MyPunchblog

This post written by Sean Conta, Founder & CXO

In the latest update to the site we’ve given the Dashboard page a significant upgrade. The new design incorporates a lot of user feedback as well as some new ideas that we had. One of the areas that we’re particularly excited about is how we display events in your dashboard. Here’s an example of what an active event that you’re hosting might look like:

Here are some highlights:

• Quick Links: A dynamic list of links to the most common things you might want to do in the planning process. Just click a quick link and go right to the page you want
• Event Status: At-a-glance status of where you are in the planning process, including a link to the next thing you want to do
• RSVP Status: A quick summary of your RSVPs. This was a top user request!
• Event Options: Click this dropdown to perform tasks like adding a co-host or copying your event.
• Archiving (in event options): Take control of the events that are displayed in your dashboard by archiving events you hosted or were invited to that you no longer want to see. Don’t worry, they’ll always be accessible in the “Archived events” section.

Sign in to your account and check it out!

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO

I get a lot of resumes. At any one time, we are advertising for at least a few open positions at Punchbowl Software. Most recently, we have been seeking a full-time Director of Business Development, and an additional senior Ruby on Rails engineer to add to our development team.

In every job posting, we always include the following line: “Send a *one page* resume, quick impressions of the site, and brief introductory email to jobs at punchbowlsoftware.com.” Note that the phrase “one page” has asterisks. Sometimes we’ll even bold “one page” to make it stand out even more.

On an average day, I’ll receive 15-20 resumes in my inbox. And like this morning, the vast majority of the emails are from people who send me a multi-page resume. In most of the cases, the same people send me a form letter email (something that they wrote once and send to every job posting). Why do they even bother? Do they think this is going to land them the opportunity to interview at Punchbowl? The instructions we provide are clear, succinct, and should take the average person no more than 30 minutes. Is that too much to ask?

I’ve been criticized in the past for asking people for a one-page resume. I’m often told that there is no way to fit their vast experience on a single page. So why do I want a one-page resume? Here are a ten reasons:

1. Your resume is your first chance to market yourself to me. I believe that quality over quantity is more important.
2. Our job description includes very specific instructions. If you can’t follow these instructions, how are you going to be as an employee?
3. One of the most important qualities in any employee is the ability to be succinct. If you can’t do it on a resume, how are you going to do it when we are sitting in meeting at 6pm on a Tuesday evening and everyone wants to go home?
4. A one-page resume is sufficient to tell me the relevant experience you’ve had in the last 10 years. Believe me, I have a resume that could fill up 3 pages too.
5. I don’t care what job you held in 1985 (or even 1995). It’s not relevant to a consumer internet startup in 2009. Just tell me what you have done over the last 10 years. That’s sufficient.
6. I don’t care that you were a waitress, firefighter, volunteer or private detective. We are a consumer internet company. Tell me about your relevant experience.
7. I don’t care what you did in high school.
8. I don’t believe that you are “the best”, “the most” or “the missing piece to your organization.” The more over the top you are, the less I believe you.
9. Spare me the 12 bullets under each part of your resume. Give me 3-5 bullets of your most important accomplishments for each relevant position.
10. Please don’t list every educational certificate you have ever received in your life. Your weekend marketing seminar does not make you a marketing guru.

If I’ve sent this post to you, it’s likely because you just sent me a multi-page resume — and you completely ignored the instructions in the job description. If you want our consideration for the position, please send me a one-page resume.

My guess is that 50% of the people that read this post won’t bother spending the time to send me a one-page resume. That’s ok — you’re probably not the right fit for our organization anyway. For those who do choose to send me a one-page resume, it does not guarantee that you are going to be asked in for an interview. At the end of the day, your relevant experience is what matters the most.

I hope this post is useful for those who really want to become a part of Punchbowl Software. And for those who feel the need to send me an angry rant: I welcome your email. I always find them amusing.

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Last night I attended a great event hosted by the Boston chapter of Girls in Tech. “Using Social Media in Your Organization” was a topic that I knew I didn’t want to miss and after reading about the speakers and the format, I signed up immediately. I also thought this would be another opportunity to work on my networking skills.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Girls in Tech, it’s a “social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology.” I had heard of this group before in other cities like San Francisco and New York, but the Boston chapter is new this spring. Very exciting!

Held in Cambridge at Microsoft’s office overlooking the Charles River, the setup was great for chatting and grabbing a quick bite before the panel got going. The panelists — Karen Rubin, Hubspot; Rachel Happe, Community Roundtable; Mike Langford, TweetWorks; and Cappy Popp, Thought Labs — shared great ideas for how to use social media for business. The key takeaway: content, content, content. If you don’t have interesting and useful content to share with customers and potential customers, what is their reason to friend/follow/fan you?

My favorite part of the event were the case studies. Two participants from different organizations were chosen to share their story about how they currently use social media, what their goals are for social media, then ask specific questions of the panel. I found it really useful to hear real suggestions for how to improve your Facebook page or how to increase Twitter followers. Some of the things we already do (ie RSS feed of our blog to our Facebook page), but there are still things we don’t do (ie RSS feed of our blog and party planning posts to our Twitter account).

