

Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings. Inquire within.) - mikegreenberg

Every once in a while, I throw up an offer to give free help. If it's something I can do in 10-15 minutes, I'm happy to oblige (within reason).<p>- I'm a full stack web developer (LAMP primarily), 
- I've helped a lot with personal development-type things (resume critique, self improvement suggestions, etc), 
- I've done my share of business model and product pitch reviews, 
- I'm an early adopter and provide strong/constructive feedback,
- I've got great aesthetics and design sense<p>So if there's something I can help you with, just ask here or @mikegreenberg on Twitter. :)<p>Cheers!
======
xcallemjudasx
What's your advice for landing a really cool job that you enjoy right out of
college? Not just getting a job that you take because you need to have a job
and end up despising.

~~~
mikegreenberg
Oh, man. Time and time again, I see these college students go to these
craptacular job fairs, all vying for the same entry-level QA and testing gigs
in their white-collar, paisley-pattern ties. They were all destined to a life
of Office Space-like professional routine. Here are a few suggestions for
things I've tried:

1\. Believe it or not, really cool jobs are available all over the place these
days (and are more likely than not in some other city). Consider relocating.
_Consider it very seriously._ It's not reasonable for everyone, but the life
experiences to be had are worth the effort now and it will be the easiest
opportunity you'll ever have to do so. (I'll be 30 soon, with a wife and 2
kids and have been trying to move for almost 5 years without ever finding the
perfect opportunity. (PS: There is no such thing as a perfect opportunity.))

2\. Do things the are interesting and outside the norm. (This is not limited
to just skillsets...I'm talking about your personality and mannerisms, too!)
These things may not land you a job, but they will be intriguing to your
potential employers and keep you stuck in their mind as they continue the
interview process. Example: I wrote an email to a potential job that I
wouldn't be totally bummed if I didn't nail it. (Read it below, if you dare.)
While this seems a little too casual, I did a lot of research into the office
culture (beer fridays, sombrero day, casual atmosphere) and didn't feel like
it would be too over the line. Do things like this and you may find yourself
pleasantly surprised with the results. (PS: They never responded.)

3\. Find ways to improve yourself and network with influential people around
your community. (Especially if you intend to stick around.) I live in South
Florida and there's not a huge tech community here. So instead of attempting
to get out and meet everyone possible (I'm not a networking, hustler-type guy)
I decided to get everyone to come to ME. So I spend an aggregate day or so
preparing an event called Hack and Tell (<http://hackandtell.org>) that gets
great turnout, puts me in front of very interesting people and has done more
for me than any other professional endeavor has to date! You are seen as a
person who can get shit done without financial incentive (a huge signal to
some people), know how to organize and pay attention to detail, and is
professional experience no matter which way you slice it.

There are many more things you can do, but this is a great start. Remember
that an extra-ordinary job is for extra-ordinary people. So be what you want!
:)

============

Subject: Mike Greenberg wants to join the crusade as your next Software
Engineer!

Body: Dear Pervayors of Product X (and gainful employment):

My name is Mike Greenberg. I happened across your request for a sexy, humorous
and talented software engineer to join your ranks. (Link to job posting.)
Unfortunately, I only satisfy two of these requirements, but hope you would
consider this email as a gesture of good-will that I will be the best damn
software engineer I know how to be regardless of my shortcomings!

A little about me... I'm a Pisces and somewhat fanatical of process, hacking
(of all sorts) and attention to detail. I take pride in my work (especially
when I enjoy what I'm working on) and know how to rise to the occasion when it
hits the fan. I'm extremely creative and have privately studied a number of
unrelated and interesting subject-matter like design, studio art, analog film
development, piano, robotics, life-process/self improvement, martial arts,
yoga, mountain biking, and racquetball. As a result of mentally wondering
around over the past 29 years, I've since endeavored to become a modern
renaissance man and want to carpe diem with the best of them.

On top of all of this, and likely most interesting to you, I can program
computers to do fun things. And I'm hoping that you're the sort of company who
would like the sort of fun things I program them to do. Of relevance to your
job description, I started a hosting company fresh out of high school. I
understand at a deep fundamental level how the internet works. From OSI to
API, Al Gore to IPv6 (j/k about Al Gore). If you're still reading and my
casual (yet persuasive) banter has not caused any furrowing of brows, please
take a quick glance at my resume at
<http://careers.stackoverflow.com/mikegreenberg/>. Therein, I mention a few
other neat things I've worked on which I haven't mentioned above. I greatly
appreciate your time and effort reading forward. Looking forward to hearing
from you!

With great sincerity, Mike Greenberg

<http://careers.stackoverflow.com/mikegreenberg/>

============

~~~
petervandijck
The things that get you jobs are extraordinary things that show you are smart
and get stuff done:

\- you organized hacker meetup

\- you launched a sideproject/startup

\- you wrote an ebook on a new programming language

\- you traveled around the world for a year

\- etc.

