FerroGate

by Martin Ferro-Thomsen. Facsimilesque. 

Come work with me as we change the world

Phew, time flies when you're busy changing the world. That wasn't just a oneliner to get your attention.

This summer I parted from one of the world's most successful startups, Issuu, after five exciting years. They just updated their About page if you want a fresh view.

Immediately following that I spent four months on paternity leave with my son. I'd say it qualifies for a life-changing experience. If you can't manage a six months old, how can you run a company? 

Oh, and while doing all that I introduced a new thing into the world, called Conferize. Read the latest update or check out our manifesto. This year we're looking to take Conferize live after having successfully tested it in the wild at a series of high-level events around the globe.

Basically Conferize is enabling anyone to get smarter about their conference life. Usually a conference presents the best networking and knowledge opportunity in any industry and region of the world--yet it remains a vast untapped potential until we embrace true networking and contemporary knowledge sharing standards. As we get ever more networked and globalized, the value of clever face-to-face interaction only increases. Improve the quality of conferences, both offline and online, and I'd say you've changed the world. 

After all, the economic output of professional meetings is bigger than that of auto manufacturing. It's a trillion dollar knowledge economy and from what I've heard, that's where we're all headed as everything becomes ever more ephemeral and intangible. 

Our team is top notch, only involving a-level people which I'm honored to have on board. I find that the only sure-fire way to grow as a person and a professional is surrounding yourself with great people. Today I'm giving you that same chance: Please take our test and get on board before this thing takes off.

So, about that Conferize thing

So many have been asking about Conferize, my new startup (see my last post). I'm currently in San Francisco talking about it and meeting with some people. I can't yet share the intricate details, but you should head on over to our blog to learn about what kinds of problems we're looking to solve. I promise to share more as soon as I can.

The Conferize Manifesto.

Au Revoir @Issuu, Hello @Conferize

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Today is my last day at the Issuu office. It's very strange for me to say that. After five mind-blowing years, I'm yet again looking towards new horizons. I'll continue as a shareholder but no longer mess around in the engine room or speak on Issuu's behalf.

I'm extremely proud of what Issuu has become. Yet I am a person who like to start things. To get my hands dirty, learn new skills and wear many hats. I knew a day would come where this Issuu thing would grow too big for me. And the past weeks working out of our completely refurbished 1,000 m² office made it pretty clear to me: It's awesome. And big! 

Issuu is close to 50 M users & 4 B page views. A month! Time.com thinks were one of the 50 best websites in the world and we've twice been a SXSW finalist. But the best part for me was seeing the true impact we've had on real people. People who trusted us with their precious content and helped us redefine what reading online could be. Reading rocks and it's changing.

I know that my awesome co-founders and team will keep cultivating Issuu into everything it can be, and more. If you'd like to work with this killer team, you should totally join us.

It'll take me a while to stop saying 'us', 'we', and 'our' in relation to Issuu. But soon I'll have to because I'm founding a new startup called Conferize. We'll be looking for smart capital and exceptional developers (RoR, JavaScript/HTML/CSS)). 

Departing for the Valley next week. Stay tuned.

Reading Beyond Words, My Contibution for 'I Read Where I Am'

I was invited to write a short essay for a book called 'I Read Where I Am', ed. by Geert Lovink, Mieke Gerritzen and Minke Kampman after a concept from Graphic Design Museum/Institute of Network Cultures. It was launched in relation to The Unbound Book conference held last week and looks to chart the status and future of reading. I just learned the entire book is available at www.ireadwhereiam.com, an interestingly minimalist microsite well suited for books.

