So there’s this Crunchies contest held by TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Read/Write Web, and GigaOm. The finalists were announced yesterday and voting is open. TechCrunch has the post with the most comments so far. The winners will be announced on my 43rd birthday, January 18th.
Here’s who I’m voting for — it’ll be interesting to look back and see how many winners I actually pick.
1. BEST TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION/ACHIEVEMENT: Twine. (Here’s a video I did with them). Although Google’s MyLocation feature on its new mobile maps are the one thing I appreciate most that came along this year. Funny, though, Amazon’s S3 service is probably having the biggest impact on the startups and it wasn’t on the list.
2. BEST BOOTSTRAPPED START-UP. Techmeme.
3. BEST NEW GADGET/DEVICE. iPhone although ever since Qik came into my life I’ve been using the Nokia N95 more.
4. BEST BUSINESS MODEL. Glam Media. Personally, why wasn’t socialmedia.com on this list? Actually, I would have put SmugMug on this list too, although where’s RockYou? They are making tons of money right now.
5. BEST DESIGN. Smugmug. (Here’s a video I did with them).
6. BEST ENTERPRISE START-UP. 37 Signals. If Atlassian or NewsGator were on this list I might have gone with them.
7. BEST CONSUMER START-UP. 23 and me. I didn’t like the choices here, but this is the most interesting of the ones presented.
8. BEST MOBILE START-UP. Twitter. (Here’s a video I did with them). How come BluePulse wasn’t on this list? Or Dopplr?
9. BEST INTERNATIONAL START-UP. Atlassian. (Here’s a video I did with them).
10. BEST USER-GENERATED CONTENT. Instructables.
11. BEST VIDEO SITE: Justin.tv. Personally, if Seesmic, Kyte, or Qik were on this list I would have voted for one of those three. (Seesmic was removed because Mike Arrington has invested in it).
12. BEST CLEAN TECH START-UP. Tesla Motors.
13. BEST USE OF VIRAL MARKETING. iLike. (Here’s a video I did with them).
14. BEST TIME SINK SITE. Kongregate. (Here’s a video I did with them).
15. MOST LIKELY TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. Kiva.
16. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED. WordPress. (Here’s a video I did with them).
17. BEST START-UP FOUNDER. Mark Zuckerberg. (I have a video with his sister, where she gives some interesting insights).
18. BEST START-UP CEO. Gina Bianchini. (Here’s a video I did with her).
19. BEST NEW START-UP OF 2007. Tumblr. I actually didn’t like any of these choices, but Tumblr is the one that caught my eye the most.
20. BEST OVERALL. Facebook. I actually like Twitter more, but I can just hear Christopher Coulter having fun with me if I chose it, so I took the bigger Facebook.
How about you? Which ones do you disagree with?
Scobleizer 
Because you used “Here’s a video I did with them” so many times it began to lose all meaning as a phrase…
So when I saw “I have a video with his sister, where she gives some interesting insights.” it made my thoughts devolve into rude, behind closed doors things…
Anyone else see it?
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Because you used “Here’s a video I did with them” so many times it began to lose all meaning as a phrase…
So when I saw “I have a video with his sister, where she gives some interesting insights.” it made my thoughts devolve into rude, behind closed doors things…
Anyone else see it?
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START-UP MOST-LIKELY TO BE FORGOTTEN IN SIX MONTHS AWARD – All.
BEST USE OF SPAM – Facebook. 101 Ways to refry those beans.
START-UP APPLICATION MOST WIDELY USED BEYOND BAY AREA AWARD – None.
BEST LOSER GENERATED SITE – None. Not even the Will Ferrell reject pieces. Land of the Lost.
BEST TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION/ACHIEVEMENT – Pastel colors. Miami Vice 2.0
WEB 2.0 HOUSE OF SAND SCALABILITY AWARD – Oh so many, so so many, but Twitter slides in home.
ETERNAL BETA TROPHY – Joost, download this app 50 times please.
LOCK-IN ACCOLADE – In Facebook, no one can hear your data scream.
SHRILL OF THE YEAR – Guy Kawasaki for Kindle. “Saying Whatever You Want Me To Say, For Fun And Profit.”
WILLIAM J. DONOVAN MERIT BADGE – Facebook. We see you.
APPLE CULT GADGET NO ONE TALKS ABOUT ANYMORE AWARD – Apple TV.
FASTEST OFF THE RADAR PRIZE – Pownce. Be gone from henceforthwnce.
FIZZLE-OUT GRAND CHAMP – Second Life, but furry creatures and walking penii can still apply.
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START-UP MOST-LIKELY TO BE FORGOTTEN IN SIX MONTHS AWARD – All.
BEST USE OF SPAM – Facebook. 101 Ways to refry those beans.
START-UP APPLICATION MOST WIDELY USED BEYOND BAY AREA AWARD – None.
BEST LOSER GENERATED SITE – None. Not even the Will Ferrell reject pieces. Land of the Lost.
BEST TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION/ACHIEVEMENT – Pastel colors. Miami Vice 2.0
WEB 2.0 HOUSE OF SAND SCALABILITY AWARD – Oh so many, so so many, but Twitter slides in home.
