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April 30, 2008

Discovering your “Life Major”

Ever since I started this thread about a “Life Major” in late November, 2007, I have enjoyed reading the conversations that this topic has generated.

I remain amazed how at a young age, just about everyone who attends university in the United States has to pick a major and make it their core focus for the time they spend at university. How does anyone at 18 or 20 know what it is that they really want to do for the rest of their lives? In fact, there are quite a number of people I know who are 35-40 years old who don’t know what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives. And I wonder how many of us who went to university and got a degree for one speciality actually decided to stay in the business sector of our chosen profession 10 or 15 years after university? As far as I can tell, not many.

Yes going to university offers us the chance to mature, take on responsibility, to be social and if we are lucky to learn a thing a two. And in my book there is a big difference between “learning” and “studying.” From my own personal experience, things that I learned in school, I still know today. And things that I just studied I never really knew. I just didn’t realize it at the time when I was going to school.

While I was in high school, I started a DJ entertainment company and I started my first computer consulting company. And both generated a source of revenue while in High School and while I was going to college. And while I graduated with an accounting degree, in less than two years after college, I discovered my first life major and it wasn’t in accounting. I made the decision to start a software company and ended up spending the next seven years focusing on the world of spreadsheets (Lotus 1-2-3), real-time market data and fixed-income securities. While I never studied Calculus in college (or high school) I ended up teaching myself the math I needed in order to feel comfortable developing @ functions that did a lot of complex math which was needed when working with fixed-income securities.

And whether you discover your life major in high school, university or some time afterwards, it is up to you to find your passion and turn that passion into your profession. And the act of discovering your life major isn’t an easy one. But only you know what you are passionate about and only you can make the decision to follow your heart and follow your head and empower yourself to turn your passion into your chosen profession.

In the end, it all comes down to you. You can’t outsource your future. You are responsible to yourself. One of the most liberating feelings you can experience is to discover your Life Major and do something about it.

And one day you make wake up and ask yourself…how did I get here? :)

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Readers of my blog are invited to join me on both twitter and Facebook.

Tags: college, Life Major, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

April 29, 2008

What I look for in Startups

During the past ten years, what I look for in a startup has changed.

These days I no longer actively look for an opportunity to participate in the “A” round or “B” round of a startup, although I still do that from time to time. My recent investments in both Seesmic and twitter are a reflection of this.

During the past couple of years, my core focus has shifted from making investments in companies and their mission to making investments in people and their vision. And I focus on what I consider "early-early stage" opportunities.

These days when I’m making a decision about a startup opportunity to invest in, I put the people first, I consider their vision and then weigh-in on my take on their ability to be a disruptive force in their chosen market space. As someone who believe that we are living in an industrial revolution that our parents and grandparents never experienced, I’m looking for people (and teams) who look to leverage “the Internet” and are building software/application/services that do something different and something that wasn’t either practical or possible to do before. Having the vision is one thing, but vision without market timing is a recipe for failure. That said, some of the most interesting companies I’ve met with were with people who were early in one market segment and were inspired to use their experiences to morph themselves into something else.

I make it a point to get to know the people I’m investing in and once an investment is made, I make myself available to help whenever asked. It just happens that the majority of my recent investments turn out to be early-stage Israeli Hi-Tech Startups.

While sitting in the lobby of a hotel and having 16 back-to-back meetings may be a long day for some people, it is something I especially look forward to doing whenever I visit Israel. I enjoy being consumed by an energy that is just present when I’m in Tel Aviv. While I have met with startups in many places around the world, there is just something special I feel whenever I’m meeting with early-early stage Israeli startups.

When meeting with an early-stage startup looking for funding, if I am interested in the company, I look to connect with the founders and find out the inspiration behind the company they are creating. I try to understand the problem they are solving and the opportunity they are seeing. I also look to see how as a team they get along, work off each other and I try to get a feel of their creative energies. I look for teams where each member is watching each other’s back and a core team whom I feel will be together for the long term. I look for people who are both smart and creative who can be focused when necessary and whose personality allow themselves to be open to change directions and re-map themselves when needed. I invest in people first and ideas second. I am not a fan of structure but I appreciate the need for it…sometimes.

