Today I rediscovered a software development business called Jackson Fish Market and am happy to find more and more people who share my views on how to approach business, and successfully operate one today.

Many companies, as Hillel points out, are built on a foundation of hopes to flip, or hopes to attract a large and loyal enough audience to generate revenue through advertising. The math he points out is simple, yet something few people think about. I spend my days immersed in marketing so math and data is always top of mind, however, not many think about the seriously ginormous amount of traffic it takes to create a healthy business based on advertising revenue alone.

The truth is, companies who are in business simply to flip or generate advertising revenue have very high chances of failure.

They have a high chance of failure mainly due to a shared mindset that everyone will retire. We all talk about the importance of commitment and passion in the workplace, but the reality is most people are looking forward to retiring, or the company their with selling.

Today, Hillel admits he never wants to stop working. He works because he loves it. This is exactly what my definition of a Geek is. He also shares my view on living the life you want now. This is also a part of a philosophy of being what I call a “Nomad”.

He states, “I don’t want to stop working. Ever. I couldn’t find the study I thought I read that showed that people with a place to go every day lived longer. But even if that was disproven I’d still want to work forever. It’s who I am. It’s how I want to spend my time. I don’t want to wait until I’m in my fifties, sixties, to spend extended time with my family, doing what i want, traveling the world, etc. To me the time to have those experiences is now. This is not a statement that having those experiences later in life is without value. It’s more that I don’t know why I should have to wait. I want to have those experiences now and later.”

I’m glad I rediscovered Jackson Fish Market. Hillel and I think *a lot* alike. We’ll have to get together sometime and revel in our similarities. I have a feeling Walter is just as cool :).

In summary the best way to create a successful company is to hire geeks and keep them happy by compensating them well. Focusing on how to increase your profit per employee and overall level of happiness (which leads to increased productivity, communication and everything else you need to run a successful group), is a much better way of creating a successful company today, than operating to flip.

The playgrounds and news hubs that exist today in the social media space exist because of a desire humans have to find, create and share information; to learn, to teach and to have meaningful, substantiative interactions. They exist because individuals are working to add value and substance to their social, personal, and professional lives and communities. They do not exist to allow a business to communicate to potential customers. It is important for business people who interacts with it to understand this difference.

Why do people publish?

People publish on the Web with a variety of motives. Of course businesses and individuals publish products and create stores on the Web in hopes to sell, but there are just as many other people, if not more, who are attempting to connect with like minds, absorb and share quality information, news and entertainment. People publish in the this space in hopes to share a message or information they believe to be valuable; or because they aspire to offer the most inspiring commentary on a particular topic. Some people do it to keep a live, globally accessible diary, filled with text, images, video and audio. Others publish simply to interact with their community of interest or to display their creative work.

There is one thing all participants of social media have in common.

Its a give and take situation. They absorb and consume information and media of all kinds, but they also interact with it, share it, comment on it, create it and otherwise give back to the space. In a lot of ways these creators are not much different than more traditional creators like journalists, writers, painters and musicians. They value what they do and they try to create value.

Social media is based on its authenticity and value.

One of the greatest things about social media, as many have agreed, is its authenticity. Its real-ness. People who are avid participants in social media expect this real-ness. As the space matures they are also growing to expect value. Sure humor, things with shock value and intrigue, really any kind of hook, can draw attention. But today people are all really after insight, edge, truth and meaningful commentary on the most current events of each day, and in each area that interests them.

Because of this media consumers have become hyper-sensitive super-critics, they expect so much more in terms of substance and value, or level and form of entertainment. They are desensitized to blatant advertising, and if you write with the sole purpose of selling a product or drawing an audience these harsh critics will smell it from a mile away.

And it’s good for everyone.

