If you have been following along, and no doubt you have (cuz, well you are here, aren’t you). You MUST know it too by now from my past five years of bloggin’ here that “I can haz influence.” Well, yeah, I’ve always known that for most of my life. But, to have it actually now recognized by my on-line peers in Empire Avenue just confirms it. How cool is that shit!? In reality, that is what Empire Avenue is about. I swear, in someways your stock is tied to your actual self-esteem and your share price actually reflects it, and your every mood!
Well. today, I sold out of all my initial IPO of 10,000 shares. W00T!!
Yeah, I started “playing the game“, some 21 days ago, and within just 14 of those I had moved up to the #6 spot on the leader board in share price, and top People Stocks and I have pretty much “lurked there”. To tell you the honest truth, I have seen a great many other new people enter onto the Avenue that deserve my spot much more then I. From causes to bringing environmental awareness (e)BPFAIL, and STOOPID CANCER (e)CANCER, and my personal favorite WORLD PEACE (e)WPEACE.
I totally respect Craig Miller (e)MILLER [ @craigwmiller ] way to much to not surpass him at #5. We’ve never actually met face to face yet, but as he pointed out to me once in a private message.. “It’s a small world!” (and we found out that we have many friends in common). Hence, I have actually never made any real attempt to surpass him in the leader board. I consider him an actual friend, and I think he knows that by now too.
As I said, we’ve never met in person yet.. but social media is just that. Getting people together! We’ll meet soon enough in a social medium… mmm.. beer and wings. I can’t wait!
So, what’s the logical step.. to “continue playing the game“. Well, the gamers move would be to sell off all of those that I invested, and profit at their expense. Yeah, take all my Shareholder’s loot… bamboozle them.. and “Driiiink up their milkshakes!!” of any dividend profit. Thus further my means, and influence. Yes, I could offer up another 12,500 shares today at a cost of 30,000 eaves… but will I?
NO! That has never been my game plan from the very get go from signing up. You see, I set some personal “checkpoints” when I entered this “game”.
First, I confirmed the obvious to me, that I have real influence. Actually, I will let you in on a little secret, we all have “real influence”. However, I took the “bull by the horns” and organized the first social gathering of these on-line folks from this game.. whom are now asking me daily when the next one is to be held (announcement soon, I promise).
Second, I networked with some of the “real die-hard players” of this game on-line, many whom started in at the ground floor to get a feel of the history of it, and have met them face to face. Even if some of those meetings were in private Skype calls (they know whom they are). 
Third, I networked with the “actual makers of this game” some of whom I have called close personal friends over the past 20 years (e)BGRIER whom got me sucked into his “little, but growing daily” on-line world here.
Fourth, I really DO want to see Empire Avenue succeed in what it was designed for. To bring social media streams together in a common place, engage you, and have you engage others. This is what the “Avenue Atmosphere” is all about. Bringing folks together!
So, now.. my Uber Plan from here. I know you all are dying to hear it!?
Yes, I will share that with you here now publicly. I have spoken about in private with a number of players and stakeholders.
Kevin Umbach (e)KU (also long time buddy) and I, are partnering up to work on an iPhone application to work with Empire Avenue for release (hopefully) ready when it comes out of BETA, sometime this summer (or, so the word on the Avenue is).
Ever since Mashable published this story about Empire Avenue, I have seen MANY, and I mean MANY Twitter requests made.. asking, if and when an iPhone application would be made for Empire Avenue.
Well, if you search my blog, you’ll note I have had a keen interest in getting into iPhone development. I think the first application begs to be.. Empire Avenue for the iPhone. I encourage others also (rather (e)DUPS) to develop for this platform as well. You can read more about the Empire Avenue API here as well. (Rumored to be updated in a couple of weeks, now that Cork is out).
Yeah, Last weekend, I kludged together an app called “eTrader” to buy one share of everyone on the market. To whit, all I have to say is.. “Ask around people know me on the Avenue!” from the volumes it was pumping out. Well, I still do intend to own one share of everyone in the game, that is my end-game goal. However, I will do it on mainly weekends when your share price is down.. and I won’t run 50 buys in a row. Rather, they’ll be staggered and in smaller batches so as not to impact your headlines.
Yeah, that made quite a splash apparently. Why they call it BETA? =)
Anyways, I am now invested in over 993 people on the avenue. In total, as of this writing, there are 3264 people. That number grew from just 2117 people last weekend (before the Mashable article). I plan to PWN a piece of you all one day.
For now, my share price is where it’s at. My investors may FEREL FREE to buy and sell me as they wish.. and scoop me up when shares may become available, because, for the next few months I forsee many long hours hacking in front of X-Code to make some more delicious Kool-Aid for you.
So, let my share price fall where it may.. I says!
World Peace – Out!
(e)LAT
P.S. – A shout out to (e)ADRIEL, on his blog entry ‘#EmpreAve: Building Value – Game Mechanics‘ – yeah, communities, and real social media value are going to have a bigger impact then just ‘playing the game‘ here.
P.P.S. – Shouts out to my closest friends ‘The Scratchley’s’ as they prepare to nest tomorrow. My buddy is building an army of fishing buddies! Keep it up!
