I suspect it will be a bestseller in the States, as well, and my desire to read it made me think about something that’s very relevant to Trendero:  how much young  Americans desire to know how the rest of the world views them.  CNN has some interesting excerpts from the book discussing Tony Blair’s views on prominent US politicians, and I was surprised at how much I was eager to learn what Blair thought.  It’s almost as if I was looking to him to validate what I think of my own leaders, and I don’t consider myself to be a person with weak opinions.

I share this because I’m fairly sure it’s common among folks in my generation.  How many of your friends have traveled abroad and come back with some notion that Europeans are, in one way or another, superior to Americans, and we should adopt this or that tradition from their continent?  Witness the proliferation of white, young professionals suddenly professing an educated view on the outcome of the Champion’s League, or perhaps speaking at length about the superiority of Spanish/French/Italian work ethics.  …OK, it’s hard to argue that the latter is objectively appealing, but still, I would argue that there’s something in the young American psyche that is insecure and looks to Europe for either validation or guidance.  And I’m curious as to why you think this is.

Also, this is relevant to Trendero in a general sense:  the site is dedicated to cross-cultural communication about things people value.  I built it because I am convinced that viewing commonalities among different cultures facilitates understanding, while appreciating differences in taste helps us recognize how and why cultures are unique.  What I’m wondering, though, is what readers think about this desire to share cultural information:  is it largely one-way (i.e., Americans looking abroad), or is it definitely a two-way communication?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.  I would love to hear from you.

That’s amazing to me, that the company doesn’t even have to incentivize its users to share valuable content.  I attributed this to the unique nature of LOLCats: cat lovers are a small group, they’re fanatical about their pets, and they love showing how cute the cats are.  Also, the content is easy and enjoyable to digest, since you can get the gist of a LOLCat photo in five seconds or less, and it will probably make you laugh.

Shirky adds that there’s also a creative element to LOLCats:  the photo isn’t just a photo of a cat, it’s a photo of a cat with your caption on it.  The caption is your personality, it brings you into the process.  So sharing a LOLCat photo is a fast, simple way for you to be creative during the day, what Scott Porad referred to as coffee break creativity.

We want you to create with us

Apply this to Trendero:  where is the creative element in reporting a trend?  Well, there’s the description you have to provide for it, which offers you a chance to try your hand at journalism.  This can be intimidating, however; it’s not exactly coffee break creativity.  There’s the fact that you spotted a trend, and therefore that you are aware of and clued into what’s happening.  But there’s some risk there, too, since you could identify something that you think is trendy but that the rest of the world determines is not so at all.  Which could, in fact, be slightly embarrassing.  And then there are photos, videos or audio clips that you upload relating to the trend, any one of which can offer you a chance to be an amateur reporter.  But as with the description, this process can be intimidating, and if it’s not, if the photo or video is generic, then it says nothing about you, does nothing to offer you a chance to be creative.

So what I conclude from this is that not only does the opportunity to share content online have to allow you to show your creativity, it has to do so in a non-intimidating, relatively risk-free way.  There’s very little potential for shame in posting a LOLCat.  The picture does most of the work, and the topic is light-hearted.  Trendero intends to capitalize on this type of non-serious content, which is why it focuses on lifestyle information–the idea is that not everyone can speak to local politics, business or even sports, but everyone has a favorite band, book and movie.  Everyone consumes media in some way and has an opinion about it, so everyone has something to share with the Trendero community.  That being said, Trendero needs to offer our users better, less-intimidating ways to be creative.  Maybe focusing on the word “trend” is one of the problems…

I want our users to feel that when they share something with the Trendero community, it’s not something that they observed passively; it’s something that speaks to who they are, and it’s something that they enjoyed sharing.

How would you like us to offer you this opportunity?  What could we do to engage you, our users, more creatively?

Knowing, for example, that “We Speak No Americano” is a hit single in the UK right now (thanks DaveB!) helps me imagine what it’d be like to be cruising around London, windows down, listening to the radio. The vibe I get from that song is very different than, for instance, “California Gurls,” which users in California will know well…and that tells me about current tastes in both localities, helps me understand the culture better.