ETERNAL BETA TROPHY – Joost, download this app 50 times please.
LOCK-IN ACCOLADE – In Facebook, no one can hear your data scream.
SHRILL OF THE YEAR – Guy Kawasaki for Kindle. “Saying Whatever You Want Me To Say, For Fun And Profit.”
WILLIAM J. DONOVAN MERIT BADGE – Facebook. We see you.
APPLE CULT GADGET NO ONE TALKS ABOUT ANYMORE AWARD – Apple TV.
FASTEST OFF THE RADAR PRIZE – Pownce. Be gone from henceforthwnce.
FIZZLE-OUT GRAND CHAMP – Second Life, but furry creatures and walking penii can still apply.
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The finalists weren’t what I was expecting. I thought there would have been more up-and-coming sites than ones started years ago. Although the selections certainly continue to innovate.
That aside, I agree with most of your selections.
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The finalists weren’t what I was expecting. I thought there would have been more up-and-coming sites than ones started years ago. Although the selections certainly continue to innovate.
That aside, I agree with most of your selections.
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I agree Twine looks wonderful, but we’re still waiting for the beta….
Lists tell us more about the people who write them then the people who are on them.
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I agree Twine looks wonderful, but we’re still waiting for the beta….
Lists tell us more about the people who write them then the people who are on them.
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Hell, I only even heard of 5 of the things you mentioned, and 2 of those I’ve only heard of on this blog (not that I know what they do…hearing of this stuff is in the sense of “I did a video with the makers of ‘Twang’. Check it out.” (and I’ve only watched 1 of the videos Scoble’s done)
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Hell, I only even heard of 5 of the things you mentioned, and 2 of those I’ve only heard of on this blog (not that I know what they do…hearing of this stuff is in the sense of “I did a video with the makers of ‘Twang’. Check it out.” (and I’ve only watched 1 of the videos Scoble’s done)
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You’ve subtly pointed out that the nominees for various categories don’t seem to be the best in the category. Good for you. I was thinking the same thing.
In the best business model category, I see you mentioned RockYou. I agree. They found out how to monetize quantity over quality. That’s simply amazing. 🙂
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You’ve subtly pointed out that the nominees for various categories don’t seem to be the best in the category. Good for you. I was thinking the same thing.
In the best business model category, I see you mentioned RockYou. I agree. They found out how to monetize quantity over quality. That’s simply amazing. 🙂
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We agreed on 7 of the 20 categories, Robert. I did think some of the categorization, like putting LinkedIn with consumer start-ups, was odd.
My Votes: http://www.louisgray.com/live/2007/12/crunchies-2007-my-voting.html
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We agreed on 7 of the 20 categories, Robert. I did think some of the categorization, like putting LinkedIn with consumer start-ups, was odd.
My Votes: http://www.louisgray.com/live/2007/12/crunchies-2007-my-voting.html
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i’m a little disappointed there wasn’t more filtering on what kind of companies count as “startups”. companies with $5-7M in funding doesn’t bother me so much (that’s just an A round), but companies with over $10M / two institutional rounds of funding that have been around for 2-3+ years or more probably shouldn’t be on the list. Digg, LinkedIn, Facebook, WordPress are companies that might have made the list 3-5 years ago, but imho shouldn’t be included in a “startup” awards contest.
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i’m a little disappointed there wasn’t more filtering on what kind of companies count as “startups”. companies with $5-7M in funding doesn’t bother me so much (that’s just an A round), but companies with over $10M / two institutional rounds of funding that have been around for 2-3+ years or more probably shouldn’t be on the list. Digg, LinkedIn, Facebook, WordPress are companies that might have made the list 3-5 years ago, but imho shouldn’t be included in a “startup” awards contest.
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Robert,
Appreciate your transparency in the voting but some of the videos are pretty dusty. I mean, the interview with Toni Schneider is now more than a year ago, and doesn’t really reflect what WordPress is doing.
Mark
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Robert,
Appreciate your transparency in the voting but some of the videos are pretty dusty. I mean, the interview with Toni Schneider is now more than a year ago, and doesn’t really reflect what WordPress is doing.
Mark
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Well, most the stuff that was nominated I hadn’t even tried, and much of it has limited utililty for an ordinary person.
Add to that the fact that there are so many categories, and I ended up skipping the voting.
You probably know most of the finalists in every category, but what’s the point in voting if you only know two out of five finalists in a category? It just made me feel miserable that I don’t have a gig that allows me to do nothing but try software and web services all day long. Perhaps in the next incarnation?
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Well, most the stuff that was nominated I hadn’t even tried, and much of it has limited utililty for an ordinary person.
Add to that the fact that there are so many categories, and I ended up skipping the voting.
You probably know most of the finalists in every category, but what’s the point in voting if you only know two out of five finalists in a category? It just made me feel miserable that I don’t have a gig that allows me to do nothing but try software and web services all day long. Perhaps in the next incarnation?
