This Saturday, Techcrunch will be bringing the Disrupt hackathon back to the Big Apple. With over 500 hackers likely to attend, this proves to be one of the biggest hacking events in New York. But as a participant, what should you expect? And as a tech industry observer, why should you be paying attention?

As a Disrupt hackathon veteran, let me help explain what these are all about.

Deciding What to Hack
Choosing what to work on is more an art form then a science. Some people wait until they get there to make a decision. Some teams are formed the day of the event, and may toss around concepts for hours before they get to work. Others know exactly what they want to build and hit the ground running right away.

Then there are attendees who have plans to use the hackathon as a platform to launch their startups, having really built and tested their product well beforehand. In fact, during the first NYC hackathon, one Sunday morning presenter announced he had a whole pitch book with revenue projections available for review. Don’t be part of this last group. It’s lame, it’s obvious, and it doesn’t really fit into the spirit of the hackathon.

Our team usually enters with a pretty clear vision of what we want to build in our heads. We may have a name in mind, and have usually tinkered with some APIs beforehand, but every bit of design and coding happens that day. Starting from scratch is part of the fun.

One practical note – for certain APIs or services, you might need to register for access in advance. For example, when we built Flymodo for our first Disrupt hackathon, applying and getting approval for access to a flight stats API took 2 days. If we hadn’t researched that in advance, our project wouldn’t have been possible.

Not for Sissies
Hacking begins on Saturday, May 21, at 2pm ET. Things come to a halt the next morning at 10am. That’s 20 hours straight of discussions, decision-making, and actual coding. Exhausting is an understatement. But that’s what makes it exciting. The constraint of working under such a tight deadline makes everything take a backseat to actually launching.

Not sure what to build? Just pick something, anything, that you think would be cool (don’t worry about business models). Stuck on a certain feature? Throw it overboard. Communication problems within your team? Get over it. There is no time for anything but being productive.

Sharing Your Hack
After working all night, what could be better than presenting in front of a group? Be warned: this is about as tough as a presentation can be. You have just 90 60 seconds to demo a product that you aren’t sure will work to hundreds of smart people (even more on the webcast!), all after being awake for about 36 hours. Take some advice we learned the hard way: start thinking about your presentation hours before you go on. If you try and get your thoughts together at the last minute, you’ll crash and burn.

And keep it brief. The judges are serious about the 90-second time limit. Try and go over by even a few seconds, and you’ll be thrown off stage like you’re playing the Apollo.

Why Everyone Should Be Paying Attention
Even if you’re not attending the hackathon, you should still keep an eye on who participates and what they build. There are great ideas and even greater minds involved with this event. When Group.me (then called Groop.ly) presented, they were met with a nice but mild reception from the crowd. They later went on to raise $10 million dollars. There are projects with huge potential presented on Sunday morning and the savvy observer can find some amazing opportunities.

There is also no greater truth in the startup world than “good people are hard to find.” The people that participant in the hackathon are bright, capable, and willing to put their talent to the test. They’re not just a bunch of talkers, they’re producers. Best of all, since there is no prize money attached the Disrupt hackathon, many participate for no other reason than a love of the game. Aren’t those exactly the kinds of people you want to fund or hire?

All Eyes on Sunday
Sunday morning, starting at 11am ET, the presentations of each team’s hacks will begin. Some will be amazing, and some won’t. And who knows if there will be another breakout star just waiting to be discovered.

Either way, it’ll be a great chance to see a group of people who are really good at what they do, doing exactly what they’re good at: hacking.

For example, look at Powerpoint. Much has been written about what is wrong with your average Powerpoint presentation, but we all already know the common problems. They have too much text, are visually boring, and serve more as speaker notes than as an actual enhancement to the presentation being given.

But think about what a user is given when they create a new presentation. The “easy-to-use” template reinforces the standard header across the top, bullets underneath model. Is it any wonder that most finished presentations adhere to that format?

Or look at how getting off on the wrong foot affects online security. While at our computers, we are constantly being asked to create and enter passwords. Is it any wonder that many passwords are not secure? “Words” are easy to guess. If you were asked to create a passphrase, resulting in more unique word combinations, our accounts would be much more secure. Is it possible that one of the biggest problems with online security is simply the use of the word “password?”

Whether you are designing a product, writing a manual, or even running a retail store, analyze the first moments of any user’s experience and think of ways to improve. When you start off on the wrong foot, it can be extremely difficult to fix things later.

“If only I knew {something}.”

Within the world of web start-ups, this is often programming. “If only I knew how to actually code, I could launch my business.” But it applies to other things as well. I have met people who have an idea, but decide the best way to start is by learning how to write a proper business plan. Or people who want to be a professional blogger or author who read about writing instead of, y’know, actually writing.

