Twitter changes the playing field

Charlie Villanueva scores for Milwaukee in the March 15 game against Boston. (Associated Press/file)

Tweeting at work. Posting messages to Twitter during halftime of an NBA game didn't seem much of a distraction for Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva. The Bucks went on to beat the Celtics March 15, with Villanueva scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter. Public relations executive Ben Haber of Racepoint Group blogged about it.

In what is considered a professional sports first, Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva posted a message on Twitter during halftime of his game against the Celtics:

In da locker room, snuck to post with my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.

With professional athletes seemingly taking up Twitter with open arms, the micro-social networking site has begun to change the fans' method of obtaining information on their favorite sports teams. Instead of watching Sunday's basketball and having a sideline reporter tell viewers what went on during the Milwaukee's halftime meeting, players can alert fans themselves, telling them exactly what is happening while it's happening.

Senators have also begun using Twitter as a tool to connect with their constituents and tell them what they are doing, what decisions they are making, and what votes are coming up. Again, this communication cuts out the reporter and providers the reader/viewer with the information they are looking for directly, instead of through a third party.

This new model of information obviously has advantages and disadvantages, but the opportunity it creates is certainly valuable. However, it's important not to eliminate the media, which can often provide us with investigative reporting and bring our attention to the bad news that could otherwise be brushed under the carpet.
racetalkblog.com

Spend more on your iPhone. Apple offered a preview of a new operating system for its popular iPhone. One feature will allow application developers to "upsell" you as you use the phone, persuading you to purchase additional levels of a game or to access high-end features on a business app. Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe blogged about the software, expected this summer.

Why is this such a big deal? Because in-application purchasing:

Rewarding advisers. How should start-up companies compensate the advisers who offer them valuable guidance and advice over time? And how do you know if an adviser will actually be helpful? Spark Capital partner Bijan Sabet shared some advice on how much equity advisers should receive.

1. Create a small pool of options that are just for advisers up front. Keep it fixed. It will help you prioritize which advisers you want to bring on board.

2. Unlike employees, advisers may not be helpful as time goes on. They may become distracted with other things on their plate. That's the most common thing. With employees, options typically vest over multiple years. It's hard to use that type of vesting schedule with an adviser, but I would at least think about it in those terms.

3. VCs invest cash for their equity. I often will suggest that advisers also invest a fractional amount, which does two things. It qualifies their commitment and interest. It also it allows them to own more of the company than a straight option grant.

4. Make sure you ask for other founder references! Ask other founders if that adviser was helpful. What did they do for the company? Did they make important introductions? Help with key hires? Maybe fund-raising help? Product feedback/insight?

Frankly, we have had a mixed bag when it comes to advisers in our portfolio.

In some cases it didn't meet expectations. I think it was simply a matter of expectations and miscommunication upfront.

But when everyone is on the same page upfront and the founders and advisers click, it can be incredible.
bijansabet.com

Have you seen an interesting item on a local business blog lately? E-mail kirsner@pobox.com.