Taking Another Chance. I'm Putting Together a Team - 03/12/2007 - 12:01 AM:

On February 11th, 2007 I got onto a plane and flew to Mountain View, California, planning on sitting in Google's lobby until they took the time to talk to me. They had no idea I was coming, no idea who I was, and the most likely outcome of the trip was that they would turn me away at the door. Getting on that plane was the first chance I took, and now I'm taking another one. Welcome to Chapter 2.

The quest in Chapter 1 was fairly simple: I had 15 days to get a big company like Google to pay attention to a good idea from a little guy like me. Now, new paths have opened up, and Chapter 2 has a slightly more epic quest: I have six months to turn Novel Projects, Inc. - a company with no money, no employees, and little more than a good idea - into something I can take back to Silicon Valley come summer.

There were many questions I didn't get to address in the video, but there's at least one that I have to talk about now or risk painful retribution at the hands of the crowd.

That question is: "What is the idea?"

When I started out on this quest, I expected it to be over in less than two weeks. I'd be heard or not. Instead it evolved. There will be a public announcement of the idea, and we will need beta testers - I'll be looking to our forums when the time comes - but the timing of that information now affects more than just curiosity. Deciding to take this approach means that the timing of the idea's release now impacts the success or failure of the idea itself.

In other words, you'll know what it is, but please be patient. Things are more delicate now than ever before.

Because Chapter 2's quest is longer, I'm going to try to limit myself to two blog posts per week to keep from flooding the page. The camera will still come with me when I go do cool things like crash the Computer Science Club at BSU while recruiting programmers. I'll keep you informed when big things happen. But settle in. This is a reality driven website that moves at about the pace of actual reality - the climax comes when we pack up and go back to California. Until then, you and I know exactly the same amount about how this journey will end. So wish me luck. :)

Aaron Stanton
aaron@cangooglehearme.com