MyPunchblog

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

I had a thought earlier today: Do we really need office phones anymore? These days most business communication is done via email. I know I personally prefer email over the phone for several reasons:

• I can respond whenever I want to. If it’s something urgent I can address it as soon as it comes into my inbox. If it doesn’t need immediate attention, I can focus on other priorities until I’m ready to take action.
• Some people are just very hard to reach by phone so unless you want to leave a voicemail (which will likely go unanswered), email is the best way to get in front of them.
• I like the “paper trail” that comes with using email. If you’re organized like me, email is a great way to keep track of important information.
• We can now video chat in our email (Google’s gchat), which makes communicating with remote coworkers much easier.
• I don’t like getting calls from sales people. I know it’s their job and I appreciate that, but in most cases I’m not interested and it just takes up my time. I read every email that comes into my inbox so email is a much better way to get in touch with me.

The irony here is that while my preferred communication style is email, when I first started at MyPunchbowl I made a big deal about needing a phone line. The reason is there are still those occasions when you just need to pick up the phone and call someone:

• While a lot of people out there claim to read every email, they certainly do not respond to all of them. Calling to follow-up about something is sometimes the only way to get the attention of busy people.
• Other people and companies continue to rely on phones as a means of doing business. We had an instance at MyPunchbowl where another company needed to call and speak to someone in our office in order to verify that we existed!
• Phone communication is a good way to build relationships — if you’re able to get through!

What is your preference? Do you think we need office phones? Does it make a difference depending on industry or job type? Share your thoughts in the comments.

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO

Last week, I wrote about how I receive a lot of resumes. In my blog post, I implored potential employees to create a one-page resume. I’ve gotten a fair amount of feedback about this blog post. In general, most people agreed with me that a one-page resume is sufficient — especially for jobs at a startup.

Today, I’d like to talk about another phenomenon that I see all too often in my inbox: potential job candidates that send me their resume with an email that says “resume attached.”  Our job postings always say something to the effect of “Please send a *one page* resume, quick impressions of the site, and brief introductory email to…” Even with this very clear set of instructions, each time we post a position I get a handful of emails where the applicant only writes “resume attached.” No introductory email, no impressions of the site, no nothing. Only “resume attached.”

Here’s what’s particularly puzzling about this phenomenon: I’ve actually opened a few of the resumes, and once in a while I see a decent candidate. Yet if the candidate didn’t bother spending the time to write an introductory email, I know they are not going to be the right kind of employee for Punchbowl. We want to hire people who pay close attention to details and care about first impressions.

I decided to write this blog post so that I could send it to anyone who sends me an email that only says “resume attached.”  If you are one of these people, please reconsider your approach. You might be a great candidate for Punchbowl Software, but we’re never going to find out unless you put your first foot forward in a way that shows us that you care. Please don’t bother sending an email that only says “resume attached.” If you don’t care enough to spend the time, than neither do we.

By the way… we are currently hiring great Ruby on Rails developers. If you’re interested in applying for the position, here’s the Ruby on Rails job description. We look forward to reading your resume — and your introductory email.

This post written by Sean Conta, Founder & CXO

Last week I wrote about the new and improved Dashboard that was introduced with our last release. This week I’m happy to highlight another totally revamped feature on MyPunchbowl: the Potluck list.

Again we incorporated user feedback as well as some exciting new design ideas of our own to make a flexible, powerful and useful Potluck system. We spent many hours going over use-case scenarios, debating architecture, and pounding out all the details. In the end we think that work payed off.

The Potluck feature is too big to fit on this page, but I’ll give you a teaser image below. To get the full effect, sign in to your account, click into an event and go to the Potluck page.

Here are some highlights:

• “Open” items: Instead of requiring the host to specify items and quantities, they can simply indicate that they need 4 side dishes and allow the guests to fill in the specifics of what they’re bringing. (see above)
• Host control: One thing we heard form our hosts is that they wanted more control to manage who’s bringing what, make changes if needed, or choose an item on behalf of a guest. You spoke, we listened. The host has full control over their Potluck list
• Flexibility: Hosts can enter their own categories, enter items with unlimited quantity, allow guests to add their own items, add a note to each item, and more. Even with this flexibility, the interface is quite easy to use.
• Prettiness: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the new Potluck page just looks great! Props to Devin on fun icons and cool colors.

Sign in to your account and check it out!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

On Wednesday, Sean wrote about how we just unveiled new updates to our Dashboard page and that we incorporated a lot of feedback from our users. There are currently several ways that users provide us with feedback. Sometimes they email us, other times they respond to our surveys, and some post to our User Forums.

Our User Forums are relatively new so I just wanted to share the benefits of sharing your feedback via our forums.

1. Chances are you’re not the only one who has a particular comment or suggestion. If you post your feedback on the forums, we can get a dialogue going amongst our users which can only enhance our ability to look at the suggestion from several different angles.
2. Our email accounts and survey data are read by specific individuals within the company. While we do share feedback with the team, it would be great for our entire team to be able to get a pulse on customer feedback whenever they want to by viewing the forums.
3. It’s completely anonymous. All you need to do is create a username (handle) and password to be able to post to the forums. Speak freely!

So, do you have any feedback about MyPunchbowl? Post it to our User Forums. We’ll definitely read it.

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.