Skills Help, But Only to a Point
I’m not saying that learning a certain skill won’t make something easier. If you want to build a website, it’s a big help if you can build it yourself. But too often people push aside good ideas for the pursuit of learning something they’re convinced is required for success, instead of finding a way to work with the tools already at their disposal.

The focus on “learning” before doing can become it’s own endless pursuit, never leading to the perfect moment where you feel you now know what you need in order to succeed. There will always be another blog to visit or book to read to “know enough.”

Does this sound familiar?
You read a book on productivity instead of being productive. You watch a show on organizing your closets without touching your messy closet. You spend time researching the best running shoe to buy before you ever step outside for a jog.

We’ve all done this. And it’s tempting, because learning about something often gives you the illusion of progress, making you feel you are closer to your goal, even though it can become just another roadblock.

You’re Smart Enough
It’s important to continue learning, and in the pursuit of any idea, you’re going to learn more and acquire more skills than you would have ever imagined. But stop looking at learning something new as a prerequisite that needs to be done before you work on the thing you really want to do. Start thinking about the strengths you already have and how they can be leveraged to achieve your goal.

Here’s a secret: you’re smart enough to do it now. So stop focusing on just learning how to do something, and try doing it instead.

In a nutshell, App Inventor lets anyone assemble a mobile app by connecting a bunch of “blocks” of code. Apparently Google has been testing this new tool with students in different schools over the last year. The goal is to make mobile development as accessible as possible.

The Dark Side of WYSIWYG
One of the great things about the Internet has been that (in theory) anyone can participate and build websites through the use of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) tools. But that has come with a price. The web is full of poorly-designed, poorly-constructed websites. Worse still is that there exists a belief among many people that everyone can design and build websites and that it “isn’t that hard” (anyone who has worked with clients will attest to this). This has led not only to a sea of mediocrity across the web, but also a perception problem regarding the skill and value of web designers and developers.

The New Microsoft Frontpage?
What will the Google App Inventor likely lead to? A whole slew of Android apps ranging in quality from decent to god-awful. I would be shocked to see many useful apps come from this tool. Building great products is about more than just having the tools to do it. Giving anyone the ability to produce these applications with a WYSIWYG platform will mostly lead to horrible results, much like Microsoft Frontpage lead to mostly horrible websites.

The Silver Lining
The upside here is that it will lead to increased interest in mobile development. Users will start to tinker with App Inventor before deciding to learn how to actually develop these types of applications, much like Frontpage and Dreamweaver introduced many of us to web development, enticing us to continue on and improve our skills. This promises to take mobile development out of the hands of a few and grow a much larger talent base.

Whenever you lower the barrier of entry to a platform, it usually floods the market with a lot of garbage. But it also provides an opportunity for true talent to rise above the rest. So I don’t expect great things from Google App Inventor, but I do expect to see great things from the people who got their start with it.

The techniques used in video games can teach us lessons for all kinds of product experiences. Whether you’re explaining to users how your web app works or showing a user how to set up their smart phone for the first time, video games can help illustrate how to find the balance between instruction and entertainment.

Below are a few lessons that video games can share about creating great product experiences:

Don’t Expect People to Read the Instructions.

Many games include a tutorial at the very beginning to give users a hands-on lesson on how the game and controls works. The image above is from Call of Duty, showing the training course that serves as the first level. Simulating the actual gameplay in a structured environment gives users a chance to test things out.

Walking users through their first experience with your product will give them an opportunity to learn how to do something without any concerns about making a mistake or accidentally deleting something.

Take Advantage of Downtime

Most modern video games use load screens when first starting up or in between levels. It’s common to see tips or tricks included on these screens, so that users aren’t just staring at a dead screen. The image above (also from Call of Duty) shows how each load screen has an “Intel” area where game tips are shown.

With many products, there is going to be some inevitable downtime. It may be when a user is waiting for an email confirmation to show up in their inbox. Or as a travel site completes a search, or a device is being configured for the first time, or a piece of software is installing. Take advantage of that time to educate a user about a feature or tip that may not know about. By sprinkling this kind of information throughout the product experience, you will work towards building smarter and savvier users.

Build a Great Default Experience. Then Allow Users to Change It.

When game designers create a game, a lot of thought is put into how the controls should be setup. When a user first picks up the controller, the interaction should be intuitive, responsive and enjoyable. So nailing the default setup is crucial.

But there are always users who want to have specific preferences. Maybe they are used to a layout from a different game and want to configure this game to work in a similar way. Not allowing for this type of customization can lead to annoyance and frustration.

