6 ms·

What about you, pg? Arguably you are the co-founder of a successful company which takes up most of your time, and you blog. I'm not sure what's the point of th

What about you, pg? Arguably you are the co-founder of a successful company which takes up most of your time, and you blog. I'm not sure what's the point of this statement. Few successful CEO's blog. Few politicians blog. Few celebrities blog. Few people blog. So what?

philwelch 13y ago
pg blogs? Or are you thinking of his essays?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- logn 13y ago
  Would pg really consider himself a CEO now? Also, if we're considering pg's essays to be different than blogs, then I generally dislike blogs. Essays are way better.
- rl12345 13y ago
  Since pg can't always talk directly with each and every YC funded startup founder, I believe he writes his essays so all of them has a chance to get his message. Those texts are deeply related to his core duties at YC and no, I wouldn't call that "regularly blogging" - not even close.
  - kops 13y ago
    His essays are way older than YC.
- tptacek 13y ago
  Same thing. Blogging used to have a different connotation, but it's lost it, and Graham's site fits squarely into the modern notion.
  - gbog 13y ago
    What? Are you comparing idle blogging emmissions starting with "If you are like me" or "I have always been a huge fan of" or "What I will say has been said already here, there and there but I will repeat it anyway" with pg essays? Are you comparing playdoh "shapes" produced by an army of monkeys monkeying each other with the few and rare carefully carved gemstones we can read under pg's hand? Must be kidding...
    - gbog 13y ago
      Ok, I guess at least 5 bloggers felt wounded by my comment, which was a bit leaking. Edit: but maybe, if one in hundreds will think twice before writing again something like "If you are like me" in their post...
      - wglb 13y ago
        Or several folks thought that your comment added nothing positive to the discussion.
    - jiggy2011 13y ago
      There's good blogs and shitty blogs. Good music doesn't transcend music and become something else.
      - gbog 13y ago
        Certainly, but essays predates blogging and cover something else, all essays are not blog posts and all blog posts are not essays.
        jiggy2011 13y ago
        Depends on if you view a blog as a type of content or a method of organising content (electronically distributed, ordered reverse-chronologically , short enough to be consumed in one sitting).
  - philwelch 13y ago
ak39 13y ago
Yes, this is a good point. Agreed fully. There's a hint of at least two tenuous causative implications there: if you're successful, you ought to think twice before wasting time blogging (ie. blogging by the CEO adds no value to the business). Or the corollary: if you're blogging, chances are you're not yet successful (it's a marker for lack of success). Both are reaching. Blogging by the CEO (founder) simply means that marketing is (also) done by the CEO. The founders and CEOs who don't blog probably delegate marketing activities to specialists (nothing wrong with that). You delegate when you don't possess the skills to execute. This will probably happen when the founders or CEOs don't possess the technical knowledge or expertise about their own fields.
FailMore 13y ago
PG's blogging is different. It does not inform the competition (much), but is INCREDIBLE outreach. PG's essays are THE essays to read if you are an excellent entrepreneur - and if you are - and you make the decision to go to an accelerator - which one do you think you want to go to?
- ryanjshaw 13y ago
  More importantly, pg's essays are marketing for YC. Without knowing the man, I would guess this is probably more a happy side-effect than a goal of his writing, but nevertheless the economics are clearly in favour of him writing.
jiggy2011 13y ago
He's only "arguably" the co-founder of a successful company? Wow , tough crowd!

philwelch 13y ago

pg blogs? Or are you thinking of his essays?

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
logn 13y ago
Would pg really consider himself a CEO now? Also, if we're considering pg's essays to be different than blogs, then I generally dislike blogs. Essays are way better.
rl12345 13y ago
Since pg can't always talk directly with each and every YC funded startup founder, I believe he writes his essays so all of them has a chance to get his message. Those texts are deeply related to his core duties at YC and no, I wouldn't call that "regularly blogging" - not even close.
- kops 13y ago
  His essays are way older than YC.
tptacek 13y ago
Same thing. Blogging used to have a different connotation, but it's lost it, and Graham's site fits squarely into the modern notion.
- gbog 13y ago
  What? Are you comparing idle blogging emmissions starting with "If you are like me" or "I have always been a huge fan of" or "What I will say has been said already here, there and there but I will repeat it anyway" with pg essays? Are you comparing playdoh "shapes" produced by an army of monkeys monkeying each other with the few and rare carefully carved gemstones we can read under pg's hand? Must be kidding...
  - gbog 13y ago
    Ok, I guess at least 5 bloggers felt wounded by my comment, which was a bit leaking. Edit: but maybe, if one in hundreds will think twice before writing again something like "If you are like me" in their post...
    - wglb 13y ago
      Or several folks thought that your comment added nothing positive to the discussion.
  - jiggy2011 13y ago
    There's good blogs and shitty blogs. Good music doesn't transcend music and become something else.
    - gbog 13y ago
      Certainly, but essays predates blogging and cover something else, all essays are not blog posts and all blog posts are not essays.
      - jiggy2011 13y ago
        Depends on if you view a blog as a type of content or a method of organising content (electronically distributed, ordered reverse-chronologically , short enough to be consumed in one sitting).
- philwelch 13y ago

ak39 13y ago

Yes, this is a good point. Agreed fully. There's a hint of at least two tenuous causative implications there: if you're successful, you ought to think twice before wasting time blogging (ie. blogging by the CEO adds no value to the business). Or the corollary: if you're blogging, chances are you're not yet successful (it's a marker for lack of success). Both are reaching. Blogging by the CEO (founder) simply means that marketing is (also) done by the CEO. The founders and CEOs who don't blog probably delegate marketing activities to specialists (nothing wrong with that). You delegate when you don't possess the skills to execute. This will probably happen when the founders or CEOs don't possess the technical knowledge or expertise about their own fields.

FailMore 13y ago

PG's blogging is different. It does not inform the competition (much), but is INCREDIBLE outreach. PG's essays are THE essays to read if you are an excellent entrepreneur - and if you are - and you make the decision to go to an accelerator - which one do you think you want to go to?

ryanjshaw 13y ago
More importantly, pg's essays are marketing for YC. Without knowing the man, I would guess this is probably more a happy side-effect than a goal of his writing, but nevertheless the economics are clearly in favour of him writing.

jiggy2011 13y ago

He's only "arguably" the co-founder of a successful company? Wow , tough crowd!