Now this is not to say that social media participants aren’t also shoppers, its simply that web users are growing more and more diverse and complex, more sophisiticated. This is a good thing for all of us. We are, as a result of this mass social media consumption era, creating better (and exposing those already existing) writers, journalists, thinkers, educators… and its all created through an authentic effort to particpate in the social media world. People blogging to teach something they know or share insight they have into a certain topic. Or experts hoping to add understanding and value to a certain industry by sharing his commentary and thoughts with the world.

Social media participants who create to share their views and insight, try to add substance to a particular channel through a well-created piece, and accomplish it - get my attention. I absorb it everyday. When I find them I add them to my RSS reader. When I see some blog thats obviously some PR or marketing campaign in disguise, that has little substance or value to it - I forget about it in a millisecond and usually never see it again.

I’m in marketing and even I understand this simple fact. I understand it because I participate, every day, and I’ve grown a keen eye for spotting crap, just like all the other social media participants out there. Our numbers are growing fast, and the media is continuing to be more controlled by the masses. As it should be.

The idea geeks are whiny punk kids are merely people thinking today’s whiny punk kids are geeks, and this is simply not true.

There has been a lot of heated debate on digg and reddit regarding the article I wrote, A Note To Employers: 8 Things Intelligent People, Geeks and Nerds Need To Work Happily.

This debate has really made me realize that geeks may be slightly misjudged.

We have been accused of being:
Introverted socially inept loosers
Prim Donna elitist as*holes
Whiny babies who want to be treated special

First, my goal in writing the piece was to communicate something I think about a lot. People, in general, should be happy at their jobs.

Lets do something to help add some clarity to this situation. I normally do not like doing this, buy lets divide the world up into two groups (I know, I know), with a whole lot of gray area in between that will hold the majority of the people. Lets label these two groups, “people who do what they love” and “people who do something because its a job and they do not really care too much what it is as long as they are paid enough to get by.”

I know, broad generalizations are playing with fire, but for simplicities sake lets just discuss these two groups and all the gray area in between.

“People who do what they love”
These people love what they do so much, it’s just that: it’s what they do. Some do other things, some don’t, but they all love it so much it’s almost impossible to describe. You know who I’m talking about: doctors who live at the hospital and spend every waking moment they are not saving lives learning how they can save more lives; the piano player who has stub fingers and barely weighs 100 pounds because she sits at their piano all day; the golfer who plays everyday and still smiles every time he takes a swing; the computer geek who will work 5 nights straight until he finds a bug before giving up; the news geek who reads 350 articles a day… These people can love more than one thing to this degree, although this is very rare.

Ok, now all the way on the other side of the spectrum, past all the gray area, are “people who do something because its a job and don’t really care too much what it is as long as they are paid enough to get by.” A lot of these people have great work ethics, a lot work sun up till sun down, just like their father and grandfather, of course some don’t, but they all work for one reason (ok, mostly one): to go home after work and do something else. To watch TV and relax, to go for walks or work out, to read a book, to be with family, to… well “live life.”

A “geek” is someone who lives so much in the “does what they love” category it’s almost scary. They eat, breathe and live it, because they love it. They absorb everything in thier area of expertise and strive to innovate and make things better. To quote a commenter on my last post, “They’re a weird, irreverent, eclectic bunch… but they do make the modern world tick.” I do not even have to list names of intellectual giants like Plato, Da Vinci, Gandhi, Franklin or modern day business giants like Gates, Jobs, Brin and Paige, for you to understand the type of person I am talking about. These people were geeks, through and through.

Now, I am not saying that every computer geek is in the running with these greats, however, geeks are the type of people that lean toward this extreme. They love what they do so much its their life, and they love it this way. They work extremely hard, not because they have to, but because they want to.

In the business world, people that lean in this direction tend to be some of your best employees and most valuable assets. They do whatever they have to do to get the job done.

These people have always been the most valuable asset, long before computers.

With this logic, there is such a thing as a “Customer Service Geek,” “Sales Geek” or even (maybe) a “Janitorial Geek.” There are also computer guys that are non-geeks and so forth.

