Margaret Mahar

Margaret Mahar is a recent graduate student of Columbia College Chicago. She majored in journalism with a concentration in magazine writing. On the side, Margaret dabbles in voiceover. Currently...

By Margaret Mahar

Stelios Constantinides is passionate about his start-up. So passionate that he quit his stable management-consulting job to pursue Notably, an online application that syncs with Facebook. As the website boasts, Notably is a summary of news about your friends. “It’s jobs, breakups, whose back in town. Honest-to-goodness news.” I was fortunate enough to speak with Constantinides about the trials, tribulations and future of his company.

    Q: What do you typically tell people when they ask you what you do?

A: Right now, I guess it depends on who the audience is… somewhere in-between unemployment and running a company. Basically, I left my full time job two months ago and started my own LLC and I’m trying to start a tech software company of some sort. What I’m primarily working on right now is Notably.

  Q: Why did you come to be an entrepreneur? 

A: I’ve sort of always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve just always liked creating things. I worked in management consulting for three and a half years before starting my own company and it was really fun because I got to work with really smart people and find solutions to hard problems. But, on the other hand, you’re limited in what you can do. So if you think there’s an area that you want to explore, it’s not up to you. It’s up to your client. With starting your own company, there are pros and cons. Of course, the pros outweigh the cons. Because no manager is telling you what tasks you need to check off your lists. You’re the one that creates that list. You’re also the one that makes sure you stick to it.

  A: Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?

Q: The idea that being a solo founder is extremely difficult. To the point where it might actually be impossible. And, that’s where I am right now. I’m looking for a co-founder. But I haven’t found the right match yet. I mean, this is kind of like a marriage. This is a person that you spend all day, every day with. [laughs] – so having the right founding team is extremely important to the success of a start up. It’s probably the most important thing. Much more important than what you’re actually working on. Because ideas change but people, at least the founding people, don’t tend to change that much. So that’s something that I wish I had appreciated more.

    A: Where did the idea for NOTABLY come from?

Q: I’m a few years out of college. And, a lot of my friends, they’re moving across the country, they’re switching jobs often, and it’s really hard to keep up on a regular basis. It’s hard to keep track of where they are, what they’re doing, where they are in their life. You know. Major events. And with something like Facebook – it’s the least common denominator in the sense that, that’s what I’m connected to most people through—but it’s not very good at keeping you updated on major life events. So, that where Notably came in. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything really important that was going on in my friend’s lives. And that’s what it does.

  Q: Tell me about the resources required to start up NOTABLY?

A: It’s a pretty simple company. It’s a pretty simple product. But I didn’t have all the technical skills when I started six months ago. I took a sabbatical from work at the time and I learned a lot more about the technical aspect of it. But it’s really just a simple app. One guy with moderate program ability just working on a laptop. There’s not a lot of magic in the background. It obviously doesn’t require a lot of finance. I’m paying everything out of my own pocket. I don’t have a team. It’s just me right now.

    Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve done, as an entrepreneur? 

A: When you’re the only person working at a start up, you are the entire sales team. So, you are always selling. You are selling to your friends, to your family; you’re selling to random people at a cocktail party. And that’s something that I don’t necessarily enjoy that much –the actual selling part. And that’s something that’s always been strange. Always trying to think, like, ‘Hey, would this person be interested in Notably? I should get them to sign up!’

  Q: When did you start Notably? How old is it?

A: It went public in the first of March. I left my job in the middle of January.

  Q: Who is your typical audience?

A: I think people who get the most out of Notably, would be two different targets. One would be people with very dynamic networks, generally younger people—people who have friends that are moving a lot or getting jobs. So, I fall into that category. The other category would be people like my mom, who don’t really go on Facebook that often and miss out on a lot of events. So, it’s built in a way that it can appeal to a wide variety of Facebook users.

  Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing Notably?

Andy Keil

Founder of Pop’stache 

Interview Questions:

 -----------------------

What do you typically tell people when they ask you what you do?

Why did you come to be an entrepreneur? 

Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?

Tell me about your education and experience

Where did the idea for Pop’stache come from?

Tell me about the resources required to start up Pop’stache?

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve done, as an entrepreneur? 

Who is your typical audience?

Are you still just as passionate about music as you were when you started?

How much of your time is dedicated to pop'stache?

What have been your biggest hurdles with Pop’stache to date? How did you overcome it/them?

What is the future of Pop’stache?

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing Pop’stache?

If you could never work again, would you and why? 

By: Margaret Mahar

Chicago is a no doubt a hub of sorts. Passionately dubbed 'The Windy City' (and for good reason), we are home to some of the world's most talented people and entrepreneurs. 

But what about the entrepreneurs who specialize in the field of journalism? Must they be shafted in this world of trendy french fry start ups and bizarre iPhone gaming apps? 

Where Chicago thrives in other areas, it lacks in providing a plethora of eager journalistic entrepreneurs. The internet led me to a few solid sources, however I was digging around for quite some time. This fact is discouraging, but potentially hopeful, leading room for young imaginative thinkers to blow up Chicagoland's weak journalistic scene. 

Notable newsworthy entrepreneurs include Andy Keil, founder of Pop'stache, a site that details all things music related. Building the site at just 20 years of age, Keil saw it grow to a volunteered staff of 45 and "still growing strong!" Pop'stache is a beyond relevant site, as Chicago's music scene is ever-growing with huge festivals such as Lollapalooza, Pitchfork or Northcoast. 

