While in Silicon Valley last week, I dropped in on one Jeff Clavier, a boutique venture capitalist who helps small companies get off the ground. We talked about what VCs look for in a prospective investment. He mentioned that a good investment should be a company that pandered to one of the seven deadly sins. (Being a Frenchman, whose name translates to 'keyboard', he probably didn't say 'pandered'.)
But then we were stuck, because neither of us could remember more than a few of the seven sins. The point was well made though, because products (or, in your case, services) which address a deadly sin are more likely to succeed than those which address the seven heavenly virtues.
The seven deadly sins are greed, envy, sloth, pride, wrath, gluttony and lust.
The seven heavenly virtues are faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance and prudence.
In today's obsession with corporate greasy-pole climbing and 'Return on Investment', I wonder how many information professionals stop to consider which of the sins or virtues their products and services are designed to achieve?
I'd like to think we're all on the side of virtue, but I suspect that Clavier's right. We're more likely to be helping users address their baser urges.
That's a fascinating observation as it probably also applies to newspaper columns (celebrity news in particular). I think people know more about the aberrations of the celebrity loonies than they are aware of political structures and financial events. And for that matter, it applies to websites especially social sites. But I wonder if short term success is leading us down the path into long term lives without virtue.
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