There’s that old saying about ‘death and taxes’, most famously uttered (but not for the first time) by Benjamin Franklin in 1789: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
I would propose a newer version of that statement today could read: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death, taxes, and that my software company will continue to obsolesce what I’m using with confounding regularity.”
It’s a reality of the times we live in.   Software, including subsystems and middleware, like databases, web application environments, and the like are updated with sometimes annoying, and costly regularity.
This creates never ending challenges around support, as the upgrade cycle is one driven as much by internal corporate needs, as the requirement to stay compatible with systems run by, and hosted on partner firms your company needs to deal with.
Granted, cloud based solutions, and middleware ‘disintermediation’ tools like WebSphere MQ and the WebSphere Message Broker can mitigate some of this pain, but in the end, we are all forced to build in upgrade plans and policies (when, and IF to upgrade, how far back leveled is acceptable, etc) when architecting our application environments.
Inevitably, some portion of our application infrastructure is going to fall behind.  Oftentimes, it is our java workload, or specific java applications that are just going to take too long to upgrade (testing time, qa time, etc) before our web application server environment can be upgraded, forcing us to look at going off support, or paying IBM, or another vendor exorbitant fees for ‘premium’ back level support.
Do you pay these fees, or risk incurring the wrath of some corporate compliance officer and go off support?
For years, TxMQ has offered a solution to this costly and challenging proposition.  TxMQ has a managed service offering called RPM, or Remote Problem Management.  It is a solution allowing you to safely utilize us for back level support, as an alternative to costly premium support from software companies when you simply can’t make the upgrade timeline they are forcing you into.
Our teams of SME’s are available 24×7 for phone based, North American based support of all your application environments, including production and non production systems.  Pricing is flexible, and based on the environments to be covered (yes, we can carve out coverage to certain environments, or all environments), as well as the size of your environment.
Get in touch with us for a no obligation discussion of options available, and we’ll be happy to provide you with a quote that will have your compliance teams thanking you, and your finance teams, singing your praises.
– From Chuck’s Desk

For too long, companies have chased the customer.   Worries about how to reach the consumer have led in all sorts of directions.  From paid product placements on television shows and movies, to ads in bathrooms.
No more.   We know where the consumer is.   She’s on her mobile device.   Companies began realizing a few years ago, that to better engage with their customers meant they had to be where there customers were.  And we all carry at least one mobile device.  Often times we carry several.
The first iteration of this was rolled out to enable mobile devices to access back end systems with little thought to the user experience.
Then along came the Iphone, and that changed everything.
Suddenly, we were all talking about mobile applications, and people were getting rich developing them.  But old line companies were left hanging, struggling to develop for multiple devices (Ipads, android devices, Windows Mobile, and other), while still wrestling with issues of security, and clean integration.
The next iteration is here, now.
Companies began realizing that to compete and thrive, they had to think ‘Mobile First’.  Not re work old applications to allow for a mobile interface, but rather take a ground up approach to mobile access.  Thus was born a brand.
MobileFirst
In 2012, IBM Acquired Worklight, a small Israeli startup with critical technology allowing for the rapid deployment of mobile applications across platforms.  Combining this with IBM’s ability to seamlessly integrate with back end systems, provide end to end security, and you have a new mobile eco system.
TxMQ has invested in building a mobile applications group to help our customers with their mobile initiatives.  From customer driven applications, to internal applications for their associates, it’s imperative that companies get ahead of, and stay ahead of the curve to stay relevant, and competitive.
Get in touch today for a no cost, no obligation consultation to learn how TxMQ and IBM can deliver a secure, robust, scalable mobile solution for you!
If you would like additional information email us at [email protected].

These days, companies are increasingly pressured on all fronts when it comes to IT.  As technology environments increase in complexity, it becomes more and more complicated to manage software, applications and business growth requirements.
As your business struggles to keep up, keeping your company’s costs down and making the most out of your company’s existing software, hardware and infrastructure assets increases in importance.
A TxMQ HealthCheck is provided to evaluate the performance, scalability, architecture and security of your applications. Growth and change can put additional strain on internal applications as they struggle to keep up with the growing demand and usage.  We can also look at your environment from a Best Practices standpoint to compare you against current industry standards, and positioning against your peers and competitors.
TxMQ HealthChecks includes a detailed evaluation of your applications, identification of any existing issues and recommendations developed based on our findings.
We offer a variety of HealthCheck options including Systems, Middleware, Environment specific (Mainframe, Distributed, .Net, other), infrastructure, Security and Compliance.
Our HealthCheck process includes:

