Loïc Le Meur blog

A beer club launched on Seesmic !

Jim started a beer Club! We're doing a daily "best-of" of conversations in Seesmic, the seesmix you can watch on YouTube or subscribe in itunes (search Seesmix in itunes).

Seesmic day 41: why Seesmic is not open yet

Cover page of Challenges for LeWeb3 wew !

Challenges weekly business magazine, the equivalent of Business Week in France gave me their cover page for this weeks edition about the network of connectors joining LeWeb3 on dec 11/12. Could not help but blog it, sorry for my ego it's not every day a cover page like this !

Seesmic day 40: the long tail raccoon !

Seesmic day 39: Howard Lindzon

Vote for our Seesmic logo !

My business partner vinvin has organized a vote for the three logo finalists on our contest. He forgot to write the entries in english but it is quite straightforward if you want to vode for #1 check the first option, #2 second etc. Thanks in advance for your help deciding ! They are not totally finalized yet but the idea is there.

Quel logo choisiriez-vous ?
Celui avec les guillemets
Celui avec les ondes radio
Celui avec le raton laveur
Current results

Seesmic day 38: meet Johann the CTO who never sleeps

Where can I find good oysters in San Francisco ?

original photo by Jef Poskanzer because you can't shoot this outside France and I am not there anymore :)

There are finally very few things I miss from France since I moved to San Francisco. One is the dairy desserts such as Danette, good yogurts and Maronsuiss if you have tried these in France you probably know what I mean.

But most importantly, the oysters. I am a fan and I used to have oysters once to twice a week during the season (september to april) in France, it looked like the above picture. See the oysters from Marenne d'Oleron, the Fines de Claires, Speciales, sometimes with their touching green color (on the right here) or Bretonnes with their iode taste.

I miss them. I mean I miss them terribly here. I just had some here again today and have tried about five different places, they are generally very small and generally not tasty at all. Friends told me that in many restaurants, they actually "wash" them, they take the sea water out, which obviously is a total catastrophy. I had even seen microwaved oysters in Florida a few years ago "because it was compulsory".

So @alexdeve on Twitter tells me: "have u tried oyster swan depot or hog island oyster in san francisco? also have other suggestions for good oysters". I will definitely try these as I am desperate to find the same as we have in France, unsure about that...

Where should I go to find good oysters and could you teach me about the different types we can find in the US ? Thanks in advance !

update: Karen says in Facebook that "1. Hog Island Oyster bar. located in the Ferry Building they are not a full service restaurant. they serve oysters and a few specials - including a very good clam chowder and one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever. they have good wine and a view of the bay. i highly recommend the sweetwater oysters but ask your server to recommend some based on your preferences, like size and sweetness.

2. Swan Oyster Depot is a little hole in the wall on Polk Street. The place is tiny and you'll have to wait (this is true for Hog Island as well) but the seafood is worth it."

Live on JonnyGoldstein show on wednesday @6pm PST 9pm EST 18:00 Paris

I will be live with my friend Jim Long at NBC on JonnyGolstein's show this wednesday @6pm PST 9pm EST 18:00 Paris, a good occasion for me to try operator11.

French photographer Benjamin Roccas shoots me

Thanks, Benjamin for these shots ten days ago in Paris.

Copyright ©Benjamin Boccas

and the making-of:

Should Seesmic join the Google Open Social bandwagon ?

A good conversation started on Seesmic yesterday I thought it would be interesting to edit all the seesmic users contributions together, here it is.

Seesmic day 37 - Veronica Belmont special

Robert, our reputations (if any) are ruined

Thanks, Michael for the picture ! Robert, who will want to work with us after this ?

400 logos on the Seesmic contest !!! Now you can vote

This is just crazy, we had more than 400 logos submitted to our seesmic logo contest at wilogo. This is the highest number of logos ever submitted for a brand. Wew thanks all the creatives, Wilogo and Ouriel for hinting us to use Wilogo.

Now you can start voting on what should be the Seesmic logo ! Thanks.

Daveurl

Hey Dave thanks for your visit yesterday, and your interview on Seesmic, look, we followed your advise and now have our seesurls :)

example http://seesmic.com/QZ1Y7R6h9Q

Seesmic day 36 - trying the blue screen and new server !

Seesmic day 35: what Seesmic users want

What half-marathon should I run ?

The best way to push myself losing the 11 pounds or 5 kgs I have to lose is to set a target for a half marathon. JY sent me the US marathon list but I feel like a half marathon to start, maybe followed by the Napa Valley Marathon in March ? Or the Silicon Valley Marathon next year ? Any advise ?

Also, if there is anybody who runs in the Golden Gate park, would love to find a training buddy, it's always good to train with friends.

Seesmic day 34: inside Seesmic

Seesmic day 33 - vinvin coaching me

Seesmic day 32

#3 on the top 100 entrepreneurs podcast

wew thanks !

Seesmic day 31 logo contest

Seesmic day 30 Anniversary special

Back from the Monaco Media Forum

Great seeing you all there (and the friends not on the picture... !)

