Christine

Zappos Sets the Bar for Customer Service

I've always been a fan of Zappos, both as a longtime paying customer, and as an admirer of their ability to tough it out during the Bad Times. Tonight, I followed Fred Wilson's post and discovered just how far their exemplary customer service team will go - Zappos not only takes great care of its customers, but also supports the personal touches of its people as they remember to be human.

So, here's my small contribution to word of mouth marketing and grassroots brand development: Shop Zappos.

CleverSet Wins Web 2.0 Launch Pad

Six finalists made it to the Web 2.0 Summit Launch Pad today, and promoted their startup in front of an onstage VC panel. My personal favorite was CleverSet, which won Best in Show from the Web 2.0 audience. Other finalists (in descending order of my own 'investibility' ranking) included Tripit, ClickForensics, Spiceworks, Realius, and G.ho.st. Here's a rundown of each finalist and its secret sauce:

Key Strategic Lessons for Facebook App Developers

Several successful Facebook app developers shared their experiences at the recent Community Next gathering. After listening to the early F8 cohort, here are the strategic lessons that stand out:

Reach vs. Niche: Must Social Communities Choose?

Dart-throwing for the day: Social communities - is there really a choice of reach vs. niche? Author Sarah Lacy (and as a panel moderator at today's Momentum Growth Conference, the one who posed the question) firmly believes that companies must choose one over the other as they grow. More of interest to startup communities, Lacy posits that acquisition values will be based on either one or the other.