Have a look at the impressive list of contributors: 

Arie Altena, Henk Blanken, Erwin Blom, James Bridle, Max Bruinsma, Anne Burdick, Vito Campanelli, Catalogtree, Florian Cramer, Sean Dockray, Paulien Dresscher, Dunne & Raby, Sven Ehmann, Martin Ferro-Thomsen, Jeff Gomez, Denise Gonzales Crisp, Alexander Griekspoor, Hendrik-Jan Grievink, Ger Groot, Gary Hall, John Haltiwanger, N. Katherine Hayles, Toon Horsten, Minke Kampman, Lynn Kaplanian-Buller, Kevin Kelly, Joost Kircz, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Tanja Koning, Steffen Konrath, Erin La Cour, Rudi Laermans, Warren Lee, Jannah Loontjens, Alessandro Ludovico, Peter Lunenfeld, Ellen Lupton, Anne Mangen, Lev Manovich, Luna Maurer, Geert Mul, Arjen Mulder, Caroline Nevejan, David B. Nieborg, Kali Nikitas, Henk Oosterling, David Ottina, Peter Pontiac, Ine Poppe, Emilie Randoe, Bernhard Rieder, Paul Rutten, Johan Sanctorum, Louise Sandhau, Niels Schrader, Ray Siemens, Karin Spaink, Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Stadler, F. Starik, Bob Stein, Michael Stephens & Jan Klerk, Carolyn Strauss, Dick Tuinder, Lian van de Wiel, Bregtje van der Haak, Els van der Plas, Rick van der Ploeg, Daniel van der Velden, Adriaan van der Weel, Erwin van der Zande, René van Engelenburg, Francisco van Jole, Peter van Lindonk, Koert van Mensvoort, Tjebbe van Tijen, Dirk van Weelden, Jack van Wijk, Astrid Vorstermans, McKenzie Wark, and Simon Worthington.

Anyone even remotely interested in how reading is transforming should take a look at both the conference and the book. You can find my short contribution below:
Reading Beyond Words

My literature professor understood reading as a relative concept: One might grasp the words without yet comprehending the meaning. Ideally the reader would discard her library every five years, because by then she had elevated her perspective… 


That’s an elitist notion of reading in stark contrast to the reality of today. Text as a medium is being challenged by ever more engaging forms of communication. And it seems the conditions for deep reading are pretty much being killed by mankind’s ongoing experiment to digitize society. Irony, anyone? 


Me, I’ve parted with most of my print library. For good. Ninety percent of my reading now takes place on-screen, although I’m uneasy about digital books living inside those intangible walled gardens. Can I pass them on to my kids, like my mother did with Camus to me? Will they keep my side notes? Will they smell? 


Let’s not get overly nostalgic just yet. Text remains a universal vehicle for human thought and often it’s the shortest distance from one mind to another. But as we stumble into digital renaissance, our understanding of both text and reading will have to encompass more than mere words: hyper-connectedness, vibrant plasticity, social interaction, and dynamic contextuality. 

I'm Speaking at Oresund Mobile Meetup & Community Day #OMM2011 #CD11

Just a quick note to anyone attending Oresund Mobile Meetup or Community Day. I'll be speaking about Issuu at both and am thinking about what to say. Let me know if you have any topics you'd like covered, or if you want to meet up. 

Hope to see you.

A Couple of Interviews for Arctic Startup & In Treehouses

I've been asked to do a couple of interviews, and if you're into deep reading of prolific and scrutinizing scribbles, you're in for a treat. Enjoy.

'The Big Issuu' for In Treehouses, the We Are All Publishers Now edition
I also did a piece about Issuu and digital publishing for a new hip digital publication called In Treehouses. Don't you just love that name? It's the brainchild of a great guy called Thom Chambers. I really dug in deep and tried to convey where I see the world of publishing going.
We're All Publishers Now (PDF download only, p 15-18) - it has loads of other interesting articles too.

'My Story' for Arctic Startup
Antti of Arctic Startup asked me to do the first of a new series they call My Story. It's about entrepreneurs and their backgrounds, experiences and advice. I love this blog and gave it a shot.
Read My Story.

See My Panel from New Media Days 2010 About Mobile Apps (Danish Only)

Update: Seems Posterous crops the video, so check it out here instead http://nmd.arkena.tv/012894769531322/apps-strategier-i-en-guldfebertid

In case you missed it, here's a nice video of my panel about mobile apps at New Media Days 2010. It's in Danish.

I thought it went really well and that we covered a lot of important ground in terms of strategy, technology, payment, marketing and more in relation to mobile apps for media companies.

 

The Display Advertising Technology Landscape of Today (It's Rugged!)

