November « 2009 « Gregory Koberger

30Nov2009

The Broken Window Theory

The “Broken Window Theory” says that windows are more likely to be broken if one is already broken. From the original article “Broken Windows” by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling:

Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.

Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.

The theory is that people are more likely to do something bad if someone did it before them. For example, cleaning up graffiti as soon as it happened supposedly lead to a huge decrease in crime in NYC.

This works with comments and message boards, too. If a post is offensive or badly written, delete it. Having only thought out and civil comments will lead to more thought out and civil comments.

There is a lot of criticism of the Broken Window Theory. However, look at comments on various sites. You will never see a YouTube-like comment on a site like Hacker News, and you will have a hard time finding a thought-provoking message anywhere on YouTube.

Expectations of quality are set by previous comments, and it is important to consistently maintain a high standard.

So, free speech be damned. Delete offending comments, or risk having the quality of your sites’ comments go downhill.

in Uncategorized — by Gregory

26Nov2009

0 comments

The Value of Google Docs

Whenever I have an idea for a new company or project, I start a new Google Doc. I have a few dozen of them- some have full business models and mock ups, while others are merely a line or two.

It is a great habit to get into. It is great inspiration to go back to. There are many ideas I had months ago, but never could get right enough to start on. Sometimes, months later, the idea finally clicks. There was something you were missing before, or an angle you did not look at it from.

That Google Doc will store all your ideas, and you can go back and see what you thought of before.

When executing an idea, things change. The more you think about it and work on it, the further from the original idea you get. Sometimes, it is useful to go back and see your original ideas. Often, in your rush to go in a new direction, you forgot a cool feature or idea from the original plan.

You do not have to execute every idea you write down- that is a fools errand. However, it is useful to have a reference, since some day it might become relevant.

in Startups — by Gregory

25Nov2009

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“I had that idea, too”

The more I talk to people, the more I hear and say the phrase “I had that idea, too.” I rarely hear “I did that”, though.

Ideas are easy. You can come up with ten good ideas right now.

The problem is you did not execute. That is not a bad thing- nobody has time to make every idea they think of happen.

The people who succeed are the ones who pick the best of their ideas, and let the rest go.

So, next time someone tells you their idea, do not reply “I had that idea, too.” Instead, be proud of the ideas you did pick to execute.

And, do not feel bad if you tell someone your idea, and they say “I had that idea, too.” It does not cheapen your idea. If anything, it is confirmation it might have a market, since someone else thought of it. They were not the right person to execute the idea- if they were, they would have.

If you are the right person, make it happen.

in Startups — by Gregory

Gregory Koberger :: the blog

The Broken Window Theory

The Value of Google Docs

“I had that idea, too”