few weeks ago)
Even Yahoo is getting into the swing of things, and is going to start launching stuff under separate brand names.
Does your new product stand by itself? Will people who don't use your other products, potentially use this one? If so, consider giving it a life of its own.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Tony Robbins song
 Dear Pud,
Do you happen to know that song that goes, "life will never be the same..." that Tony Robbins plays at his seminars? Do you know the artist/title?
Thanks for your help!!
Jeroen
36 years old
Jeroen,
Oddly, I have it right here in my iTunes. It's called "Life" and it's by Haddaway -- the same artist who brought us "What is Love," the song made (even more) famous by the movie Night at the Roxbury.
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