In that vein, I thought I’d round up some other top hits that are playing on radios around the world, right now. I looked only for artists I’d never heard of (I’m from California), preferably who are local to the country where they are topping the charts (data thanks to allcharts.org and randrworld.com).  I’ve linked each song to a music video, YouTube where possible, so you can get the full vibe.

Here are the top summer tunes from:

Argentina: “International Love” Fidel Nadal
Brazil: “Madrid” Fernando & Sorocaba
Czech Republic: “Alors On Danse” Stromae
India: “Tu To Na Aayi” F-4
Ireland: “Missing You” The Saturdays
Japan: “One in a million” Tomohisa Yamashita (NOTE: skip to 0:51 for the song)
Netherlands: “Alleen Door Jou” Dries Roelvink
Norway: “Glow” Madcon
Sweden: “Dancing On My Own” Robyn
Russia: “Love Save World“ Vera Brezhneva

Go ahead: explore, maybe download your favorite tunes and bring something new to your next house party. It’ll be interesting for everyone, and you’ll have a story.

Once you get hooked on exploring local cultures from home, poke around Trendero.com’s interactive map for more fresh global cultural tidbits.

And don’t forget to share back: tell users abroad what you and your friends are listening to this summer!

Circling the block at 5:30 AM, I sense that my plan is flawed. The line is monstrous. When I step into place, I’m #135 in the “unreserved” line, which is separate from the “priority” line, filled with purchasers who have appointments throughout the day. The priority group is constantly being added to, and each addition reduces the existing inventory upon arrival. My line, in other words, is for true fanboys.

Conversation erupts from the woman behind me. “Have you ever done this before?” “No, definitely not,” I respond, almost too quickly. “Me neither; this is crazy. I can’t believe I’m waiting to buy a cellphone.” Calm overtakes us; we are definitely not fanboys. Other excuses for being there come quickly from the crowd, then talk turns to the weather. I’m relieved that we are all so normal.

As the clock strikes 7, the line compresses. The door is 100, then 90, then just 80 yards away. Such quick progress in a matter of seconds…we’ll be done before breakfast. Hope lifts, but the look on our faces is matter-of-fact. “It’s just not that big of a deal,” we project.

Over the next hour, a new reality sets in. There is no further forward progress. A gleeful Apple representative trots by counting customers, assuring us that there are plenty of phones for the current line. So why haven’t we moved? “We have to serve the priority line first, and AT&T’s servers are reacting slowly. It’s taking roughly 15 minutes to serve each customer.” A scout is sent to count the number ahead of us: it is at least 200 strong, growing fast.

Suddenly, being in line is not so easy to dismiss. The reserve line will never be completely filled. It’s been an hour and we have not moved. While we are assured we will have a phone today, all indications are that we will get into the store just before closing. Twelve hours away. To stay is to admit being obsessed with a cellphone, to leave is to have spent a frigid San Francisco summer morning on the street with strangers.

So we become much more than strangers. We hold spots for each other during breaks for the bathroom and to refill the parking meter. I entrust a man with my cash so that he can make change on his trip to the bank. A young girl introduces us to her parents, who come by to check in; a father and son share hilarious family stories. Two young men are visiting from Poland, and all the locals share advice on touring the city. Most of us exchange contact information; several of us have mutual friends.

There is a periodical reality check: “I’ve been here for six hours…I’m so ashamed of myself.” We groan in unison. Our mutual enemy, the Apple representative, occasionally chirps some encouraging remark while passing by, and we huddle and whisper insults, giggling. Local food merchants, sensing a marketing opportunity, keep us plied with treats, and we share them with one another: bagels, muffins, coffee, water, cupcakes, pizza, cookies. We sneak beer in Starbucks cups, whiskey in dixie cups, sipping discreetly while smiling at one another.

There’s a kind of delirium you experience after a half day standing on the sidewalk in the same place. You lose sense of perspective; your surroundings never change, so your thoughts slow. Beer and whiskey aid this process. Your new friends’ blank stares confirm its normality. You become more primal: your line-mates are your pack, and the rest of the world are the others.

“We should sneak over and steal the chairs in the priority line.” “If that Apple guy ‘assures’ me the line is moving one more time, I’m gonna deck him.” “Look at the people driving by…they think we’re crazy.”

