I purchased a Droid X on July 17, 2010 and shared the beginning of my Droid X learning curve through video three days later.  On day twelve with my new machine, here's a video showing how I use Foursquare on the Droid X.

This video is a continuation of my determination to participate in what I see as an imperative to create corporate videos, given the numbers for corporate online video.  I did this video in one take in what gave me great amusement to dub the Droid X Video Production Studio.  It's closer to the 2-minute-that's-all-they'll-watch standard than the first one and it took a quarter of the time to make.

I seem to have other reasons for making videos, too.

According to Dan Pallotta, writing for the Harvard Business Review, at the core of entrepreneurship is vulnerability.

Did I feel vulnerable posting an amateur video of my inexpertise with the Droid X on YouTube, a medium that receives two billion views per day?

Yes, I did. 

If you view the comments on the first Droid X video on YouTube, you'll see that public vulnerability risks public ridicule. Ah, well. For me - and this is a personal decision, not by any means a moral or ethical standard for all - the potential reward outweighs the risk.

And for that risk, I received this unexpected delight:  help.  Viewers of the video who noticed my problems left comments explaining how to solve them. 

One of the people who left a comment, Dan Burdi, I know.  It's still who you know.

The other person?  Someone I don't know.  Kindness from a stranger.  That's a delight, too.

***

Why am I working hard so learn the Droid X?  A company needs a mobile app.

You're invited to read more about our experiences with the Droid X on Handshake 2.0 and with Foursquare on Handshake 2.0.

SUBSCRIBERS: U.S. consumers who receive at least one permission-based email a day.

FANS: U.S. consumers with a Facebook account who have become a fan of (i.e. “liked”) at least one company or brand on Facebook.

FOLLOWERS: U.S. consumers with a Twitter account who follow at least one company or brand on Twitter.

Great graphic used with the kind permission of Subscribers, Fans & Followers, on Twitter @ExactTarget

When I see two new acquaintances shaking hands and hear, "I know you!  I saw you on Handshake 2.0!", that is music to my ears.

If Handshake 2.0 has in any way eased a first greeting, or, even better, eased the way to a handshake on a deal, its mission is being fulfilled.

On Handshake 2.0's two-year anniversary, to every Handshake 2.0 visitor, to every person who has ever attended a Handshake 2.0 event, to fellow company owners who have been kind and supportive colleagues, to every writer and artist and photographer who has created content for the site, to every Twitter follower and RTer and Facebook "liker," to our amazing clients, to our CTO, Alex Edelman, and, of course, to Mr. Handshake 2.0!, I extend a joyous, grateful handshake.

"Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts..."
- William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3, Act 4,

"We don’t need no stinking badges."
- Bandit, Blazing Saddles

"We don't need no stinking World Wide Web site."
- Business owner, 1999
 
"We don't need no stinking social media. Twitter sounds like 'twit'!  Ha!"
- Business owner, 2009
 
"We don't need no stinking mobile app."
- Business owner, long before 2019

A company needs a mobile app.

This "Ah-ha!" moment came when I read about the Sacramento Bee launching its own smartphone app, and "In terms of presentation, there won’t be a huge difference between the downloadable version and what iPhone users experience now by going to sacbee.com."

If there's no huge difference, then the barriers to entry are low. 

According to Juniper Research, "...the annual number of consumer-oriented handset downloads is expected to rise from less than 2.6 billion in 2009 to more than 25 billion in 2015." 

Let me think this through.  A company needs to reach people - customers - to whom it can sell its products and services to survive and thrive.  A company website is available to almost 2 billion Internet users.  A company Twitter account becomes one of 100 million registered users and a corporate Facebook page joins 500 million.

25 billion mobile app downloads?

Worrying about whether or not to have a corporate Twitter account is so WWW.  Time to find a mobile app developer.

“I went blue for Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS® because John Skelton sold me my first home and the best investment I ever made!”

– Erik C.B. Olsen

“I went blue for Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS® because of the experience, integrity, and character of our agents and staff.”

– John Skelton, REALTOR®

via Keepin' It Real Estate

We're loving this Handshake 1.0 and and we're fans of Coldwell Banker Townside's GO BLUE! campaign!