• Detailed Systems Analysis
• Problem Diagnosis
• Identification of Additional Vulnerabilities (single points of failure, and more)
• Data Collection / Monitoring
• Staffing/cost structure analysis (how are you staffed, how are your costs compared to other like enterprises)
• Solution Identification
• Additional Recommendations
• Knowledge Transfer
• Whitepaper deliverable

Each System HealthCheck is customizable based on your unique needs and situation. Get started today, and schedule a complementary scoping call with our experts. We’ll give you some ideas on what your engagement might look like, and a quick cost estimate turnaround typically in 48 hours or less.
Don’t wait for a problem to present itself. Call or email today.
Each System HealthCheck is customizable and does not need to occur only when a problem exists.
_____________________________________________________________________________
In most cases, a HealthCheck is a 1-2 week engagement. Schedule your HealthCheck today by calling Chuck Fried at 716-636-0070 (222) or email [email protected].

Recently, TxMQ was approached by our client, a large regional bank who requested a CICS HealthCheck to assess their current infrastructure to verify that their environments were running optimally (response times and availability). In addition, they requested an assessment on how they were using them in comparison with other institutions of like size and structure.
They also requested TxMQ identify opportunities presented by the technology for different and greater functionality and what business solutions might bring to the Client.
The key objective for the architecture and implementation review was to provide senior architecture consulting and a broad assessment and review. From this objective, flow documents and possible recommendations were to be devised, including, but not limited to, software and system configuration changes or upgrades/support packs needed, technical impact and performance analysis, and/or response to solutions impact and written recommendations based on meetings with stakeholders and mapping those concerns to specific infrastructure objectives.
A second key objective for this engagement was to analyze WMQ and CICS architecture, topology and configuration to eliminate any potential performance, availability and security exposure, ensuring there are no roadblocks for future growth and new applications. This included current staffing structure, number and size.
The final objective was to analyze the proposed solutions for increasing capacity and each solution impact to support increases in business processes up to 100% of the existing transaction volumes. The analysis will help the Client effectively plan their MQ/CICS capacity management strategy, identify technical dependencies and assist with identifying the costs/benefits.
TxMQ’s MQ subject matter expert spent little more than a week onsite with the CICS/MQ team at the bank where he dove into diagnosing the current OS and Middleware environment, which included CICS V3.2, WebSphere MQ V7.01 and DB2 V8.
The bank had more than 85 CICS regions deployed and may of them were used for development and testing and were stand-alone.
TxMQ’s consultant completed a review of CICS parameters and specifications for the bank’s main production regions. He also assessed the source of three system outages in the past 13-months due to application issues.
In working with the bank’s internal teams, TxMQ’s consultant was able to deep dive into the environment and architecture, thus creating a list of observations and recommendations.
Upon completion, the HealthCheck revealed no major or current issues. Our consultant’s general observations were as follows:

• Sound Architecture
• Highly motivated and skilled professionals
• Excellent communication among management/teams/members
• Need for ongoing skill updates
• Fast problem resolution
• Formal structure for support and problem facilitation
• Central change management
• No performance issues
• Management aware and willing to address of issues
• Good planning

The sources of the three system outages were determined to be due to application issues, and TxMQ recommended reducing additional outages by conducting thorough application testing and utilize a disaster recovery system, which is identical to the production environment.
As far as CICS parameters, no networking issues were detected and only minor changes were suggested.
The client is proactively planning upgrade activities as well as additional training for its’ staff. In addition, they also requested TxMQ’s consultant complete a similar MQ assessment. That is an ongoing project and we will have more information in the coming weeks.
If you’d like more information on TxMQ’s HealthCheck services, please contact [email protected].

TxMQ is proud of a new offshore/onshore application development services solution. Recently we established a partnership with a proven resources company to provide EAI, ETL and BI blended onsite/offshore services.
Following a preferred 3:1 or 4:1 ratio, (3 offsite, 1 onsite), these services are provided by an ISO 20001 certified company that adheres to CMM Level 3 standards. However, full onsite and on shore resources are still available.
Our specialized offshore services include:
Technology Specialization

• Business Objects
• Exstream Dialogue
• Informatica
• Mobile Development
• Trizetto – QNXT, Facets
• Java Developers
• Mainframe Developers
• QA Testers (Automation, Manual)
• Open Source
  • Apache
  • Fuse ESB
  • Pentaho
  • Camel
  • Selenium