Overall I thought the event was really well done and all of the participants (speakers and attendees) seemed genuinely excited and interested to be there. I look forward to attending more Girls in Tech Boston events in the future!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

As Mother’s Day approaches this Sunday, May 10, I have been thinking about the ways that MyPunchbowl can help people celebrate Mother’s Day in the most personal way.

I’m very close with my own mother. We’re best friends and she’s probably the one person who knows me best. If there was ever an occasion to treat in a more personal and meaningful way, Mother’s Day is definitely the day.

With MyPunchbowl eCards you can include a personal video with a picture and a special message. What mom doesn’t want to see her kids and grandkids in a video created just for her? If I got something like that it would definitely make me feel special.

I also ordered a personalized candy tin for my mom and included a picture from a trip we went on together last year. I was even able to choose her favorite jelly bean flavor (licorice) to fill the tin. I caved and gave it to her early — she loved it! It was a nice memory of the weekend we spent together.

Users can also invite their moms to a brunch or Mother’s Day outing using our online invitations and event planning tools. They can send flowers and buy other Mother’s Day gifts.

However you decide to celebrate Mother’s Day, remember to make it special for Mom. After all, it’s her day.

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO

This past Saturday was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. In a shocking victory, the 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird won the Derby. In the history of the Derby, it was the second highest payout for a Derby winner (the only higher payout was in 1913). In the leadup to the Derby, there was hours of analysis by countless experts, and not one of them picked Mine That Bird to Win, Place, or Show in the Derby. So what went wrong? How did all of the experts, pundits, and the betting public get it so wrong? Here are a few lessons that I think we can all learn from this year’s Derby. And it’s probably no surprise that I believe these lessons are useful for a startup too.

5 lessons from Mine That Bird:

1. How you start the race is important: Mine That Bird started the race cleanly, and didn’t stumble. It wasn’t important for the horse to lead the race at this point — just have a clean start and set yourself up for a good race.
2. Have a strategy you believe in: The jockey of Mine That Bird (Calvin Borel) had a specific strategy right from the start of the race. It’s a strategy he used when he rode Street Sense to victory only a few years ago. Have a strategy you believe in right from the start.
3. Ignore the competition: Even with 17 other horses around you, focus on your strategy and do your best to ignore the competition. It’s your race to win, if you focus on your strategy and execute.
4. Know when to accelerate: The key to winning the Derby is to know when to accelerate. Mine That Bird had enough in the tank to turn for home and accelerate when it mattered the most.
5. Celebrate your success: Anyone who watched the Derby will never forget the image of that crazy jockey Calvin Borel screaming at the top of his lungs and waving to the crowd. The pure joy was infectious. Know when it’s time to let loose and celebrate.

There is so much we can learn from this year’s Derby winner, and I found it very inspiring. Are you the underdog in your market? Do the experts and pundits think you have no chance to “win it all?” What other lessons can you learn from Mine that Bird?

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Can you believe it’s already May 1st? I was just looking at the calendar and May is one of the busiest months of the year. In addition to major holidays like Mother’s Day (May 10) and Memorial Day (May 25), there are a number of other holidays and events definitely worth celebrating.

The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow and the buzz is already very exciting. If you didn’t plan a party for the Kentucky Derby, you have another chance to host an event around the horse races with The Preakness on May 16.

Next week there will be fiestas around the globe as people celebrate Cinco de Mayo (May 5, of course). Before you head off to your Cinco de Mayo party, don’t forget to send a thoughful eCard to your favorite teacher in honor of National Teacher’s Day. Teachers do so much yet are often underpaid and underappreciated. An eCard is a nice way to show your appreciation.

The list above doesn’t even represent one of the biggest reasons to celebrate in May and that’s graduation! With students graduating from preschools, high schools, college, and graduate school during the months of May and June, it’s easy to see why your weekends get so jam-packed.

Are you planning to host an event in May? MyPunchbowl’s Date Decider can help you figure out the date that works best for your busy guests.

Do you know of any other holidays in May that aren’t on our list? Post the name of the holiday and the date in the comments below.

This post written by Sean Conta, Founder & CXO

A little while ago, a fellow skier turned me on to a website called “Steep and Cheap”(www.steepandcheap.com). Steep and Cheap is an example of a new breed of eCommerce sites with a unique format: At any given moment there is only one nicely priced item for sale on their site. When that item sells out, they put up another one.

If you’ve never heard of sites like this let me tell you, it’s a fantastic idea. Not only do they usually have great deals, but they bring the term “sticky” to a new level. If you have a “sticky” site, it means people come back to your site often. Everyone wants a sticky site but it can be a challenge depending on your business or service. Steep and Cheap and other “one-at-a-time” websites have really nailed it in my opinion

Steep and Cheap is great for skiers like me, but you can find “one-at-a-time” sites for many other markets. Another example is Woot (www.woot.com). They have a general focus in electronics and also have sibling sites for wine and T-shirts. Woot is slightly different, they only have one item a day, but it’s an equally sticky site.