Most users won’t change initial preferences, so focusing on building a good default experience is a must. But allowing power users to go in and edit the experience to their liking is an important part of building loyal fans.

Saving Progress Should Be Easy.

I still remember playing the original Super Mario Brothers. Three lives, no way to save. You basically had to play it all the way through in one sitting. It was maddening (though oddly intoxicating for an 11 year old).

Most games today employ Checkpoints. As you’re playing, you’ll hit a checkpoint and your game is automatically saved to that point. Having your work saved without requiring a user to manually take an action is a good idea for obvious reasons: we’ve all seen hours of work lost when something happens to our computer before we saved it.

The less responsibility that a product places on a user for having to do certain tasks or follow certain practices, the better. One example of this is a shopping cart on an e-commerce site. If a user has added something to their cart, it should be there the next time they come back, regardless of whether or not the last transaction was completed (or even if they have an account with that site).

(Note: as I write this post, I see a Draft copy being automatically saved every so often in the toolbar. Nice work WordPress!)

Video Games Are Nothing But an Extended Product Experience.

A video game is judged solely on the experience it provides a user with. By adopting some of the best practices used by video game designers, businesses can ensure customers find their products both entertaining and easy to use.

On Day Two, a company named art.sy presented their plan to change the way people discover fine art online. One of the judges they presented to was Jason Calacanis, CEO and Founder of Mahalo, a user-powered search engine. During their product demo, art.sy had a problem connecting to their site over the network and they stumbled over showing a key piece of their product.

When the judges shared their feedback, Jason Calacanis has this exchange with art.sy founder Carter Cleveland:

Calacanis: “What you have to do when you do these presentations is you have to channel Steve Jobs. And after he shows you something, he’s like, “Oh, and one more thing, let me show you something…insane.”

Cleveland: “That’s exactly what we did when the internet just like…when the search page stopped working.”

Calacanis: “That’s no excuse. You could have had this demo in tabs and as a screencast and you should have had that as a backup. That’s your f*ckup. You’ve got to be ready for the Internet to get screwed up. You’re at an Internet conference! You have to do better. You should have had it canned so you can switch immediately.”

And for anyone following Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today, you probably know that Steve Jobs had his own network connection problems during his presentation of the new iPhone. As Jobs floundered around, trying to get the wi-fi to cooperate, he seemed to have no backup plan, finally giving up and jumping over to a lame comparison of photo quality in the new version of iPhone (video embedded below).

It was odd to see the usually polished Jobs make such an amateur mistake during a product demonstration. But it further proves the importance of Calacanis’ comments.

There are no excuses for a bad presentation.

Creating a backup plan is a crucial part of being a great speaker. So when you get up in front of a group of people, make sure you’re ready for anything.

All of this is happening in the wake of the Tiger Woods debacle, which happened to include an incriminating voicemail Tiger had left on his mistresses’ phone.

(A piece of advice: If you’re golfing legend Tiger Woods and you need to ask someone to change a voicemail message so your wife doesn’t find out about your affair, don’t leave that request in a voicemail. And definitely don’t start the message with “It’s me, Tiger.”)

Here are two different examples of wealthy, famous individuals who both have a lot to lose from the public knowing about their affairs. And what did they both do?

They handed someone they couldn’t trust a lever.

What’s a lever?
A lever “will lift, pry, or force an object to respond through the proper distribution of pressure,” according to the book, Games Criminals Play by Bud Allen and Diana Bosta. In the book, the authors outline how criminals manipulate people. For example, inmates create a setup against a corrections officer in order to gain leverage over that individual. It usually has to do with getting them to bend the rules slightly, like by sharing a cigarette with the inmate (which is against the rules within prison). They then threaten to report the guard for the infraction unless some other favor is done for the inmate. The situation can continue to escalate, leading to serious crimes like having the guard smuggle drugs or weapons into the prison.

If you’ve ever read a news story about a prison guard risking their job and their family by doing something serious like this and wondered why they would do it, this book outlines the process the probably led up to it.

Not Just For Corrections Officers
I’m assuming not too many readers of this blog work in a prison. But I share this book because I consider it recommended reading for everyone. It outlines some basic principles of human behavior and psychology, describing a sequence of events that can lead to people being manipulated and doing things they would have never imagined. And it usually starts by handing someone a “lever” that can be used against them.

And it’s not just celebrities that make these mistakes.

Obviously, whenever someone cheats on their partner, they are handing a great deal of power to the individual they cheat with. But it applies on a smaller level too. When you tell a co-worker you weren’t really sick when you called in the other day, you handed them a lever. When you engage in gossip about someone, you hand a lever to the person you’re sharing with. Most of the time the lever is never used. But by continually handing them out, you’re increasing the chances that it will be.

