3 ms·

I delivered a Social Media session at a business conference many years ago (07? 08? Back when that was something novel), and ran a quiz on Website Logos with Pe

I delivered a Social Media session at a business conference many years ago (07? 08? Back when that was something novel), and ran a quiz on Website Logos with Pez Dispensers as the prize. I also wanted to make a point about hype and bubbles and evolving business models over time (what I guess we would now call pivoting). The Pez Dispensers were a way to discuss unbelievable bubbles, and e-Bay which evolved from a Pez swap & sell site into the auction juggernaut. I'm sure some of the people in the room were laughing at inflated values for Pez and Tulips, while also investing their money into mortgage-backed securities.

c3o 12y ago
(Just an aside: Wikipedia says "the frequently repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade Pez candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media, which were not interested in the company's previous explanation about wanting to create a 'perfect market')
- judk 12y ago
  Wikipedia also has something to say about how the Tulip Mania was much less than has been portrayed. These fun stories tend to have a life of their own.
- JacobAldridge 12y ago
  Well there you go! I hate it when I find myself perpetuating urban legends. Thank you. I'll just have to go back to advising audiences that changing their Facebook profile picture on a regular basis will help cure cancer, prevent child abuse, catch Kony, and either impeach or re-elect President Obama (I'm never quite sure which).