GO BLUE!

Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS (R) is a client of Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.

From Kelly Kendrick, Assistant Vice President of First Bank and Trust Company:

Whether you’re seeking a business loan, a car loan or a mortgage for your home, you probably question what factors will be considered by the bank during the approval process for your loan.  The basic criteria that banks use to evaluate your loan request for approval are referred to as the 5 Cs of credit.

1. Character - Is the customer dependable, honest, and reliable? What is the reputation of the customer? Does the customer have good credit history, indicating that they were willing to meet prior obligations?
2. Capacity - Does the customer have adequate cash flow to repay the loan or take on additional debt?
3. Capital - For consumer loans, what will the customer be contributing toward the purchase? For business loans, in addition to the contribution toward the purchase or the project, what has the customer invested in the growth of their company?
4. Collateral - What is the customer offering to provide additional security and mitigate risks of the loan?
5. Conditions - What are the current market conditions affecting the customer or their company?

The 5 Cs of credit may be a helpful tool in assessing your financial situation before you go to the bank if you may be considering applying for a loan.

You're invited to read about the 5Cs of Credit and more in The Basics of Business Bank Loans (.pdf) from First Bank and Trust Company.

***

First Bank & Trust Company, one of the top community banks in the United States, is a diversified financial services firm with office locations in southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and the New River and Shenandoah Valleys of Virginia.  Financial objectives are addressed by offering free checking products for personal and business accounts, and assessing lending solutions managed by mortgage, agricultural and commercial lending divisions.  Comprehensive financial solutions are available through trust and brokerage service representatives. 

For businesses, First Bank & Trust specializes in business loans, business credit, and business finance.

You're invited to read more about First Bank & Trust Company on Handshake 2.0.  First Bank & Trust Company is a client of Handshake Media, Incorporated, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.

I actually can remember the bright young faces of my parents, then in their 20s, earnestly teaching me, their first born, to tie her shoes “all by herself.”  The looks of celebration and praise on my mother’s and father’s faces when I accomplished this feat of independence are unforgettable.

An entrepreneur extols “all by myself.”  But I have found it to be a child’s path.

As I reflect on the two-year anniversary of my company, after pure luck, I believe the single-most powerful determinant of my company’s 2.0 longevity has been not doing it by myself.

The guidance, advice and feedback I’ve gotten from being a VT KnowledgeWorks member company and a member of Presidents’ Council is priceless beyond valuation.

Feedback, at times, can be painful. 

“Look at me! I’ve started a company all by myself!” I think as a child.  As an adult, I say, “I have an idea.  What do you think?”  

The adult is told, “Not bad.  But I see some problems with it.  Some things you might want to consider are…”  The child wonders sadly what happened to the looks of praise.

But the adult thinks, "I didn't know that.  I never would have thought of that."

No matter how much I want to know it all and do it all by myself - and sometimes still believe I do and can - I do not and cannot.  I have learned from a half century of life that when I don’t know what to do, not asking for guidance is folly.  Asking for guidance, especially from like-minded individuals  who seek, or have achieved, business success, from members of a group connected to more groups in complex networks, offers a collective wisdom the extents of which I could never even dream of gaining even in an entire life-time.

My parents’ faces are no longer young and mine has double the age theirs did during the shoe-tying lessons.  What lasts, what matters, what makes a difference - these are the concerns of adulthood, less about who can tie the shoes, but whether we all have the shoes we need to take us on our life's journeys. 

***

Before Handshake Media, Incorporated was even a company, its founder, Anne Giles Clelland, joined VT KnowledgeWorks.  Handshake Media is a sponsor of VT KnowledgeWorks and VT KnowledgeWorks is a client of Handshake Media, the parent company of Handshake 2.0.

Valley Business FRONT is the monthly magazine for in-depth business news in the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley of Virginia. You're invited to read moreFRONT and to follow Valley Business FRONT on Twitter, @vbFRONT.

Photo credit: Dan Smith

I was delighted to meet and share a handshake with Catherine Sutton, Executive Director of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, Virginia.  I look forward to serving on the Chamber's Social Media Seminar panel as part of its Member Expo on Thursday, August 19, in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Photo credit:  Lanny Belcher