IBM Services

• WTX
• WebSphere Message Broker
• WESB
• WebSphere Application Server
• InfoSphere (Datastage)
• Cognos, TM1
• DataPower
• Sterling – GIS, MFT

Microsoft Services

• C#/VB .NET
• SQL Server
• SSIS
• SSRS
• BizTalk

TxMQ’s Preferred Offshore Model:

This solution is a proven onsite/offshore service model which has existed for more than 8 years. Our facilities are certified by ISO and McAfee.
One of the things that sets this model apart from typical offshore models is that more than 70% of the resources we utilize have worked previously in the United States so they are familiar with US culture and workforce expectations.
We offer a variety of flexible engagement options which all include:

• 4 hours of overlap to customer time zone
• Laptops, local phone numbers (customer), MS Office, XML Spy
• 8 hours of support on production deployment days
• Backups (Amazon), version control tools
• Ability to support 24/7 using onsite/offshore model
• For all banking (SWIFT) and health care (HIPAA, HI7) customers, TxMQ provides Scrubber tools for being compliant with various organizations

For more information regarding TxMQ’s offshore application development services, please contact Chuck Fried, [email protected] or 716-636-0070 (222) or Miles Roty, [email protected], or 716-636-0070 (228).

IBM WebSphere Message Broker is a lightweight, advanced enterprise service bus (ESB) that enables the integration of data sources from a wide range of platforms.
 
WebSphere Message Broker allows Microsoft .NET applications to integrate into a broader connectivity solution simply, and easily. Growing IT complexity and lack of communication between systems can stunt business growth. Message Broker is easily integrated to reuse technology and information across various organizational silos.  In addition, it’s simple to learn interface allows skilled .Net resources to get up to speed quickly and easily.
An ESB solution allows you to focus on your core business by keeping the integration logic  “in the bus” and not in the applications, allowing you to add new services faster, and change services with minimal impact to workflow later on.
Organizations of any size can now eliminate point-to-point connections and batch processing, fostering increased business flexibility and growth.
WebSphere Message Broker comprehensively supports Microsoft .NET environments and can interact with new or existing .NET and Component Object Model (COM) applications. And the proven scalability ensures that your company can continue to grow and protect your existing software investments.

Discover the Value of an ESB based on WebSphere Message Broker

Reasons You Should Consider Message Broker
 

1. Do you use or are you considering using Microsoft Dynamics?
2. Do you develop in .NET?
3. Are you a pure Microsoft shop, or a mixed shop (ie SAP, Oracle, etc)?
4. How do you integrate all these applications together?
5. Would you like to get 20x the throughput on your same hardware?
6. What would it mean to your business if your integration was faster and completely reliable?

For more information about Message Broker and integrating it into your .NET applications, contact Miles Roty today or read the complete IBM Redbook today.
For more information on TxMQ’s WebSphere services, visit our website today.

by Corey Switzer-Kruss
There’s cool news coming out of Silicon Valley this January for the semiconductor industry!
The SRC (Semiconductor Research Organization) and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) have announced a $194MM initiative to focus on innovation for next generation electronics.
This program, called STARnet has provided an incredible amount of funding to Six academic research centers throughout the U.S. to explore new materials and atomic-scale structures to create more powerful and more energy-efficient semiconductor components.
The Universities receiving funding over the next five years are University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, UCLA and UC Berkeley. Each university has been charged with different areas of research, with UCLA working on their FAME  (Functional Engineered Nano Architects) initiative.
According to the SRC website, FAME at UCLA will “create and investigate new non-conventional atomic scale engineered materials and structures of multi-function oxides, metals and semiconductors to accelerate innovation in analog, logic and memory devices for revolutionary impact on the semiconductor and defense industries.
I first learned of the STARnet program through the UCLA News website, and they’re very proud to be part of this cutting edge research initiative! Vice Chancellor for Research, James Economou, states, “UCLA has again been recognized as a leading hub for next-generation research ideas in nanotechnology and nanoelectronics”.
FAME will explore materials and structures beyond the traditional silicon with hopes that these materials will enable increased energy efficiency for computers, mobile phones and other electronics in the areas of memory or display screens.
At UCLA specifically, they will explore the interaction of electrons and atoms, develop advanced theory and models to guide material design, pioneer state-of-the-art techniques to achieve atomic precision in material synthesis; and integrate these multifunctional materials to revolutionize the semiconductor industries!

