As interesting for anyone interested in the national economy as it is for those of us concerned about the Boston technology sector, here is a video that you must watch.  It comes from a recent presentation given at a TED conference in February by Juan Enriquez, Managing Director of Excel Medical Ventures.    Please watch it and leave your comments below.

I spend quite a bit of time wasting away the day with Twitter as I mentioned in the earlier too-infrequent post to the 93South blog.  Like anything else in this software world, using Twitter effectively takes a bit of philosophy or strategy.  Especially when it comes to who you do or do not follow.

I used to have 3 very simple "strategies" in the past.  1.) I followed you if you had anything to do with a Boston tech startup 2.) your twitters were funny 3.) you followed me   But recently, I have had to start modifying this concept to the following. 

1. I Know You (In Real-Life That is)
   Pretty straight-forward concept – if you fit the bill and I am not following you, send me a tweet.
2. You Have a 2-Way Conversation (You Reply & Retweet)
   I may not always respond quickly but if you tweet my back, I’ll tweet yours.  Even though I used to like twittering into the twibys for therapeutic reasons, it’s much more interesting to have conversations.
3. You Know What You Are Talking About
   I have interests just like the rest of you and I spend a lot of time researching.  If you publish consistent links and content on a topic that I am following…I’m yours.    
4. You’re Funny!!!!!!
   This was my old #2 but it really should be #1.  Other than using Twitter for tech research, my only other interest in twitter was to send a receive 1-liners.  Are you funny?  Tweet me. 
5. You’re Connected to a Boston-Area Startup
   Related to #3….I still keep an eye on anything and everything startup in the New England area.  Hell, I may even start posting again.  If you are working at, founding, funding or advising a startup, tweet me.

Keep in mind, these are just guidelines.  I may follow you with no particular reason in mind. 

What is your Twitter Follow Policy?

In case you were wondering…Follow Me on Twitter!

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Image Credit:  RANDA CLAY design

It was another great night at 18th Web Innovators Group. I have not heard of an actual count but it was easily the largest turnout yet.

My favorite demo from the main 3 presenters had to be Totspot but Zeer and WebNotes both look like promising startups. Of the side demonstrations, it was great to see former colleague Michal Hlavac from local virtual world CreaturePark and to meet Robert DeFranco from 211me. I also had a chance to meet upcoming blogger Amanda Gravel of SocialHoneycomb – add her RSS feed to your reader.

Pictures: You can check out all of the pictures on Flickr. If you have pictures of the event, please add them to the Boston Tech Events group that I just started on Flickr.

Social Media: You can follow the event on (Summize) Twitter Search or join the new Webinno room on FriendFeed started by my colleague and FF star Hao.

Presenters: Please check out each of the local startups from the event last night.

• Totspot – Adam Katz
• WebNotes – Ryan Damico
• Zeer – Michael Putnam
• 211me – Robert DeFranco
• WordChamp – Daniel Blumenthal
• PaperG – Victor Wong & Roger Lee
• Creaturepark / Ingeeni Studios – Michal Hlavac & Henry Kaufman
• YouCastr – Ariel Diaz, Jeff Hebert, Matt Hodgson, & Brad Johnson
• LuckyCal – Sanjay Vakil
• Snipd – Alex Schliker
• Tikatok – Sharon Kan

The next event will be September 15th!

Does your site need a fresh new look?  Medford’s Templamatic is looking to help.  The business, started by local designer Ben Harper,  is building a marketplace for  high quality web templates supplied by a community of graphic designers.

Ben, who I am currently working with on professional projects, also gets the award for being brief and to the point.  Learn from Ben’s lesson, submit your 93Startup profile today.

What do you think of Templamatic? Let Boston Know.

Templamatic
Location: Medford MA
Funding: Self-Funded
# of Employees: 1- 3
URL: templamatic.com
Blog: Templamatic Blog
Submitted By: Ben Harper

What’s your elevator pitch?
We sell premium web templates and html products made by industry leading web designers using a community based marketplace approach.

Who is your target market?
Our market is still a bit of a moving target. But, we are geared towards businesses who are savvy enough to get their feet wet when it comes to web design and want to leverage an existing design for their new site. Our products are also great for bloggers, or others looking to get a site up quick and easy.

What makes you different or stand out?
We focus only on high quality products. We offer great support to our customers. Our community model ensures fresh and relevant products.

Who are the founders / key people?
When it comes to inspiration and support, there have been lots of key people involved in getting this project off the ground. But officially speaking, there is just Ben Harper, a local web designer who wanted to try his hand as an entrepreneur

What is your startup story?
This startup was born out of the frustrations of trying to run a service business and constantly having to reinvent the wheel.  After months of talking and researching, it was time to try a product based business with a defined deliverable and a clear vision. I was also highly inspired by my genius friend, Osi Peters, an Engineer currently working at Vista Print.

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