It’s hard to believe but I’ve now been writing Silicon Florist for 15 years. That’s weird. I mean, really. I’ve somehow managed to write consistently from one downturn right into another. For nearly a third of my life. So at least that’s something. And now, I’ve got this celebratory tweet to show for it.
Read MoreTag: Blog
Thoughts on community and Clickety
One of my favorite things about working with early stage startups is getting the opportunity to use the earliest versions of their products — and then getting to watch those product morph and iterate over time. So when Puppet founder Luke Kanies offered me the opportunity to be an early user of Clickety — his newest startup pursuit — I jumped at the chance. Especially because Clickety had the potential to solve some very specific pain points and knowledge gaps for me.
Read MoreNot to be presumptuous, but… would you want to grab a beer (or other beverage of your choice) with me, this Friday? I know it’s short notice, but I miss you
Happy hours. They’re a thing. For real. And not so long ago, there was a community happy hour that grew into a really, really big thing. And an important and formative thing. But it didn’t start that way.
Read MoreRevisiting an event that laid the groundwork for the Portland startup community today
Community doesn’t just happen. Ecosystems aren’t just built. In fact, some might say that building community is artificial. It takes effort. And consistency. And communication. And collaboration.
Read MoreIt’s like Portland startups Slack IRL: Sip and Slack
Back in the early days of this generation of the Portland startup community, we used to have a weekly happy hour every Friday. Its origins stemmed from a small group of folks providing peer support for their self hosted WordPress installations in local watering holes. So it was called “Beer and Blog.”
Read MoreIt’s no Beer and Blog but it is an opportunity to meet a chunk of the Portland startup community
There was a time, not so long ago, when the Portland startup community used to gather on a regular basis at a happy hour called Beer and Blog. It was a time to catch up with friends. A time to make new connections. A place to send folks when they were looking to get better connected to the community. And it’s how many folks who are still involved in the Portland startup community met one another, originally.
Interested in another perspective on Portland? Consider subscribing to Bridgeliner
I often bemoan the fact that, dadgummit, kids just don’t blog like they used to. What with all of the social medias and stuff. That’s why it’s always nice to see another voice providing news and insights on Portland and our community. Like Bridgeliner, a local outpost of the WhereBy.Us network.
Still forming but worth watching, XADDAX
Back 11 years ago, when I started this blog, one of the things I appreciated most about the Portland startup community was its transparency. Everybody was blogging. About what they thought. About what they were building. About everything.
It goes to 11: Silicon Florist is officially a tween
I’m tired, Portland. For any number of reasons. But mostly because — after more than a decade of writing this blog on a weekly basis — this community still feels like it needs a ton of work. You must be tired, too. Because you have all made a ridiculous amount of progress against any number of odds. And you’ve created and innovated and persevered. But there’s still so much more to do. And not a lot of help to do it.
A nostalgic Beer and Blog: It’s like a high school reunion but for Portland startup and open source types
If you were part of the Portland startup or open source community a decade ago—or if you were a startup type who visited Portland during that time period—you probably had the chance to attend Beer and Blog once or twice. If you weren’t around Portland then, you’ve no doubt heard me wax nostalgic dozens of times about the event, a weekly happy hour that served as the point of connection for our fledgling community.