Why do a newsletter?  After all, everyone has a newsletter these days -- they're a dime a dozen -- and let's face facts: most are boring.  Painfully boring.  Excruciatingly mind numbingly boring.

That said, Chicago needs a fact fact based, informational, and most importantly,  entertaining newsletter that covers the entrepreneurial/high tech/venture capital community.  Heck, the mid-west community needs  that kind of thing.  No!  The entire US needs...perhaps the entire world needs it!

But lets start with the Chicago area.  The world can wait.

This newsletter strives to be Chicago's most vibrant, most current, most fun, and most readable forum for current info on what we're all doing.  But instead of being a boring puff piece for various interests, I want to inject a little personality into the fray.  And opinions, strong opinions, will be heard, too.  After all, my motto (as coined by my friends at Nanalyze) is:

"Candid, abrasive, and refreshingly hip."

While this may seem to be a rather flippant statement, I think it accurately describes me and what I've been trying (in various fits and starts) to do.  What's wrong with being to-the-point, accurate, insightful, inciteful, helpful, funny, and cool?  Far better than off-base, inaccurate, obvious, pandering, ignorant, boring, and bland.

You will never stand out if you strive to be the best at fitting in. 

What I hope to do is create, edit, and promulgate something that is THE voice of Chicago's community.  This newsletter will cover what's hip and happenin' in Chicago's High Tech, Entrepreneurial, and Venture Capital world.  Since that's a mouthful to spit out, just tell 'em that "Bill Snow told me."

When you boil it down, the scene features three basic characters: Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Services Providers.  Here's how each of these participants can participate. 

Investors - Stay abreast of the "bubbling up" of Chicago area entrepreneurs, gadflies, and other friends of the scene.  Chime in with your thoughts, comments, and tips.  Seen enough bad business plans and misguided entrepreneurs?  This forum will be the best way for you to get your message out to entrepreneurs.  I can quote you, or you can "speak through me."  See my comments on anonymity below.

Entrepreneurs - Introduce yourself, your company, your project, and your dreams.  Let people know who you are.  Look for employees, vendors, and other partners, but please note: This website and newsletter are not designed for open solicitation of investors.  That would be illegal. 

Service providers - Talk about your service, but let me tell warn you...you will bore people if you only talk about YOU YOU YOU.  Not many people have the Bill Snow patented ability to talk about themselves AND be interesting.  There are 2 ways you can tell people are bored with your shtick

    1) Their eyes roll back in their heads and you can only see the whites, or

    2) I'll tell you.

To be a real friend of the community you must "get it," that is, have something valuable to talk about.  Offer advice and insights.  And when I say valuable, I don't merely mean touting your service.  Be well rounded, have multiple topics to talk about.

Anonymity Policy

"Anonymous" whiners and negative creeps need not apply.  There's another Chicago based newsletter that caters that crowd. That said, I respect peoples' privacy, and I will post anonymous emails only if the content offers constructive criticism, useful advice, and/or actionable help.

Fairness Policy

I am your fair minded scribe, your positive moderator, your optimistic and sage advisor, your happy friend, your wise mentor. 

In other words: I am the final arbiter of what goes on here.  After all, I was once called "Burger King" -- because Bill always gets his way. 

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