Web Masters
Aaron Dinin
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Top 10 Web Masters Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Web Masters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Web Masters for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Web Masters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
12/27/23 • 13 min
In this Startup Gold episode of Web Masters, host Aaron explores some wisdom shared by Raj Kapoor, founder of Snapfish. The central theme revolves around the importance of skating to where the puck is going in entrepreneurship.
Drawing from the advice of successful investor Bill Gurley, Kapoor emphasizes the need for entrepreneurs to predict the future trajectory rather than focusing on the present. The episode delves deeper into the concept, connecting it with the evolving landscape of self-driving cars and highlighting the critical role of foreseeing opportunities in the entrepreneurial journey.
For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
10/31/23 • 13 min
In the second episode of the "Startup Gold" series from Web Masters, Aaron revisits a conversation he had with Jason Olim.
Jason Olim founded CDNow.com. It's a name most people don't remember these days, but it was the first major e-commerce retailer on the Web. In fact, it was Amazon before Amazon and had the dominant position over Jeff Bezos back when the Web was first taking shape.
So why didn't CDNow become the world's most popular e-commerce platform? Why doesn't CDNow still exist? According to Jason's interview, the answer is the very thing that most entrepreneurs tout as one of the most important advantages in achieving entrepreneurial success.
For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
04/18/22 • 32 min
We all know the Internet is a great place for connecting with people anywhere in the world who share the same interests and passions, but can it also be a great place for getting connected with people in your local comunity? The guest in this episode of Web Masters thought it could be. It's Scott Heiferman, founder of Meetup.
What began as a project to help Scott better connect with his New York City neighbors in the wake of the September 11th tragedy quickly grew into the world's biggest online community for finding people in your local area interested in the same things. In this episode of Web Masters, Scott explains how (and why) he started Meetup, how he grew it, and, ultimately, where he sees it going as the world continues moving away from IRL communities and toward a metaverse.
For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.
Who Invented the "Like" Button?
Web Masters
12/27/21 • 10 min
Every major social media platform has a "like" button. It's a core part of Internet culture and a simple measuring stick to determine how popular a piece of content is. But even though it seems obvious today, it wasn't such an obvious way of judging content in the early days of social media.
In this special holiday mini-episode of Web Masters, Aaron shares the story he learned from Jakob Lodwick, founder of Vimeo, about where the "like" button came from and why it worked so well.
04/19/21 • 44 min
The Internet is so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget the network didn't spring into being, fully formed, as a global connectivity paradigm. But, of course, that's not the case. Our collective journey toward having the Internet (almost) everywhere was a slow process that took decades.
Part of the reason the Internet took so long to spread was cultural. While, today, people take things like email and instant messaging for granted, that wasn’t always the case. Even though most of us couldn’t effectively operate in our day-to-day lives without email, that type of digital dependency is a learned behavior. For thousands of years, humans survived perfectly well without it, and convincing us we needed our email accounts attached to our hips at all times took a while.
That began to change thanks to Ira Fuchs and BITNET. BITNET played a critical role in convincing people they needed networked computers. And, like most computer innovation at the time, it began at universities.
When Ira started BITNET, his goal was to “connect the scholars of the world.” He launched it in 1981 with a connection between the City University of New York -- CUNY -- and Yale University. Within months, Ira had connected major institutions up and down the eastern United States. Soon thereafter he’d expanded to the West Coast. Within two years of launching, BITNET was in Europe, then the Middle East, Japan, and, eventually, even into Soviet Russia, making BITNET the global computer network that preceded the Internet.
For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.
Web Masters Preview
Web Masters
08/06/20 • 6 min
The host of the Web Masters podcast, Aaron Dinin, introduces the show and explains why it was created. You'll also hear interview excerpts from some of the people that'll be featured on the show as they recount the internet businesses they built and how those businesses helped shape the evolution of the World Wide Web.
09/15/20 • 26 min
On July 4th weekend of 1995, Louis Monier deployed a spider across the Internet to search for and catalog all existing web pages. He chose July 4th weekend because he was worried that his spider might break the Internet. And, to be fair, it actually did... at least for New Zealand. As in the entire country of New Zealand.
That initial crawl helped Monier develop the index that would eventually become AltaVista, the world'd leader in web search years before anyone would be using "google" as a verb.
