Facebook, MySpace investors must remember Yahoo in 2000

In 2000, the assumption was that Yahoo could capture up to 20% of off line ad dollars within 10 years. Remember Yahoo was valued at around $90 billion at the time? Guess what folks - nothing is completely defensible and least not when it comes to internet destination sites or electronic ad networks. There is no border, there is very little cost to build, and absolutely no end to the upper limit of the supply of internet "space" for content, commerce and advertisements. The only real border or limit that matters is the population of the people consuming the advertising and the return, or lack thereof, on those ad dollars.

Main stream media reporters will keep cheer leading around the idea that Facebook is worth $15 billion or Myspace is worth $65 billion. Entrepreneurs and VCs will continue to conclude correctly that 1) this (media and advertising evolution) is a big and rapidly changing market and 2) the cost of the option* is pretty cheap. When the data comes out in 2009 that 8 out of 10 startup media or ad companies launched between 2006 and 2008 failed, don't be surprised at main stream media when they run stories about how carried away everyone was. Sure, they will run a piece on someone who was publishing gloom and doom too. What they want publish is an analysis of their own collective work showing the lack of critical and independent thinking.

*The option here is that you can build a media company or ad network that has a shot at any meaningful piece of the growing pie.

Silicon Valley Leadership Group Pres Carl Guardino aka "spaceacer"

Who is Carl Guardino? Well, this is how he described himself on his organization's website (warning, it goes on and on):

Carl Guardino, one of Silicon Valley’s most distinguished business and community leaders, is the President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy trade association that represents more than 200 of Silicon Valley’s most respected companies.

In February 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Guardino to a four-year term on the California Transportation Commission. He also serves on numerous other boards and is actively involved in a wide range of community organizations and projects. In 2000, the San Jose Mercury News named Guardino one of the “Five Most Powerful” people in Silicon Valley in a once-per-decade study.

Guardino has been the chief executive of the Leadership Group since 1997. He previously served as a vice president with the organization between 1991 and 1995. In between, he held an executive position in governmental affairs with Hewlett Packard. Earlier, Guardino spent six years on the staff of Central Valley Assemblyman Rusty Areias, the last three as his chief assistant.

Known throughout the region as a consensus builder, Guardino has championed a number of important issues, especially in the areas of transportation and housing.

His transportation leadership includes successful management of ballot Measures A & B in 1996 that funded 19 key road and rail improvements with $1.4 billion; and co-management of a 2000 traffic relief initiative that will generate some $5.5 billion in local funds to bring BART to Santa Clara County, improve CalTrain and other transit improvements. The American Public Transit Association recently honored him as the national “Businessman of the Year,” only the second person to ever receive the award.

As a housing advocate, he co-created the Housing Trust Fund, which has helped 6,200 families afford homes in high-cost Silicon Valley by raising more than $32 million in voluntary contributions; co-managed Prop. 46, the statewide Housing Bond, in 2002, generating $2.1 billion to provide 137,000 affordable housing opportunities for California families; and co-chaired Prop. 1-C, the November 2006 statewide Housing Bond, which generated an additional $2.85 billion for affordable homes.

Guardino is the chair of City Year San Jose Silicon Valley and the founder and race director of the annual Thanksgiving Day “Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot.” In addition, he serves on the boards for Girls for a Change, the San Jose Metropolitan YMCA, the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s “P-16 Council” to improve California’s education system.

Guardino was born and raised in San Jose and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from San Jose State University, where he is a Distinguished Alumnus. The California Junior Chamber of Commerce named him one of the “Five Outstanding Young Californians,” and he is a member of Junior Achievement’s “Silicon Valley Business Hall of Fame,” and a recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from City Year.

Carl is married to Leslee Guardino. In their spare time, they compete in marathons and Ironman-distance triathlons. They have a daughter, Jessica, who has wrapped Carl around her little finger.

Okay, what I thought you might like is that here you have this important corporate/public interest representative that is at a minimum odd and at worst pretty offensive and insensitive comments for a politician. I read a comment he left on a Chronicle article and when I clicked on his username, all his other comments showed up. Read them all and you get his angle. He left his name and title at the bottom of one of his comments as you can see here and that is how I found out the identity of this Killelea like commenter called "spaceacer". The quote that struck me as unusual for someone who is supposed to be concerned about housing in the bay area:

"...I will be seeing some of you in the soup kitchen... sorry to see you lost your home..."

He goes on to make comments aimed at working professionals in the bay area, suggesting that Silicon Valley employers are anxious to cut labor costs. He types: "Why pay someone 100K if you can cheaper skilled workers with 40% decline in Texas or Washington." What's up with that Carl Guardino? Does not exactly what I would expect from one of Silicon Valley's "most distinguished business and community leaders".

Do you begin every reply to a question with "So,...."?

I wonder why.
Seems like a relatively new [invention?] because I do not remember listening to people begin the answers to questions with "SO....Blah, blah..." when I was in elementary school or college.

I suppose we could leave Comments that include the names of people we know who do this just in the wild chance that they end up being aware of themselves through your investment in posting.

Question: Who does this over and over again?
Answer: So, I don't begin each answer with "so"; but I hear an unusual percentage of people that do talk this way - particularly people in San Francisco and Silicon Valley who are trying to describe their companies, but also in and around New York City. I admit I spend a significant about of my time in northern California, so thus the skew in my observation.