The future is really, really bright! Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with my company for a meeting with Tickle Founder/CEO James Currier. Tickle was formerly eMode.com (if you don�t know), which was bought by Monster Worldwide last May. eMode.com, or should I now say Tickle, pretty much gave out tests for personality, IQ, favorite number, your opposite-sex type, what kind of dog you are, etc. The list is pretty much endless even back then.

Meanwhile, even though the time allotted for the company sit-down went over, way over, I really learned a lot. More than I was expecting. Reinforcing what Monster Founder Jeff Taylor quoted a few weeks back (in his own sit-down session with us), “Big ideas don’t cost no more than small ideas.” Bottom-line, GO BIG OR GO HOME.

But that�s were it�s somewhat an argument as well. Some great companies now started with small ideas as well; so it can go both ways too. But what I’m getting from it is, don’t be restricted to think big in the beginning—or think and dream at all.

One thing that I found very interesting from James’ presentation was that the Internet is just barely getting started. New technologies are being thought of everyday. Some of these to note are: AJAX, CSS2, XML, RSS and Atom Feeds, etc. Yes, sometimes we think that all great ideas (that can make us millions) are thought of already. But that�s one thought process we shouldn’t bar us from extending our creativity and imagination.

For example, look at the success story of Google. Before it, there was Yahoo, Lycos, AltaVista, etc. But how did it become successful? You may ask. It was through people; and small talk. Seriously, I didn’t find out about Google through ads or anything like that. It was through one of you. “You should try Google out. It’s really simple to use.” Right? Right.

Virility—to say it in all in one word. It�s just funny to how this is true with Google’s recent product, Gmail. How did people find out about this? Well, it all started probably when the Google people went to a party and met some people from Blogger and said,

Hey, we’d like to push our new email system out. How about if we invite your (Blogger) members to try it out?

So the idea sparked. Blogger members got the Gmail invites. Then they were sold on eBay for $100-200 the first few days. I think it�s those damn geeks that wanted to reserve their new email address. Pretty much get first pick from the creme of the crop.

Anyways, I am learning a lot from these company sit-downs. It shows: how people react to business; how people react in business; how ideas are made, and how those ideas make other ideas; etc. The list of the things I’ve learned so far has exceeded my expectations in the past three months I’ve been here; and the fact that there is more to come makes it even more exciting and a privilege to work for ’em. That, and to serve those people who protects our freedom—the troops.

From my mind to yours, keep thinking. Keep exploring. Use your imagination. Network yourselves and don�t be scared to fail or fall from those small and/or big ideas. After all, we fall “so we can learn to pick ourselves back up.”