Lijit

Greg, the blogger behind Mud and Cowbells and a HUGE Cyclocross racer, was a Lijit user before he came to work for us. I can remember him signing up a few years back and sending him the usual customized thank-you note that was par for the course back in the day. And instead of getting a few sentences back from him, I got a five paragraph email with tons of feedback, product requests and ideas for the future. Yep. Even back then, it was obvious this guy needed to work for us. Especially with a face like this…

Our dreams have come true because Greg is now Lijit’s VP of Product Management and regularly rocks our world (or at least our office) with his passion, enthusiasm and spot-on impressions. When he’s not racing bikes, talking bikes or watching bike races, he leads the Product team with his vision for what Lijit should be. Read on for his answers to the usual questions…

What is your Lijit contribution?

Bomb hair. Or so my kids call it. Ha! But seriously, I think a lot of the core thing I may have contributed to the company over the last 5 months or so is to start a cultural shift in thinking categorically about the ‘products’ (plural) the company has put/is putting forth to the market and more importantly, helping to elevate the understanding of them by the now multiple constituencies we serve (publishers and advertisers primarily). We’re right at this exciting point of the company’s evolution. The work we’ve done in introducing ’social search’ to bloggers in a meaningful and impactful way has proven itself and that won’t stop.

Now, what we’ve learned by capturing and analyzing data about the reader audiences and their intent (e.g. search patterns) has led us to sit on one of the largest datasets in the industry. This information can help us assist brands with better precision in matching their campaigns with the right readers through our advertising services. Elevating this understanding vis-a-vis the products we prioritize and release and the marketing surrounding them are core to the group I’m establishing here at Lijit.

What is your favorite word and why?

Freedom. My wife consistently reminds me that ‘my cage door is open…’ This means so much to me and allows me to think without constraints or fear. It’s an abstract term really, but freedom strips away so much ’static’ life can throw at you when you focus on it and know you truly have it. I should probably  tattoo that in reverse across my forehead so I can remind myself of that fact when I look in the mirror every morning. You have to remind yourself of this occasionally is my point or have a wife like I do that knows when to slap me up the back side of my head to reinforce it.

What turns you off, emotionally, spiritually or creatively and why?

Deceit. Subversive agendas make me sort of insane. I say exactly what I mean and mean no harm at any time. I’ve seen deceit blow up great marriages, see friends diverge after years of friendship and businesses suffer when deceit enters the equation. Not so fun. Moving to Boulder was an amazing journey on precluding a lot of the deceitful knob-heads I knew in the past. This town and its people generally wear their hearts on their sleeves. I like that. No, love that.

What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt and why?

I’d run a cycling team. I love making cyclists feel invincible and get them to achieve higher levels…all by believing they can do it. That is an indescribable feeling. Teaching clinics, seeing progress and re-enforcing how the athlete is going to crush it.

Something you’re guilty of…

Obsessing over Dutch-made cycling tires. That, or maybe my all-white Joe-Namath-style Italian cycling shoes. Either of those put me in a camp of obsessive compulsive ‘consumers’ not unlike Sarah Jessica Parker and her shoe fetish. But I can’t live without them. And now I digress…

If you haven’t checked out his blog and you’re into Cyclocross, you’re missing out. He’s also on Twitter, where he is a source of all things bicycle-related. Greg has been a fantastic addition to the Lijit team and we can’t wait to see what else he has up his cute spandex biking sleeves. And when in doubt, hup hup, buttercup!

Today, I’m guest-posting over at one of our publisher’s sites, Elementary Spirits, discussing this very topic.

If you’re unsure about how to interpret some of our stats, I’m breaking it down for you over there. Check it out and if you have questions, be sure to leave a comment on Barb’s blog!

Although his title above is self-appointed, there are many signs that point to it being true. For instance the header on John’s blog states that the stunts he performs on a closed course should not be attempted by the home viewer. I think this has something to do with MySQL, but I could be wrong. In addition, he also claims to be the first person on earth to connect a Tcl/Tk application running on a Mac to a PostgreSQL database running on an mklinux server.

Yep. He really is that awesome.

But just in case, you need further proof, check out what John has to say when asked some hard-hitting questions.

What is your Lijit contribution?

I’m on the team that is developing the coolest business intelligence system on the planet. Right now I’m building the processes that will load the data. When it is done, Lijit will rule the universe. No really, it will.

What is your least favorite sound and why?

Gasoline engines. They just don’t have the calming rumble of a diesel. Crying is a close second.

What turns you on emotionally, spiritually or creatively and why?

Hiking in Colorado, especially near streams does it for me. Instrumental music really helps me in the creative category.

What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt and why?

I’d like to be a professional fishing and hunting guide. Then I would know where all the secret spots are and have a great excuse to go more often.

Something you’re guilty of…

Nothing - I was acquitted, thank you. I will admit that I have no problem stealing candy from my kids’ Halloween stash, or desks of co-workers.

Now that we know that none of the candy in the office is safe, John suddenly seems much more dangerous. Or perhaps that’s just how all top-notch database architects talk?

Either way, welcome aboard John. We’re glad to have you joining us in the mission of total domination. Your help is greatly appreciated.

(This is Court, from Points in Case, and his first ever Christmas tree!)