Also to note, this is not to say geeks cannot detach from what they do. On the contrary, really talented geeks I know are able to detach from what they do and relax, be with family and otherwise do things that are part of what many call “a normal life.” Most talented geeks I know are also really into socializing; maybe they prefer to socialize with people of equal passion and drive to excel, but they seem to be handling socializing and the real world just fine.

Now that “Geek” has been more accurately defined (at least for this purpose), I’ll summarize why it is important for geeks to be happy in the work force (see the debate at digg and reddit to hear what others had to say).

Being that geeks are your most valuable team members, they work when they have to, are always learning and trying to innovate - they are generally happier people (because they are doing what they love). It also means you should do whatever it takes to make these people happy, within reason of course. People have to be present during some meetings, its just the way it is; people who speak on the phone with customers during business hours will have to be available on the phone during business hours. Each circumstance is unique, there is always a specific need you have of an employee (sometimes it changes, and you’ll find happy team members willing to help out in other areas, especially if is a start up or just a small team). This need is communicated to them when you hire them.

Geeks should ask for what they need to be happy at work. Employers should be willing to compromise in any reasonable area, and in fact, the more they compromise, the more everyone wins (happier employees equals higher productivity).

Something employers today need to keep in mind (and yes, great employers today already do this), is that in the technological world we live in, much more is possible than what used to be. There are tools in place to communicate and collaborate with that make virtual offices not only possible but successful. Video and voice conferencing applications like skype, web based project management tools like basecamp, presentation tools like webex and online collaboration vehicles like thinkature make virtual meetings, team management and collaboration possible and effective.

Employers and employees should not follow arbitrary rules set a long time ago, and instead, question each situation to figure out what is best for your employee’s.

To close, I think about how a lot of the working world is not happy with their job. I think about the passionate people who are damn good at what they do, yet are unappreciated.

I would like to recommend to these people that they strive to be happy, find a new job if they do not like their current one, and be willing to stand up for what they need to be happy.

Would you rather live the life you want all the time or only part of it?

And again, as a reminder to employers:
#1. Let them work when they want
#2. Let them work where they want
#3. Let them control their lighting
#4. Let them wear headphones
#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit
#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly)
#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM
#8. Do not make them do anything other than work

*NOTE: “I recieved many questions regarding my own job, and like I said in my interview with Jason Calacanis - Position Tech ROCKS - this post was written regarding all the bad jobs I’ve had in the past and to all of my dearest geek friends who have to deal with crappy jobs every day.”

There are many reasons to let geeks work the way they want to work. Today they work in every industry. They are the knowledge base, blood and sweat equity of many businesses. They work harder than most. They work longer than most. Their job isn’t a separate “thing they do” while they look forward to going home and relaxing. Geeks *live* what they do. They eat, sleep and breathe it. They are your systems administrators, your IT team, your programmers, your web developers, your designers… and sometimes even your customer service and sales people. Anyone who understands how to leverage todays technology to increase intelligence, productivity and efficiency; anyone who stays up nights working to get better at what they do; anyone whose job is their life - is a geek. These are the most important asset your company has. For this reason, its important to give geeks what they want. Best part is, if you do, they most likely will not leave your company to work for someone who will.

#1. Let them work when they want
Geeks work almost every moment they are awake. They are online before they go to the office. They are home working after the office closes. They work weekends. They are even sometimes working in their dreams. Employers should understand this and more importantly appreciate it. Don’t force geeks to work 8 - 5 if there is no real need other than “company morale.” Meetings are one thing, so is socializing with coworkers, but a relaxed office schedule will do wonders for the contentment levels of your employed geeks.

#2. Let them work where they want
Geeks prefer to have a couch around to nap on if they are tired. Some like no windows, others want to stare out into a city or landscape. At home, geek’s offices are usually more lived in, more comfortable and enjoyable than anywhere else in the world. This is because they love what they do, and they do it so much of the time they need to be comfortable where they do it.

