Sunday Conversation With Dino Dogan Discussing Triberr & Life

Dino Dogan is the co founder of Triberr. He is a blogger on DIY Blogger Net where he talks about the creative side of marketing and technology. He is a great person to follow and engage with.

How did you start out online?

When I was in 7th grade my school got a computer lab. Around the same time my classmate got a computer, it was the first computer in the neighborhood. Between the two, I got a pretty solid exposure to early computer technologies. 

Then Windows 95 came out and it was all the rage, however, I didnt get really into it until a friend of mine showed me Mortal Combat (the game). We spend 3 days playing that game, non-stop. We took bathroom breaks and we might of even slept a little those 3 days. But mostly we played Mortal Combat

Straight after college I got a job as a Network Administrator and few years later I was a full fledged Network Engineer. This was in the late 90s when anyone could have gotten a job working with computers.  If you knew what a mouse was, you were in.

Starting in 99’, I’ve spent 7 years teaching Internet Technologies to other computer geeks (Ethical Hacking, Cyber Security, Routing/Switching, etc)

Few years ago I started working on my thesis “in public” -so to speak- via my dog blog, on Human/Dog cohabitation; and simultaneously I was involved in content development for 2WheelTips, which is essentially a Facebook for motorcyclists with a heavy educational slant.

Because of my expertise in community building, marketing and content development, I transitioned my consulting practice from Network Engineering to Social Media and started a blog that bridges the Technology, Creativity and Marketing gap.

This then led to the creation of Triberr.

 

What made you think of creating Triberr?

The inequity of the blogosphere forced me to create Triberr.

I’ve noticed that superstar bloggers who got into the Social Media space early on, were producing mediocre content and garnering a huge percentage of the attention.

As they say, rising tides raise all boats. As the Social Media space became more popular, so did the bloggers who started early.

Meanwhile, I kept encountering amazing new bloggers who were producing awesome content and no one was reading it.

The rules of the game are different for these two groups. Attention enables superstar bloggers to get book deals, speaking engagements, build products, etc. all on the backs of small-time bloggers hoping to accomplish the same.

These superstar bloggers are not doing anything to help small-time bloggers, except to “teach” them techniques that work once you have people’s attention.

So, Triberr is the great attention equalizer. It enables small and medium sized bloggers to band together and tap into each other’s audience.

What are three accomplishments that you’re proud of this year and why?

Triberr is the first one, for sure. We’ve managed to build an amazing community of bloggers. To see that community thrive the way it does in a very short time is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

The second accomplishment was the ability to have a 100% location independent lifestyle. Which enables me to spend part of the year in New Jersey and another part of the year in Tucson, AZ.

Third accomplishment is the fact that I have traversed the US several times this year. From the east coast to west and back again. Partly for pleasure and partly for speaking engagements. I’ve visited Montreal, Canada for the first time, as well.

Have you decided yet what you want to focus on for next year?

My focus is to grow Triberr. It’s what I dream about, quite literally. Just last night I had a dream about a feature that Dan Cristo and I are developing today.

How have you monetized Triberr?

One of the things I am extremely proud of is the fact that we’ve monetized Triberr within the first month of its existence.

We sell virtual currency called Bones to enable members to grow their tribes, get extra juice out of their tribesmates, perform second-round of retweets, etc. The currency acts as a protection against abuse since any second-round of retweets (for example) will require Bones which then go to your tribesmates who have opted to retweet your stuff for the second time. .

The economy of Triberr is very intricate and fair. If you perform a deed above and beyond what’s expected on basis of reciprocity alone, you get awarded Bones for it.

What’s the next stage for Triberr? 

We have so many ideas on how to help bloggers get their message out there.

Adding additional platforms (we already have twitter, facebook, G+, LinkedIn and StumbleUpon) is one obvious direction. These give our members the traffic and the audience every bloggers wants.

In the next stage, we will give bloggers the other thing bloggers care about the most. The community.

We are working on a Comment Tribes feature which will enable tribesmates to comment within the Tribal Stream and have those comments reflected on the blog, and vice versa.

We will also apply certain reward structures within the comment system that encourage bloggers to comment and make commenting more fun.

What is some advice you would give to a internet entrepreneur that is just starting out?

Talk is cheap, motherfucker. Do something.

Do something original. Competition is fierce. Being a “Founder” of a blog is meaningless. And don’t do it to make money, do it because it needs to be done.

Do it because it’s the right thing to do. Your life doesn’t have to be about you. Name any great person through out history and I’ll show you someone who has made their life about someone or something else.

But most importantly, do something.

Who’s someone that inspires you to want to do better? And why that person?

My Triberr co-founder Dan Cristo. He epitomizes a doer. It’s fair to say that Triberr wouldn’t exist without him.

My better half, Evelyn. She is kindness personified.