I will be back in Tel Aviv the week of May 19th and I am looking forward to meeting with early-stage Hi-Tech startups. If you know of someone who I should be meeting with, please feel free to contact me.

Tags: Tel Aviv, startup, Israel, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Travel Times Across America vs. Europe

Last night I took an evening flight from Miami to Los Angeles. While flying to LA I was thinking about the amount of time it takes for someone in the States to travel across the country vs. the amount of time it takes my friends in Europe to travel across Europe.

Friends in Europe who travel by plane within Europe can get to just about any major European city in about 3 hours or less. In fact it takes only a little more than 5 hours to fly from London to Tel Aviv. In the US it takes 3 hours to just get from NY to Miami and 6 hours to go from NY to LA.

I am looking forward for the day when US Airlines will be offering unrestricted Internet Access on airplanes. At least this way there is a chance some of us can be more productive while traveling cross-country.

Posted by jeff at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 28, 2008

Jon Bon Jovi talking to the crowd at the "Bomb Threat" Concert

The Bon Jovi concert on April 26, 2008 in Sunrise, Florida was delayed due to a bomb threat. This is video footage of Jon Bon Jovi talking to the crowd about it. (Sorry for the audio quality)

(video taken using Panasonic DMC-TZ5)

Tags: Sunrise, Bon Jovi, concert, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Event: Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Chicago on May 7th

On May 7th I will be back in Chicago and hosting the second Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and Friends) in Chicago from 8-10AM at Duffy’s Tavern. Readers of my blog are invited to join me.

I’m looking forward to catching up with friends from the greater Chicago area joining me for breakfast and great conversations.

To RSVP, please visit this event on Facebook. If you are not on Facebook and would like to RSVP, please send email to: jeffp@pulver.com.

Everyone attending this breakfast will receive a "Personal Social Networking Toolkit" described below:

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Readers of my blog are invited to join me on both twitter and Facebook.

Tags: breakfast, Personal Social Media Toolkit, Chicago, social media, facebook, Social Media Breakfast, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 27, 2008

Bomb Scare at Bon Jovi Concert in Sunrise, Florida

Last night I was in Sunrise, FL to attend a Bon Jovi concert at the BankAtlantic Center. When I arrived at 7 pm, I expected to go thru the doors and to my seat since the doors were supposed to have opened at 6:30 pm. Instead, I joined the growing group of thousands of others people waiting outside of the BankAtlantic Center.

Turns out that someone had phoned-in a bomb threat to blow up the BankAtlantic Center at 7:57pm with two bombs. This information was not shared with the thousands of people waiting outside the BankAtlantic Center. What made the wait feel longer was the total lack of communication between the event staff at BankAtlantic Center and everyone else. At around 9pm the doors finally did open and it took about 50 minutes to maneuver through the sea of people and to the doors.

Except for the extraordinary delay, the Bon Jovi concert was a lot of fun.

(photos taken using Panasonic DMC-TZ5)

Tags: Sunrise, Bon Jovi, concert, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

April 26, 2008

Looking for Early Stage Hi-Tech Israeli Start-ups:

If you are aware of any early stage Hi-Tech Israeli start-ups that I should be aware of, please feel free to contact me. I am in the process of setting up meetings with early stage startups for my next trip to Israel which will be taking place in mid-May.

Tags: Tel Aviv, startup, Israel, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A Saturday Morning Sunrise

As I stare into the morning sky, each day the Sunrise presents itself differently. I especially enjoy watching the sky a few minutes before sunrise as the colors of the sky change dynamically one moment after the next.

Tags: sunrise, Miami Beach, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 25, 2008

Mark Twain on Life 3.0:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

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Tags: Mark Twain, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 24, 2008

Poetry 2.0

I caught up with GIl Rimon at Kinnernet 2008 as he was reciting some of his “Poetry 2.0”

Gil describes Poetry 2.0 as “social network poetry.”

Hope you enjoy Gil's words. The poems can be found in the Poetry 2.0 blog.