#3. Let them control their lighting
There is nothing more annoying than working in bright crappy fluorescent lighting if you prefer to work in the dark, or vice versa. Geeks usually have sensitive eyes from staring at CRT monitors for too long. The last thing you want is your geeks to have headaches. Most geeks aren’t very pleasant to work with when they have headaches.

#4. Let them wear headphones
Geeks are experts in the arts of “focus.” Focusing takes removing all unnecessary distractions from your environment and creating a state where nothing else is going on but what they are working on. The harder the problem they are trying to solve or the more creative they have to be, the more they need to focus. Headphones, or simply a lack of ringing phones and talking sales people allow geeks to focus much easier.

#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit
Geeks find arbitrary activities that lack real and meaningful purpose, a waste of time and energy. This includes attire. Most companies today are aware of this and even practice casual dress so as to make everyone more comfortable, but geeks are a special case. “Suits” (the kind of person) usually represent a business man who lacks most things other than a nice smile and great negotiation skills.

#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly)
Most geeks will not be jumping up and down with joy to attend a company party to celebrate the local football team, unless of course there is beer, and they can hang around and talk to each other about geeky things. Keep this in mind when planning company events. Geeks like to have fun, just not the same kind of fun as your typical non-geek.

#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM
This one is important. Like I said, geeks need to focus to be happy and able to focus. Nothing is more of an interruption than someone walking into their space unexpectedly and saying “hey do you have a minute?” The answer is usually going to be a disgruntled “Sure.” The truth is geeks are fine with attending planned meetings (and will happily be there if the meeting is really a necessary one for them to attend in person), but are usually most happy communicating through email and IM. These forms of communication are most appealing to geeks because they do not interrupt you, and polite geeks will even respond with a quick “hold on a sec, I’m in the middle of something.” Email and IM are recorded, searchable records of conversations. They are efficient and to the point. This also makes geeks happy. Geeks can discuss anything through email and IM and will usually be more willing and thorough with their response. Face to face meetings are important, geeks know that, but I would guess that 90% of conversations and meetings held face to face, would be more efficient and end with happier people, if they were held in a recordable, written, virtual space.

#8. Do not make them do anything other than work
This one isn’t completely accurate all the time. Geeks are team players, but they are also easily insulted by being given a task below their level of expertise or outside of the scope of their position. They’ll do it, but they won’t be totally happy. This includes: answering phones, taking out trash, going shopping for company supplies, and “filling in” for a sales person.

I hope this summary helps employers further understand the world of geeks, and how to keep them happy. I also hope this helps other geeks out there approach their employers with a list of what they need to work happy.

To do business or advertise in today’s digital world you must live it. Just as Babs Rangaiah, director of media and entertainment at Unilever USA is trying to convey when he says, “Planners have got to have a better sense of the entire media landscape.” Via Advertising Age.

Not only must you loose the silos but you must live the way the digital world lives to advertise in it.

You must understand how the digital world thinks, where they spend their time. Or at least be able to really try and think like someone else. Where would you spend your time if you were their age, and in their shoes? Would you frequent myspace and spend all day downloading torrents or be reading blogs like lifehacker, techcrunch, adfreak, adage, searchengineland, clickz, stuntdubl, searchreturn, alistapart, marketingpilgrim, seomoz, seoblackhat, graywolf, copyblogger, nickwilson, shoemoney, seobook, mashable, micropersuasion, coolhunting, fecalface and (well just check out the blogroll on the side of this page, you get the idea), tagging and bookmarking links to your del.icio.us account as you read them through your normal day’s rss and link-surfing trip? Or would you spend all your time cruising sites like fark and digg? Or maybe you’d be reading work-at-home mom blogs and forums?

Where would you be?

Still, today marketing alone is not enough, knowing where your audience is isn’t going to cut it. Innovation and creativity are what make all the difference. Are you solving a problem in a better way than everyone else? Are you using your imagination in the best possible way to add value to your business, further satisfy your customers and even create new demands? Asking the right questions is usually the best way to start.