To all of our Lijit publishers…

We hope your searches are successful this holiday season and into 2010!

How to top last year’s holiday party?

Mix in even more employees, add bigger pint glasses and sprinkle some humor at the management’s expense. Judging from the looks of everyone in the office today…you could safely say the party was a success.

And many thanks to Greg Keller for the amazing pictures to prove it.

Following are a few highlights from last night’s Annual Lijit Holiday Party…

The roof was raised.

As were the pints.

With speeches made,

jokes told,

and the band back together,

the crowd couldn’t help but have a good time.

Some folks were hanging ten,

some finance guys (almost) got licked,

and some new guys were hazed…in the most innocent sense of the word.

(It’s not like we spanked him or made him drink all of that beer.)

And of course, smiles aplenty…

Here’s hoping your company’s holiday celebrations are this much fun!

(Did we mention the cops showed up? Because that’s always the sign of a good party!)

Our VP of Market Development, Perry Quinn, was interviewed at Blog World by Geekazine about the value of Lijit’s service to both blog publishers and blog readers. Enjoy.

And many thanks to Geekazine for posting the video and using Lijit to power the search on your site!

From all of the turkeys here at the Lijit office…

We hope you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

(Thanks for being such a good sport Daniel…)

Our #CrushIt contest with Gary Vaynerchuk has come to an end. Before we announce the winners, we want to thank everyone who participated and signed up for Lijit. We like working with friends of Lijit, our community and giving back so if you have any feedback or additional ideas, send them our way. We’re all ears.

Without further ado. Drumroll please…

The five winners, picked at random are:

1. Programming Language FAQ (http://programminglanguagefaqs.blogspot.com/)
2. Over U (http://overu.typepad.com/overu/)
3. I Heart PGH (http://iheartpgh.com/)
4. E Books For You (http://www.freeebooks4you.co.cc/)
5. John Allsopp (http://blog.tropicalismo360.com/)

Each of the five bloggers listed, will receive an autographed copy (by the man himself) of Gary Vaynerchuk’s, Crush It.

Note: We will personally e-mail each winner for addresses so we can send you your copy of the book.

Last night, our CEO, Todd Vernon, and COO, Walter Knapp, were interviewed by Bloggers School on Blog Talk Radio. They discussed the history of Lijit, the business model behind our company and how our search adds value to both the publisher and the blog reader. The majority of the interview centered around questions about Lijit’s premium Ad Network and how we’re making it even easier for bloggers to make money on their blogs. Give it a listen if you want to hear more from the top dogs themselves.

It’s been a while since we’ve profiled a Lijit employee. I’m blaming that on the fact that there only a precious few left that haven’t been interviewed yet AND it’s been a little crazy around these parts. But we’re back and very excited to introduce you to one of the feistiest** members of our Publisher Acquisition team…Erica Prather. Lijit is Erica’s first REAL job out of college (awwwww…how cute!) so she still has a lot of that school spirit that seems to wither the further from graduation you get. Here she is, showing off her Jayhawk pride…

Can you say Rock Chalk? She can…and loudly. But the thing about Erica is that she brings that same enthusiasm to everything else she does as well. See for yourself.

What is your Lijit contribution?

I work in business development, which means that I identify publishers that would benefit from the Lijit search. I maintain relationships with current publishers, help customize their widget and learn way too much about Heidi Montag Pratt while doing the aforementioned. I also act as Advertising Services Manager - meaning that I create ad tags, schedule ad campaigns and generally manage the affairs of our publishers when it comes to the ads served on their page.

What is your favorite word and why?

I appreciate the f*#% word for all of its versatile goodness - if you can name one emotion it doesn’t cover, let me know. But since my mom is reading this, I’ll have to say milquetoast, because it sounds like a cool Kellogg’s cereal, but it’s really describing a boring person.

What turns you off, emotionally, spiritually or creatively?

I’ll have to go with excessive materialism and a skewed perception of reality…I think that people tend to forget that they go to bed with a full belly and a roof over their heads every night. Even I struggle with it (don’t get me started on car troubles) - but realistically we deal with what I call ‘luxury’ problems on a daily basis. Losing your vacation home, your Porsche or your retirement because of a bad economy is really not a problem…I think we forget how truly blessed we are.

What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt and why?

I just want to travel and get paid for it or just survive doing it. I don’t care if it’s cliche - I love everything about it: the accents, new smells, interesting foods, weird things people wear, funky music, other people’s traditions, it’s awesome. Should I start looking for a trust fund baby to marry?

Something you’re guilty of…

I think we all know that I hate sharing my food when ASKED to. You can borrow my clothes, shoes, earrings, even sleep in my bed, but touch my food and you are dead to me. Maybe it’s because as a kid, if you didn’t make it downstairs in time, you’d miss out on the muffins/cinnamon rolls/treats because I had two siblings (one being a garbage disposal brother). But excuses and psychological reasoning aside - I hate sharing my food unwillingly.

As you can tell from the above pictures and her profile answers, we can all safely say that Erica is far from being a milquetoast. She is spunky, a quick learner and always prepared with a punchline. In other words, she fits in around Lijit perfectly.

Especially with her love of the f*%# word. (Sorry Erica’s mom!)

**Yes, it really is a word.