Welcome to the first video webisode of “Rick’s Startup Whiteboard” (it’s at http://bit.ly/eqeAX if you don’t see it above for some reason)

It’s a sharper-than-broken-glass-and-every-bit-as-dangerous look at what’s involved in getting a new social technology project started. The first clip is about “Pony Diving” — the very early stages where you’re trying to put together an idea with a technology that can implement it with a group of people who will use it, another group of people who can an build it, and a third group of people will fund it. Here’s the feedback so far:

“Your head is too shiny” — Totally true
“It’s too long” — Also true.
“Good ideas. Loved it” — Thanks, Mom.

So give me 7 minutes on this one, and give me some feedback, and I’ll make the next ones shorter and better.

And if you’re wondering what I know about this: I co-founded a startup in 2002 based on my Media Lab Ph.D. work on technology for face-to-face community building (check out http://ntag.com). On top of that, I’ve gotten many social technology-oriented projects off the ground, and have thought a lot about the process.

Rick Borovoy
Visiting Researcher, Center for Future Civic Media, MIT