Try to make your resume look fun, and you'll attract fun employers.

~~~
mikegreenberg
Couldn't agree more. This all falls into the "stuff I'd do without getting
paid" category which brings a lot of weight, especially to an initial, entry-
level job interview.

------
abbasmehdi
Mike, this is very nice of you to offer. How is the tech-job market in So Fl?
Any tips etc?

~~~
auston
I'd like to chime in with a different POV on this:

There is a decent amount of Agency/Studio/Dev Houses here & they are often
hiring.

On top of that, there are a nice amount of "corporate" jobs, on a weekly
basis, I see at least 5-7 PHP jobs, 1-3 Sys Admin jobs & the occasional
Ruby/Python job come through my inbox.

Lastly, There are also is a small bunch of "cool" startup companies, like
CareCloud, 3DCart, CloudShopper, Myxer, ImANeed (Pancake Movement), LiveBall
(ioninteractive), Dashboard CRM, SyncPad (39, inc), DevStructure!, Luxset,
Pikchur (only partly here), WebbyNode, Veddio & VoxMed. Who may not always be
hiring, but are definitely doing really cool/worthwhile things.

As far as tips, just be involved with the community - it will open up so many
opportunities for you!

~~~
abbasmehdi
Thanks sir! :-)

My fiance is from Ft. Ld and wants us to move there.

~~~
auston
oh, also, you'll probably find this helpful: [http://www.quora.com/What-is-
the-Miami-FL-startup-scene-like...](http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-Miami-FL-
startup-scene-like-these-days)

~~~
abbasmehdi
Wow, this was amazing.

Abbas

------
stefanobernardi
Hey Mike, two questions.

1) SaveMyInbox.com is growing fast, and has now a scalable backend. What would
you do with it?

2) I do develop a bit in Ruby, have a BSc in Computer Engineering but don't
consider myself a ninja developer. I'm 24, currently working in VC, and moving
to the Valley in a month where I'll be looking for a job. Given the current
job market, would you suggest looking at Software Engineering or positions or
aiming at other positions where I think I could be a better fit? (Product,
Developer Evangelist, etc.)

Thanks so much for offering your help :)

~~~
mikegreenberg
1) The idea seems to have traction. You've figured out how to scale the back
end. You've got all the pieces in place to grow this into a business, if
that's what you want.

I'm not certain what sort of business model you've been thinking about for
this venture or if you were just putting it together to play with it. If you
want to make money, start charging for it. Test the waters by asking what your
existing customers would pay for something like this. (Consider telling them
the best responses will get free lifetime accounts or something similar so you
minimize the "I'll give a low price so I don't get charged too much down the
road" thinking.)

The price doesn't have to be right, but pay attention to what your customers
do as you raise and lower to find a sweet spot. Give your existing customer a
sizable "thank you" gesture when you announce pricing. See how people continue
to use your service and how they continue to convert. Figure out which
demographics each individual falls into and try to understand how to tap the
rest of the market that they represent.

Once you have a good idea on what your target market is, search engine
marketing and a solid social-sharing campaign might be a good tactic. Since
Dropbox customers are already familiar with the "give this to friends, get
free stuff" model, this sort of sharing campaign may convert better than
others who just copying because of its popularity. Try to connect your sharing
campaign into Dropbox's sharing model/message somehow for some emotional
influence with customers who already love Dropbox. Think "For each of your
friends you brought to Dropbox, we'll match the love! For those who start
using SaveMyInbox, we'll double it!"

I have some other ideas, but this is the general direction I'd move in if you
were trying to monetize it. If you're not interested in running this as a
business, then flip it and move on. This is assuming you've met all the goals
you were trying to meet with this project. Drive it as long its satisfying
(and fun).

