Girls In Tech

Grovo.com, a site that teaches people how to use the internet, today released their guide to online music – a course to shed light on the booming world of online music, which was developed to train consumers how to use today’s best online tools for discovering, listening to, buying and storing music, as well as finding shows.  To highlight the trends and evolution of the online music ecosystem, Grovo has provided Girls in Tech with a detailed and colorful info-graphic. See below.

The info-graphic was designed to show how much the internet has impacted the music industry globally, both good and bad. For instance, did you know that . . .

• An artist needs to have their song streamed on Spotify over 4 Million times a month, just to make minimum wage ($1,160)

• Only 17% of global online consumers legally download digital music

• iTunes (23 countries) is only the second largest online music service, second to eMusic (27 countries)

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Digital Music, girls in tech, Grovo, iTunes, music, Online Music, Pandora, Spotify, women in tech
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Recently, my voracious appetite for movie-watching led me to discover Roku, a streaming player that allows me access to a world wide web library of movies, shows, music, videos, podcasts, games, and more. I’ve only had the Roku player for five days but I already know: it’s my #1 recommendation for a gadget gift this holiday season. Here’s the high-level:

• Cost: $59/$79/$99. Click here to compare the three different models (I went for it with the $99 model)
• Includes: Roku streaming player (4.9 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches; roughly the size and weight of a paperback book), HDMI cable, composite AV cable, remote control and batteries, power adapter
• Required: television, high-speed Internet

Setting up the Roku player was easy: the HDMI/AV cable connects the Roku and the television, and the power adapter connects the Roku to the electrical socket in the wall. Just power on and select the Wi-Fi connection; no special software involved.

Next, I did a tour of the default channels: Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu Plus, and Pandora. To access the shows and music on those channels, I had to validate each existing account through a code exchange process that required me to login on my computer. Although I had to do this for every account in order to access its library, the entire exercise was quick and painless.

The channel I’ve accessed the most is Netflix. Because my Netflix account is now activated on my Roku, I now have two queues (which I update online): my regular queue for Netflix dvds (mail) and my “instant” queue for on-demand shows/ movies. The small caveat is that not all of the Netflix library is available for “instant” viewing (less than a total of 2,000 TV shows and movies as of today). But the list is growing daily. And did I say these movies are instant and on-demand? As in, you can watch them anytime, for no additional fee other than your monthly Netflix subscription?

Pandora is awesome — all your personalized music settings projected on the television. Tunes for every mood and occasion.

Amazon Video is a bit on the expensive side, ranging from $1.99 to $3.99 for a 24-hour rental (with the option to buy). But it offers the latest and greatest shows, including those currently in season.

I’m excited to check out Hulu Plus, which just became available on Roku today.

In total, there are over fifty channels available on Roku, and the company says they are adding more every day. On day six of owning the Roku, I’m only discovering the tip of the ice berg. The channels are listed under the following categories: Featured, New, Most Popular, Top Rated, Movies & TV, Web TV & Special Interest, Music, Sports, International, News & Podcasts, Photos & Videos, Games & Screensavers.

Notable channels include:

• Facebook photos and videos
• Vimeo
• Blip.tv
• flickr
• MLB.tv

I have a feeling my Roku and I are going to be together a lot, inside and outside my home. The Roku player is smaller than a paperback book and very light at 7.2 ounces, so it will be a convenient travel companion (as long as the destination includes a television and high-speed Internet connection).

A little tidbit about the brain behind Roku: the company was founded by Anthony Wood, who invented the DVR. Enough said.

The one question I have to ask is: where do Roku and other streaming players fit in when Apple and Google enter living rooms?

Tags: Amazon Video, Anthony Wood, apple, Baochi Nguyen, blip.tv, DVR, Facebook photos and videos, Flickr, Google, HDMI/AV cable, Hulu Plus, MLB.tv, Netflix, Pandora, Roku, The Roku player, travel, Vimeo, Wi-Fi
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Tina Seelig, executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, kicked off this weekend’s inspirational  “I don’t know to CEO” event by declaring that innovation is all about turning problems into opportunities, and that entrepreneurship is an extreme sport that’s all about getting out there and doing it.  Tina teaches the popular “Innovation and Creation” class at Stanford and she encouraged conference attendees to adopt the following principles to drive innovation:

1. Use your gut instead of your head
2. Be willing to experiment
3. Leverage limited resources to fuel your creativity (i.e. necessity is the mother of invention)

Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, gave the keynote address and her message was about finding success by being true to who you are, i.e. “being the best possible version of yourself,  and making decisions everyday that will lead you to where you want to be.”

The Inspiration workshop following the keynote featured founders of four early stage start-ups, in addition to the CMO of Mint.com – Donna Wells, and the founder of Meebo – Elaine Wherry.  The panelists were in resounding agreement about the path to forging a start-up – Start something, do something, and go from there.  Specifically, they emphasized the importance of meeting with partners on a weekly basis to brainstorm and build upon innovative ideas from which a start-up could be created.  The panelists gave the following advice to aspiring entrepreneurs:

1. Observe pain and solve it
2. Have the resolve to follow what you know to be true
3. Build a strong business that will endure and adapt (challenges can be a blessing)
4. Brick walls are for other people (the resilient entrepreneur will blast through the walls)
5. Focus on simplicity — try not to be all things to all people

Next up, the Instruction workshop gave broad advice about how to build a successful and rewarding career.  Mara Brazer, founder of Brazer Communications, gained everyone’s attention when she announced “Everything I ever fantasized about in life came true.”  Inspiring words indeed.  The panelists gave the following guidance for achieving your dreams:

1. Do what you enjoy, do a great job, and the money will follow
2. Have a long-range perspective when it comes to your career
3. Be resourceful, have an open mind, and know that it takes a lot of hard work to get to your dream job/life

Finally, the power panel of the day, titled “View From the Top: Changing the Face of Technology” emphasized the importance of persistence and adaptability — key elements that require resolve and the ability to tune into the feedback loop of how users and the market react to a product.  Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, encouraged entrepreneurs to watch trends to identify opportunities in the market, while Ellen Siminoff – part of the founding executive team at Yahoo and currently the CEO of Shmoop, noted that “New companies are formed from the mistakes of existing companies.”  Jessica Steel – VP of Business Development at Pandora confirmed Ellen’s point by stating that the opportunity for Pandora came out of the mistakes (too many radio commercials) of media giant Clear Channel.  As a singer-songwriter with one released album and another on the way, Jessica Steel (aka Jessica Stone) also seemed to embody the advice that I heard repeatedly at the event, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

A big fat thanks to the Stanford Women in Business group for putting on such an inspirational and educational event!  And thanks to the AMAZING speakers and panelists for sharing your experiences with us!

If you attended the event or have more to add, I’d love to hear from you — please post a comment.

Tags: Donna Wells, Elaine Wherry, Ellen Siminoff, friendfeed, I Don't Know to CEO, Jawed Karim, Jessica Steel, Jessica Stone, Mara Brazer, Meebo, Mint.com, Pandora, Shmoop, Stanford, Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford Women In Business, Sue Gardner, SWIB, Tina Seelig, Tina Tran, Wikimedia, Youniversity Ventures, youtube
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