The think (here) Blog

*2 Part Note- 1. This post is not to be confused with #FAILweek.  Trust us, we have a much bigger #FAILweek contribution in store. 2. This experiment is primarily designed for an individual entrepreneur or very small company.

Over a month ago I began a unique social experiment inspired by this post by Andrew Swenson (@wordpost).  The plan, in short, was to find an entrepreneur at the other end of the planet (antipode) via twitter, exchange work loads, and (theoretically and ultimately) maximize response time of your brand to individuals talking about it on twitter.

What worked?

Finding Entrepreneurs in Sourth Africa via twitter. Surprisingly I was in contact with dozens of entrepreneurs in a matter of minutes. 

What Failed?

In short, Finding a suitable match. Although I was contacted by several entrepreneurs, I had a difficult time finding a good fit.  I did not find anyone working on something that I was passionate enough about to pursue a partnership with. I felt that if I were to select someone with a task I was not passionate about I would not have been able to do their brand, or the experiment itself justice. 

In addition, the miscalculation that both splitting and doubling a workload (even for a brief amount of time) reduces overall quality became rapidly apparent.

What's Next?

Looking back on the project, I realize I left quite a few critical components unattended.  I failed.  Feeling discouraged, I stumbled back into the blogosphere and almost immediately came across this post by Tim Bursch (@timbursch) where he presents the concept of doing business more like a village.  Perhaps the focus should not be time coverage (i.e.- Having someone constantly watching it) so much as total coverage (More people watching with overlapping time lines).  What I will be testing now is whether or not having 2nd set of eyes most of the day may prove more valuable than 1 set of eyes watching 24/7. 

Over the month of February I will roll out the modified antwipod plan, but I can't do it without your help! If you would like to join me as my antwipod contact me using the link at the top of the page.  In addition I am ideally looking for 5-10 pairs of volunteers willing to attempt the experiment so we can test several different variables. 

Check back Mid February for more.  (psst- also keep in mind if you become a fan on facebook or sign up for our RSS you will receive the latest from think (here) all without ever needing to check the site!