I guess it’s because all the recent news has been so gloomy, but this story really cheered me up.
Twiistup is an event which runs out in California for start-up websites where entrepeneurs get to attend a swanky do at a prestigious venue, sip lots of martinis, swap business cards and generally make out like they’re about to become the next ruler of the universe.
In other words, it’s just like the last 10 years never happened, just like the good old days of the internet boom before it all went bang and we had to built it up again, on stronger foundations, from the technorubble.
Call me nostalgic but I miss those days of conspicuous squandery and big boastful conferences.
We even had one run out of IPC for the music industry called Netsounds which Neil Robinson and I cooked up after attending a big bash in New York (and which pretty much got me blackballed by the entire UK music industry for daring to suggest on a panel that even a band’s biggest fan, given the choice between getting their music for free or paying the band, would opt for the freebie. My prediction - that the record industry might want to look to other revenue models such as subscription to downloading sites rather than relying on pure CD sales was viewed as heresy at the time. Hmmmm).
Anyway, here’s the article on Twiistup from the latest edition of LA Weekly.
They call the event “Geek-chic” which I kinda like.
It’s well worth following the link through to Twiistup’s own site and beyond that to the self-help start-up if you want a glimpse at what Americans are starting to focus on now that getting rich is not likely to remain an option for measuring personal success any time soon.
And I also like this quote from one of the organisers. When asked how come it’s OK to host this kind of thing now when, 10 years ago, such events sent us all hurtling towards hell in a handcart, she says:
“We’re much more informed now… There’s not as much excess. Start-ups are not spending their money in crazy ways. They’re not buying llamas and monkeys and giraffes to put in their lobby…”
Shame!
Here’s the link to the story: