Comments on: Now is the time to build

By: Steven Wagner

Steven Wagner — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:55:09 +0000

If its your vision, your money and your commitment anytime is right to build a company. I liken it to Poker, all my chips are in, there is no cutting bait and running.

"Passion only gets you so far, inspiration takes you the rest of the way."- Kelly Slater

By: Alastair McDermott

Alastair McDermott — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:00:26 +0000

"the job door is never closed at SmugMug for true superstars. Our philosophy is to not let anyone amazing get away, even if we don’t technically have an open position for you."

I love this attitude, direct opposite of Google's!

By: Harold

Harold — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:53:46 +0000

I hate to be obnoxious (especially since I’m not a photo/video taking type, although I’m trying to get my brother who’s the former to start using you), but I wonder how your business is going to fare in the developing situation of severe per month broadband traffic caps, especially considering the well known psychological/behavioral effects these have.

First, a brief overview from memory (go to dslreports.com for the details):

Comcast has the most generous at 250GB/month … but a “death penalty” (loss of service for a year) if you go over for two months (and they don’t have to be consecutive as I remember, after one warning that’s it).

Time Warner and now AT&T are doing single city trials, so their sizes might be adjusted, but for now TW is 5GB to 40GB/month depending on tier, AT&T 20-80GB for their 4 tiers of normal DSL (150GB if you are in the highest FTTN U-verse tier (ignoring the new even higher tier they’re coming out with) … and most of their customers can’t get U-verse and many not even the higher DSL ones). After you hit those, you pay $1/GB.

I think other cable companies are working on this, don’t remember about Qwest, and Verizon is the only big name that’s still saying no caps.

(Why are they doing this and with such small limits in the developing era of HD video, instead of throttling users during peak periods, where their capex is what really costs them? Third party video from e.g. Netflix competes with their double or triple play offerings that include Cable TV MK II.)

Anyway, I can’t see how this won’t have an effect on your business, although I can see how you can make some strong arguments that your service could help by limiting the traffic that e.g. all the members of a family will need to continue what they’re currently doing.

And you might tailor it for people like my mother, who’s on the lowest AT&T DSL tier that may get capped at 20GB/month. E.g. help her manage her limit so that she can download pictures and video of the grandchilds without going over (as a member of the Silent Generation who grew up during the Great Depression her reaction to paying as much as one unexpected dollar would be … figuratively violent). (Me, I’ll just say “stop emailing me photos, I’ll see my nephew and niece when they next visit.

I hope you find the above useful.

By: Gil Megidish

Gil Megidish — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:43:03 +0000

I admire you, Don.

By: Kevin Burton

Kevin Burton — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:40:14 +0000

I agree baring any total economic collapse which could occur before Bush leaves office.

Around January we’re going to expanding aggressively.

It’s a good time to be a startup….

By: Eric Wahlforss

Eric Wahlforss — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:23:06 +0000

yep, couldn’t agree more.

By: Allan

Allan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:43:35 +0000

Don – I’m a huge Warren Buffett fan and was recently in the Bay Area to speak at a Web 3.0 (who cares about arbitrary numerical designations?) Conference. I noticed a lot of fear in the eyes of fellow entrepreneurs afraid of venture capital drying up, which convinced me to move back to the Bay Area and start something. I don’t know exactly what that something is just yet but I’m of the belief that you don’t have to have solved all the problems to jump into an opportunistic situation. You just have to believe in yourself to figure it all out. With or without venture capital, this is a good time. When I get out there – could I look you up?

By: RobinM

RobinM — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:38:02 +0000

I love this post and the picture that goes with it. Go SmugMug!
-Robin

By: John

John — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:40:05 +0000

Great advice Don. I’ve been continually impressed at how (well) you run SmugMug. More web startups need to learn that having a valid business model and taking care of your employees is more important than rocketing up the unique visitors count in the hope that they get snatched up by Google or the like. Last year I lamented your limited video support and promised to subscribe as soon as you upgraded beyond MPEG-1, I’m proud to say that I’ve been a paying customer for going on 6 months now.

Kudos and keep up the innovation!

By: Bastian

Bastian — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:58 +0000

Don,

you nailed it right there.

Bastian