2) I don't necessarily consider myself the best software engineer either,
however the demand will require B and C-listers, too. So if you want to get
better at development, it never hurts to keep up with it. It'll be easier now
to get a job as a sub-par programmer and get better from the experience than
it will be once the market shifts the demand away. Just understand that by
taking this route, if you don't improve to the levels that your employer
expects, you might quickly find yourself out of a job. Further, you're only
24. Granted, we're seeing rockstar developers at the age of 18, but that's not
necessarily par for the course. I'm pushing 30 and I'm definitely not cut out
to be an awesome programmer EVER (because the younger crowd has more time
available to accelerate past my current speed of improvement). So I make my
strengths up in my diversity of skills, my ability to work with and for people
better than the young cowboy programmer, and to be better at recognizing
opportunity to employ my assortment of skills and improve myself while
remaining in the workforce.

I don't mean to side-step your question, but I hope my thoughts will help you
think differently about your situation. It's not just about having to adapt
yourself to future conditions, it's also about taking advantages of where you
are now (physically and spatially) going forward. Regardless of what field you
prefer to work in (you're working in your preferred field, right?), you will
be a commodity as long as your work makes people want to collaborate with you.
Bottom line. :)

------
soutlaw
I don't need anything at the moment but wanted to say thank you for help
you've given in the past (reviewing our site when we had a hic-cup) and you're
awesome for offering! Sally @ peerbackers.com!

~~~
mikegreenberg
I was happy to help. Very sorry I couldn't do more when you asked. :) (And it
means a great deal more that (it seems) you registered an account just to say
this!)

------
JonLim
Mike, thanks for the offer. I'm always looking for more advice on how we
should market our product, and any additional advice/insight would be
tremendous.

Our product: PostageApp (<http://www.postageapp.com>)

It's a B2B product, and I'm doing a lot of cold calls/email, creating a lot of
content, trying to forge partnerships, and relying on our well designed UI and
features.

Any critique you may have and/or insights? Thanks again!

------
kongqiu
Would love any feedback you might have on <http://parkgrades.com/>
(particularly the home page)...

~~~
mikegreenberg
Sorry about the slow reply. ParkGrades is a GREAT idea. There's similar things
put up by the city, but they typically pale in comparison. This also does a
pretty decent job of find all of our local parks near us (which many sites
like this have failed miserably at).

Excellent call to action. "Search for Parks" is the #1 thing to do at your
site and you put that basically front-and-center all over the place. Many
developers tend to miss this. Good job!

A few things that I thought were curious:

\- After searching, I see "Museum Amenities" and then filter-like links which
will reduce the result set to locations with certain characteristics. The
title/purpose of this block here creates some end-user conflict on how to
interact with it. You might consider changing the name to reflect it's purpose
rather than it's description. (like "Filter by Amenity")

\- On the park search page, consider a different way to your "Advanced Search"
description underneath. I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me to do, so
you might want to have some sort of text fields with greyed-out, pre-populated
examples. Try to use common conventions anywhere possible. Look at advanced
search forms and try to get good ideas on how to lay them out.

\- The links to connect to Facebook, Twitter, RSS on the main page is offset
from the elements themselves. In other words, the area to actually click a
link is about 10px left of where they would line up with the image they
represent. This was giving me unusual visual feedback on what was clickable
and made me "miss" the click when I tried to click through. You're probably
losing some valuable click-throughs here.

\- It looks like you're using Drupal for this site. I've noticed lots of areas
where the design could be "tightened up". If you're still testing the market,
that's one thing, but consider paying attention to this in the near future
before any large-scale launches. Additionally, I think Drupal is a VERY
extensible and fantastic CMS, but it's a BITCH to configure and manage. Keep
this in mind going forward as you don't want to be too invested in a product
that will ultimately hold back your site's long-term ambitions. Once you've
validated the market, you should be thinking about how your technical choices
will affect your product in the medium-long-term (1-3 years). Many people will
say It's hard to plan this far ahead (especially with technology's current
pace) but if you know that your site will really require the flexibility of
Drupal versus a simpler CMS, you'd be better off knowing that sooner than
later.

\- Open up your comments! There's no reason you can't use something like
Disqus for handling it. You get better engagement and is one less hurdle for
eventually acquiring users. (I've seen an implementation somewhere which
onboards a Disqus account into a native user registration after a certain
amount of repeat engagement with a user.)