Here’s a few more to check out. A word of warning though - you may become addicted. Oh and be prepared to buy stuff…

shirt.woot.com

wine.woot.com

www.tramdock.com

www.dillyeo.com

Know of any more? Add them in the comments below.

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

We get lots of feedback from our users and while some people email us with questions and suggestions, a good portion of the feedback we receive is praise. We get email after email saying how much people love our site and how helpful it was to them as they planned an event. It makes me feel really good to read this feedback and share it with the team.

The other thing that people write in is that not only do they enjoy using our site, but they tell all of their friends about MyPunchbowl. This is terrific! Our site already has a viral element to it via the host sending invitations to a number of guests, but when our satisfied users tell their friends about their positive experience it’s an added bonus.

We recently introduced a program that is perfect for those customers who love to spread the word about MyPunchbowl. MyPunchbowl Ambassadors are an exclusive group of MyPunchbowl users who receive special benefits and rewards from MyPunchbowl. MyPunchbowl Ambassadors promote the site, provide valuable user feedback, and share their personal stories.

Do you have what it takes to be a MyPunchbowl Ambassador? Learn more about the program and how to become a MyPunchbowl Ambassador.

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO

Think of the people you work with on a regular basis. How many of them are nice people and good at what they do? Most of the people that I’ve worked with in my career fall into this category. They are genuinely nice people, and they can do their job with an adequate amount of skill. They try their hardest to please, and you know that they intend well.

Now how many of the people you work with on a regular basis are GREAT? The truly great people are self-motivated, are able to read between the lines, and they deliver truly great results. They are the kind of people that want to get it right — and will often go above and beyond to make sure they do.

In my experience, there is a significant gap between those who are good and those who are GREAT. Usually, a great person is worth 4 or 5 good people. That is, they can do the work of 4-5 good people in the same amount of time. Yes, the difference is that large. That’s why great people command the respect (and compensation) that they deserve.

One of the wonderful things about running a startup is that you can choose who to add to your team. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by a group of really GREAT people who are fantastic at what they do. In each of their disciplines (marketing, design, engineering, analytics, user experience) they often exceed expectations. They all want to succeed and it’s a great feeling to work among people who strive to be the best.

If this blog post sounds like a love soliloquy for the people at Punchbowl Software — well, it unabashedly is. Because one of the consequences of being surrounded by greatness is that it fills me with the confidence to step away from the office and take a few days off. As you read this, I’m far away from the office but I know that the team will continue to move our company forward and delight our customers.

And that’s what being surrounded by greatness really is all about.

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO

These days, with information overload and endless lists of things to do, it’s really easy to lose track of the most important topics on your to-do list. Those who work at Punchbowl have heard me repeat this phrase a lot recently: “There are always lots of things to do, but what are the top 3 impactful topics you are working on today?”

I think this is an important concept for any job — whether you work at a small company or a large company. In fact, I wish someone had introduced this concept to me when I was a young Product Manager at Adobe (a large company). I remember drowning in to-do lists and email after only a few weeks on the job. Everything seemed important. So I did what any ambitious, 22 year old would do: I worked 18 hour days for weeks on end. And as you might have guessed, I still wasn’t able to keep up with the volume of things to do.

In my position as CEO of Punchbowl Software, it’s not any easier. My inbox fills up daily, and there are endless lists of things to do and areas that need to be addressed. The good news is that I can now delegate some of the things on my to-do list, but yet I still don’t catch up. There are still too many things to do, and not enough hours in the day.

I believe there is a better way: focus on the top 3 most impactful topics on your list. Make a list of *only* 3 topics. The 3 topics should be followed by a very specific list of tasks that can be accomplished within a few days. Avoid items that don’t have specific action items. Steer clear of items that don’t have clear deliverables. Write them on your whiteboard or on a sticky note attached to your computer monitor.  Start and end your day with a close examination of your topic list. Are you spending time working on the top 3 most impactful topics or are you filling your time with other tasks?

You may be asking yourself: how can I figure out the top 3 most impactful topics to work on? Perhaps a top 3 list would be useful. Here are the 3 most impactful people to ask:

1. Ask your customers: What most matters to them? Make a list based on the top 3 topics that your customers talk about frequently (I’ve literally asked customers on the phone: what are the top 3 things you would improve about MyPunchbowl?)
2. Ask your peer: pick a colleague that you work with closely. Ask him/her to have lunch with you and then help each other make a top 3 list. (Bonus: how can each of you help each other achieve your top 3 list more effectively?)
3. Ask your boss: Sit down with your boss and ask him/her to help you come up with a list of the top 3 impactful topics that you should be addressing (it’s very telling if your boss can’t help you narrow down your list to 3 topics)

Does this methodology work for you? Why or why not? I look forward to hearing from you.