My Seesmic presentation at the Monaco Media Forum

Thanks all so much for your contributions, I showed many on stage at the Monaco Media Forum.

France is back !

I have probably spent the most exciting 48 hours in my life. It starts with a phone call from President Sarkozy's office last week as I was home having my breakfast in San Francisco. "President Sarkozy would like your presence during his visit to the White House and the Congress of the United States". Sit down and relax. Your brain starts suddenly working differently and in a fraction of a second, after having analyzed this was nor a joke neither a dream, you say yes without even thinking about it. This feeling is just impossible to describe, feeling honored and friendship at the same time.

The team of the Elysee, our White House, starts working. And when you have not touched politics at that level from the inside, which was my case only a year ago, you have what we call a "cliche" in France, a mind representation that for some reason public service does not work as hard as business. Everything I have seen for now almost a year around Nicolas Sarkozy has been the opposite. People kill themselves to help him, France, and aldo to help you if they also consider you help the cause. They word day and night and many of President Sarkozy's team have impressed me by their efficiency their commitment and dedication. Most of them would succeed in a fantastic way in business, it was just not their choice or their destiny. I am thinking about the campaign of course. I am thinking about the campaign and how a huge team of both supporters and team members coordinate nationwide. I am thinking of the closest advisors of President Sarkozy that I have seen work and I learnt so much from them. The knowledge of these people of the World history and France is above anything I could imagine. The smallest detail is dealt with like swiss horlogerie, the security service for example.

At the beginning of my involvement to help Nicolas Sarkozy, I did not know anybody around him and did not know him either, I just felt he was the best choice for France. You know those feelings you immediately have about somebody you have not ever met. I learnt to know first his team and more and more the President himself. Nicolas Sarkozy impresses me more and more as I get to know him.

During his speech at the Congress, President Sarkozy made history. It was mindblowing. It starts by the Congress room packed to the very last seat and as the President enters the room the entire Congress stands up and people do not stop claping their hands for 3 to 5 minutes. I regret I was not allowed to take any picture or video because I do not having been impressed that much by a room. We could feel the US power in the room. I could not help thinking that a large part of the future of the World was decided in this room. My own feelings are extremely difficult to describe. I was proud. Immensely proud. Proud to be French. Feeling that France was back again embodied by our President. I was actually feeling that he was not our President but my President. I remember too much these freedom fries jokes and the americans describing France as a good place to have dinner only. Joking on how ridiculously inefficient we are with our strikes and our 35-hours a week law. I love America. Most of my friends have Americans, but each joke about the freedom fries makes you feel bad. Today we are definitely back. Each time the President wants to start his speech they clap even more. Finally President Sarkozy starts his speech and I could not count how many standing ovations and speech interruptions he went through as the entire room stood up and applauded again, I would say about twenty times.

President Sarkozy reminded ourselves the long term friendship between the French and the American people. Lafayette and Washington. President Sarkozy started explaining what he liked or we, French, admired about the US. Presdient Sarkozy refreshed our memories that the US in 1944 came to free us and then the Marshall Plan helped us rebuild Europe, what would we be today without the US involvement. But the most touching par for me was that President Sarkozy dared to say what is generally unacceptable in public opinion in France, that the US has been and still is a model in so many aspects. In its way to have people used not to expect anything from their Nation but used to create and only expecting that the US will give them an environment making success possible. An environment where everybody understands that nothing comes for free and it is the entrepreneurship, risk taking and efforts that gets someone to succeed. I believe so much in this point. I think the French have been to used being assisted by the State in anyway possible that they forgot to take risk. September 11th has been a key part of the speech, "We were all Americans" that day.

President Sarkozy then talked, obviously, about Irak. Talking about friendship and describing what was friendship for him. A friend is someone that you sometimes disagree but who will always be supporting you in case you need him. This foundation of friendship is more important than the fact you can sometimes disagree about something. Like war in Irak. President Sarkozy said France would always be behind America, remembering again the American soldiers who died to free us in 1944.

You will understand easily I did not blog too much this ride because I was there in the official delegation as a friend of the President. I was not there as press to report or do buzz around him. Actually I could have chosen not to share anything on my blog as each time I talk about politics of course many people who do not see the World the same way as I do start reacting, some start insulting too. It is risky for my business to share this trip but I still decided to do so. If I had blogged too much I would have been misbehaving and also misrepresenting us in a way.... What would everybody think of someone whose only goal is to video tape everything ? More important, very often I was with the closest team members of the President, sometimes with him. Respect starts by not sharing confidential conversations or more important, breaking trust.