The line, your pack, begins to feel like the reason why you’re there.

At 5:30 PM, 11.75 hours after I arrived, I reach the store entrance. It looks odd and futuristic. I don’t want to go in. “We should have a reunion next week, grab some beers,” I say to my pack-mates. They agree. The store clerk wears an enthusiastic smile; he looks so strange, so false, so other. Do I trust him? I deliriously stumble in as the store erupts in applause. This is slightly terrifying.

The clerk hurriedly escorts me to a kiosk, and roughly seven minutes later, I’m pushed back out holding a bag. My pack-mates are dispersed with other clerks, busy. I want to get their attention, call to them, rejoin them in the line. But it’s gone. Outside are strangers waiting their turn; what the hell are these people here for?

I shuffle on the sidewalk outside. What just happened? Was this really all about a cellphone? Am I really missing waiting in line?

Back home, the iPhone 4 is basically like my last one. It’s exciting for exactly 3.7 minutes. I struggle to explain to my friends what I’ve been doing all day, how the experience was almost…fun.

Ultimately, I decide, being an Apple fanboy isn’t about the company; it’s about community. Despite what should have been an awful retail experience, I stayed in line for an entire workday (plus overtime) because of the people. No matter what I’ve heard, it’s clear I’m a fan of fanboys.

A Black iPhone 4 32GB NIB (AT&T contract required), pictured here (yes, it’s in our hands; pics taken with our own iPhone 4, and we can assure you it’s a badass device):

3) Be a current Trendero.com user: go to www.trendero.com/users/register/ to register if you haven’t already (username will be verified upon selection of winner).

We will select a winner randomly from the list of folks who send the above tweet and otherwise comply with all rules and requirements.

And now for THE RULES:

-The winner will be announced on our Twitter page, twitter.com/Trendero, on July 30, 2010.
-Only a winner who has complied with all rules and requirements listed on this page will be approved.
-The winner will be responsible for any related taxes or restrictions according to his/her state laws.
-Once contacted, the winner will be responsible for providing his/her Trendero.com username and correct mailing address within 5 days.
-You can tweet the message as many times as you like, but there is only one entry per person.  Multiple entries are only counted as one entry, and creating multiple accounts on Twitter to enter multiple times will automatically disqualify you from the contest.
-Please allow at least 1-2 weeks for delivery of iPhone 4 to winner.
-Participants must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Are you an engineer well-versed in Python, social media, and the features needed to maintain a community for a user-generated content site?  If so, we would love to hear from you at admin [at] trendero.com.

Fantastic read for when you’re feeling introspective.

What we’d like to do is build out each of the categories of trends, one by one, and take a more measured approach to growing the site.  For instance, one possibility is that we launch the revised site to focus exclusively on fashion, beginning with just one city.

What are your thoughts on this proposed growth pattern for Trendero.com?

And please check out our new friends at the following startups:

-FlowTown.com

-Sprouter.com

-Sockittomesocks.com

-UrbanDictionary.com

-It seems most content-based startups prefer to be in San Francisco, whereas technology-based startups prefer to be in the Valley.  This is likely the result of the different options for hiring in the two areas, but being a content-based startup (and having a strong preference for San Francisco anyway), the move should be a good fit.

-Silicon Valley feels a bit like an echo chamber.  Has anyone else noticed that the same folks are at all of the conferences and parties?  And that they all seem to want to talk only to each other?  It’s just starting to feel a bit too cliquey.  We are a startup focused on gaining a global user base, and while it is no doubt an advantage to be buddies with the blogging gatekeepers who live in the area, they aren’t actually our target user.

-It’s counter-intuitive, but finding a good engineer in the Valley is difficult.  Despite being well-known as the best place to be for engineers, all evidence is that there is a serious supply problem in Palo Alto.  This doesn’t exactly argue for San Francisco, either, since the problem is likely to exist there as well; however, for recruiting from outside of the area, especially recruiting young engineers interested in content-based startups, having an office in San Francisco is actually a much better sell than having an office in Palo Alto.  Young people want to be in cities.  Perhaps this explains the rapid growth in the New York startup scene…

Thoughts?  Agree/disagree?