Buzznet Reviews

Pros

Buzznet is one of the few companies that can execute celebrity and pop culture awareness. It has some good ideas about how to surface good content that revolves around celebrities, music and pop culture.

Cons

Buzznet has a hard time executing any one specific project. The team is usually focused on a project in spurts and is close to completing its goal and then usually the project is not completed and then it falls to the site.

Advice to Senior Management

Buzznet is a social networking company that completely lacks socialization with its employees. The company sounds like a fun company to work for but its really not a fun company.

Pros

Cool employees and some great side benefits like free tickets to Coachella and other music shows. The work/life balance is one of the best of my career - sure there are pushes when there are major feature releases, but overall the pace is very reasonable.

Cons

The founders' word is final, whether or not it agrees with reality. Ideas only get implemented if a founder can claim it as his own. There tends to be a "me too" feel to all the feature being requested, as if we're trying to catch up with the latest hot site of the month. The company is trying to straddle the very different worlds of music and Hollywood celebrities and still come off as a coherent product, probably because of competing ideas of what the company should be about at the C-level.

Advice to Senior Management

There's a vast pool of talent stirring in the cubicles outside your office, try listening to them every now and then

Pros

Buzznet has really nice offices in Hollywood with excellent views of Hollywood. They have decent benefits and sometimes provide snacks in the office. They provide employees with nice computers and Blackberrys.

Cons

Senior management does not communicate with the rest of the staff and changes direction incredibly often. The CEO rarely comes into the office and does not speak to most employees. The board rules this company and there are constant "firedrill" scenarios whenever one of the board members expresses displeasure about anything.

The founders and CEO appear to loathe one another and often give staff conflicting direction when they do decide to communicate.

Advice to Senior Management

You need to act like leaders. Communicate with staff. Get assistants to schedule your time so that you can occasionally show up at meetings on time if at all.

If you pay market value for employees you will get good people. Stop trying to go cheap, especially with engineers.