by Corey Switzer-Kruss
Getting ready to ring in a new year causes most of us to reflect on the past year. Lord knows; every media outlet does the same. We have compiled lists upon lists of the top 100 companies, the best dressed, the worst dressed, notable deaths, top political accomplishments, humanitarian accomplishments, and most alarming national/international tragedies.
The reflections we’ve seen of recent years have been bleak, sad, humbling. Though, I think we need to search a little harder than E! or Forbes Magazine to find the accomplishment and happiness present in our lives and in our time.
This is why I was SO EXCITED to stumble upon a great article on www.buzzfeed.com called 27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts In 2012.
If these 27 dreams became reality this year alone we have no reason to lose faith that our better days are behind us! Now turn off that sad documentary about which celebrities who died in 2012 and READ about these incredible 2012 accomplishments!
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!
 

1. Quadriplegic Uses Her Mind to Control Her Robotic Arm

 
At the University of Pittsburgh, the neurobiology department worked with 52-year-old Jan Scheuermann over the course of 13 weeks to create a robotic arm controlled only by the power of Scheuermann’s mind.
The team implanted her with two 96-channel intracortical microelectrodes. Placed in the motor cortex, which controls all limb movement, the integration process was faster than anyone expected. On the second day, Jan could use her new arm with a 3-D workspace. By the end of the 13 weeks, she was capable of performing complex tasks with seven-dimensional movement, just like a biological arm.
To date, there have been no negative side effects.
Source: gizmodo.com

2. DARPA Robot Can Traverse an Obstacle Course

Once the robot figures out how to do that without all the wires, humanity is doomed.
DARPA was also hard at work this year making robots to track humans and run as fast as a cheetah, which seems like a great combination with no possibility of horrible side effects.
Source: jwherrman

3. Genetically Modified Silk Is Stronger Than Steel

 
Photo Courtesy of Indigo Moon Yarns.
At the University of Wyoming, scientists modified a group of silkworms to produce silk that is, weight for weight, stronger than steel. Different groups hope to benefit from the super-strength silk, including stronger sutures for the medical community, a biodegradable alternative to plastics, and even lightweight armor for military purposes.
Source: bbc.co.uk

4. DNA Was Photographed for the First Time

 
Using an electron microscope, Enzo di Fabrizio and his team at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa snapped the first photos of the famous double helix.
Source: newscientist.com /  via: davi296

5. Invisibility Cloak Technology Took a Huge Leap Forward

 
British Columbia company HyperStealth Biotechnology showed a functioning prototype of its new fabric to the U.S. and Canadian military this year. The material, called Quantum Stealth, bends light waves around the wearer without the use of batteries, mirrors, or cameras. It blocks the subject from being seen by visual means but also keeps them hidden from thermal scans and infrared.
Source: toxel.com

6. Spray-On Skin

 
ReCell by Avita Medical is a medical breakthrough for severe-burn victims. The technology uses a postage stamp–size piece of skin from the patient, leaving the donor site with what looks like a rug burn. Then the sample is mixed with an enzyme harvested from pigs and sprayed back onto the burn site. Each tiny graft expands, covering a space up to the size of a book page within a week. Since the donor skin comes from the patient, the risk of rejection is minimal.
Source: news.discovery.com

7. James Cameron Reached the Deepest Known Point in the Ocean

 
Cameron was the first solo human to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. At 6.8 miles deep, it is perhaps more a more alien place to scientists than some foreign planets are. The 2.5-story “vertical torpedo” sub descended over a period of two and a half hours before taking a variety of samples.
Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

8. Stem Cells Could Extend Human Life by Over 100 Years

 
When fast-aging elderly mice with a usual lifespan of 21 days were injected with stem cells from younger mice at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, the results were staggering. Given the injection approximately four days before they were expected to die, not only did the elderly mice live — they lived threefold their normal lifespan, sticking around for 71 days. In human terms, that would be the equivalent of an 80-year-old living to be 200.
Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

9. 3-D Printer Creates Full-Size Houses in One Session

 
The D-Shape printer, created by Enrico Dini, is capable of printing a two-story building, complete with rooms, stairs, pipes, and partitions. Using nothing but sand and an inorganic binding compound, the resulting material has the same durability as reinforced concrete with the look of marble. The building process takes approximately a fourth of the time as traditional buildings, as long as it sticks to rounded structures, and can be built without specialist knowledge or skill sets.
Source: gizmag.com

10. Self-Driving Cars Are Legal in Nevada, Florida, and California

 
Google started testing its driverless cars in the beginning of 2012, and by May, Nevada was the first state to take the leap in letting them roam free on the roads. With these cars logging over 300,000 autonomous hours so far, the only two accidents involving them happened when they were being manually piloted.
Source: en.wikipedia.org

