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Bringing Nothing to The Party: True Confessions of a New Media Whore
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Having covered the first dot com boom, and founded a web-to-print publishing business during the second one, Paul counts many of the leading Internet entrepreneurs amongst his closest friends. These friendships mean he doesn't just attend their product launches and press conferences and speak at their events, but also gets invited to their ultra-exclusive networking events
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Start your review of Bringing Nothing to The Party: True Confessions of a New Media Whore
An excellent story teller with lots of stories to tell. 10 years after publication this book feels like a history book as much has moved on about the London tech scene since then (as to be expected). Interesting to read about this moment in time. Definite lessons to be learnt about the excesses and rollercoasters of startup life for those who haven't lived through it themselves (yet). For those who have, this book is probably only interesting if you know the people involved or you're in need of
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Interesting read. More a guide of what not to do if you wanted to become a succesful internet entrepreneur.
Aug 08, 2020
Gerardo Lisboa
added it
The 2000's .com
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Writing this review feels a little strange, almost like reviewing the work of a friend, despite the fact that I’ve never even met Paul Carr. Shortly after the turn of the century, his email newsletter, The Friday Thing, became the first I ever parted with cash to receive. The subscription was something like £10/year, and it was well worth it.
I remember when Carr branched out into publishing, and I bought some of their early publications, including the book of paramedic Tom Reynolds’s blog. I bou ...more
I remember when Carr branched out into publishing, and I bought some of their early publications, including the book of paramedic Tom Reynolds’s blog. I bou ...more
Whenever I need to go to a charity shop for work (yes, I work in the Charity Retail sector), I always feel that I need to buy something. This something usually takes the form of a book.
I’m so glad I picked this one up as it was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read – although part of me wished that I’d read it ages ago!
Paul Carr is a great writer, and this book is his memoir of his desire to be an entrepreneur – mastering the world of dotcom start-ups and becoming rich and famous…instead ...more
I’m so glad I picked this one up as it was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read – although part of me wished that I’d read it ages ago!
Paul Carr is a great writer, and this book is his memoir of his desire to be an entrepreneur – mastering the world of dotcom start-ups and becoming rich and famous…instead ...more
I was reading up on Paul Carr, of NSFWCORP, and I saw he wrote this book a while back. I figured one day I might have a look. Later, I read that he once gave it away for free on the Internets. I consulted the Google and was able to find a link that still worked. Bonus.
Bringing Nothing to the Party is an early memoir, focusing on his career in various mostly failed online businesses, from way TF back in the late '90s until about '08. He got his start with a sort of amateur city guide that eventua ...more
Bringing Nothing to the Party is an early memoir, focusing on his career in various mostly failed online businesses, from way TF back in the late '90s until about '08. He got his start with a sort of amateur city guide that eventua ...more
This book is a lot of fun, and even though it’s approaching the tenth anniversary since its publication date, it’s still timely and relevant, and a hell of a lot of fun to boot. In fact, it’s rare for a non-fiction book to be this much fun, and it reminded me a little bit of Tony Hawk, Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace. It’s just one man writing about his life, getting up to all sorts of trouble without really meaning to and telling stories about the unexpected consequences.
In a nutshell, it follows ...more
In a nutshell, it follows ...more
Wry, self-deprecating account of Paul Carr's experiences as a dotcom 2.0 journo/entrepreneur/hanger-on/ligger(1).
Often very funny, albeit that the style seems a bit derivative and Charlie Brookeresque at times.(2) The author seems to have spent quite a lot of the time being offhandedly rude to someone and then realising later on that the someone could make a big difference to his career. How he describes these incidents is funny and entertaining, just like it is when a pub raconteur starts off ...more
Often very funny, albeit that the style seems a bit derivative and Charlie Brookeresque at times.(2) The author seems to have spent quite a lot of the time being offhandedly rude to someone and then realising later on that the someone could make a big difference to his career. How he describes these incidents is funny and entertaining, just like it is when a pub raconteur starts off ...more
I really enjoyed Paul Carr's Huffington Post blog series this past spring (he stayed in 33 different Las Vegas Strip hotels for 33 consecutive nights) and I wanted to read more by him. I started with his first book, Bringing Nothing to the Party (his second, Upgrade, isn't out in the U.S. yet). Brining Nothing to the Party is a memoir about his foray into trying (and failing) to become an Internet entrepreneur. A bit self-involved at times (although it IS a memoir, so that's excusable) it's a gr
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I downloaded the book since I enjoy following Carr on twitter and the sample was engaging enough. His writing style is classically British and terribly funny, and he takes pains to explain the people and events that influenced his story.