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Here are my votes for the award winners:
http://www.centernetworks.com/picks-for-crunchies-awards
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Here are my votes for the award winners:
http://www.centernetworks.com/picks-for-crunchies-awards
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Hi, totally unrelated subject, but wondered if you’d come across GMail Drive before?
I’ve been using it for about a year now. Today I got this message :
“Account Lockdown: Unusual Activity Detected
This account has been locked down due to unusual account activity. It may take up to 24 hours for you to regain access.
Unusual account activity includes, but is not limited to:
1. Receiving, deleting, or downloading large amounts of mail via POP in a short period of time.
2. Sending a large number of undeliverable messages (messages that bounce back).
3. Using file-sharing or file-storage software, browser extensions, or third party software that automatically logs in to your account.
4. Leaving multiple instances of your Gmail account open.
5. Browser-related issues. Please note that if you find your browser continually reloading while attempting to access your Inbox, it’s probably a browser issue, and it may be necessary to clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
If you feel that you have been using your Gmail account according to the Gmail Terms of Use, you can troubleshoot your problem by clicking here.”
I wonder if they’re clearing the way for GDrive?
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Hi, totally unrelated subject, but wondered if you’d come across GMail Drive before?
I’ve been using it for about a year now. Today I got this message :
“Account Lockdown: Unusual Activity Detected
This account has been locked down due to unusual account activity. It may take up to 24 hours for you to regain access.
Unusual account activity includes, but is not limited to:
1. Receiving, deleting, or downloading large amounts of mail via POP in a short period of time.
2. Sending a large number of undeliverable messages (messages that bounce back).
3. Using file-sharing or file-storage software, browser extensions, or third party software that automatically logs in to your account.
4. Leaving multiple instances of your Gmail account open.
5. Browser-related issues. Please note that if you find your browser continually reloading while attempting to access your Inbox, it’s probably a browser issue, and it may be necessary to clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
If you feel that you have been using your Gmail account according to the Gmail Terms of Use, you can troubleshoot your problem by clicking here.”
I wonder if they’re clearing the way for GDrive?
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Isn’t Enterprise Start-up sort of a contradiction of terms? Name me one F500 company that us using ANY of those “enterprise start up” products listed in a standardized production use.
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Isn’t Enterprise Start-up sort of a contradiction of terms? Name me one F500 company that us using ANY of those “enterprise start up” products listed in a standardized production use.
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“that is using….”
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“that is using….”
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GREAT choice on Twine, Robert.
As the most active private beta tester who is not affiliated with Radar Networks, I can testify that your choice was a wise choice. Matter of fact, after Nova, I’m pretty sure that I’m the most active beta tester, although non-Radarians Jim Hendler and Mills Davis are coming on strong (Jim, as you may know, co-authored THE seminal paper and citation classic on the Semantic Web, along with Tim Berners-Lee, who recently joined the private beta; Mills is also an industry luminary). At this point, I’ve contributed 1583 items (although my Twine has 421 items), have 41 connections, and subscribe to 89 Twines. Nova: 529/72 items, 84 connections, 70 Twines.
BTW, you may recall seeing “davidlewis” appear quite a bit on Nova’s “My news @ twine” page, although it’s probably now listed as “David Scott Lewis” (I changed how it appears from my user name to my full name). It’s on your videos with Nova, so you can verify what I’m saying.
Twine is it, my friend. To reiterate, a superb choice for “Best Technology Innovation/Achievement.”
Merry Christmas, Robert. And Happy Holidays to all Radarians and fellow private beta testers!!
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GREAT choice on Twine, Robert.
As the most active private beta tester who is not affiliated with Radar Networks, I can testify that your choice was a wise choice. Matter of fact, after Nova, I’m pretty sure that I’m the most active beta tester, although non-Radarians Jim Hendler and Mills Davis are coming on strong (Jim, as you may know, co-authored THE seminal paper and citation classic on the Semantic Web, along with Tim Berners-Lee, who recently joined the private beta; Mills is also an industry luminary). At this point, I’ve contributed 1583 items (although my Twine has 421 items), have 41 connections, and subscribe to 89 Twines. Nova: 529/72 items, 84 connections, 70 Twines.
BTW, you may recall seeing “davidlewis” appear quite a bit on Nova’s “My news @ twine” page, although it’s probably now listed as “David Scott Lewis” (I changed how it appears from my user name to my full name). It’s on your videos with Nova, so you can verify what I’m saying.
Twine is it, my friend. To reiterate, a superb choice for “Best Technology Innovation/Achievement.”
Merry Christmas, Robert. And Happy Holidays to all Radarians and fellow private beta testers!!
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Having used and enjoyed the simplicity and power Basecamp, it’s hard to argue with 37signals as your choice in the Enterprise category.
I’d love to introduce you to Attributor and have you meet a few of the folks here – we’ve got some interesting products/new features coming out shortly.
Rich
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Having used and enjoyed the simplicity and power Basecamp, it’s hard to argue with 37signals as your choice in the Enterprise category.
I’d love to introduce you to Attributor and have you meet a few of the folks here – we’ve got some interesting products/new features coming out shortly.
Rich
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