Tags: Israel, Gil Rimon, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Poetry 2.0, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I resigned from Pulvermedia

Just wanted to share the news that I have resigned as a director from PulverMedia.

And I am not able to say anything else nor can I address any questions about this.

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Tags: Pulvermedia, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)

Event: Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Washington D.C. on May 1st

On May 1st I will be back in Washington D.C. and hosting Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and Friends) in Washington, D.C. from 8-10AM.

I’m looking forward to catching up with friends from the greater Washington D.C. area joining me for breakfast and great conversations. Photos from the first breakfast I hosted in Washington D. C. back in February can be found here.

To RSVP, please visit this event on Facebook.

Everyone attending this breakfast will receive a "Personal Social Networking Toolkit" described below:

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Readers of my blog are invited to join me on both twitter and Facebook.

Tags: breakfast, Personal Social Media Toolkit, Washington D.C., social media, facebook, Social Media Breakfast, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 23, 2008

The R/C Plane with a Jet Engine

When I was at Kinnernet 2008, I couldn’t help but notice a loud piercing sound in the air that was coming from a Radio Controlled (R/C) model airplane. Turns out that someone put a small jet engine on that R/C plane. As a former R/C plane hobbyist, I had an immediate appreciation of the plane that can be seen in the video below.

Tags: Israel, Jonathan Sherman, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Facebook: Exploring Facebook Chat

This morning I woke up to a new Facebook feature, Chat and a pre-populated buddy list of 278 facebook friends who were also online and available to chat.

Facebook Chat immediately reminded me of GTalk from within Gmail except Facebook Chat has a much nicer, cleaner interface. From a usability perspective I recommend “popping out” the chat from Facebook. It was nice to see emoticons were part of the launch. And it was interesting to watch the behavior of my friends as they reached out to me and started chatting with me, while I was reaching out to others and doing the same thing.

Unlike Facebook messages which allow messages to arrive from both friends and friends of friends, I am enjoying the experience of only chatting with people who are on my friends list.

So far I heard from some people with whom I normally exchange Facebook messages and from others that I haven’t communicated with since we became Facebook friends. I have also noticed that between 5 to 7 percent of my friends (250-350 people) are online at any given moment percent.

And as someone who is passionate about Facebook, as I am writing this blog post, I find myself feeling like a pseudo Facebook Chat product manger reviewing the future features I would like to see implemented.

It shouldn’t take Facebook too much time to start to implement some of the other common presence states besides online and offline. “Invisibility” is a state which would be nice to see. And I wonder how many people will be changing their status to “offline” to avoid being contacted by others on Facebook Chat.

I also would like to see Facebook extend their privacy settings to include Chat. So that in the event there are people I’m friends which who I just don’t ever want to chat with, I should have the ability to prevent unwanted chat requests. Also, in the event I would like to identify friends whose friends I would like to have chat with me online, that is where I would expect to administrate this.

In terms of features and extended functionality, it is just a matter of time before we see things like: Multi-party chat, Video Chat and the ability to place and receive phone calls. And yes, given their relationship with Microsoft it should be just a matter of time before Facebook Chat and MSN are interconnected.

My bottom line assessment is that I like Facebook Chat and I recommend others to give it a try.

This said, I have a feeling that Facebook Chat may may change the way I approach using Facebook.

Until today I looked to Facebook primarily as an asynchronous communications platform. A platform where I could update my status, share it with friends and have that affect the way I communicate with them. Facebook has become an interactive and engaging platform that I use as my primary communications channel. (I’m saying this while ignoring the current limit of only supporting 5,000 friends. This limit is effecting the way I communicate with others.)

Facebook has proven to be a great platform for what I can best describe as “real-enough” time communication. I enjoy using Facebook to share pictures, share videos, exchange messages, a platform to manage events and a place to build community. And until today as a place which I could be logged into while engaging in other activities.

With Facebook shifting from a platform for asynchronous communications to a platform that supports both synchronous and a synchronous communications, this is becoming a place much closer to the space I expected Facebook to one day occupy. It will be real interesting to watch Facebook user behavior and their reaction to the additional core features Facebook will be enabling in the weeks and months ahead.

Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 22, 2008

Nimrod Lehavi’s Kinnernet 2008 Project: Pentomino

According to Wikipedia, a pentomino is “a polyomino composed of five (Greek πέντε / pente) congruent squares, connected orthogonally.

There are twelve different pentominoes, and they are named after the letters of the Latin alphabet that they resemble. Ordinarily, the reflection symmetry and rotation symmetry of a pentomino does not count as a different pentomino.

F, L, N, P, Y, and Z pentominoes are chiral in two dimensions; adding their reflections (F', J, N', Q, Y', S) brings the number of "one-sided" pentominoes to 18. The others, lettered I, T, U, V, W, and X, are equivalent to some rotation of their mirror images. This matters in some computer games, where mirror image moves are not allowed, such as Tetris-clones and Rampart.

Each of the twelve pentominoes can be tiled to fill the plane. In addition, each chiral pentomino can be tiled without using its reflection.”

For Kinnernet 2008 my friend Nimrod Lehavi decided to build a 3D Pentomino using recycled floppy disks. The night before Kinnernet 2008 started I caught up with Nimord as he and Jonathan Sherman were working on the Pentomino.

Below are pictures of the construction of Nimrod’s Pentomino including his presentation of the Pentomino at Kinnernet 2008.

Tags: Israel, Nimrod Lehavi, Pentomino, Jonathan Sherman, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008

The Kinnernet Freeze

During Kinnernet 2008, 100 people were asked to freeze in place during lunch. This was inspired by amazing project from ImprovEverywhere at Grand Central Station in New York.

The Kinnernet Freeze was filmed, edited and presented at Kinnernet 2008 by: Eyal Gever, Gideon Weiler and Roy Klieger.

Tags: Israel, Eyal Gever, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 20, 2008

30 Seconds of Sunrise

(filmed April 20, 2008)

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(The title of this blog post could be the name of a new band..)

Tags: sunrise, Miami Beach, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Moon over Miami Beach

(taken April 19, 2008)

Tags: moon, Miami Beach, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sunrise over Miami Beach

(taken April 20, 2008)

Tags: sunrise, Miami Beach, Social Media, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 19, 2008

A Qik Look at Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) at COM.vention 2008

On Sunday April 13th I hosted a breakfast at COM.vention 2008 which took place in Airport City, Israel. The following video clips were originally broadcast live during the breakfast.

Attending this breakfast were quite a number of my friends from the Israeli Hi-Tech Industry as well a number of people visiting Israel from the States including: JD Lasica, Tom Evslin, Robert Scoble, Craig Newmark, Susan Mernit, Cathy Brooks, Deb Schultz, Jeff Saperstein, Brad Reddersen, Renee Blodgett and Dan Dubno.

Tags: Qik, COM.vention, Social Media, breakfast, Israel, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 18, 2008

Announcing SocialDevCamp East: Exploring the Future Direction of Social Media and the Web

Dave Troy and Ann Bernard (who met while doing an episode of Pulver TV) are putting on SocialDevCamp East, a Barcamp-style event focused on the future direction of social media and the web which will be taking place on May 10th in Baltimore, MD.

The attendees will create the sessions, but suggested topics include: Where is the social web going? How will location-aware devices affect the social web? How will platforms and data portability play out?

They're interested in attracting thought leaders from all over, but primarily on the east coast -- hence SocialDevCamp East. And it looks like they're onto something big -- it looks like a SocialDevCamp is already in the works for Chicago.

Find SocialDevCamp on Facebook and also at the BarCamp Wiki.

SocialDevCamp East is taking in Baltimore at the University of Baltimore, 2 blocks from Baltimore's Penn Station, convenient to Amtrak, MARC, and light rail. The event starts at 8:30am on May 10th.

Tags: SocialDevCamp, facebook, Dave Troy, Social Media, Ann Benard, pulverTV, WhyGoSolo, twittervision, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

A Qik Look at Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Miami

Earlier today I hosted a breakfast in Miami Beach. The following video clip was originally broadcast live during the breakfast.