These are just a few suggestions off the top of my head. I can go into detail
about any of these if I was ambiguous.

~~~
kongqiu
Thank you -- much appreciated! I'll definitely work on: _Improving the
usability of the Amenity filters_ Re-writing/replacing the "Advanced Search"
function and/or instructions. I agree, it's way too much work to figure out
right now. _Correcting links, exploring Disqus for comments_ Drupal is a pain
but since I had zero programming experience, it's relatively easy to learn.
I'm currently learning Rails and believe it or not, Drupal was a decent
introduction to the programming world (for a total novice)

Thanks again, Mike, really cool to help like this!

------
brianbreslin
Love this thread Mike.

To the others, I can vouch for Mike giving great feedback, and being a class
act.

~~~
mikegreenberg
You are a sexy, sexy man. (It's okay to feel a little awkward post-kiss.)

------
knowledgesale
Hey Mike, I have a technical question.

We need to set up a LAMP server that runs VPN for some remote printers. What
hosting solution to choose that allows for setting up and tuning of VPN for
our needs with as little constraints as possible?

Thanks!

------
peregrine
How does one start a HackAndTell meetup? I'd like to maybe start one in the
Milwaukee area.

~~~
mikegreenberg
To borrow a line from Nike: Just do it.

Flippancy aside, that's all it takes. The guy who started it in New York
(Andrew) was very open to letting me mix/mash the format as it fit with the
local need. (I found that the 5 minute limit was not needed so far.) And being
part of a bigger movement adds to the credibility of the event and Andrew was
happy to let me use the name. All the promo, sweat, oompfh and (most
importantly) longevity/staying power is self-provided.

(And further, even if he didn't let me use the name, that probably wouldn't
have stopped me. That sort of mentality helps.)

~~~
peregrine
Cool, I think its a really good idea! Thanks for the encouragement.

------
ignifero
That's very gentlemanly of you. Tell me what you think of my favorite toy
project: <http://textchannels.com/>

~~~
mikegreenberg
Text Channels seems like a well organized and thought-out project. That said,
it's not something that I'd use. It feels like a re-implementation of RSS with
some social filters applied. While this works for some people, I have not yet
found a social filter that I trust to accurately disseminate content to me.
Personally, I prefer RSS over this because I can control specifically the
sources that I'm interested in. TextChannels seems to allow a custom channel
to be created, but why would I do this and _hope_ that the social filter is
applied the way I want. If there is add'l value that I'm missing from this
product, it's not obvious to me. If this is the case, I would work at refining
your value proposition to illustrate something more than "social news
aggregator".

If you'd like more specific feedback, make your request as specific as
possible and I'll focus on that.

~~~
ignifero
thank you!

------
Hisoka
What are some interesting and out of the norm things that you do?

~~~
mikegreenberg
From my color letter email: "I'm extremely creative and have privately studied
a number of unrelated and interesting subject-matter like design, studio art,
analog film development, piano, robotics, life-process/self improvement,
martial arts, yoga, mountain biking, and racquetball. As a result of mentally
wondering around over the past 29 years, I've since endeavored to become a
modern renaissance man and want to carpe diem with the best of them."

From my blog: <http://nobulb.com/personas/>

I put a LARGE amount of my life online. I realize this goes against what a lot
of people feel is appropriate, but my line of work (web engineer...but that
title lacks) requires a strong online presence. It just so happens that I'm
working on a project which will help online identity management and could
solve a lot of the problems that people have with exposing themselves online
(and not THAT sort of exposing either).

As far as out-of-the-norm mannerisms and and personality traits: I'm rather
blunt. Many people are caught off guard, but I make this work for me because I
am constructive and not condescending. I pay a LOT of attention to how people
interact and take a lot of effort to use my actions to support my statements
and not give off the impression of disinterest and holier-than-thou. Most of
the time this works well, but it has gotten me into trouble on occasion. This
is a risk I'm very willing to accept given the many opportunities it has
yielded.

I'm very much of the mentality to "Ask for forgiveness, not for permission."
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point and allows me to do the things
I wouldn't normally and "Poke the Box" (as Seth Godin would put it).

I wasn't always this way and made an effort to be more extroverted. I'm not
suggesting that you try to be something you're not. I'm suggesting that you
mold yourself into the person you aspire to be. So these traits are tools that
I've developed after watching how successful people interact and execute.