Needn't we forget about science journalism? Switching gears to 2011, a little company was founded by two McCormick professors called Narrative Science. This startup has since been honored with awards and grants many times over, proving that even the simplest of ideas can turn into so much more. Created by Kris Hammond and Larry Birmbaum, Narrative Science "uses a computer program to automatically generate new stories." Their motto? "We transform data into stories and insight."

This next company, while mostly blog based, reaches over 13 million unique visitors per month. Rant Media Network, a start up founded by entrepreneur Grant Brown, is a platform for "hundreds of writers and bloggers around the world [to] reach a global audience by producing opinionated written and video content on any and all topics related to sports." Sure, the company has had a while to plant it's seed and grow to fruition. But Rant Media Network is a true example of what a start up can really become.

                  I live a routine life. And part of my routine is picking up a copy of the Chronicle every Monday on the way to my 9 a.m. class. Being a creature of habit, I skip entire sections until I reach my favorite columnist’s weekly article. 

Emily Ornberg is an exceptional writer, journalist and Managing Editor at the Chronicle. Not only do I admire her as a journalist, but as a peer. I work alongside her at Echo Magazine and have been fortunate enough to witness her talents this semester. 

Through the use of social media such as Facebook or Instagram, Ornberg has created a strong foundation in which she connects to her readers, friends and family. She uses her instagram to posts pictures and videos that give a behind-the-scenes perspective of her reporting at certain live shows. Additionally, through Facebook she is able to post her articles, where they are surely read to a wider audience.

Through the use of the website MentionMapp.com, I was able to come up with a detailed social media assessment. I found my social media presence to be not only disappointing, but also inaccurate. MentionMapp only pinpointed my online presence via twitter, when I actually am linked up to many other outlets, such as Vine, Vyclone, Google+ and Youtube, just to name a few. Perhaps I am misreading the functionality of the website. 

Right now, I am linked to almost every social media except for Facebook which I do not have, and never have had. I don't think not having a Facebook is detrimental to my future career, when I am already connected to so many other social medial platforms. Also, I have an instagram under an alias name, however I have excluded that from my tumblr "social media" section, as I wish to keep its anonymity. 

In a year, I see my my stance in social media changing drastically. And by change, I mean drastically reduced. I plan on getting a full-time job and I think by then, I will have deleted some of the apps I currently have, such as Vine or Vyclone. There are many apps that I downloaded specifically for this class, that I haven't touched otherwise... they are taking up data!

Of course, I plan on keeping Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as Google+ for marketing reasons. As you may or may not know, I am pursuing a career in voiceover, and to some extent social media is detrimental to that field. I plan to curate my accounts and change them over time to fit my current field and/or lifestyle. Changeability is the beauty of social media. 

Last year, Forbes predicted "The Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014." I felt like this was an especially useful article for any college student who was looking into expanding their social media presence. One of the very first sentences even states that, "investment in social media will become a necessity, not a luxury." 

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Radio built for you.

"Your world. Your news. Personalized and on-the-go," boasts Rivet Radio's website, which launched this December. Frontman, Charlie Meyerson came to speak to Columbia College Chicago Mobile Journalism students about the past, present and future of radio. It's safe to say that Meyerson is most certainly the future. 

Rivet Radio is a customizable app that allows users to create their own radio experience, combining local, national and international news. Rivet Radio knows no bounds. Lifestyle, out of the box and top news are just a few of the MANY categories that the app allows. 

Rivet understand that people aren't necessarily carrying around boom-boxes or portable radios, so they've made it easier for you to connect to radio on your mobile phones. Definitely worth checking out.

"Well... I guess I'm canceling my Vogue subscription," Geller tweeted recently after Kim K was spotted with Fiance Kanye West on the cover. 

Geller is one of many celebrities to bash the couple after appearing on the what some would call the fashion bible. 

Kim of course loves all the attention, even if it's negative. She celebrated her celebrity status by vacationing in Thailand with her large klan.

Must be good.

Today, society has birthed us the virtual wallet. AKA: The ability to make mobile transactions through various platforms. I'll be honest, I consider this God's gift and take advantage of apps such as Chase Quick Pay, where I can transfer money or pay bills with a simple swipe. 

Although it poses the question of, "How secure are my funds?" It does allow users an extremely efficient way to pay for virtually anything, virtually anywhere. 

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It's vital for websites to have adaptable design so that users can get the most out of its content. That's probably the most important job of a web designer. Although slightly unrelated, another topic I want to bring up is the differences between responsive, adaptive and native design.

Responsive design is used for multiple devices, adjusting the design based on the device.

Adaptive design is used specifically for mobile or tablet devices. 

Native design is a program designed specifically for iOs, Android or Windows. 

I'll be the first one to admit that even my nonexistent cable box doesn't stop me from uTorrenting the Kardashians every Sunday. I must feed my guilty pleasure it's healthy dosage of Kardashian Khaos until I can successfully retire to bed.

It's a love-hate relationship, really.

So you can only imagine my surprise, along with the rest of the world, to find Kim and Kanye on the cover of Vogue this month. I was annoyed and excited and immediately bought it. 

Of course, the world had an almost instantaneous reaction. As with anything that the Kardashians do. Celebrities and media outlets alike weighed in on their opinions, both good and bad. Naturally, I find it necessary to voice mine.

Despite the fact that Anna Wintour denied that Kanye petitioned for it to happen, I still think that's why it did. Kim and Yeezus are obsessed with each other, and equally as obsessed with themselves as individuals. 

I'll end with this really horrific and narcissistic but totally predictable quote from Kanye about Kim: "She created something really powerful that the universe connected with and I created something that people connected with and then when we combine our information... we can help communicate and educate and just bring more dopeness in general," he said. "It's really just about dopeness at the end of the day."

LOL.