Tags: Qik, Social Media, breakfast, Miami, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 17, 2008

A Qik Interview with: Jon Weiss of the Humble Kings

On a recent flight from Israel back to the States I had a chance to catch up with Jon Weiss of the Humble Kings who is the founder of the ISO which is the USO of Israel.

Tags: Israel, Jon Weiss, Humble Kings, ISO, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Event: Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Miami on April 18th

On Friday morning I am hosting a breakfast for friends in Miami.

For more details, please visit the event in Facebook.

Tags: breakfast, Miami, social media, facebook, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tom Evslin: Third Life: Social Networking Breakfast with Jeff Pulver

Tom Evslin: Third Life: Social Networking Breakfast with Jeff Pulver

I’m glad that Tom Evslin recently attended a “Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends)" I hosted during COM.vention in Tel Aviv. Tom’s blog entry is a page out of the social media dictionary and is now the suggested (required) reading for friends who plan on attending my future breakfasts.

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‘“It’s like Facebook only it’s not online,” someone at Jeff Pulver’s social networking breakfast in Tel Aviv explained to somebody else. “There’s tagging and everything but it’s not virtual.” That’s a pretty accurate description of these real world events which build on not only connections but also techniques learned online.’

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Tags: Tom Evslin, Social Media, breakfast, Tel Aviv, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 16, 2008

The $500 “Spy” Satellite – A Kinnernet 2008 Project

Yariv Bash and his team built and launched a US$500 “Spy” Satellite (Weather Balloon) during Kinnernet 2008. Yariv’s project is an example of the creativity that is a part of Kinnernet.

The Spy Balloon transmitted real-time GPS information which was applied to a real-time MashUp with Google Earth. The pictures below were taken by the Spy Balloon during it’s eight hour journey from Northern Israel to Syria.

Congrats to the Kinnernet Satellite team: Yariv Bash, Achi Krauz and Naama Levy for the successful launch of KinnerSat I.

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This is the actual flight path, as was transmitted in real time from the balloon.

Tags: Israel, Yariv Bash, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

April 15, 2008

Missing Howard Pulver...

It was ten years ago yesterday that my father Howard Pulver passed away after a year long struggle with both Brain and Lung Cancer.

It was my father who first taught me to enjoy life, to live for today, to take having fun seriously and whenever possible to share the fun. He was the one who taught me to experience life and that while school was important, "what you learned is what you know 20 years after school and everything you forgot is what you just studied." He was the one who first told me: “If you don’t ask the answer is no” and the person who continues to have the greatest influence on my life.

The following are the words I read at his funeral service in April 1998:

Reflections from Jeff

“Growing up - my father made it a point to instill in all of his children information and experiences he felt we needed to have in the "real world". He also taught us how important being part of a family is. He instilled values in us which I'm only starting to appreciate now - since I've had the time to reflect back and think about my dad. My dad lead by example and showed us all how to survive.

My dad was a very private person, and he rarely mixed his work activities with his family life. He believed in the separation between work and family.

Those of you who knew my dad will remember him for his generosity, hospitality and his tenderness. He always made himself available to help others. As a child growing up my dad's traits become woven into the fabric which became part of our lives. Reflecting back, I'm only now starting to realize all of the things we really do take for granted. My dad was truly one of the people others went to help solve their problems and seek advise.

Lessons learned from my father:

Family Vacations - My dad felt strongly about family vacations. Each year the entire family went away to spend time together. We had a chance to explored parts of the world together. Even as we all got older my dad tried his best to help teach us about the importance of being part of the family and being there for each other.

It is O.K. to have a strong will - One could say that Howard Pulver was a strong willed and Determined man. The point is that he taught us to stand firm in what we believe in.

S.L.T. - My dad taught us to Stop, Listen and Think before we spoke

Talk Straight. Say what you mean. Be direct and don't beat around the bush

Encouraged Our Creativity - Both my sisters and myself were strongly encouraged to pursue our own interests - whether they were photography, art, computers or ham radio. Most of our family vacations were a haven for our hobbies. Be Adventurous - Go out into the world, explore new places and never be afraid. I still remember a family vacation to Japan when the five of us who were jet lagged took our ten pieces of luggage and took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Think about a family of five taking 10 pieces of luggage on the NY City Subway during rush hour. When we got to the destination, we had less than 90 seconds to get ourselves and all our luggage off the train. This was one of our many family adventures.