Trust is again, the most important. Each time I have been close to the President and his team without any press or unknown people around us, another type of dialog started. The conversation you can only get when you are a friend. You know, the one you have with your family or your closest friends. This one is not made to be shared. So I won't share that part. I won't share the comments I heard in the official cars as we were going from one meeting to another. Like the debrief from the President and the team. The comments about the way the meeting went between President Bush and President Sarkozy. Everything I heard is hugely positive and full of hope. Again, it makes me feel proud to be French. I have been waiting for this tipping point of hope that France would wake up for a long time and this is why I supported him so strongly. I enjoyed like a juicy fruit the moments I saw the President talking to me as a friend. Those moments cannot be shared.

Entering the White House as a friend of the French President is weird. Having President Bush and Laura Bush welcoming you themselves, one guest at a time, taking the time for a short conversation is difficult to describe again as it was so intense. A picture is the only thing I have to share, that I can't help but posting again. Thank you for all your questions suggestions, I actually took my friend Dave Winer' advise about this "there is nothing you can do anyway, so just enjoy and relax".

Why should all the French be proud of their President and happy that this trip meant so much in the history of the two Countries ? Lots to say but here are two immediate effects I see. Business in France and restored trust backed by deep reforms in France means that US companies will tend to start investing more again in France. I personally thanked Eric Schmidt of Google for taking the time to meet my President and meet him. Google will likely invest more in France, they are already big in France but I bet they will invest more. Remember what Jacques Chirac's approach was: trying to build a stupid search engine, Quaero, dead as I announced years ago. Trying to give lessons to Google by not letting them digitize the french libraries was the best way for French culture not to keep its rank in the World. This is all over. If there is more Google in France, there will be more innovation and more startups. This is an obvious example.

Let's now take the effects in the US of the two Countries getting on like friends. Easy. The French will have an improved business image in the US and therefore probably grow there faster. Having myself moved to the US and feeling everyday the friendship I have been talking about, I can say that a good image of France as a Country of entrepreneurs and growth, dynamic public sector and a President and Government committed to change what needs to improve helps in an amazing way.

So when I had a TV crew from the large French Channel Canal+ jump on me in between two meetings in an aggressive way that it was probably not good that we have a pro-American President I was disgusted. This is so stupid that I did not even answer much. Criticizing the first ever President since I was born who has the guts to make change and restore trust between the US or get 20 standing ovations at the US Congress is just going against France. The campaign is over these stupid journalists should wake up and stop criticizing themselves and think about building too rather than spending their time criticizing and entertain what's remaining from the France of the past, complaining and asking for more public help all the time, going on strike and asking for always less work. Anyway let's not talk about the negative, it's not interesting. If you ever read me, journalists having this state of mind, I just want to tell you that you are working against yourselves, against all of us French, and should just shut up and ask yourselves what you are doing for your Country having this attitude. Fortunately sometimes you make it fun.

Check the video there is more and if you have questions or comments I will be happy to answer them.

And finally some photos of the trip.

Seesmic the CNN of my friends... a special seesmix

Seesmic day 29 - Visiting President Bush with President Sarkozy

Seesmic day 28

Halley Suitt reviews Seesmic on Don Dodge's blog

Thanks Halley for this Seesmic review for Don Dodge.

Souvenir from the White House

What would you ask or tell President Bush if you had 3 minutes with him ?

That may (or may not) happen to me and I am really wondering. What would you tell or ask President Bush if you were in my shoes ?
update Dave would ask "how do you sleep at night ?"
update: some background
note I will not be behind my screen to moderate the comments...

The official invitation from President Bush at the White House

Breakfast with Washington friends !

Thank you so much Jim for having organized it and everybody for taking the time, let's launch the Washington Seesmic Channel !

What you get before going to the White House

Like in conferences, you get goodies before it starts :)

Seesmix day 25

My partner (Vinvin) alone in the office as I flew to Washington.

Seesmix of the day

All the Seesmix on their channel and below today's seesmix.

Off to the White House to visit President Bush...

French President Sarkozy invited me to visit with him President Bush at the White house.

I know I sound full of myself and I know you may not like Bush (or like him) but I accepted and I will blog and tweet the next 48 hours as much as I can as an amazing opportunity.

If you wonder, here is probably why I got invited. Here is my schedule at the White House in French only for now, sorry. Will share with you everything. Do not blame me for that if you do not like Bush or Sarkozy, I am just trying to be honest and share an amazing trip with you, it is totally okay if you do not like them. I thought a long time if I should blog this or not, but finally decided to.

Vice Champion of North California in Fencing !

Congrats Arthur ! I am a proud father. Funny this "FRA" on his back, the little frenchie starts full speed !

Scoble's social media starfish

Darren Barefoot made a nice Scobleizer starfish, I am happy to see Seesmic on it !

Videos of the day - Seesmic, full VON presentation and Seesmix

Seesmic day 24

my full presentation at the VON conference

Seesmix

Scared

Seesmic day 23 - Video on the Net conference

Catching up on the last two Seesmix, how do you like them ?

How do you like the user generated shows, 24 hours in Seesmic ? I love them.
Seesmix 6

Seesmix 5

Podchronicled

Thanks for a great podcast interview about Seesmic in Boston !

Seesmic Day 22 - Special Halloween