The Blogo’Shawn

Been keeping busy, so much so that I’ll just point to my latest Yahoo Local post - a shortcut I know, but between keeping abreast of all my social networks and events, sometimes I overlook the need to post in my own personal blog!

Local has made great strides since re-launch…our review coverage on businesses has leaped to new heights and the quality and length or reviews has improved dramatically - the revamped UI has been a boon, indeed.

In other news, there are some cool geek-girl events afoot. I am to participate in a Women in Technology panel about leadership at Yahoo on the 28th in 2MC-2 at 2PM…not sure if it’s open to the public, but I mention it to underscore that there are women techies in the company who have decided to band together and inspire each other. Also, a Girl Geek dinner to occur 1/31 at Google - looks like I’ll finally be sampling the fabled cafeteria’s wares.

Have you gotten down and Local lately?

It’s high time!

Well I’m back…have had my head to the ground making fundamental changes. After an extended, listless search, I have landed an apartment in Menlo Park. Yes, I succumbed to the horrors of daily commuting back-and-forth from SF to the South Bay and I have slagged over three hours daily on trains, shuttles, and automobiles. Not worth it at all! I had yearned to get this done sooner but reality was that the rental market is beyond insane at the moment. That I got a decent apartment at a reasonable price exactly where I wanted it is a bit of a coup too, especially since I had to go through Craigslist, which is definitely *not* the channel of choice right now during summertime in a brisk economy when folks are choosing to rent in droves rather than buy. Every showing I went to was mobbed with people. Cue the dot-com flashbacks! Anyway, it’s still sinking in that I don’t need to reflexively hunt like a bird-of-prey anymore. The plan is to make the moving trek no later than the coming Monday. Lots of packing *sigh*. But the shorter commute to work will ultimately be gained. And I may actually regain a social life on week nights - hurrah!

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More exciting news is that I participated in my first internal hack day for the Local LMC division! I had been itching to do this since I first joined Yahoo. Best of all, besides the fulfillment of a great effort made, my team wound up as a finalist…and then we proceeded to win! I am thrilled because it really did take concerted effort to pull together and coordinate. I had a dedicated project to lead in short-order and I had an enjoyable time hammering out the requirements, interaction, and priorities with the two engineers over the course of the hack and finals days. I bestowed the name “NewsDrive” on the hack, and derived the messaging for it. I also had the pleasure of delivering the presentation for finals judging. Compacting the essentials into an effective four-minute presentation certainly took some preparation, but it came off well in the end. I see now how addictive and all-consuming hack days can be, and good thing - they really got my creative juices flowing and I anticipate the next one which isn’t all that far away.

One more thing of note: I attended the Women 2.0 mixer in Atherton at Minti founder Rachel Cook’s abode. It was a fantastic occasion and I have to hand it to Rachel for hosting so soon after moving to live in America! Now that’s dedication to forwarding entrepreneurism. Want to mention that Katherine Barr gave an insightful presentation on negotiation and really got me thinking about it more consciously. Also the founders of Women 2.0 are wonderful as well and I am amazed by how they have forwarded the organization in such short order. I look forward to seeing what’s brewing up for August. I hope there are more events on the Peninsula in relaxed settings such as this last one - so much easier to talk lucidly outside of bar venues where so many professional mixers wind up.

Yesterday a topic flew by on a Yahoo internal list. “Before Yahoo I Never Ever…”
My response was:
Before Yahoo I Never Ever… travelled this far south on the Peninsula and considered re-locating way south of San Francisco.

Essentially, the commute back and forth is whipping my hide, and this is even taking public transportation. I come out of work feeling upbeat and vibrant and then I take a shuttle in stop-and-go traffic down 101 for about 1 hr 15 mins and then walk uphill another 25 minutes and by the time I reach home, I am ready to drop in my tracks from exhaustion. Oh, that is caused in part by waking up at 5:30-6AM in the morning. Over three hours of commuting a day is far more than I could have reasonably contemplated. It’s brutal and it’s sheer madness, I tell you.

I am ready to move to the Peninsula (Menlo Park, Palo Alto) now. I know some of you would have me believe I will be forlorn should I do so, but I don’t think so. No, I will regain my boundless energy and ability to arise at a sane hour. Any tips as to hip and happening (don’t laugh) apartment complexes down South?

I am very pleased to announce that I have accepted a job as a Sr. Product Manager for Yahoo! Local where I will be working to grow and enhance community. The job is a great fit for my interests and background and the notion of working for Yahoo has actually appealed to me for awhile now and, especially, ever since the most splendidly orchestrated Yahoo Hack Day last fall. I join a solid team of engaging people who will be wonderful collaborators and I look forward to what lies ahead!