3 ms·

It's worth remembering that since HN is (unsurprisingly) largely made up of developers when you read through all of the great comments and linked articles there

by mixmax 16y ago

It's worth remembering that since HN is (unsurprisingly) largely made up of developers when you read through all of the great comments and linked articles there's bound to be a bias towards solving problems with technology even though it's not always the best approach. Remember that a lot of business transactions are done in the real world based on connections, phone calls and socialising.

derefr 16y ago
But remember also that there's a difference in meaning between "best approach" and "approach that doesn't make anyone angry due to having been made irrelevant/replaced by a small shell script." Middle-men that add no value should be routed around, not greased, no matter how unhappy that makes the middle-men.
- mixmax 16y ago
  Absolutely. It's all about efficiency. But sometimes the most efficient way to get a customer to buy your product is to call him and tell him how great your stuff is, and sometimes the best way to market your product is to go to tradeshows and meetups to advertise. Most people trust a real person more than they trust technology. The right tool for the right job.
  - aufreak3 16y ago
    Right. Sometimes.
- jayruy 16y ago
  Ridiculously techno-centric comment. You cannot replace trust with a shell script. IT has the profound ability to tell us, with amazing detail, the state of the world today. But business planning is done based on the future, and that requires trust. Even if you are "building the future" in a startup: if you've taken funding or are drawing salary, you've convinced someone about a possible future state of the world, and that requires trust.
  - derefr 16y ago
    I was responding to the original statement that "a lot of business transactions are done in the real world based on connections, phone calls and socialising." My comment was basically that these transactions are frequently done with agents and proxies that provide no service on their own, beyond acting as gatekeepers that must be convinced with steak dinners, hired escorts, etc., to "trust" you. They are in a position to do this because they have earned the trust of the people you really want to reach, and now abuse that trust by only putting through those that offer payola. These people should be avoided; the best thing to do is to find the real customer—the person who makes the decision, not to pass your idea on, but to accept or reject it—and gain their trust (which is frequently much simpler, since they're much closer to the product/service and know what's actually good for it.) Frequently, this will make the middle-men angry, and they will strike back by trying to ruin your image in the eyes of their contact (who, you recall, trusts them.) This is why most people choose to stick with the steak-dinners-and-strippers route.

by mixmax 16y ago

derefr 16y ago

But remember also that there's a difference in meaning between "best approach" and "approach that doesn't make anyone angry due to having been made irrelevant/replaced by a small shell script." Middle-men that add no value should be routed around, not greased, no matter how unhappy that makes the middle-men.

mixmax 16y ago
Absolutely. It's all about efficiency. But sometimes the most efficient way to get a customer to buy your product is to call him and tell him how great your stuff is, and sometimes the best way to market your product is to go to tradeshows and meetups to advertise. Most people trust a real person more than they trust technology. The right tool for the right job.
- aufreak3 16y ago
  Right. Sometimes.
jayruy 16y ago
Ridiculously techno-centric comment. You cannot replace trust with a shell script. IT has the profound ability to tell us, with amazing detail, the state of the world today. But business planning is done based on the future, and that requires trust. Even if you are "building the future" in a startup: if you've taken funding or are drawing salary, you've convinced someone about a possible future state of the world, and that requires trust.
- derefr 16y ago
  I was responding to the original statement that "a lot of business transactions are done in the real world based on connections, phone calls and socialising." My comment was basically that these transactions are frequently done with agents and proxies that provide no service on their own, beyond acting as gatekeepers that must be convinced with steak dinners, hired escorts, etc., to "trust" you. They are in a position to do this because they have earned the trust of the people you really want to reach, and now abuse that trust by only putting through those that offer payola. These people should be avoided; the best thing to do is to find the real customer—the person who makes the decision, not to pass your idea on, but to accept or reject it—and gain their trust (which is frequently much simpler, since they're much closer to the product/service and know what's actually good for it.) Frequently, this will make the middle-men angry, and they will strike back by trying to ruin your image in the eyes of their contact (who, you recall, trusts them.) This is why most people choose to stick with the steak-dinners-and-strippers route.