Be smart about the life situations you get yourself into. One of my dad's favorite stories is the story he told about two brothers who rented a truck in South Carolina and bought a truckload of watermelons for $2 each. These brothers drove all the way to New York City and setup their truck right by the NY Midtown tunnel. They put up a sign - fresh farm Watermelons - only $2 each. After a hard day of selling these brothers sold out their truck full of watermelons. While counting the money they earned - one brother went to the other and said - Bobby - I told you we should have rented a bigger truck! Moral of the story: Don't knowingly enter into a break-even business.

Give all of yourself to your kids - I have lost track counting the sleepless nights my father spent trying to help us with our school projects and with our business plans. He set an example which I think many people would have a hard time following and I only hope to have the same ability to give of myself to my kids with so much energy and devotion.

Dad I know we are all going to miss you. You will always be a part of our hearts and soul and you have helped mold us into the people that we have become."

Dad, I'm missing you.

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The speeches from my sisters Lauren and Michele are also available online.

Tags: Howard Pulver, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Andrea Syrtash on pulverTV: Today at 2PM EDT / 11AM PDT / 2000 CET

The next edition of the Jeff Pulver Show, my LIVE (unscripted) Internet TV Talk show on pulverTV will be airing today, Tuesday April 15 at 2PM EDT / 1900 GMT / 2000 CET.

You can catch the show on both Utream.tv and BlogTV.

My special guest will be Andrea Syrtash.

If you would like to be an in-studio guest on a future next show, please drop me an email or send me a message on Facebook.

Archives of past shows are available at: pulver.tv.

Friends of pulverTV can now join the pulverTV group on Facebook.

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Tags: Internet TV, facebook, Social Communications, Social Media, Andrea Syrtash, pulverTV, Andrew Lipson, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 14, 2008

A Qik Interview with Michele Azar, Best Buy (from Kinnernet 2008)

Michele Azar is the Vice President of Internet Growth at Best Buy and is responsible for enabling employee led innovation.

Tags: Israel, Michele Azar, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 13, 2008

A Qik Look Back at Kinnernet 2008

Tags: Israel, Tom Evslin, Yossi Vardi, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 12, 2008

Jeff Pulver Hanging Upside Down (and around) at Kinnernet 2008:

(taken on April 11, 2008 at Kinnernet)

Tags: Israel, Yossi Vardi, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 04:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

April 11, 2008

My Seesmic Videos from Kinnernet 2008

From Kinnernet 2008 - Day 2

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Posted by jeff at 05:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 10, 2008

Or-Tal: Open their minds. Break the boarders

Or-Tal: Open their minds. Break the boarders

“Jeff Pulver is an international seasoned business man, who travels for breakfast. He is also a social networking guru. He has almost 5000 contacts on Facebook. Two months ago I met Jeff at one of his Social Networking Breakfast, I think it was the first one he did in Tel-Aviv. The event was organized via Facebook. To prepare for the event Jeff sent to people the following Pulver Kit Video. The idea, if I am to simplify it, is to take tools that we know from web based social networking, into the real world. People tag themselves, and they tag other people they meet.

I decided to run a little experiment. I took three 8th graders (my daughter and 2 friends) with me to the event. They had to watch the Pulver Kit video first, and I also showed them how ning works. Then I let told them that their assignment is to tag others and get tagged. The event was a huge success. Jeff, said it was the largest breakfast event he ever held. More than 150 people attended the cafe at the port of Tel-Aviv. The girls were a little hesitant at the beginning but quickly understood the spirits and became a hit. Look at them here, interviewed by Jeff: Noa, Shaii & Keshet

At the end of the event I told them that I thought of throwing a similar event for all the 8th graders (finishing elementary and going to various hi-schools next year) and that this can serve as a good basis to create their own network, aimed at keep in touch.

