We are addressing the problem with www.nixty.com. We launched in July. There is definitely a lot of opportunity here. There are also a lot of challenges in addressing this market. If interested shoot me an email glen at nixty dot com. I'd be happy to talk more with you about this space and share what we've learned in the process. Also, if you are interested, here is an overview video of what we are doing: http://www.youtube.com/user/NIXTYLearning. Here is another video - an interview with Scoble -- it is more of a high-level sketch of where we see things going (more emphasis on research-backed open courseware etc.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfuDRlUp3AU
I enjoyed meeting Scoble. The guy was really sick during this interview and still managed to come out and meet with me. He clearly cares about his work and is passionate about technology.
1. Conscientiousness - ability to track details and be organized - huge predictor of success in most domains.
2. Grit - it is going to be incredibly hard. These people need to know how to persevere.
3. Interpersonal skills - tough to navigate/lead a small team of people. Person should be able to help people individually and collectively.
4. Willingness to GLADLY do whatever it takes
5. Strategy - ability to look at market and competitors and clearly articulate how your business is going to reach its objectives.
6. Finance - they don't have to be a MBA; knowing how to use quickbooks is good and to basically keep more money coming in than money going out.
7. Willingness to admit limitations and ask for help - this is really key. There are plenty of really smart people out there that want to help. This person should be humble enough to ask for help and to then be very thankful for the help they receive.
You might consider a type of incentive program or a revenue share approach. If people refer others, then you give them a certain percentage of whatever money they yield.
I think quality is better than quantity. Build relationships with folks you are targeting. Take them out to lunch. I know in-person meetings are not something most of us love to do, but they are really important -- especially for the potential user. Get a handful of say 5-10 people that you really want to reach. Listen to them. Solve their problems. Ask them for blurbs. Put the blurbs on your site. Ask them for referrals etc.
This might not be answering your question, but the hundreds of emails approach (at least to me) doesn't seem like the most efficient strategy.
We are building this very thing at www.nixty.com. Benwerd, I'm familiar with Elgg and have actually consulted with Harold Jarche a few times (several years ago). If either of you are interested, then I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please send me an email at glen at nixty dot com.