11. Voyager I Leaves the Solar System

 
Launched in 1977, Voyager I is the first manmade object to fly beyond the confines of our solar system and out into the blackness of deep space. It was originally designed to send home images of Saturn and Jupiter, but NASA scientists soon realized eventually the probe would float out into the great unknown. To that end, a recording was placed on Voyager I with sounds ranging from music to whale calls, and greetings in 55 languages.
Source: space.com

12. Custom Jaw Transplant Created With 3-D Printer

 
A custom working jawbone was created for an 83-year-old patient using titanium powder and bioceramic coating. The first of its kind, the successful surgery opens the door for individualized bone replacement and, perhaps one day, the ability to print out new muscles and organs.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

13. Rogue Planet Floating Through Space

 
Until this year, scientists knew planets orbited a star. Then, in came CFBDSIR2149. With four to seven times the mass of Jupiter, it is the first free-floating object to be officially defined as an exoplanet and not a brown dwarf.
Source: sciencenews.org

14. Chimera Monkeys Created from Multiple Embryos

 
While all the donor cells were from rhesus monkeys, the researchers combined up to six distinct embryos into three baby monkeys. According to Dr. Mitalipov, “The cells never fuse, but they stay together and work together to form tissues and organs.” Chimera species are used in order to understand the role specific genes play in embryonic development and may lead to a better understanding of genetic mutation in humans.
Source: bbc.co.uk

15. Artificial Leaves Generate Electricity

 
Using relatively inexpensive materials, Daniel G. Nocera created the world’s first practical artificial leaf. The self-contained units mimic the process of photosynthesis, but the end result is hydrogen instead of oxygen. The hydrogen can then be captured into fuel cells and used for electricity, even in the most remote locations on Earth.
Source: sciencedaily.com

16. Google Goggles Bring the Internet Everywhere

 
Almost everyone has seen the video of Google’s vision of the future. With their Goggles, everyday life is overlaid with a HUD (Head’s Up Display). Controlled by a combination of voice control and where the user is looking, the Goggles show pertinent information, surf the web, or call a loved one.
Source: heraldsun.com.au

17. The Higgs-Boson Particle Was Discovered

 
Over the summer, multinational research center CERN confirmed it had discovered a particle that behaved enough like a Higgs boson to be given the title. For scientists, this meant there could be a Higgs field, similar to an electromagnetic field. In turn, this could lead to the scientists’ ability to interact with mass the same way we currently do with magnetic fields.
Source: forbes.com

18. Flexible, Inexpensive Solar Panels Challenge Fossil Fuel

 
At half the price of today’s cheapest solar cells, Twin Creeks’ Hyperion uses an ion canon to bombard wafer-thin panels. The result is a commercially viable, mass-produced solar panel that costs around 40 cents per watt.
Source: extremetech.com

19. Diamond Planet Discovered

 
An exoplanet made entirely of diamonds was discovered this year by an international research team. Approximately five times the size of Earth, the small planet had mass similar to that of Jupiter. Scientists believe the short distance from its star coupled with the exoplanet’s mass means the planet, remnants of another star, is mostly crystalline carbon.
Source: io9.com

20. Eye Implants Give Sight to the Blind

 
Two blind men in the U.K. were fitted with eye implants during an eight-hour surgery with promising results. After years of blindness, both had regained “useful” vision within weeks, picking up the outlines of objects and dreaming in color. Doctors expect continued improvement as their brains rewire themselves for sight.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

21. Wales Barcodes DNA of Every Flowering Plant Species in the Country

 
Photo Courtesy of Virtual Tourist.
Led by the National Botanic Garden’s head of research and conversation, a database of DNA for all 1,143 native species of Wales has been created. With the use of over 5,700 barcodes, plants can now be identified by photos of their seeds, roots, wood, or pollen. The goal is to help researchers track things such as bee migration patterns or how a plant species encroaches on a new area. The hope is to eventually barcode both animal and plant species across the world.
Source: walesonline.co.uk

22. First Unmanned Commercial Space Flight Docks with the ISS

 
SpaceX docked its unmanned cargo craft, the Dragon, with the International Space Station. It marked the first time in history a private company had sent a craft to the station. The robotic arm of the ISS grabbed the capsule in the first of what will be many resupply trips.
Source: nytimes.com

