Dispatches from the Startup Front

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So, I have a new job.

In case there's someone on the planet I haven't told. Perhaps there are people in Khartoum or Boise who were not informed.

I am -- ahem -- the Director of Social Media and Public Relations for a robotics startup.

I do not know much about robotics. I do know that, in order to get our product (it's a dynamic input-output communications device permitting your computer and robot to talk and work together) to make you into an Evil Overlord, you will need to buy more than one.

We are, yes, in the Evil Overlord supply business. This is sorta like being Acme to Wile E. Coyote, in some ways. But I digress.

I am Employee #5. I am the only woman and I quite handily, single-handedly, raise the average company age by a good 5 - 10 or so years. Yes, they are all young enough to be my sons.

As the Director of All Time, Space and Dimension (er, something like that), I do web stuff, blog and tweet, and go to events to show off our little gizmo. Yes, I go to parties for work, a fact that I find odd.

We are hosting one tonight. I have a short skirt to wear, and I'm bringing the signup sheet.

And so, this is the life of being in a startup. More to follow, but tonight I need to learn if I can expense a can of hairspray.

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Type: Discussion • Score: 9 • Views: 15,842 • Replies: 58

@jespah,

All the social media marketing people I know are talking about JitterJam.com. I haven't looked into it yet, but they seem excited.

Congrats on your new job.

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Sounds like it could be a fun job.

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@jespah,

jespah wrote:

Director of Social Media and Public Relations

I always wondered what the official title was. We always called 'em "booth babes".

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@jespah,

jespah wrote:

robotics startup.

Too soon for a Sarah Connor joke?

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@DrewDad,

Oh go fer it. We can take it.

Booth babe, ha!

I've looked at JitterJam, saw a demo at the latest Mass Inno -- it looked okay but, much like A2K, it's very dependent upon correct tagging.

Anyway, back to the Dispatches.

Carl

I bought myself a laptop. It's not like I have a lot of $$ yet but it was getting rather obvious that I needed a fast way to do work pretty much no matter where I was. Plus I'd need to be able to do demos at some point.

So I went to Amazon and found that the brown HP laptop is cheaper than the black one. Perhaps it seems less cool? I dunno. So I bought it. And it's a sweet lil thing and I am getting used to it.

Because it's brown and, to me, that color is often equated with haplessness, I have named it Carl.

He's the drummer in that clip.

Anyway, so Carl is now a member of the family. I wouldn't normally name an inanimate object (er, sorry Carl), but we'll be spending a lot of time together.

Next: the dudes, AKA The 'Bot Boys.

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@jespah,

Quote:

I have a short skirt to wear, and I'm bringing the signup sheet.

And so, this is the life of being in a startup.

More to follow, but tonight I need to learn if I can expense a can of hairspray.

i will refrain from adding any comment !

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@jespah,

Hey, congrats, Jes! I hope it works out well for you.

Me, on the other hand, is still searching and trying.

It seems that once a person gets over a certain age, employers aren't interested in you. That's been my experience so far anyways. Sad

1 Reply

@Reyn,

Quote:

Me, on the other hand, is still searching and trying.

reyn :
have you tried wearing a shorter skirt ? why not give it a try and report back .

1 Reply

@jespah,

The highest of congratulations to you jespah!

So will you be handling the press releases, the media interviews, etc...?

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@jespah,

Um... jespah what was wrong with that animated clip? It seemed a bit sped up. Or were those characters high on meth, speed, and Ritalin?

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@tsarstepan,

It's normally a 15 minute show.

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@hamburgboy,

hamburgboy wrote:

reyn :
have you tried wearing a shorter skirt ? why not give it a try and report back .

I would look terrible in a skirt of any length: bow-legged. Crying or Very sad

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@tsarstepan,

It's sped up.

And yes, I'll be handling much of the press-y kinds of stuff although the boss and the Head of Dev. have both done some. We're thinking of an event for the end of the Summer so there's time to do some planning.

Psst Reyn I definitely recommend a shorter skirt for getting a job. I'm just sayin' ....

1 Reply

@jespah,

For those interested in some enjoyable work stories, there were a few earlier engaging 'Dispatches From' threads by Jespah:

Dispatches from the Front
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of ... Notary Woman in Fluorescent Hell!

More Dispatches from the Front

Remembrance of Dispatches Past

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Ah, thanks muchly.

1 Reply

@jespah,

The 'bot boys

There are only five of us in the company.

I've said before, we're a tad like Galadriel and the hobbits.

So this is me (kinda -- my hair is shorter):

http://acct.tamu.edu/smith/lotr/lotr_movie_galadriel.jpg

And this is the rest of the company:

http://quizilla.teennick.com/user_images/T/tohrupenguin/1112394240_ryfrodosam.jpg

From left to right:
(1) Samwise is our VP. He's the connected one, the guy with the most education or about to have the most as he's a doctoral degree candidate.
(2) Frodo is, of course, our President. He's the only one other than me who's in the Boston/Cambridge area. Everyone else is in Worcester, where they all attended school. I know him the best of all of them. Today, he came to my house (we then drove to Worcester to do a company meeting) and he met RP.
(3) Merrie is our Head of Development. He's got a tat and some interesting piercings. Very funny guy. Don't ask him about Justin Timberlake.
and
(4) Pippin is our Developer and the youngest of the bunch. He just got his Bachelor's. Very smart and quiet, kinda brings out my latent maternal instincts. I just feel like going up and adjusting his collar sometimes.

Must.Restrain.Myself.

1 Reply

@jespah,

I hope you don't have to remind any of them to wash their shirt.... or their hair.

1 Reply

@DrewDad,

Thank God, no.

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Congrats on the job.

Love dem expense accounts. Miss dem expense accounts.

Greatly hope this works out for you.

Partying for work. Semifun.

1 Reply

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