The girls said that what they really enjoyed is meeting new and interesting people and they would rather do an event with the 7th graders or even an event with the 8th graders’ parents!

They have discovered the greatness of social networking. The ability to meet other people and talk to them like equals. The ability to learn of things one may never reach without the great borderless social networking.

On the way they back they were already discussing how to connect to teenagers like themselves from other cities and nationalities.”

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Tags: Or-Tal, Social Media, breakfast, Tel Aviv, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 03:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 09, 2008

My Interview with three 8th Graders on the Future of Social Media:

Earlier today I had a chance to catch up with three 8th graders who attended my breakfast together with their teacher who shared their perspective on the future of social media and their insights on the future of communication:

Tags: Qik, Social Media, breakfast, Tel Aviv, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A Qik Look at Breafast with Jeff Pulver (and Friends) in Tel Aviv:

Earlier today I hosted a breakfast at Aroma in Tel Aviv. The following video clips were originally broadcast live during the breakfast.

Tags: Qik, Social Media, breakfast, Tel Aviv, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Good Morning Tel Aviv!

At 0900 today I will be at Aroma in the Port of Tel Aviv to host "Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Tel Aviv", the only breakfast known for "Real-Time Social Tagging."

With 176 people signed up for this event, this will be the largest breakfast I have hosted to date. I'm looking forward to hosting this breakfast and catching up with my friends from around Israel.

For more details, and to RSVP for a future breakfast, please take another look at this blog post.

Tags: breakfast, SoMBAA, Tel Aviv, social media, facebook, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 08, 2008

Happy Social Media Birthday Chris Brogan!

Just wanted to take a moment and wish my friend Chris Brogan a very happy Social Media Birthday.

Chris, I hope you are having a great day today, and an even better year ahead.

Warm regards, Jeff

Tags: Chris Brogan, Social Media Birthday, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 07, 2008

Tel Aviv Sunset

Tags: Tel Aviv, sunset, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 06, 2008

Event: Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Tel Aviv on April 9th

On Wednesday morning I am hosting a breakfast for friends in Tel Aviv.

For more details, please visit the event in Facebook.

Tags: breakfast, Tel Aviv, social media, facebook, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeff Pulver on the Art of Packing for Travel

These days whenever I travel, I look to travel with only carry-on luggage whenever possible. By taking only carry-ons, I avoid empowering airlines with the ability to lose my luggage. I also end up packing lighter and end up only taking with me the things I really need.

One mental exercise I have started doing on the day that I am traveling is to allocate time a few hours before I am supposed to leave, close my eyes and imagine myself at my destination and think about the things I brought with me and the things I wish I did. I then open my eyes and make sure that I pack the things that I realized I should had taken with me. I have lost track how many times this simple technique has helped me...This is something that just works.

Tags: Travel, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 05, 2008

Looking forward to Kinnernet 2008

On Sunday night I will be leaving for Israel and next week I will be amongst a group of people attending, contributing to and participating in Kinnernet 2008. Of all the events I attend each year, I look forward to attending and participating in Kinnernet the most. Kinnerent provides digital food for the soul and is something to be experienced.

The genius behind Kinnernet is Yossi Vardi and the eclectic group of his friends who are invited to be part of the community. Personally I’m honored to be invited and have the opportunity to participate in the experience.

Kinnernet is all about “bottom up” community, “bottom up” content and offers the people who make up the community the opportunity for “extreme social networking” in a non-virtual sense and in the end provides an opportunity for ideas to be exchanged, friends to meet, friends to socialize and an opportunity to learn something new, get inspired and in the end leave with a new perspective on a wide range of topics.

Last year was a GREAT event (see: 1, 2, 3). Since first attending my first Kinnernet in 2006, I have met a number of people who are now amongst my circle of friends. This year I'm looking forward to leading a workshop and participating in a number of activities.

For a sense of what one can expect to experience at Kinnernet, please take a look at the letter my 2006 bunk mate Tom Evslin wrote back to his Mom during Kinnernet 2006.