23. Ultra-Flexible “Willow” Glass Will Allow for Curved Electronic Devices

 
Created by New York–based developer Corning, the flexible glass prototype was shown off at an industry trade show in Boston. At only 0.05mm thick, it’s as thin as a sheet of paper. Perhaps Sony’s wearable PC concept will actually be possible before 2020.
Source: bbc.co.uk

24. NASA Begins Using Robotic Exoskeletons

 
The X1 Robotic Exoskeleton weighs in at 57 lbs. and contains four motorized joints along with six passive ones. With two settings, it can either hinder movement, such as when helping astronauts exercise in space, or aid movement, assisting paraplegics with walking.
Source: news.cnet.com

25. Human Brain Is Hacked

 
Usenix Security had a team of researchers use off-the-shelf technology to show how vulnerable the human brain really is. With an EEG (electroencephalograph) headset attached to the scalp and software to figure out what the neurons firing are trying to do, it watches for spikes in brain activity when the user recognizes something like one’s ATM PIN number or a child’s face.
Source: extremetech.com

26. First Planet with FOUR Suns Discovered

 
Discovered by amateur astronomers, the planet closely orbits a pair of stars, which in turn orbit another set of more distant stars. It’s approximately the size of Neptune, so scientists are still trying to work out how the planet has avoided being pulled apart by the gravitational force of that many stars.
Source: io9.com

27. Microsoft Patented the “Holodeck”

 
The patent suggests Microsoft wants to take gaming beyond a single screen and turn it into an immersive experience — beaming images all over the room, accounting for things like furniture, and bending the graphics around them to create a seamless environment.

by Corey Switzer-Kruss
 
TxMQ would like to wish Happy Holidays to you and yours!
 
May your toes stay warm
May your smiles be true
But, don’t forget about us,
Good old TxMQ!
 
While you’re merry making
And dining and baking
We’ll be hoping and waiting
For our phone to ring!
 
Because after the cheer
(and after the beer)
We will be here!
(ohhhh, yea – we will be here)
Hoping to make your resolutions come true!
 
So…
 
May your pencils stay sharp
Keep your resumes updated
And try not to catch the flu
But remember to call your buddies, your pals
Your recruiting partners at TxMQ!
 
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!

By Corey Switzer-Kruss
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a HUGE fan of Pinterest. Whether I’m pinning ideas for holiday presents on my “Ideas” board or surfing artsy boards while I’m on the phone with a client (yes, I do that – the distraction helps me concentrate), I spend a lot of my day on the social site with a greater purpose for sharing timeless visual information.
When Pinterest first launched in 2010 usage was pretty stagnant; the site had just 3000 users after 3 months. Pinterest now has over 10 million unique users and counting. The site is also the 3^rd largest source of referral traffic on the internet.
The cool thing about Pinterest, is that its growth story is unique to most all social networking sites. When Ben Silberman – CEO – was pitching the site to venture capitalists he recalls, “a lot of people in Silicon Valley didn’t get, and I don’t know if they still get, Pinterest. The fact that it made sense to someone is what really mattered to me.”
Ben recognized that he didn’t need to improve upon his idea or the algorithms; he needed to go out and find the people who would love the idea as much as he did, make them aware, dedicate them to using the site, and then spread the word!
Ben went on a grassroots marketing campaign – an idea almost unheard of in Sillicon Valley circles. Pinterest started arranging meet-ups at boutiques, engaged with bloggers, and gave users a certain number of invitations to dole out to non-users.
Now, on a personal note I have to say that the “invite only” tactic was GENIUS. When I decided to check Pinterest out and was put on a waiting list to be able to join the site I frantically started Facebook messaging ANYONE who was already a member who could “invite me”. That dangling carrot hooked me, and when I finally got to bite down it was so yummy!
As a matter of fact, I was one of the first Pinterest users in our office (we’re big into social media) and by the end of the week we had almost the entire staff hooked!
The moral of the story according to Ben is that a good idea sometimes needs an old-school jump-start. Pinterest didn’t need better engineering, it needed better distribution. He warns dotcom entrepreneurs that it’s not always prudent to take the advice of VC’s and Silicon Valley. Go with your gut. Ben’s case has successfully come back full circle. 1. They didn’t come to him. 2. So he went to them. 3. Now they’re all coming to him.
Thanks for Pinterest, Ben!
This is my favorite board: http://pinterest.com/coreykruz/daydreaming/
 
http://allthingsd.com/20121020/the-secret-behind-pinterests-growth-was-marketing-not-engineering-says-ceo-ben-silbermann/