Don’t be manipulated.
Games Criminals Play describes various setups and how they are used to influence people’s behavior. A lot of colorful language is also used to describe the process, like lever, ducks, stings, and protectors (I won’t spoil it by explaining what each one means). There are also a few entertaining case studies that describe actual events and situations. It’s a great book and has a lot to share about making sure you aren’t being manipulated.

So the next time someone mentions the great work you’re doing and how it’s obvious your boss doesn’t appreciate you, ask yourself: Are they just looking for a lever?

Up until now, Seth’s books have been primarily marketing-focused and were written for a business audience. But Linchpin is different. It’s core message is about life, art, and career. While I don’t think the central message is to be followed by everyone, I believe that it should be shared with as large a group as possible.

Seth used a novel promotion strategy for this book and has relied mostly on bloggers and the online world to spread the message. But I think it’s time he makes a visit to the old-media world of television. Specifically, I think he should appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Here’s why:

1. The Linchpin Message is Important
The book does a great job articulating the changes that we have all felt happening around us over the last few years. And it nails the inner struggle we all feel between having ideas and acting on them. I truly believe this book has the power to change people’s lives by shifting the way they view their career. Every working stiff who is unhappy with the 9-to-5 should hear what he has to say. And many of them have (sadly) never heard of Seth Godin. Yet.

2. The Daily Show Audience is Well-Suited for the Linchpin Message
Every night, nearly two million viewers tune-in to The Daily Show. They tend to be younger and more educated than most news program audiences. And according to a recent Yale study, they are fairly liberal and hold relatively progressive viewpoints. The call-to-arms outlined in Linchpin would resonate with such an audience, who would also be well-positioned to actually make these types of changes to their career (and lives).

3. The Interview Would be Entertaining
Both Godin and Stewart are extremely well-informed and quick on their feet. Seeing an exchange between the two of them would be great television. And I think Jon Stewart would be a big supporter of what Seth is advocating.

4. It Would Be Remarkable
An appearance by Seth Godin on The Daily Show would definitely qualify as a Purple Cow. Seth rarely, if ever, makes these types of mainstream appearances and I suspect there is a sizable overlap between the two audiences. It would also set the online world on fire, and would be mentioned on countless blogs and tweets.

Think this is a great idea? Then sign the petition. Let Seth Godin know he should continue to spread the word!

On February 1, 1960, these young black men walked into a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, and took seats at the whites-only lunch counter. Denied service, they refused to budge and left only when the store closed at the end of the day. The next day they were back with 27 more students. Within four days, 300. And soon, 1000.

Similar sit-ins starting popping up throughout the state, then all over the South. It spread from lunch counters to buses and parks and other public places. The media started to write about it. Government officials took notice. Combined with the brave actions of others in the Civil Rights Movement, momentum continued to build. Within four years, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially put an end to segregation in public places.

One of the men, Franklin McCain, recalled:

“Fifteen seconds after … I had the most wonderful feeling. I had a feeling of liberation, restored manhood. I had a natural high. And I truly felt almost invincible. Mind you, [I was] just sitting on a dumb stool and not having asked for service yet,” McCain says.

Source: npr.org

Coming up with the idea of a sit-in wasn’t brave. Actually doing it was.

When the status quo is challenged, not just with ideas but with action, great things can happen.

“We’ll sit outside.”
This past Friday I had lunch with some friends to catch up and chat about business. We went to a restaurant in midtown Manhattan during peak lunch hours and, unsurprisingly, there was a long wait for a table inside. This particular restaurant has a large outdoor deck, but considering it was mid-October and there was a bit of a chill in the air, no one had opted to sit outside.

When the hostess told us about the wait, we asked if they could turn on the heat lamps on the deck, and if so, we would be happy to sit outside rather than wait. They agreed and as we sat down, we joked to the waitress that we would draw a crowd out on the deck.

Sure enough, by the time we were done with our meal, there were no less than 10 tables full of customers on the deck, comfortably enjoying an autumn day in New York under the heat lamps.

The Reason I’m Sharing This
What’s the point of this story? Though it’s a trivial experience, it illustrates a larger principle: there is a power in being the first to do something. Most people don’t even consider a particular path unless they know someone else chose to take it first.

As I speak with clients or aspiring entrepreneurs, it is disappointing how often I hear something to the effect of, “If this was a good idea, someone would be doing it already.” All the good ideas are definitely NOT taken. Some haven’t been thought of yet, but others have been thought of, only to languish and eventually die just because someone wasn’t willing to be first.

There are countless opportunities out there that exist simply because no one is willing to be first. If you have no problem blazing a new trail, then be the first to sit outside. You might just draw a crowd.