I was underwhelmed as the book dragged on - I only finished reading because by the time I got bored I was 60% or more of the way through. The fact that Carr's business would fail is evident from the beginning, which was part of why I grew so bored. His love inter ...more
I was underwhelmed as the book dragged on - I only finished reading because by the time I got bored I was 60% or more of the way through. The fact that Carr's business would fail is evident from the beginning, which was part of why I grew so bored. His love inter ...more
The writing's witty, the stories of dotcom ridiculousness amusing, but Carr's sad stories of personal dysfunction lose their sparkle after the n-th iteration. The book is worth reading if you have an interest in the behind-the-scenes trading of the entrepeneurs building and cashing in on online services. It won't make you like them much, though.
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I'm trying to get through my backlog of books that people have sent me to review and then I read one and I'm like, "Oh yeah, THAT'S why I haven't gotten to this yet."
Ugh. THIS GUY. I hate him slightly less because he is British, but this book is only semi-readable and really only skim-worthy. Some bloggers should really stick to blogging.
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Ugh. THIS GUY. I hate him slightly less because he is British, but this book is only semi-readable and really only skim-worthy. Some bloggers should really stick to blogging.
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This guy is special. It was an entertaining read about the life of one who wants to make it as an entrepreneur. It's a pretty honest peek into a life that's clearly not for everyone. While I wasn't a big fan early on, I definitely ended up rooting for him in the end.
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Great fun, and a good antidote to the "heroism always succeeds" point of view implicit in books like Founders at Work and Paul Graham's essays. Felt a bit like reading Hunter S. Thompson at times--love the writing and the style, wonder if I'd like Carr in person.
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Interesting read for startups. Paul Carr writes about his success and failure at trying his hand at building a web startup in the UK. The web industry in the UK is just as big a circle jerk like it is in SA and I guess everywhere else. Money, parties, success and failure.
A cautionary memoir from the dot com entrepreneur & journalist Paul Carr. The book is very very witty & heart felt, even if at points it reads like a gossip column. Carr is a difficult guy: witty but arrogant & funny but cruel. Still though, you can't help root for him.
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This is a fantastic insight into the rise, fall, rise, shuffle, fall, rise and shuffle of the dotcom industry, written by a talented columnist/businessman who can be acerbic as well as informative. Recommended.
Bringing Nothing To The Party: True Confessions of a New Media Whore by Paul Carr (2009)
good fun, been to a lot of parties haven't you Paul?
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Brilliant book. Paul Carr tells his story and takes the opportunity to tell the truth about the New Media scene. I love the sarcasm.
Amusing romp through the world of London entrepreneurs.
Always fun to peek into the mind of Paul Carr.
Entertaining read charting the rise and fall of Paul as a London internet entrepreneur. I like it, but then I am in it....
Jul 28, 2011
Matias Kewe
added it
easy to read. informative. funny
Very good, pretty funny, a dandy read. A first hand view on the Internet and business, Paul Carr shares all.
An excellent take from a first hand perspective on the 2k internet bubble. Well written, spares no punches. Really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to reading "The Upgrade"
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Few books have made me laugh manically on the tube. It helps that I work in a London start-up.
cringe cringe cringe
i cringed throughout the book - but kept reading it !?!?!!?
i cringed throughout the book - but kept reading it !?!?!!?
Didn't enjoy this one as much as The Upgrade....but good to understand the lead up to that book.
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Nice little trip down memory lane from the days of the uk internet bubble
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