Tags: Israel, Tom Evslin, Yossi Vardi, Kinnernet, Kinnernet2008, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 04, 2008

The Jeff Pulver Show from April 2nd 2008:

On Wednesday morning I hosted the latest installment of the Jeff Pulver Show, my LIVE (unscripted) Internet TV Talk show on pulverTV.

My special guest was Derrick Kwa who helped organize the first Social Media Breakfast in Singapore which was held this past Saturday, March 29th.

jeffpulvershow4-2-08 - Broadcast your self LIVE

If you would like to be an in-studio guest on a future next show, please drop me an email or send me a message on Facebook.

Archives of past shows are available at: pulver.tv.

Friends of pulverTV can now join the pulverTV group on Facebook.

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Tags: Internet TV, facebook, Social Communications, Social Media, Derrick Kwa, pulverTV, Andrew Lipson, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 03, 2008

A Qik Look at Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Atlanta:

Earlier today I hosted a breakfast at Anthony's Fine Dining in Atlanta, GA. The following video clips were originally broadcast live during the breakfast.

Tags: Qik, Social Media, breakfast, Atlanta, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Good Morning Atlanta!

At 8AM today I will be at Anthony's Fine Dining in Atlanta to host "Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Atlanta", the only breakfast known for "Real-Time Social Tagging."

I'm looking forward to hosting this breakfast and catching up with my friends from the greater Atlanta area.

This is the second of two breakfasts I am hosting this week. Next week I will be hosting a similar breakfast in Tel Aviv.

For more details, and to RSVP for a future breakfast, please take another look at this blog post.

Tags: breakfast, SoMBAA, Atlanta, social media, facebook, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

April 02, 2008

Photos from Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Boston

On Tuesday, April 1st I co-hosted a breakfast in Cambridge, MA together with Bryan Person that took place at the S&S Deli.

My next Boston Breakfast will be taking place in June. I will be confirming the date in the near future.

The following photos were shot by both Geo Geller and me using a Nikon D300 with a 50mm lense.

Related Blog Posts:

Adam Zand: Ego, Id and Super Ego in Social Media - The Personal Tagline
Justin du Coeur: My First Social Media Breakfast

My friend David Kirkpatrick recently wrote about my breakfasts in Fortune.

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Readers of my blog are invited to join me on both twitter and Facebook.

Tags: breakfast, Personal Social Media Toolkit, Tel Aviv, Chicago, Washington, San Jose, social media, facebook, David Kirkpatrick, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Qik Look at Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Boston:

Yesterday morning I co-hosted a breakfast at the S&S Deli in Cambridge, MA. The following video clips were originally broadcast live during the breakfast.

Tags: Qik, Social Media, breakfast, Boston, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 01, 2008

Jeff Pulver on pulverTV: Wednesday April 2nd at 8:30AM EST / 13:30 GMT

The next edition of the Jeff Pulver Show, my LIVE (unscripted) Internet TV Talk show on pulverTV will be airing on Wednesday April 2nd at 8:30AM EDT / 1330 GMT

You can catch the show on both Utream.tv and BlogTV.

My special guest will be Derrick Kwa who helped organize the first Social Media Breakfast in Singapore which was held this past Saturday, March 29th.

If you would like to be an in-studio guest on a future next show, please drop me an email or send me a message on Facebook.

Archives of past shows are available at: pulver.tv.

Friends of pulverTV can now join the pulverTV group on Facebook.

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Tags: Internet TV, facebook, Social Communications, Social Media, Derrick Kwa, pulverTV, Andrew Lipson, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good Morning Boston!

At 8AM today I will be at the S&S Restaurant in Cambridge, MA to co-host "Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends) in Boston", the only breakfast known for "Real-Time Social Tagging."

I'm looking forward to co-hosting this breakfast together with Bryan Person and catching up with my friends from the greater Boston area.

This is the first of two breakfasts I am hosting this week. On Thursday I will be hosting a similar breakfast in Atlanta.

For more details, and to RSVP for a future breakfast, please take another look at this blog post.

Tags: breakfast, SoMBAA, Boston, social media, facebook, Bryan Person, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff at 06:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)