This episode of Web Masters features host Aaron Dinin having a conversation with Louis as he shares the story of AltaVista in his own words and gives some incredible insights into what the earliest days of the Web were like.
For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.
01/31/24 • 15 min
In this Startup Gold episode of Web Masters, Aaron returns to the story of Peter Sunde, co-founder of the Pirate Bay, a notorious file sharing website..
The podcast explores how Sunde's journey challenges traditional views of entrepreneurship, focusing on his unique reasons for starting the controversial file-sharing site. Facing legal issues and even imprisonment, Sunde's experience raises questions about the true purpose of entrepreneurship.
This episode of Web Masters will ask you to consider what drives entrepreneurs beyond the usual goals of profit and independence, and how do those motives impact outcomes?
For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
11/30/23 • 14 min
In the third episode of the "Startup Gold" series from Web Masters, Aaron explores the importance of timing in the ultimate success (or failure) of a business.
The discussion about timing centers around his conversation with John Danner, CEO and founder of Net Gravity, the first Web marketing company in history.
According to John, he was a "horrible CEO." And yet, his company was hugely successful. How does that happen? Hint: the answer has something to do with having great timing.
For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
06/01/23 • 38 min
In this episode of the Web Masters podcast, we sit down with Daniel Ha, co-founder of Disqus, the popular online commenting platform. Daniel shares his insights and experiences in building a successful tech company, providing valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and webmasters alike. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of online engagement and discover the story behind Disqus.
Key Points:
- Introduction to Disqus (02:30 - 07:45):
- Daniel introduces Disqus, explaining its purpose as a commenting system for websites and blogs.
- He shares the inspiration behind creating Disqus and how it aimed to solve the challenges of user engagement on the internet.
- The evolution of Disqus from a simple project to a widely adopted platform.
- Navigating Challenges and Finding Success (07:45 - 16:15):
- Daniel discusses the initial challenges of building and scaling Disqus, including user acquisition and monetization strategies.
- The importance of building a strong community around the product and leveraging user feedback for continuous improvement.
- How Disqus differentiated itself from competitors and gained traction in the market.
- The significance of providing value to both publishers and commenters in fostering a thriving ecosystem.
- Lessons from Building a Tech Company (16:15 - 26:50):
- Daniel reflects on the lessons learned throughout his journey as an entrepreneur.
- The importance of staying focused on solving a specific problem and delivering a superior user experience.
- The value of building a team of talented individuals who share the same vision and passion.
- Overcoming the challenges of fundraising and securing investment for startup growth.
- The role of persistence, adaptability, and continuous learning in entrepreneurial success.
- The Future of Online Engagement (26:50 - 34:40):
- Daniel shares his insights on the evolving landscape of online engagement and the impact of social media.
- The challenges of combating spam and maintaining quality discussions in online comment sections.
- The rise of alternative forms of engagement, such as video and audio comments.
- The importance of privacy and data security in an era of increasing concerns.
- Closing Thoughts and Advice (34:40 - 38:15):
- Daniel offers final words of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs and webmasters.
- The significance of staying true to your vision and persevering through challenges.
- Embracing continuous improvement and seeking feedback from users.
- The excitement and opportunities that lie ahead in the tech industry.
Conclusion:
In this engaging episode, Daniel Ha, the founder of Disqus, takes us on a journey through the challenges and triumphs of building a successful online commenting platform. His insights shed light on the world of online engagement, providing valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and webmasters. Whether you're interested in the tech industry or seeking inspiration for your own startup, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and experience from a seasoned entrepreneur. Tune in and discover the power of online engagement with Daniel Ha.
You can also find a complete transcript of the episode here.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Web Masters have?
Web Masters currently has 108 episodes available.
What topics does Web Masters cover?
The podcast is about History, Entrepreneurship, Work, Internet Marketing, Podcasts, Internet and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Web Masters?
The episode title 'Startup Gold Episode #4: Seeing the Future with Raj Kapoor' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Web Masters?
The average episode length on Web Masters is 37 minutes.
How often are episodes of Web Masters released?
Episodes of Web Masters are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Web Masters?
The first episode of Web Masters was released on Aug 6, 2020.
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