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I was hoping someone would catch a photo of this slide. It's from Joseph Turow's presentation at New Media Days and shows (just some?) of the display advertising services available today.

It's insane, right? As more and more advertising budgets are poured into digital advertising this space can only get more crowded than it already is. Good luck creating a map like this only a few years from now. One slide won't cut it, you'll need an entire deck!

Photo by New Media Days / Peter Erichsen. More about the presentation http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=166745890003939

My Band Epic Typo Is Playing Live 3x (Vega, Gimle, Danish Synth Festival)

Maybe you didn't know I had a band. I do. In case you want to hear Epic Typo play live in Copenhagen and Roskilde here's the lowdown:

November
19: Opening for Kellermensch, Lille Vega (Copenhagen V)
20: Danish Synth Festival, Lygten Station (Copenhagen NV)

December
3: Opening for Kellermensch, Gimle (Roskilde)

You can listen and learn at www.epictypo.com

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I'm Speaking at New Media Days About Mobile Apps + Thoughts About Apps

Tomorrow the influential New Media Days conference is taking off in Copenhagen, and I've been invited to sit in on a panel about mobile apps. It's looking to be one of the most popular slots of the conference, and why wouldn't it? Mobile apps is a hot topic in the media world right now. Many media organizations are looking to cover lost revenue by releasing apps for the popular platforms, but there are many strategies, technologies etc. to consider.

Obviously I'll be sharing some insight from our work with Issuu Mobile. For a while I've been following what is happening in the mobile space as Apple gets even more protective, Android rages onwards, the new Windows Mobile is released, and open HTML app stores starts to emerge. 

But why apps? What's so special about them?

First, there's of course the ecosystem of the app stores, being on the featured and popular lists, being available and discoverable. It can make or break a business to be included in the app store. Second, a native app still outperforms browser-based apps and are not necessarily as dependent on connectivity. 

But after giving this some thought, I believe there's a much deeper cultural reason behind the rise and rise of mobile apps. I was reading about the initiator of the Macintosh program at Apple, Jef Raskin, a true renaissance man who believed household computing ultimately should be about information appliance: 

What is desired is for the computer to become an appliance, but not a mere appliance. Its presence must be taken for granted by its user, but in the long run, the act of programming itself must be taken for granted as well.
In the short run it will be, if successful, an information appliance.

- Jef Raskin, Computers by The Millions, 1979 

In other words, the computer was envisioned as a tool. Part of what sets man apart from beasts is our unmatched ability to produce and operate elaborate tools. And I believe that we're most comfortable with tools that have just one or a few functions, e.g. there's a unity between the artefact and the function ("the hammer is used for nails").

The early computers were in essence raw computing power and unknown potential. It alienated the majority of people. But interfaces were tried and developed, usability was improved, and a few decades later most households actually had a computer although there was still a steep learning curve for many. 

But when the iPhone was introduced, it was in a sense a leap towards making the computer look and perform like a genuine tool: The computer was now handy and pocket-size, just like a tool should be. You would use your hands to operate it, not a stylus; which would be like using a tool to operate a tool. Think about how prominent Apple today has made the touchpad on their computers. The hands are obviously the best way to operate a computer, because in a sense you are 'touching the software' and it's a comforting way of interacting with technology.

And, finally, the iPhone had apps as the main method of 'programming'. It's information appliance in its purest form: Once you launch an app it takes over the information layer and the interaction interface entirely. Once again there's a closer unity between the artefact and the function as most apps are designed with a single purpose in mind. The smartphone is a multipurpose device, yes, but in reality it's a device built for rapid execution of a series of single purpose applications. And I think that's why it's so hugely successful, because we as people seem to relate to that profoundly.

The one element that remains is the tactile feedback and response to touch, that we've come to expect from most other tools. Example: You know that once you pick up your hammer, it feels and acts like a hammer. You could almost say that the hammer 'touches you back' when resting in your hand. I think that's why touch keys will always give you that weird, alienated sensation, mainly because it didn't feel like pressing a key. Yes, the screen told me the key was pressed, and maybe the vibrator even confirmed it, but surely it didn't feel like pressing a key.